Field of the invention

The invention relates to a compact ¾ ng system with LEDs for use in the automotive industry and, in particular, for signaFrng the rear of agricultural machinery.

Background of the invention

In automotive industry are known several lighting systems that are mounted on the vehicle's body through different kinds of fasteners, such as screws, pins, bolts or damps, positioned at the side of the lighting system's surface.

The European patent EP 2168748 shows a known lighting system comprising a watertight lamp having a housing with a tens sealed on it the lens being configured at its ends with two cavities for the arrangement of the lamp's fastening elements. In order thai fastening elements of the fighting systems should be protected against external elements such as the environmental factors or against their hang-ups by the objects they occur to touch, it is accessary for the fastening elements to be covered with various caps and protective devices, espectaiiy in the agricultural field, where fighting systems often come <n contact with plants that can snag and damage the lighting system.

Known fighting systems either are not provided with covers and protection devices, or they are manufactured by complicated, time-consuming and. above all, material- consuming processes. .Moreover, the covers and protective devices, when provided, either reduce the efficiency of the fight dispersion surface and therefore lessen the efficiency of the vehicle's lighting system, or excessively rhoease the overall dimensions of the ftghtmg system.

The object of the present invention is to provide a lghting system that is compact efficient relatively thin, which includes a protection device for the fastening elements of the lighting systems that have to be easily manufactured with a minimum consumption of materia i, easy to tnstaft, and which does not reduce the fighting system's active surface and which ensures efficient!y the dispersion and reflection of the light transmitted by the lighting system or received from any external fight source. The technical probfem solved by the invention is to Improve the lighting efficiency of the temps fcr motor vehicles, to reduce the overall dimenskms cf lighting systems by using LED circuit boards and to protect the fastening elements of the fighting system on the vehicle without reduc g the light dispersion surface, ensuring efficient dispersion and reflection of the fight, with a minimum consumption of material.

Compact fighting system according to the invention comprises a lens and a housing provided with at least two corresponding holes, and suitable configurations to allow the central posSioning of the fastening elements, and also a protective optical eteraerri which covers the fastening elements of the fighting system.

Compact fighting system according ίο invention offers the fofiowirrg advantages:

- It is an economic system which does not require supplementary material consumption

- It is thin due to the use of printed circuit boards with LEDs;

- Increases the light rejecting surface by using a retro-reflective element as a protective optical element efftcienSy reflecting the fight received from any external source;

- Protects the fastening elements cf the lighting system against environmental factors, while providing an improved appearance as the fastening elements are being hidden;

- Provides a flexible solution for mounting of the lighting system. Detailed description of the invention

In the folfcwing will be presented a preferred embodimejrt of the compact lighting system according to the invention, m connection with the figures:

Fig. 1 - Front view of compact lighting system according to the invention;

Fig. 2a - Front view of compact lighting system's housing;

Fig. 2b - Back view of compact lighting system's housing;

Fig. 3a - Front view of electrical fighting components;

g. 3b - Sack view cf etectrcal lighting components;

Fig. 4a - Front view of fighting system's tens;

Rg. 4b - Back view of fighting system's fens; Fig. 5 - Partially exploded perspective view of the fighting system, distinguishing the fastening elements and the protective optical element;

Fig. 6 - Sectional view of the fighting system through the longitudinal axis of the compact fighting system;

Rg.7 - Exploded perspective view of the 5gh¾r¾ system according to the invention.

Compact fighting system according to er invention as shown assembled in Figure 1 comprises a housing 2 (Frg. 2a and 2b) _r eiectrical fighting components: an electronic board 3a for fighting with the role of signaling the brake actuation, and an electronic board 3b for lighting with the role of signaling ti e rnterrtron to change the direction of movement (Figure 3). a lens 4 (Fig.4a and 4b), festering elements 5 of the lighting system on the vehicle body (Fig. 5) and a protective optical element 6 (Fig. 5) which protects the fastening elements.

Housing 2 has a rectangular shape, but can take any fo m in accordance with the regulations in force on the market of the vehicle which is mounted on. it is made of plastic, preferably ABS and is being designed on she inside with two cavities 7a and 7b. placed symmetrically to the lortgrtudfnai axis ol the housing, for the arrangement of the electric lighting components 3a and 3b, respectively, in the shown embodiment, so that the upper side cf the housings hosts the printed circuit board 3a lor lighting with the role of signaling the brake actuation, and the bottom of the housing hosts the printed circuit board 3b tor lighting with the role of signaling the intention to change the direction of movement. The printed circuit boards 3a and 3b are fastened by hooks 8 and, with an adhesive material, they stick to the housing to ensure their mounting white the lighting system is operating.

On the central zone of the longitudinal axis of the housing, there are two notes 9a and 9b located symrne ncaSy with respect to the transverse axis of the housing, which are designed to allow the passage of fastening elements 5. To be noted that the number and position of the holes, m the embodiment shown, are prorated for illustration only and they are not limited to this example, but depending on the construction of the vehicle. To reinforce said holes, they are bounded, each one around, by a raised area from the body of the housing, in the shape of some bushings 10a and 10b. A continuous remfoicmg rib 11. defining, in the embodiment shown., a substantially rectangular shape with rounded comers, is provided to surround the both surfaces of the protections around the hofe. On each side of said reinforcing rib. on its longitudinal axis., there are two ribs 12 which stri e the fight flows coming from, respectively, LED printed circuit beards 3a and 3b. Reinforcing rib 11 and the two separating ribs 12 are c eating two closed spaces, one space at the upper side of the housing, corresponding to luminous ficvj emitted by the eJectromc board with the rote of signaling the brake actuation, and another space at the bottom of the housing corresponding to luminous flow emitted by the electronic board with the rote of signaling the intention !o change the direcion of movement The ribs have the same height and do not allow fight flow emttied by printed circuit boards 3a and 3b to pass from one closed space to another. The housing 2 is provided at t e top with four pins 24 designed to connect the electronic ¾W?ng boards, through a connector, to power and control cables from the vehicle's electric system. Rg. 2b shows a connecting cable 13 and a tube 14 for inserting an adhesive inside the said connector, m order to sealing it The housing 2 also irtctudes a ventilation element 15 to avoid the overheating of the electronic lighting boasds. The housing has a recess around its perimeter which forms a channel for the adhesive when mounting the lens.

The lighting system includes a tens 4 which is rectangular shaped as a cover, but can have any form needed to comply with the regulations m force on the market of the vehicle which is mounted on. the tens being made of a transparent material which have a frontal optic surface 16. and a side surface 17 covering the said housing with which the lens is being complementary sized, in order to ensure a tight assembly between the housing and the lens, which both are being provided with corresponding connecting elements to achieve a toed mounting, such as bonding joint or c5ck or any other simitar means. Lens 4 has a central rectangular recess 18. which can be shaped in any form needed to ccmpfy with the regulations in force on the market of the vehicle which is mounted on. On the (ongftudrnal axis of the fighting system, and respectively, on the central area of recess 18. there are two openings 19a and 19b. whose axis corresponds respectively to the axis of the holes 9a. Sb on the housing 2. when the lens 4 is assembled with the housrng 2 in order to aftow the fastening elements 5 to pass through the fens and the housrng and to be attached cn the vehicle's body. Each of the openings 19a and 19b extend into th interior of the fighting system v/ith a tubular element 20» whose inner surface has a pattern shape corresponding to a fastening element 5, and it also presents a part 21 having a larger diameter, i to which is being fitted to accommodate the head of a fcstening element which continues with a smaller diameter 22, corresponding to the fastening elements size. As can be seen in Fig. 6, the tubular elements 20 extend up to the housing 2 and through the housing, when the lens 4 and the housing 2 are connected, entering into the holes da and 9b provided in the said housing 2. T e outer diameter of the tubular part 22 is sfightty smaller than the diameter of the holes 9a and 9b provided in the housing, so that the tubular elements 20 w3l f¾? Srmty in the holes 9a and 9b provided in the housing, when mounting the (ens 4 on the housing 2 to form a compact rigid assembly. Also inwards the system, Jens 4 is provided with four spacing feet 23 to ensure a minimal necessary distance between the inner surface of the lens 4 and printed circuit boards 3a and 3b, and a rib with the purpose of preventing any erroneous mounting between housing 2 and lens 4. When insta.Ting the lighting system, fastening elements 5 are inserted into the ho!es of the lens 4 and after passing through the tubular elements 20. they are attached on the vehicle body. Due the interior shape of the tubular elements 20. which is complementary with the fastening elements 5, those fit entirety within the tubular elements 20 so that the top of the head of the fastening element 5 is located flush with the front surface of the recessed area 18 of the fens 4. Said tubular elements 20 are designed to support and guide said fastening elements 5 and also to ensure a supplementary rernforcemertt of the fighting system.

The fighting system also comprises a protective optical element G assembled by gluing. wfch a double-sided adhesive tape in the recess 18 of the lens, after the mounting of the light system 1 on the vehicle body by means of fastening elements S. so the protective optical element covers fastening elements 5. The protective optical element 6 has a configuration complementary to those of recessed area 18 from the front surface of the lens, so that the front surface of the protective optical element 6 assembled by bonding on the recess 18 is flush with the front surface 16 of the lens and covers entirety the recessed area 18, therefore masking the fastening elements 5. Optical element 6 protects the fastening elements against external factors and, at the same time, against their potential bang-ups by any object that might come in contact with them. It is preferable that the optical element is made of a material having the same optical characteristics as the lens. Most preferably, the optical element is a retro-reflector. This way. when the lighting system mounted on a vehicle is iluminated by an external tight source. Eke the lamps of another approaching vehicle, the optical element reflects the incident fight, s owing the presence on the read of the vehicle which it is mounted on.

Although the above has described in detail an embodiment of the invention, i has been presented solely as an example, and for those stalled in the art it win be obvious that the invention is not limited thereto, but is intended to cover modifications within the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.