GB2227555A - Signalling lamp for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

"SIGNALLING LAMP FOR VEHICLES" The present invention relates to a

signalling lamp for vehicles, in particular motor vehicles.

In general, signalling lamps comprise a reflector, normally parabolic. provided In the region of its focus with a light source and closed by a transparent lens which has variable colouring depending on the specific function performed by the lamp itself and stipulated by the regulations.

Since the colouring of the aforementioned lensi krom an aesthetic point of view and when the lamp is off, rarely matches the colour of the vehicle's bodywork, in the past various lamps have been proposed, designed so as to have the desired colour when the lamp is on and a different colour, aesthetically compatible with the colour of the bodywork, when the lamp is off.

The result described above has been obtained by means of expensive indirect-light reflectors accommodating intprnal coloured filters which are invisibler when the lamp is off, from the outside,' or by using internal coloured filters which are made invisible from C ( P_.4 is the outside. when the lamp is off, by means of complicated prismatic shapes formed on the external lens, which tend to prevent"the external light from penetrating inside the lamp itself, but which, at the same time, reduce the latter's effectiveness,, or also by using external lenses of any desired colour and internal filters coloured so as to cooperate. by means of synthesis. with the external lens so as to give the light emitted the colouring required by the regulations.

All the solutions described above have proved, in practice, to be either relatively ineffective, or effective, but relatively complicated and expensive.

The object of the present invention is to pro vide,, in a simple and relatively economical manner, a lamp which has any desired colouring when the lamp is off. and the colouring laid down by the regulations when the lamp is on.

According to the present invention, a signalling lamp is provided, comprising a reflector elliptical in translation provided with two axialend side walls, a front transparent lens, an internal light source, and a coloured filter interposed between the light source and the front lens, characterized in that it comprises, moreover,' an opaque transverse screen interposed between the coloured filter and the front lens; the light source extending along a first focal axis of the elliptical reflector,, the opaque screen passing through a second focal axis of the elliptical reflector and having a slit extending along the second focal axis, and the coloured filter being interposed between the first and the second focal axis.

In this manner. the light emitted by the light source along the first focal axis is reflected from the elliptical reflector into the second focal axis through the f ilter and leaves the slit so as to pass outside through the front lens. Therefore,, when the lamp is on,, all the light emitted by the light source, after being coloured with the desired colour, passes out through the slit in the screen and strikes the front lens, which may 1 Q; he colourless. When the lamp is off, however, the external light which penetrates inside the lamp through the front lens strikes the opaque screen and. even if it manages to reach the coloured filter, it does not manage substantially to pass out through the slit in the screen; consequently. the colouring of the lamp when off will be that of the screen, which may be coloured with any colour aesthetically compatible with that of the vehicle's bodywork.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a few non-limiting examples of embodiment thereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view. with parts removed for clarity, of a preferred embo diment'of the lamp according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a front elevation view of the lamp of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-section along the line IIIIII of Figure 2; Figure 4 is similar to Figure 3 and relates to a first variation of the lamp Illustrated in the preceding figures; and Figure 5 shows a cross-section, along a line corresponding to the line V- V of Figure 3. of a second variation of the lamp of Figure 1.

With reference in particular to Figure 1, 1 denotes in its entirety, a lamp for motor vehicles comprising a substantially cup-shaped external easing 2 (illustrated with a broken line in Figure 3). which is closed at the front by a colourless transparent lens 4 externally provided with diffuser prisms 5.

The lamp 1 comprises, moreover, an Internal body 6 consisting of a rear reflector 7 elliptical In translation and of a front cup-shaped body 8 arranged with their concavities facing each other and preferably joined together in a detachable manner so as to def ine a substantially closed internal cavity 9.

In particular, the cup-shaped body 8 comprises a front end transverse wall 10 arranged f acing and parallel IL 1 is to the internal surface of the lens 4, two side end walls 11 parallel to each other, and two end walls 12, one upper and the other lowers, respectively,, parallel to each other and perpendicular to the walls 11.

The reflector 7 comprises. on the other hand, a side wall 13 having the shape of an ellipsis of translation and arranged with its opposing ends aligned with the rear ends of the respective walls 12. and two axial-end walls 14, the front ends of which are aligned with the rear ends of the walls 11.

The reflector 7 has a first focal axis 15 extending through the walls 14 parallel to the walls 10 and 12. and a second focal axis 16 lying on the plane of the wall 10 and parallel to the axis 15.

The wall 10 is opaque and has an internal surf ace preferably aluminized and an external surface preferably coloured using a colour which may be varied as required. The wall 10 forms a screen, impervious to light, which is provided with a transverse slit 17 axially bounded by the walls 11 and having an axis coinciding with the axis 16.

Inside the chamber 9 there are arranged a light source 18 extending along the axis 15. and a coloured f ilter interposed between the light source 18 and the wall 10. According to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, the aforementioned filter consists of a transparent plate 19 which has a colouring stipulated by the regulations in accordance with the function performed by the lamp 1 and is mounted on the body 8 between the walls 11 and 12 in a position parallel to the wall 10. According to the variation illustrated in Figure 4, the aforementioned filter consists of an elongate body 20 arranged inside the chamber 9 so as to surround the light source 18. The body 20 is made of transparent material and suitably coloured like the plate 19 and has a substantially C-shaped cross-section with its concavity opposite to that of the wall 13.

In accordance with that illustrated in Figure 3 or 4, during use, the rays 21 emitted by the light source 18 towards the internal reflecting elliptical surface of 0 Z1 4 1 C.

1 1 the wall 13 perpendicular to the focal axis 15 are reflected by the wall 13 Itself so as to form a beam of rays 22 converging towards the axis 16. These rays 22, coloured as a result of passing through the filter 19 or 20, are not stopped by the opaque wall 10. but pass out from the chamber 9 through the slit 17 so as to strike the lens 4 and be diffused by the same outwards.

The vertical amplitude of the beam emitted by the lamp 1 is determined by the lens 4 and by its prismatic parts 5. while the horizontal amplitude of the aforementioned beam Is a function, assuming the shape and dimensions of the lens 4 to be the same.' of the position of the walls 11. . In this connection, Figure 5 illustrates a lamp 23 identical to the lamp 1, differing ftom it only in that each pair of its walls 11. 14 is arranged so as to be divergent with respect to the other pair of walls 11, 14. In this way, it is possible both to increase the horizontal amplitude of the beam, and to concentrate, by means of single andlor double reflection on the lens 4, through the slit 17, rays 24 emitted by the source 18 in the plane of the axes 15 and 16.

When the light source 18 is off. the chamber 9 behaves substantially like a black body tor any external rays which penetrate through the slit 17. Consequently. the filter 19 or 20 is invisible from the outside when the source 18 is off, and the lamp 1 will appear from the outside, in the case where the lens is colourless and transparent,, the same colour, which can be varied as required, as the external surface of the opaque wall 10.

Claims (8)

1. Signalling lamp (1) (23) comprising a xetlector elliptical (7) in translation provided with two axial-end side walls (14), a front transparent lens (4), an internal light source (18) r and a coloured f liter (19) (20) interposed between the light- source (18) and- the front lens (4)r characterized in that it- comprises moreover, an opaque transverse screen (10) interposed between the coloured filter (19) (20) and the front lens (4); the light source (18) extending along a first focal axis (15) of the elliptical reflector (7), the opaque screen (10) passing through a second focal axis (16) of the elliptical reflector (7) and having a slit (17) extending along the second focal axis (16), and the coloured filter (19) (20) being interposed between the first (15) and the second focal axis (16).

2. Lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said two side walls (14) are parallel to each other.

3. Lamp according to Claim lr characterized in that the said two side walls (14) diverge with respect to each other in the direction of the said lens (4).

4. Lamp according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the said coloured filter (19) consists of a transparent wall parallel to the said screen (10).

5. Lamp according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the said coloured filter (20) surrounds at least partially the light source (18) and has a substantially C-shaped cross-section.

6. Lamp according to any one of the preceding claimst characterized in that it comprises a cup-shaped body (8) arranged so as to close the said reflector (7) and joined to the same, the said screen (10) forming an end wall of the said cup-shaped body (8).

0

7. - Lamp according to any'one 'of the prbceding claims,-characterized in that the said screen (10).has, on the side.f acing the said lens (4), a coloured surface, the colour of which may be varied as required.

8. Signalling lamp sbstantially as described with reference to each of the accompanying figures.' 1