Safety is one of the basic features for a motor vehicle and light represents the most elementary but essential means for improving it especially where daylight is lacking.

It is necessary to see well and be seen for safe driving but also to make the act of driving more relaxing.

Light-emitting or reflecting devices exist on motor vehicles to indicate the bulk and presence of certain projecting struc_ tures. The accessories included in this catetogy are those placed on the back edge of the door to enable drivers arri¬ ving from behind to see the open door, an example being the red light that comes on automatically when the door is opened or merely a reflector that returns the light to its source when struck by the lights of a vehicle coming up behind.

Subject of the invention is an optical device for the doors of motor vehicles comprising at least two light diffusers, one a warning light directed upwards and towards the back of the vehicle and the other for illumination directed downwards and towards the front of the vehicle.

Thus, in addition to a clearer warning that the door is open and what its position is, there is also good illumination of of the area of ground comprised between the open door and the vehicle so assisting the traveler to get out of the vehicle. Said optical device is applied preferably to the internal surface of the door.

The warning light diffuser has one flat side inclined at about 30° : ^' to a' plane at right angles to the side of the door and to ^¬ wards the front of the vehicle. Similarly the illuminating diffuser has one flat side inclined

at about 30° to a plane at right angles to the side of the door but towards the back of the vehicle.

Allowing therefore for a maximum open door position of 60°, when the door is open to about half way of said maximum, the warning side of said diffuser will lie about perpendi¬ cular to the direction of movement of the vehicle offering maximum visibility for vehicles coming up behind. On the other hand, the illuminating side of said diffuser will be hidden, however far the door is open, from vehicles arriving from behind. Even with the door open as far as possible, said side will in fact be oriented parallel to the vehicle's direction of movement and will therefore al¬ ways be hidden by the structure of the device.

The warning light is preferably red and the illuminating light preferably white.

According to one advantageous execution the geometrical structure of said optical device is subs an ially that of a truncated pyramid the larger base of which is square. Two opposite corners are constituted respectively of the warning diffuser and of the illuminating diffuser, both of them having inclined sides.

Over the smaller base of said truncated pyramid there is an opaque cover placed diagonally which extends to, and co¬ vers, the other two opposite corners. Therefore by installing said device with the larger base coinciding with the side of the door and with two opposite sides of said base standing vertically, one side of the warning diffuser will be directed upwards and the other side directed towards the back of the vehicle. On the other hand one side of the illuminating diffuser will be directed downwards and one side directed towards

the front of the vehicle.

Said optical device comprises a tubular lamp placed at 90° in relation to the common geometrical axis of the two dif¬ fusers and at the centre of said axis, or else comprises one lamp for the warning diffuser and one for the illumi¬ nating diffuser with joint or separate lighting controls.

Preferably said optical device lights up automatically when the door is opened.

In one type of execution the warning diffuser consists of a reflector .

According to the types of execution, manual, mechanical, electro-mechanical,: electro-pneumatic, electronic means," rheostats or others can if desired be provided to allow light beams to be directed and light intensity be regulated as required.

There may also be more than two diffusers of various shapes with the light diffusing surfaces set at various inclinations.

Characteristics and scope of the invention will be made even clearer by the following example of its execution illustra¬ ted by diagrammatic drawings. Fig.1. Detail of a motor vehicle with a door open on which is mounted the optic device , subject of the invention, seen from the back; Fig.2. The same as Fig.1 seen from above;

Fig.3. Detail of the inner side of the door with the optic device mounted on it, seen from the front;

Fig.4. Detail of the view in Fig.3, cut through; Fig.5 Detail of Fig. with a part cut away to show the lower diffuser; Fig.6. Perspective of the transversal cover of the optic de- vice, between the two diffusers;

Fig.7. Plan view of the base of the device; Fig.8. Profile view of the base of the device. The optic device (10) placed on the inner side (13) of the door (12) of the motor vehicle (11) presents, near the back edge C14), the light diffusers (15), (16) facing the oppo¬ site way and aligned on the XX axis at 45° in relation to vertical.

Inside the device (Figs.6-8) the tubular lamp (17) is moun¬ ted perpendicular to the XX axis above, between the two elas- tic contacts (18), (19) fixed to the base (20) and project¬ ing from the back of said base forming the projecting ends (18'), (19 ¹ ) for connection to the vehicle's electric circuit. The base (20) can be fixed to the side (13) of the door by screws (28), (29). The diffusers (15), (16) are held firmly to the base(20) by the arched transversal cover (21) with its holes (22), (23) into which penetrate the elastic tongues (24), (25) fixed to the base (20). The teeth (26) (Fig.8) of said tongues grip onto the reliefs (27) made on the inside of said holes.

The flat side (30) of the red angular warning diffuser(15) faces towards the back of the vehicle and the flat side(31) faces upwards, while the flat side (32) of the white angular illuminating diffuser (16) faces downwards and the flat side (33) faces towards the front of the vehicle.

As Figs. 1-5 clearly show, the angle of said sides (30), (31), (32) , (33) , to a plane at -right angles to the side (13) of the door (12) is practically an angle of 30°. Therefore when the door is open half way of its maximum, pre- sumed to be 60°, the flat side (30) with the red warning light of the diffuser (15) is practically perpendicular to

the vehicle's direction of movement indicated (Fig.2) by the arrow (39) accentuating effectiveness of the warning.

When the door is open to its maximum, the flat side (33) with the white illuminating light of the diffuser (16) lies practically parallel to the direction (39) of vehi¬ cle movement and its direct visibility by vehicles approa¬ ching from the back is practically prevented. Without lessening the safety of the vehicle, therefore, the diffuser (16) lights up the zone (40) of the ground comprised between the vehicle and its open door, facili¬ tating exit from the inside of said vehicle (38). The device (10) here described can also serve other pur¬ poses and can be varyingly composed and shaped. For exam¬ ple, if mounted with two diffusers of the same colour, it can be fitted in the middle of the ceiling of the vehicle to project two separate light beams front and back. The device can also be mounted on the inside of the door by other means such as a snap-in fixture or using glue or by other methods. The advantages of the invention are evident.

Any vehicle can be fitted with two lighting systems to promote safety and comfort by means of a single element that can be universally mounted on each door. Opening the door is made much safer at the same time fa- cilitating exit from the vehicle where environmental light¬ ing is lacking.

Due to the original composition and shape of the optic de¬ vice described, illumination of the zone between the open door and the vehicle is of great convenience to travelers while in no way diminishing the safety ofered by the red warning light fully visible to vehicles approaching from

behind .

All this is achieved by a means at once simple, inexpen¬ sive and easily mounted.