EP3301352B1

EP3301352B1 - Vehicle light

Info

Publication number: EP3301352B1
Application number: EP17193888.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alessandro VAIRA; Sara Paroni
Original assignee: Marelli Automotive Lighting Italy SpA
Current assignee: Marelli Automotive Lighting Italy SpA
Priority date: 2016-09-30
Filing date: 2017-09-28
Publication date: 2021-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 2037-09-28
Also published as: ES2908699T3; IT201600098165A1; PL3301352T3; EP3301352A1

Description

FIELD OF APPLICATION

The present invention relates to a vehicle light.

STATE OF THE ART

The term vehicle light is understood to mean indifferently a rear automotive light or a front automotive light, the latter also known as a headlight.
As is known, a vehicle light is a lighting and/or signalling device of a vehicle comprising at least one external light of the vehicle having a lighting and/or signalling function toward the outside of a vehicle such as, for example, a position light, a direction indicator light, a brake light, a rear fog light, a reversing light, a low beam headlight, a high beam headlight, and the like.
The vehicle light, in its simplest form comprises a container body, a lenticular body and at least one light source.
The lenticular body is placed so as to close a mouth of the container body so as to form a housing chamber. The light source is arranged inside the housing chamber, which may be directed so as to emit light towards the lenticular body, when powered with electricity.

PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

The light source typically used in vehicle lights is a light-emitting diode (LED) that can emit a beam of light of adequate power, while limiting electricity consumption and guaranteeing a long service life.
In the prior solutions diodes may be placed near a side edge of a light guide rod or a light guide plate, so they can spread the light beam emitted by the diode along its entire length.
The light source, typically the LED, must not however be visible from outside the vehicle light for aesthetic reasons. In addition it is preferable that the portion of light guide rod or plate proximal to the light source is not visible from the outside to prevent such portion from presenting points of high-intensity light and, in general, to prevent the light beam from not being uneven near said light source.
In other words, the need is felt in art to obtain a homogeneous light beam without showing the light source that produced it on the outside.
In order to achieve this, prior solutions provide for the use of shields placed inside the light, e. g. at the lenticular body or other internal components of the light.
This solution, however, is expensive, as it provides for an additional component such as the screen and its attachment/fitting, and also is not optimal from an aesthetic point of view.
It is also known of, in order to hide the light sources placed at the lateral edges of the light guide rods or plates, to provide curved light guides or light guide plates: this solution is not however always feasible since the manufacturers of vehicle lights often have strict geometric constraints in the production of the lights. Such solutions are known from WO 2015/029852 A1 and EP 1434000 A2 .
The need is therefore felt in art to use a vehicle light which resolves the aforementioned drawbacks and limitations described with references to the solutions of the prior art.
Such requirements are achieved by a vehicle light according to claim 1.
Other embodiments of the present invention are described in the dependent claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly comprehensible from the description given below of its preferred and non-limiting embodiments, wherein:

figure 1 shows a perspective view, in separate parts, of a vehicle light according to one embodiment of the present invention;
figure 2 shows a plurality of perspective views of various details of the vehicle light in figure 1;
figure 3 is a perspective view, partially interrupted, of a light guide of a vehicle light according to the present invention;
Figure 4 shows a plan view of the light guide in figure 3;
figure 5 shows a plan view of a light guide according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The elements or parts of elements common to the embodiments described below will be indicated using the same reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to the aforementioned figures, reference numeral 4 globally denotes a vehicle light, which the description which follows refers to without by so doing losing its general application.
As mentioned above, the term vehicle light is understood to mean indifferently a rear vehicle light or a front vehicle light, the latter also known as a headlight.
As is known, the vehicle light comprises at least one external light of the vehicle having a lighting and/or signalling function, such as for example a position light, which may be a front, back, side position light, a direction indicator light, a brake light, a rear fog light, a reversing light, a low beam headlight, a high beam headlight, and the like.
The vehicle light 4 comprises a container body 8, usually of polymeric material, which typically permits the attachment of the vehicle light 4 to the relative vehicle.
For the purposes of the present invention, the container body 8 may be any shape and size, as well as being placed anywhere in the vehicle.
According to one embodiment, the container body 8 delimits a containment seat 12 which houses a plurality of light sources 16 suitable to emit light beams to be propagated to outside the vehicle light 4. For the purposes of the present invention the type of light source used is irrelevant; preferably, the light source 16 is a light source of light emitting diodes (LED).
The container body 8 may accommodate, in said containment seat 12, intermediate support elements 18 of the various optical and/or electronic components of the vehicle light 4, in a known manner.
The vehicle light 4 also comprises a lenticular body 20, at least partially adjacent to the container body 8.
The lenticular body 20 is thus applied to the container body 8 so as to close said containment seat 12 housing said light sources 16.
For the purposes of the present invention the lenticular body 20 may be external, so as to define at least one outer wall of the vehicle light directly subject to the atmosphere.
It is also possible to provide that the lenticular body 20 is inside a vehicle so as to be housed inside a vehicle interior; this is the case, for example, of a dome light or a light that is part of a dashboard of a vehicle.
The lenticular body 20 closes the containment seat 12 and is suitable to be crossed by the beam of light produced by the light source 16.
To such purpose, the lenticular body 20 is made of at least partially transparent or semi-transparent or translucent material, and may also comprise one or more opaque portions, so as to allow in any case the at least partial transit of a main light beam emitted by said light sources 16.
According to possible embodiments, the material of the lenticular body 20 is a resin such as PMMA, PC and the like.
As mentioned, the light sources 16 are preferably LED light sources comprising a support and power supply board 24 and LED 28 which emits the light beam.
The container body 8 contains a light guide 32 having a light guide body 36 extending from a first to a second end 40,44 in a main direction of extension S-S.
For the purposes of the present invention, the light guide 32 may be a light guide of an elongated shape, such as a light guide rod, or even a light guide plate.
The main direction of extension S-S may be straight but, preferably, is a mainly curvilinear direction of extension S-S; preferably said main curvilinear direction of extension S-S is convex towards the associable lenticular body 20.
The light guide body 36 is typically made of polymeric material and is shaped so as to transmit inside it a beam of light by successive reflections, according to a total internal reflection (TIR) condition, in the known manner.
The vehicle light 4 comprises a first light source 16A facing said first end 40 so as to inject a first beam of light F' in the light guide 32 through said first end 40 and a second light source 16B facing said second end 44, so as to inject a second light beam F" in the light guide 32 through said second end 44.
For example, the first light source 16A is supported by a first support and power supply board 24' while the second light source 16B is supported by a second support and power supply board 24".
According to one possible embodiment, the light guide body 36 at least at one of said ends 40,44, comprises a collimator device 56 of the light beam produced by the corresponding light source 16, 16A, 16B: this way it is possible to control precisely the direction of the light beam introduced into the light guide 32 and therefore its extraction, as more fully described below.
In particular, as seen above, the light guide body 36 is designed to transmit by means of a total internal reflection the light beams injected into it by the light sources 16,16A, 16B.
In addition, the light guide body 36 comprises a plurality of extractor or deflector elements 60 configured to extract the light beams, that run through the light guide body 36, in a main longitudinal direction X-X towards the lenticular body 8, so as to come out on the outside of the vehicle light 4 through the lenticular body 8.
The main longitudinal direction X-X is, for example, parallel to the rectilinear direction of travel of the vehicle on which the vehicle light 4 is fitted.
The extractor or deflector elements 60 are typically, but not exclusively, prisms configured to extract light in a given direction, i. e. the main longitudinal direction X-X.
The reflectors or deflector elements 60 may be reflective surfaces, for example optics such as prisms or sloping walls, or mirrors, suitably applied to the light guide body 36 so as to receive a beam of light and reflect it outside the light guide body 36 and vehicle light 4, for example along the main longitudinal direction X-X.
The light guide body 36 comprises a first appendage 64 which forks from the light guide body 36 on the side of the first end 40 so as to position itself, with respect to the main longitudinal direction X-X, between the light guide body 36 and the lenticular body 20 in order to cover the first light source 16A and/or the first support and power supply board 24'.
The light guide body 36, at said first end 40 equipped with the first appendage 64, substantially assumes a' Y' conformation.
The light guide body 36 comprises a second appendage 68 which forks from the light guide body 36 on the side of the second end 44 so as to position itself, with respect to the main longitudinal direction X-X, between the light guide body 36 and the lenticular body 20 in order to cover the second light source 16B, and/or the relative second support and power supply board 24".
The light-guide body 36, at said second end 44 equipped with the second appendage 68, is substantially Y-shaped.
Preferably, the light guide body 36 is in one piece with its appendages 64,68.
Advantageously, the light guide 32 is shaped so that the first appendage 64 receives at least partially the second beam F" produced by the second light source 16B and extracts it along the main direction X-X, and the second appendage 68 receives at least partially the first beam of light F' produced by the first light source 16A and extracts it along the main direction X-X.
According to one embodiment, the light guide body 36 is shaped so that the first light beam F ' emitted by the first light source 16A travels by subsequent reflections through the light guide body 36 towards the second end 44. Along this path the first light beam F' is partially extracted towards the lenticular body 8 by first extractor or deflector elements 60' of the light guide body 36 and is channelled into the second appendage 68 from which it is extracted towards the lenticular body 8, without reaching the second end 44.
According to one embodiment, the light guide body 36 is shaped so that the second beam of light F" emitted by the second light source 16B travels along the light guide body 36 towards the first end 40, by subsequent reflections is partially extracted towards the lenticular body 8 by second extractor or deflector elements 60" of the light guide body 36 and is channelled in the first appendage 64 from which it is extracted towards the lenticular body 8, without reaching the first end 40.
Preferably, the first extractor or deflector elements 60' are configured to extract towards the lenticular body 8 the first beam of light F' emitted by the first light source 16A and so as not to extract, but to transmit by total internal reflection, the second light beam F" emitted by the second light source 16B. It is clear that this condition is not absolute and therefore some light rays of the second light beam F" may be extracted by the first extractor or deflector elements 60".
Preferably the second extractor or deflector elements 60" are configured to extract towards the lenticular body 8 the second beam of light F" emitted by the second light source 16B and so as not to extract, but to transmit by total internal reflection, the first light beam F' emitted by the first light source 16A. It is clear that this condition is not absolute and therefore some light rays of the first light beam F' may be extracted by the second extractor or deflector elements 60".
As mentioned above, the light guide body 36 comprises a plurality of first and second extractor or deflector elements 60', 60", suitable for extracting the beam F', F" along the main longitudinal direction X-X towards the lenticular body 8, said first and second extractor or deflector elements 60',60" being placed at an intermediate portion 72 between the first and second appendage 64,68.
According to one embodiment, the first and second appendages 64,68 comprise first and second lateral extractor or deflector elements 80' , 80" arranged at respective adjacent first and second light sources 16A, 16B. Said first and second lateral extractors or deflector elements 80' , 80" extend respectively for a portion L', L" not less than the extension of the corresponding light source 16A, 16B so as to extract towards the lenticular body 8 a respective beam of light F', F" covering the vision from outside of said light sources 16A, 16B.
In other words, thanks to the light beam F', F" extracted by the first and second lateral extractor or deflector elements 80', 80", superimposed on the light sources 16A, 16B, it is possible to make the light sources 16A, 16B invisible from the outside.
As may be seen, the first beam F ' is extracted towards the lenticular body 20 by the first extractor or deflector elements 60, proximal to the first light source 16A, travels along the light guide body 36, is channelled into the second appendage 68 and is further extracted towards the lenticular body 20 by second extractors or deflectors elements 80".
At the same time, the second light beam F" is extracted towards the lenticular body 20 by second extractor or deflector elements 60", proximal to the second light source 16B, travels along the light guide body 36, is channelled into the first appendage 64 and is further extracted towards the lenticular body 20 by first extractor or deflector elements 80".
Preferably, the light guide body 36, at the ends 40,44 superposed to said appendages 64,68, is devoid of extractor or deflector elements: therefore at said first and second portions T', T" respectively superposed to the first and second appendages 64,68, the light guide body 36 transmits each beam of light F', F" in total internal reflection without extracting it outwards.
Preferably, the extractor or deflector elements 60', 60" of the first and second appendage 64,68 extend to superpose the extractor or deflector elements 60 of the intermediate portion 72 of the light guide body 36, between the first and second appendages 64,68.
This way, the light is extracted from the light guide body 36 seamlessly when passing between each appendix 64,68 and the light guide body 36.
According to one embodiment, the light guide body 36, at a first fork portion 84 with each first and second appendage 64,68, comprises diffuser elements 88 placed facing the lenticular body 8, to spread the light beams F', F" extracted by the plurality of extractor or deflector elements 60' ,60" into the surrounding environment.
According to one embodiment, (not shown in the figures) with respect to a cross-section plane perpendicular to said main direction of extension (S-S), the cross-section of each appendage 64,68 is at least equal to 1.5 times the cross-section of the light guide body 36 at the relative end 40, 44 so as to maximize the portion of light beam F', F" channelled into each appendage 64,68.
According to a possible embodiment, said intermediate portion 72 comprises at least one intermediate dark portion 76, devoid of extractor or deflector elements 60 which transmit by total internal reflection each beam of light F', F" travelling through it, towards a corresponding end 40,44 of the light guide body 36.
For example, an auxiliary light source may be provided at said intermediate dark portion 76 for the purpose of providing an additional signalling and/or lighting function.
The operation of a vehicle light will now be described in accordance with the present invention and may easily be deduced from what has been described above.
In this case, each light source 16A, 16B emits its own beam of light F', F" directed from its end 40, 44 toward the opposite end 44, 40 along the main direction of extension S-S.
The two beams F', F" spread inside the light guide body 36 by total internal reflection, except for the portions where extractors or deflector elements 60 are provided.
In particular, the first beam F' is propagated for a first portion T' according to the condition of total internal reflection: this first portion T' is in fact devoid of extractor or deflector elements. Such first portion T' is in turn hidden by the corresponding first appendage 64 which extracts the second beam F" from the second light source 16B, through the first lateral extractor or deflector elements 80'. Said second beam F", extracted hides the presence of the first light source 16A from external view.
The first beam F' is propagated along the light guide body 36 and is partially extracted by the extractor or deflector elements 60, located on the intermediate section 72, on the side of the first end 40.
Thus the first beam F' reaches, by subsequent internal reflections, the second appendage 68 and is extracted outwards by the second lateral extractor or deflector elements 80". This way, the first beam F' conceals from external view the presence of the second light source 16B.
In the same way, the second beam F" is propagated for a second portion T‴ with total internal reflection: said second portion T" is in fact devoid of extractor or deflector elements. Said second portion T" is in turn hidden by the corresponding second appendage 68, which extracts the first beam F' coming from the first light source 16A, through the second lateral extractor or deflector elements 80".Said first beam F' extracted hides the presence of the second light source 16A from external view.
The second beam F" is propagated along the light guide body 36 and is partially extracted by the extractor or deflector elements 60, located on the intermediate section 72, on the side of the second end 44.
Thus the second beam F" reaches, by subsequent internal reflections, the first appendage 64 and is extracted outwards by the first lateral extractor or deflector elements 80'. This way, the second beam F" conceals from external view the presence of the first light source 16B.
As may be appreciated from the description, the present invention makes it possible to overcome the drawbacks mentioned of the prior art.
In particular, the light according to the present invention allows a homogeneous overall beam of light to be obtained which meets the photometric requirements at the same time, obtaining coverage of the light sources inside the light which are not visible from the outside.
This technical effect is obtained without using additional parts to be made and mounted on the light, and without creating visually unattractive masks, as in the case of the solutions of the prior art.
The light patterns obtained are also characterized by a remarkable uniformity and homogeneity of the light beam diffused outside the vehicle light, thanks to a homogeneous fusion of the light beams produced.
As a result thanks to the present invention it is possible to obtain a light pattern with high energy efficiency and uniformity of illumination of said pattern, while hiding the light sources used to produce said beam from the outside, without the help of screens.
A person skilled in the art may make numerous modifications and variations to the vehicle lights described above so as to satisfy contingent and specific requirements while remaining within the scope of protection of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

Vehicle light (4) comprising
- a container body (8) that delimits a containment seat (12) housing a plurality of light sources (16), the container body (8) containing a light guide (32) having a light guide body (36) extending from a first to a second end (40, 44) along a main direction of extension (S-S),

- a lenticular body (20) applied to the container body (8) so as to close said containment seat (12), the lenticular body (20) being made from transparent or semi-transparent or translucent material with respect to a beam of light (F', F'') emitted by said light sources (16),

- said plurality of light sources (16) comprising a first light source (16A) facing said first end (40) so as to inject a first beam of light (F') in the light guide (32) through said first end (40) and a second light source (16B) facing said second end (44), so as to inject a second light beam (F") in the light guide (32) through said second end (44),

- wherein the light guide body (36) is shaped to transmit by total internal reflection the beams of light (F', F'') injected into it, and comprises a plurality of extractor or deflector elements (60',60") configured to extract the light beams (F',F") according to a main longitudinal direction (X-X) towards the lenticular body (20),

- wherein the light guide body (36) comprises a first appendage (64) which forks from the light guide body (36) on the side of the first end (40) so as to position itself, with respect to the longitudinal direction (X-X), between the light guide body (36) and the lenticular body (20) in order to cover the first light source (16A),

- wherein the light guide body (36) comprises a second appendage (68) which forks from the light guide body (36) on the side of the second end (44) so as to position itself, with respect to the longitudinal direction (X-X), between the light guide body (36) and the lenticular body (20) in order to cover the second light source (16B),

- the light guide (32) being shaped so that the first appendage (64) receives at least partially the second beam (F") produced by the second light source (16B) and extracts it along the main direction (X-X) towards the lenticular body (20), and the second appendage (68) receives at least partially the first beam of light (F') produced by the first light source (16A) and extracts it along the main direction (X-X) towards the lenticular body (20).
Vehicle light (4) according to claim 1, wherein the light guide body (36) is shaped so that the first beam of light (F') emitted by the first light source (16A) runs by successive reflections through the light guide body (36) towards the second end (44), is partially extracted towards the lenticular body (20) by first extractor or deflector elements (60') of the light guide body (36) and is channelled into the second appendage (68) from which it is extracted towards the lenticular body (20), without reaching the second end (44).
Vehicle light (4) according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the light guide body (36) is shaped so that the second beam of light (F") emitted by the second light source (16B) runs by successive reflections through the light guide body (36) towards the first end (40), is partially extracted towards the lenticular body (20) by second extractor or deflector elements (60") of the light guide body (36) and is channelled into the first appendage (64) from which it is extracted towards the lenticular body (20), without reaching the first end (40).
Vehicle light (4) according to claim 1,2 or 3 wherein the first extractor or deflector elements (60') are configured to extract towards the lenticular body (8) the first beam of light (F') emitted by the first light source (16A) and so as not to extract, but to transmit by total internal reflection, the second light beam (F") emitted by the second light source (16B).
Vehicle light (4) according to any of the claims from 1 to 4 wherein the second extractor or deflector elements (60') are configured to extract towards the lenticular body (20) the second beam of light (F") emitted by the second light source (16B) and so as not to extract, but to transmit by total internal reflection, the first light beam (F') emitted by the first light source (16A).
Vehicle light (4) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the light guide body (36) comprises a plurality of first and second extractor or deflector elements (60', 60"), suitable for extracting the beam (F', F") along the main longitudinal direction (X-X) towards the lenticular body (20), said first and second extractor or deflector elements (60',60") being placed at an intermediate portion (72) between the first and second appendage (64,68).
Vehicle light (4) according to claim 6, wherein said intermediate portion (72) comprises at least one dark portion (76), devoid of said first and second extractor or deflector elements (60', 60") which transmit by total internal reflection each beam of light (F', F'') running through it, towards a corresponding end of the light guide body (36).
Vehicle light (4) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second appendage (64,68) comprise lateral extractors or deflector elements (80', 80") placed at the respective adjacent light sources (16A, 16B), said lateral extractor or deflector elements (80' ,80") extending for a portion of appendage (L', L'') not less than the extension of the corresponding light source (16A, 16B) so as to extract towards the lenticular body (20) a beam of light (F', F") covering the vision from outside of said light sources (16A, 16B).
Vehicle light (4) according to any of the claims from 6 to 8, wherein the lateral extractor or deflector elements (80', 80") of the first and second appendage (64, 68) extend to overlap the extractor or deflector elements (60', 60") of an intermediate portion (72) of the light guide body (36), between the first and second appendage (64,68).
Vehicle light (4) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the light guide body (36), at said first and second ends (40, 44) overlapping the corresponding appendages (64, 68), is devoid of extractor or deflector elements (60', 60"), so as to transmit each beam of light (F', F'') in total internal reflection without extracting it outwards.
Vehicle light (4) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the light guide body (36), at a first fork portion (84) with each first and second appendage (64, 68), comprises diffuser elements (88) placed facing the lenticular body (20), to spread the light beams (F', F'') extracted by the plurality of extractor or deflector elements (60', 60") into the surrounding environment.
Vehicle light (4) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the light guide body (36) at least at one of said ends (40,44), comprises a collimator device (56) of the light beam (F', F") produced by the light source (16A, 16B).
Vehicle light (4) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein compared to a cross-section plane perpendicular to the main direction of extension (S-S), the cross-section of each appendage (64,68) is at least equal to 1.5 times the cross-section of the light guide body (36), thereby maximizing the portion of the beam of light (F', F'') channelled into each appendage (64,68).
Vehicle light (4) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said light guide body (36) extends along a curved main direction of extension (S-S) convex towards the associable lenticular body (20).
Vehicle light (4) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the light guide body (36) is in one piece with the respective appendages (64,68).