Patent Application
20180139819
The present invention generally relates to vehicle lighting systems and, more particularly, to lighting elements for vehicles.
Since the invention of the first automobile, increasing safety for the driver and the pedestrians has been a priority for automobile product manufacturers. A key element in this regard is headlamp technology for the vehicles. Vehicle headlamps may provide a clear view for the driver to negotiate the vehicle after dark, thus avoiding other vehicles, more clearly seeing the road ahead and avoiding any debris that may be present on the roadway. Pedestrians also benefit as the moving vehicle may be affixed with bright lights in the front of the vehicle, thereby visually alerting a person on the street or road as to the presence of the vehicle and the direction of movement.
In addition to safety, some people look at an automobile as an extension of them or their personality. This may include headlamps that can change color to enhance a beautiful paint job or interior work. This may be done purely for show, as it may be used in an official or impromptu car show, or additional color and color patters may be used as a safety feature. This safety feature may include making the headlamps flash in a yellow color in concert with the turn signals or emergency flashers of the vehicle. The additional lighting may better alert the drivers of other vehicles to the condition or intended movement of a vehicle using the additional lighting.
It should, therefore, be appreciated that there is a need for a vehicle headlamp including additional color capabilities other than just white light that allows for use on a variety of electronic devices to control the headlamps. The present invention fulfills this need and others.
The present invention may include a vehicle headlamp with a lamp body including a chip support with a color changing diode and a white diode, each mounted on the chip support of the lamp body. The headlamp may also include a color input and a white input, the color input being in electrical communication with the color changing diode and the white input in electrical communication with the white diode. The combination may function such that an electrical input may be provided to the white input to cause illumination of the white diode and an electrical input to the color input may cause a controlled illumination of the color changing diode. The color changing diode may be a RGB diode, which may include the ability to illuminate the colors of red, green and blue in varied intensities of each color in order to reach a variety of colors.
The vehicle light may include a lamp body including a chip support, a color changing diode and a white diode each mounted on the chip support of the lamp body. A color input and a white input may be included, the color input may be in electrical communication with the color changing diode and the white input may be in electrical communication with the white diode, whereby electrical input to the white input may cause illumination of the white diode and electrical input to the color input may cause a controlled illumination of the color changing diode. The color changing diode and the white diode may be positioned proximate to one another, wherein one edge of the color diode may be in physical contact with one edge of the white diode. If not physically touching, one edge of the color diode may be is less than 0.050 inches from one edge of the white diode. The color changing diode may be a RGB (red, green, blue) diode which may include the ability to illuminate the colors of red, green and blue in varied intensities of each color. The color changing diode may also be comprised of separate red, blue and green diodes.
The headlamp may also be part of an assembly including a headlamp with a lamp body including a chip support. A color changing diode may be proximate a white diode, both mounted to the chip support of the headlamp. An LED driver may be connected to the white diode and a vehicle plug may be connected to the LED driver, whereby a light output may be generated from the white diode by way of the LED driver through the vehicle plug, used as an interface to the automobile. A controller may be provided in electrical communication with the color changing diode of the headlamp. A switch and a relay may also be provided. The switch may be used to close the relay to provide a voltage input from a power source to the controller. The controller may provide a modulated electrical input to the color changing diode, which may result in a light emission of the color changing diode. A vehicle controller may be provided in electrical communication with a secondary light, which may be connected to the headlamp. The secondary light may be a light selected from a group comprising a turn signal and a clearance light, both may be located on the vehicle. The secondary light may be electrically connected to the color changing diode on the headlamp. A junction box with a power input and input from a controller may be provided, resulting in an output to at least one secondary light and an output to the color changing diode of the headlamp.
For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain advantages of the invention have been described herein. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages can be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments and drawings, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiment(s) disclosed.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:
With reference to the illustrative drawings, and particularly to
The control system 20 may include a controller 34 with a plug 36, which may be received by the controller plug 18. In doing so, the controller 34 may provide a modulated electrical input to the color changing diode 22. The result may include a wide variety of red, green and blue (RGB) color combinations emitted from the color changing diode 22 on the headlamp 12. The controller 34 may be provided power by way of the vehicle battery 38. A locking relay 40 may be controlled by a switch 42. When a switch button 44 on the switch 42 is depressed, a circuit may be closed to the locking relay 40. Electrical communication between the controller 34 and the relay 40 may be provided by connecting the controller plug 46 to the switch plug 48. Then, when current flow from the battery 38 may be provided through the relay 40 in a closed position and continuous power may be provided from the battery 38 to the controller 34. To open the circuit between the battery 38 and the controller 34, the switch button 44 on the switch 42 may be depressed at any time when the relay 40 is closed. This may open the circuit by way of the relay 40 thus breaking electrical communication between the battery 38 and the controller 34.
The proximal relative locations of the white diode 26 to the color changing diode 22 on the lamp body 24 of the headlamp 12 may be important in that one or more relatively consistently located light sources in the headlamp 12 may be close enough to take advantage of a single parabolic focal point 49 on a headlamp reflector 51. As is illustrated in
As is shown in
As illustrated in
In a similar manner, the turn signal 62 may function as an emergency flasher, thus signaling the vehicle is in a circumstance that requires additional attention by other drivers or requires emergency assistance. By having the color changing diode 22 provide additional illumination in addition to the turn signal 62, this may aid in communicating the location and presence of this vehicle to others and thus avoid an accident.
The system as shown in all forms in this disclosure may also be used for a purely decorative purpose. In showing a vehicle for the purpose of selling or displaying that vehicle, the more attention you can bring to that vehicle, the greater the chances a sale can be made. Providing illumination from the color changing diode 26 in the headlamp 12 of the vehicle may greatly increase the likelihood of being noticed. The color changing diode 26 may include a virtually infinite number of outputs varying the color, intensity and the illumination patterns. This may allow a vehicle owner to provide nonverbal communication to others with a line of sight to the vehicle, thus drawing the desired attention to the vehicle for any reason. This may be especially valuable for an emergency vehicle, such as police, fire or an ambulance.
Another embodiment of a use of the headlamp 12 is shown in
A pair of lights is shown in
It is important to clarify the single light of the turn signal 74 and the clearance light 76 would each likely be multiple lights in a vehicle. Also, the limitation of these lights specifically functioning as a turn signal or clearance light is not required. Any such light or multiple lights in a vehicle could be used to operate in a similar manner.
The function of the turn signal light 74, or the clearance light 76, may operate as would be typically used in any vehicle without the controller 34. The electrical system of the vehicle may send a current to complete the circuit to one or both the turn signal light 74 or the clearance light 76 at any time. The controller 34 may receive a signal from the user to provide any number of varied color outputs from the color changing diode 22. The junction box 64 may allow the system to split this signal to allow for a similar light output from the turn signal light 74 or the clearance light 76. This may allow the turn signal light 74, the clearance light 76 or both, to illuminate with the same color(s) and pattern(s) as that of the color changing diode 22 of the headlamp 12.
This may be especially useful in a number of applications. One such application may be for use with emergency vehicles. In an emergency situation, an emergency vehicle may be required to travel at high rates of speed while traversing normal traffic. It is important for the emergency vehicle in this condition to be highly visible so that other drivers may recognize and then provide a wide birth to the faster moving emergency vehicle. The visual signal of as many lights as possible changing colors and possibly changing brightness in some manner may greatly heighten the visible acuity of the emergency vehicle, thereby increasing the safety of everyone.
The foregoing detailed description of the present invention is provided for purposes of illustration, and it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiment shown. The embodiments may provide different capabilities and benefits, depending on the configuration used to implement key features of the invention.
Priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/421,143, filed on Nov. 11, 2016, which is incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62421143 | Nov 2016 | US |
