Disclosure of Invention
The object of the present invention is to provide a lighting device which can make more full use of the components of the original lighting device by simply providing additional means, so that other road users (e.g., vehicle drivers, pedestrians, etc.) can more easily notice the vehicle, thereby further improving the driving safety and at the same time realizing a redundancy function.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a motor vehicle comprising the lighting device described above.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a lighting device including:
at least one primary light source for emitting primary illumination light;
At least one auxiliary light source for emitting auxiliary illumination light or auxiliary signal indication light, and
A common reflector common to the primary light source and the secondary light source, configured to project primary illumination light emitted from the primary light source and secondary illumination light or secondary signal indication light emitted from the secondary light source toward an exterior of the illumination device.
In an embodiment, the lighting device further comprises a light source support means for supporting a primary light source, the secondary light source being located outside the outer periphery of the common reflector, the light source support means being provided with a reflective surface on a side facing the common reflector, the reflective surface being arranged to receive and reflect secondary illumination light or secondary signal indication light from the secondary light source towards the common reflector.
In an embodiment, the lighting device further comprises a collimator located between the auxiliary light source and the reflective surface in the optical path of the auxiliary illumination light or auxiliary signal indication light, arranged to collimate the auxiliary illumination light or auxiliary signal indication light before it is directed towards the reflective surface.
In an embodiment, at least a majority of the collimator is located outside the outer perimeter of the common reflector.
In an embodiment, the collimator comprises a collimating lens or a collimating mirror.
In an embodiment, a plurality of auxiliary light sources and a plurality of collimators respectively corresponding to the plurality of auxiliary light sources are provided, the plurality of collimators being arranged to face the reflecting surface of the light source support device.
In an embodiment, the reflecting surface is provided with a light distribution portion arranged to diffuse the auxiliary illumination light or auxiliary signal indication light from the auxiliary light source.
In an embodiment, the lighting device further comprises a light source support device arranged to support the primary light source and the secondary light source.
In an embodiment, the main light source and the auxiliary light source are both positioned at a side of the light source supporting means facing the common reflector, so that the main illumination light emitted from the main light source and the auxiliary illumination light or the auxiliary signal indication light emitted from the auxiliary light source are directed toward the common reflector.
In an embodiment, a plurality of secondary light sources is provided, which are arranged around at least one primary light source.
In an embodiment, the lighting device further includes a diffusion member disposed facing the light emission surface of the auxiliary light source, the diffusion member being arranged to receive and guide the auxiliary illumination light or the auxiliary signal indication light emitted from the auxiliary light source toward the common reflector, a light distribution portion being disposed on a light exit surface of the diffusion member, the light distribution portion being arranged to diffuse the auxiliary illumination light or the auxiliary signal indication light from the auxiliary light source.
In an embodiment, the main light source is a high beam light source or a low beam light source, and the auxiliary light source is an auxiliary daytime running light source, an auxiliary position light source or an auxiliary turn light source.
In an embodiment, the primary and secondary light sources each comprise a light emitting diode.
In one embodiment, the common reflector is a curved projection mirror.
In an embodiment, the secondary light source is configured to be illuminated when the primary light source is off.
Embodiments of the invention also provide a motor vehicle comprising a lighting device as described in any of the embodiments above.
In the lighting device according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the primary light source and the secondary light source share the common reflector, so that the emission range of the secondary illumination light or the secondary signal indication light emitted from the secondary light source can be increased to improve the lighting effect.
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 lighting device including at least one main light source for emitting main illumination light, at least one auxiliary light source for emitting auxiliary illumination light or auxiliary signal indication light, and a common reflector common to the main light source and the auxiliary light source, configured to project the main illumination light emitted from the main light source and the auxiliary illumination light or the auxiliary signal indication light emitted from the auxiliary light source to an outside of the lighting 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 schematically illustrates a lighting device 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The lighting device 100 includes a primary light source 10, a secondary light source 20, and a common reflector 30. The main light source 10 is for emitting main illumination light, and the auxiliary light source 20 is for emitting auxiliary illumination light or auxiliary signal indication light. The common reflector 30 is common to the main light source 10 and the auxiliary light source 20, and is configured to project main illumination light emitted from the main light source 10 and auxiliary illumination light or auxiliary signal indication light emitted from the auxiliary light source 20 to the outside of the illumination device. The light path of the light emitted by the secondary light source 20 is shown in fig. 1-4 by solid arrows.
In an embodiment of the invention, the primary light source 10 and the secondary light source 20 share the same common reflector 30, which means that both the light emitted by the primary light source 10 and the light emitted by the secondary light source 20 can be projected by the common reflector 30. In this way, even if the main light source 10 is off and only the sub light source 20 is on, the portion of the lighting device 100 corresponding to the main light source 10 can be seen bright when viewed from the front of the lighting device 100. Since the main light source 10 and the auxiliary light source 20 share the common reflector 30, the common reflector 30 may occupy a larger area without increasing space, as compared with the case where the main light source 10 and the auxiliary light source 20 use completely independent optical systems, and the area of light emitted from the lighting device 100 may also increase when only one of the main light source 10 and the auxiliary light source 20 is turned on. In practice, some main lights (e.g., high beam lights, low beam lights, etc.) and auxiliary lights or signal lights (e.g., daytime running lights, position lights, turn lights, etc.) are often used separately. With the lighting device according to the embodiment of the invention, a larger light emitting area can be obtained when the auxiliary lighting function or the signal indication function (the auxiliary light source is turned on) is realized instead of the main lighting function (the main light source is turned off), the visual effect is improved, and other road users (such as vehicle drivers, pedestrians and the like) can more easily notice the vehicle, so that the driving safety is further improved.
In an example, the lighting device 100 further comprises a light source support device 11 for supporting the primary light source 10. As an example, as shown in fig. 1, the secondary light source 20 may be located outside the outer periphery of the common reflector 30, preferably on the lower side of the outer periphery, opposite to the primary light source 10 and directed towards the reflecting surface of the common reflector 30, whereas the light source support means 11 is provided with a reflecting surface 12 on the side facing the common reflector 30. The reflective surface 12 may be arranged to receive auxiliary illumination light or auxiliary signal indication light from the auxiliary light source 20 and reflect it towards the common reflector 30. In this example, the auxiliary illumination light or auxiliary signal indication light emitted from the auxiliary light source 20 is not directed directly to the common reflector 30, but is reflected by the reflecting surface 12 of the light source support 11 onto the common reflector 30.
The advantage of this design is that, firstly, the auxiliary light source 20 can be arranged at a distance from the main light source 10, which provides a great degree of freedom for the design of the position of the auxiliary light source 20, for example, the auxiliary light source 20 can be located at a lower position than the common reflector 30, which prevents the auxiliary light source 20 from blocking the outgoing light reflected by the common reflector 30, and in addition, the reflecting surface 12 of the light source supporting means 11 is adjacent to the main light source 10, so that the optical path of the auxiliary illumination light or the auxiliary signal indication light reflected by the reflecting surface 12 (for example, as indicated by the solid arrow in fig. 1) will be relatively similar to the optical path of the light emitted from the main light source 10. Since the main light source 10 and the auxiliary light source 20 share the common reflector 30, the closer the light path of the light emitted from the auxiliary light source 20 and the light path of the light emitted from the main light source 10 are, the more convenient the design of the common reflector 30 and the better the effect of the emitted light. For example, if the common reflector 30 employs a parabolic reflector and the main light source 10 is used to implement a high beam function or a low beam function, the position of the main light source 10 may be set at the focal point of the parabolic surface so that the light projected through the common reflector 30 is substantially parallel light, and the light reflected by the reflecting surface 12 from the auxiliary light source 20 may be regarded as similar to the light projected from the position of the main light source 10 to the common reflector 30 due to the fact that the reflecting point is relatively close to the position of the main light source 10, so that the common reflector 30 can also obtain a relatively good effect on the projection of the light from the auxiliary light source 20.
In an example, in order to enable light emitted from the auxiliary light source 20 to be relatively intensively irradiated to a position closer to the main light source 10 than the reflective surface 12 of the light source support device 11, the lighting device may further comprise a collimator 21, the collimator 21 being located between the auxiliary light source 20 and the reflective surface 12 in the optical path of the auxiliary illumination light or the auxiliary signal indication light, arranged to collimate the auxiliary illumination light or the auxiliary signal indication light before the auxiliary illumination light or the auxiliary signal indication light is directed to the reflective surface 12. The collimated light can have better directivity so that it can be concentrated to be irradiated at a position more adjacent to the main light source 10.
In an example, at least a majority of the collimator 21 is located outside the outer perimeter of the common reflector 30. In the example shown in fig. 1, a large part of the collimator 21 is located below the outer periphery of the common reflector 30 and directed towards the reflecting surface of the common reflector 30. In further examples, the collimator 21 may also be disposed entirely outside (e.g., below) the outer periphery of the common reflector 30. This can avoid that the collimator 21 affects the outgoing light reflected by the common reflector 30.
As an example, the collimator 21 may comprise a collimator lens or a collimator mirror. The collimator 21 may convert the light beam emitted from the subsidiary light source 20 into a parallel light beam or a nearly parallel light beam so that the collimated light beam can be directed toward the reflecting surface 12 in a prescribed direction. Fig. 4 shows an example of a collimator lens. In this example, the collimator lens may include a transmissive collimator 22 located inside the collimator lens and a total reflection collimator 23 located outside the collimator lens. As shown in fig. 1, the transmission collimating part 22 may have, for example, a surface shape of a convex lens, and may be used to collimate a central portion of an incident light beam. The total reflection collimating section 23 can collimate the peripheral portion of the incident light beam by the total reflection surface 24. This structure can improve the optical coupling efficiency of the incident light beam. However, the collimator 21 in the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this form, and it may also employ other forms of collimator lenses known in the art.
Fig. 3 shows an example of using a collimating mirror as collimator 21'. The collimator 21' may achieve a collimation by reflection of the light beam emitted from the secondary light source 20. For example, the collimator 21' may be implemented by a mirror in the form of a curved surface such as a parabolic mirror.
In an example, as shown in fig. 2, a plurality of auxiliary light sources 20 and a plurality of collimators 21 corresponding to the plurality of auxiliary light sources, respectively, may be provided, and the plurality of collimators 21 may be arranged to face the reflecting surface 12 of the light source supporting device 11. The reflecting surface 12 may for example be arranged in a region adjacent to said primary light source 10. With the plurality of collimators 21, the light reflected by the reflecting surface 21 may have a larger angle range, thereby increasing the light emitting area of the lighting device 100, improving the lighting effect, and enabling other road users (e.g., vehicle drivers, pedestrians, etc.) to notice the vehicle, thereby further improving the driving safety.
In an example, the reflecting surface 12 may be provided with a light distribution portion 13, as shown in fig. 5. The light distribution portion 13 is arranged to diffuse the auxiliary illumination light or auxiliary signal indication light (as indicated by solid arrows in fig. 1) from the auxiliary light source 20. As an example, the surface shape of each of the light distribution portions 13 may be set to converge (e.g., an upper convex surface) or diverge (e.g., a lower concave surface) the beam portion passing through the light distribution portion 13 in a predetermined direction. Even if the surface shape of the light distribution portion 13 is configured to converge the light beam, the converged light beam may become a divergent light beam after passing through the convergence point due to the optical property. The converging or diverging action of the light distribution portion 13 on the beam portion can be achieved by refraction of the beam portion by the surface of the light distribution portion 13. The light distribution portion 13 can make the light reflected by the reflecting surface 12 more uniform and the spreading area larger, thereby improving the lighting effect of the lighting device 100.
Fig. 6 shows a lighting device 100' according to another embodiment of the invention. The lighting device 100' comprises a light source support means 11', said light source support means 11' being arranged to support said primary light source 10 and said secondary light source 20. Unlike the above-described embodiment shown in fig. 1, in this lighting device 100', the auxiliary light source 20 is disposed on the light source support 11' together with the main light source 10, and the light emitted from the auxiliary light source 20 is not directed to the common reflector 30 until being reflected by the reflecting surface on the light source support. The auxiliary illumination light or the auxiliary signal indication light emitted from the auxiliary light source 20 may be directed toward the common reflector 30 as the main illumination light. Thus, even if only the auxiliary light source 20 is turned on, the common reflector 30 can be seen to be illuminated entirely when viewed from the outside of the lighting device 100' in a direction facing the common reflector 30. In fig. 6, the light emitted by the primary light source 10 is schematically represented by a dotted arrow, and the light emitted by the secondary light source 20 is schematically represented by a solid arrow.
In an example, in order to enable the auxiliary illumination light or the auxiliary signal indication light emitted from the auxiliary light source 20 to be more uniformly irradiated onto the common reflector 30, the illumination apparatus 100' may further include a diffusion member 14. The diffusion member 14 is disposed to face the light emitting surface 25 of the auxiliary light source 20. The diffusion member 14 is arranged to receive and guide auxiliary illumination light or auxiliary signal indication light (indicated by solid arrows in fig. 6) emitted from the auxiliary light source 20 toward the common reflector 30, and a light distribution portion 15 is provided on the light exit surface of the diffusion member 14, as shown in fig. 7. The light distribution portion 15 is arranged to diffuse the auxiliary illumination light or auxiliary signal indication light from the auxiliary light source 20. As an example, the surface shape of each of the light distribution portions 15 may be set to converge (e.g., an upper convex surface) or diverge (e.g., a lower concave surface) the beam portion passing through the light distribution portion 15 in a predetermined direction. Even if the surface shape of the light distribution portion 15 is configured to converge the light beam, the converged light beam may become a divergent light beam after passing through the convergence point due to the optical property. The converging or diverging action of the light distribution portion 15 on the beam portion can be achieved by refraction of the beam portion by the surface of the light distribution portion 15. As an example, the light distribution portions 13 and 15 may have a height or depth of 0.01mm to 0.5mm, in a wavy shape.
In an example, the main light source 10 and the auxiliary light source 20 are both positioned at a side of the light source supporting means 11' facing the common reflector 30 such that the main illumination light emitted from the main light source 10 and the auxiliary illumination light or the auxiliary signal indication light emitted from the auxiliary light source 20 are directed toward the common reflector 30. This avoids the auxiliary illumination light or auxiliary signal indication light being reflected before reaching the common reflector 30, thereby facilitating shortening of the optical path and making the structure of the illumination device 100' more compact.
In an embodiment of the invention, a single auxiliary light source 20 may be provided, or a plurality of auxiliary light sources 20 (2 auxiliary light sources 20 are shown in fig. 6) may be provided, for example, the plurality of auxiliary light sources 20 may be arranged around at least one main light source 10.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the main light source 10 may be, for example, a high beam light source or a low beam light source, for implementing a high beam light function or a low beam light function. As an example, the auxiliary light source 20 may be an auxiliary daytime running light source, an auxiliary position light source, or an auxiliary turn light source for forming respective auxiliary functions. Here, the auxiliary light source 20, which is used as an auxiliary daytime running light source, an auxiliary position light source, or an auxiliary turn light source, for example, can work together with the daytime running light source, the position light source, or the turn light source that the vehicle itself has after the activation, thereby further improving the running safety. The auxiliary light source is simultaneously activated when activating a daytime running light source, a position light source or a turn light source of the vehicle. Additionally, by means of the auxiliary light source, a redundancy function can be realized in case of failure of the daytime running light source, the position light source or the turn light source.
As an example, the primary light source 10 and the secondary light source 20 may each include a Light Emitting Diode (LED). The LED has the advantages of small size, low power consumption and high luminous intensity. The use of LED light sources may allow for a more compact construction of the lighting device 100, 100'.
As an example, the common reflector 30 may be a curved projection mirror. It may for example have a parabolic, hyperbolic, elliptical or more complex known curved shape. By way of example, the common reflector 30 may be formed of a smooth curved surface or may be formed by splicing a plurality of strip-shaped reflecting elements.
In an embodiment of the invention, the primary light source 10 and the secondary light source 20 may be used to achieve different functions. Thus, they can be turned on and off, respectively, as desired. For example, the auxiliary light source 20 may be configured to be lit when the primary light source 10 is off, thereby functioning as an auxiliary daytime running light source. Assuming that the range of the light emission of the subsidiary light source 20 is sufficiently large, it can be seen that the entire common reflector 30 becomes bright in this case.
In embodiments of the present invention, there may be any number of primary and secondary light sources 10, 20. For example, the number of the main light sources 10 may be one, two, three, or more, and the number of the auxiliary light sources 20 may be one, two, three, four, or more. As an example, the number of the subsidiary light sources 20 may be greater than the number of the main light sources 10.
Embodiments of the present invention also provide a motor vehicle comprising a lighting device 100, 100' as described in any of the embodiments above.
As an example, the components of the lighting device 100, 100', such as the collimators 21, 21' and the diffuser 14, may be made of transparent glass, resin or plastic material, such as PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) or polycarbonate.
By way of example, the components of the lighting device 100, 100', such as the collimators 21, 21' and the diffuser element 14, may be supported or suspended, such as by any known suitable means for holding optical elements, such as a mount, boom, etc.
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. The dimensional proportions in the drawings are illustrative only and should not 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.