LIGHT FOR VEHICLES

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a lamp for vehicles with a flexible support structure having a back and a front with light sources in the form of light-emitting diodes arranged at least on the front and a translucent cover spanning the support structure at least partially in the area of ​​the light-emitting diodes according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] A light for vehicles in the form of a motor vehicle exterior light has become known by reference to AT 516365 A1.

[0003] This well-known outdoor light fixture has a supporting structure for arranging light-emitting diodes as light sources and has a cover plate that completely covers the light fixture, which is made of a transparent material and is rigidly designed.

[0004] A supporting structure equipped with light-emitting diodes must be molded into the cover plate as a lighting unit to form the outdoor light, which clearly shows that this is a complex and costly process.

[0005] WO2011110217 A1 discloses a luminaire with a flexible printed circuit board and light sources in the form of light-emitting diodes arranged thereon, as well as a translucent flexible cover spanning the area of ​​the light-emitting diodes. In the area under the printed circuit board, a conductor arrangement is embedded in a housing, the conductor arrangement comprising stranded cables.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to simplify the manufacture of a lamp to be created and to make the lamp more cost-effective.

[0007] The invention has the features according to claim 1 to solve this problem; advantageous further developments thereof are described in the further claims.

[0008] The invention provides a light for vehicles, with a flexible support structure having a back and a front and with light sources in the form of light-emitting diodes arranged at least on the front and a translucent cover spanning the support structure at least partially in the area of ​​the light-emitting diodes, wherein the cover is flexible.

[0009] The design of the light with a flexible cover allows it to be adapted to a wide variety of applications in and on the vehicle, while also providing a very cost-effective way to retrofit the light to a semi-trailer, trailer, or similar vehicle. This also enables existing vehicles to be brought into compliance with lighting regulations.

[0010] Since vehicles are often subjected to harsh operating conditions, and this also affects the long-term stability of the vehicle's electric lighting, a further development of the invention provides that the cover hermetically seals the LEDs between the front of the support structure and the environment. The environment here refers to the vehicle's surroundings; the cover thus hermetically seals the LEDs on the support structure against dirt, water, ice, dust, and the like, to which the vehicle is exposed during operation, thereby protecting both the LEDs themselves and the wiring harness supplying the LEDs with electrical energy.

[0011] According to a further development of the invention, the cover is arranged in the form of a material that is transparent at least in the area of ​​the light-emitting diodes on the front of the support structure and is connected to the support structure in such a way that the penetration of moisture into the area between the material and the support structure is avoided.

[0012] To hermetically seal the light source and the wiring structure or wiring arrangement, the invention provides that the cover is bonded to the support structure by a material bond or by means of a thermal joining process. In both cases, the cover can also be treated during application to the support structure by pressurizing it to eliminate and / or prevent air inclusions between the support structure and the cover.

[0013] The cover can be applied to the supporting structure, for example, in the form of a transparent or diffusely scattering potting compound that remains permanently elastic, thus hermetically enclosing the LEDs and creating a strong bond between the cover and the supporting structure. The potting compound conforms to the LEDs, completely enclosing them and thus hermetically sealing them from the environment. Due to its elasticity, the potting compound can also compensate for deformations to which the light is subjected, for example, due to temperature fluctuations and vibrations during vehicle operation.

[0014] The potting compound can be applied, for example, by an injection molding or injection molding process, so that the potting compound completely surrounds the light sources or LEDs, thus providing protection for the LEDs and the electrically contacting wiring arrangement brought near them.

[0015] According to a further development of the invention, it is also provided that the cover is in the form of an arrangement with a support structure designed as a flexible elastic band, on which the light-emitting diodes are arranged at predetermined intervals and enclosed by the cover.

[0016] This makes it possible to design the light in the form of a light strip, which can be cut to the appropriate length for each application on the vehicle, thus eliminating the need for complex, vehicle-specific manufacturing of the lights. The cut light strip then only needs to be fitted with a connection structure, which is connected to a wiring harness for supplying voltage and power to the LEDs, thus providing the necessary electrical power. After the light strip has been cut to length and the connection structure attached, it can then be mounted onto the vehicle structure.

[0017] According to the invention, the support structure comprises conductive elements for electrically contacting the LEDs arranged thereon and has electrically connected contacting components associated with these conductive elements. The conductive elements can, for example, be conductor tracks to which the individual LEDs are connected and which are arranged on the support structure. By contacting the conductor tracks with power supply lines brought to the conductor tracks in the form of a conductor arrangement, into which contacting components provided on the support structure, for example in the form of cutting contacts, engage, thus establishing an electrically conductive connection between the LEDs and the power supply lines, individual segments of the support structure of a predetermined length with the LEDs arranged thereon can be supplied with electrical energy.By arranging such cutting contacts at regular intervals on the support structure, various segments of the support structure with predetermined lengths and light-emitting diodes arranged on them can be provided in order to provide lengths of luminaires according to the invention that correspond to the respective applications.

[0018] Since the lamp according to the invention is intended for operation on a vehicle under harsh environmental conditions and the light-emitting diodes and the entire wiring arrangement for supplying power to the light-emitting diodes must be hermetically protected against these harsh environmental conditions, it is also provided according to the invention that the supporting structure is arranged in an elastically designed, elongated receptacle and that the receptacle has a base and side surfaces extending at an angle away from the base and formed integrally with the base and that the receptacle has a channel-shaped cross-section.

[0019] By arranging the support structure within the channel-shaped recess, it is already protected from three longitudinal sides: from below by the base and laterally by both side surfaces of the recess. Applying the flexible cover from above then provides a further layer of protection against environmental conditions.

[0020] Since, in addition to the supporting structure, the electrical power supply for the LEDs also needs to be protected from environmental conditions, the invention also provides that the power supply wiring arrangement is located in the area between the supporting structure and the base of the mount. This wiring arrangement comprises at least two conductors that are electrically conductively connected to the contacting components. In addition to these two conductors, further conductors may also be provided, for example, control lines for signal and / or data transmission to control units on the vehicle.

[0021] By arranging the cable assembly in the area between the supporting structure and the base, the cable assembly is protected from above by the supporting structure, which in turn is protected by the flexible cover, so that protection of the cable assembly is also achieved by the flexible cover.

[0022] According to the invention, the cover is also designed in the form of a flexible body enclosing the cable arrangement and the support structure, and having a height extending in the direction of the side surfaces of the receptacle. The flexible body can extend over the entire height of the side surfaces or be less high than the side surfaces.

[0023] The flexible body can be formed by introducing the aforementioned elastic potting material into the receptacle, so that the conductor arrangement is first introduced into the receptacle, on which the supporting structure with the light-emitting diodes is then applied, and the structure thus created is completely potted by introducing potting material into the interior of the receptacle.

[0024] This configuration advantageously allows the receptacle to simultaneously serve as a mold for forming the elastic body that creates the flexible cover. This enables the flexible support structure, with its attached LEDs and flexible cover, to remain within the elastic receptacle, eliminating the need to demold the assembly. The mold then serves to position the resulting configuration at the mounting location for the luminaire according to the invention. The mounting location could be, for example, the side wall of a trailer or similar structure, to which the luminaire assembly can be attached, for instance, by being inserted into a groove in the trailer's side wall so that the luminaire assembly is flush with the side wall.

[0025] According to a further development of the invention, it is also provided that the side surfaces on the inner side facing the base and / or on the outer side facing away from the base each have at least one rib extending in the longitudinal direction of the side surfaces.By attaching the rib to the inside of the side surface, the elastic body is positively locked in the receptacle. By attaching the rib to the outside of the side surfaces of the receptacles, the resulting assembly or luminaire assembly, consisting of the receptacle and the support structure with cable arrangement and elastic body arranged inside the receptacle, can be inserted into a groove at the mounting location of the luminaire according to the invention. The assembly is secured in the groove by the ribs on the outside of the side surfaces, for example, in grooves arranged on the side walls of a semi-trailer or trailer of a articulated lorry, into which cut-to-length segments of the described assembly are inserted to form, for example, contour marking lights.

[0026] According to a further development of the invention, the receptacle also has a top surface formed integrally with the side surfaces, and the receptacle forms a channel in cross-section that is closed on its longitudinal sides. Thus, the receptacle has a configuration similar to a rectangular shell into which a cut-to-length segment of the support structure with the LEDs arranged on it can be inserted, and potting material is then introduced into the interior of the shell, which hermetically encloses the support structure with the LEDs and thus protects it against the aforementioned harsh environmental conditions.

[0027] Before the potting material is applied, a connection structure with, for example, two conductors for connection to cutting contacts provided on the conductors of the support structure can be inserted at one end face, and the configuration thus created can then be protected by applying potting material.

[0028] Alternatively, a segment of the support structure with LEDs, along with a cable assembly between the support structure and the base of the structure, can be inserted into the interior of the closed, channel-shaped assembly. This allows the contact components on the support structure, such as insulation displacement contacts, to make contact with the cable assembly, thus establishing an electrical connection between the LEDs on the support structure and the cable assembly. This connection can then be, for example, connected to an external power supply for the vehicle. After the interior is filled with potting compound, both the support structure with its LEDs and the cable assembly are hermetically sealed by the potting compound.

[0029] According to a further development of the invention, it is also provided that the arrangement with the receiver and the supporting structure as well as the light-emitting diodes arranged thereon and the cover is wound up in the form of, for example, the elastic body in the form of a roll or coil.

[0030] When a segment of a luminaire is required, the segment, having a predetermined length, can be cut from the roll or spool and, for example, provided at one end with a connection structure that establishes an electrical connection between the conductors and / or the conductor arrangement and thus to the LEDs arranged on the support structure. Because the cover, formed from an elastic potting material, is flexible, as is the support structure with the LEDs arranged on it, and the receptacle, which is formed, for example, from a thermoplastic polyurethane or a thermoplastic elastomer, the entire arrangement can be wound in roll form onto, for example, a drum or spool, from which a predetermined length of the arrangement can then be cut to form the luminaire according to the invention.

[0031] The luminaire according to the invention thus has the configuration of a ribbon-shaped body with light-emitting diodes at predetermined areas, and can be used as a light strip for marking the contour of a semi-trailer and / or box and / or trailer and / or trailer of a vehicle and can for this purpose also be provided section by section on the outside with a reflective arrangement, whereby the contour is recognizable on the one hand by the light-emitting diodes and on the other hand also via the reflective arrangement in the form of, for example, segments of a reflective film.

[0032] The lamp according to the invention can also be designed in the form of a ribbon-shaped body with light-emitting diodes at predetermined areas of the body as a light strip for interior lighting of a semi-trailer and / or box and / or trailer and / or trailer of a vehicle.

[0033] According to a further development of the invention, the lamp according to the invention can also be designed in the form of a ribbon-shaped body with light-emitting diodes at predetermined areas of the body and be designed as a light strip for arrangement on at least one section of a semi-trailer and / or box and / or trailer and / or trailer of an agricultural vehicle to indicate a lane change or turning maneuver of the agricultural vehicle by intermittent illumination of the light-emitting diodes.

[0034] Finally, according to a further development of the invention, the receptacle also has a structure that is at least partially translucent and is made of a thermoplastic material. Thus, both the receptacle and the cover, in the form of, for example, the aforementioned elastic body, can be at least partially translucent, whereby the term translucency also includes diffuse translucency, meaning that the cover and / or the receptacle appears opaque or milky, so that the light strip appears transparent or partially transparent overall or at least at the locations where the LEDs are arranged.

[0035] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. This shows: Fig. 1 an exploded view of a section of a lamp according to a first embodiment; Fig. 2 a sectional view of the lamp's construction according to Fig.1 in the assembled state; Fig. 3 a perspective view of a luminaire according to the embodiment shown Fig. 1 ; Fig. 4 an exploded view of a section of a lamp according to a further embodiment with a channel-shaped opening closed on the longitudinal sides; Fig. 5 a perspective schematic representation of a truck designed as a semi-trailer truck with a trailer, with lights arranged on the side walls and the rear wall; Fig. 6 a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a roof box for a passenger car with a light arranged inside the lid of the roof box according to the present invention; and Fig. 7 A schematic sectional view of a refrigerated box of a vehicle for transporting food, with lights arranged on the ceiling of the refrigerated box.

[0036] Fig. 1 The drawing shows a first embodiment of a lamp 1 for vehicles in an exploded view.

[0037] The luminaire 1 has a support structure 2 with a front 3 and a back 4. Several light sources 5 in the form of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 6 are arranged on the front 3. The luminaire 1 also has a cover 7, which in the illustrated embodiment is formed by an elastic body 8 made of a transparent potting material 9.

[0038] The luminaire 1 also has a conductor arrangement 10, which in the illustrated embodiment is formed from three individual conductor wires 11, of which two conductor wires serve to supply current and voltage to the light-emitting diodes 6 and a third conductor wire serves to transmit signals to a control device not shown in detail.

[0039] On the front side 3 of the supporting structure 2, two conductors 12, shown only schematically, are provided in the form of conductor tracks, which serve to supply voltage to the individual light-emitting diodes 6.

[0040] An elongated receptacle 13 has a base 14 and two side surfaces 15, which in the illustrated embodiment of the receptacle 13 extend at right angles away from the base 14 and an interior space 16 is formed between the side surfaces 15 and the base 14, which serves to accommodate the conductor arrangement 10 and the support structure 2 as well as the elastic body 8.

[0041] As can be readily seen, the side surfaces 15 have longitudinally extending ribs 35, 36 on both the inner 17 and the outer 18. The inner ribs 35 serve to additionally secure the elastic body 8 in the interior 16, and the outer ribs 36 serve to additionally secure the light 1 at the mounting location, for example, a groove or an aluminum rail of a side wall of a trailer of a vehicle, if the light 1 according to the invention serves, for example, as a contour marking light for the vehicle.

[0042] To form the luminaire 1, the conductor assembly 10 is inserted into the interior 16 of the receptacle 13, and then the support structure 2 is placed on it. The conductors 12 are provided with contacting components 19 in the form of cutting contacts 20, which, when the support structure 2 is placed on the conductor assembly 10, cut through the insulating sheath of the conductors 11 and thus establish an electrically conductive contact with the cable strands 21, which are made, for example, of a copper alloy.

[0043] After the assembly thus formed, consisting of the receiver 13, the conductor arrangement 10, and the support structure 2, has been arranged in the interior 16, a potting material 9 can be applied to the assembly thus formed, which then forms the elastic body 8, which simultaneously serves as a flexible cover 7 and hermetically protects the support structure 2 with the light-emitting diodes 6 arranged on it, the conductors 12, and the conductor arrangement 10 against dirt, dust, moisture, and the like.

[0044] Fig. 3 Figure 13 shows a segment or section of a luminaire 1, which was completed according to the method described above. In the image 13, the conductor assembly 10 is arranged on the base 14, and above it is the support structure 2 with the [unclear text]. Fig. 3 The light-emitting diodes 6 (not shown in detail) are arranged. The side surfaces 15 enclose the elastic body 8 laterally, and the light 1 can, for example, be arranged in a groove in a side wall of a trailer to serve as a contour marking light.

[0045] Fig. 2 The drawing shows a cross-sectional view of the light fixture 1 according to Fig. 1 the drawing.

[0046] The conductor assembly 11 of the conductor assembly 10 is arranged on base 14, and the cutting contact 20 cuts through the insulating sheath 22 of the conductor 11, so that the cutting contact 20 comes into contact with the live wire 21. The support structure 2 is arranged on the conductor assembly 10, and the potting material 9 encloses both the conductors 11 and the support structure 10, completely filling the interior 16 of the receptacle 13. This means that the potting material 9 also encloses the circular cross-section sheath 22 of the conductors 11, which in Fig. 1 as indicated in the drawing with the longitudinally running channels 23 in the elastic body 8.

[0047] The in Fig. 4 The embodiment of the luminaire 1 shown in the drawing differs from the one in Fig. 1 The embodiment shown is characterized in that the receptacle 24 shown therein has a top surface 25 formed integrally with the side surfaces 15, so that the receptacle 24 forms a channel in cross-section which is closed on all longitudinal sides.

[0048] After the arrangement of the conductor assembly 10 and the support structure 2 in the interior 16 of the receptacle 24, the interior 16 can be completely filled with potting material 9 to form the transparent elastic body 8, so that the light emitted by the light-emitting diodes 6 is diffusely scattered through the elastic body 8, for example, and is emitted outwards via the transparent or semi-transparent top surface 25 of the receptacle 24, for example to serve as contour marking for a trailer of a vehicle.

[0049] Fig. 5 The drawing shows an exemplary application for the use of luminaire 1. Fig. 5 Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a semi-trailer truck 26 with a trailer or semi-trailer 27, on the side walls 28 and the rear wall 29 of which the light 1 is positioned to mark the contour of the semi-trailer 27. LEDs 6 can also be integrated into the light strip 1, which illuminate intermittently, i.e., flash, when the direction of travel of the vehicle or semi-trailer truck 26 changes.

[0050] Fig. 6 The drawing shows a schematic longitudinal section of a roof box 29, which can be mounted on a passenger car (not shown in detail) and has a lid 30. The light 1 is attached to the inside of the lid by means of an adhesive bond or a hook-and-loop fastener. Although in the illustrated embodiment the light 1 is shown extending over almost the entire length of the lid 30, depending on the luminous intensity of the LEDs 6 used in the light 1, it may also be sufficient to attach only a short, strip-shaped section of the support structure 2 with the LEDs 6 attached to it to the inside of the lid 30.Since the LEDs 7 consume very little energy, a housing 31 with batteries or accumulators 30 arranged inside is provided on the inside of the lid 28 to supply them with energy, which provides the energy for illuminating the interior of the roof box 27, so that the user of the roof box 29 can see the contents stored in it clearly even in darkness.

[0051] Fig. 7 The drawing shows a schematic sectional view of a refrigerated box 33 of a vehicle for transporting food. The refrigerated box 31 has a ceiling 34 on which spaced-apart lights 1 according to the present invention are arranged. Although in the Fig. 7In the illustrated embodiment, four individual lights 1 are arranged at a distance from each other, each connected to the other by power supply lines (not shown) and supplied with power via the vehicle's electrical system. Instead of the four individual lights 1, only one light 1 can be installed on the ceiling 34, which spans the entire or almost the entire interior length of the refrigerated box 33 and has light sources 5 or LEDs 6 arranged at a distance from each other, depending on the required brightness or luminous intensity of the light sources 5 or LEDs 6.

[0052] Regarding features of the invention not explained in detail above, explicit reference is made to the claims and the drawing. Reference symbol list

[0053] 1. Lamp 2. Support structure 3. Front 4. Back 5. Light source 6. Light-emitting diodes 7. Cover 8. Elastic body 9. Potting compound 10. Cable arrangement 11. Conductor 12. Conductor 13. Receptacle 14. Base 15. Side surface 16. Interior 17. Inside 18. Outside 19. Contact components 20. Insulating contacts 21. Cable strands 22. Insulating sheath 23. Channel 24. Receptacle 25. Top 26. Semi-trailer 27. Trailer 28. Side wall 29. Roof box 30. Lid 31. Housing 32. Batteries 33. Refrigerated box 34. Ceiling 35. Rib 36. Rib

Claims

1. Light (1) for vehicles, having a flexible support structure (2) having a back (4) and a front (3) and having light sources (5) in the form of light-emitting diodes (6) arranged thereon, at least on the front (3), and a flexible, light-permeable cover (8) that spans the support structure (2) at least in sections in the area of the light-emitting diodes (5), wherein the support structure (2) is designed as a flexible elastic band and has conduction means (12) for electrically contacting the light-emitting diodes (6) arranged thereon and possesses contacting components (19) that are electrically connected to the conduction means (12), characterised in that the support structure (2) is arranged in an elastic, elongated holder (13, 24) and the holder (13, 24) has a base (14) and side surfaces (15) extending at an angle away from the base (14) and designed in a single piece with the base (14), and the holder (13, 24) has a channel-shaped cross-section, wherein a conduit configuration (10) is arranged in the area between the support structure (2) and the base (14) of the holder (13, 24) and the conduit configuration (10) has at least two cable strands (21), which are electrically connected to the contacting components (19) in a conductive manner, and the cover (8) is designed in the form of a flexible body (8) enclosing the conduit configuration (10) and the support structure (2), said body possessing a vertical extension extending in the direction of the vertical extension of the side surfaces (15) of the holder (13, 24).

2. Light (1) for vehicles according to claim 1, characterised in that the cover (8) hermetically seals the light-emitting diodes (6) between the front (3) of the support structure (2) and the environment.

3. Light (1) for vehicles according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the cover (8) is arranged in the form of a transparent material on the front (3) of the support structure (2), at least in the area of the light-emitting diodes (6), and is connected to the support structure (2) in such a way that moisture is prevented from penetrating the area between the material and the support structure (2).

4. Light (1) for vehicles according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the light (1) for vehicles is provided in the form of an arrangement in which the light-emitting diodes (6) are arranged with predetermined spacing-apart on the support structure (2) and are enclosed by the cover (8).

5. Light (1) for vehicles according to claim 4, characterised in that the side surfaces (15) each have at least one rib (35, 36) extending in the lengthwise direction of the side surfaces (15) on the inner side (17) facing the base (14) and / or on the outer side (18) facing away from the base (14).

6. Light (1) for vehicles according to claim 5, characterised in that the holder (24) has a top side (25) designed in a single piece with the side surfaces (15) and the holder (24) forms a channel that is closed at the sides in cross-section.

7. Light (1) for vehicles according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterised in that the arrangement is coiled in the form of a reel or coil and is to be cut to a predetermined length.

8. Light (1) for vehicles according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the light (1) for vehicles is designed in the form of a band-shaped body having light-emitting diodes (6) in predetermined areas of the body and is designed as an illumination band for marking the contour of a semi-trailer and / or box body and / or trailer and / or truck trailer of a vehicle and the illumination band is provided with a reflective arrangement, at least in sections on the outside.

9. Light (1) for vehicles according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the light (1) for vehicles is designed in the form of a band-shaped body having light-emitting diodes (6) in predetermined areas of the body and is designed as an illumination band for the interior lighting of a semi-trailer and / or box body and / or trailer and / or truck trailer of a vehicle.

10. Light (1) for vehicles according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the light (1) for vehicles is designed in the form of a band-shaped body having light-emitting diodes in predetermined areas of the body and is designed as a light band for arrangement on at least one section of a semi-trailer and / or box body and / or trailer and / or truck trailer of an agricultural vehicle to indicate a lane change or turning process of the agricultural vehicle by intermittent lighting of the light-emitting diodes.

11. Light (1) for vehicles according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the holder (13, 24) has structure that is light-permeable, at least in some sections, and is designed having a thermoplastic plastic material.