Automotive lighting element
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsKenneth A. Aho, Jeffrey J. Melby, Richard A. Miller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automotive lighting element has a lower surface with a plurality of ridges and grooves. Those ridges and grooves are reflectorized so that light emitted by a light source in the lighting element will be reflected back into other portions of the reflector rather than out of the lighting element with a large upward vertical component.
Claims10
An automotive lighting element comprising a reflector defining an optical cavity having an optical window and a light source in said optical cavity, said reflector comprising:
- a smoothly curved portion;
- a structured surface portion having a plurality of ridges and grooves such that light emitted by said light source and striking said structured surface will be reflected a first time by said structured surface and a second time by said reflector prior to emerging from said optical cavity, said grooves having bases that are located in a plane.
An automotive lighting element comprising a reflector defining an optical cavity having an optical window and a light source in said optical cavity, said reflector comprising:
- a smoothly curved portion;
- a structured surface portion having a plurality of ridges and grooves such that light emitted by said light source and striking said structured surface will be reflected a first time by said structured surface and a second time by said reflector prior to emerging from said optical cavity, each of said ridges has a first side proximate to said light source and a second side distant from said light source, each of said first sides having a specularly reflective finish and each of said second sides being colored.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.