Vehicle lighting device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9475427-B2
Application number	US-201414294419-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2014
Priority date	Jun 19, 2013
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A vehicle lighting device includes a light source, a light source housing, and a covering member. The light source housing holds the light source therein and has an opening. The covering member is attached to the light source housing so as to cover the opening of the light source housing and configured to pass light emitted by the light source therethrough. The covering member includes a transparent sheet portion and a cover portion. The sheet portion includes an electrode layer. The cover portion is welded to one of surfaces of the sheet portion by insert molding and arranged on the light source housing to cover the opening of the light source housing and a light exit surface of the light source such that a surface of the cover portion without the sheet portion faces the light source.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle lighting device comprising:
a light source;
a light source housing holding the light source therein, the light source housing having an opening; and
a cover attached to the light source housing, the cover covering the opening of the light source housing and passing light emitted by the light source, the cover including:
a transparent sheet including an electrode layer; and
a cover portion provided on a surface of the transparent sheet facing the light source, and provided on the light source housing to cover the opening of the light source housing and a light exit surface of the light source, a surface of the cover portion without the transparent sheet facing the light source.

2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein
the electrode layer has a first surface directed away from the light source and a second surface facing the light source, and
the transparent sheet further includes:
a base layer covering the first surface of the electrode layer;
a protective layer covering the second surface of the electrode layer and protecting the electrode layer; and
a coupling layer located between the protective layer and the cover portion.

3. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of the cover portion without the transparent sheet includes a patterned surface.

4. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode layer is a transparent electrode layer of a capacitive touch switch.

5. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein
the cover portion includes:
a main wall including a main surface of the cover portion; and
a peripheral wall extending from a peripheral edge of the main wall toward the light source,
the transparent sheet includes:
a first sheet covering the main wall; and
a second sheet covering the peripheral wall, and
the electrode layer includes:
a first electrode layer comprising a transparent electrode of a capacitive touch switch included in the first sheet; and
a second electrode layer included in the second sheet and extending along the peripheral edge of the main wall.

6. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 5 , wherein the first electrode layer has a peripheral edge that extends along the peripheral edge of the main wall.

7. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 5 , wherein
the peripheral wall extends along an entire perimeter of the main wall at the peripheral edge of the main wall, and
the second electrode layer extends along an entire perimeter of the peripheral wall.

8. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 5 , wherein
the transparent sheet further includes a base layer including a main portion and an extended portion that extends from the main portion,
the first electrode layer includes a first main portion, a second main portion, a first extended portion that extends from the first main portion along the extended portion of the base layer, and a second extended portion that extends from the second main portion along the extended portion of the base layer,
the second electrode layer includes an extended portion that extends along the extended portion of the base layer,
the base layer of the transparent sheet is connected to a circuit board including a controller, and
the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are electrically connected to the controller of the circuit board.

9. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 8 , wherein the second electrode layer is an electrode for electric noise absorption.

10. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the second electrode layer is in a form of a double line, in which a direction of a single line form of the second electrode layer is reversed to provide the double line.

11. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 10 , wherein the second electrode layer has a length about twice a perimeter of the peripheral wall.

12. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 8 , wherein
the light source includes a first light source and a second light source,
the capacitive touch switch includes:
a first touch switch corresponding to the first main portion of the first electrode layer and provided in a first half of the first sheet; and
a second touch switch corresponding to the second main portion of the first electrode layer and provided in a second half of the first sheet,

the first touch switch is configured to turn on and off the first light source, and
the second touch switch is configured to turn on and off the second light source.

13. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 12 , wherein the first touch switch and the second touch switch are configured to turn on and off the first light source and the second light source independently from each other.

14. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 8 , wherein the first main portion and the second main portion of the first electrode layer cover substantially an entire surface of the main wall of the cover portion.

15. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 2 , wherein the protective layer comprises material containing thermohardening resin.

Assignees

• Toyota Boshoku Kk

Inventors

• TAHARA Hiroyasu
• Kiyosawa Kenji

Classifications

• H03K17/962

  Capacitive touch switches · CPC title

• H03K2217/960755

  Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches · CPC title

• B60Q3/0296 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• H01G5/011

  Electrodes · CPC title

• B60Q3/82 Primary

  Switches specially adapted for vehicle interior lighting, e.g. switching by tilting the lens · CPC title