Logo light module, exterior rear view assembly and motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a logo light module, an exterior rear view assembly and a motor vehicle. The present disclosure relates to a logo light module (1) for an exterior rear view assembly (400) of a motor vehicle (500), comprising a projection optical lens stack (3) arranged within a stack holding portion (112) of a housing (10) enclosed by a printed circuit board (12), where the projection optical lens stack (3) comprises a logo sheet or image substrate (18) between at least one first lens (16) and at least one second lens (20), wherein the at least one first lens (16) is arranged between the printed circuit board (12) and the logo sheet or image substrate (18), and the at least one second lens (20) is arranged between the logo sheet or image substrate (18) and the light exit portion (110) of the housing (10). In addition, the disclosure also relates to an exterior rear view assembly having such a logo light module and to a motor vehicle having such an exterior rear view assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a logo light module for an exterior rear view assembly of a motor vehicle, an exterior rear view assembly having such a logo light module, and a motor vehicle having such an exterior rear view assembly. Background Art

[0002] An exterior rear view assembly for a motor vehicle includes at least one reflective element, such as a mirror, and / or a camera in conjunction with a display, wherein the display is disposed within the exterior rear view assembly attached to a side of the motor vehicle or disposed within the motor vehicle. Conventional rear view side mirrors and camera pods are examples of exterior rear view assemblies.

[0003] A rear view assembly for a motor vehicle provides a view of the area behind the motor vehicle in compliance with at least legal provisions and belongs to the subgroup of assemblies for indirect views. Different functions and devices can be built into the rear view assembly and / or can be controlled with the aid of the rear view assembly. A light module can be integrated onto the rear view assembly.

[0004] A logo light module is disclosed in US 2019 / 111847 A1, which includes a shell having a top, a bottom, a left side, a right side, a front and a rear, a top cover or preferably a sealant covering the top of the shell, one or more clips formed integrally with the shell or attached to the shell, a connector receiving portion including an opening formed at the rear of the shell, a printed circuit board completely enclosed in the shell, a light source connected to the printed circuit board and enclosed in the shell, and an optical assembly including at least one optical element for receiving light projected by the light source.

[0005] US 2020 / 0114825 A1 describes a logo light module, which includes at least three optical components in the form of a first lens, a logo sheet or image substrate, and a second lens in a housing having a light exit portion. The first lens is mounted on a printed circuit board and the light source is arranged between the first lens and the printed circuit board, and the first lens supports the logo sheet and the second lens, wherein the second lens includes a protruding surface that engages the light exit portion of the housing. In this way, the known three optical components are arranged to be stacked.

[0006] When designing a logo light lens stack, it is usually a stack of lenses placed on top of each other. When assembling them manually, a friction fit can be used to prevent rattling of the lenses and image substrate when the logo light module is exposed to shock or vibration. In the case of automated assembly, it is preferred to leave gaps between all stacked components to avoid jamming and allow for the fastest possible assembly time. In addition, if friction fit is not possible, additional components such as covers, screws, or welding processes are usually required to hold the lens stack and printed circuit board to the housing. This is due to two main factors: a) when multiple economically formed plastic lenses are stacked, their variation in size is significant; b) the stacked single lens components are rigid. These factors prevent a simple snap fit of the parts into the housing because it would cause rattling or impose significant strain on the printed circuit board due to the dimensional variation. The amount of possible residual force is also limited given the dimensional variation. For the logo light image substrate, if it is glass, friction fit is particularly difficult due to its brittleness - especially when the glass shape is simplified to a quadrilateral to minimize cost. If the lens stack is self-retaining, where the lenses snap fit into each other, this is not suitable for high speed automated assembly because the orientation of each lens is more restricted and top-down monolithic assembly is less possible. Clamping features cannot be used when package space is not available for clamping features to hold the image substrate in place or cycle time constraints do not allow for additional clamping processes. Summary of the invention

[0007] Therefore, there is a need to further develop the known logo light modules for exterior rearview assemblies of motor vehicles to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art. Specifically, an object of the present disclosure is to eliminate the movement and rattling of the logo sheet or image substrate of the known logo light modules.

[0008] This object is achieved in that the logo light module includes a flow path provided by a hole through a printed circuit board and a funnel added to at least one first lens, so that a resin or adhesive coated on an outer surface of the printed circuit board contacts a surface of a logo sheet or an image substrate facing the at least one first lens, thereby fixing the logo sheet or the image substrate in the housing while sealing a connection between the printed circuit board and the housing.

[0009] According to an embodiment, the housing comprises a first attachment means for attaching to an external rear view assembly, a second attachment means for attaching to a printed circuit board, and a third attachment means for attaching to a projection optics stack.

[0010] The third attachment means may comprise a first third attachment means for engaging the logo sheet or image substrate and / or the at least one second lens and / or a second third attachment means for engaging the at least one second lens, wherein the first third attachment means is preferably provided by the stacking holding part and wherein the second third attachment means is preferably provided by the light exit part.

[0011] Further, the light exit portion may include a disc-shaped lens portion, and a rod portion extending from the disc-shaped lens portion, wherein the rod portion is constituted by the second and third attachment means.

[0012] It is also proposed that the printed circuit board comprises a power connector and an electronic circuit, and / or the at least one light source is mounted on the printed circuit board, and / or the at least one first lens is mounted on the printed circuit board, preferably surrounding the light source.

[0013] According to an embodiment, the at least one first lens engages the logo sheet or the image substrate, and / or the at least one first lens comprises a condenser lens.

[0014] According to a further embodiment, the at least one second lens engages the housing, in particular the light exit portion and / or the stack holding portion, and / or the at least one second lens comprises a projection lens.

[0015] It is proposed that the hole is arranged in an edge portion of the printed circuit board and the funnel is arranged in an edge portion of the at least one first lens, wherein the hole and the funnel are aligned with each other and / or are arranged in a joining area of ​​the printed circuit board and the at least one first lens.

[0016] The flow path may be offset relative to the light exit portion, specifically the disc-shaped lens portion, and / or the size of the flow path is designed to pull the resin or adhesive to contact the logo sheet or image substrate via gravity and capillary action. Further, embodiments propose selecting the resin or adhesive to include a polyurethane resin and / or have thixotropic properties.

[0017] The present disclosure also provides an exterior rear view assembly for a motor vehicle having a logo light module according to the present disclosure, and a motor vehicle including the exterior rear view assembly.

[0018] Therefore, the present disclosure teaches the use of a resin or adhesive to seal the logo light module and secure the image substrate in place. In order to achieve this goal without introducing additional assembly processes or cycle times, a defined flow path is provided for the resin or adhesive to ensure that it can pass through the printed circuit board and the first lens so that it can touch the image substrate. This defined flow path is required because common logo light modules do not allow the resin or adhesive to flow around and / or through the printed circuit board to seal the light, while the image substrate is arranged under the printed circuit board and held between the lenses of the optical component stack. According to the present disclosure, this defined flow path is achieved by adding holes in the printed circuit board and funnels in the first lens to ensure that the potting material can touch the image substrate without completely filling the housing of the logo light module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For illustrative purposes, certain examples of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements and means shown. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate module implementations consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain advantages and principles consistent with the present disclosure, in which:

[0020] Figure 1 is an exploded logo light module according to an embodiment;

[0021] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 a cross-sectional view of

[0022] Figure 3 It is explained by Figure 1 and Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a logo light module projecting a negative image or a positive image.

[0023] In the following description, the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts throughout the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following detailed description is used to help readers gain a comprehensive understanding of the modules and components as described herein. Accordingly, various changes, modifications and equivalent variations will be suggested to those skilled in the art. Similarly, in order to increase clarity and simplicity, well-known functions and configurations will be omitted.

[0025] It should be understood that the words and terms used herein are intended to describe the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting. For example, the use of singular terms, such as, "one", is not intended to limit the number of objects. Similarly, the use of relative terms, such as, but not limited to, "top", "bottom", "left", "right", "high", "low", "lower", "upper", "side" for the sake of clarity is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure or the appended claims. Further, it should be understood that any one feature may be used alone or in combination with other features. Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages are included in this description, are included within the scope of the present disclosure, and are protected by the appended claims.

[0026] The present disclosure relates to a logo light module for an exterior rear view assembly of a motor vehicle, an exterior rear view assembly having such a logo light module, and a motor vehicle having such an exterior rear view assembly. The logo light module comprises a projection optical lens stack arranged in a stack holding portion of a housing enclosed by a printed circuit board, wherein the projection optical lens stack comprises a logo sheet or image substrate between at least one first lens and at least one second lens, wherein the at least one first lens is arranged between the printed circuit board and the logo sheet or image substrate, and the at least one second lens is arranged between the logo sheet or image substrate and a light exit portion of the housing.

[0027] Reference now Figure 1 , a logo light module 1 for an exterior rearview assembly of a motor vehicle according to the present disclosure is shown. The logo light module 1 includes a projection optical lens stack 3 arranged in a stack holding portion 112 of a housing 10, the housing 10 being topped by a printed circuit board 12. The projection optical lens stack 3 includes a condenser lens 16, an image substrate 18, and a projection lens 20 from top to bottom between the printed circuit board 12 and the light exit portion 110.

[0028] Figure 2 The assembled logo light module 1 is shown in a cross-sectional view. Accordingly, the light source 14 is provided on the bottom surface of the printed circuit board 12, and the condenser lens 16 is mounted on the printed circuit board 12, wherein the light source 14 is arranged between the condenser lens 16 and the printed circuit board 12. The condenser lens 16 supports an image substrate 18 and a projection lens 20, wherein the projection lens 18 includes a protruding surface that engages a light exit portion 110 of the housing 10.

[0029] In order for the projection optical lens stack 3 and the printed circuit board 12 to allow the logo light image substrate 12 to adhere in place when assembled into the housing 10 of the logo light module 1, a resin 200 is applied to the top surface of the printed circuit board 12. Since the housing 10 extends over the printed circuit board 12, the resin is retained on the printed circuit board 12.

[0030] Further, a resin flow path 201 is provided to enable the resin 200 to flow through the printed circuit board 12 and the condenser lens 16 to allow the resin 200 to touch the image substrate 18. For this purpose, a hole 202 is provided in the printed circuit board 12, and a funnel 204 is added on the projection lens 20. In this way, when the resin 200 for sealing the logo light module 1 is cured, the resin 200 also fixes the image substrate 18.

[0031] In summary, the resin 200 extending from the top surface of the printed circuit board 12 to the top surface of the image substrate 18 seals and secures the stack 3 within the housing 12. This allows for greater variation in the assembly and allows for suitable clearances for automated assembly of components without the risk of rattling.

[0032] For example, resin 200 may have thixotropic properties and may include polyurethane resin. It may be drawn through hole 202 and funnel 204 via gravity and capillary action to reach image substrate 18, i.e., Figure 2 As shown, it contacts the upper surface of the image substrate 18.

[0033] Further, the hole 202 in the printed circuit board 12 can have a height of 1 to 2 mm (e.g., about 1.6 mm), and the funnel 204 provided by the focusing lens 16 can have a height of 4 to 7 mm (e.g., about 5.3 mm). The cross-section of the hole 202 can be roughly rectangular with rounded edges, specifically, a length between 3 and 5 mm (e.g., about 4 mm), and a width between 2 and 3 mm (e.g., about 2.8 mm). The radius of the edge can be in the range of 1 mm. The funnel 204 matches the geometry of the hole 202 at its upper edge and can narrow towards the lower edge, for example, an angle of about 20° in the length direction and an angle of 10° in the width direction. The specific geometry depends on the selected resin 200.

[0034] Figure 3 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a negative image 300 and a positive image 310 projected by a logo light module 1 mounted to an exterior rearview assembly 400 of a motor vehicle 500. The negative image 300 shown on the left can enhance the impact of the image, while the positive image 310 shown on the right can more effectively function as a courtesy light. It should be understood that the logo light module 1 can produce a negative image or a positive image depending on the user's settings and / or depending on the image substrate 18 used.

[0035] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure is not limited to use in one or more specific applications or applications described. The present disclosure is also not limited to its preferred embodiments with respect to the specific elements and / or features described or depicted herein. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed one or more embodiments, but is capable of multiple rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope set forth and defined by the following claims.

[0036] Reference Mark

[0037] 1: Logo light module

[0038] 3: Projection optical lens stacking

[0039] 10: Shell

[0040] 12: Printed Circuit Board

[0041] 14: Light Source

[0042] 16: Focus lens

[0043] 18: Image substrate

[0044] 20: Projection lens

[0045] 110: Light emission part

[0046] 112: Stack holding part

[0047] 200: Resin

[0048] 201: Resin flow path

[0049] 202: Hole for resin

[0050] 204: Funnel for resin

[0051] 300: Negative Image

[0052] 310: Just like

[0053] 400: External rear view components

[0054] 500: Motor vehicles

Claims

1. A logo light module (1) for an exterior rear view assembly (400) of a motor vehicle (500), comprising a projection optical lens stack (3) arranged in a stack holding portion (112) of a housing (10) enclosed by a printed circuit board (12), wherein the projection optical lens stack (3) comprises a logo sheet or image substrate (18) between at least one first lens (16) and at least one second lens (20), wherein the at least one first lens (16) is arranged between the printed circuit board (12) and the logo sheet or image substrate (18), and the at least one second lens (20) is arranged between the logo sheet or image substrate (18) and a light exit portion (110) of the housing (10), characterized in that: A flow path (201) is provided by a hole (202) passing through the printed circuit board (12) and a funnel (204) added to the at least one first lens (16) so that the resin or adhesive (200) coated on the outer surface of the printed circuit board (12) contacts the surface of the logo sheet or image substrate (18) facing the at least one first lens (16) to fix the logo sheet or image substrate (18) in the housing (10) while sealing the connection between the printed circuit board (12) and the housing (10).

2. A logo light module (1), characterized in that: The housing (10) comprises: a first attachment device for attaching to an external rear view assembly (400), a second attachment device for attaching a printed circuit board (12), and A third attachment device is used to attach the projection optical lens stack (3).

3. The logo light module (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The third attachment means comprises: first third attachment means for engaging the logo sheet or image substrate (18) and / or the at least one second lens (20), wherein the first third attachment means are preferably provided by the stack holding portion (112), and / or Second and third attachment means are used to engage the at least one second lens (20), wherein the second and third attachment means are preferably provided by the light exit portion (110).

4. The logo light module (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: The light emitting portion (110) comprises: a disc-shaped lens portion, and A rod portion extends from the disc-shaped lens portion, wherein the rod portion is preferably constituted by the second and third attachment means.

5. The logo light module (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: The printed circuit board (12) comprises a power connector and an electronic circuit, and / or the at least one light source (14) is mounted on the printed circuit board (12), and / or the at least one first lens (14) is mounted on the printed circuit board (12), preferably surrounding the light source (12).

6. The logo light module (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: The at least one first lens (14) engages the logo sheet or image substrate (18), and / or The at least one first lens (14) comprises a focusing lens.

7. The logo light module (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: The at least one second lens (20) is engaged with the housing (10), specifically, the light exit portion (110) and / or the stack holding portion (112), and / or The at least one second lens (20) comprises a projection lens.

8. The logo light module (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: The hole (202) is arranged in an edge portion of the printed circuit board (12), and The funnel (204) is arranged in an edge portion of the at least one first lens (16), The hole (202) and the funnel (204) are aligned with each other and / or arranged in a joining area between the printed circuit board (12) and the at least one first lens (16).

9. The logo light module (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: The flow path (201) is offset relative to the light exit portion (110), in particular, the disc-shaped lens portion, and / or The flow path (201) is sized to draw the resin or adhesive (200) into contact with the logo sheet or image substrate (18) via gravity and capillary action.

10. The logo light module (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: The resin or adhesive (200) is selected to include a polyurethane resin and / or to have thixotropic properties.

11. An exterior rear view assembly (400) for a motor vehicle (500) comprising a logo light module (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.

12. A motor vehicle (500) comprising an exterior rear view assembly (400) according to claim 11.

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