A tilted, contoured, crystal clear signal light

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of inclined modeling crystal-like transparent signal lamps, it is related to vehicle lighting technical field.The light source group and the transparent thick wall piece are included;The normal of the light emitting surface of light source group matches with the normal of the incident surface of transparent thick wall piece, so that light is incident into transparent thick wall piece along normal;The smooth transparent piece without pattern on the exit surface of transparent thick wall piece, the outer surface is shaped obliquely, the rest wall surface is total reflection surface except inner and outer surface, and light is emitted in horizontal state after multiple reflection and oscillation inside smooth transparent piece;The present scheme aims to solve the technical problems that inclined modeling lamp cannot meet the requirements of regulation light intensity, brightness uniformity, appearance transparent effect, low cost and high flexibility at the same time under the premise that pattern, skin texture and other patterns are prohibited to be used on the exit surface of smooth transparent piece. Through the synergistic effect of normal matching and oscillation modulation, the unity of crystal-like transparent appearance and excellent light output performance of inclined modeling signal lamp is realized, the production cost is reduced, and the design flexibility is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vehicle lighting technology, and in particular to a tilted, crystal-clear signal light. Background Technology

[0002] To optimize the design of the vehicle's exterior curves, headlights are designed with an angled shape. However, this angled headlight design can cause the following problems: 1. Light is refracted and cannot be emitted evenly; 2. Severe bright spots and dark areas; 3. Brightness does not meet the standard.

[0003] To meet regulatory requirements for luminous intensity, brightness, and brightness uniformity, a common practice is to add patterns or a combination of patterns and textures to the sloping surface. The design of the patterned emission surface achieves both quantitative and subjective requirements. However, the pattern design can also affect the light fixture's transparency.

[0004] To meet regulations and car manufacturer requirements without adding patterns, existing technology would increase the number of light sources and power, but this would lead to reduced luminous efficiency, increased costs, and more complex electronic and thermal designs. The luminous intensity of the signal lights at large angles would exceed regulatory limits and would not match the brightness of other functions within the light fixture.

[0005] Currently, in addition to the tilted headlight design, some models also require the headlights to have a crystal-clear, clean, and textureless appearance, which limits the application of optical patterns, leather textures, and other microstructures on the surface.

[0006] However, under the dual constraints of a tilted shape and the absence of patterns / textures, the light cannot be emitted stably along the optical axis of the lamp design, resulting in the following insurmountable technical problems: 1. The direction of light propagation is disordered and cannot be corrected to the illumination angle required by regulations. The light intensity, brightness and brightness uniformity cannot meet the regulations and vehicle manufacturer's specifications. 2. The lack of a light distribution structure on the inclined surface leads to light dispersion and low light output efficiency. In order to barely meet the standards, the number of light sources and the driving power can only be increased, which directly results in increased costs and reduced light efficiency. 3. Increased power leads to increased heat generation, difficulty in heat dissipation, increased complexity in electronic drive design, and decreased reliability; 4. Traffic lights are prone to localized overbrightness at large angles, and the brightness at the front is difficult to match and coordinate with the brightness of other functions such as position lights and brake lights, resulting in poor lighting effect.

[0007] Therefore, existing technologies cannot achieve a balance between tilted shapes, prohibited patterns, high transparency, regulatory light intensity / uniformity, and low cost and high efficiency, resulting in a common technical contradiction and bias in the industry. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The technical problem this invention aims to solve is: to address the common industry challenge of tilted signal lights being unable to simultaneously meet regulatory requirements for light intensity, brightness uniformity, transparent appearance, and low cost and low power consumption without using microstructures such as patterns or textures. This invention provides a tilted, crystal-clear signal light, aiming to achieve a highly transparent appearance without patterns or textures while simultaneously meeting regulatory requirements for light intensity and brightness uniformity, reducing the number of light sources and power consumption, and improving the reliability and appearance consistency of the luminaire.

[0009] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: a tilted, crystal-clear signal light, comprising: A transparent thick-walled component, wherein the transparent thick-walled component is a smooth transparent component with no microstructure (such as patterns or textures) and no diffusion layer (such as thin film or coating) on ​​the outer surface (emission surface); The light source group has its light-emitting surface normal matched with the normal of the inner surface (incident surface) of the transparent thick-walled component. After the light is emitted from the light-emitting surface of the light source group, it enters the transparent thick-walled component along the normal direction, and after total internal reflection oscillation inside the transparent thick-walled component to form uniform parallel light, it is emitted out, achieving a transparent appearance, meeting the brightness standard, and uniform light emission.

[0010] This solution achieves parallel light output through normal incidence and light oscillation, breaking away from the traditional automotive headlight technology that relies on microstructures and diffusion layers to achieve uniform light. It results in a crystal-clear appearance, free from fogging, whitening, and texture. The light is automatically regulated by natural oscillation within the transparent, thick-walled component, resulting in uniform brightness without bright spots or dark areas.

[0011] In some embodiments, the incident surface of the transparent thick-walled member near the light source group is a free-form surface; The light-emitting surface of the light source group is a curved surface adapted to the freeform surface profile, so that the normal of the light-emitting surface of the light source group is consistent with the normal of the inner surface of the transparent thick-walled component.

[0012] Furthermore, the light-emitting surface of the light source group is parallel to the freeform surface.

[0013] This solution utilizes normal matching and internal oscillation to achieve a free-form surface design for the incident surface of the transparent, thick-walled component, thus increasing the freedom of its shape. It allows light from the internal light source group of the signal light to enter the component via its incident surface and then exit horizontally from its outer surface. This achieves a crystal-clear, clean effect while ensuring the light exits along the signal light's optical axis, meeting regulatory requirements for brightness and uniformity. Furthermore, it allows for brightness matching with other functions.

[0014] In some embodiments, the remaining walls of the transparent thick-walled member, except for the incident and exit surfaces, constitute total reflection surfaces to constrain light to form multiple total reflection oscillations inside the transparent thick-walled member, thereby preventing lateral leakage and stray propagation of light.

[0015] In some embodiments, when the angle of inclination of the exit surface of the transparent thick-walled component is large, its incident surface is also inclined, and its inclination angle is less than or equal to the angle of inclination of the exit surface of the transparent thick-walled component.

[0016] The exit surface of a transparent, thick-walled component is affected by the shape of the lamp. When the tilt angle of the exit surface is too large, the inner surface can adopt a smaller angle to ensure that the light is incident along the normal direction while reducing the difficulty of processing and assembly. This is beneficial to ensuring the accuracy of the incident surface and the stability of the normal matching.

[0017] In some embodiments, the distance between the transparent thick-walled member from the incident surface to the exit surface, i.e., the depth in the X direction, is adjustable.

[0018] By adjusting the X-axis depth, the installation space requirements for transparent, thick-walled components can be adjusted.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this invention are: 1. Excellent transparency: The transparent thick-walled part of this invention can be shaped at an angle and the emission surface is transparent and without patterns, achieving the requirement of crystal-clear and clean appearance, and solving the technical contradiction that uniform light and transparency cannot be achieved at the same time in the prior art. 2. The light emission performance meets the standards and the light effect is excellent: the light of the present invention can be emitted horizontally from the emission surface of the transparent thick-walled component, and the light effect is equivalent to the conventional solution. The cost does not need to be increased. It can meet the regulatory requirements as well as the requirements for brightness value and brightness uniformity. It can also be matched with the brightness of other functions. 3. Significantly reduced production costs: The transparent thick-walled parts of this invention have no patterns or other microstructures on the ejection surface, which simplifies mold production and saves labor and mold processing costs. 4. Flexible structural design and strong spatial adaptability: The X-axis depth of the thick-walled component in this invention can be adjusted, which can determine the number of total internal reflection oscillations, one or more, according to the requirements, thus reducing space requirements; The inclination of the inner surface of the transparent thick-walled component in this invention is adjustable, and it does not need to be consistent with the shape inclination of the outer surface of the transparent thick-walled component, which simplifies the installation structure, facilitates its mold and production, and can also improve the dispersion problem caused by excessive inclination angle. 5. High design flexibility and strong adaptability: The light source group on the back side of the transparent thick-walled component in this invention can be selected according to different schemes based on actual conditions, making the design flexible and allowing for the selection of more cost-effective solutions. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0021] Figure 1 This is the main view of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is the present invention. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure at point AA.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the optical path of the transparent thick-walled component of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 This is the present invention. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a partial structure of the central light source group.

[0025] Figure 5 This is the present invention. Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the main optical path.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a lighting effect diagram of Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the light source group in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the light source group in Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the light source group in Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[0030] In the diagram: 1. Through-hole thick-walled component; 11. Incident surface; 12. Exit surface; 2. Light source assembly; 21. Inner lampshade; 211. Outer surface of the inner lampshade; 212. Inner surface of the inner lampshade; 22. Optical guide; 23. Light source module; 24. Bracket; 25. Ornament; 26. Thick-walled component two; 27. Reflector; 3. External lamp cover; 4. Lamp housing. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, illustrating only the basic structure of the invention, and therefore only show the components relevant to the invention.

[0032] Example 1: like Figure 2The image shows an embodiment of the present invention: a tilted, crystal-clear signal light, comprising a light source group 2, a transparent thick-walled component 1, and an outer lampshade 3 arranged sequentially from back to front within a lamp housing 4. The light emitted from the light source group 2 is modulated by the transparent thick-walled component 1 and then emitted from the outer lampshade 3. In the tilted signal light, the outer surfaces (emission surfaces 12) of both the outer lampshade 3 and the transparent thick-walled component 1 are designed with slopes.

[0033] In an embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, the transparent thick-walled component 1 is installed in the lamp housing 4 via the corresponding decorative ring 25.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the transparent thick-walled component 1 includes an outer surface (emission surface 12) and an inner surface (incident surface 11) arranged opposite to each other. The transparent thick-walled component 1 is made of a high light transmittance material. The emission surface 12 has no microstructure (such as patterns or textures) and no diffusion layer (such as thin film or coating). Its emission surface 12 is designed as an inclined curved surface according to the body shape to achieve a crystal-clear and clean appearance. Except for the emission surface 12 and the incident surface 11, the left, right, up and down circumferential walls of the transparent thick-walled component 1 are all treated with total reflection to form a total reflection surface, which is used to constrain the light to form a stable reflection oscillation inside the transparent thick-walled component 1 and avoid lateral leakage and stray propagation of light.

[0035] In the embodiment, the incident surface 11 of the transparent thick-walled component 1 can be a free-form surface, and the light-emitting surface of the light source group 2 is a surface that is parallel to the free-form surface and has a contour that matches the contour (the contour includes the tilt angle, tilt direction and surface undulation shape) to ensure that the normal of the light-emitting surface of the light source group 2 is consistent with the normal of the incident surface 11 of the transparent thick-walled component 1, so that the light enters the interior of the transparent thick-walled component 1 perpendicularly along the normal, providing a basis for subsequent total internal reflection oscillation (the number of oscillations of the light in the transparent thick-walled component 1 is an integer) to realize the parallel emission of the light from the exit surface 12 of the transparent thick-walled component 1.

[0036] Specifically: such as Figure 3As shown, due to the normal matching between the light-emitting surface of the light source group 2 and the incident surface 11 of the transparent thick-walled component 1, the light entering the transparent thick-walled component 1 from the upper longitudinal position of the incident surface 11 is oscillated by the total internal reflection surface and emitted horizontally from the upper longitudinal position of the exit surface 12 of the transparent thick-walled component 1. The light entering the transparent thick-walled component 1 from the lower longitudinal position of the incident surface 11 is oscillated by the total internal reflection surface and emitted horizontally from the lower longitudinal position of the exit surface 12 of the transparent thick-walled component 1. This ensures that the entire exit surface 12 of the transparent thick-walled component 1 can emit light uniformly. The HV angle brightness value of the signal light can reach 30,000 nits-50,000 nits, and it is the brightest among all observation angles. It can also be matched with the brightness of other functions. Under the same light source group 2 conditions and the same optical scheme (only the incident method is different), the conventional scheme signal light has light at the HV angle entering vertically from the incident surface of the thick-walled part and then exiting from the lower side wall of the thick-walled part. The luminous efficiency is low, and the brightness value at the HV angle is only 3000-5000 nits, which cannot meet the brightness requirements.

[0037] In the embodiment, the X-direction depth (distance from the incident surface 11 to the exit surface 12) of the transparent thick-walled member 1 can be adjusted according to actual needs, thereby enabling one oscillation, two oscillations, three oscillations or more oscillations, reducing space limitations.

[0038] It should be noted that the light emitted from the light source group 2 can be non-parallel light. The incident light can be modulated into uniform parallel light through multiple reflections and oscillations inside the transparent thick-walled component 1, and finally emitted horizontally from the exit surface 12.

[0039] Example 2: In existing inclined signal light designs, the outer surface of the thick-walled component is usually designed as an inclined surface, and therefore its inner surface is generally also designed as an inclined surface. It is typically required that the inner and outer surfaces maintain the same direction and angle of inclination (i.e., parallel inclination). The core reason is that it relies on the microstructure of the thick-walled component's surface to achieve uniform light. If the inclination direction or angle of the inner and outer surfaces is inconsistent, it will cause the light propagation path inside the thick-walled component to become disordered, making it impossible to effectively disperse and evenly distribute the light through patterns. This leads to problems such as uneven brightness, reduced luminous efficiency, and severe dispersion. Therefore, a technical bias has been formed that "when the outer surface is inclined, the inner surface must also be inclined and kept parallel," further limiting the design flexibility of the light fixture and making it impossible to achieve the requirement of a patternless, high-transparency appearance.

[0040] like Figures 2-3 As shown, based on Embodiment 1, a tilted crystal-clear signal light allows the incident surface 11 to have an inconsistency in tilt angle with the exit surface 12 when the exit surface 12 of the transparent thick-walled component 1 is a slope. Stable uniform light and a highly transparent appearance can be achieved simply by matching the normals.

[0041] It should be noted that the angle of the exit surface 12 of the transparent thick-walled component 1 is determined by the vehicle body shape, while the angle of the incident surface 11 is determined by the optical incident requirements. These two aspects are independent of each other and can accommodate more complex and aggressive vehicle body curves. When the tilt angle of the exit surface 12 is too large (e.g., exceeding 45°), the incident surface 11 can adopt a smaller angle (e.g., the tilt angle of the incident surface 11 is reduced by 0-10° from the tilt angle of the exit surface 12). This simplifies mold processing, reduces processing costs, optimizes demolding performance, and reduces the risk of surface scratches. Independent optimization of the incident surface 11 angle also facilitates the arrangement of the light source group 2, avoids structural interference, and simplifies the assembly process.

[0042] Example 3: like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 As shown, based on Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2, a tilted, crystal-clear signal light has a light source group 2 including an inner lampshade 21, a light guide 22, and a light source module 23.

[0043] In this embodiment, the light guide 22 is mounted on the rear side of the inner lampshade 21 via the bracket 24, and is installed in the lamp housing 4 together with the light source module 23. The light guide 22 evenly directs the light emitted by the light source module 23 from the inner lampshade 21, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the inner lampshade 21 has the same wall thickness and its trend is consistent with the trend of the incident surface 11 of the transparent thick-walled component 1 (contour matching), and the incident surface 11 is parallel to the inner lampshade 21, so that the normal of the outer surface 211 of the inner lampshade (i.e., the light-emitting surface of the light source group 2) is consistent with the normal of the incident surface 11 of the transparent thick-walled component 1, and the optical axis direction of the light guide 22 is the normal of the incident surface 11 of the transparent thick-walled component 1, as shown. Figure 5 As shown, this allows the light emitted by the light guide 22 to enter the inner lampshade 21 vertically, and then vertically into the transparent thick-walled component 1 to ensure maximum light efficiency.

[0044] In this embodiment, the inner lampshade 21 is made of a scattering material to ensure that there are no light guide marks when lit, and it can also improve the brightness uniformity of the entire lamp. The incident surface 11 of the transparent thick-walled member 1 may have a textured surface to improve moiré patterns and light guide marks. The distance between the incident surface 11 of the transparent thick-walled member 1 and the inner lampshade 21 should be as close as possible. The distance between the inner lampshade 21 and the light guide 22 should also be as close as possible, preferably 0.5-1.5mm, thereby reducing light loss and improving luminous efficiency. Too large a distance will result in large-angle dark areas.

[0045] After adopting the above design scheme, the following can be obtained: Figure 6 The illumination effect shown is that of a crystal-clear signal light with a uniform brightness and a tilted design.

[0046] In an embodiment, such as Figure 7As shown, the inner lampshade 21 can also be replaced with a transparent material, and by setting diffusion patterns and textures on the inner surface 212 of the inner lampshade, it is ensured that there are no light guide marks when lit and the brightness uniformity of the whole lamp is improved.

[0047] In this embodiment, in addition to replacing the inner lampshade 21 with a transparent material, a diffusion pattern is provided on the inner surface 212 of the inner lampshade and a leather texture is provided on the outer surface 211 of the inner lampshade to ensure that there are no light guide marks when lit and to improve the brightness uniformity of the entire lamp.

[0048] In this embodiment, the inner lampshade 21 is replaced with a transparent material, and a diffusion pattern and texture are provided on the outer surface 211 of the inner lampshade to ensure that there are no light guide marks when the lamp is lit and to improve the brightness uniformity of the entire lamp.

[0049] Example 4: like Figure 8 As shown, based on Embodiment 3, a tilted, crystal-clear signal light replaces the inner lampshade 21, light guide 22, and bracket 24 with a thick-walled component 26 installed in the lamp housing 4 via a corresponding decorative ring 25. The thick-walled component 26 is located between the light source module 23 and the transparent thick-walled component 1. The light emitted from the light source module 23 is processed by the thick-walled component 26 before being transmitted into the transparent thick-walled component 1.

[0050] In this embodiment, the light emission direction of the second thick-walled component 26 is ensured to be consistent with the optical axis direction of the light guide 22 in embodiment 3, and the second thick-walled component 26 adopts a conventional thick-walled component structure.

[0051] Example 5: like Figure 9 As shown, based on Embodiment 3, a tilted, crystal-clear signal light replaces the inner lampshade 21, light guide 22, and bracket 24 with a reflector 27 installed in the lamp housing 4. The reflector 27 is located between the light source module 23 and the transparent thick-walled component 1. The light emitted by the light source module 23 is reflected by the reflector 27 and then transmitted into the transparent thick-walled component 1.

[0052] In this embodiment, the light-emitting direction of the reflector 27 is ensured to be consistent with the optical axis direction of the light guide 22 in Embodiment 3.

[0053] This invention abandons the traditional approach of "patterned uniform light" and "light source collimation" in existing technologies. Through a novel optical mechanism of "normal matching + internal total internal reflection oscillation of transparent thick-walled component 1", it achieves multiple requirements such as tilted shape, no pattern, high transparency, compliance with regulations, and low cost. Its core concept and optical path are fundamentally different from existing technologies and belong to a completely new technical route.

[0054] Meanwhile, it should be noted that the normal matching structure and the light emission method of the transparent thick-walled component 1 of the present invention are general optical solutions, which are not only applicable to tilted lamps, but also to planar, curved, arc and various irregular lamp structures. Its core is to achieve stable, uniform and high-transparency light emission by aligning the incident light with the normal of the incident surface 11, without being limited by the external shape.

[0055] Based on the above-described preferred embodiments of the present invention, and through the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the inventive concept. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A tilted, crystal-clear signal light, comprising a light source assembly (2), characterized in that: It also includes a transparent thick-walled component (1), wherein the transparent thick-walled component (1) is a transparent structure with a smooth exit surface (12); The light-emitting surface of the light source group (2) is close to and matches the normal of the incident surface (11) of the transparent thick-walled member (1). The light rays transmitted into the transparent thick-walled member (1) along the normal are oscillated by total internal reflection and then emitted horizontally from the exit surface (12) of the transparent thick-walled member (1).

2. The tilted, crystal-clear signal light according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transparent thick-walled component (1) has all its walls except for the incident surface (11) and the exit surface (12) as total reflective surfaces.

3. The tilted, crystal-clear signal light according to claim 1, characterized in that: The incident surface (11) of the transparent thick-walled component (1) is a free-form surface; The light-emitting surface of the light source group (2) is a curved surface that is adapted to the freeform surface profile.

4. The tilted, crystal-clear signal light according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tilt angle of the incident surface (11) of the transparent thick-walled member (1) relative to the tilt angle of the exit surface (12) of the transparent thick-walled member (1) is adjustable.

5. The tilted, crystal-clear signal light according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light-emitting surface of the light source group (2) is parallel to the incident surface (11) of the transparent thick-walled member (1).

6. The tilted, crystal-clear signal light according to claim 1, characterized in that: The X-direction depth of the transparent thick-walled component (1) from the incident surface (11) to the exit surface (12) is adjustable; The number of oscillations of light in the transparent thick-walled member (1) is an integer.

7. The tilted, crystal-clear signal light according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that: The light source group (2) includes an inner lampshade (21), a light guide (22), and a light source module (23); The light guide (22) conducts the light from the light source module (23) toward the inner lampshade (21). The inner lampshade (21) is close to the incident surface (11) of the transparent thick wall member (1), and the normal of the outer surface (211) of the inner lampshade is consistent with the normal of the incident surface (11) of the transparent thick wall member (1).

8. The tilted, crystal-clear signal light according to claim 7, characterized in that: The inner lamp cover (21) is a diffuser or a transparent cover; In the transparent cover state, the outer surface (211) and / or the inner surface (212) of the inner lamp cover (21) have microstructures.

9. The tilted, crystal-clear signal light according to claim 7, characterized in that: The inner lamp cover (21) and light guide (22) are replaced with thick-walled component two (26); The light emission direction of the thick-walled component 2 (26) is consistent with the optical axis direction of the light guide (22).

10. The tilted, crystal-clear signal light according to claim 7, characterized in that: The inner lamp cover (21) and light guide (22) are replaced with a reflector (27); The light-emitting direction of the reflector (27) is consistent with the optical axis direction of the light guide (22).

Images