Headlight Module With A Low-Beam Function And A High-Beam Function Based On Light Emitting Diodes

Abstract

A headlight module with a minimum of one LED for generating a low beam and with a minimum of one LED for generating a high beam. An optical element is provided into which light from the minimum of one LED for generating the high beam can be emitted. The optical element is arranged as a cover for a portion of the light that can be generated by the LED for generating a low beam. The optical element features a decoupling surface that at least partially includes a surface structure with a composition such that, in the area of the surface structure, light is emitted that can be decoupled from the optical element.

Claims

1. A headlight module comprising: at least one LED for generating a low beam; at least one LED for generating a high beam; an optical element into which the light from at least one of said at least one LED for generating a high beam can be emitted to generate the high beam; wherein the optical element is set up as a cover for a part of the light that can be generated by the at least one LED to generate the low beam, wherein the optical element has a decoupling surface that at least partially surrounds a surface structuring that is designed so that, within the area of the surface structuring, light that can be decoupled shines out of the optical element.

2. The headlight module according to claim 1, wherein the surface structuring is formed by a roughening of the decoupling surface.

3. The headlight module according to claim 1, wherein the optical element has multiple light guides, whereby respective LEDs for coupling the high beam into the optical element are arranged at the free ends of the light guides, and whereby the light guides are constructed adjacent to each other and arranged opposite to the surface structuring.

4. The headlight module of claim 1, wherein the optical element has a mirrored surface whereby the optical element is arranged in such a way relative to the low beam that can be generated that the low beam can be reflected on the mirrored surface.

5. The headlight module of claim 4, wherein the mirrored surface appears on a top surface of the optical element, whereby the top surface and the decoupling surface form a bezel edge at the edge where these surfaces meet.

6. The headlight module of claim 5, wherein the mirrored surface ends with a spacing in front of the bezel edge, allowing for a coupling area on the top side into which a part of the low beam can be coupled and uncoupled using the decoupling surface.

7. The headlight module of claim 1, wherein a cooling and support element is provided on which the light emitting diode for generating the low beam and the light emitting diode for generating the high beam are arranged.

8. The headlight module of claim 5, wherein the bezel edge has a contour to create a cut-off line for the low beam.

9. The headlight module of claim 1, wherein a lens is positioned in relation to a direction of propagation of the low beam and of the high beam in front of the optical element and the low beam and high beam can be emitted into this lens together.

10. An optical element for a headlight module, the optical element comprising: multiple light guides for light coupling into the optical element using the respective ends of the light guides, whereby the light guides are positioned adjacent to each other and across from a decoupling surface, whereby the decoupling surface has a surface structuring.

Description

A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Further measures to improve the invention are explained in greater detail using the illustrations below, together with the description of a preferred design example for the invention. The following are shown:

[0017] FIG. 1 a perspective view of the inventive optical element FIG. 2 a transverse section view of the optical element with an LED for generating a high beam and

[0018] FIG. 3 a schematic view of the headlight module with the inventive optical element.

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an optical element (14), whereby the view shows a decoupling surface (15) on the front side. On the side opposite from the decoupling surface (15), the optical element (14) has multiple light guides (17). At the open end surfaces of the light guides, LEDs for generating the high beam can be positioned such that the number of LEDs may correspond to the number of light guides (17). The LEDs assigned to the individual light guides (17) can, for example, be switched on and off individually, fulfilling a matrix function.

[0020] A decoupling surface (15) has a section with surface structuring (16). The surface structuring (16) can be designed to extend in the crosswise direction over the entire area of the multiple light guides (17). As an alternative, the surface structuring (16) can be divided into sections (27). Here, each section (27) can be assigned to a light guide (17).

[0021] On a top surface (19), the optical element (14) has a mirrored surface (18). The top surface (19) is equipped with a special contour (23) that serves as a contour for a cut-off line. Low beam light hitting near the rear of the mirrored surface (18) can form a cut-off line with the front-side bezel edge (20) so that the contour (23) of the bezel edge (20) can appear in the distant field in front of the vehicle. FIG. 2 shows a cross section through the optical element (14) along the I-I cut line.

[0022] FIG. 2 shows the I-I cross section view in accordance with FIG. 1 and the optical element (14) with a light guide (17) is shown. At the open end of the light guide (17), there is an LED (12) for coupling the high beam (13) into the light guide (17) and thus into the optical element (14).

[0023] On the coupling surface (15) positioned across from the light guide (17), there is a surface structure (16). The surface structure (16) causes the high beam (13) to be scattered in such a way that it is also is directed into the area of the low beam (11).

[0024] The top surface (19) has a mirrored surface (18) that does not reach the front bezel edge (20) of the optical element (14). This creates a coupling area (21) on the top side, into which a portion of the low beam (11) can be coupled, and this portion can be decoupled again by the decoupling surface (15) with the surface structuring (16). This also causes a partial scattering of the low beam (11), which creates additional blurring of the cut-off line between the low beam (11) and the high beam (13).

[0025] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a headlight module (1) with an abstracted illustration of an optical element (14). The main body of the headlight module (1) is a cooling and support element (22). The LEDs (10) for the low beam and the LEDs (12) for the high beam are held by the cooling and support element (22). There is a light guide element (26) positioned in front of the LEDs (10) for the low beam (11) and the optical element (14) is positioned in front of the LEDs (12) for the high beam (13). This design allows the light from the LEDs (10) to be coupled into the light guide element (26) and the light from the LEDs (12) for the high beam (13) to be coupled into the optical element (14). The optical element (14) has the roughened decoupling surface (15) positioned across from the arrangement of LEDs (12) for the high beam (13). Relative to the direction of propagation (24) of the low beam (11) or the high beam (13), optical element (14) is spatially positioned in front of the LED (10) with the light guide element (26). At a minimum, however, the optical element (14) extends into an area spatially positioned in front of the LED (10) with the light guide element (26) with respect to the direction of propagation (24) of the low beam (11).

[0026] The low beam (11) and the high beam (13) are coupled together into a lens (25) that is spatially located in front of the optical element (14) based on the direction of propagation (24) of the light. In this design, the light guide element (26) for the low beam is located behind the optical element (14) in a position arranged above the optical element (14). This way, a portion of the low beam (11) can reach the mirrored surface (18) of the optical element (14) and a cut-off line can be created by the bezel edge (20) on the optical element (14).

[0027] If a low beam is required, then only the LEDs (10) for the low beam (11) are activated. If a high beam is required, then the LEDs (10) for the low beam (11) remain activated and the LEDs (12) for the high beam (13) are added. For each of the low beam (11) and/or the high beam (13), multiple LEDs (10, 12) may be provided that are set up to be activated individually to fulfill a matrix function.

[0028] The optical element (14), the illustration of which is merely a rough diagram, may feature an embodiment as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. The surface structuring (16) of the decoupling surface (15) and the top-side coupling area (21) for the low beam (11) result in a blurring of the cut-off line when the high beam (13) is operated, presenting a simple solution to the problem being addressed by this invention.

[0029] In its embodiment, the invention does not relate solely to the preferred design example described above. On the contrary, a number of variants that use the solution as represented above are conceivable, even on designs that are fundamentally different. All characteristics resulting from the claims, the description or the drawings and/or advantages, including design details or spatial arrangements may be essential to the invention, both in their own right and in the wide variety of combinations.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0030] 1 Headlamp module [0031] 10 LED for low beam [0032] 11 Low beam [0033] 12 LED for high beam [0034] 13 High beam [0035] 14 Optical element [0036] 15 Decoupling surface [0037] 16 Surface structuring [0038] 17 Light guide [0039] 18 Mirrored surface [0040] 19 Top surface [0041] 20 Bezel edge [0042] 21 Top-side coupling area [0043] 22 Cooling and support element [0044] 23 Contour for a cut-off line [0045] 24 Direction of propagation [0046] 25 Lens [0047] 26 Light guide element [0048] 27 Section