US4733335A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Vehicular lamp
Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd
•
Filing: 1985-12-23
•
Granted: 1988-03-22
•
Expires: 2005-12-23
Abstract
Abstract A vehicular lamp employing light-emitting diodes providing a good illumination efficiency, and which can be readily mounted on many different types of vehicles. The lamp includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes arranged on a supporting board, condenser lenses provided in front of each of the light-emitting diodes, and diffusion lenses arranged in front of the condenser lenses. A housing member supports the supporting board, the condenser lenses, and the diffusion lenses, the housing member having air holes formed therein to provide for ventilation. With this arrangement, the light produced by the light-emitting diodes is applied in the form of parallel beams to the front lens member by the condenser lenses, and the parallel light beams are diffused by the diffusion lenses on the front lens member. Accordingly, the front surface of the front lens member is illuminated in its entirety and illuminated uniformly.
Inventors
- 👤 Hiroyuki Serizawa
- 👤 Masaru Saaki
- 👤 Jiro Miyagawa
- 👤 Toshinobu Takasaki
- 👤 Kenji Arima
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 12:44
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60Q; B60Q1/00; B60Q1/26; B60Q1/30; B60Q1/302; B60Q1/56; F; F21; F21S; F21S43/00; F21S43/10; F21S43/13; F21S43/14; F21S43/20; F21S43/26; F21S43/27; F21V; F21V29/00; F21V29/50; F21V29/70; F21V29/74; F21V29/83; F21V5/00; F21V5/04; F21S45/00; F21S45/30; F21S45/37; F21S45/40; F21S45/47; F21S45/48; F21V7/00; F21V7/0091; F21Y; F21Y2115/00; F21Y2115/10; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S362/00; Y10S362/80
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 36
Claim 1
Independent Claim
111 words
A vehicular lamp comprising: a supporting board (210); a plurality of light-emitting diodes (209) arranged on said supporting board; condenser lenses (223) provided in front of respective ones of said light-emitting diodes; diffusion lenses (222) arranged in front of said condenser lenses; and a housing member (204) supporting said supporting board, said condenser lenses, and said diffusion lenses, said housing member having air holes (216) formed therein, and said diodes are arranged on one side of said supporting board, and the other side of said supporting board and walls of said housing member form a chamber, said air holes being provided in the walls of said housing which form said chamber.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
111 words
A vehicular lamp comprising: a supporting board (210); a plurality of light-emitting diodes (209) arranged on said supporting board; condenser lenses (223) provided in front of respective ones of said light-emitting diodes; diffusion lenses (222) arranged in front of said condenser lenses; and a housing member (204) supporting said supporting board, said condenser lenses, and said diffusion lenses, said housing member having air holes (216) formed therein, and said diodes are arranged on one side of said supporting board, and the other side of said supporting board and walls of said housing member form a chamber, said air holes being provided in the walls of said housing which form said chamber.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 1, in which said condenser lenses and said diffusion lenses are convex lenses.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 1, in which a radius of curvature of said diffusion lenses is smaller than a radius of curvature of said condenser lenses.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 1, in which each said light-emitting diode is positioned at or near a focal point of the respective condenser lens.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
80 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 1, in which said housing member comprises: a first lamp body which is the form of a box having a front opening and a rear opening; a second lamp body secured to said lamp body in such a manner as to close said rear opening of said first lamp body; and a lamp mounting member detachably secured to a lower surface of said first lamp body and fixedly mounted on a vehicle body.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
50 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 5, in which said condenser lenses and said diffusion lenses are mounted on said first lamp body in such a manner as to close said front opening of said first lamp body, and said supporting board is arranged in said first lamp body.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 5, in which said second lamp body is elastically engaged with said first lamp body.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 1 or 5, in which said air holes are formed in said second lamp communicating the inside of said housing member with the outside.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 5, in which said lamp mounting member is replaceable.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
The vehicle lamp as claimed in claim 5, further comprising means for installing said housing member on the inside of a rear window of a vehicle.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
48 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 1, in which said housing member comprises a lamp body in the form of a box, said box having an opening facing rearwardly of a vehicle body, said lamp body being mounted through a lower surface thereof to said vehicle body.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
43 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 11, in which said condenser lenses and said diffusion lenses are secured to the opening of said lamp body in such a manner that said condenser lenses and said diffusion lenses are inside said lamp body.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 12, in which an upper surface of said lamp body is roughened.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 12, in which said air holes are formed in an upper portion of a rear wall of said lamp body.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 11, in which said housing member is mounted on the outside of a rear window of said vehicle body.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
67 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a diode segregating member having a plurality of diode accommodating chambers which surround respective ones of said light-emitting diodes, wherein each condenser lens is substantially equal in size to an opening of a respective diode segregating chamber formed in one side of said diode segregating member, the other side of which is secured to said supporting board.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
46 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 16, in which each of said diode accommodating chambers is tapered, and the opening thereof in the other side of said diode segregating member is smaller than the opening thereof in the one side of said diode segregating member.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
44 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 11, further comprising light shielding films formed at predetermined intervals on the outside of a plate on the inside of which said diffusion lenses are formed, thus providing light transmitting regions and light blocking regions alternately thereon.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
41 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 16, in which said diode segregating member is made of an opaque material, and walls of each of said diode accommodating chambers reflect light from the respective light-emitting diode towards the respective condenser lens.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
43 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 1, further comprising terminal seats disposed between said supporting board and respective ones of said light-emitting diodes, each terminal seat having a peripheral part inclined towards the respective condenser lens to thus provide a reflecting surface.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
19 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 17, in which each of said diode accommodating chambers is pyramidally shaped.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
47 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 1, in which each of said light-emitting diodes comprises: a semiconductor chip, a transparent resin part, a pair of lead wires, and a metal wire, said semiconductor chip, lead wires and metal wire being molded in said transparent resin part.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
46 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 22, in which each of said light-emitting diodes further comprises: a semiconductor chip mounting part molded in said transparent resin part, said semiconductor chip mounting part having a chip receiving surface which serves also as a parabolic reflecting surface.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
24 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for mounting said housing member on a rear fender of a two-wheeled vehicle.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
43 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 24, in which an outer surface of a plate, on an inner surface of which said diffusion lenses are formed, provides a tail lamp region, a pair of direction indicating regions, and a reflective reflector region.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
35 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 25, in which said housing member is integral with a license plate mounting board, and an outer surface of said plate further provides a license plate illuminating region.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
157 words
A vehicular lamp comprising: a supporting board (210); a plurality of light-emitting diodes (209) arranged on said supporting board; condenser lenses (223) provided in front of respective ones of said light-emitting diodes. diffusion lenses (222) arranged in front of said condenser lenses; a housing member (204) supporting said supporting board, said condenser lenses, and said diffusion lenses, said housing member having air holes (216) formed therein; and a diode segregating member having a plurality of diode accommodating chambers which surround respective ones of said light-emitting diodes, wherein each condenser lens is substantially equal in size to an opening of a respective diode segregating chamber formed in one side of said diode segregating member, the other side of which is secured to said supporting board, wherein one side of said supporting board opposite the side on which said diode segregating member is provided is covered with a resin of a type in which said light-emitting diodes are molded.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
157 words
A vehicular lamp comprising: a supporting board (210); a plurality of light-emitting diodes (209) arranged on said supporting board; condenser lenses (223) provided in front of respective ones of said light-emitting diodes. diffusion lenses (222) arranged in front of said condenser lenses; a housing member (204) supporting said supporting board, said condenser lenses, and said diffusion lenses, said housing member having air holes (216) formed therein; and a diode segregating member having a plurality of diode accommodating chambers which surround respective ones of said light-emitting diodes, wherein each condenser lens is substantially equal in size to an opening of a respective diode segregating chamber formed in one side of said diode segregating member, the other side of which is secured to said supporting board, wherein one side of said supporting board opposite the side on which said diode segregating member is provided is covered with a resin of a type in which said light-emitting diodes are molded.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
144 words
A vehicular lamp comprising: a supporting board (210); a plurality of light-emitting diodes (209) arranged on said supporting board; condenser lenses (223) provided in front of respective ones of said light-emitting diodes; diffusion lenses (222) arranged in front of said condenser lenses; a housing member (204) supporting said supporting board, said condenser lenses, and said diffusion lenses, said housing member having air holes (216) formed therein; and a diode segregating member having a plurality of diode accommodating chambers which surround respective ones of said light-emitting diodes, wherein each condenser lens is substantially equal in size to an opening of a respective diode segregating chamber formed in one side of said diode segregating member, the other side of which is secured to said supporting board, wherein said condenser lenses occupy respective ones of said diode accommodating chambers and are integral with said diode segregating member.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
144 words
A vehicular lamp comprising: a supporting board (210); a plurality of light-emitting diodes (209) arranged on said supporting board; condenser lenses (223) provided in front of respective ones of said light-emitting diodes; diffusion lenses (222) arranged in front of said condenser lenses; a housing member (204) supporting said supporting board, said condenser lenses, and said diffusion lenses, said housing member having air holes (216) formed therein; and a diode segregating member having a plurality of diode accommodating chambers which surround respective ones of said light-emitting diodes, wherein each condenser lens is substantially equal in size to an opening of a respective diode segregating chamber formed in one side of said diode segregating member, the other side of which is secured to said supporting board, wherein said condenser lenses occupy respective ones of said diode accommodating chambers and are integral with said diode segregating member.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
20 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 28, in which each of said diode accommodating chambers is parabolic in section.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
139 words
A vehicular lamp comprising: a supporting board (210); a plurality of light-emitting diodes (209) arranged on said supporting board; condenser lenses (223) provided in front of respective ones of said light-emitting diodes; diffusion lenses (222) arranged in front of said condenser lenses; a housing member (204) supporting said supporting board, said condenser lenses, and said diffusion lenses, said housing member having air holes (216) formed therein; and a diode segregating member having a plurality of diode accommodating chambers which surround respective ones of said light-emitting diodes, wherein each condenser lens is substantially equal in size to an opening of a respective diode segregating chamber formed in one side of said diode segregating member, the other side of which is secured to said supporting board, wherein said supporting board has a plurality of fins (103) on a rear side thereof.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
139 words
A vehicular lamp comprising: a supporting board (210); a plurality of light-emitting diodes (209) arranged on said supporting board; condenser lenses (223) provided in front of respective ones of said light-emitting diodes; diffusion lenses (222) arranged in front of said condenser lenses; a housing member (204) supporting said supporting board, said condenser lenses, and said diffusion lenses, said housing member having air holes (216) formed therein; and a diode segregating member having a plurality of diode accommodating chambers which surround respective ones of said light-emitting diodes, wherein each condenser lens is substantially equal in size to an opening of a respective diode segregating chamber formed in one side of said diode segregating member, the other side of which is secured to said supporting board, wherein said supporting board has a plurality of fins (103) on a rear side thereof.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
19 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein a drain hole (217) is provided in said housing member.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
20 words
The vehicular lamp as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for defining a bent drain hole in said housing.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US434538A
Cited
US3502858A
Cited
US3432808A
Cited
GB2069120A
Cited
JPS56120425A
Cited
DE3148843A1
Cited
EP0088060A2
Cited
GB2139340A
Cited
US4602320A
Cited
US4575782A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1991-03-22 | 1991-09-21 | 1992-03-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-03-22 | 1995-09-21 | 1996-03-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-03-22 | 1999-09-21 | 2000-03-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |