Optical module and vehicle lamp

Abstract

The application discloses an optical module and a vehicle lamp. The optical module comprises a first light guide component and a second light guide component. The first light guide component has a first light inlet surface and a reflecting surface. The reflecting surface is arranged in the light outlet direction of the first light inlet surface. The second light guide component has a first light outlet surface. The first light outlet surface is arranged in the light outlet direction of the reflecting surface. The first light guide component and the second light guide component are integrally arranged. The reflecting surface is a parabolic surface or an ellipsoidal surface. The reflecting surface is arranged on the first light guide component. The first light guide component is a transparent piece. The physical loss of light is reduced. The light propagates in the first light guide component. The reflectivity of the reflecting surface is high. The optical efficiency of the optical module is improved. In addition, the first light guide component and the second light guide component are integrally arranged. The transformation of the medium in the light propagation process is avoided. The light always propagates in the same medium. The optical efficiency of the optical module is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of vehicle lighting technology, and more particularly to an optical module and vehicle lamp. Background Technology

[0002] As LED automotive lighting technology matures in the market, higher demands are being placed on the optical performance of vehicle low beams and high beams, including uniformity and width. For example... Figure 5 As shown, traditional automotive headlight modules form light patterns through the combination of reflector 60 and lens 70. The surface of reflector 60 is coated with aluminum to reflect light. The reflectivity of aluminum coating can reach 70%-85% at most. However, at least 15% physical loss is unavoidable. Therefore, in order to ensure the final illumination brightness, the minimum upper and lower openings of the final illuminated part are about 15mm, which cannot meet the design requirements of narrower openings. Alternatively, if you want to achieve a narrower opening using traditional solutions, you often increase the number of LED beads, but this will bring more heat and is not conducive to improving the lifespan of the entire headlight.

[0003] Therefore, improvements to existing technologies are necessary. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and to provide an optical module and vehicle light.

[0005] According to one aspect of this application, an optical module is provided, including a first light guide component and a second light guide component; the first light guide component has a first light incident surface and a reflective surface, the reflective surface being disposed in the light emitting direction of the first light incident surface; the second light guide component has a first light emitting surface, the first light emitting surface being disposed in the light emitting direction of the reflective surface; the first light guide component and the second light guide component are integrally disposed, and the reflective surface is a parabolic surface or an ellipsoidal surface.

[0006] In one embodiment, the light source is further included, which is disposed at the light-emitting focal point of the reflective surface; the light source has a light-emitting surface, and the angle between the light-emitting surface and the main light-emitting direction of the second light guide component is α, satisfying: 5°≤α≤35°.

[0007] In one embodiment, 10°≤α≤15°.

[0008] In one embodiment, a light source is further included, wherein the orthographic projection of the light source on the horizontal plane λ lies within the orthographic projection of the reflecting surface on the horizontal plane λ.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first light guide component further has a connecting surface disposed between the reflective surface and the first light incident surface; the connecting surface intersects with the first light incident surface to form a corner, and the corner is disposed on the side of the reflective surface away from the second light guide component.

[0010] In one embodiment, the first light-emitting surface is a wavy surface with multiple connected curved surfaces, and the curved surfaces bulge outward toward the light-emitting side of the first light-emitting surface.

[0011] In one embodiment, the reflecting surface is an ellipsoid, and the imaging focal point of the reflecting surface is located at the focal plane of the first light-emitting surface.

[0012] In one embodiment, a third light guide component is further included, which is spaced apart from the second light guide component on the side away from the first light guide component; the reflecting surface is an ellipsoid, and the imaging focal point of the reflecting surface is located between the second light guide component and the third light guide component.

[0013] In one embodiment, the third light guide component has a second light-incident surface and a second light-exit surface disposed opposite to each other, the second light-incident surface being disposed between the first light-exit surface and the second light-exit surface; the second light-incident surface is planar, and the second light-exit surface is a smooth cylindrical surface convex outward toward the light-exit side of the third light guide component.

[0014] According to another aspect of this application, a vehicle lamp is provided, including any of the optical modules described above.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this application are: the reflective surface is set on the first light guide component, which is a transparent component, reducing the physical loss of light. The light propagates inside the first light guide component, and the reflective surface has a high reflectivity, which fundamentally improves the optical efficiency of the optical module. In addition, the first light guide component and the second light guide component are integrated, avoiding the light from undergoing a change in medium during propagation. The light always propagates in the same medium, which improves the optical efficiency of the optical module. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The technical solution and other beneficial effects of this application will become apparent from the following detailed description of specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an integrated first light guide component and a second light guide component provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a low beam module provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 3This is a cross-sectional view of another low beam module provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of a high beam module provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle headlight module in the existing technology.

[0022] In the picture:

[0023] 10. First light guide component; 11. First light incident surface; 12. Reflective surface; 121. Imaging focal point; 13. Connecting surface;

[0024] 20. Second light guide component; 21. First light emitting surface;

[0025] 30. Light source; 31. Light-emitting surface;

[0026] 40. Corner;

[0027] 50. Third light guide component; 51. Second light incident surface; 52. Second light emitting surface;

[0028] 60. Reflector;

[0029] 70. Lens. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this 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 this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0031] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between them; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication between two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0032] The optical module and vehicle lights in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0033] like Figure 5As shown, traditional automotive headlight modules form light patterns through the combination of reflector 60 and lens 70. The surface of reflector 60 is coated with aluminum to reflect light. The reflectivity of aluminum coating can reach 70%-85% at most. However, at least 15% physical loss is unavoidable. Therefore, in order to ensure the final illumination brightness, the minimum upper and lower openings of the final illuminated part are about 15mm, which cannot meet the design requirements of narrower openings. Alternatively, if you want to achieve a narrower opening using traditional solutions, you often increase the number of LED beads, but this will bring more heat and is not conducive to improving the lifespan of the entire headlight.

[0034] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides an optical module including a first light guide component and a second light guide component. The first light guide component has a first light incident surface and a reflective surface, the reflective surface being disposed in the light emitting direction of the first light incident surface. The second light guide component has a first light emitting surface, the first light emitting surface being disposed in the light emitting direction of the reflective surface. The first light guide component and the second light guide component are integrally formed, and the reflective surface is a parabolic or ellipsoidal surface. This will be described in detail below.

[0035] For ease of explanation, the following embodiments use near-beam shape as an example, for example... Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the solution of this application can also be applied to the design of the high beam pattern, for example... Figure 4 As shown.

[0036] See Figure 1 The optical module includes a first light guide component 10 and a second light guide component 20. The first light guide component 10 has a first light incident surface 11 and a reflective surface 12, with the reflective surface 12 disposed in the light emitting direction of the first light incident surface 11. The second light guide component 20 has a first light emitting surface 21, which is disposed in the light emitting direction of the reflective surface 12. The first light guide component 10 and the second light guide component 20 are integrally disposed, and the reflective surface 12 is a parabolic or ellipsoidal surface.

[0037] In this application, the reflective surface 12 is disposed on the first light guide component 10, which is a transparent component. Compared with the traditional reflective mirror solution (the traditional solution coats the reflective surface 12 of the reflective mirror with aluminum, and the reflectivity of aluminum is lower than that of the transparent component), the physical loss of light is reduced. The light propagates inside the first light guide component 10, and the reflectivity of the reflective surface 12 is high, which fundamentally improves the optical efficiency of the optical module. In addition, the first light guide component 10 and the second light guide component 20 are disposed as a whole. By setting the two light guide components (i.e., the first light guide component 10 and the second light guide component 20) into a whole, the light is prevented from undergoing a change of medium during propagation. The light always propagates in the same medium (propagating in the integrated component formed by the first light guide component 10 and the second light guide component 20) and finally exits through the first light emitting surface 21. This reduces the Fresnel loss of light (Fresnel loss refers to the light energy loss phenomenon caused by reflection and transmission when light enters from one medium to another), and improves the optical efficiency of the optical module.

[0038] This configuration improves the overall optical efficiency of the optical module, while maintaining the same aperture width ( Figure 2 Under the dimension of vertical direction in the viewing angle, the solution of this application will have more luminous flux and higher brightness. That is, under the same brightness design requirements, the solution of this application can achieve the high brightness design requirements with a narrower aperture, and can make the light-emitting surface of the optical module narrower. Figure 2 (The vertical dimension is smaller in the field of view); it improves the utilization of light and meets the needs of flattened and personalized headlight design.

[0039] It is worth mentioning that traditional solutions are limited by the opening width (when the opening width is small, more light sources 30, such as LEDs, are needed to ensure the brightness), requiring more LED beads, which increases the cost of use and generates more heat, which is not conducive to improving the service life. In this application, the number of LEDs used can be reduced, reducing production costs while also reducing heat dissipation, improving the heat resistance of the entire lamp, and thus improving the service life of the vehicle lamp.

[0040] In addition, the first light guide component 10 and the second light guide component 20 are integrated, which reduces the number of parts. During the assembly process, only one part needs to be assembled to complete the installation of the first light guide component 10 and the second light guide component 20, which reduces the assembly difficulty. Moreover, the integrated design of the first light guide component 10 and the second light guide component 20 helps to improve the positional accuracy between the two and improve the final lighting effect.

[0041] It should be noted that the reflective surface 12 is a parabolic or ellipsoidal surface, which has a high reflectivity to light and can improve the overall luminous efficiency of the optical module. The relevant settings should be made according to the actual usage requirements.

[0042] See Figure 2 The optical module also includes a light source 30, which is located at the light-emitting focal point of the reflective surface 12. The light source 30 has a light-emitting surface 31, and the angle between the light-emitting surface 31 and the main light-emitting direction of the second light guide component 20 is α, which satisfies: 5°≤α≤35°, such as 5°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25°, 30°, 35°, etc.

[0043] By controlling the angle of the light-emitting surface 31 of the light source 30, the direction of the light emitted by the light source 30 is controlled. When the value of α is less than 5°, the light-emitting surface 31 (i.e. the first incident light surface 11) of the light source 30 tends to be arranged horizontally. The distance between the light-emitting surface 31 and the reflective surface 12 is too close, and the temperature near the reflective surface 12 is too high, which may lead to the risk of the reflective surface 12 being burned, which is not conducive to improving the service life. When the value of α is greater than 35°, the light-emitting surface 31 tends to be set vertically. With this setting, the light emitted from the light-emitting surface 31 will directly hit the first light-emitting surface 21, forming stray light that is difficult to eliminate. In actual lighting, it affects the uniformity of the overall lighting and the lighting effect is poor.

[0044] It should be noted that in actual use, the emitting surface 31 of the light source 30 is attached to the first light-incident surface 11, that is, the emitting surface 31 is parallel to the first light-incident surface 11. The angle between the emitting surface 31 and the main light-emitting direction of the second light guide component 20 is the same as the angle between the first light-incident surface 11 and the main light-emitting direction of the second light guide component 20. In actual processing, only the angle of the first light-incident surface 11 needs to be controlled to control the angle of the emitting surface 31. The precise control of the light-emitting angle of the emitting surface 31 is beneficial to improving the lighting effect and reducing the installation difficulty.

[0045] It is worth mentioning that the light source 30 is set at the light-emitting focal point of the reflective surface 12. Due to factors such as processing errors, the light source 30 does not necessarily have to be set exactly at the light-emitting focal point of the reflective surface 12. It can be set near the light-emitting focal point.

[0046] In addition, the main light output direction of the second light guide component 20 is Figure 2 As shown in the X direction, in practical applications, the X direction is the front-to-back direction of the vehicle. The light source 30 can be an LED lamp bead, and the light-emitting surface 31 of the light source 30 is the light-emitting surface 31 of the lamp bead.

[0047] In some embodiments, 10° ≤ α ≤ 15°.

[0048] Within the range of values, the smaller the value of α, the more light the reflecting surface 12 can receive from the emitting surface 31, thus improving the light utilization rate (taking an LED bead as an example, the divergence angle of an LED bead is around 120°, and as the value of α decreases, the divergence angle of the bead...). Figure 2Rotating counterclockwise within the viewing angle increases the range of the divergence angle of the reflective surface 12, meaning the reflective surface 12 can receive more light. At the same time, the emitting surface 31 also gets closer and closer to the reflective surface 12. Therefore, when 10°≤α≤15°, it can both avoid the ablation phenomenon caused by the distance between the emitting surface 31 and the reflective surface 12 being too close and enable the reflective surface 12 to receive more light, thereby improving optical efficiency.

[0049] In some embodiments, the optical module further includes a light source 30, the orthographic projection of the light source 30 on the horizontal plane λ being located within the orthographic projection of the reflective surface 12 on the horizontal plane λ.

[0050] In this embodiment, the reflective surface 12 can completely cover the light source 30, that is, the reflective surface 12 can preserve the divergence angle of the light source 30 as much as possible. In other words, most of the light emitted by the light-emitting surface 31 of the light source 30 can be directed toward the reflective surface 12, and the reflective surface 12 can receive more light, thereby improving the optical utilization rate.

[0051] In some embodiments, the first light guide component 10 further has a connecting surface 13, which is disposed between the reflective surface 12 and the first light incident surface 11; the connecting surface 13 intersects with the first light incident surface 11 to form a corner 40, which is disposed on the side of the reflective surface 12 away from the second light guide component 20.

[0052] The corner portion 40 is located on the side of the reflective surface 12 away from the second light guide component 20, that is, at the end of the first light incident surface 11 closest to the reflective surface 12 (with...). Figure 2 Taking the perspective as an example (the same applies below), the corner 40 extends from the top of the first light-incident surface 11 to the left side of the reflective surface 12. The corner 40 is located on the left side of the reflective surface 12. The corner 40 can protect the root of the reflective surface 12 (the end of the reflective surface 12 that is close to the first light-incident surface 11), preventing the root of the reflective surface 12 from being deformed by collision, ensuring the integrity of the reflective surface 12, and improving the lighting effect.

[0053] It is worth mentioning that the root of the reflective surface 12 is usually curved. If the first light-incident surface 11 is directly connected to the root of the reflective surface 12, the left side of the first light guide component 10 will have a complex shape and require high processing accuracy, which increases the processing difficulty. However, this application uses the connection surface 13, which is set in a straight line at the connection point between the connection surface 13 and the first light-incident surface 11. The structure is simple and there is no need to consider the processing accuracy at the connection point, which reduces the production difficulty.

[0054] In some embodiments, the first light-emitting surface 21 is a wave-shaped surface with multiple connected curved surfaces, and the curved surfaces bulge outward toward the light-emitting side of the first light-emitting surface 21.

[0055] With this setup, the light is diffused after passing through the first light-emitting surface 21, which helps to improve the uniformity of the final lighting effect.

[0056] It should be noted that the curved surface can be a cylindrical surface or a curved surface of other shapes, depending on the actual use case.

[0057] See Figure 3 The reflecting surface 12 is an ellipsoid, and the imaging focal point 121 of the reflecting surface 12 is located at the focal plane of the first light-emitting surface 21.

[0058] The imaging focus 121 is located at the focal plane of the first light-emitting surface 21, which ensures that the first light-emitting surface 21 collects more light, improves the utilization rate of light, and thus improves the final lighting effect.

[0059] It should be noted that the focal plane of the first light-emitting surface 21 is the horizontal plane where the focal point of the first light-emitting surface 21 is located. When the imaging focal point 121 is set on the focal plane, most of the light rays reflected by the reflecting surface 12 will pass through the imaging focal point 121 (i.e. the focal plane of the first light-emitting surface 21) and be emitted through the first light-emitting surface 21, thus avoiding the light rays from being emitted from areas other than the first light-emitting surface 21 and improving optical efficiency.

[0060] See Figure 2 The optical module also includes a third light guide component 50, which is spaced apart from the second light guide component 20 on the side away from the first light guide component 10; the reflective surface 12 is an ellipsoid, and the imaging focal point 121 of the reflective surface 12 is located between the second light guide component 20 and the third light guide component 50.

[0061] By setting the ellipsoidal reflector 12, the light emitted by the light source 30 is reflected downwards by the reflector 12. Figure 2 (View angle) can reduce the size of the third light guide component 50 in the vertical direction, which is beneficial to the overall flat design.

[0062] In some embodiments, the light can also be deflected downward in other ways, such as by adjusting the shape of the first light-emitting surface 21 of the second light guide component 20, etc., and is not limited to this.

[0063] After the light rays pass through the imaging focal point 121 and intersect vertically, they are directed towards the third light guide component 50. This reduces the width of the light rays in the vertical direction of the third light guide component 50 (the closer to the imaging focal point 121, the smaller the width of the light rays). More light rays can enter the third light guide component 50, preventing a lot of light rays from leaking out from the edge of the third light guide component 50, resulting in better light efficiency and higher light utilization.

[0064] It is worth mentioning that the width of the light reaching the third light guide component 50 in the vertical direction is reduced. Correspondingly, the vertical dimension of the third light guide component 50 does not need to be very large to receive most of the light. The vertical dimension of the third light guide component 50 can be compressed, which is beneficial to the flattening design (narrow opening design) of the third light guide component 50.

[0065] It should be noted that the imaging focal point 121 is the intersection point formed by the convergence of light rays after reflection by the reflecting surface 12.

[0066] In some embodiments, the imaging focal point 121 may also be located on the second light-incident surface 51 of the third light guide component 50. The light is deflected and propagates downward. The light on the left side of the imaging focal point 121 is located above the imaging focal point 121, and the light on the right side of the imaging focal point 121 is located below the imaging focal point 121. When the imaging focal point 121 is located on the light-incident surface (second light-incident surface 51) of the third light guide component 50, it can be ensured that all the light on the right side of the imaging focal point 121 enters the third light guide component 50, thereby improving the utilization rate of light.

[0067] It is worth mentioning that the closer the imaging focus 121 is to the third light guide component 50, the higher the light utilization rate. Correspondingly, the closer the distance between the light source 30 and the light-emitting surface 31 is, the more likely the light-emitting surface 31 will be ablated.

[0068] In some embodiments, the third light guide component 50 has a second light-incident surface 51 and a second light-exiting surface 52 disposed opposite to each other, the second light-incident surface 51 being disposed between the first light-exiting surface 21 and the second light-exiting surface 52; the second light-incident surface 51 is planar, and the second light-exiting surface 52 is a smooth cylindrical surface convex outward toward the light-exiting side of the third light guide component 50.

[0069] The second light-incident surface 51 is planar, with a simple structure and easy processing. The second light-exit surface 52 is a smooth cylindrical surface, resulting in a good overall visual effect.

[0070] It should be noted that in practical applications, the second light-emitting surface 52 can also be an appearance surface defined according to the shape. Correspondingly, the second light-incident surface 51 also needs to be adjusted accordingly, and is not limited to the convex and flat design in this embodiment.

[0071] On the other hand, this application also relates to a vehicle light, including any of the aforementioned optical modules.

[0072] The technical solution provided in this application aims to reduce the physical loss of light by setting the reflective surface 12 on the first light guide component 10, which is a transparent component. The light propagates inside the first light guide component 10, and the reflective surface 12 has a high reflectivity, which fundamentally improves the optical efficiency of the optical module. In addition, the first light guide component 10 and the second light guide component 20 are integrally set to avoid the light undergoing a change in medium during propagation. The light always propagates in the same medium, which improves the optical efficiency of the optical module.

[0073] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced mutually. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more.

[0074] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0075] The optical module and vehicle light provided in the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand this application and its core ideas. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope based on the ideas of this application. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

Claims

1. An optical module, characterized in that, include: The first light guide component has a first light incident surface and a reflective surface, wherein the reflective surface is disposed in the light emitting direction of the first light incident surface; as well as The second light guide component has a first light emitting surface, which is disposed in the light emitting direction of the reflective surface; The first light guide component and the second light guide component are integrally formed, and the reflective surface is a parabolic or ellipsoidal surface.

2. The optical module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a light source, which is disposed at the light-emitting focal point of the reflective surface; The light source has a light-emitting surface, and the angle between the light-emitting surface and the main light-emitting direction of the second light guide component is α, which satisfies: 5°≤α≤35°.

3. The optical module as described in claim 2, characterized in that, 10°≤α≤15°。 4. The optical module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a light source, the orthographic projection of which on the horizontal plane λ lies within the orthographic projection of the reflecting surface on the horizontal plane λ.

5. The optical module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first light guide component also has a connecting surface, which is disposed between the reflective surface and the first light incident surface; The connecting surface intersects with the first light-incident surface to form a corner, and the corner is located on the side of the reflective surface away from the second light guide component.

6. The optical module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first light-emitting surface is a wave-shaped surface with multiple connected curved surfaces, and the curved surfaces bulge outward toward the light-emitting side of the first light-emitting surface.

7. The optical module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The reflecting surface is an ellipsoid, and the imaging focal point of the reflecting surface is located at the focal plane of the first light-emitting surface.

8. The optical module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a third light guide component, which is spaced apart from the second light guide component on the side away from the first light guide component; The reflective surface is an ellipsoid, and the imaging focal point of the reflective surface is located between the second light guide component and the third light guide component.

9. The optical module as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The third light guide component has a second light-incident surface and a second light-outcident surface disposed opposite to each other, the second light-incident surface being disposed between the first light-outcident surface and the second light-outcident surface; The second light-incident surface is planar, and the second light-exiting surface is a smooth cylindrical surface that convexes outward toward the light-exiting side of the third light guide component.

10. A vehicle light, characterized in that, Includes the optical module as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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