The present application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-47066 filed Mar. 2, 2012, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lamp for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a lamp for a vehicle, in which the number of point light sources looks more than what they are actually mounted and shine like shooting stars.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, a Light Emitting Diode (LED) is used for a vehicle lamp.
A lighting module of Patent Document 1 disposes an LED on the bottom of a bowl-shaped reflector and provides a step on an inner surface of the reflector to reflect light emitted from the LED approximately in parallel to the front, allowing a point light source to be seen big. However, such a structure equally shines the light-emitting surface, and visibility is not excellent.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.
Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a lamp for a vehicle, in which the number of point light sources looks more than what they are actually mounted and shine like shooting stars.
In an aspect of the present invention, a lamp apparatus for a vehicle may include a hollow tub having an inner side which is a mirror surface, an upper cover which is mounted at a side of the tub and may have a first surface perpendicular to an axial direction of the tub, wherein the first surface may include a semi-mirror surface which divides light into a transmitted light passing to the outside and a reflected light reflected to the inside, a lower cover which is mounted at the other side of the tub and may have a second surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the tub, wherein the second surface may include a mirror surface formed on an inner side thereof, and a plurality of point light sources mounted on the mirror surface of the lower cover, wherein light emitted from the point light sources is multiple-reflected between the semi-mirror surface of the upper cover and the mirror surface of the lower cover.
The point light sources are spaced each other.
The upper cover is formed in a concave shape toward the lower cover and the first surface is formed of an annular end portion having the semi-mirror surface, wherein the first surface is formed with a plurality of annular end portions and aligned in a stepped shape, and wherein the second surface of the lower cover is flat.
The upper cover is formed in a convex shape in a direction opposite to the lower cover and the first surface is formed of an annular end portion, wherein the first surface is formed with a plurality of annular end portions and aligned in a stepped shape, and wherein the second surface of the lower cover is flat.
The lower cover is formed in a convex shape toward the upper cover and the second surface is formed of an annular end portion, wherein the second surface is formed with a plurality of annular end portions and aligned in a stepped shape.
The upper cover is flat, wherein the lower cover is formed in a convex shape toward the upper cover and the second surface is formed of an annular end portion and wherein the second surface is formed with a plurality of annular end portions and aligned in a stepped shape.
Other aspects and preferred embodiments of the invention are discussed infra.
The above and other features of the invention are discussed infra.
The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention.
It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment.
In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing.
Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Hereinafter, a lamp for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The lamp for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention uses LEDs as point light sources while reducing the number of LEDs, saves resources and power, and improves visibility, and may be very suitably used as the lamp for a vehicle. In addition, the lamp for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be variously applied to a head lamp, an indoor lamp, a tail lamp for a vehicle, etc. In addition, the lamp can also be applied to an indoor lighting lamp (furniture), a signal mechanism, an electric light illumination signboard, an amusement machine (game player) such as a pachinko, and so forth, without being limited to the vehicle.
With the lamp for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, light from the point light sources is multiple-reflected from a flat surface between the upper cover and the lower cover, such that the point light sources may emit more light than actually possible. The upper cover and the lower cover are connected in the tub whose inner side is a mirror surface, and thus the light from the point light sources may shine like shooting stars and may be seen enlarged. In addition, it is not necessary to dispose a number of point light sources, thus cutting down the cost, saving the power, and improving visibility.
By forming the upper cover in a concave shape having an annular end portion, the end portion of the semi-mirror surface of the upper cover and the mirror surface of the tub are in parallel with each other, such that light going in perpendicular to the surface is multiple-reflected and thus a more number of point light sources may shine like shooting stars.
For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “inner” and “outer” are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures.
The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
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