Vehicle lighting system
The vehicle lighting system uses a lens element to redirect light beams to multiple transparent elements, addressing the inefficiency of multiple light sources by reducing their number and simplifying control, thus enhancing illumination efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ZKW GRP GMBH
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-17
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-20
AI Technical Summary
Existing vehicle lighting systems require a large number of individually controlled light sources to illuminate specific parts of the vehicle body, leading to complexity and cost inefficiency.
A lighting system with a lens element that redirects light beams from multiple light sources to different subgroups of transparent elements, allowing fewer light sources to illuminate a greater number of elements, reducing the need for complex control systems.
This approach reduces the number of required light sources and simplifies control, resulting in a more efficient and cost-effective illumination system.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting system, the lighting system comprising: at least one lighting device comprising at least two individually controllable light sources configured to emit light along a main propagation direction of the light, and a lens element arranged downstream of the at least two light sources along the main propagation direction of the light, the lens element being configured to receive a first light beam from a first light source of the at least two light sources and preferably emit the first light beam along the main propagation direction of the light, and to receive a second light beam from a second light source of the at least two light sources and preferably emit the second light beam along the main propagation direction of the light; a vehicle body component arranged downstream of the lens element along the main propagation direction of the light, the lens element being configured to emit the first light beam and the second light beam towards the vehicle body component respectively, the vehicle body component comprising an opaque part configured to block the light emitted by the lens element, and a plurality of transparent elements embedded in the opaque part and configured to pass the light emitted by the lens element through the vehicle body component along the main propagation direction of the light, adjacent transparent elements being spaced apart from each other at a distance greater than zero in a main plane of the vehicle body component, preferably the main plane being orthogonal to the main propagation direction of the light; comprising; the plurality of transparent elements being defined by at least one parent group of transparent elements, the parent group being divided into at least two sub-groups, at least one, preferably at least two transparent elements defining a first sub-group, and at least one, preferably at least two different transparent elements, which are not part of the first sub-group, defining a second sub-group.
[0002] The present invention also relates to a vehicle comprising the lighting system.
Background Art
[0003] In the prior art, vehicle lighting systems are known that comprise a lighting device and vehicle body components illuminated by the lighting device. When vehicle body components have parts to be illuminated and parts that are not illuminated (for example, to achieve a specific pattern of dynamic lighting effect), the lighting device of the lighting system typically comprises multiple light sources, and each part of the vehicle body component to be illuminated is associated with a specific light source. The drawback of such a system is that it requires a large number of light sources, which must be controlled individually. In short, the number of light sources must be equal to or greater than the number of parts to be illuminated.
[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a lighting system that improves the illumination of vehicle body components. [Overview of the project]
[0005] To achieve the object of the present invention, the lens element is configured to redirect the first luminous beam of the first light source toward the first subgroup of the transparent element and to redirect the second luminous beam of the second light source toward the second subgroup of the transparent element, such that when the first and second light sources are emitting light, the first subgroup of the transparent element and the second subgroup of the transparent element are illuminated by their respective light sources, and when only one of the at least two light sources is emitting light, only one of the at least two subgroups of the transparent element corresponding to the light-emitting light source is illuminated.
[0006] This has the advantage of reducing the number of light sources required, since the first subgroup is illuminated by the first light source and the second subgroup is illuminated by the second light source. In particular, multiple transparent elements in the first subgroup, which may include multiple (e.g., two, three, four, or more) transparent elements, can be illuminated by the first light source, which can be a single light source, and the light from this first light source is directed to the first subgroup by a lens element. Furthermore, multiple transparent elements in the second subgroup, which may include multiple (e.g., two, three, four, or more) transparent elements, can be illuminated by the second light source, which can be a single light source, and the light from this second light source is directed to the second subgroup by a lens element. In other words, the number of transparent elements to be illuminated can exceed the number of light sources, resulting in fewer light sources being required and a more efficient system. This means that the illumination system according to the present invention is less expensive and does not require complex control. The distance between at least two light sources and lens elements along the main light propagation direction x can be about 10 mm. The distance between the lens element and the vehicle body component along the principal propagation direction x of light can be 10 mm to 100 mm, preferably 20 mm. Two adjacent transparent elements can be spaced apart from each other in the principal plane of the vehicle body component (the principal plane is perpendicular to the principal propagation direction of light), the distance being preferably 10 mm to 300 mm, particularly 22 mm. The lens element can be a biconvex lens, a plano-convex lens, a spherical lens, or an aspherical lens. In this disclosure, light propagating along a certain direction does not mean that the light rays are parallel to each other and parallel to a straight line representing a certain direction (e.g., the optical axis). The light source in this disclosure may have Lambertian radiation characteristics, and the emitted light propagates along a direction that can be represented by the distance between two objects, for example, a lighting device and a lens element, or between a lens element and a vehicle body component.
[0007] Advantageously, the vehicle body component comprises a rear surface facing the lens element and a front surface avoiding the lens element, the vehicle body component is positioned in the at least one lighting device such that light emitted from the lens element illuminates the rear surface, and each of the plurality of transparent elements penetrates the vehicle body component from the rear surface to the front surface.
[0008] Advantageously, each of the plurality of transparent elements is preferably surrounded overall by the opaque portion of the vehicle body component.
[0009] Advantageously, each transparent element is configured as a through-hole formed within the vehicle body component, the boundary limiting the through-hole having a specific shape, such as a circle, square, triangle, ellipse, polygon, or star, and each through-hole is filled with a transparent material.
[0010] Advantageously, each transparent element has a similar or different shape in the main plane of the vehicle body component, preferably the diameters of each shape in the main plane of the vehicle body component are equal or different for each transparent element.
[0011] Advantageously, the vehicle body component is a front bumper, a rear bumper, or a radiator grille, in particular a closed radiator grille for an electric vehicle, for example.
[0012] Advantageously, the at least two light sources are spaced apart from the lens element along the principal propagation direction of the light, the distance being shorter than the focal length of the lens element, preferably the at least two light sources are arranged around the optical axis of the lens element or centered together, preferably the vertical distance between the optical axis and the first light source is equal to the vertical distance between the optical axis and the second light source, and preferably the lens element is positioned with respect to the at least two light sources such that the optical axis is parallel to the principal propagation direction of the light.
[0013] Advantageously, the at least one lighting device includes a multi-chip LED, where the first light source corresponds to a first chip of the multi-chip LED and the second light source corresponds to a second chip of the multi-chip LED, or the at least two light sources are each configured as single-chip LEDs, or the at least one lighting device preferably includes a light-emitting phosphor layer oriented perpendicular to the main propagation direction of the light, where the light-emitting phosphor layer is separated into at least two light-emitting parts by a non-light-emitting separation layer, where the first light source corresponds to a first light-emitting part and the second light source corresponds to a second light-emitting part.
[0014] Advantageously, the lens element is configured to refract the first and second luminous beams, and the refracted first and second luminous beams are configured to propagate toward the optical axis of the lens element, and preferably converge; preferably, the lens element includes a projection lens that projects the light from the light source onto the rear surface of the vehicle body component; preferably, the lens element includes a projection lens configured to project the first luminous beam toward the first subgroup of the transparent element and the second luminous beam toward the second subgroup of the transparent element.
[0015] Advantageously, the at least two light sources are arranged relative to each other and to the lens element such that the first and second light beams are spaced apart from each other by a distance greater than zero in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens element, and each light beam preferably illuminates the light-receiving surface of the lens element in its entirety.
[0016] Advantageously, the at least two light sources are arranged on a light source holder at a distance greater than zero from each other, and the light source holder is positioned relative to the lens element such that the principal propagation direction of light emitted by the at least two light sources is parallel to the optical axis of the lens element between the at least two light sources and the lens element, preferably the light source holder and the optically inert peripheral portion of the lens element form a casing surrounding the at least two light sources, preferably the light source holder has a mounting surface to which the at least two light sources are attached, and the light source holder is positioned relative to the lens element such that the mounting surface is perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens element.
[0017] Advantageously, the at least one lighting device comprises three, four, or more light sources, each light source configured to emit a beam of light along the principal direction of light propagation, the lens element configured to receive beams of light from all light sources and redirect the beams of light toward the vehicle body components, the at least one parent group of transparent elements comprises a plurality of subgroups, the number of which corresponds to the number of light sources in the at least one lighting device, each subgroup of transparent elements is associated with a specific light source, the lens element configured to redirect the light received from the specific light source toward the subgroup of transparent elements to which the specific light source is associated, and preferably, the lighting system comprises a control device configured to individually control the three, four, or more light sources of the lighting device.
[0018] Advantageously, the lighting system comprises a plurality of lighting devices, the plurality of transparent elements being defined by a plurality of parent groups, and each lighting device is associated with one of the plurality of parent groups, such that the light emitted by a particular lighting device illuminates the transparent elements of the parent group to which the particular lighting device is associated, and the light emitted by a particular light source of the particular lighting device illuminates a subgroup that corresponds to the particular light source and is part of the parent group associated with the particular lighting device, preferably each lighting device is associated with exactly one parent group, and preferably the lighting system comprises a control device configured to individually control the plurality of lighting devices and the individual light sources of each of the plurality of lighting devices.
[0019] Advantageously, a subgroup is defined by three or more transparent elements, and preferably, a parent group is defined by three or more subgroups.
[0020] Advantageously, the at least two light sources are arranged on the light source holder such that the first luminous beam and the second luminous beam overlap at least partially on the light-receiving surface of the lens element.
[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle equipped with a lighting system can be provided.
[0022] In the following, exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will be described, as shown in the drawings, to further demonstrate the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0023] [Figure 1] This is a front view of the lighting system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the lighting device of the lighting system according to the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a top view of the lighting system. [Figure 4]Schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the lighting system according to the present invention. **Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention**
[0024] FIG. 1 shows a schematic front view of a vehicle lighting system 1. This lighting system includes a lighting device 2, and the lighting device 2 includes at least two individually controllable light sources 3a, 3b. The light sources 3a, 3b are configured to emit light along the main propagation direction x of the light. In the illustrated embodiment, the light sources 3a, 3b are configured as multi-chip LEDs, the first light source 3a corresponds to the first chip of the multi-chip LED, and the second light source 3b corresponds to the second chip of the multi-chip LED.
[0025] The lighting device 2 includes a lens element 4 disposed downstream of at least two light sources 3a, 3b along the main propagation direction x of the light. The lens element 4 is configured to receive a first light beam from the first light source 3a among at least two light sources 3a, 3b and emit the first light beam along the main propagation direction x of the light. The lens element 4 is further configured to receive a second light beam from the second light source 3b among at least two light sources 3a, 3b and emit the second light beam along the main propagation direction x of the light.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a detailed view of an embodiment of the lighting device 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the light source 3 of the lighting device 2 includes a light-emitting phosphor layer, in contrast to the multi-chip LED shown in FIG. 1, and the light-emitting phosphor layer is separated into at least two light-emitting portions by a non-light-emitting separation layer. Due to the separation of the phosphor layer, the light source 3 has two separate light-emitting regions and is thus similar to a multi-chip LED in terms of light-emitting characteristics and functionality.
[0027] The light source 3 (which, as described above, may alternatively include a multi-chip LED) is mounted on the light source holder 8, and the light source holder 8 is positioned relative to the lens element 4 such that the light emitted by the light source 3 propagates along the optical axis OA of the lens element 4 toward the vehicle body component 5 (which will be further described below). The light source holder 8 and the peripheral portion of the optically inert lens element 4 form a casing surrounding the light source 3. The light source holder 8 has a mounting surface 8a to which the light source 3 is mounted. The light source holder 8 is positioned relative to the lens element 4 such that the mounting surface 8a is perpendicular to the optical axis OA of the lens element 4.
[0028] Advantageously, the light source holder 8 may comprise a housing for the optical device 2 and a printed circuit board, and the printed circuit board may comprise a mounting surface 8a.
[0029] The lighting system 1 includes a vehicle body component 5 positioned downstream of the lens element 4 along the main light propagation direction x. The lens element 4 is configured to emit a first luminous beam and a second luminous beam toward the vehicle body component 5, respectively. The vehicle body component 5 includes an opaque portion 6 configured to block the light emitted by the lens element 4, and a plurality of transparent elements 7 embedded within the opaque portion 6 and configured to allow the light emitted from the lens element 4 to pass through the vehicle body component 5 along the main light propagation direction x. Adjacent transparent elements 7 are spaced apart from each other by a distance greater than zero in the main plane of the vehicle body component 5, and the main plane is perpendicular to the main light propagation direction x.
[0030] Multiple transparent elements 7 are defined by at least one parent group PG of transparent elements 7, and the parent group PG is divided into at least two subgroups SG. At least one, preferably at least two (or more) transparent elements 7 define a first subgroup SG1. At least one, preferably at least two (or more) different transparent elements 7' are not part of the first subgroup SG1 and define a second subgroup SG2. Each transparent element 7 has a similar or different shape in the main plane of the vehicle body component 5. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the transparent elements 7, 7' are star-shaped and have non-uniform sizes.
[0031] The lens element 4 is configured to redirect the first luminous beam of the first light source 3a toward the first subgroup SG1 of the transparent element 7, and redirect the second luminous beam of the second light source 3b toward the second subgroup SG2 of the transparent element 7'. Therefore, in the operating state in which the first light source 3a and the second light source 3b emit light, the first subgroup SG1 of the transparent element 7 and the second subgroup SG2 of the transparent element 7' are illuminated by the respective light sources 3a and 3b. In the operating state in which only one of the at least two light sources 3a and 3b emits light, only one of the at least two subgroups SG1 and SG2 of the transparent elements 7 and 7' associated with the light-emitting light sources 3a and 3b is illuminated.
[0032] As shown in Figure 3, the vehicle body component 5 comprises a rear surface facing the lens element 4 and a front surface avoiding the lens element 4. The vehicle body component 5 is positioned in at least one lighting device 2 such that light emitted from the lens element 4 illuminates the rear surface. The distance D between the lens element 4 and the vehicle body component 5 is preferably 10 mm to 100 mm, particularly 20 mm.
[0033] Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the vehicle body component 5. The transparent element 7 is covered by an opaque portion 6. Three gaps are formed in the opaque portion 6, and these gaps have a specific shape and are configured to transmit light. Alternatively, as described above, each of the multiple transparent elements 7, 7' is preferably entirely surrounded by the opaque portion 6 of the vehicle body component 5.
[0034] The lens element 4 is configured to refract a first luminous beam and a second luminous beam, and the refracted first luminous beam and the refracted second luminous beam propagate toward the optical axis OA of the lens element 4, and preferably converge. In the illustrated embodiment, the lens element 4 includes a projection lens that projects the light from the light sources 3, 3a, and 3b onto the back surface of the vehicle body components (the projection lens 4 mirrors the light image generated by the illumination device 2). This can be seen in Figure 1, where the light source 3a is located on the right side and illuminates the transparent element 7 of SG1 located on the left side. On the other hand, the light source 3b, located on the left side, illuminates the transparent element 7' of SG2, located on the right side.
[0035] Figure 4 shows another embodiment of the lighting system 1, which comprises multiple lighting devices 2, and multiple transparent elements 7 are defined by multiple parent groups PG.
[0036] Figure 4 shows a radiator grille as an example of a vehicle body component 5. The opaque section 6 has a parent group PG of a total of 17 transparent elements 7 embedded within it. Three of these parent groups PG are indicated by three dashed circles showing enlarged views of the corresponding parent groups PG. Each parent group PG is divided into two subgroups SG1 and SG2, and each subgroup SG is defined (in the illustrated embodiment) by 2 to 5 transparent elements 7, in this case by stars.
[0037] Each lighting device 2 (including at least two light sources) is associated with each of the parent groups PG, and the illumination of the transparent elements 7, 7' functions as described in the embodiment of Figure 1. Each lighting device 2 is associated with just one parent group PG. The lighting system 1 may comprise a plurality of lighting devices 2 and a control device (not shown) configured to control each of their light sources individually. [Explanation of symbols]
[0038] 1. Lighting System 2. Lighting device 3 light source 3a First light source 3b Second light source 4 lens elements 5. Body Components 6 Opaque area 7,7' Transparent element 8 holders 8a Mounting surface D distance OA optical axis PG Parent Group SG subgroup SG1 1st Subgroup SG2 Second Subgroup x Main direction of light propagation
Claims
1. A lighting system for a vehicle (1), At least one lighting device (2) comprising at least two individually controllable light sources (3a, 3b) configured to emit light along the principal propagation direction (x) of light, and a lens element (4) positioned optically downstream of the at least two light sources (3a, 3b) along the principal propagation direction (x), wherein the lens element (4) is configured to receive a first luminous beam from a first light source (3a) of the at least two light sources (3a, 3b), refract the first luminous beam and emit the first luminous beam, and to receive a second luminous beam from a second light source (3b) of the at least two light sources (3a, 3b), refract the second luminous beam and emit the second luminous beam, A vehicle body component (5) is positioned optically downstream of the lens element (4), and the lens element (4) is configured to emit the first and second light beams toward the vehicle body component (5), and the vehicle body component (5) comprises an opaque portion (6) configured to block the light emitted by the lens element (4), and a plurality of transparent elements (7) embedded in the opaque portion (6) and configured to allow the light emitted from the lens element (4) to pass through the vehicle body component (5), wherein adjacent transparent elements (7) are spaced apart from each other at a distance greater than zero in the main plane of the vehicle body component (5), and the main plane is perpendicular to the main propagation direction (x) of the light, Equipped with, The plurality of transparent elements (7) are defined by at least one parent group (PG) of transparent elements (7), the parent group (PG) is divided into at least two subgroups (SG), where at least two transparent elements (7) define a first subgroup (SG1), and at least two different transparent elements (7') that are not part of the first subgroup (SG1) define a second subgroup (SG2). The lens element (4) is configured to redirect the first luminous beam of the first light source (3a) toward the first subgroup (SG1) of the transparent element (7), and to redirect the second luminous beam of the second light source (3b) toward the second subgroup (SG2) of the transparent element (7'), so that when the first light source (3a) and the second light source (3b) are emitting light, the first subgroup (SG1) of the transparent element (7) and the second subgroup (SG2) of the transparent element (7') are illuminated by their respective light sources (3a, 3b), and when only one of the at least two light sources (3a, 3b) is emitting light, so that only one of the at least two subgroups (SG1, SG2) of the transparent elements (7, 7') corresponding to the light-emitting light source (3a, 3b) is illuminated. The vehicle body component (5) is characterized in that it is at least one of the front bumper, rear bumper, and radiator grille. Lighting system.
2. The vehicle body component (5) comprises a rear surface facing the lens element (4) and a front surface avoiding the lens element (4), The vehicle body component (5) is positioned on the at least one lighting device (2) such that light emitted from the lens element (4) illuminates the rear surface. Each of the plurality of transparent elements (7) (7, 7') penetrates the vehicle body component (5) from the rear to the front. The lighting system according to claim 1.
3. The lighting system according to claim 1, wherein each transparent element (7, 7') of the plurality of transparent elements (7) is surrounded by the opaque portion (6) of the vehicle body component (5).
4. Each transparent element (7) is configured as a through-hole formed within the vehicle body component (5), The boundary limiting the through-hole has a specific shape, Each through-hole is filled with a transparent material. The lighting system according to claim 1.
5. Each transparent element (7) has a similar or different shape on the main plane of the vehicle body component (5). The diameters of each shape in the main plane of the vehicle body component (5) are equal or different for each transparent element (7). The lighting system according to claim 1.
6. The at least two light sources (3a, 3b) are spaced apart from the lens element (4) along the principal propagation direction (x) of the light, The aforementioned distance is shorter than the focal length of the lens element (4). The at least two light sources (3a, 3b) are arranged around the optical axis (OA) of the lens element (4), or centered together. The lighting system according to claim 1.
7. The at least one lighting device (2) includes a multichip LED, wherein the first light source (3a) of the at least two light sources (3a, 3b) corresponds to the first chip of the multichip LED, and the second light source (3b) of the at least two light sources (3a, 3b) corresponds to the second chip of the multichip LED, Alternatively, each of the at least two light sources (3a, 3b) is configured as a single-chip LED. The lighting system according to claim 1.
8. The lens element (4) includes a projection lens that projects light from the light source (3, 3a, 3b) onto the back surface of the vehicle body component (5), The lens element (4) includes a projection lens configured to project the first light beam toward the first subgroup (SG1) of the transparent element (7) and the second light beam toward the second subgroup (SG2) of the transparent element (7'), The lighting system according to claim 1.
9. The at least two light sources (3a, 3b) are arranged relative to each other and to the lens element (4) such that the first luminous beam and the second luminous beam are spaced apart from each other by a distance greater than zero in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis (OA) of the lens element (4), Each light beam illuminates the light-receiving surface of the lens element (4). The lighting system according to claim 1.
10. The at least two light sources (3a, 3b) are arranged on a light source holder (8) spaced apart from each other by a distance greater than zero, The light source holder (8) is positioned relative to the lens element (4) such that the principal propagation direction (x) of the light emitted by the at least two light sources (3a, 3b) is parallel to the optical axis (OA) of the lens element (4) between the at least two light sources (3a, 3b) and the lens element (4). The light source holder (8) and the peripheral portion of the optically inert lens element (4) form a casing that surrounds the at least two light sources (3a, 3b). The light source holder (8) includes a mounting surface (8a) to which the at least two light sources (3a, 3b) are attached. The light source holder (8) is positioned relative to the lens element (4) such that the mounting surface (8a) is perpendicular to the optical axis (OA) of the lens element (4). The lighting system according to claim 1.
11. The at least one lighting device (2) comprises three, four, or more light sources (3, 3a, 3b), Each light source (3, 3a, 3b) is configured to emit a luminous beam along the principal propagation direction (x) of the light, The lens element (4) is configured to receive light beams from all light sources (3, 3a, 3b) and redirect the light beams toward the vehicle body component (5). The at least one parent group (PG) of the transparent element (7) includes a plurality of subgroups (SG), the number of the plurality of subgroups (SG) corresponds to the number of light sources (3, 3a, 3b) of the at least one lighting device (2), Each subgroup (SG) of the transparent element (7) is associated with a specific light source (3, 3a, 3b), The lens element (4) is configured to redirect light received from a specific light source (3, 3a, 3b) toward the subgroup (SG) of the transparent element (7) to which the specific light source (3, 3a, 3b) is associated. The lighting system (1) includes a control device configured to individually control three, four, or more light sources (3, 3a, 3b) of the lighting device (2). The lighting system according to claim 1.
12. The lighting system (1) comprises a plurality of lighting devices (2), The aforementioned multiple transparent elements (7) are defined by multiple parent groups (PG), Each lighting device (2) is associated with one of the parent groups (PG) and the light emitted by the specific lighting device (2) illuminates the transparent element (7) of the parent group (PG) to which the specific lighting device (2) is associated, and the light emitted by the specific light source (3, 3a, 3b) of the specific lighting device (2) illuminates a subgroup (SG) that corresponds to the specific light source (3, 3a, 3b) and is part of the parent group (PG) associated with the specific lighting device (2). The number of the lighting devices (2) is equal to the number of the parent groups, and each lighting device (2) is associated with exactly one parent group (PG). The lighting system (1) includes a plurality of lighting devices (2) and a control device configured to individually control each of the individual light sources (3, 3a, 3b) of each of the plurality of lighting devices (2). The lighting system according to claim 1.
13. A subgroup (SG) is defined by three or more transparent elements (7), A parent group (PG) is defined by three or more subgroups (SGs). The lighting system according to claim 1.
14. A vehicle comprising a lighting system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 13.