ILLUMINATION APPARATUS FOR VEHICLES

Abstract

An illumination apparatus for vehicles having a light source, a support plate for receiving the light source, and an optical unit arranged in front of the light source in the main emission direction to deflect light emitted by the light source onto a roadway in front of the vehicle in accordance with a predetermined light distribution. The light source has a light-emitting surface and a light source frame surrounding the same. The light source is surrounded by a shielding frame with a wall that is raised in the main emission direction and encloses an intermediate space between the light source and the optical unit.

Claims

1. An illumination apparatus for a vehicle, the illumination apparatus comprising: a light source; a support plate to receive the light source; and an optical unit arranged in front of the light source in a main emission direction to deflect light emitted by the light source onto a roadway in front of the vehicle in accordance with a predetermined light distribution, wherein the light source has a light-emitting surface and a light source frame surrounding the light-emitting surface, and wherein the light source is surrounded by a shielding frame with a wall that is raised in a main emission direction and encloses an intermediate space between the light source and the optical unit.

2. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wall is designed as a frame wall that is arranged at a distance from the light source and extends into a region near or directly up to the optical unit.

3. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wall of the shielding frame widens at least partially in the main emission direction while forming a coupling wall that is connected in a sealing manner to an optical support carrying the optical unit.

4. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an edge contour of the frame wall is designed to follow the light source, wherein a distance to the light source is constant.

5. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shielding frame is attached to the support plate and/or to a heat sink arranged on a rear side of the support plate facing away from the light source, wherein the frame wall contacts a front side of the support plate associated with the light source and/or is arranged apart from the front side forming a slit.

6. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shielding frame is attached to the support plate by a fastener arranged in a corner region of said support plate.

7. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical unit has a lens apparatus that is held by the optical support, and wherein an edge of the optical support and of the coupling wall is designed such that the shielding frame is adhesively connected to the optical support with a formation of an adhesive bed.

8. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coupling wall has a larger transverse extent than the frame wall.

9. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shielding frame has a light-absorbing surface at least on an inner side of the same.

10. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shielding frame is made of a dark-colored plastic material.

11. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an edge of the coupling wall has a greater distance from the support plate than a rear side of the optical unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of an illumination apparatus, wherein an optical unit of the same has been omitted,

[0017] FIG. 2 is a top view of the light source and a frame wall of a shielding frame that surrounds said light source,

[0018] FIG. 3 is a partial vertical section through the illumination apparatus, and

[0019] FIG. 4 is a partial horizontal section through the illumination apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] An illumination apparatus for vehicles is designed as a high-resolution headlight that includes a light source 2 arranged on a support plate 1. The light source 2 is designed as an LED chip with a multiplicity of individually controllable light-emitting elements that can be regarded as pixels. The support plate 1 is designed as a printed circuit board, preferably as a rigid printed circuit board. In addition to the light source 2, the support plate 1 is populated with additional electronic components 3 that serve to control the light source 2.

[0021] Placed on a rear side 4 of the support plate 1 facing away from the light source 2 is a heat sink 5, which serves to cool the illumination apparatus. The heat sink 5 extends flat and directly adjoining the rear side 4 of the support plate 1.

[0022] The light source 2 and the electronic components 3 are arranged on a front side 6 of the support plate 1. The light source 2 emits light 7 in the main emission direction H, which strikes an optical unit 8 ahead of the light source 2, which is to say arranged in front of the light source in the main emission direction H. The optical unit 8 is composed of a number of lenses that are not shown. By means of the optical unit 8, the light 7 emitted by the light source 2 is projected in front of the vehicle onto a roadway (not shown) in accordance with the predetermined light distribution.

[0023] So that the light 7 strikes a rear side 9 of the optical unit 8 facing the light source 2 in an intended solid angle range (pi, a shielding frame 10 is provided. The shielding frame 10 delimits or defines the maximum solid angle (pi of the light 7 that strikes the rear side 9 of the optical unit 8. As is evident from FIG. 3, the shielding frame 10 has an intermediate section 11 to which lateral border rays T travel. The shielding frame 10 delimits an intermediate space 12 between the support plate 1 and the optical unit 8 in an arrangement including the light source 2, wherein this intermediate space 12 is sealed virtually hermetically and in airtight manner from an exterior space 13. For this purpose, the shielding frame 10 is cup-shaped, wherein it has an offset opening in a central region. Located in this offset opening is the light source 2. The offset opening is formed by a frame wall 14, which has a predetermined height h.sub.R. In the region of the intermediate section 11, the frame wall 14 transitions into a base section 15, which is essentially parallel to the support plate 1. The base section 15 serves to widen the shielding frame 10. Extending from the base section 15, on an outer side facing away from the frame wall 14, is a coupling wall 16, one edge 17 of which is permanently connected to an optical support 18 that carries the optical unit 8. In the present exemplary embodiment, a free edge 19 of the coupling wall 16 is held in a sealing manner in an adhesive bed of the edge 17 of the optical support 18.

[0024] A free edge 20 of the frame wall 14 is preferably located directly in the vicinity of the support plate 1, preferably at a short distance of, e.g., 0.05 mm from the same, forming a slit, so that the entry of dust particles into the intermediate space 12 is prevented. On account of tolerance variations, the free edge 20 can also rest directly on the support plate 1 or contact the same.

[0025] In the present exemplary embodiment, the light source 2 has a light-emitting surface 21 as well as a light source frame 22 that surrounds the light-emitting surface 21. The light source frame 22 is raised relative to the light-emitting surface 21 so that the solid angle φ.sub.2 of the light 7″ emitted by the light-emitting surface 21 is delimited by a lateral edge of the light source frame 22. In the present exemplary embodiment, the light source frame 22, and not a protrusion of the intermediate section 11 of the shielding frame 10, delimits the maximum solid angle φ of the emitted light 7.

[0026] In the present example, the frame wall 14 extends to the vicinity of the rear side 9 of the optical unit 8.

[0027] The frame wall 14 can also extend directly up to the rear side 9 of the optical unit 8 or—especially when the optical unit 8 has a relatively small transverse extent—directly to the lateral edge of the optical unit 8 while contacting the same. In this case, the shielding frame 10 would limit the maximum solid angle φ of the light beam 7.

[0028] The frame wall 14 may have a distance a from the light-emitting surface 21 or from the light source frame 12. No electrical components 3 are arranged on the support plate 1 in this section. The frame wall 14 follows the edge contour of the light source 2, wherein the distance a is preferably kept constant.

[0029] A transverse extent 23 of the frame wall 14 is greater than a corresponding transverse extent of the light source 2.

[0030] The height h.sub.R of the frame wall 14 can be greater than a thickness d of the light source 2. A height h.sub.A of the shielding frame 10 is greater than a distance b.sub.O of the rear side of the optical unit 8 from the support plate 1.

[0031] The shielding frame 10 has protrusions 24 at the corners, where the shielding frame 10 is permanently connected to the support plate 1 and the heat sink 5 by a fastener, preferably through screw connections. In the present exemplary embodiment, the shielding frame 10 has four protrusions 24 so that it is locked in place via four support points. The support plate 1 is thus clamped between the shielding frame 10 and the heat sink 5.

[0032] The shielding frame 10 can have, at least on an inner side 25, a light-absorbing surface, which preferably is colored dark or black. For example, the shielding frame 10 can be made of a dark or black-colored plastic material.

[0033] The edge 19 of the coupling wall 16 has a greater distance b.sub.K from the support plate 1 than the rear side 9 of the optical unit 8, which has a distance b.sub.O from the support plate 1.

[0034] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.