Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates in general to a lighting apparatus and, in particular, to an adjustable reading light for an automobile.

Background

[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

[0003] Presently, the reading light for the passengers seated on the backseat of the car is provided on the inner car frame close to the quarterlite or on the central portion of the roof between driver and the passenger. Further, most of these existing reading lights are LEDs which are fixed centrally in the middle of the roof which limits the range and brightness of light.

[0004] In related art, ready to stick LED strips or reflective strips are used for easy retrofitting and replacement close to quaterlite, but the stickers may peel off during the course of time. In some other cases, the light is provided in the glazing unit of the car. Currently available technologies for providing reading light onto the glass are OLED printing and LED integration into the PVB for a laminated glass. Printing OLED in quarterlite is possible, but far too expensive and scratch resistance is a big issue. OLED stack is very sensitive to humidity, so a special cleanroom of the highest existing class is required to produce that stack on glazing. Also, laminated quarterlite with LED strip at the edges is possible but the cost of light integration is much higher than the lamination itself. Also in case of LED failure, the entire glazing unit needs to be replaced in case of laminated glass.

[0005] Referring to Patent US9109773 discloses a LED encapsulated in the quaterlite (side windows fixed onto the vehicle body, at the front and at the rear of the vehicle, respectively), for illuminating the whole surface of the glazing unit and is used as indicator lights. However, the light inside the vehicle is prevented. [0006] Referring to Patent US9568180 discloses a LED encapsulated in the glazing, for illuminating the glazing unit and also emitting the light inside the vehicle. However, the light source is unidirectional and is not adjustable. In addition to that, there is considerable amount of light loss due to transmission of light through the glass.

[0007] Hence, there is a need for an adjustable reading light embedded on the rear quarterlite at an affordable price which provides directional lighting to the passenger seated on the rear seat of a vehicle. Further, the adjustable reading light should be easy to replace and maintain and aesthetically pleasing and robust.

Summary of the Disclosure

[0008] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an adjustable lighting apparatus encapsulated on a glazing of a vehicle including a base and a flexible member. The flexible member includes an adjustable element and a light source. The housing is provided for accommodating the flexible member which is angularly adjustable by actuating the adjustable element for directional lighting.

[0009] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a flexible reading light in the rear quarterlite of the car for the passenger on the rear seat.

[0010] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a mobile charging port integrated in encapsulation.

[0011] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a flexible reading light arrangement at an affordable price.

[0012] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a sufficient bright light without increasing glare in the rear of the car.

[0013] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a flexible reading light which is easy to replace and maintain.

[0014] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a flexible reading light which is aesthetically pleasing and robust.

[0015] Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and are not limited in the accompanying figures.

[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates an adjustable lighting apparatus; according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates an adjustable lighting apparatus; according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 3 illustrates an adjustable lighting apparatus in the quarterlite glass of the car; according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Skilled artisans appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the invention.

Detailed Description

[0021] The present invention is now discussed in more detail referring to the drawings that accompany the present application. In the accompanying drawings, like and/or corresponding elements are referred to by like reference numbers.

[0022] Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or the like parts. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrates views of a lighting apparatus 100 encapsulated on a glazing of a vehicle including a base 114 and a flexible member 106. Glass encapsulation process involves injection of polymer material around the glass rim inside a mold under high pressure. The mold is alloy die-casting made for individual design and shape. The glass, polymer material and the mold are preheated to make the process smoother, normally the core is maintained at higher temperature than the cavity. The Polymer rim molding part is formed with the material cool down and encapsulating the glass. The excess polymer material is trimmed to get the final product. The encapsulation process can be used on any type of glass such as: tempered, laminated, coated etc. The end product may contain inclusion of hardware such as: brackets, barrel nuts, studs, fasteners, wiring terminations, sensors, etc. Glass encapsulation offers numerous benefits for car fittings and aesthetics such as water tight sealing. Encapsulation also gives you the ability to combine complex profiles while reducing weight, components and installation time. It acts as edge protection, the weakest point in any glass, is the edge itself. The edges are typically encapsulated which will inherently enhance the breakage resistance. The base 114 includes a housing 102. The flexible member 106 includes a light source 104 and an adjustable element 108. The housing 102 is provided for accommodating the flexible member 106 to which the light source 104 is fastened. The flexible member 106 is angularly adjustable by actuating the adjustable element 108 for directional lighting. The base 114 of the adjustable lighting apparatus 100 is encapsulated on a glazing of a vehicle further includes an aux port 110 and an USB port 112. The aux port 110 is provided for accommodating an aux plugin and the USB port 112 is provided for accommodating an USB connector. USB and AUX port do exist in a vehicle, and they do work for the purposes that they were designed for even in the present disclosure. However, accessibility of the ports is difficult for the passenger seated near the quaterlite of the vehicle as generally the ports are present near the driver's seat. Hence, the current disclosure provides an aux port 110 and an USB port 112 in the base 114 of the lighting apparatus 100 for easy accessibility of the passenger near to the quaterlite. Further, one can use the ports without causing any disturbance to the driver.

[0023] The lighting apparatus 100 is a polymer, thermosetting or thermoplastic material. Further, the lighting apparatus 100 is made of material selected from a group comprising of Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyphenylene ether (PPE), polypropylene (PP), polyester, epoxy resins, polyurethanes (PU), phenol formaldehyde resin or a combination thereof. The base 114 is parabolic shaped, which can be an integral part of the encapsulation of glazing of the vehicle or an external part that can be snap fitted (FIG. 3) onto the encapsulation of glazing of the vehicle. The edges of the lighting apparatus 100 are designed such that it matches with the existing profile of the encapsulation to maintain continuity. In one embodiment, the flexible member 106 is an integral part of the housing 102 as illustrated in FIG. 1. In another embodiment, the flexible member 106 is fastened to the housing 102 and detachable from the housing 102 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The lighting apparatus 100 as illustrated in FIG. 1 is rigid as compared to the one illustrated in FIG. 2, where the flexible member 106 along with light source 104 are separable or detachable. In case of integral design, the lighting apparatus 100 as illustrated in FIG. 1 is a simple design as it does not have the fastener and the snap fitted light source 104. The lighting apparatus 100 as illustrated in FIG. 1 requires a complex mold design to prepare the same as a single part. In case of detachable design, the flexible member 106/adjustable element 108 are secured inside the opening provided in the housing 102 with a fastener or can be interlocked by rotating one with respect to the other. This arrangement is useful for easy LED replacement or can be snap fitted. The aux port 110 is provided for accommodating the aux plugin of a headphone or a speaker. The USB port 112 is provided for accommodating the USB connector for charging a mobile phone, a power bank or a music player or for data connection applications. Optionally, additional ports can be provided for accommodating various other connectors for data connectivity, internet connectivity or storage devices. The light source 104 is a LED. The light source 104 can be snap fitted to the flexible member 106. The light source 104 is replaceable. The lighting apparatus 100 is provided with wiring for connection with a power supply and an aux input or, in addition, USB based data connection. The power source for the lighting apparatus 100 can be an internal/external source. It can be a portable battery or power socket for building applications or it can be drawn from the vehicle battery in case of automobile applications. The detachable light source 104 as shown in FIG. 2 is able to accommodate the use of a replaceable battery easily as opposed to using an integrated light source as shown in FIG. 1. The vehicle is a car, an aircraft, a ship, a train, or an automobile.

[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates a lighting apparatus 100 encapsulated on the rear quarterlite 202 on the car frame 200. The lighting apparatus 100 is an integral part of the encapsulated rear quarterlite 202. The position of the rear quarterlite 202 may vary with the model of the car. In certain car models the quaterlite 202 is near to the passenger, whereas in others the same might be far. This position factor of quarterlite 202 directly affects the illuminance provided by the lighting apparatus 100 to the passenger and always better than the lighting provided by the central lighting generally in cars. Hence, the position of the lighting apparatus 100 on the quarterlite 202 is based on the location of the quarterlite 202 within the car frame 200. The advantages of current location are that the accessibility of the lighting apparatus 100 to the passenger allowing easy adjustment of the flexible member 106 to control the direction of lighting. Thereby, the lighting will be restricted or concentrated towards the passenger near the lighting apparatus 100. In addition, the aux port 110 and USB port 112 are also easily accessible to the passenger for audio and USB based connections.

Example 1

[0025] The experiment was conducted by means of a white LED light source placed at different locations in car frame within the vehicle. The three locations selected were centre, side and rear quaterlite of the vehicle. The illuminance was measured using a lux meter placed at a reading distance from the eye of the passenger seated in the rear of the vehicle. Additionally, the lighting levels available for passenger near to the quaterlite (0-50cm) and far from the quarterlite (>50cm) were also measured. Also, it was tilted to two extreme angles of 0 and 45 deg. with respect to the horizontal plane to mimic the actual extreme positions of reading.

[0026] The centre position is the general case where a light source is provided in the centre of the vehicle to illuminate the whole cabin. Side position is the case where light source is either to the right or left side of the vehicle. The rear quarterlite position is where the adjustable reading light of the current invention is placed. The light source in the rear quaterlite is for the rear passenger and can be placed on either side of the vehicle.

[0027] The lux values were measured and are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Lux values at different positions of the light source in the vehicle

Far > 0 60 45 25-75 50cm 45 25 20 25-100

[0028] Tl le Table 1 clear y shows that by placing the light source next to passenger the illuminance levels were enhanced by more than twice compared to illuminance by the centre light source. Additionally, by making it flexible/adjustable light source the illuminance levels were controllable for the passenger sitting near/far from the rear quarterlite. The lux levels in the rear quarterlite case is variable because of this adjustability feature. The distance from the light source directly relates to the visual comfort for the passenger sitting near to the light source. In case of centre light source, the light levels were distributed across the vehicle and thereby reduces the light level available to a particular passenger. Additionally, the direction of light can also affect the visual comfort. When the light source was provided in rear quaterlite the average lighting area was reduced within the vehicle and restricted to the passenger closest to the quarterlite which was the requirement for the present disclosure. Here, the light levels were adjustable depending on the direction and light intensity required by the passenger providing flexibility to the user in terms of visual comfort.

[0029] Note that not all of the activities described above in the general description or the examples are required, that a portion of a specific activity may not be required, and that one or more further activities may be performed in addition to those described. Still further, the order in which activities are listed is not necessarily the order in which they are performed.

[0030] Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any feature(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature of any or all the claims.

[0031] The specification and illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of the various embodiments. The specification and illustrations are not intended to serve as an exhaustive and comprehensive description of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systems that use the structures or methods described herein. Certain features, that are for clarity, described herein in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in a sub combination. Further, reference to values stated in ranges includes each and every value within that range. Many other embodiments may be apparent to skilled artisans only after reading this specification. Other embodiments may be used and derived from the disclosure, such that a structural substitution, logical substitution, or another change may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0032] The description in combination with the figures is provided to assist in understanding the teachings disclosed herein, is provided to assist in describing the teachings, and should not be interpreted as a limitation on the scope or applicability of the teachings. However, other teachings can certainly be used in this application.

[0033] As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," "has," "having" or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of features is not necessarily limited only to those features but may include other features not expressly listed or inherent to such method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, "or" refers to an inclusive-or and not to an exclusive-or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

[0034] Also, the use of "a" or "an" is employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural, or vice versa, unless it is clear that it is meant otherwise. For example, when a single item is described herein, more than one item may be used in place of a single item. Similarly, where more than one item is described herein, a single item may be substituted for that more than one item.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. To the extent that certain details regarding specific materials and processing acts are not described, such details may include conventional approaches, which may be found in reference books and other sources within the manufacturing arts.

[0036] While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed machines, systems and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof.

List of Elements

TITLE: ADJUSTABLE READING LIGHT

100 Lighting Apparatus

102 Housing

104 Light Source

106 Flexible Member

108 Adjustable Element

110 Aux Port

112 USB Port

114 Base

200 Car Frame

202 Quarterlite