WO2024110563A1

WO2024110563A1 - Optical illumination assembly, lighting apparatus and motor vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2024110563A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/082767
Authority: WO
Inventors: Qiang Hu; Chen Chen; Yakun ZHAO; Xian Zhang; Jacks-Xiaodong LI
Original assignee: Valeo Vision
Priority date: 2022-11-25
Filing date: 2023-11-22
Publication date: 2024-05-30
Also published as: CN218954705U

Abstract

The present application discloses an optical illumination assembly (1000). It comprises a first light guide device (110) having a light exit side (20) and a light guide portion (10) opposite to the light exit side (20), wherein a first part of light incident into the first light guide device (110) is reflected by the light guide portion (10) to the light exit side (20) and exit from the light exit side (20) generally along a first direction (D), and a second part of light incident into the first light guide device (110) is transmitted to the outside of the first light guide device (110) via the light guide portion (10); and a second light guide device (120) comprising an incident portion (30) and an exit portion (40), wherein the incident portion (30) receives the second part of light from the first light guide device (110), and the exit portion (40) causes at least a part of the second part of light to exit generally along the first direction (D).

Description

OPTICAL ILLUMINATION ASSEMBLY, LIGHTING APPARATUS AND MOTOR VEHICLE

The present application relates to the technical field of vehicle lamps, and specifically to an optical illumination assembly, a lighting apparatus and a motor vehicle.

Lighting devices are used to provide light for lighting and/or optical indication functions, widely applicable in various fields. For example, lighting devices such as vehicle lamps are used in motor vehicles to ensure safe driving. In motor vehicles, various types of vehicle lamps are often required to implement different functions, including headlamps, fog lights, tail lights, turn signal lights, brake lights, side marker lights, parking lights, etc.

As vehicle lamp technology develops, some OEMs wish vehicle lamps to have an expanded light output region in order to enhance optical indication functions and/or meet modelling requirements; in this case, how to design optical paths becomes a major challenge.

Summary of the Application

An object of the present application is to provide an optical illumination assembly, a lighting apparatus and a motor vehicle. The optical illumination assembly can provide an enlarged light exit area and have high optical efficiency and good optical distribution uniformity.

In an aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an optical illumination assembly. The optical illumination assembly comprises: a first light guide device having a light exit side and a light guide portion located on a side opposite to the light exit side, wherein a first part of light incident into the first light guide device is configured to be reflected by the light guide portion to the light exit side and exit from the light exit side generally along a first direction, and a second part of light incident into the first light guide device is configured to be transmitted to the outside of the first light guide device via the light guide portion; and a second light guide device comprising an incident portion and an exit portion, wherein the incident portion is configured to receive the second part of light from the first light guide device, and the exit portion is configured to cause at least a part of the second part of light to exit generally along the first direction.

In an embodiment, the incident portion of the second light guide device is arranged opposite to the light guide portion of the first light guide device.

In an embodiment, the first light guide device comprises a light guide strip, and/or the second light guide device comprises a light guide plate.

In an embodiment, light output intensity of the second light guide device is configured to be lower than light output intensity of the first light guide device.

In an embodiment, light exit areas of the first light guide device and the second light guide device are configured such that when the optical illumination assembly is viewed against the first direction, the two are connected or partially overlapped.

In an embodiment, the second light guide device further comprises a reflective portion, and the reflective portion is configured to reflect light from the incident portion of the second light guide device transversely to the first direction.

In an embodiment, scattering particles are comprised inside the second light guide device, and the scattering particles are configured to scatter light from the reflective portion so that the light exits from the exit portion generally along the first direction.

In an embodiment, scattering elements are provided on the exit portion of the second light guide device and/or on a surface thereof on a side opposite to the exit portion.

In an embodiment, the light guide portion has an optical decoupling structure, and the optical decoupling structure comprises a micro-pillow structure array, a zigzag structure, a concave structure, a convex structure or a skin texture structure.

In an embodiment, the optical illumination assembly further comprises a light guide support arranged on a rear side of the second light guide device in the first direction and configured to support the second light guide device.

In an embodiment, the light guide support comprises a reflective surface, and the reflective surface is configured to reflect light from the second light guide device back to the second light guide device generally along the first direction.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a lighting apparatus. The lighting apparatus comprises the optical illumination assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle comprises the optical illumination assembly according to an embodiment of the present application, or the lighting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Brief Description of the Drawings

is a schematic diagram of the optical path of an optical illumination assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

, , and are perspective views of an optical illumination assembly according to an embodiment of the present application from different viewing angles.

is a picture of a lighting-up effect of an optical illumination assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description of the Embodiments

The present application will be further described in detail below by means of embodiments with reference to the drawings. In this description, identical or similar reference signs denote identical or similar components. The following description of the embodiments of the present application with reference to the drawings is intended to explain the overall invention concept of the present application, and should not be interpreted as a limitation of the present application.

In addition, in the following detailed description, to facilitate explanation, many specific details are expounded for a comprehensive understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it is evident that one or more embodiments may also be implemented without these specific details.

is a schematic diagram of the optical path of an optical illumination assembly 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application. FIGS. 2 to 5 are perspective views of an optical illumination assembly 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application from different viewing angles. is a picture of a lighting-up effect of an optical illumination assembly 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the optical illumination assembly 1000 includes a first light guide device 110 and a second light guide device 120. According to an embodiment of the present application, the first light guide device 110 and the second light guide device 120 may cooperate to be lit up, thereby obtaining an enlarged light exit area.

The first light guide device 110 has a light exit side 20 and a light guide portion 10 located on the side opposite to the light exit side 20. As an example, as shown in , a light source 200 may be located at an end of the first light guide device 110 to make light incident into the first light guide device 110. The incident light may travel in the first light guide device 110 by total reflection, and be decoupled at the light guide portion 10 and exit from the light exit side 20. As an example, the light guide portion 10 may have a light decoupling structure. For example, the optical decoupling structure may include a micro-pillow structure array, a zigzag structure, a concave structure, a convex structure or a skin texture structure.

According to an embodiment of the present application, after decoupling by the light guide portion 10, a first part of light incident into the first light guide device 110 is reflected by the light guide portion 10 to the light exit side 20, namely, travelling along a first optical path P1 and exiting from the light exit side 20 generally along a first direction D. Therefore, the first part of light exiting from the light exit side 20 can form a first light exit area Z1 as shown in .

On the other hand, a second part of light incident into the first light guide device 110 may be transmitted to the outside of the first light guide device 110 via the light guide portion 10. That is, the second part of light may exit outwardly from the light guide portion 10. As shown in , the second part of light may travel along a second optical path P2.

The second light guide device 120 may include an incident portion 30 and an exit portion 40. According to an embodiment of the present application, the second light guide device 120 may be configured such that the incident portion 30 may receive the second part of light from the first light guide device 110 and cause at least a part of the second part of light to exit outwardly from the exit portion 40. As shown in , the exit portion 40 is arranged to face in the same or substantially the same direction as the light exit side 20 of the first light guide device 110, so that the second part of light also exits generally along the first direction D. Therefore, the second part of light exiting from the exit portion 40 can form a second light exit area Z2 as shown in .

In this way, by using the first light guide device 110 and the second light guide device 120 in cooperation, the existing light exit area can be widened to meet desired styling requirements or indication functions. As described above, the first part of light from the light source 200 can exit from the light exit side 20 of the first light guide device 110, thereby forming the first light exit area Z1. To obtain a larger light exit area, the present application advantageously utilizes the second part of light transmitted from the light guide portion 10 to the outside, and makes the second part of light exit outwardly along the same exit direction (i.e., the first direction D) as the first part of light by means of the second light guide device 120, thereby forming a widened second light exit area Z2. Therefore, the present application can widen the light exit area, thereby obtaining an enlarged lighting-up pattern.

In an embodiment, the incident portion 30 of the second light guide device 120 is arranged opposite to the light guide portion 10 of the first light guide device 110. According to this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a light incident surface 310 of the incident portion 30 may be arranged to face a light exit surface 320 of the light guide portion 10, thereby achieving the opposite arrangement of the incident portion 30 and the light guide portion 10. As an example, the light incident surface 310 may be parallel to the light exit surface 320, and the surface area of the light incident surface 310 may be set slightly larger than the surface area of the light exit surface 320. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. In this way, it may be convenient for the incident portion 30 to receive the second part of light from the light guide portion 10, so that more of the second part of light can be incident into the second light guide device 120, thereby ensuring the lighting-up effect of the second light exit area Z2. Furthermore, as an example, the incident portion 30 may be arranged very close to the light guide portion 10 to receive a sufficient amount of the second part of light, but the incident portion 30 is not in contact with the light guide portion 10. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and the distance between the incident portion 30 and the light guide portion 10 may be appropriately set according to actual needs.

In an embodiment, the first light guide device 110 includes a light guide strip, and/or the second light guide device 120 includes a light guide plate. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the first light guide device 110 may be implemented using a light guide strip, and the second light guide device 120 may be implemented using a light guide plate. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

In an embodiment, the light output intensity of the second light guide device 120 is configured to be lower than the light output intensity of the first light guide device 110. Thus, the brightness of the second light exit area Z2 formed by the second light guide device 120 is lower than the brightness of the first light exit area Z1 formed by the first light guide device 110. As shown in , the first light exit area Z1 is shown to be brighter, and the second light exit area Z2 is shown to be darker. In this way, a lighting-up pattern with a brightness difference can be formed to meet desired functions or lighting-up requirements, or a specific lighting-up effect, such as an ambient light effect, can be achieved.

In an embodiment, the light exit areas of the first light guide device 110 and the second light guide device 120 are configured such that when the optical illumination assembly 1000 is viewed against the first direction D, the first light exit area Z1 and the second light exit area Z2 are connected or partially overlapped. shows the first light exit area Z1 and the second light exit area Z2 when the optical illumination assembly 1000 is viewed against the first direction D. As shown in , the first light exit area Z1 and the second light exit area Z2 are continuous without any gap. In this way, the continuity of the light range can be ensured, thereby achieving a beautiful lighting-up effect and effectively widening the light exit area.

In an embodiment, the second light guide device 120 further includes a reflective portion 50. The reflective portion 50 is configured to reflect the light from the incident portion 30 of the second light guide device 120 transversely to the first direction D. As an example, as shown in , the reflective portion 50 may be provided near the incident portion 30, so that after the light is introduced into the second light guide device 120 via the incident portion 30, it is immediately reflected by the reflective portion 50. According to the embodiments of the present application, the second light exit area Z2 is formed by using the light transmitted from the light guide portion 10, but the exit direction of the transmitted light is opposite to the direction of the light exiting from the light exit side 10. Therefore, the second light guide device 120 needs to be bent to change the travelling direction of the second optical path P2 of the light, thereby enabling the light to exit outwardly along the first direction D. In this case, due to the bent arrangement of the second light guide device 120, there may be a risk of reducing the optical efficiency, such that the desired lighting-up effect cannot be obtained. Therefore, as an example, in the present application, the reflective portion 50 is provided near the incident portion 30 and at the bending position of the second light guide device 120. In this way, the light from the incident portion 30 can be reflected by the reflective portion 50 in a direction transverse to the first direction D, thereby changing the travelling path and ensuring the optical efficiency and lighting-up effects.

In an embodiment, as shown in , scattering particles 140 may be included inside the second light guide device 120. The scattering particles 140 are configured to scatter the light from the reflective portion 50 so that the light exits from the exit portion 40 generally along the first direction D. According to this embodiment, the scattering particles may be included inside the second light guide device 120, and the light from the reflective portion 50 may be scattered in different directions by the scattering particles, so that the light exits from the exit portion 40 of the second light guide device 120. Such a light guide device with the scattering particles has good light diffusion properties, and can achieve a very uniform light lighting-up effect. As a non-limiting example, this type of light guide unit may be, for example, a light guide made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), such as a light guide with the brand of LED8N, LD12, LD24, LD48 or LD96; or may be, for example, a light guide made of polycarbonate (PC), such as a light guide with the brand of EL2245. The colour of the light guide unit may be selected according to needs, such as, but not limited to, colourless, pink, red, etc.

Alternatively, in an embodiment, scattering elements may be provided on the exit portion 40 of the second light guide device 120 and/or on the surface thereof on the side opposite to the exit portion 40. As an alternative to the scattering particles, the scattering effect can be achieved by arranging the scattering elements on the surface of the opposite side of the second light guide device 120 so that the second light guide device 120 has a uniform light lighting-up effect.

In an embodiment, the optical illumination assembly 1000 may further include a light guide support 130. As shown in , the light guide support 130 is arranged on the rear side of the second light guide device 120 in the first direction D and is configured to support the second light guide device 120. As an example, the light guide support 130 may be connected to the second light guide 120, and connected to other components on the other side, thereby enabling the second light guide 120 to be mounted and secured in place.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the light guide support 130 may include a reflective surface 60. The reflective surface 60 is configured to reflect the light from the second light guide device 120 back to the second light guide device 120 generally along the first direction D. As described above, the second light guide device 120 can achieve scattering of light (for example, by means of the scattering particles 140). Thus, the light may be scattered toward the light guide support 130. By providing the reflective surface 60 on the light guide support 130, the light can be reflected back to the second light guide device 120 by the reflective surface 60, so that it can exit from the exit portion 40 of the second light guide device 120 along the first direction D. Therefore, in this way, the optical efficiency can be improved, and the desired lighting-up effect can be ensured.

As an example, the light guide devices 110 and 120 may be made of a transparent glass, resin or plastic material, such as PMMA or polycarbonate.

As an example, the light guide devices 110 and 120 may be supported or suspended by any suitable device known for holding optical elements, such as a stand, a boom, or the like.

As an example, the light guide devices 110 and 120 according to embodiments of the present application may be used in any lighting and/or signal indication device. The lighting and/or signal indication device may include any type of motor vehicle illuminating lamps and/or signal lamps, for example, headlamps, centre high-mounted stop lamps, turn signal lamps, parking lamps, rear stop lamps, etc. The light guide devices 110 and 120 according to embodiments of the present application may also be used in fields other than vehicle lamps, for example, street lights, advertising lights, etc.

Although the present application has been explained with reference to the drawings, the embodiments disclosed in the drawings are intended to provide an illustrative description of preferred embodiments of the present application, and cannot be interpreted as a limitation of the present application.

Although some embodiments of the general concept of the present application have been shown and described, those ordinarily skilled in the art will understand that changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principle and spirit of the general concept of the present application. The scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

Optical illumination assembly (1000), characterized in that the optical illumination assembly (1000) comprises:
a first light guide device (110) having a light exit side (20) and a light guide portion (10) located on a side opposite to the light exit side (20), wherein a first part of light incident into the first light guide device (110) is configured to be reflected by the light guide portion (10) to the light exit side (20) and exit from the light exit side (20) generally along a first direction (D), and a second part of light incident into the first light guide device (110) is configured to be transmitted to the outside of the first light guide device (110) via the light guide portion (10); and
a second light guide device (120) comprising an incident portion (30) and an exit portion (40), wherein the incident portion (30) is configured to receive the second part of light from the first light guide device (110), and the exit portion (40) is configured to cause at least a part of the second part of light to exit generally along the first direction (D).
Optical illumination assembly (1000) according to Claim 1, wherein the incident portion (30) of the second light guide device (120) is arranged opposite to the light guide portion (10) of the first light guide device (110).
Optical illumination assembly (1000) according to Claim 1, wherein the first light guide device (110) comprises a light guide strip, and/or the second light guide device (120) comprises a light guide plate.
Optical illumination assembly (1000) according to Claim 1, wherein light output intensity of the second light guide device (120) is configured to be lower than light output intensity of the first light guide device (110).
Optical illumination assembly (1000) according to Claim 1, wherein light exit areas of the first light guide device (110) and the second light guide device (120) are configured such that when the optical illumination assembly (1000) is viewed against the first direction (D), the two are connected or partially overlapped.
Optical illumination assembly (1000) according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the second light guide device (120) further comprises a reflective portion (50), and the reflective portion (50) is configured to reflect light from the incident portion (30) of the second light guide device (120) transversely to the first direction (D).
Optical illumination assembly (1000) according to Claim 6, wherein scattering particles (140) are comprised inside the second light guide device (120), and the scattering particles (140) are configured to scatter light from the reflective portion (50) so that the light exits from the exit portion (40) generally along the first direction (D).
Optical illumination assembly (1000) according to Claim 6, wherein scattering elements are provided on the exit portion (40) of the second light guide device (120) and/or on a surface thereof on a side opposite to the exit portion (40).
Optical illumination assembly (1000) according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the light guide portion (10) has an optical decoupling structure, and the optical decoupling structure comprises a micro-pillow structure array, a zigzag structure, a concave structure, a convex structure or a skin texture structure.
Optical illumination assembly (1000) according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, 7 and 8, further comprising: a light guide support (130) arranged on a rear side of the second light guide device (120) in the first direction (D), and configured to support the second light guide device (120).
Optical illumination assembly (1000) according to Claim 10, wherein the light guide support (130) comprises a reflective surface (60), and the reflective surface (60) is configured to reflect light from the second light guide device (120) back to the second light guide device (120) generally along the first direction (D).
Lighting apparatus, characterized by comprising the optical illumination assembly (1000) according to any one of Claims 1 to 11.
Motor vehicle, characterized by comprising the optical illumination assembly (1000) according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, or the lighting apparatus according to Claim 12.