Light device, especially a headlight for motor vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9995452-B2
Application number	US-201615041809-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2016
Priority date	Feb 11, 2015
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

A light device, especially a headlight of motor vehicles, comprises at least one light unit ( 1 ), or a group ( 1 a, 1 b ) of light units, at least one optical directing element ( 3, 2 e, 3 f ), adapted to direct the light beam emitted by the light unit, or group of light units, to the required direction, and at least one output lens ( 4 ) for passage of at least a part of the light rays of the light beam or beams to create a light pattern (A, B, C) on the display surface (ZY). On the route of the light beam between the optical directing element and the output lens, there is at least one optical diaphragm element ( 11, 21, 31 ) containing a system of trim edges ( 13, 23, 33 ) to create the required shape of the cross-section of a part or parts of the light beam designed for transmission along the above-mentioned route.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light device for motor vehicles comprising at least one light unit ( 1 ), or a group ( 1 a , 1 b ) of light units ( 1 ), at least one optical directing element ( 3 , 2 e , 3 f ), adapted to direct a light beam emitted by the light unit ( 1 ) or light beams emitted by the group ( 1 a , 1 b ) of light units ( 1 ) to a required direction, and at least one output lens ( 4 ) for passage of at least a part of light rays of the light beam or light beams to create a light pattern (A, B, C) on a display surface (ZY), wherein on a route of the light beam between the optical directing element ( 3 , 2 e , 3 f ) and the output lens ( 4 ) there is at least two optical diaphragm elements ( 11 , 21 , 31 ) each containing a system of trim edges ( 13 , 23 , 33 ) to create, by means of the trim edges ( 13 , 23 , 33 ), a required shape of a cross-section of a part or parts of the light beam designed for transmission along the above-mentioned route, wherein the at least two optical diaphragm elements comprise a first diaphragm and a second diaphragm, wherein the first diaphragm comprises a hole delimiting diaphragm ( 11 , 21 ) having trim edges ( 13 , 23 ) delimiting holes ( 12 , 22 ) in the first diaphragm, wherein the second diaphragm comprises either another hole delimiting diaphragm ( 21 , 11 ) or a reflective diaphragm ( 31 ) having a system of trim edges ( 33 ) delimiting at least one reflective surface ( 32 ) in the second diaphragm for reflection of a light beam part.

2. The light device according to claim 1 , wherein the second diaphragm is the reflective diaphragm ( 31 ), and the first diaphragm is situated between the optical directing element ( 3 , 2 a , 3 f ) and the reflective diaphragm ( 31 ).

3. The light device according of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the optical directing elements ( 3 , 2 e , 3 f ) is a collimating optical element ( 3 ) having a first focal point in which the light unit ( 1 ) is situated, or having the light beams of the group ( 1 a , 1 b ) of light units ( 1 ) concentrated in the first focal point.

4. The light device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the optical directing elements is a light guide ( 3 f ).

5. The light device according to claim 1 , wherein the second diaphragm ( 21 ) is a hole delimiting diaphragm ( 21 , 11 ), the light device thus comprising first and second hole delimiting diaphragms ( 11 , 21 ), the second hole delimiting diaphragm ( 21 ) being situated between the output lens ( 4 ) and a first focal point ( 4 c ) of the output lens ( 4 ), and the first hole delimiting diaphragm ( 21 ) being located either adjacent to a focal plane (δ) of the output lens ( 4 ), or at a certain distance from the focal plane (δ) of the output lens ( 4 ), and wherein with the increasing distance from the focal plane (δ) the blur of the edges of at least some of margins (a, b, c) of the resulting light pattern (A, B, C) on the display surface (ZY) is increased.

6. The light device according to claim 5 , wherein the second hole delimiting diaphragm ( 21 ) is arranged in such a way that it can be moved in a direction (S 1 ) towards the output lens ( 4 ) and in a direction (S 2 ) away from the output lens ( 4 ) to increase a difference in sharpness between the margins (a, b, c) created by the second hole delimiting diaphragm ( 21 ) and margins (a′, b′, c′) of light pattern (A, B, C) created by means of the first hole delimiting diaphragm ( 11 ).

7. The light device according to claim 5 , wherein between the group ( 1 a , 1 b ) of light units ( 1 ) and the optical directing element ( 3 ), a group ( 2 a , 2 b ) of front-positioned optical elements ( 2 ) is situated to concentrate the light rays of the group ( 1 a , 1 b ) of light units ( 1 ) to a first focal point ( 3 c ) of the optical directing element ( 3 ) and wherein light units ( 1 ) lie in first focal points ( 2 c ) of the front-positioned optical elements ( 2 ).

8. The light device according to claim 5 , wherein the route of the light beam between the optical directing element ( 3 , 2 e , 3 f ) and the output lens ( 4 ) is substantially linear, and an optical axis of the output lens ( 4 ) and an optical axis of the optical directing element ( 3 , 2 e , 3 f ) lie in the route of the light beam.

9. The light device according to claim 1 , wherein the second diaphragm is a reflective diaphragm ( 31 ), and further wherein the route of the light beam between the optical directing element ( 3 ) and the output lens ( 4 ) comprises two sections, connected adjacent the reflective diaphragm ( 31 ) and comprising an obtuse, right or acute angle.

10. The light device according to claim 1 , wherein the light device includes multiple light units ( 1 ) or multiple groups ( 1 a , 1 b ) of light units ( 1 ), and multiple output lenses ( 4 ) whose number corresponds to the number of light units ( 1 ) or light groups ( 1 a , 1 b ) of light units ( 1 ), to create a composite light pattern (A, B, C) on display surface (ZY) that includes individual light patterns (A, B, C) created by the light rays of individual light units ( 1 ) or individual groups ( 1 a , 1 b ) of light units ( 1 ).

11. The light device according to claim 10 , wherein the output lenses ( 4 ) are arranged in such a way that they create a composite output lens ( 4 ′).

12. The light device according to claim 10 , wherein between pairs of neighbouring output lenses ( 4 ) a diaphragm ( 41 ) is situated to prevent the light rays generated by the same light unit ( 1 ) or the same group ( 1 a , 1 b ) of light units ( 1 ) from passing through both of the neighbouring output lenses ( 4 ).

13. The light device according to claim 10 , wherein the route of the light beam between the optical directing element ( 3 , 2 e , 3 f ) and the output lens ( 4 ) has the same length for all the light units ( 1 ) or groups of light units ( 1 a , 1 b ), and is equal to the distance of a focal plane (δ) of the output lens ( 4 ) from the output lens ( 4 ).

14. The light device according to claim 10 , wherein the optical diaphragm elements ( 11 , 21 , 31 ) and the output lenses ( 4 ) are configured in such a way that the light patterns (A, B, C) forming a composite light pattern partly overlap each other with some of margins (a, b, c) of the light patterns.

15. The light device according to claim 1 , wherein the second diaphragm is the reflective diaphragm ( 31 ), and the first diaphragm ( 21 ) is situated between the reflective diaphragm ( 31 ) and the output lens ( 4 ).

Assignees

• Varroc Lighting Systems Sro

Inventors

• Kratochvil Jan
• Pekarkova Dana
• Hasa Ondrej
• Grof Jan
• Macicek Milos
• Mikeska Zdenek
• Kytka Milan
• Orlita Radek
• David Tomas
• Hynar David

Classifications

• F21S41/148

  the main emission direction of the LED being perpendicular to the optical axis · CPC title

• F21S41/151

  arranged in one or more lines · CPC title

• F21S41/25 Primary

  Projection lenses · CPC title

• F21S41/43

  characterised by the shape thereof · CPC title

• F21S41/285

  Refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters not provided in groups F21S41/24 - F21S41/2805 · CPC title