# US 9,752,746 B2 · Automotive light

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- Number: US 9,752,746 B2
- Document ID: US9752746B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/459,694
- Filed: 2014-08-14
- Published: 2015-02-19
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2013-08-19
- Assignees: Automotive Lighting Italia S.p.A.
- Applicants: AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING ITALIA S.p.A.
- Inventors: Sara Paroni; Pietro Rainis
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9752746B2

## CPC

- F21S 43/14: Light emitting diodes [LED]
- B60Q 1/381: {with several light sources activated in sequence, e.g. to create a sweep effect}
- F21S 43/239: plate-shaped
- F21S 43/243: emitting light from one or more of its extremities
- F21S 43/249: with two or more light sources being coupled into the light guide
- F21Y 2115/10: Light-emitting diodes [LED]
- F21S: NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- F21Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED

## Abstract

An automotive light includes a substantially basin-shaped rear body; a front lenticular half-shell arranged to close the mouth of the rear body and includes a ribbon-like, transparent or semitransparent portion; and a first lighting assembly structured to emit light when electricity powered, and arranged within the rear body to backlight the ribbon-like portion of the front lenticular half-shell. The first lighting assembly includes a light-guide plate made of light-conducting material and a linear-extending light source within the rear body next to the light-guide plate, and structured to direct emitted light towards the inside of the light-guide plate. The linear-extending light source includes a row of light-emitting diodes which face the light-guide plate and are placed spaced side-by-side to one another, and a power-supply and control circuit which sequentially turns on the diodes so as to illuminate in sequence an equal number of segments of the light-guide plate.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An automotive light (1) comprising a rear body (2) structured so to be fixed onto the vehicle body; a front lenticular half-shell (3) which is arranged to close the mouth (2a) of the rear body (2), and is provided with at least one transparent or semitransparent ribbon-shaped portion (4); and at least a first lighting assembly (5) which is structured so as to emit light when electricity powered, and is arranged within the rear body (2) so as to backlight the transparent or semitransparent ribbon-shaped portion (4) of the front lenticular half-shell (3);
the automotive light (1) being characterized in that said first lighting assembly (5) comprises a light-guide plate (6) made of light-conducting material and which extends substantially from the bottom of the rear body (2) up to and close to the front lenticular half-shell (3), to arrange a front side edge (7) of the same light-guide plate (6) faced to said transparent or semitransparent ribbon-shaped portion (4); and a linear-extending light source (8) which is located within the rear body (2) next to the light-guide plate (6), and is structured so as to direct the emitted light towards the inside of the light -guide plate (6); in that the linear-extending light source (8) comprises a row of light-emitting diodes (10) which face the light-guide plate (6) and are arranged spaced side-by-side to one another, and a power-supply and control circuit which is able to sequentially turn on said diodes (10), so as to illuminate in sequence an equal number of segments of the light-guide plate (6); and in that the light-guide plate (6) is also provided with longitudinal diverging optics (14) which extends along the front side edge (7) of the light-guide plate (6), and is structured so as to scatter the light rays (r) coming out from the front side edge (7) of the light-guide plate (6).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

An automotive light according to claim 1, characterized in that the light-emitting diodes (10) of the linear-extending light source (8) face a rear side edge (9) of the light-guide plate (6) spaced one beside the other, or face one of the two faces of the light-guide plate (6), spaced one beside the other close to the rear side edge (9) of the light-guide plate (6).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

An automotive light according to claim 1, characterized in that said longitudinal diverging optics (14) is a longitudinal diverging optics having a substantially cylindrical geometry, with the generatrix or generatrices inclined with respect to the plane of the light-guide plate (6).

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

An automotive light according to claim 3, characterized in that the generatrix or generatrices of said substantially cylindrical geometry, longitudinal diverging optics (14) are locally substantially perpendicular to the plane of the light-guide plate (6).

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

An automotive light according to claim 1, characterized in that said longitudinal diverging optics (14) extends along the front side edge (7) of the light-guide plate (6) without interruption substantially along the whole length of the front side edge (7).

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

An automotive light according to claim 3, characterized in that said longitudinal diverging optics (14) comprises at least one row/succession of lenticular ridges (14) with a substantially cylindrical geometry and with the generatrix locally substantially inclined with respect to the plane of the light-guide plate (6), which ridges are arranged parallel and adjacent to one another along the front side edge (7) of the light-guide plate (6); the pitch or centre-spacing between two adjacent lenticular ridges (14) preferably ranging from 0.01 to 3 millimeters.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

An automotive light according to claim 1, characterized in that a rear side edge (9) of the light-guide plate (6) has a continuous linear profile.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

An automotive light according to claim 7, characterized in that the rear side edge (9) of the light-guide plate (6) has a substantially rectilinear profile.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

An automotive light according to claim 1, characterized in that the power-supply and control circuit is structured so as to sequentially turn on the single diodes (10) or groups of diodes (10) of the row of light-emitting diodes (10) one after the other.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

An automotive light according claim 9, characterized in that the power-supply and control circuit is structured so as to sequentially turn on the single diodes (10) or groups of diodes (10) of the row of light-emitting diodes (10) one after the other, starting from one end of the row of light-emitting diodes (10) and turning on each diode (10) or group of diodes (10) with a predetermined delay with respect to the turning on of the adjacent, previous diode (10) or group of diodes (10).

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

An automotive light according to claim 9, characterized in that the power-supply and control circuit is structured so as to turn off each diode (10) or group of diodes (10) of the row of light-emitting diodes (10) immediately after the adjacent and subsequent diode (10) or group of diodes (10) has been turned on.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

An automotive light according to claim 9, characterized in that the power-supply and control circuit is structured so as to simultaneously turn off all diodes (10) or groups of diodes (10) of the row of light-emitting diodes (10), with a given delay with respect to the turned on of the last diode (10) or group of diodes (10) of the row of light-emitting diodes (10).

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

An automotive light according to claim 1, characterized in that the front side edge (7) of the light-guide plate (6) is profiled so as to remain locally substantially tangent to the transparent or semitransparent ribbon-shaped portion (4) of the front lenticular half-shell (3), substantially over the whole length of the same transparent or semitransparent ribbon-shaped portion (4).

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

An automotive light according to claim 1, characterized in that the thickness of the light-guide plate (6) is substantially equal to the width of the transparent or semitransparent ribbon-shaped portion (4) of the front lenticular half-shell (3).

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

An automotive light according to claim 1, characterized in that the light-guide plate (6) extends into the rear body (2) while remaining substantially locally perpendicular to the front lenticular half-shell (3).

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

An automotive light according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising an internal supporting member (12) which is structured so as to be slotted into the rear body (2), underneath the front lenticular half-shell (3), and the light-guide plate (6) is inserted in a pass-through manner through said internal supporting member (12).

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

An automotive light according to claim 1, characterized in that each diode (10) of said linear-extending light source (8) is structured so as to generate a light cone having a maximum aperture smaller than or equal to 30°.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

An automotive light according to claim 1, characterized in that the front lenticular half-shell (3) is furthermore provided with at least a second transparent or semitransparent portion (16, 17) positioned by the side of the transparent or semitransparent ribbon-shaped portion (4); and in that the automotive light (1) also comprises at least a second lighting assembly (18, 19) which is located within the rear body (2), and is structured so as to backlight said second transparent or semitransparent portion (16, 17).