Vehicle light with one light source, two reflectors, two light lenses each with a luminous surface and a mask between the two luminous surfaces that prevents a direct view of the light source.

Abstract

Lamp for a vehicle comprising a light source (1), a first reflector (2), and a first and a second lens (6, 7), each with a side facing the light source (1) and a side facing away from the light source (1), wherein the lenses (6, 7) each comprise light-scattering elements (13, 14) which, upon striking light, form luminous surfaces (17, 18), wherein the light source (1), the first reflector (2), and the lenses (6, 7) are arranged such that light emitted by the light source (1) is reflected by a reflector surface (3) of the first reflector (2) and forms a first luminous surface (17) on the first lens (6) of the lamp, and with a second reflector (4) whose reflector surface (5) is arranged separately from the reflector surface (3) of the first reflector (2) and which is arranged such that light emitted from the light source (1) is reflected from the reflector surface (5) of the second reflector (4) and forms a second luminous surface (18) on the second light disk (7) of the luminaire, wherein the first and the second luminous surfaces (17, 18) are not connected, wherein the light disks (6, 7) are designed as intermediate light disks which are arranged within a housing (12) of the luminaire and perpendicular to the direction (L) of the basic light emission of the luminaire, wherein the housing (12) is closed by a cover disk (8) in the direction of light emission (L), wherein the light source (1) is shielded by a mask (9) which prevents a direct view of the light source (1) from the outside, and wherein the mask (9) is provided separately from the intermediate light discs, characterized in that that the mask (9) is arranged between the first luminous surface (17) formed by the first light disk (6) and the second luminous surface (18) formed by the second light disk (7).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a luminaire according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] When redesigning vehicles, the problem arises that, due to the desired aerodynamics and design, the installation space for lighting units, especially for the lights, including the taillights and headlights, is very tight. However, the signaling effect of a light is determined by the peripheral size of the radiating surface and the luminance. Furthermore, vehicle lights contribute significantly to the design of the vehicle. The design of the lights is often intended to give the vehicle a characteristic appearance that is easily recognized. Another problem arises that the costs of manufacturing the lights must be as low as possible.

[0003] DE 88 01 514 U1 describes a vehicle light with two housing parts that can be moved relative to one another. One housing part has a reflector, a light source, and a diffuser as the light exit surface. The second housing part also has a diffuser, with an air gap formed between the spaced-apart housing parts. The housing part containing the light source has a light exit device in the region of a surface associated with the other housing part. The other housing part has a light entry device in the region of a surface associated with one housing part. In this way, it is possible to enlarge the light field of the light towards a movable vehicle part without having to provide a power supply for the movable vehicle part.

[0004] DE 44 17 695 A1 describes a motor vehicle lamp with a bulb and a reflector associated with the bulb. The reflector, together with the bulb, is located behind a lens. The lens of the lamp should be illuminated as evenly as possible. To achieve this, a prism is positioned in the beam path of a portion of the light beam emitted by the bulb and reflected by the reflector. This prism reflects the light rays to an additional reflector. This reflects the light rays toward the lens, thus evenly illuminating it.

[0005] DE 103 59 185 A1 describes a lamp for vehicles with a light source, with a first reflector reflecting in the light emission direction, onto which a first partial light beam coming directly from the light source impinges, and with a second reflector reflecting in the light emission direction, onto which a second partial light beam coming directly from the light source impinges, wherein the light source is designed as a point-shaped light source and the first reflector and the second reflector are arranged in front of the point-shaped light source in the light emission direction.

[0006] FR 1 418 890 A describes an optical device for the investigation and production of signals with prescribed power.

[0007] DE 195 19 872 A1 describes a headlight for vehicles with a reflector having a central area and a peripheral area, with a light source inserted into the reflector.

[0008] EP 1 411 291 A2 describes a vehicle lamp having a set of first reflection surfaces which reflect the light emitted by a first diode towards a lamp lens, and a set of second reflection surfaces which reflect the light emitted by a second diode towards the lamp lens.

[0009] It is the object of the present invention to provide a lamp of the type mentioned at the outset which, on the one hand, gives the vehicle a characteristic appearance, but on the other hand is easily adaptable to different installation space conditions and which, finally, can be produced cost-effectively.

[0010] This object is achieved according to the invention by a luminaire having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments emerge from the subclaims.

[0011] The luminaire according to the invention has at least one second reflector, the reflector surface of which is arranged separately from the reflector surface of the first reflector and which is arranged such that light emitted by the light source is reflected by the reflector surface of the second reflector and forms a second luminous surface of the luminaire, wherein the first and second luminous surfaces are not contiguous.

[0012] According to the invention, the light emission from one light source thus strikes two separate reflector surfaces, which provide two separate illuminated surfaces. Conventional lights with non-connected illuminated surfaces provide multiple light sources. Typically, at least one separate light source is assigned to each illuminated surface. Due to the design of the light according to the invention, costs can be saved for the manufacture of the light, as only one light source is required. Furthermore, the installation space for the additional light source that is usually provided can be saved. Finally, the non-connected illuminated surfaces can give the light a characteristic signature that makes the vehicle easily recognizable.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of the luminaire according to the invention, the reflector surface of the first reflector lies on a surface formed by a first paraboloid of revolution. Furthermore, the reflector surface of the second reflector lies on a surface formed by a second paraboloid of revolution, with the light source arranged at the focal point of both paraboloids of revolution. Due to the parabolic shape of the reflector surfaces and the arrangement of the light source at the focal point of the parabolas, the light reflected by the reflector surfaces is parallel. Due to this parallelism of the reflected light, which forms the two luminous surfaces, the light intensity of the luminous surfaces is very homogeneous from all viewing angles. The luminous surfaces thus appear to have the same brightness from all angles.

[0014] The two paraboloids of revolution can be identical. In this case, the two reflector surfaces are located separately on the surface of a single paraboloid of revolution. The choice of the position and size of the reflector surfaces on the imaginary paraboloid of revolution can depend on the available space and the shape and size of the desired illuminated surfaces.

[0015] According to another embodiment, the first and second paraboloids of revolution are different. The two paraboloids of revolution thus have different parameterizations, with the focal point of both paraboloids of revolution being identically located at the position of the light source. In this case, the position of the two reflector surfaces can be varied even more, allowing the luminaire to be adapted even better to the installation space. The result is staggered and separately arranged reflector surfaces that provide parallel light beams directed toward the light discs.

[0016] The light discs particularly comprise light-scattering elements. The light-scattering elements preferably extend horizontally on the sides facing away from the light source. They are particularly horizontally aligned partial rollers. On the sides facing the light source, light-scattering elements preferably extend vertically. In this case, too, they can be vertically aligned partial rollers. In cross-section on the light entry or exit side, the partial rollers can have the shape of a circular or parabolic segment or another convex curvature that essentially results from the desired light scattering. The light-scattering elements on the sides facing away from the light source are preferably particularly prominent. They have a different curvature than the light-scattering elements on the sides facing the light source.The curvature of the horizontally aligned partial rollers on the sides of the light discs facing away from the light source is particularly smaller than the curvature of the vertically aligned partial rollers on the sides facing the light source. This design results in the partial rollers on the outside being very clearly visible from the outside.

[0017] The light-diffusing elements of the light panels ensure that the parallel light striking the light panels from the reflectors is scattered at the desired angle. The light-diffusing elements are designed so that the contour of the light panels on the sides visible from the outside meets the aesthetic requirements, i.e. the desired design, whereas the light-diffusing elements on the backs, i.e. the sides facing the light source, take on the main function of light diffusion. A certain light diffusion is thus created by the light-diffusing elements on the sides visible from the outside. However, the desired light diffusion is only achieved by supplementing the light-diffusing elements on the sides not visible from the outside.

[0018] According to a further embodiment of the luminaire according to the invention, the light-diffusing elements of the light discs are arranged only in the area of ​​the luminous surfaces of the luminaire. The light disc thus consists of two separate light discs.

[0019] In the luminaire according to the invention, the light source is shielded by a mask that prevents direct view of the light source from the outside. This ensures that from the outside, only the two illuminated surfaces are visible, not the light source itself.

[0020] According to a further embodiment of the luminaire according to the invention, it has a housing which is closed off in the direction of light emission by a cover plate. In this case, the light plates are arranged inside the housing. They thus form intermediate light plates. The cover plate is preferably designed with a clear glass optic, i.e. it is possible to see into the interior of the housing from the outside without significant impairment. The appearance of the luminaire is thus determined by the intermediate light plates with the light-diffusing elements on the outer sides, both when the light source is switched on and when the light source is switched off. The luminous surfaces, which are visible through the cover plate, are formed on the outer sides of the intermediate light plates.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the luminaire according to the invention, the first luminous surface can have a disc or rectangular shape, the second luminous surface can have an angular shape.

[0022] The invention will now be explained using an embodiment with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows schematically a section through an embodiment of the luminaire according to the invention, Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the light source and the two reflectors of the embodiment of the luminaire according to the invention, Fig. 3 shows the view of the embodiment of the lamp according to the invention in the switched-on state from the outside and Fig. 4 shows a detail of the embodiment of the luminaire according to the invention.

[0023] With reference to Fig. 1, the basic structure of the lamp is described. The lamp in the example shown is a rear lamp. It should be noted that the Fig. The section shown in Figure 1 does not necessarily follow a single plane. Rather, the section can also be chosen so that both reflectors are visible. The directions used below, such as horizontal, vertical, and lateral, refer to the lamp being installed in a vehicle.

[0024] The luminaire comprises a light source 1. This can be a known light source 1, which is as point-shaped as possible. Furthermore, a first reflector 2 with a reflector surface 3 is provided. As shown in Fig. 1, the light emitted by the light source 1 strikes the reflector surface 3 and is reflected there in the direction L of the basic light emission of the luminaire. The reflector surface 3 lies on the surface of a first paraboloid of revolution, with the light source 1 being arranged at the focal point of this first paraboloid of revolution. The light striking the reflector surface 3 from the light source 1 is thus reflected in such a way that a parallel light beam is produced. This light beam strikes a light disk designed as an intermediate light disk 6. The intermediate light disk 6 has light-scattering elements 15 on the side facing the light source 1 and light-scattering elements 13 on the side facing away from the light source 1, i.e. on the side visible from the outside. The light is deflected in the vertical and horizontal directions by these light-scattering elements 15 and 13, forming a luminous surface 17, as will be explained later.

[0025] The luminaire further comprises a second reflector 4, whose reflector surface 5 is arranged separately from the reflector surface 3 of the first reflector 2. The light emitted by the light source 1 also strikes the reflector surface 5 of the second reflector 4 and is reflected there in the direction L. The reflector surface 5 of the second reflector 4 also lies on a surface formed by a paraboloid of revolution. The paraboloid of revolution of the reflector surface 5 of the second reflector 4 can be the same paraboloid of revolution on whose surface the reflector surface 3 of the first reflector 2 lies. In the present case, however, the reflector surface 5 of the second reflector 4 lies on the surface of a second paraboloid of revolution, which differs from the first paraboloid of revolution. The focal points of the two paraboloids of revolution, however, are each located at the position of the light source 1.In the present case, both the reflector surfaces 3 and 5, as well as the two reflectors 2 and 4 are arranged separately from each other.

[0026] The light emitted by the light source 1, which falls on the reflector surface 5 of the second reflector 4, is reflected by the reflector surface 5 in such a way that a further parallel light beam is produced, which falls on a second intermediate light disk 7. In the present exemplary embodiment, the intermediate light disk 7, like the intermediate light disk 6, has light-scattering elements 16 on the side facing the light source 1 and light-scattering elements 14 on the side facing away from the light source 1. The light-scattering elements 13 and 14 of the intermediate light disks 6 and 7, which are arranged on the side facing away from the light source 1, can be identically shaped. The intermediate light disk 7 forms a second luminous surface 18, which is distinguished in that it is not connected to the first luminous surface 17 formed in the intermediate light disk 6.Thus, two separate luminous surfaces 17 and 18 are created from a single light source 1.

[0027] The luminaire is provided within a housing 12, which is closed off to the outside by a cover plate 8. The cover plate 8 is designed with a clear glass optic, so that the light rays emanating from the intermediate light plates 6 and 7 are essentially not influenced in their direction by the cover plate 8.

[0028] The intermediate light panels 6 and 7 are arranged perpendicular to the direction L. In this plane perpendicular to the direction L, a mask 9 is located between the two intermediate light panels 6 and 7, and masks 10 and 11 are also located above and below the intermediate light panels 6 and 7. The mask 9 shields the light source 1 in such a way that it prevents a direct view of the light source 1 from the outside. The masks 10 and 11 also prevent a view into the luminaire from the outside. From the outside, therefore, only the light-diffusing elements 13 and 14 of the sides of the intermediate light panels 6 and 7 facing away from the light source 1 can be seen, which form the luminous surfaces 17 and 18.

[0029] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the luminaire can be enclosed in cross-section by the masks 9, 10, and 11 as well as the intermediate light panels 6 and 7. However, the masks 9 to 11, in particular the mask 9, could also be provided separately from the intermediate light panels 6 and 7. In this case, the intermediate light panels 6 and 7 could be formed by a single intermediate light panel, with the light-scattering elements 13 to 16 being arranged only in the region of the desired luminous surfaces 17 and 18.

[0030] An example of a shape of the luminous surfaces 17 and 18 and the corresponding reflectors 2 and 4 is shown in the Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. The reflectors 2 and 4 are arranged separately and staggered. The shape of the reflectors 2 and 4 depends on the desired shape of the luminous surfaces 17 and 18, which are Fig. 3. In the present embodiment, the luminous surface 17 is essentially disc-shaped or rectangular, and the luminous surface 18 is angular.

[0031] Fig. Figure 4 shows a detail of the intermediate light disc 7. The intermediate light disc 6 is shaped accordingly. On the side visible from the outside, the intermediate light disc 7 has light-diffusing elements 14 that extend horizontally. These are partial cylinders. The curvature of the surface can be circular or have another convex shape. These horizontally extending light-diffusing elements 14 scatter the parallel incident light beam in the vertical direction. The shape of the light-diffusing elements 14, however, depends in particular on the design that the luminaire is to have, since these light-diffusing elements 14 are visible from the outside.

[0032] On the inside of the intermediate lens 7, light-diffusing elements 16 are arranged, extending in a vertical direction. In this case, too, these are partial rollers, but their curvature differs from the curvature of the partial rollers of the light-diffusing elements 14. The curvature of the light-diffusing elements 16 is greater, so that more light-diffusing elements 16 are arranged on the intermediate lens 7 per unit length than light-diffusing elements 14. The light-diffusing elements 16 deflect the parallel incident light beam in a horizontal direction. They therefore essentially determine the angles from which the light is visible to other road users. Design aspects do not need to be taken into account when designing the light-diffusing elements 16, as they are essentially invisible from the outside. They can be selected so that the optical requirements of the light are met. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS 1 light source 2 first reflector 3 Reflector surface 4 second reflector 5 Reflector surface 6 Intermediate lens 7 Intermediate lens 8 Cover lens 9 Mask 10 Mask 11 Mask 12 housings 13 light-scattering elements 14 light-scattering elements 15 light-scattering elements 16 light-scattering elements 17 illuminated area 18 illuminated areas

Claims

[1] A lamp for a vehicle, comprising a light source (1), a first reflector (2), and a first and a second light disc (6, 7), each having a side facing the light source (1) and a side facing away from the light source (1), wherein the light discs (6, 7) each comprise light-scattering elements (13, 14) which form luminous surfaces (17, 18) when light strikes them, wherein the light source (1), the first reflector (2), and the light discs (6, 7) are arranged such that light emitted by the light source (1) is reflected by a reflector surface (3) of the first reflector (2) and forms a first luminous surface (17) on the first light disc (6) of the lamp, and with a second reflector (4), the reflector surface (5) of which is arranged separately from the reflector surface (3) of the first reflector (2) and which is arranged such that light emitted by the light source (1) is reflected by the reflector surface (5) of the second reflector (4) and forms a second luminous surface (18) on the second light disc (7) of the luminaire, wherein the first and second luminous surfaces (17, 18) are not contiguous, wherein the light discs (6, 7) are designed as intermediate light discs which are arranged within a housing (12) of the luminaire and perpendicular to the direction (L) of the basic light emission of the luminaire, wherein the housing (12) is closed by a cover disc (8) in the light exit direction (L), wherein the light source (1) is shielded by a mask (9) which prevents a direct view of the light source (1) from the outside, and wherein the mask (9) is provided separately from the intermediate light discs, characterized by , that the mask (9) is arranged between the first luminous surface (17) formed by the first light disc (6) and the second luminous surface (18) formed by the second light disc (7). [2] Luminaire according to claim 1, characterized by that the reflector surface (3) of the first reflector (2) lies on a surface formed by a first paraboloid of revolution and that the reflector surface (5) of the second reflector (4) lies on a surface formed by a second paraboloid of revolution, wherein the light source (1) is arranged at the focal point of both paraboloids of revolution. [3] Luminaire according to claim 2, characterized by that the first and second paraboloids of revolution are identical. [4] Luminaire according to claim 2, characterized by that the first and second paraboloids of revolution are different. [5] Luminaire according to claim 1, characterized bythat the light-scattering elements (13, 14) extend in a horizontal direction on the sides of the light discs (6, 7) facing away from the light source (1). [6] Luminaire according to claim 5, characterized by that the light-scattering elements (13, 14) on the sides of the light discs (6, 7) facing away from the light source (1) are horizontally aligned partial rollers. [7] Luminaire according to one of claims 1, 5 or 6, characterized by that the light-scattering elements (15, 16) extend in the vertical direction on the sides of the light discs (6, 7) facing the light source (1). [8] Luminaire according to claim 7, characterized by that the light-scattering elements (15, 16) on the sides of the light discs (6, 7) facing the light source (1) are vertically aligned partial rollers. [9] Luminaire according to one of claims 7 or 8, if referred back to one of claims 5 or 6, characterized bythat the curvature of the horizontally oriented light-scattering elements (13, 14) on the sides of the light discs (6, 7) facing away from the light source (1) differs from the curvature of the vertically oriented light-scattering elements (15, 16) on the sides of the light discs (6, 7) facing the light source (1). [10] Luminaire according to one of claims 7 to 9, if referred back to one of claims 5 or 6, characterized by that the curvature of the horizontally oriented light-scattering elements (13, 14) on the sides of the light discs (6, 7) facing away from the light source (1) is smaller than the curvature of the vertically oriented light-scattering elements (15, 16) on the sides of the light discs (6, 7) facing the light source (1). [11] Luminaire according to one of claims 1 or 5 to 10, characterized by that the light-scattering elements (13 to 16) of the light discs (6, 7) are arranged only in the area of ​​the luminous surfaces (17, 18) of the luminaire. [12] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the first luminous surface (17) has a rectangular shape.

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