Vehicle light assembly comprising flexible lighting strip

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11519581-B2
Application number	US-201716340979-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2017
Priority date	Oct 14, 2016
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

A vehicle light assembly comprising: a flexible lighting strip comprising a multitude of light-emitting diodes, wherein the flexible lighting strip is arranged to be bent around at least two, more preferred three linear independent axes; a light guiding structure comprising a light receiving surface and a primary light emission surface, wherein the light receiving surface receives light emitted by the flexible lighting strip, wherein the primary light emission surface emits at least a part of the light received via the light receiving surface, and wherein the light receiving surface is arranged to define a bending of the flexible lighting strip; a coupling structure that is arranged to mechanically couple the flexible lighting strip to the light receiving surface in accordance with the bending defined by the light receiving surface. The invention further describes a vehicle rear light or vehicle front light comprising the vehicle light assembly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle light assembly comprising:
a flexible lighting strip comprising a multitude of light-emitting diodes, wherein the flexible lighting strip is arranged to be bended around at least two, more preferred three linear independent axes;
a light guiding structure comprising a light receiving surface and a primary light emission surface, wherein the light receiving surface is arranged to receive light emitted by the flexible lighting strip, wherein the primary light emission surface is arranged to emit at least a part of the light received via the light receiving surface, and wherein the light receiving surface is arranged to define a bending of the flexible lighting strip, wherein the light guide further comprising a secondary light emission surface, and wherein the secondary light emission surface is arranged to emit at least a part of the light received via the light receiving surface, wherein the primary light emission surface is arranged to provide a higher luminance than the secondary light emission surface;
a coupling structure, wherein the coupling structure is arranged to mechanically couple the flexible lighting strip to the light receiving surface in accordance with the bending defined by the light receiving surface,
wherein the coupling structure is flexible, and
wherein the coupling structure is a separate structure which comprises a mechanical coupling surface for receiving the flexible lighting strip and a fixing structure for fixing the coupling structure such that the flexible lighting strip is arranged between the mechanical coupling surface and the light receiving surface.

2. The vehicle light assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the light guiding structure comprises a light guide comprising at least a part of the light receiving surface and at least a part of the primary light emission surface.

3. The vehicle light assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the light guiding structure comprises a reflective structure, wherein the reflective structure comprises at least a part of the light receiving surface and at least a part of the primary light emission surface.

4. The vehicle light assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the light guiding structure comprises a scattering structure, wherein the scattering structure comprises at least a part of the light receiving surface and at least a part of the primary light emission surface.

5. The vehicle light assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the light receiving surface is bended around at least one, preferably at least two of the three linear independent axes.

6. The vehicle light assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the light guide is arranged such that the secondary light emission surface is bended around at least two of the three linear independent axes.

7. The vehicle light assembly according to claim 6 , wherein the light guide comprises at least one notch such that the primary light emission surface is discontinuous.

8. The vehicle light assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the secondary light emission surface comprises a light outcoupling structure.

9. The vehicle light assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle light assembly comprises at least one connector for connecting at least two end-surfaces of the at least one flexible lighting strip.

10. The vehicle light assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle light assembly comprises a lighting strip terminator, wherein the lighting strip terminator is coupled to an end surface of the flexible lighting strip, wherein the light strip terminator is arranged such that light emitted by the light emitting diodes leaving the flexible lighting strip via the end surface is at least partly recycled.

11. The vehicle light assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle light assembly comprises an electrical interface, wherein the electrical interface is arranged to couple the vehicle light assembly to an external power supply.

12. A vehicle light comprising a vehicle light assembly including:
a flexible lighting strip comprising a multitude of light-emitting diodes, wherein the flexible lighting strip is arranged to be bended around at least two, more preferred three linear independent axes;
a light guiding structure comprising a light receiving surface and a primary light emission surface, wherein the light receiving surface is arranged to receive light emitted by the flexible lighting strip, wherein the primary light emission surface is arranged to emit at least a part of the light received via the light receiving surface, and wherein the light receiving surface is arranged to define a bending of the flexible lighting strip, wherein the light guide further comprising a secondary light emission surface, and wherein the secondary light emission surface is arranged to emit at least a part of the light received via the light receiving surface, wherein the primary light emission surface is arranged to provide a higher luminance than the secondary light emission surface;
a coupling structure, wherein the coupling structure is arranged to mechanically couple the flexible lighting strip to the light receiving surface in accordance with the bending defined by the light receiving surface,
wherein the coupling structure is flexible, and
wherein the coupling structure is a separate structure which comprises a mechanical coupling surface for receiving the flexible lighting strip and a fixing structure for fixing the coupling structure such that the flexible lighting strip is arranged between the mechanical coupling surface and the light receiving surface.

13. The vehicle light according to claim 12 , wherein the vehicle light is a vehicle rear light.

14. The vehicle light according to claim 12 , wherein the vehicle light is a vehicle front light.

15. The vehicle lighting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the fixing structure comprises flexible tooth configured to embrace corresponding bulges of the light guiding structure.

16. The vehicle lighting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling structure comprises clamp fixing structures with a clamping base, wherein the clamping bases are connected by a hinge structure.

17. The vehicle lighting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the light guide structure comprises coupling dents.

18. The vehicle lighting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling structure is made of a flexible plastic material configured to be force bended to the shape of the light guiding structure.

19. The vehicle lighting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling structure is made of a material keeping shape after bending.

Assignees

• Lumileds Llc

Inventors

• Crompvoets Floris Maria Hermansz
• Timinger Andreas
• Kleijnen Christian
• Peters Ralph Hubert
• Lind Adam
• Einig Rob Bastiaan Maria
• Fink Tobias

Classifications

• G02B6/00

  Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings · CPC title

• F21S43/241

  of complex shape · CPC title

• G02B6/0031

  Reflecting element, sheet or layer · CPC title

• F21S43/15

  Strips of light sources · CPC title

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title