DE102017209265A1 - Adaptive lighting device and method of using an adaptive lighting device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an adaptive lighting device (1) and a method of using an adaptive lighting device (1). The adaptive illumination device (1) comprises a light emitting device (2), which is designed to emit at least one laser beam (5), a conversion device (3), which comprises diamondoid cluster molecules and is adapted to the at least one laser beam (5) in a at least one corresponding white light beam (6) to be converted, wherein a beam width of the at least one white light beam (6) substantially corresponds to a beam width of the corresponding laser beam (5), and at least one switchable optical device (4) which in the beam path of the light emitting device (2) behind the conversion device (3) and / or between the light source (21) and the conversion device (3) is introduced and is adapted to focus the at least one laser beam (5) and / or the at least one white light beam (6) and / or distract.

Description

The present invention relates to an adaptive lighting device and a method of using an adaptive lighting device.

State of the art

Although applicable to any micromechanical components, the present invention and the underlying problems are explained with reference to lasers, LEDs and lenses.

Previously known were phosphors that excited by short-wave light (blue or UV) white light emission show. Such phosphors convert in white light-emitting diodes or fluorescent tubes, the UV light emitted by semiconductor effects or gas discharges, for example in DE 10 2009 027 493 A1 ,

The principle-governed feature of these substances is that the exciting photons have a higher energy than those emitted, and that the emission of the white light is isotropic, that is, not influenced by the direction of the exciting light.

Also known were so-called supercontinuum sources in which directed by utilizing non-linear optical effects of monochromatic laser light, directed white light rays can be generated.

In the current state of the art, these are e.g. realized by a matrix of white light LEDs or a laser-based light source. In both cases, a narrowband light source (LED chip, laser) is used to excite one or more phosphor elements to fluoresce. In the next step, a fluorescent light radiation flux can be converted into a desired spatial light distribution via suitable optics.

Novel Rosemann et al., SCIENCE Vol. 352, 6291, (2016) 1301 discloses novel materials which emit light with a broadband spectrum in the visible range ("white light") upon excitation with visible, preferably near-infrared laser light , The white light is emitted in the direction of the exciting laser beam, which in turn can be generated by a commercially available laser diode.

This can lead to a broad angular distribution of the emitted light, which makes optics with correspondingly large apertures necessary.

Furthermore, in particular, white light LEDs emit from a relatively large area and have a relatively high etendue. The etendue plays a fundamental role in the lighting technology and clearly shows that a bundling of light from a source with high etendue without loss of intensity is only possible by comparatively large optics.

However, precise bundling and timing of light is desirable in applications such as adaptive high beam where e.g. People on the edge of the road should be lit but not blinded (avoiding the face) or movements of the vehicle in real time must be compensated.

These methods are also used in the scientific field in high-tech products, but require powerful and expensive, usually pulsed laser sources.

Disclosure of the invention

The present invention provides an adaptive lighting device according to claim 1 and a method of using an adaptive lighting device according to claim 10.

According to a first aspect, the invention therefore relates to an adaptive illumination device which is a light emitting device, which is designed to emit a laser beam, a conversion device, which comprises diamondoid cluster molecules and is adapted to convert the laser beam into a white light beam, wherein a beam width of the white light beam substantially corresponds to a beam width of the laser beam, and at least one switchable optical device, which is introduced in the beam path of the light emitting device behind the conversion layer and / or between the light source and the conversion layer and is adapted to focus the laser beam and / or the white light beam and / / or distract.

Preferred developments are the subject of the respective subclaims.

Advantages of the invention

The invention provides an adaptive illumination device and corresponding method of use comprising novel materials which emit light having a broadband spectrum in the visible region ("white light") upon excitation with visible, preferably near-infrared laser light. The white light is emitted in the same direction as the exciting laser beam, which in turn can be generated by a commercially available laser diode. This was after Previous technology in this efficiency is not possible.

The invention thus enables the generation of laser-like, directed white light beams with inexpensive laser diodes.

As a result, a temporally and spatially controlled variable, precisely definable light distribution can be generated from a broadband light source at a specific distance.

According to a preferred embodiment of the adaptive illumination device according to the invention, the diamondoid cluster molecules are amorphous and symmetry-free, whereby the advantageous conversion of laser light to white light wherein the beam width of the white light beam substantially corresponds to the beam width of the laser beam

According to a preferred embodiment of the adaptive illumination device according to the invention, the light emitting device comprises at least one liquid lens and / or liquid crystal lens. This makes it possible to generate a controllable, variable light distribution while at the same time maximizing the light efficiency and minimizing the installation space.

According to a preferred development of the adaptive illumination device according to the invention, the switchable optics can be controlled by electrical signals. As a result, a precise and temporally defined control of the focusing and the intensity distribution of the resulting white light can be achieved.

According to a preferred embodiment of the adaptive illumination device according to the invention, the light emitting device comprises a plurality of light sources, each emitting a laser beam, and the switchable optical device has a plurality of optical elements corresponding to the laser beams, which are adapted to the corresponding laser beam and / or the to focus and / or distract the corresponding white light beam. As a result, white light with a complex intensity distribution can be generated.

According to a preferred development of the adaptive illumination device according to the invention, the optical elements can be controlled independently of one another in order to deflect the laser beams and / or the corresponding white light beams in such a way that a predetermined light distribution is generated. This also leads to a precise control of the intensity distribution of the generated white light.

According to a preferred development of the adaptive illumination device according to the invention, the optical elements comprise micromirrors. Due to their compact design, micromirrors make it possible to reduce the size of the entire lighting device.

According to a preferred development of the adaptive illumination device according to the invention, the laser sources and the optical elements are each arranged in an array. As a result, a reduction in the size of the entire lighting device can be achieved.

According to a preferred development of the adaptive illumination device according to the invention, the conversion device is applied in the form of a coating to the optical elements. By eliminating an extra component as a conversion device costs and space can be saved.

list of figures

• 1: eine schematische Darstellung einer Beleuchtungsvorrichtung gemäß einer ersten Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Erfindung, und dem räumlich erzeugten Intensitätsverhältnis I1 entlang der Achse X;
• 2: eine schematische Darstellung eines Arrays aus Beleuchtungsvorrichtungen gemäß einer ersten Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Erfindung, und dem räumlich erzeugten Intensitätsverhältnis I2 entlang der Achse X;
• 3: eine schematische Darstellung eines Arrays aus Beleuchtungsvorrichtungen gemäß einer ersten Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Erfindung, und dem räumlich erzeugten Intensitätsverhältnis I3 entlang der Achse X; und
• 4: eine schematische Darstellung eines Arrays aus Beleuchtungsvorrichtungen gemäß einer ersten Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Erfindung, und dem räumlich erzeugten Intensitätsverhältnis I4 entlang der Achse X.

The present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments indicated in the schematic figures of the drawings. Showing:

• 1 : a schematic representation of a lighting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and the spatially generated intensity ratio I1 along the axis X;
• 2 a schematic representation of an array of illumination devices according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and the spatially generated intensity ratio I2 along the axis X;
• 3 : a schematic representation of an array of illumination devices according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and the spatially generated intensity ratio I3 along the axis X; and
• 4 : A schematic representation of an array of illumination devices according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and the spatially generated intensity ratio I4 along the axis X.

Embodiments of the invention

In the figures, like reference numerals designate the same or functionally identical elements.

1 is a schematic representation of a lighting device 1 According to a first embodiment of the present invention, and spatially generated intensity ratio I1 along an axis X.

Shown is an implementation of the invention, the light emitting device 2 of laser diodes 21 includes, their light 5 by a conversion device 3 with conversion elements 31 in white light 6 is converted. With respect to the beam distribution has the white light 6 the same properties as the laser light 5 , Similar to a laser diode, it can by an optical device 4 with aspheric microlenses 41 be converted into a collimated beam with very little divergence. The microlenses 41 can now be switched in the sense that the optical path length (OPL) in the pupil of a single element can be controlled by, for example, externally applied electrical signals.

The diamondoid cluster molecules of the conversion device 3 allow a conversion of the laser light 5 in white light 6 , wherein the beam width remains substantially unchanged. It is a molecular solid which serves as an extremely nonlinear medium, and such compounds may include semiconducting cluster molecules substituted with covalently bonded organic ligands. These organic ligands serve to provide quasi-localized electrons.

For example, tin sulfide-based molecules can be used in an adamantane structure, that is, with a diamondoid [Sn ₂ S ₆ ] framework, whereby organic ligands such as (CH ₂ = CH) -C ₆ H ₄ - are introduced. The steric influence of the organic ligands determines the molecular structure of the clusters and the noncrystalline properties of the compound. Furthermore, the organic ligands prevent polymerization of the inorganic clusters into the binary SnS ₂ solid.

The laser light 5 drives the delocalized π-electrons into the electronic ground state of the cluster molecules, whereupon they relax and release bremsstrahlung.

In 1 the OPL would have a quadratic course in the radial direction with azimuthal symmetry.

2 is a schematic representation of an array of lighting devices 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and the spatially generated intensity ratio I2 along the axis X.

Shown is an embodiment of the invention, wherein light 5 by a conversion device 3 with conversion elements 31 in white light 6 is converted. With respect to the beam distribution has the white light 6 the same properties as the laser light 5 , Similar to a laser diode, it can by an optical device 4 with aspheric microlenses 41 be converted into a collimated beam with very little divergence.

In 2 The OPL would have additional different linear gradients to merge the intensity spots laterally and thus homogeneously illuminate a larger contiguous area.

3 is a schematic representation of a lighting device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and the spatially generated intensity ratio I3 along the axis X.

Shown is an embodiment of the invention, wherein light 5 by a conversion device 3 with conversion elements 31 in white light 6 is converted. With respect to the beam distribution has the white light 6 the same properties as the laser light 5 , Similar to a laser diode, it can by an optical device 4 with microlenses 41 be converted into a focused beam with very little divergence.

3 shows another example in which many focused light spots can be generated and distributed arbitrarily spatially. In addition to the examples shown here, a large number of further possibilities are conceivable for illuminating a surface or a volume. The light distribution is very precisely controlled, the accuracy is no longer limited by the etendue of the light source but rather the switchable optics. Due to the small etendue of the white light source, the optical elements can again be positioned very close to the light source, which minimizes the necessary aperture diameter and thus makes even smaller optics usable.

4 is a schematic representation of an array of lighting devices 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and the spatially generated intensity ratio I4 along the axis X.

Shown is an embodiment of the invention, wherein light 5 by a conversion device 3 with conversion elements 31 in white light 6 is converted. With respect to the beam distribution has the white light 6 the same properties as the laser light 5 , Similar to a laser diode, it can by an optical device 4 with microlenses 41 be converted into a focused beam with very little divergence.

Here is the conversion element 31 as a conversion layer behind the beam-shaping optical device 4 with microlenses 41 placed. This has the advantage that the lenses 41 need only be designed for the wavelength of the exciting laser and color errors are avoided. This makes it possible to dispense with a complex, achromatic design of the switchable optics. The conversion layer can be placed as an independent module directly behind the optical elements or realized as part of the switchable optics. Preferably, the conversion layer is integrated directly into an outer protective glass of the optics.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it is not limited thereto. In particular, the materials and topologies mentioned are only examples and not limited to the illustrated examples.

Although in the above embodiments, four arrangement possibilities with different generated intensity ratios are shown and described, of course, a variety of arrangement options, combinations and intensity ratios generated possible.

Particularly preferred further applications for the lighting device according to the invention are, for example, vehicle headlights for glare-free high beam or adaptive lighting systems for supporting camera systems, in particular in production control. Also, applications in the lighting of interiors or surfaces, generation of structured light distributions or a variety of other applications, in which a precise light control is advantageous, are conceivable.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 102009027493 A1 [0003]

Cited non-patent literature

• From N.W. Rosemann et al., SCIENCE Vol. 352, 6291, (2016) 1301 discloses novel materials which emit light with a broadband visible spectrum ("white light") upon excitation with visible, preferably near-infrared laser light [0007]

Claims (10)

Adaptive lighting device (1), comprising: a light emitting device (2), which is designed to emit at least one laser beam (5), a conversion device (3), which comprises diamondoid cluster molecules and is adapted to convert the at least one laser beam (5) into at least one corresponding white light beam (6), wherein a beam width of the at least one white light beam (6) is substantially a beam width of the corresponding laser beam (5), and at least one switchable optical device (4) which is introduced in the beam path of the light emitting device (2) behind the conversion device (3) and / or between the light source (21) and the conversion device (3) and is adapted to the at least one laser beam ( 5) and / or the at least one white light beam (6) to focus and / or distract. Adaptive lighting device (1) according to Claim 1 , where the diamondoid cluster molecules are amorphous and symmetry free. Adaptive lighting device (1) according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the light emitting device (2) comprises at least one liquid lens and / or liquid crystal lens. Adaptive illumination device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the switchable optical device (4) is controllable by electrical signals. Adaptive illumination device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the light emitting device (2) comprises a plurality of light sources (21) each emitting a laser beam (5), and wherein the switchable optical device (4) forms a laser beam (5). corresponding plurality of optical elements (41) which are adapted to focus and / or deflect the corresponding laser beam (5) and / or the corresponding white light beam (6). Adaptive lighting device (1) according to Claim 5 , wherein the optical elements (41) are independently controllable to deflect the laser beams (5) and / or the corresponding white light beams (6) such that a predetermined light distribution is generated. Adaptive lighting device (1) after Claim 5 or 6 wherein the optical elements (41) comprise micromirrors. Adaptive illumination device (1) according to one of Claims 5 to 7 , wherein the laser sources (21) and the optical elements (41) are each arranged in an array. Adaptive illumination device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the conversion device (3) in the form of a coating on the optical elements (41) is applied. Method for using an adaptive illumination device (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 9 , wherein the optical device (4) is controlled such that the white light beams (6) are generated in accordance with a predetermined light distribution.

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