Vehicle lights, in particular motor vehicle headlights

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025369588-A1
Application number	US-202519191461-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 28, 2025
Priority date	May 29, 2024
Publication date	Dec 4, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Vehicle light (1), in particular motor vehicle headlight (6), comprising a number of light sources (2), a circuit carrier (3) having a front side (3a) and a rear side (3b), wherein the light sources (2) are arranged on the front side (3a) of the circuit carrier (3), a heat sink (4), wherein the heat sink (4) is attached flatly to the rear side (3b) of the circuit carrier (3), and a fan (5) fastened to the heat sink (4), wherein the heat sink (4) has a base body (4a) for flat contact with the rear side (3b) of the circuit carrier (3), a flange (4b) for receiving the fan (5), and an air duct (4c), wherein the flange (4b) encloses an air inlet opening (4d) opening into the air duct (4c), which is designed to receive an air flow (L) generated by the fan (5), wherein the air duct (4c) extends up to an air outlet opening (4e), wherein the heat sink (4) is formed in one piece from 3D-printed material.

First claim

1 . A vehicle light ( 1 ), in particular a motor vehicle headlight ( 6 ), comprising
a number of light sources ( 2 ), a circuit carrier ( 3 ) having a front side ( 3 a ) and a rear side ( 3 b ), wherein the light sources ( 2 ) are arranged on the front side ( 3 a ) of the circuit carrier ( 3 ), a heat sink ( 4 ), wherein the heat sink ( 4 ) is attached flatly to the rear side ( 3 b ) of the circuit carrier ( 3 ), and a fan ( 5 ) fastened on the heat sink ( 4 ), characterized in that the heat sink ( 4 ) has *a base body ( 4 a ) for the planar contacting of the rear side ( 3 b ) of the circuit carrier ( 3 ), *a flange ( 4 b ) to receive the fan ( 5 ), *and an air duct ( 4 c ), wherein the flange ( 4 b ) encloses an air inlet opening ( 4 d ) opening into the air duct ( 4 c ), which is designed to receive an air flow (L) generated by the fan ( 5 ), wherein the air duct ( 4 c ) extends up to an air outlet opening ( 4 e ), wherein the heat sink ( 4 ) is formed in one piece from 3D-printed material.

2 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the air outlet opening ( 4 e ) is designed such that the flow direction of the air (La) flowing out through the air outlet opening ( 4 e ) is inclined at an angle (α) of at most 45 ° with respect to an incident flow angle of the air (Le) flowing in through the air inlet opening ( 4 d ).

3 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the air duct ( 4 c ) is designed such that it tapers continuously in the direction of the base body ( 4 a ) starting from the air inlet opening ( 4 d ) toward the air outlet opening ( 4 e ), wherein it is provided in particular that the cross section of the air duct ( 4 c ) decreases continuously starting from the air inlet opening ( 4 d ) toward the air outlet opening ( 4 e ).

4 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an inner housing ( 7 ) engages at the air outlet opening ( 4 e ), which inner housing mounts a projection lens ( 8 ) arranged downstream from the circuit carrier ( 3 ) for manipulating the light distribution emitted by the light sources ( 2 ), wherein the inner housing ( 7 ) is enclosed by an outer housing ( 9 ), wherein the outer housing ( 9 ) has a translucent cover plate ( 9 a ) arranged downstream from the projection lens ( 8 ), wherein the inner housing ( 7 ) has an inner housing air duct ( 7 a ) which is configured to direct an air flow (L) received through the air outlet opening ( 4 e ) in the direction of the cover plate ( 9 a ).

5 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein cooling structural elements ( 10 ) are provided within the air duct ( 4 c ), which extend starting from a duct inner wall ( 4 c ′) and/or the base body ( 4 a ) within the air duct ( 4 c ).

6 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the cooling structural elements ( 10 , 10 a, 10 b, 10 c )
* are cooling fins ( 10 a ) extending parallel to a longitudinal extent of the air duct ( 4 c ), and/or * are pins ( 10 b ).

7 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the cooling structural elements ( 10 , 10 a, 10 b, 10 c ) are asymmetrical, irregularly arranged structures ( 10 c ).

8 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the base body ( 4 a ) has a flat area ( 4 a ′), wherein the flange ( 4 b ) of the heat sink ( 4 ) is designed such that a fan ( 5 ) mounted flat on the flange ( 4 b ) is inclined obliquely with respect to the flat area ( 4 a ′) of the base body ( 4 a ).

9 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the position of the air inlet opening ( 4 d ) and the inclination of the fan ( 5 ) with respect to the base body ( 4 a ) can be selected such that an air flow (L) after entering the air inlet opening ( 4 d ), without additional deflection, hits at least a section of that area of the base body ( 4 a ) or of cooling structural elements ( 10 ) protruding therefrom which is directly opposite to the light sources ( 2 ).

10 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said section comprises the area directly opposite to the highest concentration of light sources ( 2 ).

11 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light sources ( 2 ) are flatly distributed on the front side ( 3 a ) of the circuit carrier ( 3 ), wherein the heat sink ( 4 ) is arranged on the opposite surface of the rear side ( 3 b ) of the circuit carrier ( 3 ), in such a way that a normal projection of the base body ( 4 ) onto the front side ( 3 a ) covers at least 70%, preferably at least 80% of the area formed by a virtual polygon whose corner points are formed by light sources ( 2 ), in such a way that all light sources ( 2 ) that do not form corner points of the polygon lie within the polygon.

12 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in order to increase the heat transfer from the front side ( 3 a ) to the rear side ( 3 b ) of the circuit carrier ( 3 ), heat transfer means ( 11 ) are provided which penetrate the circuit carrier ( 3 ) from its front side ( 3 a ) to its rear side ( 3 b ).

13 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 12 , wherein at least some of the heat transfer means ( 11 ) can be designed as VIAS ( 11 a ), which are preferably filled with heat-conducting material and are particularly preferably arranged in direct proximity to the light sources ( 2 ).

14 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heat sink ( 5 ) consists of an aluminum alloy.

15 . The vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the base body ( 4 a ) has integrally formed fastening means ( 4 f ) which are prepared for detachable connection to the circuit carrier ( 3 ) or a housing ( 7 ) engaging on the circuit carrier ( 3 ).

16 . A motor vehicle headlight ( 6 ), comprising a vehicle light ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 .

Assignees

• Zkw Group Gmbh

Inventors

• Huber Benjamin
• Schmidt Patrick
• Zeuner Markus

Classifications

• F21S41/2805

  Cover glass · CPC title

• F21S45/48

  with means for conducting heat from the inside to the outside of the lighting devices, e.g. with fins on the outer surface of the lighting device · CPC title

• F21S41/143

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

• F21S45/43

  using gas · CPC title

• F21S41/25

  Projection lenses · CPC title