U.S. patent application number 12/934389 was filed with the patent office on 2011-04-28 for fog lamp and the like employing semiconductor light sources.
Invention is credited to Chad D. Lambert.
Application Number | 20110096562 12/934389 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41112898 |
Filed Date | 2011-04-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110096562 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lambert; Chad D. |
April 28, 2011 |
Fog Lamp and the Like Employing Semiconductor Light Sources
Abstract
A novel vehicular light fixture (10) is disclosed. The light
fixture (10) is compact, yet efficient, and employs semiconductor
light sources (44) to produce output light in desired patterns. The
fixture (10) can be used to produce fog lamps, driving lamps and
other non-headlamp vehicle lighting functions. Depending upon the
light output required, one or more semiconductor light sources (44)
and a corresponding number of optical bodies (64) are employed in
the fixture (10) to produce the desired light pattern.
Inventors: |
Lambert; Chad D.;
(Belleville, CA) |
Family ID: |
41112898 |
Appl. No.: |
12/934389 |
Filed: |
March 26, 2009 |
PCT Filed: |
March 26, 2009 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CA2009/000408 |
371 Date: |
December 14, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61070920 |
Mar 26, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
362/545 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F21S 41/151 20180101;
F21S 41/29 20180101; F21S 45/48 20180101; F21S 41/24 20180101; F21S
41/143 20180101; B60Q 1/20 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
362/545 |
International
Class: |
F21S 8/10 20060101
F21S008/10 |
Claims
1. A vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern, comprising: a base member; a substrate mounted to said
base member, said substrate being in thermal communication with
said base member; at least one semiconductor light source mounted
to said substrate, said at least one semiconductor light source
being in thermal communication with said substrate; and at least
one optical body mounted on said substrate and being operable for
receiving light from said at least one semiconductor light source
for producing a desired beam pattern.
2. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 1, said at least one semiconductor light source
further comprising a light emitting surface operable for emitting
light from said at least one semiconductor light source.
3. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 2, said at least one optical body further
comprising: a light receiving surface operable for receiving light
from said light emitting surface of said at least one semiconductor
light source; and a light output surface for producing said desired
beam pattern from said at least one optical body.
4. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 1, said at least one optical body further
comprising at least one mounting leg for mounting said at least one
optical body to said substrate.
5. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 1, wherein said at least one optical body is of a
general D-shape.
6. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 1, said at least one semiconductor light source
further comprising a plurality of semiconductor light sources, and
said at least one optical body further comprising a plurality of
optical bodies, each one of said plurality of optical bodies being
operable for receiving light from one of said plurality of
semiconductor light sources.
7. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 1, further comprising a set of cooling fins in
thermal communication with said base member, said set of cooling
fins being operable for removing heat from said base member.
8. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 1, further comprising an electrical circuit board
operable for providing a power supply to said at least one
semiconductor light source.
9. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 8, said electrical circuit board further
comprising: power regulation circuitry operable for delivering
power to said at least one semiconductor light source; and a set of
electrical input connectors extending away from said electrical
circuit board for receiving electrical power.
10. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 9, said base member further comprising: an
elastomeric sealing member; and a wiring harness connector
receptacle formed as part of said base member, wherein said set of
electrical input connectors extend through said elastomeric sealing
member to said wiring harness connector receptacle.
11. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 1, further comprising: a lens having a peripheral
lip; and a complementary channel formed on said base member, said
peripheral lip being received in said complementary channel such
that a waterproof enclosure is formed between said lens and said
base member.
12. A vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern, comprising: a base member operable for being mounted to a
vehicle; a substrate mounted to said base member, said substrate
being in thermal communication with said base member; at least one
semiconductor light source having a light emitting surface, said at
least one semiconductor light source being mounted to and in
thermal communication with said substrate; at least one optical
body mounted on said substrate, said at least one optical body
having a light receiving surface operable for receiving light from
said light emitting surface of at least one semiconductor light
source, and said at least one optical body having a light output
surface, wherein the shape of said at least one optical body and
said light output surface produce a desired beam pattern; and a
lens being operable for connection with said base member such that
light emitted from said at least one optical body travels through
said lens.
13. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 12, said at least one semiconductor light source
further comprising a plurality of semiconductor light sources, and
said at least one optical body further comprising a plurality of
optical bodies, each one of said plurality of optical bodies being
operable for receiving light from one of said plurality of
semiconductor light sources.
14. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 12, further comprising said at least one optical
body to be of a general D-shape for producing said desired beam
pattern.
15. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 12, further comprising at least one mounting leg
formed as part of said at least one optical body for connecting
said at least one optical body to said substrate.
16. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 12, further comprising: a peripheral lip formed as
part of said lens; and a complementary channel formed as part of
said base member such that said peripheral lip is operable for
being received into said complementary channel to form a waterproof
enclosure between said lens and said base member.
17. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 12, further comprising a set of cooling fins
integrally formed as part of said base member, said set of cooling
fins being operable for removing waste heat from said base
member.
18. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 12, further comprising: an electrical circuit
board having power regulation circuitry operable for providing
power to said at least one semiconductor light source; a set of
electrical input connectors mounted on an extending away from said
electrical circuit board; an elastomeric sealing member mounted on
said base member; and a wiring harness connector receptacle formed
as part of said base member, wherein said set of electrical input
connectors extend through said elastomeric sealing member to said
wiring harness connector receptacle.
19. A vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern, comprising: a base member operable for being mounted to a
vehicle; a substrate mounted to said base member, said substrate
being in thermal communication with said base member; a plurality
of semiconductor light sources, each of said plurality of
semiconductor light sources having a light emitting surface, said
plurality of semiconductor light sources being mounted to and in
thermal communication with said substrate; a plurality of optical
bodies, each of said plurality of optical bodies being of a general
D-shape and having a light receiving surface operable for receiving
light from said light emitting surface of a corresponding one of
said plurality of semiconductor light sources, and each of said
plurality of optical bodies having a light output surface, wherein
the shape of each of said plurality of optical bodies and said
light output surface of each of said plurality of optical bodies
produces a desired beam pattern; a plurality of cooling fins formed
as part of said base member, said plurality of cooling fins being
operable for transferring waste heat away from said substrate and
said base member; and a lens being operable for connection with
said base member such that light emitted from said at least one
optical body travels through said lens.
20. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 19, further comprising at least one mounting leg
formed as part of said at least one optical body, said at least one
mounting leg operable for connecting said at least one optical body
to said substrate.
21. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 19, further comprising: an electrical circuit
board having power regulation circuitry for providing power to said
plurality of semiconductor light sources; a set of electrical input
connectors extending away from said electrical circuit board for
receiving electrical power; an elastomeric sealing member operable
for being mounting on said base member; and a wiring harness
connector receptacle formed as part of said base member, wherein
said set of electrical input connectors extend through said
elastomeric sealing member to said wiring harness connector
receptacle.
22. The vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a desired
pattern of claim 19, further comprising: a peripheral lip
integrally formed as part of said lens; and a complementary channel
formed on said base member, wherein said peripheral lip of said
lens is operable for being received into said complementary channel
such that a waterproof enclosure is formed between said lens and
said base member.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a PCT International Application of U.S.
Patent Application No. 61/070,920 filed on Mar. 26, 2008. The
disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a fog lamp, or the like,
for vehicle lighting systems. More specifically, the present
invention relates to a fog lamp, or the like, which employs
semiconductor light sources.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Light emitting semiconductors, such as high output light
emitting diodes (LEDs), can now produce white light at sufficient
levels so that semiconductor light sources can be used instead of
incandescent or gas discharge lamps to create lighting systems such
as vehicular headlamps and signaling lamps.
[0004] However, while the creation of such semiconductor-based
lighting systems is possible, semiconductor light sources present
the lighting system designer with some unique challenges. In
particular, the light output of even high output semiconductor
light sources is still much less than conventional incandescent and
gas discharge lamps. Thus, conventional lighting system designs,
intended for such prior art light sources with much higher light
output levels, are generally too inefficient at making use of the
light emitted from semiconductor light sources.
[0005] Further, operating high output semiconductor light sources
require effective cooling of their semiconductor junctions to
prevent failure of the light source, and the provision of such
cooling in a vehicular environment can be challenging.
[0006] While much work has been done in the area of vehicular
headlamp systems employing high output semiconductor light sources,
to date the design of other vehicular lighting systems employing
semiconductor light sources has been limited to non-pattern forming
signaling lamps (such as brake or turn signals) which employ
multiple, low-output, light emitting diodes in substantially
conventional light fixtures.
[0007] It is instead desired to have a vehicular lighting system
which employs semiconductor light sources, such as high output
light emitting diodes, to produce desired illumination patterns
other than headlamp patterns.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel
vehicular light fixture employing semiconductor light sources which
obviates or mitigates at least one disadvantage of the prior
art.
[0009] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a vehicular lighting fixture for producing light in a
desired pattern. The fixture includes a substrate, at least one set
of a semiconductor light source, and an optical body. Each
semiconductor light source has a light emitting surface and is
mounted to the substrate while also being in thermal connection
with the substrate.
[0010] The optical body includes a light receiving surface and a
light output surface. The optical body is mounted to the substrate
such that the light receiving surface is located immediately
adjacent the light emitting surface of the semiconductor light
source. Additionally, the optical body is mounted to the substrate
such that the light output surface is located to produce a desired
output light pattern from the fixture.
[0011] The present invention also includes a base member for
mounting the fixture to a vehicle, with the substrate being affixed
to the base member and in thermal connection with the base member.
There is also set of cooling fins in thermal connection with the
base member to remove waste heat from the base member. An
electrical circuit board including power regulation circuitry is
connected to a set of electrical connectors extending out of the
fixture. The electrical circuit board is operable to provide a
suitable power supply from the electrical connectors to each of the
at least one semiconductor light sources. The present invention
also has a lens allowing light output from the light output surface
of the optical body to exit the fixture. The lens engages the base
member to form a weather proof enclosure with the base member, the
enclosure enclosing the substrate, the at least one semiconductor
light source and optical body, and the electrical circuit
board.
[0012] The present invention provides a novel vehicular light
fixture. The light fixture is compact, yet efficient, and employs
semiconductor light sources to produce output light in desired
patterns. The fixture can be used to produce fog lamps, driving
lamps and other non-headlamp vehicle lighting functions. Depending
upon the light output required, one or more semiconductor light
sources and a corresponding number of optical bodies are employed
in the fixture to produce the desired light pattern.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be
described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached
Figures, wherein:
[0014] FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the back and
side of a light fixture in accordance with the present invention;
and
[0015] FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the front and
side of the fixture of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] A vehicular lighting fixture in accordance with the present
invention is indicated generally at 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the
illustrated embodiment, lighting fixture 10 is a fog lamp which can
be optionally activated by a driver in conditions of fog, mist,
dust or the like to provide additional low level illumination of a
road surface. However, as will be apparent to those of skill in the
art, the present invention is not limited to use with fog lamps and
can instead be employed in a wide range of vehicular lighting
system fixtures, including driving lights, daytime running lights
or other vehicular fixtures producing desired illumination
patterns.
[0017] Fixture 10 has a base member 12 and a lens 14 which form a
waterproof enclosure for the electronic components, described
below, and other components of fixture 10.
[0018] The base member 12 includes a heat sink, generally shown at
16, which includes a series of cooling fins 18 which are used to
remove waste heat from the interior of fixture 10 as described
below. In a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the
base member 12 is fabricated from die cast aluminum or zinc alloys,
and cooling fins 18 are integrally formed as part of base member
12. However, the present invention is not so limited and it is
contemplated that the base member 12 may include a portion, or
portions, formed of a suitable plastic material joined with a
separately formed set of cooling fins 18 which can be thermally
connected to the interior of the fixture 10.
[0019] The lens 14 is formed of any suitable material such as
polycarbonate or acrylic and can be transparent or colored, as
desired. As shown in the Figures, the lens 14 includes a peripheral
lip 20 which is received in, and affixed to with a suitable
adhesive, a complementary channel 22 (best seen in FIG. 2) in base
member 12 to form the enclosure of the fixture 10.
[0020] In the embodiment of the fixture 10 as illustrated in the
Figures, three semiconductor light sources 24 are employed to
produce the desired light. As will be apparent to those of skill in
the art, the present invention is not limited to using three
semiconductor light sources 24 and fewer or more semiconductor
light sources can be employed as required to form the desired light
pattern produced by fixture 10. For example, it is contemplated
that if fixture 10 is to be employed as a daytime running light,
fixture 10 can only employ a single semiconductor light source 24.
Similarly, if fixture 10 is to be employed as a driving lamp, or if
lens 14 is tinted, four or more semiconductor light sources 24 can
be employed.
[0021] The semiconductor light sources 24 are thermally connected
to a thermal substrate 26 which may be any suitable substrate that
can transfer heat away from semiconductor light sources 24 when
they are operating. In a present embodiment, the substrate 26
includes a layer of fiberglass reinforced plastic atop a layer of
copper. The layer of fiberglass reinforced plastic is removed from
substrate 26 where the semiconductor light sources 24 are mounted,
such that the semiconductor light sources 24 are mounted in thermal
connection to the exposed layer of cooper. In this manner, waste
heat produced in semiconductor light sources 24 is readily
transferred to the copper layer of the substrate 26.
[0022] An electrical circuit board 28 is mounted to the substrate
26 adjacent to the semiconductor light sources 24. The circuit
board 28 includes suitable power supply control circuitry to
regulate and supply power to the semiconductor light sources 24,
which are electrically connected to the circuit board 28. The power
supply control circuitry employed is not particularly limited and
any suitable circuitry, as will occur to those of skill in the art,
can be employed.
[0023] The circuit board 28 further includes a set of electrical
power input connectors 30, which receive electrical power from the
vehicle in which fixture 10 is installed; that electrical power is
regulated and supplied to the semiconductor light sources 24 by the
circuitry on the circuit board 28.
[0024] As mentioned above, one of the challenges in using
semiconductor light sources in vehicular applications is ensuring
that the light they produce is used efficiently to form the desired
light pattern. With regard to the fixture 10, each semiconductor
light source 24 is paired with a respective optical body 32, which
gathers the light emitted from the corresponding semiconductor
light source 24 and outputs that light as a portion of the desired
light pattern. As mentioned above, while the illustrated embodiment
employs three semiconductor light sources 24, and thus employs
three optical bodies 32, the present invention is not so limited
and more or fewer semiconductor light sources 24 can be employed
with a corresponding number of optical bodies 32.
[0025] In the illustrated embodiment, the specific implementation
of the optical body 32 is similar to that described in PCT
Application Serial No. CA 08/000,139, claiming priority from U.S.
Provisional Patent Application 60/897,352 filed Jan. 25, 2007 and
assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The contents of
these previous applications are incorporated herein, in their
entirety, by reference. While it is presently preferred that the
optical body 32 correspond to the design disclosed in the
60/897,352 application, the present invention is not so limited and
any other suitable means for efficiently gathering and directing
the light from the semiconductor light sources 24 can be employed
as will occur to those of skill in the art.
[0026] Each optical body 32 has a general "D"-shape and includes a
pair of mounting legs 34 which are used to mount the optical body
32 to the substrate 26. Each optical body 32 is mounted to the
substrate 26 such that that the light receiving surface 68 of each
optical body 32 is located immediately adjacent to the upper (light
emitting) surface 38 of the semiconductor light source 24 such that
substantially all of the light emitted from each semiconductor
light source 24 enters each respective optical body 32.
[0027] The light which enters the optical body 32 then travels
through the optical body 32 by total internal reflection until it
exits the light output surface 40 of the optical body 32. By
selecting the appropriate geometry for the light output surface 40
(i.e. --curvature, thickness, the flat spots, etc.) and any desired
thickness or cross section shape changes along the optical body 32
(as described in the above-mentioned PCT Application Serial No. CA
08/000,139, basing priority on U.S. Provisional Patent Application
60/897,352), the resulting light pattern produced by fixture 10 can
be created as desired.
[0028] A retaining member 42, which may be formed of a suitable
plastic material or metal, is fastened to the substrate 26
(surrounding the optical bodies 32) and to the base member 12 such
that the copper layer of the substrate 26 is in thermal contact
with the base member 12, and the substrate 26 and optical bodies 32
are maintained in a predefined position within the enclosure of the
fixture 10.
[0029] When the substrate 26 is fastened in a predefined position,
the electrical power input connectors 30 extend through an
elastomeric sealing member 44 to a wiring harness connector
receptacle 46 formed in the base member 12. The receptacle 46 can
receive a wiring harness connector to provide electrical power to
the circuit board 28 via electrical power input connectors 30.
[0030] The fixture 10 preferably further includes at least one
adjustment mechanism 48 which interfaces with base member 12 to
allow the mounting position of fixture 10 in a vehicle to be
altered to aim the output light pattern from fixture 10 as
desired.
[0031] As should now be apparent, when semiconductor light sources
24 are operating, the waste heat they produce is transferred,
first, to substrate 26 and then to base member 12 which is in
thermal contact with the copper layer of substrate 26. The waste
heat is then radiated/rejected from base member 12 by cooling fins
18.
[0032] Fixture 10 provides a number of advantages in that it
provides for appropriate cooling of semiconductor light sources 24
without incurring undue manufacturing costs. The use of the optical
bodies 32 provides for the efficient utilization of the light
emitted by the semiconductor light sources 24 and the formation of
desired light patterns output by the fixture 10, all with a
relatively overall size and volume required for fixture 10. In
fact, it is contemplated that fixture 10 can be manufactured in a
sufficiently small volume that it can be retrofitted to existing
vehicles to replace existing incandescent fixtures.
[0033] The present invention provides a compact yet efficient light
fixture employing semiconductor light sources to produce output
light in desired patterns. The fixture can be used to produce fog
lamps, driving lamps and other non-headlamp vehicle lighting
functions. Depending upon the light output required, one or more
semiconductor light sources and a corresponding number of optical
bodies are employed to produce the desired light pattern.
[0034] The above-described embodiments of the invention are
intended to be examples of the present invention and alterations
and modifications may be effected thereto, by those of skill in the
art, without departing from the scope of the invention which is
defined solely by the claims appended hereto.
* * * * *