CN118257984A

CN118257984A - Lighting module, lamp device and vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN118257984A
Application number: CN202311344925.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈思; 余柯; 范磊
Original assignee: Valeo Vision SAS
Current assignee: Valeo Vision SAS
Priority date: 2022-12-27
Filing date: 2023-10-17
Publication date: 2024-06-28

Abstract

A lighting module, a lamp device, and a vehicle are provided. The lighting module comprises a light source (100), a light collector (200), a circuit board (300) and a heat sink (400), the light source being mounted on the circuit board and the light collector and the circuit board being mounted on the heat sink, the heat sink being integrally formed with a reflector (430), the light collector being arranged to collect light from the light source and to direct the light towards the reflector, and the reflector being configured to reflect the light from the light collector to form a light beam having a predetermined lighting function for exit.

Description

Lighting module, lamp device and vehicle

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of lighting and/or signaling, and more particularly, to a lighting module capable of reducing manufacturing costs, and a lamp apparatus and a vehicle equipped with such a lighting module.

Background

In various fields, various lamp arrangements are known for providing illumination or light of a signalling indication. For example, lamps are used in vehicles to provide illumination or signaling functions, to ensure safe driving, or to provide decorative functions.

As an example, in vehicle applications, the light collector and reflector of the vehicle lamp are typically separate components from each other and assembled separately, with the separate components being relatively expensive to manufacture and material, requiring relatively high assembly accuracy, requiring additional connectors, wiring harnesses, mounting components, etc., taking up additional assembly space in the vehicle lamp, resulting in a relatively large volume of the vehicle lamp.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present disclosure to address or overcome at least one of the above and other problems and disadvantages in the prior art.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a lighting module comprising: a light source mounted on the circuit board, a light collector mounted on the circuit board, a circuit board and a heat sink integrally formed with a reflector, the light collector arranged to collect light from the light source and direct the light toward the reflector, and the reflector configured to reflect light from the light collector to form a light beam having a predetermined illumination function for exit.

In some embodiments, the heat sink is formed with the reflector on a side facing the circuit board.

In some embodiments, the heat sink includes a heat dissipation plate and a plurality of heat dissipation fins extending from the heat dissipation plate away from the circuit board, the light collector and the circuit board are mounted on a mounting surface of the heat sink facing the circuit board, and the reflector is formed on the mounting surface.

In some embodiments, the reflector includes a rib protruding beyond the mounting surface.

In some embodiments, the reflector has a reflective surface oriented at least partially facing the light collector to receive and reflect light from the light collector outward.

In some embodiments, the reflective surface is an elliptical, parabolic, semi-elliptical, or flat reflective surface.

In some embodiments, the reflective surface is configured as a polished and metallized reflective surface, or with a reflective coating or plating.

In some embodiments, an edge of the reflective surface near or remote from the light collector is formed with a cutoff line forming structure configured to shape a portion from the light collector to create a cutoff line in the outgoing light beam.

In some embodiments, the cutoff line forming structure includes a stepped structure defined by the edges for creating a stepped cutoff line or a linear structure creating a horizontal cutoff line.

In some embodiments, the focal point of the light collector is at or near the light source.

In some embodiments, the inner wall of the reflective cover of the light collector defines a reflective surface facing both the light source and the reflector.

In some embodiments, the illumination module further comprises a light projection assembly configured to project the light beam outwardly into an illumination light beam.

In some embodiments, the illumination beam is used to form a low beam and/or a high beam.

In some embodiments, the light projection assembly includes a lens mounted on the lens support to project the light beam outward, and a lens support mounted on the heat sink to cover the light collector, reflector, and light source.

In some embodiments, an edge of the reflective surface of the reflector near or remote from the light collector is formed with a cut-off line forming structure configured to shape a portion from the light collector to create a cut-off line in the outgoing light beam, the cut-off line forming structure being located in or near the focal plane of the lens.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, embodiments also provide a lamp device comprising a housing and a lighting module described in any of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the lighting module being housed within the housing.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, embodiments also provide a vehicle comprising the lighting module or the lamp device described in any of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of the present disclosure, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, and may be learned by the practice of the present disclosure as set forth hereinafter.

Drawings

These and/or other aspects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side perspective view schematically illustrating a structure of a lighting module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 2 is a front view schematically illustrating a structure of an illumination module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, with a lens and a lens holder removed;

Fig. 3 is a side perspective view schematically illustrating a structure of a lighting module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, in which a circuit board and a heat sink formed with a reflector are shown;

Fig. 4 is a rear view schematically illustrating a structure of a light collector of an illumination module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 5 is an exploded view schematically illustrating a structure of a lighting module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in fig. 2, with a lens and a lens holder removed, schematically illustrating a structure of a lighting module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Fig. 7 is a schematic light path diagram of an illumination module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. The following description of the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings is intended to illustrate the general disclosed concept and should not be taken as limiting the disclosure.

Furthermore, in the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. It may be evident, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in the drawings in order to simplify the drawings.

Fig. 1-7 schematically illustrate structures of lighting modules according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, which may be, for example, components of a lamp apparatus, directing light from a light source to exit with a desired lighting effect (e.g., a desired intensity distribution or direction, etc.) to achieve a lighting or signaling function. As an example, the lamp device may be mounted in a vehicle as a vehicle lamp, for example, including, but not limited to, a headlight such as a low beam or a high beam, for example, a high-low beam integrated vehicle lamp, or a vehicle lamp providing other lighting functions such as a daytime running light, a position light, a fog light, a brake light, an interior lighting, and the like. It will be appreciated that the lamp device may comprise other components than the lighting module, such as a housing accommodating the lighting module, an optional light distribution screen, connectors, mounting/positioning elements, etc. The term "vehicle" referred to herein may refer to any type of vehicle, such as a motor vehicle, a motorcycle, or any other mobile machine capable of carrying at least one passenger or for transporting personnel or cargo.

In the illustrated embodiment, the lighting module mainly includes a light source 100, a light collector 200, a circuit board 300, and a heat sink 400. The light source 100 may generate light for a lighting function, such as a low beam function or a low beam function, and may include any suitable light emitting device, such as a halogen bulb, a xenon lamp, an LED, a laser, etc., and the lighting module may include one or more light sources 100 arranged in various forms according to actual needs. The light source 100 is mounted on a circuit board 300 (e.g., PCB), and in addition, the circuit board 300 may be mounted or provided with a connector 320 for powering/transmitting signals to the circuit board.

In order to timely and effectively dissipate heat of the lighting module (e.g., its light source or other heat generating component), various components of the lighting module, such as the light collector 200, the circuit board 300 carrying the power supply 100, are mounted or secured to the heat sink 400. As an example, the heat sink 400 may include a heat sink 410 for conducting heat and a plurality of heat dissipation fins 420 extending from the heat sink 410 away from the circuit board 300, the light collector 200 and the circuit board 300 carrying the light source 100 may be mounted on a mounting surface 411 of the heat sink 410, e.g., the light collector 200, the circuit board 300 and the heat sink 400 may be formed with mounting holes 201, 301, 401, respectively, and the light collector 200 and the circuit board 300 may be secured to the heat sink 410 via insertion of fasteners (not shown) into the aligned mounting holes 201, 301, 401 such that the light collector 200, the light source 100 are both located on a side of the circuit board 300 away from the heat sink 400.

The light collector 200 serves to collect and/or shape light from the light source 100 and guide the light toward a predetermined direction. To emit light outwards, a reflector may be provided to reflect light directed from the light collector 200 outwards. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, instead of a conventional separately provided reflector, the heat sink 400 is integrally formed with a reflector 430, the reflector 430 cooperating with the light collector 200to shape the light from the light source 100 into a beam having a desired illumination function (e.g., low beam, high beam function) for exit; that is, the light collector 200 is arranged to collect light from the light source 100 and direct the light towards the reflector 430 integrated on the heat sink 400, whereas the reflector 430 reflects and/or shapes the light from the light collector 200 into a light beam having a predetermined illumination function for exit.

Thus, in the lighting module provided by the present disclosure, a separate reflector does not need to be manufactured or provided separately, and materials for forming the reflector are common and inexpensive, for example, the heat sink with the reflector is easily formed in a die casting or other molding process, space is saved, and elements for positioning and fixing the reflector can be reduced, assembly steps and time are reduced, and assembly tolerance and module cost are reduced.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the lighting module may further include a light projection assembly that receives the light beam from the reflector 430 and provides or projects an illumination light beam, such as a low beam or a high beam, having a desired lighting effect (e.g., intensity distribution or exit direction, etc.), toward, for example, the ground or the front of the vehicle. Illustratively, the light beam formed by reflection by the reflector 430 acts as an image or virtual object to be projected by the light projection assembly.

It will be appreciated that in the present disclosure, various forms of light projection assemblies may be employed, including but not limited to a variety of different arrangements of transmissive members, mirrors or light guides. In the illustrated embodiment, the light projection assembly includes a lens 500, the lens 500 may be mounted on a lens holder 600, and the lens holder 600 may also be mounted on the same heat sink 400. As a non-limiting example, as shown in fig. 5 and 7, the lens 500 may include a biconvex lens having two convex surfaces 501 and 502. In some examples, the optical axis of the light projecting assembly (e.g., lens 500) may be coincident with or parallel to the optical axis O-O' of the illumination module.

As an example, as shown in fig. 1 and 5, the lens holder 600 may have a frame-like structure comprising a hollow housing defining a window 605 for receiving and mounting the lens 500 to allow a light beam shaped via the light collector 200 and the reflector 430 to propagate through the hollow housing to exit through the lens 500. The lens holder 600 may be formed or provided with mounting feet 606 for, for example, securing into receptacles 406 formed in the heat sink 400, such that the lens holder 600 may cover most or all of the light collector 200, the reflector 430, the light source 100, and the circuit board 300.

In the illustrated embodiment, the heat sink 400 is formed with a reflector 430 on a side facing the circuit board 300, for example, the reflector 430 is integrally formed on the mounting surface 411 of the heat sink 400. As shown in fig. 2, 3 and 5, the circuit board 300 may have a U-shaped profile defining the opening 310, the light source 100 is provided at one side of the circuit board 300 and the reflector 430, and the reflector 430 partially protrudes from the opening 310, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, no portion of the circuit board is on the other side of the reflector 430, or a light source and/or light collector for other lighting functions may be mounted on a portion of the circuit board on the other side of the reflector 430.

As shown in fig. 2, 3, 5 and 6, the reflector 430 includes a bead protruding beyond the substantially flat mounting surface 411, such as a triangular prism extending in a direction substantially parallel to the mounting surface 411, for example, may protrude beyond the mounting surface 411 from a recess formed in the mounting surface 411. The rib has at least two adjacent side surfaces intersecting the mounting surface 411, at least one of which is a reflective surface.

Thus, reflector 430 has a reflective surface 431, with reflective surface 431 oriented at least partially toward light collector 200 to receive and reflect light from light collector 200 outward. As an example, the reflective surface 431 may be a curved (elliptical, parabolic, semi-elliptical) or flat reflective surface, wherein the curved reflective surface may shape the light into a desired profile. In some examples, after manufacturing (e.g., die casting) the heat sink with the reflector profile, one side surface of the reflector may be polished and/or metallized to form a reflective surface, or a reflective coating or plating, such as a silver or aluminum layer, may be formed on one side surface.

In some embodiments, the edge of the reflective surface 431 near or away from the light collector 200, such as the lower edge 432 in the figure, is formed with a cutoff line forming structure that can shape a portion from the light collector 200 to create a cutoff line, such as a stepped cutoff line or a horizontal cutoff line, in the outgoing light beam. Thus, the cutoff line forming structure can be integrated or integrally formed on the heat sink, reducing the number of parts.

As an example, the edge 432 of the reflective surface 431 may be an edge extending substantially horizontally, and the cut-off line forming structure defined thereby may include a convex or stepped structure having two horizontal flat portions, and light from the light collector 200, which falls outside the cut-off line forming structure, will be absorbed or blocked from exiting by other components of the lighting module, so that a cut-off line, such as a horizontal cut-off line or an upper cut-off line, which is stepped left and right high when viewed in a forward direction, may be formed in an exiting light beam (such as a low beam or a high beam for a vehicle lamp or other lamp device) to meet relevant regulations and driving safety requirements. In another example, the edge 432 of the reflective surface 431 may include a line structure for forming a horizontal cutoff line.

The light collector 200, reflector 430 and light projecting assembly may be suitably constructed and arranged such that the outgoing light beam has a clear profile or desired distribution. For example, the reflector may be located at least partially within or near the focal plane FP of the lens. In the case where the reflector 430 has a cut-off line formation, the edge 432 of the reflector 430 or its cut-off line formation may be located substantially in or near the focal plane FP (as shown with reference to fig. 7) of the light projection assembly (e.g., lens 500) to form a clear cut-off line in the outgoing light beam.

Although in the illustrated embodiment, only a single reflector is integrally formed on the radiator, which may be used for one lamp device among a low beam lamp, a high beam lamp, a daytime running lamp, a position lamp, a fog lamp, a brake lamp, an interior illumination lamp, and the like, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments not shown, two or more reflectors or reflecting surfaces may be integrally formed on the heat sink, each for forming a beam of light for one lighting function, e.g. the same heat sink may be formed or provided with reflectors or reflecting surfaces for both low beam and high beam lights.

The light collector may be formed in various forms. In an exemplary embodiment, the light collector may be reflectively shaped and direct light out from the light source, and thus may comprise a reflector or mirror, or have a reflective surface, reflective coating or plating. As an example, as shown in fig. 2,4,5, and 6, the light collector 200 includes a reflector or reflector housing 210, for example, having a focal point at or near the light source 100, whereby it may reflect light from the light source 100 to the reflector 430 in a substantially collimated manner, thereby improving optical efficiency. The inner wall of the reflection housing 210 defines a reflection surface 211 facing both the light source 100 and the reflector 430, the reflection surface 211 receiving light from the light source 100 and reflecting the light toward a reflection surface 431 of the reflector 430. Illustratively, the reflective surface 211 may include one or more curved (e.g., elliptical, parabolic, semi-elliptical, concave) or flat reflective surfaces. For example, the reflective surface 211 of the light collector 200 may be a surface, such as a concave surface, obtained by rotation about an axis parallel to the optical axis of the illumination module.

By way of example, the light collector may be made of a material having good heat resistance, for example molded from glass or a polymer such as a polycarbonate-like plastic (e.g., PC-HT) or polyetherimide, and the reflective surface thereof may be formed by metallizing or coating or plating the inner surface of the molded light collector.

As shown in fig. 2, 4, 5 and 6, the light collector 200 may further include a mounting base 220, the mounting base 220 being coupled to the reflection housing 210, mounting holes 201 being formed in the mounting base 220, corresponding mounting holes 301 being formed in the circuit board 300, and corresponding mounting holes 301 being formed in the heat sink 400, the light collector 200 and the circuit board 300 being mountable on the heat sink 400 via fasteners (not shown) inserted into the aligned mounting holes 201, 301 and 401. In some examples, a positioning hole 302 may also be formed on the circuit board 300, a positioning groove 402 is formed at an edge of the mounting surface 411 of the heat sink 410, and a positioning post 202 is formed at a side of the light collector 200 facing the circuit board 300, and the positioning post 202 is inserted into the aligned positioning hole 302 and positioning groove 402, so that the relative positions among the light collector 200, the circuit board 300, and the heat sink 400 remain fixed. In other examples, the limit posts 403 are formed at the edges of the mounting face 411 of the heat spreader plate 410 and the limit holes 303 are formed at the edges of the circuit board 300, and after assembly, the limit posts 403 are positioned in the limit holes 303 to prevent the circuit board 300 from being offset relative to the heat sink 400.

In some applications, depending on the arrangement of the light collector and reflector and the direction in which the directed light exits, the lighting module may be arranged slightly inclined within the housing of the light device, e.g., the mounting face 411 of the heat sink 400 or the circuit board 300 may be inclined at an angle θ (see fig. 7) with respect to the vertical or focal plane FP of the light projecting assembly (e.g., lens) such that light from the light source, after being directed via the light collector and reflector, is projected a suitable distance from the light projecting assembly to the front of the vehicle without being projected too obliquely downward onto the very near road surface in front of the vehicle, nor too obliquely upward. The angle θ may be appropriately set according to the actual application, such as in the range of 10 ° to 15 °. Moreover, such tilting may facilitate mounting of the light collector and reflector, improving module compactness.

Although the present disclosure has been described in connection with the accompanying drawings, the embodiments disclosed in the drawings are intended to be illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and are not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure. The dimensional proportions in the drawings are illustrative only and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A lighting module includes a light source (100), a light collector (200), a circuit board (300) on which the light source is mounted, and a heat sink (400) on which the light collector and the circuit board are mounted,

It is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

The heat sink is integrally formed with a reflector (430),

The light collector is arranged to collect light from the light source and direct the light towards the reflector, and

The reflector is configured to reflect light from the light collector to form a light beam having a predetermined illumination function for exit.

2. A lighting module as recited in claim 1, wherein the heat sink is formed with the reflector on a side facing the circuit board.

3. A lighting module as recited in claim 2, wherein the lighting module comprises,

The heat sink includes a heat spreader plate (410) and a plurality of heat spreader fins (420) extending from the heat spreader plate away from the circuit board,

The light collector and the circuit board are mounted on a mounting surface (411) of the heat sink facing the circuit board, and

The reflector is formed on the mounting surface.

4. A lighting module as recited in claim 3, wherein said reflector comprises a ridge that protrudes beyond said mounting surface.

5. A lighting module as recited in any one of claims 1-4, wherein,

The reflector has a reflective surface (431) oriented at least partially toward the light collector to receive and reflect light from the light collector outward.

6. A lighting module as recited in claim 5, wherein the reflective surface is an elliptical, parabolic, semi-elliptical, or flat reflective surface.

7. A lighting module as recited in claim 5, wherein the reflective surface is configured as a polished and metallized reflective surface, or has a reflective coating or plating.

8. A lighting module as recited in claim 5, wherein the lighting module comprises,

An edge (432) of the reflective surface near or remote from the light collector is formed with a cut-off line forming structure configured to shape a portion from the light collector to create a cut-off line in the outgoing light beam.

9. A lighting module as recited in claim 8, wherein the cutoff line forming structure comprises a stepped structure defined by the edge for producing a stepped cutoff line or a linear structure for producing a horizontal cutoff line.

10. A lighting module as recited in any one of claims 1-4 and 6-9, wherein a focal point of the light collector is at or near the light source.

11. A lighting module as recited in claim 10, wherein the lighting module comprises,

The inner wall of the reflector housing of the light collector defines a reflective surface (211) facing both the light source and the reflector.

12. A lighting module as recited in any one of claims 1-4, 6-9 and 11, wherein the lighting module further comprises a light projection assembly configured to project the light beam outward into an illumination light beam.

13. A lighting module as recited in claim 12, wherein the lighting beam is used to form a low beam and/or a high beam.

14. The lighting module of claim 12, wherein the light projection assembly comprises a lens (500) and a lens support (600), the lens being mounted on the lens support to project the light beam outward, the lens support being mounted on the heat sink to cover the light collector, reflector and light source.

15. A lighting module as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that an edge (432) of the reflecting surface of the reflector, which is close to or remote from the light collector, is formed with a cut-off line forming structure configured to shape a portion from the light collector to create a cut-off line in the outgoing light beam, which cut-off line forming structure is located at or near the Focal Plane (FP) of the lens.

16. A lamp device comprising a housing, characterized in that,

The lamp device further comprising the lighting module of any one of claims 1-15, the lighting module being housed within the housing.

17. A vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a lighting module according to any one of claims 1-15, or a lamp device according to claim 16.