Lights for vehicles and vehicles containing them

Abstract

A lamp for a vehicle is disclosed, the lamp comprising: a light source configured to emit light; and a multifaceted lens (MFL) disposed in front of the light source and including a plurality of facets and a stepped portion formed in the boundary region between the plurality of facets. At least some of the exit surfaces of the plurality of facets have a partial shape of an aspherical lens or a deformable lens.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit and priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0081121, filed on June 22, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes, as set forth herein. Technical Field

[0003] Exemplary embodiments relate to a lamp for a vehicle and a vehicle including the lamp, and more specifically, to a lamp for a vehicle including an MFL and a vehicle including the lamp. Background Technology

[0004] As the aesthetic appeal of vehicles becomes increasingly important, so too does the demand for aesthetically pleasing lights mounted on them. In particular, headlights mounted at the front of vehicles require a slender structure and a smaller vertical dimension to enhance their aesthetic appeal.

[0005] However, when a lamp has a slender structure, its luminous efficiency may decrease. Recently, in order to overcome these limitations, active research has been conducted on vehicle lamps equipped with multi-facet lenses (MFLs).

[0006] However, due to the tolerances introduced during the production of MFLs, the lamps used in vehicles equipped with MFLs exhibit significant performance deviations between lamps, resulting in glare. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide for minimizing tolerances generated during the manufacturing process of MFLs in vehicle lamps in which MFLs are mounted, thereby minimizing performance deviations between lamps and improving the performance of lamps for vehicles.

[0008] A first exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a lamp for a vehicle, the lamp comprising: a light source configured to emit light; a multifaceted lens (MFL) disposed in front of the light source and including a plurality of facets and a stepped portion formed in a boundary region between the plurality of facets, wherein at least some of the exit surfaces of the plurality of facets have a partial aspherical lens or deformable lens shape.

[0009] Each of the multiple facets in the vertical direction (V) can be positioned between the light source and the MFL, and the focus of some facets in the vertical direction (V) can be different from the focus of other facets in the vertical direction (V).

[0010] The focal point of at least some of the facets in the upper region of the MFL in the vertical direction (V) can be formed below the focal point of at least some of the facets in the lower region of the MFL in the vertical direction (V).

[0011] The focal point of any facet in the vertical direction (V) of any facet in the upper region of the MFL can be formed below the focal point in the vertical direction (V) of any facet in the lower region of the MFL.

[0012] The focal point of at least some of the facets in the upper region of the MFL in the vertical direction (V) can be formed above the focal point of at least some of the facets in the lower region of the MFL in the vertical direction (V).

[0013] The focal point of any facet among the multiple facets set in the upper region of the MFL in the vertical direction (V) can be formed above the focal point of any facet among the multiple facets set in the lower region of the MFL in the vertical direction (V).

[0014] The lamp may further include an incident lens disposed between the light source and the MFL, and light emitted from the light source is incident on the incident lens, wherein light emitted from the light source and reaching the upper region of the incident lens reaches the lower region of the MFL, and light emitted from the light source and reaching the lower region of the incident lens reaches the upper region of the MFL.

[0015] The focal point of the upper region of the incident lens can be formed below the focal point of the lower region of the incident lens.

[0016] At least some of the facets in the lower region of the MFL have their focal points in the vertical direction (V) formed at positions corresponding to the focal points in the upper region of the incident lens.

[0017] At least some of the facets in the upper region of the MFL have their focal points in the vertical direction (V) formed at positions corresponding to the focal points in the lower region of the incident lens.

[0018] The incident lens can be a total internal reflection (TIR) ​​lens.

[0019] The lamp may further include a shield disposed between the incident lens and the MFL and having a cutoff line formed in the upper part of the shield, wherein the cutoff line of the shield is located at a position corresponding to the optical axis of the light source.

[0020] The focal point of the upper region of the incident lens can be formed at a position corresponding to the optical axis of the light source.

[0021] The focal point in the lower region of the incident lens can be formed above the optical axis of the light source.

[0022] The distance between the MFL and the focal point of the multiple facets set in the MFL in the vertical direction (V) can be greater than the distance between the MFL and the focal point of the multiple facets set in the MFL in the horizontal direction (H).

[0023] Each of the multiple facets at its focal point in the vertical direction (V) can be positioned between the light source and the MFL, and the multiple facets at their focal points in the vertical direction (V) can be identical to each other.

[0024] The distance between the focal points of the MFL and the multiple facets located on both sides of the MFL in the horizontal direction (H) can be greater than the distance between the focal points of the MFL and the multiple facets located in the center of the MFL in the horizontal direction (H).

[0025] A second exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a vehicle including a lamp for a vehicle, wherein the lamp includes: a light source configured to emit light; and a multifaceted lens (MFL) disposed in front of the light source and including a plurality of facets and a stepped portion formed in a boundary region between the plurality of facets, wherein at least some of the exit surfaces of the plurality of facets have a partial aspherical lens or deformable lens shape.

[0026] Multiple lights can be installed in the left-right or up-down direction. Attached Figure Description

[0027] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. They illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0028] Figure 1 A perspective view showing the structure of a lamp for a vehicle according to the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the propagation path of light emitted from a light source in a lamp for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the propagation path of light emitted from a light source in a lamp for a vehicle according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 4 A horizontal cross-sectional view showing the propagation path of light emitted from a light source in a lamp for a vehicle according to the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Hereinafter, a lamp for a vehicle and the vehicle according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Lights for vehicles

[0034] Figure 1 A perspective view showing the structure of a lamp for a vehicle according to this disclosure is provided. Figure 2 A vertical cross-sectional view is shown illustrating the propagation path of light emitted from a light source of a lamp for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, Figure 3 A vertical cross-sectional view showing the propagation path of light emitted from a light source in a lamp for a vehicle according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. Figure 4 A horizontal cross-sectional view showing the propagation path of light emitted from a light source in a lamp for a vehicle according to the present disclosure.

[0035] refer to Figures 1 to 4 The lamp 10 for a vehicle according to this disclosure (hereinafter referred to as "lamp") may include a light source 100 for emitting light and a multi-facet lens (MFL) 200 disposed in front of the lamp 10. The MFL 200 may include a plurality of facets 210, and a stepped portion 220 may be formed in the boundary region between the plurality of facets 210.

[0036] Furthermore, according to this disclosure, at least some of the exit surfaces of the plurality of facets 210 disposed in the MFL200 may have the shape of a partial aspherical lens or a deformable lens. A deformable lens is a lens whose focal point in the horizontal direction differs from its focal point in the vertical direction, and the description of a deformable lens will be replaced by a technical description of a deformable lens known from the related art.

[0037] In a vehicle lamp equipped with an MFL, light emitted from the light source and projected from multiple facets reaches a specific external area, and the light distribution patterns formed by the light projected from the multiple facets are combined to form a predetermined beam pattern.

[0038] However, because the MFL has multiple facets with different shapes, it is difficult to control the tolerances of each facet individually during the MFL manufacturing process. Therefore, according to related technologies, performance differences exist even between vehicle lamps with the same structure due to the tolerances of the multiple facets in the MFL. Specifically, stepped sections are provided between the multiple facets of the MFL, and significant light refraction occurs at these stepped sections. Therefore, even small tolerances during the MFL manufacturing process can lead to glare and other issues, and significantly degrade the lamp's performance.

[0039] However, according to this disclosure, the exit surfaces of the plurality of facets 210 provided in the MFL200 have the shape of a partial aspherical lens or deformable lens, thus the MFL200 can be easily manufactured compared to related technologies where the exit surfaces of the plurality of facets have irregular shapes. Therefore, the performance variation between lamps 10 can be significantly reduced. The structure of the lamp according to this disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, each of the focal points of the plurality of facets 210 in the vertical direction V can be set between the light source 100 and the MFL 200, and the focal points of some facets 210 in the vertical direction V can be different from the focal points of other facets 210 in the vertical direction V.

[0041] More specifically, refer to Figure 2 According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the focal point FA of at least some of the facets 210 provided in the upper region 200a of the MFL200 in the vertical direction V can be formed below the focal point FB of at least some of the facets 210 provided in the lower region 200b of the MFL200 in the vertical direction V. More preferably, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the focal point FA of any facet 210 provided in the upper region 200a of the MFL200 in the vertical direction V can be formed below the focal point FB of any facet 210 provided in the lower region 200b of the MFL200 in the vertical direction V.

[0042] On the other hand, reference Figure 3 According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the focal point FA of at least some of the facets 210 provided in the upper region 200a of the MFL200 in the vertical direction V can be formed above the focal point FB of at least some of the facets 210 provided in the lower region 200b of the MFL200 in the vertical direction V. More preferably, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the focal point FA of any facet 210 provided in the upper region 200a of the MFL200 in the vertical direction V can be formed above the focal point FB of any facet 210 provided in the lower region 200b of the MFL200 in the vertical direction V.

[0043] As described above, according to the present disclosure, the focal point FA of the facet 210 provided in the upper region 200a of the MFL200 and the focal point FB of the facet 210 provided in the lower region 200b can be spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, so that the light distribution pattern formed by the lamp 10 according to the present disclosure can be optimized compared with the case where the focal points of the facets provided in the upper and lower regions of the MFL coincide with each other.

[0044] Referring again to the accompanying drawings, the lamp 10 according to this disclosure may further include an incident lens 300 disposed between the light source 100 and the MFL 200, and light emitted from the light source 100 is incident on the incident lens 300. The incident lens 300 may be a total internal reflection (TIR) ​​lens, or it may be a collimating lens that produces parallel light. Alternatively, the lamp 10 according to this disclosure may include a reflector (not shown) instead of the incident lens 300, which reflects light emitted from the light source 100 and then emits the light to the MFL 200.

[0045] When the lamp 10 according to this disclosure includes an incident lens 300, light emitted from the light source 100 and reaching the upper region 300a of the incident lens can reach the lower region 200b of the MFL 200, and light emitted from the light source 100 and reaching the lower region 300b of the incident lens 300 can reach the upper region 200a of the MFL 200. That is, according to this disclosure, light emitted from the light source 100 and reaching the incident lens 300 can reach the MFL 200 in an inverted state in the vertical direction V.

[0046] Furthermore, according to this disclosure, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, at least some of the facets 210 provided in the upper region 200a of the MFL200 can be focused in the vertical direction V at positions corresponding to the focus in the vertical direction V of the lower region 300b of the incident lens 300. As an example, Figure 2 and Figure 3 This illustrates a state where the focal points FA of at least some of the facets 210 provided in the upper region 200a of the MFL200 in the vertical direction V coincide with the focal point FA of the lower region 300b of the incident lens 300 in the vertical direction V. Furthermore, according to this disclosure, as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, at least some of the facets 210 provided in the lower region 200b of the MFL200 can be focused in the vertical direction V at positions corresponding to the focus in the vertical direction V of the upper region 300a of the incident lens 300. As an example, Figure 2 and Figure 3 This illustrates a state in which the focal point FB of at least some of the multiple facets 210 provided in the lower region 200b of the MFL200 in the vertical direction V coincides with the focal point FB of the upper region 300a of the incident lens 300 in the vertical direction V.

[0047] Furthermore, the feature formed by two focal points at their corresponding positions can be understood to include not only the case where the two focal points coincide, but also the case where the two focal points do not coincide. Here, when a person skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains examines the latter case, this situation indicates that the two focal points are spaced apart from each other, but formed close enough to present an effect substantially the same as the case where the two focal points coincide.

[0048] At the same time, refer to Figure 3 In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, in the lamp 10, the focal point FB of the upper region 300a of the incident lens 300 can be formed below the focal point FA of the lower region 300b of the incident lens 300.

[0049] Continue to refer to Figures 1 to 4 The lamp 10 according to this disclosure may further include a shield 400 disposed between the incident lens 300 and the MFL 200, and having a cutoff line 410 having a stepped shape and formed in the upper part of the shield 400.

[0050] According to this disclosure, the lamp 10 can be a vehicle lamp used to form a low beam pattern. The shield 400 can be configured to block a portion of the light emitted from the light source 100 via the incident lens 300 toward the MFL 200, in order to form the aforementioned low beam pattern. The cutoff line 410 can be positioned corresponding to the optical axis A of the light source 100. Here, the optical axis A of the light source 100 can be understood as a virtual axis extending along the path of light propagation emitted from the light source 100. Furthermore, the feature of the cutoff line 410 being positioned corresponding to the optical axis A of the light source 100 can be interpreted as including not only the case where the cutoff line 410 coincides with the optical axis A, but also the case where the cutoff line 410 is spaced apart from the optical axis A. Here, when examined by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains, this situation indicates that the cutoff line 410 and the optical axis A are formed close enough to each other to produce substantially the same effect as when the cutoff line 410 coincides with the optical axis A.

[0051] At the same time, refer to Figure 3 In another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the focal point FB of the upper region 300a of the incident lens 300 can be formed at a position corresponding to the optical axis A of the light source 100. As an example, Figure 3The diagram shows the state where the focal point FB of the upper region 300a of the incident lens 300 coincides with the optical axis A. However, the feature formed by the focal point FB of the upper region 300a of the incident lens 300 at the position corresponding to the optical axis A can be interpreted as even including the case where the focal point FB of the upper region 300a of the incident lens 300 is spaced apart from the optical axis A. Here, when examined by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains, this situation indicates that the focal point FB of the upper region 300a of the incident lens 300 and the optical axis A are formed close enough to each other to produce substantially the same effect as the case where the focal point FB of the upper region 300a of the incident lens 300 coincides with the optical axis A.

[0052] On the other hand, such as Figure 3 As shown, in another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the focal point FA of the lower region 300b of the incident lens 300 can be formed above the optical axis A of the light source 100.

[0053] As described above, the light emitted from the light source 100 and reaching the incident lens 300 arrives at the MFL 200 in an inverted state in the vertical direction V. Therefore, the central luminous intensity near the cutoff line of the near-beam distribution pattern formed according to the present invention is formed by the light emitted from the light source 100 that reaches the lower region 300b of the incident lens 300 and is then reflected forward. Therefore, when the focal point FA of the lower region 300b of the incident lens 300 is formed above the optical axis A of the light source 100 as described above, the degree to which the light emitted from the lower region 300b of the incident lens 300 is blocked by the shield 400 is reduced, thereby improving the luminous efficiency of the lamp 10 according to the present disclosure.

[0054] At the same time, refer to Figures 2 to 4 The distance D1 between MFL200 and the focal points FA and FB of the multiple facets 210 disposed in MFL200 in the vertical direction V can be greater than the distance D2 between MFL200 and the focal points FC and FD of the multiple facets 210 disposed in the horizontal direction H. This is to comply with the regulations for low beam distribution patterns, which require the light distribution width in the horizontal direction H to be greater than the light distribution width in the vertical direction V.

[0055] More specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown, the distance between MFL200 and the focal point FC of the plurality of facets 210 disposed in the two side portions 200c of MFL200 in the horizontal direction H can be greater than the distance between MFL200 and the focal point FD of the plurality of facets 210 disposed in the center portion 200d of MFL200 in the horizontal direction H.

[0056] Meanwhile, according to another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, which differs from the above embodiments, each of the focal points of the plurality of facets 210 disposed in the MFL200 in the vertical direction V is disposed between the light source 100 and the MFL200, and the focal points of the plurality of facets 210 disposed in the MFL200 in the vertical direction V may be the same as each other. This can be understood as the focal points of the plurality of facets 210 in the vertical direction V coinciding with one focal point, which differs from the exemplary embodiments and another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure described above. In addition to the features described above, other features described in the exemplary embodiments and another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure can also be applied in the same manner to another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure.

[0057] The following describes a vehicle according to the present disclosure. The features described above for the lamp 10 according to the present disclosure can also be applied in the same manner to the vehicle according to the present disclosure, as will be described below.

[0058] vehicle

[0059] A vehicle according to this disclosure may include a lamp 10 for use in the vehicle. Here, the lamp 10 may be a low beam headlight.

[0060] More specifically, the vehicle lamp 10 according to this disclosure may include: a light source 100 that emits light; and a multi-facet lens (MFL) disposed in front of the light source 100, and including a plurality of facets 210 and a stepped portion 220 formed in the boundary region between the plurality of facets 210. Furthermore, at least some of the exiting surfaces of the plurality of facets 210 may have the shape of a partial aspherical lens or a deformable lens.

[0061] Furthermore, according to this disclosure, multiple lights 10 can be installed in the vehicle. More specifically, the multiple lights 10 can be installed in the left-right direction or the up-down direction.

[0062] According to this disclosure, in vehicle lamps equipped with MFLs, tolerances generated during the MFL manufacturing process can be minimized, thereby minimizing performance deviations between lamps and improving the performance of vehicle lamps.

[0063] Although this disclosure has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments and accompanying drawings, it is not limited thereto, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the technical concept of this disclosure and the equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A lamp for a vehicle, the lamp comprising: A light source, configured to emit light; as well as A multifaceted lens (MFL) is disposed in front of the light source and includes multiple facets and stepped portions formed in the boundary regions between the multiple facets, each facet including an exit surface. At least some of the exit surfaces of the plurality of facets have a partial shape of a deformable lens; Each facet includes a focal point, and each focal point is positioned between the light source and the MFL. The focal point of at least some of the facets is different from the focal point of the other facets. The focal point of at least some of the facets in the upper region of the MFL is formed below the focal point of at least some of the facets in the lower region of the MFL; or, the focal point of at least some of the facets in the upper region of the MFL is formed above the focal point of at least some of the facets in the lower region of the MFL.

2. The lamp of claim 1, further comprising an incident lens disposed between the light source and the MFL, wherein light emitted from the light source is incident on the incident lens. in, Light emitted from the light source and reaching the upper region of the incident lens reaches the lower region of the MFL, and Light emitted from the light source and reaching the lower region of the incident lens reaches the upper region of the MFL.

3. The lamp according to claim 2, wherein the focal point of the upper region of the incident lens is formed below the focal point of the lower region of the incident lens.

4. The lamp of claim 3, wherein the focal point of at least some of the plurality of facets disposed in the lower region of the MFL is formed at a position corresponding to the focal point of the upper region of the incident lens.

5. The lamp of claim 4, wherein the focal point of at least some of the plurality of facets disposed in the upper region of the MFL is formed at a position corresponding to the focal point of the lower region of the incident lens.

6. The lamp according to claim 2, wherein the incident lens is a total internal reflection (TIR) ​​lens.

7. The lamp of claim 2, further comprising a shield disposed between the incident lens and the MFL, and having a cutoff line formed in the upper portion of the shield. The cutoff line of the shield is positioned corresponding to the optical axis of the light source.

8. The lamp according to claim 7, wherein the focal point of the upper region of the incident lens is formed at a position corresponding to the optical axis of the light source.

9. The lamp according to claim 8, wherein the focal point of the lower region of the incident lens is formed above the optical axis of the light source.

10. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the distance between the MFL and the focal point of a first portion of the plurality of facets disposed in the MFL is greater than the distance between the MFL and the focal point of a second portion of the plurality of facets disposed in the MFL.

11. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the distance between the MFL and the focal point of the plurality of facets disposed in the side portions of the MFL is greater than the distance between the MFL and the focal point of the plurality of facets disposed in the central portion of the MFL.

12. A vehicle including lights for a vehicle, wherein the lights include: A light source, configured to emit light; as well as A multifaceted lens (MFL) is disposed in front of the light source and includes multiple facets and stepped portions formed in the boundary regions between the multiple facets, each facet including an exit surface; At least some of the exit surfaces of the plurality of facets have a partial shape of a deformable lens; Each facet includes a focal point, and each focal point is positioned between the light source and the MFL. The focal point of at least some of the facets is different from the focal point of the other facets. The focal point of at least some of the facets in the upper region of the MFL is formed below the focal point of at least some of the facets in the lower region of the MFL; or, the focal point of at least some of the facets in the upper region of the MFL is formed above the focal point of at least some of the facets in the lower region of the MFL.

13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the lights are provided in a plurality of positions in the left-right or up-down direction.

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