Lighting Device for a Motor Vehicle

Abstract

A lighting device for a motor vehicle includes a lighting component having one or more light sources and one or more transparent facet bodies, each of which bodies has a surface consisting of a plurality of planar first facets. Light originating from the one or more light sources is radiated into the one or more transparent facet bodies as first luminous radiation. The first luminous radiation is at least partially refracted on first facets of the one or more transparent facet bodies and subsequently exits the lighting device as second luminous radiation in order to produce light distribution. One or more translucent optical components are located in the lighting device between the lighting component and the one or more transparent facet bodies.

Claims

1-17. (canceled).

18. A lighting device for a motor vehicle, the lighting device comprising: a lighting component having one or more light sources and one or more transparent facet bodies, each of which comprises a surface consisting of a plurality of planar first facets, wherein light which emanates from the one or more light sources of the lighting component radiates into the one or more transparent facet bodies as first light radiation, the first light radiation being refracted at least partially at first facets of the one or more transparent facet bodies and subsequently emerging from the lighting device as second light radiation in order to produce a light distribution, and one or more translucent optical components that are arranged between the lighting component and the one or more transparent facet bodies, each of which optical components comprises an entry side for entry of light of the lighting component into the respective optical component and an exit side for exit of light which has entered through the entry side out from the respective optical component, light which emerges from the optical component or components being radiated as the first light radiation into the one or more transparent facet bodies, the exit side of the respective optical component comprising a light-scattering structure consisting of planar second facets which are provided in a plurality of different dimensions and are aligned in a plurality of different directions in space.

19. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, wherein a respective optical component of at least some of the one or more translucent optical components comprises a deviating surface which deviates at least a part of the light which has entered through the entry side in the direction of the exit side.

20. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, wherein a respective optical component of at least some of the one or more translucent optical components comprises a deviating surface which deviates at least a part of the light which has entered through the entry side in the direction of the exit side, by way of total internal reflection at the deviating surface.

21. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the lighting device is configured such that a main beam direction of the one or more light sources of the lighting component extends substantially in a vertical direction when the lighting device is installed in the motor vehicle, a respective optical component of at least some of the one or more translucent optical components being configured such that its entry side is arranged next to at least some of the one or more light sources in the vertical direction and its exit side is arranged next to at least some of the one or more transparent facet bodies in a horizontal direction, light of the at least some of the one or more light sources entering its entry face and light which emerges through its exit side radiating into the at least some of the one or more transparent facet bodies.

22. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, wherein in a respective optical component of at least some of the one or more translucent optical components, the second facets are configured as elevations respectively consisting of a plurality of second facets, the elevations protruding from the respective optical component from a predetermined exit plane.

23. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, wherein on a respective optical component of at least some of the one or more translucent optical components, one or more collimator optical units are provided on or next to its entry side, a respective collimator optical unit which concentrates the light of the individual light source being separately assigned an individual light source of the lighting component.

24. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, wherein a respective optical component of at least some of the one or more translucent optical components is a plastic component.

25. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the one or more light sources comprise one or more polychromatic light sources and/or one or more monochromatic light sources.

26. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, wherein at least one facet body is formed from glass, and/or at least one facet body is formed from plastic.

27. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, wherein at least one facet body is formed from crystal glass, and/or at least one facet body is formed from plastic.

28. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, wherein a respective light source of the lighting component is a substantially point light source.

29. The lighting device as claimed in claim 28, wherein the respective light source is an LED unit consisting of one or more LEDs or a laser light source consisting of one or more laser diodes.

30. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the lighting component is operable in one or more operating modes, light for a light function which is assigned to a respective operating mode being provided in the respective operating mode.

31. The lighting device as claimed in claim 30, wherein the one or more operating modes comprise at least one of the following operating modes: an operating mode for providing a flashing light as a light function; an operating mode for providing a daytime running light as a light function; an operating mode for providing a position light as a light function; or an operating mode for providing light sequencing before starting or after parking of the motor vehicle.

32. The lighting device as claimed in claim 30, wherein the lighting component comprises one or more lighting groups each consisting of one or more light sources, each emitting light with a same color, wherein light sources of different groups emit light with a different color.

33. The lighting device as claimed in claim 32, wherein each operating mode is assigned a lighting group and only the light source or the light sources of the assigned lighting group are turned on in the respective operating mode.

34. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, further comprising at least one further lighting component.

35. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the lighting component, the one or more translucent optical components and the one or more transparent facet bodies are accommodated in a common housing which comprises a translucent lens for light exit.

36. The lighting device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the lighting device is configured to be installed above a vehicle headlamp in a vertical direction.

37. A motor vehicle comprising the lighting device as claimed in claim 18.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a perspective representation of one embodiment of a lighting device according to the invention, only one half of the lighting device being depicted.

[0037] FIG. 2 shows a perspective representation in which both halves of the lighting device of FIG. 1 are represented, only those components being depicted which are essential to the embodiment of the invention.

[0038] FIG. 3 shows a perspective representation which depicts an enlargement of one of the optical components of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] An embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to a vehicle signal lamp, which is installed above a front headlamp (not shown) of a motor vehicle. This vehicle signal lamp may be seen from the perspective representation of FIG. 1. Only a first half of the vehicle signal lamp is shown in this case. In the view of FIG. 1, the vehicle signal lamp continues from the first half represented toward the right in a second half, the structure of which corresponds to the first half, that is to say the second half contains the same arrangement of the facet bodies described below with light guides lying underneath.

[0040] In FIG. 1, as well as in the further FIGS. 2 and 3, the vertical direction, and therefore the height direction of the motor vehicle, is constituted by the Z axis. The vehicle signal lamp represented is installed in a housing, which is located above the left headlamp of the motor vehicle. The housing cannot be seen in FIG. 1. In FIGS. 1 to 3, only the components relevant for the embodiment of the invention are denoted with references. Only these components will be described in detail below.

[0041] The vehicle signal lamp comprises in total four facet bodies in the form of two mutually adjacent pairs of corresponding facet bodies 1 and 1′. The respective facet bodies 1 have a bellied shape, while the facet bodies 1′ are elongately configured. The individual facet bodies consist of glass and comprise a plurality of ground planar facets 2, only some of which are denoted with this reference for reasons of clarity. Below the facet body 1′ of the pair of facet bodies 1, 1′ which is represented in FIG. 1, there is a diffuser lens 5 which comprises a horizontally extending section 501 and an obliquely extending section 502. Behind the diffuser lens 5, there are three horizontally extending light guides 6, only the uppermost of these light guides being indicated by a dotted section in FIG. 1. Each light guide is supplied with light by an assigned LED (not shown); the color of the LEDs may vary.

[0042] The light guides 6 which are arranged below the facet bodies 1′ in both halves of the vehicle signal lamp, and which are covered by the corresponding diffuser lens 5, are used to produce a flashing light and a daytime running light. When the daytime running light is activated, the corresponding LEDs radiate white light into the light guides 6. In the case of activating the flashing light, the LEDs radiate yellow light into the light guides 6, the LEDs furthermore being turned on and off with a predetermined frequency. The corresponding facet bodies 1 and 1′ are used to assist the function of the daytime running light, or of the flashing light, by light being radiated by way of the light sources described below into the facet bodies when the corresponding light function is activated. In order to ensure that the light generated by the signal lamp emerges only through the diffuser lens 5, or the facet bodies 1 and 1′, the signal lamp furthermore contains a lower opaque mask 3 and an upper opaque mask 4, which extend continuously from the first half to the second half of the vehicle signal lamp.

[0043] The view of FIG. 2 shows the first half and the second half of the vehicle signal lamp of FIG. 1, only the pair of facet bodies 1 and 1′ from the second half being depicted, in order to reveal the interior of the lamp. As may be seen from FIG. 2, a corresponding transparent optical component 7 made of plastic, which is an essential component of the vehicle signal lamp, is located behind each pair of the two facet bodies 1, 1′. The optical component will also be referred to as a thick-walled optical unit.

[0044] Each optical component 7 comprises a front side, which has a chaotic structure consisting of a plurality of irregularly arranged facets 8 (only some of which are denoted with references). In other words, there are facets in a plurality of different polygonal shapes with different sizes and alignments with respect to one another. On the lower side of each thick-walled optical unit, there are a plurality of funnel-shaped collimator optical units 9, known per se, which are integral constituents of the thick-walled optical unit. Arranged below these collimator optical units 9, there is a circuit board 11 on which a plurality of LEDs 10 are arranged, the latter appearing as black points in FIG. 2. For reasons of clarity, only some of the collimator optical units and the LEDs are denoted with the reference 9 and 10, respectively. The LEDs are controlled by way of a control unit (not shown), which is connected to the circuit board 11.

[0045] Below each thick-walled optical unit 7, there are in total 22 LEDs, eleven yellow-emitting LEDs and eleven white-emitting LEDs being provided, which alternate along the longitudinal direction of the circuit board 11. Each LED 10 has precisely one collimator optical unit 9, which lies above the corresponding LED and leads to concentration of the light emitted by the latter. The thick-walled optical unit 7 therefore comprises in total 22 collimator optical units 9. When the daytime running light is activated, alongside the light guides 6 of FIG. 1, the white light LEDs on the two circuit boards 11 are turned on, while when the flashing light function is activated the yellow LEDs, which flash synchronously together with the light guides 6, are activated.

[0046] The precise structure of the thick-walled optical unit 7 with the circuit board 11 lying underneath may be seen from the detail representation of FIG. 3. The thick-walled optical unit comprises an entry side 701, which forms the lower side of the thick-walled optical unit with the collimator optical units 9 provided thereon. Furthermore provided are a front exit side 702 with the chaotic facet structure and a planar back deviating surface 703, which extends obliquely and deviates by total internal reflection light which enters the thick-walled optical unit. The light that has been deviated emerges from the thick-walled optical unit 7 via the exit side 702.

[0047] When the corresponding light function is activated, the yellow or white LEDs 10 start to shine and radiate light through the respective collimator optical units 9 into the entry side 702 of the thick-walled optical unit. A large portion of the light which has entered the thick-walled optical unit is directed via the obliquely extending deviating surface 703 toward the exit side 702 of the thick-walled optical unit 7. At the exit side, the light then emerges through the chaotic structure of facets 8, so that scattered light is created there. As may be seen from FIG. 3, the chaotic facet structure consists of a plurality of elevations, each of which comprises a plurality of facets 8 and which are separated from one another by vertical sections of the thick-walled optical unit. For reasons of clarity, again only some facets are provided with references. Optionally, it is also possible for the elevations to be directly adjacent to one another at least in some sections.

[0048] The scattered light generated by the facets 8 enters the facet bodies 1 and 1′ lying in front of the thick-walled optical unit 7 and is reflected and refracted in the facet bodies. A part of the light finally emerges through the front side of the facet bodies and the cover lens of the vehicle signal lamp. By the configuration of the facet bodies as glass bodies with ground facets, an appealing light effect is in this case generated in the form of scintillation. When white light is radiated in, a light distribution with a rainbow effect may furthermore be achieved by the spectral breakup of the light.

[0049] The embodiment described above has a number of advantages. In particular, scattered light, which is radiated into corresponding facet bodies, is generated in a straightforward way from point light sources by thick-walled optical units with chaotic light exit faces. In this way, uniform illumination of the facet bodies is possible without individual light spots being identifiable. This leads to an appealing warm light appearance of the vehicle signal lamp. Furthermore, the cold light appearance when the vehicle signal lamp is turned off is also improved. In particular, when looking into the interior of the lamp, the crystal structure of the front facet bodies continues back through the facets of the thick-walled optical unit and a scintillating effect may also be achieved when external light (for example sunlight) shines in.

List of References

[0050] 1,1′ facet body [0051] 2 facets of the facet bodies [0052] 3,4 masks [0053] 5 diffuser lens [0054] 501 horizontal section of the diffuser lens [0055] 502 oblique section of diffuser lens [0056] 6 light guide [0057] 7 thick-walled optical unit [0058] 701 entry side of the thick-walled optical unit [0059] 702 exit side of the thick-walled optical unit [0060] 703 deviating surface of the thick-walled optical unit [0061] 8 facets of the thick-walled optical unit [0062] 9 collimator optical unit of the thick-walled optical unit [0063] 10 LED light sources [0064] 11 circuit board [0065] Z vertical direction