Light assembly, method for reducing light loss, vehicle design element and rear view device

Abstract

A system includes at least one light pipe, at least one light source disposed at least partially within an interior of the system, a lens substantially enclosing the interior, the at least one light pipe, and the at least one light source, the lens having a continuous transparent or translucent coating on the outer surface, with the at least one light source receiving electrical power from the electrical power source, the continuous transparent or translucent coating being at least partially permeable to at least some light which is emitted by the at least one light source and passed through the lens, and at least one mask located between the at least one light pipe and the lens, a plurality of small contact areas being provided on the outside or inside of the light pipe or on the mask.

Claims

1. A system comprising a lighting assembly for a vehicle design element, comprising: at least one light pipe; at least one light source disposed at least partially within an interior of the system, the at least one light source being configured to emit light based on at least receiving electrical power from an electrical power source, and the at least one light source being arranged adjacent to and directed towards the at least one light pipe; a lens substantially enclosing the interior, the at least one light pipe, and the at least one light source, the lens having an inner surface, an outer surface disposed opposite the inner surface and a continuous transparent or translucent coating on the outer surface for providing a hidden until lit appearance, wherein with the at least one light source receiving electrical power from the electrical power source, the continuous transparent or translucent coating is at least partially permeable to at least some light which is emitted by the at least one light source and passed through the lens; at least one reflector configured to increase the efficiency with which the light is guided through the at least one light pipe and at least one mask, configured to provide a pattern of illumination for the system, located between the at least one light pipe and the lens and arranged on an opposite side of the at least one light pipe compared to the reflector, wherein a plurality of small contact areas are provided on (i) an outside and an inside of the at least one light pipe, or (ii) on the at least one mask and at least one reflector, in order to contain light within the at least one light pipe, wherein the plurality of small contact areas are formed by applying a velvet film or by providing a velvet surface finish on the at least one light pipe or on the at least one mask, and wherein the lighting assembly is enclosed within a facia finisher or a door finisher.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one gasket located at the interior of the system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one reflector is on the outside of the at least one light pipe.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one light source comprises at least one of an incandescent light source, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) or a combination thereof, wherein the at least one light source is located on a circuit board.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the lens comprises an outer component made from a clear material, and an inner component which is at least one of over molded on an inner surface of the outer component or made from opaque material.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the transparent or translucent coating is a metal coating, and the metal coating is a chromium-based reflective coating.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one light pipe contains light scattering particles.

8. A vehicle design element comprising the system of claim 1.

9. A rear view device of a vehicle comprising the system of claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the present invention will be discussed with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1A is a schematic view of a system including an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;

(3) FIG. 1B is a schematic view of a system including an assembly according to another embodiment of the invention;

(4) FIG. 1C illustrates a mask material having a velvet surface finish.

(5) FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a system including an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention for a facia finisher;

(6) FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a system including an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention for a door finisher.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) Referring now to FIG. 1A, there is shown a schematic lighting assembly of a system 10, which has a light pipe 1, a light source, a mask 4 with an image/artwork 5 and a lens 3. The lens 3 comprises a transparent and/or translucent metal layer which, in use, is translucent. The light source is switchable between an on state in which the image 5 is visible on the front surface of the lens 3 and an off state in which no image is visible on the front surface of the lens. The system 10 also encompasses an reflector 6 (such as a white reflector) and a gasket 7.

(8) According to an example, contact areas 2 are provided on the reflector and on the mask 4 in order to reduce the light loss in the light pipe 1. These small contact areas 2 could also be on the light pipe 1 in addition to the current parts or on both. The system 10 provides light output such that a viewer would see a homogenous annular light output. In the embodiment of FIG. 1A, the small contact areas are shown on the light pipe 1, and in the embodiment of FIG. 1B, the small contact areas are shown on the mask 4 and/or the reflector 6.

(9) FIG. 2 shows a system 10 used for a facia finisher. The optically clear polycarbonate lens 3 is formed by injection moulding, but other processing methods could be used such as thermoforming clear polycarbonate sheet. As in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the lens 3 has a coating of a transparent and/or translucent metal layer which, in use, is translucent. The coating has a certain amount of light transmission that allows visible light to pass through the lens.

(10) The mask 4 is a clear film with opaque ink. The opaque ink is laser ablated or screen printed to form clear areas of artwork 5. Light can pass through these clear areas to form the illuminated pattern that a person can view.

(11) The gasket 7 creates a preload between a housing 9 and the lens 3 to prevent any rattles and also provides light blocking so that light does not pass through unintended areas.

(12) The light guide 1, or light pipe, capture the light from the entry points of a light source 12 for the illumination of the assembly, like the LED's 12 arranged on a printed circuit board 8 containing the LED's 12.

(13) The light guide 1 contains dispersive particles, which scatter the light out of the light guide surfaces that are under the lens 3. This creates homogenous illumination of the surface of the light guide 1. The particles are not shown, since they are microscopic and are an additive to the material of the light pipe.

(14) The housing 9 attaches to the lens 3 and provides location for the internal components mentioned before. The housing 9 encloses the assembly and stops light from escaping in unintended areas.

(15) FIG. 3 shows a system 10 used for a door finisher. The lens 3 has a coating with a certain amount of light transmission that allows visible light to pass through the lens 3. The mask 4 is a thermoformed clear film with opaque ink. The opaque ink is laser ablated or screen printed to form clear areas of artwork 5. The mask 4 material has a “velvet” surface finish 13, as is shown in FIG. 1C. The velvet surface finish 13 of mask 4 provides a plurality of small contact areas on the surface of the mask 4.

(16) The light guide 1 captures the light from the entry points of the LED's and contains dispersive particles which scatter the light out of the light guide surfaces that are under the lens 3. This creates homogenous illumination of the light guide surface. If the light guide 1 is provided with a velvet surface finish 13, the velvet surface finish 13 of the light guide 1 provides a plurality of small contact areas on the surface of the light guide 1.

(17) The gasket 7 creates a preload between the housing 9, the lens 3 and the light pipe 1 to prevent any rattles. The reflector is white to increase efficiency of the lighting system. The reflector may also have a velvet surface finish 13 to allow the light guide 1 to be placed in direct contact with the mask 4. The velvet surface finish 13 of the reflector provides a plurality of small contact areas on the surface of the reflector. The velvet surface finish 13 provides space between the adjacent components increasing internal reflection due to the air gap.

(18) The housing 9 attaches to the lens 3 and provides location for the internal components. It has clips and locator holes and screw holes that are used to attach the assembly to the vehicle. An adhesive 11 joins the housing 9 to the lens assembly.

(19) Throughout the specification and the claims that follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the words “comprise” and “include” and variations such as “comprising” and “including” will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers, but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

(20) The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement of any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

(21) It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is not restricted in its use to the particular application described. Neither is the present invention restricted in its preferred embodiment with regard to the particular elements and/or features described or depicted herein. It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth and defined by the following claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS

(22) 1 light pipe/light guide 2 contact areas 3 lens 4 mask 5 image/artwork 6 reflector layer 7 gasket 8 printed circuit board 9 housing 10 Hidden Till Lit (HTL) system 11 adhesive 12 light source 13 velvet surface finish.