Optical structure having a microstructure with a quadratic diffusion function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016201867-A1
Application number	US-201414916499-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 28, 2014
Priority date	Sep 3, 2013
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical structure ( 100 ) for a motor vehicle headlight lighting device ( 1 ) that is set up to emit light forming a specified light pattern (LP 1 ), wherein the optical structure ( 100 ) of the lighting device ( 1 ) is associated with the lighting device ( 1 ), or is part of it in such a way, that the optical structure ( 100 ) is transilluminated by essentially the entire luminous flux of the lighting device ( 1 ), and wherein the optical structure ( 100 ) consists of a number of optical structural elements ( 110 ) that have a light-scattering effect and that are designed in such a way that the unmodified light pattern (LP 1 ) produced by the lighting device ( 1 ) is modified by the optical structure ( 100 ) into a specifiable modified light pattern (LP 2 ), and wherein the optical structural elements ( 110 ) have a quadrilateral base area ( 202 ), i.e., the area ( 202 ) between the vertices ( 201 ) of a quadrilateral grid ( 200 ) is completely covered by the base area of exactly one optical structural element ( 110 ).

First claim

1 . An optical structure ( 100 ) for a motor vehicle headlight lighting device ( 1 ) that is set up to emit light forming a specified light pattern (LP 1 ), wherein the optical structure ( 100 ) of the lighting device ( 1 ) is associated with the lighting device ( 1 ), or is part of it in such a way, that the optical structure ( 100 ) is transilluminated by essentially the entire luminous flux of the lighting device ( 1 ), and wherein:
the optical structure ( 100 ) consists of a number of optical structural elements ( 110 ) that have a light-scattering effect and that are designed in such a way that the unmodified light pattern (LP 1 ) produced by the lighting device ( 1 ) is modified by the optical structure ( 100 ) into a specifiable modified light pattern (LP 2 ), the optical structural elements ( 110 ) have a quadrilateral base area ( 202 ), i.e., the area ( 202 ) between the vertices ( 201 ) of a quadrilateral grid ( 200 ) is completely covered by the base area of exactly one optical structural element ( 110 ), the base area of each optical structural element ( 110 ) is formed by a rectangle or a square, and characterized in that the structural elements ( 110 ) have, in their vertex areas, vertex area elevations ( 110 b ), each of which is formed by a lateral face of a pyramidal elevation ( 111 b ), and have, in their centers, a central elevation ( 110 a ).

2 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the structural elements ( 110 ) have, in their centers, a central elevation ( 110 a ) with a circular base.

3 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the modified light pattern (LP 2 ) is formed by convolution of the unmodified light pattern (LP 1 ) with a spread function (PSF), and in that the optical structure ( 100 ) is designed in such a way that the unmodified light pattern (LP 1 ) is modified according to the spread function.

4 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the structural elements ( 110 ) are distributed over at least defined surface ( 111 ) of at least one optical element ( 5 , 6 ).

5 . The optical structure of claim 3 , wherein the optical structural elements ( 110 ) are designed in such a way that every structural element ( 110 ) modifies the light beam (LB 1 ) passing through it according to the spread function (PSF) to produce a modified light beam (LB 2 ).

6 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the base of the central elevation ( 110 a ) extends to the four delimiting sides ( 203 ) of the quadrilateral base area ( 202 ).

7 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the central elevation ( 110 a ) has a continuous course over its entire surface.

8 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the central elevation ( 110 a ) has its maximum distance to the base area at the geometric center of its base area.

9 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the central elevation ( 110 a ) has its minimum distance to the base area on its circumference.

10 . The optical structure of claim 9 , wherein the minimum distance of the circumference to the base area is equal to zero.

11 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein all structural elements ( 110 ) lying on a vertex ( 201 ) of the grid contribute to the pyramidal elevation ( 111 b ).

12 . The optical structure of claim 11 , wherein the apex ( 111 b ′) of a pyramidal elevation ( 111 b ) lies exactly over a grid point ( 201 ) of the grid ( 200 ).

13 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein each of the optical structural elements ( 110 ) is designed to be symmetrical about its diagonal, in particular to have mirror symmetry.

14 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein in a section through a pyramidal elevation ( 111 b ) in a plane normal to the base area ( 202 ) along a diagonal (A-A) the vertex area elevations ( 110 b ) have an essentially linear slope.

15 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein in a section through a pyramidal elevation ( 111 b ) in a plane normal to the base area ( 202 ) along a delimiting side ( 203 ) the vertex area elevations ( 110 b ) have an essentially concave course.

16 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the central elevation ( 110 a ) and the vertex area elevations ( 110 b ) continuously transition into one another.

17 . The optical structure of claim 1 , which is arranged on at least one boundary surface of an optical element that is designed in the form of a headlight lens ( 6 ) or in the form of a cover plate ( 6 ) of the lighting device ( 1 ).

18 . The optical structure of claim 1 , which is arranged on at least one surface of an optical element in the form of a lens ( 5 ), in particular a projector lens of the lighting device ( 1 ).

19 . The optical structure of claim 18 , which is arranged on the light exit side ( 5 a ) of the lens ( 5 ).

20 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the structural elements ( 110 ) of the optical structure ( 100 ) are distributed over the entire at least one boundary surface ( 5 a, 6 a ) of an optical element ( 5 , 6 ).

21 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein all structural elements ( 110 ) are essentially identical.

22 . The optical structure described of claim 1 , wherein all structural elements ( 110 ) are identical with respect to a planar surface or an imaginary planar surface ( 111 ).

23 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein all structural elements ( 110 ) are identically oriented.

24 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the spread function is a point spread function (PSF).

25 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the dimension of a structural element ( 110 ), for example a diameter (d) and/or a height (h) of the structural element ( 110 ), is greater, especially very much greater than the wavelength of visible light.

26 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the height (h) of the structural elements ( 110 ) lies in the μm range.

27 . The optical structure of claim 26 , wherein the height (h) of the structural elements ( 110 ) lies in the range 0.5-5 μm.

28 . The optical structure of claim 27 , wherein the height (h) of the structural elements ( 110 ) lies in the range 1-3 μm.

29 . The optical structure of claim 28 , wherein the height (h) of the structural elements ( 110 ) is about 2.7 μm.

30 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the diameter (d) or a length of the structural elements ( 110 ) lies in the millimeter range.

31 . The optical structure of claim 30 , wherein the diameter (d) or a length of the structural elements ( 110 ) lies between 0.5-2 mm.

32 . The optical structure of claim 31 , wherein the diameter (d) or a length of the structural elements ( 110 ) is about 1 mm.

33 . The optical structure of claim 1 , wherein the defined surface ( 111 ) on which the structural elements ( 110 ) are distributed is subdivided into an imaginary, preferably regular grid structure ( 200 ), and the structural elements are arranged on the grid points ( 201 ) or between the grid points ( 201 ) of the grid structure ( 200 ).

34 . The optical structure of claim 33 , wherein exactly one structural element ( 110 ) is arranged on each grid point ( 201 ) or between the grid points ( 201 ) of the grid structure ( 200 ).

Assignees

• Zizala Lichtsysteme Gmbh

Inventors

• Moser Andreas
• Kieslinger Dietmar
• Pürstinger Josef

Classifications

• F21S48/145

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F21S48/1283 Primary

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F21W2102/18

  for overhead signs · CPC title

• F21W2102/16

  having blurred cut-off lines · CPC title

• G02B27/00 Primary

  Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00 · CPC title