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. A light for the exterior of a vehicle, the light comprising: at least one illuminant; and a light disk, wherein, in an activated state of the illuminant, the illuminant emits light that hits the light disk directly, wherein the light disk 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 light disk, is present in a predetermined fourth wavelength range that is at least different from the second wavelength range, and wherein the at least one LED emits light in a wavelength range of a cyan-colored light according to a CIE color diagram.

2. The light of claim 1, wherein the LED has an integrated filter element that is part of the at least one LED itself, and is sprayed on or volume casted on the LED so that the LED emits light in the wavelength range of the cyan-colored light according to a CIE color diagram.

3. The light of claim 2, wherein the light disk is an outer cover light disk of the light.

4. The light of claim 2, wherein the second wavelength range is in a wavelength range of red light according to the CIE color diagram.

5. The light of claim 4, wherein the light disk transmits the cyan-colored light of the illuminant as white light according to the CIE color diagram.

6. The light of claim 2, wherein the light is a rear light of the vehicle.

7. The light of claim 6, wherein the rear light is a reverse light of the vehicle.

8. A light for the exterior of a vehicle, the light comprising: at least one illuminant; and a light disk, wherein, in an activated state of the illuminant, the illuminant emits light that hits the light disk directly or indirectly via a reflector, wherein the light disk 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 light disk, is present in a predetermined fourth wavelength range that is at least different from the second wavelength range, wherein the at least one LED has an integrated filter element that generates the light in the third wavelength range, wherein the integrated filter element is part of the at least one LED itself and is sprayed on or volume casted on the at least one LED so that the at least one LED emits light in the third wavelength range, which is a wavelength range of a cyan-colored light according to a CIE color diagram.

9. The light of claim 8, wherein the reflector does not have a color filter.

10. A light for the exterior of a vehicle, the light comprising: a light disk; a reflector; and at least one light-emitting diode (LED), which comprises an integrated filter element sprayed on or volume casted on the LED so that, in an activated state of the LED, the LED emits light in a wavelength range of a cyan-colored light according to a CIE color diagram and the emitted light hits the light disk via the reflector, wherein the light disk is transparent to light in the wavelength range of the cyan-colored light and reflects light in a different wavelength range when the illuminant is deactivated, wherein the reflector does not have a color filter so that the emitted light in the wavelength range of the cyan-colored light that hits the light disk via the reflector is reflected as the light in the wavelength range of the cyan-colored light so that the light in the wavelength range of the cyan-colored light hits the light disk.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

(1) Here are shown:

(2) FIG. 1 a schematic cross-section through a light in an embodiment according to the invention in a first operating state; and

(3) FIG. 2 the light according to FIG. 1 in a second operating state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) 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 light disk 4 in the direction of a viewer B, whose viewing direction is indicated by an arrow. The light disk 4 can in particular be the cover light disk of the light 1, such that the overall design can be implemented with very few components and is very compact.

(5) 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 light disk 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 light disk 4 of the light 1 thus appears red in the deactivated state of the LED 2.

(6) 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 light disk 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 light disk 4 and thus towards the viewer B, such that the optional reflector 3 could be dispensed with.

(7) 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 light disk 4. Due to the structure of the light disk 4, this light is now “colored” in such a way that the viewer B sees a white light, since the light disk 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 light disk 4.

(8) 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 light disk 4 that is colored continuously, for example red, and thus to implement the functionality of the reverse light.

(9) 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.

(10) 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.