Motor vehicle headlight having a complex headlight lens

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9719645-B2
Application number	US-201314397900-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2013
Priority date	May 26, 2012
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle headlight having at least one first light source and a headlight lens which comprising, for example, a blank-molded integrally formed body which is made from a transparent material, and which comprises at least one light tunnel and a light-conducting part having at least one optically effective light exit surface, wherein the light tunnel comprises, an optically effective, light entry surface and merges, while forming a kink, into the light-conducting part for imaging the kink as a light-dark boundary by means of light coupled in or radiated into the light entry surface from the first light source, wherein the light tunnel has a transition region in which the surface delimiting the light tunnel at the top rises in the direction of the light-conducting part.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A headlight lens for a vehicle headlight, the headlight lens comprising a body from transparent material, the body comprising:
a light passage section, the light passage section including at least one optically operative light exit face, wherein the light exit face comprises at least two segments, which are separated from each other by means of one of the group consisting of an indentation, a notch, and a discontinuity; and
a light tunnel, the light tunnel comprising at least one light entry face, and the light tunnel, via a bend, forming transition into the light passage section;
the light passage section being configured for imaging the bend as a bright-dark-boundary by means of light irradiated into the light entry face.

2. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a top surface of the light tunnel includes an indentation extending essentially in parallel to at least one of the group consisting of an optical axis of the light tunnel, an optical axis of the light passage section, and an optical axis of the light exit face, wherein the indentation separates two segments of the light tunnel.

3. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the segments of the light tunnel emanate from the light entry face.

4. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the light entry face is inclined with respect to the optical axis of the light passage section by an angle of between 5° and 7°.

5. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 4 , wherein a segment of the light tunnel comprises an area on its surface, which area essentially corresponds to a part of the surface of an ellipsoid.

6. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a segment of the light tunnel comprises an area on its surface, which area essentially corresponds to a part of the surface of an ellipsoid.

7. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the light tunnel includes an indentation, wherein the indentation separates two segments of the light tunnel.

8. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 7 wherein a segment of the light tunnel comprises an area on its surface, which area essentially corresponds to a part of the surface of an ellipsoid.

9. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 1 , wherein light the exit face includes a light dispersing structure.

10. A vehicle headlight having a headlight lens and at least a first light source, the headlight lens comprising a monolithic body from transparent material, the body comprising:
a light passage section, the light passage section including at least one optically operative light exit face, wherein the light exit face comprises at least two segments, which are separated from each other by means of an indentation; and
a light tunnel, the light tunnel comprising at least one light entry face, and the light tunnel, via a bend, forming transition into the light passage section;
the light passage section being configured for imaging the bend as a bright-dark-boundary by means of light irradiated into the light entry face by means of the first light source.

11. Headlight as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the light exit face comprises at least three segments, which are separated from each other by means of an indentation.

12. Headlight as claimed in claim 10 , wherein a surface restricting the light tunnel at the top includes an indentation separating two segments of the light tunnel, which segments emanate from the light entry face.

13. Headlight as claimed in claim 12 , wherein a segment of the light tunnel comprises an area on its surface, which area essentially corresponds to a part of the surface of an ellipsoid.

14. Headlight as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the light entry face is inclined with respect to the optical axis of the light passage section by an angle of between 5° and 7°.

15. Headlight as claimed in claim 12 , wherein each segment of the light tunnel comprises an area on its surface, which area essentially corresponds to a part of the surface of an ellipsoid.

16. Headlight as claimed in claim 10 , the bend being a curved transition having a radius of curvature of no more than 5 mm.

17. Headlight as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the vehicle headlight comprises at least one second light source, which is spatially separated from the first light source, the second light source being configured for irradiating light into the light tunnel and into the light passage section without passing the light tunnel.

18. Headlight as claimed in claim 17 , the bend being a curved transition having a radius of curvature is no more than 0.25 mm.

19. Headlight as claimed in claim 17 , the second light source being arranged for irradiating light above and below the bright-dark-boundary.

20. Headlight lens for a vehicle headlight, the headlight lens comprising a body from transparent material, the body comprising:
a light passage section, the light passage section including at least one optically operative light exit face; and
a light tunnel, the light tunnel comprising at least one light entry face, and the light tunnel, via a bend, forming transition into the light passage section, wherein a surface restricting the light tunnel at the top includes an indentation separating two segments of the light tunnel;
the light passage section being configured for imaging the bend as a bright-dark-boundary by means of light irradiated into the light entry face.

21. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the segments of the light tunnel emanate from the light entry face.

22. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the light entry face is inclined with respect to an optical axis of the light passage section by an angle of between 5° and 7°.

23. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 22 , wherein a segment of the light tunnel comprises an area on its surface, which area essentially corresponds to a part of the surface of an ellipsoid.

24. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 23 , wherein the bend being a curved transition having a radius of curvature of no less than 50 nm and no more than 0.25 mm.

25. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the bend being a curved transition having a radius of curvature of no more than 5 mm.

26. Headlight lens as claimed in claim 20 , the indentation extending essentially in parallel to at least one of the group consisting of an optical axis of the light tunnel, an optical axis of the light passage section, and an optical axis of the light exit face.

Assignees

• Docter Optics Se

Inventors

• Wintzer Wolfram
• Fedosik Dmitry

Classifications

• F21S41/24

  Light guides · CPC title

• F21S41/141

  Light emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• G02B6/02342

  characterised by cladding features, i.e. light confining region · CPC title

• F21S41/265

  Composite lenses; Lenses with a patch-like shape · CPC title

• G02B6/0045

  by shaping at least a portion of the light guide · CPC title