Illumination system for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12565976-B2
Application number	US-202519013333-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2025
Priority date	Feb 15, 2024
Publication date	Mar 3, 2026
Grant date	Mar 3, 2026

Abstract

Illumination system ( 1 ) for a vehicle, including at least one lighting device ( 2 ), including at least two, individually controllable, light sources ( 3 a, 3 b ), and a lens element ( 4 ), arranged downstream of the two light sources, and a vehicle body component ( 5 ). The lens element is configured to emit a first light bundle and a second light bundle towards the vehicle body component, respectively. The vehicle body component includes an opaque section ( 6 ) and a plurality of transparent elements ( 7 ), embedded within the opaque section. The plurality of transparent elements is defined by at least one parent-group (PG) of transparent elements ( 7, 7 ′), said PG is divided into at least two sub-groups (SG). The lens element is configured to redirect the first light bundle towards the first sub-group (SG 1 ) of transparent elements and to redirect the second light bundle towards the second sub-group (SG 2 ) of transparent elements.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1 . An illumination system ( 1 ) for a vehicle, the illumination system comprising:
at least one lighting device ( 2 ), comprising at least two, individually controllable, light sources ( 3 a , 3 b ), configured to emit light along a main direction of light propagation (x), and a lens element ( 4 ), arranged downstream of the at least two light sources ( 3 a , 3 b ) along the main direction of light propagation (x), wherein the lens element ( 4 ) is configured to receive a first light bundle from a first light source ( 3 a ) of the at least two light sources ( 3 a , 3 b ) and emit the first light bundle along the main direction of light propagation (x), and to receive a second light bundle from a second light source ( 3 b ) of the at least two light sources ( 3 a , 3 b ) and emit the second light bundle along the main direction of light propagation (x); and a vehicle body component ( 5 ), arranged downstream of the lens element ( 4 ) along the main direction of light propagation (x), wherein the lens element ( 4 ) is configured to emit the first light bundle and the second light bundle towards the vehicle body component ( 5 ), respectively, wherein the vehicle body component ( 5 ) comprises an opaque section ( 6 ), configured to block light emitted by the lens element ( 4 ) and a plurality of transparent elements ( 7 ), embedded within the opaque section ( 6 ), configured to let light emitted from the lens element ( 4 ) pass through the vehicle body component ( 5 ) along the main direction of light propagation (x), wherein adjacent transparent elements ( 7 ) are distanced to each other, with a distance greater than zero in a main plane of the vehicle body component ( 5 ), wherein the main plane is orthogonal to the main direction of light propagation (x), wherein the plurality of transparent elements ( 7 ) are defined by at least one parent-group (PG) of transparent elements ( 7 ), said parent-group (PG) is divided into at least two sub-groups (SG), wherein at least two transparent elements ( 7 ) define a first sub-group (SG 1 ), wherein at least two different transparent elements ( 7 ′), which are not part of the first sub-group (SG 1 ), define a second sub-group (SG 2 ), wherein the lens element ( 4 ) is configured to redirect the first light bundle of the first light source ( 3 a ) towards the first sub-group (SG 1 ) of transparent elements ( 7 ) and to redirect the second light bundle of the second light source ( 3 b ) towards the second sub-group (SG 2 ) of transparent elements ( 7 ′), such that in a state of operation, in which the first light source ( 3 a ) and the second light source ( 3 b ) emit light, the first sub-group (SG 1 ) of transparent elements ( 7 ) and the second sub-group (SG 2 ) of transparent elements ( 7 ′) is illuminated by its respective light source ( 3 a , 3 b ), and in a state of operation, in which only one of the at least two light sources ( 3 a , 3 b ) emit light, only one of the at least two sub-group (SG 1 , SG 2 ) of transparent elements ( 7 , 7 ′), which is associated with the light emitting light source ( 3 a , 3 b ), is illuminated, and wherein the vehicle body component ( 5 ) comprises a back surface facing the lens element ( 4 ) and a front surface averting the lens element ( 4 ), and wherein the lens element ( 4 ) is configured to refract the first light bundle and the second light bundle, such that the refracted first light bundle and the refracted second light bundle propagate towards the optical axis (OA) of the lens element ( 4 ), respectively, wherein the lens element ( 4 ) comprises a projections lens which projects the light of the light source ( 3 , 3 a , 3 b ) to the back surface of the vehicle body component ( 5 ), wherein the lens element ( 4 ) comprises a projection lens configured to project the first light bundle towards the first sub-group (SG 1 ) of transparent elements ( 7 ), and the second light bundle towards the second sub-group (SG 2 ) of transparent elements ( 7 ′).

2 . The illumination system according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle body component ( 5 ) is arranged to the at least one lighting device ( 2 ) such that light emitted from the lens element ( 4 ) illuminates the back surface, wherein each transparent element ( 7 , 7 ′) of the plurality of transparent elements ( 7 ) penetrate through the vehicle body component ( 5 ) from the back surface to the front surface.

3 . The illumination system according to claim 1 , wherein each transparent element ( 7 , 7 ′) of the plurality of transparent elements ( 7 ) is surrounded, by the opaque section ( 6 ) of the vehicle body component ( 5 ).

4 . The illumination system according to claim 1 , wherein each transparent element ( 7 ) is configured as a through-hole, formed within the vehicle body component ( 5 ), wherein a boundary limiting the through-hole has a particular shape, and wherein each through hole is filled with a transparent material.

5 . The illumination system according to claim 4 , wherein the particular shape is circular, square, triangular, oval, polygonal, or star-shaped.

6 . The illumination system according to claim 1 , wherein each transparent element ( 7 ) has a similar or different shape in the main plane of the vehicle body component ( 5 ), wherein a diameter, in the main plane of the vehicle body component ( 5 ), of each shape is equal or different for each transparent element ( 7 ).

7 . The illumination system according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle body component ( 5 ) is a front bumper, rear bumper, or a radiator grill.

8 . The illumination system according to claim 7 , wherein the vehicle body component ( 5 ) is a closed radiator grill.

9 . The illumination system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two light sources ( 3 a , 3 b ) are distanced, along the main direction of light propagation (x), to the lens element ( 4 ), wherein said distance is shorter than a focal length of the lens element ( 4 ), wherein preferably the at least two light sources ( 3 a , 3 b ) are arranged or centered around an optical axis (OA) of the lens element ( 4 ).

10 . The illumination system according to claim 9 , wherein a perpendicular distance between the optical axis (OA) and the first light source ( 3 a ) and a perpendicular distance between the optical axis (OA) and the second light source ( 3 b ) are equal, wherein the lens element ( 4 ) is arranged relative to the at least two light sources ( 3 a , 3 b ) such that the optical axis (OA) is oriented parallel to the main direction of light propagation (x).

11 . The illumination system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one lighting device ( 2 ) comprises a multi-chip-LED, wherein a first light source ( 3 a ) of the at least two light sources corresponds to a first chip of the multi-chip-LED and a second light source ( 3 b ) of the at least two light sources corresponds to a second chip of the multi-chip-LED, or wherein each of the at least two light sources ( 3 a , 3 b ) is configured as a single-chip-LED.

12 . The illumination system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two light sources ( 3 a , 3 b ) are arranged relative to each other and relative to the lens element ( 4 ) such that the first light bundle and the second light bundle are distanced to each other, with a distance greater than zero in a plane that is orthogonal to an optical axis (OA) of the lens element ( 4 ), wherein each light bundle illuminates a light receiving surface of the lens element ( 4 ) respectively.

13 . The illumination system according to claim 1 , wherein the

Assignees

• Zkw Group Gmbh

Inventors

• Zeuner Markus

Classifications

• F21W2121/008

  for simulation of a starry sky or firmament · CPC title

• F21V11/14

  with many small apertures · CPC title

• B60R2019/505

  with lights · CPC title

• 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