JP2005320004A - Indicator and illuminator using semiconductor light emission emitter package - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a signal mirror, which is lighter, has a small volume, emits greater lightness, is constructed more sturdily, and/or produces illumination and/or signal distinguishable easier. <P>SOLUTION: The invention includes a housing 202 and at least two lamp assemblies 209 installed in the housing, wherein one of the lamp assemblies has an LED lamp 218 which has a heat absorbing member 400. One of the lamp assemblies is formed as a first illuminator, while the other is formed as a signaling device or a second illuminator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an illuminator and indicator and an improved vehicle component and assembly incorporating a semiconductor light emitting emitter package.

  The vehicle includes an assembly having a number of different components and associated illuminators and / or signal lamps. There has been great interest in using electroluminescent semiconductor devices, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), illuminators and signal indicators, in signal mirror assemblies. This is because they offer many advantageous possibilities compared to other conventional low voltage light sources. LEDs are extremely impact resistant, thus providing a significant advantage over incandescent and fluorescent bulbs that can shatter when subjected to mechanical or thermal shock. The LED also has 200,000 hours to 1,000,000 hours compared to 1,000 to 2,000 hours for incandescent lamps or 5,000 to 10,000 hours typical for fluorescent lamps. Has an operating life of

  Because of these and other advantages, LEDs have become common in a wide variety of optoelectronic applications. Visible LEDs of all colors, including white, are used as status indicators in instrument panels and consoles of automobiles, trucks, buses, minivans, sports cars, aircraft, etc. In particular, high-intensity yellow light in integrated row visible signal devices such as car CHMSLs (brake lamps mounted in the upper center), brake lights, external direction indicators, danger flash lamps, external signal mirrors, etc. Red and red-orange emitting visible LEDs are used. In addition, a multicolor combination of a plurality of high-intensity visible color LEDs is used as a light source for projected white light for illumination purposes. In these illuminator applications where high beam intensity is important for effective radiant illumination, many individual LEDs can be operated simultaneously to achieve the desired beam intensity, color and light distribution. Need.

  An example application in an automotive environment where LEDs impose significant limitations on design and performance is in car signal mirrors, such as those that provide ancillary turn signals. Signal mirrors typically employ one or more lamps in the mirror assembly to generate an information signal. Examples of signal mirrors are described in US Pat. No. 5,361,190, US Pat. No. 5,788,357 and US Pat. No. 5,497,306. Although signal mirrors incorporating LEDs are becoming widespread, these mirrors have not yet been widely adopted. One reason for this widespread limitation is due to the large capacity, complexity, significant weight, and great cost of implementing external signal mirrors.

  The external rear mirror typically includes a body housing attached to the car, a mirror assembly, and an adjustable support mechanism that holds the mirror assembly. The mirror body also includes other components, such as one or more antennas (for accessories such as remote keyless entry), motors to adjust the mirror angle, and in some cases electronics circuits It is common to provide within. Directly contradicting this desire to provide a number of components within the exterior rear mirror body, vehicle designers have made the rear mirror as small and aerodynamic as possible to reduce wind noise and vehicle We want to minimize the influence of the mirror on the style. As a result, there is no large volume available in the mirror housing that can be used to place additional components. In addition, it is desirable to make the weight of the mirror as light as possible to reduce vibrations and the detrimental effects associated with the rear mirror.

  U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,190, entitled “Mirror Assembly” issued to Roberts et al. Further, a signal indicator penetrating the mirror is disclosed. These signal mirrors employ large rows of LEDs to generate optical signals. Such LED strings are heavy, require a large support structure for the rear mirror, and are costly. Furthermore, the LEDs are large and require a large mirror body to accept the row. Another significant disadvantage of dichroic mirrors is that they are expensive to manufacture, difficult to mass produce, and their performance is likely to change with age.

  US Pat. No. 5,788,357, entitled “Mirror Assembly” issued to Muth et al. On August 4, 1998, describes an assembly of translucent mirror signal lights. Is disclosed. The U.S. Patent Mirror Assembly includes a large group of LEDs mounted on a relatively large sized substrate, so the lamp train is heavy and requires a large structural support for the mirror, which is used by the mirror. It will limit the types of uses that are possible.

  U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,306, issued to Todd Patrick on March 5, 1996, entitled "EXTETER VEHICLE SECURITY LIGHT" A signal mirror assembly having a lamp module attached to the body housing of the rear mirror is disclosed. This signal mirror assembly is expensive, large and limits the designer's freedom of design. In addition, this design requires a change in the design of the mirror housing to provide sufficient volume to accept the mirror, removable light module and any related electronics components.

U.S. Pat.No. 5,361,190, US Pat. No. 5,788,357 US Pat. No. 5,497,306

  These difficulties encountered when designing signal mirrors are representative of the types of problems present in many other components and assemblies that employ LEDs. The present invention eliminates the problems with conventional signal mirrors as described above and produces illumination and / or signals that are lighter, smaller in volume, brighter, more robust, and / or more easily identifiable. It is intended to provide components and assemblies and in many applications to provide better illumination and / or signals in a compact volume.

  To achieve this object, the signal mirror assembly according to the present invention comprises a housing and at least two lamp assemblies disposed in the housing, wherein one of the at least two lamp assemblies is an LED lamp. The at least two lamp assemblies, wherein the first lamp assembly of the at least two lamp assemblies is formed as a first illuminator, and the at least two lamp assemblies have a heat absorbing member. The second of the two lamp assemblies is formed as a signal or a second illuminator.

  In another invention, at least one lamp assembly having an LED lamp, wherein the LED lamp has an emitter thermally coupled to a heat absorbing member, and the LED lamp has the emitter. A heat-conductive mirror component thermally coupled to the heat-absorbing member, wherein the heat-absorbing member and the heat-conductive mirror component carry away heat from the emitter.

  In yet another invention, a mirror having a reflecting surface, and a lamp positioned adjacent to the mirror, wherein the lamp has an emitter and a lens, and the lens has a peak intensity shifted from the center of the emitter. The lamp has an optical axis, and the light generated by the emitter is emitted from the lens at a certain angle by the action of the shift.

  What is considered as the subject of the invention is particularly pointed out and explicitly pointed out in the appended claims. The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by referring to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are indicated with like reference numerals.

  The improved components and assemblies incorporate a semiconductor light emitting package such as an LED and generate a powerful signal indicator, a strong communication signal and / or bright illumination light that is easily visible. In addition, means for increasing the output of the semiconductor light emitting package or improving the performance of the device are incorporated into several components and assemblies.

  The signal mirror 100 (FIG. 1) is attached to the car A. The signal mirror used in the present invention shall mean a mirror associated with a signal lamp to generate a signal such as information or light that is visible to an observer. An example of one significant advantage that can be realized with such a signal device is evident from FIG. 1, in which case car A includes an external signal mirror 100. The driver of the car B is generally in a position called a blind spot with respect to the driver of the car A. Furthermore, the driver of the car B cannot see the rear direction indicator lamp 102 because the driver is located far outside the optimum viewing area D for the signal lamp. For this reason, the signal indicator that generates an unrecognizable signal in the visual recognition area C pays attention to the driver of the car B that the driver of the car A is changing the lane, and avoids a response that causes an accident. It is advantageous in that it can take appropriate actions as much as possible.

  Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the first element shown in FIG. 2 is indicated by the reference number 2XX, and the first element shown in FIG. 3 is indicated by the reference number 3XX. First, the signal mirror 100 will be described as a whole. The illustrated signal mirror 100 includes a rear mirror main body housing 202 from the left side to the right side of FIG. 2, a paddle LED lamp 201 disposed below a protruding portion 203 in the mirror main body housing 202, a female connector 205, and a mirror. A support bracket 204, a body mounting bracket 206, a motor 208 for adjusting the mirror angle, a carrier 210 for supporting the mirror, an optional mirror circuit board 212, a heater 214 ′, and an illuminator circuit board 216. , A signal indicator LED lamp 218, a heat absorber 220, a mirror 222, and a perspective groove 224. Referring to FIG. 3, the vehicle includes a mirror position controller 302, a controller 304 connected to receive input from an ambient light sensor 306, a glare sensor 308, a brake actuator 310, and a turn signal actuator 312. And a heater control circuit 314. Although not shown in the drawings, it will be understood that the vehicle turn signal and brake wiring can be directly connected to the LED lamp 218. The signal mirror shown in the figure is located outside the car adjacent to the driver's seat, but it is also recognized that the signal mirror can be installed inside the car or attached to any position outside the car. In addition, the signal mirror may include additional elements and functions, or may consist solely of mirrors and lamps, and as used in the present invention, the signal mirror may generate any information or illumination light from the mirror or mirror housing. It will be further understood to mean a combination of lamps.

  To be somewhat more specific, the rear mirror body housing 202 is typically an enclosure that is shaped to take into account the style of Car A (FIG. 1) to which the housing is mounted and the overall aerodynamic principles. It serves the primary function of providing a functional and aesthetic style and protecting the mirror components from rock-like splashing objects. The rear mirror body housing 202 (FIG. 2) can be molded from a polymer, stamped from a metal or metal alloy, or formed by any other suitable conventional manufacturing method. The outside of the rear mirror body housing 202 is usually painted to match the color of the car A and covered with a transparent finish coating.

  The rear mirror body housing 202 includes an overhang portion 203. Although the illustrated overhang is located on the top front surface of the housing, the housing 202 can extend in other directions or include other protrusions to which the LED panel 201 can be attached. It will be understood that due to the small profile of the LED lamp, the mirror body housing 202 and the mirror 222 can be received at virtually any position of the mirror with minimal modification of the mirror body housing 202 and mirror 222. The LED lamp 201 is disposed below the overhanging portion so as to project light downward and forward so that the area behind the mirror and adjacent to the door of the car A can be illuminated. Paddle LED lamp 201 is connected to female connector 205, which is electrically connected to optional printed circuit board 212 via cable 219 or if optional circuit board 212 is omitted. For example, the cable 219 can extend directly from the connector 205 to the control device 304 to receive a control signal from the control device. It will also be appreciated that the LED lamp 201 can be connected directly to the car wiring harness so that it can operate with an internal dome lamp or respond to signals on the car signal bus. The connector 205 can incorporate a circuit that protects the LED lamp 201 from potential damage. The LED lamp 201 is a high-power LED lamp. In particular, the LED lamp 201 may be implemented using a phosphor emitter, a red-green-blue emitter, or a binary complementary color emitter that generates white light when combined. The LED lamp 201 is preferably activated in such a way that it can respond when a remote keyless entry signal is received or when the car door is opened.

  A variety of components and assemblies that improve the performance of LED lamps are described herein. Although these components and assemblies can improve the performance of any LED lamp, the LED lamp used is preferably a high power LED lamp. As used herein, a “high power LED lamp” is an LED package that has no ancillary components and is at least about 0.1 watts of 90% of the LED power at the highest light intensity. Furthermore, any of the components and assemblies described herein can be conveniently implemented using an LED lamp having a heat absorbing member. Particularly preferred LED lamps designed such that the LED lamps herein are preferably manufactured, optimized for heat absorption, and can be manufactured into components or assemblies, are incorporated herein by reference. In the co-pending US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,795 entitled “SEMICONDUCTOR RADIATION EMITER PACKAGE” filed on Oct. 22, 1999. Yes. These LED lamps can be implemented using semiconductor light emitting emitters, such as organic light emitters or polymer light emitters, and in particular can include one emitter or multiple emitters, as used herein. The “LED lamp” is intended to include any semiconductor light emitting emitter package.

  The rear mirror body housing 202 partially encloses the support bracket 204 attached to the car A (FIG. 1) using the mounting bracket 206 (FIG. 2). The support bracket 204 and mounting bracket 206 are manufactured and attached through conventional means.

  The motor 208 is attached to the support bracket 204. Motor 208 is optional and can be any suitable type of commercially available type that adjusts the position of the mirror assembly to be responsive to control signals received from a conventional mirror position controller 302 (FIG. 3). This can be provided by a conventional mechanism. This control signal is input from the position control device 302 to the motor via the cable 213. Control signal. Typically generated using a switch on the door or central console of car A. The switch is arranged so that the driver can operate it. Alternatively, the motor and mirror position control device may be replaced with a ball and socket support that allows the mirror angle to be adjusted manually.

  From the left to the right, the mirror subassembly 209 includes a carrier 210, an optional mirror circuit board 212, a heater 214 ', an LED lamp 218, an optional lamp circuit board 216, and an optional heat sink 220. And a mirror 222 and a bezel 224. The carrier 210 can be formed by any conventional suitable manufacturing method such as punching from a metal or metal alloy, but is preferably formed from a molded polymer.

  The mirror circuit board 212 is optional and can be omitted, for example, if the signal mirror 100 does not have a significant number of circuits. If a significant number of circuits are included, the circuit board 212 can be either a flexible circuit board or a hard circuit board. The circuit board 212 is attached or soldered by conventional means such as direct attachment, or using other techniques, of one or more integrated circuits (ICs) attached to through holes, also known as bias. Components can be included and are preferably thin circuit boards so that the thickness and weight of the mirror assembly 209 can be reduced. A mirror assembly including a circuit board is incorporated by reference in its entirety and filed May 17, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference. US Patent Application No. 9 / No. 2 to US Patent Application No. 9 / No. 2 to US Patent Application No. 9 / No. 2 to US Patent Application No. 2 to US Pat. It is disclosed.

  The optional heater 214 'can be any suitable structure. More specifically, the heater 214 ′ can be a resistive conductor having an adhesive on one surface or both surfaces thereof. The resistive conductor generates heat when a current is applied. The resistive conductor embodiment of the heater 214 ′ can be applied to the back of the mirror 222, applied to double-sided tape, attached to the selective mirror printed circuit board 212, or etched to the conductive surface of the mirror circuit board 212. it can.

  The LED lamp 218 is a high power LED and is preferably an LED lamp that uses one or more red-orange emitter chips. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, circuit board 216 and heat sink 220 are provided for LED lamp 218. As will be described in more detail below, the LED lamp 218 and the heat sink 220 are connected to increase heat dissipation from the LED lamp, the LED lamp is attached to the circuit board 216, and the circuit board is a snap connector. It is attached to the carrier plate 210 using a mechanical attachment mechanism such as an adhesive, or other conventional means. The circuit board 216 is used to electrically connect the LED lamp to the control device 304 via the circuit board 212 and the cable 207a. Alternatively, cable 207a may be connected directly to circuit board 216 if circuit board 212 is not used. The control device 304 generates a control signal for the LED lamp 218 in response to the brake actuator 310 and / or the direction indication signal actuator 312, particularly when a left direction indication signal is present, and generates a blink signal, While the direction indication signal is not displayed, a continuous signal is generated when the driver presses the braking actuator. It will be appreciated that the right direction indication signal is repeated at the signal ramp on the passenger side of car A. The signal lamp circuit board 216 can be connected directly to the vehicle's electrical system so that it can receive direction signals and braking lamp signals from the vehicle's signal bus without passing through the controller 304, and for such connections. The circuit will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS.

  The mirror 222 can be flat, non-spherical or convex. The mirror 222 may be a non-electrochromic single element mirror having a reflector on the first or second surface. Such mirrors are often made of transparent elements such as glass or polymeric materials and have a reflective coating such as chrome, silver, or the like that acts as a reflector. Alternatively, the mirror 222 automatically adjusts its reflectivity to reduce night glare and provides a high level of reflectivity during the daytime when glare is not a significant problem. It may be an electrochromic mirror that provides the significant advantage that it can be provided. An electrochromic mirror amplifies the difficulty of providing a signal mirror, which means that an LED lamp, as will be described in more detail below, in addition to a reflector or dichroic coating, at least one transparent This is because the conductive material and the electrochromic medium must be able to transmit through two pieces of glass. Examples of electrochromic devices and related circuitry, which are generally known and some of which are commercially available, are disclosed in: US Pat. No. 4,902,108 to Baker, Canadian Patent No. 1,300,945 to Bechtel et al., US Pat. No. 5,204,778 to Bechter, US Pat. US Pat. No. 5,280,380, Baker US Pat. No. 5,336,448, Bauer et al. US Pat. No. 5,434,407, Tonar US Pat. No. 5,448,397 Knapp U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,478, Toner et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,283, Toner et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,267, Toner et al. U.S. Pat. No. 689,370, Toner et al. US Pat. No. 5,888,431, and Bechter et al. US Pat. No. 5,451,822. Each of these patents is assigned at the same time as the present invention and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, together with the references included therein. Such electrochromic devices can be utilized as fully integrated internal / external rear mirror devices or as separate internal or external rear mirror devices. Alternatively, the mirror can be used as a two-color mirror, an example of which is also cited above for reference.

  The controller 304 (FIG. 3) controls the reflectivity of the electrochromic mirror 222 and selectively provides a control signal for controlling the LED lamps 201 and 218. The controller 304 is preferably implemented using one or more microcontrollers and associated circuitry, and for example, an internal rear mirror of the type associated with an electrochromic rear mirror commonly mounted on a car windshield. The external mirror can receive a control signal from the control device. The controller 304 is connected to an ambient light sensor 306 that typically faces the front of the car, and typically to a glare sensor 308 that faces the rear so that light coming from the rear of the car can be sensed. The controller 304 can generate control signals for both the internal electrochromic mirror (such as mirror 3000 in FIG. 30) and the external electrochromic mirror 222. A control device for an electrochromic mirror is disclosed in the following patent: J. May. H. Canadian Patent No. 1,300,945 entitled “Automatic Rearview MIRROR SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOIVE VEHICLES” issued to JH Bechtel et al. Roberts R.F. US patent application Ser. No. 08 / 825,768 entitled “SERIES DRIVE CIRCUIT” by Robert R. Turnbull et al. And Robert C. Becetel et al. Filed on May 7, 1999, International Application No. PCT / US97 / 16946 entitled "Individual Mirror Control System" filed by Robert C. Knapp et al. US Patent Application No. 09/23, US Patent Application No. 09/23, entitled “AUTOMATIC DIMMING MIRROR USING SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHT SENSOR WITH INTEGRAL CHARGE COLLECTION” The disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Regardless of the type of mirror 222, the bezel 224 is dimensioned so that it can be installed over and circumscribe the peripheral edge of the mirror 222. The bezel can be any suitable structure, such as molded from an organic polymer or stamped from a metal or metal alloy. When attached to carrier 210, bezel 224 and carrier 210 support, stabilize and protect mirror 222 and all components associated with the mirror.

  Those skilled in the art will recognize that conductors 207, 207a-207c (FIG. 2), 215 have individual insulated sleeves and are tied together in a wire harness (not shown) that extends from the vehicle through the mirror mounting structure. It will be appreciated that a conventional conductor such as

  The signal mirror 100 is illustrated as having a number of components to show the small volume available to the mirror designer for the signal lamp. Even when a large volume is required to accept a large number of components, it is desirable to provide a large number of components in the mirror for reasons of availability, safety and convenience. In particular, the mirror 208 allows the driver to adjust the position of the mirror so that it can improve visibility while driving a car without opening a window and stretching the body so that a part of the body touches the mirror. Is acceptable. The electrochromic mirror provides the driver with substantially non-attenuated reflected light so as to attenuate glare from subsequent car headlights at night and improve backward visibility during daytime hours. Improve visibility to the front of the. The heater 214 'improves visibility through the rear mirror by removing moisture such as ice and condensation from the mirror, and the signal lamp 218 allows other car drivers to be alerted by the car A signal device. Increase sex.

  If the mirror should have significant freedom of movement to adjust the mirror angle to reflect the driver's desired field of view, a significant volume must also be provided in the mirror body housing 202. Directly contrary to this need for a larger volume in the mirror body housing is to attempt to make the mirror assembly as small as possible. Two principle reasons for making the mirror as small as possible include improving aerodynamics and reducing wind noise. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the volume of the signal mirror 100 required by the components in the mirror without degrading the function of the mirror.

  More specifically, LED lamp 201 provides a low profile, very bright paddle light illuminator, and LED lamp 218 provides a small volume and very bright signal lamp within mirror 222. The LED lamp 218 is an LED lamp by providing a low thermal resistance between the emitter or LED element junction and the ambient environment, as described in the above-cited US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,795. The heat absorption member 400 (FIG. 4) which can act to reduce the temperature is provided. The heat absorbing member is transparent and partially covered by an encapsulating portion 402 having a lens 214. One or more emitters 404 are attached to the heat-absorbing member 400 below the lens, such attachment being for example by gluing, and in particular a thermally conductive gluing material can be used. The LED lamp 218 has electric conductors 234 to 236 having high thermal resistance. Electrical leads 234-236 are connected to an emitter or more than one emitter 404, and in particular, the three lead LED lamps 218 shown have multiple emitters. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the LED lamp 218 has two conductors, or more than two conductors, and the three-conductor LED lamp is merely an example. In the illustrated embodiment where the LED lamp 218 has two emitters, the electrical lead 234 can be connected to the anode of one emitter (ie, the LED chip) and the electrical lead 236 can be the anode of the other emitter. Can be connected to. The electrical conductor 235 can be connected to the cathodes of both emitters through a heat absorbing member, as shown in FIG. Such a configuration allows each control signal to be applied to the emitter. Each of the electrical conductors 234 to 236 has a high thermal resistance to the heat absorbing member, so that even if a significant amount of heat is applied to the conductors during the process, without harming the LED lamp, Assemble the conductors into the device using known manufacturing techniques such as direct mounting, radial insertion, axial insertion, wave soldering, manual soldering and / or other conventional manufacturing methods be able to. As described above, the LED lamp 201 has the same structure except that it has an emitter that generates white light instead of red-orange light.

  Each of the LED lamps 201 and 218 can be used with or without an endothermic body. The paddle LED lamp 201 is shown directly attached to the underside of the overhang 203 and also uses an integral connector such as adhesive, double sided tape, snap connector or any other suitable connector. Can be attached. The housing itself can provide an endothermic body of heat generated by the lamp during illumination. One advantageous embodiment uses a housing molded from a polymer that is thermally conductive. Such a material can be, for example, a commercially available polymer composite sold under the trade name CoolPoly from ChipCooler, Inc. This material can be molded into a desired shape, and the LED lamp can be mounted with its heat absorbing member juxtaposed to the molded housing to allow effective heat dissipation. The LED lamp 218 can be attached to an endothermic body to significantly increase its power handling capability and hence the amount of light that can be emitted. The material of Chip Coolers Incorporated can be of conductivity type E2 or dielectric type D2. It is particularly beneficial to use a dielectric type to isolate the circuit path through the heat sink when the heat sink is not electrically isolated from the emitter tip. The LED lamp is thermally connected to the heat absorbing member but may include an emitter that is electrically isolated from the heat absorbing member, in which case the heat absorbing member is electrically connected by a physically attached housing member. There is no need to isolate.

  Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4 to 7, the LED lamp 218 is preferably packaged as a small module 401 that includes a circuit board 216 and a heat sink 220. The circuit board 216 is preferably a hard circuit board, but can be of any suitable conventional type. Circuit board 216 includes biases 230-232 that receive conductors 234-236. Conductors 234 through 236 are inserted into the bias by an automated device such as a radial insertion device and then soldered by a method such as wave soldering. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other manufacturing techniques can be used, and that the manufacturing techniques described above are merely examples.

  Circuits 1400, 1500 on circuit board 216 include components for the LED driver that protect the LED lamp and control the amount of current input. The circuits 1400, 1500 attached to the circuit board 216 will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. It will be appreciated that the circuit can be mounted anywhere on the circuit board 212 or car A.

  The heat sink 220 (FIG. 4) is illustrated as a passive heat sink that includes a back wall 410 that separates the plurality of fins 246-248. The rear wall separates the fins for easier assembly and provides a heat conduit from the heat sink of the LED lamp to the fins. The fins 246 to 248 have a large surface area to dissipate heat, which increases the heat dissipated from the LED lamp 218 and can be supplied to the LED lamp 218 without damaging the LED lamp. While the amount of power can be increased, this increases the amount of light that the LED lamp can generate. The endothermic body can be of any suitable structure, and the endothermic body can be active or passive, as described in more detail below. The passive heat sink 220 as illustrated in FIGS. 4-7 can be stamped out of a metal or metal alloy, preferably a metal alloy having low thermal resistance and light weight. The endothermic body can be made of copper, brass, BeCu, aluminum, aluminum alloy or other metals or ceramics with excellent heat conduction properties. Alternatively, an active heat absorber such as a Peltier cooler described below may be employed. The endothermic body can be embodied using a layer change endothermic body. In some applications, it is also conceivable to provide a fan so that the heat scattering can be significantly increased.

  A fastener 238, illustrated as a conventional screw of the type made of nylon, metal or metal alloy, physically secures the heat-absorbing member 400 of the lamp 208 to the heat-absorbing body 220. Alternatively, the LED lamp 218 is endothermic using a thermally conductive adhesive, adhesive tape, or any conventional suitable joint means that provides a heat path from the endothermic member of the LED lamp 218 to the endothermic body 220. It may be attached to the body 220.

  An emitter that generates light emitted from the LED lamp 218 by allowing improved heat dissipation, as described in more detail in co-pending US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,795; The thermal properties of two or more emitters 404 are significantly improved. This is particularly beneficial in signal mirrors, where high power LED lamps 218 can be used instead of incandescent lamps or large LED strings, which does not occupy a large volume in the mirror. This is because it makes it possible to embody a lighter signal indicator. High power LEDs are also beneficial in electrochromic mirrors even when there is space for large signal indicators, which allows brighter LED lamps to use a thicker semi-reflective coating, It provides improved reflectivity and sheet resistance to the window area, which can improve mirror performance.

  The LED lamp 201 is directly attached to the mirror housing without a heat absorber in the illustrated embodiment for the following two reasons. That is, the paddle light generates sufficient light in a low ambient light state without an endothermic body, and the LED lamp profile is low because there is no endothermic body, and there is a large gap between the mirror and the mirror body housing 202. This is because even if it does not exist, the mirror 222 is allowed to move freely under the lamp. When the mirror body housing 202 is made of metal or a thermally conductive polymer, the housing itself acts as a passive heat sink. The LED lamp 201 is connected to the connector 205 as described above. The connector 205 may be embodied as described in more detail with respect to FIG.

  The LED lamp 218 is assembled in the mirror assembly 209 as follows. The LED lamp 218 and circuit board 216 may be attached to the carrier 210 (FIG. 2) or the optional circuit board 212 (FIG. 8) using adhesives, adhesive tape, integral snap connectors or mechanical fasteners such as screws. Attached). The surface 217 of the recess 226 is preferably oriented so that the parallel mounted LED lamp module is mounted at a desired angle relative to the surface of the mirror 222 after the mirror assembly 209 is fully assembled. .

  In the alternative, the heat sink 220 and the circuit board 216 can be attached to the rear surface 512 of the element 712 of the mirror 222 using an adhesive, adhesive tape, etc. as illustrated in FIGS. In this alternative structure, the heat sink 220 is used as a mounting structure that supports the LED lamp 218 on the rear surface 512 of the mirror, and also as shown in FIGS. Orient to the desired angle with respect to the rear surface. This desired angle α is generally known in the art to be 0 to 70 °, and is preferably about 20 to 50 ° so that the signal indicator can be seen in view C (FIG. 1). Since glass is a reasonably good thermal conductor, it helps to dissipate heat from the endothermic body. If a higher thermal conductivity is desired, a metal endothermic body made of polished stainless steel, copper, aluminum or the like can be laminated to the large surface area of the glass so as to facilitate heat dissipation.

  The mirror subassembly 209, in particular the mirror 222, and its relationship with the LED lamp 218 for providing a signal mirror or illuminator will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. Since a part of the layer of the mirror 222 is extremely thin, the scale of the mirror 222 in the drawing is modified so as to be clear on the drawing. Furthermore, in order to clarify the description of such a structure, the front surface (the rightmost surface in FIG. 7) of the front glass element may be referred to as a first surface, and the inner surface of the front glass element may be referred to as a second surface. The inner surface of the rear glass element may be referred to as a third surface, and the rear surface of the rear glass element may be referred to as a fourth surface.

  There are two types of electrochromic mirrors as a whole: third and fourth surface reflectors. The structure of the third surface reflector as a whole can comprise a wide variety of structures depending on the specific properties desired for the electrochromic mirror, in particular the window 223. FIGS. 7 and 9-13 illustrate some of these various structures. 9, 12 and 13 illustrate some of the various structures of the fourth surface reflector.

  Referring first to FIG. 7, the illustrated mirror subassembly 222 comprises the following from left to right: carrier 210, optional circuit board 212, heater 214 ', and LED lamp. 218, rear transparent mirror element 700, reflector / electrode 703, electrochromic medium 706, front transparent conductive material 708, selective color suppression material 710, and front transparent element 712. Preferably, the reflector / electrode material of layer 703 is chromium, chromium-molybdenum-nickel alloy, nickel-iron chromium alloy, silicon, tantalum, stainless steel, nickel titanium, rhodium, molybdenium, silver, silver alloy, platinum, One or more layers can be provided, which can be a wide variety of metals, oxides and metal oxides such as palladium, gold or combinations thereof. The reflector / electrode can include one or more lower layers 702 so that certain properties such as adhesion strength to the transparent base layer 700 can be improved. The mirror 222 was placed around the inner periphery of the electrochromic medium 706 placed in the chamber defined by the reflector / electrode 703, the transparent conductive material layer 708, and the coating on the transparent element. A sealing material (not shown). The mirror 222 includes a transparent conductive material layer 708 disposed on the back surface of the front element 712 (second surface) that optionally has one or more color suppression bottom layers 710. The transparent element of the mirror 222 is generally glass, but was filed on May 14, 1999, the third surface metal reflector, which is incorporated herein by reference. And an electrochromic rear mirror with built-in display / signal lights, such as US Patent Application No. 09 / 311,955, such as ELECTROCHROMIC REEARVIEW MIRROR INCORPORATION A THEDSURFACE METAL REFLECTOR AND A DISPLAY / SIGNAL LIGHT. Can be formed using technology.

  As can be seen in FIG. 7, the window 223 is aligned with the highest intensity optical axis 720 of the lens 214 so that the light emitted by the LED lamp 218 passes through the window 223 and generates an indicator signal. Has been. The window 223 may be formed by any conventional means such as laser etching using a 50 watt Nd: YAG laser such as manufactured by XCEL Control Laser located in Orlando, Florida or mechanically. It can be formed by scraping, chemical etching, sandblasting, masking during coating, and the like. The overall shape of the window can be circular, oval, square, arrow, arrowhead, or directional, such as a row of openings that together form a directional arrow.

  Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 7, it can be seen that the window 223 can include openings 225 that are interleaved with each other and a reflective strip 227. Although only the interleaved openings of layer 704 are shown in FIG. 7, these openings extend through one or more intermediate layers 703 and extend through to transparent substrate 700. It will be understood that this is possible. Although it is believed that all reflectors / electrodes can be removed from the window 223 (thus leaving no interleaved openings), such a design can be used between the window region 223 and the mirror. Thus, it will be difficult to cause a change in color of the electrochromic medium formed when the reflector / electrode is not removed. In the part of the electrochromic mirror away from the window 223, one electrochromic material is oxidized at one electrode for each corresponding electrochromic material reduced at the other electrode, and the mirror has a uniform color. Have. However, in the window region where there is no reflector / electrode, the oxidation or reduction (depending on the polarity of the electrode) occurring at the second surface electrode 708 directly traversing from the window 223 occurs in a uniform distribution. The reduction or oxidation on the third surface is not uniform because there is no electrode region. Since it is not uniform, the generation of the light absorption component is concentrated on the edge of the region of the window portion 223, so that what is visible to the driver is an aesthetically undesirable color difference. By providing a reflector / electrode strip 227 in the region of the mirror window 223, the occurrence of light absorbing components (second and third surfaces) in the region of the window 223 has a perfectly balanced electrode. It is much closer to the uniformity found in other areas of the mirror. Thus, there is either a portion of the window where the reflector / electrode is present and any other portion where the reflector / electrode is not present, or transmission sufficient to function as a signal mirror for the LED lamp 218. It is preferred to design the reflector / electrode so that the electrochromic reaction proceeds in a uniform manner while allowing the amount.

  Preferably, the window region 223 where no reflective material is present constitutes 50% or more of the opening along the central axis of the window 223, while the region occupied by the reflective material occupies 50% along the periphery. Like that. The opening shown is elliptical, but alternatively the side of the reflective strip edge is straight, or the center has a greater radius than the end, or the strip is The entire height of the window 223 may be prevented from extending and the strip 227 may alternatively extend from the top and bottom edges of the window 223 into the opening. Providing a reflective strip 227 that is narrower than the edge at the center of the window can provide the conductive field necessary for electrochromic functions to minimize fading, while being the most important area That is, the degree to which the signal beam from the LED lamp 218 is blocked at the center of the window is minimized. Thus, the optimization of the transmission of the light from the LED lamp 218 can be realized without adversely affecting the color of the electrochromic mirror 222 within the region of the window 223.

  The reflectivity of the mirror 222 in the window 223 can be changed, for example, by changing the ratio of areas where no reflective material is present, thereby changing the width of the reflective strip 227 or changing the thickness of the reflector / electrode. (Which will be described in more detail below) for further control. Further, the reflector electrode material used to form the reflective strip 227 in the signal light region 223 can be different from the reflector electrode material used in other parts of the mirror. . For example, reflector electrode materials with higher reflectivity can be used in the signal lamp region 223.

  Referring to FIG. 10, the reflector / electrode 1000 need not have a reflective strip, but can include a window 223 having a continuous conductive material layer. For example, the reflector / electrode can include a first base layer 1002 applied directly to the front surface of the transparent rear element 700 and an intermediate second layer 1004 deposited with the first layer 1002. . The first layer 1002 and the second layer 1004 are preferably made of a material having a relatively low sheet resistivity and at least partially permeable. The material forming the layers 1002, 1004 can also be partially reflective. If the LED lamp 218 behind the partially transmissive window 223 must often be viewed in bright ambient conditions or directly in daylight, the material has a low reflectivity or other dark, black or transparent coating of conductivity It is desirable to keep the reflectance of the region of the window 223 at a minimum value by using a material having

  The material forming layer 1002 needs to exhibit sufficient adhesion to the glass or other material from which transparent element 700 can be formed, while the material forming layer 1004 is the material of layer 1002 And should provide sufficient adhesion between the applied layer 1006 and the peripheral seal 802 (FIG. 8). Thus, the material used for layer 1002 is preferably basically a material selected from the group consisting of chromium, chromium molybdenum nickel alloy, nickel iron chromium alloy, silicon, tantalum, stainless steel and titanium. . In the most preferred embodiment, layer 1002 is made of chromium. The material used to form the second layer 1004 was selected from the group consisting essentially of, but not limited to, molybdenum, rhodium, nickel, tungsten, tantalum, stainless steel, gold, titanium, and alloys thereof. A material is preferred. In the most preferred embodiment, the second layer 1004 is formed of nickel, rhodium and molybdenum. If the first layer 1002 is formed of chromium, the layer 1002 preferably has a thickness in the range of 5 angstroms to 15 angstroms. In particular, it is believed that the thickness of layer 1004 is selected based on the materials used to penetrate 10-100% of light through both layers 1002, 1004. Thus, in the case of the second layer 1004 formed of rhodium, nickel, molybdenum, or a combination thereof, the layer 1004 is preferably in the range of 50 to 150 angstroms. Although the thickness of layers 1002, 1004 is preferably chosen to be thin enough to provide sufficient transparency, these layers also provide sufficient electrochromic media within cavity 706 near window 223. Must be thick enough to provide sufficient conductivity to lighten or darken. Thus, the coating 1006 should have a sheet resistivity of 100 ohms / square or less, preferably 60 ohms / square or less. The layer 1002 may be a transparent conductor such as ITO. In this case, a reflective layer may be applied to the entire transparent conductor layer except for the window region.

  The metal used to form the coating 1000 contributes to the total reflectivity of the reflector electrode 1001. Thus, the layer of reflective material 1006 need not be made as thick as required if the layers 1002, 1004 are replaced with a single coating layer. For example, in the case of silver or a silver alloy used to form layer 1006 with multiple electrode mirrors, the thickness ranges from 50 angstroms to 150 angstroms, while layers 1002, 1004 are single layers. In other words, the thickness of the reflective layer 1006 needs to be in the range of 30 angstroms to 800 angstroms. By including the layers 1004, 1002, some of the costs associated with providing the reflective layer 1006 can be reduced. Furthermore, the use of reflective metal when forming the coating 1002 allows for some degree of reflectivity within the window 223, which is much more aesthetic than if no reflective material was present in the window 223. Providing a particularly favorable appearance. Ideally, the coating 1002 should provide a reflectance in the range of 30-40% within the window 223. If the reflectivity in the window 223 is too high, bright light will tend to cancel the signal from the lamp 218, eliminating the light and darkness of the signal lamp light and the light reflected outwardly from the coating 1002. there is a possibility.

  From the above description, it will be appreciated that there is a reciprocal relationship between reflectivity and transmissivity, and a window 223 having a greater transmissivity will transmit more light, but will not reflect as well. Furthermore, there is a reciprocal relationship between transmittance and sheet resistance as a result of the thicker electrode layer providing lower sheet resistance. Lower sheet resistance improves the performance of electrochromic media in terms of both rapid transition time, color and brightness uniformity. Thus, providing a thicker electrode increases sheet resistance at the expense of transmittance. Using the high power LED lamp 218 disclosed in detail in US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,795, a mass-produced signal mirror with a thicker reflector / electrode layer in the window region can be realized. While providing better reflectivity and sheet resistance, the signal indicator still produces a level of bright light that is visible both at night and in the daytime. Further, by utilizing the preferred lamp 218, to obtain the desired light output, a thicker layer is used for the reflector / electrode and improved color and brightness as well as speed and uniformity. It can enable or provide reflector / electrode layer dimensions equal and provide enhanced light for signal or illumination. By utilizing an endothermic body to increase the light output, a single LED lamp 218 and window 223 are effective to provide a signal mirror, even in the case of an electrochromic mirror using a semi-reflective coating. Can be used.

  Another alternative configuration of the electrochromic mirror is illustrated in FIG. The configuration illustrated in FIG. 11 is basically the same as that illustrated in FIG. 10 except that a thin silver or silver alloy layer 1106 is formed on the conductive coating 1000 in the window 223. By providing only a thin reflective material layer 1106 in the window 223, it is possible to provide sufficient transmittance through the window 223 while increasing the reflectivity and conductivity in that region. Layer 1106 can have a thickness in the range of 40 to 150 angstroms, while layer 1006 of reflective material in other areas of the mirror can be as thick as in the range of 200 to 1000 angstroms. A layer of thin reflective material is applied by first masking the area of the window 223 while applying a portion of the reflective layer 1106 and then removing the mask while depositing the rest of the layer 1106. 1106 may be formed. Conversely, a mask can be applied over the window 223 while a thin layer of reflective material is deposited first and then the rest of the reflective layer 1106 is deposited. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the reflective layer 116 is deposited to its full thickness, and then a portion of the layer 116 is removed in the region of the window 223 to provide a window without masking. Part can be formed in the layer 1106.

  A modification of the form shown in FIG. 11 is realized by simply forming the layers 1002 and 1004 constituting the conductive coating 1000 thinner in the region behind the window 223 (displayed as thin layers 1102 and 1104). Is possible. Thus, the thin layer 1202 can have a thickness in the range of 5-50 angstroms, while the layer 1002 can have a thickness in the range of 100-1000 angstroms. Similarly, layer 1204 can be formed of the same material as layer 1004, but the thickness can range from about 50 to 150 angstroms, while layer 1004 can be as thick as 100 to 1000 angstroms. . Thus, in this alternative structure, it is possible to optimize sheet resistance and reflectivity in other regions without worrying about the transmittance in the region of the window 223, while in the window 223. Sheet resistance and reflectivity and transmittance can be optimized.

  Referring back to FIG. 7, the coating 721 can be any one or combination of light control films, black or dark paint layers and heaters. A light control film available under the trade name LCF-P from the 3M Company can be used, which is also a thin plastic film that encloses a plurality of closely spaced black microlouvers. Such light control films are used in conventional signal mirrors of US Pat. No. 5,361,190 and US Pat. No. 5,788,357, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. It is disclosed accordingly. As disclosed in these patents, such light control films can have a thickness of 0.762 mm (0.030 inch) and a microlouver spacing of about 0.1270 mm (about 0.005 inch). . The microlouver is typically black and is in various angular positions to provide a suitable viewing angle. Such light control even when the lamp 218 is mounted parallel to the surface of the mirror and the emitted light strikes the light limiting film, even if the highest intensity optical axis of the lamp is perpendicular to the mirror. The membrane allows the light from the LED lamp 218 to be transmitted at an appropriate viewing angle so that it can be viewed in region C (FIG. 1). The light control film 721 also functions to prevent the light projected from the LED lamp 218 from traveling outside the appropriate viewing angle C so as not to enter the line of sight of the car A driver. In this manner, the light control film can be completely disposed above and in front of the mirror surface within the irradiation line of the LED lamp 218. In addition, other forms of optical elements such as holograms can be used to form such light control films. Alternatively, element 712 can be a reflective grating, a prism, a holographic optical element, or the like.

  If element 721 is a coating of opaque paint, such coating extends in front of LED lamp 218 which prevents light from lamp 218 from passing through mirror 220 and through to viewing angle C (FIG. 1). It is preferable not to do so. Alternatively, such a coating of paint may extend completely in front of the LED lamp 218, provided that it is formed on that surface of the window 730, which is the desired transmission path of the LED lamp 218. It is a condition that a louver or an equivalent structure is provided. For example, the thickness of such paint coatings can be controlled so that effective louvers can be formed using screen printing, molding, punching or laser ablation methods. Further, if configured in the manner described above with respect to FIG. 7 or FIG. 9 in the form of reflector / electrode 703 or layers 906, 908, element 721 has a similar bar or stripe in the upper region of LED lamp 218. It can be a black paint coating, this element prevents the ambient light from entering the driver's field of view of the car C, and at the same time allows the light beam of the lamp 218 to be seen when viewed at angle C Oriented with respect to the LED lamp 218 and the reflective strip 227 of the reflector / electrode 703 so as to provide a proper angle transmission path for the car B. Further, the bar / 227 of the reflector / electrode 703 is configured such that the minimum width changes, and the minimum width decreases as the distance from the driver increases, and less perimeter transmission through the window 223 toward the driver. Alternatively, as described below, the edge color can be defined to a lesser extent.

  If element 721 is a mirror heating element, that heating element would be provided in place of the separate heater 212 described above. By removing the heater 212 and circuit board 210, a significant amount of weight can be removed from the mirror, which helps to reduce the total weight of the mirror. If a heating element 721 is used, the heating element 721 is provided on an adhesive material such as double-sided tape and traverses the entire fourth surface of the mirror except for the area of the window 730. Can be attached to stretch. The window area is formed by an opening formed at an appropriate position so that light emitted from the LED lamp 218 and transmitted at an appropriate angle can be transmitted within the range of the visual angle C. Can be provided.

  FIG. 9 illustrates one alternative electrochromic mirror having fourth surface reflectors 906, 908. In this configuration, the electrode 904 on the third surface is formed of a transparent material similar to the electrode 708 and is deposited on a selective color suppression material 902 similar to the color suppression material 710. Layer 906 is a protective coating well known in the art deposited on a reflector coating 908 deposited on the fourth side of the mirror. The reflector layer can be aluminum nickel, chromium, rhodium, stainless steel, silver, silver alloy, platinum, palladium, gold, or a combination thereof. The window portion 223 is aligned with the highest-intensity optical axis 920 of the emitter 404 and the lens 214 so that the highest-intensity optical axis extends through the center of the window portion 223. In FIG. 9, alternating apertures 225 are illustrated, but the windows 223 are made of a semi-reflective coating or two so that the reflective material is completely absent or in accordance with the teachings described herein. It should be understood that a color coating may be provided.

  FIG. 12 illustrates a mirror having a transparent element 1200 and a reflector coating 1204. The reflector coating is shown on the back side of the transparent element, but this coating can also be provided on the front side. The transparent element 1200 can be the second element of a two-element mirror, such as an electrochromic mirror, or this element can be simply the transparent element of a standard single-element mirror. Can do. In the case of an electrochromic mirror, the illustrated reflective coating is applied to the fourth surface, whereas in the case of a single element mirror, the illustrated reflective coating is applied to the second surface of the mirror. The reflective coating 1202 has an opening 1204 through which light generated by the lamp 218 provides a signal indication. In either case, opening 1204 has maximum transmittance, but no reflectivity, so that the light generated by lamp 218 travels through the reflective layer without being substantially attenuated.

  In FIG. 13, a mirror having a dichroic layer 1302 disposed on the surface of a transparent element 1200 is illustrated. Although the reflective coating is illustrated as being on the back side of the transparent element, this coating may be provided on the front side. The dichroic layer 1502 allows light in a predetermined pass band to pass and attenuates light outside the pass band. The advantage of using the dichroic layer 1302 in the signal mirror is that red is the preferred lamp color for the signal mirror, and the commercially useful dichroic layer allows only red and infrared light to pass. is there. Dichroic materials have several disadvantages, some of which are expensive, difficult to manufacture, and easily degrade over time. An opaque coating 1304 having a window 223 is provided on the mirror at the back of the mirror. This opaque coating can be a paint coating, such as black paint, and provides a barrier that blocks direct light generated in the direction of the driver that would otherwise interfere with the driver if not disturbed. To do.

  Referring now to FIG. 8, the mirror subassembly 800 is illustrated in an exploded view. Although illustrated as an electrochromic mirror, the mirror 222, which can be a dichroic mirror such as a conventional mirror or a non-electrochromic mirror, has a rectangular shape with a front transparent element 712 and a rear transparent element 700 separated by a seal 802. It is conceivable to be assembled so that the electrochromic medium is held between them. To assemble the other components of the mirror subassembly, an adhesive, preferably an adhesive tape or film or double-sided foam adhesive tape, is provided between and mounted on the circuit board 212 and the carrier plate 210. The recess 226 in the carrier plate 210 is aligned with the lamp module 401 so that when the circuit board 212 is adhered to the carrier 210, the lamp module can be received. As described above, the circuit board 212 is an optional element and can be omitted. If the circuit board 212 is omitted, the mirror with the heater 214 ′ is attached to the carrier plate 210 using an adhesive, adhesive tape or film or double-sided foam adhesive tape. The bezel 224 is pot molded onto the carrier plate 210, or the bezel and rear carrier are snapped together and attached by fasteners such as screws or clips, heat staking, or other suitable conventional means. be able to. Once assembled, the mirror assembly 209 is assembled into the mirror body housing 202 by attaching the carrier plate 210 to the motor 208 (FIG. 2).

  The LED lamp 218 can be controlled directly from the control device 304 or from the direction indication signal of the electric device of the car A. A circuit 1400 for operating the LED lamp 218 is disclosed in FIG. This circuit is attached to the circuit board 212 or the circuit board 216. The circuit 1400 includes an input unit 207a for connection to a direction indication signal bus of a car electric device, but this circuit may be connected to the control device 304. Capacitor C1 provides a ground path for high frequency energy and protects the circuit in case of a sudden increase in power. The diode D1 is biased in the reverse direction so that the input 207 can be isolated if the voltage at the input 207 drops below the voltage at the terminal 1402. NPN transistors Q1-Q3 and associated resistors provide a cascade current source for LED lamp 218. The LED lamp 218 includes two emitters 404, 404 'having a cathode connection common to the conductor 235 and anode conductors 236, 237 connected to a terminal 1402 via respective resistors. Although two emitters are disclosed, the LED lamp may include a single emitter or more than one emitter. The cascade current source generates a substantially constant current at the collector of transistor Q3, with about half of that current flowing through each of the emitters 404, 404 '. In addition, this circuit provides additional protection from excessive current. In particular, if the collector current of transistor Q3 is large enough to saturate transistor Q1, the low collector voltage acting on transistor Q1 will cause transistors Q2 and Q3 to become inoperative, thereby causing the emitter 404 of LED lamp 218 to be inactive. , 404 ′. Although the circuit is disclosed as including an NPN transistor, it will be understood that other transistor elements such as PNPs, MOSFETs or combinations of different transistors can be used.

  Circuit 1500 in FIG. 15 is an alternative to circuit 1400. The circuit 1500 is different from the circuit 1400 in that the emitters 404 and 404 ′ of the LED lamp 218 ′ are connected in series. The anode lead 234 of the emitter 1502 is connected to the terminal 1402 through the resistor R3, and the cathode lead 236 of the emitter 1504 is connected to the collector of the transistor Q3. The collector 235 of the heat sink connected to the cathode emitter 404 and the anode of the emitter 404 ′ is connected to the junction of the optional resistors 1506, 1508. Terminal 235 floats. Connecting the LED lamp emitters 404, 404 ′ in series within the LED lamp 218 ′ (FIG. 15) is the case of a common cathode in the LED lamp 218 (FIG. 14), ie the emitters 404, 404 ′ in parallel. There is an advantage that less power is used than in the case of arrangement. For example, circuit 1500 operates at 1.75 watts for a blink signal having a 75% duty cycle and a time of 1 second or less, while circuit 1400 operates at 3.9 watts for the same signal input.

  The series emitter LED lamp 218 'can include optional resistors 1506, 1508, each connected in parallel with a respective one of the emitters 404, 404'. These resistors 1506, 1508 are used to reduce the current through one or both of the emitters 404, 404 'of the LED lamp 218' if the current through the emitters need to be different. Only one of the resistors may be used so that the current through only one of them can be reduced. One example where it is desirable to have different currents is an application where the LED lamp 218 'generates white light from a complementary color emitter. In such a case, the ratio of current through the emitter will need to be different to accommodate each different operating characteristic of the emitter and to achieve the desired white light. The resistors 1506, 1508 can be manufactured by depositing a thick film on the printed circuit board 216, which is laser etched to achieve the desired resistance and is attached to the desired heat sink. A separate resistor or circuit board 212 (if used) can be implemented. Further, instead of resistors 1506, 158, the current controlled to control the relative current through each of the emitters, thereby adjusting the color / intensity of the light generated by the LED lamp 218 '. A source or current absorber can be connected to the conductor 235.

  Another application where it is desirable to have a separate controller is when a single LED lamp 218 is used to generate different light characteristics. For example, the LED lamp 218 can be controlled to generate yellow light under some circumstances and white light under other circumstances. To achieve this, the LED lamp need only have an emitter chip that generates blue and yellow light. An emitter tip that generates yellow light can be illuminated to generate an auxiliary turn signal, while both emitter tips that generate blue and yellow light generate keyhole / paddle light. Can be illuminated. In this way, both lighting functions can be generated from a single LED lamp. It will be appreciated that other color combinations such as red-orange and white, infrared light and visible light can be generated from a single LED lamp 218.

  In operation, when the driver turns the steering wheel column turn signal actuator 312, an intermittent signal appears at the input 207 a, which is generated by the controller 304 or on the car signal bus in a conventional manner. Generated. In response to the pulse at input 217, circuits 1400 and 1500 control the current through the emitters of LED lamps 218 and 218 '. The LED lamps 218, 218 'emit light during the on period of the pulse and do not emit light during the off period of the pulse. Thus, the LED lamps 218, 218 'are synchronized with the car direction signal to generate a blink signal having the same duty cycle as the main car direction signal lamp. The control device 304 can control the LED lamps 218, 218 'so that the brake light can be repeated in response to the signal of the brake light. In addition, transistors Q1-Q3 provide protection against excess current. In particular, the basic current input to transistor Q1 is large enough to saturate transistor Q1, but a small collector current acting on transistor Q1 disables transistors Q2 and Q3, which means that The LED lamps 218, 218 'are deactivated.

  Accordingly, a signal mirror is disclosed that can be conveniently employed with a number of different mirror arrangements. Conveniently employ any other electrochromic, bi-color, non-bi-color, single element or multi-element mirror with high-power LED signal lamp 218, whether convex, aspheric or flat. Implement a signal mirror that is extremely effective, small in size and lightweight, and that the signal mirror is designed in virtually any mirror housing with minimal impact on the mirror's primary function of providing a reflector Those skilled in the art will understand that this can be done. A number of different embodiments of the lamp module 401 will now be described that can be used with any of the mirrors described above to implement a signal mirror.

  One alternative lamp module 1600 is disclosed in FIG. The lamp module 1600 is mounted on the module 410 except that the conductors 1602-1604 are bent to provide a flat mounting surface at its end that is preferably parallel to the bottom surface of the LED lamp 218 for direct mounting. The LED lamp 1601 is substantially the same as the LED lamp 218 of FIG. The surface edges are attached to the rectangular printed circuit board 1605 using any suitable conventional technique such as wave soldering, manual soldering, and the like. The circuit board is of any suitable conventional construction and is conveniently a double-sided circuit board, wherein the LED lamp is electrically connected to the conductor layer at one side of the circuit board substrate, and the circuit 1400 or 1500 can be attached to a conductor layer on the opposite side of the circuit board substrate. It is further envisaged that both of the conductor layers have etched traces and that the traces can be connected by a bias (not shown). LED lamp 1601 is secured to heat sink 220 by any suitable conventional means such as fasteners 238, adhesives, adhesive tapes, and the like. One significant advantage of the direct attach module 1600 is that direct attachment of the IC is a more economical and more efficient manufacturing technique for achieving a reliable electrical connection. However, if the thickness of the lamp module 1600 is an issue, the lamp module 401 (FIG. 4) can be used at a lower height but at a longer length, and the LED lamp leads 234-236 are connected to the circuit board. It can be extended transversely to 216.

  Another alternative lamp module 1700 is disclosed in FIG. The lamp module 1700 is substantially the same as the lamp module 401, with two differences. The first difference is that the circuit board 1702 is illustrated as a rectangular circuit board, not a triangular circuit board 216. It will be appreciated that the circuit boards 216, 1605, 1702 described herein may be of any shape, and thus the shape shown is merely an example. The shape of the circuit board is determined by the housing to which the circuit board is mounted, and further, the shape and dimensions of the circuit board accept the electrical components of the circuits 1400, 1500 with the smallest possible volume if volume is important. It is thought to be chosen to get. For components and assemblies where a large volume is available, the circuit board can be large.

  The second difference of the lamp module 1700 is that the heat absorber 1704 extends across the bottom outer surface of the LED lamp 218, while the heat absorber of the lamp module 401 extends only along the tab of the heat absorber. When the heat absorber is attached to the lens side of the LED lamp 218, a partial heat absorber 220 is required. However, since the endothermic body 1704 extends over the entire length of the LED lamp, the large surface area provided by the fins 1706 (only a portion of which is indicated by a number) can cause one or more emitters 404, 404 '( 4 and 14) provide a substantial heat dissipation path.

  Another alternative LED lamp module 1800 is disclosed in FIG. The lamp module 1800 includes an LED lamp 218. The LED lamp module 1800 is different from the module 401 in that the LED lamp 218 is inserted into the connector 1802. Connector 1802 has contacts 1803-1805 that electrically connect to and mechanically engage the ends 1808-1810 of leads 234-236. Contacts 1803-1805 are connected to a circuit 1812 having circuits 1400, 1500, which is connected to a wire 1813 of a car wire harness. Further, the LED lamp 218 of FIG. 18 is attached to an active heat sink 1820 illustrated as a Peltier cooler. The Peltier cooler can be provided using any suitable commercially available Peltier cooler. The Peltier cooler has a hot surface 1822 and a cold surface 1824. The low temperature surface 1824 is disposed in contact with the heat absorbing member 400 of the LED lamp 218. The hot surface of the Peltier cooler is located away from the LED lamp. The Peltier cooler is connected to a passive heat sink (not shown) such as a passive heat sink 1704 (FIG. 17) to allow sufficient heat dissipation and ensure the most effective operation of the cooler. It is preferred that A connector 1802 can be used to embody the female connector 205 (FIG. 2).

  To maximize reliability and manufacturing / assembly flexibility, high power LED lamps should be structured to optimize compatibility with solderless connection mechanisms such as connectors, sockets, headers and other receptacles. Can do. In this environment, the end of the high power LED lamp is manufactured with the dimensions of a male pin intended to mate with the female socket of the receiver. Includes pre-soldered printed circuit boards and others crimped to wires in wiring harnesses from companies such as Amp, Molex, Autosplice and other connector manufacturers Suitable female sockets are available in a wide variety of forms. An example of a two lead LED lamp connection to a conventional autosplice receptacle is shown in FIG. LED lamp 1900 is similar to LED lamp 218, but includes only two conductors 1901, 1903. Separating portions 1906, 1908 of conductors 1901, 1903 provide a stopper that limits the insertion depth of the conductors. Plastic connector 1920 includes metal contacts 1922, 1923 that terminate at crimps 1926, 1927, respectively. When the pins 1902 and 1904 of the conductors 1901 and 1903 are inserted into the socket, the contact bites into the end of the conductor and prevents the socket from being easily disengaged due to mechanical vibration, stress, etc. In this manner, the conductors 1901 and 1903 are securely held in the connector 1910. Lines 1930 and 1931 are part of the vehicle wire harness held in the socket by the crimping portions 1926 and 1927. Lines 1930 and 1931 and contacts 1922 and 1923 electrically connect the conductors 1901 and 1903 of the LED lamp 1900 to the electric circuits 1400 and 1500.

  The lamp 1900 can be easily inserted into a selected receptacle, eliminating the conventional soldering process normally required to connect the mechanical components to the printed circuit board. This can be done in applications where soldering is impractical (as in the case of simple circuits where printed circuit boards are not used) or by direct automated, proper insertion devices such as radial or axial mounting devices. Very useful in commercial offices that are not available. In one such configuration, by way of example only, the narrow portion of the pins 1902, 1904 of the conductors 1901, 1903 below the separating portions 1906, 1908 is a standard from an autosplice that requires a pin of this size. It is manufactured to have a cross section of 0.51 mm × 0.51 mm square so that it can be inserted into the receiving device. Another advantage of this configuration in some applications is the dimensional manufacturing tolerances provided by this connection method. For example, in the case of map lights or CHMSL, it is common for a high power emitter to achieve its directional and dimensional alignment through intimate contact with parts of the assembly such as a housing or support member. This can usually be accomplished with a snap connector working part, boss, flange or other structure integrated with the housing or support member. This housing with an integrated alignment working part can be produced, for example, by injection molding a thermoplastic resin. However, manufacturing changes and environmental thermal expansion / contraction can change the nominal dimensions and orientation of the support alignment and alignment means, resulting in the removal of the attached power semiconductor.

  Such desorption is permissible in itself, since it is common for design equipment to allow slight differences. However, in the most extreme case, this poses a problem since such desorption is transmitted to the connection point by means of the power semiconductor emitter conductor. If this electrical connection is extremely hard and weak, as in the case of PCB solder joints, the electrical connection may eventually become marginal, i.e. intermittent in response to its detachment. There is. Due to its inherent flexibility, the pin and socket configurations can circumvent this problem in a manner that is characteristically applicable to the LED lamp components and assemblies disclosed herein. Due to the unusually high luminous flux emitted by these LED lamps, conventionally one or two components can be used when several rows of LEDs are required. Since the number of electrical connections is greatly reduced compared to devices using prior art LED lamps, it is necessary to use mass connection techniques such as soldering to printed circuit boards (PCBs) in each application. Absent. Due to the small number of connections, it is possible to use socket fittings where soldered connections are the only practical solution. Thus, in some embodiments, it may be used with a socket connector to obtain the characteristically applicable interconnection advantages associated with the high power emission of LED lamps advantageously used herein. An LED lamp having a lead can be disclosed. For example, connector 1910 can be used to implement connector 205 (FIG. 2).

  Another signal mirror 2000 (FIG. 20) includes a thin transparent element 2008 bonded to a circuit board 2001 cut from commercially available printed circuit board material. The transparent element 2008 can be the only transparent element of a single element mirror or the second transparent element of an electrochromic mirror. The thin transparent element 2008 is preferably bonded to the layer 2006 of the circuit board 2001, which is a layer of conductive material, and etched to include a heater element for the mirror. The intermediate layer 2004 of the circuit board is formed of a substrate material having excellent electrical insulation as is well known in the art. The upper layer 2002 of the circuit board is another conductive layer. As can be seen from FIG. 20, a hole 2012 is formed in the circuit board 2001 to receive the lens 2015 of the LED lamp 2016 and provide a light path through the printed circuit board.

  The LED lamp 2016 is preferably directly attached to the upper layer 2006 of the printed circuit board with the heat absorbing member oriented parallel to the surface of the mirror layer 2006. A selective element 2010 is disposed between the lens of the LED lamp 2016 and the transparent layer 2008 to allow the light emitted by the LED lamp 2016 to be about 20 to about 20 to as described above with respect to the LED lamp 218 of FIG. Redirection can be made at a desired angle, such as 50 °. Biasing elements using suitable commercially available means such as light control films, holographic light elements, holographic diffusers, diffraction gratings, Fresnel lenses etc. commercially available from 3M 2010 can be provided. Each of these elements can be used with an LED lamp 2016 mounted parallel to the rear face of the mirror so that light can be redirected in the desired direction. The reflector 2017 is disposed at a position circumscribing the lens 2015 of the LED lamp 2016 in the hole 2012 so that the intensity of light emitted through the element 2010 can be increased.

  The signal mirror 2000 takes advantage of the material properties of the printed circuit board so that a thin mirror can be implemented. The chip manufacturing industry has developed technology that provides PC boards and computer disks (CDs) that are characteristically very flat and highly desirable for mirror carriers. A thin mirror using a circuit board as a carrier is a “lightweight electrochromic mirror” filed by Roberts et al. No. 09 / 270,153, co-pending application entitled “LIGHT WEIGHT ELECTROCHROMIC MIRROR”. The flatness specification of the PC board is widely available in the industry and can be obtained from any manufacturer. This flatness varies depending on the thickness and grade / quality of the purchased PC board. The PC board is selected according to the desired hardness and weight conditions for its application.

  The specification for the printed circuit board is such that each of the conductor layers 2002, 2006 must provide electrical continuity over its entire surface area. A circuit that connects the LED lamp 2016 to other circuits can be etched in the upper layer 2006 of the printed circuit board 2001. One skilled in the art can disconnect the circuit using a removal method in which the conductive material is removed from the conductive layer using, for example, a chemical or laser etching process. It will be understood. Alternatively, circuit layer 2002 may be added to non-conductive substrate layer 2004 using an additional method in which a conductive material is coated on non-conductive substrate 2004. Similarly, the conductor layer 2006 can be etched to provide traces of the heater element, or a conductive strip can be added by coating the substrate layer 2004.

  The signal mirror 2000 utilizes, for example, a conductor layer 2002 of a circuit board that can be a copper layer to provide a heat absorber for the heat absorbing member 2018 of the LED lamp 2016. In the illustrated embodiment, the endothermic member is positioned against an optional spacer 2020 that must be thermally conductive. A spacer is provided to ensure thermal coupling over much of the surface area of the endothermic member overlapping the conductor layer 2002, the spacer can be any suitable material having a low thermal resistance, and a metal spacer, It can be an adhesive or any other suitable material. The heat absorbing member 2018 is bonded to the spacer (when the spacer is provided by an object other than an adhesive or an adhesive tape), and the spacer is bonded to the conductor layer 2002. By attaching the LED lamp 2016 using a thermally conductive adhesive and spacer 2020, the thermal coupling to the layer 2002 will provide an additional large heat dissipating surface for the LED lamp 2016.

  The circuit board 2001 comprises a circuit board conductor layer that can provide several functions for LED lamps, circuits and mirrors. The conductor layer can comprise conductor traces to which the electrical leads of the LED lamp 2016 can be attached. The conductor layer can provide an additional endothermic body to which the endothermic member 2018 is thermally connected, and the conductive traces of the layer 2006 can provide a heater that removes moisture from the surface of the mirror. . The circuit board 2001 can also be used as a carrier for the transparent element 2008, and the circuit board structure provides a strong and flat surface so that the transparent element can be very thin. The mirror can include first and second surface reflector coatings on the transparent element.

  FIG. 21 shows a signal mirror substantially similar to the signal mirror 2000 in which the LED lamp 2100 is attached to the rear part of the circuit board 2101. The LED lamp 2100 differs from the LED lamp 2016 in that the lens 2115 of the LED lamp 2100 is offset with respect to the emitter 2013 while the mitter 2013 is aligned with the center of the lens 2015 of the LED lamp 2026. Due to this lens displacement, the highest intensity optical axis of the lamp 2100 is oriented at an angle β with respect to the front surface of the transparent element, while the highest intensity optical axis 2030 of the LED lamp 2016 is directed to the transparent element 2008. It is oriented at right angles to it. In addition, an opaque coating 2110 may be provided on a portion of the mirror window area to provide a light barrier that prevents direct light transmission from the LED lamp 2100 toward the driver. This angle β can be from 0 to 70 °, conveniently in the range of 20 to 50 °, most preferably in the range of 30 to 40 °.

  Although not shown, in either the signal mirror 2000 or 2100, the circuits 1400 and 1500 are attached to the conductor layer 2002 and electrically connected to the LED lamps 2016 and 2100 by traces (not shown) etched in the layer 2002. It will be understood that Although not shown in FIG. 21, the shifted lens 2115 of the LED lamp 2100 can be used in combination with the biasing element 2010 of FIG.

  One alternative signal mirror 2200 including an LED lamp 218 attached to the bezel is illustrated in FIG. The signal mirror 2200 includes a bezel 2202, a mirror 2204, and a carrier 2206. The mirror 2200 can be any type of mirror, including electrochromic, bi-color, single element, multiple element, flat, convex and / or aspheric. The carrier 2206 has any suitable structure such as one formed from an organic polymer, one obtained by punching out a metal, and the like. The bezel 2202 can be formed from an organic polymer, stamped from metal, or any other suitable manufacturing method, and the bezel and carrier can be made of the same or different materials. it can. The bezel includes an opening 2208 shown positioned in the lower right corner of the mirror, which may be the bottom center, bottom left corner, top left corner, top center, top right corner, or any in between. You may arrange | position in arbitrary positions in a bezel like a position. The lens 2208 can be transparent or colored and can have any suitable structure, such as molded from an organic polymer. It is conceivable that the lens is formed of a red transparent plastic such as acrylic resin or polycarbonate, and a red-orange LED lamp is attached so that the light can be directed outward. The lens 2210 is attached to the opening 2208 of the bezel 2202 using a fastener, an adhesive, an adhesive tape, or the like. It will be understood that if the lens is colored, it will be a filter.

  The LAMP module 2220 disposed at the rear of the lens includes an LED lamp 218 having a lead bent at a right angle so that it can be inserted into the opening 2225 of the circuit board 2222. The heat absorbing member 223 of the LED lamp 218 is attached to the passive heat absorbing member 2224. In the illustrated embodiment, the LED lamp module 2220 is mounted adjacent to the mirror 2204 within its air gap. The LED lamp 218 is mounted parallel to the lens and a biasing element such as a biasing device 2010 is placed between the lamp and the lens, or the lens is a Fresnel lens that directs light from the driver to the viewing area C (FIG. 1). can do. The LED lamp module 2220 is extremely compact, resistant to vibration damage and can be mounted in a bezel, but strong enough to be easily visible in both daytime and nighttime ambient light conditions. Sufficient light is generated to generate the signal. Module 2220 can be attached to carrier 2206 within region 2240 using fasteners such as tape or snap connectors or the like. A snap connector (not shown) can be integrally formed within the bezel and extend outwardly therefrom. The snap connector snaps over the ramp 218 to hold the module 2200 on the bezel. Alternatively, region 2230 includes an integrally molded socket, and in particular can include a recess shaped to receive lamp 218 and heat sink 2224 and is mated with leads 234-236. A female connector can be included so that the circuit board 2222 can be omitted. The endothermic body 2224 can be active or passive. Further, the LED lamp 218 attached to the bezel can utilize air flowing around the periphery of the mirror so that heat dissipation can be increased. This can be done, for example, by placing the endothermic member 2224 in a position juxtaposed with the peripheral edge 2232 of the bezel, and this effect is such that the region of the bezel adjacent to the endothermic body has a low thermal conductivity. It can be improved by doing. It is commercially available by embedding a thermally conductive material in the bezel 2202 adjacent to the endothermic body or under the trade name CoolPoly from Chip Coolers Incorporated, and more particularly conductive This low thermal conductivity can be achieved by molding a bezel with a thermally conductive polymer such as a polymer composite available as material E2 and dielectric material D2. Thus, the LED lamp module including the heat absorbing member connected to the heat absorbing body provides a small lamp that fits in the bezel and can generate bright light, which includes a mirror attached to the door, and more Specifically, it is provided in a package that can be expected to have a long life even when subjected to the type of thermal and mechanical shock experienced around the periphery of such mirrors.

  The signal mirror 2300 (FIGS. 23 to 25) includes a bezel 2301 having a light pipe at one end thereof. The lamp 218 is mounted in the bezel to provide light directly, which is the case in the configuration of mounting in the bezel of FIG. 22 that will reduce the size of the reflective surface of the mirror in some situations. Unlike signal mirror 2300, LED lamp 218 is placed behind mirror 222 and light pipe 2302 is used to emit light through surface 2304 at the front of the mirror. The LED lamp 218 inputs light at one end of the light pipe 2302, which focuses the light at one end 2304 that is visible from the viewing region C. In this configuration, the LED lamp 218 illuminates the bezel itself, and the bezel need not accept the lamp at its periphery, and can be made very small.

  The light pipe 2302 can have any suitable structure such as molded from acrylic resin, polycarbonate, or the like. As illustrated in FIG. 24, the light pipe includes integrally formed ribs 2309 that extend the length of the light pipe and hold the mirror surface 227 in an interference fit. A high power LED lamp 218 is attached to one end of the light pipe with the lens 230 oriented in the light pipe. The heat absorber 1704 is attached to the rear part of the LED lamp 218. The electrical leads of the LED lamp 218 can be plugged into a connector 1802 or receptacle 1910, which is preferably attached to the interior of the connector / socket or attached to the circuit board to which the socket / connector is attached. Circuits 1400 and 1500 are included. The mirror 222 can be aspheric, convex, flat, electrochromic, bicolor, single element reflector, etc., and like the bezel lamp 2220 of FIG. It is compatible with any commonly used type of mirror.

  The bezel arms 2312, 2314 extend substantially perpendicular to the bezel shoulder 2318, such that the bezel arm and the bezel shoulder provide a substantially U-shaped integral member. The bezel arms 2312, 2314 and shoulder 2218 can be of any suitable conventional manufacturing method, but are preferably integrally formed of an organic polymer and the bezel is preferably manufactured of an elastic material. The ends of the top and bottom arms 2312, 2314 of the U-shaped member each have protruding fingers 2313, 2315 to be inserted into respective complementary holes 2319, 2321 at the other end of the light pipe.

  In order to assemble the bezel 2301 to the light pipe 2302, the light pipe 2302 in which the LED lamp 218 and the heat absorber 1804 are assembled to the light pipe 2302 is slid to the end of the mirror 222, and the mirror is in contact with the rear part of the light pipe 2302 and the rib 2309. So that it is lightly squeezed between. The light pipe 2302 can be fixed to one end of the mirror using an adhesive, a connector, an interference fit, or the like. The top arm 2312 and the bottom arm 2314 of the bezel are attached to the light pipe by inserting the fingers 2313, 2315 into the holes 2319, 2321. The top and bottom can be secured to the light pipe 2302 using fasteners such as adhesive, tape or mechanical connectors. The bezel arms 2312 and 2314, the shoulder 2318 and the light pipe 2302 form a bezel 2301 that circumscribes the mirror 222. The bezel 2301 and the mirror 222 can be secured to the carrier 2316 using an adhesive.

  FIG. 23 also discloses an LED lamp 2320 attached to the neck or “sale” of the mirror for use as a keyhole illuminator and / or paddle lamp. The LED lamp 2320 can be embodied using LED lamp modules 401, 1600, 1700, 2800 or any of its components and is arranged to emit light through the opening 2322. The LED lamp 2320 can be attached to the bracket 204 (FIG. 2) so as to provide a heat sink for the LED lamp. This can be achieved by attaching the heat-absorbing member of the LED lamp 2320 to a metal mounting bracket made of a suitable thermally conductive material. It may be desirable to connect the LED lamp to the bracket using a thermally conductive, non-conductive material. Alternatively, the LED lamp 2320 can be attached to the rear mirror housing or shell 2308 in the mirror post or some other component. The circuits 1400 and 1500 are preferably attached to a circuit board to which the LED lamp 2320 is connected. If it is desirable to provide a lamp below the mirror, an LED lamp 2324 provided at the neck or sail can be provided in place of or in addition to the LED lamp 2320. This may be desirable when the post surface faces the driver. In such situations, providing a lamp on the mounting bottom of the post that attaches the mirror generates light towards the ground adjacent to the car door, and in some cases, on the door handle without illuminating the car driver. Will turn.

  Referring to FIGS. 26-28, the mirror 2600 includes a keyhole illuminator 2602 and an optional LED lamp 2604. The keyhole illuminator generates light that illuminates the door handle 2702 (FIG. 27) and keyhole 2704, or alternatively, light that is directed toward the ground so that a paddle lamp can be realized. A power LED lamp 2606 is provided. The keyhole illuminator 2602 includes a high power LED lamp 2606 disposed behind the window 2610. The LED lamp 2606 may include one or multiple emitters (not shown) below the encapsulating lens 2812 (FIG. 28). The LED lamp 2606 preferably generates white light, in which case one or more phosphor emitters, a binary complementary colored emitter, and red, green and blue that are activated to generate white light. Including emitters.

  Referring to FIG. 28, the lens 2812 of the LED lamp 2606 is preferably of a relatively small diameter that produces focused light that can be aimed at the area to be illuminated. Alternatively, if a lamp is used to generate paddle illumination light, the lens will have a large diameter that generates substantially less in-focus light. Keyhole illuminators or paddle lamps are activated in response to proximity detectors, remote keyless entry, manual operation of door handles, vehicle stops, etc. Can be switched to inactive.

  The keyhole illuminator 2602 is preferably provided with a reflector 2800 to concentrate the light generated by the LED lamp 2606 on the side of the door attached to the door handle 2702 or keyhole 2704. The reflector 2602 (similar to the reflector 2017 of FIG. 20) can be implemented using any suitable conventional structure, such as the structure of a conventional blinking light reflector, or reflective. The inner surface of the vessel can be provided by applying a highly reflective coating such as chromium to the inner surface of a molded organic polymer body or any other suitable structure of a hard body. The reflector is held against the LED lamp 218 by any suitable means such as using adhesives, fasteners, snap-fit fittings, compression fit between the mirror 222 and the LED lamp 218, and the like. The reflector 2800 preferably circumscribes the lens 214.

  An optional LED lamp 2608 that provides an auxiliary turn signal / braking signal indicator to the mirror 2600 can be implemented as described above for the LED lamp 218 of FIGS. The LED lamp 2608 is attached to the rear part of the window part 2612 (FIG. 26). The LED lamps 2608 and 2606 are small in size and can receive the two lamps between the mirror 2601 and the mirror housing body 2603. Each of the LED lamps preferably includes heat sinks 2814, 2804 to increase heat dissipation from the LED lamps, thereby increasing the current capacity and output strength of the LED lamps.

  Although two LED lamps 2606, 2608 are shown in mirror 2600, a single LED lamp can be used to provide both a paddle lamp / keyhole illuminator and an auxiliary signal indicator. . In particular, the LED lamp can comprise a plurality of emitters of different colors. Driving separate emitters with independent signals allows the controller to change the color of the light generated by the lamp. To provide white light, use dual complementary (eg, yellow and blue emitters), red-green-blue (ie, red, green and blue emitters) or phosphor coated chips in LED lamps Can do. In order to generate white light, all of the emitters are activated. To generate red light, only the red-orange emitter is activated. In order to generate yellow light, only yellow is illuminated. In the case of binary complementary white light where yellow and blue emitters are used, yellow, blue and white light is easily generated by selectively activating the emitters. The emitter can be actuated to generate a color of light that matches the main turn signal and braking signal lamps in the car.

  Another multiple ramp signal mirror 2900 is disclosed in FIGS. 29a-29b. The illustrated signal mirror 2900 includes a mirror assembly 2902 (FIG. 29b) having a lamp module 401 arranged to emit light through a transparent element 2906 through a window 2910 in a reflector surface 2908. . The LED lamp 218 is attached to a circuit board 216 (not shown) and has a heat absorber 220. The LED lamp 218 is preferably of a type that emits red-orange light, yellow light, light of the color of the main signal lamp, and the like. The LED lamp 218 is attached to the carrier 2911 using a snap-type connector (not shown), an adhesive, an adhesive tape, a mechanical fastener such as a screw or a clip formed integrally with the carrier 2911 during the molding. It is conceivable to attach the heat sink to the transparent element 2906. A mirror assembly 2902 including a carrier 2911, a transparent element 2906, a reflector surface 2908, and an LED lamp 218 is held on a motor 208 (not shown), which is mounted to support the bracket 204 and It is mounted in the mirror body housing 2915 in the same manner as described above with respect to the signal mirror 100.

  The mirror body housing 2902 is molded from transparent polycarbonate or other suitable transparent material. The inner surface of the mirror has a coating 2930 that is, for example, an opaque paint that matches the exterior color of car A. Those skilled in the art will recognize that this is an approach that is significantly different from those commonly used to manufacture vehicle housings. Typically, the outer surface of the housing is painted in a color that matches the color of the car body. After the paint has dried, a clear coating is applied over the paint. A significant advantage of painting the inner surface of the mirror body housing is that there is no paint flaking or scratching when the paint is on the inner surface. The prior art is prone to scraping or scratching when an object that scatters at high speed hits the surface. Such a state causes slight damage to the surface of the mirror body housing, but the surface damage can be smoothed. A further advantage when the mirror includes a lamp that emits light through the housing is that windows such as windows 2930, 2932, 2934, 2936 need only be provided in the paint coating. For example, by applying a masking material such as tape to the window areas 2930, 2932, 2934, 2936 before applying the paint coating to the inner surface of the mirror housing, and after applying the paint, the windows are opened. The window can be formed by removing the tape. The LED lamps 2920, 2922, 2924, 2926 can then support the mirror body housing adjacent to the window, which will transmit light through the transparent body housing.

  Conveniently, the mirror body housing 2902 is formed to include one or more integral lens structures. For example, the lenses 2933, 2935, 2937 can be integrally formed with the transparent housing at the location where it is desired to mount the LED lamp during molding of the housing, or alternatively, after forming the housing, The lens can be cut into the mirror body housing 2915 using any suitable conventional means such as a laser etch process. The lens will be described in more detail below with respect to the lamp used with the lens.

  LED lamp 2920 is mounted adjacent to the inner surface of mirror housing 2915 at window 2930 aligned with lens 2933. LED lamp 2922 is attached to mirror housing body 2915 adjacent window 2932 aligned with lens 2935. The LED lamps 2920, 2922 are preferably attached to the inner mirror housing using respective mounting brackets or sockets 2940, 2944. Each of the LED lamps 2920, 2922 can be implemented using a respective lamp module 1800 without using a Peltier cooler 1820. Accordingly, each of the LED lamps 2920, 2922 includes a heat absorbing member 400 attached directly to the rear walls 2924, 2945 of the bracket / sockets 2940, 2944, respectively. In addition, each of the LED lamps 2920, 2922 is connected to a respective connector 1802 (not shown in FIGS. 29a-29d). A respective conductor 1813 for each of the sockets 1802 associated with each of the LED lamps 2920, 2922 is attached either to the controller 304 or directly to a car direction indication signal controller (eg, a car signal bus). Yes. Circuits 1400, 1500 for each of the LED lamps 2920, 2922 are mounted in their respective connectors 1802. The LED lamps 218, 2920, 2922 may all be connected to receive different control signals, but are preferably connected to receive a common control signal.

  In operation, LED lamps 218, 2920, 2922 provide turn signal repeaters. The highest intensity optical axes of the three signal lamps are intentionally substantially different angles. As used herein, a substantial angle means an angle separated by at least 5 °, and may be an angle separated by, for example, 15 ° or more. By providing such a light distribution, the light source has better visibility over a wider viewing angle than can be achieved with a single lamp. Furthermore, by combining the lenses apart and at different angles with the use of LEDs with high power capability at a distance, the LEDs look like a single light. The diffuser lenses 2933, 2935 expand the viewing angle, and the LED lamps 2920, 2922 generate very bright light, so that this light is visible even under low ambient light conditions.

  More specifically, FIG. 29d shows a plot of equal candela of LED lamps 218, 2920, 2922 for car A. As can be seen in this drawing, the LED lamp 218 generates a light intensity distribution 2960 that is easily visible within the range of the viewing angle C around the highest intensity optical axis 2916. The LED lamp 2920 generates light dispersed by the lens 2933 and forms a wider intensity distribution state 2961 around the highest intensity optical axis 2917. The LED lamp 2922 similarly generates light dispersed by the lens 2935, resulting in a light intensity distribution state 2962 around the highest intensity optical axis 2918. In these equal candela plots, line 2960 represents where the intensity of the light emitted by LED lamp 218 is a specific equal intensity. Similarly, line 2961 represents the point at which the intensity of light emitted by LED lamp 2920 is a certain equal intensity. Line 2962 represents the point where the intensity of the light emitted by LED lamp 2922 is a certain equal intensity. It will be appreciated that the candela plots of the combined LED lamps are different as light from the lamps is added. Nevertheless, as can be seen from this distribution, the LED lamps 218, 2920, 2922 generate a distribution of light that is visible around the mirror 2900 from an angle of 180 °. This distribution is achieved by providing slightly different optical elements to the LED lamp 2922 and / or moving the LED lamp 2922 toward the front surface of the mirror body housing 1915 so that the LED lamps 2920, 2922 are further separated. Can be improved. Further, if desired, the LED lamp 218 can be a low power LED lamp or LED lamp array that emits light through multiple openings or dichroic mirrors. Further, two or more LED lamps can be used in the mirror housing body. However, the high power LED lamp with heat sink disclosed in US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,795 is a single LED lamp in the mirror body housing that can be viewed from the LED lamp 218 or from the rear. Or it can be used with lamps in mirrors such as incandescent lamps, allowing signal repeaters to be viewed from a substantially wider angle, thereby allowing legal standards for signal repeaters in countries that require a wider viewing angle Can be satisfied.

  The LED lamp 2924 is attached to the front side of the mirror body housing 2926 and faces the front of the car. The LED lamps can generate high power infrared (IR) light for communication or camera devices, light for turn signals / braking light repeaters, or any other desired light. The lamp is arranged so that light can be emitted through the window 2934 of the mirror housing 2915. Infrared LED lamp 2926 can generate IR light that can be used by the on-board camera during low ambient light conditions, and the strong IR radiation increases the range of the camera. Another preferred application is the use of IR transceivers, such as IR communication devices, where the intensity of IR rays directly affects the quality of the communication signal, thereby affecting the reliability of the communication link. give. An example vehicle application using high power LEDs where reliable communication signal quality is important is a drive-through toll payment booth where the toll is paid without stopping. The use of high power LED lamps increases the range of the IR link, making communication more reliable, extending the time for the car to communicate with the toll payment device and significantly reducing the chances that the toll machine will not operate To do. Emitters that generate visible light and emitters that generate IR light are mounted within the same LED lamp 2924 and a separate controller is provided to control the LED lamp 2924 to control visible light and communication for signal and / or illumination purposes and It is further conceivable to generate IR light for illumination purposes.

  The LED lamp 2926 (FIG. 29c) is mounted flush with the window 2940 on the inner surface of the bottom wall of the mirror body housing 2915. The LED lamp 2926 is a paddle lamp that illuminates the area below the mirror, and preferably generates light directed downward so that the area adjacent to the door of the car A can be illuminated. The LED lamp 2926 can be placed anywhere along the length of the mirror housing so that it can be anywhere between the mirror post and the end of the mirror away from the car. . Thus, it can be seen that a great degree of freedom in the position of the LED lamp on the mirror housing is allowed. This LED lamp is preferably a high-power white LED lamp, and most preferably an LED lamp having a heat absorbing member 2926 disposed with respect to the heat absorbing body 2950. LED lamp 2926 contacts the inner surface of housing 2915 aligned with lens 2937. The lens 2937 is a large-radius lens that illuminates a wide illumination area. The LED lamp uses any suitable means such as a transparent adhesive (not shown), a mechanical fastener such as an integrally molded snap connector or screw, or a bracket attached to the housing 2915. It can also be attached to the inner surface of the mirror housing body.

  Each of the LED lamps 2920, 2922, 2924, 2926 can be attached to brackets 2940, 2944, 2946, 2948, while the brackets are attached to the interior of the mirror body housing 2915. Mounting brackets or sockets 2940, 2944, 2946, 2948 may be attached to the mirror housing body using mechanical fasteners such as adhesives, mounting brackets and / or snap connectors integrally formed with the mirror body housing 2915, etc. Attached to the inner surface. The mounting bracket can be molded from an organic polymer, stamped from a metal or metal alloy, or manufactured by any other suitable means. It is contemplated that the mounting bracket can be molded integrally with the mirror housing body 2915. In the illustrated embodiment, the rear walls 2942, 2945, 2946 are thermally conductive but not conductive. If the bracket is molded from a dielectric material, the thermally conductive material can be dispersed in the non-conductive material to provide a thermal path through the rear walls 2942, 2945. For example, the plastic bracket can be impregnated with a metal piece such as a copper piece. The bracket or socket 2948 can include a hole through which the heat sink 2950 protrudes. The endothermic body 2950 can be embodied using, for example, the endothermic body 1704 illustrated in FIG.

  Bracket / sockets 2940, 2944, 2946, 2948 provide an enclosure that seals the LED module against water, dust, and the like. In addition, the bracket / socket can be opaque to prevent ambient light from being transmitted through the windows 2930, 2932, 2934, 2936 and visible from outside the mirror. The enclosures 2922, 2924 are attached to the inner surface of the mirror housing using adhesives, adhesive tape, fasteners or any other suitable means.

  In operation, the LED lamps 218, 2920, 2922 form a turn signal repeater that regenerates a blinking light synchronized with the car's main turn signal. The turn signal repeater can be selectively illuminated with a constant light so that the braking light of the car can be repeated, if desired. LED lamp 2946 can be connected to an IR communication device associated with car A so as to provide a light power IR transmitter. The endothermic member and endothermic body allow the IR transmitter to generate a very strong communication signal. Finally, the paddle light 2926 in the housing 2915 can be used in place of or in addition to the paddle LED lamp 201. Thus, the paddle lamp 2926 can be activated in response to a proximity detector, a remote keyless entry signal, a manual operation of a door handle, a vehicle stop, etc., and automatically after a predetermined time has elapsed. Can be disabled.

  An internal signal mirror 3000 is shown in FIGS. The internal signal mirror 3000 is of a type that generates information within the window 3002 of the mirror 3004. The mirror 3004 can be any type of mirror such as that illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9-13, and is preferably an electrochromic mirror. The displayed information can be any information useful to the driver, such as tire pressure information or vehicle travel direction information, if the vehicle includes an automatic tire pressure device. The example display 3002 displays whether the car is moving towards that combination, such as N (north), S (south), E (east) or W (west), NE (northeast) as shown. To generate a signal. The electrochromic mirror can be embodied using any suitable electrochromic mirror. The image is generated by a backlit liquid crystal display (LCD) 3100, which is, for example, a reverse mode callable LCD. The LCD is controlled so that an image can be formed by acting as a shutter that selectively blocks light transmission. Thus, back lighting is used to emit bright light in areas where the LCD does not attenuate light. In this way, the LCD operates to generate graphic images, alphanumeric images, video images or video images.

  The LCD 3100 is attached to the rear surface of the electrochromic mirror element 3004 using a transparent optical coupling medium 3006. In particular, the optical coupling medium is about 1.5 which is substantially commensurate with the refractive index of adhesive number 4910 extreme ultraviolet (UV) cured silicone or epoxy resin or third surface transparent member 222 commercially available from 3M. A transparent pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) such as a thermoplastic PVB laminate having a refractive index of A transmissive diffuser 3106 is selectively mounted behind the LCD so that light generated by the high power LED lamp 2200 can be diffused. This allows the LED lamp 2200 to be placed close to the LCD panel 3100, which is necessary when the mirror 3000 does not have a deep depth behind the LCD panel 3100. The LED lamp 2200 may include a lens 3110 having a large radius. Alternatively, the LCD can be illuminated using a flat lens LED lamp 3200 (FIG. 32) that generates scattered light due to the wide beam arising from the flat surface 3201. As described above, the lens has a very large diameter, and the lens slightly focuses the emitted light, but it is conceivable to disperse the light over the entire area of the LCD panel 3100. . If such relatively out-of-focus light is combined with a weak diffuser 3106, the entire surface of the LCD panel is illuminated, and the generated image is easily bright, even through an electrochromic mirror that includes a semi-reflective window. Guarantee that it is visible. The emitter (not shown) in the LED lamp 2200 can be chosen to generate any desired color, thus generating white light, or shaded red-orange, blue, yellow, etc. Produces light that matches the color of the car's internal light, which can be any color other than white.

  The LED lamp 3110 (FIG. 31) is mounted together with the mirror 3004 in a common housing. The LED lamp can be mounted inside the housing by conventional means such as, for example, an integral mounting bracket, snap connector, adhesive, one or more screws.

  The mirror 3000 (FIG. 30) preferably includes map lamps 3012, 3014 disposed at the bottom of the mirror so that the front seat of the car A can be illuminated. These map lamps are preferably realized using high power LEDs with heat sinks that can be mounted within a very small volume within the mirror housing 3009. In particular, the map lamp 3014 is disclosed in “Optical Assembly for Semiconductor Illuminator Illuminators” filed on Jul. 2, 1998 by John Roberts et al., Which is incorporated herein by reference. It can be implemented using a non-prism optical assembly according to US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 109,527, entitled “Assembly for Semiconductor Lighting Device Illuminator”. The map lamp 3012 can be implemented using a prismatic optical assembly disclosed in US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 109,527. Most preferably, the optical assembly is modified to accept one or more LED lamps having heat absorbing members as described below with respect to FIGS.

  Next, some additional components and assemblies of the vehicle will be described with respect to the vehicle 3300 illustrated in FIG. 33 and the vehicle 3400 illustrated in FIG. The car has a large number of lamps, any and all of which preferably employ LED lamps with heat sinks that generate brighter light than can be generated by conventional LEDs. . In particular, the car 3300 includes a driver side signal mirror 100 and a passenger side signal mirror 3302. The drive-side signal mirror 100 has been described in detail in the various embodiments described above, and includes a paddle lamp 201 and a window portion 223 for the LED lamp to emit light. Passenger side signal mirror 3302 can be implemented using a conventional passenger side mirror, such as an aspherical mirror, which emits light from an LED lamp (not shown) and paddle light 3304. A signal lamp window 3303 is further provided. The lamp and window portion 3303 of the signal mirror 3302 can be the same as the LED lamps 218 and 201 and the window portion 223 of the signal mirror 100, for example, according to any of the embodiments described herein. Can be The CHMSL 3306 can be arranged to emit light through the rear window 3308 or, in the case of a car, can be attached to the trunk or the rear fin, but is located at the rear of the car 3300 attached at a position adjacent to the rear window. It is shown in the state. CHMSL using endothermic LED lamps attenuates light from lower power lamps to a detrimental degree, and only slightly emits bright light with the desired light pattern even through the type of privacy glass currently used in cars. It will be appreciated that it can be characteristically generated from only a few LED lamps. The rear mirror 3000 is mounted in a conventional manner such as being mounted in the car and secured to the windshield or headliner of the car. The car also includes a tail lamp / braking lamp 3310, a turn signal lamp 3312, and a reverse light 3314. The license plate illuminator 3316 is disposed in the adjacent rear hatch of the license plate 3318. The car 3400 includes signal mirrors 100 and 3302, a brake light 3310 ′, a direction instruction signal 3312 ′, a reverse light 3314 ′, and a CHMSL 3406. The car also has cargo lights 3404, 3408 that illuminate the car floor (the car 3400 shown is a pickup truck), and as shown, the CHMSL 3406 and the cargo lights are integrated into the lamp assembly 3402. Has been.

  More specifically, the CHMSL 3306 includes a housing 3500 (FIG. 35). Although the housing is illustrated as an elongated box, it can be in any shape desired by the car designer. The housing 3306 can be by any suitable conventional manufacturing method, such as molding with an organic polymer. The LED lamps 3502-3505 are attached to a printed circuit board 3506 attached to the housing 3500 using mechanical fasteners, adhesives or any other suitable mechanism. Optional member 3508 is illustrated as a rectangular and generally flat opaque shroud shaped to extend over the entire housing opening, except for the lens portions of LED lamps 3502-3505. Member 3508 comprises, for example, a molded black plastic strip, paper or, optionally, a reflector by a manufacturing method similar to that used to manufacture a type of flickering reflector that extends around a flickering lamp. Can do. If member 3508 is a reflector, it will be understood that this member is shaped to reflect light from LED lamps 3502-3505 forward through lens 3509. A lens 3509 is provided on the housing and extends above the opening to work with the LED lamp to generate the desired light pattern for the CHMSL 3306, as will be described in more detail below. The lens is manufactured from a transparent or colored material, and can be formed from, for example, a transparent red acrylic resin or polycarbonate.

  Still referring to FIG. 35, LED lamps 3502-3505 are preferably high power LED lamps of the type including heat absorbing members 3510-3513. Each of the LED lamps 3502 to 3505 preferably includes one or more red-orange emitters (eg, reference numeral 3604 in FIG. 36) attached to the heat absorbing members 3510 to 3513. The emitter for each of the LED lamps is arranged to emit light through lenses 3514 to 3517. The lens has a radius of curvature that produces a light beam that is normally focused. The respective heat absorbing members 3512 to 3513 of the LED lamp are disposed on the respective heat absorbing bodies 3520 to 3523. The heat sink can be etched from the conductive layer of the circuit board 3506 using conventional circuit etching techniques, especially if the circuit board has conductive layers on both sides thereof, or the heat sink can be It can be formed by coating a circuit board substrate so that a thermally conductive plate can be formed on the outer surface of the conductive substrate. The electric wires 3525 to 3527 of the LED lamps 3502 to 3505 (only one LED lamp is indicated by a reference number to reduce the complexity of the drawing) are bent so as to extend through the bias of the circuit board 3506. It can be electrically connected to a circuit 3612 (FIG. 36) directly attached to the rear. Conductive wires 3525-3527 are electrically connected to circuit 3612 by circuit traces etched into the conductive layer at the back of the circuit board by conventional means. The circuit 3612 can embody the circuits 1400 and 1500, for example.

The lens 3509 is preferably a large radius cylindrical surface or non-spherical surface. The lens can be colored or transparent.
To assemble the CHMSL 3306, the circuit 3612 and the LED lamps 3502 to 3505 are attached to both sides of the circuit board 3506. In particular, the exposed surface of the heat-absorbing member at the lower part of each of the LED lamps 3502 to 3505 is juxtaposed with the respective heat-absorbing bodies 3520 to 3523 of the circuit board, and the respective lead wires 3526 to 3527 of the lamp are soldered to the circuit board. The circuit boards snap-fit the two into the illustrated connectors 3600, 3602, but more than one connector can be provided, the actual number depending on the hardness and dimensions of the circuit board Will be understood. The shroud is preferably elastic and may be bent and inserted slightly between the protruding tabs 3614, 3616 and held in the housing by the tabs 3600, 3602 when released. . Respective openings 3536 to 3539 are aligned with each of lenses 3514 to 3517 to allow light generated by the LED to pass through. Optional lens 3509 is attached to housing 3500 using mechanical fasteners, snap fittings, adhesives, and the like. The lens closes the housing and provides considerable environmental protection against insects and dust.

The CHMSL criteria for candela released at different angles is shown in FIG. Center C is 0 °, which is 0 in the drawing, and represents a candela released linearly from the center of CHMSL. The central section represents the candela released at an angle of 5 ° upward and 5 ° downward from the center and 5 ° to the left and 5 ° to the left of the center. The area of the U-shape in the left direction is 5 ° and 5 ° down, 10 ° and 5 ° left, 10 ° left, 10 ° left and 5 ° up, 5 ° left and up Including points with 5 ° direction. The area of the U-shape with respect to the right side of the central section corresponds to the left point. The ribbon traversing the top includes points 10 above the center at five intervals from left 10 ° to right 10 °. The number of each axis in the figure represents the candela (cd) that needs to be released in each direction, and the actual amount of emission must be at least 60% of the number given for each point. Thus, the emitted light in a direction extending linearly from the center of CHMSL must be at least 15 candela. Further criteria are that the total value of region 1 is at least 125 cd, the total value of points in region 2 is 98 cd or more, the total value of points in region 3 is at least 98 cd, and the total value of points in region 4 is at least 32 cd. It must be. A further criterion is the minimum area of the CHMSL is that must be at least 29.0322cm ² (4.5 in ^2). Another criterion is that the total output is 130 cd or less at an angle greater than or equal to point 25 from any measurement point in a field where the total output extends 10 ° upward and 5 ° downward and 10 ° to the left and 10 ° to the right. It is. The maximum value is measured within 60 seconds in the “on” state within a temperature range of 18 to 38 ° C. The minimum value is measured when either the thermal equilibrium state where the ambient temperature is in the temperature range of 18-38 ° C or 30 seconds first occurs.

  A ray plot of an candela using a double red-orange chip LED lamp embodied in accordance with US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,795, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, is shown in FIG. is there. In particular, this plot shows that the emitter is a cube, the lens has a radius of 2.5 mm, the center is 0.4 mm from the top of the body curve, and the aperture is 4.9356 mm at the top of the cube. The cube height is 3.8 mm, and the distance from the top of the cube to the base of the lens is 2.77 mm for LED lamps. The illumination profile of this LED lamp is shown in FIG. As can be understood from FIGS. 38 and 39, the focused output is directional. It has a strength of about 13 cd at a viewing angle of 0 ° and decreases to 0 cd at an angle of 45 ° or more. This strength is about 8 cd at an angle of 10 ° to the left or right. This strength is about 11 cd at an upper angle of about 10 °. Since the output of the LED lamp is additive, a pair of such LEDs can be used to generate the required CHMSL signal strength. The LED lamp showing the plot is attached to the circuit board so that the upper layer of the circuit board provides the heat sink. Thus, providing four LEDs allows for redundancy and allows a significant degree of freedom when implementing CHMSL. In particular, the power supply to the LEDs can be reduced, a single chip LED can be used instead of a double chip LED, and CHMSL using only four LED lamps can be placed behind a dark privacy glass. And still generate the required intensity of light. This output can be further increased by improving the heat absorber.

  Referring to FIGS. 40 a and 40 b, the CHMSL and cargo lamp assembly 3402 has a circuit board 4000 within the housing 4002. LED lamps 4004 and 4005 provide illumination light for the left cargo lamp 3404. LED lamps 4006 to 4009 provide illumination light for CHMSL. LED lamps 4010 and 4011 provide illumination light for the right cargo lamp. Each of the LED lamps can be embodied using an LED lamp having a heat absorbing member. The LED lamps are mounted in the same manner as described above with respect to CHMSL 3306, and each of the LED lamps has a heat absorbing member provided on heat absorbing material 4021-4027 disposed on the surface of the printed circuit board. The LED lamps 4004, 4005, 4010, 4011 preferably direct light down towards the floor of the car 3400, while the CHMSLLED lamp emits light as described above with respect to FIG. This downward illumination light is provided using optical means when the cargo light LED lamps 4004, 4005, 4010, 4011 are mounted in parallel to something like a common circuit board for the CHMSL lamps 4006 to 4009. It is possible. An example of an optical assembly that can be used will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The cargo lamp assembly 4302 (FIG. 40a) includes the LED lamps 4004 to 4011 described above. Alternative mounting configurations for LED lamps 4004-4011 are described with respect to LED lamp 4004 in FIG. 40b. The LED lamps 4005 to 4011 can be mounted in the same manner as the LED lamp 4004, or all or part of the LED lamps 4004 to 4011 can be mounted in the same manner as the LED lamps 3502 to 3505. The LED lamp 4004 (FIG. 40b) includes an endothermic plate 4030, an electrically insulating layer 4032, a circuit board 4000 ′ having a dielectric substrate layer 4036 and a conductive layer 4034, and a thermally conductive non-conductive layer 4038. Yes. The circuit board 4000 ′ in this configuration has holes formed at attachment positions for the LED lamps 4004 to 4011. Each of these holes is preferably larger than each heat absorbing member of the LED lamp. Each of the LED lamps is attached to the circuit board at its non-conductive side, and the bent portion 90 of the conductor is inserted into the bias of the circuit board. The conductors are electrically connected to the conductors of the conductor layer 4034 of the circuit board 4034, and these conductors are formed by etching the conductor layer 4034, applying conductive ink to the substrate layer 4038, or providing a conductive coating. The An elastic, thermally conductive, conductive material layer 4038 is inserted into the lower opening of the LED lamp. Layer 4038 is commercially available from Bergquist and may be provided using a pre-formed thermal coupler such as a cut silicon-based resistive material identified as Silipad 600. it can. Adhesive may be applied to both sides of the material 4038 so that the adhesive adheres to the LED lamp and circuit board or heat sink plate 4030. Further, when a screw (not shown) such as a nylon screw is inserted through the heat absorbing member and circuit board and tightened into the threaded hole of the heat absorbing plate 4030, it is held in place or in a bolt (not shown). accept. If the circuit board thickness is 1.5748 mm (0.062 inch) and the siripad thickness is 0.2286 mm (0.009 inch), the LED lamp, the layer 4038 and the plate are tightened into engagement. Bolts and screws can be used. The thermally conductive material can include a thermally conductive adhesive coating to adhere the layer to the heat absorbing member 4040.

  The electrical insulation layer 4032 is coated with an endothermic body at least in the region of the endothermic member that would otherwise contact the conductive layer 4034 of the circuit board. The insulating coating can be any suitable dielectric, such as porcelain, powder, a suitable polymeric adhesive, and the like. The hole in the circuit board and the heat absorbing member are preferably larger than the heat absorbing member 4040 so that the maximum amount of heat can be conducted to the plate 4030 through the circuit board, but they may be formed smaller. Smaller openings can be provided to allow the heat absorbing member of the LED lamp to be attached to the surface of the circuit board, for example.

  Another alternative mounting configuration for LED lamps 4004-4011 and LED lamps 3502-3505 is illustrated in FIGS. 40c and 40d. This alternative mounting configuration will be described with respect to CHMSL and cargo lamp assembly 3402. The configuration of FIG. 40c is adaptable to CHMSL lamps 3502-3505 and 4006 and 4007, while the configuration of FIG. 40d provides the desired downward radiant illumination for LED lamps 4004, 4005, 4010, 4011. It will be recognized. In this alternative mounting configuration, the circuit board 4060 is mounted in the housing 4002 generally at a right angle to the CHMS LLED lamps 4006-4009. Thus, the conventional automated radial direction of the conductors 4041, 4041 ', 4043', 4043 ', 4045', 4045 '(denoted by reference numbers only for the lamps 4004, 4006 for convenience of drawing) of the LED lamps 4004 to 4001. An insertion device can be used to insert into the circuit board. As illustrated in FIG. 40c, the LED lamps 4006 to 4009 are attached to the heat sink 4070 using a suitable adhesive, such as a thermally conductive adhesive. The heat absorber is supported on the housing 4002 by legs 4072 and 4074. The legs are attached to the housing 4002 by feet 4076, 4078 that can be attached using any suitable conventional means such as fasteners, adhesives, and the like. The heat sink shall be of any suitable structure and material having a low thermal resistance and providing a heat dissipation path from the LED lamp emitter to the surrounding environment, and also a metal such as copper, aluminum or aluminum alloy It can be formed by punching out or molding from a heat conductive material.

  The cargo light LED lamps 4004, 4005, 4010, 4011 are attached at an angle directed downward as illustrated in FIG. 40d. This downward angle is provided by bending the leads 4041, 4043, 4045 so that the LED lamp can be focused on the floor of the car 3400. LED lamps 4004, 4005, 4010, 4011 have heat sinks 4080 attached directly to the lamps, which are used to focus the light on the desired illumination area of the car 3400 floor. Supported on reflector 4082. The reflector can be of any suitable structure, such as a molded organic polymer with a chromium coating, or any conventional structure such as that used to form a flickering light reflector. . As can be appreciated, the LED lamp and reflector are oriented downward. The reflector can be attached to the enclosed part of the LED lamp, the housing 4002 and / or the lens 3509 ', and such attachment should be done using a mechanical connector such as an adhesive, adhesive tape, snap connector or screw, etc. Can do.

  The lens 3509 ′ is embodied using a large radius, cylindrical or aspherical member that is transparent at the wavelength of interest, and if the LED lamps 4006-4009 include red-orange or red elements. The element can be transparent over its entire length. For example, the lens 3509 'can be molded from a transparent polymer material such as an acrylic resin and can include a diffusing surface on the outside of the element. The advantage of using a transparent lens 3509 'with a red LED is that it is transparent when the brake light area is not illuminated by the LED, and it becomes red when illuminated, thereby illuminating and non-illuminating. It provides a significant contrast between the states. A disadvantage of the transparent element is that it expects the braking light to be red when some viewers are not illuminated. Thus, the lens can be transparent above the cargo lamps 3404, 3408 regions and red above the CHMSL 3406 region.

  An optical assembly 4100 that can be used to generate downward cargo lamp light from the LED lamps 4004, 4005, 4010, 4011 of FIG. 40a or to generate light from the map lights 3012, 3014 of FIG. This is illustrated in FIG. The optical assembly is used with a high power LED lamp 4102 and an optical assembly 4100. This optical assembly is described in co-pending US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 109,527, but has been modified herein to accept a high power LED lamp that includes a heat absorbing member. The LED lamp 4102 has an emitter 4104 attached to the flat upper surface of the heat absorbing member 4106. The heat absorbing member 4016 is mounted flat on the circuit board 4110. The heat absorbing member 4106 is juxtaposed with the heat absorbing layer 4112 on the substrate 4114 of the circuit board 4110. Emitter 4104 is covered by a transparent encapsulating portion 4108 that is preferably cylindrical so that it can be received within TIR 4117, 4202. In particular, the optical assembly includes one or more columnator lenses 4116, 4020 (two shown), one or more TIR lenses 4117, 4202 (two shown) and a prism 4118. The columnator lens and TIR direct light emitted from the emitter 4106 forward, and the prism redirects the light at a desired angle. The final surface 4130 of the optical assembly is preferably a diffuser. The emitter 4104 may be a phosphor LED chip that generates white light, an LED using red, green and blue elements or a dual complementary LED emitter. A respective LED lamp is disposed in each of the TIRs 4116, 4204.

  It will be appreciated that the optical assembly 4100 including the prism 4118 is used for the map light 3014, while the prism for the map light 3012 is omitted. The prism 4118 can be made a non-prism type by changing the angle of the surface 4130 to extend at right angles to the light generated by the columnator lens 4116 (FIG. 41) and TIR 4117. Further, each of the map lamps 3012, 3014 may be implemented using a single LED lamp, providing only half of the optical assembly 4100 or providing two or more LED lamps using the entire optical assembly 4100. Can be done. It will be appreciated that the optical assembly accepts more than two LED lamps by adding a columnator lens and TIR on the longer housing for each additional LED lamp.

  A plot of equal candela emission rays for a binary complementary white lamp embodied in accordance with US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,795, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, is illustrated in FIG. In particular, this plot is for an LED lamp having a lens with a radius of 4.25 mm. The illumination profile of this LED lamp is shown in FIG. The LED lamp has a conductor layer that provides a heat absorber and is attached to a circuit board. It can be seen that two such LED lamps generate sufficient illumination light. With further heat absorption, the LED lamp can generate substantially more light.

  The lamp assembly 4500 (FIGS. 45-47) can be used to generate a dome ride, brake light, turn signal, license plate illuminator or any other light. The lamp assembly includes a housing 4502 having an integral socket 4504 that receives a lamp 4506. Side walls 4510 to 4513 circumscribe the socket and extend upward to define a rectangular opening. The LED lamp 4506 can be implemented using any suitable high power LED, and is preferably implemented using a high power LED lamp having an integral heat sink, And may be embodied according to US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,795. The LED lamp includes a heat absorbing member 4520, an emitter (4602 in FIG. 46) held on the heat absorbing member, and an enclosing portion 4522 that covers the emitter. Electrical leads 4523, 4524 are bent downwards so that they extend outward from the encapsulated portion and can be connected to contacts 4530, 4531. The socket 4504 includes openings 4532 to 4535 for four conductors (only two of them) in the LED lamp and respective contacts (only two of them 4530 and 4531 are shown) into which the conductors are inserted. The contacts 4530, 4531 are mounted on a circuit board 4540 that can include, for example, contact pads 4542-4545 to which the respective contacts (only 4530, 4531 are shown) are connected. The circuit component 4550 is connected to the circuit board at its lower surface and can be directly attached, in particular according to conventional techniques. When fully assembled, contacts 4530, 4531 hold the LED lamp 4520 in the socket as best illustrated in FIG.

  A reflective coating 4550 (FIG. 46) is applied to the inner surfaces of the side walls 4510 to 4513. This coating and / or housing can be made of a thermally conductive material that extends into the socket to provide a large heat spreader for the LED lamp 4506. The heat absorbing member of the LED lamp 4506 is attached in translation with the heat absorbing member so as to facilitate the removal of heat from the emitter of the LED lamp. The diffusion lens 4604 is attached to the housing 4502. The lens can be manufactured according to known conventional techniques and can be molded, for example, from transparent polycarbonate or acrylic resin.

  One skilled in the art will appreciate that the shape of the housing 4502 can be varied to provide dimensions appropriate for the application. Furthermore, for applications such as license plate illuminators, the reflectors and lenses can be small and have a low profile shape. The number plate illuminator is shaped to direct light to the number plate while blocking light emitted directly from the rear of the vehicle. It will further be appreciated that the lamp can be assembled to include one or more sockets 4504, or that the socket can have space to receive one or more lamps. In either case, one or more lamps can be received in the socket to generate more light.

  A step-down circuit is illustrated in FIG. The step-down circuit provides a regulated current for the CHMSL LED lamp, paddle lamp, map lamp, license plate illuminator, reverse light, turn signal indicator lamp, braking lamp or any other lamp in the car. Supply. This circuit was filed on Oct. 22, 1999 by Robert Turnbull, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, “Power Supply to an Electrochromic Mirror in a High Voltage Automotive Power Device. US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 426,794, co-pending “POWER SUPPLY FOR ELECTROCHROMIC MIRRORRS IN HIGH VOLTAGET AUTOMOTION POWER SYSTEMS”. The circuit 4800 includes shunt transistors Q5, Q6 and is preferably different from the circuits of other US patent applications in terms of the value of capacitor C5. In particular, the transistors Q5 and Q6 are connected in parallel with the respective emitters D7 and D8. These emitters can be, for example, binary complementary LED chips that are chosen so that both can generate white light. Alternatively, the emitters can be of different colors chosen such that they are two chips that together generate the desired color or generate the same color of light. The current controller 4802 generates a control signal input to the shunt transistors so that the outputs of the shunt transistors Q5, Q6 can be dynamically adjusted. A shunt transistor can be used to deactivate the LED lamp 218 'by choosing a sufficiently small capacitance value for the output capacitor C5. In addition, shunt transistors Q5, Q6 can be used to adjust the current in each of the emitters by changing the current in parallel bypass paths through the transistors. In addition, one or both transistors Q5, Q6 can be deactivated so that the entire current flows through the respective LED emitters connected in parallel. In this way, the control device can control the current flowing through the transistor switch and the LED lamp. This means that in an application such as a signal mirror direction indication signal repeater, the LED is blinked in response to a control signal generated by the controller 304 of FIG. Useful when it is desirable. Furthermore, the light output of the LED lamp 218 'used for lighting is automatic so as to generate an "opera" effect in response to manual control by the user or when the lamp is deactivated, the light gradually turns off. Therefore, the desired strength can be controlled. Another application where independent LED emitter control is desirable is when it is necessary to change the color of the LED lamp. When two or more different colored LED chips are used in a single LED lamp, the current input to each of the LED lamps can be independently changed to change the color emitted by the LED lamp. is there. For example, white light can be generated from a lamp under one condition and color light can be generated under another condition. For example, by selecting yellow and blue emitters, both emitters can be activated to produce binary complementary light, while only one of the LED lamps can be illuminated to produce blue or yellow light. . In these and other applications, independent current control is possible for the emitters connected in series. The use of binary complementary color emitters to generate white light is described in “Light Emitting Diodes” issued to Robert et al., Dated September 8, 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. US Pat. No. 5,803,579, entitled “ILLUMINATOR ASSEMBLING INCORPORATION LIGHT MITTING DIODES”.

  Although the disclosed circuit 4800 is for series connected emitters, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the circuit can be modified to accept a common cathode LED lamp as well. In the case of a general cathode emitter, the transistors Q5 and Q6 are connected in series with the respective emitters, unlike the parallel connection shown. Furthermore, instead of the emitters 1502 and / or 1504, an emitter may be provided by connecting a plurality of emitters in parallel.

  The lamp housing disclosed throughout this application can be made of a thermally conductive material. The housing for lamps 3306, 6406, 4500 is considered moldable using the above-described thermally conductive polymer materials, such as those commercially available from Chip Coolers, Inc., Warwick, Rhode Island, for example. It is done. The heat sink of the LED lamp can then be attached directly to the housing so that an effective heat sink can be achieved without the use of additional components. Alternatively, the housing may be thermally conductive so as to help increase heat dissipation from the lamp assembly even when other endothermic techniques are used.

  Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof, numerous modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, more light-powered LED lamps that include endothermic members are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,497,306, 5,361,190, and 5,577, incorporated herein by reference. The performance can be remarkably improved by adopting a mirror structure such as 788,357. Further, although these devices have been disclosed with respect to vehicle applications, the lamps disclosed herein are equally applicable to home, industrial, business and other environments and are therefore disclosed herein. Many applications for the lamp assembly would be possible. Accordingly, it is intended to be limited only by the scope of the claims and not intended to be limited in any way by the details and constructions that describe the embodiments described herein.

It is a figure of the two cars which drive | work an adjacent traffic lane. It is a disassembled upper perspective view which shows the signal mirror of the car of FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the mirror according to FIGS. 1 and 2, showing the circuit used in the form of a block diagram; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the lamp module along plane 4-4 of FIG. 6 where the lamp module can be used in the signal mirror of FIGS. FIG. 5 is a side view of the lamp module according to FIG. 4 arranged adjacent to the rear face of the mirror. FIG. 6 is an end view of the lamp module of FIGS. 4 and 5 positioned adjacent to the rear surface of the mirror. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along plane 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing the mirror subassembly. 8 is an exploded side isometric view showing the mirror subassembly according to FIG. 7. FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along plane 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing one alternative mirror subassembly. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along plane 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing one alternative mirror subassembly. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along plane 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing one alternative mirror subassembly. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along plane 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing one alternative mirror subassembly. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along plane 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing one alternative mirror subassembly. FIG. 7 is a schematic circuit diagram showing a lamp circuit that can be used with the module according to FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. 7 is a schematic circuit diagram showing one alternative lamp circuit that can be used with the module according to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a side view of one alternative embodiment of a lamp module according to FIGS. FIG. 6 is an upper isometric view of another alternative embodiment of a lamp module. FIG. 6 is an upper isometric view of another alternative embodiment of a lamp module. It is an upper perspective view of the lamp module combined with the 2-pin connect. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along plane 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing one alternative embodiment of the signal mirror subassembly. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along plane 7-7 of FIG. 3 showing one alternative embodiment of the signal mirror subassembly. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing one alternative embodiment of a signal mirror including a bezel signal lamp. FIG. 6 is a rear view showing another alternative embodiment of a signal mirror including a light pipe, a bezel signal lamp. FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view along plane 24-24 of FIG. 23 showing another alternative embodiment of a signal mirror including a light pipe, a bezel signal lamp. FIG. 25 is an exploded view of the bezel and mirror of the mirror assembly according to FIGS. 23 and 24. FIG. 6 is a rear view showing another alternative embodiment of a mirror that includes two lamps. FIG. 27 is a partial side view showing the vehicle according to FIG. 26; FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view along the plane 28-28 of FIG. 26 showing the mirror according to FIG. 29a is a side view showing another alternative embodiment of a signal mirror. 29b is a partial cross-sectional view along the plane 29b-29b of FIG. 29a showing the signal mirror according to FIG. 29a. 29c is a partial cross-sectional view along the plane 29c-29c of FIG. 29a showing the signal mirror according to FIG. 29a. 29d is a plot of the candela of the mirror according to FIGS. 29a to 29c. FIG. 6 is a rear view of an internal rear mirror showing another embodiment of a signal mirror. FIG. 31 is a side view schematically showing a rear illumination panel in the mirror according to FIG. 30. FIG. 32 is a sectional view along the center of the lamp module according to FIG. 31 with a flat lens surface. It is a rear view of a car. It is a rear view of a car. FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of the CHMSL lamp assembly for a vehicle according to FIG. FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view of the CHMSL according to FIG. 35 taken along plane 36-36 in FIG. FIG. 6 shows the required candela output of CHMSL at different angles. FIG. 5 is a plot of a rectangular iscandel of a red-orange chip LED lamp including a heat absorbing member. It is a plot figure which shows the rectangular light distribution candela of the LED lamp by FIG. 40a is a rear view of the CHMSL and cargo lamp assembly of the car according to FIG. 34 with the lens removed. 40b is a cross-sectional view of one alternative circuit board assembly along plane 40b-40b of FIG. 40a. 40c is a cross-sectional view illustrating one alternative embodiment of the CHMSL lamp assembly along plane 40c-40c of FIG. 40d is a cross-sectional view illustrating one alternative embodiment of the cargo ramp along the plane 40d-40d of FIG. 40a is a cross-sectional view along the same side 40b-40b of 40a showing the optical assembly for the cargo lamp of FIG. 40a and the map lamp of FIG. FIG. 42 is a lower perspective view showing the optical assembly according to FIG. 41; FIG. 6 is a plot showing a rectangular iscandela of a white binary complementary LED lamp including a heat absorbing member. FIG. 44 is a plot showing a rectangular light distribution candela of the LED lamp according to FIG. FIG. 35 is an exploded perspective view of a lamp assembly including an integral socket that can be used to embody the in-vehicle illuminator and indicator lamp according to FIGS. 33 and 34. FIG. 46 is a cross-sectional view of the lamp assembly according to FIG. 45 taken along the plane 46-46 of FIG. 47 is a partial plan view of the lamp assembly according to FIGS. 45 and 46, showing the lamps connected in the socket. FIG. It is a schematic circuit diagram showing a step-down power converter.

Claims (43)

In the mirror assembly,
A housing;
At least two lamp assemblies disposed in the housing, wherein one of the at least two lamp assemblies includes an LED lamp, and the LED lamp includes a heat absorbing member; Prepared,
A first lamp assembly of the at least two lamp assemblies is formed as a first illuminator, and a second lamp assembly of the at least two lamp assemblies is formed as a signal device or a second illuminator. The mirror assembly. In the mirror assembly,
At least one lamp assembly having an LED lamp, wherein the LED lamp has an emitter thermally coupled to a heat absorbing member;
A thermally conductive mirror component thermally coupled to the heat absorbing member of the LED lamp,
A mirror assembly, wherein the heat absorbing member and the thermally conductive mirror component carry away heat from the emitter. In the mirror assembly,
A mirror having a reflective surface;
A lamp positioned adjacent to the mirror, the lamp having an emitter and a lens, the lens having an optical axis with a peak intensity offset from the center of the emitter, and
A mirror assembly in which light generated by the emitter is emitted from a lens at an angle by the effect of the shift. The mirror assembly according to claim 2 or 3,
A housing;
At least two lamp assemblies disposed in the housing, wherein one of the at least two lamp assemblies includes an LED lamp, and the LED lamp includes a heat absorbing member; In addition,
A first lamp assembly of the at least two lamp assemblies is formed as a first illuminator, and a second lamp assembly of the at least two lamp assemblies is formed as a signal device or a second illuminator. The mirror assembly.   4. The mirror assembly according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising a thermally conductive mirror component thermally coupled to the heat absorbing member that carries away heat from the LED lamp. The mirror assembly according to claim 1 or 2,
A mirror having a reflective surface;
A lamp positioned adjacent to the mirror, the lamp further comprising an emitter and a lens, wherein the lens has an optical axis with a peak intensity offset from the center of the emitter;
A mirror assembly in which light generated by the emitter is emitted from a lens at an angle by the effect of the shift.   4. A mirror assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the at least one lamp is an LED lamp.   5. The mirror assembly according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the housing is formed as a housing for mirrors, direction indication signals, paddle lights, keyhole lighting or door handle lighting.   6. The mirror assembly according to claim 1, 2, 4 or 5, wherein the at least one LED lamp is mounted on a circuit board.   5. The mirror assembly according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the housing is configured to be mounted on a vehicle.   The mirror assembly according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a lens positioned proximate to the at least one LED lamp. The mirror assembly according to claim 1 or 4,
A keyhole illuminator disposed on a vehicle mounting portion, a direction indicating light, a paddle light, and a button of the housing, and the direction indicating light is disposed farthest from the vehicle mounting portion with respect to other illuminators. The keyhole illuminator is disposed closest to the mounting portion of the vehicle with respect to another indicator or illuminator, and the paddle light is disposed between the direction indicator light and the keyhole illuminator. , Mirror assembly. The mirror assembly according to claim 1 or 4,
The housing has a first housing portion and a second housing portion, and at least one first LED lamp having a heat absorbing member is attached to the first housing portion, and at least one second having a heat absorbing member. The LED assembly is attached to the second housing part.   3. A mirror assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one first LED lamp emits red light and at least one second LED lamp emits white light.   15. The mirror assembly according to claim 14, wherein the at least one second LED lamp comprises a phosphor white LED chip.   4. A mirror assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the at least one LED lamp comprises a binary complementary LED chip.   5. The mirror assembly according to claim 1 or 4, further comprising a reflector disposed within the housing, wherein an LED lamp is disposed behind the reflector.   5. The mirror assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 4, further comprising a thermally conductive coating on an inner surface of the housing, wherein the heat absorbing member is thermally coupled to the thermally conductive coating.   12. A mirror assembly according to claim 3 or 11, wherein at least a portion of the lens forms at least one selected from the group of diffractive lenses, refractive lenses, Fresnel lenses, pillow lenses, and combinations thereof. assembly.   6. The mirror assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 5, further comprising a TIR positioned adjacent to the at least one LED lamp.   4. A mirror assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising a diffuser.   12. A mirror assembly according to claim 3 or 11, wherein the lens comprises a spectral filter.   12. A mirror assembly according to claim 3 or 11, wherein the lens is red.   5. The mirror assembly according to claim 1, further comprising an endothermic body in the housing, wherein the endothermic member is disposed adjacent to the endothermic body. 6.   25. The mirror assembly according to claim 24, wherein the heat absorber is selected from the group consisting of passive heat absorbers, individual heat absorbers, active heat absorbers, heat absorbers integral with the housing, and combinations thereof. There is a mirror assembly.   26. The mirror assembly according to claim 25, wherein the heat sink is an active heat sink and is a Peltier cooler or a phase transition heat sink.   5. A mirror assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 4, wherein the at least one LED lamp is mounted on a receiver.   28. The mirror assembly of claim 27, wherein the receptacle is attached to a cable.   28. The mirror assembly according to claim 27, wherein the receptacle is at least partially integral with the housing.   5. A mirror assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 4, wherein the at least one LED lamp is soldered to a circuit board.   28. The mirror assembly of claim 27, wherein the receptacle is attached to a circuit board.   28. The mirror assembly of claim 27, wherein the receptacle is soldered to a circuit board.   5. A mirror assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 4, wherein the at least one LED lamp operates continuously above about 100 mW.   5. A mirror assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 4, wherein said at least one LED lamp generates 12 candela intensity light from a single LED lamp.   6. A mirror assembly according to claim 2 or 5, wherein the component of the mirror is a heat sink.   36. The mirror assembly according to claim 35, wherein the heat sink is an active heat sink.   36. The mirror assembly according to claim 35, wherein the heat sink is a passive heat sink.   6. A mirror assembly according to claim 2 or 5, wherein the component of the mirror is a thermally conductive polymer.   6. A mirror assembly according to claim 2 or 5, wherein the component of the mirror is a polymer composite.   6. A mirror assembly according to claim 2 or 5, wherein the thermally conductive mirror component forms a housing.   6. A mirror assembly according to claim 2 or 5, wherein the mirror component is formed of an electrically conductive material.   6. A mirror assembly according to claim 2 or 5, wherein the mirror component is formed of a dielectric material.   3. The mirror assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the LED lamp comprises an LED chip that is thermally coupled to the heat absorbing member and electrically insulated from the heat absorbing member.

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