Flexible lamp strip, vehicle lamp and motor vehicle

Abstract

The application provides a flexible lamp strip (100), comprising: a flexible circuit board (10), the flexible circuit board comprising a first surface (11) and a second surface (12) arranged opposite to each other; the plurality of light sources (20) are arranged on the first surface (11) of the flexible circuit board and are arranged at intervals along the length direction (L) of the flexible circuit board; and an optical structure (30) comprising: a base (31); and an outer lens (32), the outer lens is used for emitting light emitted by the light source to the outside, at least one of the base part and the outer lens has a color, the light emitted by the outer lens is in the color, and the color is red or yellow.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of light-emitting devices, and more particularly, to a flexible light strip, a vehicle light, and a motor vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the field of lighting technology, various light-emitting devices are known for providing light for illumination or signal indication. For example, vehicle lights are used in motor vehicles to provide illumination or signal indication functions to ensure safe driving, or to provide a decorative function.

[0003] As an optical element, a lens is often used in vehicle lights of motor vehicles to project light from a light source to a desired position or direction. However, current lenses are mostly injection molded, and their hard characteristics only allow them to be adapted to specific modeling applications. When the modeling changes, another set of molds needs to be manufactured to produce another set of lenses, which obviously increases production costs. SUMMARY

[0004] One object of the present application is to overcome at least one of the problems and defects in the prior art.

[0005] A first aspect of the present application provides a flexible light strip, comprising:

[0006] a flexible circuit board, the flexible circuit board comprising a first face and a second face arranged oppositely;

[0007] a plurality of light sources, the plurality of light sources being arranged on the first face of the flexible circuit board and being arranged at intervals along a length direction of the flexible circuit board; and

[0008] an optical structure, the optical structure comprising:

[0009] a base; and

[0010] an outer lens for emitting light rays emitted by the light sources to the outside, at least one of the base and the outer lens having a color, the light rays emitted by the outer lens being of the color, the color being red or yellow.

[0011] In some embodiments, the outer lens comprises a color additive that causes the outer lens to exhibit the color; and / or

[0012] the base comprises a color additive that causes the base to exhibit the color.

[0013] In some embodiments, the outer lens comprises a first side light-emitting portion, a second side light-emitting portion, and a main light-emitting portion, the first side light-emitting portion, the second side light-emitting portion, and the main light-emitting portion being used to emit light rays to different directions;

[0014] The main light emitting part is connected between one end of the first side light emitting part and one end of the second side light emitting part, and the base is connected between the other end of the first side light emitting part and the other end of the second side light emitting part.

[0015] In some embodiments, the optical structure further comprises an intermediate lens disposed between the base and the outer lens for supporting the base and the outer lens.

[0016] In some embodiments, one end of the intermediate lens is connected to the other end of the first side light emitting part and one end of the base, and the other end of the intermediate lens is connected to the other end of the second side light emitting part and the other end of the base.

[0017] The intermediate lens and the base form a containing cavity, the flexible circuit board and the plurality of light sources are disposed in the containing cavity, the intermediate lens is a transparent lens for emitting light emitted by the plurality of light sources to the outer lens.

[0018] In some embodiments, there is an air layer between the outer lens and the intermediate lens, and the air layer is used for diffusing light.

[0019] In some embodiments, the outer lens is a translucent diffusion lens, and the outer lens is used for diffusing and emitting light; or,

[0020] The outer lens is a transparent lens, and the outer lens is provided with an optical microstructure, and the optical microstructure has the function of diffusing light.

[0021] In some embodiments, the base comprises a first side wall, a second side wall and a bottom wall, the first side wall and the second side wall are oppositely arranged, and the first side wall and the second side wall are respectively connected to two ends of the bottom wall along the width direction.

[0022] At least one of the bottom wall, the first side wall and the second side wall is used as a light reflecting layer for reflecting light emitted by the light source to the outer lens.

[0023] The reflectivity of the light reflecting layer to the color of light is greater than 80%.

[0024] In some embodiments, the first side wall and the second side wall have gaps with the bottom wall respectively, two ends of the flexible circuit board along the width direction are closely arranged in the gaps, the bottom wall is used for supporting the second surface of the flexible circuit board, and part of the light emitted by the light source is reflected from the outer lens after being reflected by the first side wall and the second side wall.

[0025] In some embodiments, the second surface of the flexible circuit board is disposed on the first sidewall, the first surface of the flexible circuit board faces the second sidewall, and at least part of the light emitted by the light source is reflected by the second sidewall and the bottom wall and then emitted from the outer lens.

[0026] In some embodiments, the optical structure comprises a silica gel material, the optical structure has a freedom of arbitrary bending in three-dimensional space, the flexible circuit board has a freedom of arbitrary bending in three-dimensional space, and the flexible light strip has a freedom of arbitrary bending in three-dimensional space.

[0027] In some embodiments, the optical structure is integrally formed by a co-extrusion process, and the flexible circuit board is integrally disposed between the outer lens and the base.

[0028] The second aspect of the present application provides a vehicle lamp comprising the flexible light strip according to the first aspect and the above embodiments.

[0029] In some embodiments, the vehicle lamp further comprises a rigid support, the flexible light strip is mounted in the support, and the outer lens is exposed from the support.

[0030] The color is red, and the vehicle lamp is a tail lamp or a brake lamp; or,

[0031] The color is yellow, and the vehicle lamp is a turn signal lamp.

[0032] The third aspect of the present application provides a motor vehicle comprising the flexible light strip according to the first aspect and the above embodiments, or the vehicle lamp according to the second aspect and the above embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of the flexible light strip according to an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 1.

[0034] Figure 2 A structural schematic diagram of the flexible light strip according to another embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 2. Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the flexible light strip shown in FIG. 1 along A-A is shown in FIG. 3.

[0035] Figure 3 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the flexible light strip shown in FIG. 2 along B1-B1 is shown in FIG. 4. Figure 1

[0036] A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the flexible light strip shown in FIG. 2 along B2-B2 is shown in FIG. 5. Figure 4

[0037] A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the flexible light strip shown in FIG. 2 along B2-B2 is shown in FIG. 5. Figure 5 Figure 4 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the flexible light strip shown in FIG. 2 along B2-B2 is shown in FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] ​The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are primarily intended to illustrate possible implementations of the technical solution of the present application and should not be construed as limiting the technical solution of the present application. In this specification, identical or similar components are indicated by identical or similar reference numerals.

[0039] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a flexible light strip 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 for Figure 1 The AA cross-sectional view of the flexible light strip 100 is shown; Figure 3 for Figure 1 The B1-B1 cross-sectional view of the flexible light strip 100 is shown in FIG. Figures 1-3 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a flexible light strip 100 that has the freedom to bend arbitrarily in three-dimensional space. The flexible light strip 100 includes a flexible circuit board 10, a plurality of light sources 20, and an optical structure 30. The flexible circuit board 10 is bendable, meaning it has the freedom to bend arbitrarily in three-dimensional space. The flexible circuit board 10 may include a first surface 11 and a second surface 12 disposed opposite each other. The plurality of light sources 20 are disposed on the first surface 11 of the flexible circuit board 10 and spaced apart along the length L of the flexible circuit board. The optical structure 30 may be made of a silicone material, which is generally flexible, allowing the optical structure 30 to bend arbitrarily in three-dimensional space. Specifically, the optical structure 30 includes a base 31 and an outer lens 32. The outer lens 32 is connected to the base 31, with the flexible circuit board 100 and the light sources 20 disposed between the outer lens 32 and the base 31. The outer lens 32 is used to emit the light emitted by the light source 20 to the outside of the flexible light strip. At least one of the base 31 and the outer lens 32 has a color so that the light emitted by the outer lens 32 is the color, which is red or yellow as required by vehicle lighting regulations.

[0040] The flexible light strip 100 in this embodiment can be used in vehicle lights. For example, when the color is set to red, the flexible light strip 100 is used in the taillights or brake lights of a motor vehicle. Accordingly, the light source 20 can be a red-lighting LED, or a white-lighting LED. When the color is set to yellow, the flexible light strip is used as a turn signal light for a motor vehicle. Accordingly, the light source 20 can be a yellow-lighting LED, or a white-lighting LED. The flexible light strip 100 in this embodiment has a bendable property, making it adaptable to various vehicle shapes. At the same time, since at least one of the outer lens 32 and the base 31 of the flexible light strip 100 has a color, the flexible light strip 100 can be directly used in the signal lights of corresponding functions in motor vehicles without the need for an additional hard colored lens, which can significantly reduce production costs.

[0041] In this embodiment, only the outer lens 32 may be colored, while the base 31 may be uncolored. In this case, the outer lens 32 may include a color additive that imparts the color to the outer lens 32. The color additive may be a red or yellow masterbatch, resin, or the like, which, in turn, imparts a red or yellow color to the light emitted from the outer lens 32.

[0042] Alternatively, only the base 31 may be colored, while the outer lens 32 may be non-colored. In this case, the base 31 includes a color additive that causes the base 31 to exhibit the color, and further causes the light reflected by the base 31 to exhibit the corresponding color, such as red or yellow.

[0043] Of course, in some other embodiments, both the base 31 and the outer lens 32 may be colored, which can make the color of the emitted light more saturated.

[0044] In this embodiment, the outer lens 32 includes a first side light emitting portion 321, a second side light emitting portion 322 and a main light emitting portion 323. The first side light emitting portion 321, the second side light emitting portion 322 and the main light emitting portion 323 are respectively used to emit light to different directions. The main light emitting portion 323 is connected between one end of the first side light emitting portion 321 and one end of the second side light emitting portion 322, and the base 31 is connected between the other end of the first side light emitting portion 321 and the other end of the second side light emitting portion 322. Specifically, the first side light emitting portion 321 and the second side light emitting portion 322 are connected between the main light emitting portion 323 and the base 31. Figure 3 From a viewing angle, the lower end of the main light-emitting portion 323 is connected to the right end of the first side light-emitting portion 321, the upper end of the main light-emitting portion 323 is connected to the right end of the second side light-emitting portion 322, the left end of the first side light-emitting portion 321 is connected to the lower right end of the base 31, and the second side light-emitting portion 322 is connected to the upper right end of the base 31. In this embodiment, the outer lens 32 emits light from three sides, and there is an angle between the three light-emitting surfaces, which expands the light output range and makes it easier to meet regulations.

[0045] In some embodiments, because the outer lens 32 bulges outward from the base 31 and the bulge may be relatively large, the stability of the entire flexible light strip 100 may be poor. The optical structure 30 may include an intermediate lens 33 disposed between the base 31 and the outer lens 32 to support the base 31 and the outer lens 32, thereby improving the stability of the entire flexible light strip 100.

[0046] Specifically, one end of the intermediate lens 33 is connected to the other end of the first side light emitting portion 321 and one end of the base 31, and the other end of the intermediate lens 32 is connected to the other end of the second side light emitting portion 322 and the other end of the base 31. Figure 3 From a viewing angle, the lower end of the middle lens 33 connects the left end of the first light-emitting portion 321 and the lower right end of the base 31, while the upper end of the middle lens 32 connects the left end of the second light-emitting portion 322 and the upper right end of the base 31. The middle lens 33 and the base 31 form a housing 35, within which the flexible circuit board 10 and the multiple light sources 20 are disposed. The middle lens 33 is a transparent lens, configured to direct light emitted by the multiple light sources to the outer lens. Furthermore, an air layer 36 is provided between the outer lens 32 and the middle lens 33. This air layer 36 is configured to diffuse the light, making the emitted light more uniform. Furthermore, the provision of the air layer 36 facilitates the bending of the flexible light strip 100 to accommodate various shapes and reduces the overall weight of the flexible light strip.

[0047] In this embodiment, the outer lens 32 may be a translucent diffusing lens. For example, a diffusing material may be distributed within the outer lens 32, allowing the outer lens 32 to diffuse and emit light. In other embodiments, the outer lens 32 may also be a transparent lens, but may be provided with an optical microstructure that diffuses light, thereby achieving uniform light emission.

[0048] The structure of the base 31 is described in detail below. In this embodiment of the flexible light strip, the base 31 includes a first sidewall 311, a second sidewall 312, and a bottom wall 311. The first sidewall 311 and the second sidewall 312 are disposed opposite each other and are connected to the ends of the bottom wall 313 along the width direction W. The ends of the outer lens 32 are connected to the first sidewall 311 and the second sidewall 312 of the base 31, respectively. At least one of the bottom wall 313, the first sidewall 311, and the second sidewall 312 functions as a reflective layer, which is used to reflect light emitted by the light source 20 toward the outer lens 32. The reflective layer allows more light from the light source 20 to be transmitted to the outer lens 32, improving light extraction efficiency. Furthermore, the reflective layer allows the light emitted by the light source 20 to be more evenly dispersed, thereby improving the uniformity of the final emitted light. Preferably, the reflectivity of the reflective layer for light of the desired color is greater than 80%, preferably greater than 85%. For example, when the desired color is red, the reflective layer can contain a red additive, and the reflective layer can reflect at least 80% of red light. When the desired color is yellow, the reflective layer can contain a yellow additive, and the reflective layer can reflect at least 80% of yellow light.

[0049] In addition, the optical structure 30 may further include a transparent portion 34 . The transparent portion 34 is disposed on a side of the flexible circuit board 10 facing away from the light source 20 . The transparent portion 34 is used to observe the shear mark.

[0050] The entire optical structure 30 can be integrally formed through a co-extrusion process. For example, the base 31, outer lens 32, intermediate lens 33, and transparent portion 34 are co-extruded together, and the flexible circuit board is integrally disposed between the outer lens 32 and the base 31. Specifically, gaps are defined between the first sidewall 311, the second sidewall 312, and the bottom wall 313. Both ends of the flexible circuit board 10 along the width direction W are tightly disposed within these gaps. The bottom wall 313 is used to support the second surface 12 of the flexible circuit board 10. At least a portion of the light emitted by the light source 20 is reflected by the first sidewall 311 and the second sidewall 312 before being emitted from the outer lens 32. Figures 1-3 The flexible light strip 100 is shown to be emitting light, that is, the main light emitting direction of the light source 20 is the same as the main light emitting direction of the flexible light strip 100, both along the height direction H of the flexible light strip 100.

[0051] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a flexible light strip 100 provided in another embodiment of the present application; Figure 5 for Figure 4 The B2-B2 cross-sectional view of the flexible light strip 100 is shown in FIG. Figures 4-5 As shown, the flexible light strip 100 provided in this embodiment is substantially similar to the flexible light strip 100 of the above-mentioned embodiment, the main difference being that the flexible light strip 100 of this embodiment is a photometric flexible light strip. Like reference numerals represent like components, and identical parts will not be reiterated here. Only the different parts will be described in detail. In the flexible light strip 100 of this embodiment, the second surface 12 of the flexible circuit board 10 is disposed on the first side wall 311, rather than on the bottom wall 313. The first surface 11 of the flexible circuit board 10 faces the second side wall 312. At least a portion of the light emitted by the light source 20 is reflected by the second side wall 312 and the bottom wall 313 before being emitted from the outer lens 32. At this point, the main light emission direction of the flexible light strip 100 is generally along the height direction H, and the main light emission direction of the light source 20 is generally along the width direction W. The main light emission direction of the flexible light strip 100 is generally perpendicular to the main light emission direction of the light source 20. However, the reflection from the second side wall 312 and the bottom wall 313 makes the light more diffuse and uniform.

[0052] The embodiments of the present application also provide a vehicle lamp, which comprises the flexible lamp strip 100 described in any of the above embodiments. When the flexible lamp strip 100 is used in the vehicle lamp, a hard support member is usually provided in the vehicle lamp, and the flexible lamp strip 100 is installed in the support member to form a specific shape, for example, the main light-emitting surface on the main light-emitting part 323 has a 3D shape. Further, the outer lens 32 is exposed from the support member, and the light rays are emitted from the first side light-emitting part 321, the second side light-emitting part 322 and the main light-emitting part 323 together to form a more stereoscopic light-emitting shape, and the requirements of the vehicle lamp regulations on the emitted light rays are more easily met.

[0053] The embodiments of the present application also provide a motor vehicle, which comprises the flexible lamp strip 100 or the vehicle lamp described in any of the above embodiments.

[0054] Although the present application is described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the embodiments disclosed in the drawings are intended to exemplarily illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present application, and cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application. The dimensional proportions in the drawings are only schematic, and cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0055] Although some embodiments of the general inventive concept of the present application have been shown and described, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that other equivalent embodiments of the present application can also be included within the scope of the present application without departing from the general inventive concept of the present application, and the scope of protection of the present application is defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A flexible light strip (100), characterized in that, The application relates to a flexible circuit board (10) comprising a first face (11) and a second face (12) arranged oppositely; a plurality of light sources (20) arranged on the first face (11) of the flexible circuit board and spaced along the length direction (L) of the flexible circuit board; and an optical structure (30) comprising a base (31) and an outer lens (32) for emitting light rays emitted by the light sources to the outside, at least one of the base and the outer lens having a color, the light rays emitted by the outer lens being of the color, the color being red or yellow. The outer lens comprises a color additive which makes the outer lens present the color; and / or The base comprises a color additive which makes the base present the color. The outer lens comprises a first side light-emitting portion (321), a second side light-emitting portion (322) and a main light-emitting portion (323) for emitting light rays to different directions; The main light-emitting portion is connected between one end of the first side light-emitting portion and one end of the second side light-emitting portion, and the base is connected between the other end of the first side light-emitting portion and the other end of the second side light-emitting portion. The optical structure further comprises an intermediate lens (33) arranged between the base and the outer lens for supporting the base and the outer lens. One end of the intermediate lens is connected to the other end of the first side light-emitting portion (321) and one end of the base, and the other end of the intermediate lens is connected to the other end of the second side light-emitting portion and the other end of the base; The intermediate lens and the base form a containing cavity (35) in which the flexible circuit board and the plurality of light sources are arranged, the intermediate lens is a transparent lens for emitting light rays emitted by the plurality of light sources to the outer lens.

2. The flexible light strip of claim 1, wherein, The outer lens and the intermediate lens have an air layer (36) therebetween for diffusing light rays. The outer lens is a translucent diffusion lens for diffusing light rays; or 3. The flexible light strip of claim 1, wherein, The outer lens is a transparent lens provided with an optical microstructure having a function of diffusing light rays. The base (31) comprises a first side wall (311), a second side wall (312) and a bottom wall (311), the first side wall (311) and the second side wall (312) are arranged oppositely, and the first side wall and the second side wall are respectively connected to two ends of the bottom wall along the width direction (W); 4. The flexible light strip of claim 3, wherein, At least one of the bottom wall, the first side wall and the second side wall serves as a light-reflecting layer for reflecting light rays emitted by the light sources to the outer lens; 5. The flexible light strip of claim 4, wherein, The light-reflecting layer has a reflectivity of greater than 80% to light rays of the color. ​ 6. The flexible light strip of claim 5, wherein, ​ 7. The flexible light strip of claim 1, wherein, ​ ​ 8. The flexible light strip of claim 1, wherein, ​ ​ ​ 9. The flexible light strip of claim 8, wherein, The first side wall and the second side wall have a gap between the bottom wall, respectively, and the flexible circuit board is closely arranged in the gap along the width direction (W), and the bottom wall is used to support the second surface of the flexible circuit board, and part of the light emitted by the light source is reflected by the first side wall and the second side wall and then emitted from the outer lens.

10. The flexible light strip of claim 8, wherein, The second surface of the flexible circuit board is arranged on the first side wall, and the first surface of the flexible circuit board faces the second side wall, and at least part of the light emitted by the light source is reflected by the second side wall and the bottom wall and then emitted from the outer lens.

11. The flexible light strip of claim 1, wherein, The optical structure comprises a silica gel material, the optical structure has the freedom of arbitrary bending in three-dimensional space, the flexible circuit board has the freedom of arbitrary bending in three-dimensional space, and the flexible lamp strip has the freedom of arbitrary bending in three-dimensional space.

12. The flexible light strip of claim 1, wherein, The optical structure is integrally formed by a co-extrusion process, and the flexible circuit board is integrally arranged between the outer lens and the base.

13. A vehicle lamp, characterized by The vehicle lamp comprises the flexible lamp strip according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The vehicle light of claim 13, wherein, The vehicle lamp further comprises a hard support, the flexible lamp strip is mounted in the support, and the outer lens is exposed from the support. The color is red, and the vehicle lamp is a tail lamp or a brake lamp; or The color is yellow, and the vehicle lamp is a turn signal lamp.

15. A motor vehicle characterised in that The motor vehicle comprises the flexible lamp strip according to any one of claims 1 to 12, or the vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 13 to 14.

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