Light assembly for illuminating a window glass for a motor vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a light assembly (1) for illuminating a surface and / or optical medium, comprising a light source (2), a printed circuit board (11), at least one lens (3) and at least one reflecting member (4). The present invention is characterized in that a light source (2), a printed circuit board (9) and at least one lens (3) are arranged in a housing (5), and at least one holding member (6) is provided, which allows the housing (5) to be attached to a glass support (7) in a precise position.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a light assembly for illuminating a surface and / or an optical medium as defined in more detail in the preamble of claim 1. [Background technology]

[0002] In principle, light assemblies for illuminating surfaces and / or optical media are known from the prior art. In the field of the automotive industry, surfaces can be, for example, window panes or other glass or plexiglass panes. Illumination can be any type of light signal and / or warning sign generated by a light beam. The light signal or warning sign can be projected, for example, onto the window pane of a car.

[0003] That is, Patent Document 1 discloses a light source coupled to a vehicle glazing. The light source is a diode and is arranged on the side of the glazing. A diffuser or reflector is arranged on the surface of the glazing at a distance from the light source. Light from the light source is guided into the glazing via an edge surface and extracted or guided out of the glazing via the diffuser. Since the diffuser or reflector is positioned at a distance from the light source, accurate orientation of both components is essential. However, it is a disadvantage that limitations may also occur due to the construction space, for example, due to the presence of geometric curvatures in the frame of a curved glass sheet. Similarly, tolerances due to manufacturing may also affect the light guided or extracted from the transparent glass sheet, which leads to differences in the appearance of the light. Therefore, additional components are required, especially to ensure accurate light guidance. Overall, therefore, the influence of absolute tolerances is often not taken into account, thereby reducing the optical technical effect. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] US 2018 008 6028 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved light assembly for illuminating a surface and / or optical medium that overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a light assembly with the features of claim 1, and here in particular with the features according to the characterizing part of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and developments emerge from the dependent claims.

[0007] In the light assembly according to the present invention, a light source, a printed circuit board, and at least one lens are arranged in a housing, and at least one holding element is provided, which allows the housing to be attached to a glass support in a precise position. Advantageously, this avoids limitations due to construction space, since all components are arranged compactly in the housing. For example, because only small components, i.e., the housing, need to be attached to the glass support, an increase in optical efficiency can be achieved through optimized positional tolerances and optimized reflection properties.

[0008] The at least one holding element is used in particular as a form holder for the housing, and in this case, a predetermined force application of the at least one holding element to the housing, in particular by clamping, can enable the housing to be attached, which also allows for industrial alignment of the component and tolerance compensation.

[0009] A light assembly for illuminating a surface and / or optical medium includes at least one light source, a printed circuit board, at least one lens, and at least one reflecting member. All of these members, except for the reflecting member, are completely disposed within the housing. The at least one lens is used for optical light distribution and can be formed as a microlens. The reflecting member contacts the light-guiding member and is thus also directly connected to the housing of the light assembly. This allows for easy and flexible subsequent replacement without damaging the optically important surfaces of the glass support. Similarly, since the housing can be easily removed from the at least one holding member and easily replaced therewith without requiring additional components and accessories, pre-conditioning of the glass support, for example by cleaning or treating the surface, can be omitted.

[0010] Preferably, the light guide can be arranged in a housing, in particular in contact with the printed circuit board, and in particular completely surrounded by the housing on at least one side and defined by the reflector and the glass support on at least the other side, so that the housing forms a shielding shell outside the glass support, which in particular prevents leakage of the light beam.

[0011] According to a very advantageous development of this idea, it is possible to provide for the reflector to be in contact with the light-guiding member. If the housing is held on the glass support by at least one holding member, the reflector is arranged in particular in the area on one side of the light assembly, so that the reflector is arranged on the glass support in the same area as the housing.

[0012] According to an advantageous configuration, it can be envisaged that the printed circuit board and / or the housing have a white surface. This can improve or enhance the reflective properties, which leads to an increase in the efficiency of the entire system. It is also considered sufficient to configure the surface of the printed circuit board and / or the housing in a relatively light color, as opposed to a white surface.

[0013] According to a very advantageous development of this idea, it is possible to provide for at least one holding element to be glued and / or clamped to the housing. Advantageously, the holding element is firmly connected to the glass support and the housing is clamped and held to the holding element, thereby attaching the housing to the glass support with the holding element. This allows for a simple replacement of the housing and thus the entire light assembly, which provides an inexpensive service option.

[0014] A further advantageous configuration is to provide two holding members, which can be arranged on two opposite sides of the housing, so that the housing is clamped and held between the two holding members. For example, the holding members can be attached to the glass support so that they apply pressure to the housing when the housing is located between them.

[0015] According to an advantageous configuration, the at least one holding element can be attached to the glass support at a precise position, thereby achieving a precise positioning of the housing and thus of the light assembly on the glass support. When defining the position at which the housing should be attached, curvatures of the glass support, such as curvatures of the glass panes of a vehicle, can be taken into account.

[0016] According to a very advantageous development of the idea, the two holding elements can be permanently glued to the glass support in a predetermined position, in particular at least one holding element, for example two holding elements, are permanently glued to the glass support, so that the position can be maintained without being changed.

[0017] In another advantageous configuration, each of the holding members can be formed in a hook shape, in which case the housing can be clamped and attached between the two holding members. The hook shape can also be, for example, L-shaped, in which case each hook member has two sections, particularly two sections that form a right angle with each other. One of the sections can extend along a first side of the housing, and the second section can extend along an adjacent side of the housing. In particular, the second section can have a free end, so that each of the holding members can be formed to be elastically movable. The holding members can, for example, contain metal and / or plastic.

[0018] According to an advantageous configuration, at least one holding element can be configured to exert a restoring force on the housing in order to mount and hold the housing in the correct position. In particular, the two L-shaped holding elements are configured to be mirror images of each other, so that the two restoring forces of the two holding elements are aligned with each other. This allows the clamping forces of the two holding elements to be exerted on the housing positioned between them.

[0019] Further advantages of the light assembly according to the invention result from the remaining dependent claims and will become apparent on the basis of the examples which are described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 shows one possible embodiment of a light assembly. [Figure 2]1 shows one further possible embodiment of a light assembly. [Figure 3] 1 shows one further possible embodiment of a light assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates one possible embodiment of a light assembly 1. A light source 2, a printed circuit board 9, and a plurality of lenses 3 are arranged in a housing 5. Furthermore, a light guide member 8 is arranged in the housing 5 such that one side of the light guide member 8 is defined by the housing 5 and at least one other side is defined by a reflecting member 4. The reflecting member 4 resides on at least one glass support 7, which in this embodiment is provided with another glass support 7'. The reflecting member 4 is at least partially arranged between these two glass supports 7, 7', which may contain, for example, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or polycarbonate (PC). Similarly, a design made of glass is also conceivable.

[0022] The glass support 7 serves to guide the light beam 10 and is configured in particular to be light-conductive. The light source 2 can be configured, for example, as an LED, for example as at least one side-emitting or top-emitting LED. The light beam 10 is guided from the light source 2 through a number of lenses 3 and a light-guiding member 8 to the reflecting member 4, where the light beam 6 is reflected and guided into the glass support 7.

[0023] In particular, it is possible to prevent the light beam 10 from being unintentionally emitted outside the light assembly 1 through the edge housing section 5'. Since all components are arranged completely within the housing 5, the optical functions are almost completely arranged within the housing 5. This allows for increased optical efficiency and tolerance compensation. Furthermore, the light assembly 1 can be arranged as a compact component and in a space-saving manner.

[0024] The housing 5 may be formed from thermoplastic material and may include webs and cavities. The webs may form holders or receptacles for components such as the printed circuit board 9 and / or the light source 2.

[0025] In this embodiment, the housing 5 is held by two holding members 6, which are formed in a hook shape. In particular, each holding member 6 is formed in an L-shape, and the holding members 6 are arranged in mirror symmetry with respect to one another. The restoring force is illustrated by the arrowheads shown at the free ends of each holding member, and in this case, the housing 5 is clamped and held by the two holding members 6.

[0026] Another variant embodiment of the light assembly 1 can be seen from Figure 2. Identical components are provided with identical reference numerals and therefore do not need to be described in further detail. Unlike Figure 1, here no glass support 7' is provided. Nevertheless, the light beam 10 can be guided to the glass support 7 via the reflector 4. The glass support 7' therefore has a protective function, in particular as a protective layer, but not in particular as a light-conducting layer.

[0027] Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the light assembly. In contrast to the embodiment according to Figures 1 and 2, the lens 3 is arranged at a different position in the housing or relative to the light source 2. This allows for a different optical guidance of the light beam 10 onto the glass support 7 than in Figures 1 and 2.

[0028] Of course, the variant embodiments of the light assembly 1 described in Figures 1 to 3 can also be combined with one another, which leads to various possibilities, i.e., for example, the design according to Figure 3 can be implemented without the glass support 7'. Furthermore, the arrangement and number of lenses 3 can be changed.

Claims

1. A light assembly (1) for illuminating a surface and / or an optical medium, comprising a light source (2), a printed circuit board (11), at least one lens (3) and at least one reflecting member (4), The light assembly (1) is characterized in that the light source (2), the printed circuit board (9) and the at least one lens (3) are arranged in a housing (5), and at least one holding member (6) is provided, which allows the housing (5) to be attached to a glass support (7) in a precise position.

2. 2. A light assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that a light-guiding member (8) is arranged within the housing (5).

3. 3. The light assembly (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the reflecting member (4) is in contact with the light-guiding member (8).

4. A light assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the printed circuit board (9) and / or the housing (5) have a white surface.

5. A light assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the at least one holding member (6) is glued and / or clamped to the housing (5).

6. 6. A light assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that two of the holding members (6) are provided, which are arranged on two opposite sides of the housing (5).

7. A light assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the at least one holding member (6) is attachable to the glass support (7) at a precise position.

8. A light assembly (1) according to claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the two holding members (6) are irremovably adhesiveable to the glass support (7) in predetermined positions.

9. The light assembly (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the holding members (6) are each formed in a hook shape, and the housing (5) can be attached by being held between two of the holding members (6) by clamping.

10. 10. A light assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the at least one retaining member (6) exerts a restoring force on the housing (6) in order to mount and hold the housing in a correct position.

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