ILLUMINATION APPARATUS FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

An illumination apparatus for a motor vehicle having at least one light source from which light is emitted when the illumination apparatus is in operation, a collimation optical system through which, when the illumination apparatus is in operation, the light emitted from the at least one light source passes at least in part, and a secondary optical system with at least one array of cylinder lenses arranged adjacently on a face, through which, when the illumination apparatus is in operation, the light emitted by the collimation optical system passes at least in part, wherein the secondary optical system has an entry face and an exit face for the light emitting from the collimation optical system. The secondary optical system being arranged such that the exit face of the secondary optical system forms an angle unequal to 0° or unequal to 180° with the vertical when the illumination apparatus is installed.

Claims

1. An illumination apparatus for a motor vehicle, in particular a headlight for a motor vehicle, the apparatus comprising: at least one light source, from which light is emitted when the illumination apparatus is in operation; a collimation optical system through which, when the illumination apparatus is in operation, the light emitted from the at least one light source passes at least in part; and a secondary optical system with at least one array of cylinder lenses which are arranged adjacently on a face and through which, when the illumination apparatus is in operation, the light emitted by the collimation optical system passes at least in part, the secondary optical system having an entry face and an exit face for the light emitted by the collimation optical system, wherein the secondary optical system is arranged in the illumination apparatus in such a way that the exit face of the secondary optical system forms an angle unequal to 0° or unequal to 180° with the vertical when the illumination apparatus is installed in the motor vehicle, and wherein the entry face of the secondary optical system and/or the face on which the at least one array of cylinder lenses is arranged forms an angle unequal to 0° or unequal to 180° with the exit face of the secondary optical system.

2. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the normal on the entry face of the secondary optical system and/or on the face on which the at least one array of cylinder lenses is arranged forms an angle between 70° and 110° or an angle of approximately 90° with the vertical when the illumination apparatus is installed in the motor vehicle.

3. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collimation optical system has an optical axis and is arranged in the illumination apparatus such that the optical axis of the collimation optical system forms an angle unequal to 90° with the vertical when the illumination apparatus is installed in the motor vehicle.

4. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the angle in which the exit face of the secondary optical system forms with the vertical when the illumination apparatus is installed in the motor vehicle is less than 30° or equal to 30°.

5. The illumination apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the angle which the optical axis of the collimation optical system forms with the vertical when the illumination apparatus is installed is less than 30° or equal to 30°.

6. The illumination apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the normal on the exit face of the secondary optical system and the optical axis of the collimation optical system form an angle of less than 15° or an angle of less than 10° with each other or wherein the normal on the exit face of the secondary optical system is parallel to the optical axis of the collimation optical system.

7. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder lenses of the at least one array of cylinder lenses are arranged in the secondary optical system such that the cylinder axes of the cylinder lenses are aligned substantially parallel to the vertical when the illumination apparatus is installed in the motor vehicle.

8. An illumination apparatus for a motor vehicle, in particular a headlight for a motor vehicle, the apparatus comprising: at least one light source from which light is emitted when the illumination apparatus is in operation; a collimation optical system through which, when the illumination apparatus is in operation, the light emitted from the at least one light source passes at least in part; and a secondary optical system with at least one array of cylinder lenses arranged adjacently on a face, through which, when the illumination apparatus is in operation, the light emitted by the collimation optical system passes at least in part, the secondary optical system having an entry face and an exit face for the light emitting from the collimation optical system, wherein the secondary optical system is arranged in the illumination apparatus such that the normal on the exit face of the secondary optical system forms an angle unequal to 0° and unequal to 180° with the vehicle longitudinal direction when the illumination apparatus is installed in the motor vehicle, and wherein the cylinder lenses of the at least one array are arranged such that the cylinder axes of the cylinder lenses form an angle unequal to 0° and unequal to 180° with the vertical when the illumination apparatus is installed in the motor vehicle.

9. The illumination apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the angle which the normal forms with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on the exit face of the secondary optical system when the illumination apparatus is installed in the motor vehicle is less than 30° or equal to 30°.

10. The illumination apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the angle which the cylinder axes of the cylinder lenses form with the vertical when the illumination apparatus is installed in the motor vehicle is a size between 1° and 10°, a size between 2° and 7°, or a size of about 4°.

11. The illumination apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the illumination apparatus is an illumination apparatus according to claim 1.

12. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the face on which the cylinder lenses are arranged adjacently corresponds to the entry face of the secondary optical system.

13. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder axes of the cylinder lenses of the at least one array are aligned parallel to each other.

14. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the illumination apparatus comprises a plurality of arrays of cylinder lenses, wherein the focal lengths of the cylinder lenses of different arrays are different from each other.

15. The illumination apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the arrays of cylinder lenses are arranged substantially vertically one above the other when the illumination apparatus is installed in the motor vehicle, thereby forming a plurality of entry faces of the secondary optical system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of an illumination apparatus according to the invention;

[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective detail view of the illumination apparatus according to FIG. 1;

[0019] FIG. 3 is a side view of the illumination apparatus according to FIG. 1;

[0020] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an example of an illumination apparatus

[0021] FIG. 5 is a perspective detail view of the illumination apparatus according to FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The example of an illumination apparatus according to the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is formed as a headlight. The illumination apparatus comprises a plurality of light sources, not shown, which are designed as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) from which light is emitted when the illumination apparatus is in operation. For example, the illustrated embodiment of the illumination apparatus may comprise three light-emitting diodes spaced from each other.

[0023] The illumination apparatus further comprises a collimation optical system 1, through which, when the illumination apparatus is in operation, the light emitted from the light sources passes at least in part. In the embodiment shown, the collimation optical system 1 comprises three adjacently arranged collimation lenses 2 which are connected to each other in one piece. In this case, each of the light-emitting diodes is assigned a collimation lens 2 and arranged in front of the light-emitting diode in such a way that the light emitted by the light-emitting diodes is largely collimated by the associated collimation lens 2. FIG. 3 indicates a typical position of the light-emitting diode in front of the collimation lens 2 by a dot 3.

[0024] It is possible not to connect the collimation lenses 2 of the collimation optical system 1 in one piece, but instead to form them on separate substrates, as is for example provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

[0025] The illumination apparatus further comprises a secondary optical system 4, which has an array 5 of cylinder lenses 6 arranged adjacently on a face, through which, when the illumination apparatus is in operation, the light emitted from the collimation optical system 1 passes at least in part. The face on which the array 5 of cylinder lenses 6 is arranged corresponds in the illustrated embodiment to the entry face of the secondary optical system 4. It is quite possible to arrange the array 5 of cylinder lenses 6 on a face that does not correspond to the entry face.

[0026] The cylinder axes 7 of the cylinder lenses are aligned parallel to each other. Furthermore, the array 5 of cylinder lenses 6 is arranged in the secondary optical system 4 in such a way that the cylinder axes 7 of the cylinder lenses 6 are aligned substantially parallel to the vertical 8 schematically indicated in FIG. 2 when the illumination apparatus is installed in the motor vehicle. By this arrangement of the cylinder lenses 6, a horizontal spread of the light distribution generated by the illumination apparatus in the exterior of the motor vehicle is achieved.

[0027] The secondary optical system 4 further has an exit face 9 for the light which has entered through the entry face or passed through the array 5 of cylinder lenses 6. The secondary optical system 4 is arranged in the illumination apparatus in such a way that the exit face 9 is inclined to the vertical 8 when the illumination apparatus is installed in the motor vehicle. In FIG. 3, this inclination is illustrated by an angle α between the exit face 9 and the vertical 8. The angle α can be less than 30°, for example between 20° and 25°.

[0028] It is possible that the entry face and the exit face 9 are formed on a common substrate, so that the secondary optical system 4 has a wedge-shaped cross-section. Alternatively, it is also possible for the entry face and the exit face 9 to be formed on different, spaced substrates, as is the case in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0029] In contrast to the exit face, the entry face or the face on which the array 5 of cylinder lenses 6 is formed is not inclined to the vertical. The entry face is thus parallel to the vertical and forms an angle to the exit face 9, which corresponds to the angle α.

[0030] Due to the different alignment of the entry face or the face on which the array 5 of cylinder lenses 6 is formed, on the one hand, and the exit face on the other hand, a deformation of the light distribution can be avoided despite the inclination of the exit face 9 of the secondary optical system to the vertical 8.

[0031] In order to avoid a shift in the light distribution, for example downwards, in such a design, the collimation optical system 1 is arranged pivoted in the illumination apparatus. FIG. 3 shows that the optical axis 10 of the collimation optical system 1 forms an angle β with the vertical 8, which is unequal to 90°.

[0032] In particular, the angle β may be the same size as the angle α between the exit face 9 and the vertical 8. The normal on the exit face of the secondary optical system can therefore be parallel to the optical axis of the collimation optical system.

[0033] The example of the illumination apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 differs on the one hand from the first embodiment in that instead of a one-piece collimation optical system 1, separate collimation lenses 2 are provided. Furthermore, three arrays 5 of cylinder lenses 6 are provided on separate substrates, wherein in each case one of the arrays 5 is assigned to one of the collimation lenses 2 in such a way that the light emitting from the respective collimation lens 2 passes through the associated array 5 of cylinder lenses 6. In this case the cylinder axes 7 of all cylinder lenses 6 of the three arrays 5 are aligned parallel to each other. It may be provided that the focal lengths of the cylinder lenses 6 of different arrays 5 are different from each other.

[0034] Instead of providing three separate arrays 5, it is possible to provide a single array 5 of cylinder lenses for all collimation lenses 2, as is the case with the first embodiment. Alternatively, it may also be provided in the first embodiment to provide three arrays arranged on separate substrates 5, instead of a single array 5.

[0035] The second embodiment of the illumination apparatus further differs from the first embodiment in that the exit face 9 is inclined to the vehicle length direction 11 drawn in FIG. 4. The exit face therefore has a sweep. FIG. 4 makes it clear that the normal 12 on the exit face 9 forms an angle γ with the vehicle's longitudinal direction which is unequal 0°. The angle γ can be less than 30°, for example between 20° and 25°.

[0036] In order to avoid an inclination of the light distribution despite the sweep of the exit face 9 or the inclination of the exit face 9 to the vehicle longitudinal direction 11, in the second embodiment the cylinder axes 7 of the cylinder lenses 6 are pivoted with respect to the vertical 8. FIG. 5 illustrates a corresponding angle δ between the cylinder axes 7 of the cylinder lenses 6 and the vertical 8. The angle δ may be a size between 1° and 10°, preferably a size between 2° and 7°, in particular a size of about 4°.

[0037] In the second embodiment according to FIGS. 4 and 5, the exit face 9 of the secondary optical system 4 is both inclined to the vertical 8 and inclined to the vehicle longitudinal direction 11 or a sweep. It is quite possible to provide an embodiment in which the exit face 9 of the secondary optical system 4 is inclined to the vehicle longitudinal direction 11 or swept, but at the same time the exit face 9 of the secondary optical system 4 is not inclined to the vertical 8

[0038] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.