CN107676732B

CN107676732B - Light patterning device and lighting and/or signaling device

Info

Publication number: CN107676732B
Application number: CN201610623293.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 胡强
Original assignee: Valeo Lighting Hubei Technical Center Co Ltd
Current assignee: Valeo Lighting Hubei Technical Center Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-08-02
Filing date: 2016-08-02
Publication date: 2024-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 2036-08-02
Also published as: CN107676732A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a light patterning device and an illumination and/or signal indicating apparatus for a motor vehicle comprising the light patterning device. The light patterning device comprises a light distribution unit, a reflection unit and a light emitting unit, wherein the light distribution unit is provided with an incidence end face, an emission end face and side surfaces, the incidence end face and the emission end face are respectively positioned at two ends of the light distribution unit, the light distribution unit is further provided with one or more side light guide parts, the side light guide parts are arranged to guide a part of light incident from the incidence end face to be emitted from the side surfaces of the light distribution unit, the other part of light incident from the incidence end face is emitted from the emission end face towards the light emitting side of the light patterning device, and the reflection unit is arranged to receive the light emitted from the side surfaces of the light distribution unit and reflect the light towards the light emitting side of the light patterning device.

Description

Light patterning device and lighting and/or signalling device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of light illumination and signal indication, and more particularly to a light patterning device and an illumination and/or signal indication apparatus comprising the same.

Background

With the development of technology and the advancement of society, the demands of people for optical lighting or signaling devices are no longer limited to the function of providing lighting or signaling lights. As a result, there is an increasing need for personalization of optical lighting or signaling devices (e.g., lights for motor vehicles), which may require providing a richer beam pattern and lighting effect. For example, it may be desirable for the illumination or signaling light to contain certain information or patterns to meet the requirements of personalized customization. The prior art has provided devices for creating patterns in optical illumination or signaling devices. However, in the existing optical illumination or signal indication devices, particularly in the lamps of motor vehicles, there is still a lack of a device capable of patterning illumination or signal indication light while forming a pattern having a 3-dimensional optical effect.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a light patterning device capable of 3-dimensional patterning of illumination or signal indicating light with a simple structure.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an illumination and/or signal indicating device comprising such a light patterning means.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a photo-patterning device, including:

A light distribution unit having an incident end face, an exit end face, and side surfaces, the incident end face and the exit end face being located at both ends of the light distribution unit, respectively, the light distribution unit further being provided with one or more lateral light guide portions at positions between the incident end face and the exit end face, the lateral light guide portions being arranged to guide a part of light incident from the incident end face to be emitted from the side surfaces of the light distribution unit, another part of light incident from the incident end face to be emitted from the exit end face toward a light exit side of the light patterning device, and

And a reflection unit arranged to receive light emitted from a side surface of the light distribution unit and reflect it toward a light emitting side of the light patterning device.

In an embodiment, the light distribution unit is a light guide member, and the lateral light guide portion is located on a side surface of the light distribution unit and has a light exit surface oriented such that an incident angle of at least a part of light incident from an incident end face at the light exit surface does not satisfy a total reflection condition.

In an embodiment, the light emitting surface forms an included angle with a side surface of the light distribution unit.

In an embodiment, the lateral light guide portion is formed by a protrusion or a depression on a lateral surface of the light distribution unit.

In one embodiment, the lateral light guide portion is in the form of a ring surrounding the light distribution unit.

In an embodiment, the lateral light guide portion has a reflective surface arranged to reflect a portion of light incident from the incident end face toward a lateral surface of the light distribution unit.

In an embodiment, the reflective surface is oriented such that an angle of incidence of at least a portion of light incident from the incident end face at the reflective surface satisfies a total reflection condition.

In an embodiment, the lateral light guide portion is formed by a shoulder portion on a side surface of the light distribution unit.

In an embodiment, the reflecting unit has one or more reflecting surfaces arranged around the light distribution unit for reflecting light exiting from a side surface of the light distribution unit.

In an embodiment, the reflecting unit comprises three or more reflecting surfaces in the form of flat or curved surfaces.

In one embodiment, the incident end face of the light distribution unit is provided with an optical collimation unit.

In an embodiment, the direction of travel of the light reflected by the reflecting unit is parallel to the direction in which the light exits from the exit end face.

In one embodiment, the light incident from the incident end face is parallel light, divergent light, or convergent light.

In an embodiment, the lateral light guide portions are symmetrically or asymmetrically disposed around a lateral surface of the light distribution unit.

In one embodiment, the light distribution unit is a single piece.

In one embodiment, the exit end face of the light distribution unit is provided with a light uniformizing structure.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a lighting and/or signaling device for a motor vehicle, comprising:

the photo-patterning device according to any one of the above embodiments, and

One or more light sources for emitting light incident on an incident end face of the light distribution unit.

In an embodiment, the lighting and/or signaling device for a motor vehicle comprises an array of light patterning means, the array of light patterning means being constituted by a plurality of light patterning means according to any of the embodiments described above.

In an embodiment, at least two light patterning devices in the array of light patterning devices share the same light source.

The light patterning device according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, as described above, reflects a portion of incident light through the reflection unit by providing the lateral light guide in the light distribution unit to form a desired pattern in the outgoing light, and generates a 3-dimensional effect in the generated pattern.

Drawings

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a photo-patterning device according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a photo-patterning device, according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2a shows a schematic side view of the part A in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 shows a side cross-sectional view of a photo-patterning device according to another embodiment of the invention;

fig. 3a shows a front view of a light distribution unit of the light patterning device shown in fig. 3, seen from the light exit side;

FIG. 3b shows a side cross-sectional view of a photo-patterning device according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic perspective view of a photo-patterning device according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows a side cross-sectional view of a photo-patterning device according to yet another embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 6a-6c show schematic diagrams of a photo-patterning device according to an embodiment of the invention, and

Fig. 7a-7b show variant examples of reflection units in a light patterning device according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

The technical scheme of the invention is further specifically described below through examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the specification, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar components. The following description of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to illustrate the general inventive concept and should not be taken as limiting the invention.

According to the present general inventive concept, there is provided a light patterning device including a light distribution unit having an incident end face, an exit end face, and side surfaces, the incident end face and the exit end face being located at both ends of the light distribution unit, respectively, the light distribution unit further being provided with one or more side light guide portions at positions between the incident end face and the exit end face, the side light guide portions being arranged to guide a portion of light incident from the incident end face to be emitted from the side surfaces of the light distribution unit, and another portion of light incident from the incident end face to be emitted from the exit end face toward a light exit side of the light patterning device, and a reflection unit arranged to receive light emitted from the side surfaces of the light distribution unit and reflect the light toward the light exit side of the light patterning device.

Furthermore, in the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. It may be evident, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.

Fig. 1-2 schematically illustrate a light patterning device 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The light patterning device 100 includes a light distribution unit 10 and a reflection unit 20. The light distribution unit 10 has an incident end face 11, an exit end face 12, and side surfaces 13. The incident end face 11 and the exit end face 12 are respectively located at two ends of the light distribution unit 10, and the light distribution unit 10 is further provided with one or more lateral light guide portions 14. The lateral light guide 14 may be located at a position between the incident end face 11 and the exit end face 12. The lateral light guide 14 is arranged to guide the first portion of light 31 incident from the incident end face 11 to be emitted from the side surface 13 of the light distribution unit 10, and the second portion of light 32 incident from the incident end face 11 to be emitted from the exit end face 12 toward the light exit side 40 of the light patterning device 100. The reflection unit 20 is arranged to receive light emitted from the side surface 13 of the light distribution unit 10 and reflect it towards the light emitting side 40 of the light patterning device 100. As an example, in the case where a plurality of side light guiding portions 14 are provided, the plurality of side light guiding portions 14 may be arranged in order along the direction from the incident end face 11 to the exit end face 12. Each of which can guide a first portion of light 31 having a specific optical path. Therefore, the use of two, three, four or more lateral light guides 14 may enrich the pattern of light exiting the light patterning device 100, with better 3-dimensional effect.

With the light patterning device 100 as described above, a beam of light incident from the incident end face 11 of the light distribution unit 10 can be given a pattern and emitted from the light emitting side 40 of the light patterning device 100. When a viewer views against the light exit side 40 of the light patterning device 100 (i.e. along the x-direction shown in fig. 2), light patterned by the light patterning device 100 can be seen. As can be seen from fig. 2, the first part of the light 31 incident on the incident end face 11 exits the light patterning device 100 via reflection by the reflection unit 20, and the second part of the light 32 is directed from the exit end face 12 to the outside of the light patterning device 100. Thus, the optical paths experienced by the two portions of light are different, and the first portion of light 31 experiences a longer optical path before exiting the light patterning device 100. Thus, the contrast of the first portion of light 31 and the second portion of light 32 will obtain a sense of depth from the viewer's perspective, thereby producing a 3-dimensional effect in the pattern.

This way, a 3-dimensional pattern effect can be achieved with a simple structure, for example, a 3-dimensional pattern effect can be obtained over the entire reflection section of the reflection unit 20 by merely placing a point light source (e.g., a light emitting diode light source) in front of the incident end face 11 of the light distribution unit 10, thereby covering a large field of view.

As an example, there may be one or a plurality of lateral light guide portions 14. In the case where the plurality of side light guide portions 14 are provided, the first portion of light 31 may be emitted from a plurality of positions on the side surface 13 of the light distribution unit 10, and the light emitted from the different positions may have different optical paths. This may further enrich the 3-dimensional pattern effect of the light exiting from the light patterning device 100. The lateral light guide portions 14 may be flexibly arranged according to the need of patterning, thereby enabling relatively complex patterns.

In an example, the light distribution unit 10 may be a light guide member. The light guide means is a light guide member that transmits light therein mainly by total reflection. It may have various shapes such as a cylindrical shape (may be called a light guide bar), an elongated shape (may be called a light guide bar, a light bar), a plate shape (may be called a light guide plate), a ring shape (may be called a light guide ring), and the like. The light guide member has high optical efficiency and small light loss due to the transmission by mainly adopting the total reflection mode.

In the case where the light distribution unit 10 is a light guide member, in most positions, light entering the light distribution unit 10 from the incident end face 11 can be totally reflected by the side surface 13 toward the inside of the light distribution unit 10 without being emitted from the side surface 13. While the lateral light guide 14 may be located on the side surface 13 of the light distribution unit 10 and have a light exit surface 15 (see fig. 2a, which is a non-cross-sectional enlarged view of a portion a in fig. 2), the light exit surface 15 is oriented such that an incident angle of at least a part of light incident from the incident end face 11 at the light exit surface 15 does not satisfy a total reflection condition. That is, the total reflection condition of the light at the light exit surface 15 is broken, so that the light can be emitted from the light distribution unit 10 from the position of the light exit surface 15, and further directed to the reflection unit 20. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the condition of total reflection means that the incident angle of light is equal to or greater than the critical angle for total reflection. The critical angle for total reflection is determined by the refractive index of the medium on both sides of the reflective interface. As an example, the light exit surface 15 is capable of deflecting light incident thereon from inside the light distribution unit.

By providing the light exit surface 15 that disrupts the total reflection condition on such a total reflection light guide member, the light exit position can be accurately set and the optical efficiency can be improved.

In an example, the light exit surface 15 may form an angle with the side surface 13 of the light distribution unit 10, as shown in fig. 2 and 2 a. The included angle is not zero. Such an inclined light exit surface 15 is advantageous for changing the angle of incidence of the light, thereby disrupting the total reflection condition. The angle between the light emitting surface 15 and the side surface 13 of the light distribution unit 10 may be set according to the refractive index of the light distribution unit 10, the light incident direction, the direction of the side surface 13, and the like, and may be, for example, 20 degrees to 70 degrees, such as 45 degrees or 90 degrees.

In an example, the lateral light guide 14 may be formed by a protrusion or a depression on the side surface 13 of the light distribution unit 10. While fig. 2 and 2a only show the lateral light guide 14 in the form of a protrusion, it should be understood that the lateral light guide 14 in the form of a recess is also possible, as long as a corresponding light exit surface 15 can be provided. As an example, as shown in fig. 2 and 2a, the lateral light guide 14 may be in a ring form surrounding the light distribution unit 10. This facilitates the realization of a symmetrical pattern.

Fig. 3 illustrates a light patterning device 100' according to another embodiment of the present invention. The light patterning device 100' includes a light distribution unit 10' and a reflection unit 20'. The light distribution unit 10 'has an incident end face 11', an exit end face 12', and a side surface 13'. The incident end face 11' and the exit end face 12' are respectively positioned at two ends of the light distribution unit 10', and the light distribution unit 10' is further provided with one or more lateral light guide portions 14'. The lateral light guide 14 'is arranged to guide the first portion of light 31 incident from the incident end face 11' to exit from the lateral surface 13 'of the light distribution unit 10', and the second portion of light 32 incident from the incident end face 11 'to exit from the exit end face 12' toward the light exit side 40 'of the light patterning device 100'. The reflection unit 20' is arranged to receive light exiting from the side surface 13' of the light distribution unit 10' and reflect it towards the light exit side 40' of the light patterning device 100'. Wherein the lateral light guide 14 'has a reflecting surface 16', said reflecting surface 16 'being arranged to reflect a portion of light incident from the incident end face 11' towards the lateral surface 13 'of the light distribution unit 10'. The light reflected by the side surface 13' is directed from the side surface 13' to the reflection unit 20' and is reflected by the reflection unit 20' to be emitted out of the light patterning device 100'.

In an example, the reflective surface 16' is oriented such that an angle of incidence of at least a portion of light incident from the incident end face 11' at the reflective surface 16' satisfies a total reflection condition. That is, the reflection surface 16' can achieve deflection of light from the light distribution unit 10' to the reflection unit 20' by using a total reflection manner, thereby improving optical efficiency.

As an example, as shown in fig. 3 and 3a, the lateral light guide portion 14' may be formed by a shoulder portion on the side surface 13' of the light distribution unit 10 '. In the example shown in fig. 3a, the reflecting surface 16 'may be provided over the entire annular region surrounding the exit end face 12', or over only a part of this annular region. Although only one reflecting surface 16 'is shown in fig. 3 and 3a, it will be appreciated that a plurality of differently positioned reflecting surfaces 16' (e.g. in the form of stepped surfaces, see fig. 3 b) may also be provided between the entrance end face 11 'and the exit end face 12' as desired to enrich the pattern of the exiting light.

In an example, the reflecting unit 20, 20' may have one or more reflecting surfaces 21, 21' arranged around the light distribution unit 10, 10' for reflecting light exiting from the side surfaces 13, 13' of the light distribution unit 10, 10 '. In the example of fig. 1, the reflection unit 20 may include three reflection surfaces 21 in the form of planes. The structure of such a reflection unit 20 is stable and compact. Similarly, in the example of fig. 3, the reflection unit 20 'may also include three reflection surfaces 21' in the form of planes. However, this is not essential, and for example, the reflecting unit 20, 20' may also include one curved reflecting surface (e.g., a curved surface such as a paraboloid, an ellipsoid, a hyperboloid, etc.) as shown in fig. 4.

As an example, the arrangement form of the reflecting surfaces 21 is not limited to the case shown in fig. 1, and the included angle between the reflecting surfaces 21 may be arbitrary, for example, the included angle may be any angle between 15 degrees and 150 degrees, such as 60 degrees, 90 degrees, or the like. In the example given in fig. 7a, the three reflecting surfaces 21 meet at a point and the angle between them is 90 degrees. Whereas in the example of fig. 1, the three reflecting surfaces are at an acute angle. As an example, the intersecting lines of two of the three reflecting surfaces 21 may or may not intersect (as shown in fig. 7 a), as shown in fig. 7 b. In the example of fig. 7b, the angle between each of the three reflecting surfaces 21 is 60 degrees. The above angles are exemplary and are not intended to limit the present invention.

The reflective surface 21 may be not only planar in form, but in one example may also be curved in form, such as parabolic, hyperbolic, elliptical, etc. As an example, the reflection unit 20 may include both a reflection surface in a planar form and a reflection surface in a curved form. The number of the reflecting surfaces 21 in the reflecting unit 20 may be one, two, three, four, five or more. For example, in the example of fig. 7b, only a closed structure (triangular in cross section) surrounded by three reflection surfaces 21 is shown, but it is also possible to expand to a closed structure (rectangular in cross section) surrounded by four reflection surfaces 21, a closed structure (pentagonal in cross section) surrounded by five reflection surfaces 21, and so on. Also, the structures shown in fig. 1, 7a can be extended to structures formed by more reflecting surfaces 21.

In an example, the entrance end surfaces 11, 11 'of the light distribution units 10, 10' may be provided with an optical collimating unit 17. As shown in fig. 5, when light is incident on the incident end face 11, the light can be collimated by the optical collimating means 17, thereby further improving optical efficiency and reducing occurrence of defects such as glare. Similarly, an optical collimating unit 17 may be provided on each of the incident end faces 11, 11' in the examples in fig. 1 and 3.

As an example, the direction of travel of the light reflected by the reflecting units 20, 20 'is parallel to the direction in which the light exits from the exit end faces 12, 12'. That is, the light reflected by the reflecting means 20, 20 'and the light emitted from the emitting end surfaces 12, 12' have substantially the same emitting direction. This helps to provide a clearer pattern for an observer located at the light exit side 40, 40 'of the light patterning device 100, 100'.

As an example, the light incident from the incident end face 11, 11' may be parallel light, divergent light, or convergent light. In addition, in the case where the optical collimator unit 17 is provided, the light incident from the incident end faces 11, 11 'is also subjected to adjustment of the optical collimator unit 17 before entering the inside of the light distribution unit 10, 10', which may change the form of the light beam, for example, may change divergent light into parallel light or parallel light into convergent light, or the like.

As an example, the lateral light guide portions 14, 14' are symmetrically or asymmetrically arranged around the lateral surfaces 13, 13' of the light distribution units 10, 10 '. For example, the lateral light guide portions 14, 14 'may be provided offset from each other on different circumferential sides of the light distribution units 10, 10'.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the light distribution units 10, 10' may have cross sections of arbitrary shapes, such as circles, ovals, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, and the like.

As an example, the light distribution units 10, 10' may be one-piece, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process and contributing to an improvement in optical efficiency. For example, the light distribution unit 10, 10' may be made of glass, resin or plastic material, such as PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate).

In an example, the exit end surfaces 12, 12 'of the light distribution units 10, 10' may be provided with a light uniformizing structure. The light homogenizing structure may make the intensity of the light emitted from the exit end surfaces 12, 12' more uniform, which for example comprises scattering structures such as scattering protrusions, stripes or dermatoglyphs.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a lighting and/or signaling device for a motor vehicle, which may comprise a light patterning device 100, 100' as described in any of the embodiments above and one or more light sources 50, said light sources 50 being arranged to emit light incident on the entrance end faces 11, 11' of said light distribution units 10, 10 '. In fig. 5, a light source 50 and a device 51 (e.g. a printed circuit board or the like) carrying the light source 50 are shown.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the light distribution units 10, 10 'and the reflection units 20, 20' may be connected to each other by any connection means known in the art such as adhesion, clamping, screw connection, or the like, or may not be connected to each other as long as the positions of the two are maintained.

In an example, the lighting and/or signaling device for a motor vehicle may further comprise an array of light patterning means 200, as shown in fig. 6a-6 c. The array of light patterning means 200 may be constituted by a plurality of light patterning means 100, 100' as described in any of the embodiments above. Fig. 6a to 6c show three arrangements of the light patterning devices 100, 100' in the light patterning device array 200. In fig. 6a and 6b three photo patterning means are provided, whereas in fig. 6c four photo patterning means are provided. These arrangements facilitate the creation of custom patterns for the customer. However, the arrangement form of the light patterning devices 100, 100 'in the light patterning device array 200 is not limited thereto, and the light patterning devices 100, 100' may be arbitrarily combined and arranged according to actual needs.

In an example, at least two light patterning devices 100, 100' in the light patterning device array 200 may share the same light source 50. This may reduce power consumption. The light source 50 may be disposed directly near the incident end face 11, 11 'of the light patterning device 100, 100', or may be disposed at a position remote from the incident end face 11, 11 'so as to transmit light emitted from the light source to the incident end face 11, 11' by a light transmission device. The light-conducting means may for example be any form of light-conducting means known in the art, such as light-guiding members, prisms or the like.

The lighting and/or signaling device for a motor vehicle according to embodiments of the present invention may comprise any type of motor vehicle lighting and/or signaling light, such as a head light, center high mounted brake light, turn light, position light, tail brake light, and the like.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the examples disclosed in the drawings are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.

Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A light patterning device, comprising:

And a reflection unit arranged to receive light emitted from a side surface of the light distribution unit and reflect it toward a light emitting side of the light patterning device and directly emit it.

2. The light patterning device according to claim 1, wherein the light distribution unit is a light guide member, the lateral light guide portion being located on a side surface of the light distribution unit and having a light exit surface oriented such that an incident angle of at least a part of light incident from an incident end face at the light exit surface does not satisfy a total reflection condition.

3. The light patterning device of claim 2, wherein the light exit surface forms an angle with a side surface of the light distribution unit.

4. The light patterning device according to claim 2, wherein the lateral light guide portion is formed of a protrusion or a depression on a side surface of the light distribution unit.

5. The light patterning device of claim 4, wherein the lateral light guide is in the form of a ring surrounding the light distribution unit.

6. The light patterning device according to claim 1, wherein the lateral light guide portion has a reflective surface arranged to reflect a part of light incident from the incident end face toward a side surface of the light distribution unit.

7. The light patterning device of claim 6, wherein the reflective surface is oriented such that an angle of incidence of at least a portion of light incident from an incident end face at the reflective surface satisfies a total reflection condition.

8. The light patterning device of claim 6, wherein the lateral light guide portion is formed by a shoulder portion on a side surface of the light distribution unit.

9. The light patterning device of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the reflection unit has one or more reflection surfaces arranged around the light distribution unit for reflecting light exiting from a side surface of the light distribution unit.

10. The light patterning device of claim 9, wherein the reflection unit includes three or more reflection surfaces in the form of flat or curved surfaces.

11. The light patterning device of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an incident end face of the light distribution unit is provided with an optical collimating unit.

12. The light patterning device of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a traveling direction of the light reflected by the reflection unit is parallel to a direction in which the light exits from the exit end face.

13. The light patterning device of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein light incident from the incident end face is parallel light, divergent light, or convergent light.

14. The light patterning device of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the lateral light guide is symmetrically or asymmetrically arranged around a lateral surface of the light distribution unit.

15. The light patterning device of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the light distribution unit is a single piece.

16. The light patterning device of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an exit end face of the light distribution unit is provided with a light uniformizing structure.

17. A lighting and/or signaling device for a motor vehicle, comprising:

the photo-patterning device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, and

18. Illumination and/or signal indication device for a motor vehicle according to claim 17, comprising an array of light patterning means, the array of light patterning means being constituted by a plurality of light patterning means according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

19. A lighting and/or signaling device for a motor vehicle according to claim 18, wherein at least two light patterning means in said array of light patterning means share the same light source.