Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Light modifier
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-22
2001-08-14
Sember, Thomas M. (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Light modifier
C362S544000, C362S230000, C362S268000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273594
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle indicator lamp which radiates red light.
A vehicle indicator lamp such as a tail lamp, stop lamp, and rear fog lamp is structured to radiate red light to the front (front with respect to the lamp fixture and rear with respect to the vehicle body, hereinafter referred to as the front).
FIG.
4
(
a
) shows a conventional indicator lamp that radiates red light and is structured as to reflect light from a light-source bulb
2
to the front as parallel light by a reflective surface
4
a
of a lamp body
4
. This parallel reflected light is then diffused by a plurality of diffusion lens elements
6
s
formed on a red front lens
6
such that red light is radiated to the front of the lamp fixture in a predetermined light distribution pattern.
A lamp structure has recently been proposed wherein the reflective surface
4
a
of the lamp body
4
is formed of a plurality of diffusion and reflection elements
4
s
, as shown in FIG.
4
(
b
), such that the light from the light-source bulb
2
is reflected to the front as diffused light. This makes it possible to form the front lens
6
of a red transparent lens, which in turn gives the lamp fixture a sense of transparency and makes it possible to achieve a predetermined light distribution pattern of red light.
However, conventional vehicle indicator lamps are unattractive in appearance. In particular, the lamp fixture of FIG.
4
(
a
) includes a plurality of diffusion lens elements
6
a
formed on the front lens
6
so that the inner portion of the lamp fixture is difficult to see and therefore lacks a sense of transparency. In the lamp fixture in FIG.
4
(
b
), despite a certain degree of a sense of transparency gained by using the transparent lens
6
, the transparent lens
6
is colored red which makes it that much more difficult to see the inner portion of the lamp fixture such that the sense of transparency is not improved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a vehicle indicator lamp which radiates red light and which has a superior sense of transparency and an excellent appearance. The present invention achieves the foregoing aim by providing a region formed of a colorless transparent lens in the front lens and by using a predetermined red transparent cap.
According to the present invention, a vehicle indicator lamp includes a light-source bulb, a lamp body having a reflective surface which reflects light from this light-source bulb to the front, and a front lens provided at the front of the lamp body. The structure provides red light radiated to the front. The lamp includes a cylindrically-shaped red transparent cap around the light-source bulb, wherein the reflective surface is formed so as to diffuse and reflect the light from said light-source bulb, and wherein at least a front portion of the reflective surface in the front lens is formed of a colorless transparent lens.
The above-mentioned “reflective surface” may be formed with a slightly curved surface or with a plurality of reflective elements, so as to diffuse and reflect light from the light-source bulb.
The above-mentioned “colorless transparent lens” may be formed to cover the entire surface of the front lens or a part thereof, at least at the front portion of the reflective surface.
A vehicle indicator lamp according to the present invention includes a cylindrically shaped red transparent cap around the light-source bulb thereof. As a result, red light impinges on the reflective surface of the lamp body, and is diffused and reflected thereby. The red light then passes through the colorless transparent lens and is directly radiated to the front. Therefore, appropriately setting the diffusion and reflection angle according to the reflective surface enables a specific lamp fixture light pattern to be achieved.
Since at least the front portion of the reflective surface of the front lens of the vehicle indicator lamp is formed of a colorless transparent lens, the reflective surface is visible because it is observable through this colorless transparent lens when the lamp fixture is viewed from the front. The red color of the red transparent cap can be seen reflected on the entire reflective surface or a part thereof, depending on the angle of view. Therefore, the sense of transparency of the lamp fixture is improved and the vehicle indicator lamp has an eye-catching appearance compared with conventional lamps having a single front lens formed as a red transparent lens. A vehicle indicator lamp according to the present invention thus radiates red light and can be made to have a superior sense of transparency and an excellent appearance.
In the foregoing construction, the structure of the portion other than the colorless transparent lens in the front lens is not specifically limited. If that portion is formed of a red lens, a contrast with the colorless transparent lens can be newly created. A sense of blending with the red color of the red transparent cap, which passes through the colorless transparent lens and can be seen reflected on the reflective surface, can also be newly created. As a result, the appearance of the lamp fixture may be further improved. Here, the “red lens” may be a transparent lens or a lens on which lens elements are formed.
In addition, the structure may have a lens step portion composed of a plurality of lens elements formed on the portion in front of the light-source bulb of the colorless transparent lens. In this case the red transparent cap is not clearly visible when the lamp fixture is observed from the front because of the existence of the lens step portion, thereby improving the appearance of the lamp fixture. Further, when observing the lamp fixture from the front, the lens step portion appears to float on the lens surface and the back of the reflective surface is visible through the surrounding colorless transparent lens portion thereof, thereby giving a three-dimensional appearance and a sense of depth to the lamp fixture.
In the foregoing structure, the lamp body may have a single reflective surface. The lamp body may also have the above-mentioned reflective surface and a second reflective surface. Forming a colorless transparent lens extending to the front portion of the second reflective lens can give a sense of uniformity in design to the lamp fixture across both reflective surfaces. An indicator lamp having an identical lamp fixture function may include a luminescent portion in two locations having a light-source bulb and red transparent cap similar to those in the above-mentioned reflective surface in the second reflective surface. Further, an indicator lamp having a different lamp fixture function can be realized by providing a transparent cap of a color other than that of the red transparent cap, or by not providing a transparent cap.
An embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5081564 (1992-01-01), Mizoguchi et al.
patent: 5287101 (1994-02-01), Serizawa
patent: 5552969 (1996-09-01), Murakami
patent: 5552970 (1996-09-01), Takezawa et al.
patent: 5580165 (1996-12-01), Natsume et al.
patent: 5692824 (1997-12-01), Ooishi
Hanamori Kazuhiro
Ikeda Yoshimi
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Sember Thomas M.
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