HOLOGRAPHIC LIGHTING DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to a lighting device for a vehicle having at least one lighting channel for generating a holographic light function assigned to this lighting channel by lighting a holographic structure of the lighting channel. Each channel includes a lighting assembly and a coupling-in surface of a light guide body disposed along a main beam direction of the lighting assembly. The lighting device also includes a holographic structure disposed on the coupling-out surface of the light guide body. The coupling-out surface is disposed in a beam path of the coupled-in light beams, so that lighting of the coupling-out surface takes place at an angle which is greater than a critical angle of the total reflection. The invention also relates to a rear light for a vehicle and to a vehicle.

Claims

1-22. (canceled)

23. An illumination device for a vehicle with at least one illumination channel for generating a holographic lighting function assigned to this illumination channel by illumination of a holographic structure of the illumination channel, the illumination device comprising: an illumination arrangement of the illumination channel that generates illumination light; a light guide body having an input coupling surface arranged along a radiation main direction of the illumination arrangement; and an output coupling surface of the light guide body at which the holographic structure is arranged, wherein the output coupling surface is arranged in a beam path of light rays of the illumination light which are input-coupled into the light guide body for illumination of the output coupling surface at an angle greater than a critical angle of the total internal reflection.

24. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein each input-coupled light ray which reaches the output coupling surface does not reach the output coupling surface again due to total internal reflection.

25. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein the output coupling surface and the holographic structure are configured to generate the holographic lighting function by output-coupling input-coupled light rays of the illumination light out of the output coupling surface.

26. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein the holographic structure comprises at least one transmissive hologram.

27. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein the holographic structure comprises at least one reflective hologram, wherein the reflective hologram and the output coupling surface are configured and/or arranged to generate the holographic lighting function after a reflection of the input-coupled light rays at the output coupling surface.

28. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein the light guide body comprises a transparent substrate and at least one layer applied to the transparent substrate, wherein the output coupling surface comprises the at least one layer, and wherein the holographic structure is present within the at least one layer between the transparent substrate and the output coupling surface within a hologram layer.

29. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein the holographic structure is arranged at an outer surface of the light guide body that lies opposite to the output coupling surface and parallel to the output coupling surface, and wherein the outer surface parallel to the output coupling surface is preferably arranged 5 mm or less from the output coupling surface.

30. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein the output coupling surface is arranged at an angle to a radiation main direction of the input-coupled light rays of the illumination light between 0? and a complementary angle of the critical angle of the total internal reflection.

31. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein the input coupling surface is arranged in a plane perpendicular to a radiation main direction of the illumination arrangement, and wherein the input coupling surface and the output coupling surface enclose an angle in a range of a critical angle of total internal reflection to 90?.

32. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein the input coupling surface is not arranged in a plane perpendicular to a radiation main direction of the illumination arrangement, wherein the input coupling surface and the output coupling surface are arranged at an angle of 90? relative to each other, and wherein the light guide body is widened toward the input coupling surface.

33. The illumination device of claim 23, further comprising a reflection surface of the light guide body arranged in the beam path between the input coupling surface and the output coupling surface for a single total internal reflection of the input-coupled light rays of the illumination light at the reflection surface before the illumination of the output coupling surface.

34. The illumination device of claim 33, wherein the input coupling surface is arranged in a plane perpendicular to a radiation main direction of the illumination arrangement, and wherein the reflection surface is arranged at an angle with respect to the input coupling surface such that the input-coupled light rays of the illumination light are totally internally reflected at the reflection surface and the output coupling surface is illuminated at an angle greater than a critical angle of the total internal reflection.

35. The illumination device of claim 33, wherein the light guide body has an output coupling surface parallel to the input coupling surface, and the reflection surface is an outer surface of the light guide body located directly between the input coupling surface and the output coupling surface.

36. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein the illumination arrangement comprises a light source and a beam-shaping component, which are arranged along the radiation main direction of the illumination arrangement, wherein the beam-shaping component a collimation lens, which is configured to collimate the light rays from the light source, and wherein the collimation lens is arranged such that a focal plane of the collimation lens coincides with an emitter surface of the light source.

37. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein the input coupling surface is not planar and is configured for a light-shaping function, and wherein the input coupling surface is curved in a defined manner.

38. The illumination device of claim 23, wherein more than one illumination channel is included, wherein the illumination channels are arranged next to one another in the transverse direction perpendicular to the radiation main direction of the illumination arrangement, wherein light guide bodies of each illumination channel are encompassed in a monolithic component, and either: wherein the holographic structures of the illumination channels are arranged next to one another in the transverse direction on the output coupling surface, or wherein the holographic structures of the illumination channels are encompassed in a common holographic structure.

39. The illumination device of claim 38, wherein a monolithic lens system is included, which comprises a beam-shaping component in the form of a lens for each illumination channel.

40. The illumination device of claim 39, further comprising at least one stop between adjacent illumination channels, wherein the at least one stop is arranged between the light source and the beam-shaping component and/or between the beam-shaping component and the input coupling surface.

41. The illumination device of claim 39, wherein the beam-shaping component comprises a lens that is configured for internal total internal reflection of light rays input-coupled into the lens, which are oriented in the direction of the adjacent illumination channel and/or come from the adjacent illumination channel.

42. A tail light for a vehicle, comprising: the illumination device of claim 23, wherein legal illumination requirements for the tail light are fulfilled, and wherein the tail light has an intensity of either: between 4 and 12 cd in a horizontal angle range from ?80? to +80? starting from a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, or between 40 and 185 cd in a horizontal angle range from ?45? to +45? starting from the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

43. A lighting display for a vehicle, comprising the illumination device of claim 23, wherein the lighting display is preferably configured to display several possible pieces of information, wherein in particular more than one illumination channel is included, wherein one piece of information is assigned to one illumination channel.

44. A vehicle, comprising the illumination device of claim 23, the tail light of claim 42 and/or the lighting display of claim 43.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0194] The invention will be explained below with reference to further figures and examples. The examples and figures serve for illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention without limiting the latter.

[0195] FIG. 1 shows the illumination device on a partially illustrated motorcycle.

[0196] FIG. 2 shows the construction of the illumination device in a side view along the longitudinal sectional plane.

[0197] FIG. 3 shows a perspective illustration of the construction of the illumination device.

[0198] FIG. 4 shows a beam-shaping component of the illumination device.

[0199] FIG. 5 shows the construction of the illumination device with two illumination channels in a side view along the longitudinal sectional plane.

[0200] FIG. 6 shows a top view of the illumination device with two mutually adjacent illumination channels.

[0201] FIG. 7 shows the monolithic lens system of an illumination device with two illumination channels.

[0202] FIG. 8 shows the intensity of the lighting function of two mutually adjacent illumination channels in different switching states.

[0203] FIG. 9 shows schematically embodiments for suppressing crosstalk between adjacent channels.

[0204] FIG. 10 shows a measurement of an angular spectrum of the illumination of the holographic structure.

[0205] FIG. 11 illustrates the possible realizations and arrangements of the holographic structure.

[0206] FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of the illumination device for a display in a perspective view.

[0207] FIG. 13 shows an embodiment of the illumination device for a display in a lateral view.

[0208] FIG. 14 shows an embodiment comprising a reflection surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0209] FIG. 1 shows the illumination device 1 as a rear light on a partially illustrated motorcycle 3. Also shown is a standard rear light 5 of the motorcycle. It is clear that only very little installation space is available at the location where the illumination device 1, which can fulfill an additional function to the standard illumination, is mounted. However, this is not a problem due to the flat construction of the illumination device 1. The unfavorable angle due to the attachment to the fender of the motorcycle is also not a problem, since the holographic structure can diffract the output-coupled light rays in the direction of the horizontal such that the holographic lighting function is visible to a following road user.

[0210] FIG. 2 shows the construction of the illumination device 1 in a side view along the longitudinal sectional plane. The light rays emerge from the light source 7, are collimated by the beam-shaping component 9, here a lens, and are input-coupled into the light guide body 23 via the input coupling surface 11 thereof. The output coupling surface 13 is arranged in the beam path of the input-coupled light rays 21, so that the light rays are incident on the output coupling surface 13 and illuminate the holographic structure 15 arranged thereon at the illumination angle 19. In the example shown, the holographic structure can be a transmission hologram. The illumination angle 19 is given directly by the prism angle 20 in the embodiment shown. The illumination angle 19 or the prism angle 20 is selected such that a total internal reflection of the zero order takes place and whose light rays 21 are reflected toward the further outer surface of the light guide body 17. They can be absorbed or coupled out there, provided that this is not undesirable. The outer surface is arranged such that the light rays of the zero order are not subject there to any total internal reflection in the light guide body 23. Depending on the configuration of the holographic structure, the light rays (not shown) which are diffracted by the holographic structure and output-coupled out of the output coupling surface 13 can be output-coupled out of the output coupling surface 13 at a desired angle.

[0211] FIG. 3 shows a perspective illustration of the construction of the illumination device 1 with the beam-shaping component 9 in the form of a lens and the light guide body 23, through whose output coupling surface 13 the light is coupled out to generate the holographic lighting function.

[0212] FIG. 4 shows a beam-shaping component 9 of the illumination device, which is rectangularly trimmed. Rectangular trimming also affects the optically active surfaces. Thus, the beam-shaping component 9 is adapted to the cross section of the other components of the illumination device, which is advantageous for installation. The adapted cross section can also be seen in FIG. 3.

[0213] FIG. 5 shows the construction of the illumination device 1 with two illumination channels in a side view along the longitudinal sectional plane. It can be seen that along this plane, the construction substantially corresponds to the construction according to FIG. 2, the illumination device 1 of which has only one illumination channel. One possible difference is that, with a constant cross-sectional area, the beam-shaping component 9 (here, for example, the lens) in the illumination device 1 having a plurality of illumination channels can have a shorter focal length due to the more compact design even without great structural effort than in the version having one illumination channel. This allows the entire component to be kept more compact.

[0214] FIG. 6 shows a top view of the illumination device 1 with two illumination channels 26 arranged next to each other in a transverse direction. It comprises two light sources 7, the illumination light of which is prevented from crosstalk into the respective other illumination channel 26 within the monolithic component 23 by a stop 25 present between the light source 7 and the beam-shaping component 9, prior to the collimation by the respective beam-shaping components 9. The beam-shaping components are implemented in the form of a lens system in a monolithic component 28. As a result, the lenses 9 do not have to be adjusted relative to each other and can also be kept compact. With good collimation, the illumination light after passing through the respective beam-shaping component 9 can be substantially prevented from crosstalking into the respective other illumination channel 26. Only a little light enters the wrong illumination channel; individual crosstalking light rays 27 are shown which advantageously have a low intensity due to the construction.

[0215] FIG. 7 shows the monolithic lens system 28 of an illumination device 1 with two illumination channels. The two lenses 9 arranged next to each other are encompassed in a monolithic component, wherein the optically functional surfaces directly transition into one another. The component 28 is trimmed rectangularly, which also affects the optically functional surfaces of the lenses 9. The lenses 9 do not have to be laboriously adjusted relative to each other, but are already aligned with each other within the scope of the manufacturing tolerances. The cross-section of the component 28 is already adapted to the further components of the illumination device 1 and a compact construction with easy installation in the vehicle can be ensured.

[0216] FIG. 8 shows the intensity of the lighting function of two mutually adjacent illumination channels in different switching states when viewing the output coupling surface. The intensity is shown here by way of the illuminance in lux. The lux unit of measurement is preferably defined as the photometric illumination produced by a luminous flux of 1 lumen (Im) when evenly distributed over an area of 1 square meter. From the representation of the illuminance, the measure of the homogeneity of the lighting of the respective channel on the output coupling surface can be determined and also the separation of the channels, at least with a switched-off illumination channel. On the far left, both channels are switched on. These are homogeneous in each case. The holographic structure here comprises a common holographic structure, which generates a single holographic lighting function when both channels are illuminated together. The two depictions on the right each show a switched-off channel and it is clear that the switched-on channel is still homogeneously lit while the switched-off channel (shown in black) remains dark. Therefore advantageously no visible crosstalk can be detected.

[0217] FIG. 9 shows schematically embodiments for suppressing crosstalk between adjacent illumination channels 26 and 26. Here, only the right-hand illumination channel 26 is switched on, the light source 7 of which initially emits a beam directed in different spatial directions. Crosstalk is achieved at this point by means of a stop element 25. The rays are then input-coupled into the monolithic component 28 with the two lenses 9. Here, the light rays are collimated and directed into the correct illumination channel 26 as a collimated beam. Due to the large NA 29 of the lens 9, however, light rays from the light source 7 are also captured by the lens 9, which input-couple into the monolithic lens system 28 at a large angle with the optical axis. Therefore, these can still be input-coupled into the lens 9 of the adjacent channel 26 within the lens system 28. However, the lens 9 has such a strong curvature 31 in the region which rays of the adjacent channel 26 predominantly enter that these crosstalking light rays 27 are totally internally reflected within the lens 9 and deflected to the side or to the rear (counter to the actual beam direction), so that crosstalk can be prevented.

[0218] FIG. 10 shows a measurement of a typical angular spectrum of the illumination of the holographic structure. The intensity is given in cd. The peak indicates the radiation main direction of the input-coupled light rays (or synonymously: chief ray direction), measured at the plane of the holographic structure or the output coupling surface, here at about ?70?, whereby the angle is negative due to the measurement convention. The angular spectrum is the regions encompassed by the peak and is here less than +1?, because the beam is very well collimated. This allows a particularly high-quality lighting function to be produced.

[0219] FIG. 11 is to be used essentially to clarify the possible realizations of the holographic structure 15. FIG. 11 shows a light guide body 23, which, for example, comprises a transparent glass or PMMA substrate 32, into which light is input-coupled from the left side and then is incident on the upper surface of the light guide body 23. Located at this upper surface are a plurality of layers, which are preferably also encompassed by the light guide body 23. As the first, lowermost layer, a hologram layer 33 is present which comprises the holographic structure 15. The next layer is a layer with triacetate (TAC) 34. This is followed on top by a layer of a transparent adhesive layer or adhesive film (OCAnot shown), which in turn is covered by a layer/film made of polycarbonate (PC) 35. Preferably, there is only a small difference in the refractive index between the substrate 32 and the applied layers and between the layers among one another, and so a total internal reflection of the rays input-coupled into the light guide body 23 takes place only at the top layer, which is typically adjacent to air. The output coupling surface 13 is preferably the surface on which the light input-coupled into the light guide body 23 actually exits or is reflected, thus the surface of the PC layer 35, which is not arranged toward the other layers/to the light guide body 23 in the example shown.

[0220] The above example of FIG. 11 shows how the holographic structure 15 can be designed as a reflective hologram. The latter is configured and arranged in such a way that input-coupled light 37 which has not yet been reflected, or light in the example shown which comes from the direction of the substrate, is not diffracted by the reflective hologram but simply transmitted. Light 39 in turn which was previously transmitted by the hologram, is reflected at the output coupling surface 13 and is then incident on the holographic structure 15, is reflected by the reflection hologram and is diffracted 41 according to the lighting function to be generated. The undiffracted light (preferably the zero order) 43 is transmitted back into the substrate 32 of the light guide body 23.

[0221] In the lower example of FIG. 11, the holographic structure 15 is a transmissive hologram. The latter diffracts 41 the light 21 coming from the direction of the substrate directly, without this light previously having been subjected to total internal reflection at the output coupling surface 13. Only the light transmitted without diffraction, preferably also referred to as the zero order 22, is then totally internally reflected at the output coupling surface 13 and is also subsequently not diffracted by the transmission hologram, but is transmitted back into the substrate 32 of the light guide body 23.

[0222] FIG. 12 (perspective) and FIG. 13 (side view) show an embodiment of the illumination device 1 for a display. In this case, the input coupling surface 11 in the example shown is not arranged in a plane perpendicular to a radiation main direction of the illumination arrangement, input coupling surface 11 and output coupling surface 13 are arranged at an angle of 90? with respect to each other, and the light guide body 23 preferably widens toward the input coupling surface 45. However, this is not necessarily the case with the illumination device 1 for the display; rather, the input coupling surface 11 could also be arranged perpendicular to the radiation main direction. This can be decided, for example, depending on the available installation space and the desired beam path in the light guide body 23.

[0223] Illumination light is input-coupled from an illumination arrangement 43 formed by a light source (e.g. LED) 7 and a lens 9 through the input coupling surface 11 into the light guide body 23. The input coupling surface 11 is preferably arranged at an angle smaller than 90? with respect to the radiation main direction of the illumination arrangement. The input-coupled light is refracted to the perpendicular (surface normal of the input coupling surface 11) due to the difference in the refractive index between the light guide body 23 and the environment, as a result of which the angle between the surface normal to the output coupling surface 13 and the beam path of the input-coupled light rays 21 is reduced compared with the radiation direction before input coupling and thus total internal reflection of the input-coupled light rays 21 also takes place at the output coupling surface 13 at very oblique radiation into the light guide body 23.

[0224] Each input-coupled beam path 21 is then reflected once at the output coupling surface 13 and only then reaches the holographic structure 15, which is arranged in the embodiment shown at a parallel outer surface 47 of the light guide body 23 opposite the output coupling surface 13. Preferably, this is a holographic structure 15 arranged at the output coupling surface 13, which is arranged at a distance of at most 5 mm from the output coupling surface 13, because the parallel outer surface 47 is arranged at a distance of at most 5 mm from the output coupling surface 13. However, this is not mandatory in the illumination device for a display; rather it could also be a holographic structure 15, which is not arranged at an outer surface of the light guide body 23, but is arranged in the interior of the light guide body 23 at the output coupling surface 13, as described above in numerous embodiments. The display (the holographic lighting function) is then realized by means of light rays 41 which are coupled out upwards through the output coupling surface 13 and diffracted by the holographic structure 15 in the present example.

[0225] FIG. 14 shows an embodiment comprising a reflection surface. In this case, the light guide body 23 has an output coupling surface 13 parallel to the input coupling surface 11, and the reflection surface 49 is an outer surface of the light guide body 23 located directly between the input coupling surface 11 and the output coupling surface 13. The input coupling surface 11 is arranged in a plane perpendicular to a radiation main direction of the illumination arrangement. The reflection surface 49 is arranged at an angle to the input coupling surface 11 so that the input-coupled light rays of the illumination light are totally internally reflected at the reflection surface 49 and the output coupling surface 13 is illuminated at an angle 19 greater than a critical angle of the total internal reflection.

[0226] While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments. It will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, such scope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products. Moreover, features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed and matched (even if such combination is not explicitly described herein) without departing from the scope of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0227] 1 Illumination device [0228] 3 Motorcycle (partial illustration) [0229] 5 Standard rear light [0230] 7 Light source [0231] 9 Beam-shaping component [0232] 11 Input coupling surface [0233] 13 Output coupling surface [0234] 15 Holographic structure [0235] 17 Further outer surface of the light guide body [0236] 19 Illumination angle [0237] 20 Prism angle [0238] 21 Beam path of the input-coupled light rays [0239] 22 Totally internally reflected zero order [0240] 23 Light guide body [0241] 25 Stop element [0242] 26 Illumination channel [0243] 27 Crosstalking light ray [0244] 28 Monolithic lens system [0245] 29 NA of the lens [0246] 31 Strong curvature of the lens [0247] 32 Transparent substrate of the light guide body [0248] 33 Hologram layer [0249] 34 Layer with triacetate [0250] 35 Layer with polycarbonate [0251] 37 Input-coupled light which has not yet been reflected at the output coupling surface [0252] 39 Light transmitted by the reflection hologram [0253] 41 Light diffracted by the holographic structure [0254] 43 Zero order of diffraction of the reflection hologram [0255] 45 Widening of the light guide body toward the input coupling surface [0256] 47 Outer surface of the light guide body parallel to the output coupling surface [0257] 49 Reflection surface