Lighting unit for a motor vehicle, having a reflector, a circuit board and a heat sink

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11549656-B2
Application number	US-202117560407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2021
Priority date	Jun 24, 2019
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

A lighting unit for a motor vehicle, having a reflector, a circuit board with at least one light source, and a heat sink, wherein the circuit board is arranged on the reflector in an assembled state of the lighting unit in such a way that the light source is associated with a reflecting surface of the reflector for directed emission of the light emitted by the light source, and wherein the circuit board can be cooled in the region of the light source via the heat sink in the assembled state of the lighting unit. The circuit board is arranged between the reflector and the heat sink in the assembled state of the lighting unit and is positioned relative to the reflector and the heat sink in a predefined spatial position via the reflector and the heat sink.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A lighting unit for a motor vehicle, the lighting unit comprising:
a reflector;
a circuit board with at least one light source; and
a heat sink,
wherein the circuit board is arranged on the reflector, in an assembled state of the lighting unit, such that the at least one light source is associated with a reflecting surface of the reflector for directed emission of light emitted by the at least one light source,
wherein the circuit board is cooled in a region of the at least one light source via the heat sink in the assembled state of the lighting unit,
wherein the circuit board is arranged between the reflector and the heat sink in the assembled state of the lighting unit and is positioned relative to the reflector and the heat sink in a predefined spatial position via the reflector and the heat sink,
wherein the reflector and the circuit board have at least one pair of mutually corresponding positioners,
wherein a first pair of the at least one pair of mutually corresponding positioners of the reflector and the circuit board include a positioning dome that is inserted into a positioning recess, the reflector having the positioning dome and the circuit board having the positioning recess, and
wherein a second pair of the at least one pair of mutually corresponding positioners of the reflector and the circuit board include a positioning pin that is inserted into a positioning opening, the reflector having the positioning pin and the circuit board having the positioning opening.

2. The lighting unit according to claim 1 , wherein the heat sink and the reflector have mutually corresponding fasteners for spatial positioning of the circuit board in the assembled state of the lighting unit.

3. The lighting unit according to claim 2 , wherein the mutually corresponding fasteners have at least one pair of mutually corresponding interlocks.

4. The lighting unit according to claim 2 , wherein the heat sink and the reflector are adapted to be joined to one another in the assembled state of the lighting unit by at least one pair of mutually corresponding latches.

5. The lighting unit according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one pair of mutually corresponding latches is designed as a spring element and as a spring element receptacle.

6. The lighting unit according to claim 5 , wherein the spring element is designed as a separate component and the spring element receptacle is designed as an integral part of the reflector.

7. The lighting unit according to claim 6 , wherein the circuit board and the heat sink each have an opening, the opening of the circuit board and the opening of the heat sink being aligned with the spring element receptacle of the reflector, and wherein a portion of the spring element is inserted through the opening of the heat sink and the opening of the circuit board and is latched into the spring element receptable of the reflector.

8. The lighting unit according to claim 4 , wherein the mutually corresponding fasteners and the at least one pair of mutually corresponding latches are arranged on mutually opposite sides of the heat sink in the assembled state of the lighting unit.

9. The lighting unit according to claim 1 , wherein the reflector and the heat sink have at least one pair of mutually corresponding positioners.

10. The lighting unit according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one pair of mutually corresponding positioners of the reflector and the heat sink are designed as a pair of mutually corresponding interlocks.

11. The lighting unit according to claim 1 , wherein the heat sink has a projection on a side that faces the circuit board in the assembled state of the lighting unit, wherein the projection is designed and arranged such that the heat sink contacts the circuit board in the region of the at least one light source via the projection in the assembled state of the lighting unit.

12. A lighting unit for a motor vehicle, the lighting unit comprising:
a reflector;
a circuit board with at least one light source; and
a heat sink,
wherein the circuit board is arranged on the reflector, in an assembled state of the lighting unit, such that the at least one light source is associated with a reflecting surface of the reflector for directed emission of light emitted by the at least one light source,
wherein the circuit board is cooled in a region of the at least one light source via the heat sink in the assembled state of the lighting unit,
wherein the circuit board is arranged between the reflector and the heat sink in the assembled state of the lighting unit and is positioned relative to the reflector and the heat sink in a predefined spatial position via the reflector and the heat sink,
wherein the reflector and the circuit board have at least one pair of mutually corresponding positioners,
wherein the heat sink and the reflector have mutually corresponding fasteners for spatial positioning of the circuit board in the assembled state of the lighting unit,
wherein the heat sink and the reflector are adapted to be joined to one another in the assembled state of the lighting unit by at least one pair of mutually corresponding latches, and
wherein the circuit board, or the circuit board and the heat sink has/have an opening corresponding to the at least one pair of mutually corresponding latches.

13. A lighting unit for a motor vehicle, the lighting unit comprising:
a reflector;
a circuit board with at least one light source; and
a heat sink,
wherein the circuit board is arranged on the reflector, in an assembled state of the lighting unit, such that the at least one light source is associated with a reflecting surface of the reflector for directed emission of light emitted by the at least one light source,
wherein the circuit board is cooled in a region of the at least one light source via the heat sink in the assembled state of the lighting unit,
wherein the circuit board is arranged between the reflector and the heat sink in the assembled state of the lighting unit and is positioned relative to the reflector and the heat sink in a predefined spatial position via the reflector and the heat sink,
wherein the reflector and the circuit board have at least one pair of mutually corresponding positioners,
wherein a first pair of the at least one pair of mutually corresponding positioners of the reflector and the circuit board include a positioning dome that is inserted into a positioning recess, the reflector having the positioning dome and the circuit board having the positioning recess, and
wherein a second positioning recess is provided, the heat sink having the second positioning recess, and wherein the positioning dome of the reflector is inserted into both the positioning recess of the circuit board and the second positioning recess of the heat sink.

Assignees

• Hella Gmbh & Co Kgaa

Inventors

• Kappelhoff Martin

Classifications

• F21S45/47

  Passive cooling, e.g. using fins, thermal conductive elements or openings · CPC title

• F21S41/192

  Details of lamp holders, terminals or connectors · CPC title

• F21S41/321 Primary

  the reflector being a surface of revolution or a planar surface, e.g. truncated · CPC title

• F21S41/39 Primary

  Attachment thereof (achieving variable light distribution by movable reflectors F21S41/675) · CPC title

• F21S41/148 Primary

  the main emission direction of the LED being perpendicular to the optical axis · CPC title