Lighting system for motor vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9908457-B2
Application number	US-201414889503-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2014
Priority date	May 8, 2013
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

A lighting device for motor vehicles comprising an optical waveguide element ( 14 ) that has a light entrance surface ( 16 ) and a light exit surface ( 15 ) and that has an electric light-emitting layer ( 19 ) on at least part of at least one surface of the optical waveguide element. The light-emitting layer is advantageously in the form of an OLED layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lighting device for a headlight module ( 12 ) of a motor vehicle, comprising:
a light exit opening ( 13 ) for the headlight module ( 12 );
an optical waveguide element ( 14 ) in the form of a hollow cylinder surrounding at least a portion of a perimeter of the light exit opening ( 13 ) for the headlight module ( 12 ), wherein the optical waveguide element ( 14 ) includes a light entrance surface ( 16 ) on a rear-facing end and a light exit surface ( 15 ) on a forward-facing end;
an electric light-emitting layer ( 19 ) disposed on at least part of at least one inner or outer surface of the optical waveguide element ( 14 ); and
an optical waveguide ( 17 ) having a geometry that corresponds to the optical waveguide element ( 14 ), wherein the optical waveguide ( 17 ) includes at least one input point ( 5 ) for light from at least one light source ( 6 ),
wherein the optical waveguide ( 17 ) is bar-shaped and has, along at least part of its length, an arrangement of irregular structures ( 7 ) and a light exit surface ( 8 ) opposite the arrangement of irregular structures ( 7 ), the light entrance surface ( 16 ) of the optical waveguide element ( 14 ) being connected to the light exit surface ( 8 ) of the optical waveguide ( 17 ).

2. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the light-emitting layer ( 19 ) is in the form of an OLED layer.

3. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the light-emitting layer ( 19 ) is in the form of an electroluminescence layer.

4. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the geometry of the optical waveguide ( 17 ) is adapted to the light entrance surface ( 16 ) of the optical waveguide element ( 14 ).

5. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguide element ( 14 ) comprises a transparent material.

6. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein an electric light-emitting layer is provided on the light entrance surface ( 16 ) of the optical waveguide element ( 14 ).

7. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the electric light-emitting layer ( 19 ) is provided on the outer surface of the optical waveguide element ( 14 ).

8. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the electric light-emitting layer ( 19 ) is transparent.

Assignees

• Zizala Lichtsysteme Gmbh
• Zkw Group Gmbh

Inventors

• Reinprecht Markus
• Miedler Stefan
• Boehm Gerald
• Teufl Adolf
• Edletzberger Thomas

Classifications

• F21S41/151

  arranged in one or more lines · CPC title

• F21S43/251

  the light guides being used to transmit light from remote light sources · CPC title

• F21Y2105/00

  Planar light sources · CPC title

• F21S43/239

  plate-shaped · CPC title

• F21S41/155

  Surface emitters, e.g. organic light emitting diodes [OLED] · CPC title