Micro-optics for micro-led projection units

Abstract

An illumination device is described. The illumination device comprises at least one first arrangement of light emitting elements and at least one second arrangement of light emitting elements spatially separated from the at least one first arrangement of light emitting elements. The illumination device further comprises at least one first magnifying optical element arranged to correspond to the at least one first arrangement of light emitting elements and at least one second magnifying optical element arranged to correspond to the at least one second arrangement of light emitting elements. At least one optical projection element is arranged and configured to generate a combined image of a magnified image of the at least one first arrangement of light emitting elements and a magnified image of the at least one second arrangement of light emitting elements.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of European application 20161097.9, filed on 5 March 2020, which is incorporated by reference as if fully expressed. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to a lighting device comprising at least first and second arrangements of optical elements and light-emitting elements (particularly microLEDs). Background Technology

[0004] Lighting devices that include the arrangement of light-emitting elements (such as matrix light-emitting diode (LED) arrangements) have generally become advantageous for projector applications as well as automotive applications (such as automotive headlight applications). For example, automotive applications may include adaptive driving bend (ADB) applications, low beam, high beam, and adaptive headlight system applications.

[0005] As a result, microLEDs have become an advantageous light source because they allow individual LEDs to be placed as pixels with high spatial density, thus enabling the projection of images with clearly defined edges and high contrast. Summary of the Invention

[0006] A lighting device is described. The lighting device includes: at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements; and at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements spatially spaced from the at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements. The lighting device further includes: at least one first magnifying optical element arranged to correspond to the at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements; and at least one second magnifying optical element arranged to correspond to the at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements. At least one optical projection element is arranged and configured to generate a combined image of a magnified image of the at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements and a magnified image of the at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements. Attached Figure Description

[0007] A more detailed understanding can be obtained from the following description, which is given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0008] Figure 1A This is a top view of an example LED array;

[0009] Figure 1B This is a side view of an example lighting device;

[0010] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of an example magnified optical element and an optical collimating element;

[0011] Figure 3AThe illustration shows example results from a numerical simulation of the light distribution emitted from a lighting device;

[0012] Figure 3B The illustration shows the process from, for example Figure 1B The illustrated example results are from a numerical simulation of the light distribution emitted by the lighting device.

[0013] Figure 4 It was merged into Figure 1B An illustration of an example vehicle headlight system; and

[0014] Figure 5 This is another illustration of a vehicle headlight system. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Examples of different light illumination systems and / or light-emitting diode (“LED”) implementations will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These examples are not mutually exclusive, and features found in one example may be combined with features found in one or more other examples to accomplish additional implementations. Therefore, it will be understood that the examples shown in the drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit this disclosure in any way. Similar figures refer to similar elements throughout.

[0016] It will be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element and a second element may be referred to as a first element without departing from the scope of the invention. As used herein, the term "and / or" may include any and all combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0017] It will be understood that when an element, such as a layer, region, or substrate, is referred to as being on or extending to another element, it may be directly on or extending to another element, or intermediate elements may be present. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or "directly extending to" another element, no intermediate elements may be present. It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to another element and / or connected or coupled to another element via one or more intermediate elements. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, no intermediate elements are present between that element and the other element. It will be understood that any orientations depicted in the accompanying drawings are intended to cover different orientations of the elements.

[0018] Relative terms such as “below,” “above,” “over,” “under,” “horizontal,” or “vertical” may be used herein to describe the relationship between one element, layer, or region illustrated in the figures and another element, layer, or region. It will be understood that, with respect to the orientations depicted in the figures, these terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device.

[0019] Figure 1A This is a top view of example LED array 102. Figure 1A In the illustrated example, LED array 102 is an array of emitters 120. LED arrays can be used in any application, such as those requiring precise control of the LED array emitters. The emitters 120 in LED array 102 can be individually addressable or grouped / subgroup addressable.

[0020] Figure 1A An exploded view of a 3×3 portion of the LED array 102 is also shown. As shown in the exploded view of the 3×3 portion, the LED array 102 may include emitters 120, each having a width w1. In embodiments, the width w1 may be approximately 100 μm or less (e.g., 40 μm). The channel 122 between the emitters 120 may be as wide as w2. In embodiments, the width w2 may be approximately 20 μm or less (e.g., 5 μm). The channel 122 may provide an air gap between adjacent emitters or may contain other materials. The distance d1 from the center of one emitter 120 to the center of an adjacent emitter 120 may be approximately 120 μm or less (e.g., 45 μm). It will be understood that the widths and distances provided herein are merely examples, and actual widths and / or dimensions may vary.

[0021] Will understand, although Figure 1A A rectangular emitter arranged in a symmetrical matrix is ​​shown, but emitters of any shape and arrangement can be applied to the embodiments described herein. For example, Figure 1A The LED array 102 can include more than 20,000 emitters in any suitable arrangement—such as a 200×100 matrix, a symmetric matrix, an asymmetric matrix, etc. It will also be understood that multiple sets of emitters, matrices, and / or boards can be arranged in any suitable form to implement the embodiments described herein.

[0022] As described above, an LED array (such as LED array 102) may include up to 20,000 or more emitters. Such an array may have a 90 mm diameter. 2These LEDs may have a larger surface area and may require significant power—such as 60 watts or more—to power them. Such LED arrays can be called microLED arrays or simply microLEDs. MicroLEDs can comprise an array of individual emitters disposed on a substrate, or they can be a single silicon wafer or die divided into segments to form emitters. The latter type of microLED can be called a monolithic LED.

[0023] While the arrangement of light-emitting elements—such as a matrix arrangement of microLEDs—has thus become an advantageous choice as a light source for various applications, the optical system used to project or image the light source onto a given target plane (such as a road surface) can still be improved. The embodiments described herein can provide improved light-emitting devices that may include optical elements that enable improvements in the image quality of the arrangement of light-emitting elements projected onto the target plane.

[0024] Figure 1B This is a schematic diagram of lighting equipment 100. Figure 1B In the illustrated example, the lighting device 100 includes a first arrangement 10 of LEDs 12a, 12b, and 12c, and a second arrangement 11 of LEDs 12d, 12e, and 12f. Note that... Figure 1B The cross-sectional view shows only a section along LEDs 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e, and 12f, which are part of a corresponding matrix arrangement that may include elements visible due to perspective. Figure 1B Additional LEDs that are not visible in the middle.

[0025] A first arrangement of microlenses 23a, 23b, and 23c can be arranged to correspond to a first arrangement 10 of LEDs 12a, 12b, and 12c, and a second arrangement of microlenses 23d, 23e, and 23f can be arranged to correspond to a second arrangement 11 of LEDs 12d, 12e, and 12f. In an embodiment, microlens 23 can be an optical collimating element. A first convex lens 21a can be arranged to correspond to the first arrangement 10 of LEDs 12a, 12b, and 12c when collecting light from each of LEDs 12a, 12b, and 12c. In an embodiment, the first convex lens 21a can be a magnifying optical element, which can be arranged to generate a magnified image of the first arrangement 10 of LEDs 12a, 12b, and 12c. The magnified image of the first arrangement 10 can be indicated by the dashed portion of arrow 41', which, compared to arrow 41, indicates the direction of light refracted by the action of lens 21a, whereas arrow 41 indicates the light path without lens 21a. Arrows 43 and 43' illustrate the corresponding function of lens 21b. Lens 30 can be an optical projection element and can be arranged to collect light emitted from LEDs 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e and 12f arranged in 10 and 11, and thus can generate a combined image of magnified images of arrangements 10 and 11 generated by lenses 21a and 21b.

[0026] Therefore, microlenses 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, 23e, and 23f can serve as pre-collimation optics for pre-collimating light emitted from LEDs 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e, and 12f arranged in 10 and 11. Thus, microlenses 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, 23e, and 23f can help reduce crosstalk between adjacent pairs of LEDs or between groups of LEDs, and can further help increase the light output efficiency of the lighting device 100.

[0027] Magnifying lenses 21a and 21b can be used to magnify the corresponding arrangements 10 and 11 (i.e., the complete microLED chips). As indicated by the dashed portions of arrows 41' and 43', lenses 21a and 21b can help fill the gap between arrangements 10 and 11, which can substantially correspond to the distance between LEDs 12c and 12d. In the illustrated example, this distance can correspond to approximately 100 μm, while the gap between pairs of LEDs within each arrangement 10 and 11 can be approximately 20 μm.

[0028] Lens 30 can collect light emitted from all the light-emitting elements 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e and 12f, and thus can image or project the image of the arrangement 10 and 11 magnified by lenses 21a and 21b onto a plane (such as a road surface).

[0029] In exemplary embodiments, the light-emitting element may correspond to or include a light-emitting diode (LED). Specifically, in exemplary embodiments, the light-emitting element may correspond to or include a microLED, such as those described above with respect to FIG. 1a or further described below. In exemplary embodiments, for microLEDs, the size (e.g., the edge length or diagonal length of the LED) may be between 10 and 80 μm in some embodiments, between 20 and 60 μm in some embodiments, and between 30 and 50 μm in some embodiments. In this way, individual LEDs can serve as individual pixels within the arrangement of the light-emitting elements. Furthermore, the small size of such pixels can allow for high pixel density, which in turn can enable the generation of sharp images with a specific high contrast that can be produced by the lighting device. Providing individual arrangements of light-emitting elements may also be advantageous in terms of yield, especially if the individual chips corresponding to such an arrangement are large (e.g., greater than 1-4 mm). 2 Furthermore, the use of individual arrangements or chips allows for the customization of lighting equipment based on the environment in which it will be installed.

[0030] In an exemplary embodiment, the light-emitting elements in at least one first arrangement and / or at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements can be configured to be individually addressable and / or grouped addressable. In other words, in an exemplary embodiment, each light-emitting element can be individually connected to a corresponding controller for individually controlling each light-emitting element and / or group of light-emitting elements. In such an embodiment, the lighting device can be used as or in conjunction with automotive headlights because the possibility of individually addressing / controlling individual pixels and / or groups of pixels allows for control over the shape of the image generated by the lighting device to adapt such an image (e.g., the light distribution projected onto a road) to specific conditions (e.g., driving conditions of a car including the lighting device as a headlight).

[0031] In an exemplary embodiment, one, more, or all light-emitting elements may be configured to emit light (such as white light) of a color suitable for automotive headlights. While such embodiments may be particularly advantageous for automotive headlight applications, in alternative embodiments, one, more, or all light-emitting elements may be configured to emit light of a predetermined color (e.g., green and / or blue light). For example, in such an embodiment, each light-emitting element may include three LEDs, and one of the three LEDs may be configured to emit red light, one of the three LEDs may be configured to emit green light, and one of the three LEDs may be configured to emit blue light. Thus, in an exemplary embodiment, each of the three LEDs may be configured to be individually controlled (e.g., individually connectable to a corresponding controller), such that the image generated by the lighting device can be controlled not only in shape but also, additionally, in color.

[0032] In an exemplary embodiment, at least one first arrangement and / or at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements may correspond to or include a matrix arrangement of light-emitting elements. In a matrix arrangement, light-emitting elements may be arranged along corresponding rows and columns to form a generally regular two-dimensional arrangement. In an exemplary embodiment, at least one first arrangement and / or at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements may correspond to or include a microLED chip.

[0033] In an exemplary embodiment, the microLED chip may correspond to or include at least one array of individually addressable LED junctions disposed on a common substrate. For example, the substrate may correspond to or include a CMOS chip, and transistors of the CMOS chip may be disposed below each LED junction. In this way, the LEDs of the microLED arrangement can be individually controlled by controlling the respective transistors. Furthermore, in an exemplary embodiment, structured monolithic elements may be used to form the individual microLEDs or microLED pixels. In an exemplary embodiment, small cavities may be formed around each junction / microLED to avoid crosstalk between microLEDs / pixels.

[0034] In an exemplary embodiment, at least a second arrangement of light-emitting elements may be spatially separated from at least a first arrangement of light-emitting elements by a gap. Thus, this gap may have a wider width than the width of the gap separating the first light-emitting elements of at least a first arrangement and / or at least a second arrangement from the second light-emitting elements of at least a first arrangement and / or at least a second arrangement, which are arranged adjacent to the first light-emitting elements. For example, the gap between the individual light-emitting elements may be on the order of less than a few μm, less than 20 μm, or less than 10 μm. Further, in an exemplary embodiment, the gap between at least a first arrangement of light-emitting elements and at least a second arrangement of light-emitting elements may be between 80 μm and 120 μm, between 90 μm and 110 μm, or approximately 100 μm. In other words, the lighting device may include an arrangement of light-emitting elements (such as microLEDs) that can be arranged at a particularly high density, thereby allowing, for example, the generation of smooth edges in images, such as headlights projected onto a road, where the gap between individual pixels is small compared to the gaps that exist between the individual arrangements of light-emitting elements (e.g., chips).

[0035] In an exemplary embodiment, at least one first magnifying optical element may be arranged to correspond to at least one first arrangement of the light-emitting element, and the center of the at least one first arrangement of the light-emitting element may be aligned with and / or arranged on the optical axis of the at least one first magnifying optical element. Therefore, in an exemplary embodiment, when at least one second magnifying optical element is arranged to correspond to at least one second arrangement of the light-emitting element, the center of the at least one second arrangement of the light-emitting element may be aligned with and / or arranged on the optical axis of the at least one second magnifying optical element. By aligning the first and second optical elements with the corresponding arrangements of the light-emitting elements in this manner, image defects in the corresponding magnified image of the corresponding arrangement of the light-emitting elements can be minimized.

[0036] In an exemplary embodiment, at least one first magnifying optical element and / or at least one second magnifying optical element may be or include lens elements, such as at least a partially convex lens element. Therefore, at least one first and / or second magnifying optical element can be configured to magnify the image of the corresponding first and / or second arrangement of the light-emitting elements. In this way, at least one first and / or second magnifying optical element can compensate for gaps existing between the first and / or second arrangements of the light-emitting elements. In other words, for example, if the first and / or second arrangements of the light-emitting elements are to be imaged using a single common projection element without the first and / or second magnifying optical elements, gaps existing between the first and / or second arrangements of the light-emitting elements may also be imaged, potentially leading to undesirable degradation of the image of the arrangement of the light-emitting elements. By employing at least one first magnifying optical element and at least one second magnifying optical element, this gap can be advantageously compensated, thus advantageously improving the image of the arrangement of the light-emitting elements.

[0037] In an exemplary embodiment, at least one optical projection element may correspond to or include a single lens or lens system arranged to collect light emitted from all light-emitting elements of at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements and at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements. In this way, the optical projection element can be advantageously configured to generate a combined image of a magnified image of the arrangement of light-emitting elements.

[0038] In an exemplary embodiment, the lighting device may correspond to or be included in a vehicle headlight, and at least one optical projection element may be arranged and configured to project a combined image of a magnified image of at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements and a magnified image of at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements onto a predetermined plane (such as a road). In other words, in an exemplary embodiment, the lighting device may correspond to or be included in a vehicle headlight, and the focal length of at least one optical projection element may be selected such that a combined image of a magnified image of at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements and a magnified image of at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements can be projected onto the road.

[0039] In an exemplary embodiment, each optical collimating element may correspond to or include a lens element arranged to collimate light emitted from a corresponding light-emitting element. In an exemplary embodiment, each optical collimating element may correspond to or include at least a partially convex lens element. In an exemplary embodiment, the light-emitting elements may each correspond to a microLED, and at least one first arrangement of the optical collimating elements and at least one second arrangement of the optical collimating elements may each correspond to a corresponding arrangement of microlenses. By providing optical collimating elements, light emitted from each light-emitting element can be collimated, which can help reduce crosstalk between light-emitting elements arranged adjacent to each other, and thus can help enhance the contrast between images of the respective arranged light-emitting elements (e.g., pixels).

[0040] In an exemplary embodiment, at least one first amplifying optical element, at least one second amplifying optical element, and an optical collimating element may be integrally formed. In other words, in an exemplary embodiment, the lighting device may further include an optical member arranged in the path of light emitted from the first arrangement and the second arrangement of light-emitting elements. Thus, in an exemplary embodiment, the first and second amplifying optical elements include surfaces of the optical member facing away from the first and second arrangements of light-emitting elements. Further, in an exemplary embodiment, at least one first arrangement and at least one second arrangement of the optical collimating element may include surfaces of the optical member facing the first and second arrangements of light-emitting elements.

[0041] In other words, in the exemplary embodiment, at least one first amplifying optical element and at least one second amplifying optical element, as well as an optical collimating element, can be formed from corresponding, mutually opposing surfaces of the optical components. In this way, a particularly advantageous compact design of the light-emitting element can be achieved. Thus, in the exemplary embodiment, at least one first amplifying optical element, at least one second amplifying optical element, one or more or each optical collimating element, and / or the optical component can be formed of glass or silicone, or comprise glass or silicone. The use of glass may be particularly advantageous because glass allows for the formation of highly precise corresponding elements, while it can withstand high temperatures and can therefore be placed near the arrangement of the light-emitting element, which in the exemplary embodiment may correspond to a high-power LED for automotive headlight applications. Furthermore, the use of silicone may be advantageous because the corresponding components can be manufactured using a less complex production process.

[0042] Therefore, in an exemplary embodiment, the corresponding arrangement of pre-collimating microlenses can be aligned with the corresponding arrangement of microLED pixels. The combination of magnifying lenses aligned with the corresponding arrangement of microLEDs can, on the one hand, allow compensation for gaps existing between the corresponding arrangements of microLEDs, and on the other hand, contribute to improving the overall light output efficiency of the system. Thus, the arrangement of pre-collimating microlenses facing the corresponding microLED pixels enables increased light output efficiency and reduces crosstalk between corresponding pixels and / or pixel groups. The complete assembly can be imaged or projected by at least one optical projection element (e.g., a single lens or lens system). In an exemplary embodiment, the focal point of at least one optical projection element can be in a plane defined by at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements and / or at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements (e.g., a μ-LED arrangement). In this way, advantageous imaging / projection of a magnified image of the corresponding arrangement of light-emitting elements can be achieved.

[0043] In an exemplary embodiment, the lighting system may correspond to or include an automotive headlight system, and the controller may correspond to or include (e.g., automotive) control electronics for controlling light-emitting elements in at least a first arrangement and at least a second arrangement of light-emitting elements. In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the lighting system may correspond to or include a light projector system, and the controller may correspond to or include (e.g., projector) control electronics for controlling light-emitting elements in at least a first arrangement and at least a second arrangement of light-emitting elements.

[0044] Figure 2 The illustration shows three arrangements of the microlens 23 and magnifying lenses 21a, 21b, and 21c, as shown in Figure 1. From Figure 2 It can be seen that magnifying lenses 21a, 21b, and 21c, as well as microlens 23, can be integrally formed. In other words, the second magnifying lenses 21a, 21b, and 21c can be formed from the surface of the optical component, while the microlens 23 can be formed from the opposite surface of the optical component. As described above, particularly when the lighting device 100 is used as a light source for automotive headlights, where LEDs 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e, and 12f correspond to high-power white LEDs, forming the optical components from glass material may be advantageous in terms of their ability to withstand the heat generated by the LEDs, and the corresponding optical arrangement can be placed close to the LEDs.

[0045] Figure 3A The illustration shows the results of a numerical simulation of the light distribution emitted from a lighting device that does not employ any magnifying lenses corresponding to magnifying lenses 21a and 21b in Figure 1. The light distribution shown includes three images 50, which include an image 51 of the LEDs arranged in a corresponding 6×6 matrix (in...). Figure 3AOnly one is marked in the center image of 50. Figure 3A The light distribution was obtained by simulating the effects of a pre-collimating lens and a projection lens. The pre-collimating lens corresponds to lenses 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, 23e, and 23f in Figure 1 and is arranged to correspond to each LED in each of the 6×6 arrangements of LEDs. The projection lens corresponds to lens 30 in Figure 1 and is arranged to collect light from each of the three 6×6 matrix arrangements of LEDs. Figure 3A It can be seen that the gaps existing between the corresponding 6×6 matrix arrangements of LEDs can be imaged as Figure 3A The gaps 53 in the light distribution undesirably interrupt and thereby deteriorate the resulting light distribution (e.g., the projected image of the corresponding LED matrix arrangement).

[0046] Figure 3B The illustration shows numerical simulation results of the light distribution emitted from a lighting device that further employs magnifying lenses corresponding to magnifying lenses 21a and 21b in Figure 1. Similarly, the light distribution shown includes three images 50, including image 51 of the LEDs arranged in a corresponding 6×6 matrix (in...). Figure 3B Only one was marked in the center image of 50). However, compared with Figure 3A Conversely, as a result of magnifying lenses (magnifying optical elements), the gaps existing between the corresponding 6×6 matrix arrangements of the LEDs may not be imaged, making... Figure 3A The deterioration and interruption of the light distribution shown no longer exist. Figure 3B The light distribution shown is as follows.

[0047] Note that in Figure 3A and 3B The central light-emitting element of each 6×6 matrix arrangement of the LEDs in the image is turned off, thus illustrating the ability to individually address and control each LED.

[0048] Figure 4 It can be merged. Figure 1B A diagram of an exemplary vehicle headlight system 300 of a lighting device 100. The exemplary vehicle headlight system 300 illustrated in Figure 3 includes a power line 302, a data bus 304, an input filter and protection module 306, a bus transceiver 308, a sensor module 310, an LED DC-DC (DC / DC) module 312, a logic low-dropout (LDO) module 314, a microcontroller 316, and an active headlight 318. In embodiments, the active headlight 318 may include lighting devices such as… Figure 1B 100 lighting devices.

[0049] Power line 302 may have an input for receiving power from the vehicle, and data bus 304 may have inputs / outputs through which data can be exchanged between the vehicle and the vehicle headlight system 300. For example, the vehicle headlight system 300 may receive instructions from other locations within the vehicle, such as instructions to turn on a turn signal or turn on the headlights, and may send feedback to other locations within the vehicle if necessary. Sensor module 310 may be communicatively coupled to data bus 304 and may provide additional data related to the presence / location of, for example, environmental conditions (e.g., time of day, rain, fog, or ambient light level), vehicle status (e.g., parked, moving, speed, or direction of movement), and other objects (e.g., vehicles or pedestrians) to the vehicle headlight system 300 or other locations within the vehicle. A headlight controller separate from any vehicle controller communicatively coupled to the vehicle data bus may also be included in the vehicle headlight system 300. Figure 4 In this configuration, the headlight controller can be a microcontroller, such as a microcontroller (μc) 316. The microcontroller 316 can be communicatively coupled to a data bus 304.

[0050] The input filter and protection module 306 can be electrically coupled to the power line 302 and can, for example, support various filters to reduce conducted emissions and provide power immunity. Additionally, the input filter and protection module 306 can provide electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection, load unloading protection, alternator field attenuation protection, and / or reverse polarity protection.

[0051] LED DC / DC module 312 can be coupled between filter and protection module 306 and active headlight 318 to receive filtered power and provide drive current to power the LEDs in the LED array of active headlight 318. LED DC / DC module 312 can have an input voltage between 7 and 18 volts, a nominal voltage of approximately 13.2 volts, and an output voltage that can be slightly higher (e.g., 0.3 volts higher) than the maximum voltage of the LED array (e.g., determined by factor or local calibration and operating condition adjustments due to load, temperature, or other factors).

[0052] The logic LDO module 314 can be coupled to the input filter and protection module 306 to receive filtered power. The logic LDO module 314 can also be coupled to the microcontroller 314 and the active headlight 318 to provide power to the microcontroller 314 and / or silicon backplane (e.g., CMOS logic) in the active headlight 318.

[0053] Bus transceiver 308 may have, for example, a Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) or Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) interface and may be coupled to microcontroller 316. Microcontroller 316 may translate vehicle input based on or including data from sensor module 310. The translated vehicle input may include a video signal that can be transmitted to an image buffer in active headlight module 318. Additionally, microcontroller 316 may load a default image frame and test open / short-circuit pixels during startup. In an embodiment, the SPI interface may load the image buffer in CMOS. The image frame may be a full frame, differential, or partial frame. Other features of microcontroller 316 may include a control interface monitoring of CMOS status (including die temperature) and a logic LDO output. In an embodiment, the LED DC / DC output may be dynamically controlled to minimize headroom. In addition to providing image frame data, other headlight functions may also be controlled, such as supplementing with side marker lights or turn signals and / or activating daytime running lights.

[0054] Figure 5 This is another illustration of a vehicle headlight system 400. Figure 5 The illustrated exemplary vehicle headlight system 400 includes an application platform 402, two lighting devices 406 and 408, and optics 410 and 412. The two lighting devices 406 and 408 can be lighting devices such as… Figure 1B The lighting device 100, or may include the lighting device 100 plus Figure 4 Some or all other modules in the vehicle headlight system 300. In a later embodiment, lighting devices 406 and 408 may be a vehicle headlight subsystem.

[0055] Lighting device 408 can emit beam 414 (in) Figure 4 (Indicated between arrows 414a and 414b). The lighting device 406 can emit a beam 416 (in... Figure 4 (Indicated between arrows 416a and 416b). Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, auxiliary optics 410 are adjacent to lighting device 408, and light emitted from lighting device 408 passes through auxiliary optics 410. Similarly, auxiliary optics 412 are adjacent to lighting device 412, and light emitted from lighting device 412 passes through auxiliary optics 412. In an alternative embodiment, auxiliary optics 410 / 412 are not provided in the vehicle headlight system.

[0056] Application platform 402 can provide power and / or data to lighting devices 406 and / or 408 via line 404, which may include Figure 4One or more, or a portion thereof, of the power line 302 and data bus 304. One or more sensors (which may be sensors in system 300 or other additional sensors) may be inside or outside the housing of application platform 402. Alternatively or additionally, such as Figure 4 As shown in the example lighting device 300, each lighting device 408 and 406 may include its own sensor module, connection and control module, power supply module and / or LED array.

[0057] In an embodiment, the vehicle headlight system 400 may represent a car with a steerable beam, wherein LEDs can be selectively activated to provide steerable light. For example, an array of LEDs (e.g., LED array 102) may be used to define or project a shape or pattern, or to illuminate only selected portions of a road. In an example embodiment, the infrared camera or detector pixels within the lighting devices 406 and 408 may be sensors (e.g., similar to...) that identify portions of a scene (e.g., a road or pedestrian crossing) that require illumination. Figure 4 (The sensor in sensor module 310).

Claims

1. A lighting device, comprising: At least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements; At least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements is spatially spaced from the at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements; At least one first magnifying optical element is arranged to correspond to the at least one first arrangement of the light-emitting element; At least one second magnifying optical element is arranged to correspond to the at least one second arrangement of the light-emitting element; and At least one optical projection element is arranged and configured to generate a combined image of a magnified image of the at least one first arrangement of the light-emitting elements and a magnified image of the at least one second arrangement of the light-emitting elements; The focal point of the at least one optical projection element is in a plane defined by at least one of the at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements or at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1, The at least one first magnifying optical element is arranged and configured to generate the magnified image of the at least one first arrangement of the light-emitting elements, and The at least one second magnifying optical element is arranged and configured to generate a magnified image of the at least one second arrangement (10) of the light-emitting element.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising: At least one first arrangement of optical collimating elements, each optical collimating element of the at least one first arrangement of optical collimating elements being arranged to correspond to one of the corresponding light-emitting elements of the at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements; and At least one second arrangement of optical collimating elements, wherein each optical collimating element of the at least one second arrangement of optical collimating elements is arranged to correspond to one of the corresponding light-emitting elements of the at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements.

4. The lighting device of claim 3, wherein each optical collimating element of the at least one first arrangement of optical collimating elements and the at least one second arrangement of optical collimating elements comprises a lens element arranged to collimate light emitted from a corresponding one of the light-emitting elements.

5. The lighting device according to claim 3, wherein the at least one first amplifying optical element, the at least one second amplifying optical element, and the at least one first arrangement of the optical collimating element and the at least one second arrangement of the optical collimating element are integrally formed.

6. The lighting device according to claim 3, further comprising an optical component arranged in the path of light emitted from the light-emitting elements of the first arrangement and the second arrangement of light-emitting elements. The first and second amplifying optical elements form the surfaces of the optical component that are opposite to the first arrangement and the second arrangement of the light-emitting elements, and The at least one first arrangement of the optical collimating elements and the at least one second arrangement of the optical collimating elements form the surfaces of the optical component facing the first arrangement and the second arrangement of the light-emitting elements.

7. The lighting device according to claim 3, wherein the light-emitting elements respectively correspond to microLEDs, and wherein the at least one first arrangement of the optical collimating elements and the at least one second arrangement of the optical collimating elements respectively correspond to the corresponding arrangement of microlenses.

8. The lighting device according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the at least second amplifying optical element, at least one of the at least first amplifying optical element, at least one of the optical collimating element, or the optical component comprises glass or silicone resin.

9. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements is spatially separated from the at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements by a gap, the gap having a width greater than the width of the gap separating the first light-emitting elements of the at least one first arrangement.

10. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second arrangement of the light-emitting elements is spatially separated from the at least one first arrangement of the light-emitting elements by a gap, the gap having a width greater than the width of the gap separating the at least one second arrangement from the second light-emitting elements of the at least one first arrangement.

11. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second arrangement of the light-emitting elements is spatially separated from the at least one first arrangement of the light-emitting elements by a gap, the gap having a width greater than the width of the gap separating the at least one second arrangement adjacent to the first light-emitting element.

12. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements or at least one of the at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements is configured to be individually addressable or group addressable.

13. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least first arrangement of the light-emitting elements or the at least second arrangement of the light-emitting elements is a matrix arrangement of the light-emitting elements.

14. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical projection element comprises a single lens or lens system arranged to collect light emitted from all light-emitting elements of the at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements and the at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements.

15. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light-emitting element is a light-emitting diode (LED).

16. A lighting system comprising: Lighting equipment, including: At least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements, At least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements is spatially spaced from the at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements. At least one first magnifying optical element is arranged to correspond to the at least one first arrangement of the light-emitting element. At least one second magnifying optical element is arranged to correspond to the at least one second arrangement of the light-emitting element, and At least one optical projection element is arranged and configured to generate a combined image of a magnified image of the at least one first arrangement of the light-emitting elements and a magnified image of the at least one second arrangement of the light-emitting elements; and The controller is configured to individually control at least one of the at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements or at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements; The focal point of the at least one optical projection element is in a plane defined by at least one of the at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements or at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements.

17. The lighting system of claim 16, wherein the lighting system is an automotive headlight system.

18. The lighting system according to claim 16, The at least one first magnifying optical element is arranged and configured to generate a magnified image of the at least one first arrangement of the light-emitting element, and The at least one second magnifying optical element is arranged and configured to generate a magnified image of the at least one second arrangement (10) of the light-emitting element.

19. The lighting system of claim 16, wherein the lighting device further comprises: At least one first arrangement of optical collimating elements, each optical collimating element of the at least one first arrangement being arranged to correspond to one of the corresponding light-emitting elements of the at least one first arrangement of light-emitting elements, and At least one second arrangement of optical collimating elements, wherein each optical collimating element of the at least one second arrangement of optical collimating elements is arranged to correspond to one of the corresponding light-emitting elements of the at least one second arrangement of light-emitting elements.

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