IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,035,455
Granted Patent B2
US 10,035,455 · App. 14/893,369 · Granted Jul 31, 2018

Light-emitting part for vehicle

Inventors: Noriyuki Yamato (Tochigi, JP); Shoji Kotsuka (Tochigi, JP); Yoshiaki Ito (Tochigi, JP)
Assignee: TS Tech Co., Ltd.
B60Q3/54B29C45/00B32B7/06B32B7/12B32B27/08B32B27/36B60Q3/217B60Q3/64B60Q3/78G02B6/0088B32B2255/205B32B2307/40B32B2307/748B32B2605/00B32B2605/003B60Q2500/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,035,455
App. No.
14/893,369
Granted
Jul 31, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A light-emitting part for a vehicle having a light-emitting region is described. The light-emitting part includes an irradiation body which i) includes a dot-shaped light source and a planar plate-shaped light guide body that emits light from the dot-shaped light source, and ii) emits the light toward a front side of the light-emitting region. The light-emitting part includes a curved plate-shaped transmissive body disposed so that the light emitted from the irradiation body is transmitted through the curved plate-shaped transmissive body. The curved plate-shaped transmissive body includes portions which are separated from the planar plate-shaped light guide body by different gaps. Also included is a surface brightness adjusting portion which adjusts a brightness of an outer surface of the light-emitting region in response to a size of the gap and a distance from the dot-shaped light source.

Claims (38)

1. A light-emitting part for a vehicle comprising a light-emitting region, the light-emitting part comprising:

an irradiation body which i) comprises a dot-shaped light source and a planar plate-shaped light guide body with a light-emitting surface that emits light from the dot-shaped light source and ii) emits the light toward a front side of the light-emitting region; and

a curved plate-shaped transmissive body which is disposed at a front position of the irradiation body so that the light emitted from the irradiation body is transmitted through the curved plate-shaped transmissive body as the light-emitting region;

wherein the dot-shaped light source is attached at a position adjacent to an end of the planar plate-shaped light guide body in a longitudinal direction;

wherein the curved plate-shaped transmissive body comprises portions which are separated from the planar plate-shaped light guide body by different gaps while the planar plate-shaped light guide body and the curved plate-shaped transmissive body are attached to the vehicle; and

wherein the light-emitting part for the vehicle further comprises a surface brightness adjusting portion which adjusts a brightness of an outer surface of the light-emitting region in response to a size of the gap of the different gaps and a distance from the dot-shaped light source in the longitudinal direction;

wherein the surface brightness adjusting portion comprises an absorbed light adjusting portion which adjusts an amount of absorbed light from the light from the irradiation body; and

wherein the absorbed light adjusting portion includes black pigment of the curved plate-shaped transmissive body.

2. A light-emitting part for a vehicle comprising a light-emitting region, the light-emitting part comprising:

an irradiation body which i) comprises a dot-shaped light source and a planar plate-shaped light guide body with a light-emitting surface that emits light from the dot-shaped light source and ii) emits the light toward a front side of the light-emitting region; and

a curved plate-shaped transmissive body which is disposed at a front position of the irradiation body so that the light emitted from the irradiation body is transmitted through the curved plate-shaped transmissive body as the light-emitting region;

wherein the dot-shaped light source is attached at a position adjacent to an end of the planar plate-shaped light guide body in a longitudinal direction;

wherein the curved plate-shaped transmissive body comprises portions which are separated from the planar plate-shaped light guide body by different gaps while the planar plate-shaped light guide body and the curved plate-shaped transmissive body are attached to the vehicle; and

wherein the light-emitting part for the vehicle further comprises a surface brightness adjusting portion which adjusts a brightness of an outer surface of the light-emitting region in response to a size of the gap of the different gaps and a distance from the dot-shaped light source in the longitudinal direction;

wherein the light-emitting part further comprises a box-shaped frame of a holder which comprises an opening that faces the curved plate-shaped transmissive body and holds the irradiation body so that the planar plate-shaped light guide body is disposed near a position of the opening;

wherein the surface brightness adjusting portion comprises an absorbed light adjusting portion which adjusts an amount of absorbed light from the light from the irradiation body; and

wherein the absorbed light adjusting portion adjusts the brightness of the outer surface by changing a degree of light and darkness of color of a portion of the holder surrounding the planar plate-shaped light guide body in response to the size of the gap.

3. A light-emitting part for a vehicle comprising a light-emitting region, the light-emitting part comprising:

an irradiation body which i) comprises a dot-shaped light source and a planar plate-shaped light guide body with a light-emitting surface that emits light from the dot-shaped light source and ii) emits the light toward a front side of the light-emitting region; and

a curved plate-shaped transmissive body which is disposed at a front position of the irradiation body so that the light emitted from the irradiation body is transmitted through the curved plate-shaped transmissive body as the light-emitting region;

wherein the dot-shaped light source is attached at a position adjacent to an end of the planar plate-shaped light guide body in a longitudinal direction;

wherein the curved plate-shaped transmissive body comprises portions which are separated from the planar plate-shaped light guide body by different gaps while the planar plate-shaped light guide body and the curved plate-shaped transmissive body are attached to the vehicle; and

wherein the light-emitting part for the vehicle further comprises a surface brightness adjusting portion which adjusts a brightness of an outer surface of the light-emitting region in response to a size of the gap of the different gaps and a distance from the dot-shaped light source in the longitudinal direction;

wherein the curved plate-shaped transmissive body is a transmissive resin base having a curved surface portion; and

wherein the light-emitting part further comprises a decorative film which is disposed on one surface of the resin base;

wherein the irradiation body irradiates the light to the resin base;

wherein the decorative film comprises at least a transmitted light adjusting layer, with a non-transmissive portion that shields the light from the irradiation body and a transmissive portion that allows the light from the irradiation body to be transmitted therethrough, and a decorative layer laminated on a vehicle interior side of the transmitted light adjusting layer;

wherein the surface brightness adjusting portion is a shielded light adjusting portion which adjusts an amount of shielded light in the decorative film from the light from the irradiation body;

wherein the transmitted light adjusting layer in the decorative film corresponds to the shielded light adjusting portion; and

wherein a boundary portion of the decorative film between the non-transmissive portion and the transmissive portion in the transmitted light adjusting layer comprises a gradation portion subjected to a gradation process so that the color and the density are gradually reduced in a direction towards the boundary portion in the non-transmissive portion.

4. The light-emitting part for the vehicle according to claim 3 ,

wherein regions of the boundary portion having different colors and densities are disposed so that the colors and the densities gradually change in the gradation portion, and

wherein a region of the regions having a higher tensile expansion modulus is wider than a region of the regions having a lower tensile expansion modulus in the gradation portion.

5. The light-emitting part for the vehicle according to claim 3 ,

wherein the decorative film is stuck to follow the curved surface portion, and

wherein the gradation portion is disposed at a position deviated from a portion having a maximal tensile expansion modulus in the decorative film.

6. The light-emitting part for the vehicle according to claim 3 ,

wherein a color tone of the resin base is similar to a color tone of the non-transmissive portion in the transmitted light adjusting layer.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 23, 2015
From: YAMATO, NORIYUKI; KOTSUKA, SHOJI; ITO, YOSHIAKI
To: TS TECH CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 037120/0922 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2013-113267 · May 29, 2013 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20160082881A1 · Mar 24, 2016