Light module for a motor vehicle headlamp

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11193643-B2
Application number	US-201917048004-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2019
Priority date	May 25, 2018
Publication date	Dec 7, 2021
Grant date	Dec 7, 2021

Abstract

The invention relates to a light module for a motor vehicle headlamp, comprising: at least one light source (1) and at least one projection device (2), the projection device (2) having an entry optical unit (21) and an exit optical unit (22), the entry optical unit (21) being designed to form an intermediate image from light emitted by the at least one light source (1) in an intermediate image plane, which lies between the entry optical unit (21) and the exit optical unit (22) and is substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of the projection device (2), and the exit optical unit (22) being designed to image the intermediate image into a region in front of the light module in the form of a light distribution of a first predefined type, at least one additional light source (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) being provided, which at least one additional light source (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) is designed to emit light between the entry optical unit (21) and the exit optical unit (22); the exit optical unit (22) being designed to image the light emitted by the at least one additional light source (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) into the region in front of the light module in the form of a light distribution of a second predefined type; the entry optical unit (21) and the at least one additional light source (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) being designed in such a way and being associated with each other in such a way that neither the at least one additional light source (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) nor the light emitted by the at least one additional light source (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) changes the intermediate image.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A light module for a motor vehicle headlamp comprising:
at least one light source ( 1 ), and
at least one projection device ( 2 ), wherein the projection device ( 2 ) has an entry optical unit ( 21 ) and an exit optical unit ( 22 ), wherein
the entry optical unit ( 21 ) is adapted to form an intermediate image, from light emitted by the at least one light source ( 1 ), in an intermediate image plane which intermediate image plane is located between the entry optical unit ( 21 ) and the exit optical unit ( 22 ), and is arranged substantially transverse to an optical axis of the projection device ( 2 ), and
the exit optical unit ( 22 ) is adapted to image the intermediate image in the form of a light distribution of a first predefined type in a region in front of the light module,

wherein:
at least one additional light source ( 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , 3 d ) is provided, which at least one additional light source ( 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , 3 d ) is adapted to emit light between the entry optical unit ( 21 ) and the exit optical unit ( 22 ), and to generate an additional intermediate image in the intermediate image plane;
the exit optical unit ( 22 ) is adapted to image the additional intermediate image generated by the at least one additional light source ( 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , 3 d ) in the region in front of the light module, in the form of a light distribution of a second predefined type; and
the entry optical unit ( 21 ) and the at least one additional light source ( 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , 3 d ) are adapted and associated with each other such that the additional intermediate image generated by the at least one additional light source ( 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , 3 d ) does not overlap the intermediate image formed from the light emitted by the at least one light source ( 1 ) by means of the entry optical unit ( 21 ).

2. The light module according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one additional light source ( 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , 3 d ) is adapted to generate collimated light that is substantially parallel to the optical axis of the projection device ( 2 ).

3. The light module according to claim 1 , wherein the entry optical unit ( 21 ) and the exit optical unit ( 22 ) are arranged as matrix-like arrays of micro-entry optical units ( 210 ) and micro-exit optical units ( 220 )—a micro-entry optical unit array and a micro-exit optical unit array respectively—arranged in planes standing transverse to the optical axis of the optical projection device ( 2 ),
wherein at least one micro-exit optical unit ( 220 ) corresponds to each micro-entry optical unit ( 210 ) such that they have a common optical axis and form a micro-optical system.

4. The light module according to claim 3 , wherein the micro-entry optical unit array has a plurality of intermediate regions ( 211 ) associated with the light-emitting regions ( 30 a , 30 b ), wherein the light-emitting regions ( 30 a , 30 b ) are distributed in the light-emitting plane in a checkerboard pattern, and the intermediate regions ( 211 ) are distributed in the micro-entry optical unit array in a checkerboard pattern, such that the light-emitting regions ( 30 a , 30 b ) are arranged downstream of the intermediate regions ( 211 ).

5. The light module according to claim 4 , wherein the intermediate regions ( 211 ) are opaque, or a shielding element ( 23 ) is provided with opaque shielding regions ( 230 ) corresponding to the intermediate regions, which shielding element ( 23 ) shields the intermediate regions ( 211 ) from the light of the at least one light source ( 1 ).

6. The light module according to claim 4 , wherein:
the at least one additional light source ( 3 a ) is adapted to support the entry optical unit ( 21 ) or for the exit optical unit ( 22 ),
exactly two additional light sources ( 3 a , 3 b ) are provided, and
a first of the two additional light sources ( 3 a ) supports the entry optical unit ( 21 ) and a second of the two additional light sources ( 3 b ) supports the exit optical unit ( 22 ), in particular the light-emitting regions ( 30 a ) of the first additional light source ( 3 a ) and the light-emitting regions ( 30 b ) of the second additional light source ( 3 b ) are adapted and positioned relative to each other such that light beams ( 300 a , 300 b ) generated by the corresponding light-emitting regions ( 30 a , 30 b ) propagate in different, non-overlapping regions of the projection device ( 2 ).

7. The light module according to claim 4 , wherein the projection device ( 2 ) has at least one screening device ( 7 , 8 ) lying between the entry optical unit ( 21 ) and the exit optical unit ( 22 ), which at least one screening device ( 7 , 8 ) has apertures ( 70 ) corresponding to the intermediate regions ( 211 ), and is adapted so as to form the intermediate image, and/or to correct optical aberrations.

8. The light module according to claim 4 , wherein the intermediate regions ( 211 ) are of a planar design.

9. The light module according to claim 3 , wherein exactly one micro-exit optical unit ( 220 ) corresponds to each micro-entry optical unit ( 210 ) and the common optical axis extends horizontally.

10. The light module according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one additional light source ( 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , 3 d ) comprises a plurality of light-emitting regions ( 30 a , 30 b , 30 c , 30 d ), spaced apart from each other, for purposes of emitting the light between the entry optical unit ( 21 ) and the exit optical unit ( 22 ), which light-emitting regions ( 30 a , 30 b , 30 c , 30 d ) are arranged in a plane standing substantially transverse to the optical axis of the projection device ( 2 ), the plane being a light emission plane.

11. The light module according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one additional light source ( 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , 3 d ) has a light guide element ( 31 a , 31 b , 31 c , 31 d ) and an illuminant ( 32 ) associated with the light guide element, preferably an LED illuminant, wherein:
the light-emitting regions ( 30 a , 30 b , 30 c , 30 d ) are arranged in the light guide element ( 31 a , 31 b , 31 c , 31 d ),
the light guide element ( 31 a , 31 b , 31 c , 31 d ) is adapted as a light guide panel arranged substantially transverse to the optical axis of the projection device ( 2 ),
the light guide panel has at least one light incoupling surface ( 310 a , 310 c ) for purposes of coupling in light of the illuminant ( 32 ), which light propagates in the light guide panel, and is emitted from the light guide panel in the light-emitting regions, and
each light-emitting region ( 30 a , 30 b , 30 c , 30 d ) comprises a plurality of light decoupling prisms.

12. The light module according to claim 10 , wherein a first screening element ( 4 , 5 ) is provided, which first screening element ( 4 , 5 ) is mounted in front of the light-emitting regions ( 30 c , 30 d ), and shields the light-emitting regions ( 30 c , 30 d ) from the light of the at least one light source ( 1 ), and
wherein the light-emitting regions ( 30 c , 30 d ) in the light emission plane of the at least one additional light source ( 3 c , 3 d ) take the form of horizontal strips extending transverse to the optical axis of the optical projection device ( 2 ) and spaced vertically from each other, and the screening element ( 4 , 5 ) has opaque regions ( 40 , 50 ) corresponding to these strips.

13. The light module according to claim 12 , wherein:
exactly two additional light sour

Assignees

• Zkw Group Gmbh

Inventors

• Kemetmüller Matthias
• Mandl Bernhard
• Moser Andreas
• Bauer Friedrich

Classifications

• F21S41/663

  by switching light sources (by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162) · CPC title

• F21S41/275

  Lens surfaces, e.g. coatings or surface structures · CPC title

• F21S41/19

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

• F21S41/143 Primary

  the main emission direction of the LED being parallel to the optical axis of the illuminating device · CPC title

• F21S41/47

  Attachment thereof (achieving variable light distribution by movable screens F21S41/683) · CPC title