Spotlight/headlight, in particular headlight of a motor vehicle

Abstract

A headlamp having a plurality of light sources which emit light during the operation of the headlamp, a primary optical unit, which at least partially shapes the light emanating from the light sources, a secondary optical unit, which includes a first optically functional boundary surface having at least one first section and at least one second section. A first portion of the light emanating from the primary optical unit passing through the at least one first section, and a second portion passing through the at least one second section. The at least one first section having a positive refractive power at least with respect to a first direction and the second section having a lower refractive power than the first section or as a lens having a negative refractive power at least with respect to the first direction.

Claims

1. A headlamp of a motor vehicle, the headlamp comprising: at least two light sources that emit light during an operation of the headlamp; a primary optical unit, which at least partially shapes the light emanating from the light sources; a secondary optical unit, which includes a first optically functional boundary surface through which the light emanating from the primary optical unit passes, the first optically functional boundary surface having at least one first section and at least one second section, which are arranged such that a first portion of the light emanating from the primary optical unit passes through the at least one first section, and a second portion of the light emanating from the primary optical unit passes through the at last one second section, wherein the at least one first section is a cylindrical lens having a positive refractive power at least with respect to a first direction, which corresponds to a horizontal direction in a state of the headlamp installed in the motor vehicle, wherein the second section is a planar lens having a lower refractive power than the at least one first section, and wherein the secondary optical unit has a second optically functional boundary surface that opposes the first optically functional boundary surface, the second optically functional boundary surface having a straight cylindrical lens extending along an entire length of the secondary optical unit.

2. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the primary optical unit includes a plurality of light conductors, and wherein each of the at least two light sources are assigned to a respective one of the light conductors such that the light of the light source enters the light conductor and is shaped thereby.

3. The headlamp according to claim 2, wherein at least a first one of the light conductors has different light shaping properties than at least a second one of the light conductors.

4. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the first direction corresponds to a vertical direction in the state of the headlamp installed in the motor vehicle.

5. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first section and the at least one second section are arranged next to each other.

6. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein a cylinder axis of the at least one first section of the first optically functional boundary surface is oriented substantially perpendicularly to a cylinder axis of the cylindrical lens of the second optically functional boundary surface.

7. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein a cylinder axis of the at least one first section of the first optically functional boundary surface is oriented vertically in the state installed in the motor vehicle and a cylinder axis of the cylindrical lens of the second optically functional boundary surface is oriented horizontally in the state installed in the motor vehicle.

8. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the first optically functional boundary surface is an inlet surface, through which the light enters the secondary optical unit or a part of the secondary optical unit, and/or the second optically functional boundary surface is an outlet surface, through which the light emerges from the secondary optical unit or a part of the secondary optical unit.

9. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the at least two light sources are light-emitting diodes or semiconductor lasers.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) 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:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic exploded view of one part of a headlamp according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a side view of the part of the headlamp according to FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a top view of the part of the headlamp according to FIG. 1,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a front view of the part of the headlamp according to FIG. 1; and

(6) FIG. 5 shows a schematic top view of the part of the headlamp according to FIG. 1, in which the optical paths of the light through the different areas of the first optically functional boundary surface are illustrated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) Cartesian coordinate systems are drawn in the figures for better orientation. In the state installed in the motor vehicle, the X direction designates the vehicle transverse direction, the Y direction designates the vertical direction, and the Z direction designates the vehicle longitudinal direction.

(8) The headlamp according to the invention, which is partially shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, comprises a plurality of light sources, which may be designed, in particular, as light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The headlamp further comprises a primary optical unit 1, which includes a plurality of light conductors 2, which extend essentially in the Z direction. One of the light-emitting diodes is disposed on the left end of each of light conductors 2 in FIG. 1 or the upper end thereof in FIG. 3, so that the light of the light-emitting diode is able to enter light conductor 2 assigned thereto. Light conductors 2 may be made from silicone, for example, and possibly also from polymethyl acrylate (PMMA) or polycarbonate. If light conductors 2 are made from silicone, they may all end in a mat made from silicone, which connects light conductors 2.

(9) In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, primary optical unit 1 furthermore includes a plate 3 made from a transparent material, for example glass or polycarbonate. Light conductors 2 end at this plate 3, or the mat abuts light conductors 2, which may be made from silicone. In particular, light conductors 2 are held in position by this plate 3. The light emerging from light conductors 2 may pass through plate 3 in the Z direction to the right in FIG. 1 or downwardly in FIG. 3. Plate 3 may be surrounded by a frame 4. For example, frame 4 may be made from polycarbonate or Alusi, a steel having an aluminum/silicon coating.

(10) In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, light conductors 2 are provided with individual shapes, so that, in particular, the light emanating from the light-emitting diodes assigned to light conductors 2 is shaped differently by each of light conductors 2. FIG. 4 show differently shaped outlet surfaces 5 of light conductors 2, which induce a different light distribution of the light emerging from light conductors 2.

(11) The headlamp also comprises a secondary optical unit 6 made up of a one-piece, transparent component, through which the light emerging from primary optical unit 1 passes essentially in the Z direction. Secondary optical unit 6 includes a first optically functional boundary surface 7 acting as an inlet surface and a second optically functional boundary surface 8 acting as an outlet surface, which are situated opposite each other in the Z direction. Secondary optical unit 6 may be made from glass or plastic.

(12) In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, first optically functional boundary surface 7 includes two first cylindrical sections 9, 10 arranged next to each other, which are provided with a convex shape and therefore have a positive refractive power. First optically functional boundary surface 7 also includes a second planar section 11, which is disposed next to one of first sections 9, 10 (cf. FIG. 1 and FIG. 3). The cylinder axes of cylindrical sections 9, 10 extend in the Y direction or, for example, vertically, in the state installed in the motor vehicle.

(13) It is entirely possible that first sections 9, 10 are not exclusively cylindrical but are designed as a freeform surface and, in addition to the curvature acting upon the X direction as illustrated in FIG. 1, also have a preferably slight curvature, which acts upon the Y direction. As a result, first sections 9, 10 may also perform a collimating or focusing function with respect to the vertical direction. It should be noted that the additional curvature of first sections 9, 10 acting upon the Y direction is not illustrated in the figures showing an exemplary embodiment.

(14) It is also entirely possible to provide more or fewer first sections. More than one second section may also be provided. It is also possible that the at least one second section is not planar but has a curvature, which is smaller than the curvature of the at least one first section, or which has a concave curvature, so that it has a negative refractive power.

(15) In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, second optically functional boundary surface 8 is designed as a cylindrical lens 12, which is provided with a convex shape and therefore has a positive refractive power. The cylinder axis of cylindrical lens 12 extends perpendicularly to the cylinder axes of first sections 9, 10. The cylinder axis of cylindrical lens 12 thus extends in the X direction or horizontally in the state installed in the motor vehicle.

(16) It is possible that secondary optical unit 6 as a whole is slightly curved to adapt it to a curved vehicle contour. The curvature may take place, for example, in the horizontal direction to permit an adaptation to a headlamp cover extending somewhat to the side from the front of the vehicle.

(17) A housing is provided, in which primary optical unit 1 and secondary optical unit 6 are both held.

(18) FIG. 5 clarifies how first optically functional boundary surface 7 contributes to the shaping of the light emerging from the headlamp. Two examples of light beams 13, 14 are drawn, which emerge from plate 3 of primary optical unit 1. The two light beams 13, 14 have a divergence in the X direction, or in the horizontal direction.

(19) Light beam 13, which enters secondary optical unit 6 through first cylindrical section 10, undergoes a divergence-reducing refraction on boundary surface 7. Light beam 13 is largely collimated. Light beam 14, which enters secondary optical unit 6 through second planar section 11, does not undergo the divergence-reducing refraction on boundary surface 7. Light beam 14 is therefore divergent even after it emerges from second boundary surface 8 in the X direction, or in the horizontal direction.

(20) The divergence of the two light beams 13, 14 is reduced by cylindrical lens 12 in the Y direction, or in the vertical direction.

(21) Due to the shape of first optically functional boundary surface 7, it is possible to allow portions of the light emerging from primary optical unit 1 to pass through cylindrical first sections 9, 10 so that they are collimated or focused in the horizontal direction. As a result, these portions may contributed to range portions of the light distribution, which may be part, for example, of a high beam or a low beam.

(22) It is furthermore possible to allow other portions of the light emerging from primary optical unit 1 to pass through planar secondary section 11, so that they may divergently spread out in the horizontal direction. These portions may, for example, contribute to a wide illumination of the field of vision situated in front of the motor vehicle.

(23) It may be provided to assign different numbers of light sources or light conductors 2 of primary optical unit 1 to individual sections 9, 10, 11 of first optically functional boundary surface 7 (cf., for example, FIG. 4).

(24) 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.