CN110006000B

CN110006000B - Light emitting assembly with free-floating appearance

Info

Publication number: CN110006000B
Application number: CN201811570541.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: J.古图; A.霍兹
Original assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
Current assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
Priority date: 2017-12-22
Filing date: 2018-12-21
Publication date: 2022-01-18
Anticipated expiration: 2038-12-21
Also published as: EP3502557B1; KR102181427B1; EP3502557A1; KR20190076866A; CN110006000A

Abstract

The invention relates to a lighting assembly comprising at least one carrier and a surface light source arranged on the carrier, wherein the surface light source comprises at least one lighting surface and a rear surface facing away from the at least one lighting surface, wherein a contact surface is arranged on the rear surface and the surface light source is mechanically and electrically connected to the at least one carrier at the contact surface, wherein the carrier comprises a metallic conductor track printed on the carrier with a conductive ink for the electrical contacting of the surface light source. The invention further relates to a lighting device for a motor vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle headlight, comprising at least one such lighting assembly.

Description

Light emitting assembly with free-floating appearance

Technical Field

The invention relates to a lighting assembly (Leuchtenornandnung) comprising at least one carrier and a surface light source (Leuchte) arranged on the carrier, wherein the surface light source comprises at least one lighting surface and a rear surface facing away from the at least one lighting surface, wherein a contact surface is arranged on the rear surface and the surface light source is mechanically and electrically connected to the at least one carrier at the contact surface.

Background

Due to their uniform emission characteristics, small constructional space depth, nearly arbitrary shaping and the possibility of segmentation, surface-type light sources such as, in particular, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are particularly suitable for meeting new customer-specific design requirements, such as, for example, with regard to special luminous impressions (leucohteindercock), for showing depth effects and for achieving a free-floating appearance (schweibender erscheeinkengsbild). The representation of these special luminous impressions, depth effects and free-floating appearances serve in particular also to call the attention of the observer and is therefore a safety benefit (sicheritsgewinn).

The area light sources are usually fastened in a frame or on a support and are wired by means of plugs and several cable connections or flexible conductors. A certain disadvantage is nevertheless achieved by the construction with the frame, the support and the several wires. In particular, the free-floating appearance is impaired by the visibility of the electrical connections or the frame, the wiring has to be laid and secured and a significant number of plugs and electrical connections are necessary, which have to be assembled, are difficult to inspect and therefore cause costs.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages mentioned above and to provide a lighting assembly based on an area-type light source with a relatively improved free-floating appearance, which is easy to implement and which is particularly cost-effective in view of the production of the lighting assembly.

This object is achieved, as mentioned above, by a lighting assembly in that the holder according to the invention comprises a metallic conductor track for the electrical contacting of the area light source, which is printed onto the holder in conductive ink (Tinte).

The invention makes it possible to design the electrical contacting of the area light source fastened to the holder particularly cost-effectively and unobtrusively. The features according to the invention not only make possible a simpler and more cost-effective production/assembly and a lower error rate of the lighting assembly compared to complex wiring systems, but also an optimized free-floating look of the at least one area light source in the least space due to the lack of loose cables/conductors and plug connections in the visible region with simultaneously good contact-making. The invention makes possible a material-fit connection between the area light source and the holder (Halterung) and thus makes possible good mechanical resistance (Best ä ndiggeit), small tolerances, easily automatable production and functional inspection processes with few steps, robust lighting systems and great freedom of design and design. The improved free-floating appearance of the at least one luminous area compared to the above-mentioned known solutions is particularly easy to call the attention of the observer and is therefore a safety benefit.

Furthermore, a stable assembly with a high design effect is achieved by a space-saving, compact design, which is particularly advantageous for motor vehicle headlight applications. The installation space in motor vehicle headlights is known to be barely dimensioned due to the large number of light modules and other, in most cases optical headlight components, so that each additional possibility of installation space saving in the case of simultaneously high design and design freedom is particularly advantageous.

The light-emitting assembly according to the invention can therefore be used advantageously for signal lamp functions and can therefore be a structural component of a signal lamp. The concept of "signal light source" or "signal light" includes, for example, a daytime running light (Tagfahrlicht) or a wide-range light (Begrenzungslicht). The lighting assembly can in particular also be a component in a headlight, for example a signal lamp module in a headlight. The concept of "headlight" as used herein includes all forms of motor vehicle headlights, in particular headlights and taillights. The structural configuration or light distribution of the area light source, the headlight and the signal light source is sufficiently known or is generally subject to regulatory requirements known to the person skilled in the art.

The term "area light source" (also referred to synonymously herein as light source) refers to a light source with an area lamp component, for example an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), an array of Light Emitting Diodes (LED) or an area light conductor. The light emitting surface of the area light source may be substantially flat or may be curved as well. Such light sources with a surface-type lamp component are well known to the person skilled in the art.

The concept of "motor vehicles" (KFZ) relates to single-track or multi-track motorized land vehicles, such as motorcycles, cars, trucks and the like.

Preferably, the area light source is an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED). The OLED can be, for example, a glass-based OLED having one or more light-emitting surfaces and a rear surface facing away from the one or more light-emitting surfaces. On the back side is a contact surface for the OLED to make contact with the mechanical and electrical contacts of the support. The contact surface is advantageously kept very small compared to the surface of the surface-type light source, so that contact is made in the smallest possible space and an optimum free-floating appearance is achieved.

In the case of certain design requirements and predetermined configurations, provision can be made for at least one support to be formed approximately slightly longer. Suitably, the at least one holder has a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the first end of the holder is mechanically and electrically connected to the contact surface of the area light source. Furthermore, the light emitting assembly according to the invention may have a mounting face at which the second end of the holder is mechanically and electrically connected. The mounting surface may be, for example, a mounting surface or a printed circuit board, which is mounted or mounted in the interior of the headlight housing. The mounting surface may also be a fixing member with a plug.

The at least one substantially slightly longer shaped stent can be configured either flat or linear or two-or three-dimensionally curved. The shape of the substantially slightly longer shaped holder depends inter alia on the shape and size of the area light source to which it is fixed; on the one hand, the area light source must be mounted and fixed in the headlight housing, for example, via at least one holder, and on the other hand care must be taken that the overall free-floating appearance of the area light source or light sources of the lighting assembly remains unimpaired; it is therefore clear that the overall impression of free suspension is advantageous when the line of sight to the at least one holder is covered by the area light source or light sources for an observer located outside.

In contrast to Molded Interconnect Device (MID) supports made of opaque materials, transparent materials, such as, for example, transparent plastics, may also be used for imprinting the conductive ink onto the support. Accordingly, the holder can be made of a transparent plastic, which results in additional design advantages in view of the visibility of the holder and the free-floating appearance of the area light source of the light-emitting assembly.

In the case of certain embodiments, the area light source can be electrically and mechanically connected to the holder by means of a conductive ink, a conductive adhesive (conductive glue) or by means of a conductive paint (conductive paint). Polytec EC244 and Polytec EC101(Polytec PT, Inc., Germany), PE-EP600(Printcolor Screen, Switzerland), Eposolder 6537(United Adhesives, Inc., USA) may be referred to as examples for conductive glues and conductive paints. In the case of this variant, the carrier, which is printed with conductor tracks made of conductive ink, has a paste and contact surface for the mechanical and electrical connection of the area light source, which is connected to the contact surface on the rear side of the area light source via an electrically conductive paste connection. For this purpose, conductive ink, conductive paint or conductive paste is applied to the adhesive and contact surfaces of the mount and is placed and fastened next to the surface-type light source, for example an OLED.

Preferably, conductive inks are used for the mechanical and electrical connection of the area light source to the carrier, which are likewise used for the stamping of the conductor tracks on the carrier; in this case, the conductive ink is applied in the case of stamped conductor tracks up to the region of the carrier where the carrier is connected to the contact surface of the area light source (for example the aforementioned adhesive and contact surface). In this way, the area light source is mechanically and electrically connected to the holder only by means of the electrically conductive ink. The application of additional electrically conductive adhesives (e.g. conductive glues or conductive lacquers) and thus a method step are saved in the production of the light-emitting component.

In the case of further embodiments, the area light source is mechanically connected to the holder by means of a UV-curing adhesive. In the case of this variant, the carrier, which is printed with conductor tracks made of conductive ink, has adhesive and contact surfaces for the mechanical and electrical connection of the area light source. The attachment and contact surfaces of the holder in the case of this variant have on the one hand one or more contact surfaces in order to electrically contact the surface-type light source via the contact surfaces at the rear side of the light source and on the other hand one or more attachment surfaces for mechanically fixing the surface-type light source by means of a UV-curing adhesive. This can be achieved, for example, by embossing a conductive ink onto the one or more contact surfaces at the carrier and by applying a UV-hardening adhesive to the adhesive surface. The surface-type light source itself can have a corresponding adhesive surface on its rear side, and the adhesive surface of the light source is then adhered to the adhesive surface of the carrier by means of a UV-curing adhesive.

The conductive ink may be selected from the group consisting of silver-based inks, copper-based inks, conductive carbon nanoparticle-based inks, and conductive carbon nanotube-based inks. The conductive inks mentioned are sufficiently known from the prior art. Well known manufacturers of conductive inks are for example finland Inkron, Printcolor Screen, switzerland and PV Nano Cell Ltd. The Silver Conductive Ink (Silver Conductive Ink) may be referred to as a representative example for Conductive Ink by product Sicrys ™ 150T-11 from manufacturer PV Nano Cell Ltd, Sicrys ™ IC25EG-1, Sicrys ™ IC50TM-8, product IDA-125C from manufacturer Inkron, or product PE-AG510 from manufacturer Printcolor Screen Ltd.

According to the invention, the conductor tracks are embossed on the carrier, i.e. on the surface of the carrier, from conductive ink. In the case of an easily implementable variant of the light emitting assembly according to the invention, the conductor tracks are constructed on the carrier from a conductive ink applied by means of inkjet printing.

In order to meet certain design requirements or design specifications, it can be provided that the light module comprises two or more holders with surface-type light sources each fastened thereto. The individual area light sources can be spatially positioned differently from one another. In this way, a three-dimensional and compact design with a high degree of freedom in design and design can be achieved in the narrowest space, while at the same time an easy and good electrical contact is possible. Furthermore, the different elements can be positioned with high precision relative to each other thanks to the invention.

In the case of certain further embodiments of the invention, provision may also be made for the light-emitting component to comprise an electrical circuit integrated in or at the carrier. The circuit is suitably positioned at or in the holder in an area that is not visible to an observer so that the overall appearance of the suspension of the light emitting assembly is not disturbed. The integration of the circuit at or in the carrier has the advantage that the installation space can be reduced and used efficiently, and additional assembly and wiring costs are eliminated. It should be mentioned again that the installation space, in particular in motor vehicle headlights, is marginally dimensioned due to the large number of lamp modules and other, in most cases optical headlight components, so that each additional possibility of installation space saving is advantageous.

Another object of the invention is a lighting device for a motor vehicle comprising at least one light emitting assembly according to the invention and as described herein.

In certain variants, the lighting assembly according to the invention may be a component of a separate light source for a motor vehicle, which does not contain a further lamp function or lamp module in addition to the lamp function fulfilled by the lighting assembly. Such individual motor vehicle light sources typically comprise a housing with a light exit opening covered with a cover plate (Abdeckscheibe), wherein at least one light emitting assembly is arranged in the housing. The individual light sources may for example be signal lamps or width lamps, for example in the form of individual headlights, sidelights or tail lights.

In the case of further variants, the lighting assembly can be a structural component of a motor vehicle headlight or a lamp module. The lighting device according to the invention can therefore be in the form of a motor vehicle headlight, in particular a headlight or a tail light. In this respect, the light-emitting assembly is therefore not a separate light source as described above, but rather a structural component of the motor vehicle headlight. Modern motor vehicle headlights therefore often have a plurality of lamp modules which can assume the individual lamp functions individually or in cooperation. These lamp modules are often arranged next to one another in the headlight housing. The motor vehicle headlight is expediently designed according to headlight design principles known per se and comprises a housing with a light exit opening covered with a diffusing glass (Streuscheibe), wherein at least one light assembly is arranged in the housing. The motor vehicle headlight may comprise, in particular as disclosed herein, at least one lamp module and at least one lighting assembly according to the invention.

In one variant, the motor vehicle headlight has the form of a headlight. The construction of headlights is known to the person skilled in the relevant art. Headlights often include a plurality of light modules, such as a daytime running light unit, a low beam light unit, a high beam light unit, a turn signal light unit, and the like. Accordingly, the respective lamp modules of the headlight can form a light distribution (Lichtverteilung) of a low beam, a high beam, a daytime running light, a turn signal, etc. The headlight according to the invention therefore comprises at least one light-emitting assembly according to the invention in addition to the lamp modules known per se.

In the case of a further variant, the motor vehicle headlight has the form of a rear light. The construction of the tail light is known to the person skilled in the relevant art. The tail lamp often includes a plurality of lamp modules such as a backup lamp unit, a brake lamp unit, a turn lamp unit, and the like. Accordingly, the respective lamp modules of the tail lamp may form the light distribution of the backup lamp, the stop lamp, the turn lamp, and the like. The rear light according to the invention therefore comprises at least one light emitting assembly according to the invention in addition to the lamp modules known per se.

Another object of the invention is a motor vehicle, which, as disclosed herein, comprises a lighting assembly according to the invention and/or which, as disclosed herein, comprises a lighting device according to the invention for a motor vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle headlight.

Drawings

The invention, together with further advantages, is explained in greater detail below by way of non-limiting example and the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of a light emitting assembly according to the present invention,

figure 2 shows an assembly of a holder for a lighting assembly according to figure 1 with a total of three holders without a surface light source and plug,

FIG. 3 shows an example of a holding section of a lighting assembly according to the invention with exactly one holder for a surface-type light source, and

fig. 4 shows a top view of the adhesive and contact surfaces facing the holder for electrical and mechanical connection to the OLED.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

100 luminous assembly

101a,101b,101c,201 stent

102a,102b,102c surface type light source (OLED)

103a,103b,103c,203 a first end support

104a,104b,104c,204 second end mount

105,205 assembly plate

106a,106b,106c light emitting surface on an OLED

107 plug

108a,108b,108c,208 are conductor lines made of conductive ink

300 for the gluing and contacting of an OLED at a first end of a holder

303a,303b contact surface for electrical contacting of an OLED

303c for the adhesive side of the mechanical fastening of the OLED.

Detailed Description

It is to be understood that the embodiments described herein are illustrative only and are not to be taken in a limiting sense; rather, all the designs that can be found by a person skilled in the art with the aid of this description fall within the scope of protection of the invention, which is defined by the claims.

In the drawings, the same reference signs are used for the same or similar elements for the purpose of simpler explanation and illustration. The reference signs used in the claims shall in addition only make the readability of the claims and the comprehension of the invention easy and in no way have characteristics which impair the scope of protection of the invention.

It should be noted that all the examples shown in the figures can be provided in and as part of a motor vehicle headlight.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary light emitting assembly 100 according to the present invention. The lighting assembly 100 comprises a total of three

supports

101a,101b,101c of slightly elongated shape and oscillating different lengths and three area light sources in the form of three flame-shaped

OLEDs

102a,102b,102c, wherein one

OLED

102a,102b,102c is fastened to a

first end

103a,103b,103c (see fig. 3) of each

support

101a,101b,101c and is mechanically and electrically connected to the

respective support

101a,101b,101 c. As can be seen very clearly in fig. 1, the compact and space-saving design results in a stable assembly with a free-floating appearance, i.e. the OLEDs 102a,102b,102c are free-floating to an observer of the lighting assembly 100, who is located on the outside.

In the example shown, the OLEDs 102a,102b,102c are flame-shaped glass-based OLEDs with a light-emitting

surface

106a,106b,106c, which is likewise flame-shaped. In the installed state (e.g., in the headlight housing), the light-emitting

surfaces

106a,106b,106c face the observer. However, it is obvious per se that the design or design of the OLED can likewise be different. It is likewise conceivable that instead of OLEDs, other surface-type light sources, such as, for example, an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or surface-type light conductors together with light sources, can also be provided.

The

brackets

101a,101b,101c are fixed with their respective

second ends

104a,104b,104c at the mounting plate 105 and are electrically and mechanically connected to the mounting plate 105. Fig. 1 furthermore shows a plug 107 which is fastened to the mounting plate 105 and serves to electrically couple the lighting assembly 100 to a motor vehicle, for example when the lighting assembly 100 is installed in a headlight. By means of the mounting plate 105, the lighting assembly 100 is then mounted in the headlight housing, for example together with further lamp modules. It is immediately clear to the person skilled in the art that, instead of the mounting plate 105 and the plug 107, a printed circuit board/conductor plate can likewise be provided as a mounting surface for the fastening and electrical contacting of the

supports

101a,101b,101 c.

The arrangement of the three

supports

101a,101b,101c on the mounting plate 105 is shown in detail in fig. 3 without the OLEDs 102a,102b,102c and the plug 107.

According to the invention, the three

supports

101a,101b,101c comprise, for the electrical contacting of the OLEDs 102a,102b,102c,

metal conductor tracks

108a,108b,108c which are printed in conductive ink onto the

respective support

101a,101b,101c, that is to say on the surface thereof. The

metallic conductor lines

108a,108b,108c extend along the entire length of the

supports

101a,101b,101c from the first ends 103a,103b,103c up to the second ends 104a,104b,104 c. Reference is made to the embodiments further above in the introduction to the description and in the claims in view of the nature and form of the conductive ink. In principle, however, all forms of conductive inks are suitable with which the printing of the

holders

101a,101b,101c can be realized. Those skilled in the art can readily select a suitable conductive ink for stamping the

conductor lines

108a,108b,108c corresponding to the material from which the one or more brackets are made. The embossing of the conductor tracks 108a,108b,108c can be effected, for example, by means of ink-jet printing. The

holders

101a,101b,101c are typically made of plastic and preferably of transparent plastic. The use of transparent plastic yields additional design advantages in view of the (in this case less) visibility of the

holders

101a,101b,101c and the free-floating appearance of the OLEDs 102a,102b,102 c. By using

supports

101a,101b,101c of different lengths, the OLEDs 102a,102b,102c are furthermore positioned spatially different from one another and make possible the realization of complex three-dimensional designs and luminous impressions in the smallest space in the case of simultaneous better electrical contact-making.

Fig. 3 shows another example of the arrangement of the bracket 201 on the mounting board 205 of the light emitting assembly according to the present invention. The only difference with respect to the lighting assembly 100 or the support assembly shown in fig. 1 or 2 is that instead of three

supports

101a,101b,101c, only exactly one support 201 for a (not shown) area light source/OLED is provided. The embodiment described above with respect to fig. 1 and 2 applies analogously and in a meaningful manner to the example shown in fig. 3 with only one holder 201. The holder 201 therefore likewise has first ends 203 and 204 and electrical contacts for OLED conductor tracks 108 (not shown) printed onto the holder 201 in conductive ink. The metallic conductor line 208 extends along the entire length of the stent 201 from the first end 203 to the second end 204. Reference is made to the above-described embodiments for all details.

Fig. 4 shows a detailed top view of the

first end

103a,103b,103c,203 towards the

holder

101a,101b,101c,201 shown in fig. 1-3. On the respective

first end

103a,103b,103c,203 there is a paste and contact surface 300, which in the example shown comprises two

contact surfaces

303a,303b for the electrical contacting of the

respective OLED

102a,102b,102c and a paste surface 303c for the mechanical fastening of the

OLED

102a,102b,102c at the

respective holder

101a,101b,101c, 201. A respective contact surface (or adhesive and contact surface) is arranged on the rear side of the

respective OLED

102a,102b,102c opposite the respective light-emitting

surface

106a,106b,106 c. The respective adhesive and contact surfaces on the rear side of the

respective OLED

102a,102b,102c are electrically and mechanically connected to the respective

first end

103a,103b,103c,203 of the

respective mount

101a,101b,101c, 201. For electrical contacting,

conductor tracks

108a,108b,108c,208 made of conductive ink extend along the length of the

supports

101a,101b,101c,201 as far as the

contact surfaces

303a,303 b; that is to say conductive ink, is impressed onto the

contact surfaces

303a,303 b. For mechanical attachment, an adhesive (e.g., a UV curable adhesive) is applied to the adhesive surface 303 c.

As an alternative to the embodiment shown in fig. 4 with two contact surfaces and one adhesive surface, a single surface can be provided at the first end of the carrier, for example, which has both a fastening function and a contact-making function. The mechanical and electrical connection between the OLED and the mount can be achieved, for example, by applying a conductive adhesive (conductive glue) or a conductive lacquer (conductive lacquer). Instead of a conductive glue or conductive lacquer, the conductive ink used for producing the conductor tracks can itself likewise be used for the mechanical and electrical connection between the OLED and the mount.

With reference to the above figures, the light source device may furthermore comprise an electrical circuit (not shown) integrated at or in the

holder

101a,101b,101c, 101.

The invention may be varied in any way known to the person skilled in the art and is not limited to the embodiments shown. Likewise, various aspects of the invention may be considered and combined with one another to a large extent. It is important to consider the idea underlying the invention that this teaching can be implemented in a wide variety of ways by the person skilled in the art and nevertheless remains as such.

Claims

1. Motor vehicle headlight comprising at least one lighting assembly (100), wherein the lighting assembly (100) comprises at least one carrier (101a,101b,101c,201) and a surface-type light source (102a,102b,102c) arranged at the carrier (101a,101b,101c,201), wherein the surface-type light source (102a,102b,102c) comprises at least one light-emitting surface (106a,106b,106c) and a rear surface facing away from the at least one light-emitting surface (106a,106b,106c), wherein a contact surface is arranged on the rear surface of the surface-type light source (102a,102b,102c) and the surface-type light source (102a,102b,102c) is mechanically and electrically connected to the at least one carrier (101a,101b,101c,201) at the contact surface,

wherein,

the holder (101a,101b,101c,201) comprises a metal conductor track (108a,108b,108c,208) which is printed in conductive ink on the holder (101a,101b,101c,201) for electrically contacting the area-type light source (102a,102b,102c), and the at least one holder (101a,101b,101c,201) has an adhesive surface and a contact surface which is electrically and mechanically connected to the contact surface on the rear side of the area-type light source (102a,102b,102c) by means of conductive ink, conductive adhesive or conductive paint.

2. The motor vehicle headlight according to claim 1, wherein the area light source (102a,102b,102c) is an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED).

3. The motor vehicle headlight according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the at least one bracket (101a,101b,101c,201) is shaped somewhat elongate.

4. The motor vehicle headlight of claim 3, wherein the at least one carrier (101a,101b,101c,201) has a first end (103a,103b,103c,203) and a second end (104a,104b,104c,204) opposite the first end (103a,103b,103c,203), wherein the first end (103a,103b,103c,203) of the carrier is mechanically and electrically connected to the contact surface of the surface-type light source (102a,102b,102 c).

5. The motor vehicle headlight of claim 4, characterized by a mounting surface (105,205) at which the second end (104a,104b,104c,204) of the bracket (101a,101b,101c,201) is mechanically and electrically connected.

6. The motor vehicle headlight according to claim 3, characterized in that the at least one carrier (101a,101b,101c,201) is designed to be flat or curved in two or three dimensions.

7. The motor vehicle headlight of claim 1 or 2, wherein the conductive ink is selected from the group consisting of silver-based inks, copper-based inks, inks based on conductive carbon nanoparticles and inks based on conductive carbon nanotubes.

8. The motor vehicle headlight according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lighting assembly (100) comprises two or more brackets (101a,101b,101c) with respective surface-type light sources (102a,102b,102c) fastened thereto.

9. The motor vehicle headlight of claim 8, wherein the respective area light sources (102a,102b,102c) are spatially positioned differently from one another.

10. The motor vehicle headlight according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by an electric circuit integrated in or at the bracket (101a,101b,101c, 201).

11. The motor vehicle headlight as claimed in claim 1 or 2, which is constructed in the form of a front headlight or a tail light.

12. A motor vehicle comprising a motor vehicle headlamp according to any of claims 1 to 11.