Light guide component for vehicle lamp, vehicle lamp for motor vehicle, and motor vehicle

Abstract

The present invention provides a light guide component for a vehicle lamp, a vehicle lamp, and a motor vehicle. The light guide component includes: a light incident portion, located at a first end of the light guide component and arranged to receive an incident light beam; a light exit surface, located at a second end of the light guide component opposite to the first end; and first and second side surfaces facing each other, extending between the first and second ends and arranged to guide light incident from the light incident portion toward the light exit surface by reflection, wherein a light decoupling region is provided on at least one of the first and second side surfaces, the light decoupling region being arranged to cause a portion of the light beam to exit from the corresponding side surface toward a space facing the second end of the light guide component.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a light guide component for a vehicle lamp, a vehicle lamp for a motor vehicle and a motor vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Headlights are essential components of motor vehicles. They provide illumination functions such as low beam, high beam, and fog lights, as well as signaling functions such as position markers and brake lights. Traffic regulations and industry standards have clear requirements for the intensity distribution of the light beams emitted by various headlights. Therefore, the output light beam of a headlight must be adjusted by the optical system before leaving the headlight.

[0003] In current headlights, using only a flat light guide often fails to meet the requirements for visibility and light intensity distribution of the output light beam. Instead, a prism must be placed outside the light guide to remodulate the light emitted from the light guide to achieve the desired output beam. This not only complicates the structure, but also creates an additional prism that can negatively impact the lighting performance of the headlight. Summary of the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a light guide component for a vehicle lamp, which can be used to improve the visible range of an outgoing light beam of the light guide component.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp and a motor vehicle comprising the light guide component.

[0006] The present invention provides a light-guiding component for a vehicle lamp, comprising: a light incident portion, which is located at a first end portion of the light-guiding component and is arranged to receive an incident light beam; a light exit surface, which is located at a second end portion of the light-guiding component opposite to the first end portion; and a first side surface and a second side surface facing each other, which extend between the first end portion and the second end portion and are arranged to guide light incident from the light incident portion toward the light exit surface by reflection, wherein a light decoupling region is provided on at least one of the first side surface and the second side surface, and the light decoupling region is arranged to cause a portion of the light beam to be emitted from the corresponding side portion to the space facing the second end portion of the light-guiding component.

[0007] In one embodiment, the light decoupling region is closer to the second end than to the first end.

[0008] In one embodiment, the light decoupling region is adjacent to the second end portion.

[0009] In one embodiment, a light decoupling structure is provided in the light decoupling region.

[0010] In one embodiment, the light decoupling structure includes a plurality of protrusions or depressions.

[0011] In one embodiment, the light decoupling structures are distributed in the light decoupling area in the form of mesh dots.

[0012] In one embodiment, the light decoupling region is provided on both the first side surface and the second side surface.

[0013] In one embodiment, the light guide component further includes a third side surface and a fourth side surface extending between the first side surface and the second side surface and facing away from each other, and the light decoupling regions are also provided on the third side surface and the fourth side surface.

[0014] In one embodiment, the light incident portion includes: a light collimating portion arranged to collimate the incident light beam; and a light reflecting surface arranged to reflect the collimated incident light beam toward at least one of the first side surface and the second side surface.

[0015] In one embodiment, a plurality of prisms arranged in parallel are provided on the light reflecting surface.

[0016] In one embodiment, the light emitting surface is provided with a light distribution portion for adjusting the light intensity distribution of the emitted light, such as a light distribution protrusion or depression.

[0017] The present invention also provides a lamp for a motor vehicle, comprising: a light source; and a light guide component according to any one of the above embodiments, wherein the light incident portion is used to receive an incident light beam emitted from the light source.

[0018] The vehicle lamp further includes a shielding member arranged to shield the remaining portion of the light guide member except the light exit surface and the light decoupling region.

[0019] The present invention also provides a motor vehicle comprising the light guide component or the vehicle lamp described above.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the light guide component is provided with a light decoupling region on at least one side thereof, which can increase the light output area of the light guide component and improve the visible range of the output light beam and the lighting effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 A perspective view schematically showing a section of a light guide component according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 4 Schematically showing a side view of a section of a light guide component and a related light path according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 Schematically shows a front view of a section of a light guide component according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 and Figure 7 Schematically illustrates a light decoupling area on a section of a light guide component and a related light path diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 、 Figure 9 and Figure 10 Schematically showing a top view of a section of a light guide component and a related light path diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 11 and Figure 12 Schematically showing a top view and a perspective view of a light guide component according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0027] Figure 13 The figure schematically shows a light guide member blocked by a blocking member according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below through examples and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the specification, the same reference numerals represent components with the same or similar functions. The following description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the overall inventive concept of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0029] In addition, in the following detailed description, for the purpose of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent that one or more embodiments can also be practiced without these specific details.

[0030] Figures 1 to 5 A section of a light guide component 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown. In the figure, light is represented by a dotted line. The light guide component 100 may include a light incident portion 10, a light exit surface 20, a first side surface 30 and a second side surface 40. Figures 1 to 4It can be clearly seen that the light incident portion 10 and the light exit surface 20 are respectively located at two opposite ends of the light guide component 100. For the sake of convenience of description, hereinafter, the end where the light incident portion 10 is located is referred to as the first end, and the end where the light exit surface 20 is located is referred to as the second end. The light incident portion 10 is arranged to receive an incident light beam 61. The incident light beam 61 can be emitted from a light source 60, for example. The first side surface 30 and the second side surface 40 are arranged back to back to each other and extend between the first end and the second end, and are arranged to guide the light incident from the light incident portion 10 toward the light exit surface 20 by reflection (for example, total reflection). As Figure 1 As shown, a light decoupling region 31 is provided on the first side surface 30. The light decoupling region 31 is arranged so that a portion of the light beam is emitted from at least one of the first side surface 30 and the second side surface 40 toward the space facing the second end portion of the light guide member 100 (i.e., toward the front of the second end portion of the light guide member 100). Figures 2 to 4 The middle one is shot towards the left hand).

[0031] A light guide is a light-guiding device that primarily transmits light through total internal reflection. It can take various shapes, such as cylindrical (also known as a light guide rod), long strip (also known as a light guide bar or light bar), flat (also known as a light guide plate), or annular (also known as a light guide ring). Because it primarily transmits light through total internal reflection, light guides offer high optical efficiency and minimal light loss.

[0032] The role of the optical decoupling region 31 is to utilize structural changes (such as forming protrusions or depressions) to destroy the total reflection condition of the light beam in the optical waveguide component 100, so that the light in the optical waveguide component 100 can be emitted from a specified position. The above-mentioned role of the optical decoupling region 31 can be called an optical decoupling effect. The optical decoupling effect of the optical decoupling region 31 can be achieved by a plurality of optical decoupling structures 32 arranged on the optical decoupling region 31. The optical decoupling structure 32 can also be arranged to reflect the light beam incident from the light incident surface 10 to the other side of the optical waveguide component (such as the second side surface 40 or the first side surface 30) so that the light beam reflected by the optical decoupling structure 32 can be emitted from the optical waveguide component. However, the optical decoupling structure 32 can be arranged to refract so that a portion of the light beam irradiated on the optical decoupling structure 32 is emitted directly from the side of the optical decoupling region 31 of the optical waveguide component 100.

[0033] Figures 2 to 4 The three beam emission paths are schematically shown in FIG. Figure 2 In FIG, a portion of the incident light beam is reflected by the first side surface 30 and the second side surface 40 and finally emitted from the light exit surface 20. Figure 3In FIG, it is shown that another part of the incident light beam is reflected by the light decoupling region 31 located on the first side surface 30 toward the second side surface 40 and finally emerges from the second side surface 40. Figure 4 , it is shown that another part of the incident light beam is directly emitted from the first side surface 30 under the refraction effect of the light decoupling region 31 located on the first side surface 30 .

[0034] from Figures 2 to 4 It can be clearly seen that after the light decoupling area 31 is set, the light beam of the light guide component 100 can be emitted not only from the light exit surface 20, but also from a part of at least one of the first side surface 30 and the second side surface 40. This can increase the visible range of the light beam emitted by the light guide component 100. Moreover, since the light is transmitted by total reflection inside the light guide component 100, it is easy to achieve a relatively uniform and continuous light intensity output, so that a good lighting effect can be observed in the space facing the light exit surface 20 (for example, in front of the light exit surface 20). In the case where the light decoupling area 31 is not set, the light beam is emitted only by relying on the light exit surface 20. The visible range of the emitted light beam is easily limited and cannot meet the requirements of the vehicle lamp specifications. It is often necessary to use additional prisms set on other components (such as outer lenses) to diffuse the light beam. However, after the light beam with a relatively narrow visible range is expanded by this additional prism, the light intensity distribution may not be as uniform as the light beam directly emitted by the light guide component 100. Therefore, the lighting effect will also be affected. It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present invention, with the help of the light decoupling area 31, not only the visible range of the outgoing light beam of the light guide component 100 can be improved, but also the use of additional prisms on additional components can be avoided to simplify the car light structure and improve the lighting effect of the car light.

[0035] As an example, the optical decoupling region 31 may be provided only on the first side surface 30 or the second side surface 40, or may be provided on both the first side surface 30 and the second side surface 40. The optical decoupling region 31 provided on the first side surface 30 and the second side surface 40 may expand the visible range of the outgoing light beam of the light guide component 100 in the first direction x (e.g., a direction substantially perpendicular to the first side surface 30).

[0036] As an example, the first side surface 30 may be parallel to the second side surface 40. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first side surface 30 may also be non-parallel to the second side surface 40, for example, forming a certain inclination angle with each other.

[0037] In one example, the light guide component 100 further includes a third side surface 50 and a fourth side surface 51 extending between the first side surface 30 and the second side surface 40 and facing each other. Figures 8 to 10As shown, the third side 50 and the fourth side 51 can also guide the incident light beam toward the second end of the light guide component 100 by reflection. As an example, the light decoupling area 31 can also be set on the third side 50 and the fourth side 51. The light decoupling area 31 set on the third side 50 and the fourth side 51 can expand the visible range of the outgoing light beam of the light guide component 100 in a second direction v perpendicular to the first direction (for example, a direction roughly parallel to the first side). As an example, the light decoupling area 31 can span the first side 30, the second side 40, the third side 50 and the fourth side 51 to form a strip area around the second end of the light guide component 100. This makes the outgoing light intensity around the second end of the light guide component 100 uniform in all directions, which helps to improve the lighting effect.

[0038] As an example, the light guide component 100 may be a flat light guide, ie, the surface areas of the first side 30 and the second side 40 are larger than the surface areas of the third side 50 and the fourth side 51 .

[0039] In an embodiment of the present invention, the optical decoupling region 31 can be arranged at a position closer to the second end of the light guide component 100 than to the first end of the light guide component 100. This helps to improve optical efficiency. For example, the optical decoupling region 31 can be adjacent to the second end of the light guide component 100. This is conducive to controlling the area on the first side surface 30 and the second side surface 40 of the light guide component 100 near the light exit surface 20, which can better concentrate the intensity of the outgoing light beam on the area in front of the light exit surface 20, and is also conducive to improving the lighting effect.

[0040] As mentioned above, a light decoupling structure 32 may be provided in the light decoupling region 31 . Figure 6 and Figure 7 An exemplary light decoupling structure 32 is shown. The light decoupling structure 32 may include a plurality of optical microstructures of various shapes, for example, an outer surface having a shape such as a conical surface, a spherical surface, an ellipsoidal surface, a triangular pyramid surface, a pentagonal pyramid surface, etc. In one embodiment, the optical microstructure may be in a convex or concave form. This is conducive to changing the reflection angle or refraction angle of the light irradiated on the light decoupling structure 32 so that the light is emitted from the first side surface 30 or the second side surface 40 at a specified position. As an example, the light decoupling structure 32 may be distributed in the light decoupling region 31 in the form of a grid. As shown in FIG. Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the optical microstructures in the optical decoupling structure 32 are distributed in the optical decoupling region 31 in the form of a grid, and each optical microstructure can be regarded as a point in the optical decoupling region 31. This grid-like distribution is conducive to achieving a more uniform output light intensity for the light guide component 100. As an example, the optical decoupling region 31 where the optical decoupling structure 32 is located can have various shapes, such as strips, circles, sectors, etc.

[0041] In an embodiment of the present invention, the light incident portion 10 may include a light collimating portion 11 and a light reflecting surface 12. The light collimating portion 11 is arranged to collimate the incident light beam so that more light beam energy is incident on the light guide component 100. As an example, the light collimating portion 11 may include a transmission collimating portion 13 located on the inner side of the light collimating portion 11 and a total reflection collimating portion 14 located on the outer side of the light collimating portion 11. The transmission collimating portion 13 may, for example, have the surface shape of a convex lens, and may be used to collimate the central portion of the incident light beam. The total reflection collimating portion 14 is provided with a total reflection surface 15, and the peripheral portion of the incident light beam may be collimated by the total reflection surface 15. This structure may improve the optical coupling efficiency of the incident light beam. The light reflecting surface 12 is arranged to reflect the collimated incident light beam toward the first side surface 30 and / or the second side surface 40. The light reflecting surface 12 can adjust the light intensity distribution of the light beam entering the light incident portion 10. For example, a plurality of prisms 16 arranged in parallel can be provided on the light reflecting surface 12, so that the light reflected by the light reflecting surface 12 can be reflected not only onto the first side surface 30 and the second side surface 40, but also onto other side surfaces of the light guide component 100 (for example, the third side surface 50 and the fourth side surface 51). Figures 8 to 10 This is beneficial, for example, to improving the light intensity uniformity and diffusion angle range of the outgoing light beam of the light guide component 100.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present invention, the light exit surface 20 may be provided with a plurality of light distribution sections 21 for adjusting the intensity distribution of the exiting light. The light distribution sections 21 can adjust the intensity distribution of the exiting light beam to a desired distribution. For example, the light intensity distribution can be made more uniform, and the light intensity distribution at different distances from the light exit surface 20 can be adjusted to meet the requirements of motor vehicle lighting specifications (e.g., Chinese national standards, EU standards, etc.). For example, the surface shape of the light distribution section 21 can be convex or concave. It should be noted that when the surface shape of the light distribution section 21 is convex, due to its optical properties, it may initially converge the light beam. However, after the converged light beam passes through the convergence point, it will also become a divergent light beam, thereby achieving the effect of spreading the light beam. The specific parameters of the light distribution section 21 may depend on the design requirements of different functional lights. For details on the design requirements of different functional lights, please refer to the relevant technical specifications in the field and will not be repeated here. The convergence or divergence of the light distribution section 21 on the light beam portion can be achieved by refraction of the light beam portion by the surface of the light distribution section 21.

[0043] In such Figures 1 to 10 In the light guide component 100 shown, the light guide component 100 is shown as a long strip as a whole. However, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. The light guide component can be designed into various shapes according to the internal space structure of the vehicle lamp, for example. Figure 11 and Figure 12FIG. 1 shows a light guide component 100' according to an embodiment of the present invention. The light guide component 100' can be regarded as a plurality of component units of different lengths arranged side by side, wherein the structure of each component unit is similar to that of FIG. Figures 1 to 10 The light guide component 100 shown in FIG. As an example, a plurality of light collimating portions 11 and light reflecting surfaces 12 may also be provided in the light guide component 100'.

[0044] In an embodiment of the present invention, the light guide components 100, 100' may be solid structures, for example, made of light-transmitting materials such as resin and plastic, for example, polycarbonate or polymethyl methacrylate, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0045] An embodiment of the present invention also provides a headlight for a motor vehicle. The headlight includes: a light source 60 and a light guide component 100, 100' as described in any of the above embodiments. The light incident portion 10 is used to receive an incident light beam 61 emitted from the light source 60. As mentioned above, in this headlight, the requirements for the visible range and light intensity of the outgoing light beam of the motor vehicle headlight can be met by directly utilizing the outgoing light beam of the light guide component 100, 100'. In one example, the light source 60 may include a light emitting diode light source or other light sources known in the art. As an example, the light source 60 may be arranged facing the light incident portion 10. In the case of using multiple light sources, the multiple light sources may also be arranged in an array.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present invention, the light guiding component 100, 100' may include one light incident portion 10, two light incident portions 10, or more light incident portions 10. For example, a plurality of separate light incident portions 10 may be provided at the first end portion of the light guiding component 100.

[0047] In an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 13 As shown, the headlight may further include a shielding component 80. The shielding component 80 is arranged to shield the remaining portion of the light guide component 100, 100' except the light exit surface 20 and the light decoupling area 31. This can suppress the influence of stray light on the outgoing light beam of the headlight. The shielding component 80 may also have other functions in the headlight, such as a supporting component, etc. In this arrangement, it is only necessary to expose the light guide component 100, 100' except the light exit surface 20 and the light decoupling area 31, without exposing the entire light guide component, which is also beneficial to the spatial structure design of the headlight.

[0048] The vehicle lights according to the embodiments of the present invention may include, for example, any type of motor vehicle lighting and / or signal lights, such as headlights, fog lights, center high-mounted brake lights, turn signals, position lights, tail brake lights, and the like.

[0049] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a motor vehicle, comprising the light guide component 100 or 100 ′ as described in any of the above embodiments or the vehicle lamp as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0050] Although the present invention is described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the embodiments disclosed in the drawings are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The dimensions and proportions in the drawings are merely illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0051] Although some embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A light guide component (100, 100') for a vehicle lamp, comprising: a light incident portion (10), the light incident portion (10) being located at a first end portion of the light guide component (100, 100') and being arranged to receive an incident light beam (61); a light exit surface (20), the light exit surface (20) being located at a second end portion of the light guide component (100, 100') opposite to the first end portion; and A first side surface (30) and a second side surface (40) facing away from each other, the first side surface (30) and the second side surface (40) extending between the first end portion and the second end portion, and arranged to guide light incident from the light incident portion (10) toward the light exit surface (20) by reflection, A light decoupling region (31) is provided on at least one of the first side surface (30) and the second side surface (40), and the light decoupling region (31) is arranged so that a portion of the light beam is emitted from the corresponding side surface toward the space facing the second end of the light-guiding component (100, 100') and a portion of at least one of the first side surface (30) and the second side surface (40), and the light decoupling region (31) is closer to the second end than to the first end.

2. The light guide component (100, 100') according to claim 1, wherein The optical decoupling region (31) is adjacent to the second end.

3. The light guide component (100, 100') according to claim 1, wherein A light decoupling structure (32) is provided in the light decoupling region (31).

4. The light guide component (100, 100') according to claim 3, wherein The light decoupling structure (32) includes a plurality of protrusions or depressions.

5. The light guide component (100, 100') according to claim 3, wherein The light decoupling structure (32) is distributed in the light decoupling area (31) in the form of mesh dots.

6. The light guide component (100, 100') according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The optical decoupling region (31) is provided on both the first side surface (30) and the second side surface (40).

7. The light guide component (100, 100') according to claim 6, wherein The optical guide component (100, 100') further includes a third side surface (50) and a fourth side surface (51) extending between the first side surface (30) and the second side surface (40) and facing each other, and the optical decoupling area (31) is also provided on the third side surface (50) and the fourth side surface (51).

8. The light guide component (100, 100') according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The light incident portion (10) comprises: a light collimating portion (11) arranged to collimate an incident light beam (61); and A light reflecting surface (12) is arranged to reflect a collimated incident light beam (61) toward at least one of a first side surface (30) and a second side surface (40).

9. The light guide component (100, 100') according to claim 8, wherein A plurality of prisms (16) arranged in parallel are provided on the light reflecting surface (12).

10. The light guide component (100, 100') according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The light emitting surface (20) is provided with a light distribution portion (21) for adjusting the light intensity distribution of the emitted light.

11. A lamp for a motor vehicle, comprising: Light source (60); as well as The light guide component (100, 100') according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The light incident portion (10) is used to receive an incident light beam (61) emitted from a light source (60).

12. A motor vehicle comprising the light guide component (100, 100') according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or the vehicle lamp according to claim 11.

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