VWGoA - Ex. 1010
`Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., Petitioner
`
`1
`
`

`

`US. Patent Mar. 22, 1988
`
`Sheet 1 of 6
`
`4,733,335
`
`F/G.
`
`/
`
`PRIOR ART
`
`
`
`
`
`%‘fl%‘
`
`
`
`mwmnnn‘m‘vanfi“
`
`
` 5o 7 450
`
`
`
`IVIIIIIIIAI.
`
`l’llll
`
`
`
`
`I
`
`V
`
`2
`
`

`

`US. Patent ' Mar. 22, 1988
`
`Sheet 2 of 6
`
`4,733,335
`
`
`
`3
`
`

`

`US. Patent Mar. 22, 1988‘
`
`Sheet 3 of 6
`
`4,733,335
`
`
`
`
`
`,
`$3117
`
`
`1"“)?ng
`I\i‘l’fifllf"g 2l8 205
`O m\\\\‘ “tip“
`
`0,1,11,14ng \
`F/G . 5
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`4
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Mar. 22, 1988
`
`Sheet 4 of 6
`
`4,733,335
`
`5
`
`
`

`

`US. Patent Mar. 22, 1988
`
`Sheet 5 of6
`
`4,733,335
`
` 4OI
`
`6
`
`

`

`US. Patent Mar. 22, 1988
`
`Sheet 6 of 6
`
`4,733,335
`
`
`
`‘
`~ QWMWKVQWNVMVW
`W
`0
`
`—
`I24
`
`
` w
`”#103 §§gfi~i%%j% 125}|O4
`
`
`'05 N/mgMM“ '5'52
`
`
` ‘-——————_‘_ _____—____-_
`“amEEK-S???
`
`
`
`
`
`l
`
`|
`
`I
`
`l56
`
`I
`
`,
`
`I
`
`
`
`7
`
`

`

`1
`
`VEHICULAR LAMP
`
`4,733,335
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`S
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`The present invention relates to illuminating devices
`which can be suitably employed as vehicular lamps.
`Particularly, the invention concerns a vehicular lamp of
`a type which employs light-emitting diodes as its light
`source and which has an improved illumination effect.
`Furthermore, the invention relates to such a vehicu-
`lar lamps which can be suitably employed as a high-
`mount stop lamp and in which a lamp body thereof can
`be installed on different vehicle bodies merely by
`changing a mounting member of the lamp.
`Recently, light-emitting diodes having a high lumi-
`nance output have become available at a relatively low
`cost. Such light-emitting diodes have been considered
`as light sources for vehicular lamps such as brake lamps,
`tail lamps, and so-called “high-mount” stop lamp in-
`stalled on the outside (or inside) of the rear part of a
`vehicle.
`Light-emitting diodes are advantageous in such appli-
`cations in a number of respects. First, since light-emit-
`ting diodes, unlike ordinary electric light bulbs, have no
`filament, their service life is semipermanent. Also, since
`the light-emitting diodes are free from filament burn
`out, it is seldom necessary to replace a diode. Still fur-
`ther, the mounting arrangement of light-emitting diodes
`can be relatively freely chosen in a vehicular lamp. That
`is, because of their small size, the thickness of the lamp
`can be reduced, and therefore the lamp can be easily
`mounted on the body of the vehicle. Further the lamp
`can be miniaturized due to the use of light-emitting
`diodes. Moreover, the amount of heat generated by a
`light-emitting diode is much smaller than for an ordi-
`nary light bulb of similar light output.
`FIG. 1 shows a conventional vehicular lamp using
`light-emitting diodes. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1
`designates a front lens member on the inside of which a
`number of closely spaced diffusion lenses 2 (small con-
`vex lenses) are formed; 3, a printed circuit board dis-
`posed inside the front lens member 1; 4, a plural number
`of light-emitting diodes arranged at predetermined in-
`tervals on the printed circuit board 3; 5a and 5b, con-
`ductive metal foils; 6, lead wires; and 7, a diode segre-
`gating member arranged on the printed circuit board 3.
`The diode segregating member 7 is used to separate the
`light-emitting diodes 4 from one another. The diode
`segregating member 7 has a number of diode accommo-
`dating chambers 8 into which the light-emitting diodes
`4 are received. The diode accommodating chamber 8
`are each, for instance, in the form of a tapered hole, and
`the walls thereof serve as reflecting surfaces 9 so as to
`effectively utilize the light outputs from the diodes and
`to improve the illuminating efficiency.
`In the conventional vehicle lamp thus constructed,
`the light output from each light~emitting diode 4 is
`reflected by the reflecting surface 9 to convert the
`point-light-source light to planar light. The planar light 60
`is then diffused by the diffusion lenses 2. However,
`when looking straight at the front lens member 1, it is
`possible to see the front surface 7a of the diode segre-
`gating member 7 through the front lens member 1 be-
`cause of light refraction. Therefore, when the lamp is
`turned on, the surface of the front lens member 1 is not
`uniform in brightness; that is, the lamp does not provide
`uniform illumination.
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`65
`
`2
`This difficulty may be overcome by arranging adja-
`cent ones the light-emitting diodes close to one another,
`but at the expense of increasing the number of light-
`emitting diodes. Furthermore, if the diodes are arranged
`excessively close to one another, the quantity of light
`emitting is actually decreased due to the accompanying
`increase in temperature (the output of a light-emitting
`diode decreases with increasing temperature).
`In general, different vehicular lamps must be manu-
`factured for different models or types of vehicles, and
`different types of lamps are installed at different posi-
`tions on a vehicle. Therefore, lamps for one model of a
`vehicle or one location on a vehicle cannot be used for
`another model or location; that is, in general, vehicular
`lamps are not interchangeable. Further, in a vehicular
`lamp such as a high-mount stop lamp which is ordinar-
`ily installed by the user rather than the manufacturer of
`the vehicle, it is particularly uneconomical to manufac-
`ture and store different types of lamps for different
`models of vehicles. If such a lamp is manufactured for
`only one vehicle type, in the case where the user trades
`in his old automobile for a new automobile of a different
`model, he cannot use the lamps from the old automobile
`on the new automobile. Accordingly, there has been a
`strong demand for theprovision of a vehicular lamp
`which can be installed on any model of vehicle merely
`by changing a few components thereof, and in which
`the lamp body is common for all models of vehicles.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide
`a vehicular lamp composed of a number of light-emit-
`ting diodes in which the entire surface of the front lens
`member is uniformly illuminated.
`Another object of the invention is to provide a vehic-
`ular lamp composed of a number of light-emitting di-
`odes in which the decrease of illuminating efficiency
`due to heat generated by the light-emitting diodes is
`minimized.
`
`A further object of the invention is to provide a ve-
`hicular lamp composed of a number of light-emitting
`diodes which is small both in size and in light in weight,
`and hence which is most suitable as a high-amount stop
`lamp for an automobile.
`The foregoing and other objects of the invention
`have been achieved by the provision of a vehicular
`lamp which comprises: a plurality of light-emitting .
`diodes arranged on a supporting board, condenser
`lenses provided in front of the respective light-emitting
`diodes, diffusion lenses arranged in front of the respec-
`tive condenser lenses, and a housing member supporting
`the supporting board, the condenser lenses, and the
`diffusion lenses, the housing member having air holes
`formed therein.
`The condenser lenses are substantially equal in size to
`diode accommodating chambers which are formed in a
`diode segregating member. The condenser lenses are
`arranged in correspondence to respective ones of the
`diode accommodating chambers in such a manner that
`each light-emitting diode is positioned at or near the
`focal point of the respective condenser lens. A number
`of diffusion lenses of a size smaller than the condenser
`lenses are formed on the inside of the front lens member.
`Further, a vehicular lamp of the invention intended
`for use as a high-mount stop lamp comprises: a first
`lamp body in the form of a box having a front opening
`and a rear opening, a set of lens members coupled to the
`first lamp body in such a manner as to close the front
`
`8
`
`

`

`4,733,335
`
`3
`opening, a supporting board arranged in the first lamp
`body, a number of light-emitting diodes arranged on the
`supporting board, a second lamp body coupled to the
`first lamp body in such a manner as to close the rear
`opening of the first lamp body, and a lamp mounting 5
`member detachably secured to the lower surface of the
`first lamp body and fixedly mounted on the vehicle
`body.
`
`4
`the printed circuit board 110. The first and second lamp
`bodies 103 and 105 form a main lamp body 113. The first
`and second lamp bodies 103 and 105, the lens assembly
`104, the printed circuit board 110, the light-emitting
`diodes 111, and the resistors 112 form a main lamp body
`114.
`
`The first lamp body 103 can be made of a light metal
`such as aluminum, or it can be made of a plastic mate-
`rial. The front opening of the first lamp body 103 has an
`inclined edge which extends parallel to the rear window
`when the lamp is installed. In other words, the bottom
`plate 103A of the first lamp body 103 extends closer to
`the rear window 101 than the top plate 103B. The front
`part of the upper surface of the bottom plate 103A,
`which is located in front of the lens assembly 104, is
`knurled, thus providing a rough surface 119. The front
`opening of the first lamp body 103 is secured through a
`gasket 120 to the inner surface of the rear window 101.
`The lens assembly 104 is made up of an outer lens 124
`and an inner lens 125; that is, the lens assembly 104 is of
`a dual-lens structure. The outer lens 124, which is in the
`form of a bottomed box having a rear opening, is made
`of transparent glass or plastic colored red, for instance.
`The inner lens 125 is a condenser lens which is fixed to
`the outer lens 124 is such a manner as to close the rear
`
`opening of the box-shaped outer lens. The lens assembly
`104 thus formed is secured to the inside of the first lamp
`body 103, for instance, by welding.
`A number of diffusion lenses 126, which are convex
`lenses, are formed on the inner surface of the outer lens
`124. The size of the diffusion lenses 126 is determined
`from the moldability of the material from which they
`are fashioned, the optical loss at the boundaries of the
`lenses 126, and the surface light emission characteristic
`due to the diffusion of light. Typically, the diffusion
`lenses have a diameter of the order of 0.7 mm to 1.8 mm.
`If their diameter is smaller than 0.7 mm, the diffusion
`lenses are difficult to mold and the number of bound-
`aries between lenses is increased, with the result that the
`optical loss is increased. If the diameter is larger than 1.8
`mm, the area of the boundaries which have no diffusing
`function is increased and the surface light emission
`characteristic of the lens 124 is lowered.
`The inner lens 125 is preferably made of a transparent
`plastic such as acrylic resin. A number of condenser
`lenses 127 are formed on the inner surface of the inner
`lens 125 in correspondence to the light-emitting diodes
`111. Each condenser lens 127 is a lens (fish-eye lens)
`which is substantially semispherical, having a radius of
`the order of 2.0 mm to 9.0 mm and a square bottom,
`each side of which has a length of the order of 4.0 mm
`to 18.0 mm. The sides have a length of at least 4.0 mm
`so that, where molded light-emitting diodes 111 are
`provided by covering a semiconductor chip, the con-
`denser lenses 127 are substantially equal in diameter to
`the diodes 111 (about 4 mm in diameter). If each side of
`the square bottom is longer than about 18.0 mm, it is
`rather difficult to mold the condenser lenses 127 satis-
`factorily.
`The lens assembly 104 is positioned so that the light-
`emitting diodes 111 are disposed in front of or at the
`focal points of the respective condenser lenses 127; that
`is, the diodes 111 are disposed at or closer to the inner
`lens 125 than the focal points. Therefore, when light
`beams 130 emitted by the light-emitting diodes 111 pass
`through the inner lens 125, the light beams are formed
`into parallel light beams by the respective condenser
`lenses 127. The condenser lenses 127 thus function to
`
`10
`
`20
`
`25
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`In the accompanying drawings:
`FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing essential compo-
`nents of a conventional vehicle lamp;
`FIG. 2 is a sectional View of an example of a high-
`mount stop lamp to which the technical concept of the 15
`invention is applied;
`FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the high-
`mount stop lamp shown in FIG. 2;
`FIG. 4 is a sectional view of another example of a
`high-mount stop lamp according to the invention;
`FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an automobile on
`which the high-mount stop lamp of FIG. 4 is mounted;
`FIG. 6 is a perspective view, partially broken away,
`of a front lens member provided in the high—mount stop
`lamp of FIG. 4;
`FIG. 7 is a perspective view, partially broken away,
`of a rear lens member and a diode segregating member
`in the high-mount stop lamp of FIG. 4;
`FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing essential compo-
`nents of a third example of a high-mount stop lamp 30
`according to the invention;
`FIG. 9 is a perspective view, partially broken away,
`of an inner lens member and a diode segregating mem-
`ber in the high-mount stop lamp of FIG. 8;
`FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing another example 35
`of a light-emitting diode;
`FIG. 11 is a perspective view, with parts cut away, of
`a tail lamp for a two-wheeled vehicle to which the
`. technical concept of the invention is applied and
`‘
`FIG. 12 is a blow-up of a particular portion of the 40
`”high-mount stop lamp of the embodiment of FIG. 8.
`DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENTS
`
`The invention will now be further described with 45
`reference to preferred embodiments shown in the ac-
`companying drawings.
`FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an example of a high-
`mount stop lamp to which the technical concept of the
`invention is applied, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspec- 50
`tive view of the lamp. In these figures, reference nu-
`meral 101 designates the rear window of an automobile,
`and 102, the high-mount stop lamp. The high-mount
`stop lamp 102 is composed of a first lamp body in the
`form of a box elongated horizontally and which has a 55
`front opening and a rear opening, a lens assembly 104
`mounted in the first lamp body 103 in such a manner as
`to close the front opening of the first lamp body 103, a
`second lamp body 105 coupled to the first lamp body
`103 in such a manner as to close the rear opening of the 60
`first lamp body 103, a lamp mounting member 109 de-
`tachably secured to the central portion of the lower
`surface of the first lamp body 103 with a pair of screws
`106 and secured to the vehicle body (rear tray) with a
`pair of bolts 107A and 170B, a printed circuit board 110 65
`arranged inside the first lamp body 103, and a plural
`number of light-emitting diodes 111 and resistors 112
`for the light-emitting diodes installed on the surface of
`
`9
`
`

`

`4,733,335
`
`6
`thus manufactured can be readily achieved. Since the
`lamp mounting member 109 is a single part and is simple
`both in construction and in configuration,
`it can be
`manufactured at low cost, and therefore the cost of the
`lamp is not greatly affected by the lamp mounting part
`109.
`
`5
`effectively convert the light-emitting diodes 111 from
`point light sources to planar light sources. When the
`parallel light beams 130 pass through the outer lens 124,
`the parallel light beams 130 are diffused by the diffusion
`lenses 124, thus illuminating the entire surface of the
`outer lens 124 uniformly.
`The second lamp body 105 is engaged with the rear
`opening of the first lamp body 103 and with the lamp
`mounting member 109, and is secured to the first lamp
`body 103 with a pair of screws 132. A plurality of elastic
`engaging pieces 133 protrude inwardly from the periph-
`ery of the second lamp body 105. These elastic engaging
`pieces 133 are engaged with engaging parts 134 from
`the inside which are formed by bending the edge of the
`rear opening of the first lamp body 130 inwardly. The
`lower edge of the front opening of the second lamp
`body 105 is bent partially or in its entirety to form an
`engaging part or parts 135. The engaging part or parts
`135 thus formed are engaged with the upper edge of the
`rear wall 136 of the lamp mounting member 109. The
`second lamp body 105 has a plurality of through-holes
`138 used to radiate the heat generated by the resistors
`112,
`thereby to positively protect the light-emitting
`diodes 111 from the heat.
`The aforementioned printed circuit board 110 is di-
`vided into right and left circuit boards 110A and 110B.
`The circuit boards 110A and 110B are electrically con-
`nected and secured to the lamp body near the rear open-
`ing of the first lamp body 103.
`The lamp mounting member 109 is substantially in the
`form of an elongated box which opens upwardly. The
`bottom plate 139 of the lamp mounting member 109 is
`positioned along the central axis of the first lamp body
`103 and secured to the lower surface of the first lamp
`body 103 with a pair of screws 106 in such a manner that
`the upper edges of the front wall 140 and both side walls
`141 and 142 abut against the lower surface of the first
`lamp body 103, and the upper edge of the rear wall 136
`abuts against the lower surface of the second lamp body
`105. The lamp mounting member 109 is integrally pro-
`vided with a pair of bolts 107A and 107B, formed by.
`insertion molding or staking, which penetrate the bot-
`tom plate 139 of the lamp mounting member 109. These
`bolts 107A and 107B are inserted into mounting holes
`(not shown) formed in the vehicle body 8, and nuts 145
`are screwed on the bolts so that the lamp mounting
`member 109 is secured to the vehicle body 108. Posi-
`tioning protrusions 146 extend from the upper edges of
`the front wall 140, the two side walls 141 and 142, and
`the rear wall 136 of the lamp mounting member 109.
`The protrusions 146 are engaged with grooves (not
`shown) formed in the lower surfaces of the first and
`second lamp bodies 103 and 105.
`‘
`In general, the lamp mounting parts of the bodies of
`automobiles of different models or types are different in
`configuration. Therefore, a variety of lamp mounting
`members (109) should manufactured in conformance
`with the various lamp mounting part configurations,
`and a lamp mounting member (109) suitable for a given
`automobile is combined with the lamp body 114. In this
`manner, the same lamp body 114 can be used commonly
`for different models of vehicles. Accordingly, it is not
`necessary to manufacture different lamp bodies (114)
`for different automobiles, and the number of types of
`lamp bodies (114) can be reduced. The necessary metal
`molds can be readily produced, and the vehicular lamps
`can be facricated using only one manufacturing line.
`Furthermore, storage and care of the vehicular lamps
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`65
`
`FIG. 4 is a sectional View showing a high-mount stop
`lamp to which the technical concept of the invention is
`applied, FIG. 5 is an external view of an automobile
`equipped with the lamp, FIG. 6 is a perspective view,
`partially broken away, of a front lense member, and
`FIG. 7 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of
`a rear lens member and a diode segregating member.
`In these figures, reference numeral 201 designates a
`high-mount stop lamp installed on the outside of the
`rear part of an automobile 202, for example, a rear win-
`dow 203. The high-mount stop lamp 201 is composed of
`a box-shaped lamp body 204 opening rearwardly of the
`vehicle body, a front lens member 205 which closes the
`front opening of the box-shaped lamp body 204, a rear
`lens member 206 arranged inside the lamp body 204, a
`printed circuit board 207, a diode segregating member
`208, a plural number of light-emitting diodes 209 ar-
`ranged in a matrix on the front surface of the printed
`circuit board 206, and a number of resistors 210 installed
`on the rear surface of the printed circuit board 206, the
`resistors being molded with resin 211.
`The lamp body 204, which is made of a material such
`as aluminum having an excellent heat radiation charac-
`teristic, is secured to the frame 212 of the rear window
`203 with bolts 213 and nuts 214. The upper surface of
`the top plate of the lamp body 204 is knurled, as indi-
`cated generally at 215, to enhance the heat radiating
`effect. Two air holes 216a and 12615 are formed in the
`upper portion of the rear wall of the lens body 204 to
`introduce air thereinto. A drain hole 217 is formed in
`the bottom plate of the lens body 204 near the vehicle
`body.
`The front lens member 205 is made of transparent
`resin or glass, and may be colored red. A light-shielding
`film 218 is formed on the front surface of the front lens
`member 205 using a mask to thus provide light transmit-
`ting regions 220 and light blocking regions 221 on the
`front surface of the front lens member. The color of the
`light-shielding film 218 is the same as that of the vehicle
`body. As shown in FIG. 6, the light-transmitting re-
`gions 220 extend horizontally substantially over the
`width of the front lens member 205, and are spaced
`vertically at equal intervals. A number of small closely
`spaced convex lenses 222 are formed on the inner sur-
`face of the front lens member 205. The front lens mem-
`
`ber 205, together with the rear lens member 206, is fitted
`in the front opening of the lamp body 204. The rear lens
`member 206, made of a transparent synthetic resin such
`as acrylic resin, is placed in close contact with the front
`surface of the diode segregating member 208.
`A number of condenser lenses 223 are formed on the
`front surface of the rear lens member 206 in correspon-
`dence to the light-emitting diodes 209, as shown in FIG.
`4. More specifically,
`the condenser lenses 223 are
`formed in such a manner that they correspond in width
`to the aforementioned light-transmitting regions 220.
`Therefore, the condenser lenses 223 are arranged close
`to one another in the direction of width of the lamp 201,
`and are arranged in six lines spaced from one another by
`the width of the light blocking region 221 between the
`light transmitting regions 220 in the direction of height
`of the lamp 201. Each condenser lens 223 is a spherical
`
`10
`
`10
`
`

`

`4,733,335
`
`7
`lens, substantially in the form of a semisphere and hav-
`ing a substantially square bottom. The light-emitting
`diodes 209 are positioned at or near the focal points of
`the respective condenser lenses 223 so that light beams
`from the diodes 209 are applied to the front lens mem-
`ber 205.
`.
`The diode segregating member 208, made of opaque
`snythetic resin, has a number of diode accommodating
`chambers 226 which confront respective ones of the
`condenser lenses 223. As shown in FIG. 7, each diode
`accommodating chamber 226 is
`in the form of a
`through—hole having a prismoidal shape. The walls of
`the prismoidally shaped through-holes are reflecting
`surfaces, and the front openings thereof are substan-
`tially similar in configuration to the bottom of the con-
`denser lens 223 and are larger in area than the rear
`openings. The light-emitting diodes 209 are inserted
`into the prismoid-shaped through-holes through the
`corresponding rear openings in such a manner that the
`diodes 209 are segregated from one another. If the diode
`segregating member 208 is made of a synthetic resin of
`a highly reflecting color such as white, reflection sur-
`faces can be readily formed without the need for any
`special treatment. The diode segregating member 208 is
`bonded to the surface of the printed circuit board 207
`with adhesive or the like.
`The aforementioned resin 211 can be, for instance, an
`epoxy resin having an excellent heat conduction charac-
`teristic, the resin covering the resistors 210 and the
`entire rear surface of the printed circuit board 207. As
`‘. the resistors 210 are covered with the resin 211, the heat
`generated by the resistors 210 is transmitted to the lamp
`body 204 satisfactorily. That is, the resin 211 is effective
`in improving the heat radiation of the lamp 201.
`In the case of a lamp using a large number of light-
`emitting diodes, heat generated by the latter cannot be
`disregarded because, as the temperature of the lamp
`increases, the light-emitting efficiency of the diodes is
`reduced, and accordingly the output intensity thereof is
`5.decreased. In the lamp of the invention, the heat is
`transmitted through the resin 211 to the lamp body 204
`«and thus is radiated through the entire surface of the
`lamp body 204. Moreover, the air introduced through
`the air holes 216a and 216b into the lamp body 204 cools
`the resin 211 to further improve the heat radiation effi-
`ciency. For this purpose, a space 230 communicated
`with the air holes 2160 and 216b and the drain hole 217
`is formed in the lamp body 204. Air or water which
`enters the space 230 is discharged through the drain
`hole 217. Eaves 231a and 231b are provided for the air
`holes 2160 and 216b. respectively to prevent the en-
`trance of water or rain. The drain hole 217 is bent in
`order to prevent the entrance of water or rain from
`below.
`
`,
`
`In the above-described high-mount stop lamp, the
`light shielding film 218 is formed on the surface of the
`front lens member 205 using a mask to provide the light
`transmitting regions 220 and the light blocking regions
`221 in the surface of the front lens member 205. Accord-
`ingly, the light transmitting area of the front lens mem-
`ber 205 is decreased. Therefore, although the intensity
`of the output light from each diode 209 is maintained
`unchanged, the average luminance of the lamp is de-
`creased, which eliminates the difficulty of the driver of
`a following vehicle being dazzled by the stop light.
`A characteristic of the human eye is that, when an
`observed is a short distance from the stop lamp where
`the light transmitting regions 220 and the light blocking
`
`8
`regions 221 can be distinguished, the output of the lamp
`is perceived merely in terms of luminance, while when
`the observed is at a long distance from the lamp, the
`output of the lamp is perceived in terms of both bright-
`ness and luminance. Therefore, in accordance with the
`invention, the average luminance of the lamp is re-
`duced, thereby preventing the emission of a dazzling
`light beam. In accomplishing this, the luminance of each
`light-emitting diode is not reduced, however, and there-
`fore the lamp meets required light distribution standards
`and the function of the lamp is maintained unchanged.
`The light-emitting diodes 209 are segregated from
`one another by the diode segregating member 208, and
`the light beams therefrom are reflected forwardly by
`the reflecting surfaces. Therefore, the light beams are
`effectively applied to the light transmitting regions 220.
`The resistors 210 through which flow the diode cur-
`rents are covered with the resin 211, as described above.
`Therefore,
`the resistors are provided with excellent
`vibration resistance and water resistance, which con-
`tributes to improving the durability of the lamp 201.
`FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing essential compo-
`nents of another embodiment of the invention, and FIG.
`9 is a perspective View of an inner lens member and a
`diode segregating member employed therein. FIG. 12 is
`a blow-up of the circled portion of FIG. 8. This embodi-
`ment differs from the embodiment described with refer-
`ence to FIGS. 4 through 7 in the following points (but
`is substantially the same otherwise): A number of
`closely spaced diffusion lenses 150 in the form of small
`concave lenses are provided on the inner surface of an
`outer lens member 124. An inner lens member 125 is
`made integral with a diode segregating member 151,
`and light-emitting diodes 111 are molded therein. A
`support board 153 is mounted through an insulation film
`152 on the rear surface of the diode segregating member
`151. The light-emitting diodes 111 are of the non-
`molded type, that is, they are in the form of semicon-
`ductor chips which are not protected by a cover.
`The diode segregating member 151, which is in the
`form of a plate made of opaque plastic, has a number of
`diode accommodating holes 156 which receive respec-
`tive ones of the light-emitting diodes 111. Each diode
`accommodating hole 156 is a through-hole whose walls
`form a parabolic reflecting surface 157. The front open-
`ings of the diode accommodating holes 156 are substan-
`tially equal in size to the condenser lenses 127 of the
`inner lens members 125 and confront the respective
`condenser lenses 127.
`The board 153 is made of aluminum. The light-emit-
`ting diodes 111 are mounted through the insulating film
`152 on the board 153. The light-emitting diodes in each
`row (or each column) are series-connected to one an-
`other and parallel-connected to the power source with
`conductive metal foils 161 and lead wires 162, com-
`pletely the same as in the embodiment described with
`reference to FIGS. 4 through 7.
`In order to effectively radiate heat, a number of fins
`163 are provided which protrude from the rear surface
`of the board 153. In FIGS. 8 and 12, reference numeral
`164 designates a substantially dish-shaped terminal seat
`disposed between the light-emitting diode 111 and the
`conductive metal foil 161. The terminal seat 164 may be
`made of aluminum, for instance. The inclined circum-
`ferential wall of the terminal seat 164 serves as a reflect-
`ing surface.
`The light emitted obliquely from the light-emitting
`diode 111 is reflected forwardly by the reflecting sur-
`
`5
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`11
`
`11
`
`

`

`4,733,335
`
`5
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`50
`
`55
`
`65
`
`9
`face 157 and the terminal seat 164 of the diode accom-
`modating hole 156. Therefore, the outer lens member
`124 is illuminated more effectively.
`In the illuminating device of the invention, condenser
`lenses substantially equal in size to the diode accommo-
`dating chambers of the diode segregating member are
`arranged in correspondence to the diode accommodat-
`ing chambers, the light-emitting diodes in the diode
`accommodating chambers are positioned at or near the
`focal points of the condenser lenses, and a number of
`closely spaced diffusion lenses smaller than the con-
`denser lenses are formed on the inner surface of the
`outer lens member. With this arrangement, the light
`from the light-emitting diodes is diffused when it passes
`through the outer lens members, and therefore the lamp
`can be easily seen even from an oblique angle.
`The light beams from the light-emitting diodes are
`converted into parallel light beams by the condenser
`lenses arranged in correspondence to the diode accom~
`modating chambers. Therefore, the light from point
`light sources is converted to planar form, and hence the
`surface of the outer lens member is substantially uni-
`formly illuminated; that is, an excellent illumination
`effect is obtained. Furthermore, when an observer looks
`directly at the outer lens member, neither the surface of
`the diode segregating member nor the insides of the
`diode accommodating chambers can be seen because
`the diffusion lenses and the condenser lenses are bright.
`This means that the illuminating device of the invention
`provides an excellent illumination effect.
`FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing another example
`of a light-emitting diode which can be used in the vehic-
`ular lamp according to the invention.
`The light-emitting diode 111 shown in FIG. 10 is of a
`molded type which is made up of a semiconductor chip
`180, a transparent resin part 181, a pair of lead wires 182
`and 183, and a metal wire 184. The transparent resin
`part 181 can be made of epoxy resin, for instance, and it
`is in the form of a cylinder. The end face of the transpar-
`ent resin part 181, which confronts the inner lens mem-
`ber 125, in a diffusion surface 185 which acts to diffuse
`the light emitted forwardly from the semiconductor
`chip 180. The semiconductor chip 180, the lead wires
`182 and 183, and the metal wire 184 are molded in the '
`45
`cylindrical resin part 181. The semiconductor chip 180
`is fixedly mounted on a substantially dish-shaped chip
`mounting part 187 provided at the inner end of the lead
`wire 182, and is connected through the metal wire 184
`to the other lead wire 183. The chip mounting surface of
`the chip mounting part 187 is a parabolic reflecting
`surface. The lead wires 182 and 183 extend out of the
`transparent resin part 181 and are connected to the
`printed circuit board (not shown).
`Of the rays emitted by the semiconductor chip 180,
`those A which emerge from the the diffusion surface
`185 of the transparent resin part 181 are refracted and
`diffused by the diffusion surface 185. Therefore, the
`rays A substantially uniformly illuminate the region I of
`the rear surface of the inner lens member 125 which
`covers the condenser lens 127 provided for the diode.
`The rays A are converted into parallel rays substantially
`parallel to the optical axis upon passing through the
`condenser lens 127. Of the rays emitted by the semicon-
`ductor chip 180, those A2 which emerge forwardly at
`an oblique angle from the cylindrical wall of the trans-
`parent resin part 181 are reflected forwardly by the
`reflecting surfa