LIGHT FOR THE EXTERIOR OF A VEHICLE

Abstract

A light for the exterior of a vehicle includes at least one illuminant and a lens. The illuminant emits light in an activated state that hits the lens directly or indirectly via a reflector. The lens is transparent to light in a first predetermined wavelength range and reflects light in a second different wavelength range when the illuminant is deactivated. The illuminant is at least one light-emitting diode (LED). The diode emits light in a third wavelength range, which is predetermined such that the emitted light, after transmission through the lens, is present in a predetermined fourth wavelength range that is at least different from the second wavelength region. The light can be used as part of a rear light in a vehicle.

Claims

1-8. (canceled)

9. A light for the exterior of a vehicle, the light comprising: at least one illuminant; and a lens, wherein, in an activated state of the illuminant, the illuminant emits light that hits the lens directly or indirectly via a reflector, wherein the lens is transparent to light in a first predetermined wavelength range and reflects light in a second wavelength range when the illuminant is deactivated, wherein the first predetermined wavelength range is different than the second wavelength range, wherein the illuminant is at least one light-emitting diode (LED), which emits light in a third wavelength range that is predetermined such that the emitted light, after transmission through the lens, is present in a predetermined fourth wavelength range that is at least different from the second wavelength range.

10. The light of claim 9, wherein the at least one LED has an integrated filter element that generates the light in the third wavelength range.

11. The light of claim 9, wherein the lens is an outer cover lens of the light.

12. The light of claim 9, wherein the at least one LED emits light in a wavelength range of a cyan-colored light according to a CIE color diagram.

13. The light of claim 12, wherein the second wavelength range is in a wavelength range of red light according to the CIE color diagram.

14. The light of claim 13, wherein the lens transmits the cyan-colored light of the illuminant as white light according to the CIE color diagram.

15. The light of claim 9, wherein the light is a rear light of the vehicle.

16. The light of claim 15, wherein the rear light is a reverse light of the vehicle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

[0012] Here are shown:

[0013] FIG. 1 a schematic cross-section through a light in an embodiment according to the invention in a first operating state; and

[0014] FIG. 2 the light according to FIG. 1 in a second operating state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] FIG. 1 shows a light 1, which is particularly suitable for use as a rear light or as part of a rear light for the exterior of a vehicle. The light 1, which is depicted here without its housing, comprises at least one illuminant 2 in the form of a light-emitting diode. This light-emitting diode 2 as an illuminant 2 can be of any design, for example as a conventional LED, OLED, or QLED. The light-emitting diode 2 can thereby be implemented in the form of a single light-emitting diode or in the form of an array with a plurality of light-emitting diodes. In the exemplary embodiment depicted here, the light of the illuminant 2 reaches a reflector 3 and is emitted by the latter through a lens 4 in the direction of a viewer B, whose viewing direction is indicated by an arrow. The lens 4 can in particular be the cover lens of the light 1, such that the overall design can be implemented with very few components and is very compact.

[0016] In the depiction of FIG. 1, the activated state of the illuminant 2 is depicted, i.e., the switched-on LED 2. With the switched-off LED 2, the light 1 is depicted in the otherwise comparable FIG. 2. For the viewer B, the structure depicted in FIG. 2 appears visually as indicated by the light reflected from the lens 4, indicated here by dash-dotted lines. In the depicted exemplary embodiment, this reflected light is to be reflected, for example, with a wavelength lying in the red color range of the CIE color diagram. The lens 4 of the light 1 thus appears red in the deactivated state of the LED 2.

[0017] In the depiction of FIG. 1, the LED 2 is activated and emits light. This light is emitted in a first wavelength range which, according to the exemplary embodiment depicted here, should lie in the cyan-colored range of the CIE color diagram. This is achieved either by the LED 2 as the illuminant 2 being constructed in such a way that it directly generates and emits light in the cyan-colored wavelength range, or by the light of the LED being adapted accordingly via integrated filter elements such that the emitted light, depicted here in dashed lines, is cyan-colored. This light is now directed, in the exemplary embodiment of the figures, via the reflector 3 in the direction of the lens 4. It would be just as conceivable to arrange the LED 2 in such a way that it emits light directly in the direction of the lens 4 and thus towards the viewer B, such that the optional reflector 3 could be dispensed with.

[0018] Regardless of whether this reflector 3 is used or not, it is the case that now, in the exemplary embodiment depicted here, the cyan-colored light, which in particular only has wavelengths of less than 600 nm, arrives at the lens 4. Due to the structure of the lens 4, this light is now “colored” in such a way that the viewer B sees a white light, since the lens 4 shifts the cyan light, which is shown here in dashed lines, with respect to its color location in the CIE color diagram, such that the white light, which is shown here with dotted lines, reaches the viewer B after transmission through the lens 4.

[0019] This light, which is depicted by dotted lines and lies in the white range of the CIE color diagram, is permissible for the function of a reverse light in accordance with the ECE standard, such that the described structure can be used in particular to implement the reverse light as part of a rear light of a vehicle. In this way, it is possible to emit white light into the surroundings despite a lens 4 that is colored continuously, for example red, and thus to implement the functionality of the reverse light.

[0020] However, other wavelength ranges which lead to other light colors in the individual steps of light emission with the light 1 described here are also conceivable, and comprised by the disclosure content and the scope of protection of the claims.

[0021] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail by way of preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited by the examples disclosed, and other variations can be derived from these by the person skilled in the art without leaving the scope of the invention. It is therefore clear that there is a plurality of possible variations. It is also clear that embodiments stated by way of example are only really examples that are not to be seen as limiting the scope, application possibilities or configuration of the invention in any way. In fact, the preceding description and the description of the figures enable the person skilled in the art to implement the exemplary embodiments in concrete manner, wherein, with the knowledge of the disclosed inventive concept, the person skilled in the art is able to undertake various changes, for example, with regard to the functioning or arrangement of individual elements stated in an exemplary embodiment without leaving the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims and their legal equivalents, such as further explanations in the description.