Optical device and vehicle including the same

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an optical device and a vehicle including the same, the optical device intentionally allowing a portion of light incident from a light source to leak and re-incident light that has leaked while forming a new light path. The optical device includes: a light source; a light guide disposed in front of the light source to guide light incident from the light source through total reflection; and a light emission lens that forms a light beam pattern using light incident from the light guide. The light guide comprises a light incident part; and an optical path portion forming an optical path for the light incident on the light incident portion. The optical path portion includes: a first optical path portion having an opening to allow a portion of incident light to leak; and a second light path portion including a re-incident surface on which the light that has leaked through the opening is incident. The optical device of the present disclosure ensures the advantage of high condensation efficiency of a TIR lens, conforms to traffic rules, and improves its performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an optical device and a vehicle including the optical device, which intentionally allows a portion of light incident from a light source to leak and allows the already leaked light to re-enter while forming a new optical path. Background Technology

[0002] Typically, vehicles are equipped with various lights that illuminate forward depending on the surrounding environment and time of day, to ensure the driver's visibility and to inform other vehicles of their driving path.

[0003] These lights are categorized according to their intended use, such as turn signals to ensure the driver's visibility and indicate the vehicle's position, and headlights to illuminate the area in front of the vehicle; fog lights to ensure the driver's visibility and indicate the vehicle's position in foggy or rainy weather, and headlights; reverse lights to illuminate when the vehicle is reversing; and brake lights to illuminate when the driver applies the brakes.

[0004] Halogen bulbs are primarily used in traditional automotive lighting. When a halogen bulb is used as a light source, there is a reflector that reflects the light emitted by the bulb, and the reflected light shines forward. However, while halogen bulbs have the advantage of low cost, they also have the following disadvantages: high heat generation during use, low brightness relative to power consumption, and short lifespan.

[0005] To address these issues, vehicle lights using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were developed. LED lights offer advantages such as high brightness, long lifespan, and low power consumption.

[0006] In vehicle lights, headlights are configured to either low beam or high beam mode to ensure the driver's forward visibility when driving in dark environments (such as at night), and headlights play a very important role in driving.

[0007] The vehicle is equipped with the function of simultaneously or separately illuminating the low beams at a short distance and the high beams at a long distance in front of the vehicle.

[0008] From a driver's perspective, using both low beams and high beams simultaneously is the safest way to drive, as it ensures the driver has both short-distance and long-distance visibility in front of the vehicle.

[0009] However, high beams pose a risk of glare to drivers of oncoming vehicles or pedestrians, making it impossible to ensure visibility during the time required for light to adjust.

[0010] As a result, drivers constantly check oncoming vehicles or pedestrians and repeatedly turn their high beams on and off, which impairs driving safety and causes considerable inconvenience to drivers.

[0011] To complement this, driver assistance systems have been developed and commercialized that automatically turn high beams on and off based on the presence of oncoming or preceding vehicles, or control the angle or brightness of low and high beams based on road conditions (city, highway, intersection, etc.).

[0012] Recently, adaptive drive beam (ADB) technology has been developed to detect oncoming vehicles, vehicles ahead, pedestrians, etc. from video images in front of the vehicle, and change the beam angle or turn off the light source so that the high beam does not shine on the detected vehicles or pedestrians.

[0013] In addition, total internal reflection (TIR) ​​lenses are used as optical modules that can efficiently converge light emitted from a light source through total internal reflection. However, TIR lenses have a short focal length due to their structural characteristics, which may cause traffic regulations problems due to the diffusion of the emitted light.

[0014] If a longer focal length is incorporated into a conventional TIR lens structure to address the aforementioned issues, the luminous efficiency deteriorates, thus failing to achieve the high light-gathering efficiency advantage of TIR lenses. Furthermore, reducing the current applied to the light source decreases the luminous intensity, further degrading the performance of the TIR lens structure.

[0015] Therefore, there is a need for a TIR lens structure that can solve the above problems and improve luminous efficiency while utilizing TIR lenses. Utility Model Content

[0016] One object of this disclosure is to provide an optical device and a vehicle including the optical device, and more particularly, to provide an optical device and a vehicle including the optical device that intentionally allows a portion of light incident from a light source to leak and allows the already leaked light to re-enter while forming a new optical path.

[0017] Furthermore, another object of this disclosure is to provide an optical device and a vehicle including the optical device, which can increase luminous efficiency by means of the shape of the opening through which light leakage occurs and the shape of the re-incidence surface to which the already leaked light is re-incident.

[0018] The purposes achieved by this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and other purposes not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0019] An optical device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a light source; a light guide disposed in front of the light source and configured to guide light incident from the light source in a forward direction by total internal reflection; and a light emitting lens configured to form a beam pattern using light incident from the light guide, wherein the light guide includes a light incident portion and a light path portion configured to form a light path for light incident on the light incident portion, and the light path portion includes a first light path portion and a second light path portion, the first light path portion having an opening to allow a portion of the light incident on the light incident portion to leak out, and the second light path portion including a re-incident surface on which light leaking through the opening is incident.

[0020] The first optical path portion may include an opening protrusion protruding from one surface of the first optical path portion, the opening protrusion may include an open front surface, and the opening may include the open front surface of the opening protrusion.

[0021] The opening protrusion can be tilted relative to the forward direction.

[0022] The open front surface of the opening protrusion may have a concave curved shape, and the opening may have a shape corresponding to the concave curved shape of the open front surface of the opening protrusion.

[0023] The width of the opening protrusion in the left-right direction can increase in the forward direction.

[0024] The opening can be located in the lower part of the first optical path section.

[0025] The re-incident surface can be tilted relative to the forward direction, so that the light that has already leaked through the opening is refracted and incident on the re-incident surface.

[0026] The re-incident surface can have a convex curved shape.

[0027] The width of the opening in the left-right direction can be smaller than the width of the re-incident surface in the left-right direction.

[0028] The light incident portion may include: a first incident surface having a dome shape; and a second incident surface that curves backward and protrudes from the edge of the first incident surface.

[0029] A light-emitting lens may include an emitting surface with a curved shape, which is convex when viewed in a direction opposite to the forward direction.

[0030] The light emitting lens can be integrally formed with the light guide, or the light emitting lens can be arranged spaced apart from the light guide.

[0031] The light incident part and the light path part can be formed as one unit, or the light incident part and the light path part can be separated from each other.

[0032] Beam modes can include high beam mode and low beam mode.

[0033] A vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a vehicle body; a lamp structure located on a front or rear surface of the vehicle body; and an optical device embedded in the lamp structure, wherein the optical device includes: a light source; a light guide disposed in front of the light source and configured to guide light incident from the light source in a forward direction by total internal reflection; and a light emitting lens configured to form a beam pattern using light incident from the light guide, the light guide including a light incident portion and a light path portion configured to form a light path for light incident on the light incident portion, and the light path portion including a first light path portion and a second light path portion, the first light path portion having an opening to allow a portion of the light incident on the light incident portion to leak out, and the second light path portion including a re-incident surface on which light leaking through the opening is incident. Attached Figure Description

[0034] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application. The drawings depict embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. In the drawings:

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an optical device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 2 and Figure 3 This is a perspective view of an optical device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A magnified view of region A in the middle;

[0038] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing an opening formed in the first optical path portion of an optical device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, facing forward; and

[0039] Figure 6 This is a bottom view of an optical device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Identical or equivalent components may have the same reference numerals and their descriptions will not be repeated. As used herein, the suffixes “module” and “part” may be added or used interchangeably for convenience in this specification and are not intended to imply different meanings or functions. In describing the embodiments disclosed herein, related well-known technologies may not be described in detail to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the embodiments disclosed herein. Furthermore, it should be noted that the drawings are provided only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed herein and should not be construed as limiting the technical spirit disclosed herein. Therefore, this disclosure should be construed as extending to any changes, equivalents, and substitutions other than those specifically listed in the drawings.

[0041] Although the terms first, second, etc., may be used in this document to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are generally used only to distinguish one element from another.

[0042] It should be understood that when a component is referred to as "connected to" another component, the component may be directly connected to the other component or there may be intermediate components. Conversely, it should be understood that when a component is referred to as "directly connected to" another component, there are no intermediate components.

[0043] Singular representations may include plural representations unless their representations have a meaning that is explicitly different from that in the context.

[0044] The terms used herein, such as “comprising” or “having,” are intended to indicate the presence of the features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof used in the following description, and therefore it should be understood that the possibility of having or adding one or more different features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof is not excluded.

[0045] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 and Figure 3 This is a perspective view of an optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A magnified view of region A in the middle. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing an opening 1222 formed in a first optical path portion 1221 of an optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, facing forward (in the z-axis direction). Figure 6 This is a bottom view of an optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0046] The optical device 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be installed in a vehicle, for example, embedded in a lamp structure located on the front or rear surface of the vehicle body. Furthermore, the optical device 100 of the present disclosure may include the aforementioned adaptive driving beam (ADB). Additionally, the optical device 100 of the present disclosure may include the aforementioned total internal reflection (TIR) ​​lens.

[0047] In the following description of the optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the left-right direction is defined as the x-axis direction, the up-down direction is defined as the y-axis direction, and the front-back direction is defined as the z-axis direction.

[0048] refer to Figures 1 to 3 The optical device 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include a light source 110, a light guide 120, and a light emitting lens 130. The light source 110 can be used to output light. Multiple light sources 110 may be provided, and multiple light sources 110 may be arranged in an array.

[0049] A light guide 120 is disposed in front of the light source 110 (in the z-axis direction) and can be used to guide light 111 incident from the light source 110 forward (in the z-axis direction) by total internal reflection. A light emitting lens 130 can be used to form a beam pattern using the light 111 incident from the light guide 120. For this purpose, the light emitting lens 130 may include an emitting surface 131 having a curved shape formed to convex forward (in the z-axis direction).

[0050] Here, for example, the beam pattern formed by the light-emitting lens 130 may include a low beam mode for illuminating a short-distance area in front of the vehicle and a high beam mode for illuminating a long-distance area in front of the vehicle. The optical device 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may simultaneously or separately implement the low beam mode and the high beam mode.

[0051] In the optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light guide 120 may include a light incident portion 121 and a light path portion 122 configured to form an optical path for light 111 incident on the light incident portion 121. Here, the light incident portion 121 may include a first incident surface 1211 and a second incident surface 1212. The first incident surface 1211 has a dome shape and is arranged in front of the light source 110 (in the z-axis direction). The second incident surface 1212 bends from the edge of the first incident surface 1211 and protrudes rearward (in the z-axis direction). Light output from the light source 110 can be effectively incident on the light incident portion 121 through the first incident surface 1211 and the second incident surface 1212.

[0052] The optical path portion 122 may include a first optical path portion 1221 and a second optical path portion 1224. See also, for details... Figure 4In the optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first optical path portion 1221 may have an opening 1222 formed therein to allow a portion of the light 111 incident on the light incident portion 121 to leak out. In addition, the second optical path portion 1224 may include a re-incident surface 1225 on which the light 112 that has leaked through the opening 1222 is incident.

[0053] As mentioned above, TIR lenses have high light-gathering efficiency, but due to their structural characteristics, they have a short focal length, which may cause problems with traffic regulations due to the diffusion of emitted light. Here, traffic regulations include light distribution rules that adjust the angle of the light beam illuminating the area in front of or behind the vehicle, as well as the range between the maximum and minimum light intensity.

[0054] If a longer focal length is formed in a conventional TIR lens structure to solve the above problems, the luminous efficiency deteriorates, and thus the high light-gathering efficiency advantage of TIR lenses cannot be obtained. Furthermore, if the current applied to the light source 110 decreases, the luminous intensity of the light source 110 decreases, thereby degrading the performance of the TIR lens structure.

[0055] The optical device 100 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure intentionally allows a portion of the light 111 incident from the light source 110 to leak out and, while forming a new optical path, allows the leaked light 112 to re-incident, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem.

[0056] More specifically, in the optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an opening 1222 may be formed in a first optical path portion 1221 to allow a portion of the light 111 incident on the light incident portion 121 to leak therethrough. Furthermore, a re-incident surface 1225, on which the light 112 that has leaked through the opening 1222 is incident, may be formed at a second optical path portion 1224.

[0057] Also refer to Figures 4 to 6 In the optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first optical path portion 1221 may include an opening protrusion 1223 projecting from one of its surfaces. The front surface of the opening protrusion 1223 may be open to form an opening 1222. That is, the opening 1222 may be formed by the opening protrusion 1223. In particular, the opening 1222 may be formed by the opening protrusion 1223 to face forward (in the z-axis direction).

[0058] Furthermore, in the optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the opening protrusion 1223 may be formed to be tilted forward (in the z-axis direction). Additionally, the front surface of the opening protrusion 1223 may include a concave curved shape. The opening 1222 may be formed to correspond to the shape of the front surface of the opening protrusion 1223. Furthermore, the opening protrusion 1223 may be formed such that its width w1 in the left-right direction (x-axis direction) gradually increases in the forward direction (z-axis direction).

[0059] In the optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the opening 1222 may be formed in the lower portion of the first optical path portion 1221. For example... Figures 1 to 3 As shown, a second optical path portion 1224 having a re-incident surface 1225 can be formed at a position corresponding to the opening 1222, such that the light 112 that has leaked through the opening 1222 is incident on the re-incident surface 1225.

[0060] In the optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the re-incident surface 1225 may be formed to be inclined forward (in the z-axis direction) such that light 112 that has leaked through the opening 1222 is refracted and incident on it. In addition, the re-incident surface 1225 may include a convex curved shape.

[0061] More specifically, the optical device 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can allow a portion of the light 111 incident on the light incident portion 121 to leak through the opening 1222 formed by the opening protrusion 1223. For this purpose, the opening protrusion 1223 can be formed to be tilted forward (in the z-axis direction).

[0062] Furthermore, in the optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the front surface of the opening protrusion 1223 may include a concave curved shape, and the opening 1222 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the front surface of the opening protrusion 1223. In this case, the re-incident surface 1225 may include a convex curved shape corresponding to the shape of the front surface of the opening protrusion 1223. Here, the aforementioned new optical path can be formed by adjusting the curvature of the curved shape of the front surface of the opening protrusion 1223 and the curvature of the curved shape of the re-incident surface 1225.

[0063] Furthermore, the optical device 100 according to the embodiments of this disclosure can adjust the tilt angle θ of the opening protrusion 1223, such as... Figure 5 As shown. Furthermore, as... Figure 6 As shown, the width w1 of the opening protrusion 1223 in the left-right direction (x-axis direction) can be adjusted. In this way, the size of the opening 1222 can be adjusted. Furthermore, the leakage of light 112 can be adjusted by adjusting the size of the opening 1222.

[0064] In addition, such as Figure 6 As shown, in the optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the width w1 of the opening 1222 in the left-right direction (x-axis direction) can be formed to be smaller than the width w2 of the re-incident surface 1225 in the left-right direction (x-axis direction). The amount of light 112 incident on the re-incident surface 1225 after leakage through the opening 1222 can be adjusted by adjusting the width w1 of the opening 1222 in the left-right direction (x-axis direction) or the width w2 of the re-incident surface 1225 in the left-right direction (x-axis direction).

[0065] like Figure 1 As shown, the optical device 100 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure intentionally allows a portion of the light 111 incident from the light source 110 to leak and allows the leaked light 112 to re-incident while forming a new optical path, thereby ensuring the advantages of the high light-gathering efficiency of the TIR lens, complying with traffic rules, and improving its performance.

[0066] Furthermore, in the optical device 100 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the light emitting lens 130 may be integrally formed with the light guide 120, or may be arranged spaced apart from the light guide 120. Additionally, the light guide 120 may be formed such that the light incident portion 121 and the light path portion 122 are integrally formed with each other or spaced apart from each other. In this way, various light paths can be formed, and therefore, the beam pattern can be diversified.

[0067] As described above, the optical device according to this disclosure and the vehicle including the optical device are configured to intentionally allow a portion of the light incident from the light source to leak out and to re-incidentate the already leaked light while forming a new optical path. Furthermore, luminous efficiency can be increased by the shape of the opening through which the light leaks and the shape of the re-incident surface on which the already leaked light is re-incident.

[0068] It is evident from the above description that the optical device according to this disclosure and the vehicle including the optical device can intentionally allow a portion of the light incident from the light source to leak and allow the already leaked light to re-incident while forming a new optical path.

[0069] Furthermore, luminous efficiency can be increased by the shape of the opening through which the light leaks and the shape of the re-incidence surface on which the already leaked light is re-incident.

[0070] The effects achievable through this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand from the above description other effects not mentioned herein.

[0071] The detailed description above should be construed as illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of this disclosure should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended technical solutions, and all variations falling within the equivalent scope of this disclosure are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An optical device, characterized in that, include: light source; A light guide is disposed in front of the light source and is configured to guide light incident from the light source in a forward direction by total internal reflection; as well as A light-emitting lens is configured to form a beam pattern using light incident from the light guide; The light guide component includes: The incident portion of light; and The optical path section is configured to form an optical path for light incident on the light incident section, and The optical path portion includes: A first optical path portion having an opening to allow a portion of the light incident on the light incident portion to leak out; and The second optical path portion includes a re-incident surface on which light that has leaked through the opening is incident.

2. The optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first optical path portion includes an opening protrusion projecting from one surface of the first optical path portion. Wherein, the opening protrusion includes an open front surface, and The opening includes the open front surface of the opening protrusion.

3. The optical device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The opening protrusion is tilted relative to the forward direction.

4. The optical device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The open front surface of the opening protrusion has a concave curved shape. Wherein, the opening has a shape corresponding to the concave curved shape of the open front surface of the protruding opening, and The width of the opening protrusion in the left-right direction increases in the forward direction.

5. The optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The opening is located in the lower part of the first optical path section. The re-incident surface is inclined relative to the forward direction, such that light that has leaked through the opening is refracted and incident on the re-incident surface. The re-incident surface has a convex curved shape.

6. The optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The width of the opening in the left-right direction is smaller than the width of the re-incident surface in the left-right direction.

7. The optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light incident portion includes: The first incident surface has a dome shape; and The second incident surface curves backward and protrudes from the edge of the first incident surface, and The light-emitting lens includes an emitting surface with a curved shape, which is convex when viewed in a direction opposite to the forward direction.

8. The optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light-emitting lens is integrally formed with the light guide, or the light-emitting lens is arranged spaced apart from the light guide. The beam modes include high beam mode and low beam mode.

9. The optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light incident portion and the light path portion are integrally formed together, or the light incident portion and the light path portion are spaced apart from each other.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that, include: Body; A lamp structure located on the front or rear surface of the vehicle body; as well as Optical devices, which are embedded in the lamp structure, The optical device includes: light source; A light guide, disposed in front of the light source, is configured to guide light incident from the light source in a forward direction via total internal reflection; and A light-emitting lens is configured to form a beam pattern using light incident from the light guide; The light guide component includes: The incident portion of light; and The optical path section is configured to form an optical path for light incident on the light incident section, and The optical path portion includes: A first optical path portion having an opening to allow a portion of the light incident on the light incident portion to leak out; and The second optical path portion includes a re-incident surface on which light that has leaked through the opening is incident.

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