Claims:A compact blinker assembly (100) for a vehicle comprising:
a housing (202);
a first Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (204) coupled with the housing (202) and adapted to accommodate a first set of electronic components on both sides, wherein the first set of electronic components comprises a microcontroller; and
a second PCB (206) disposed above the first PCB (204) and adapted to accommodate a second set of electronic components on both sides, wherein the second set of electronic components comprises a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LED);
wherein the microcontroller is adapted to illuminate the plurality of LEDs in a predefined sequence.

2. The compact blinker assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
a collimator lens (208) disposed above the second PCB (206) for distribution of light as emitted by the plurality of LEDs; and
an upper lens (210) disposed above the collimator lens (208), wherein the upper lens (210) includes serrations for outputting the distributed light.

3. The compact blinker assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a wire harness coupled with the first PCB (204).

4. The compact blinker assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first PCB (204) and the second PCB (206) is multi-layered for accommodating the first set of electronic components and the second set of electronic components, respectively.

5. The compact blinker assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a screw (212) adapted to hold the first PCB (204) in a predefined position, wherein the first PCB (204) and the second PCB (206) include provisions to guide the screw (212) from the second PCB (206) towards the first PCB (204) for holding.

6. The compact blinker assembly (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the collimator lens (208) is disposed between the upper lens (210) and the housing (202) by ultra-sonic welding.

7. The compact blinker assembly (100) as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a welding channel (504) on the upper lens (210) for accommodating an energy director (502) for performing the ultra-sonic welding.

8. The compact blinker assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising four LEDs.

9. The compact blinker assembly (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the predefined sequence of illumination of the plurality of LEDs is in an order of a first LED (702), a second LED (704), a third LED (706), and a fourth LED (708), and the first LED (702) is disposed at a shortest distance from a body of the vehicle and the fourth LED (708) is disposed at a farthest distance from the body.

10. A compact blinker assembly (100) for a vehicle comprising:
a housing (202);
a first Printed Circuit Board (PCB) coupled with the housing (202) and adapted to accommodate a first set of electronic components on both sides, wherein the first set of electronic components comprises a microcontroller;
a second PCB (206) disposed above the first PCB (204) and adapted to accommodate a second set of electronic components on both sides, the second set of electronic components comprises a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LED), wherein the microcontroller is adapted to illuminate the plurality of LEDs in a predefined sequence;
a collimator lens (208) disposed above the second PCB (206) for distribution of light as emitted by the plurality of LEDs; and
an upper lens (210) disposed above the collimator lens (208), wherein the upper lens (210) includes serrations for outputting the distributed light.

11. The compact blinker assembly (100) as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of the first PCB (204) and the second PCB (206) is multi-layered for accommodating the first set of electronic components and the second set of electronic components, respectively.

12. The compact blinker assembly (100) as claimed in claim 10, further comprising four LEDs, wherein the predefined sequence of illumination of the plurality of LEDs is in an order of a first LED (702), a second LED (704), a third LED (706), and a fourth LED (708), and the first LED (702) is disposed at a shortest distance from a body of the vehicle and the fourth LED (708) is disposed at a farthest distance from the body.

13. The compact blinker assembly (100) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the collimator lens (208) is disposed between the upper lens (210) and the housing (202) by ultra-sonic welding.

14. The compact blinker assembly (100) as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a welding channel (504) on the upper lens (210) for accommodating an energy director (502) for performing the ultra-sonic welding.

15. The compact blinker assembly (100) as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a screw (212) adapted to hold the first PCB (204) in a predefined position, wherein the first PCB (204) and the second PCB (206) include provisions to guide the screw (212) from the second PCB (206) towards the first PCB (204) for holding.
, Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to blinker assembly and, more particularly, to a compact blinker assembly for a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

With the ever-growing traffic on roads, it is relevant to ensure safe driving conditions. In fact, in the recent past, a significant growth and development is witnessed in the automotive industry focusing towards safety of the drivers. Blinker assemblies, of course, play a major role in ensuring safe driving of a vehicle. A blinker assembly would generally include a light source to indicate turning of the vehicle to drivers of other vehicles. The blinker assemblies are usually mounted on sides of a vehicle, for example, on side mirrors. A driver of the vehicle would indicate that he/she intends to turn right by actuating a blinker assembly mounted on a right-side mirror. Similarly, to indicate an intention to turn left, the driver actuates a blinker assembly mounted on a left-side mirror.

Conventional blinker assemblies generally include a bulb or Light Emitting Diode (LED) as a light source, for example, in two-wheeler vehicles and four-wheeler vehicles. Due to the presence of the bulb, an overall size of a blinker assembly is significantly increased. Further, frequent illumination of the bulb may lead to heating problems within the blinker assembly. This may also result into malfunctioning of other components of the blinker assembly.

Moreover, owing to a large number of sub-components, some sub-components may be disposed outside the blinker assembly, for example, through a wire harness. Also, from the safety perspective, it is always relevant to ensure that illumination of light source of the blinker assemblies is visible to the other drivers in any weather condition.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention and nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a compact blinker assembly for a vehicle is disclosed. The compact blinker assembly includes a housing and a first Printed Circuit Board (PCB) coupled with the housing. The first PCB is adapted to accommodate a first set of electronic components on both sides. The first set of electronic components includes a microcontroller. The compact blinker assembly also includes a second PCB disposed above the first PCB and adapted to accommodate a second set of electronic components on both sides. The second set of electronic components includes a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LED). The microcontroller is adapted to illuminate the plurality of LEDs in a predefined sequence.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a compact blinker assembly for a vehicle is disclosed. The compact blinker assembly includes a housing and a first Printed Circuit Board (PCB) coupled with the housing. The first PCB is adapted to accommodate a first set of electronic components on both sides. The first set of electronic components includes a microcontroller. The compact blinker assembly includes a second PCB disposed above the first PCB and adapted to accommodate a second set of electronic components on both sides. The second set of electronic components includes a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LED). The microcontroller is adapted to illuminate the plurality of LEDs in a predefined sequence. The compact blinker assembly includes a collimator lens disposed above the second PCB for distribution of light as emitted by the plurality of LEDs. The compact blinker assembly further includes an upper lens disposed above the collimator lens. The upper lens includes serrations for outputting the distributed light.

To further clarify advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates different views of a compact blinker assembly for a vehicle, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the compact blinker assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 3 illustrates an exploded view of the compact blinker assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 4 illustrates an assembly of a screw to hold a first Printed Circuit Board (PCB) of the compact blinker assembly in a predefined position, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 5 illustrates an energy director for facilitating ultra-sonic welding to dispose a collimator lens between an upper lens and a housing of the compact blinker assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 6 illustrates assembly of sub-components to form the compact blinker assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 7 illustrates sequential illumination of Light Emitting Diodes (LED) of the compact blinker assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have been necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 illustrates different views of a compact blinker assembly 100 for a vehicle, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, Figure 1 illustrates a front view 102, a top view 104, a right-side view 106, a bottom view 108, a left-side view 110, a rear view 112, and an isometric view 114. In an embodiment, the compact blinker assembly 100 may be mounted on a two-wheeler vehicle. In another embodiment, the compact blinker assembly 100 may be mounted on a four-wheeler vehicle. In other embodiments, the compact blinker assembly 100 may be mounted on any vehicle or any other equipment having blinker application, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Figure 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the compact blinker assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 illustrates an exploded view of the compact blinker assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 1, Figure 2, and Figure 3, the compact blinker assembly 100 may include, but is not limited to, a housing 202, a first Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 204 coupled with the housing 202, a second PCB 206 disposed above the first PCB 204, a collimator lens 208 disposed above the second PCB 206, and an upper lens 210 disposed above the collimator lens 208.

The first PCB 204 may be adapted to accommodate a first set of electronic components on both sides. The first set of electronic components may include, but is not limited to, a microcontroller. In an embodiment, the first PCB 204 may interchangeably be referred to as the driver PCB 204, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Similarly, the second PCB 206 may be adapted to accommodate a second set of electronic components on both sides. The second set of electronic components may include, but is not limited to, a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LED). In an embodiment, the second PCB 206 may interchangeably be referred to as the LED PCB 206, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The microcontroller may be adapted to operate to illuminate the plurality of LEDs in a predefined sequence. The illumination of the plurality of LEDs in the predefined sequence may indicate an intention of a driver to turn the vehicle in a corresponding direction.

In an embodiment, each of the first PCB 204 and the second PCB 206 may be multi-layered. The multi-layering of the first PCB 204 and the second PCB 206 may facilitate the accommodation of the first set of electronic components and the second set of electronic components, respectively. In an embodiment, an area of the first PCB 204 and the second PCB 206 is 1275.44 mm2 and 961 mm2, respectively.

In an embodiment, the compact blinker assembly 100 may include a screw 212 that may be adapted to hold the first PCB 204 in a predefined position. Figure 4 illustrates an assembly of the screw 212 to hold the first PCB 204 of the compact blinker assembly 100 in the predefined position, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 2, Figure 3, and Figure 4, the first PCB 204 and the second PCB 206 may include, but are not limited to, provisions to guide the screw 212 from the second PCB 206 towards the first PCB 204 for holding.

Referring back to Figure 2 and Figure 3, the collimator lens 208 may be disposed for distribution of light as emitted by the plurality of LEDs. In an embodiment, the collimator lens 208 may be disposed between the upper lens 210 and the housing 202 by ultra-sonic welding. Figure 5 illustrates an energy director 502 for facilitating ultra-sonic welding to dispose the collimator lens 208 between the upper lens 210 and the housing 202 of the compact blinker assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The compact blinker assembly 100 may include a welding channel 504 on the upper lens 210 for accommodating the energy director 502 for performing the ultra-sonic welding.

Referring back to Figure 2 and Figure 3, the upper lens 210 may include serrations for outputting the distributed light, i.e., the light as distributed by the collimator lens 208. In an embodiment, the serrations may be provided such that 90-95 % transmission of light is allowed through the upper lens 210.

The compact blinker assembly 100 may further include a wire harness coupled with the first PCB 204. In an embodiment, the wire harness may be used to couple the first PCB 204 with the housing 202.

Figure 6 illustrates assembly of sub-components to form the compact blinker assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the sake of brevity, features of the present disclosure that are already explained in the description of Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4, and Figure 5 are not explained in detail in the description of Figure 6.

At step 602, the housing 202 of the compact blinker assembly 100 is shown. At step 604, the first PCB 204, i.e., the driver PCB 204 is shown to be assembled in the housing 202. Further, at step 606, the screw 212 is shown to be assembled to hold the first PCB 204 in the predefined position. At step 608, the second PCB 206, i.e., the LED PCB 206 may be assembled over the first PCB 204 through the screw 212. At step 610, the collimator lens 208 is shown to be then assembled over the second PCB 206. At step 612, the upper lens 210 is shown to be assembled over the collimator lens 208 to form the compact blinker assembly 100.

As would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, the assembly as shown in Figure 6 is merely exemplary. In other embodiments, the compact blinker assembly 100 may be formed by assembling the sub-component in any other order, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Further, in an embodiment, the compact blinker assembly 100 may be utilized for 2 Watt application. In other embodiment, the compact blinker assembly 100 may be utilized for other wattage application by making minor modifications, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Figure 7 illustrates sequential illumination of the LEDs of the compact blinker assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the compact blinker assembly 100 may include four LEDs, namely, a first LED 702, a second LED 704, a third LED 706, and a fourth LED 708. In the present embodiment, the predefined sequence of illumination of the plurality of LEDs is in an order of the first LED 702, the second LED 704, the third LED 706, and the fourth LED 708. The first LED 702 may be disposed at a shortest distance from a body of the vehicle and the fourth LED 708 is disposed at a farthest distance from the body.

As shown, firstly, the first LED 702 is illuminated. Further, the second LED 704 is illuminated along with the first LED 702. Subsequently, the third LED 706 is illuminated along with the first LED 702 and the second LED 704. Then, the fourth LED 708 is illuminated.

The present embodiment is explained with respect to four LEDs. However, it should be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that in other embodiments, the number of LEDs may be more or less than 4 while maintaining a compact size of the blinker assembly 100, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure offers a miniature blinker assembly 100 that is compact and aesthetic. Firstly, the compact blinker assembly 100 of the present disclosure facilitates sequential illumination of the plurality of LEDs. Such an illumination allows better visibility to the other drivers. On the other hand, it provides an aesthetic appeal to the vehicle as well. The provision of having two PCBs, i.e., the first PCB 204 and the second PCB 206 allows for mounting of multiple components on both sides of each PCB and therefore, achieving the compact size. Further, the presence of the micro-controller and in-built driving system within the compact blinker assembly 100 also assists in achieving the compact size of the blinker assembly 100. The in-built driving system is indicative of components required to operate the blinker assembly 100.

Moreover, the compact blinker assembly 100 includes all components that are required for operation of the blinker assembly 100. Therefore, no additional component is required and the compact blinker assembly 100 can directly be connected to a 12V DC supply source for operation. Further, a circuit of the compact blinker assembly 100 is designed to draw constant current from a source with the microcontroller.

In addition, the compact blinker assembly 100 is cost-effective and demands less maintenance as compared to other existing blinker assemblies. Also, a service life of the compact blinker assembly 100 is more than the existing blinker assemblies. Therefore, the blinker assembly 100 of the present disclosure is compact, maintenance-friendly, cost-effective, attractive, and flexible for wide range of applications.

While specific language has been used to describe the present subject matter, any limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The drawings and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment.