Abstract:
The invention relates to a light comprising a carrier ( 3 ) which has at least one lighting means ( 4 ) and which is arranged behind a light pane ( 12 ). The aim of the invention is to form a light or a carrier which can be produced in a simple and economical manner and which can be mounted in a small space. The lighting means ( 4 ) are arranged on the carrier ( 3 ) in such a manner that they essentially correspond to the contour of the light pane ( 2 ) and the lighting means ( 4 ) is placed in a horizontal manner on one side of the carrier ( 3 ) so that the carrier ( 3 ) and the lighting means ( 4 ) require very little space. The carrier ( 3 ) and the light are used in motor vehicles.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a National Stage of International Application No. PCT/DE2004/000048 filed Jan. 16, 2004, which claims priority to German Patent Application No. DE 103 04 832.4 filed on Jan. 31, 2003. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a light, especially a rear light for motor vehicles, and a carrier, preferably for such a light. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to place the lighting means as close as possible to the contour of the light or light pane, it is known to attach the lighting means to partial plates that are situated in a stepped fashion in relation to one another and connected to one another by cable. This embodiment requires a large amount assembly effort and easily leads to assembly errors. The lighting means are also situated standing up from the plates, thus requiring a lot of installation space. 
     The object of the invention is to embody a light and a carrier of this kind in such a way that it is easy and inexpensive to manufacture and can be mounted in small installation spaces. 
     This object is attained by a light of the species-defining type and by a carrier of the species-defining type. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     As a result of the embodiment according to the present invention, the lighting means are situated at an edge of the carrier adjacent to the light pane so that they essentially follow the contour of the light pane. Since the lighting means are situated lying against the side of the carrier, the carrier with the attached lighting means takes up only a small amount of space. This allows the carrier according to the invention to also be easily accommodated in small installation spaces, even if the carrier is equipped with a large number of lighting means. 
     Other features of the invention ensue from the remaining claims, the specification, and the drawings. 
     The invention will be explained in greater detail below in conjunction with several exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings. 
     Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic section through a part of a light according to the invention, equipped with a lighting means carrier according to the invention, 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of another embodiment form of a carrier according to the invention, 
         FIG. 3  is a section along the line III-III in  FIG. 2 , 
         FIG. 4  is another embodiment form of a carrier equipped with lighting means in a depiction that corresponds to that in  FIG. 2 , 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of two adjacent carriers equipped with lighting means. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  shows a light, which is embodied in the form of a rear light for a motor vehicle. It has a housing  1  whose housing opening is covered by a light pane  2 , behind and spaced apart from which is situated a carrier  3 , which supports a large number of lighting means embodied in the form of LEDs  4 . Each of the LEDs  4  is associated with a segment  5   a , which is approximately parabolic in the view according to  FIG. 1  and constitutes part of a reflector  5  that is advantageously comprised of a single piece. The LEDs  4  are situated, as will be explained in greater detail below, preferably with approximately the same distance from the light pane  2 . The carrier  3  is preferably a printed circuit board and rests with a lower edge  6  against a bottom  7  of the housing  1 . The bottom  7  and the edge  6  have a step  8  in the middle. The carrier  3  can be situated edge-on and perpendicular to the light pane  2  and requires only a small amount of installation space. 
     In the exemplary embodiment shown, the upper edge  9  of the carrier  3  oriented toward the light pane  2  is denticulate in profile. It has right-angled, shoulder-shaped segments  10  spaced apart from one another, which are connected to one another by means of intermediate segments  11 . The segments  10  have a shoulder surface  12 , which extends obliquely in relation to the light pane  2  and transitions at an angle into a transversely extending shoulder surface  13 . The shoulder surface  13  adjoins the intermediate segment  11  at an obtuse angle, which in turn adjoins the shoulder surface  12  at an obtuse angle as well. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the intermediate segments  11  are longer than the shoulder surfaces  12  and  13 . The LEDs  4  are attached one after another to the edge  9  of the carrier  3 , preferably spaced equidistantly apart. The LEDs  4  are attached to the one side surface  15 , in the vicinity of the shoulder-shaped sections  10  of the edge  9 . As is clear from  FIG. 1 , the LEDs  4  are situated parallel to one another so that their longitudinal axes are parallel to the side surface  15  of the carrier  3 . As a result, the LEDs  4  rest snugly adjacent to the side surface  15  of the carrier. The LED contact feet, not shown in  FIG. 1 , are bent at angles and protrude through openings in the carrier  3 . On the other side of the carrier, the contact feet are connected to electrical conductor tracks in a known manner. 
     The LEDs  4  are arranged on the carrier  3  so that they protrude beyond the edge sections  13  in the direction of the light pane  2 . The carrier edge  9  extends in relation to the light pane  2  so that the LEDs  4  are situated in a series that follows the light pane contour. 
     The carrier  3  can also be integrally connected to the reflector  5 . 
     The embodiment form according to  FIG. 2  differs from the one in  FIG. 1  only in that the edge  6  of the carrier  3  oriented away from the light pane  2  is curved in an approximate S shape. As in the embodiment form according to  FIG. 1 , the opposite edge  9  is embodied as step-like, with the LEDs  4  situated in the vicinity of the shoulder-shaped segments  12 ,  13 . The LEDs  4  lie in a path that is curved convexly toward the outside, whose course corresponds to the contour of the curved light pane  2 . 
       FIG. 3  shows an enlarged depiction of the attachment of one of the LEDs to the side surface  15  of the carrier  3 . The contact feet  16  of the LEDs  4  are accommodated in a protected fashion inside an injection molded body  18  that is molded onto the LEDs. The injection molded body  18  advantageously has a flat contact surface  20  with which it rests against the side wall  15  of the carrier  3 . The injection molded body  18  with the LED  4  can be attached to the carrier  3  in any suitable fashion. It is also possible, with a corresponding embodiment, to mold the injection molded body  18  directly onto the carrier  3 . The carrier  3  is provided with insertion openings  21  to permit the contact feet  16  to pass through. The contact feet  16  are accommodated in a protected fashion inside the injection molded body  18 . On the plate side  17 , the contact feet  16  that have been inserted through the openings  21  of the carrier  3  are connected to the printed circuit tracks (not shown) in the manner described above, for example by means of soldering. 
     The LEDs  4  first come in the form of a lead frame strip in which the LEDs  4  are arranged in a row next to one another. The contact feet  16  of the LEDs  4  are first bent by 90°. The bent contact feet  16  are then extrusion coated to produce the injection molded body  18 , which is the shape of a block in the exemplary embodiment. The LEDs  4  are then individually fastened to the carrier  3  in the manner described above. In spite of their bent contact feet  16 , the LEDs  4  are brought perpendicularly to the side surface  15  of the carrier  3  and attached to it in the same way as conventional LEDs with straight contact feet. 
     The contact surface  20  of the injection molded body  18  permits the LEDs  4  to be perfectly aligned on the carrier  3  in relation to the light pane  2 . The radiation direction of the LEDs  4  corresponds to the main radiation direction of the light. 
     The fact that the carrier  3  is embodied in the form of a thin printed circuit board and the LEDs  4  lie flat against the carrier  3  allows the carrier to be mounted even in narrow lights. 
     The carrier  3 , which is embodied the same as the carrier according to  FIGS. 2 and 3  is provided with LEDs  4  along its edge  9  on both sides  15 ,  17 . The LEDs  4  spaced apart from one another on the carrier side  15  are situated in the gaps between the LEDs  4  spaced apart from one another on the carrier side  17 . The contact feet  16  of the LEDs  4  protrude through beyond the respective opposite carrier side  15 ,  17 . The LEDs  4  are each provided with an injection molded body  18  that corresponds to those provided in the preceding exemplary embodiments. 
     The two LED rows are spaced apart from each other by a distance that corresponds to the thickness of the carrier  3 . This makes it possible to accommodate a large number of LEDs  4  in an extremely small amount of space. By contrast with the exemplary embodiment shown, the LEDs  4  of the two rows can also be situated opposite the carrier from one another. 
     In the embodiment form according to  FIG. 5 , two essentially identically embodied carriers  3  and  3   a  are situated next to and spaced apart from each other. The carrier  3  is embodied the same as the carrier according to  FIG. 2 . It has the LEDs  4  spaced equidistantly apart from one another on its carrier side  15 . The other carrier  3   a  differs from the carrier  3  only in that it is slightly taller and, in the side view, is approximately trapezoidal in shape. The LEDs  4  are attached to the carrier side  15   a . The LEDs  4  are thus provided on the sides  15   a ,  17  of the two carriers  3 ,  3   a  that are oriented toward each other. Appropriate placement of the carriers  3 ,  3   a  in relation to each other allows them to be optimally adapted to the respective contour of the light pane  2 . Naturally, instead of the two carriers  3  and  3   a , wider carriers can also be used if larger light panes are used. 
     In the embodiment forms described above, the carrier  3 ,  3   a  is embodied in the form of a printed circuit board. Plates and the like, which support the LEDs  4  in the above-described manner can also be used as carriers  3 ,  3   a . The supply of current to the LEDs  4  can in this case be provided via lines that are attached to the plates in a suitable fashion. 
     The lighting means can also be incandescent lamps or other light-emitting elements. The different types of lighting means can also be used in combination. 
     The LEDs  4  are provided on the carrier  3 ,  3   a  so that their axes are parallel to one another. Depending on the application, the LEDs  4  can also be inclined in relation to one another in order to achieve a desired radiating effect. 
     The LEDs  4  can also, if necessary, be arranged on the carrier  3 ,  3   a  in an unevenly distributed fashion. Depending on the function of the LEDs  4 , they can be colored and emit colored light. The carrier  3 ,  3   a , with the LEDs  4  can, for example, be used for brake lights or turn signal lights. 
     The carrier  3 ,  3   a  with the lighting means  4  can be used wherever there is only a small amount of available installation space, e.g. inside the motor vehicle in places like the dashboard, the headliner, and the like. 
     The LEDs  4  can also be embodied without the injection molded body  18 . The contact feet  16  then protrude freely and are connected to the electrical supply line in the manner described above. 
     The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.