Lighting device including a light ray guide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015131324-A1
Application number	US-201414520617-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 22, 2014
Priority date	Oct 23, 2013
Publication date	May 14, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

A lighting and/or signaling device and a light ray guide (N) formed by a guide plate comprising a light entry face, a light exit face and a reflection face having an elliptical profile toward the rear adapted to assure reflection of light rays entering the guide plate through the light entry face toward a focus point (F) located at the level of the light exit face of the guide plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A light ray guide (N) comprising:
a guide plate comprising a light entry face, a light exit face and a reflection face having an elliptical profile toward the rear adapted to assure reflection of light rays entering said guide plate through said light entry face toward a focus point (F) located at a level of said light exit face of said guide plate.

2 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 1 , wherein said focus point (F) is located at a distance from an upper edge of said light exit face of said guide plate.

3 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 1 , wherein said focus point (F) is located on an upper edge of said light exit face of said guide plate.

4 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 1 , wherein said guide plate is delimited longitudinally by said light exit face which is an edge surface of said guide plate extending vertically and transversely at a front end of said guide plate.

5 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 1 , wherein said guide plate is delimited longitudinally by said reflection face which is an edge surface lying at the rear of said guide plate and is curved in a vertical longitudinal plane with an elliptical profile.

6 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 5 , wherein a cross section of said reflection face has a roof-shaped prism profile, notably over all the length of said reflection face.

7 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 5 , wherein a cross section of said reflection face has a rectilinear profile.

8 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 1 , wherein said guide plate is delimited vertically by a front face which is an edge surface extending from an upper edge of said light exit face.

9 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 8 , wherein said front face is plane.

10 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 8 , wherein said front face has two plane parts joined by a bend.

11 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 1 , wherein said guide plate is delimited vertically by said light entry face which is an edge surface extending transversely and longitudinally.

12 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 1 , wherein said guide plate is delimited transversely by two guide faces.

13 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 1 , wherein said guide plate has a constant thickness corresponding to a width of said light entry face and said light exit face.

14 . A lighting and/or signaling device, notably for vehicles, having an optical axis (Ox) and including a light source and a lens, wherein said lighting and/or signaling device includes a light ray guide (N) according to claim 1 arranged between said light source and said lens so that light rays emitted by said light source in said light ray guide (N) propagate in said light ray guide (N) to reach said lens and on emerging from said lens have a substantially horizontal direction containing said optical axis (Ox) of said lighting and/or signaling device.

15 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 14 , wherein said light source is adapted to emit a cone of light along a main emission axis, a focus point (F) of said guide plate being disposed so that a ray emitted by said light source in a direction parallel to a maim emission axis leaves said light ray guide (N) in a direction parallel to said optical axis (Ox).

16 . The lighting and/or signaling device according to claim 14 , wherein said guide plate is arranged relative to said lens so that a focus point (F) corresponds to an object focus of said lens.

17 . The lighting and/or signaling device according to claim 14 , wherein it comprises a plurality of guide plates each associated with said light source, said light source being disposed at a level of said light entry face of an associated guide plate, said plurality of guide plates being arranged in a fan, said plurality of guide plates being tangential at a level of their exit face and diverging progressively to produce a spacing between each light source.

18 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 2 , wherein said guide plate is delimited longitudinally by said light exit face which is an edge surface of said guide plate extending vertically and transversely at a front end of said guide plate.

19 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 3 , wherein said guide plate is delimited longitudinally by said light exit face which is an edge surface of said guide plate extending vertically and transversely at a front end of said guide plate.

20 . The light ray guide (N) according to claim 2 , wherein said guide plate is delimited longitudinally by said reflection face which is an edge surface lying at the rear of said guide plate and is curved in a vertical longitudinal plane with an elliptical profile.

Assignees

• Valeo Vision

Inventors

• De Lamberterie Antoine

Classifications

• F21S41/24

  Light guides · CPC title

• F21S41/663 Primary

  by switching light sources (by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162) · CPC title

• G02B6/0078

  Side-by-side arrangements, e.g. for large area displays · CPC title

• F21S41/25

  Projection lenses · CPC title

• G02B6/0073

  Light emitting diode [LED] · CPC title