Patent Description:
Many different types of vehicle lighting assemblies having a light pipe have been described in the prior art. For example, <CIT> to George et al. discloses a light pipe assembly with a LED light source at one end. The pipe has a surface with an emitting portion and an overlay portion, along with a reflective secondary surface. <CIT> to Dubosc discloses an optical light emission system for vehicles comprised of two lighting subsystems with a light guide for mixing and homogenizing the two light sources. <CIT> to Basile discloses an LED unit for a vehicle lamp assembly having a housing, LEDs, a light pipe, and an optic structure. The optic structure is used to scatter light in a series of directions distal to the housing. <CIT> to Wehner discloses an LED lamp assembly with an array of LEDs that emit light onto a reflector, and the reflector reflects the light into a light beam. A light pipe is positioned in front of the reflector and receives light from a separate LED at its end.

Further prior art documents: <CIT> discloses an LED lamp assembly with an array of LEDs adjacent to a parallel light pipe followed by a diffusor plate. <CIT> discloses an LED vehicle lamp assembly comprising an array of LEDs adjacent to a light diffusor followed by an outer lens. <CIT> discloses a light emission device having a linear array of LEDs and two vertically arranged columnar transparent elements contacting each other and both being arranged longitudinally along the LED array. <CIT> discloses a similar arrangement of a light emission device where a focusing rod and a diffusing rod are positioned adjacent to and along each other, both rods being positioned along an elongated array of point light sources. The focusing rod focuses the light into an elongated light distribution pattern and emits the focused light into the diffusion rod that diffuses the light into an essentially uniform light intensity distribution pattern.

Other aspects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.

The invention provides a lamp assembly for a vehicle according to claim <NUM>. Embodiments of the invention are subject of the dependent claims.

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporated by reference herein and wherein:.

The drawing figures do not limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention.

The following detailed description references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is defined only by the appended claims.

In this description, references to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or "embodiments" mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or "embodiments" in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

Embodiments of this invention provide lighting arrangements for vehicle lamps, including lighting arrangements that are configured to generate multiple homogeneous lit line images and produce a uniform and high intensity light output. Specifically, the lighting arrangements include a line/string of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), at least one elongated optical member, e.g., at least one light pipe (which in the disclosed embodiments is a cylindrical light pipe), and optionally a diffusing element arranged between the LEDs and the at least one light pipe (e.g., optical films or sheets in the disclosed embodiment). These elements are arranged together in a vehicle lamp, such that each of the elongated optical members (e.g., cylindrical light pipes) acts as a lens that radially focuses light from the string of LEDs. In certain embodiments, the LEDs are configured to output animated lighting effects, and in some embodiments, the lighting arrangements are configured to provide a light output sufficient to meet automotive lighting requirements. However, different types of light sources other than LEDs may be employed without departing from the scope hereof.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary line-image lighting system <NUM>. Line-image lighting system <NUM> may be integrated with a vehicle lamp assembly, including but not limited to headlight and taillight assemblies, daylight-running lights (DRLs), center high-mounted stop lamps, multi-function light assemblies, fog lamps, and turn signals. A first light source 110A is for example a LED mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) <NUM>. An optical sheet <NUM> is disposed a predetermined distance D1 from the first light source 110A. At least one light pipe is disposed immediately adjacent the optical sheet opposite the light source. In this disclosure, the term "immediately adjacent" means that two objects are right next to one another without another structure in between; the two objects may or may not be touching each other, but any gap therebetween is small (e.g., at least one order of magnitude less than the distance D1).

In the embodiment depicted in <FIG>, a first light pipe 130A, a second light pipe 130B, and a third light pipe 130C are disposed immediately adjacent optical sheet <NUM> opposite the first light source 110A. Line-image lighting system <NUM> may include greater than three or fewer than three light pipes without departing from the scope hereof. First light source 110A is configured for transmitting light to pass through each of light pipes 130A-130C at an oblique angle between the vertical and transverse axes depicted in <FIG>. In other words, light emitted from first light source110A travels through light pipe substantially along a diameter of the light pipe, and the light exits and enters opposing sides of the light pipe depending on the angle at which the light enters. The arrangement of light pipes 130A-130C oriented vertically above first light source 110A, as depicted in <FIG>, contrasts with a typical light pipe arrangement where a light source projects light into an end of a light pipe for propagating light lengthwise along a longitudinal direction of the light pipe, e.g., via total-internal reflection (TIR).

In the figures, different portions of light beams emitted from light sources may be represented by arrows, which indicate a general direction of that portion of the light beam. For example, a first portion of emitted light from first light source 110A is represented by the arrow labeled 112A in <FIG>. The first portion of emitted light 112A passes through optical sheet <NUM> and first light pipe 130A to produce a first lit line image 132A. Similarly, a second portion of light 112B passes through the optical sheet <NUM> and the second light pipe 130B to produce a second lit line image 132B, and a third portion of light 112C passes through the optical sheet <NUM> and the third light pipe 130C to produce a third lit line image 132C. By employing a line of light sources lengthwise along each of light pipes 130A-130C, a pattern of light may be projected along the length of each light pipe as depicted in <FIG>. The lit lines may be represented by shaded regions with dashes to represent an illuminated appearance.

<FIG> illustrate a top-down view of various components of line-image lighting system <NUM>. Specifically, <FIG> shows the first, second, and third light pipes 130A-C; <FIG> shows the optical sheet <NUM> (with light pipes 130A-C removed from view); and, <FIG> shows the line/string of light sources (with light pipes 130A-C and optical sheet <NUM> removed from view). The lines labeled A-A' shown in <FIG> illustrate the location of the cross section depicted in <FIG>. The components, which are shown separately in <FIG>, are arranged together to form system <NUM>, e.g., as shown in <FIG>. In <FIG>, the components are depicted in straight lines along the longitudinal direction but each of the depicted components may be curved lengthwise along a curvilinear path to form a curvilinear lighting system for use in curved/swept vehicle lamp assemblies. <FIG> and <FIG> are best viewed together with the following description.

<FIG> is a top-down view of PCB <NUM> having a plurality of light sources 110A-<NUM> mounted thereto. Not all light sources are labeled in <FIG> for clarity of illustration. The plurality of light sources 110A-<NUM> are configured to provide a line/string of light sources (e.g., a linear array of LEDs) aligned along a longitudinal direction and arranged in a linear pattern. The plurality of light sources 110A-<NUM> are mounted on PCB <NUM> and intermittently spaced a predetermined distance apart from one another, such as the distance labeled "D2" in <FIG>. In some embodiments, the plurality of light sources 110A-<NUM> are arranged equidistant from one another on PCB <NUM> (i.e., each of the light sources 110A-<NUM> is a distance D2 apart from one another). In other embodiments, distances between light sources 110A-<NUM> may be non-uniform.

Each of the individual light sources 110A-<NUM> may be independently lit and unlit via a controller (e.g., see below description of controller <NUM> in connection with <FIG>) that is electrically and communicatively coupled with PCB <NUM>. Light sources 110A-<NUM> may be all of one type or of a plurality of types (e.g., sizes, colors, and/or intensities). In some embodiments, the light sources have a cone angle that is about <NUM>-degrees wide. In other embodiments, the light sources have a cone angle that is about <NUM>-degrees wide or about <NUM>-degrees wide. Smaller cone angles provide increased intensity compared to larger cone angles but reduce the area that is effectively lit.

<FIG> is a top-down view of optical sheet <NUM> configured to homogenize light. Optical sheet <NUM> is, for example, a diffuser or diffusing element, such as an optical layer or an optical film, which is an optically clear sheet/film made of plastic. Optical sheet <NUM> includes an array of light-modifying elements, such as an array of convex lenses that focus light according to a particular refractive power (e.g., the inverse of focal length). The array of light-modifying elements may be aligned in a particular direction throughout a respective sheet for smoothing light in a desired direction. As depicted in <FIG>, light-modifying elements <NUM> have a transverse alignment in which the light-modifying elements are aligned with the transverse axis of the optical sheet <NUM> for homogenizing light along the longitudinal axis. Not all light-modifying elements are depicted for clarity of illustration. In this manner, the light pipes 130A-130C are disposed perpendicular to the light-modifying elements <NUM> (i.e., the light pipes 130A-130C are disposed along the longitudinal axis) such that light emitted from the individual light sources 110A-<NUM> is smoothed along the longitudinal direction to provide a homogenous lit line image.

The light pipes themselves also contribute to smoothing the lit image. For example, each of the light pipes 130A-130C radially focuses the light received by light sources 110A-<NUM> and the optical sheet <NUM>, thereby collecting the emitted light and optically stabilizing the lit image, such that the lit image is visually consistent from various viewing angles. In certain embodiments, a plurality of optical sheets may be employed (see e.g., a first optical sheet 120A and a second optical sheet 120B described below in connection with <FIG>).

<FIG> is a top-down view of first, second, and third light pipes 130A, 130B, 130C. The light pipes 130A-130C are for example elongated optical members, such as cylindrical rods made of an optically clear plastic, e.g., polycarbonate (PC) or poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Each of the light pipes 130A-130C is arranged side-by-side adjacent to one another and disposed directly on top of the optical sheet <NUM> (see e.g., <FIG>). The various components described above are arranged for producing a lit line image along each of the light pipes 130A-130C, indicated in <FIG> as a first lit line image 132A, a second lit line image 132B, and a third lit line image 132C. Each lit line image 132A-C is configured to appear as an individual homogenous line of light that is easily distinguishable from a neighboring lit line image.

Returning to <FIG>, depending on the size, intensity, and cone angle of each of the light sources 110A-<NUM> and their distance D2 apart from one another, together with the distance D1 between the light source string and the optical sheet <NUM>, a desired pattern of lit line images 132A-132C is produced. For example, the distance D1 in the embodiment depicted in <FIG> is greater than a diameter of each of the light pipes 130A-130C. In some embodiments, the distance D2 is less than the distance D1. In certain embodiments, line-image lighting system <NUM> uses only one line/string of light sources 110A-<NUM> to provide a plurality of lit line images 132A-132C each having a uniform and high-intensity light output, while a plurality of lit line images are provided via a corresponding number of light pipes. For example, as described below in connection with <FIG>, two pair of lit line images are displayed.

Although <FIG> and <FIG> depict a straight line-image lighting system <NUM>, all of the components of system <NUM> (e.g., PCB <NUM>, optical sheet <NUM>, and light pipe <NUM>) may be curved lengthwise along a matching curvilinear path to form a curvilinear lighting system (see e.g., <FIG>).

<FIG> is a perspective view of a lamp assembly <NUM> having an exemplary line-image lighting system in which two pairs of lit lines are produced. For example, a first lit line image 132A and a second lit line image 132B are provided along an upper portion of the lamp assembly <NUM>, and a third lit line image 132C and a fourth lit line image 132D are provided along a lower portion of the lamp assembly <NUM>. An interior portion <NUM> of the lamp assembly <NUM> may include one or more light sources, lenses, and/or additional lighting features of a lamp assembly (not shown), such as components for providing automotive stop, turn, and taillight functions.

The first pair of lit line images 132A-132B are produced by a first line of light sources, similar to light sources 110A-<NUM> of <FIG>, aligned with a first optical sheet, similar to optical sheet <NUM> of <FIG>, and a first pair of light pipes, similar to first and second light pipes 130A-130B of <FIG>. The first pair of light pipes are disposed adjacent one another and the optical sheet opposite the first line of light sources, similar to the arrangement depicted in <FIG>. Similarly, the second pair of lit line images 132C-132D are produced by a second line of light sources, similar to light sources 110A-<NUM> of <FIG>, aligned with a second optical sheet, similar to optical sheet <NUM> of <FIG>, and a second pair of light pipes, similar to light pipes 130A-130B of <FIG>. The second pair of light pipes are disposed adjacent one another and the optical sheet opposite the second line of light sources, similar to the arrangement depicted in <FIG>. The first and second lines of light sources may each be operated independently, for example, via a controller (e.g., controller <NUM> of <FIG>). As illustrated in <FIG>, the two pairs of lit line images follow the curvature/sweep of lamp assembly <NUM>. The curvature/sweep of each pair of lit line images is achieved by the PCB, on which the light sources are mounted, having a matching curvature/sweep, and the optical sheet and pair of light pipes also having a matching curvature/sweep.

<FIG> is a side view of an exemplary spot-image lighting system <NUM>. Spot-image lighting system <NUM> differs from line-image lighting system <NUM> of <FIG> in that the light sources (e.g., light sources 110A-<NUM> on PCB <NUM>) are immediately adjacent the light pipe <NUM>. Therefore, the distance D1 depicted in <FIG> is negligible or substantially zero in system <NUM>. Also, optical sheet <NUM> is optional for system <NUM>. For example, the embodiment depicted in <FIG> is lacking an optical sheet, although optical sheets may be employed in other embodiments (see e.g., the embodiments of <FIG>). The lines labeled B-B' shown in <FIG> illustrate the location of the cross sections depicted in <FIG>, described below. The effect of the system <NUM> arrangement is that light emitted from each of the plurality of light sources 110A-<NUM> transmits through the light pipe <NUM>, as represented by arrows 112A-<NUM>, to form a plurality of lit images 134A-<NUM> displayed along the light pipe <NUM> as depicted in the top-down view of <FIG>.

<FIG> is a top-down view of spot-image lighting system <NUM> of <FIG>. Via the top-down vantage, only light pipe <NUM> is viewable since the underlying components (e.g., PCB <NUM>) are hidden from view. A plurality of spot images 134A-<NUM> are projected from the light pipe <NUM>, with each of the spot images 134A-<NUM> corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of light sources 110A-<NUM>. The light pipe <NUM> functions as a lens to collect and collimate light emitted from light sources 110A-<NUM>. By using light sources having a small emitting surface relative to a substantially larger diameter of light pipe <NUM>, most of the light emitted from light sources 110A-<NUM> is collected and collimated. The effect is to produce highly collimated and intense spots images or bands of light projected from light pipe <NUM>. In certain embodiments, light pipe <NUM>, having a sufficiently large diameter, efficiently collects the total light emission from each of the light sources 110A-<NUM> and light pipe <NUM> collimates the light so that substantially all of the emitted light is projected from light pipe <NUM>. Collimation of the light increases the intensity of the corresponding spot images 134A-<NUM> by focusing/collecting the light in a specific area. In contrast to the lit line images 130A-C of <FIG> and 132A-D of <FIG>, the lit images 134A-<NUM> of <FIG> do not merge to appear as a homogenous line but instead appear distinct from one another.

Another difference between spot-image lighting system <NUM> and line-image lighting system <NUM> of <FIG> is that only a single light pipe <NUM> is employed in system <NUM>, although additional light pipes may be used in some embodiments (see e.g., <FIG>). Although <FIG> depict a straight line-image lighting system <NUM>, all of the components of system <NUM> (e.g., PCB <NUM> and light pipe <NUM>) may be curved lengthwise along a matching curvilinear path to form a curvilinear lighting system, for use in e.g., curved/swept vehicle lamp assemblies. Since each of the light sources 110A-<NUM> is individually controllable (e.g., via controller <NUM> of <FIG>), a variety of animated lighting effects may also be achieved via system <NUM> as described below.

<FIG> provide a cross-sectional side view of system <NUM> of <FIG> in which the light sources are located on PCB <NUM> to direct light at different angles with respect to the light pipe <NUM> such that the direction of collimated light projected from the light pipe is shifted. The cross-sectional view depicted in <FIG> corresponds with the B-B' line shown in <FIG>. In <FIG>, light source 110A is disposed left-of-center with respect to light pipe <NUM> such that the light is directed at an angle across the light pipe <NUM>, as represented by the arrow labeled 112A, such that first lit image 134A is projected off-center across the light pipe <NUM> from light source 110A. In <FIG>, light source 110A is disposed substantially in the center of the light pipe <NUM> such that the light, indicated by the arrow labeled 112A, is directed substantially vertically, and the first lit image 134A is projected on top of light pipe <NUM>. In <FIG>, light source 110A is disposed right-of-center such that the light is directed at an angle across the light pipe <NUM>, as indicated by the arrow labeled 112A, such that the first lit image 134A is projected off-center across the light pipe from light source 110A. In addition to these examples, the light source 110A may be aligned in various ways for projecting light at various directions across the diameter of light pipe <NUM>. The appearance of the lit image 134A is oriented on light pipe <NUM> based on the position of the light source 110A on the opposite side of light pipe <NUM>. Along a line of light sources (e.g., light sources 110A-<NUM> of <FIG>), each light source may be independently positioned on PCB <NUM> such that the plurality of lit images 134A-<NUM> projected on light pipe <NUM> may be directed at various viewing angles.

Vehicle lamps typically have intensity requirements for inboard, outboard, upward, and downward viewing angles. By shifting the position of the light sources 110A-<NUM> on PCB <NUM> with respect to light pipe <NUM>, collimation of light may be directed to help meet these intensity requirements. For example, directing the lit images 134A-<NUM> is an important factor in enabling legal lighting requirements to be met (e.g., for DRL, stop/taillight and turn functions).

<FIG> are cross-sectional side views of spot-image lighting system <NUM> arranged with additional components to provide different exemplary line-image lighting systems <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> for producing different high power lit appearances. <FIG> are top-down views of lighting systems <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, respectively. <FIG> are best viewed together with the following description.

In <FIG>, line-image lighting system <NUM> includes components of system <NUM>, as described above in connection with <FIG>, and <FIG>, positioned beneath optical sheet <NUM>, as described above in connection with <FIG> and <FIG>. Optical sheet <NUM> smooths and spreads the lit images 134A-<NUM> shown in <FIG>. Based on an intensity of light from light sources 110A-<NUM>, a diameter of light pipe <NUM>, and a distance D3 between light pipe <NUM> and optical sheet <NUM>, a line image may be formed. For example, as depicted in the top-down view of <FIG>, the line image <NUM> is projected longitudinally along light pipe <NUM>. A width of the line image <NUM> is dependent on a diameter of the light pipe <NUM>.

In <FIG>, line-image lighting system <NUM> is similar to system <NUM> of <FIG> except that it includes a second optical sheet. Specifically, a first optical sheet 120A is arranged beneath a second optical sheet 120B. In certain embodiments, the light-modifying elements of the first and second optical sheets 120A, 120B are aligned perpendicular to one another for homogenizing light in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. For example, the light-modifying elements of the first and second optical sheets 120A, 120B may be aligned transversely and longitudinally, respectively, with respect to light pipe <NUM>. The effect is to smooth and spread the lit images 134A-<NUM> shown in <FIG> both longitudinally and transversely such that the line image <NUM> is projected more broadly across the light pipe <NUM>, as depicted in the top-down view of <FIG>.

In other embodiments, the light-modifying elements of the first and second optical sheets 120A, 120B are aligned parallel with one another and with the light pipe <NUM>. For example, the light-modifying elements of both optical sheets 120A, 120B may be oriented longitudinally.

The first and second optical sheets 120A, 120B may be arranged immediately adjacent one another or spaced apart by a gap of a distance D4, as depicted in <FIG>. In embodiments, the distance D4 is about <NUM>-mm or between <NUM>-mm and <NUM>-mm or between <NUM>-mm and <NUM>-mm. By spacing the optical sheets 120A, 120B apart, homogeneity is improved. For optical sheets 120A, 120B aligned in parallel with one another, spacing them apart eliminates optical anomalies exhibited when two optical sheets are placed one right on top of the other.

In <FIG>, line-image lighting system <NUM> is similar to system <NUM> of <FIG> except that it includes additional light pipes disposed above optical sheet <NUM>. This arrangement combines the line-image lighting system <NUM> of <FIG> with the spot-image lighting system <NUM> of <FIG>. The effect is to produce a plurality of lit line images, one for each of the additional light pipes. For example, as depicted in <FIG>, first light pipe 130A may be considered the primary light pipe and is positioned adjacent PCB <NUM> having light sources 110A-<NUM>. The primary light pipe collimates and thus magnifies the intensity of the light. Three secondary light pipes, namely a second light pipe 130B, a third light pipe 130C, and a fourth light pipe 130D, are positioned immediately adjacent optical sheet <NUM>, opposite the first light pipe 130A. The second, third, and fourth light pipes 130B-130D each produce a corresponding "secondary" lit line image, namely a second lit line image 134B, a third lit line image 134C, and a fourth line image 134D. Only the secondary lit line images 134B-134D are projected from system <NUM>, as depicted in the top-down view of <FIG>. Since light from the primary light pipe (e.g., first light pipe 130A) is already collimated, the secondary light pipes (e.g., light pipes 130B-D) project the light into a plurality (e.g., three) lit line images but do not further collimate the light.

In certain embodiments, the intensity of light produced using line-image lighting system <NUM> is sufficiently bright to provide automotive lighting functions (e.g., stop signal, turn signal, and taillight illumination). A diameter of the secondary light pipes 130B-130D may each be the same or different to affect the width of the lit line images 134B-134D that are projected. The number of secondary light pipes may be greater than three or fewer than three without departing from the scope hereof.

Although <FIG> depict straight line-image lighting systems <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, respectively, all of the components of systems <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> (e.g., PCB <NUM>, optical sheet(s), light pipe(s)) may be curved lengthwise along a curvilinear path to form a curvilinear lighting system, for use in e.g., curved/swept vehicle lamp assemblies.

Compared with line-image lighting system <NUM> of <FIG>, an advantage of the line-image lighting system <NUM> of <FIG> is that a much higher intensity of the lit line images is produced for the same light sources and same diameter light pipes. A disadvantage of system <NUM> of <FIG> compared with system <NUM> of <FIG> is that having the first light pipe 130A placed directly over the light sources 110A-<NUM> collimates and focuses the light by narrowing the angle of emission. Therefore, by having distance D1 greater than zero, system <NUM> of <FIG> may be used to illuminate a larger number or larger diameter of light pipes compared to system <NUM> of <FIG>, since system <NUM> of <FIG> takes advantage of the large spread of light emitted from light sources 110A-<NUM>. In contrast, system <NUM> of <FIG> may illuminate a smaller number or smaller diameter of light pipes since all of the secondary light pipes have to be arranged within the path of collimated light emitted from the primary light pipe.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional side view of spot-image lighting system <NUM> arranged with additional components to provide another exemplary line-image lighting system <NUM> for producing a different high power lit appearance. <FIG> is a top-down view of line-image lighting system <NUM>. The A-A' line of <FIG> indicates the cross-sectional location of <FIG>. Items enumerated in <FIG> with like numerals to <FIG> are the same or similar and their description may not be repeated accordingly. <FIG> are best viewed together with the following description.

A diffuser lens <NUM> is disposed next to optical sheet <NUM>. Diffuser lens <NUM> is configured to further diffuse and homogenize light after passing through optical sheet <NUM> to provide a smoothed lit line image <NUM>. Optical sheet <NUM> may be positioned distance D3 from light pipe <NUM> and a distance D4 from diffuser lens <NUM>. In the embodiment depicted in <FIG>, the distance D4 is less than the distance D3 (D4<D3). In an embodiment, D3 is about <NUM>-mm and D4 is about <NUM>-mm. The distance D4 is greater than zero, and preferably at least <NUM>-mm, to provide an air gap between the first and second optical sheets 120A, 120B for reducing accumulation of condensation. In embodiments, line-image lighting system <NUM> is arranged across the front of a vehicle (e.g., side-to-side from one headlight to the other) to form a DRL.

<FIG> is a block diagram showing components of an exemplary control system <NUM> for controlling line-image lighting system <NUM>, and spot-image lighting system <NUM>, and line-image lighting systems <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. Control system <NUM> includes a controller <NUM>, which is for example a computer, microcontroller, microprocessor, or programmable logic controller (PLC) having a memory <NUM>, including a non-transitory medium for storing software <NUM>, and a processor <NUM> for executing instructions of software <NUM>. An optional user interface <NUM> enables a user to transmit instructions and receive information, as further described below. The controller <NUM> is not limited by the materials from which it is formed or the processing mechanisms employed therein and, as such, may be implemented via semiconductor(s) and/or transistors (e.g., electronic integrated circuits (ICs)), and so forth.

In certain embodiments, user interface <NUM> includes a user input device, which may include one or more buttons or switches located in a vehicle cabin or on a handheld device (e.g., a key fob) for controlling the image lighting systems <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. In some embodiments, user interface <NUM> includes a touch screen display device configured for receiving touch indications by the user. The touch screen display device may be located in the vehicle cabin and/or accessed remotely via a mobile device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer). User interface <NUM> may be configured to present a menu for selecting various patterns via the plurality of light sources employed in image lighting systems <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

Control system <NUM> of <FIG> enables image lighting systems <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to provide custom appearances (e.g., stylistic features or lighting), which are optionally integrated within automotive lamp assemblies including but not limited to headlight and taillight assemblies, daylight-running lights (DRLs), center high-mounted stop lamps, multi-function light assemblies, fog lamps, and turn signals. In certain embodiments, controller <NUM> is optionally coupled communicatively with other vehicle subsystems <NUM>. For example, controller <NUM> may be programmed with instructions for controlling one or more light sources 110A-<NUM> in coordination with other vehicle subsystems <NUM>. This enables automatic control of the image lighting systems <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> based on input signals provided by other subsystems of the vehicle. For example, when a user locks or unlocks the vehicle doors via a key fob, image lighting systems <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may illuminate. For a vehicle taillight having image lighting systems <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> integrated therein, the light sources may be illuminated based on a stop signal from a braking subsystem, or the light sources may be controlled to blink in coordination with a turn signal.

Communication between user interface <NUM>, controller <NUM>, other vehicle subsystems <NUM>, and the image lighting systems <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be by a wired and/or wireless communication media. For example, controller <NUM> may include a transmitter/receiver, a multi-channel input/output (I/O) data bus, or the like (not shown) for communicatively coupling with user interface <NUM> and PCB <NUM> of lighting systems <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The controller <NUM> is programmed with instructions for sending signals to the PCB <NUM> for switching light sources on/off or for dimming the light sources via for example pulse-width modulation (PWM). Other electronics known to those of skill in the art may be used in conjunction with the controller <NUM> for controlling light sources and providing PWM without departing from the scope hereof. The programmed instructions may be predetermined and/or responsive to inputs from the user interface <NUM> or other vehicle subsystems <NUM>. For example, programmed instructions may be used to dynamically illuminate light sources 110A-<NUM> in a variety of predetermined or random patterns, which may be configured for producing custom or variable stylistic or decorative features on the exterior of a vehicle, including lighting effects having different colors (e.g., via control of differently colored LEDs) and animated lighting effects.

Claim 1:
A lamp assembly for a vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) (110A - <NUM>) mounted to a printed-circuit board (<NUM>) to form a linear array of LEDs;
a primary light pipe (<NUM>; 130A) disposed adjacent to the linear array of LEDs and aligned longitudinally along the linear array of LEDs, such that light emitted from each of the LEDs of the linear array traverses radially through the primary light pipe; and
a first optical sheet (<NUM>; 120A) disposed adjacent to the primary light pipe for homogenizing the light from the primary light pipe to form a lit line image (<NUM>) along a longitudinal length of the primary light pipe; characterized by further comprising
a plurality of secondary light pipes (130B -130D) adjacent the first optical sheet (<NUM>; 120A) opposite the primary light pipe (130A), such that homogenized light from the first optical sheet is configured to illuminate the plurality of secondary light pipes for providing a plurality of lit line images (134B - 134D).