Lighting Device for a Motor Vehicle

Abstract

A lighting device includes lens which delimits the inner region of the lighting device and is configured so that light exits outwards from the inner region. The lighting device includes one or more light sources in the inner region to emit a first light radiation in a first wavelength range, the lens being non-transparent to the first light radiation. The inner region also includes one or more elements, each of which contains a photoluminescent phosphor, the element(s) being arranged to be illuminated by the first light radiation. The photoluminescent phosphor is configured to emit a second light radiation in a second wavelength range, based on the first light radiation illuminating the element(s), the second light radiation at least partly exiting through the lens which is transparent to at least a part of the second light radiation.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A lighting device for a motor vehicle, the lighting device comprising: a lens which delimits an inner region of the lighting device and which is configured for exit of light generated during operation of the lighting device from the inner region outward; one or more light sources arranged in the inner region in order to emit first light radiation in a first wavelength range, wherein the lens is opaque for the first light radiation; and one or more bodies, each of which contains a photoluminescent phosphor at least in sections, wherein the one or more bodies are arranged in the inner region such that the one or more bodies are illuminated by the first light radiation, wherein the photoluminescent phosphor of the one or more bodies is configured such that, because of the first light radiation which illuminates the one or more bodies, the photoluminescent phosphor emits second light radiation in a second wavelength range which emerges at least partially through the lens, which is transmissive for at least a part of the second light radiation.

17. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein the first light radiation lies within the blue spectral range.

18. The lighting device according to claim 17, wherein the first light radiation lies in a wavelength range of between 440 nm and 460 nm.

19. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein the lens is a red lens.

20. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein the photoluminescent phosphor is configured such that the second light radiation emitted by the photoluminescent phosphor is white light or lies within the yellow and/or orange spectral range.

21. The lighting device according to claim 20, wherein the photoluminescent phosphor is configured such that the second light radiation emitted by the photoluminescent phosphor lies in a wavelength range of between 590 nm and 610 nm.

22. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein the photoluminescent phosphor comprises a fluorescent and/or phosphorescent phosphor.

23. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein a respective body of the one or more bodies is formed from a base material which is transmissive for at least a part of the first light radiation and at least a part of the second light radiation, and in which the photoluminescent phosphor is introduced as a filler.

24. The lighting device according to claim 23, wherein the base material is a plastic.

25. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein a respective body of the one or more bodies contains the photoluminescent phosphor with a variable density in a volume of the respective body.

26. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein a respective body of the one or more bodies is a component manufactured by 3D printing.

27. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein a respective body of the one or more bodies is formed in one piece with at least one section of a housing that delimits the inner region of the lighting device.

28. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein the one or more bodies are configured such that the second light radiation generates a luminous symbol with a viewing direction in a plan view of the lens from outside the lighting device.

29. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein the one or more light sources comprise one or more LEDs and/or one or more laser diodes.

30. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein a respective light source of the one or more light sources is not visible from outside the lighting device with a viewing direction in a plan view of the lens.

31. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein the lighting device is an interior lamp for a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle.

32. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein the lighting device is an exterior light for an exterior of the motor vehicle.

33. The lighting device according to claim 32, wherein the lighting device is a tail lamp.

34. A motor vehicle comprising one or more lighting devices according to claim 16.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0028] FIG. 1 shows, in a schematic perspective representation, a variant of a lighting device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0029] An embodiment of a lighting device according to the invention in the form of a tail lamp 1 will be described below with the aid of FIG. 1. This tail lamp is the left tail lamp of a motor vehicle, which is installed in the left region of its tail. The representation is highly schematized, so that the shapes and dimensions depicted do not correspond to an actual tail lamp.

[0030] The tail lamp 1 comprises a housing 3, which is closed by a red lens. The interior of the housing 3 is denoted by reference 5, and corresponds to an inner region in the sense of the patent claims. A multiplicity of technical component parts for fulfilling different light functions may be installed in the tail lamp. For reasons of clarity, however, only components relevant to the invention are shown in the interior of the tail lamp.

[0031] As may be seen from FIG. 1, a light source 2 in the form of an LED is arranged next to the lens 4 in the inner region 5. The LED 2 emits blue light in the direction away from the lens toward a body 6, as is depicted by a light cone indicated with dashes. The body 6 is a component manufactured by 3D printing. Any desired 3D printing technology may in this case be used for manufacturing the component. Corresponding examples of technologies have been mentioned above. In the embodiment described here, the component was produced by resin-based 3D printing. The component accordingly consists of a cured resin, which is transparent in the embodiment described here. What is essential for the invention is in this case that a filler in the form of a photoluminescent phosphor has been introduced into the resin during the production of the component.

[0032] The blue light of the LED 2 excites the phosphor in the transparent resin of the body 6, so that the phosphor emits light with a color other than blue. In the embodiment described here, a phosphor which emits in the yellow/orange range was used. For example, the phosphor already mentioned above with the product name SGA 612 100 isiphor® may be used for this.

[0033] The light emitted by the phosphor impinges on the red lens 4. This lens transmits a part of this light, so that the corresponding body 6 appears luminous. In this case, it should be noted that the red lens is not transmissive for the blue light originally generated by the LED 2. In this way, the appealing light effect of a self-illuminating body is generated since the light radiation of the LED is not externally visible through the lens 4.

[0034] In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a cylindrical component was used as the body 6. The component may, however, also be configured in any other desired way, for example as a sphere. In particular, production of the component by 3D printing opens up a large number of possibilities for the production of corresponding bodies in different shapes. In one preferred variant, one or more bodies whose shape generates a symbol by photoluminescence, for example a logo and/or lettering, are used in the lighting device. The symbol is externally visible to an observer when the LED 2 is turned on.

[0035] The above-described embodiment of the invention has a number of advantages. In particular, a simply constructed lighting device is provided, in which the lighting effect is achieved by one or more bodies that contain photoluminescent phosphor. In order to excite the photoluminescence, light radiation is in this case used which is not visible from outside the lighting device because the corresponding lens is opaque for this light radiation. The corresponding bodies are preferably manufactured by 3D printing, which makes it possible to produce any desired shapes and to adapt the bodies straightforwardly, for example in the event of a design modification of the lighting device.

List of References

[0036] 1 lighting device [0037] 2 light source [0038] 3 housing [0039] 4 lens [0040] 5 inner region [0041] 6 body