The present invention relates to a direction indicator lamp for motor vehicles adapted to emit a beam of coloured light.

In particular, the invention is concerned with a lamp comprising a casing which is closed at the front by a colourless transparent element, the casing housing:

• - a cup-shaped substantially ellipsoidal reflector having its edge facing the transparent element;
• - a light source located at the rear focal point of the reflector;
• - a coloured filter applied onto the internal surface of the reflector for imparting the desired colour to the rays of light emitted by the light source, and
• - screening means between the reflector and the transparent element, including an annular opaque element mounted transversely to and surrounding the interfocal axis of the reflector and a central opaque disc mounted coaxially with the said interfocal axis, to substantially prevent the coloured filter from being seen from the exterior and to prevent the direct rays emitted by the light source from reaching the transparent element.

DE-B-1 259 747 discloses a direction indicator lamp of the above described type, in which the central opaque disc is applied directly onto the transparent element and the annular screening element is disposed in the transversal plane which contains the front focal point of the reflector. The central opening of the annular element is necessarily very small.

This known lamp is affected by the following drawbacks.

When the light source is in its deactivated condition the above mentioned central opaque disc can be seen through the transparent element, thus adversely affecting the aesthetic appearance of the direction indicator.

When the light source is in the activated condition the central opaque disc applied onto the transparent element tends to create a cone of shade in the light beam which comes out through the transparent element. In order to eliminate this shading effect the transparent element must be adequately shaped, e.g. in form of a Fresnel lens.

Moreover the known device is rather complicate in structure and construction.

In order to overcome the above outlined inconveniencies of the prior art device, the present invention provides a direction indicator lamp according to the appended claim 1.

In the direction indicator according to the invention the central opaque disc is located far from the transparent element and cannot be therefore distinctly seen therethrough when the light source is off.

The light source being not punctiform, the reflector directs coloured light rays also in directions extending into or through the cone which would be otherwise shaded if the light source were perfectly punctiform. The screening structure of the direction indicator lamp according to the invention allows a substantial portion of those rays pass through the transparent element, thereby lessening the shading effect of the central disc.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description which follows with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

• - Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a front direction indicator lamp for motor vehicles;
• - Figure 2 is a cross-section taken along the line II-II of Figure 1;
• - Figure 3 is a cross-section taken along the line III-III of Figure 1;
• - Figure 4 is a plan view of the screen used in the indicator lamp of Figures 1 to 3; and
• - Figure 5 is a cross-section taken along the line V-V of Figure 4.

In the example shown in Figures 1 to 5, the casing 1 of a front direction indicator lamp for motor vehicles is closed at the front by a colourless transparent element 2.

The casing 1 is closed at the rear by a closure element 3 secured by screws 4 with the interposition of a sealing gasket 5.

The casing 1 contains an ellipsoidal reflector, generally indicated 6, having focal points F1, F2 respectively.

The ellipsoidal reflector 6 is formed by a main part 7 which is moulded from transparent plastics material coloured according to the colour of the light, for example yellow, which must be emitted by the indicator lamp in accordance with current regulations.

The external surface of the part 7 has a reflective layer 8 which is applied by metallization or lacquering.

The ellipsoidal reflector 6 is provided with a tubular projection 9 at the rear, enabling it to be fixed to the casing 1.

The closure element 3 is provided with a tubular projection 10 which serves as a support for a bulb 11 the filament of which is in correspondence with the rear focal point F1 of the ellipsoidal reflector 6.

A screen is fixed to the front edge 6a of the ellipsoidal reflector 6 and comprises a frusto- conical element 12 which converges towards the transparent element 2, a flat annular element 13 which lies in a plane perpendicular to the line passing through the two focal points F1, F2, and a central disc 15 carried by three inclined rods 14 on the internal edge of the annular element 13. The disc 15 has a diameter less than the internal diameter of the annular wall 13 and lies in a plane substantially coincident with that of the edge 6a of the reflector 6.

The parts 12, 13, 14, 15 are conveniently made in a single piece by moulding from a white opaque plastics material, and form a screen which allows only those rays emitted by the bulb 11 which are reflected by the reflector 6 and coloured by passing through the part 7 acting as a filter, to pass towards the transparent element.

The rays emitted by the bulb 11 directly towards the transparent element 2, however, are intercepted by the screen, which also serves to substantially prevent the coloured internal surface of the reflector 6 from being seen from the exterior, particularly by anyone observing the lamp along the line joining the focal points F1, F2.