CORNERING LIGHT DEVICE FOR A VEHICLE PROJECTION MODULE AND VEHICLE LIGHT SYSTEM COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE SUCH CORNERING LIGHT DEVICE

Abstract

A cornering light device for a vehicle projection module is presented, the cornering light device comprising: a light source for emitting a light beam; at least one narrowing device for narrowing the light beam; and a guide element having a light emitting section at a first end and an output section at a second end, the guide element guiding the light beam from the light emitting section in the direction of the output section; wherein the second end comprises a deflection surface for at least partly deflecting the light beam guided by the guide element; an output surface through which the light beam can exit the cornering light; wherein the cornering light device is configured for attachment to a control unit, with at least one characteristic of the light beam being controllable by the control unit. The cornering light device is characterized in that it is configured for attachment to the control unit that controls at least one of the main vehicle headlights in addition to the at least one characteristic of the light beam. Furthermore, a vehicle light system comprising at least one cornering light device is presented, the system further comprising: a control unit; and at least one vehicle headlight module; wherein the control unit is configured for controlling at least one characteristic of the light beam projected by the cornering light device as well as at least one characteristic of the light projected by the at least one main vehicle headlight.

Claims

1. A cornering light device for a vehicle projection module, the cornering light device comprising: a light source for emitting a light beam; at least one narrowing device for narrowing the light beam; a guide element having a light emitting section at a first end and an output section at a second end, the guide element guiding the light beam from the light emitting section in the direction of the output section, wherein the second end comprises a deflection surface for at least partly deflecting the light beam guided by the guide element; and an output surface through which the light beam can exit the cornering light device, wherein the cornering light device is configured for attachment to a control unit configured to control at least one characteristic of the light beam, and wherein the cornering light device is configured for attachment to the control unit that controls at least one main vehicle headlight in addition to the at least one characteristic of the light beam.

2. The cornering light device of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises at least one printed circuit board.

3. The cornering light device of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises at least one light emitting diode.

4. The cornering light device of claim 1, wherein the least one narrowing device comprises at least one convex lens surface and/or a collimator.

5. The cornering light device of claim 1, wherein the light source is arranged at the first end of the guide element and that the output surface is arranged at the second end of the guide element.

6. The cornering light device of claim 1, wherein the guide element is a tube-shaped element.

7. The cornering light device of claim 1, wherein the deflection surface is a chamfer.

8. The cornering light device of claim 1, wherein the deflection surface is arranged with an angle (a) relative to a main axis of the guide element.

9. The cornering light device of claim 1, wherein the deflection surface is a flat surface or that the deflection surface is an at least partially curved surface.

10. The cornering light device of claim 1, wherein the output surface comprises outcoupling optics.

11. The cornering light device of claim 10, the outcoupling optics comprise one or more micro structures.

12. The cornering light device of claim 10, wherein the outcoupling optics comprise outcoupling pillows.

13. A vehicle light system comprising at least one cornering light device according to claim 1, the system comprising: the control unit; and the at least one main vehicle headlight; wherein the control unit is configured for controlling to control the at least one characteristic of the light beam projected by the cornering light device and at least one characteristic of a second light beam projected by the at least one main vehicle headlight.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one characteristic of the light beam of the cornering light device and the at least one characteristic of the second light beam of the at least one main vehicle headlight are controlled by the same control unit.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the system comprises a combination of two or more cornering light devices in order to scale up or scale down the overall intensity of the cornering light.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several examples of the disclosed subject matter. The drawings schematically show the following:

[0032] FIG. 1-a cornering light device for a vehicle according to a first embodiment;

[0033] FIG. 2-a vehicle light system comprising the cornering light device of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Within the meaning of this disclosure, the terms illumination and projection, the terms system, assembly and package, the terms headlight and main light as well as the terms light, light source and lamp are respectively used synonymously.

[0035] FIG. 1 depicts a cornering light device 1 for a vehicle according to a first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the cornering light device 1 comprises a light source for 2 emitting a light beam. The light source 2, although only schematically shown, can in particular comprise one or more LED's. This way, characteristics of the light emitted by the cornering light device 1, e.g. color, brightness or intensity of the light, can easily be adjusted, either be means of feedback-based automatic adjustment carried out by the control unit 7 or by provision of instructions by a user or driver. The one or more LED can be disposed on an appropriate substrate (not shown).

[0036] The light emitted by the light source 2 can be shaped into a beam of essentially parallel light by means of a narrowing device 3. The narrowing device 3 may comprise one or more lenses. Preferably, the narrowing device 3 is a collimator 3. Alternatively or in addition, the narrowing device 3 can also comprise a slit or a hole or a similar aperture through which only parts of the light emitted by the light source 2 may pass. A cornering light component 1 as shown in FIG. 1 having a collimator 3 can generate light consisting of parallel or at least approximately parallel light beams, from the light source 2 to the output surface 6.

[0037] The cornering light device 1 further comprises a guide element 4 having a light emitting section at its first end 41 and an output section at its second end 42, the guide element 4 guiding the light beam from first end 41 in the direction of the second end 42. As shown in FIG. 1, the guide element 4 may be cuboid-shaped. The second end 42 comprises a deflection surface 5, which at least partly deflects the light beam emitted by the light source 2 at the first end 41 and guided by the guide element 4 through the narrowing device 3 to the second end 42. As depicted in FIG. 1, the deflection surface 5 may be a chamfer 5. The deflection surface 5 is arranged with an angle ? relative to a main axis A of the guide element 4. This angle ? may be varied in accordance with the respective requirements. The guide element 4 can be altered in shape, length and diameter according to the respective spatial requirements for the cornering light device 1. This way, the guide element 4 may easily be fixed to a side of a module tube of one of the headlight or main light modules 9a-d (FIG. 2). Thus, easy implementation of the cornering light device 1 to a front light system 8 can be guaranteed. The deflection surface 5 may be a substantially flat surface or the deflection 5 surface may be an at least partially curved surface, i.e. the deflection surface may comprise curvy sections or may even be completely curvy, with no flat sections at all. Furthermore, the deflection surface 5 or the chamfer 5 may comprise optical elements (not shown).

[0038] In accordance with FIG. 1, the second end 42 of the guide element also comprises an output surface 6 through which the light beam can exit the cornering light device 1. Thus, the output surface 6 refers to a section of the guide element 4 where the light beam exits the cornering light device 1 and gets projected from the car in a lateral direction. For that purpose, the output surface 5 may comprise outcoupling optics 61, which may have one or more appropriate microstructures or conventional single lens surfaces. As shown in FIG. 1 for example, the outcoupling optics 61 comprise outcoupling pillows, which can be used to generate the preferred light distribution.

[0039] According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the cornering light device 1 is configured for attachment to a control unit 7, wherein at least one characteristic of the light beam is controlled by the control unit 7.

[0040] The cornering light device 1 is characterized in that it is configured for attachment to the control unit 7 that controls at least one of the main vehicle headlights in addition to the at least one characteristic of the light beam, the characteristic being for example color, brightness or intensity of the light. The control unit 7 may be a PCB 71 or a plurality of PCB's 71 or PCB chips, as is the case in FIG. 1. If the control units 7 are PCB's 71, the number of cooling bodies required for temperature control of the PCB's 71 can also be reduced, since implementation of the cornering light device 1 into an already existing PCB 71 lowers the number of total PCB's 71 needed. This is because one PCB 71 can be shared among the main light module 9a-d and the cornering light device 1, for example. Furthermore, the PCB 71 can be easily configured to enable combined control of both the main headlights and the cornering lights. This way, complicated connections between two separate control units 7wherein one control unit 7 is configured for controlling the main light module 9a-d and the other control unit 7 is configured for controlling a cornering light module 1 as normally usedis no longer required, since both lights may now be controlled by the same control unit 7.

[0041] Thus, the cornering light device 1 shown in FIG. 1 can easily be connected to an already existing circuit board 7 of a headlight projection module 9a-d of a vehicle's main light assembly 8. This is highly advantageous, since it allows for smaller cornering light devices 1 compared to classical solutions, where a separate cornering light module needs to be added to the main light system 8. So the free spaces available in a car's front light assembly 8 can be used in a much more efficient way by using the cornering light device 1 depicted in FIG. 1.

[0042] By implementing the cornering light function into a main light module 9a-d, it is possible to save package space required for a cornering light on the one hand and to achieve a minimalistic design for the cornering light on the other hand.

[0043] FIG. 2 depicts a vehicle light system 8 or assembly 8 comprising the embodiment of a cornering light device 1 shown in FIG. 1. In particular, FIG. 2 depicts a vehicle light system 8 or a vehicle light assembly 8 comprising a cornering light device 1. The system of FIG. 2 further comprises a PCB 71 functioning as a shared control unit 7 and four main vehicle headlights 9a-d, wherein the control unit 7 is configured for controlling at least one characteristic of the light beam of the cornering light device 1 as well as at least one characteristic of a second light of the four main vehicle headlight modules 9a-d.

[0044] A vehicle having such a system 8 has the advantage that a cornering light device 1 can easily be implemented into the system 8 using existing electronics of the assembly 8. Furthermore, any number of cornering light devices 1 be added or removed from the system 8. Furthermore, the free spaces available in a car's front light assembly 8s can be used in a much more efficient way using the presented cornering light device 1.

[0045] The invention is not limited to one of the embodiments described herein but may be modified in numerous other ways.

[0046] While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing summary and detailed description as well as the claims, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration in any way. Rather, the foregoing summary and detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing at least one exemplary embodiment, it being under-stood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope as set forth in the claims and their legal equivalents.

[0047] All features disclosed by the claims, the specifications and the figures, as well as all advantages, including constructive particulars, spatial arrangements and methodological steps, can be essential to the invention either on their own or by various combinations with each other.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0048] 1 Cornering light device [0049] 2 Light source [0050] 3 Narrowing device [0051] 4 Guide element [0052] 5 Deflection surface [0053] 6 Output surface [0054] 7 Control unit [0055] 8 Light system [0056] 9a-d Vehicle headlight module [0057] 41 First end [0058] 42 Second end [0059] 51 Chamfer [0060] 61 Outcoupling optics [0061] 71 Printed circuit board [0062] a Angle [0063] A Main axis