Optical module, lamp device and motor vehicle
By designing an optical module including a substrate, independently controlled light source assembly, external lens and grille member, the problems of optical crosstalk, poor uniformity, complex installation and high cost of existing pixelated lamp modules are solved, and efficient pixelated lighting effects and simple installation process are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202420628119.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-03-28
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-10
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-03-28
AI Technical Summary
The existing pixelated lamp modules have problems such as optical crosstalk, poor uniformity, complex installation and high cost, which are difficult to meet the lighting and signal indication needs of motor vehicles.
An optical module is designed, including a substrate, a plurality of independently controlled light source components, an outer lens and a grille member. Through the combination of the outer lens and the grille member, the formation and pixelated distribution of light are achieved, light crosstalk is reduced, and the installation process is simplified.
It realizes efficient pixelation lighting effect, improves light uniformity and simplicity of installation, and reduces costs, and is suitable for lighting and signal indications of motor vehicles.
Smart Images
Figure CN222963772U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of lighting and / or signal indication, and more particularly, to an optical module capable of providing a pixelated lighting effect, as well as a lamp device and a motor vehicle equipped with such an optical module. Background Art
[0002] In multiple fields, various lighting or signal indication devices are known for providing light for lighting or signal indication. For example, vehicle lamps are used in motor vehicles to provide lighting or signal indication functions to ensure safe driving, or lamps with functions such as lighting, signal indication, and atmosphere decoration are installed inside or outside spaces such as vehicle cabins, aircraft cabins, buildings, and rooms.
[0003] As a lighting or signal indication device, a pixelated lamp device can form an imaging lighting effect similar to a pattern, and thus can form various forms of light, and it is relatively convenient to set and adjust the shape of the light. It is particularly suitable for the lighting and signal indication fields of motor vehicles. In conventional technologies, although digital micromirror devices (DMDs), DLP, or LCD technologies can provide rich pixelated projection patterns, they are quite expensive. In addition, in some traditional pixelated lamp modules using LED arrays, there are usually problems such as light crosstalk, poor uniformity, complex installation, and high cost. Summary of the Invention
[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to solve or overcome at least one of the above and other problems and defects existing in the prior art.
[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an optical module. The optical module includes: a substrate; a plurality of light source components disposed on one surface of the substrate, at least some of the plurality of light source components being capable of being independently controlled to selectively turn on or off; an outer lens disposed on the light-emitting side of the plurality of light source components to shape the light emitted from the light source components into a desired light distribution; a grille member attached to the inner side of the outer lens, the grille member including a plurality of grids arranged in an array, each grid defining a cavity, and corresponding to at least one light source component in the cavity of each grid; wherein a gap is provided between the grille member and the substrate.
[0006] In some embodiments, the grille member includes partition walls defining the plurality of grids, and the partition walls are arranged to extend from the outer lens towards the substrate.
[0007] In some embodiments, the light source module includes at least one LED element that emits uniform light in a conical shape; and the height of the gap is the same as or close to the height of the LED element of the light source component.
[0008] In some embodiments, each grid has an exit opening near the outer lens and an entrance opening far from the outer lens defined by the partition walls of the grid, wherein the exit opening is less than or equal to the entrance opening.
[0009] In some embodiments, the outer lens is positioned on the partition walls and covers at least the exit openings of the plurality of grids to directly face the light source assembly positioned in the cavity of each grid, wherein a light-transmitting structure corresponding to the cavity of each grid is formed on the outer lens.
[0010] In some embodiments, the light-transmitting structure of the outer lens is configured to form a pattern on the outer lens, the shape of the grid of the pattern being consistent with the shape of the grid of the grid member, and the grid of the pattern being provided in one-to-one correspondence with the grid of the grid member, the pattern being made of an opaque material to form a desired light distribution.
[0011] In some embodiments, the pattern is formed by laser engraving after spraying paint, or by secondary or multiple injection molding.
[0012] In some embodiments, at least one attachment structure and / or alignment structure is provided on the grid member and / or the outer lens, the grid member being attached to the outer lens through the attachment structure or aligned with the outer lens through the alignment structure, and at least one alignment structure and / or attachment structure is provided on the grid member and / or the substrate, the grid member being attached to the substrate through the attachment structure or aligned with the substrate through the alignment structure.
[0013] In some embodiments of the optical module, a reflective layer or an absorptive layer is provided on the wall surface of the partition wall.
[0014] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an embodiment further provides a lamp device, including a housing and the optical module described in any embodiment of the present disclosure, the optical module being at least partially installed in the housing, and the outer lens being integrally formed with the housing.
[0015] In some embodiments, the lamp device includes at least one of a headlamp, a signal indicator lamp, and an ambient lamp for a motor vehicle.
[0016] According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, an embodiment further provides a motor vehicle, which includes the optical module or the lamp device described in any embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0017] Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent and can help to provide a comprehensive understanding of the present disclosure through the detailed description of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings below. Description of the Drawings
[0018] To better understand the present disclosure, a set of accompanying drawings is provided. The accompanying drawings form a part of the specification and illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure, which should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, but only as examples of how the present disclosure may be implemented. These accompanying drawings include the following figures:
[0019] Figure 1 is an exploded view showing the structure of a lamp device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0020] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of a part of a lamp device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic view showing the light-emitting range of a light source module in the structure of a part of a lamp device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0022] Accordingly, although the embodiments may be modified in various ways and take various alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings and are described in detail below as examples. It is not intended to be limited to the specific forms disclosed. On the contrary, all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims should be included. Detailed Description of the Embodiments
[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present disclosure, the same or similar components are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. The following description of the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the general inventive concept of the present disclosure and should not be construed as a limitation of the present disclosure.
[0024] In addition, in the following detailed description, for the sake of explanation, many specific details are set forth to provide a comprehensive understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it is obvious that one or more embodiments may be implemented without these specific details. In other cases, well-known structures and devices are illustrated in a schematic manner to simplify the accompanying drawings.
[0025] The terms used in the present disclosure are only for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit / restrict the present disclosure. Unless otherwise clearly indicated in the context, singular expressions include plural expressions. In the present disclosure, terms such as "including" or "having" are intended to indicate the presence of the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and do not exclude the pre-existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.
[0026] In addition, in the present disclosure, terms including serial numbers such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various different components, but these components are not limited by the above terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish one component from other components. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may be referred to as the first component. The term "and / or" includes combinations of multiple related listed items or any item in any one or more of the related listed items. At the same time, terms such as "front", "rear", "upper", and "lower" used in the following description are defined based on the drawings, and the shapes and positions of the components are not limited by these terms.
[0027] Figure 1 A perspective view schematically showing the structure of a lamp device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 A cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of a part of a lamp device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0028] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the optical module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure mainly includes a substrate 10, a light source assembly 110, a grille member 20, an outer lens 30, etc. In the present disclosure, the specific forms of the substrate 10 and the light source assembly 110 are not limited and can adapt to different installation spaces to form optical modules of various shapes. In some embodiments, a plurality of light source assemblies 110 are provided on one surface of the substrate 10. At least some of the plurality of light source assemblies 110 can be independently controlled. Preferably, each light source assembly 110 can be independently controlled to be selectively turned on (i.e., lit) or off (i.e., extinguished) (e.g., according to the needs of a specific pattern display), so that the light emitted from the turned-on or lit light source assembly 110 can have a pixelated light distribution or lighting effect after passing through the corresponding grid or being defined or constrained by the grille member 20. The outer lens 30 can be arranged on the light-emitting side of the plurality of light source assemblies 110 to shape the light emitted from the light source assembly into a desired light distribution. In the present disclosure, as described below, such "shaping" includes but is not limited to light diffusion, homogenization, turning, patterning, etc. Thus, the light emitted from the optical module can generally have a pixelated and patterned distribution to provide desired functions such as lighting or signal indication.
[0029] As Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the grille member 20 includes a plurality of grids arranged in an array, each grid defining a cavity 210, and at least one light source assembly corresponding to the cavity of each grid. The grille member 20 further includes partition walls 212 defining the plurality of grids. The partition walls 212 are arranged to extend from the outer lens 30 towards the substrate 10 to form the cavity 210. The grille member 20 is attached to the inner side of the outer lens 30 such that there is a gap 111 between the grille of the grille member 20 and the substrate 10 while the grille of the grille member 20 corresponds one-to-one with the light source assembly 110, that is, the grille of the grille member 20 does not directly contact the substrate 10. At least the partition walls of the grille member 20 are light-tight to avoid light crosstalk between the light source assemblies 110 in adjacent grids. For example, the grille member 110 can be black, but in other embodiments, the grille member 110 can also be white or gray. At the same time, due to the existence of the above-mentioned gap 111, the grille member 20 does not directly contact the substrate 10 and the light source assembly 110 arranged on the substrate, reducing the risk of damaging the light source assembly and simplifying the assembly process. The material of the grille member 20 can be plastic, such as PC.
[0030] In some embodiments, a reflective layer can be provided on the wall surface of the partition wall 212 facing the cavity 210 of the grid. The reflective layer is, for example, a spray paint layer or an aluminized layer. The reflective layer can reflect the light emitted by the light source assembly 110, so that more light is emitted from the openings of the grids, improving the overall light efficiency of the optical module. Of course, in some embodiments, an absorptive layer can also be provided.
[0031] In some embodiments, the grille member 20 further includes an attachment structure 214. Through the attachment structure 214, the grille member 20 is attached to the outer lens 30 to form a gap 111 with the substrate 10. In some embodiments, the attachment structure is also provided on the outer lens 30, or an attachment structure corresponding to the attachment structure 214 is provided on the outer lens 30. Preferably, the grille member 20 can also be provided with an alignment structure (not shown) corresponding to the alignment structure 118 of the substrate 10 and / or an attachment structure. The above-mentioned attachment structure can be, for example, a snap, a slot, or a thermal rivet. The above-mentioned alignment mechanism can be, for example, a pair of alignment posts and corresponding alignment apertures. By providing the above-mentioned attachment structure and alignment structure, the assembly process of the substrate 10, the grille member 20, and the outer lens 30 can be simplified and the error can be reduced.
[0032] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram showing the light-emitting range of the light source module in the structure of a part of the lamp device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the light source module 110 includes at least one LED element, such as Figure 3As shown, the LED component can emit a uniform strong light in a conical shape. Preferably, the light-emitting angle of the LED component is from 30° to 150°, and preferably from 60° to 120°. Therefore, as Figure 3 shown, even if there is a gap 111, since the above-mentioned LED component emits a uniform strong light in a conical shape, the optical crosstalk of the light source assembly 110 in adjacent grids can be avoided, so that a better effect of preventing optical crosstalk can be obtained at a lower cost. In some embodiments, the height of the gap 111 is the same as or close to the height of the LED component. Preferably, the height of the optical module 110 is 0.55 mm and the height of the gap 111 is less than or equal to 1 mm.
[0033] In some embodiments, as Figure 3 shown, each grid has an exit opening 213 near the outer lens defined by the partition wall 212 of the grid and an entrance opening 214 away from the outer lens 30. A preferred embodiment is shown in which the exit opening 213 is less than or equal to the entrance opening 214 to achieve a clearer grid boundary. It can be understood that, according to the styling requirements, the shape and size of the exit opening 213 can be freely selected.
[0034] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown in, a light-transmitting structure can be provided on the outer lens 30. Since the outer lens 30 is positioned on the partition wall 212 and at least covers the exit openings 213 of the plurality of grids and directly faces the light source assembly 110 positioned in the cavity of each grid, therefore, through the above light-transmitting structure, a clearer pattern boundary can be achieved. As an example, in some embodiments, the light-transmitting structure corresponding to the cavity of each grid formed on the outer lens 30 is achieved by forming a pattern on the outer lens 30. The shape of the grid of the pattern is the same as the shape of the exit opening 213 of the grid of the grid member (20), and the grid of the pattern is arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the grid of the grid member (20). The pattern is made of an opaque material to form a desired light distribution. The pattern can be formed by laser engraving after spraying a dark paint (for example, black paint or gray paint), or integrally formed by secondary or multiple injection molding, thereby avoiding mutual crosstalk of light on the light-transmitting structure of the outer lens to form a desired light distribution. In some applications, the pattern can also meet specific styling requirements. The pattern can be formed on the upper surface or the lower surface of the outer lens.
[0035] Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a lamp device 100, which includes the optical module described in any embodiment of the present disclosure and is capable of providing a pixelated light distribution with or without patterns or symbols. The lamp device can be used as a lighting or signal indicating device. For example, it can be used as a headlamp, signal indicator lamp, ambient light, etc. of a motor vehicle or other transportation means, and is used to project a desired pattern at a target position, such as on a road surface, a wall surface, inside a vehicle, or other desired positions (such as inside or outside a space such as a building or a room). For example, personalized patterns or dynamic effect patterns such as smiley faces, hearts, flowers, animals / plants, vehicle logos, etc., vehicle driving-related information such as vehicle speed, steering arrows, traveling arrows, lanes, etc., and information such as road construction, warning / indicators, text symbols, etc., so as to achieve functions such as lighting and signal indication.
[0036] The lamp device 100 may further include a housing (not shown), and the optical module may be at least partially installed in the housing, such as in the accommodation space in the housing. The outer lens 30 according to the embodiment of the present application may be integrally formed with the housing.
[0037] Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a motor vehicle including the optical module or the lamp device described in any of the above embodiments.
[0038] Although the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the embodiments disclosed in the drawings are intended to exemplarily illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be construed as a limitation on the present disclosure. The dimensional ratios in the drawings are merely illustrative and should not be construed as a limitation on the present disclosure.
[0039] Although some embodiments of the general concept of the present disclosure have been shown and described, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general disclosure concept of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. An optical module, characterized in that: The optical module comprises: base(10); A plurality of light source assemblies (110) are disposed on a surface of the substrate, at least some of the plurality of light source assemblies being independently controllable to be selectively turned on or off; An outer lens (30) is arranged on the light-emitting side of the plurality of light source assemblies to shape the light emitted from the light source assemblies into a desired light distribution; a grid component (20) attached to the inner side of the outer lens, the grid component comprising a plurality of grids arranged in an array, each grid defining a cavity (210), and at least one light source assembly corresponding to the cavity of each grid; A gap (111) is provided between the grid component (20) and the substrate (10).
2. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein The grid member (20) includes partition walls (212) defining the plurality of grids, and the partition walls (212) are arranged to extend from the outer lens toward the substrate.
3. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein The light source assembly (110) comprises at least one LED element, and the LED element emits uniform light in a cone shape; and The height of the gap (111) is the same as or similar to the height of the LED element of the light source assembly (110).
4. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein: Each grid has an exit opening (213) close to the outer lens and an entrance opening (214) far from the outer lens (30) defined by the partition walls (212) of the grid, wherein The exit opening (213) is smaller than or equal to the entrance opening (214).
5. The optical module according to claim 4, wherein The outer lens (30) is positioned on the partition wall and covers at least the exit openings (213) of the plurality of grids to directly face the light source assembly positioned in the cavity of each grid, wherein A light-transmitting structure (310) corresponding to the cavity of each grid is formed on the outer lens (30).
6. The optical module according to claim 5, wherein: The light-transmitting structure of the outer lens is configured to form a pattern on the outer lens, the shape of the grid of the pattern is consistent with the shape of the grid of the grille component (20), and the grid of the pattern is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the grid of the grille component (20), and the pattern is made of opaque material to form a desired light distribution.
7. The optical module according to claim 6, wherein: The pattern is formed by laser engraving after spraying paint, or by secondary or multiple injection molding.
8. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein At least one attachment structure and / or alignment structure is provided on the grille component (20) and / or the outer lens (30), and the grille component (20) is attached to the outer lens (30) via the attachment structure or aligned with the outer lens (30) via the alignment structure, and At least one alignment structure and / or attachment structure is provided on the grid component (20) and / or the substrate (10); the grid component (20) is attached to the substrate (10) via the attachment structure or is aligned with the substrate (10) via the alignment structure.
9. The optical module according to claim 2, wherein: A light reflecting layer or a light absorbing layer is arranged on the wall surface of the partition wall (212).
10. A lamp device (100), characterized in that: include: case; and The optical module according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the optical module is at least partially mounted in the housing, The outer lens is formed as one piece with the housing.
11. A motor vehicle, characterized in that The motor vehicle comprises an optical module as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 , or a light device as claimed in claim 10 .