Optical device, laser illumination device, and vehicle
By designing a specific layout of phosphor sheets, reflectors, and lenses in the optical device, the safety hazards and insufficient brightness of laser-excited phosphor sheets are solved, achieving safe and efficient luminous flux output for laser lighting devices, which is suitable for miniaturized design of vehicle high and low beam lamp modules.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- APPOTRONICS CORP LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-05-06
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-05
AI Technical Summary
The existing optical design for laser-excited phosphor sheets to produce white light has safety hazards. The laser beam may be emitted directly through the lens and cause damage to the human eye. In addition, the brightness of the LED light source is insufficient to meet the needs of high and low beam lamp modules.
Design an optical device in which a phosphor sheet, a reflector, and a lens are coaxially arranged. The lens has a groove, and the reflector is located at the bottom of the groove. The light-receiving surface of the phosphor sheet is opposite to the transmission direction of the laser beam. The reflector is used to reflect the laser beam. The lens changes the direction of the beam to form a near-field illumination spot. The reflector ensures that the laser beam does not directly exit the lens.
It improves the safety of optical devices by preventing laser beams from directly shining outside the lens, ensuring eye safety, while also meeting the miniaturization requirements of high and low beam lamp modules and providing sufficient luminous flux.
Smart Images
Figure CN224327034U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of laser technology, and more specifically, to an optical device, a laser illumination device, and a vehicle. Background Technology
[0002] One trend in automotive headlight development is the miniaturization of high and low beam modules. This miniaturization benefits the overall headlight design, freeing up space for various sensors used in intelligent driving and digital light processing (DLP) lamps. To reduce the size of both low and high beam modules, the light-emitting modules need to be even smaller, while still producing sufficient luminous flux. Currently, laser-excited fluorescent white light meets the requirements, while LED light sources do not yet achieve the necessary brightness.
[0003] However, using lasers to excite phosphor sheets to produce white light poses certain safety concerns. Laser light emanating from vehicle headlights could potentially harm human eyes. Regarding transmissive optical designs, the laser beam enters from the back of the phosphor sheet. If the phosphor sheet breaks or detaches, the laser beam could potentially exit directly through the lens, creating an unsafe environment. Utility Model Content
[0004] This application proposes an optical device, a laser illumination device, and a vehicle to improve the aforementioned deficiencies.
[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides an optical device for use in a laser illumination device, comprising: a phosphor sheet, a reflector, and a lens; the phosphor sheet, the reflector, and the lens are coaxially arranged along the transmission direction of the laser beam; the lens has a groove on the side facing the phosphor sheet, the reflector is disposed at the bottom of the groove, and the phosphor sheet is disposed at the opening of the groove; the orientation of the light-receiving surface of the phosphor sheet and the orientation of the reflective surface of the reflector are both opposite to the transmission direction of the laser beam; the phosphor sheet is used to emit received laser light under the illumination of the laser beam, the reflector is used to reflect the laser beam or the received laser light through the reflective surface, and the lens is used to change the direction of the received laser light to form a high-beam illumination spot or a low-beam illumination spot.
[0006] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the reflective surface of the reflector is perpendicular to the transmission direction of the laser beam.
[0007] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the area of the reflective surface of the reflector is larger than the cross-sectional area of the laser beam.
[0008] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the reflector includes a positioning component and a reflecting component connected to each other, the positioning component being embedded in the bottom of the recess of the lens, and the reflecting surface being one side of the reflecting component.
[0009] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the positioning component includes a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion connected to each other, the second connecting portion being connected to the reflective component, and the maximum cross-sectional area of the first connecting portion in the transmission direction being greater than the maximum cross-sectional area of the second connecting portion in the transmission direction.
[0010] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion form a barb structure.
[0011] Optionally, in one possible implementation, it further includes: a heat-conducting plate, the side of the heat-conducting plate facing the lens including a first region and a second region; the phosphor sheet is disposed in the first region of the heat-conducting plate, the lens is connected to the second region of the heat-conducting plate, and the heat-conducting plate is used to dissipate heat for the phosphor sheet.
[0012] Optionally, in one possible implementation, it further includes: a heat sink connected to the heat-conducting plate for dissipating heat from the heat-conducting plate.
[0013] Optionally, for one possible implementation,
[0014] Secondly, this application also provides a laser lighting device, including: a laser source and the aforementioned optical device, wherein the laser source is used to provide a laser beam for the optical device.
[0015] Thirdly, this application also provides a vehicle, including: a vehicle body, wherein an installation position is provided within the vehicle body; and,
[0016] The aforementioned laser lighting device is used to fix the device at the mounting position.
[0017] The solution provided in this application includes: a phosphor sheet, a reflector, and a lens; the phosphor sheet, the reflector, and the lens are coaxially arranged along the transmission direction of the laser beam; the lens has a groove on the side facing the phosphor sheet, the reflector is disposed at the bottom of the groove, and the phosphor sheet is disposed at the opening of the groove; the orientation of the light-receiving surface of the phosphor sheet and the orientation of the reflective surface of the reflector are both opposite to the transmission direction of the laser beam; the phosphor sheet is used to emit received laser light under the illumination of the laser beam; the reflector is used to reflect the laser beam or the received laser light through the reflective surface; and the lens is used to change the direction of the received laser light to form a high-beam illumination spot or a low-beam illumination spot.
[0018] When the phosphor sheet breaks or falls off, the laser beam directly shines on the reflective surface of the reflector. The reflector reflects the laser beam, which can prevent the laser beam from shining directly outside the lens and causing damage to the human eye, thus improving the safety of the optical device.
[0019] Other features and advantages of this application will be set forth in the following description and will be apparent in part from the description or may be learned by practicing the application. The objectives and other advantages of this application may be realized and obtained by means of the structures particularly pointed out in the written description, claims, and drawings. Attached Figure Description
[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0021] Figure 1 A cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of the optical device provided in an embodiment of this application is shown;
[0022] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the low-beam illumination spot provided in an embodiment of this application is shown;
[0023] Figure 3 A cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of the reflector provided in an embodiment of this application is shown.
[0024] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:
[0025] 1. Phosphor sheet; 2. Reflector; 3. Lens; 4. Heat-conducting plate; 5. Heat sink; 6. Filter lens; 21. Positioning component; 211. First connecting part; 212. Second connecting part; 22. Reflecting component; 221. Reflective surface; 31. Groove. Detailed Implementation
[0026] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of them. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present application.
[0027] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures indicate similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures. Furthermore, in the description of this application, terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0028] One trend in automotive headlight development is the miniaturization of high and low beam modules. This miniaturization benefits the overall headlight design, freeing up space for various sensors used in intelligent driving and digital light processing (DLP) lamps. To reduce the size of both low and high beam modules, the light-emitting modules need to be even smaller, while still producing sufficient luminous flux. Currently, laser-excited fluorescent white light meets the requirements, while LED light sources do not yet achieve the necessary brightness.
[0029] However, using lasers to excite phosphor sheets to produce white light poses certain safety concerns. Laser light emanating from vehicle headlights could potentially harm human eyes. Regarding transmissive optical designs, the laser beam enters from the back of the phosphor sheet. If the phosphor sheet breaks or detaches, the laser beam could potentially exit directly through the lens, creating an unsafe environment.
[0030] Therefore, in this application embodiment, an optical device, a laser illumination device, and a vehicle are provided to solve or partially solve the above-mentioned problems.
[0031] Please see Figure 1 This illustration shows a structural schematic diagram of an optical device 100 provided in an embodiment of this application. The device 100 is applied to a laser illumination device and includes:
[0032] Phosphor sheet 1, reflector 2, and lens 3.
[0033] The phosphor sheet 1, the reflector 2, and the lens 3 are arranged coaxially along the transmission direction of the laser beam.
[0034] The lens 3 has a groove 31 on the side facing the phosphor sheet 1, the reflector 2 is located at the bottom of the groove 31, and the phosphor sheet 1 is located at the opening of the groove 31.
[0035] The orientation of the light-receiving surface of the phosphor 1 and the orientation of the reflective surface 221 of the reflector 2 are opposite to the transmission direction of the laser beam. The phosphor 1 is used to emit the laser beam under the illumination of the laser beam. The reflector 2 is used to reflect the laser beam or the laser beam through the reflective surface. The lens 3 is used to change the direction of the laser beam to form a high beam illumination spot or a low beam illumination spot.
[0036] It should be noted that when the phosphor sheet is irradiated by a laser beam, the emitted laser light is redirected by a lens, thus forming a high-beam or low-beam illumination spot. For example... Figure 2 As shown, it illustrates a schematic diagram of the low beam illumination spot, with the horizontal axis representing the distance in the horizontal direction and the vertical axis representing the distance in the vertical direction.
[0037] It is understandable that mechanical vibration, impact, or material aging can easily cause phosphor sheets to break or fall off. When phosphor sheets break or fall off, the laser beam directly shines on the reflective surface of the reflector. The reflector reflects the laser beam, which can prevent the laser beam from shining directly out of the lens and causing damage to the human eye, thus improving the safety of the optical device.
[0038] In one optional embodiment, the reflective surface 221 of the reflector 2 is perpendicular to the transmission direction of the laser beam. The reflector can reverse the direction of the laser beam by 180 degrees, allowing the laser beam to propagate in reverse, thereby ensuring that the laser beam does not shine outside the lens and harm the human eye.
[0039] In one optional embodiment, the angle between the reflective surface of the reflector and the transmission direction of the laser beam is between 75 degrees and 105 degrees. This is to ensure that the laser beam does not shine outside the lens and harm the human eye, and also to reduce the installation difficulty of the reflector and improve the manufacturing efficiency of the lens.
[0040] For example, the angle between the reflective surface of the reflector and the transmission direction of the laser beam is 75 degrees or 105 degrees.
[0041] In one optional embodiment, the area of the reflective surface 221 of the reflector 2 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the laser beam. This can reflect the entire laser beam, ensuring that none of the laser beam exits the lens, thus preventing the laser beam from shining outside the vehicle headlight and harming the eyes.
[0042] In one optional embodiment, the diameter of the reflective surface 221 of the reflector 2 is n times the diameter of the laser beam, where n ranges from 1.1 to 2.8. This is to prevent the laser beam from shining outside the lens and harming the human eye, and the impact on the light intensity of near and far beams is negligible.
[0043] As an example, the diameter of the laser beam is 0.8 mm, and the diameter of the reflective surface of the reflector is 1 mm, which reduces the light intensity attenuation of the output near and far beams by less than 0.5%.
[0044] As an example, the diameter of the laser beam is 0.8 mm, the diameter of the reflector's reflective surface is 2 mm, and the intensity attenuation of the output light from near and far distances is only about 1%.
[0045] It should be noted that the laser beam has high energy. In order to avoid being damaged by the laser beam, the reflector is made of metal and the reflective surface is a metal reflective surface. The metal reflective surface will not be damaged by the laser beam when reflecting the laser beam, and it has a long service life. When the phosphor sheet breaks or falls, the metal reflective surface can ensure stable reflection of the laser beam and prevent the laser beam from shining outside the lens and damaging the human eye.
[0046] In one alternative embodiment, please refer to Figure 3 The reflector 2 includes a positioning component 21 and a reflecting component 22 connected to each other. The positioning component 21 is embedded in the bottom of the groove 31 of the lens 3, and the reflective surface 221 is one side of the reflecting component 22.
[0047] The positioning component is embedded in the bottom of the lens groove, which can fix the reflector and the lens together to ensure that the relative position of the reflector and the lens remains unchanged. When the lens and the phosphor sheet are fixed, the relative position of the reflector and the phosphor sheet can remain unchanged. When the phosphor sheet breaks or falls, the reflector can reflect the laser beam to prevent the laser beam from shining outside the lens and damaging the human eye.
[0048] In one optional embodiment, the positioning component 21 includes a first connecting portion 211 and a second connecting portion 212 connected to each other, the second connecting portion 212 being connected to the reflective component 22, and the maximum cross-sectional area of the first connecting portion 211 in the transmission direction being greater than the maximum cross-sectional area of the second connecting portion 212 in the transmission direction.
[0049] In one alternative embodiment, the first connecting portion 211 and the second connecting portion 212 form a barb structure.
[0050] The positioning component 21 is embedded in the bottom of the groove 31 to prevent the reflector 2 from falling off the lens 3, thus ensuring the long-term effectiveness of the reflector 2.
[0051] It should be noted that the reflector 2 and the lens 3 are integrated into one piece. The reflector 2 can be heated to about 120 degrees Celsius and then embedded into the lens 3 material, or it can be embedded into the lens 3 by ultrasonic welding. The optical device of this application has a simple and compact structure, small size, and the light source path does not adversely affect the lens 3.
[0052] In one alternative embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 It also includes: a heat-conducting plate 4, the side of the heat-conducting plate 4 facing the lens 3 including a first region and a second region.
[0053] The phosphor sheet 1 is disposed in the first region of the heat-conducting plate 4, and the lens 3 is connected to the second region of the heat-conducting plate 4. The heat-conducting plate 4 is used to dissipate heat from the phosphor sheet 1.
[0054] It should be noted that the heat-conducting plate is a metal plate, which can be used to transfer the heat generated by the phosphor sheet. For example, the heat-conducting plate is a copper plate.
[0055] Furthermore, the first region of the heat-conducting plate is provided with a through hole, and a phosphor sheet is disposed in the first region of the heat-conducting plate. The laser beam passes through the through hole and irradiates the phosphor sheet to generate laser light. The lens is connected to the second region of the heat-conducting plate. After the lens is fixedly connected to the second region of the heat-conducting plate, the phosphor sheet is located at the groove opening position of the groove.
[0056] In one optional embodiment, it further includes a heat sink 5, which is connected to the heat-conducting plate 4 and is used to dissipate heat from the heat-conducting plate 4.
[0057] It should be noted that when laser light shines on the phosphor, the phosphor generates a large amount of heat. The heat-conducting plate connected to the phosphor is used for heat dissipation, and the heat sink is connected to the heat-conducting plate to further dissipate heat from the phosphor. The heat sink is made of materials including, but not limited to, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, graphene coating, or metal-based composite materials.
[0058] The phosphor sheet is a panel that carries fluorescent material. When a laser beam shines on the fluorescent material, it excites the material to emit color light that meets automotive-grade requirements. This emitted color light can serve as the light source for a car's low beam or high beam headlights. The fluorescent material can take various forms, such as coatings, dyes, and pigments; for example, the fluorescent material is phosphor powder.
[0059] It should be noted that different colors of laser light can excite different colors of light when they are irradiated onto specific fluorescent materials. Different fluorescent materials with different properties can be configured according to different colors of laser light, so that when the corresponding color of laser light is irradiated onto the fluorescent material, it can excite light that meets automotive-grade requirements.
[0060] An example of automotive-grade colored light is white light, the laser is a blue laser, and the phosphor sheet is a panel with yellow phosphor attached. When the blue laser shines on the yellow phosphor, the blue laser is partially converted into yellow light, and the remaining blue laser mixes with the yellow light to produce white light.
[0061] In one optional embodiment, a filter lens 6 is further included. One side of the filter lens 6 is connected to the phosphor sheet 1, and the other side of the filter lens 6 is connected to a first region of the heat-conducting plate 4. The laser beam passes through the through-hole and irradiates the filter lens 6, then irradiates the phosphor sheet 1 to generate laser light. The filter lens 6 is used to filter the laser beam, thereby improving optical efficiency.
[0062] For example, the filter lens is a sapphire crystal sheet coated with a thin film that transmits blue light and reflects yellow, green and red light, which can obtain purer blue laser light to irradiate the phosphor sheet and improve optical efficiency.
[0063] In one optional embodiment, the lens includes a converging lens and a microlens array. The converging lens is used to focus the laser beam and emit it along the X direction, which is the emission direction of the vehicle lamp. The microlens array is disposed in the optical path of the beam emitted by the converging lens. The microlens array includes multiple convex lenses with different refractive indices. The multiple convex lenses are used to refract the beam towards the horizontal plane where the road surface is located in the Y direction, so that the refracted beam forms a low beam illumination spot or a high beam illumination spot. The Y direction is a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane where the road surface is located, which meets the vehicle lamp illumination requirements.
[0064] This application also proposes a laser lighting device, comprising: a laser source and the aforementioned optical device, wherein the laser source provides a laser beam to the optical device. This prevents the laser beam from shining outside the vehicle headlights and harming the eyes.
[0065] The laser lighting device disclosed in this application, installed on a vehicle as part of the headlights, not only prevents the laser beam from directly escaping the headlights, but also excites the phosphor sheet to produce white light through normal incidence, thus achieving the smallest spot size and the highest excitation efficiency. Furthermore, the laser lighting device is small in size, has high luminous efficiency, and a compact structure, which benefits the overall design of the headlights and frees up space for various sensors used in intelligent driving. Only a small optical module (approximately 30mm x 30mm x 26mm) and a laser source are needed to obtain regulatory-compliant high or low beam illumination, achieving a luminous efficiency of 83%.
[0066] This application also proposes a vehicle, comprising: a vehicle body with a mounting position provided within the vehicle body; and the aforementioned laser lighting device, the laser lighting device being fixed at the mounting position. This can prevent the laser beam from shining outside the vehicle headlight and harming the eyes.
[0067] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.
Claims
1. An optical device, characterized in that, Applications in laser lighting devices, including: Phosphor sheets, reflectors, and lenses; The phosphor, the reflector, and the lens are arranged coaxially along the transmission direction of the laser beam; The lens has a groove on the side facing the phosphor sheet, the reflector is located at the bottom of the groove, and the phosphor sheet is located at the opening of the groove. The orientation of the light-receiving surface of the phosphor and the orientation of the reflective surface of the reflector are opposite to the transmission direction of the laser beam. The phosphor is used to emit the laser beam under the illumination of the laser beam. The reflector is used to reflect the laser beam or the laser beam through the reflective surface. The lens is used to change the direction of the laser beam to form a high beam illumination spot or a low beam illumination spot.
2. The optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reflective surface of the reflector is perpendicular to the transmission direction of the laser beam.
3. The optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The area of the reflector's reflective surface is larger than the cross-sectional area of the laser beam.
4. The optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reflector includes a positioning component and a reflecting component connected to each other. The positioning component is embedded in the bottom of the groove of the lens, and the reflecting surface is one side of the reflecting component.
5. The optical device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The positioning component includes a first connecting part and a second connecting part that are connected to each other. The second connecting part is connected to the reflective component. The maximum cross-sectional area of the first connecting part in the transmission direction is greater than the maximum cross-sectional area of the second connecting part in the transmission direction.
6. The optical device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first connecting part and the second connecting part form a barbed structure.
7. The optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A heat-conducting plate, wherein the side of the heat-conducting plate facing the lens includes a first region and a second region; The phosphor sheet is disposed in the first region of the heat-conducting plate, the lens is connected to the second region of the heat-conducting plate, and the heat-conducting plate is used to dissipate heat from the phosphor sheet.
8. The optical device according to claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: A heat sink, which is connected to the heat-conducting plate, is used to dissipate heat from the heat-conducting plate.
9. A laser lighting device, characterized in that, include: A laser source and an optical device according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the laser source is used to provide a laser beam for the optical device.
10. A vehicle, characterized in that, include: The vehicle body, wherein the vehicle body is provided with an installation position; and, The laser lighting device of claim 9, wherein the laser lighting device is used to fix the device at the mounting position.