TWI615639B - Liquid lens - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid lens comprising a light transmissive outer casing and a light transmissive liquid medium. The outer casing includes a base wall and an arcuate shell wall connecting the base wall, the shell wall and the base wall defining a chamber. The liquid medium is filled in the chamber. The outer shell has a refractive index n1, the liquid medium has a refractive index n2, and ∣n1-n2 ∣≦ 0.05. The liquid medium is combined with the outer casing to form a lens, which has the advantage of being light in weight. Moreover, the thickness of the outer casing of the invention is thin, easy to manufacture, and the thickness of the molding is easy to control, so that the problem of shrinkage of the local thickness of the plastic lens in the thick portion can be avoided, so that the liquid lens of the invention has good quality and can achieve the required optical effect. .

Description

Liquid lens

The present invention relates to a lens, and more particularly to a liquid lens that is applied to a vehicle lamp and filled with a liquid medium.

A known lamp includes a casing, at least one light-emitting component mounted in the casing, and a lens on a front side of the light-emitting component, the lens capable of guiding the light of the light-emitting component into a proper light shape, and collecting Projected after the light. The lens is a convex lens and is usually made of glass or plastic. However, the weight of the glass lens is relatively heavy, and when the lamp is vibrated, it tends to cause damage to a fixed frame of the lamp for fixing the glass lens. On the other hand, since the thickness of the entire convex lens is not uniform, the thickness of the convex lens is the smallest and the thickness is the smallest, and there is a certain degree of thickness difference. Although the lens made of plastic material has the advantage of being lightweight, it is found in practice that plastic is used. When the molded lens is injected, the local thickness shrinkage problem at the maximum thickness of the lens is very conspicuous, so that the plastic lens has poor molding precision and poor quality, which may affect the optical effect. In addition, the lens of this type of convex lens is molded by plastic, and the molding time is as high as 30 to 40 minutes, the molding failure rate is high, and bubbles and mist are easily formed in the lens. Therefore, known lenses still need to be improved.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid lens which combines the advantages of light weight, easy thickness control, and good quality.

Thus, the liquid lens of the present invention comprises a light transmissive outer casing and a light transmissive liquid medium. The outer casing includes a base wall and an arcuate shell wall connecting the base wall, the shell wall and the base wall defining a chamber. The liquid medium is filled in the chamber. The outer shell has a refractive index n1, the liquid medium has a refractive index n2, and ∣n1-n2 ∣≦ 0.05.

The invention has the advantages that the liquid medium is filled in the chamber of the outer casing, and the lens is combined with the outer casing to form a lens, which has the advantages of light weight. Moreover, the thickness of the outer casing of the invention is thin, easy to manufacture, and the thickness of the molding is easy to control, so that the problem of shrinkage of the local thickness of the plastic lens in the thick portion can be avoided, so that the liquid lens of the invention has good quality and can achieve the required optical effect. .

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, an embodiment of the liquid lens of the present invention can be applied to a vehicle lamp, such as a headlight, a fog lamp, etc., and the liquid lens of this embodiment is used in a vehicle lamp for The light of a light source of the lamp is guided into a suitable light shape and the light is passed through. The liquid lens of this embodiment is a convex lens and comprises a light transmissive outer casing 1 and a light transmissive liquid medium 2.

The outer casing 1 includes a base wall 11 and an arcuate shell wall 12 that is circumferentially joined to the base wall 11. The shell wall 12 and the base wall 11 together define a chamber 10 in the shape of a convex lens. The base wall 11 is in the form of a plate and has a non-uniform thickness. In the present embodiment, the thickness d1 of the central portion of the base wall 11 is greater than the thickness d2 of the peripheral portion thereof. The base wall 11 includes a first surface 111 facing the chamber 10 and facing forward, a second surface 112 opposite to the first surface 111 and facing rearward, and a liquid injection hole 113 communicating with the chamber 10 and a The vent hole 114, two sealants 115 respectively filled in the liquid injection hole 113 and the vent hole 114, and a first assembly portion 116 located on the first surface 111. The liquid injection hole 113 and the vent hole 114 are adjacent to the peripheral portion of the base wall 11 and are spaced apart from each other and spaced apart from each other. The liquid injection hole 113 and the vent hole 114 are both from the first surface 111. The second face 112 extends throughout. The first assembly portion 116 is a ring groove formed in the first surface 111 by a recess.

The casing wall 12 includes a light exit portion 121 spaced apart from the base wall 11 and a connecting portion 122 that is annular and connected between the light exit portion 121 and the base wall 11. In view of the overall shape of the shell wall 12, the shell wall 12 gradually diverge from the connecting portion 122 toward the light exit portion 121 in a direction away from the base wall 11 (ie, forwardly), so that the present invention forms a whole. Convex lens construction. The thickness of the light exit portion 121 is different from the thickness d4 of the connecting portion 122. Specifically, the thickness of the shell wall 12 of the present embodiment is different from that of the thickness of the shell wall 12 . The connecting portion 122 gradually becomes thicker toward the light exit portion 121, so d3 is larger than d4. The thickness of the thinnest portion of the shell wall 12 is greater than or equal to 2 mm, and the thickness of the thickest portion of the shell wall 12 is less than or equal to 5 mm. Since the thickness of the shell wall 12 is too thin, it is difficult to form a mold, and if the thickness is too thick, it is easy to cause local shrinkage and insufficient thickness during injection molding. Therefore, the thickness of the shell wall 12 is preferably in the above range.

The shell wall 12 further includes a first shell surface 123 formed by the light exit portion 121 and the connecting portion 122 facing the first surface 111 of the base wall 11 , and a light opposite to the first shell surface 123 The second shell surface 124 formed by the portion 121 and the connecting portion 122, and a second assembly portion 125 located on the first shell surface 123 for engaging with the first assembly portion 116. The second assembling portion 125 is a protruding ring formed at a periphery of the first shell surface 123 and engaging with the first assembling portion 116 of the base wall 11 . In the implementation, the second assembly portion 125 is not limited by a ring. For example, the two assembly portions may include two spaced protrusions. In this case, the first assembly portion 116 may include two spaces and are respectively engaged by the protrusions. In addition, the concave and convex structures of the second assembly portion 125 and the first assembly portion 116 may be interchanged. That is, the number of the uneven structure and the structure of the second assembling portion 125 and the first assembling portion 116 of the present invention need not be limited as long as the base wall 11 and the casing wall 12 can be assembled and coupled together.

It should be noted that the outer casing 1 of the present embodiment is formed by combining the base wall 11 and the casing wall 12. However, when implemented, the outer casing 1 may be integrally formed as a whole. The material of the outer casing 1 (including the base wall 11 and the material of the shell wall 12) is a light transmissive polymer material, such as acrylic (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), etc., in this embodiment, the use of acrylic The force has a refractive index of about 1.47 to 1.55.

The liquid medium 2 is filled in the chamber 10, and the refractive index thereof is not excessively different from the refractive index of the outer casing 1 to reduce the difference in light refraction between the liquid and the outer casing 1 due to different materials to reduce optical performance. Output loss. Therefore, the outer casing 1 has a refractive index n1, the liquid medium 2 has a refractive index n2, and ∣n1-n2 ∣≦ 0.05. The liquid medium 2 is a transparent liquid, or a liquid having a color close to that of the PMMA or PC material of the outer casing 1 is used. The liquid medium 2 can use a liquid which is less volatile, has a high boiling point, and has a low freezing point, so that the present invention can be applied to high temperatures, low temperatures, and various environments. That is, the liquid medium 2 of the present invention is an optical liquid which is close to the refractive index of the outer casing 1 (according to ∣n1-n2 ∣≦ 0.05) and which can achieve the optical effect required for the lamp.

In the production of the present invention, the base wall 11 and the shell wall 12 can be formed by plastic injection molding, and the base wall 11 and the shell wall 12 can be assembled and combined, and the two can be adhered and fixed by a colloid. The liquid medium 2 is then injected from the liquid injection hole 113, and the liquid medium 2 is filled into the chamber 10. During the liquid injection, the air in the chamber 10 is discharged outward from the vent hole 114. After the liquid medium 2 is filled into the chamber 10, a viscous colloid is injected into the liquid injection hole 113 and the vent hole 114, thereby forming the sealant 115 to seal the holes. The chamber 10 is made to be a closed space, and the liquid medium 2 can be stably filled therein without leaking. The liquid medium 2 is filled in the cavity 10 in the shape of a convex lens to form a liquid convex lens.

When the liquid lens of the embodiment is used as a lamp lens, light is entered by the second surface 112 of the base wall 11, and after the refraction and guidance of the liquid medium 2, the second shell of the shell wall 12 is further The face 124 is ejected outwardly and forms a shape and brightness that meets regulatory requirements. Since the difference in refractive index between the liquid medium 2 and the outer casing 1 is too large, the light may be significantly refracted between different media, which may cause the lens to be out of focus and the optical effect to be deteriorated. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to ∣n1-n2∣≦0.05. Further, the thickness d1 of the central portion of the base wall 11 is greater than the thickness d2 of the peripheral portion thereof, and the thickness d3 of the light exit portion 121 of the shell wall 12 is greater than the thickness d4 of the connecting portion 122, also for correcting the liquid medium. The optical difference caused by the difference in refractive index between the outer casing 1 and the outer casing 1 allows the present invention to be well focused to achieve a predetermined optical effect. When the light is emitted from the shell wall 12, the light emitted from the light exit portion 121 is relatively large with respect to the connecting portion 122. When the thickness of the solid portion of the outer casing 1 is increased, it is more advantageous to compensate the solid and liquid. Therefore, in the embodiment, when the thickness of the outer casing 1 is changed, the light exit portion 121 is required to be thicker than the connecting portion 122 (ie, d3>d4), and the central portion of the base wall 11 corresponds to Since the light passes through the light exiting portion 121 having a large amount of light, the central portion of the base wall 11 is designed to be thicker than the peripheral portion thereof (i.e., d1 > d2).

As described above, the liquid medium 2 is filled in the chamber 10 of the outer casing 1, and the lens 1 is combined with the outer casing 1 to form a lens, which has the advantage of being light in weight, and can improve the problem of the conventional glass lens being excessively heavy. In addition, compared with the conventional plastic lens, the outer casing 1 of the present invention has a thinner thickness, is easy to manufacture, and has a simple thickness to be controlled, thereby avoiding the problem that the conventional plastic lens shrinks at a local thickness in a thick portion, and the molding time is relatively short. Good yield. Further, the relationship between the refractive index difference between the outer casing 1 and the liquid medium 2 is such that the overall refractive index and light guiding effect of the liquid lens of the present invention is good, and the desired optical effect can be achieved.

However, the above is only the embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the invention is not limited thereto, and all the equivalent equivalent changes and modifications according to the scope of the patent application and the patent specification of the present invention are still The scope of the invention is covered.

1‧‧‧Shell

10‧‧‧ Room

11‧‧‧ base wall

111‧‧‧ first side

112‧‧‧ second side

113‧‧‧ injection hole

114‧‧‧ venting holes

115‧‧‧Sealing adhesive

116‧‧‧First Assembly Department

12‧‧‧ shell wall

121‧‧‧Lighting Department

122‧‧‧Connecting Department

123‧‧‧ first shell surface

124‧‧‧Second shell surface

125‧‧‧Second Assembly Department

2‧‧‧Liquid medium

D1~d4‧‧‧ thickness

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the embodiments of the present invention, wherein: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of a liquid lens of the present invention; Figure 2 is a housing of the embodiment An exploded perspective view; and FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing the manufacturing process of the embodiment.

<TABLE border="1" borderColor="#000000" width="85%"><TBODY><tr><td> 1·········· · Shell 10········ The chamber 11········ The base wall 111······ The first surface 112······ The second surface 113······ The liquid injection hole 114······ Vent hole 115······ Sealant 116······ First assembly unit </td><td> 12········ Shell wall 121······ 122······ Connection part 123······ First shell surface 124······ Second shell surface 125······ Second assembly unit 2······· ··· Liquid medium d1~d4·· Thickness</td></tr></TBODY></TABLE>

Claims (8)

A liquid lens comprising: a light transmissive outer casing comprising a base wall, and an arcuate shell wall connecting the base wall, the shell wall and the base wall together defining a chamber; and a permeable a light liquid medium filled in the chamber; the outer shell has a refractive index n1, the liquid medium has a refractive index n2, and | n1-n2 | ≦ 0.05; the liquid lens is a convex lens, and the shell wall includes a a light exiting portion opposite to the base wall, and a connecting portion that is annular and connected between the light exiting portion and the base wall, the shell wall gradually moving away from the connecting portion toward the light exiting portion away from the base wall The chamber is in the shape of a convex lens; wherein the thickness of the central portion of the base wall is greater than the thickness of the peripheral portion thereof. The liquid lens of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the light exit portion of the shell wall is greater than the thickness of the joint portion. The liquid lens according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the shell wall gradually increases from the connecting portion to the light exit portion. The liquid lens according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the thinnest portion of the shell wall is greater than or equal to 2 mm, and the thickness of the thickest portion of the shell wall is less than or equal to 5 mm. The liquid lens of claim 1, wherein the base wall has a liquid injection hole and a vent hole spaced apart from each other and communicating with the chamber. The liquid lens of claim 1, wherein the outer casing is a polymer material. The liquid lens of claim 6, wherein the outer casing is acrylic or polycarbonate. The liquid lens of claim 1 wherein the base wall includes a first assembly portion including a second assembly portion for intermeshing engagement with the first assembly portion.