A lighting assembly for a vehicle

Abstract

A lighting assembly (100) for a vehicle is disclosed. The lighting assembly (100) may include a housing (102) and a first collimator (108) having a first optical portion (116) and an engaging portion (118). A second collimator (110) may be disposed within the housing (102) and engaged with the first collimator (108), the second collimator (110) comprising a second optical portion (120). Further, a PCB (104) may be coupled to the first collimator (108) and the second collimator (110) and may comprise a plurality of first light sources (208a-208n) adapted to glow the first optical portion (116), and a plurality of second light sources (206a-206n) adapted to glow the second optical portion (120).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present disclosure relates to lighting assembly, and more particularly relates to anintegrated lighting assembly for tail-stop and blinker lamps.BACKGROUND

[0002] With the ever-growing traffic on roads, it is relevant to ensure safe driving conditions. Infact, in the recent past, significant growth and development are witnessed in the field of automotivelighting focusing towards the safety of the drivers. Automotive lights, such as lamps, play a majorrole in providing visibility to a vehicle on road, particularly, during the night. Various types oflamps are nowadays available in the market for different vehicles. Various types of lamps, suchas tail lamps, stop lamps, parking lamps, and blinker lamps, are employed in the vehicle forperforming different illuminating functions. Such lamps usually comprise a reflector and a lightsource to achieve optimal illumination and light distribution.

[0003] Currently, in two-wheeler vehicles, the existing tail-stop lamp and blinker lamps areseparately mounted. Due to separate mounting of such lamps, a large mounting space is requiredin two-wheeler vehicles. Additionally, different sub-components, such as mechanical andelectrical components, are required to separately operate the tail-stop and blinker lamps.

[0004] From the above, it may be gathered that there exists a need for a lighting assembly thatmay be employed in vehicles by consuming an optimum space. Further, there is a need for anintegrated lighting assembly which may reduce multiple connections required for tail-stop andblinker lamps.SUMMARY

[0005] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, thatare further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intendedto identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention and nor is it intended fordetermining the scope of the invention.

[0006] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a lighting assembly for a vehicle is disclosed.The lighting assembly comprises a housing. Further, the lighting assembly comprises a firstcollimator disposed within the housing and comprising a body having a first optical portion andan engaging portion. The first optical portion encompasses the engaging portion. Furthermore, thelighting assembly comprises a second collimator disposed within the housing and adapted to beengaged with the first collimator, the second collimator comprising a second optical portion. Thesecond collimator is adapted to be positioned in the engaging portion and the first optical portionand the second optical portion align with each other. Additionally, the lighting assembly comprisesa PCB coupled to the first collimator and the second collimator. The PCB further comprises aplurality of first light sources adapted to glow the first optical portion, and a plurality of secondlight sources adapted to glow the second optical portion.

[0007] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle comprising a lighting assemblyis disclosed. The lighting assembly comprises a housing. Further, the lighting assembly comprisesa first collimator disposed within the housing and comprising a body having a first optical portionand an engaging portion. The first optical portion encompasses the engaging portion. Furthermore,the lighting assembly comprises a second collimator disposed within the housing and adapted tobe engaged with the first collimator, the second collimator comprising a second optical portion.The second collimator is adapted to be positioned in the engaging portion and the first opticalportion and the second optical portion align with each other. Additionally, the lighting assemblycomprises a PCB coupled to the first collimator and the second collimator. The PCB furthercomprises a plurality of first light sources adapted to glow the first optical portion, and a pluralityof second light sources adapted to glow the second optical portion.

[0008] To further clarify advantages and features of the present invention, a more particulardescription of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, whichis illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typicalembodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. Theinvention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with theaccompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will becomebetter understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings,wherein:

[0010] Figures 1A illustrates an exploded view of a lighting assembly for a vehicle, according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0011] Figure 1B illustrates a cross section view of the lighting assembly, according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figures 2A-2B illustrate a planar view of a light emitting diode (LED) Printed CircuitBoard (PCB) and a driver PCB respectively, according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

[0013] Figure 3 illustrates a planar view of the LED PCB for tail-stop and blinker functions,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0014] Figure 4 illustrates a sequential process of assembling the lighting assembly, according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated forsimplicity and may not have been necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow chartsillustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improveunderstanding of aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of thedevice, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings byconventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent tounderstanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings withdetails that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of thedescription herein.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0016] For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, referencewill now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be usedto describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of theinvention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system,and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein beingcontemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning ascommonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. Thesystem, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to belimiting.

[0017] The term "some" as used herein is defined as "none, or one, or more than one, or all."Accordingly, the terms "none," "one," "more than one," "more than one, but not all" or "all"would all fall under the definition of "some." The term "some embodiments" may refer to noembodiments or to one embodiment or to several embodiments or to all embodiments.Accordingly, the term "some embodiments" is defined as meaning "no embodiment, or oneembodiment, or more than one embodiment, or all embodiments."

[0018] The terminology and structure employed herein is for describing, teaching and illuminatingsome embodiments and their specific features and elements and does not limit, restrict or reducethe spirit and scope of the claims or their equivalents.

[0019] More specifically, any terms used herein such as but not limited to "includes,""comprises," "has," "consists," and grammatical variants thereof do NOT specify an exactlimitation or restriction and certainly do NOT exclude the possible addition of one or more featuresor elements, unless otherwise stated, and furthermore must NOT be taken to exclude the possibleremoval of one or more of the listed features and elements, unless otherwise stated with thelimiting language "MUST comprise" or "NEEDS TO include."

[0020] Whether or not a certain feature or element was limited to being used only once, eitherway it may still be referred to as "one or more features" or "one or more elements" or "at least onefeature" or "at least one element." Furthermore, the use of the terms "one or more" or "at leastone" feature or element do NOT preclude there being none of that feature or element, unlessotherwise specified by limiting language such as "there NEEDS to be one or more . . . " or "oneor more element is REQUIRED."

[0021] Unless otherwise defined, all terms, and especially any technical and / or scientific terms,used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having anordinary skill in the art.

[0022] Reference is made herein to some "embodiments." It should be understood that anembodiment is an example of a possible implementation of any features and / or elements presentedin the attached claims. Some embodiments have been described for the purpose of illuminatingone or more of the potential ways in which the specific features and / or elements of the attachedclaims fulfil the requirements of uniqueness, utility and non-obviousness.

[0023] Use of the phrases and / or terms such as but not limited to "a first embodiment," "a furtherembodiment," "an alternate embodiment," "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "multipleembodiments," "some embodiments," "other embodiments," "further embodiment", "furthermoreembodiment", "additional embodiment" or variants thereof do NOT necessarily refer to the sameembodiments. Unless otherwise specified, one or more particular features and / or elementsdescribed in connection with one or more embodiments may be found in one embodiment, or maybe found in more than one embodiment, or may be found in all embodiments, or may be found inno embodiments. Although one or more features and / or elements may be described herein in thecontext of only a single embodiment, or alternatively in the context of more than one embodiment,or further alternatively in the context of all embodiments, the features and / or elements may insteadbe provided separately or in any appropriate combination or not at all. Conversely, any featuresand / or elements described in the context of separate embodiments may alternatively be realizedas existing together in the context of a single embodiment.

[0024] Any particular and all details set forth herein are used in the context of some embodimentsand therefore should NOT be necessarily taken as limiting factors to the attached claims. Theattached claims and their legal equivalents can be realized in the context of embodiments otherthan the ones used as illustrative examples in the description below.

[0025] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

[0026] Figure 1A illustrates an exploded view of a lighting assembly 100 for a vehicle, accordingto various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] In an embodiment, a lighting assembly 100 may interchangeably be referred to as thelighting device 100, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The lightingassembly 100 may be deployed in a vehicle to perform various illuminating functions including,but not limited to, illuminating road ahead of the vehicle, indicating turn signal, indicating parkingsignal, and indicating a stop signal. In one specific exemplary embodiment, the lighting assembly100 may be deployed in a vehicle to indicating a blinking parking / turn signal and a stop signalusing two different illuminating optical portions of the assembly respectively. The vehicle may beembodied as one of a two-wheeler vehicle, a three-wheeler vehicle, and a four-wheeler vehicle. Inan embodiment, the lighting assembly100 may be embodied as one of a tail light, a front light, ablinker light, and a stop light, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Inanother embodiment, a plurality of lighting sources may be combined to form the lightingassembly 100 to perform one of the illuminating functions in the vehicle.

[0028] In an embodiment, the lighting assembly 100 may be configured to provide a compact dualfunction of tail-stop and blinker together and may be embodied as a taillight. As an example, thelighting assembly 100 may be deployed in two-wheeler vehicles, where it is challenging to providea compact design of such dual functions in terms of size, thermal, electronics, aesthetic and cost.The lighting assembly 100 may be configured to provide same uniform lit appearance in twodifferent lights by using collimator lenses and alternate arrangement of LEDs in different colorsin a single lamp with integrated electronics (e.g., PCB). In an exemplary embodiment, the lightingassembly 100 may provide red LED and amber LED lighting in a single lamp.

[0029] Referring to Figure 1A, in the illustrated embodiment, the lighting assembly 100 maycomprise a housing 102, a PCB 104, a mask 106, a first collimator 108, a second collimator 110,and an outer lens 112. The housing 102 may be adapted to accommodate the PCB 104, mask 106,the first collimator 108, and the second collimator 110. The housing 102 may be a load carryingmember made of a thermoplastic polymer, such as Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) material,to support and hold PCB 104, mask 106, first collimator 108, second collimator 110, and outerlens 112. The housing 102 and the outer lens 112 may together form an exterior surface of thelighting assembly 100. In one embodiment, the housing 102 and the outer lens 112 may be formedas an integral part. In another embodiment, the housing 102 and the outer lens 112 may be formedas a casing and coupled together to support the aforesaid lighting sources, without departing fromthe scope of the present disclosure.

[0030] In an embodiment, the lighting assembly 100 may include a first collimator 108 to bedisposed within the housing 102. The first collimator 108 may comprise a body having a firstoptical portion 116 and an engaging portion 118. The first optical portion 116 may encompass theengaging portion 118. Further, the first optical portion 116 may include a plurality of first lensesand / or mirror to collimate the incident beam of light received from a plurality of first LED lightingsources on the PCB 104. In one embodiment, the plurality of first lenses may be red in color. Theengaging portion 118 may include a mechanical structure to engage the second collimator 110.The first collimator 108 may be used for implementing tail-stop function of the vehicle, i.e., forilluminating when brakes are applied by the user driving the vehicle.

[0031] In an embodiment, the second collimator 110 may be disposed within the housing 102.The second collimator 110 may include at least a second optical portion 120 which may include aplurality of second lenses and / or mirror to collimate the incident beam of light received from aplurality of second LED lighting sources on the PCB 104. In an embodiment, the plurality ofsecond lenses may be yellow in color. Further, the second collimator 110 may be adapted to beengaged with the first collimator 108 via the engaging portion 118 of the first collimator 108.Specifically, the second collimator 110 may be adapted to be positioned within the engagingportion 118 of the first collimator 108. Further, once the second collimator 110 is placed withinthe first collimator 108, the first optical portion 116 of the first collimator 108 and the secondoptical portion 120 of the second collimator 110 may align with each other. More specifically, theouter surfaces of the first optical portion 116 and the second optical portion 120 align with eachother to provide an integrated smooth appearance. In an exemplary embodiment, the secondcollimator 110 may be used for one or more of a blinker, parking light, and turn indicator function.

[0032] Each of the first collimator 108 and the second collimator 110 may be used to cause thedirections of motion of light to become more aligned in a specific direction (i.e., make collimatedlight or parallel rays), or to cause the spatial cross section of the beam to become smaller (beamlimiting device). The use of the first collimator 108 and the second collimator110 provides betterillumination function over the reflectors along with secondary operation like metalizing. Further,the first collimator 108 and the second collimator 110 may be used to collect the light from lightsources (e.g., LEDs on LED PCB 104) and transfer the light to illuminated surface. Due tocollimator lens technology with small optics on surface, a uniform lit appearance may be obtainedeven when one LED is placed as a lighting source. Because of collimator lens uniform litappearance, the first collimator 108 and the second collimator 110 may be used with limited LEDlight sources for tail-stop and blinker functions respectively.

[0033] In an embodiment, the lighting assembly 100 comprises a PCB 104. The PCB 104 mayinclude an LED PCB (shown in Fig. 1) and a driver PCB (not shown in Fig. 1). In an exemplaryembodiment, the driver PCB may be formed on one side while the LED PCB may be formed ona second side of the PCB 104. The LED PCB and the driver PCB are described in detail inconjunction with Fig. 3 later. The PCB 104 may include a plurality of first light sources adaptedto glow the first optical portion 116 of the first collimator 108. Further, the PCB 104 may includea plurality of second light sources adapted to glow the second optical portion 120 of the secondcollimator 110. Each of the plurality of first and second light sources may include multiple LEDlights to glow the corresponding optical portions of respective collimators 108 and 110.

[0034] In an embodiment, the mask 106 may be adapted to separate tail-stop and blinker functionsof the collimators, when positioned together for illumination. The mask 106 may be positionedbetween the PCB 104 and the first collimator 108. Further, the mask 106 may include a protrudedportion 107 to be positioned in the engaging portion 118 of the first collimator 108. The protrudedportion 107 may be adapted to be disposed between the first optical portion 116 and the secondoptical portion 120 of the two respective collimators 108 and 110. The protruded portion 107 maybe adapted to block light from the first collimator 108 towards the second collimator 110, and toblock light from the second collimator 110 towards the first collimator 108. Thus, in oneexemplary embodiment, the mask 106 may be configured to separate the lights of tail-stop function(e.g., red color light) and blinker function (amber color light).

[0035] In an embodiment, the outer lens 112 may be adapted to cover the lighting assembly 100from its top and front sides. Further, the outer lens 112 may be adapted to disperse the light fromat least one of the first collimator 108 and the second collimator 110 towards a front of the lightingassembly 100. In an exemplary embodiment, the outer lens 112 may be a clear and transparentpolymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) based lens to view the collimator light.

[0036] Figure 1B illustrates a cross section view of the lighting assembly 100, according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure. As depicted, the cross-sectional view shows the housing102 and the outer lens 112 covering the lighting assembly 100 from its outer side. Further, the firstcollimator 108 and the second collimator 110 are engaged with each other, along with the PCB104 and mask 106 fitted as an integrated unit of the assembly 100. Further, one or more LEDs 114of the PCB 104 are adapted to function as a light source for illuminating function of the lightingassembly 100.

[0037] Figures 2A-2B illustrate a planar view of an LED PCB 200a and a driver PCB 200brespectively, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The driver PCB 200bmay be disposed on one side, while the LED PCB 200a may be disposed on a second side of thePCB (such as PCB 104) of the lighting assembly 100. With reference to Fig. 2A, the LED PCB200a comprises a plurality of LED lighting sources. As depicted, the area 202, excluding the LEDsin the area 204, of the LED PCB 200a may include a plurality of first light sources 208a-208n(e.g., LEDs) at the outer periphery of the LED PCB 200a, which are adapted to light the secondcollimator (such as collimator 110). Similarly, the plurality of second light sources (e.g., LEDs)206a-206n within the area 204 may be adapted to light the second collimator (such as collimator108).

[0038] With reference to Figure 2B, the driver PCB 200b may include a plurality of electroniccomponents, such as a processor / controller to control the LEDs of the LED PCB. In anembodiment, the driver PCB 200b may be adapted to switch on the plurality of first light sources208a-208n (e.g., LEDs in area 202 excluding the LEDs in area 204), when a user applies a brakeon the vehicle with a first predefined force. The driving PCB 200b may be configured to receivean input signal when a brake is applied on the vehicle. For the sake of brevity, the mechanism ofreceiving the input signal and processing such signal is not discussed here in detail, as suchmechanism is implemented as per conventionally known methodologies.

[0039] Further, in an embodiment, the driver PCB 202b is adapted to switch on the plurality ofsecond light sources 206a-206n (e.g., LEDs in area 204), when the user switches on a mechanicalswitch to take either one of a left turn and a right turn on the vehicle. In another embodiment, thedriver PCB 202b is adapted to switch on both the plurality of first light sources 208a-208n and theplurality of second light sources 206a-206n when the user applies the brake on the vehicle with asecond predefined force, wherein the first predefined force is lesser than the second predefinedforce.

[0040] Figure 3 illustrates a planar view of a LED PCB for tail-stop and blinker functions,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted, the plurality of first lightsources 208a-208n, within the area 202 and excluding the LEDs in area 204, may include aplurality of LEDs, such as red LEDs for tail-stop function of the vehicle. Further, the plurality ofsecond light sources 206a-206n within the area 204 may include a plurality of LEDs, such asyellow LEDs for blinker function of the vehicle.

[0041] Figure 4 illustrates a sequential process of assembling the lighting assembly 100, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted, in an embodiment, at step 1 of thesequential process of creating a lighting assembly, a housing (e.g., housing 102) may be taken. Atstep 2 of the process, the PCB (e.g., PCB 104) may be deployed within the housing 102. At step3 of the process, one or more screws may be used to tighten / engage the PCB 104 within thehousing 102. At step 4 of the process, the mask (e.g., mask 106) may be engaged with the assemblyof step 3 with the help of one or more additional screws. At step 5 of the process, the firstcollimator (e.g., first collimator 108) may be engaged with the assembly completed at step 4. Atstep 6 of the process, the second collimator (e.g., second collimator 110) may be engaged withinthe engaging portion 118 of the first collimator 108. At step 7 of the process, the lighting assembly100 may be completed by coupling the outer lens (such as outer lens 112). The lighting assembly100 may be deployed within a taillight of the vehicle, such as a two-wheeler vehicle. In anotherembodiment, the lighting assembly 100 may be mounted at one of a rear end and a front end ofthe vehicle. Further, the lighting assembly may be used for different illuminating functions of thevehicle and may comply with homologations (AIS / ECE / FMVSS / ASSABE) associated withdifferent jurisdictions.

[0042] As would be gathered, the lighting assembly 100 of the present disclosure can be employedfor achieving different illuminating functions. Further, the lighting assembly complies withhomologation requirements of different countries. In particular, without altering constructionalaspects of the lighting assembly 100, the lighting assembly 100 can comply with the homologationrequirement of different countries. Further, the lighting assembly 100 includes collimators 108and 110 provided with the plurality of light sources on PCB 104, such as LEDs, adapted to projectlight beams. Implementation of LEDs as the light source and within such an integrated lightassembly substantially reduces the overall size for executing blinker and tail-stop lightingfunctions in a vehicle. Further, due to integration of the two lights, the light assembly 100 may becompact and cost effective. Further, the light assembly 100 would require minimum electricalconnections due to dual function implementation in an integrated structure on a single PCB,thereby saving substantial cost and reducing overall complexity.

[0043] While specific language has been used to describe the present subject matter, anylimitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in theart, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventiveconcept as taught herein. The drawings and the foregoing description give examples ofembodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elementsmay well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may besplit into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to anotherembodiment.

Claims

1. A lighting assembly (100) for a vehicle, comprising: a housing (102); a first collimator (108) disposed within the housing (102) and comprising a body having a first optical portion (116) and an engaging portion (118), wherein the first optical portion (116) encompasses the engaging portion (118); a second collimator (110) disposed within the housing (102) and adapted to be engaged with the first collimator (108), the second collimator (110) comprising a second optical portion (120), wherein the second collimator is adapted to be positioned in the engaging portion (118), and wherein the first optical portion (116) and the second optical portion (120) align with each other; and a Light Emitting Diode (LED) PCB (200a) coupled to the first collimator (108) and the second collimator (110), and comprising a plurality of first light sources (208a-208n) adapted to glow the first optical portion (116), and a plurality of second light sources (206a206n) adapted to glow the second optical portion (120).

2. The lighting assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first optical portion (116) includes a plurality of first lenses, and the plurality of first lenses are red in color.

3. The lighting assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second optical portion (120) includes a plurality of second lenses, and the plurality of second lenses are yellow in color.

4. The lighting assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a driver PCB (200b) adapted to switch on the plurality of first light sources (208a-208n) when a user applies a brake on the vehicle with a first predefined force.

5. The lighting assembly (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the driver PCB (200b) is adapted to switch on the plurality of second light sources (206a-206n) when the user switches a mechanical button to take either one of a left turn and a right turn on the vehicle.

6. The lighting assembly (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the driver PCB (200b) is adapted to switch on both the plurality of first light sources (208a-208n) and the plurality of second light sources (206a-206n) when the user applies the brake on the vehicle with a second predefined force, wherein the first predefined force is lesser than the second predefined force.

7. The lighting assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a mask (106) disposed between the first collimator (108) and the LED PCB (200a), wherein the mask (106) comprises a protruded portion (107) which is disposed between the first collimator (108) and the second collimator (110), and wherein the protruded portion (107) is adapted to block light from the first collimator (108) towards the second collimator (110) and light from the second collimator (110) towards the first collimator (108).

8. The lighting assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising an outer lens (112) adapted to cover the lighting assembly (100) from a top of the lighting assembly (100), and to disperse the light from at least one of the first collimator (108) and the second collimator (110) towards a front of the lighting assembly.

9. A two-wheeler vehicle comprising: a lighting assembly (100), including: a housing (102); a first collimator (108) disposed within the housing (102) and comprising a body having a first optical portion (116) and an engaging portion (118), wherein the first optical portion (116) encompasses the engaging portion (118); a second collimator (110) disposed within the housing (102) and adapted to be engaged with the first collimator (108), the second collimator (110) comprising a second optical portion (120), wherein the second collimator (110) is adapted to be positioned in the engaging portion (118), and wherein the first optical portion (116) and the second optical portion (120) align with each other; and a Light Emitting Diode (LED) PCB (200a) coupled to the first collimator (108) and the second collimator (110), and comprising a plurality of first light sources (208a-208n) adapted to glow the first optical portion (116), and a plurality of second light sources (206a-206n) adapted to glow the second optical portion (120).