Optical fiber assembly, lighting and / or signaling device and motor vehicle

Abstract

This invention discloses an optical fiber assembly, a lighting and / or signaling device, and a motor vehicle. The optical fiber assembly includes: an optical fiber; and a reflective component disposed at a distal end of the optical fiber opposite to the incident end of a light source, configured to reflect at least a portion of light propagating in the optical fiber to guide it back into the interior of the optical fiber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an optical fiber assembly, a lighting and / or signaling device, and a motor vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] In the arrangement of automotive lighting components, there are linear lamp components fabricated using optical fibers. In the existing linear lamp components, with a single light source structure, it is impossible to meet the actual optical distribution uniformity requirements at the far end of the optical fiber. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The object of this invention is to provide an optical fiber assembly, a lighting and / or signaling device, and a motor vehicle. This optical fiber assembly has a simple structure and improved optical distribution uniformity.

[0004] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an optical fiber assembly is provided, comprising: an optical fiber; and a reflective assembly disposed at a distal end of the optical fiber opposite to an incident end of a light source, configured to reflect at least a portion of light propagating in the optical fiber to guide it back into the interior of the optical fiber.

[0005] In some embodiments, the reflective component at least partially covers the far end of the optical fiber.

[0006] In some embodiments, the reflective component includes a total reflection element.

[0007] In some embodiments, the reflective component is configured as a housing covering the distal end of the optical fiber.

[0008] In some embodiments, the reflective component is configured as a housing covering the distal end of the optical fiber, and the total reflection element is disposed on the light-emitting surface at the distal end of the optical fiber.

[0009] In some embodiments, the housing has a shape that matches the distal end of the optical fiber.

[0010] In some embodiments, the total reflection element is a mirror element or a mirror layer formed inside the housing.

[0011] In some embodiments, the housing is fixed to the distal end of the optical fiber by an interference fit.

[0012] In some embodiments, the reflective component is bonded to the distal end of the optical fiber opposite to the incident end of the light source.

[0013] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a lighting and / or signal indicating device is provided, comprising:

[0014] An optical fiber assembly according to any embodiment disclosed in this application; and a light source, wherein the light source is disposed at an end opposite to the reflective component of the optical fiber assembly.

[0015] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a motor vehicle is provided, which includes an optical fiber assembly according to an embodiment of the invention or a lighting and / or signaling device according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0016] Other objects and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of the disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will help to provide a comprehensive understanding of the disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0017] These and / or other aspects, features, and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of illustrative embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 A perspective view of an optical fiber assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an optical fiber assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an optical fiber assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an optical fiber assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below through embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this specification, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar components. The following description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the overall inventive concept of the present invention and should not be construed as a limitation thereof.

[0023] Furthermore, in the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth for ease of explanation to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments disclosed herein. However, it will be apparent that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.

[0024] Figure 1 A perspective view of an optical fiber assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an optical fiber assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an optical fiber assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an optical fiber assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0025] like Figures 1 to 4As shown, the fiber optic assembly 10 includes an optical fiber 200 and a reflective component 100 disposed at the distal end of the optical fiber 200. In embodiments of this disclosure, the fiber optic assembly 10 has a single light source configuration, that is, a light source 310 is disposed only at one end of the optical fiber 200, and the optical fiber 200 has a proximal end 220 facing the light source 310 to receive light from the light source 310, thereby allowing the light to enter the interior of the optical fiber 200 through the proximal end 220. According to embodiments of the present invention, the optical fiber 200 may include a core layer and a cladding layer located outside the core layer to surround the core layer. Light entering the optical fiber 200 from the light source 310 can be guided into the core layer of the optical fiber 200 to reflect and propagate within the core layer to achieve the overall illumination effect of the light source 200.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the optical fiber 200 of the optical fiber assembly 10 has a distal end 210 opposite to the incident near end of the light source 310. A reflective component 100 is disposed at the distal end 210 of the optical fiber 200. The reflective component 100 is configured to reflect at least a portion of the light propagating in the optical fiber 200 to guide it back into the interior of the optical fiber 100. In the case of the reflective component 100, due to the structural reason that the light source is disposed only at the near end, most of the incident light from the light source 310 undergoes total internal reflection at the near end 220 of the optical fiber 200 and attenuates as the light propagates, which causes a rapid decrease in brightness at the distal end 210 of the optical fiber 200, resulting in non-uniform optical distribution. After the reflective component 100 is disposed, the brightness of the optical fiber 200 at the distal end is improved, thereby achieving the desired brightness and uniformity of the entire optical fiber.

[0027] In some embodiments, the reflective component 100 at least partially covers the distal end 210 of the optical fiber 200. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an optical fiber assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein a reflective component 100 is configured as a housing 120 covering the distal end 210 of the optical fiber. In some embodiments, the housing 120 is made of a light-colored (e.g., white) diffuse reflective material or a material having a diffuse reflective coating to reflect light transmitted to the distal end 220 of the optical fiber 200. In some embodiments, the reflectivity of the aforementioned diffuse reflective material or diffuse reflective coating is greater than or equal to 90%. In some embodiments, the reflective component 100 is bonded to the distal end 210 of the optical fiber 200. In some embodiments, the reflective component 100 does not need to have a shape that completely covers the distal end 210 of the optical fiber 200 or be made into a housing, as long as it can at least partially cover the end face of the distal end 210, for example, the reflective component 100 may be a diffuse reflective material bonded to and covering the distal end 210 of the optical fiber 200.

[0028] In other embodiments, the housing 110 of the reflective assembly 100 has a shape that matches the distal end 210 of the optical fiber 200. For example, the housing 120 is made of a deformable material (e.g., silicone) and is thus secured to the distal end 210 of the optical fiber 200 by an interference fit. In this case, the dimensions of the distal end 210 of the optical fiber 200 can match the dimensions of the inner diameter of the housing 110 and at least partially cover a portion of the distal end 210 in the radial direction. This arrangement ensures that light propagates smoothly back into the interior of the optical fiber 10 along the reflection path, thereby reducing light leakage and improving optical distribution uniformity and illumination effect.

[0029] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an optical fiber assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 3 The diagram shows that the reflective assembly 100 further includes a total reflection element 110.

[0030] In some embodiments, the total internal reflection element 110 is disposed on the light-emitting surface of the distal end 210 of the optical fiber 200, so that all light rays emitted from the light-emitting surface of the distal end 210 of the optical fiber 200 are reflected back into the interior of the optical fiber 200, thereby achieving better light uniformity. In some embodiments, the total internal reflection element 110 is a mirror element or a mirror layer formed inside the housing 120. For example, a metallization layer is formed inside the housing 120 on the side opposite to the light-emitting surface of the distal end 210 of the optical fiber 200 to constitute the total internal reflection element 110.

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an optical fiber assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 4 As shown, the light source 310 is disposed in the optical module 300 and is positioned at the near end 220 of the optical fiber 200. A reflective component 100 as described in the previous embodiment is disposed at the far end 210. In this way, the uniformity of the brightness of the optical fiber 200 can be easily improved to achieve the desired brightness and uniformity.

[0032] The reflective component 100 according to the technical solution of this disclosure can be mass-produced as a separate component, thereby saving economic costs, facilitating design and manufacturing, and reducing process difficulty. In addition, the reflective component 100, as a separate component, can be directly applied to existing optical fibers without modifying the optical fibers, thereby increasing installation convenience.

[0033] The fiber optic assembly 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used as an example in any lighting and / or signaling device. This lighting and / or signaling device may include any type of motor vehicle lighting and / or signal lights, such as headlights, center high-mounted brake lights, turn signals, position lights, taillights, etc.

[0034] Although the invention has been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the embodiments disclosed in the drawings are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention.

[0035] While some embodiments of the general concept of the present invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general concept of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An optical fiber assembly (10), characterized in that, include: Fiber optic (200); and A reflective component (100), disposed at the distal end (210) of the optical fiber (200) opposite the incident end of the light source (310), is configured to reflect at least a portion of the light propagating in the optical fiber to guide it back into the interior of the optical fiber.

2. The optical fiber assembly (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reflective component (100) at least partially covers the distal end (210) of the optical fiber.

3. The optical fiber assembly (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reflective assembly (100) includes a total reflection element (110).

4. The optical fiber assembly (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reflective component (100) is configured as a housing (120) covering the distal end (210) of the optical fiber.

5. The optical fiber assembly (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that, The reflective component (100) is configured as a housing (120) covering the distal end (210) of the optical fiber, and the total reflection element (110) is disposed on the light-emitting surface at the distal end of the optical fiber.

6. The optical fiber assembly (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that, The housing (120) has a shape that matches the far end of the optical fiber.

7. The optical fiber assembly (100) according to any one of claims 3 or 5, characterized in that, The total reflection element (110) is a mirror element or a mirror layer formed inside the housing (120).

8. The optical fiber assembly (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that, The housing (120) is fixed to the distal end of the optical fiber by an interference fit.

9. The optical fiber assembly (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reflective component (100) is bonded to the distal end (210) of the optical fiber (200) opposite the incident end of the light source (310).

10. A lighting and / or signal indicating device, characterized in that, include: The optical fiber assembly (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9; and A light source (310) is disposed at one end opposite to the reflective component of the optical fiber assembly.

11. A motor vehicle, characterized in that, It includes the optical fiber assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or the lighting and / or signal indication device according to claim 10.

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