The present invention relates to an automobile lamp.
Conventional automobile lamp has a reflection face to reflect the light beams emitted from lighting members at specific positions to further emit outward through a lamp cover, or has a light guiding member to gather light beams or to make the light beams travel further.
However, the light beams are simple and monotonous to lack of identification.
The main object of the present invention is to provide an automobile lamp which is able to provide 3D light beams with gradation.
To achieve the above and other objects, the automobile lamp includes a lamp seat, a lighting unit, and a light guiding member.
The lighting unit includes a circuit board and a plurality of LEDs. The circuit board is disposed on the lamp seat. The LEDs is electrically connected to the circuit board respectively. The light guiding member is disposed on the lamp seat and covers the lighting unit. The light guiding member has a first face and a second face opposite to the first face. The first face is flat and faces a plurality of lighting portions of the LEDs. A plurality of ribs are formed on the second face. The ribs form a corrugated structure along a radial direction of the light guiding member. When a plurality of light beams from the lighting portions emit through the first face into the light guiding member, part of the light beams further travel along the corrugated structure.
The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment(s) in accordance with the present invention.
Please refer to
The lighting unit 2 includes a circuit board 21 and a plurality of LEDs 22. The circuit board 21 is disposed on the lamp seat 1. The LEDs 22 is electrically connected to the circuit board 21 respectively. The light guiding member 3 is disposed on the lamp seat 1 and covers the lighting unit 2. The light guiding member 3 has a first face 31 and a second face 32 opposite to the first face 31. The first face 31 is flat and faces a plurality of lighting portions 221 of the LEDs 22. A plurality of ribs 41 are formed on the second face 32. The ribs 41 form a corrugated structure 4 along a radial direction of the light guiding member 3.
When a plurality of light beams 8 from the lighting portions 221 emit through the first face 31 into the light guiding member 3, part of the light beams 8 further travel along the corrugated structure 4. For example, the light beams 8 refract and travel toward the center of the light guiding member 3. Besides, the number of the light beams 8 traveling along the radial direction of the light guiding member 3 via the corrugated structure 4 is reduced toward a direction away from the lighting portions 221. That is, the brightness is reduced, and the width of light beam is reduced too so that the light beam is gradational and directional. The light beams form a complete light pattern. In addition, the light beams transform according to the angle of observer to make the light beams float. That is, the light beams form different patterns when observed from different positions.
Specifically, the ribs 41 are aligned along the radial direction of the light guiding member 3. Each of the ribs 41 has a rib crest 411 and two rib slopes 412. An end of each of the rib slopes 412 is connected to the rib crest 411. An other end of each of the rib slopes 412 is connected to one of the rib slopes 412 of an adjacent one of the ribs 41. That is, the corrugated structure 4 is wavy along the radial direction of the light guiding member 3 so that the light beams 8 from LEDs 22 at the same radial position but different circumferential positions have the same pattern during refraction to make it easier to design.
More specifically, a length of a bottom 42 of each of the ribs 41 is defined as a maximum linear distance between the two ribs 41 along the radial direction of the light guiding member 3. A rib height 43 of each of the ribs 41 is defined as a maximum linear distance between the rib crest 411 and the bottom 42 along the radial direction of the light guiding member 3. When a ratio of the rib height 43 to the length of the bottom 42 is ranged between 0.5-0.7, and a ratio of a vertical distance between the first face 31 and the second face 32 to a vertical distance between the first face 31 to the lighting portions 221 along the axial direction of the light guiding member 3 is ranged 0.15-0.3, the refraction of the light beams 8 form a preferable pattern. In the present embodiment, each of the rib crests 411 has an arc-shaped contour in a radial cross-section of the light guiding member 3, and each of the rib slopes 412 is linear in a radial cross-section of the light guiding member 3. A ratio of a radius of curvature of the rib crest 411 to the length of each of the rib slopes 412 is ranged 0.8-1.4
In the present embodiment, the light guiding member 3 is disc-shaped. The ribs 41 are arranged on the second face 32 as concentric circles. The ribs 41 partition the second face 32 into a first zone 321, a second zone 322, and a third zone 323. The first zone 321 is circle-shaped. Each of the second zone 322 and the third zone 323 is ring-shaped. The second zone 322 is located between the first zone 321 and the third zone 323. The first zone 321 is flat and smooth. Each of the second zone 322 and the third zone 323 has a plurality of the ribs 41. Each of the ribs 41 in the second zone 322 has a rib height 43 vary from a rib height 43 of each of the ribs 41 in the third zone 323. Thereby, the light beams form a 3D pattern.
Specifically, when observing along the radial direction of the light guiding member 3, the LEDs 22 are located closed to a periphery of the second face 32. The LEDs 22 are arranged about a central axis and form a plurality of annular layers. For example, the LEDs 22 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the light guiding member 3 to be concentric circles. Thereby, the light beams form a pattern with gradation toward the center.
In the present embodiment, the LEDs 22 are arranged spacedly along both the radial direction and a circumferential direction of the light guiding member 3. In other words, the LEDs 22 are arranged alternately. When observing laterally and obliquely, the LEDs 22 look like shining stars emitting light beams upward toward the center to form a light cone.
Specifically, the automobile lamp further includes a frame 5. The frame 5 is ring-shaped. The lamp seat 1 further includes a support portion 11. The frame 5 is positioned to the support portion 11 to enclose a receiving space 14 between the frame 5 and the support portion 11. The light guiding member 3 is restricted in the receiving space 14. More specifically, the support portion 11 includes a support unit 12 and a plurality of recesses 13. The light guiding member 3 is arranged on the support unit 12. The frame 5 includes a main body 51 and a plurality of coupling portions 52 connected to the main body 51. The main body 51 and the support unit 12 clamp the light guiding member 3. The coupling portions 52 are coupled to the recesses 13.
In the present embodiment, the recesses 13 include three said recesses 13 arranged isometrically, and the coupling portions 52 include three said coupling portions 52 arranged isometrically. The support unit 12 includes six first positioning pins 121. A pair of the first positioning pins 121 is arranged between any two adjacent ones of the recesses 13 along the circumferential direction of the light guiding member 3. The main body 51 is extended with six second positioning pins 53. The second positioning pins 53 correspond to the first positioning pins 121 respectively. Thereby, the light guiding member 3 is firmly clamped and positioned.
Preferably, the automobile lamp further includes a sealing plug 6 and a lamp cover 7. The sealing plug 6 is inserted through and positioned to the lamp seat 1. A wire 23 of the circuit board 21 is inserted through the sealing plug 6 to connect to a power supply. The sealing plug 6 can prohibit water from entering the lamp seat 1. The lamp cover 7 covers the light guiding member 3 and is positioned on the lamp seat 1 to protect the light guiding member 3.
In conclusion, the automobile lamp of the present invention can provide light beams with gradation extending toward the center, and the light beams refracted by the light guiding member form a cone-shaped pattern. In addition, the pattern of light beams varies when observing at different positions.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
7813055 | Yasumoto | Oct 2010 | B2 |
9466773 | Streppel | Oct 2016 | B2 |
20100284194 | Miyashita | Nov 2010 | A1 |
20180231209 | Schwalenberg | Aug 2018 | A1 |