LAMP FOR AUTOMOBILE AND AUTOMOBILE INCLUDING THE SAME
20210388961 · 2021-12-16
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
F21S41/143
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21S41/255
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F21S41/43
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
International classification
F21S41/20
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
Abstract
A lamp for an automobile and an automobile including the lamp. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a lamp for an automobile includes: a light source that generates and emits light; and a micro lens array (MLA) module which is provided in front of the light source and on which the light is incident. The MLA module includes: an entrance lens array; an exit lens array; and a shield provided between the entrance lens array and the exit lens array. The shield includes a protrusion area forming an upper periphery of the shield and protruding upward and a recess area recessed downward from the protrusion area. Minute protrusions each having a shape lifted upward are provided in some of the plurality of protrusion areas or the plurality of recess areas.
Claims
1. A lamp for an automobile, the lamp comprising: a light source configured to generate and emit light; and a micro lens array (MLA) module which is provided in front of the light source and on which the light is incident, wherein the MLA module comprises: an entrance lens array which comprises a plurality of entrance lenses and on which the light is incident; an exit lens array which is provided in front of the entrance lens array and comprises a plurality of exit lenses, and which receives the light incident on the entrance lens array and emits the light outside, thereby forming a beam pattern on the outside; and a shield provided between the entrance lens array and the exit lens array, wherein the shield comprises a plurality of unit shields, each of which comprises a protrusion area forming an upper periphery of the shield and protruding upward and a recess area recessed downward from the protrusion area, wherein the plurality of unit shields are arranged in a horizontal direction, and minute protrusions each having a shape lifted upward are provided in some of the plurality of protrusion areas or the plurality of recess areas.
2. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the shield comprises a first shield section and a second shield section, wherein the first shield section is provided in a central region of the shield in the horizontal direction, and the second shield section is provided on a left side or a right side of the first shield section, wherein the minute protrusions are provided in the second shield section.
3. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the minute protrusions are formed in some of the plurality of protrusion areas.
4. The lamp of claim 1, wherein a lower periphery of the shield has a flat shape.
5. The lamp of claim 3, wherein a ratio of a width of the minute protrusion to a width of the protrusion area comprising the minute protrusion among the plurality of protrusion areas is about 0.1 to about 0.3.
6. The lamp of claim 2, wherein the entrance lens array comprises a first entrance section and a second entrance section, and the exit lens array comprises a first exit section and a second exit section, wherein the first shield section is provided facing the first entrance section and the first exit section, and the second shield section is provided facing the second entrance section and the second exit section.
7. The lamp of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of unit shields is provided corresponding to one of the plurality of exit lenses provided in the exit lens array.
8. The lamp of claim 2, wherein the minute protrusion is formed in each of the plurality of unit shields provided in the second shield section.
9. The lamp of claim 2, wherein the minute protrusion is not provided in the first shield section.
10. The lamp of claim 6, wherein at least some of optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses provided in the first entrance section are aligned with respective ones of optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses provided in the first exit section, and at least some of optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses provided in the second entrance section are misaligned with all of the optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses provided in the second exit section.
11. The lamp of claim 10, wherein each of all of the optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses provided in the first entrance section is aligned with a respective one of the optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses provided in the first exit section, and all of the optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses provided in the second entrance section are misaligned with all of the optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses provided in the second exit section.
12. The lamp of claim 10, wherein all of the optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses provided in the second entrance section are misaligned, in the horizontal direction, with all of the optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses provided in the second exit section.
13. The lamp of claim 10, wherein all of the optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses provided in the entrance lens array are disposed at same heights in a vertical direction as the respective ones of the optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses provided in the exit lens array.
14. The lamp of claim 10, wherein widths of the plurality of entrance lenses in a vertical direction, which are provided in the entrance lens array, are equal to each other.
15. The lamp of claim 10, wherein widths of the plurality of exit lenses in a vertical direction, which are provided in the exit lens array, are equal to each other.
16. The lamp of claim 10, wherein a width of each of the plurality of entrance lenses in the horizontal direction, which are provided in the first entrance section, is equal to a width of each of the plurality of entrance lenses in the horizontal direction, which are provided in the second entrance section.
17. The lamp of claim 10, wherein a width of each of the plurality of exit lenses in the horizontal direction, which are provided in the second exit section, is less than a width of each of the plurality of exit lenses in the horizontal direction, which are provided in the first exit section.
18. An automobile comprising a lamp for an automobile, wherein the lamp comprises: a light source configured to generate and emit light; and a micro lens array (MLA) module which is provided in front of the light source and on which the light is incident, wherein the MLA module comprises: an entrance lens array which comprises a plurality of entrance lenses and on which the light is incident; an exit lens array which is provided in front of the entrance lens array and comprises a plurality of exit lenses, and which receives the light incident on the entrance lens array and emits the light outside, thereby forming a beam pattern on the outside; and a shield provided between the entrance lens array and the exit lens array, wherein the shield comprises a plurality of unit shields, each of which comprises a protrusion area protruding upward from an upper periphery of the shield and a recess area recessed downward from the protrusion area, wherein the plurality of unit shields are arranged in a horizontal direction, and minute protrusion each having a shape lifted upward is provided in some of the plurality of protrusion areas or the plurality of recess areas.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.
[0026]
[0027]
[0028]
[0029]
[0030]
[0031]
[0032]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] Hereinafter, a lamp for an automobile, and an automobile according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0034] Lamp for Automobile
[0035]
[0036] As illustrated in
[0037] Also, the lamp 10 may further include a collimator 300 provided between the light source 100 and the MLA module 200. The collimator 300 may be configured to make light, incident from the light source 100, parallel and then emit the parallel light to the MLA module 200.
[0038] Continuing to refer to
[0039] Also, referring to
[0040] Here, as illustrated in
[0041] Here, in the lamp 10 according to the present disclosure, the shield 230 may be provided at positions corresponding to focuses of the exit lenses 222 provided in the exit lens array 220. In this case, taking into consideration characteristics of the lens, the light, which arrives at the exit lens array 220 after passing through the slits of the shield 230 from the entrance lens array 210, may be emitted to the outside in the form of light parallel to the ground in the vertical direction.
[0042] Here, the fact that the shield 230 is provided at the positions corresponding to the focuses of the exit lenses 222 may be interpreted as having not only a case in which the shield 230 and the focuses of the exit lenses 222 overlap each other but also a case in which the shield 230 and the exit lenses 222 are disposed so close to each other. In the latter case, it is understood, by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs, that there is no substantial difference in functions and effects when compared to the case in which the shield 230 and the exit lenses 222 overlap each other. However, more preferably, the focuses of the exit lenses 222 may be provided within a body of the shield 230.
[0043] Here, the MLA module 200 may further include: an entrance body 240 which is provided between the entrance lens array 210 and the shield 230 and supports the entrance lens array 210; and an exit body 250 which is provided between the exit lens array 220 and the shield 230 and supports the exit lens array 220. However, unlike the above configuration, the MLA module 200 may not include the entrance body 240 or the exit body 250.
[0044] Here, the lamp 10 according to the present disclosure may be configured to form a low beam pattern of an automobile.
[0045] Here, in the lamp 10 according to the present disclosure, the entrance lens array 210 and the exit lens array 220 may be divided into a plurality of sections according to characteristics of the entrance lenses and the exit lenses, respectively.
[0046] Referring to
[0047] Here, the first entrance section A1 may be provided on a central area of the entrance lens array 210 in a horizontal direction H, and the second entrance section A2 may be provided on a left side or a right side of the first entrance section A1. In
[0048] Here,
[0049] Here, the first exit section B1 may be provided on a central area of the exit lens array 220 in the horizontal direction H, and the second exit section B2 may be provided on a left area or a right area of the exit lens array 220. In
[0050] Here,
[0051] Similar to the entrance lens array 210 and the exit lens array 220, the shield 230 may be divided into a plurality of sections. For example, the shield 230 may include a first shield section C1 and a second shield section C2. Here, the first shield section C1 may be provided on a central area of the shield 230 in the horizontal direction H, and the second shield section C2 may be provided on a left side or a right side of the first shield section C1. In
[0052] Here, referring to
[0053] Thus, according to the present disclosure, the light, which has been emitted from the light source 100 and incident on the first entrance section A1, may be emitted from the first entrance section A1 and then incident on the first exit section B1 after passing through the first shield section C1. Also, the light, which has been emitted from the light source 100 and incident on the second entrance section A2, may be emitted from the second entrance section A2 and then incident on the second exit section B2 after passing through the second shield section C2.
[0054] More preferably, the light, which is emitted to the outside after passing through the first entrance section A1, the first shield section C1, and the first exit section B1, may provide a central region of a beam pattern formed outside by the lamp 10 according to the present disclosure. Also, the light, which is emitted to the outside after passing through the second entrance section A2, the second shield section C2, and the second exit section B2, may provide a peripheral region of the beam pattern formed outside by the lamp 10 according to the present disclosure.
[0055]
[0056] Here, as illustrated in
[0057] Each of the plurality of unit shields 232 constituting the shield 230 may correspond to one of the plurality of exit lenses 222 provided in the exit lens array 220. More preferably, a width of one of the plurality of unit shields 232 may be equal to a width of the exit lens 222 corresponding to the one unit shield 232.
[0058] The shield 230 may include a plurality of protrusion areas 232a forming an upper periphery of the shield 230 and protruding upward and a plurality of recess areas 232b recessed downward from the protrusion areas 232a. Also, the protrusion areas 232a and the recess areas 232b may be alternately arranged in the horizontal direction of the shield 230. Thus, stepped portion may be formed between the protrusion areas 232a and the recess areas 232b.
[0059] Here, one protrusion area 232a and one recess area 232a provided on one side of the protrusion area 232a may be formed in each of the unit shields 232. Referring to
[0060] Also, referring to
[0061] The shield 230 may be configured to block a portion of light arriving at the shield 230 after passing through the entrance lens array 210, thereby determining a shape of a beam pattern formed by the lamp 10. In particular, as described above, the lamp 10 according to the present disclosure may be configured to form a low beam pattern. In this case, among the light arriving at the shield 230 after passing through the entrance lens array 210, the light arriving at the unit shields 232 is blocked, and the light arriving at the slits formed in the shield 230 arrives at the outside after passing through the shield 230 and forms a low beam pattern. One example of a low beam pattern formed according to the related art is illustrated in
[0062] Here, a low beam pattern formed by a lamp for an automobile is required to satisfy various types of regulations so that the low beam pattern prevents a driver of another automobile or a pedestrian from being dazzled while securing the driver's view clearly. For example, as illustrated in
[0063] The minute protrusions 232c according to the present disclosure are configured to satisfy the regulations that limit the brightness at the 50L area (P). That is, the minute protrusions 232c may be formed at positions corresponding to the 50L area (P) of the low beam pattern formed by the lamp 10 according to the present disclosure. The brightness at the 50L area (P) may be reduced by an amount corresponding to the amount of light blocked by the minute protrusions 232c, and thus, the regulations for the low beam pattern may be satisfied.
[0064] A method for blocking a large amount of light by increasing the height of the shield 230 may be considered to satisfy the regulations for the upper limit of the brightness at the 50L area (P). However, this method is undesirable because the brightness of the beam pattern is excessively reduced. However, when the minute protrusions 232c according to the present disclosure are applied, the regulations for the upper limit of the brightness of the beam pattern at the 50L area (P) may be satisfied without affecting the overall brightness of the beam pattern.
[0065] Referring to
[0066] Also, the minute protrusion 232c may be provided in the second shield section C2. As described above, the light, which is emitted to the outside after passing through the first entrance section A1, the first shield section C1, and the first exit section B1, may form the central region of the beam pattern formed outside by the lamp 10 according to the present disclosure, and thus, when the minute protrusions 232c are provided in the first shield section C1, the brightness of the beam pattern may be excessively reduced. In order to prevent the reduction in brightness, the minute protrusions 232c may be provided only in the second shield section C2 that forms the peripheral region of the beam pattern and may not be provided in the first shield section C1. More preferably, one minute protrusion 232c may be formed in each of the plurality of unit shields 232 provided in the second shield section C2.
[0067] Here, since the protrusion areas 232a, the recess areas 232b, and the minute protrusions 232c may be provided on the upper periphery of the shield 230 as described above, the upper periphery of the shield 230 may have an uneven structure. However, as illustrated in
[0068] Also, referring to
[0069] Here, as described above, the MLA module 200 may include the entrance lens array 210 and the exit lens array 220, and the entrance lens array 210 and the exit lens array 220 may include the plurality of entrance lenses 212 and the plurality of exit lenses 222, respectively. Also, an optical axis may be formed in each of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 and the plurality of exit lenses 222. In
[0070] Here, according to the present disclosure, at least some of optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 provided in the first entrance section A1 may be aligned with respective ones of optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses 222 provided in the first exit section B1. On the other hand, at least some of optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 provided in the second entrance area A2 may be misaligned with all of the optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses 222 provided in the second exit area B2.
[0071] More preferably, according to the present disclosure, each of all of the optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 provided in the first entrance area A1 may be aligned with a respective one of the optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses 222 provided in the first exit area B1. Also, all of the optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 provided in the second entrance area A2 may be misaligned with all of the optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses 222 provided in the second exit area B2. For example, as illustrated in
[0072] As described above, the beam pattern formed outside by the lamp may be divided into the central region and the peripheral region. Particularly, in a case in which the lamp is configured to form a low beam pattern of an automobile, the central region of the beam pattern is required to have a high luminous intensity, and the peripheral region of the beam pattern has a low luminous intensity but is required to cover a wide range in the horizontal direction.
[0073] Thus, according to the present disclosure, the optical axes of the entrance lenses 212 of the first entrance section A1 formed on the central area of the entrance lens array in the horizontal direction H are respectively aligned with the optical axes of the exit lenses 222 of the first exit section B1 formed on the central area of the exit lens array in the horizontal direction H, and thus, the light may arrive at the outside without diffusion in the horizontal direction H. Thus, the high luminous intensity may be secured in the central region of the beam pattern formed by the lamp according to the present disclosure.
[0074] On the other hand, according to the present disclosure, the optical axes of the entrance lenses of the second entrance sections formed on the left area and the right area of the entrance lens array in the horizontal direction are respectively misaligned, in the horizontal direction, with the optical axes of the exit lenses of the second exit sections formed on the left area and the right area of the exit lens array in the horizontal direction, and thus, the light, which has been emitted from the second entrance sections and incident on the second exit sections, may be diffused in the horizontal direction while emitted. Thus, the horizontal peripheral region of the beam pattern formed by the lamp according to the present disclosure may have the low luminous intensity but cover the wide range in the horizontal direction.
[0075] Particularly, the micro lens array according to the related art may not be used in a head lamp (for example, a lamp for a low beam) of an automobile because a width of the beam pattern in the horizontal direction is small. However, on the other hand, the lamp including the MLA module according to the present disclosure may be used as the head lamp of an automobile because a width of the beam pattern in the horizontal direction formed by the lamp is large.
[0076] Here, according to the present disclosure, some of the optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 provided in the entrance lens array 210 may be disposed at the same heights in a vertical direction V as the respective ones of the optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses 222 provided in the exit lens array 220. More preferably, as illustrated in
[0077] As described above, in the beam pattern formed by the lamp according to the present disclosure, the width in the horizontal direction may be large. On the other hand, the width of the beam pattern in the vertical direction may be relatively small. Particularly, the lamp according to the present disclosure may be a lamp for a low beam, and in this case, the width of the low beam pattern in the vertical direction may need to be relatively small.
[0078] Thus, in a case in which the heights of the optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 in the vertical direction may be the same as the heights of the optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses 222 in the vertical direction as described above, the light, which is emitted to the outside after passing through both the entrance lens array and the exit lens array, is less diffused in the vertical direction. Accordingly, the width of the beam pattern in the vertical direction may also be small.
[0079] Here, according to the present disclosure, the width of each of the plurality of exit lenses 222 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the second exit section B2, may be less than the width of each of the plurality of exit lenses 222 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the first exit section B1. For example, the width of each of the plurality of exit lenses 222 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the second exit section B2 may be less, by about 10%, than the width of each of the plurality of exit lenses 222 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the first exit section B1.
[0080] On the other hand, according to the present disclosure, the width of each of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the first entrance area A1, may be equal to the width of each of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the second entrance area A2. Also, the width of each of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the first entrance section A1, may be equal to the width of each of the plurality of exit lenses 222 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the first exit section B1.
[0081] As described above, this may be to ensure that all of the optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 provided in the second entrance section A2 are misaligned, in the horizontal direction H, with all of the optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses 222 provided in the second exit section B2. That is, according to the present disclosure, the width of each of the entrance lenses in the horizontal direction H which are provided in the first entrance section A1 is made to be equal to the width of each of the exit lenses in the horizontal direction H which are in the first exit section B1, and thus, the optical axes of the entrance lenses in the first entrance section A1 may be respectively aligned with the optical axes of the exit lenses in the first exit section B1. On the other hand, the width of each of the entrance lenses in the horizontal direction H which are provided in the second entrance section A2 is made to be different from the width of each of the exit lenses in the horizontal direction H which are in the second exit section B2, and thus, the optical axes of the entrance lenses in the second entrance section A2 may be respectively misaligned with the optical axes of the exit lenses in the second exit section B2.
[0082] Continuing to refer to the drawings, the widths of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 in the vertical direction V, which are provided in the entrance lens array 210, may be equal to each other. Also, the widths of the plurality of exit lenses 222 in the vertical direction V, which are provided in the exit lens array 220, may also be equal to each other. Here, the width of the entrance lens 212 in the vertical direction V may be equal to the width of the exit lens 222 in the vertical direction V. As described above, this may be to ensure that all of the optical axes of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 are disposed at the same heights in the vertical direction as the respective ones of the optical axes of the plurality of exit lenses 222.
[0083] Here, according to the present disclosure, the radius of curvature of each of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the first entrance section A1, may be different from the radius of curvature of each of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the second entrance section A2. For one example, the radius of curvature of each of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the first entrance section A1, may be greater than the radius of curvature of each of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the second entrance section A2. That is, the curvature of each of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the second entrance section A2, may be greater than the curvature of each of the plurality of entrance lenses 212 in the horizontal direction H, which are provided in the first entrance section A1. This may be to ensure that the horizontal width of the peripheral region of the beam pattern formed by the lamp according to the present disclosure becomes large.
[0084] On the other hand, according to the present disclosure, the radius of curvature of each of the plurality of exit lenses 222 provided in the first exit section B1 may be equal to the radius of curvature of each of the plurality of exit lenses 222 provided in the second exit section B2.
[0085] Automobile
[0086] An automobile according to the present disclosure may include a lamp 10 for an automobile (hereinafter, referred to as a ‘lamp’).
[0087] Here, the lamp 10 may include: a light source 100 which generates and emits light; a MLA module 200 which is provided in front of the light source 100 and on which the light is incident; and a collimator 300 provided between the light source 100 and the MLA module 200.
[0088] Also, the MLA module 200 may include: an entrance lens array 210 which includes a plurality of entrance lenses 212 and on which the light is incident; an exit lens array 220 which is provided in front of the entrance lens array 210 and includes a plurality of exit lenses 222, and which receives the light incident on the entrance lens array 210 and emits the light to the outside; a shield 230 provided between the entrance lens array 210 and the exit lens array 220; an entrance body 240 which is provided between the entrance lens array 210 and the shield 230 and supports the entrance lens array 210; and an exit body 250 which is provided between the exit lens array 220 and the shield 230 and supports the exit lens array 220.
[0089] Here, the entrance lens array 210 may include a first entrance section A1 and a second entrance section A2. Also, the exit lens array 220 may include a first exit section B1 and a second exit section B2. Also, the light, which has been incident on the first entrance section A1, may be emitted from the first section A1 and then incident on the first exit section B1. Also, the light, which has been incident into the second entrance section A2, may be emitted from the second entrance section A2 and then incident into the second exit section B2.
[0090] In addition, the shield 230 may include a plurality of unit shields 232, each of which includes a protrusion area 232a protruding upward from an upper periphery of the shield 230 and a recess area 232b recessed downward from the protrusion area 232a. Also, the plurality of unit shields 232 may be arranged in a horizontal direction.
[0091] Here, minute protrusions 232c each having a shape lifted upward may be provided in some of the plurality of protrusion areas 232a or the plurality of recess areas 232b. More preferably, the minute protrusions 232c may be formed in some of the plurality of protrusion areas 232a.
[0092] According to the present disclosure, the various types of lamps for an automobile may be manufactured by using the micro lens array, and the beam patterns formed by these lamps may satisfy the regulations.
[0093] Although the present disclosure has been described with specific exemplary embodiments and drawings, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and it is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made by a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains within the technical idea of the present disclosure and equivalent scope of the appended claims.