Light-emitting devices and vehicle lights

Abstract

A light-emitting device and a vehicle lamp using the device are proposed. The device includes an LED chip, a curved reflector, a reflector plate, and a projection lens. The reflective inner wall of the curved reflector and the reflective surface of the reflector plate together form a reflective cavity. The LED chip emits light facing the curved reflector. The light emitted by the LED chip is incident on the curved reflector and reflected by it. At least a portion of the reflected light exits from the light outlet and converges to form a focusing point. The reflector plate extends towards the projection lens and extends to the vicinity of the focal plane. By utilizing the reflective cavity and the reflector plate extending to the vicinity of the focal plane, combined with other technical features, the pain points of low efficiency, large size, and uneven structure in the prior art are completely solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of vehicle exterior lighting, and in particular to a light-emitting device and a vehicle lamp using the light-emitting device. Background Technology

[0002] Automotive headlights are subject to strict regulations regarding light distribution, especially low beams, which have stringent requirements for the light distribution around the cutoff line. To achieve a suitable light distribution around the cutoff line, existing solutions include structures such as... Figure 1 As shown. This scheme is disclosed and described in patents CN219828606 and CN112254102. In this scheme, the light emitted by the LED light source 110 is reflected by a reflector 410, which is an ellipsoidal reflector. The LED light source 110 is located at one focus of the ellipsoid, so the reflected light is necessarily reflected to the other focus, thus forming a bright spot near the other focus. The light emitted from this bright spot is received by the lens 210 and projected into the far field. A baffle 30 is used near the bright spot because the baffle 30 is also imaged into the far field by the lens 210. Therefore, a light spot with a cutoff line can be generated in the far field, where the boundary between light and dark at the cutoff line is formed by the edge of the baffle 30. This scheme is widely used in actual automotive lighting products, but it has obvious drawbacks. First, there is significant energy loss and low efficiency. Because not all the light emitted by the LED light source 110 is incident on the reflector 410, for example, light ray 131 will overflow from the top of the reflector, thus constituting the first part of the light loss. Furthermore, the baffle 30 blocks a significant amount of light because the blocked light spot must have the highest brightness near the cutoff line (a regulatory requirement). Since the brightness of the light spot is continuously distributed, the brightness of the blocked portion is inevitably also very high, resulting in substantial energy loss. This constitutes the second part of the light loss, such as ray 132. The two parts of light loss combined exceed half of the total energy, meaning the overall system's luminous efficiency is less than 50%, actually around 30% to 40%. The existing solution also suffers from excessive size and uneven structure. Figure 1 As shown, according to optical principles, the reflector must be large enough relative to the LED light source to reflect the light emitted by the LED to another focal point. Otherwise, since the LED light source has a certain size, a smaller reflector will result in a larger or even uncontrolled reflected light spot. Uncontrolled light may strike the heat sink surface and cause damage. Therefore, the reflector must be of a considerable size. Moreover, since the light reflected by the reflector 410 is deflected downwards, only the lower half of the lens 210 ( Figure 1 The portion below the dotted line 240 is used to receive the reflected light from the reflector cup 410, making the overall system structure less symmetrical. To utilize the upper portion, patent CN219828606 (i.e....) Figure 1 The solution shown uses another light source 120, while another patent CN112254102 uses another light source and another reflector to utilize the upper part of the lens. These are remedial measures, indicating that the original structure has a structural asymmetry defect.

[0003] The above describes the current status of automotive lighting technology (especially low beam) and the problems with existing technical solutions. Therefore, innovative solutions are needed to address these problems while meeting automotive-grade light distribution requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention proposes a light-emitting device for vehicle lights, comprising an LED chip, a curved reflector, a reflector plate, and a projection lens. The curved reflector has a reflective inner wall, and the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector and the reflective surface of the reflector plate together form a reflective cavity. The reflective cavity has a light outlet. The LED chip and the reflector plate are located on the same side of the curved reflector, and the LED chip faces the curved reflector to emit light. At least part of the light emitted by the LED chip is incident on the curved reflector and reflected by it. At least part of the reflected light exits from the light outlet and converges to form a focusing point. The projection lens has a focal plane, and the focusing point is located on the focal plane. The light emitted from the focal plane is projected by the projection lens and imaged to the far field. The reflector plate extends towards the projection lens and extends to the vicinity of the focal plane. The edge of the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector at the light outlet is referred to as the A-edge.

[0005] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, the length of the inner reflective wall of the curved reflector cup in the direction of the line connecting the center of the light outlet and the center of the projection lens is called the length of the curved reflector cup, and the length of the curved reflector cup is greater than or equal to 2.5 times the maximum distance from edge A to the reflective surface of the reflector plate.

[0006] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, the length of the curved reflector cup is greater than or equal to 4 times the maximum distance from edge A to the reflective surface of the reflector, and less than or equal to 10 times the maximum distance from edge A to the reflective surface of the reflector.

[0007] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, the maximum distance from edge A of the curved reflector cup to the reflective surface of the reflector is less than or equal to 10 times the diameter of the circumcircle of the light-emitting surface of the LED chip.

[0008] In the above-described light-emitting device, preferably, the reflector has a through hole, and the LED chip is located inside the through hole; or, the reflector is located on the side of the LED chip closer to the projection lens and is placed in close contact with the LED chip.

[0009] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, the light-emitting surface of the LED chip and the reflective surface of the reflector are located on the same plane.

[0010] Preferably, the light-emitting device described above also includes a cutoff line aperture located on the focal plane.

[0011] This utility model also proposes a light-emitting device for vehicle lights, including an LED chip, a curved reflector, a reflector plate, and a projection lens. The curved reflector has a reflective inner wall, and the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector and the reflective surface of the reflector plate together form a reflective cavity. The reflective cavity has opposing light inlets and light outlets. The LED chip is located at the light inlet and faces the interior of the reflective cavity to emit light. At least part of the light emitted by the LED chip is incident on the curved reflector and reflected by it. At least part of the reflected light exits from the light outlet and converges to form a focusing point. The projection lens has a focal plane, and the focusing point is located on the focal plane. The light emitted from the focal plane is projected by the projection lens and imaged to the far field. The reflector plate extends toward the projection lens and extends to the vicinity of the focal plane. The edge of the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector at the light outlet is called the A edge.

[0012] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, the length of the inner reflective wall of the curved reflector cup in the direction of the line connecting the center of the light outlet and the center of the projection lens is called the length of the curved reflector cup, and the length of the curved reflector cup is greater than or equal to 2.5 times the maximum distance from edge A to the reflective surface of the reflector plate.

[0013] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, the length of the curved reflector cup is greater than or equal to 4 times the maximum distance from edge A to the reflective surface of the reflector, and less than or equal to 10 times the maximum distance from edge A to the reflective surface of the reflector.

[0014] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, the maximum distance from edge A of the curved reflector cup to the reflective surface of the reflector is less than or equal to 10 times the diameter of the circumcircle of the light-emitting surface of the LED chip.

[0015] Preferably, the light-emitting device described above also includes a cutoff line aperture located on the focal plane.

[0016] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, the LED chip is located on the side of the light inlet close to the reflector and in close contact with the reflector.

[0017] This utility model also proposes a vehicle lamp, including the above-mentioned light-emitting device.

[0018] By utilizing the two specific technical features that define the reflector, namely "the inner wall of the curved reflector cup and the reflective surface of the reflector together form a reflective cavity" and "the reflector extends towards the projection lens and extends to the vicinity of the focal plane," and combined with other technical features, the pain points of "low efficiency," "large size," and "uneven structure" in the existing technology are completely solved, and a vehicle lighting solution that combines high efficiency, small size, low cost, and uniform structure while meeting regulatory optical requirements is achieved. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 A structural diagram illustrating the solution in the background technology;

[0020] Figure 2a A side view showing a structural schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2b and 2c They represent Figure 2a A schematic diagram and physical drawing showing the positional relationship between the curved reflector cup and the reflector in the embodiment;

[0022] Figure 2d It indicates Figure 2a Top view of the structure of the embodiment shown;

[0023] Figure 2e It indicates Figure 2a A schematic diagram of the far-field light distribution in the embodiment shown;

[0024] Figure 3a A side view showing a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3b It indicates Figure 3a A schematic diagram of the far-field light distribution in the embodiment shown;

[0026] Figure 3c It indicates Figure 3a An exploded view of the physical design drawing of the embodiment shown;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a side view showing a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0028] This utility model proposes a light-emitting device for vehicle lights, the side view of which is shown below. Figure 2a As shown. The light-emitting device includes an LED chip 203, a curved reflector 201, a reflector 202, and a projection lens 204. The curved reflector 201 has a reflective inner wall, and the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector 201 and the reflective surface of the reflector 202 together form a reflective cavity. A three-dimensional view of the reflective cavity is shown below. Figure 2b As shown, the reflective cavity has a light outlet 201a, and the LED chip 203 and the reflector 202 are located on the same side of the curved reflector cup 201, with the LED chip 203 emitting light towards the curved reflector cup 201. Figure 2b In order to show the position of the LED chip relative to the reflector 202 and the curved reflector cup 201, the LED chip 203 is presented in a perspective manner. Figure 2b The inner reflective wall of the curved reflector cup is drawn, representing the curved reflector cup 201. The reflective surface of the reflector plate is also drawn, representing the reflector plate 202. The actual design and fabrication drawings are as follows... Figure 2c As shown. In Figure 2c In the description, we see that both the curved reflector cup 201 and the reflector plate 202 have a certain thickness. However, this patent does not limit the thickness; it can be determined by engineering design based on actual conditions. Therefore, this utility model only limits the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector cup 201 and the reflective surface of the reflector plate 202 to jointly form a reflective cavity, that is, it limits the optically effective parts of the curved reflector cup and the reflector plate. Therefore, in the following description, when describing the optical working principle of the curved reflector cup and the reflector plate, it no longer emphasizes the role of the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector cup and the reflective surface of the reflector plate. Instead, whenever the function of the curved reflector cup and the reflector plate is described, it refers to the role of the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector cup and the reflective surface of the reflector plate. Figure 2d This is a top view of the embodiment, in which the LED chip 203 is presented in perspective. Figure 2e This indicates the shape of the light spot formed in the far field in this embodiment.

[0029] In this embodiment, at least a portion of the light emitted by the LED chip 203 is incident on and reflected by the curved reflector 201, wherein at least a portion of the reflected light exits from the light outlet 201a and converges to form a focusing point. For example, refer to... Figure 2a Light rays 232, 234, and 235 emitted from LED chip 203 are incident on the inner wall of the curved reflector cup and reflected to converge into a focal point. This is not difficult to achieve; as long as the curved surface of the reflector cup is partially ellipsoidal, and the LED chip is located at one focal point of this ellipsoid, the light emitted from LED chip 203 incident on this ellipsoidal surface will be reflected and converged to the other focal point (i.e., the focal point) of the ellipsoidal surface. The projection lens 204 has a focal plane 204a, and the focal point is located on this focal plane 204a. The light emitted from the focal plane is projected by the projection lens and imaged to the far field. Since the focal point is located on the focal plane 204a, the light rays emitted from this focal point (e.g., light rays 232, 234, and 235), after being collected and projected by the projection lens 204, will form an image of the focal point in the far field, i.e., a bright spot, such as... Figure 2e The central bright spot 251p of the far-field light spot 251 shown is illustrated. The reflector 202 extends towards the projection lens 204 and reaches near the focal plane 204a. Although a plane mirror is a commonly used device in the field of optics, in this invention, the positioning and arrangement of the reflector and the curved reflector cup, as well as the length setting of the reflector, cleverly solve all the problems in the prior art. The optical function of the reflector 202 in this embodiment is described in detail below. Figure 2a In order to make it clear, light rays may be represented by different line thicknesses and line types. This is only for the purpose of clarity and does not indicate the energy of the light rays or other differences.

[0030] First, the reflector 202 extends towards the projection lens 204 and reaches near the focal plane 204a, so that the reflector 202 itself (at least partially) acts as a cutoff aperture, but at the same time, it does not cause light loss, thus greatly improving efficiency. Figure 2a As shown, due to the presence of reflector 202, light near the focal plane 204a of projection lens 204 is concentrated above reflector 202. Light rays that might have otherwise been incident below reflector 202, such as ray 235 (shown in bold in the figure), are reflected by reflector 202 and remain above it, with almost no energy loss (reflectivity is generally 95% or higher; the loss caused by this reflection is minimal and will not be discussed). The term "above" refers to the focal plane 204a, because the light on focal plane 204a is projected by projection lens 204 to the far field for imaging. Therefore, the position on focal plane 204a directly determines the position on the far field spot. Since all the light on focal plane 204a is above reflector 202, the light projected to the far field through projection lens 204 forms a clear light-dark boundary line, such as... Figure 2e As shown, the light-dark boundary line 251a is formed by the image formed by the edge 202a of the reflector 202 located on one side of the focal plane; other light is located below this light-dark boundary line. As mentioned above, at least a portion of the light emitted by the LED chip 203 is incident on and reflected by the curved reflector 201. At least a portion of the reflected light exits from the light outlet 201a and converges to form a focusing point. Figure 2e The central bright spot 251p of the mid-light spot 251 is formed in the far field by the focusing point through the projection lens 204. This is very much in line with automotive regulations. Therefore, the reflector 202 extends towards the projection lens 204 and extends to the vicinity of the focal plane 204a, so that the reflector 202 itself (at least partially) acts as a cutoff aperture, making the far-field light distribution meet the requirements of automotive regulations, while causing almost no light loss.

[0031] Secondly, the reflector 202 ensures that the light emitted from the light outlet 201a of the reflective cavity is not only incident on the lower part of the projection lens 204, but is symmetrically distributed vertically, thus making the system more uniform. Observe the portion of the light rays that converge to form a focal point after being reflected by the curved reflector 201, as described above, such as rays 232, 234, and 235. Rays 232 and 234 pass directly over the reflector 202 without incident on the reflector 202, and these two rays are incident on the lower half of the projection lens 204. Because the reflector 202 extends to the vicinity of the focal plane 204a, a considerable portion of the light converging at the focal point will be incident on the reflector 202, such as ray 235. After incident on the reflector 202, it is reflected and then incident on the projection lens, at which point these rays are incident on the upper half of the projection lens 204. As can be seen, the light emitted from the light outlet 201a is basically symmetrical in the vertical direction, so light is incident on both the upper and lower parts of the projection lens 204, making the system more symmetrical.

[0032] Third, the reflector 202 can effectively reuse the "runaway light," and the curved reflector cup 201 can be made very small and flat, greatly reducing the system size. For example... Figure 2a In the example, observe rays 231, 232, and 233. These three rays originate from different positions on the LED chip 203 and are incident on the same point P on the curved reflector 201. Ray 232, originating from the center of the LED chip 203, is reflected by the curved reflector 201 and then incident on the focal point on the focal plane 204a, ultimately contributing to the central bright spot 251p at the far-field spot. Ray 231 (represented by a dashed line), originating from the left edge of the LED chip 203, is incident on point P and reflected by the curved reflector. Because the curved reflector becomes smaller and its relative size to the LED chip is no longer large, the distance between point P and the LED chip 203 is very close. Therefore, ray 231 cannot incident on the focal point and instead forms "runaway light." Ray 231 is reflected again by the curved reflector at point P and is reflected a second time, ultimately being projected into the far field by the projection lens 204. Light ray 233 (represented by a dotted line) emanating from the right edge of LED chip 203 forms "runaway light" for the same reason as light ray 231. Light ray 233 is incident on reflector 202 and reflected before being incident on projection lens 204 and projected into the far field. Therefore, although "runaway light" rays 231 and 233 are not incident on the focal point, they are ultimately collected by projection lens 204 and projected into the far field, forming... Figure 2e The portion of the far-field light spot 251 shown, excluding the central bright spot 251p, also has significance; this portion is used in low-beam illumination to light nearby areas or areas with a certain width. Overall, because the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector cup 201 and the reflective surface of the reflector plate 202 together form a reflective cavity, "runaway light" is not a concern.

[0033] This causes damage because even if the "runaway light" does not strike the focal point, it will still be reflected at an appropriate angle from the light outlet 201a due to the presence of the reflective cavity, and ultimately collected by the projection lens 204 and projected into the far field. It is evident that because the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector 201 and the reflective surface of the reflector 202 together form a reflective cavity, the curved reflector can be made very flat and small without fear of generating "runaway light." (Reference) Figure 2b The inner reflective wall of the curved reflector cup 201 at the edge of the light outlet 201a is called edge A 201b. Preferably, the maximum distance from edge A 201b of the curved reflector cup 201 to the reflective surface of the reflector plate 202 (in...) Figure 2b The value is represented as a), which is less than or equal to 10 times the diameter of the circumscribed circle of the LED chip 203's light-emitting surface. In this case, the curved light-emitting cup 201 is smaller overall (and therefore cheaper), and the entire system is more compact. In traditional solutions, this ratio is no less than 20 times (…). Figure 1 In the schematic diagram, the LED light source 110 is drawn relatively large to make it clearer, so the size ratio between the reflector cup 410 and the LED light source 110 appears to be small. However, in reality, the size ratio between the two is no less than 20 times. This ratio is designed to minimize the efficiency loss caused by the generation of "runaway light".

[0034] Fourth, also because the problem of reusing "runaway light" has been solved, the curved reflector cup 201 can be made flat, from...

[0035] Light emitted from the upper edge (e.g.) Figure 2a The light 236 emitted from the LED chip 203, which exits directly from the upper edge of the reflective cavity without being reflected by the curved light-emitting cup 201, will be entirely collected by the projection lens 204, thus eliminating the overflow light (e.g.) in existing solutions. Figure 1 The light 131 in the light source will be blocked, thus further improving efficiency. Preferably, refer to Figure 2b The length of the inner reflective wall of the curved reflector cup 201 along the line connecting the center of the light outlet and the center of the projection lens is called the length of the curved reflector cup 201 (in Figure 2bLet b be an example. The length b of the curved reflector cup is greater than or equal to 2.5 times the maximum distance a from the edge of A to the reflective surface of the reflector plate, i.e., b ≥ 2.5a. This limits the emission angle of the light emitted from the upper edge of the light outlet of the reflective cavity, allowing it to be collected by the projection lens 204. More preferably, the length b of the curved reflector cup is greater than or equal to 4 times the maximum distance a from the edge of A to the reflective surface of the reflector plate, and less than or equal to 10 times the maximum distance a from the edge of A to the reflective surface of the reflector plate, i.e., 4a ≤ b ≤ 10a. b greater than or equal to 4a is beneficial for further compressing the emission angle of the light emitted from the upper edge of the light outlet of the reflective cavity, thus benefiting the design of the projection lens 204. At the same time, b less than or equal to 10a prevents the reflective cavity from being too long, which would result in excessive reflection loss due to excessive reflections within it. The above preferred values ​​were obtained by the inventors through multiple simulations and experimental verifications. The inventors also noted that even outside the preferred conditions, the solution of this utility model can still produce significantly better effects than traditional solutions.

[0036] In summary, from an optical perspective, since the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector cup and the reflective surface of the reflector plate together form a reflective cavity, "runaway light" can be reused. This allows the curved reflector cup to be made very small (as described in point three above), while simultaneously reducing the system size and cost. The curved reflector cup can also be made very "flat" (as described in point four above), thus improving efficiency. Furthermore, because the reflector plate extends towards the projection lens and near the focal plane, the light projected into the far field through the projection lens has a natural and efficient distribution with a clear distinction between light and dark areas (as described in point one above). Additionally, the light emitted from the light outlet is symmetrical vertically, resulting in a more uniform and harmonious overall structure (as described in point two above). Therefore, the two specific technical features that define the reflector are "the inner wall of the curved reflector cup and the reflective surface of the reflector together form a reflective cavity" and "the reflector extends towards the projection lens and extends to the vicinity of the focal plane". Combined with other technical features, this completely solves the pain points of "low efficiency", "large size" and "uneven structure" in the existing technology, and realizes a vehicle lamp solution that has many advantages such as high efficiency, small size, low cost and uniform structure, while also meeting the optical requirements of regulations.

[0037] Figure 2dThis diagram shows a top view of the embodiment, with the LED chip 203 presented in perspective. The basic operating principle of this embodiment has already been described. The operating principle in the top view is similar: light emitted from the LED chip 203 converges at least partially to the focal plane 204a of the projection lens 204, such as rays 241 and 243. Such rays contribute to the far-field spot 251 and the central bright spot 251p. Rays 242 and 243 are emitted from different positions on the LED chip 203 and incident on the same point on the curved light cup 201. Compared to ray 243, ray 242, while not contributing to the central bright spot 251p, is still collected by the projection lens 204 and projected into the far field, thus still contributing to the entire far-field spot 251. Ray 244 emitted from the LED chip 203 does not incident on the curved light cup 201 but exits directly and is collected by the projection lens 204 and projected into the far field, without causing energy loss. Therefore, from a top-down view, the light emitted by LED chip 203 is also efficiently utilized. The light distribution in the top-down direction of focal plane 204a determines the light distribution in the horizontal direction of far-field spot 251. In this embodiment, since at least some light converges at focal plane 204a (e.g., rays 241 and 243), the far-field spot is also brightest in the center and gradually dims towards both sides in the horizontal direction. In fact, automotive lighting regulations do not have mandatory requirements for the lateral light distribution near the cutoff line. For example, a relatively uniform distribution in the horizontal direction can be achieved by designing a curved reflector surface in the top-down view, i.e., no longer converging at focal plane 204a. In this case, the curved reflector is not an ellipsoid in the top-down direction. This can be designed entirely according to actual needs, and will not be elaborated here.

[0038] Based on the above description and references Figure 2a It is understood that the reflector 202 needs to reflect light near the LED chip 203 to achieve the aforementioned beneficial effects. In other words, the closer the reflector 202 is to the LED chip 203, the better. Therefore, preferably, the reflector 202 has a through-hole, and the LED chip 203 is located within this through-hole, for example... Figure 2a As shown. And... Figure 2a In this design, the reflector on the left side of the LED chip 203 plays a limited role (it can reflect some light, but the energy ratio is not high). Therefore, a suitable alternative is to place the reflector 202 on the side of the LED chip 203 closest to the projection lens 204 and in close contact with the LED chip. Furthermore, it is preferable that the light-emitting surface of the LED chip and the reflective surface of the reflector are on the same plane. This allows the reflective surface of the reflector to pass through the two focal points of the (at least partially) curved reflector simultaneously, resulting in the simplest optical path design.

[0039] exist Figure 2aIn the illustrated embodiment, a heat sink 209 is also included, and the LED chip 203 is fixed on the heat sink 209. The shape and orientation of the heat sink 209 can be arbitrary, as long as it can help dissipate heat from the LED chip 203.

[0040] In the above embodiments, such as Figure 2e The far-field light spot 251 shown has a horizontally extending bright-dark boundary line 251a. This horizontally extending cutoff line can meet the requirements of regulations in some countries and regions, such as US vehicle lighting regulations and German regulations for two-wheeled electric vehicle lights. However, the shape requirements of the cutoff line are not necessarily the same in different countries and regions, so a cutoff line aperture is needed to solve this problem. In another embodiment of this utility model (structural side view as shown) Figure 3a As shown), in Figure 2a Based on the illustrated embodiment, a cutoff line aperture 305 is also included, located on the focal plane 304a of the projection lens 304. The cutoff line aperture 305 extends from one side of the reflector 302, with its extended edge being the cutoff edge 305a, which has a specific shape. At least a portion of the light emitted from the LED chip 303 is incident on and reflected by the curved reflector 301. At least a portion of the reflected light exits from the light outlet and converges to form a focusing point. The projection lens 304 has a focal plane, and the focusing point is located on this focal plane. The light emitted from the focal plane is projected by the projection lens and imaged into the far field. The cutoff line aperture 305 extends into the light outlet and blocks a portion of the light. Because the cutoff line aperture 305 is located on the focal plane 304a, it can be projected by the projection lens 304 and imaged into the far field, forming a far-field light spot 351. Figure 3b As shown. The far-field spot 351 has a cutoff line 351a that defines the boundary between light and dark areas. The shape of this cutoff line is determined by the shape of the cutoff edge 305a of the cutoff line stop 305. Figure 3b The shape shown is merely an example. Of course, we can design the shape of the cutoff edge 305a of the cutoff line aperture according to the different requirements of various countries and vehicles, which will not be elaborated here.

[0041] In this embodiment, although a cutoff aperture 305 is also used, some light will be lost due to the blockage caused by the cutoff aperture. However, the efficiency of this embodiment is higher than that of the cutoff aperture 305. Figure 1 The conventional solution shown is much more efficient. This is because, without the cutoff aperture 305, as described in the above embodiment, the reflector 302 itself can also achieve a horizontally extending light-dark boundary 351b. Therefore, the cutoff aperture 305 only blocks the light-dark boundary 351b. Figure 3b The difference in light shown in 352 indicates that the light loss is small, generally not exceeding 5%, and at most not exceeding 10%. Such light loss is... Figure 1 The aperture 30 shown blocks nearly half of the light, which is much smaller.

[0042] Figure 3c This diagram shows an exploded view of the actual structure of this embodiment (i.e., an exploded view of the assembly drawing to show each component in order to avoid obstruction), where the component numbers are equivalent to... Figure 3a .exist Figure 3c In addition to the curved reflector cup 301, reflector plate 302, LED chip 303, projection lens 304, and cutoff aperture 305, the system also includes a copper substrate 307, a base 308, a heat sink 309, and a housing 311. The LED chip 303 is fixed to the copper substrate 307, and the copper substrate 307 and reflector plate 302 are together fixed to the base 308. The curved reflector cup 301 is then fixed above the reflector plate 302, and the base 308 is fixed to the heat sink 309. Finally, the housing 311 is also fixed to the base, and the projection lens 304 is fixed inside the opening on the left side of the housing. Through ingenious optical and structural design, and after actual prototyping and testing, this invention has proven to have a system efficiency of up to 80%, far exceeding the 30-40% system efficiency of traditional solutions. Moreover, the system is compact, symmetrical, and low-cost. This innovative solution is expected to become a disruptive technology in this field.

[0043] In the above embodiments, the LED chips all emit light facing the curved reflector, but this is not actually necessary. This invention also proposes another embodiment, the side view of which is shown in the schematic diagram below. Figure 4 As shown. This embodiment is similar to... Figure 2a The difference in the illustrated embodiment is that the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector cup 401 and the reflective surface of the reflector plate 402 together form a reflective cavity. This reflective cavity has opposing light inlets and light outlets, and the LED chip 403 is located at the light inlet and faces the interior of the reflective cavity to emit light. To clarify the difference between this embodiment and... Figure 2a Let's first review the differences between the illustrated embodiments. Figure 2a The embodiment illustrates several types of light paths emitted by the LED chip 203. Firstly, they are divided into light incident on the curved reflector 201 (including example rays 231, 232, 233, 234, and 235) and light not incident on the curved reflector (including example ray 236). Since the LED chip 203 emits light facing the curved reflector 201, there is no light emitted by the LED chip that directly incident on the reflector. In other words, in… Figure 2aIn the illustrated embodiment, most of the light emitted from the LED chip 203 is incident on the curved reflector 201, with a small portion exiting directly from the light outlet. In this embodiment, the light emitted from the LED chip 403 is divided into three parts: light incident on the curved reflector 401 (including example rays 432, 433, and 435), light incident on the reflector 402 (including example rays 434 and 436, bolded in the figure), and light exiting directly from the light outlet (including example ray 431). The working principle of the light incident on the curved reflector 401 is similar to... Figure 2a The same as shown, as described in the previous embodiments (i.e., partially reflected by the curved reflector cup 401 and converged to form a focusing point, such as light rays 432, 433, and 435; partially formed runaway light that is reflected within the reflective cavity and finally emitted from the light outlet; this portion of light in...) Figure 4 (No example light ray is provided), so a detailed explanation will not be repeated. Light rays emitted directly from the light outlet (e.g., ray 431) are directly collected by the projection lens 404 and projected into the far field, which is also consistent with... Figure 2a The light ray 236 in the illustrated embodiment is the same and will not be described again. The light ray emitted from the LED chip 403 and incident on the reflector 402 falls into two categories. First, for example, light ray 434, after incident on the reflector 402, exits from the light outlet and is collected by the projection lens 404 before being projected into the far field. Second, for example, light ray 436, after being reflected by the reflector 402, it incident on the curved reflector cup 401. In this case, for the curved reflector cup 401, the light ray is equivalent to being emitted from the mirror image of the LED chip 403 with respect to the reflector 402. This light ray can also be reflected by the curved reflector cup 401 and incident near the focal point. Based on the above analysis of the possibilities of various light ray paths, we see that this embodiment is similar to... Figure 2a The only difference in the illustrated embodiment is the distribution of light emitted from the LED chip 403. In this embodiment, there is light emitted directly from the LED chip and incident on the reflector 402 (and this portion of the light is...). Figure 2a In the illustrated embodiment, this portion of light is absent, and it will ultimately be collected by the projection lens 404 and projected into the far field (some of which contributes to the focusing point, while others are incident on the area outside the central bright spot of the far-field light spot). Therefore, this embodiment is equivalent in terms of beneficial effects to... Figure 2a The embodiment shown may also include a cutoff line stop 405 located on the focal plane of the projection lens 404, the working principle of which is similar to... Figure 3a The working principle of the cutoff line aperture 305 in the illustrated embodiment is the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0044] In this embodiment, preferably, the LED chip 403 is located on the side of the light inlet closer to the reflector 402 and in close contact with the reflector 402. This has the advantage that the LED chip 403 and its mirror image on the reflector 402 can be integrated, effectively forming a larger light source. This results in a more uniform and continuous light distribution at the focal plane of the projection lens 404 after reflection by the curved reflector cup 401. Of course, even without using this preferred solution, this embodiment still possesses the aforementioned beneficial effects.

[0045] This embodiment also includes a heat sink 409, and the LED chip 403 is fixed on the heat sink 409. The placement orientation of the heat sink 409 is related to... Figure 2a The heat sink 209 in the illustrated embodiments is different, but the shape and orientation of the heat sink can be adjusted according to the actual situation, which does not affect the beneficial effects of this utility model.

[0046] This invention also proposes a vehicle headlight, including the aforementioned light-emitting device. The headlight may further include a wide-beam low beam module with a certain illumination width and a straight cutoff line. This wide-beam low beam module can cooperate with the light-emitting device of this invention. The wide-beam low beam module achieves a wider illumination range, while the cutoff line of the light-emitting device of this invention aligns with the cutoff line of the wide-beam low beam module, providing brighter illumination at the center.

[0047] The above description is merely an embodiment of this utility model and does not limit the patent scope of this utility model. Features in the various embodiments can be used interchangeably. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made based on the content of this utility model's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A light-emitting device for vehicle lights, characterized in that: The device includes an LED chip, a curved reflector, a reflector, and a projection lens. The curved reflector has a reflective inner wall, and the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector and the reflective surface of the reflector together form a reflective cavity. The reflective cavity has a light outlet, and the LED chip and the reflector are located on the same side of the curved reflector, with the LED chip facing the curved reflector to emit light. The light emitted by the LED chip is at least partially incident on the curved reflector and reflected by the curved reflector. The reflected light is emitted from the light outlet and converges to form a focusing point. The projection lens has a focal plane. The focusing point is located on the focal plane. The light emitted from the focal plane is projected by the projection lens and imaged to the far field. The reflector extends toward the projection lens and to the vicinity of the focal plane, and the reflective inner wall of the arc-shaped reflector cup is referred to as edge A at the edge of the light outlet.

2. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of the inner reflective wall of the arc-shaped reflector cup in the direction of the line connecting the center of the light outlet and the center of the projection lens is called the length of the arc-shaped reflector cup. The length of the arc-shaped reflector cup is greater than or equal to 2.5 times the maximum distance from the edge of A to the reflective surface of the reflector plate.

3. The light-emitting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The length of the curved reflector cup is greater than or equal to four times the maximum distance from edge A to the reflective surface of the reflector, and less than or equal to ten times the maximum distance from edge A to the reflective surface of the reflector.

4. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The maximum distance from edge A of the arc-shaped reflector to the reflective surface of the reflector is less than or equal to 10 times the diameter of the circumcircle of the LED chip's light-emitting surface.

5. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a cutoff line aperture located on the focal plane.

6. A light-emitting device for vehicle lights, characterized in that: The device includes an LED chip, a curved reflector, a reflector, and a projection lens. The curved reflector has a reflective inner wall, and the reflective inner wall of the curved reflector and the reflective surface of the reflector together form a reflective cavity. The reflective cavity has a light inlet and a light outlet, and the LED chip is located at the light inlet and faces the inside of the reflective cavity to emit light. The light emitted by the LED chip is at least partially incident on the curved reflector and reflected by the curved reflector. The reflected light is emitted from the light outlet and converges to form a focusing point. The projection lens has a focal plane. The focusing point is located on the focal plane. The light emitted from the focal plane is projected by the projection lens and imaged to the far field. The reflector extends toward the projection lens and to the vicinity of the focal plane, and the reflective inner wall of the arc-shaped reflector cup is referred to as edge A at the edge of the light outlet.

7. The light-emitting device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The length of the inner reflective wall of the arc-shaped reflector cup in the direction of the line connecting the center of the light outlet and the center of the projection lens is called the length of the arc-shaped reflector cup. The length of the arc-shaped reflector cup is greater than or equal to 2.5 times the maximum distance from the edge of A to the reflective surface of the reflector plate.

8. The light-emitting device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The length of the curved reflector cup is greater than or equal to four times the maximum distance from edge A to the reflective surface of the reflector, and less than or equal to ten times the maximum distance from edge A to the reflective surface of the reflector.

9. The light-emitting device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The maximum distance from edge A of the arc-shaped reflector to the reflective surface of the reflector is less than or equal to 10 times the diameter of the circumcircle of the LED chip's light-emitting surface.

10. A vehicle light, characterized in that: Includes the light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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