CN113669687A - Light module for vehicle headlamp, headlamp and vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a light module for a vehicle headlight, comprising a light source for generating a high beam light beam and a low beam light beam, a primary optical unit and a secondary optical unit which projects the high beam light beam and the low beam light beam which have passed through the primary optical unit, characterized in that the height of the secondary optical unit and/or of an entrance face of the secondary optical unit and/or of an exit face of the secondary optical unit in the vehicle height direction is less than or equal to 30 mm. The invention also relates to a headlamp and a vehicle.

Description

Light module for vehicle headlamp, headlamp and vehicle

Technical Field

The invention relates to a light module for a vehicle headlamp. The invention further relates to a headlight and a vehicle.

Background

Most of the optical functions of vehicle headlamps are achieved by assembling a light module of illumination, which contains a light source, a light reflector/total internal reflection optic, a visor and a thick lens. In order to ensure the illumination efficiency and output of the light module, a larger illumination opening is preferably used. Currently, more and more Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) tend to use smaller-sized lenses (with smaller illumination openings) with different lens patterns for light modules of vehicle headlamps. This directly poses challenges to the design of light modules, especially light modules with small openings that are dual-functional (can project high beam and low beam).

A light module for a vehicle headlamp is known from the prior art, for example from document CN104121535A, which has a light source, a primary optical unit, a light screen, and a secondary optical unit. The light module system is a standard optical projection system. The specific construction and features of the primary optical element are described in detail in this document. By the arrangement of the primary optical unit, the shading plate and the secondary optical unit, a prescribed overhead light distribution is produced as a supplement to the prescribed low beam light distribution, without additional components being required. The light module is mainly used for projecting dipped headlight beams. This document only partially mentions the projection of the beam of the high beam lamp at the same time. In the light module system, the secondary optical unit comprises a plano-convex lens, which typically has relatively large dimensions, for example typically having dimensions of 50mm in height and 70mm in width. The size of the entire headlamp is large because the size of the incident surface and/or the exit surface of the planoconvex lens is large, particularly the size in the vehicle height direction. Accordingly, the head lamp needs to provide a large space for arranging the light module.

Document CN102628574A also discloses an optical module system. The light module system is also a standard optical projection system. The light module system includes a first assembly having a light source unit and a light blocking plate unit, and a second assembly having a lens unit. The first component is configured to hold the second component in the projection light module without changing a first structural type of the second component or a second structural type of the second component different from the first structural type, and to generate a regular light distribution using both the first structural type and the second structural type. The light module is only used for projecting dipped headlight beams. Since the components in the optical module have a relatively large volume, the weight of the whole optical module is large. For arranging the light module in a vehicle headlight, a relatively large space and a correspondingly robust fastening are therefore also required. In addition, there is no mention in this document that the lens of the light module system can be used for projecting a high beam. That is, the optical module does not have a dual function, i.e., cannot project the high beam and the low beam simultaneously. Therefore, additional light modules are required to achieve the projection of the different light beams.

It follows that both of the above-described light module systems belong to the light module systems known today with relatively large dimensions (large illumination opening). Under the situation of increasingly intense competition, the demands of customers for the light modules with smaller sizes cannot be met, that is, the projection of the high beam light beams and the low beam light beams with smaller space sizes, especially the sizes in the height direction of the vehicle, cannot be realized.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a light module for a vehicle headlamp having a small size, in particular in the vehicle height direction, while enabling a dual function, i.e. the projection of a low beam light beam and a high beam light beam, to be achieved by the module.

According to the invention, a light module for a vehicle headlight is provided, comprising a light source for generating a high beam light beam and a low beam light beam, a primary optical unit and a secondary optical unit which projects the high beam light beam and the low beam light beam which have passed through the primary optical unit, characterized in that the height of the secondary optical unit and/or of an entrance surface of the secondary optical unit and/or of an exit surface of the secondary optical unit in the vehicle height direction is less than or equal to 30 mm.

One advantage of the present invention is that projection of high beam and low beam is achieved by only one secondary optical element, i.e. a thick lens, of smaller size in the height direction, to achieve a dual-function smaller size optical module. In particular, the secondary optical unit, or the entrance surface and/or the exit surface of the secondary optical unit, has only a height of less than or equal to 30mm, which is difficult to achieve with the light modules known from the prior art. In the present invention, the light source, the primary optical unit and the secondary optical unit are reasonably arranged in structure and position, so that the high beam light beam and the low beam light beam emitted by the light source can be reasonably, uniformly and completely emitted into the incident surface of the narrow secondary optical unit with smaller size in the height direction through the primary optical unit, and then projected into the corresponding area in front of the vehicle through the narrow emergent surface with smaller size in the height direction or the illumination opening. This overcomes, inter alia, the technical problem that the light modules known in the prior art are not able to project a multitude of light beams evenly and completely to a narrow illumination opening. In addition, the present invention does not require a plurality of optical modules to perform different functions, for example, two independent optical modules to project a high beam light beam and a low beam light beam, respectively. The optical module has the characteristic of function integration and is small in size, so that the space of the vehicle headlamp can be saved, the arrangement of the vehicle headlamp is optimized, the design flexibility of the vehicle headlamp is improved, and more solutions can be provided according to different customer requirements. In addition, the light module with integrated functions and smaller size is also beneficial to the light weight of the vehicle headlamp, is beneficial to the light weight of the whole vehicle, and realizes the increase of the vehicle endurance and the reduction of the fuel consumption.

Furthermore, it is advantageous if the height of the secondary optical unit and/or of the entrance surface of the secondary optical unit and/or of the exit surface of the secondary optical unit in the vehicle height direction is less than or equal to 25 mm. The above-mentioned advantages are further improved by the fact that the secondary optical unit, or the entrance and/or exit surface of the secondary optical unit, is dimensioned in the height direction of the vehicle, which is reduced again.

Preferably, the light module further includes a light blocking plate located between the primary optical unit and the secondary optical unit in a vehicle advancing direction and in a light beam path, the light blocking plate being for reflecting the light beam from the primary optical unit to the secondary optical unit. The projection of the high beam and low beam into the region in front of the vehicle via the narrow secondary optical unit is further achieved by the configuration of the structure and the position of the light screen. The surface of the light shielding plate can be coated with metal, such as aluminum plating, so as to improve the reflectivity and further improve the light output efficiency of the optical module.

In addition, the secondary optical unit is a biconvex lens. Generally, the lens functions to deflect light to compensate for aberrations. Compared with the plano-convex lens used in the prior art, the biconvex lens provides two positive focal powers, and compared with the plano-convex lens, the biconvex lens has an effective curvature variable when focusing a light path, and can be matched with a light shielding plate with a certain tangent plane radian and a lens emergent surface to eliminate aberration.

The lenticular lens may be made of glass or a plastic material such as Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Alternatively, silicone or Polycarbonate (PC) may also be used.

Preferably, the secondary optical unit comprises a first lens and a second lens. Further preferably, the first lens is configured to project the high beam light beam and the low beam light beam, and the second lens is configured to project a fill light beam. Thereby, a supplementary lighting function, in particular a function of projecting supplementary lighting beams of a high beam, is further integrated into the secondary optical unit. Thereby further improving the integration of the functions of the secondary unit.

The first lens is provided at a middle portion of the secondary optical unit in the vehicle transverse direction, and the second lens is provided at both sides of the first lens in the vehicle transverse direction. In this way, while further integration of the functions is achieved, the different functions are achieved by the laterally arranged lenses, leaving the dimensions of the secondary optical unit unaffected in the vehicle height direction. Both the functional integration of the secondary optical unit is improved and the height-wise dimension of the light module is controlled.

Further, the exit surfaces of the first lens and the second lens are formed by one surface. Thus, a flat, stepless exit surface is provided, which does not cause unevenness or instability of the light distribution due to the beam passing any step portion projecting an unintended light distribution. Meanwhile, in the assembling process of the optical module, since only the exit surfaces of the first lens and the second lens need to be aligned, they can be assembled more easily. The installation time is saved, and the manufacturing cost is reduced. Here, the incident surfaces of the first lens and the second lens are respectively projected in the direction of the light source, and the incident surfaces are respectively formed to be misaligned with each other. This also avoids reversing the orientation of the first and second lenses, further simplifying the assembly of the optical module.

The first lens and the second lens may be integrally formed. That is, the first lens and the second lens are integrally formed by, for example, injection molding. This omits a step of assembling the molded first and second lenses together, as compared with separately manufacturing the first and second lenses, respectively. Thus, the installation is simplified and the cost is reduced.

Preferably, the light source has a first light source for producing a high beam light beam and a second light source for producing a low beam light beam. Further preferably, the first light source and the second light source are each composed of a plurality of lamps arranged side by side in the vehicle lateral direction. The lamp for low beam is arranged above the lamp for high beam in the vehicle height direction.

In addition, the light source may further have a third light source for generating a fill-in light beam, which is particularly used for fill-in light of a high beam. The third light source is preferably disposed on both sides of the first light source and/or the second light source in the vehicle transverse direction.

The light sources may be Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), and/or organic LEDs (oleds), and/or laser diodes and/or lighting means acting according to the laser activated non-contact phosphor principle (LARP), and/or halogen lamps, and/or gas discharge type bulbs (high intensity discharge (HID)), and/or be designed in combination with projectors acting according to the Digital Light Processing (DLP) principle, respectively. Thus, a number of alternatives for the light source of the present invention are provided.

Further, the light source is configured for projecting an adaptively driven high beam light beam (ADB HB). Specifically, by arranging the radar device and the electronic control device, information such as actual road use condition can be measured, and the measured information is transmitted to the electronic control device comprising the computing element, so that the electronic control device can control and switch on the corresponding light source according to the information to realize projection of the self-adaptive driving high beam lamp. Therefore, the method can automatically determine how to switch on different light sources according to information such as actual road use conditions and the like, thereby providing the optimal lighting mode.

The lens of the primary optical unit may be made of a plastic material such as Polycarbonate (PC). The light module can be made of silica gel, and the silica gel has the characteristics of high temperature resistance and easiness in forming, and is mainly applied to the design of an optical module for projecting a self-adaptively driven high beam (ADB HB).

It is also conceivable that the light module can be a module for a so-called matrix headlamp with LEDs or groups of LEDs arranged in a row or in a matrix. It satisfies all the functions of the adaptive high beam. Each individual LED or group of LEDs in a module can be individually controlled to turn them on, off, or dim. In particular, in conjunction with the camera system and image processing electronics and/or other sensors, it is possible to identify oncoming and oncoming vehicles ahead and to at least partially turn off or dim the respective LED or group of LEDs. Due to the high pixels, objects (pedestrians, animals or obstacles) recognized by the camera system can also be illuminated separately, so that the driver is made aware of them.

Here, the LEDs may be arranged in a single row or a plurality of rows, and thus the LEDs may be arranged in a column or a matrix, which respectively form one light emitting pixel. It is conceivable that each LED corresponds to one or more lenses of the primary optics module, which lenses may likewise be arranged in a row or matrix. It is also contemplated that the lens of one primary optic module may correspond to multiple LEDs or multiple LED groups.

The light module may be arranged in a headlamp of a vehicle. The headlight and/or the light module can be used in a vehicle, for example as a headlight on the front side of the vehicle. This realizes a headlamp having a smaller size and a lighter weight. Accordingly, the light weight of the whole vehicle is realized.

Drawings

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail according to examples. Wherein:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of a light module according to the invention,

fig. 2 shows a view of the secondary optical unit according to the invention from the front of the vehicle.

Labeled as: 1. an optical module; 2. a light source; 4. a primary optical unit; 6. a visor; 8. a secondary optical unit; 10. a first light source; 12. a second light source; 14. a third light source; 16. a biconvex lens; 18. an incident surface; 20. an exit surface; 22. a first lens; 24. second lens

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a light module according to an embodiment of the invention. The light module 1 comprises a light source 2, a primary optical unit 4, a shading plate 6 and a secondary optical unit 8. The light sources 2 comprise a first light source 10 for generating a high beam light beam, a second light source 12 for generating a low beam light beam and a third light source 14 for generating, in particular, a high beam fill light beam. Each of the light sources is preferably a Light Emitting Diode (LED). Alternatively or additionally, one or more light sources may be used for the low beam light beam and the high beam light beam, wherein in the beam path of the light sources a digital micro-mirror device is arranged to control the light beams. The light source 2 may also be in the form of a matrix LED to emit a high beam and a low beam. As shown in fig. 1, the primary optical unit 4 includes a plurality of lenses arranged side by side in the vehicle transverse direction, and the first light source 10, the second light source 12, and the third light source 14 are respectively provided with one of the lenses for projecting the light beams generated by the first light source 10, the second light source 12, and the third light source 14 to the shade 6 or the secondary optical unit 8. That is, the positions of the first light source 10, the second light source 12 and the third light source 14 referred to in fig. 1 also correspond to the positions of the lenses of the primary optical unit 4 corresponding to these light sources. The plurality of lenses of the primary optical unit 4 corresponding to the first light source 10 are arranged side by side in the vehicle lateral direction. The plurality of lenses of the primary optical unit 4 corresponding to the second light sources 12 are arranged side by side in the vehicle lateral direction, and are located above the row of lenses of the primary optical unit 4 corresponding to the first light sources 10 in the vehicle height direction. The lenses of the primary optical unit 4 corresponding to the third light source 14 are located on both sides of the row of lenses corresponding to the first light source or the second light source in the vehicle transverse direction. The lens of the primary optical unit 4 may be made of a plastic material such as Polycarbonate (PC). The light module can be made of silica gel, and the silica gel has the characteristics of high temperature resistance and easiness in forming, and is mainly applied to the design of an optical module for projecting a self-adaptively driven high beam (ADB HB).

As shown in fig. 1, the light shielding plate 6 is preferably placed substantially horizontally and is located substantially at the middle position of the primary optical unit 4 in the vehicle height direction. Accordingly, the shade 6 is also located substantially at the middle position of the secondary optical unit 8 in the vehicle height direction. That is, the center positions of the primary optical unit 4 and the secondary optical unit 8 in the height direction respectively correspond to the positions of the light-shielding plates 6 in the vehicle height direction. The surface of the light shielding plate 6 may be coated with a metal layer, such as aluminum plating, to improve the reflectivity, and further improve the light output efficiency of the optical module.

As shown in fig. 1, the secondary optical element has a substantially elongate, flat shape. The height h of the secondary optical unit 8 in the vehicle height direction is smaller than the secondary optical units known from the prior art. The secondary optical unit 8 has a biconvex lens 16. The lenticular lens 16 may be made of glass or a plastic material such as Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The two convex surfaces of the biconvex lens 16 are convex toward the front and the rear of the vehicle, respectively. The convex surface facing the vehicle rear constitutes an incident surface 18, and the convex surface facing the vehicle front constitutes an exit surface 20. The surface of the emergent surface 20 can be designed and added with a dermatoglyph structure with certain roughness, so that the sharpness of a light and shade cut-off line is softened, namely, the gradient value is reduced, and the driving safety at night is improved. The biconvex lens 16 has a first lens 22 or a first lens portion 22 for projecting high beam light beams and low beam light beams and a second lens 24 or a second lens portion 24 for projecting supplementary light beams. The first lens 22 is disposed at an intermediate position in the lateral direction of the vehicle. The second lens 24 is arranged on both sides of the first lens 22 in the vehicle transverse direction. As shown in fig. 1, the exit surfaces 20 of the first lens 22 and the second lens 24 are aligned with each other to form a complete exit surface. The incident surfaces of the first lens 22 and the second lens 24 are projected toward the rear of the vehicle, respectively, and form respective incident surfaces. The first lens 22 and the second lens 24 may be provided to be integrally formed, preferably integrally formed by injection molding. Alternatively, the first lens 22 and the second lens 24 may be separately manufactured, respectively, and then the first lens 22 and the second lens 24 manufactured in advance are assembled together by means of, for example, adhesion.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the secondary optical unit has a substantially elongate, rectangular shape as viewed from the front of the vehicle. Specifically, the height h of the illustrated secondary optical unit 8, or the entrance surface 18 and/or the exit surface 20 of the illustrated secondary optical unit 8, in the vehicle height direction is less than or equal to 30mm, more preferably less than or equal to 25mm, and still more preferably the height h is 24 mm. The width of the secondary optical unit 8 in the vehicle transverse direction may be, for example, 110 mm. Thereby forming an elongated illumination opening extending laterally as viewed from the front of the vehicle.

By the position and the structural configuration of the light source 2, the primary optical unit 4, the light shielding plate 6 and the secondary optical unit 8, the high beam light beam, the low beam light beam and the supplementary light beam generated by the light source 2 can all pass through the primary optical unit 4, and are reflected by the light shielding plate 6 to or directly irradiate the secondary optical unit 8, i.e. enter the incident surface 18 of the corresponding first lens 22 or second lens 24 of the secondary optical unit 8 and are emitted from the exit surface 20 of the corresponding first lens 22 or second lens 24 of the secondary optical unit 8, and finally form the high beam distribution or low beam distribution in front of the vehicle.

Claims (10)

1. A light module for a vehicle headlamp, comprising a light source for generating a high beam light beam and a low beam light beam, a primary optical unit and a secondary optical unit which projects the high beam light beam and the low beam light beam which have passed through the primary optical unit, characterized in that the height of an entrance face of the secondary optical unit and/or an exit face of the secondary optical unit in the vehicle height direction is less than or equal to 30 mm.

2. A light module as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the height of the secondary optical unit and/or of the entrance face of the secondary optical unit and/or of the exit face of the secondary optical unit in the vehicle height direction is less than or equal to 25 mm.

3. The light module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a light blocking plate located between the primary optical unit and the secondary optical unit in a vehicle advancing direction and in a light beam path, the light blocking plate being configured to reflect the light beam from the primary optical unit to the secondary optical unit.

4. A light module as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the secondary optical unit is provided as a biconvex lens.

5. The light module of claim 1, wherein the secondary optical unit comprises a first lens and a second lens.

6. The light module as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first lens is configured to project the high beam and the low beam, and the second lens is configured to project a fill beam.

7. The optical module according to claim 5, wherein the first lens is provided at a middle portion of the secondary optical unit in a vehicle lateral direction, and the second lens is provided at both sides of the first lens in the vehicle lateral direction.

8. The light module of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured for projecting an adaptively driven high beam light beam.

9. A vehicle headlamp comprising a light module according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A vehicle having a vehicle headlamp according to claim 9.

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