Automotive projection lens module with focusing mechanism

Abstract

This utility model discloses an automotive projection lens module with a focusing mechanism, belonging to the field of automotive lighting and headlight projection technology. The module, along its optical axis, sequentially includes a light source and heat dissipation assembly structure, a base, a focusing and lens assembly, and a locking and limiting structure. The light source uses pixel LEDs. A guide groove is formed on the outer periphery of the base, and a guide protrusion is provided on the inner wall of the rotatable lens barrel, forming a helical transmission pair. When the rotatable lens barrel rotates, the guide protrusion slides along the guide groove, converting circular motion into axial linear displacement, achieving micron-level stepless continuous focusing. A collecting lens, an inner sleeve, and a projection lens are sequentially installed inside the rotatable lens barrel, with the front end axially locked by a fixing ring. After focusing, the rotatable lens barrel is mechanically locked by a focusing screw or clamp to prevent focus drift caused by adhesive curing. This solves the problems of low focusing accuracy, inability to continuously adjust, easy focus drift due to adhesive locking, and non-repairability in existing modules.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of automotive lighting and vehicle headlight projection technology, and relates to an automotive projection lens module with a focusing mechanism suitable for adaptive high beam (ADB) headlights and vehicle ground marking projection headlights equipped with pixel LED light sources. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of automotive intelligence, the function of automotive headlights has been upgraded from the traditional "simple illumination" to "intelligent interaction and projection." Pixel LED light sources, due to their high resolution and strong programmability, are widely used in ground information projection (such as navigation guide lines, pedestrian warning signs, etc.) and adaptive high beam systems. Because the size of a single pixel chip in a pixel LED is typically at the micrometer level, it places extremely stringent requirements on the assembly precision and focal length matching of the optical system.

[0003] Existing automotive projection lens modules typically employ a fixed structure. The most approximate implementation involves directly fixing the LED light source and lens barrel to the same aluminum base using screws. During focus fine-tuning on the assembly line, manual or machine measurements are usually required. Then, precision shims of varying thicknesses are selected and added to fine-tune the object distance between the light source and the lens. Finally, UV adhesive or epoxy resin adhesive is used for fixation.

[0004] The existing solution has three inherent flaws: 1. Insufficient focusing accuracy and inability to make continuous fine adjustments: The use of shims for adjustment is a discrete adjustment, which cannot achieve continuous and smooth adjustment at the micron level. It is difficult to completely eliminate the defocus caused by manufacturing tolerances and cannot meet the extreme clarity requirements of high-resolution pixel LEDs. 2. Low assembly efficiency and low yield due to adhesive residue: The adhesive fixing method requires a long curing time. In addition, the thermal shrinkage and deformation of the adhesive during the curing process can easily cause the originally adjusted focus to drift or shift due to temperature, resulting in a high product defect rate and hindering rapid operation on automated production lines. 3. Unable to perform secondary fine-tuning: After a period of use, if the light spot becomes blurred due to long-term vibration, material aging, or high and low temperature environments, it is impossible to perform further fine-tuning without damaging the module because its internal structure has been locked by glue.

[0005] In summary, the existing gasket + adhesive locking structure is no longer suitable for the high precision, repairability, and mass production automation requirements of pixel LED automotive lights, and there is an urgent need for a new adjustable focus lens module structure. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automotive projection lens module with a focusing mechanism, which achieves continuous stepless precision adjustment of the focal length by relying on a mechanical linkage structure, eliminating glue fixation and replacing it with mechanical locking, thereby improving focusing accuracy and mass production assembly efficiency.

[0007] The objective of this utility model is achieved through the following technical solution: A car projection lens module with a focusing mechanism comprises, from rear to front, the following components along the optical axis: The light source and heat dissipation assembly structure includes pixel LEDs, circuit boards, heat sinks, and fastening screws; The base has a central through hole inside and a guide groove on its outer circumference. The focusing and lens assembly includes a rotatable lens barrel, a collecting lens, an inner bushing, a projection lens, and a retaining ring; The locking and limiting structure includes at least one coke-locking screw; The rotatable mirror tube is sleeved on the front outer periphery of the base, and has a guide protrusion that matches the guide groove. The two constitute a helical transmission pair. The rotatable lens barrel is installed with a collecting lens, an inner bushing and a projection lens in sequence from back to front, and the front end is axially locked by a retaining ring. The focus-locking screw is installed in the locking threaded hole of the base and is used to press against the outer wall of the rotatable lens barrel after focusing is completed to achieve mechanical locking.

[0008] As a further improvement of this utility model, the guide groove is an inclined spiral guide groove or an arc groove with a specific slope.

[0009] As a further improvement of this utility model, the outer wall of the base is machined with scale lines around the guide groove to indicate the rotation angle or axial translation of the rotatable lens barrel.

[0010] As a further improvement of this utility model, the guide groove is disposed on the inner or outer wall of the rotatable lens barrel, and the guide protrusion is disposed on the outer periphery of the base.

[0011] As a further improvement of this utility model, the fixing ring is an elastic snap-fit ​​type or a threaded tightening type structure.

[0012] As a further improvement of this utility model, the locking and limiting structure includes at least two locking screws, which are radially screwed into the locking threaded hole of the base, with their ends pressing against the outer circular wall of the rotatable lens barrel.

[0013] As a further improvement of this utility model, the locking and limiting structure is a split deformable clamp ring disposed on the outer periphery of the base, which is locked by tightening the clamp fastening bolts.

[0014] The above technical solution has the following beneficial effects: 1. The helical transmission pair formed by the guide groove and guide protrusion converts rotational motion into axial displacement, achieving continuous and smooth object distance adjustment. This overcomes the precision limitations of discrete shim adjustment and meets the focus requirements of high-resolution pixel LEDs. Simultaneously, the outer wall of the base is equipped with scale lines, allowing operators to intuitively and precisely control the focusing amount based on the correspondence between the rotation angle and axial travel, facilitating consistency control in mass production.

[0015] 2. Mechanical locking methods such as locking screws or clamps are used instead of glue for fixing, avoiding focus drift caused by heat shrinkage or deformation of glue. After locking, the structure is stable and has strong resistance to vibration and temperature changes. At the same time, the mechanical locking structure can be loosened at any time, allowing for readjustment of the focus after assembly or during use without damaging the module structure, thus improving the maintainability and service life of the product.

[0016] 3. No need to wait for the adhesive to cure, avoiding yield losses caused by the dispensing process, facilitating rapid focusing and locking in automated production lines, significantly improving mass production efficiency and product consistency. Simultaneously, the inner bushing precisely limits the air gap between the collecting lens and the projection lens, combined with axial locking by the retaining ring, preventing optical element movement and ensuring stable imaging quality. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of this utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art can derive other embodiments based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0018] The structures, proportions, sizes, etc. shown in this specification are only for the purpose of assisting those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content disclosed herein, and are not intended to limit the implementation conditions of this utility model. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in the proportional relationships, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effects and purposes that this utility model can produce, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in this utility model.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure provided by this utility model.

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the fully assembled overall structure provided by this utility model.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A cross-sectional view along the AA direction.

[0023] In the picture: 1. Fastening screw; 2. Heat sink; 3. Circuit board; 4. Pixel LED; 5. Base; 51. Guide groove; 6. Focusing screw; 7. Rotatable lens barrel; 71. Guide protrusion; 8. Collection lens; 9. Inner bushing; 10. Projection lens; 11. Fixing ring. Detailed Implementation

[0024] In this utility model, unless otherwise stated, directional terms such as "upper," "lower," "top," and "bottom" are generally used in relation to the direction shown in the accompanying drawings, or in relation to the vertical, perpendicular, or gravitational direction of the component itself; similarly, for ease of understanding and description, "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours of each component itself, but the above directional terms are not used to limit this utility model.

[0025] Terminology Explanation: 1) Pixel LED: refers to a chip-level light source composed of multiple independently controllable micro-light-emitting units (such as Micro-LED), which can achieve high-resolution image projection or adaptive high beam (ADB) light distribution.

[0026] 2) Axial displacement: refers to the linear movement of a component along the optical axis (front-back direction) of the module center.

[0027] 3) Object distance: In this utility model, it specifically refers to the axial distance between the light-emitting surface of the pixel LED and the optical center of the first-stage optical lens (collecting lens).

[0028] like Figures 1-4 As shown, an automotive projection lens module with a focusing mechanism is provided. Along the optical axis, from back to front, the module includes a light source and heat dissipation assembly structure, a base 5, a focusing and lens assembly, and a locking and limiting structure. Specifically: The light source and heat dissipation assembly structure includes pixel LED 4, circuit board 3, heat sink 2, and fastening screws 1. Pixel LED 4 is welded and fixed to the front working surface of circuit board 3, serving as the projection light source for the entire module. Heat sink 2 is located on the rear end face of circuit board 3 to quickly absorb the temperature rise generated by pixel LED 4 during operation. In this embodiment, four fastening screws 1 are used, passing through the reserved mounting holes of heat sink 2 and circuit board 3 from the rear end, and threaded onto the rear end face of base 5. The pre-tightening force of the screws ensures that the end faces of heat sink 2, circuit board 3, and base 5 are tightly fitted. After assembly, the light-emitting center of pixel LED 4 coincides with the optical axis of the central through hole of base 5, ensuring that the heat dissipation surfaces are fully fitted to improve heat dissipation efficiency, and achieving coaxial positioning of the light source based on the assembly reference.

[0029] The base 5 has a central through hole inside, and a guide groove 51 is formed on the outer circumference of the base 5. The guide groove 51 is preferably an inclined spiral guide groove or an arc groove with a specific slope. The matching guide protrusion 71 is set on the outer wall of the rotatable lens barrel 7, and the guide protrusion 71 is embedded in the guide groove 51 to form a helical transmission pair. The outer wall of the base 5 is surrounded by a machining scale line near the guide groove 51. The scale is marked according to the correspondence between the rotation angle and the axial travel. When the operator rotates the lens barrel, he can intuitively read the movement by referring to the scale, which can offset the focal length deviation caused by the dimensional tolerance of the parts and quantitatively indicate the rotation angle or the corresponding axial translation when the rotatable lens barrel 7 is focused. The base 5 also has a locking thread hole for screwing in the locking screw 6. After the rotatable lens barrel 7 is adjusted into place, the position of the rotatable lens barrel 7 on the base 5 is fixed by tightening the locking screw 6.

[0030] As an equivalent alternative structure, the guide groove 51 can be opened on the inner / outer wall of the rotatable lens barrel 7, and the guide protrusion can be set on the outer periphery of the base 5, which can also realize the focusing function of rotational variable axial displacement.

[0031] The focusing and lens assembly includes a rotatable lens barrel 7, a collecting lens 8, an inner bushing 9, a projection lens 10, and a retaining ring 11. The rotatable lens barrel 7 is cylindrical in shape and is fitted onto the front outer periphery of the base 5. The rotatable lens barrel 7 has a guide protrusion 71 (or guide pin) that matches the guide groove 51. Axial sliding adjustment is achieved through the cooperation of the guide protrusion 71 and the guide groove 51. When the rotatable lens barrel 7 is rotated manually or with the aid of a fixture, the guide protrusion 71 slides along the guide groove 51, converting the circular rotation of the rotatable lens barrel 7 into axial linear displacement along the optical axis. This continuously changes the object distance between the pixel LED 4 and the collecting lens 8, achieving stepless continuous fine-tuning of the focal length, replacing the traditional segmented focusing process that requires adding or removing shims. The adjustment accuracy can reach the micrometer level.

[0032] The inner cavity of the rotatable lens barrel 7 is sequentially fitted with a collecting lens 8, an inner bushing 9, and a projection lens 10 from back to front. The inner bushing 9 abuts against the edges of the collecting lens 8 and the projection lens 10 at both ends, precisely limiting the air gap between them by its own machining length, thus preventing fluctuations in lens spacing during assembly. A retaining ring 11 is fitted into the front slot of the rotatable lens barrel 7. The retaining ring 11 can be either a spring-loaded snap-fit ​​type or a threaded tightening type. After assembly, the retaining ring 11 presses against the projection lens 10 from the front, axially locking the collecting lens 8, the inner bushing 9, and the projection lens 10 together within the rotatable lens barrel 7, preventing axial movement of the optical components.

[0033] The locking and limiting structure includes focus locking screws 6. This solution preferably uses three focus locking screws 6 as locking components. During focusing operations, all focus locking screws are in a loose state. After the focus is calibrated, at least two focus locking screws are selected and screwed radially into the locking threaded holes of the base. The ends of the focus locking screws 6 press against the outer circular wall of the rotatable lens barrel 7. The static friction generated by the thread tightening restricts the relative rotation of the base 5 and the rotatable lens barrel 7, preventing focus drift during use.

[0034] Of course, in addition to using the focus-locking screw 6, the above-mentioned locking and limiting structure can also be replaced by setting a split deformable clamp ring on the outer periphery of the base 5. After focusing is completed, tighten the clamp fastening bolt, and use the clamp to deform and squeeze inward to clamp the rotatable lens barrel 7, thereby achieving component locking and fixing.

[0035] This utility model provides an automotive projection lens module with a focusing mechanism, which abandons the traditional discrete focusing mode of shims. It achieves micron-level stepless axial adjustment through a spiral transmission pair composed of a guide groove 51 on the base and a guide protrusion 71 on the rotatable lens barrel. It also achieves quantitative adjustment in conjunction with the scale on the base, effectively avoiding the problem of inconsistent focal length in batch products caused by the tolerance of component processing. Furthermore, it can be firmly locked by a mechanical structure, ensuring a secure and reliable lock, meeting the focal length requirements of pixel LED high-definition projection, and improving assembly efficiency and mass production stability.

[0036] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to this application. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0037] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0038] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the utility model. Various modifications and variations can be made to this utility model by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A car projection lens module with a focusing mechanism, characterized in that, Along the optical principal axis from back to front, the following are included in sequence: The light source and heat dissipation assembly structure includes pixel LEDs (4), circuit boards (3), heat sinks (2) and fastening screws (1). The base (5) has a central through hole inside and a guide groove (51) on its outer circumference. The focusing and lens assembly includes a rotatable lens barrel (7), a collecting lens (8), an inner bushing (9), a projection lens (10), and a retaining ring (11). The locking and limiting structure includes at least one coke-locking screw (6); The rotatable lens tube (7) is fitted on the front outer periphery of the base (5), and a guide protrusion (71) matching the guide groove (51) is provided on it, and the two constitute a helical transmission pair. The inner cavity of the rotatable lens tube (7) is sequentially fitted with a collecting lens (8), an inner bushing (9), and a projection lens (10) from back to front, and the front end is axially locked by a retaining ring (11). The focus-locking screw (6) is installed in the locking thread hole of the base (5) and is used to press against the outer wall of the rotatable lens barrel (7) after focusing is completed to achieve mechanical locking.

2. The automotive projection lens module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide groove (51) is an inclined spiral guide groove or an arc groove with a slope.

3. The automotive projection lens module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer wall of the base (5) is machined with scale lines around the guide groove (51) to indicate the rotation angle or axial translation of the rotatable lens barrel (7).

4. The automotive projection lens module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide groove (51) is provided on the inner or outer wall of the rotatable lens tube (7), and the guide protrusion (71) is provided on the outer periphery of the base (5).

5. The automotive projection lens module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The retaining ring (11) is an elastic snap-on type or a threaded tightening type structure.

6. The automotive projection lens module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The locking and limiting structure includes at least two locking screws (6), which are screwed radially into the locking threaded hole of the base (5), with the ends pressing against the outer circular wall of the rotatable lens barrel (7).

7. The automotive projection lens module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The locking and limiting structure is a split deformable clamp ring set on the outer periphery of the base (5), which is locked by tightening the clamp fastening bolt.

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