Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Light modifier
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-17
2004-09-28
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Light modifier
C362S517000, C362S518000, C362S348000, C362S346000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06796694
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicular signal lamp, particularly to the composition of a reflector surface or lens of a vehicular signal lamp.
In general, vehicular signal lamps irradiate a light beam in the forward direction of the lamp with a certain amount of extension in both right and left directions in order to allow the light signal to be recognized when the lamp is viewed not only directly from in front of the lamp but also from right and left lateral directions.
For this purpose, there is known a lamp as shown in
FIG. 12A
constructed to diffuse and reflect the light from a light source bulb
2
, reflected as a substantially parallel light beam by a reflecting surface
4
a
of a reflector
4
, in right and left directions by a plurality of lens elements
6
s
formed on a front lens
6
, and also a lamp as shown in
FIG. 12B
constructed to diffuse and reflect the light from the light source bulb
2
in right and left directions by a plurality of reflecting elements
4
s
formed on the reflecting surface
4
a
of the reflector.
However, in the conventional vehicular signal lamp there occur problems, as described below, due to the fact that the right and left maximum diffusion angles &thgr;L and &thgr;R of the transmitted light from respective lens elements
6
s
or the reflected light from respective reflecting elements
4
s
are the same among all the lens elements
6
s
or among all the reflecting elements
4
s.
For example, in a vehicular signal lamp as shown in
FIG. 12B
, suppose the light is observed in a lateral direction by moving the viewing position from the front direction gradually to the right. (As used herein, “right” and “left” refer to directions taken with respect to the light front direction, i.e., the direction of the main beam from the lamp).
As shown in FIG.
13
and
FIG. 14
, when the viewing position is moved somewhat from the light front direction to the right, concerning a reflecting element
4
s
(
1
) positioned at the right side of the reflecting surface
4
a
, at a viewing position E the viewing angle for the reflecting element
4
s
(
1
) (angle for looking at the reflecting element
4
s
from the viewing position) &agr;R is smaller than the right direction maximum diffusion angle &thgr;R of the same element, and, on the other hand, concerning a reflecting element
4
s
(
2
) positioned at the left side of the reflecting surface
4
a
, the element viewing angle &agr;R is larger than the right direction maximum diffusion angle &thgr;L thereof.
Thus, at the viewing position E the reflecting element
4
s
(
1
) on the right side appears brighter than the reflecting element
4
s
(
2
) on the left side because reflected light from the former element reaches the viewing position E, while the reflecting element
4
s
(
2
) on the left end side appears dark because there is no reflected light directed to the viewing position E. Consequently, as shown in
FIG. 15
, the reflecting area on the right side of the reflecting surface appears bright, but the reflecting area on the left side of the reflecting surface appears dark. In
FIG. 15
, black band portions Br extending in vertical stripes in the area in the vicinity of the right end portion of respective reflecting elements
4
s
correspond to the brightly appearing portions of the reflecting elements
4
s.
Such a phenomenon occurs similarly in the case where the viewing position is moved from the front direction to the left, and also similarly for a vehicular signal lamp as shown in FIG.
12
A.
The occurrence of such phenomenon, wherein the reflecting surface or lens that appears universally bright when viewed from a position directly in front of the lamp has portions that appear dark when the viewing position is moved to the right or left direction, impairs the overall appearance of the lamp, and is undesirable in respect of appearance quality in a vehicular signal lamp.
It is of course possible to make the lamp appear bright over a certain angular viewing position range by increasing the light maximum diffusion angle. However, if the maximum diffusion angle is simply increased, the light is diffused into unnecessary areas, the middle portion becomes dark, or the lamp must be undesirably increased in size.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was conceived in view of such problems, and it is an object of the invention to provide a vehicular signal lamp providing a good appearance even when the lamp is observed from a lateral direction where the viewing position is moved to the right or left from the front direction.
The invention achieves the above object by appropriately constructing the respective reflecting elements composing the reflecting surface of the reflector or the respective lens elements formed on the front lens.
In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention a signal lamp is provided which comprises a light source bulb, a reflector for reflecting forward the light from the light source bulb, and a front lens provided at the forward side of the reflector, wherein the reflecting surface of the reflector comprises a plurality of reflecting elements for diffusing and reflecting in right and left directions the light from the light source bulb, and the front lens is transparent and is characterized in that the maximum diffusion angle in at least one of right and left directions of the reflected light from the respective reflecting elements is set to a smaller value the nearer the reflecting element is located to the end of the one side in the reflecting surface.
To make the maximum diffusion angle in at least one of the right and left directions smaller the nearer the reflecting element is located to the end of the one side of the reflecting surface, the left direction maximum diffusion angle may be set to a smaller value the nearer the reflecting element is located to the left end of the reflecting surface, the right direction maximum diffusion angle may be set to a smaller value the nearer the reflecting element is located to the right end of the reflecting surface, or the left direction maximum diffusion angle may be set to a smaller value the nearer the reflecting element is located to the left end of the reflecting surface, and the right direction maximum diffusion angle is set to a smaller value the nearer the reflecting element is located to the right end of the reflecting surface.
A second embodiment of a signal lamp of the present invention comprises a light source bulb, a reflector for reflecting forward the light from the light source bulb, and a front lens provided at the forward side of the reflector, the reflecting surface of the reflector being constructed to reflect the light from the light source bulb as a substantially parallel light beam, and a plurality of lens elements for diffusing and transmitting in right and left directions the reflected light from the reflecting surface are formed on the front lens, wherein the maximum diffusion angle in at least one of right and left directions of the transmitted light from the respective lens elements is set to a smaller value the nearer the lens element is located to the end of the one side of the front lens.
To make the maximum diffusion angle in at least one of right and left directions smaller the nearer the lens element is located to the end of the one side in the lens, the left direction maximum diffusion angle may be set to a smaller value the nearer the lens element is located to the left end of the lens, the right direction maximum diffusion angle may set to a smaller value the nearer the lens element is located to the right end of the lens, or the left direction maximum diffusion angle may be set to a smaller value the nearer the lens element is located to the left end of the lens, and the right direction maximum diffusion angle is set to a smaller value the nearer the lens element is located to the right end of the lens.
In both embodiments, the specific value of the maximum diffusion angle is not particularly limited, but it may be conveniently set to a val
Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
O'Shea Sandra
Ton Anabel
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