Headlight lens for a vehicle headlight

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11549655-B2
Application number	US-202217672057-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2022
Priority date	Jun 2, 2016
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a headlamp lens for a vehicle headlamp, wherein the headlamp lens comprises a precision-molded body made of a transparent material, wherein the body comprises at least one light tunnel and a light-conducting part with at least one optically active light exit surface. The light tunnel comprises at least one light entry surface and merges with a bend in the light-conducting part to depict the sharp bend as a light/dark boundary by means of light coupled or radiated into the light entry surface. The surface of the light tunnel is at least partially convexly curved in the region of the bend.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle headlight comprising
a headlight lens and
a light source,
wherein the headlight lens comprises a press-molded monolithic body of an inorganic glass, the press-molded monolithic body comprising:
at least one light tunnel with at least one light entry face, a top surface and a bottom surface, the light tunnel having a longitudinal direction; and
a light passage section with at least one optically effective light exit face, wherein the light tunnel passes over, via a bend configured as continuously curved transition, into the light passage section for imaging the bend as a bright-dark-boundary by means of light of the light source irradiating into the light entry face;
wherein in the region of the bend the bottom surface of the light tunnel is at least partially convexly curved orthogonally to the longitudinal direction of the light tunnel; and
wherein in the region of the bend the top surface of the light tunnel is at least partially convexly curved orthogonally to the longitudinal direction of the light tunnel;
the light passage section having at least one light exit face with a cylindrical area;
wherein the light exit face extends, in the horizontal direction, by more than 1.5 times its extension in the vertical direction.

2. The vehicle headlight of claim 1 , wherein the light tunnel comprises a region on its surface limiting the light tunnel to the top which essentially corresponds to a part of the surface of an ellipsoid.

3. The vehicle headlight of claim 2 , the ellipsoid comprising a first focal point and a second focal point, wherein the light source is arranged between the first focal point and the second focal point.

4. The vehicle headlight of claim 3 , wherein a distance of the light source from the first focal point is τ·d in a direction orthogonal regarding the light entry face, wherein d is the distance of the first focal point from the second focal point, and wherein τ is greater 0.025 and not greater than 0.1.

5. The vehicle headlight of claim 3 , wherein a distance of the light source from the first focal point is τ·d in a direction of a straight line through the first focal point and the second focal point, wherein d is the distance of the first focal point from the second focal point, and wherein τ is greater 0.025 and not greater than 0.1.

6. The vehicle headlight of claim 5 , wherein the light tunnel comprises a left surface and a right surface, wherein at least one surface of the group consisting of the left surface and the right surface is curved concavely.

7. The vehicle headlight of claim 5 , wherein the light tunnel comprises a left surface and a right surface, wherein the left surface and the right surface are curved concavely.

8. The vehicle headlight of claim 1 , wherein the light tunnel comprises a left surface and a right surface, wherein at least one surface of the group consisting of the left surface and the right surface are curved concavely.

9. The vehicle headlight of claim 1 , wherein the light tunnel comprises a left surface and a right surface, wherein the left surface and the right surface are curved concavely.

10. The vehicle headlight of claim 1 , wherein the convexly curved surface of the light tunnel in the region of the bend is not less curved than a curvature having a radius of curvature of 50 cm.

11. The vehicle headlight of claim 10 , wherein the light exit face extends, in the horizontal direction, by more than 1.5 times its extension in the vertical direction.

12. The vehicle headlight of claim 1 , wherein the convexly curved surface of the light tunnel in the region of the bend is not less curved than a curvature having a radius of curvature of 50 cm.

13. The vehicle headlight of claim 12 , wherein the convexly curved surface of the light tunnel in the region of the bend is not more curved than a curvature having a radius of curvature of 0.3 cm.

14. The vehicle headlight of claim 1 , wherein the convexly curved surface of the light tunnel in the region of the bend is not more curved than a curvature having a radius of curvature of 0.3 cm.

15. A vehicle including a headlight, the headlight comprising
a headlight lens and
a light source,
wherein the headlight lens comprises a monolithic body of a transparent material, the body comprising:
at least one light tunnel with at least one light entry face, a top surface and a bottom surface, the light tunnel having a longitudinal direction; and
a light passage section with at least one optically effective light exit face, wherein the light tunnel passes over, via a bend configured as curved transition, into the light passage section for imaging the bend as a bright-dark-boundary by means of light of the light source irradiating into the light entry face;
wherein in the region of the bend the bottom surface of the light tunnel is at least partially convexly curved in transverse direction of the light tunnel; and
wherein in the region of the bend the top surface of the light tunnel is at least partially convexly curved in transverse direction of the light tunnel;
the light passage section having at least one light exit face with a cylindrical area;
wherein the light exit face extends, in the horizontal direction, by more than 1.5 times its extension in the vertical direction.

16. The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the convexly curved surface of the light tunnel in the region of the bend is not less curved than a curvature having a radius of curvature of 50 cm.

17. The vehicle headlight of claim 16 , wherein the convexly curved surface of the light tunnel in the region of the bend is not more curved than a curvature having a radius of curvature of 0.3 cm.

18. The vehicle headlight of claim 17 , wherein the light tunnel comprises a left surface and a right surface, wherein the left surface and the right surface are curved concavely.

Assignees

• Docter Optics Se

Inventors

• Tessmer Manuel
• Mozaffari-Afshar Mohsen
• Kühl Siemen
• Wintzer Wolfram

Classifications

• F21S41/143

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

• F21S41/27

  Thick lenses · CPC title

• F21S41/24

  Light guides · CPC title

• F21S41/265

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

• F21S41/153

  arranged in a matrix · CPC title