Lighting device for vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a lighting device (1) for a vehicle, comprising at least one light source (2), a fixing device (3), a control device (4) adapted and arranged to control the light source (2), and a shield (5) adapted to electromagnetically shield the control device (4) or a component (6) of the control device, the shield (5) being arranged to be held on the fixing device (3).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a lighting device for a vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a vehicle having such a lighting device. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, lighting devices for vehicles are disclosed in various forms. In new lighting devices, the light source usually has a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in a matrix.

[0003] For example, in LED high-definition headlights, tens of thousands of light-emitting diodes are arranged in a matrix. The desired light distribution is generated in these lighting devices by the control device. The control device is sensitive to electromagnetic influences. In order to achieve EMC protection, the control device is protected by a shield.

[0004] Usually, the shield is attached to the control device. Known shields are similar to a box with an open bottom and placed on the control device. This fixing is complicated and requires special care to avoid damaging the control device.

[0005] This is where the present invention comes into play. Summary of the invention

[0006] The problem underlying the invention is to provide a lighting device for a vehicle in which the control device is adequately protected against electromagnetic influences and this protection can be achieved quickly and at low cost.

[0007] According to the invention, this is achieved by a lighting device for a vehicle, which comprises at least one light source, a fixing device, a control device suitable for and arranged to control the light source, and a shielding member suitable for electromagnetically shielding the control device or parts of the control device, and the shielding member is arranged to be retained on the fixing device.

[0008] The shield is not arranged on the control device, but on the fixture. In principle, the fixture can be any peripheral component arranged directly adjacent to the control device in the lighting device. It is advantageous if the fixture provides a certain stability so that the shield can be arranged on the fixture in a retained manner. One advantage of this solution is that there is no need to fix the control device, which is sensitive to damage due to its structure.

[0009] It can be provided that the light source comprises semiconductor elements arranged in a matrix for generating pixels of a light distribution in a targeted manner. The semiconductor elements can be light emitting diodes, for example. The light source is controlled by a control device to obtain a desired light distribution outside the lighting device. Known control methods work with pulse width modulated signals, in which the respective light emitting diodes are switched on and off at very short intervals that are not visible to the human eye.

[0010] In order to achieve a quick and simple arrangement of the shielding element on the fixture, it can be provided that the shielding element is held on the fixture in a detachable manner, in particular by screw connection, clamping and / or latching. The detachable connection makes it possible to attach and remove the shielding element without destroying or damaging the shielding element and / or the fixture. If a releasable arrangement is not desired or required, it can be provided that the holding arrangement of the shielding element on the fixture is non-releasable, in particular by insert molding. The advantage of a non-detachable arrangement is that the shielding element and the fixture are firmly connected to each other. Even when the lighting device is in operation, there is no risk of the components being separated from each other, thereby reducing or completely eliminating the EMC protection of the control device.

[0011] The control device may have at least one printed circuit board. The printed circuit board, in particular the electronic components on the printed circuit board, may be sensitive to electromagnetic influences in whole or in part. The shielding element should be dimensioned and positioned to protect the area of ​​the printed circuit board that is sensitive to electromagnetic influences.

[0012] It can be provided that the shielding element has at least one contact device, whereby contact between the shielding element and the circuit board of the control device can be established through the at least one contact device. It can be provided that the at least one contact device is a spring contact element, which is suitable for establishing a detachable contact between the shielding element and the printed circuit board.

[0013] The fixture may contain plastic or be made of such a material. If the fixture is made of plastic, this allows a lot of freedom in designing the shape of the fixture with good dimensional stability.

[0014] Furthermore, the shield may contain or consist of an electrically conductive material. If the shield is made of an electrically conductive metal (this may be metal, for example), sufficient EMC protection may be provided.

[0015] In particular, the shield can be part of the fixture, for example by metallizing a region of the fixture. It is conceivable that during the manufacturing process, the metallization of a part of the fixture is applied to the fixture or introduced into the fixture. This will make it possible to save the step of arranging the shield on the fixture. This also saves production time and material costs. Both are components of the cost of the lighting device. Therefore, the savings can reduce the price. In particular in the case of large series of products, due to the large number of units, even small savings in the cost of the individual components will result in large savings for the series.

[0016] It may be provided that the light source is arranged on a printed circuit board.

[0017] Furthermore, it can be provided that the lighting device further comprises an optical device suitable for refracting the light emitted by the at least one light source and a heat sink suitable for dissipating the heat emitted by the at least one light source into the environment. The optical device can have, for example, a primary optical device, a reflector, a lens or a lens system. It can be provided that the fixture is suitable for holding at least the optical device. For example, the fixture can be a carrier frame on which the various components of the lighting device are arranged. Such a carrier frame is sufficiently stable to hold the shield and allow sufficiently accurate positioning above the location of the control device to be protected.

[0018] Advantageously, a vehicle is equipped with a lighting device according to the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show:

[0020] Figure 1 : A perspective view of the lighting device of the present invention in a partially disassembled state, observed from a first viewing angle;

[0021] Figure 2a : A perspective view of the lighting device according to the present invention in a partially disassembled state, observed from a second viewing angle, wherein the shielding member is not arranged;

[0022] Figure 2b : A perspective view of the lighting device according to the present invention in a partially disassembled state, observed from a second viewing angle, wherein a shielding member is arranged;

[0023] Figure 3 : A portion of a lighting device in which a shielding member is disposed;

[0024] Figure 4 : A perspective view of a lighting device according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Figure 1 , 2a 2a and 2b show a lighting device 1 having features of the present invention in a partially disassembled state from different perspectives. The lighting device 1 comprises a light source 2, a fixture 3 (which may be a carrier frame in these figures), a control device 4 and a shielding member 5. On the fixture 3 (which may be a plastic component, for example), Figure 1 In the perspective view of FIG. 1 , the optical device 9 is arranged at the front, and the heat sink 10 is arranged at the rear. The heat sink 10 is used to dissipate the heat generated by the light source 2.

[0026] Figure 1A light source 2 is shown, which in the embodiment shown is formed by semiconductor elements arranged in a matrix for generating pixels of a targeted light distribution, such as a solid-state LED array or SSL-HD-LED. A control device 4 is used to control the light source 2 according to the desired light distribution characteristics, and the light distribution thus generated is projected by an optical device 9. According to the invention, Figure 1 In the perspective view of FIG. 1 , the control device 4 is arranged in front of the radiator 10 .

[0027] The control device 4 has a printed circuit board 7. In order to protect the control device 4 or the components 6 of the control device, in particular the electronic components on the printed circuit board from electromagnetic influences, Figure 1 , 2a 2b shows a shield 5 made of a metal material according to the present invention. Figure 2b In the embodiment shown, the shielding element 5 is arranged on the fastening device 3 by means of a screw connection by means of screws 11 .

[0028] In order to establish contact between the shielding element 5 and the circuit board 7 of the control device 4, the shielding element 5 has a contact device 8 (here in the form of a spring contact), such as Figure 2a and 2b When the lighting device is in an assembled state, the spring contact establishes an electrical contact between the shielding element 5 and the control device 4 .

[0029] Figure 3 Shows Figure 2b Only the fixing device 3, the shielding element 5, the screw 11 and the contact device 8 are shown. Figure 3 The arrangement of the shielding element 5 on the fixing device 3 is clearly shown, here for example by means of screws 11. In the enlarged section with only some components of the lighting device 1, the contact device 8 can be seen more clearly. In this example, the contact is realized by three spring contacts.

[0030] In the lighting device 1 Figure 3 In the assembled state shown, the shield 5 covers the part of the control device 4 to be protected against electromagnetic influences. In addition to the arrangement shown with screw connections, other detachable and non-detachable fixing methods are also conceivable, which do not constitute an inventive step of the invention shown.

[0031] By arranging the shield 5 on the fixture 3, the shield 5 is attached to a sturdy and insensitive component. This allows the arrangement to be less demanding and thus faster. In addition, the possibility of damaging the control device 4 is minimized. This can lead to a reduction in scrap due to a faulty lighting device 1. Reference numerals list

[0032] 1 lighting device

[0033] 2 Light Source

[0034] 3 Fixtures

[0035] 4 Control device

[0036] 5 Shielding

[0037] 6 Components of the control device

[0038] 7. Printed Circuit Board

[0039] 8 Contact device

[0040] 9. Optics

[0041] 10 Radiator

[0042] 11 Screws

Claims

1. A lighting device (1) for a vehicle, comprising at least one light source (2), a fixing device (3), a control device (4) suitable for and arranged to control the light source (2), and a shielding member (5) suitable for electromagnetically shielding the control device (4) or a component (6) of the control device, characterized in that: The shielding element (5) is arranged to be retained on the fixing device (3).

2. The lighting device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light source (2) comprises semiconductor elements, in particular semiconductor elements arranged in a matrix-like manner, for generating pixels of a light distribution in a targeted manner.

3. The lighting device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The shielding element (5) is held on the fixing device (3) in a releasable manner, in particular by means of a screw connection, clamping and / or latching.

4. The lighting device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The shielding element (5) is held on the fixing device (3) in a non-detachable manner, in particular by insert molding.

5. The lighting device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The control device (4) comprises at least one printed circuit board (7).

6. The lighting device (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The shielding element (5) has at least one contact device (8), through which contact can be established between the shielding element (5) and the control device (4), in particular with the printed circuit board (7) of the control device (4).

7. The lighting device (1) according to Claim 6, characterized in that: The at least one contact device (8) is a spring contact suitable for establishing a detachable contact between the shield (5) and the control device (4).

8. The lighting device (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The fixing device (3) contains a plastic material or consists of a plastic material.

9. The lighting device (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The shielding element (5) contains a conductive material or is composed of a conductive material.

10. The lighting device (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The shielding element (5) is part of the fixing device (3), for example, by metallizing a part of the fixing device (3).

11. The lighting device (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The light source (2) is arranged on the printed circuit board (7).

12. The lighting device (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The lighting device (1) comprises an optical device (9) suitable for shaping the light emitted by the at least one light source (2).

13. The lighting device (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The lighting device (1) comprises a heat sink (10) suitable for dissipating heat emitted by the at least one light source (2) into the environment.

14. A vehicle comprising at least one lighting device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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