US 6,616,311 B2 · Interior light system for vehicles

Abstract

Conventionally, in order to downsize the enclosure, there was no other choice than downsizing the enclosure and decreasing the area of the lens plate, or increasing the area of the lens plate and increasing the enclosure as well. However, decreasing the area of the lens plate disadvantageously lowers brightness of illumination. In contrast to this, when the dimensions of the lens plate are increased, the proportion of the area of the lens plate with respect to the roof increases, which leads to a problem in terms of design. Accordingly, the present invention provides an interior light system for vehicles comprising a lamp accommodated in the enclosure, a push switch for turning on and off the lamp fixed in the enclosure, and a lens plate journaled at the ends of the opening of the enclosure for a swinging motion, in which the push switch is turned on and off by pressing the lens plate, thereby turning the lamp on and off.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An interior light system for vehicles comprising:

an enclosure defining an interior space and having a pair of support shafts protruding from opposite sides of the enclosure into said interior space;
a lamp operatively accommodated in said enclosure;
a push switch positioned within the interior space of the enclosure and operatively connected to the lamp for turning the lamp on and off;
and
a lens plate covering the interior space of the enclosure and the lamp and switch positioned therewithin, wherein
said lens plate includes (i) a pair of bearing elements extending from a back side of the lens plate into said interior space of the enclosure, each of said bearing elements being journaled to a respective one of the support shafts so as to allow the lens plate to rotate thereabout between depressed and non-depressed conditions, and (ii) a lens control element positionally opposed to the switch so as to operate the switch in response to the lens plate being rotated into its depressed condition, wherein the lamp is turned on and off.

3 more elements

An interior light system for vehicles comprising:

an enclosure defining an interior space and having at least one dividing wall for dividing the interior space into a plurality of lamp compartments, at least one and another of said lamp compartments each having a pair of support shafts protruding from opposite sides thereof into the interior space of the lamp compartment;
a plurality of lamps each accommodated in a respective said one and another lamp compartments;
a plurality of push switches each of which is positioned within said respective one and another lamp compartments and operatively connected to a respective one of said lamps therewithin for turning said respective one of the lamps on and off;
and
a plurality of lens plates each covering a respective said one and another lamp compartments, wherein
each said lens plate includes (i) a pair of bearing elements extending from a back side of the lens plate into said interior space of said respective lamp compartment, each of said bearing elements being journaled to a respective one of the support shafts so as to allow the lens plate to rotate thereabout between depressed and non-depressed conditions, and (ii) a lens control element positionally opposed to a respective switch positioned within said one and another said lamp compartments so as to operate said respective switch in response to the lens plate being rotated into its depressed condition, wherein the lamp is turned on and off.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Interior light system for vehicles

Life of this patent

Interior light system for vehicles

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13