EP2510277B1 - Lantern or position light for motor vehicle light - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the field of vehicle lighting and signaling, in particular motor vehicles. It relates more particularly to a lantern or position light for a motor vehicle light, comprising a curtain made of transparent material in which is diffused a light emitted by at least one LED combined with at least one privileged zone of said transparent material.

The regulations in force impose, depending on the type of vehicle, different lighting or signaling lights. The tendency is then to group these fires together as much as possible in sets of which the volume is an important parameter. In addition, the performance and uniformity of illumination of the individual lights grouped together are major concerns.

Transparent auxiliary screens are already known in the prior art in which the light emitted by an auxiliary light source can propagate, these screens being intended to equip a light, in particular a rear light, of a motor vehicle. Local discontinuities provided in the material of the screen constitute light scattering foci outside these screens (see French patent publication No. 2 868 506 ).

In the German patent application FROM 101 01 795 flashing lights are described, in particular front indicators for motor vehicles, in which an auxiliary light source for a position light illuminates an element arranged transversely in the space between the main light and the front glass, and provides through the latter lighting in the same direction as that of the main light.

In the French patent application 01 00048 , published under the number 2,819,040 , describes an optical or styling component for lighting or signaling motor vehicles. This component is made of transparent material inside which light diffusing foci are located only in predetermined locations to diffuse the light emitted by a source associated with the lighting or signaling device. concerned. This component can constitute the glass of a motor vehicle headlight, or an insert placed in such a headlight.

In the German patent application DE 103 11 317 describes a lighting device for a vehicle comprising a light guide comprising diffusion structures located essentially at the focus of reflecting surfaces which thus allow uniform illumination to be diffused.

The document DE 100 32 927 A1 shows a vehicle passenger compartment light comprising a plate of transparent optical material forming a curtain and at least one LED-type light source arranged to emit light rays propagating within the thickness of said transparent optical material, while the plate carries an elongated bilateral bulge of substantially circular overall cross section, having its mean longitudinal axis in the mean plane of said plate and capable of forming a light guide.

The present invention aims to provide an original means for lighting and / or signaling motor vehicles. It thus aims to overcome the various respective drawbacks of the various signaling light systems of the prior art by proposing a device or element for a motor vehicle signaling light, in particular a lantern light, having a faster ignition, a reduced bulk. and a lower contribution to CO ₂ emissions than conventional signaling devices. The device according to the invention also makes it possible to add stylistic effects to the signal lights of vehicles.

• une plaque d'un matériau optique transparent formant rideau,
• ladite plaque comportant au moins un renflement allongé bilatéral, de section droite globale substantiellement circulaire, ayant son axe longitudinal moyen dans le plan moyen de ladite plaque et apte à former un guide de lumière.

According to the invention, a new device for a motor vehicle light, comprising a transparent optical material and at least one LED-type light source arranged to emit light rays propagating within the thickness of said transparent optical material, includes:

• a plate of transparent optical material forming a curtain,
• said plate comprising at least one bilateral elongated bulge, of substantially circular overall cross section, having its mean longitudinal axis in the mean plane of said plate and capable of forming a light guide.

The present invention relates to a lantern or position light for a motor vehicle light according to claim 1.

The device according to the invention is mainly intended to act as a lantern or position light, both at the rear and at the front of vehicles.

Apart from this or these elongated bilateral bulge (s), of substantially circular overall cross section, the element formed of the optically transparent material constitutes in practice a plate, flat or curved, and the aforementioned swollen part is an integral part of said plate.

In the present description, the term “element” is used to refer to a plate carrying at least one bulge or bead forming a light guide, and the “device” to the assembly: element + light-emitting diodes, as well as their connections to a power source and their accessories possible. The aforementioned bulges are called “cylindrical zones” or “substantially cylindrical zones”.

In a preferred embodiment, the element made of transparent optical material is thus a plate, plane or curvilinear (and in this case the angle of curvature can be variable from one end of the plate to the other), and the or the swollen zones pass through it right through, along a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the mean plane of the plate. In the event of a plurality of such substantially cylindrical zones, they are preferably substantially parallel to each other. The light guides formed by these bulges can be linear, curved in two dimensions or even curved one or more times in all three dimensions.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the aforesaid device comprises an element having at least one substantially cylindrical zone, the cross section of which has a diameter substantially greater than the average thickness of the plate on the adjacent zone or zones. An optimized light scattering is thus obtained, substantially uniformly by total reflection in all or substantially all of the element. This can be made of glass or preferably of plastic, in particular of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or of polycarbonate (PC). It may include conventional inclusions or irregularities purposefully arranged inside the element, while the light guide preferably includes prisms of predefined structure and angle, to meet regulatory requirements in this area. , known to those skilled in the art.

Such an element can be obtained by injection, according to a conventional technique, in a standard thickness for this type of product, preferably in a thickness of approximately 3 to 4 mm for the plate and a diameter of about 7 to 10 mm for the cylindrical bulges having a light guide function. For practical reasons relating to the constraints of mold-release without undercut, the line of connection of the bulge with the plate preferably comprises a groove, for example about 1.5 mm in width and 2.2 mm in thickness. , without this being limiting.

On the basis of the prior art and his own knowledge, those skilled in the art are able to select a positioning of the LED (s) on or near said cylindrical zones of transparent optical material. In practice, the LEDs are placed on or near a peripheral edge of the element, in line with a said substantially cylindrical zone.

As a variant, the device may also include additional LEDs, at the rate of one or more LEDs directed at one of the free edges of the plate or at least one section of the plate defined by the light guides. Such additional LEDs make it possible to provide additional lighting effects, if desired.

Without wishing to be bound by any theory, it is believed that the cylindrical zones act in the material of the element according to the invention as privileged light guides, which diffuse practically all of the light emitted by the source concerned over the entire surface. length of the cylindrical bulge, and thence over substantially the entire surface of the element bordering or surrounding the aforesaid substantially cylindrical zones.

The element according to the invention may, at convenience, be provided with conventional inclusions and / or cavities providing focal points for the diffusion of light and allowing the latter to be diffused either directly outwards or indirectly. by reflection on a reflecting face of an element arranged on the interior side of the device, in an optical assembly for a vehicle.

Thus, as shown in schematic form in the figures which should be referred to as non-limiting examples, the light guide of the element according to the invention is optionally provided with conventional inclusions arranged to allow radiation. luminous coming from the light source to be deflected in the wings or parts of plate, flat or curved, which extend in the vicinity of the guide of light concerned or in the parts of the element located between two such light guides.

Decorative stitches can be optionally included in the plate. They are preferably arranged in staggered rows for reasons of homogeneity.

Decorative lines of any shape, for example representing a logo or an acronym, can also be provided in the plate.

In practice, by replacing or thus supplementing the points included in the plate by continuous, dotted or other lines, it is possible to produce various decorations, which the illumination of the device according to the invention reveals with a particularly remarkable relief effect.

The conventional cones introduced into the guides by known means are preferably always normal to the surface and without undercut.

As an option, said light guides can also include reflecting elements and / or decorative elements which, by projection on the vicinal portions of the device according to the invention, virtually draw on the flat or curved surfaces thereof an appropriate shape. .

Prisms or other elements of local discontinuity (such as those described in French patent publication No. 2 868 506 ) can be advantageously included on the plate, so as to allow it to fulfill the function decreed by the regulations for a motor vehicle lantern. In the case of a front lantern, the device is equipped with a white light source.

In a preferred embodiment, the outer periphery of the device according to the invention comprises a shoulder, providing an underline of the contour of the light.

At the end of the light guide opposite to that which is equipped with at least one LED, it is possible to provide either a cover to hide from view the light escaping from the plate on its periphery, or a return element of preferably metallic, or even chamfers and / or prisms.

Another object of the invention is a lighting or signaling assembly for a motor vehicle, which comprises at least one device in accordance with the present invention, integrated in a headlight comprising all the other necessary functional elements.

The lighting or signaling assembly thus formed can fulfill the conventional functions of direction indication, stop, reversing and anti-fog lighting.

As a variant, the headlight lens can be formed by the element according to the invention itself.

The invention will be better understood, and other objectives, advantages and characteristics thereof will appear more clearly, in the light of the following detailed description of embodiments of the element according to the invention and of its uses. .

• La figure 1 représente une forme de réalisation d'un élément suivant l'invention en vue de face partielle (Fig. 1A), en vue en coupe schématique partielle selon A-A (Fig. 1B), et en vue en coupe schématique partielle selon B-B (Fig. 1C).
• La figure 2 représente une autre forme de réalisation d'un élément suivant l'invention en vue de face partielle (Fig. 2A), en vue en coupe schématique partielle selon A-A (Fig. 2B), et en vue en coupe partielle selon B-B (Fig. 2C).
• La figure 3 représente une forme alternative de réalisation d'un élément suivant l'invention en vue de face partielle (Fig. 3A), en vue de gauche (Fig. 3B), en vue en coupe schématique partielle selon A-A, dans un ensemble pour feu de signalisation (Fig. 3C), et en vue en coupe schématique partielle selon B-B (Fig. 3D).

These embodiments are provided purely by way of illustration and in no way limiting, while are appended to said description of the drawing boards in which:

• The figure 1 shows an embodiment of an element according to the invention in partial front view ( Fig. 1A ), in partial schematic sectional view according to AA ( Fig. 1B ), and in partial schematic sectional view along BB ( Fig. 1 C ).
• The figure 2 shows another embodiment of an element according to the invention in partial front view ( Fig. 2A ), in partial schematic sectional view according to AA ( Fig. 2B ), and in partial section view along BB ( Fig. 2C ).
• The figure 3 shows an alternative embodiment of an element according to the invention in partial front view ( Fig. 3A ), in left view ( Fig. 3B ), in partial schematic sectional view according to AA, in a set for traffic lights ( Fig. 3C ), and in partial schematic sectional view along BB ( Fig. 3d ).

With reference to the drawings thus succinctly described, which illustrate it but do not limit it in any way, the device 1 according to the invention comprises an element 2 consisting of an optically transparent plate 3 provided with at least one substantially cylindrical zone 4 and comprises, at at least one of the ends of the zone 4, an LED 5 suitably powered and directed to emit in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical zone 4.

On the outer wall of the cylinder 4 and / or on at least one of the faces of the plate 3 or of selected portions of the latter are provided local discontinuities 6 providing light scattering foci. produced by LED 5 in operation. These discontinuities can be produced by conventional means known to those skilled in the art. They are arranged in predetermined locations, chosen on purpose. A uniform and bright illumination is thus obtained, providing the desired result in a lighting or signaling device for a motor vehicle.

The discontinuities 6 can be designed and arranged, for example, as described in French patent publication No. 2 898 660 .

The figure 1 schematically represents such an element 2 comprising a median cylindrical zone. The figure 2 schematically represents an element 2 comprising two lateral cylindrical zones. The figure 3 schematically represents an element 2 comprising three parallel cylindrical zones.

In the figures 1B, 1C , 2B, 2C , 3C and 3S examples of the path of light rays coming from the LEDs 5 are shown.

A glass 7 can close the plate, but it can be replaced in whole or in part by the device according to the invention, suitably fixed on the front face of the optical signaling assembly 8.

In practice, a vertical or horizontal arrangement of the cylindrical elements is preferred.

As for the arrangement of the diffusing elements on the plate of optically transparent material, it can be arbitrary.

In all the embodiments, the light rays coming from the LEDs 5 propagate in the cylindrical zones and from there in the plate parts 3 by successive reflections, then are diffused outwards from said plate parts when they are incident. on a diffusion focus. The scattered rays thus emitted can emerge from the device. By a suitable choice of the arrangement and the density of the diffusion foci on the respective plate parts concerned, as well as the intensity and the color of the light radiation emitted by each of the LEDs 5, it is possible to obtain at the output of the light signaling a sufficient luminous flux so that it alone gives one or the other or more of the desired signaling functions.

In the device according to the invention, the color of the light emitted by each of the LEDs, including the optional additional LEDs, and that of the plate forming the element can be chosen at convenience.

• une couleur dite acid green (encore dénommés acid fluo, ou vert fluo) appropriée pour distinguer un véhicule écologique d'un véhicule traditionnel, ou
• une couleur bleu léger (par exemple cristal avec 3-4 % de bleu dit bleu police) appropriée pour signaler un véhicule à propulsion électrique, en état de jour, tandis que de nuit on préserve les couleurs réglementaires, associées à la fonction lanterne.

By integrating the device according to the invention for example in a set of motor vehicle taillights, it is even possible to thus provide, in such an assembly, as desired:

• a so-called acid green color (also called fluorescent acid, or fluorescent green) suitable to distinguish an ecological vehicle from a traditional vehicle, or
• a light blue color (for example crystal with 3-4% blue called police blue) suitable to indicate an electrically propelled vehicle, in daytime condition, while at night the regulatory colors, associated with the lantern function, are preserved.

Claims (10)

1. Lighting or signaling assembly for automobile vehicles, comprising a plate (3) in transparent optical material forming a screen and at least one light source of the LED (5) type arranged for emitting light rays propagating within the thickness of said transparent optical material, the lighting or signaling assembly comprising:

   - an element comprising the plate (3) comprising at least one bilateral elongated bulge (4), of substantially circular overall perpendicular cross-section, having its mean longitudinal axis in the mid-plane of said plate and being adapted to form a light guide,

   - while the bilateral elongated bulge (4) forming guides are combined with at least one LED (5) placed at least one of the ends of said light guide, and while one or more light guides (4) and one or more LED(5) are arranged to diffuse substantially all of the light emitted by the LED concerned over the entire length of the cylindrical bulge, and from there over substantially the entire surface of the element bordering or surrounding said substantially cylindrical guides, while the bulges forming guides (4) comprise conventional inclusions or irregularities (6), providing focal points for the diffusion of light and allowing it to be diffused directly outwards.
2. Lighting or signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it forms a position lamp or light, both at the rear and at the front of an automobile vehicle.
3. Lighting or signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the plate (3) is plane.
4. Lighting or signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the plate (3) is curved.
5. Lighting or signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the bulges (4) form an integral part of said plate.
6. Lighting or signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the light guides formed by the bulges (4) are linear, curved in two dimensions, or curved one or more times in all three dimensions.
7. Lighting or signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the material of the plate (3) comprises conventional inclusions or irregularities, whereas the bulges (4) optionally comprise prisms with a predefined structure and angle.
8. Lighting or signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the plate (3) has a thickness of around 3 to 4 mm, whereas the bulges (4) have a diameter of around 7 to 10 mm.
9. Lighting or signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises one or more additional LEDs, directed onto one of the free edges of the plate (3) or of at least one section of plate (3) defined by the light guides formed by the bulges (4).
10. Lighting or signaling assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the plate (3) furthermore comprises decorative dots and/or lines.

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