Headlight lens for a vehicle headlight

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10107466-B2
Application number	US-201715499265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2017
Priority date	Dec 3, 2010
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

A headlight lens for a vehicle headlight, the headlight lens having a body of transparent material. The monolithic body includes a light passage section having at least one optically operative light exit face and a light tunnel having at least one optically operative light entry face. The light tunnel transits into the light passage section via a bend being curved in its longitudinal extension, wherein the light tunnel at the bend has a smaller cross section than the light passage section at the bend and wherein the light passage section is configured for imaging the bend as a bright-dark-boundary.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle headlight comprising a light source and a headlight lens of transparent material, the headlight lens having:
a light passage section having at least one optically operative light exit face; and
a light tunnel having at least one light entry face, the light tunnel transiting into the light passage section via a bend, and the light tunnel having a convexly curved bottom surface interconnecting the light entry face and the bend;
wherein the light passage section is configured for imaging the bend as a bright-dark-boundary by means of light of the light source irradiated into the light entry face.

2. The vehicle headlight of claim 1 , wherein the bend is a curved transition.

3. The vehicle headlight of claim 2 , wherein the bend is curved in a vertical plane.

4. The vehicle headlight of claim 2 , wherein the curved transition has a radius of curvature being no larger than 5 mm.

5. The vehicle headlight of claim 2 , wherein the curved transition has a radius of curvature being no larger than 0.25 mm.

6. The vehicle headlight of claim 3 , wherein the curved transition has a radius of curvature being no larger than 5 mm.

7. The vehicle headlight of claim 3 , wherein the curved transition has a radius of curvature being no larger than 0.25 mm.

8. The vehicle headlight of claim 3 , wherein the curved transition has a radius of curvature being no less than 50 nm.

9. The vehicle headlight of claim 8 , wherein the transparent material is inorganic glass.

10. The vehicle headlight of claim 3 , wherein the bend is additionally curved in a horizontal plane.

11. The vehicle headlight of claim 3 , wherein the light entry face is inclined with respect to an optical axis of the light passage section.

12. The vehicle headlight of claim 3 , wherein a surface of the light passage section facing the light tunnel is curved at least in the region of the bend.

13. The vehicle headlight of claim 3 , wherein a surface of the light passage section facing the light tunnel is curved convexly at least in the region of the bend.

14. The vehicle headlight of claim 3 , wherein the length of the headlight lens, when viewed in the orientation of the optical axis of the light passage section amounts to no more than 7 cm.

15. The vehicle headlight of claim 1 , wherein the light entry face is inclined with respect to an optical axis of the light passage section.

16. The vehicle headlight of claim 1 , wherein the light entry face is inclined with respect to an optical axis of the light passage section at an angle of between 5° and 70°.

17. The vehicle headlight of claim 1 , wherein the light entry face is inclined with respect to an optical axis of the light passage section at an angle of between 20° and 50°.

18. A vehicle headlight comprising at least a first light source and a headlight lens, the headlight lens including
a light passage section having at least one optically operative light exit face; and
a light tunnel having at least one light entry face, the light tunnel transiting into the light passage section via a bend, the light tunnel having a bottom surface being convexly curved away from the at least one light entry face at least in the region intersecting the bend;
wherein the light passage section is configured for imaging the bend as a bright-dark-boundary by means of light irradiating from the light source into the light entry face.

19. The vehicle headlight of claim 18 , wherein the bend is a curved transition.

20. The vehicle headlight of claim 19 , wherein the curved transition is curved in a vertical plane.

21. The vehicle headlight of claim 20 , wherein the curved transition has a radius of curvature being no larger than 5 mm.

22. The vehicle headlight of claim 20 , wherein the curved transition has a radius of curvature being no larger than 0.25 mm.

23. The vehicle headlight of claim 20 , wherein the curved transition has a radius of curvature being no smaller than 50 nm.

24. The vehicle headlight of claim 20 , wherein the bend is additionally curved in a horizontal plane.

25. The vehicle headlight of claim 20 , wherein the light entry face is inclined with respect to an optical axis of the light passage section.

26. The vehicle headlight of claim 19 , wherein the curved transition has a radius of curvature being no larger than 5 mm.

27. The vehicle headlight of claim 19 , wherein the curved transition has a radius of curvature being no larger than 0.25 mm.

28. The vehicle headlight of claim 19 , wherein the curved transition has a radius of curvature being no smaller than 50 nm.

29. The vehicle headlight of claim 19 , wherein the light entry face is inclined with respect to an optical axis of the light passage section.

30. The vehicle headlight of claim 18 , the vehicle headlight further comprising a second light source for irradiating light into the headlight lens, wherein at least a second light source spatially separated from the first light source.

31. The vehicle headlight of claim 30 , being configured that light irradiated by means of the second light source is irradiated above the light-dark-boundary.

32. The vehicle headlight of claim 30 , the second light source being arranged between the light entry face and the light passage section.

33. The vehicle headlight of claim 30 , wherein the second light source includes a laser.

34. The vehicle headlight of claim 18 , wherein the first light source includes a laser.

35. The vehicle headlight of claim 18 , wherein the first light source includes a plane luminous field.

36. A vehicle headlight comprising a light source and a headlight lens of transparent material, the headlight lens having:
a light passage section having at least one optically operative light exit face; and
a light tunnel having at least one light entry face, the light tunnel passing over into the light passage section via a curved transition, the curved transition having a radius of curvature of no more than 5 mm;
wherein the light tunnel has a bottom surface being convexly curved at least in the region intersecting the curved transition; and
wherein the light passage section is configured for imaging the curved transition as a bright-dark-boundary.

37. The vehicle headlight of claim 36 , wherein the light entry face is inclined with respect to the optical axis of the light passage section at an angle of between 5° and 70°.

38. The vehicle headlight of claim 36 , wherein the radius of curvature is no less than 50 nm.

39. The vehicle headlight of claim 38 , wherein the transparent material is inorganic glass.

Assignees

• Docter Optics Se

Inventors

• Fedosik Dmitry
• Wintzer Wolfram

Classifications

• F21S41/25

  Projection lenses · CPC title

• F21W2102/18

  for overhead signs · CPC title

• F21S41/265

  Composite lenses; Lenses with a patch-like shape · CPC title

• F21S41/24

  Light guides · CPC title

• F21S41/19

  Attachment of light sources or lamp holders (achieving variable light distribution by movable light sources F21S41/657) · CPC title