Lighting device for vehicle
AssigneeNippondenso Co., Ltd.
InventorsHideyuki Kato, Yuji Chigusa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lighting device for use in a vehicle which has a lighting unit for receiving light from a light source and emitting the received light. The lighting unit is provided with an optical fiber for receiving light from the light source and emitting the received light and an optical waveguide directly connected to the optical fiber for directly receiving the light emitted from the optical fiber and emitting light which has a desired luminous intensity distribution. Thereby, the lighting unit can have a simple structure and can be provided at low cost.
Claims13
A lighting device for use in a vehicle, the lighting device having a lighting unit for receiving light from a light source and emitting the received light, the lighting unit comprising:
- an optical fiber for receiving light from the light source and emitting the received light;
- and
- an optical waveguide, directly connected to the optical fiber, for directly receiving the light emitted from the optical fiber and emitting light which has a desired luminous intensity distribution, said waveguide including a lens constructed and arranged to converge light and having a length extending from an end of the optical fiber to a light emitting surface of the waveguide.
A lighting device for use in a vehicle, the lighting device having a lighting unit for receiving light from a light source and emitting the received light, the lighting unit comprising:
- an optical fiber for receiving light from the light source and emitting the received light;
- and
- an optical waveguide, directly connected to the optical fiber, for directly receiving the light emitted from the optical fiber and emitting light which has a desired luminous intensity distribution,
- wherein the lighting unit is a head lamp for receiving light from the light source and emitting the received light forward of the vehicle, wherein the optical waveguide has a plurality of optical sub-waveguides, each directly connected to the optical fiber, for directly receiving the light emitted from the optical fiber and emitting light, wherein the optical sub-waveguides are combined with one another to provide a "hot zone" luminous intensity distribution and a flat luminous intensity distribution,
- wherein the optical sub-waveguides comprise:
- first and second light sub-units for directly receiving light from the optical fiber and emitting the received light to provide "hot zone" luminous intensity distribution;
- and
- a third lighting sub-unit, inserted between the first and second lighting sub-units, for directly receiving light from the optical fiber and emitting the received light to provide a flat luminous intensity distribution.
A lighting device for use in a vehicle, the lighting device having a lighting unit for receiving light from a light source and emitting the received light, the lighting unit comprising:
- an optical fiber for receiving light from the light source and emitting the received light;
- and
- an optical waveguide, directly connected to the optical fiber, for directly receiving the light emitted from the optical fiber and emitting light which has a desired luminous intensity distribution,
- wherein the lighting unit is a head lamp for receiving light from the light source and emitting the received light forward of the vehicle, wherein the optical waveguide has a plurality of optical sub-waveguides each, directly connected to the optical fiber, for directly receiving the light emitted from the optical fiber and emitting light, wherein the optical sub-waveguides are combined with one another to provide a "hot zone" luminous intensity distribution and a flat luminous intensity distribution,
- wherein the optical sub-waveguides comprise:
- a first lighting sub-unit for directly receiving light from the optical fiber and emitting the received light to provide a "hot zone" luminous intensity distribution;
- a second lighting sub-unit, provided under the first lighting sub-unit, for directly receiving light from the optical fiber and emitting the received light to provide a flat luminous intensity distribution;
- and
- a plate-like shade portion, provided at a side of a light emitting end surface of the optical fiber, for inhibiting incidence of a part of light, which is emitted from the light emitting end surface of the optical fiber, on the first and second lighting sub-units.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.