The present disclosure relates to a lighting device, and more particularly to a vehicle lighting device.
A conventional vehicle lighting device has a contact plate, an additional circuit board, a plurality of light shielding members, and a plurality of light-emitting elements. The light shielding members arranged between the contact plate and the additional circuit board are spaced apart from each other. The conventional vehicle lighting device has a plurality of light channels that are formed between any two adjacent light shielding members. The light-emitting elements are each disposed on the additional circuit board and located in the light channels. When a finger touches the contact plate, a charge path is established, so that the contact plate generates a charge accumulation. The light-emitting elements are triggered according to an amount of the charge accumulation, and emit light out of the contact plate through the light channels.
However, a predetermined distance must be reserved between the contact plate and the additional circuit board of the conventional vehicle lighting device so as to dispose the light channels, such that the light emitted from the light-emitting elements can be guided out of the contact plate through the light channels. Nevertheless, the aforementioned design of the conventional vehicle lighting device has a thicker overall thickness and heavier weight.
In response to the above-referenced technical inadequacies, the present disclosure provides a vehicle lighting device to effectively improve on the issues associated with the conventional vehicle lighting devices.
In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a vehicle lighting device, which includes a main body and a connecting unit. The main body has an upper film, a lower film, a light guide filler, and at least one lower light-emitting element. The upper film has an upper covering portion. The upper covering portion has a setting region and a light-permeable layer that is arranged at a center of the setting region that is capable of being penetrated by a light. An edge of the light-permeable layer is spaced apart from an edge of the setting region by a first distance that is equal to or less than 5 cm. The lower film is spaced apart from the upper film by a second distance and has a lower covering portion. The second distance is greater than any one of a thickness of the lower film and a thickness of the upper film. An area of the lower covering portion is substantially equal to an area of the upper covering portion. The lower covering portion has a lower conductive layer on a side surface thereof facing the upper covering portion. The light guide filler is completely filled in a space between the lower film and the upper film. The at least one lower light-emitting element is embedded in the light guide filler and is located on a part of the setting region defined by orthogonally projecting the lower conductive layer onto the setting region. The at least one lower light-emitting element is electrically connected to the lower conductive layer and is capable of emitting light to the light-permeable layer through the light guide filler. The connecting unit is electrically connected to the main body. The connecting unit is configured to electrically connect to a control circuit that is configured to control the at least one lower light-emitting element.
In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a vehicle lighting device, which includes a main body and a connecting unit. The main body has an upper film, a lower film, a light guide filler, and at least one lower light-emitting element. The upper film has an upper covering portion, and the upper covering portion has an upper conductive layer on a side surface thereof. The upper covering portion has a setting region and a light-permeable layer that is arranged at a center of the setting region that is capable of being penetrated by a light. An edge of the light-permeable layer is spaced apart from an edge of the setting region by a first distance that is equal to or less than 5 cm. The lower film is spaced apart from the upper film by a second distance and has a lower covering portion. The second distance is greater than any one of a thickness of the lower film and a thickness of the upper film. An area of the lower covering portion is substantially equal to an area of the upper covering portion. The light guide filler is completely filled in a space between the lower film and the upper film. The at least one upper light-emitting element is embedded in the light guide filler and is located on a part of the setting region defined by orthogonally projecting the upper conductive layer onto the setting region. The at least one upper light-emitting element is electrically connected to the upper conductive layer and is capable of emitting light to the light-permeable layer through the light guide filler. The connecting unit is electrically connected to the main body. The connecting unit is configured to electrically connect to a control circuit that is configured to control the at least one upper light-emitting element.
Therefore, by virtue of “the at least one lower light-emitting element arranged on the part of the setting region defined by orthogonally projecting the lower conductive layer onto the setting region” or “the upper light-emitting element arranged on the part of the setting region defined by orthogonally projecting the upper conductive layer onto the setting region”, the at least one lower light-emitting element or the at least one upper light-emitting element can directly emit light out of the light-permeable layer through the light guide filler so as to cause the vehicle lighting device of the present disclosure to be lighter and thinner.
These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the embodiment taken in conjunction with the following drawings and their captions, although variations and modifications therein may be affected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.
The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
The present disclosure is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Like numbers in the drawings indicate like components throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural reference, and the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on”. Titles or subtitles can be used herein for the convenience of a reader, which shall have no influence on the scope of the present disclosure.
The terms used herein generally have their ordinary meanings in the art. In the case of conflict, the present document, including any definitions given herein, will prevail. The same thing can be expressed in more than one way. Alternative language and synonyms can be used for any term(s) discussed herein, and no special significance is to be placed upon whether a term is elaborated or discussed herein. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms is illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the present disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the present disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given herein. Numbering terms such as “first”, “second” or “third” can be used to describe various components, signals or the like, which are for distinguishing one component/signal from another one only, and are not intended to, nor should be construed to impose any substantive limitations on the components, signals or the like.
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The upper film 11 has an upper covering portion 111. The upper covering portion 111 has an upper conductive layer 1111 and a setting region 1112. The upper conductive layer 1111 in the present embodiment is located on a side surface of the upper covering portion 111 and has a touch circuit (not shown in the drawings) located in the setting region 1112. The touch circuit is configured to establish a charge path with a charged body (not shown in the drawings), and the charge of the charged body can move into the upper conductive layer 1111 along the charge path.
Specifically, a part of the upper covering portion 111 in the present embodiment is in a shape of a convex structure, and the setting region 1112 is located on the convex structure of the upper covering portion 111. Accordingly, a user can recognize a position of the setting area 1112 by a touch method and feel the touch circuit, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the upper covering portion 111 in other embodiments may also be a completely flat structure, and the touch circuit is disposed on the upper covering portion 111.
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The lower film 12 is spaced apart from the upper film 11 by a second distance D2 that is greater than any one of a thickness of the lower film 12 and a thickness of the upper film 11. The second distance D2 is preferably between 0.5 mm and 3.5 mm. The lower film 12 has a lower covering portion 121, and an area of the lower covering portion 121 is substantially equal to an area of the upper covering portion 111. The lower covering portion 121 has a lower conductive layer 1211 facing the upper covering portion 111.
Further, the lower film 12 has a groove 122 away from the upper film 11 and a fixed filler 123 that is filled in the groove 122. An inner side of the groove 122 has a connecting layer 1221 electrically connected to the lower conductive layer 1211.
Specifically, the groove 122 is recessed toward a direction of the upper film 11, and a depth of the groove 122 is equal to or less than 1.5 cm. The connecting layer 1221 is arranged on the inner side of the groove 122. The fixed filler 123 in the present embodiment is a non-conductive material (e.g., a transparent resin or a translucent resin), and the groove 122 is fully filled with the fixed filler 123 by plastic injection molding.
The light guide filler 13 is arranged between the lower film 12 and the upper film 11. Specifically, the light guide filler 13 in the present embodiment is made of a light-transmissive and non-conductive material (e.g., the transparent resin or the translucent resin), and a space between the lower film 12 and the upper film 11 is fully filled with the light guide filler 13 by plastic injection molding. In practical application, the light guide filler 13 and the fixed filler 123 can be made of the same material to facilitate production, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto.
The connecting unit 2 is electrically connected to the main body 1. Specifically, the connecting unit 2 in the present embodiment is a connector 21 (e.g., dual in-line package), and an end of the connector 21 has a pin 211 that is embedded in the fixed filler 123. In other words, a height of the pin 211 is not greater than 1.5 cm, so that the pin 211 can be completely covered by the fixed filler 123, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, in another embodiment of the present disclosure that is not shown, when the pin 211 is 0.5 cm, the groove 122 may not be fully filled with the fixed filler 123 but can still completely cover and fix the pin 211 in place.
The connector 21 is electrically connected to the connecting layer 1221 through the pin 211. The connector 21 is configured to electrically connect to the control circuit that controls the at least one lower light-emitting element 14.
The at least one lower light-emitting element 14 is embedded in the light guide filler 13 and is located on a part of the setting region 1112 defined by orthogonally projecting the lower conductive layer 1211 onto the setting region 1112. The at least one lower light-emitting element 14 is electrically connected to the lower conductive layer 1211 and is capable of emitting a light to the light-permeable layer 1113 through the light guide filler 13. Specifically, the at least one lower light-emitting element 14 may emit light from its front side or its lateral sides. The light emitted from the at least one lower light-emitting element 14 can be directly emitted to the outside of the light-permeable layer 1113 by the light guide filler 13.
In addition, when the charged body (e.g., a finger) touches a contact circuit on the upper conductive layer 1111, the charged body establishes the electric charge action path and conducts the electric charge to the control circuit through the connector 21. The control circuit can drive the at least one lower light-emitting element 14 according to the amount of the electric charge, so that the light emitted from the at least one lower light-emitting element 14 is emitted to the outside of the light-permeable layer 1113.
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The connecting unit 2 in the present embodiment includes a lower connecting end 22 integrally connected to the lower covering portion 121, and the lower connecting end 22 has a lower printed circuit layer 221 facing the upper film 11. The lower printed circuit layer 221 is electrically connected to the lower conductive layer 1211, and the lower connecting end 22 is configured to electrically connect to the control circuit. In other words, the lower connecting end 22 will not be blocked by the light guide filler 13, so that the lower printed circuit layer 221 of the lower connecting end 22 can be directly electrically connected to the control circuit.
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The vehicle lighting device 100 further includes at least one upper light-emitting element 15 embedded in the light guide filler 13. The at least one upper light-emitting element 15 is located on a part of the setting region 1112 defined by orthogonally projecting on the upper conductive layer 1111, and the at least one upper light-emitting element 15 is electrically connected to the upper conductive layer 1111, and the at least one upper light-emitting element 15 can emit a light to the light-permeable layer 1113 through the light guide filler 13.
Specifically, the at least one upper light-emitting element 15 may emit light from its front side or its lateral sides. The light guide filler 13 further includes a plurality of scattering particles 131 (e.g., light guide powder), and the light emitted from the at least one upper light-emitting element 15 can be emitted to the outside of the light-permeable layer 1113 in a scattering manner through the scattering particles 131.
It should be noted that the light guide filler 13 and the fixed filler 123 in this embodiment are only different from the scattering particles 131 arranged in the light guide filler 13. However, in practical applications, the fixed filler 123 may also be provided with the scattering particles 131, that is, the light guide filler 13 and the fixed filler 123 may have the same composition to facilitate production.
The connecting unit 2 in the present embodiment further includes an upper connecting end 23 integrally connected to the upper covering portion 111, and a side of the upper connecting end 23 facing the lower film 12 has an upper printed circuit layer 231 that is electrically connected to the upper conductive layer 1111. The upper connecting end 23 is configured to electrically connect to the control circuit. That is to say, the upper connecting end 23 will not be blocked by the light guide filler 13, so that the upper printed circuit layer 231 of the upper connecting end 23 can be directly electrically connected to the control circuit. In other words, the connector 21 and the upper connecting end 23 of the connecting unit 2 are electrically connected to the control circuit at the same time, so that the control circuit can simultaneously control the at least one lower light-emitting element 14 and the at least one the upper light-emitting element 15.
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Specifically, the upper covering portion 111 further has an upper light guide layer 1114 disposed on a surface of the upper covering portion 111 facing the lower covering portion 121. In other words, the upper light guide layer 1114 in the present embodiment is disposed on the surface of the upper covering portion 111. The lower covering portion 121 has a lower light guide layer 1212 that is disposed on a surface of the lower covering portion 121 facing the upper covering portion 111. The upper light guide layer 1114 and the lower light guide layer 1212 can be matched to reflect the light emitted from the at least one upper light-emitting element 15 to the light-transmitting layer 1113. In other words, the light emitted from the at least one upper light-emitting element 15 can be reflected back and forth between the upper light guide layer 1114 and the lower light guide layer 1212, and then finally emitted from the light-permeable layer 1113, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure that are not shown, the upper covering portion 111 may not have the upper light guide layer 1114, and the light emitted from the at least one upper light-emitting element 15 is only reflected to the light-transmitting layer 1113 through the lower light guide layer 1212.
In conclusion, by virtue of “the at least one lower light-emitting element 14 arranged on the part of the setting region 1112 defined by orthogonally projecting the lower conductive layer 1211 onto the setting region 1112” or “the upper light-emitting element 15 arranged on the part of the setting region 1112 defined by orthogonally projecting the upper conductive layer 1111 onto the setting region 1112”, the at least one lower light-emitting element 14 or the at least one upper light-emitting element 15 can directly emit light out of the light-permeable layer 1113 through the light guide filler 13 so as to cause the vehicle lighting device 100 of the present disclosure to be lighter and thinner.
The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.
The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and their practical application so as to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosure and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from its spirit and scope.