Projection apparatus, lighting module and motor vehicle headlamp consisting of micro-optical systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11280463-B2
Application number	US-201917265582-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2019
Priority date	Aug 7, 2018
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is a projection apparatus (2) for a lighting module (1) of a motor vehicle headlamp, the projection apparatus (2) being formed by a plurality of micro-optical systems (3) that are arranged like a matrix; each micro-optical system (3) includes a micro-input optical element (30), a micro-output optical element (31) associated with the micro-input optical element (30), and a micro-diaphragm (32), all micro-input optical elements (31) forming an input optical unit (4), all micro-output optical elements (31) forming an output optical unit (5), and all micro-diaphragms (32) forming a diaphragm device (6); the diaphragm device (6) is disposed in a plane extending substantially perpendicularly to the main direction of emission (Z) of the projection apparatus (2), while the input optical unit (4), the output optical unit (5) and the diaphragm device (6) are disposed in planes extending substantially parallel to one another; the micro-diaphragm (32) of each micro-optical system (3) has an optically effective edge (320, 320a, 320b, 320c, 320d, 320e), all of the micro-optical systems (3) are subdivided into at least two micro-optical system groups (G1, G2, G3), and the optically effective edges (320, 320a, 320b, 320c, 320d, 320e) in the micro-optical systems (3) from different micro-optical system groups (G1, G2, G3) are positioned differently relative to the associated micro-output optical elements (31) within the intermediate image plane.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A projection apparatus ( 2 ) for a light module ( 1 ) of a motor vehicle headlamp, the projection apparatus comprising:
a multiplicity of micro-optical systems ( 3 ) arranged in a matrix-like manner, wherein each micro-optical system ( 3 ) has a micro-entrance optical element ( 30 ), a micro-exit optical element ( 31 ) assigned to the micro-entrance optical element ( 30 ) and a micro-diaphragm ( 32 ), wherein all micro-entrance optical elements ( 30 ) form an entrance optical element ( 4 ), all micro-exit optical elements ( 31 ) form an exit optical element ( 5 ) and all micro-diaphragms ( 32 ) form a diaphragm device ( 6 ), wherein the diaphragm device ( 6 ) is arranged in a plane, which is orthogonal to a main radiation direction (Z) of the projection apparatus ( 2 ) in an intermediate image plane, and wherein the entrance optical element ( 4 ), the exit optical element ( 5 ) and the diaphragm device ( 6 ) are arranged in planes which are substantially parallel to one another,
wherein the micro-diaphragm ( 32 ) of each micro-optical system ( 3 ) has an optically active edge ( 320 , 320 a , 320 b , 320 c , 320 d , 320 e ), wherein the totality of the micro-optical systems ( 3 ) is divided into at least two micro-optical system groups (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ), wherein for the micro-optical systems ( 3 ) made from different micro-optical system groups (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ), the optically active edges ( 320 , 320 a , 320 b , 320 c , 320 d , 320 e ) are positioned differently relative to the respective micro-exit optical elements ( 31 ) inside the intermediate image plane,
wherein the micro-diaphragms ( 32 ) of each micro-optical system group (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ) are combined to form a micro-diaphragm group (MG 1 , MG 2 ) and the micro-diaphragm groups (MG 1 , MG 2 ) are constructed identically, wherein the micro-diaphragm groups (MG 1 , MG 2 are displaced in the vertical direction with respect to one another, and
wherein in different micro-optical system groups, (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ), the optically active edges ( 320 , 320 a , 320 b , 320 c , 320 d , 320 e ) are positioned at the same height relative to the respective micro-entrance optical elements ( 30 ), wherein the micro-entrance optical elements ( 30 ) have differently running optical axes, relative to the respective micro-exit optical elements ( 31 ).

2. The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein it is (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ) true for each micro-optical system ( 3 ) inside the same micro-optical system group (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ) that the optically active edge ( 320 , 320 a , 320 b , 320 c , 320 d , 320 e ) of the micro-diaphragm ( 32 ) is displaced relatively to the micro-exit optical element ( 31 ) by a distance (h 1 , h 2 , h 3 , h 4 ) vertically and/or horizontally and this distance (h 1 , h 2 , h 3 , h 4 ) is the same for all micro-optical systems ( 3 ) inside the same micro-optical system group (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ), wherein the distance (h 1 , h 2 , h 3 , h 4 ) is approximately 0 mm to approximately 0.1 mm.

3. The projection apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the distance (h 1 , h 2 , h 3 , h 4 ) is approximately 0.01 mm to approximately 0.1 mm.

4. The projection apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the distance (h 1 , h 2 , h 3 , h 4 ) is approximately 0.03 mm to approximately 0.06 mm.

5. The projection apparatus according claim 1 , wherein the optically active edges ( 320 , 320 a , 320 b , 320 c , 320 d , 320 e ) of at least a portion of the micro-optical systems ( 3 ) of each micro-optical system group (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ) are constructed for generating a continuously horizontal or vertical partial cut-off line or a partial cut-off line with an asymmetric rise, wherein each such optically active edge ( 320 , 320 a , 320 b , 320 c , 320 d , 320 e ) is constructed for generating a continuously horizontal or vertical micro-cut-off line ( 3200 ) or a micro-cut-off line with an asymmetric rise ( 3201 ).

6. The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each micro-diaphragm ( 32 ) is constructed as a small plate made from a non-transparent material with an opening ( 321 , 321 a , 321 b , 321 c , 321 d , 321 e ).

7. The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in different micro-optical system groups (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ), the micro-entrance optical elements ( 30 ) are positioned at the same height relative to the respective micro-exit optical elements ( 31 ) and have a common optical axis.

8. The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the micro-optical systems ( 3 ) have an image scale of approximately 3° per 0.1 mm.

9. The projection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the different micro-optical system groups (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ) are constructed separately from one another and are spaced from one another.

10. A light module ( 1 ) for a motor vehicle headlamp comprising:
the projection apparatus ( 2 ) according to claim 1 ; and
a light source ( 7 ),
wherein the projection apparatus ( 2 ) is downstream of the light source ( 7 ) in the light radiation direction and the light generated by the light source ( 7 ) is projected with a cut-off line ( 80 ) into a region in front of the light module in the form of a light distribution ( 8 ), wherein the light distribution is formed from a multiplicity of mutually overlapping partial light distributions with a partial cut-off line in each case, wherein each partial light distribution is formed by exactly one micro-optical system group and the partial cut-off lines together form the cut-off line ( 80 ).

11. The light module according to claim 10 , wherein the partial cut-off lines are displaced by an angle with respect to one another along a vertical and/or horizontal, wherein the angle has a value of approximately 0° to approximately 3°.

12. The light module according to claim 11 , wherein the angle has a value of approximately 2°.

13. The light module according to claim 10 , wherein the partial cut-off lines run substantially in a straight line or have an asymmetric rise.

14. The light module according to claim 10 , wherein the light source ( 7 ) is configured to generate collimated light.

15. The light module according to claim 10 , wherein the light source ( 7 ) comprises a light-collimating optical element ( 9 ) and a semiconductor-based lamp element ( 10 ), which is upstream of the light-collimating optical element ( 9 ).

16. The light module according to claim 15 , wherein the semiconductor-based lamp element ( 10 ) is an LED light source, and/or the light-collimating optical element ( 9 ) is a collimator, a light-collimating adapter optical element, or a TIR lens.

17. The light module according to claim 10 , wherein the light source ( 7 ) has at least two light-emitting regions ( 70 , 71 , 72 ), wherein each individual light-emitting region can be controlled independently of the other light-emitting regions of the light source ( 7 ), and at least one micro-optical system group (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ), is assigned to each light-emitting region ( 70 , 71 , 72 ) in such a manner that light generated by the respective light-emitting region ( 70 , 71 , 72 ) impinges directly and only onto the micro-optical system group (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ) assigned to this light-emitting region ( 70 , 71 , 72 ).

18. A motor vehicle headlamp comprising at least one light module according to claim 10 .

19. The projection apparatus according claim 1 , wherein the differently running optical axes are displa

Assignees

• Zkw Group Gmbh

Inventors

• Moser Andreas
• Mandl Bernhard
• Bauer Friedrich

Classifications

• F21S41/143 Primary

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

• F21S41/265 Primary

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

• F21V5/004

  using microlenses · CPC title

• F21W2102/00

  Exterior vehicle lighting devices for illuminating purposes · CPC title

• F21W2107/10

  for land vehicles · CPC title