EP1432874A1

EP1432874A1 - Luminous road marking with light emitting diodes

Info

Publication number: EP1432874A1
Application number: EP02774150A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Franz Silhengst; Alexander Otto
Original assignee: Swarco Futurit Verkehrssignalsysteme Ges mbH
Current assignee: Swarco Futurit Verkehrssignalsysteme Ges mbH
Priority date: 2001-09-26
Filing date: 2002-09-26
Publication date: 2004-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 2022-09-26
Also published as: ATA15222001A; WO2003027397A1; EP1432874B1; AT413560B; DE50202251D1

Abstract

The invention concerns luminous marking means to be switched on and off, with light emitting diodes, embedded in the road, having particularly low resistance, while at the same time having a high axial luminous intensity. The light from a LED chip (2) is focused, through rounded ends (4), in a directly installed glass body (6). The rounded ends (4) are of such small dimension that the divergence of the light beam, conditioned by the size of the LED chip, already directly generates jointly with the diffuse light components the required light distribution. The glass body (6) guides the light coming from the protected inside part of the lamp, obliquely upwards, where it exits, through an output surface (7) inclined at about 45 DEG , in the form of a substantially horizontal beam. The input and output surfaces (5 and 7) of the glass body (6) have a height corresponding to the diameter of the round ends (4), the length of the glass body (6) corresponding to the angle of divergence of the light beam. The output surface (7) has a curvature with a focal point located in the region of the input surface (5). The device is protected by a housing (9) wherein the glass body (6) is hermetically bonded with a light-absorbent adhesive (10).

Description

Road marking light using LED technology.

Such lights have been known for a long time. However, the use of commercially available LEDs in such luminaires led to fillings and performance parameters which have hitherto only permitted limited use. On the one hand, the brightness values achieved are so insufficient that these luminaires have so far only proven themselves in tunnels or at night and in fog. On the other hand, these lights are only suitable for supporting signaling of the lane boundaries or lanes, since they do not survive long rolling over by vehicles. The effect of such marker lights is often supported by built-in reflective tape or reflectors. Some versions are powered by built-in solar cells and rechargeable batteries, which saves a cable feed, but means a severe reduction in brightness. Purely passive marker lights are also known which light up according to the reflector principle when they are illuminated by vehicle headlights.

Versions with reflective support or with self-sufficient power supply are predetermined in their function, there is no possibility for active control, for example by switching on or off.

Luminaires are also known which have the necessary stability for continuous rolling over by vehicles and a very high brightness for daytime visibility. They are therefore preferred for use on airstrips and are correspondingly large and expensive, they also have a conventional lamp that has to be replaced regularly and either have a relatively large protrusion above the level of the road or the light exit is in a recess, which preferably has its own drainage having. Such lights are not particularly suitable for general use in road traffic because they can endanger some road users such as pedestrians or cyclists and also require special maintenance. The installation in common road surfaces is also associated with considerable effort, since very large and deep recesses and slots for connecting cables affect the road structure quite strongly. Attempts have recently been made to create a standard for marking lights in road traffic. Here, among other things, a certain mechanical Stability and a certain light distribution set. A very high light value is required in the longitudinal direction of the carriageway in a narrow angular range directly above the road surface, which may gradually decrease to a small value laterally up to a certain angle. The brightness should decrease faster upwards and above a defined angle the light intensity must not exceed a certain absolute light value.

Previously, individual lanes could only be blocked or diverted using lane signals attached overhead. Recently, requests have been made to switch lanes on high-performance roads, depending on traffic density, from three to four lanes in each direction, for example, in order to increase road capacity during rush hour. This should be visually supported by rows of marker lights in the roadway, because conventional road marking lines cannot be used sensibly for this. This places significantly higher and completely different demands on such marker lights. This application requires several rows of lights in the longitudinal direction of the road, with current lanes delimiting rows switched on and the other rows switched off. There must be day visibility under all weather conditions, the lights must also be extremely fail-safe. On the other hand, a switched-off row of lights should be practically imperceptible to the driver. This not only precludes support for the lighting effect by means of reflective foils or other retroreflective devices, it also requires special measures to prevent the lighting of the lights from the sun or night-time lighting from vehicle headlights. It is also clear that a row of lights switched off lies in the middle of an activated lane and is constantly overrun by all the heavy traffic, which on the one hand places the highest demands on wear protection and on the other hand allows the lights to protrude as little as possible from the road. Of course there are also the highest demands on the reliability of these lights, it is inconceivable to have to replace light bulbs with such a quantity of lights in upright, dense traffic, the lifespan should correspond to that of the road surface if possible. In addition, there are also requirements for the wiring of the lights, such as several circuits for fail safety, electrical function monitoring and dimmed operation at night. A maintenance-free marker light in LED technology is therefore required, which has a very high axial light intensity and light distribution according to current specifications, but at the same time is as small and inexpensive as possible and protrudes as little as possible from the road surface. The luminaire must be designed with maximum wear protection and snow plow-proof. Incoming extraneous light should not lead to annoying lighting, but the luminaire should be able to have retroreflective properties for use in hazardous areas. Installation should be possible with little effort and without significant intervention in the pavement. The smallest possible, low light emission window meets almost all optical-geometric requirements. It is a prerequisite for a small size, but especially for minimal protrusion from the road. Furthermore, the luminance of the emitted light increases, which increases daytime visibility. And finally, a small window lets a little bit of extraneous light into the optical system, which reduces reflective values a priori. Another geometrical problem is that as little material as possible should be arranged above the exit window in order to keep the overall height of the lamp low. The LED and control electronics are well protected inside the luminaire, so the light must be guided a certain distance in the luminaire to the exit window. The lighting problem is mainly to get a large amount of light through such a small window in a high concentration and in the required distribution. Although light can be focused very easily on a narrow passage of light, usually referred to as an aperture or focus, it immediately diverges behind it. A concentrated radiation into the distance can only be achieved if a converging lens is arranged at a distance behind the light passage, which directs the diverging light in parallel again. However, this is not possible here because the exit window itself already represents the end of the optical system. It was therefore a special form of a lighting system with LED light sources to be developed, which directs the light from the inside of the luminaire to the smallest possible light exit window and bundles the emerging light to a high degree. This is solved according to the invention in that the size and shape of the LED lens domes are made so small that the prescribed light distribution is essentially solely due to the relative size ratio to the LED chip resulting divergence of the entire light bundle and scattered light components of the LED light source is generated. The lens domes direct the divergent light passing through at every point of their surface against a vitreous body in such a way that after refraction at the entrance surface and passage through the vitreous body it hits the exit surface completely or with the greatest possible proportion of light. Entry and exit surfaces of the vitreous body and the cross-section located between them are essentially of such a height as the optically effective diameter of the lens domes, the entrance surface directly adjoins the lens domes and the ratio of the height of the entrance or exit surface to the length of the beam path in the vitreous body is less than or equal to the radian of the divergence angle of the light beam that prevails in the vitreous.

So the smallest possible LED with the already finished light beam is required, which only shine through the glass body similar to a thick window glass. This then mainly has a protective function against weather and wear.

A special design of the LED lens dome and glass body allows, compared to a simple flat glass pane, a substantial reduction in the height of the exit surface with undiminished light transmission, as well as a structurally and weather-favorable arrangement of the light sources inside the marker lamp.

Commercial LEDs with lenses have no design options for the optics and are relatively large. They are therefore generally not suitable. So-called high-performance chip LEDs without optics are therefore provided, which are then provided with specially matched lens domes. As the smallest LED designs, chip LEDs can also be arranged very closely together, so that by adding the lighting effect, a higher light density can be achieved than with conventional designs. The lens caps placed in front should therefore also allow an arrangement with maximum packing density. The so-called "chip-on-board" technology is also suitable, where LED chips are glued, wired and encapsulated directly on printed circuit boards and are provided with the special lens tips in the casting mold.

Lens design and structure of the invention will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. 1 shows a vertical section through the invention, FIG. 2 shows the schematic beam path in vertical section, FIG. 2a shows a poorer version in comparison, FIGS. 3 and 4 variants of the invention in vertical section, FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c 6, the invention in vertical section with exposure to extraneous light, FIG. 7, a variant of the invention as a reflector in vertical section, and FIG. 8, a further variant of the invention in vertical section. Fig. 1 shows a vertical section through the invention. On a somewhat inclined circuit board 1, which contains the power supply, at least one chip LED 2 with a built-in LED chip 3 is attached. This emits light in all directions, but mainly in the axial direction. A lens dome 4 is attached to the chip LED 2 and directs the light onto the immediately adjacent entry surface 5 of an obliquely arranged glass body 6. The light is passed on obliquely upwards and emerges from the glass body 6 at the exit surface 7. The exit surface 7 essentially forms an angle W with the roadway 8, which is approximately 45 degrees on average and has a slight convex curvature. The inclination of the glass body 6 is chosen such that the beam path is deflected just above the roadway 8 when it passes through the exit surface 7, where it produces the desired light distribution. The arrangement is surrounded by a housing 9 which is built into the carriageway 8 to such an extent that the lower edge of the exit surface 7 is flush with the carriageway 8. The housing 9 has, in a known manner, ramps 13 projecting directly next to the exit surface 7 to protect the exit surface from damage by snow plows. The glass body is positioned by means of an adhesive 10 and cast in a weatherproof manner. The lamp is powered by a cable 11.

In the case of a very small lens dome 4, the LED chip 3 must not be regarded as a punctiform light source; a correspondingly large divergence of the light rays already arises here. If the lens dome 4 were designed as imaging optics, a projection image of the LED chip 3 of the appropriate size would result in accordance with known optical laws. With the most complete use possible of all the light rays emitted by the LED chip 3 via the solid angle and the scattered light produced by the surrounding LED surfaces, and slight deviations from the imaging geometry, however, only a blurred light spot with a bright center of a similar size is produced.

This blurred representation is particularly interesting here. It can be matched quite well with the required light distribution of a marker lamp, which can be viewed as a horizontally oriented section of a rotationally symmetrical light distribution in the form of a bell curve, if the size the lens dome 4 is in the appropriate ratio to the size of the LED chip. Then no additional scattering or collecting effect has to be provided and a very small lens tip 4 with high effectiveness is obtained. Subsequently, one only needs an essentially uninfluenced passage of light through an exit window without any particular optical effect. However, in order to further minimize the height of the exit window and to achieve lighting properties described later, it is advisable to provide a certain optic which also has an effect on the design of the lens tip 4. Fig. 2 shows the beam path in vertical section in a schematic representation. The LED chip 3 has the width B and emits light in all directions. An arbitrary point P of the attached lens dome 4 receives rays from the entire area B of the chip 3, which include a divergence angle D1. Border light rays form the angle D2 in the space between the lens tip 4 and the entry surface 5 of the glass body 6 according to optical laws and in the glass body 6 the angle D3. The design of the lens dome 4 and the entry surface 5 is now carried out in such a way that all light rays within the angle D3 reach the exit surface 7. In this case, the entry surface 5 is initially expediently assumed to be a plane and the lens dome inclination is suitably defined in each point P. It can be seen that the thickness and length of the glass body 6, the divergence angle D3 and the size of the lens tip 4 are in a geometrical relationship. According to FIG. 2, the thickness of the glass body 6 is approximately the diameter of the lens tip 4, the length of the glass body 6 is dimensioned such that the divergence D3 does not become greater than the height of the exit surface 7. If the same design considerations are made for all points P 2, a bundle of rays results which, in spite of diverging light rays, can pass completely through the exit window 7, even if the glass body 6 is not thicker than the lens tip 4 itself.

If one now looks at the upper point O of the exit surface 7, light rays pass through it from every point of the entry surface 5, these enclose a divergence angle D3O which is approximately the same size as the divergence angle D3, after passing through they form the divergence angle D4O. Likewise, light rays pass from each point of the entry surface 5 through the lower point U of the exit surface 7, which have a similar divergence angle D3U and form the divergence angle D4U after passing through. The two divergence angles D4O and D4U can get a matching orientation by a suitable different inclination of the exit surface 7. The same also applies to all points in between of the exit surface 7. A suitable curvature of the exit surface 7 can therefore align the emerging divergent light beams in a coherent manner and a very good overall bundling can be obtained in this way. The curvature is determined according to known optical laws, in that the focal point F comes to lie in the middle of the entry surface 5. In other words: a bundle of light rays passing through any point of the entry surface 5, such as F, is directed parallel to the exit surface 7.

The same design considerations apply if the entry surface 5 of the glass body 6 is not made flat. Again, lens dome 4 and entrance surface 5 must be determined in their common effect in such a way that as many light rays as possible can pass through the exit surface 7. For example, the entry surface 5 could be curved so that it has a focal point in the middle of the exit surface 7. The lens dome 7 would then essentially have to emit the light in parallel so that it is directed to the focal point at the exit surface 7. In any case, the use of a light simulation program is recommended for precise coordination of the light distribution to be expected. FIG. 2a shows, for comparison, the conditions in a glass body 6a with a flat entry and exit surface 5a and 7a, such as, for example, in known marker lights with a glass prism inserted. Here the lens dome 4a must align the light bundles passing through any points on the surface in parallel. This task corresponds to that of an imaging optic and produces an unfavorable, sharper image of the LED chip 3. It can also be seen that the glass body 6a at the exit surface 7a is about twice as high as before in order to let the light pass through undiminished essentially only the same divergence angle D4 can be achieved. This also shows that the curvature of the exit surface 7 and the low height of the glass body 6 in FIG. 2 have hardly any influence on the light distribution that can be achieved; there are only slight differences in the way in which the lens tips 4 are bundled.

The design of the lateral surfaces 15 of the glass body 6 is irrelevant to the previous considerations, so that they can in principle be of any design. Fig. 3 shows in vertical section that the glass body 6 have any shape while maintaining the entry and exit surfaces 5 and 7 and over the entire Arrangement can extend so that glass body 6 and housing 9 together form a single, transparent, tight, extremely scratch and wear-resistant component 6 + 9. If the glass body 6 is made from a plane glass, there are also several different design options. On the one hand, the lateral surfaces 15 can be made mirror-like. This can be done by mirroring, but it can also reflect an exposed glass body 6 by total reflection on the lateral surfaces 15. As a result, light that has not previously been detected can also be passed on outside the considered divergence angles or scattered light by reflection on the lateral surfaces 15 as in a light guide. However, this light cannot be directed in the main emission direction, it emerges again as scattered light from the luminaire, but can brighten peripheral areas of the light distribution.

On the other hand, the lateral surfaces 15 can be made light-absorbing. In this way, scattered light, but also external light incident from outside, can be destroyed. This is advantageous if certain areas of the light distribution are to be kept as dark as possible, so as not to impair the surroundings by stray light, but also to achieve the lowest possible retroreflective behavior of the luminaire. Such behavior can be achieved in practice if the glass body 6 is fastened in the housing 9 with a black adhesive 10. Here, the outer surfaces of the glass body 6 can also be rough, which promotes the adhesion of the adhesive 10.

Finally, any combination of the possibilities can also be used. Fig. 4 shows an embodiment in vertical section. The lateral surfaces are then either partially mirrored, or a protective cover 12 prevents adhesive 10 from reaching this area of the lateral surface and also into the air space around the lens tips 4. The other areas are wetted by the adhesive 10 and absorb any light incident thereon. As a result, some areas of the light distribution can be brightened, others darkened, so that a more precise adaptation to the specifications is possible. 5a shows a horizontal section through the arrangement. The previous statements can be used here analogously, the only difference is that the glass body 6 is preferably arranged exactly in the direction of radiation and therefore there is no bending of the beam path at the exit surface 7. Any number of units can be used side by side in the horizontal direction until the lamp reaches its maximum width or the amount of light emitted is sufficient. These may well be individually arranged, similar glass bodies 6i, each with a chip LED 2 behind it with lens dome 4, which guides the light onto the exit surfaces 7i. For manufacturing and cost reasons, however, the question arises whether it is not possible to find sufficiency with a single glass body 6.

Fig. 5b shows a Glasköφer in horizontal section, which has been created by moving the individual arrangements together. As a result, significantly more chip LED 2 can be accommodated in the same space, which means that more light is possible with the same space requirement. The difficulty, however, lies in the production of the optical structure at least on the exit surface 7. This can be compression-molded and flame-polished, for example. In this way, however, no sharp edges can be produced, which is why the exit surface 7 would have to be enlarged by the edge radii. 5c shows an alternative embodiment in horizontal section. The glass body 6 now only has a cylindrical or flat entry and exit surface 5, 7. These surfaces can be mechanically polished with simple tools, the edges of the glass body 6 being retained. By merging the individual optics, a broad, shared light channel is formed horizontally, which makes the horizontal focusing of the light on a narrow light outlet superfluous, the light can pass straight through like a flat pane. The required horizontal light distribution can therefore be designed directly through the geometry of the lens domes 4, the light passes through the area of the neighboring units when passing through the glass body 6. Such an embodiment therefore usually has lens domes 4 with a non-round, elliptical shape or so-called free-form surfaces. The Glasköφer 6 is a bit wider than the lens top arrangement to use edge rays.

A parallel arrangement of the same optical components leads to an addition of the brightness values with unchanged light distribution. However, it is clear that any other arrangement, in particular a circular or circular arc, is also possible. This allows, for example, warning lights to be designed with all-round light, but also lights with multiple radiation directions, in particular 180 degrees opposite.

An important design criterion for a switchable marker light is the retroreflective behavior. It should be as unrecognizable as possible in the switched-off state, so as not to provoke any incorrect information by the road user. Here there There are two relevant sources of stray light, on the one hand, the sun must not generate reflections or even false signal light during the day, which is generally referred to as phantom light, and on the other hand, the headlights of the motor vehicles must also not cause any reflected light in the marker lamp at night. The direction of observation is mainly in the longitudinal axis of the lights, from 0 degrees to a few degrees diagonally from above, i.e. the area from which the majority of the lights and the course of the road are seen by the vehicle driver. A very sloping top view of individual lights in the immediate vicinity can be disregarded, since no further effects on driving behavior are to be expected. Fig. 6 shows the facts again in vertical section. At an average angle of inclination W of the exit surface 7 of approximately 45 degrees, incident sunlight S can only be reflected as Sa in the direction of observation if the sun is perpendicular to the marker lamp. This is not possible at all in most highly developed countries, in the area of the equator only for a short period of noon. Here, the curvature of the exit surface 7 prevents extreme lighting up by scattering the reflected portion of the sunlight, so that the reflection still shows the switching state of the lights. Sunlight Sb penetrating into the lamp falls directly on the lateral surfaces 15 and is absorbed. The entrance surface 5 is not reached and cannot generate any reflections, as are all the optically active parts behind it. Even sunlight during the day can only penetrate a little into the glass body 6 and then falls onto the outer surface 15, where it is absorbed.

Low sun in the area of the lamp axis and headlight effect can be viewed together. Because these light sources are located within the center of the light distribution, their light rays L can penetrate completely into the optical system. No reflections can be seen at the exit surface 7 because the light is directed upwards as La, but the entrance surface 5 is different. It reflects a certain proportion of the penetrating light Lb back towards the exit surface 7, where it is emitted in the direction of the viewer. This can be prevented, on the one hand, by the entry surface 5 being inclined or curved by an angle V somewhat greater than 90 degrees with respect to the beam path, so that reflected light beams are directed against the lateral surface 15 of the glass body 6 and are absorbed there. With certain geometries, reflected light rays can also exit at a smaller angle than the entry angle and, if necessary, hit the road surface. Chip LED 2 and lens domes 4 must be aligned and adapted with respect to the changed entry surface 5.

The majority of the incident light, however, enters the lens domes 4 from the entry surface 5 and partially falls on the LED chips 3 as Ld. Depending on their properties or the internal structure of the chip LED 2, the light then becomes a proportion accurate thrown back in the direction of observation.

This can be countered by filtering. Lenticular dome 4 or glass body 6 can be transparently colored to match the emitted light color, so that only the useful light color is largely let through unhindered. Incident light from the outside is largely absorbed, only the color components corresponding to the filter color are let through. A further improvement can be achieved by filtering the useful light color itself. The useful light only has to overcome this obstacle once, but penetrating extraneous light twice when reflected and is therefore weakened more. An anti-reflective coating that is evaporated onto the entry surface also reduces its reflections. Of course, an additional filter disk can also be provided in the beam path instead of the coloring. For luminaire versions with one-piece glass cover 6 + 9, there are no immediate outer surfaces. The light is therefore transmitted through total reflection on the walls inside the glass cover until it emerges or is absorbed undifferentiated at suitable other locations. In any case, it cannot leave the lamp directly in the direction of observation.

On the other hand, the retro reflection can be improved for certain lights, which should always be recognizable, for example, for the identification of danger spots. For this purpose, only the incident light rays have to be reflected in such a way that they can exit the exit surface 7 as completely as possible. A known principle can be used for this. As stated above, the exit surface 7 again has a curvature, the focal point F of which lies in the middle of the entry surface 5, the entry surface a radius R, the center M of which lies in the middle of the exit surface. Fig. 7 shows the principle in vertical section. For a true retro reflection, however, this design can also be used horizontally according to FIG. 5a or 5b and in any other direction. A glass body 6, which has no horizontal optics on the entry and exit surface in the horizontal section according to FIG. 5c, must be aligned exactly in the direction of the viewer or the vehicle headlights in order to achieve a recognizable effect. A light beam L penetrates as La Glass body 6, is partly reflected on the entrance surface 5 as Lb. After exiting as Lc, it lies parallel to the original light beam L. This form of retro reflection can be combined with a passage of light, the geometry of the lens tips 4 is only to be coordinated with the radius R of the entrance surface 5 as mentioned above.

The effect of the surface reflection of the entrance surface 5 is increased according to optical laws by using a glass with a high refractive index. A significant reinforcement can be achieved by mirroring. With complete mirroring, fluoroscopy is no longer possible and you get a pure reflector in the same design as a lamp. In the case of partial mirroring, the non-mirrored part of the entrance surface 5 can be illuminated. A semi-transparent mirroring of the entire entrance surface 5 is also possible. Depending on the light color, a selective mirror layer can also be evaporated, a luminaire with a retroreflective effect in the complementary color is obtained. There is a wide range of possible combinations here.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the glass body 6 can be made thinner than the diameter of the lens tips 4 in order to achieve an even closer vertical light bundling or a smaller overall height. As a result, the light from the upper and lower edge areas of the lens tips is lost and the vertical light distribution becomes lower, but the horizontal light distribution is retained. A similar effect with an undiminished overall height can be achieved if the glass body is extended. As a result, the most divergent portion of the useful light already reaches the lateral surfaces 15 and is absorbed. The exit surface 7 then acts together with the surrounding absorbent jacket surfaces like a light-limiting diaphragm. Such a coordination is useful if the light distribution requires a particularly strong upper restriction, or if the light of the very low-lying sun is to be prevented from reaching the chip LED 2 in order to minimize reflections. An essential embodiment of the invention relates to the installation of a deflecting mirror in the form of a generally known deflecting prism in the glass body. As a result, the light channel and the luminous flux can be bent at any point at any angle without changing the functional principle, the design of entry and exit surfaces or the lighting behavior. A preferred embodiment is shown in FIG. 8. The mirrored deflection surface 14 is located directly behind the exit surface 7, which is essentially vertical here and is preferably slightly inclined, the chip LED 2 and lens domes 4 radiate upwards. The deflection angle is selected such that a lateral surface 15 of the glass body 6 connects tangentially to the exit surface 7, so that the glass body can be made of plane glass again despite the deflection surface 14. The chip LED 2 and lens domes 4 are in a favorable position in terms of assembly, the housing 9 is much more solid and can be manufactured with almost all non-cutting manufacturing methods, because the recess for the glass body 6 is easy to demold. The glass body 6 can also be glued in easily. The housing forms a solid canopy for the pointed upper glass body edge.

From a visual point of view, there is also a significant difference in the orientation of the exit surface 7. The slightly inclined position means that any light beam arriving and reflected from any angle is directed towards the road and is absorbed there. The version is therefore particularly suitable for equatorial countries. Because no snow removal is required there, the slightly downward inclined position of the exit surface 7 does not cause any problems in this regard either. The invention can in principle be scaled up or down. Of particular interest is the use of large, high-performance LED chips using chip-on-board technology. The glass body dimensions, the luminaire diameter and the protrusion above the roadway level are increased to scale, however the brightness increases with the square of the underlying scale. Instead of large high-performance chips, two or more rows of small chip LEDs with lens domes can also be arranged one above the other. The same rules as explained above apply to the design of the individual lens tips as well as the entry and exit surfaces.

Such lights can already generate considerable brightness with a relatively small projection, which is why it can be used in special danger spots on the carriageway or on runways.

Claims

claims:

1. Marking light for level installation in the road surface with minimal protrusion, with a light distribution with a bright center directly above the horizontal light axis, gradually falling to the side and with greatly decreasing brightness upwards, with at least one LED sitting on a circuit board with electrical circuitry Light source with a lens dome, which bundles the light and at least one transparent glass body in front with an entry and exit surface of low height, characterized in that the size and shape of the lens dome (4) is so small that the prescribed light distribution essentially by the from the relative size ratio to the LED chip (3) resulting divergence of the entire light bundle and scattered light components of the LED light source is generated that the lens dome (4) through suitable shaping the divergent light passing through at every point of its surface against the glass body r (6) directs that after

Refraction at the entry surface (5) and passage through the glass body (6) completely or with the greatest possible proportion of light hits the exit surface (7) such that the entry and exit surface (5, 7) of the glass body (6) and the cross-section in between essentially have such an effective height transverse to the beam path as the one optically effective in vertical section

The diameter of the lens dome (4) is that the entry surface (5) is flat or slightly curved and directly adjoins the lens dome (4) and that the ratio of the effective height of the entry or exit surface (5, 7) to the average length of the beam path in the glass body (6) less than or equal to the radian of the prevailing divergence angle (D3) in the glass body (6)

Is light beam.

2. Marker light according to claim 1, characterized in that for each LED light source with a lens dome (4) the exit surface (7) of the glass body (6) in the area of the beam has a convex curvature with a focal point F in the associated light entry area of the entry surface (5) having.

3. Marker lamp according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in vertical section the exit surface (7) of the glass body (6) has a convex curvature has a focal point F in the central region of the entrance surface (5).

4. Marker light according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that in vertical section the exit surface (7) of the glass body (6) has an average inclination of approximately 45 degrees to the road surface (8).

5. Marker light according to claim 4, characterized in that the effective cross section of the glass body (6) has such a vertical inclination as a function of the refractive index that the beam of rays after passing through the

Exit surface (7) is deflected in the prescribed direction of light distribution.

6. Marking lamp according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the direction of the beam path extends in a straight line from the LED light source through the light exit surface (7) in horizontal section and the entrance surface (5) and exit surface (7) on average straight and vertical appear standing to the beam path.

7. Marker light according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that horizontally any number of units consisting of LED light source with lens cap (4) associated entry and exit surface (5, 7), preferably parallel to one another, or in several groups with are each arranged in parallel with the same or different orientation, but also in a circle or arc or any other way.

8. Marker light according to claim 1, characterized in that any number of units consisting of LED light source with lens cap (4) with associated entry and exit surface (5, 7) emit their light through a common Glasköφer (6).

9. Marking lamp according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that in the horizontal section the LED light source with lens cap (4) produces essentially the desired horizontal light distribution and both Entry surface (5) and exit surface (7) appear straight and perpendicular to the beam path.

10. Marking lamp according to claim 9, characterized in that a plurality of LED light sources with a lens cap (4) are arranged horizontally and axially parallel to one another and the entry surface (5) of the common glass body (6) has a flat surface or a cylindrical contour and the exit surface (7 ) has a cylindrical contour, each with a horizontal axis perpendicular to the beam path.

11. Marker lamp according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the surfaces of the lens tips (4) have an essentially ellipsoidal shape or are defined as mathematically described free-form surfaces.

12. Marker lamp according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the glass body (6) is made of optical mineral glass with high hardness and wear resistance.

13. Marking lamp according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the Glasköφer (6) is made of a flat glass sheet with the appropriate thickness.

14. Marker light according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the glass body (6) with its lateral surfaces (15) in a housing (9) is tightly and impact-resistant installed and preferably glued.

15. Marking lamp according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the adhesive (10) is black and wetted areas of the lateral surfaces (15) of the glass body (6) are light-absorbing.

16. Marker light according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the outer surfaces (15) of the glass body (6) optically smooth and in some Areas mainly covered by an existing protective cover (12) are not wetted by adhesive (10), so that total reflection is possible there.

17. Marker light according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the glass body (6) on one or more lateral surfaces (15) is partially or completely mirrored.

18. Marker light according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the glass body (6) and / or lens cap (4) are colored transparently in the respective useful light color.

19. Marker light according to one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that a filter disc of any design is preferably inserted between the lens cap (4) and the entrance surface (5).

20. Marker light according to one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that in vertical section the entrance surface (5) has such a deviation at every point with respect to the perpendicular to the beam path that a light beam incident through the exit surface (7) is reflected after reflection the entry surface (5) can no longer reach the exit surface (7) and is absorbed on the lateral surfaces.

21. Marker light according to one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that all entry surfaces (5) are non-reflective.

22. Marker light according to one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that at least in the vertical section for each LED light source with a lens dome (4), the exit surface (7) of the glass body (6) in the region of the beam has a convex curvature with a focal point F im Has associated light entry area of the entry surface (5) and the entry surface (5) has a convex 'radius R with the geometric center M in the middle of the exit surface (7).

23. Marker light according to claim 22, characterized in that a semi-transparent, selective or partially complete mirror layer is applied to the light entry surfaces (5).

24. Marker lamp according to claim 22, characterized in that the light entry surfaces (5) are completely mirrored and no light sources are installed.

25. Marker light according to one of claims 1 to 24, characterized in that each Glasköφer (6) is angled at any point by means of a deflecting mirror (14) in a known manner by any amount.

26. Marker light according to claim 25, characterized in that the deflecting mirror (14) begins directly at the upper edge of the exit surface (7), that the exit surface (7) is arranged substantially vertically and preferably inclined a few degrees forward and that Deflection angle is determined such that a lateral surface (15) of the glass body (6) is tangential to the lower edge of the outlet surface (7).

27. Marker light according to one of claims 1 to 26, characterized in that when the geometry is enlarged to scale, instead of a horizontal row, two or more rows of LED light sources with geometrically re-tuned lens domes (4) are arranged one above the other.

28. Marker light according to one of claims 1 to 27, characterized in that the top of the glass body (6) is protected from damage by a solid cover with a wedge-shaped cross section integrated into the housing (9).

29. Marker light according to one of claims 1 to 24 and 27 to 28, characterized in that the glass body (6) and housing (9) are combined in one piece to form a common, transparent component (6 + 9).

30. Marking lamp according to one of claims 1 to 29, characterized in that each exit surface (7) by preferably located directly next to it protruding ramps (13) of the housing (9) from damage or wear by snow plows, stones, tires, spikes, brushes or other abrasive objects is protected.