Lighting device and rearview device for vehicles

Abstract

A lighting device for a visual display in a rearview device of a vehicle includes at least one light element, at least one reflecting element which is included on or in a support element of the lighting device and is adapted to reflect incident light from the light element, at least one absorption element which is included on or in the support element of the lighting device and is adapted to absorb incident light from the light element, and at least one light guide element which is included on or in the support element of the lighting device and is adapted to collect and guide incident light from the light element, where the support element, the reflecting element, the absorption element or the light guide element are at least partially curved away from the light element.

Claims

1. A lighting device for a visual display in a rearview device of a vehicle, comprising: at least one light element; and at least one of at least one reflecting element which is included on or in a support element of the lighting device and is adapted to reflect incident light from the light element, and at least one absorption element which is included on or in the support element of the lighting device and is adapted to absorb incident light from the light element; or at least one light guide element which is included on or in the support element of the lighting device and is adapted to collect and guide incident light from the light element, wherein the support element, the reflecting element, the absorption element or the light guide element are at least partially curved away from the light element.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the reflecting element which faces the incident light of the light element has a concave curvature, or the inner surface of the absorption element which faces the incident light of the light element has a concave curvature, or the inner surface of the light guide element which faces the incident light of the light element has a concave curvature, and wherein the concave curvature of the reflecting element, of the absorption element or of the light guide element is preferably at least segmentally spherical or aspherical.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the reflecting element, of the absorption element, or of the light guide element which faces the incident light of the light element is at least partially structured and/or grained, or the inner surface of the reflecting element, of the absorption element, or of the light guide element which faces the incident light of the light element is at least partially a light-scattering surface.

4. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting element reflects at least 35%, preferably at least 50% and most preferably at least 70% of the radiation power of the light of the light element incident thereon, in particular in a directed and/or diffuse manner, or the absorption element absorbs at least 65%, preferably at least 75% and most preferably at least 95%, of the radiation power of the light of the light element incident thereon.

5. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the support element is at least partially curved, and the at least one reflecting element or the at least one absorption element is arranged on or in the inner surface of the support element in the region of the curvature, or the at least one reflecting element or the at least one absorption element has a curvature which preferably corresponds substantially to the curvature of the support element.

6. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the support element and the at least one light guide element are molded individually or together with at least one curvature, and the at least one reflecting element and/or the at least one absorption element is arranged on or in the curvature of the light guide element.

7. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the support element is molded together with the reflecting element or the absorption element.

8. The lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising an exchangeable cover element or diaphragm element which is light-permeable in at least one region or has an opening in at least one region, wherein the light-permeable region or the opening determines a modifiable illumination contour of the lighting device.

9. The lighting device according to claim 8, wherein the cover element or diaphragm element is adapted to cover, preferably opaquely cover, the region curved by the support element, or the cover element or diaphragm element has a reflecting surface on the side facing away from the support element.

10. The lighting device according to claim 8, wherein the cover element or diaphragm element is connected or connectable to the support element, or a housing is provided by the cover element or diaphragm element and the support element, which is preferably tight or sealed.

11. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reflecting element comprises a reflective, in particular highly reflective, material, or is coated with a reflective, in particular highly reflective, material, or the at least one reflecting element has a light-scattering surface structure on at least a part of its surface which faces at least one light element, or the at least one reflecting element is comprised by the support element, or is connected, in particular detachably, to the support element, or the support element acts as the at least one reflecting element, or the at least one reflecting element comprises a transition from a dielectric material to air.

12. The lighting device according to claim 11, wherein the reflective material comprises chromium and/or aluminum, or the dielectric material comprises a plastic, in particular PMMA.

13. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one absorption element is comprised by the support element, or is connected, in particular detachably, to the support element, or the support element acts as the at least one absorption element, or the at least one absorption element is reflective at least in parts.

14. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element are provided in or by an element.

15. The lighting device according to claim 14, wherein the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element are arranged on opposite sides of a substrate, or the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element are arranged on different sides of the light guide element.

16. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein the substrate is deformable, in particular bendable or foldable, and the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element, when provided on opposite sides of the substrate, both face or can face at least one light element.

17. The lighting device according to claim 8, wherein the support element, the reflecting element, the absorption element or the light guide element are curved away such that the light beam coming from the light element impinges on a surface of the support element, the reflecting element, the absorption element or the light guide element at an obtuse angle ranging from 91 degrees to 179 degrees so that the light beam passes through the light-permeable region or the opening.

18. The lighting device according to claim 17, wherein the dimension of the obtuse angle is dependent on a dimension or an arrangement of the light-permeable region or the opening.

19. A rear-view device of a vehicle having a lighting device according to claim 1.

20. The rearview device according to claim 19, further comprising at least one rearview element, wherein the at least one rearview element has a mirror element or a camera or an electronic display.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] Further features, details and advantages of the invention are found in the following description, in which embodiments of the lighting device according to the invention are explained with reference to schematic drawings, wherein:

[0059] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic sectional view of a lighting device known from the prior art;

[0060] FIGS. 2a and 2b each show a schematic sectional view of a first and second lighting device with a reflecting element and an absorption element, the reflecting element being attached directly to a support element, and alternatively to a substrate;

[0061] FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional view of a third lighting device according to the invention, with two absorption elements and a reflecting element;

[0062] FIG. 4 shows a schematic sectional view of a fourth lighting device according to the invention, wherein the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element are arranged on opposite sides of a substrate;

[0063] FIGS. 5a and 5b show schematic sectional views of a substrate, wherein the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element are arranged on opposite sides of a substrate; and

[0064] FIGS. 6a and 6b each show a schematic sectional view of a fifth lighting device according to the invention, with a reflecting element which is provided by a light guide element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0065] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a lighting device 100 known from the prior art. The lighting device 100 known from the prior art comprises a curved support element 102, wherein a reflecting element 106 is attached to the complete inner surface thereof. The curved support element 102 is closed off by an opaque cover element 104 which has an opening 105. A light element 103 which emits light onto the curved support element 102 is positioned in the space formed by the curved support surface 102 and the cover element 104. The light is reflected by the reflecting element 106 onto the support element 102, and exits through an opening 105 in the cover element 104.

[0066] FIGS. 2a and 2b each show a schematic view of a first and second lighting device 1 according to the invention, having a reflecting element 6 and an absorption element 7, the reflecting element 6 being attached directly to a curved support element 2 according to FIG. 2a, and alternatively to a substrate 8 according to FIG. 2b.

[0067] In contrast to the known lighting device 100, in the lighting device 1 of FIG. 2a, the reflecting element 6 is limited to a specific region of the curved support element 2, on the one hand, and on the other hand the absorption element 7 is attached to the rest of the inner surface of the curved support element 2. In addition, the reflection and/or absorption element can have at least one grained surface.

[0068] Since light from a light element 3 is absorbed by the absorption element 7, and is reflected only in the region of the reflecting element 6, it is ensured that only the light from the light element 3 which is reflected in the specific region of the reflecting element 6 emerges through an opening 5 in a cover plate 4. This is shown by the light beams 9 in FIG. 2a.

[0069] The lighting device 1 shown in FIG. 2b differs from the lighting device 1 shown in FIG. 2a not only in that the reflecting element 6 is attached to the substrate 8, which in turn is attached to the curved support element 2, but also in that the absorption element 7 is attached to the complete inner surface of the curved support element 2. Alternatively, the support element 2 can also function as the absorption element.

[0070] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a third lighting device 1 according to the invention, having two absorption elements 7, 7′ and a reflecting element 6. FIG. 3 again shows that a reflecting element 6 is attached to a specific region of the curved support element 2 in such a manner that only the light beams 9 from the light element 3 which are reflected in the specific region emerge through the opening 5 in the cover element 4. In this case, the specific region is limited by the two absorption elements 7, 7′, which are each attached to a substrate 8, 8′ in the curved support element 2, such that the region which reflects light from the light element 3 can be determined by the position of the absorption elements 7, 7′. As such, the entire inner surface of the support element can be designed in such a manner that the support element 3 and the reflecting element can be provided as one integral component.

[0071] FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a fourth lighting device 1 according to the invention, in which the at least one reflecting element 6 and the at least one absorption element 7 are arranged on opposite sides of a substrate 8. Before the substrate 8 is introduced into the curved support element 2, the expansion of the reflecting element 6 and of the absorption element 7 can be determined by bending or folding a part of the substrate 8.

[0072] FIGS. 5a and 5b each show schematic views of the substrate 8, specifically before a bending, in FIG. 5a, and after a bending, in FIG. 5b. The at least one reflecting element 6 and the at least one absorption element 7 are arranged in this case on opposite sides of the substrate 8. At least one of the elements has a grained surface at least in parts thereof.

[0073] A person skilled in the art knows that the substrate 8 can also have a different geometry instead of a curvature. For example, the substrate 8 can also be planar. It is also known to a person skilled in the art that even more sides than only one side of the substrate 8 can be folded over. Depending on the intended application, a person skilled in the art would also arrange the substrate 8 with the absorption element 7 in the direction of the light element 3 in the support element 2, as an alternative to the examples shown in FIGS. 4, 5a and 5b.

[0074] Possible alternatives to FIGS. 2a, 2b, 3 and 4 can be produced by exchanging the absorption and reflecting elements. In the case of such an exchange, the areas hitherto displayed as luminous appear as dark, and vice-versa. Extraneous light would thus be undesirable only in a certain range, and would be suppressed only in this area. In addition, upstream and/or downstream optical elements can be used to direct the light to the target surface in accordance with the requirements of the reflecting elements and/or absorption elements.

[0075] FIGS. 6a and 6b show a fifth lighting device 10 according to the invention, which comprises a light element 13, a diaphragm element 14 with an opening 15 and a reflecting element 16 as components of a light guide element 17. In contrast to the embodiments according to the invention described in connection with FIGS. 2a to 5b, no absorption element is included as a result. Rather, the light guide element is included, which fulfills a series of functions. Thus, the light guide element 17 performs the function of a support element, which carries the reflecting element 16 in its region which is curved away from the light element 13. Because the light guide element 17 is constructed from a dielectric material, a (total) reflection occurs at the interface between the dielectric material and the ambient air in the region, curved away, in which it comprises the reflecting element 16. The curvature in this region ensures that the light beams 19 coupled into the light guide element 17 pass through the opening 15.

[0076] At least one surface of the light guide element 17 has a grained surface for scattering the incident light. The grained surface can, for example, be located on the curved surface of the light guide element 17 which face away from the light element 13, which also carries the reflecting element 16, in order to produce a more uniform appearance. This could also be realized with a grained light exit surface, but the scattering thereon could potentially lead to undesired extraneous light. For example, surfaces of the light guide element 17 which couple light into the light guide element and/or guide it to the curved region can also be grained. As a result, the light is scattered by the reflecting element 16 even before strikes the curved region, which can lead to a more uniform appearance.

[0077] In addition, the light beams 19 are coupled into the light guide element 17, since a curvature is also provided on the side facing the light element 13. Both curvatures are matched to each other in such a way that the emerging light illuminates the desired region, but extraneous light is avoided.

[0078] In at least one aspect, with respect to the range of angles of the carrier means 2, the reflecting means 6, 16, the absorption means 7 and/or the light guiding means 17 relative to the optical axis of the light beam coming from the lighting means 3, 13 and impinging on the reflecting means 6, 16, the absorption means 7 and/or one of the faces of the light guide means 17, the range can be from 91° to 179° at most. That is, still referring to FIGS. 6a, 6b, and 6c, the obtuse angles A1, A2, and A3 between the surface of the reflecting means 6, 16 from the lighting means 3, 13 impinging thereon may range from 91° to 179°. This allows the light beam to pass through the opening 15 of the diaphragm element 14 at the ideal degree and with most or all of the light passing through the opening 15.

[0079] In addition, the preferred range of the obtuse angles A1, A2, or A3 is dependent upon the arrangement of the opening 15. In fact, the preferred obtuse angles A1, A2, or A3 depend on the arrangement of the opening 15 within the diaphragm element 14 relative to the carrier means 2, the reflecting means 6, 16, the absorption means 7 and/or the light guiding means 17, as well as on the dimensions of the opening 15. The dependency of the angles A1, A2, or A3 to the arrangement and dimensions of the opening 15 provides the ideal degrees that would allow most or all of the light to pass through the opening 15.

[0080] The light guide element 17 can be connected directly to the diaphragm element 14, which results in a particularly simple construction.

[0081] In addition to the curvatures mentioned, the light guide element 17 can also have inlet optics and/or outlet optics, and/or upstream optical elements and/or downstream optical elements in order to optimize the focusing of the light beams 19 onto a target surface, for example in the direction of the eye ellipse of a driver. At the same time, the illumination of the opening in the cover element and/or diaphragm element can be optimized with directional light beams to the target surface.

[0082] Another important aspect of the invention is a homogeneous illumination of the opening in the cover element and/or diaphragm element with directional light beams to the driver's eye ellipse.

[0083] The features disclosed in the foregoing description, in the drawings, as well as in the claims can be essential both individually and in any combination for the realization of the invention in its various embodiments.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0084] 1 lighting device

[0085] 2 support element

[0086] 3 light element

[0087] 4 cover element

[0088] 5 opening

[0089] 6 reflecting element

[0090] 7, 7′ absorption element

[0091] 8, 8′ substrate

[0092] 9 light beam

[0093] 10 lighting device

[0094] 13 light element

[0095] 14 diaphragm element

[0096] 15 opening

[0097] 16 reflecting element

[0098] 17 light guide element

[0099] 19 light beam

[0100] 100 lighting device

[0101] 102 support element

[0102] 103 light element

[0103] 104 cover element

[0104] 105 opening

[0105] 106 reflecting element

[0106] 109 light beam