Photoluminescent lighting apparatus for vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10400978-B2
Application number	US-201514801056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2015
Priority date	Nov 21, 2013
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A vehicle taillight is disclosed. The vehicle taillight comprises an at least partially light transmissive layer and at least one light generating layer configured to substantially coat a portion of the transmissive layer. The light generating layer comprises a plurality of electrodes and a plurality of LEDs in a semiconductor ink disposed between the electrodes. The light generating layer is operable to emit an excitation emission. The taillight further comprises at least one photoluminescent layer proximate at least one of the electrodes configured to convert the excitation emission to an output emission.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle taillight comprising:
an at least partially light transmissive layer;
at least one light generating layer configured to substantially coat a portion of the transmissive layer comprising:
a plurality of electrodes;
a plurality of LEDs in a semiconductor ink disposed between the electrodes operable to emit an excitation emission; and

at least one photoluminescent layer proximate at least one of the electrodes configured to convert the excitation emission to an output emission.

2. The vehicle taillight according to claim 1 , further comprising a base layer configured to conform to an outer surface of a panel and forming a sealed assembly with the at least partially transmissive layer.

3. The vehicle taillight according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one light generating layer corresponds to a plurality of light generating layers.

4. The vehicle taillight according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one photoluminescent layer corresponds to a plurality of photoluminescent layers of each of the light generating layers.

5. The vehicle taillight according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of photoluminescent layers is configured to emit a plurality of output emissions corresponding to a first wavelength and a second wavelength.

6. The vehicle taillight according to claim 5 , further comprising a controller in communication with each of the light generating layers, wherein the controller is configured to activate the excitation emission of each of the light generating layers to output the first wavelength and the second wavelength independently.

7. The vehicle taillight according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of photoluminescent layers corresponds to a first photoluminescent layer and a second photoluminescent layer, the first photoluminescent layer corresponding to a first illuminated design illuminated in the first wavelength.

8. The vehicle taillight according to claim 7 , wherein the second photoluminescent layer corresponds to a second illuminated design illuminated in the second wavelength.

9. A vehicle light assembly comprising:
an at least partially light transmissive layer;
at least one light generating layer configured to coat a portion of an interior surface of the transmissive layer comprising:
a plurality of electrodes;
a plurality of LEDs in a semiconductor ink disposed between the electrodes operable to emit an excitation emission; and

at least one photoluminescent layer proximate at least one of the electrodes configured to convert the excitation emission to an output emission.

10. The light assembly according to claim 9 , further comprising a base layer configured to substantially conform to an outer surface of a panel of the vehicle and forming a sealed assembly with the transmissive layer.

11. The light assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one photoluminescent layer corresponds to a first photoluminescent layer configured to emit a portion of the output emission as a first red emission at a first intensity in a running light configuration.

12. The light assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one photoluminescent layer further corresponds to a second photoluminescent layer configured to emit a portion of the output emission a substantially orange emission in a cornering marker light configuration.

13. The light assembly according to claim 11 , further comprising a light emitting assembly configured to emit a portion of the output emission as a second red emission at a second intensity.

14. The light assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the second red emission corresponds to a brake light emission.

15. The light assembly according to claim 9 , further comprising a metallic coating disposed on the transmissive layer.

16. The light assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the metallic coating is configured to reflect ambient light impinging on an outer surface of the transmissive layer and transmit at least a portion of the output emission therethrough.

17. A surface mounted taillight assembly for a vehicle comprising:
an at least partially light transmissive layer;
a first light generating layer printed in a first liquid suspension on a first portion of an interior surface of the transmissive layer configured to emit a first emission; and
a second light generating layer printed in a second liquid suspension on a second portion of the interior surface and configured to emit a second emission corresponding to a different color than the first emission, wherein the first light generating layer corresponds to a first graphic configured to illuminate in the first emission and the second light generating layer corresponds to a second graphic configured to illuminate in the second emission.

18. The taillight assembly according to claim 17 , wherein the second graphic forms a complementary shape to the first graphic printed in a negative of the first graphic on the transmissive layer.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Salter Stuart C
• Teodecki John Matthew
• Dellock Paul Kenneth
• Surman James J

Classifications

• F21S43/16

  Light sources where the light is generated by photoluminescent material spaced from a primary light generating element · CPC title

• H05B47/11

  by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light · CPC title

• H05B47/105

  in response to determined parameters · CPC title

• B60Q1/2661

  mounted on parts having other functions (on wheels B60Q1/326) · CPC title

• B60Q1/26

  the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic · CPC title