EP3611425B1 - Light module for a motor vehicle suitable for generating a light beam with at least one row of lighting units - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a motor vehicle lighting system which is capable of producing a light beam projecting forward an image comprising at least one horizontal row of illumination units

Such a light beam is also called a pixel beam or “multibeam” in English.

Generally speaking, these illumination units are arranged side by side in a horizontal row. There may be one or more horizontal rows of illumination units.

By selectively turning off or on each elementary light source, the off or on state of the corresponding illumination unit is controlled. The beam is then made up of a plurality of illumination units, turned on or off depending on the presence of other vehicles in the emission zone. The document US2008198574A1 shows such a light system.

Thus, the light module capable of generating such a light beam is often used in addition to a light module producing a portion of the driving beam in front lighting devices to achieve an adaptive lighting function, also called "Adaptive Driving Beam » or ADB in English.

Indeed, a lower portion, which can come from another module, illuminates below the horizon and the lit illumination units complete the lighting above this lower portion and the horizon so as to form a long range beam.

The illumination units can then be turned off so as to create a shadow zone where there is another vehicle being followed or coming in the opposite direction. Consequently, the risk of dazzling the driver is reduced. from the other vehicle while maintaining good visibility of the road thanks to the lighting units not being turned off.

In another example, the light module forming a pixelated light beam can also be used in addition to a light module forming a passing beam, also called code beam, or a lower portion of the passing beam. In this configuration, the pixelated light beam can form a dynamic bend distribution in order to achieve a dynamic bending function, or also called "dynamic bending light" or DBL in English, allowing the light beam to follow the curvature of the bends followed by the vehicle.

The aforementioned ADB or DBL functions are lighting functions which improve the quality and comfort of visibility of the lighting device. There is therefore an increasing development of lighting devices integrating these functions.

Regulations evolve hand in hand with the development of these lighting devices. The latter must therefore comply with national and/or regional regulations, in particular with large regulatory groups, such as in Europe, China and the United States.

For example, the photometry of a regulatory passing beam must include zones whose light intensity complies with the values imposed by the regulations.

For example, in Europe, there is Regulation R123 of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. This regulation, also called UNECE R123 regulation for short, concerns the provisions concerning the approval of adaptive front lighting systems intended for motor vehicles.

The version in force on October 21, 2013 of the UNECE R123 regulation requires that, for right-hand traffic, the segment located from 8°R to 20°R and 0.57°U of the cutoff line must have an intensity less than or equal to at 3550 cd. This segment is also called the “BRR segment”.

Here, the acronyms “R” and “U” correspond respectively to the abbreviation of the terms “right” for “droit” in French and “up” for “haut” in French.

In the case of a pixelated light beam contributing to achieving a dynamic turning function, there is generally a row of illumination units, forming an upper part of a passing beam, directly above a horizontal cutoff line to realize the DBL function of the final passing beam. However, given that each illumination unit has a height greater than 0.57°, and for example from 0.7° to 1°, at least one illumination unit of said row superimposes with the BRR segment of the beam of basic crossing.

Consequently, the illumination unit provides additional light intensity to the area of the BRR segment. This risks causing the light intensity of the BRR segment to exceed the regulatory value and therefore making the lighting device non-compliant.

Areas where photometric characteristics must comply with regulations such as those for the BRR segment are still called restricted areas.

The technical problem that the invention aims to solve is therefore to obtain a pixelated light beam which can be combined with a portion of a second light beam so as to produce a main lighting beam integrating an adaptive function, such as ADB , DBL, while forming a main lighting beam where the risks of light overintensity are reduced in certain areas, in particular which complies with regulations.

For this purpose, a first object of the invention is a light module for a motor vehicle intended to generate a light beam projecting an image forward. The image includes at least one horizontal row of illumination units.

According to the invention, the light module is arranged so that a first illumination unit of a first horizontal row of illumination units comprises a lower and/or upper end which is offset vertically relative to a respectively lower and/or upper end of a second illumination unit of the same row. And, the first horizontal row of illumination units forms a high portion of a low beam.

In other words, on the image of the light beam, there is at least one row of illumination units forming a high portion of a passing beam where the illumination units are not all aligned.

Of course, the offset can be applied to multiple illumination units in the row. Thus, in the same row, one or more illumination units can be placed offset from the other units.

The illumination units of the row of illumination units forming an upper portion of a passing beam are partly vertical to a horizontal cut-off line and partly offset relative to this horizontal line.

The module can thus be arranged in such a way that the offset illumination unit(s) are those likely to overlap with certain regulated zones before being shifted. Such an arrangement goes against what is commonly applied and the prejudice of wanting to exactly align light strips and/or illumination units in a row.

In the example cited previously, the offset illumination units are units that would intersect the BRR segment if the row contained only aligned units.

Therefore, in the absence of an illumination unit at the BRR segment, there is little risk that the light intensity will exceed the imposed value.

Thus, thanks to the lighting system according to the invention, the final main lighting beam therefore complies with the conditions imposed by the regulations.

• ladite première unité d'illumination comprend une extrémité supérieure décalée vers le bas par rapport à une extrémité supérieure de ladite deuxième unité d'illumination ;
• ladite première unité d'illumination comprend une extrémité inférieure décalée vers le bas par rapport à une extrémité inférieure de ladite deuxième unité d'illumination ;
• ladite première unité d'illumination présente une hauteur inférieure à la hauteur de ladite deuxième unité d'illumination ; cet alinéa et les deux précédents décrivent trois manières différentes pour décaler au moins une unité d'illumination par rapport aux autres unités dans la même rangée ; on peut diminuer la dimension, mesurée selon la direction verticale, ou autrement appelée la dimension en hauteur, de l'unité concernée ; alternativement, la dimension de l'unité concernée reste identique à celle des autres unités non décalées, mais celle-ci est déplacée verticalement vers le bas ou vers le haut ; finalement, on peut combiner les deux méthodes précédentes, c'est-à-dire à la fois diminuer la dimension en hauteur de l'unité et la déplacer verticalement vers le haut ou vers le bas.

The lighting system according to the invention may optionally have one or more of the following characteristics:

• said first illumination unit comprises an upper end offset downwards relative to an upper end of said second illumination unit;
• said first illumination unit comprises a lower end offset downwardly relative to a lower end of said second illumination unit;
• said first illumination unit has a height less than the height of said second illumination unit; this paragraph and the two preceding ones describe three different ways to offset at least one illumination unit relative to the other units in the same row; we can reduce the dimension, measured in the vertical direction, or otherwise called the height dimension, of the unit concerned; alternatively, the dimension of the unit concerned remains identical to that of the other non-shifted units, but it is moved vertically downwards or upwards; Finally, we can combine the two previous methods, that is to say both reduce the height dimension of the unit and move it vertically up or down.

• la première unité d'illumination est située en-dessous d'une ligne horizontale située à 0,57°U et chevauche une ligne horizontale située à 0°U, et est située entre 8°R et 20°R ; et la deuxième unité d'illumination chevauche ladite ligne horizontale située à 0,57°U; le module lumineux diminue ainsi les risques d'éblouissement à hauteur du segment BRR, et notamment de non-conformité avec le règlement UNECE R123 précisé précédemment;
• la première unité d'illumination comprend une extrémité supérieure située au même niveau ou en-dessous d'un axe horizontal à 0°U et à l'intérieur de l'intervalle situé de 1°R jusque 3°R, et la deuxième unité d'illumination chevauche ledit axe horizontal uniquement en dehors de l'intervalle situé de 1°R jusque 3°R ; ainsi, le module lumineux diminue les risques d'éblouissement à hauteur de l'horizon dans une zone définie en avant du véhicule tout en augmentant la portée en dehors de cette zone ; le module pourra exemple être utilisé pour appliquer la norme « FMVSS » n°108 appliquée aux Etats-Unis ; FMVSS est acronyme de « Fédéral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard » en anglais;

The lighting system according to the invention has one or other of the following two characteristics:

• the first illumination unit is located below a horizontal line located at 0.57°U and overlaps a horizontal line located at 0°U, and is located between 8°R and 20°R; and the second illumination unit overlaps said horizontal line located at 0.57°U; the light module thus reduces the risks of glare at the BRR segment, and in particular of non-compliance with the UNECE R123 regulation specified previously;
• the first illumination unit includes an upper end located at or below an axis horizontal at 0°U and within the interval of 1°R to 3°R, and the second illumination unit overlaps said horizontal axis only outside the interval of 1°R to 3° R; thus, the light module reduces the risk of dazzling at horizon level in a defined zone in front of the vehicle while increasing the range outside this zone; the module could for example be used to apply the “FMVSS” standard no. 108 applied in the United States; FMVSS is an acronym for “Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard” in English;

• l'image comprend au moins une deuxième rangée horizontale d'unité d'illumination, appelée rangée horizontale supérieure, disposée au-dessus de ladite première rangée horizontale d'unités d'illumination ;
• selon l'alinéa précédent, la rangée horizontale supérieur d'unités d'illumination forme une distribution d'un faisceau de route complémentaire adaptatif. Ainsi, lorsque le module lumineux est utilisé en complément avec un module lumineux formant un faisceau de croisement ou une portion basse de faisceau de croisement, la superposition du faisceau de route complémentaire adaptatif avec le faisceau émis par la première rangée d'unités d'illumination et avec le faisceau de croisement ou avec la portion basse de faisceau de croisement forme un faisceau de feu de route adaptatif ;
• le module lumineux comprend :
  • ∘ plusieurs sources lumineuses primaires ;
  • ∘ un élément optique disposé en aval de la matrice de sources lumineuses et comportant une pluralité de guides de lumière ; chaque guide comprenant une face d'entrée disposée en regard d'une source lumineuse primaire associée et une sortie ; les sorties des guides de lumière formant des sources lumineuses secondaires;
  • ∘ un ensemble de projection disposé en aval des guides de lumières de manière à projeter vers l'avant l'image des sources lumineuses secondaires ;
• l'élément optique et l'ensemble de projection sont agencés de manière à ce que la sortie de chaque guide de lumière soit coplanaire avec un plan focal de l'ensemble de projection; en effet, les sorties des guides de lumières forment une matrice des sources lumineuses secondaires ; ladite matrice est ensuite imagée par l'ensemble de projection pour former l'image finale du module lumineux de l'invention ; ainsi, en disposant les sorties des guides de lumière dans le plan focal de l'optique de projection, toutes les sources lumineuses secondaires sont imagées de manière nette et la distribution lumineuse est homogène;
• l'élément optique comprend un premier guide de lumière , participant à la génération de la première unité d'illumination et un deuxième guide de lumière participant à la génération de la deuxième unité d'illumination, le premier guide et le deuxième guide comprenant chacun une sortie, respectivement la première sortie et la deuxième sortie; la première sortie comporte un bord inférieur et/ou supérieur qui est décalé verticalement par rapport à un bord respectivement inférieur et/ou supérieur de la deuxième sortie;
• l'ensemble de projection comprend une optique secondaire disposée à l'avant de l'élément optique et une optique primaire disposée entre l'optique secondaire et les sources lumineuses secondaires ;
• selon l'alinéa précédent, l'élément optique comprend l'optique primaire et les guides de lumière, l'optique primaire et les guides de lumière étant réalisés en une seule pièce monobloc ;
• chaque source lumineuse primaire est une diode électroluminescente, encore appelée LED en acronyme anglais pour « light-emitting diode ».

The lighting system according to the invention may optionally have one or more of the following characteristics:

• the image comprises at least a second horizontal row of illumination units, called upper horizontal row, arranged above said first horizontal row of illumination units;
• according to the previous paragraph, the upper horizontal row of illumination units forms a distribution of an adaptive complementary driving beam. Thus, when the light module is used in addition to a light module forming a passing beam or a lower portion of the passing beam, the superposition of the complementary adaptive driving beam with the beam emitted by the first row of illumination units and with the low beam or with the lower portion of the low beam forms an adaptive high beam;
• the light module includes:
  • ∘ several primary light sources;
  • ∘ an optical element arranged downstream of the matrix of light sources and comprising a plurality of light guides; each guide comprising an input face arranged opposite an associated primary light source and an output; the outputs of the light guides forming secondary light sources;
  • ∘ a projection assembly arranged downstream of the light guides so as to project the image of the secondary light sources forward;
• the optical element and the projection assembly are arranged so that the output of each light guide is coplanar with a focal plane of the projection assembly; in fact, the outputs of the light guides form a matrix of secondary light sources; said matrix is then imaged by the projection assembly to form the final image of the light module of the invention; thus, by arranging the outputs of the light guides in the focal plane of the projection optics, all the secondary light sources are imaged clearly and the light distribution is homogeneous;
• the optical element comprises a first light guide, participating in the generation of the first illumination unit and a second light guide participating in the generation of the second illumination unit, the first guide and the second guide each comprising a output, respectively the first output and the second output; the first outlet has a lower and/or upper edge which is offset vertically relative to a respectively lower and/or upper edge of the second outlet;
• the projection assembly comprises secondary optics disposed at the front of the optical element and primary optics disposed between the secondary optics and the secondary light sources;
• according to the preceding paragraph, the optical element comprises the primary optics and the light guides, the primary optics and the light guides being made in a single single piece;
• each primary light source is a light-emitting diode, also called LED in English acronym for “light-emitting diode”.

The invention also relates to a lighting device comprising a light module according to the invention.

• le dispositif d'éclairage comprend un deuxième module lumineux agencé de manière à générer une portion principale de faisceau d'éclairage; le module lumineux selon l'invention est agencé de manière à générer une portion complémentaire avec ladite portion principale pour former un faisceau d'éclairage; ce dernier peut être un faisceau de route et/ou un faisceau de croisement; ainsi, le module lumineux formant un faisceau lumineux pixélisé selon l'invention est combiné avec le deuxième module lumineux pour générer un faisceau d'éclairage adaptatif ; ledit faisceau intègre donc les fonctions ADB, BL, ce qui permet d'améliorer le confort d'utilisation du dispositif d'éclairage ;
• selon l'alinéa précédent, le deuxième module lumineux génère une partie basse de faisceau de croisement, et le module lumineux selon l'invention est agencé de manière à ce qu'il génère un faisceau lumineux formant une partie haute de faisceau de croisement, notamment une distribution de virage dynamique, qui est allumé en complément de la partie basse du faisceau de croisement
• selon l'alinéa précédent, le module lumineux selon l'invention est agencé de manière à ce qu'il génère un faisceau lumineux formant une distribution d'un feu de route complémentaire.

The lighting device according to the invention may optionally have one or more of the following characteristics:

• the lighting device comprises a second light module arranged to generate a main portion of the lighting beam; the light module according to the invention is arranged so as to generate a complementary portion with said main portion to form a lighting beam; the latter can be a main beam and/or a dipped beam; thus, the light module forming a pixelated light beam according to the invention is combined with the second light module to generate an adaptive lighting beam; said beam therefore integrates the ADB, BL functions, which makes it possible to improve the comfort of use of the lighting device;
• according to the preceding paragraph, the second light module generates a lower part of the passing beam, and the light module according to the invention is arranged so that it generates a light beam forming a upper part of the passing beam, in particular a dynamic cornering distribution, which is lit in addition to the lower part of the dipped beam
• according to the preceding paragraph, the light module according to the invention is arranged so that it generates a light beam forming a distribution of a complementary high beam.

Unless otherwise indicated, the terms "front", "rear", "lower", "upper", "top", "bottom", "side", "transverse", "right", "left", refer to the direction of emission of light out of the corresponding light module. Unless otherwise indicated, the terms “upstream” and “downstream” refer to the direction of propagation of light in the object that cites them.

• la figure 1 illustre une vue en perspective d'un module lumineux réalisé selon un premier mode de réalisation selon l'invention ;
• la figure 2 illustre une vue en perspective aval d'un support d'une matrice de diodes électroluminescentes ;
• la figure 3 illustre une vue en perspective amont qui représente l'arrière d'un élément optique faisant partie du module lumineux de la figure 1.
• la figure 4 illustre une vue en section selon le plan de coupe 4-4 horizontal de la figure 1 ; ladite vue illustrant un plan dans lequel sont situés des sorties des guides de lumière de l'élément optique de la figure 3 ;
• la figure 5 illustre l'image du faisceau lumineux généré par le module lumineux de la figure 1, et l'image d'une partie basse de faisceau de croisement dans un arrangement pouvant être conforme au règlement UNECE R123 appliquée en Europe ;
• la figure 6 illustre l'image d'un faisceau lumineux généré par un module lumineux réalisé selon un deuxième mode de réalisation de l'invention, et l'image d'une partie basse de faisceau de croisement dans un arrangement pouvant être conforme à la norme FMVSS 108 appliquée aux Etats-Unis.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description of the non-limiting examples which follow, for an understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings, among which:

• there figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a light module produced according to a first embodiment according to the invention;
• there figure 2 illustrates a downstream perspective view of a support of a matrix of light-emitting diodes;
• there Figure 3 illustrates an upstream perspective view which represents the rear of an optical element forming part of the light module of the figure 1 .
• there Figure 4 illustrates a sectional view according to the horizontal section plane 4-4 of the figure 1 ; said view illustrating a plane in which are located outputs of the light guides of the optical element of the Figure 3 ;
• there Figure 5 illustrates the image of the light beam generated by the light module of the figure 1 , and the image of a lower part of the passing beam in an arrangement which may comply with the UNECE R123 regulation applied in Europe;
• there Figure 6 illustrates the image of a light beam generated by a light module produced according to a second embodiment of the invention, and the image of a lower part of the passing beam in an arrangement which may comply with the FMVSS 108 standard applied in the United States.

In reference to the figure 1 , there is illustrated a light module 1 capable of generating a light beam. Here, the light module 1 emits the light beam longitudinally from the rear to the front, as illustrated by the arrow L on the figure 1 .

Said beam projects forward an image composed of a plurality of lighting zones, also called units illumination, here, in rectangular shape and arranged in at least one horizontal row.

The light beam generated by the light module 1 is, for example, lit in addition to a main lighting beam, such as a code beam or a high beam, to form a directional low beam, also called "Bending Light”, or an adaptive high beam, also called “Adaptive Driving Beam”.

The light module 1 illustrated on the figure 1 comprises light emitting means 10, a projection assembly 30 placed in front of said emitting means 10 and an optical element 20 disposed between these two elements.

Here, the light emitting means 10 are composed of a printed circuit board 11, also called a “printed circuit board” or “PCB” in English, and a plurality of light sources 14 which are here light-emitting diodes 14, or commonly called LED for short in English.

In the example presented, the light-emitting diodes 14 are arranged in two transverse rows including a first row 15 and a second row 16. Said rows are perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the light of the light module 1. Each row 15 or 16 comprises ten distinct light-emitting diodes 14 as illustrated in figure 2 .

According to the invention and in this example, three among the ten light-emitting diodes of the first row are not aligned with other diodes in the same row. Here, the three non-aligned light-emitting diodes 150, 151 and 152 are those located to the right of the figure 2 . The reason for their offset compared to the other diodes will be explained later in the description.

The set of two rows 15, 16 of light-emitting diodes 14 constitutes a matrix 12 of light sources. Said matrix 12 is mounted on a front face 17 of the printed circuit board 11.

Furthermore, in order to evacuate the heat generated by the light sources 14, the printed circuit board 11 is mounted on a radiator whose cooling fins 13 are installed on a rear face 18 of said card 11.

In other words, here, the radiator and the printed circuit board 11 form the support for the matrix 12 of light sources.

In reference to the Figure 3 , the optical element 20 comprises an output diopter 35, a solid front portion 350 disposed upstream of the output diopter 35, and a plurality of guides substantially parallel and distinct from each other. The guides extend longitudinally towards the rear from the front portion 350, and in particular have an identical length.

In a variant embodiment, some guides may be longer than others. For example, the outer guides may be longer than the center guides.

In the example presented, the optical element 20 comprises two rows of light guides including a top row 21 and a bottom row 22. Each row 21 or 22 brings together ten light guides. The number of light guides per row corresponds to the number of light-emitting diodes 14 per row 15, 16 of the matrix 12 of light sources.

The top row light guides 21 are numbered, in order from left to right on the Figure 3 , from 210 to 219 while the light guides in the bottom row are numbered 220 to 229 in the same order.

For reasons of clarity, only a few light guides are referenced on the Figure 3 .

Here, the light guides in the same row have the same height. On the other hand, the guides located at the end of each row are wider than the other guides in the same row.

Furthermore, the guides of the bottom row 22 have a section elongated in the vertical direction V. The section obtained from each bottom guide is longer than wide. In other words, the height dimension of the guides of the bottom row 22 is greater than that of the top row 21.

As for the guides of the top row 21, with the exception of the guides at the ends 210 and 219, they have a substantially rectangular section, possibly square.

Apart from the geometric particularities described above, all the guides each include an entry face and an exit.

Here, the entrance faces of the light guides are visible on the Figure 3 and in the example shown, these are input diopters.

The entry faces of the light guides are arranged in a first plane S1 which is here parallel to the plane of the printed circuit board 11. When the optical element 20 is installed in the light module 1, each entry face is placed opposite a corresponding light-emitting diode 14 so that the majority of the light rays emitted by said diode 14 enter the corresponding light guide.

Here, the input faces of the top row 21 are placed opposite the light-emitting diodes 14 of the first row 15. The input faces of the bottom row 22 are placed opposite the light-emitting diodes 14 of the second row 16.

The entrance faces of the light guides of the top row 21 are numbered, in order from left to right on the Figure 3 , from 230 to 239 while the entrance faces of the light guides of the bottom row 22 are numbered from 240 to 249 in the same order.

For reasons of clarity, only a few input faces are referenced on the Figure 3 .

According to the invention and in this example, three light guides 210, 211 and 212 of the top row 21, considered from the left of the Figure 3 , are not aligned with the other guides in the same row. Said three guides 210, 211 and 212 are hereinafter called the offset guides while the other guides are called the non-offset guides.

As observed on the Figure 3 , the offset of the light guides causes the entry faces 230, 231 and 232 of the three offset guides 210, 211 and 212 to be placed higher than the entry faces 233 to 239 of the non-offset guides 213 to 219 .

In this example, the heights of the entry faces 230, 231 and 232 of the offset guides 230, 231 and 232 remain identical to the other guides. Here, the first guide 230 offset, counted from the left of the Figure 3 , which is also the guide located at the end of the top row 21, comprises a first entry face 230 which has the same height as the tenth entry face 239 located at the opposite end of the top row 21.

The second and third offset guides 211 and 212 include entry faces of the same size as those of the non-offset guides, of course, with the exception of the non-offset guide located at the right end of the row at the top 21.

To place the entrance faces 230, 231 and 232 offset relative to the others, the associated light guides 210, 211 and 212 are positioned higher relative to the other guides. In other words, the guides 210, 211 and 212 are offset in a vertical translation upwards.

Here, all light guides 220 to 229 of the bottom row 22 remain aligned with each other.

The optical element 20 is placed in front of the matrix 12 of light sources so that the entrance face of each light guide is positioned opposite an associated elementary light source 14 and so that the light beam emitted by each source elementary light 14 is propagated in the associated light guide by entering through the entry face and leaving through the exit.

In particular, the entry faces 230, 231 and 232 of the offset guides 210, 211 and 212 are placed opposite the non-aligned light-emitting diodes 150, 151 and 152 of the first row 15 of light-emitting diodes.

Indeed, thanks to the offset of the non-aligned light-emitting diodes 150, 151 and 152, the input faces 230, 231 and 232 are face to face of said non-aligned diodes so that the main axis of light emission of these diodes crosses the symmetrical center of these input faces. Thus, the input faces 230, 231 and 232 capture the majority of the light rays emitted by the diodes 150, 151 and 152 for better optical efficiency.

The outputs of the light guides form secondary light sources 34. The latter are imaged by the projection optics 30 to form a light beam.

In order to distinguish the light-emitting diodes 14 from the secondary light sources 34 consisting of the outputs of the light guides, the light-emitting diodes 14 carried by the printed circuit board are also called the primary light sources 14.

On the figure 4 , we can observe the outputs of the light guides of the top row 21. Despite the offset of the light guides of the top row 21 and the light emitting diodes of the first row 15, the cutting plane 4-4 at the figure 1 is placed so as to show all the light guides of the top row 21 and all the light emitting diodes of the first row 15 on the Figure 4 .

The outputs of the light guides of the top row 21 are numbered, in order from bottom to top of the figure 4 , from 330 to 339.

For reasons of clarity, only a few outputs are referenced on the figure 4 . For example, the outputs of the offset light guides 230, 231 and 232 are numbered 330, 331 and 332 respectively.

In the same way as the input faces, the outputs of the light guides are also placed in a second plane S2 parallel to the plane of the printed circuit board.

According to the invention and in this example, the projection optics 30 and the light guides 210 to 219, 220 to 229 are arranged so that all the outputs of the light guides are coplanar with the focal plane P of the projection assembly 30. In other words, the second plane S2 where all the outputs 330 to 339 of the light guides 210 to 219 and 220 to 229 are located coincides with the focal plane P of the projection optics 30.

Thus, the image of the secondary light sources 34 is projected forward clearly and has a homogeneous light distribution.

Although the offset of the outlets 330, 331 and 332 is not visible in the figures, it can be understood that given the offset position of the three guides 210, 211 and 212, the corresponding outlets 330, 331 and 332 of these guides are also offset vertically. upwards compared to other outlets in the same row.

Of course, in another embodiment, the light guides can be designed so that only the exits are offset and not the entry faces of the light guides.

To do this, simply flex the chosen light guides from back to front so that the flexed guides include entry faces aligned with those of the other guides and exits offset vertically up or down. low compared to the outputs of other guides. Thus, in this configuration, the alignment of the light-emitting diodes 14 can be maintained.

According to the invention and in the example illustrated, the projection assembly 30 comprises a secondary optic 32 disposed at the front of the light guides 210 to 219, and 220 to 229 and a primary optic 31 disposed between the secondary optics 32 and exits 330 to 339.

Here, the optical element 20 includes not only the light guides 210 to 219, 220 to 229 but also the primary optics 31. The primary optics 31 is placed in front of the outputs 330 to 339 of the light guides. The primary optics 31 is formed by the output diopter 35 of the optical element 20.

In addition, the primary optics 31 and the light guides 210 to 219, 220 to 229 can be made in a single monobloc part, as in the example illustrated.

The optical element 20, as described, can be made of silicone. It can also be made of glass or thermoformable plastic.

The optical coupling between the primary optics 31 and the secondary optics 32 is carried out so as to form a converging system at the focal plane P, which coincides with the second plane S2 where all the outputs 330 to 339 of the guides are located from light.

Optionally, a field correction lens can be interposed between the primary optics 31 and the secondary optics 32 so that the focal surface P of the projection assembly is perfectly coplanar with the second plane S2, for example. example when it is difficult to achieve with only the primary optics 31 and the secondary optics 32.

Thus, the projection assembly 30, composed of primary and secondary optics 32, images the secondary light sources 34.

The light module 1 described above can be used in conjunction with a second light module intended to generate a main portion of the lighting beam.

For example, the second light module generates a lower part B1 of the passing beam while the light module 1 generates a light beam forming an upper part H1 of the passing beam and an adaptive complementary main beam.

When the beam, generated by the entire light module 1 and the second light module, is projected onto a vertical screen located at a distance from the light module, by example at 25 meters, and opposite said assembly, we obtain a final image I as illustrated on the Figure 5 .

The final image I is projected on the screen in an orthogonal reference frame R composed on the ordinate of a vertical axis V and on the abscissa of a horizontal axis H. The vertical axis V corresponds to a vertical axis above the road and the horizontal axis H symbolizes the horizon.

1. [1] en degré Up (°U), « haut » en français, pour tout ce qui est au-dessus de l'axe horizontal H ;
2. [2] en degré Down (°D), « bas » en français, pour tout ce qui est en-dessous de l'axe horizontal H ;
3. [3] en degré Left (°L), « gauche » en français, pour tout ce qui à gauche de l'axe vertical V ; et
4. [4] en degré Right (°R), « droite » en français, pour tout ce qui est à droite de l'axe vertical V.

The angular positions of the final image I in the frame R are expressed:

1. [1] in degree Up (°U), “high” in French, for everything above the horizontal axis H;
2. [2] in degree Down (°D), “bass” in French, for everything below the horizontal axis H;
3. [3] in degree Left (°L), “ gauche ” in French, for everything to the left of the vertical axis V; And
4. [4] in degree Right (°R), “droite” in French, for everything to the right of the vertical axis V.

Note that the example illustrated relates to right-hand traffic. For left-hand traffic, simply take the symmetrical pattern along a vertical plane from upstream to downstream for the module as well as for the beam.

Here, the final image I is composed of an image I1 of the secondary light sources and an image I2 of the lower part B1 of the passing beam.

Note that the image I1 of the secondary light sources 34 is inverted in this embodiment of the light module. Indeed, the light beams coming from the top row 21 of light guides are projected downwards while those from the bottom row 22 of light guides are projected upwards.

Each secondary elementary light source 34 illuminates an area of the screen. In other words, each of the zones Z1 to Z10 and W1 to W10 therefore corresponds to the outputs of the light guides of the optical element 20.

The areas on the screen Z1 to Z10 as well as W1 to W10 are also called the illumination units, or “pixels” in English.

The illumination units Z1 to Z10 and W1 to W10 on the screen are arranged in two horizontal rows, including an upper row 4 and a lower row 5. In order to facilitate reading, the illumination units are shorthandly called " units”.

The upper row 4 of units forms a distribution of a complementary driving beam. It contains the units Z1 to Z10 which respectively correspond to the outputs of the bottom row 22 of the optical element 20, therefore to the light sources of the second row 16.

Precisely, the unit Z1 corresponds to the projected image of the output of the light guide 229 located at the right end of the bottom row 22 on the Figure 3 . Unit Z2 corresponds to output 248 of light guide 228 located to the left of guide 229 at the right end. Unit Z3 corresponds to output 247 of guide 227 located to the left of guide 228 and so on up to unit Z10. Unit Z10 corresponds to output 240 of light guide 220 which is located to the far left of bottom row 22 on the Figure 3 .

The shape of each of these units is delimited by peripheral edges of the output of the associated light guide.

Here, for each of the light guides, apart from the size, the shape of the entrance face remains similar to that of the exit. Thus, the units Z1 to Z10 of the upper row 4 have a shape identical to that of the outlets 240 to 249 of the lower row 22. Here, the units Z1 to Z10 are rectangles whose height is greater than the width.

In the same way as the exits, zones Z1 and Z10 are wider than zones Z2 to Z9.

The lower row 5 of units forms a high portion of a passing beam. In this example, it forms a dynamic turn distribution. In the lower row 5 of units, the correspondence between units W1 to W10 and the Outputs from the top row 21 are done in a similar manner to the units Z1 to Z10 with the bottom row 22.

In particular, the last three units W8 to W10 correspond respectively to the projected images of the outputs 330, 331 and 332 of the three offset guides 210, 211 and 212 described above.

In the example shown, the three units W8 to W10 are offset vertically downwards relative to the other units W1 to W7 in the same row.

Generally speaking, the offset of the three units W8 to W10 is limited vertically in order to maintain rectilinear lighting at the level of the shoulder of the road. According to an example outside the scope of the invention, for optimal lighting of the aisle this offset is only 1° downwards, here 1° under the BRR segment.

For each of these three offset units W8 to W10, the upper edge 51 and the lower edge 52 of the unit considered are offset vertically downwards relative respectively to the upper edge 53 and the lower edge 54 of the non-offset units W1 to W7.

By individually controlling each primary elementary light source 14, here each light-emitting diode 14, it is possible to selectively illuminate each of the units W1 to W10 and Z1 to Z10 so as to perform an adaptive function to the main lighting beam, and in particular a turning function. dynamic using units W1 to W10 and an adaptive high beam function using units Z1 to Z10 in addition to units W1 to W10.

A slight overlap between the lower row 5 of units and the lower part B1 of the passing beam is possible, in particular to ensure a smooth transition between these two elements.

The arrangement of the illumination units is carried out so that the photometric distribution complies with the conditions imposed by the UNECE R123 regulation.

In this example, the three offset units W8 to W10 are below the BRR segment which is at 0.57°U and between 8°R and 20°R. Thus, when these three offset units W8 to W10 are illuminated, they do not impact the light intensity of the BRR segment. Consequently, the light intensity measured at the BRR segment is not likely to exceed the value of 3550 cd as required by regulations.

In an application for a low beam, the light emitting diodes 14 are adjusted so that the units Z1 to Z10 of the upper row 4 are turned off. On the other hand, the units W1 to W10 of the lower row 5 can be selectively illuminated with the lower part B1 of the passing beam to produce an adaptive final passing beam integrating the BL function, otherwise called adaptive turning function.

When a vehicle is driving in a straight line, units W1 to W5, mainly located to the left of the vertical axis V, are turned off while units W6 to W10, located to the right of the vertical axis V, are turned on so to form a high cut-off line of the passing beam. Since zones W8 to W10 are staggered, the light intensity at the BRR segment complies with current regulations.

For a right turn, units W8 to W10, or even including unit W7, are lit progressively from left to right, until the end of the turn, here unit W10 located on the far right of the row when the bend is very pronounced.

For a left turn, units W1 to W5, located to the left of the vertical axis V, are lit progressively from right to left, that is to say from unit W5 towards unit W1, or even up to 'to the W1 unit when the turn is very sharp, which allows better lighting on the driver's left side.

Consequently, the light module 1 of the lighting system according to the invention generates an adaptive passing beam providing better visibility to the lighting during the turns while respecting the conditions imposed by the regulations.

In another example of use, for example for an adaptive high beam, the light-emitting diodes 14 are adjusted so that all the units Z1 to Z10 and W1 to W10 are on, in particular when there is no vehicle traveling in front.

When the vehicle detects other vehicles either in front or traveling in the opposite direction, the light-emitting diodes 14 are controlled so as to create a shadow zone at the location where the detected user is located. For example, to do this, units W3, W4 of the lower row 5 of units and units Z3 and Z4 of the upper row 4 of units are turned off.

The units Z1 to Z10 then form an adaptive complementary main beam. They are lit to form a light beam located above the dynamic cornering beam formed by the units W1 to W10, itself located above a lower part B1 of a passing beam.

According to an alternative embodiment, the principle of shifting a few units in a row of units can be applied to the upper row 4 of units illustrated in figure 5 .

For example, in the case where the photometric measurement of the pixelated light beam H1 indicates that the lower zone of the units is too bright in the main beam, at least one of the units Z1 to Z10 of the upper row 4 can be shifted. units vertically upwards.

To do this, the guide(s), participating in generating the offset unit(s) in this upper row 4, include the output offset vertically downwards relative to the other outputs of the other guides. Here, the guides to be shifted upwards are part of the guides 220 to 229 of the bottom row 22 of the optical element 20.

Of course, the light system as well as the light module according to the invention can be configured so as to generate a light beam which conforms to other regulations, for example the federal motor vehicle safety standards of the United States, also called the “FMVSS” standards for “Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard” in English.

Among these standards, the glare of drivers of oncoming vehicles is measured and linked to thresholds established from the FMVSS 108 standard.

In reference to the Figure 6 , there is illustrated a final image I3 of a light beam which can be adapted to the FMVSS 108 standard. The light beam can be a passing beam and is in a configuration called according to this standard “VOR beam pattern” for left-hand driving .

The final image I3 is represented in a reference R identical to the reference presented in Figure 5 .

The passing beam is composed of a lower passing beam part B2 and an upper passing beam part H2. The upper part of the low beam is generated by a light module produced according to a second embodiment of the invention while the lower part B2 of the low beam is generated by a second light module known to those skilled in the art.

The image I4 of the upper part of the passing beam comprises a single row 6 of eight illumination units X1 to UNITED STATES.

In particular, two units X5 and

Indeed, according to this condition, there must be no light above the horizon between 1°R and 3°R for a beam in a “VOR beam pattern” configuration. As illustrated on the Figure 6 , the two offset illumination units X5 and right located between 1°R and 3°R and at 0°U if the illumination units were all aligned.

Thanks to the invention, the two units X5 and X6 are offset vertically downwards so that the upper ends 61 of said units X5 and °U. In this way, there is no light above the horizon between 1°R and 3°R.

The light module carrying the optical part participating in generating the I3 image therefore complies with the FMVSS 108 standard.

In addition, such a light module has a good chance of obtaining a good rating in a safety evaluation carried out by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). in English. Indeed, apart from the shifted units X5 and X6, the other non-shifted units X1 to X4, X7 and X8 overlap the horizontal axis H at 0°U. Thus, when these non-offset units are illuminated, the range of the light beam is improved outside areas where there is a risk of glare and where the FMVSS 108 standard recommends not lighting above the horizon.

This increases the distance at which the luminous flux of the beam reaches a value of 5 lux. The greater this distance, the better the visibility of the light module and therefore the higher the rating of said module according to the IIHS safety evaluation criteria.

Thus, the light module according to the invention, and in particular according to this embodiment, offers good visibility while respecting the regulations to avoid the dazzling of a driver coming in front.

To generate the I3 image shown in Figure 6 , we therefore use an optical element as in the previous embodiment. The optical element is adapted to have a single row of light guides composed of eight separate guides. The guides, participating in generating the offset units X5 and X6, each include an output offset vertically upwards in relation to the outputs of the other guides.

In a variant embodiment, an upper row 7 of illumination units Y1 to Y8 shown in dotted lines is located above the row 6 of illumination units X1 to X8. This upper row 7 of illumination units Y1 to Y8 makes it possible to form an adaptive complementary driving beam.

To generate this upper row, we therefore use an optical element as in the previous embodiment. The optical element can be adapted to include the desired number of guides to form the desired number of illumination units in each of the rows. The guides, participating in generating the offset units X5 and X6, each include an output offset vertically upwards relative to the outputs of the other guides

Claims (14)

1. Luminous motor-vehicle module (1) intended to generate a light beam that projects forward an image (I1; I4); the image (I1; I4) comprising at least one horizontal row (4, 5; 6) of pixels (Z1 to Z10, W1 to W10; X1 to X6);

   said luminous module (1) being arranged so that a first pixel (W8, W9, W10; X5, X6) of a first horizontal row (5; 6) of pixels comprises a lower end (52) and/or an upper end (51) that are/is vertically offset with respect to a lower end (54) and/or an upper end (53) of a second pixel (W1 to W7; X1 to X4, X7, X8) of the same row (5; 6), respectively,

   and so that the first horizontal row (5; 6) of pixels (W1 to W10; X1 to X6) forms a top segment of a low beam,

   said luminous module being characterized in that

   the first pixel (W8, W9, W10) is located below a horizontal line located at 0.57°U and straddles a horizontal line located at 0°U, and is located between 8°R and 20°R, and the second pixel (W1 to W7) straddles said horizontal line located at 0.57°U, or in that

   the first pixel (X5, X6) comprises an upper end (61) located at the same level or below a horizontal axis (H) at 0°U and inside a range located from 1°R until 3°R, and the second pixel (X1 to X4, X7, X8) straddles said horizontal axis (H)only outside the range located from 1°R until 3°R.
2. Luminous module (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that said first pixel (W8, W9, W10; X5, X6) comprises an upper end (51) that is offset downward with respect to an upper end (53) of said second pixel (W1 to W7; X1 to X4, X7, X8) .
3. Luminous module (1) according to Claim 2, characterized in that said first pixel (W8, W9, W10; X5, X6) comprises a lower end (52) that is offset downward with respect to a lower end (54) of said second pixel (W1 to W7; X1 to X4, X7, X8).
4. Luminous module (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said first pixel (W8, W9, W10; X5, X6) has a height smaller than the height of said second pixel (W1 to W7; X1 to X4, X7, X8).
5. Luminous module (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the image (I1, I4) comprises at least one second horizontal row (4) of pixels (Z1 to Z10), said row, which is called the upper horizontal row, being placed above said first horizontal row (5, 6) of pixels (W1 to W10; X1 to X6).
6. Luminous module (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the upper horizontal row (4) of pixels (Z1 to Z10) forms a distribution of an adaptive complementary high beam.
7. Luminous module (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the luminous module (1) comprises:

   o a plurality of primary light sources (14);

   o an optical element (20) placed downstream of the primary light sources (14) and comprising a plurality of light guides (210 to 219, 220 to 229); each guide comprising an entrance face (230 to 239, 240 to 249) placed facing an associated primary light source (14) and an exit (330 to 339); the exits (330 to 339) of the light guides (210 to 219, 220 to 229) forming secondary light sources (34);

   o a projecting assembly (30, 31, 32) placed downstream of the light guides so as to project forward the image of the secondary light sources (34).
8. Luminous module (1) according to Claim 7, characterized in that the optical element (20) and the projecting assembly (30, 31, 32) are arranged so that the exit (330 to 339) of each light guide (210 to 219; 220 to 229) is coplanar with a focal plane (P) of the projecting assembly (30).
9. Luminous module (1) according to Claim 7 or according to Claim 8, characterized in that the optical element (20) comprises a first light guide (210, 211, 212) that participates in the generation of the first pixel (W8, W9, W10), and a second light guide (213 to 219) that participates in the generation of the second pixel (W1 to W7), the first guide and second guide each comprising an exit, the first exit and the second exit, respectively, the first exit (330, 331, 332) comprising a lower and/or upper edge that are/is offset vertically with respect to a lower and/or upper edge of the second exit (333 to 339), respectively.
10. Luminous module (1) according to one of Claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the projecting assembly (30) comprises a secondary optic (32) placed in front of the optical element (20) and a primary optic (31) placed between the secondary optic (32) and the secondary light sources (34).
11. Luminous module (1) according to Claim 10, characterized in that the optical element (20) comprises the primary optic (31) and the light guides (210 to 219, 220 to 229), the primary optic (31) and the light guides (210 to 219, 220 to 229) being produced an a single integral piece.
12. Motor-vehicle lighting device, characterized in that it comprises a luminous module (1) according to one of the preceding claims.
13. Lighting device according to Claim 12, characterized in that it comprises a second luminous module arranged so as to generate a main lighting-beam segment, and in that the luminous module according to one of Claims 1 to 11 is arranged so as to generate a segment that is complementary to said main segment in order to form a lighting beam.
14. Lighting device according to Claim 13, characterized in that the second luminous module generates a bottom low-beam portion (B1; B2) and in that the luminous module (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 11 is arranged so that it generates a light beam forming a top low-beam portion (H1; H2) that is turned on to complement the bottom portion (B1; B2) of the low beam.

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