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WO2024194330A1 - Light guide for a vehicle - Google Patents

Light guide for a vehicle Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024194330A1
WO2024194330A1 PCT/EP2024/057384 EP2024057384W WO2024194330A1 WO 2024194330 A1 WO2024194330 A1 WO 2024194330A1 EP 2024057384 W EP2024057384 W EP 2024057384W WO 2024194330 A1 WO2024194330 A1 WO 2024194330A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
light
type
light source
light guide
reflective
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2024/057384
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Qiang Hu
Chen Chen
Yusong LI
Wei Li
Original Assignee
Valeo Vision
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Valeo Vision filed Critical Valeo Vision
Publication of WO2024194330A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024194330A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
    • F21S43/00—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights
    • F21S43/10—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights characterised by the light source
    • F21S43/13—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights characterised by the light source characterised by the type of light source
    • F21S43/15—Strips of light sources
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
    • F21S43/00—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights
    • F21S43/10—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights characterised by the light source
    • F21S43/13—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights characterised by the light source characterised by the type of light source
    • F21S43/14—Light emitting diodes [LED]
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
    • F21S43/00—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights
    • F21S43/20—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights characterised by refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters
    • F21S43/235—Light guides
    • F21S43/236—Light guides characterised by the shape of the light guide
    • F21S43/241—Light guides characterised by the shape of the light guide of complex shape
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
    • F21S43/00—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights
    • F21S43/20—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights characterised by refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters
    • F21S43/235—Light guides
    • F21S43/242—Light guides characterised by the emission area
    • F21S43/245—Light guides characterised by the emission area emitting light from one or more of its major surfaces
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
    • F21S43/00—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights
    • F21S43/20—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights characterised by refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters
    • F21S43/235—Light guides
    • F21S43/249—Light guides with two or more light sources being coupled into the light guide
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
    • F21S43/00—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights
    • F21S43/20—Signalling devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. brake lamps, direction indicator lights or reversing lights characterised by refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters
    • F21S43/2605—Refractors
    • F21S43/2621—Refractors characterised by the properties of the light beam shaping surface
    • F21S43/26231—Refractors characterised by the properties of the light beam shaping surface collimating, focusing, condensing or projecting beams, e.g. projection lenses or Fresnel lenses

Definitions

  • Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the field of lighting and/or signalling, and in particular to a light guide assembly, a lamp apparatus and a motor vehicle.
  • lighting and/or signalling apparatuses are used to provide light for illumination and/or optical indications, and are widely used in various fields.
  • lighting apparatuses or signalling apparatuses such as vehicle lights
  • vehicle lights are used in motor vehicles to ensure safe driving.
  • various types of vehicle lamps are often required to implement different functions, such as a high beam light, low beam light, fog light, turn signal light, daytime running light, tail light, brake light, etc.
  • transparent light guides are typically used to guide light from light sources to obtain a light distribution that meets regulatory requirements, or to form specific lighting shapes.
  • the light guide comprises a corner due to a design reason
  • how to design a light path for illuminating the corner and preferably uniformly illuminate the entire light guide poses a major challenge.
  • One purpose of the present invention is to solve or overcome at least one of the above and other problems and shortcomings in the prior art.
  • a light guide assembly which comprises a first-type light source and a light guide element, the light guide element being provided with a corner and comprising a first-type light entering portion and a first-type reflective portion at the corner, and the light guide element further comprising a light exiting portion, wherein:
  • the first-type light entering portion is configured to receive light from the first-type light source and guide the light towards the first-type reflective portion;
  • the first-type reflective portion is configured to reflect light from the first-type light entering portion towards the light exiting portion ;
  • the light exiting portion is configured to emit light from the first-type reflective portion substantially along a primary exit direction, so that the corner is illuminated.
  • the light guide assembly further comprises a second-type light source, wherein the second-type light source is further away from the corner compared with the first-type light source in a first direction transverse to the primary exit direction; the corner is an acute angle such that the optical path of light from the first-type light source is greater than that of light from the second-type light source.
  • the first-type light entering portion comprises a collimator configured to align light from the first-type light source to the first-type reflective portion.
  • the collimator comprises a curved surface protruding towards the first-type light source, wherein the focus of the curved surface at or near the first-type light source.
  • the first-type reflective portion comprises a planar reflective surface.
  • the light guide element further comprises a second-type light entering portion and a second-type reflective portion, wherein the second-type light entering portion is configured to receive light from the second-type light source and reflect the light towards the second-type reflective portion;
  • the second-type reflective portion is configured to reflect light from the second-type light entering portion towards the light exiting portion ;
  • the light exiting portion is further configured to emit light from the second-type reflective portion.
  • the second-type light entering portion comprises a planar light incidence surface
  • the second-type reflective portion comprises a reflective curved surface
  • the focus of the reflective curved surface is near the second-type light source.
  • an embodiment further provides a lamp apparatus comprising the light guide assembly described in any of the embodiments of the present invention.
  • an embodiment further provides a motor vehicle comprising the lamp apparatus described above.
  • FIG. 1 schematically shows a front view of a light guide assembly 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 1 schematically shows a rear view of the light guide assembly 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 1 is a brief schematic diagram of a corner A of the light guide assembly 1;
  • FIG. 1 is a brief schematic diagram of the optical path of light from a first-type light source inside the light guide assembly 1;
  • FIG. 1 is a brief schematic diagram of the light path of light from a second-type light source in the light guide assembly 1.
  • the light guide assembly 1 comprises a light source 10 and a light guide element 20, the light guide element 20 comprising an L-shaped section, which comprises a corner A, the light guide element 20 having a primary exit direction X, which may be parallel to an optical axis direction of the light guide element 20.
  • the primary exit direction X may be, for example, the length direction or width direction of the motor vehicle.
  • the light source 10 comprises a plurality of light sources, which are arranged along the alignment of the light guide element 20, and therefore exhibit a substantially L-shaped distribution.
  • the light source 10 comprises a first light source 11 and a second light source 12, a third light source 13 and a fourth light source 14, wherein the first light source 11 and the second light source 12 are arranged in a first direction Y transverse to the primary exit direction X, and the first light source 11 is closer to the corner A compared with the second light source 12 in the first direction Y, so that the illumination of the corner A depends more on the light from the first light source 11; the third light source 13 and the fourth light source 14 are arranged in a second direction Z transverse to the primary exit direction X, and the third light source 13 is closer to the corner A compared with the fourth light source 14 in the second direction Z, so that the illumination of the corner A depends more on the light from the third light source 13.
  • the light guide element 20 further comprises a first light entering portion 211 and a first reflective portion 221 at the corner A and in the first direction Y, and the light guide element 20 further comprises a light exiting portion 230.
  • the first light entering portion 211 is configured to receive light from the first light source 11 and guide the light towards the first reflective portion 221
  • the first reflective portion 221 is configured to reflect light from the first light entering portion 211 towards the light exiting portion 230
  • the light exiting portion 230 is configured to emit light from the first reflective portion 221 substantially along the primary exit direction X, so that the corner A is illuminated.
  • the light guide element 20 further comprises a third light entering portion 213 and a third reflective portion 223 at the corner A and in the second direction Z, wherein the third light entering portion 213 is configured to receive light from the third light source 13 and guide the light towards the third reflective portion 223, the third reflective portion 223 is configured to reflect light from the third light entering portion 213 towards the light exiting portion 230, and the light exiting portion 230 is configured to emit light from the third reflective portion 223 substantially along the primary exit direction X, so that the corner A is illuminated.
  • the light guide element further comprises a second light entering portion 212 and a first reflective portion 222 in the first direction Y, wherein the second light entering portion 212 is configured to receive light from the second light source 12 and guide the light towards the second reflective portion 222, the second reflective portion 222 is configured to reflect light from the second light entering portion 212 towards the light exiting portion 230, and the light exiting portion 230 is configured to emit light from the second reflective portion 222 substantially along the primary exit direction X, so that an area B beside the corner A is illuminated.
  • the light guide element further comprises a fourth light entering portion 214 and a fourth reflective portion 224 in the second direction Z, and, wherein the fourth light entering portion 214 is configured to receive light from the fourth light source 14 and guide the light towards the fourth reflective portion 224, the fourth reflective portion 224 is configured to reflect light from the fourth light entering portion 214 towards the light exiting portion 230, and the light exiting portion 230 is configured to emit light from the second reflective portion 222 substantially along the primary exit direction X, so that an area C beside the corner A is illuminated.
  • the second light entering portion 212 may comprise a planar light incidence surface
  • the second reflective portion 224 may comprise a reflective curved surface, including, but not limited to, a parabolic surface or a quasi-parabolic surface, wherein the focus of the reflective curved surface is near the second light source 12.
  • the light from the second light source 12 reaches the reflective curved surface through the refraction effect of the planar light incidence surface, and the virtual focus of the refracted light may be aligned with the second light source 12, so that the reflective curved surface can reflect the light precisely onto the light exiting portion 230.
  • light from the first light source 11, the third light source 13, and the fourth light source 14 can all follow this optical path, which means that the light entering portions corresponding to each light source may comprise a planar light incidence surface, and the reflective portion may comprise a reflective curved surface, with its focus near the corresponding light source.
  • the light guide element as a whole, including the corner may be illuminated.
  • the distance d1 from the first light source 11 to the light guide element 20 (without considering a light entering portion) will be greater than the distance d2 from the second light source 12 to the light guide element 20 (without considering a light entering portion), which means that the optical path of light from the first light source 12 will be greater than the optical path of light from the first light source 11; similarly, due to the presence of the corner A, the distance d3 from the third light source 13 to the light guide element 20 (without considering a light entering portion) will also be greater than the distance d4 from the fourth light source 14 to the light guide element 20 (without considering a light entering portion), which means that the optical path of light from the third light source 13 will be greater than the optical path of light from the fourth light source 14.
  • the brightness of the corner A will be lower than the brightness of the areas B and C of the light guide element 20, which brings about a non-uniform illumination effect.
  • the first light entering portion 211, the first reflective portion 221, the third light entering portion 213, and the third reflective portion 223 are further improved.
  • the first light entering portion 211 and the third light entering portion 213 may comprise a collimator configured to align light from the first light source 11 to the first reflective portion 221, thereby reducing the loss of light from the first light source 11 and improving optical efficiency.
  • the first reflective portion 221 and the third reflective portion 223 may comprise a planar reflective curved surface, thereby allowing the aligned light from the first light entering portion 211 and the third light entering portion 213 to be further reflected aligned onto the light exiting portion 230, so that the optical efficiency and uniformity of the illumination effect are improved.
  • the first light entering portion 211 and the third light entering portion 213 may comprise curved surfaces protruding towards the first light source 11 and the third light source 13, respectively, wherein the focus of the curved surfaces are aligned with, or slightly deviated from, the first light source 11 and the third light source 13, thereby achieving substantial collimation of incident light.
  • the design in the above embodiment namely a planar light incidence surface and a reflective curved surface, may still be adapted.
  • the special designs of the first light entering portion, the third light entering portion, the first reflective portion, and the third reflective portion allow the first and second light sources to be located on the same printed circuit board, without the need to install the first light source on a separate circuit board and position closer to the light guide element in order to shorten the optical path of light from the first light source.
  • the third and fourth light sources may also be located on the same circuit board, which allows a reduction of costs while achieving a uniform illumination effect.
  • the first light source 11 and the third light source 13, which are closer to the corner A, are collectively referred to as the first-type light source, while the second light source 12 and the fourth light source 14, which are farther from the corner A, are collectively referred to as the second-type light source.
  • the first light entering portion 211 and the third light entering portion 213 are collectively referred to as the first-type light entering portion
  • the second light entering portion 212 and the fourth light entering portion 214 are collectively referred to as the second-type light entering portion
  • the first reflective portion 221 and the third reflective portion 223 are collectively referred to as the first-type reflective portion
  • the second reflective portion 222 and the fourth reflective portion 224 are collectively referred to as the second-type reflective portion.
  • Embodiments of the present invention further provide a lamp apparatus comprising the light guide assembly as described in any one of the embodiments above, and a motor vehicle comprising the lamp apparatus.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Non-Portable Lighting Devices Or Systems Thereof (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention provides a light guide assembly (1), comprising a first-type light source (11) and a light guide element (20), the light guide element being provided with a corner (A) and comprising a first-type light entering portion (211) and a first-type reflective portion (221) at the corner (A), and the light guide element (20) further comprising a light exiting portion (230), wherein the first-type light entering portion (211) is configured to receive light from the first-type light source (11) and guide it towards the first-type reflective portion (221); the first-type reflective portion (221) is configured to reflect light from the first-type light entering portion (211) towards the light exiting portion (230); the light exiting portion is configured to emit light from the first-type reflective portion (221) substantially along a primary exit direction, (X) so that the corner (A) is illuminated. The present invention further relates to a lamp apparatus and a motor vehicle.

Description

LIGHT GUIDE FOR A VEHICLE
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the field of lighting and/or signalling, and in particular to a light guide assembly, a lamp apparatus and a motor vehicle.
A variety of lighting and/or signalling apparatuses are used to provide light for illumination and/or optical indications, and are widely used in various fields. For example, lighting apparatuses or signalling apparatuses, such as vehicle lights, are used in motor vehicles to ensure safe driving. In motor vehicles, various types of vehicle lamps are often required to implement different functions, such as a high beam light, low beam light, fog light, turn signal light, daytime running light, tail light, brake light, etc. In different types of vehicle lights, transparent light guides are typically used to guide light from light sources to obtain a light distribution that meets regulatory requirements, or to form specific lighting shapes.
However, in a scenario where the light guide comprises a corner due to a design reason, how to design a light path for illuminating the corner and preferably uniformly illuminate the entire light guide poses a major challenge.
 Summary of the Invention
One purpose of the present invention is to solve or overcome at least one of the above and other problems and shortcomings in the prior art.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a light guide assembly is provided, which comprises a first-type light source and a light guide element, the light guide element being provided with a corner and comprising a first-type light entering portion and a first-type reflective portion at the corner, and the light guide element further comprising a light exiting portion, wherein:
the first-type light entering portion is configured to receive light from the first-type light source and guide the light towards the first-type reflective portion;
the first-type reflective portion is configured to reflect light from the first-type light entering portion towards the light exiting portion ;
the light exiting portion is configured to emit light from the first-type reflective portion substantially along a primary exit direction, so that the corner is illuminated.
In some embodiments, the light guide assembly further comprises a second-type light source, wherein the second-type light source is further away from the corner compared with the first-type light source in a first direction transverse to the primary exit direction; the corner is an acute angle such that the optical path of light from the first-type light source is greater than that of light from the second-type light source.
In some embodiments, the first-type light entering portion comprises a collimator configured to align light from the first-type light source to the first-type reflective portion.
In some embodiments, the collimator comprises a curved surface protruding towards the first-type light source, wherein the focus of the curved surface at or near the first-type light source.
In some embodiments, the first-type reflective portion comprises a planar reflective surface.
In some embodiments, the light guide element further comprises a second-type light entering portion and a second-type reflective portion, wherein the second-type light entering portion is configured to receive light from the second-type light source and reflect the light towards the second-type reflective portion;
The second-type reflective portion is configured to reflect light from the second-type light entering portion towards the light exiting portion ;
The light exiting portion is further configured to emit light from the second-type reflective portion.
In some embodiments, the second-type light entering portion comprises a planar light incidence surface, the second-type reflective portion comprises a reflective curved surface, and the focus of the reflective curved surface is near the second-type light source.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an embodiment further provides a lamp apparatus comprising the light guide assembly described in any of the embodiments of the present invention.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an embodiment further provides a motor vehicle comprising the lamp apparatus described above.
Other purposes and advantages of the present invention will become obvious through the below description of the present invention by referring to the drawings, which also helps to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and/or other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become obvious and easy to understand through the following description of illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
schematically shows a front view of a light guide assembly 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
schematically shows a rear view of the light guide assembly 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
is a brief schematic diagram of a corner A of the light guide assembly 1;
is a brief schematic diagram of the optical path of light from a first-type light source inside the light guide assembly 1;
is a brief schematic diagram of the light path of light from a second-type light source in the light guide assembly 1.
Specific Embodiments
Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings. In this description, the same or similar components are indicated by the same or similar reference numerals. The following description of the embodiments of the present invention by referring to the drawings is intended to explain the general concept of the present invention, and should not be seen as a limitation of the present invention.
Furthermore, in the detailed description below, to facilitate explanation, many specific details are expounded in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of embodiments of the present invention. However, it is obvious that one or more embodiments may also be implemented without these specific details. In other scenarios, well-known structures and devices are shown in the form of illustrations to simplify the drawings.
shows a schematic front view of a light guide assembly 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shows a schematic rear view of the light guide assembly 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and schematically shows the light guide assembly to illustrate more clearly the distance between each light source and the corner. As shown in the drawings, the light guide assembly 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a light source 10 and a light guide element 20, the light guide element 20 comprising an L-shaped section, which comprises a corner A, the light guide element 20 having a primary exit direction X, which may be parallel to an optical axis direction of the light guide element 20. In a scenario where the light guide assembly 1 is used for a motor vehicle, the primary exit direction X may be, for example, the length direction or width direction of the motor vehicle. The light source 10 comprises a plurality of light sources, which are arranged along the alignment of the light guide element 20, and therefore exhibit a substantially L-shaped distribution. The light source 10 comprises a first light source 11 and a second light source 12, a third light source 13 and a fourth light source 14, wherein the first light source 11 and the second light source 12 are arranged in a first direction Y transverse to the primary exit direction X, and the first light source 11 is closer to the corner A compared with the second light source 12 in the first direction Y, so that the illumination of the corner A depends more on the light from the first light source 11; the third light source 13 and the fourth light source 14 are arranged in a second direction Z transverse to the primary exit direction X, and the third light source 13 is closer to the corner A compared with the fourth light source 14 in the second direction Z, so that the illumination of the corner A depends more on the light from the third light source 13.
Further, to illuminate the corner A, the light guide element 20 further comprises a first light entering portion 211 and a first reflective portion 221 at the corner A and in the first direction Y, and the light guide element 20 further comprises a light exiting portion 230. Wherein the first light entering portion 211 is configured to receive light from the first light source 11 and guide the light towards the first reflective portion 221, the first reflective portion 221 is configured to reflect light from the first light entering portion 211 towards the light exiting portion 230, and the light exiting portion 230 is configured to emit light from the first reflective portion 221 substantially along the primary exit direction X, so that the corner A is illuminated.
The light guide element 20 further comprises a third light entering portion 213 and a third reflective portion 223 at the corner A and in the second direction Z, wherein the third light entering portion 213 is configured to receive light from the third light source 13 and guide the light towards the third reflective portion 223, the third reflective portion 223 is configured to reflect light from the third light entering portion 213 towards the light exiting portion 230, and the light exiting portion 230 is configured to emit light from the third reflective portion 223 substantially along the primary exit direction X, so that the corner A is illuminated.
Further, to illuminate another area of the light guide element 20, the light guide element further comprises a second light entering portion 212 and a first reflective portion 222 in the first direction Y, wherein the second light entering portion 212 is configured to receive light from the second light source 12 and guide the light towards the second reflective portion 222, the second reflective portion 222 is configured to reflect light from the second light entering portion 212 towards the light exiting portion 230, and the light exiting portion 230 is configured to emit light from the second reflective portion 222 substantially along the primary exit direction X, so that an area B beside the corner A is illuminated.
The light guide element further comprises a fourth light entering portion 214 and a fourth reflective portion 224 in the second direction Z, and, wherein the fourth light entering portion 214 is configured to receive light from the fourth light source 14 and guide the light towards the fourth reflective portion 224, the fourth reflective portion 224 is configured to reflect light from the fourth light entering portion 214 towards the light exiting portion 230, and the light exiting portion 230 is configured to emit light from the second reflective portion 222 substantially along the primary exit direction X, so that an area C beside the corner A is illuminated.
shows a schematic diagram of the optical path of light from the second light source 12 inside the light guide element 20, wherein, as shown in the drawing, the second light entering portion 212 may comprise a planar light incidence surface, and the second reflective portion 224 may comprise a reflective curved surface, including, but not limited to, a parabolic surface or a quasi-parabolic surface, wherein the focus of the reflective curved surface is near the second light source 12. The light from the second light source 12 reaches the reflective curved surface through the refraction effect of the planar light incidence surface, and the virtual focus of the refracted light may be aligned with the second light source 12, so that the reflective curved surface can reflect the light precisely onto the light exiting portion 230. It should be noted that light from the first light source 11, the third light source 13, and the fourth light source 14 can all follow this optical path, which means that the light entering portions corresponding to each light source may comprise a planar light incidence surface, and the reflective portion may comprise a reflective curved surface, with its focus near the corresponding light source.
In the above embodiments of the present invention, by means of a specific optical path design, the light guide element as a whole, including the corner, may be illuminated.
On the basis of the above embodiments, further improvements of the present invention will be further explained below.
As shown in , in a scenario where the corner A is an acute angle, due to the presence of the corner A, the distance d1 from the first light source 11 to the light guide element 20 (without considering a light entering portion) will be greater than the distance d2 from the second light source 12 to the light guide element 20 (without considering a light entering portion), which means that the optical path of light from the first light source 12 will be greater than the optical path of light from the first light source 11; similarly, due to the presence of the corner A, the distance d3 from the third light source 13 to the light guide element 20 (without considering a light entering portion) will also be greater than the distance d4 from the fourth light source 14 to the light guide element 20 (without considering a light entering portion), which means that the optical path of light from the third light source 13 will be greater than the optical path of light from the fourth light source 14. As a result, the brightness of the corner A will be lower than the brightness of the areas B and C of the light guide element 20, which brings about a non-uniform illumination effect.
To solve the problem of a non-uniform illumination effect described above, in an embodiment of the present invention, the first light entering portion 211, the first reflective portion 221, the third light entering portion 213, and the third reflective portion 223 are further improved. As shown in , the first light entering portion 211 and the third light entering portion 213 may comprise a collimator configured to align light from the first light source 11 to the first reflective portion 221, thereby reducing the loss of light from the first light source 11 and improving optical efficiency. The first reflective portion 221 and the third reflective portion 223 may comprise a planar reflective curved surface, thereby allowing the aligned light from the first light entering portion 211 and the third light entering portion 213 to be further reflected aligned onto the light exiting portion 230, so that the optical efficiency and uniformity of the illumination effect are improved. As a non-restrictive example, the first light entering portion 211 and the third light entering portion 213 may comprise curved surfaces protruding towards the first light source 11 and the third light source 13, respectively, wherein the focus of the curved surfaces are aligned with, or slightly deviated from, the first light source 11 and the third light source 13, thereby achieving substantial collimation of incident light. For the second light entering portion 212, the fourth light entering portion 214, the second reflective portion 222, and the fourth reflective portion 224, the design in the above embodiment, namely a planar light incidence surface and a reflective curved surface, may still be adapted.
In the above embodiments, the special designs of the first light entering portion, the third light entering portion, the first reflective portion, and the third reflective portion allow the first and second light sources to be located on the same printed circuit board, without the need to install the first light source on a separate circuit board and position closer to the light guide element in order to shorten the optical path of light from the first light source. Similarly, the third and fourth light sources may also be located on the same circuit board, which allows a reduction of costs while achieving a uniform illumination effect.
In embodiments of the present invention, the first light source 11 and the third light source 13, which are closer to the corner A, are collectively referred to as the first-type light source, while the second light source 12 and the fourth light source 14, which are farther from the corner A, are collectively referred to as the second-type light source. Correspondingly, the first light entering portion 211 and the third light entering portion 213 are collectively referred to as the first-type light entering portion, the second light entering portion 212 and the fourth light entering portion 214 are collectively referred to as the second-type light entering portion, the first reflective portion 221 and the third reflective portion 223 are collectively referred to as the first-type reflective portion, and the second reflective portion 222 and the fourth reflective portion 224 are collectively referred to as the second-type reflective portion.
Embodiments of the present invention further provide a lamp apparatus comprising the light guide assembly as described in any one of the embodiments above, and a motor vehicle comprising the lamp apparatus.
Although the present invention has been explained by referring to the drawings, the embodiments disclosed in the drawings are intended to provide an exemplary explanation of preferred embodiments of the present invention, and may not be interpreted as a limitation to the present invention. The dimensional proportions in the drawings are merely schematic, and may not be interpreted as a limitation to the present invention.
Although some embodiments showing the general concept of the present invention have been illustrated and described, those ordinarily skilled in the art will understand that changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principle and spirit of the general concept disclosed herein. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims (9)

  1. A light guide assembly comprising a first-type light source and a light guide element, the light guide element being provided with a corner and comprising a first-type light entering portion and a first-type reflective portion positioned at the corner, the light guide element further comprising a light exiting portion , wherein: the first-type light entering portion is configured to receive light from the first-type light source, and guide the light towards the first-type reflective portion; the first-type reflective portion is configured to reflect light from the first-type light entering portion towards the light exiting portion ; and the light exiting portion is configured to emit light from the first-type reflective portion substantially along a primary exit direction, so that the corner is illuminated.
  2. The light guide assembly according to Claim 1 further comprising a second-type light source, wherein the second-type light source is positioned further away from the corner compared with the first-type light source in a first direction transverse to the primary exit direction; and the corner is an acute angle such that an optical path of light from the first-type light source is greater than an optical path of light from the second-type light source.
  3. The light guide assembly according to Claim 2, wherein the first-type light entering portion comprises a collimator configured to align light from the first-type light source to the first-type reflective portion.
  4. The light guide assembly according to Claim 3, wherein the collimator comprises a curved surface protruding towards the first-type light source, and the focus of the curved surface is positioned at or near the first-type light source.
  5. The light guide assembly according to Claim 3, wherein the first-type reflective portion comprises a planar reflective surface.
  6. The light guide assembly according to any one of Claims 2 to 4, wherein the light guide element further comprises a second-type light entering portion and a second-type reflective portion, wherein: the second-type light entering portion is configured to receive light from the second-type light source and reflect the light towards the second-type reflective portion; the second-type reflective portion is configured to reflect light from the second-type light entering portion towards the light exiting portion; and the light exiting portion is further configured to emit light from the second-type reflective portion.
  7. The light guide assembly according to Claim 6, characterised in that the second-type light entering portion comprises a planar light incidence surface, the second-type reflective portion comprises a reflective curved surface, and the focus of the reflective curved surface is near the second-type light source.
  8. A lamp apparatus, characterised in that the lamp apparatus comprises a light guide assembly according to any one of Claims 1-7.
  9. A motor vehicle, characterized in that the motor vehicle comprises the lamp apparatus according to Claim 8.
PCT/EP2024/057384 2023-03-20 2024-03-20 Light guide for a vehicle WO2024194330A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202320551089.5U CN219346279U (en) 2023-03-20 2023-03-20 Light guide assembly, lamp device and motor vehicle
CN202320551089.5 2023-03-20

Publications (1)

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WO2024194330A1 true WO2024194330A1 (en) 2024-09-26

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WO (1) WO2024194330A1 (en)

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR3042258A1 (en) * 2015-10-09 2017-04-14 Valeo Iluminacion Sa TRANSPARENT LIGHT ELEMENT WITH MULTIPLE LIGHT SOURCES AND A COMMON EXIT SIDE
US20190023176A1 (en) * 2017-07-24 2019-01-24 Stanley Electric Co., Ltd. Vehicle lamp
EP3486558A1 (en) * 2017-11-20 2019-05-22 Foshan Ichikoh Valeo Auto Lighting Systems Co., Ltd. Light emitting assembly, lighting apparatus and vehicle
US20190187359A1 (en) * 2017-12-14 2019-06-20 Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Light guide device
FR3120111A1 (en) * 2021-02-19 2022-08-26 Psa Automobiles Sa Light guide for motor vehicle optical unit, associated optical unit and motor vehicle

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR3042258A1 (en) * 2015-10-09 2017-04-14 Valeo Iluminacion Sa TRANSPARENT LIGHT ELEMENT WITH MULTIPLE LIGHT SOURCES AND A COMMON EXIT SIDE
US20190023176A1 (en) * 2017-07-24 2019-01-24 Stanley Electric Co., Ltd. Vehicle lamp
EP3486558A1 (en) * 2017-11-20 2019-05-22 Foshan Ichikoh Valeo Auto Lighting Systems Co., Ltd. Light emitting assembly, lighting apparatus and vehicle
US20190187359A1 (en) * 2017-12-14 2019-06-20 Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Light guide device
FR3120111A1 (en) * 2021-02-19 2022-08-26 Psa Automobiles Sa Light guide for motor vehicle optical unit, associated optical unit and motor vehicle

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