Vehicle interior LED lighting system
AssigneeDonnelly Corporation
InventorsNiall R Lynam, John O Lindahl
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle lighting system for a vehicle includes an accessory module assembly that is adapted for attachment to an interior portion of a vehicle and configured to illuminate, for example, an area inside the vehicle. The module assembly includes a single high-intensity power light emitting diode that has a luminous efficiency of at least about 1 lumen per watt when the light emitting diode is operated and is preferably operated at a forward current of at least 100 milliamps. The system also includes a voltage conversion element for converting the battery/ignition voltage of the vehicle to the forward operating voltage of the light emitting diode.
Claims39
A unitary light module for illuminating an interior portion of a vehicle, the vehicle having a battery/ignition voltage, said unitary light module consisting of:
- a housing having an inner surface forming a reflector and an outer surface having a plurality of heat dissipating fins;
- a single high-intensity power light emitting diode located inside said housing, said reflector at least one of directing and shaping light from said single high-intensity power light emitting diode toward a light output area of said housing;
- a lens covering said light output area of said housing, said lens at least one of directing and shaping light from said single high-intensity power light emitting diode toward an incident area of the vehicle;
- and
- a voltage conversion element adjacent said housing opposite said lens, said voltage conversion element including a DC step-down converter, said DC step-down converter adapted for reducing the battery/ignition voltage of the vehicle to less than 5 volts and increasing the current to at least 100 milliamps, and powering said single high-intensity power light emitting diode to deliver a luminous efficiency of at least 1 lumen/watt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.