Headlight lens for a vehicle headlight

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9732924-B2
Application number	US-201314442041-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2013
Priority date	Jan 23, 2013
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to a headlamp lens for a vehicle headlamp, in particular a motor vehicle headlamp. The headlamp lens comprises a body made of a transparent material and having at least one light inlet surface and at least one optically effective light exit surface. The body comprises a light tunnel which transitions into a light-conducting element while making a bend for imaging the bend as a light-shadow line. The body further comprises an orientation structure for orienting the headlamp lens in a vehicle headlamp and/or for orienting the headlamp lens towards a light source for irradiating light onto the light inlet surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A headlight lens for a vehicle headlight, the headlight lens including a body of transparent material, the body comprising:
at least one light entry face,
at least one optically effective light exit face,
a light passage section,
a light tunnel which, via a bend, transits into the light passage section configured for imaging the bend as a bright-dark-boundary, and
an alignment structure configured for aligning the headlight lens in a vehicle headlight, the alignment structure being arranged on a surface of the light passage section facing the light tunnel.

2. The headlight lens as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the alignment structure comprises at least one ball-shaped segment.

3. The headlight lens as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the alignment structure comprises at least three ball-shaped segments.

4. The headlight lens as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the alignment structure comprises at least one cone.

5. The headlight lens as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the alignment structure comprises at least one of the group consisting of at least one bore, at least one hole, and at least one notch.

6. The headlight lens as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the alignment structure comprises at least one dent.

7. The headlight lens as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a first virtual straight line intersects a second virtual straight line by an angle, which angle, when viewing the headlight lens such that the light passage section lies to the right of the light tunnel, amounts to 1° to 10° seen in a clockwise sense starting from the first virtual straight line,
wherein the first virtual straight line is one of the group consisting of
an optical axis of the light passage section,
an optical axis of the light exit face,
a projection of the optical axis of the light and passage section onto a vertical plane, and
a projection of the optical axis of the light exit face onto the vertical plane, and

wherein the second virtual straight line is one of the group consisting of
an optical axis of the light tunnel, and
a projection of the optical axis of the light tunnel onto the vertical plane.

8. The headlight lens as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light exit face comprises at least two segments, which are separated from each other via an indentation.

9. The headlight lens as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light tunnel comprises an area on its surface which essentially corresponds to part of the surface of an ellipsoid, and wherein a first virtual straight line intersects a second virtual straight line by an angle, which angle, when viewing the headlight lens such that the light passage section lies to the right of the light tunnel, amounts to 1° to 10° seen in a clockwise sense starting from the first virtual straight line,
wherein the first virtual straight line is one of the group consisting of
an optical axis of the light passage section,
an optical axis of the light exit face,
a projection of the optical axis of the light and passage section onto a vertical plane, and
a projection of the optical axis of the light exit face onto the vertical plane, and

wherein the second virtual straight line is one of the group consisting of
a virtual straight line through the two focal points of the ellipsoid and
a projection of the virtual straight line through the two focal points of the ellipsoid onto the vertical plane.

10. A vehicle headlight having a headlight lens and a light source, the headlight lens including a monolithic body of transparent material, the monolithic body comprising:
at least one light entry face,
at least one optically effective light exit face,
a light passage section,
a light tunnel which, via a bend, transits into the light passage section configured for imaging the bend as a bright-dark-boundary, and
an alignment structure configured for aligning the headlight lens with respect to the light source for irradiating light into the light entry face.

11. The headlight as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the alignment structure comprises at least one ball-shaped segment.

12. The headlight as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the alignment structure comprises at least three ball-shaped segments.

13. The headlight as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the alignment structure comprises at least one cone.

14. The headlight as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the alignment structure comprises at least one of the group consisting of at least one bore, at least one hole, and at least one notch.

15. The headlight as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the alignment structure comprises at least one dent.

16. The headlight as claimed in claim 10 , wherein a first virtual straight line intersects a second virtual straight line by an angle, which angle, when viewing the headlight lens such that the light passage section lies to the right of the light tunnel, amounts to 1° to 10° seen in a clockwise sense starting from the first virtual straight line,
wherein the first virtual straight line is one of the group consisting of
an optical axis of the light passage section,
an optical axis of the light exit face,
a projection of the optical axis of the light and passage section onto a vertical plane, and
a projection of the optical axis of the light exit face onto the vertical plane, and

wherein the second virtual straight line is one of the group consisting of
an optical axis of the light tunnel, and
a projection of the optical axis of the light tunnel onto the vertical plane.

17. The headlight as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the light tunnel comprises an area on its surface which essentially corresponds to part of the surface of an ellipsoid, and wherein a first virtual straight line intersects a second virtual straight line by an angle, which angle, when viewing the headlight lens such that the light passage section lies to the right of the light tunnel, amounts to 1° to 10° seen in a clockwise sense starting from the first virtual straight line,
wherein the first virtual straight line is one of the group consisting of
an optical axis of the light passage section,
an optical axis of the light exit face,
a projection of the optical axis of the light and passage section onto a vertical plane and
a projection of the optical axis of the light exit face onto the vertical plane, and

wherein the second virtual straight line is one of the group consisting of
a virtual straight line through the two focal points of the ellipsoid and
a projection of the virtual straight line through the two focal points of the ellipsoid onto the vertical plane.

18. The headlight as claimed in claim 10 , the headlight lens further comprising a flange.

19. The headlight as claimed in claim 18 , the flange, at least partially, surrounding the light passage section.

20. The headlight as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the flange, at least partially, restricts the light exit face.

21. The headlight as claimed in claim 10 , the headlight lens further comprising an alignment structure configured for aligning the headlight lens in a vehicle headlight.

22. A headlight lens for a vehicle headlight, the headlight lens including a body of transparent material, the body comprising:
at least one light entry face,
at least one optically effective light exit face,
a light passage section,
a light tunnel which, via a bend, transits into the light passage section configured for imaging the bend as a bright-dark-boundary,
a flange, and
an alignment structure config

Assignees

• Docter Optics Se

Inventors

• Wintzer Wolfram
• Scheibner Hans
• Goldammer Hagen

Classifications

• G02B19/0047

  for use with a light source (G02B19/009, G02B19/0095 take precedence; details of lighting devices in general F21V; non-semiconductor lasers having optical devices external to the laser cavity H01S3/005) · CPC title

• G02B19/0014

  at least one surface having optical power · CPC title

• F21S41/295 Primary

  specially adapted to projection lenses · CPC title

• F21S41/27

  Thick lenses · CPC title

• F21S41/322

  the reflector using total internal reflection · CPC title