Light-emitting apparatus and vehicle lamp

Abstract

A light-emitting apparatus, comprising a light source and a reflector cup. The reflector cup extends congruently in an A direction, and the reflector cup comprises an A1 reflective surface and an A2 reflective surface which are opposite to one another; a B direction is orthogonal to the A direction, the width in the B direction of a light outlet is b out, the width in the B direction of a light inlet is b in, and the distance from the light inlet to the light outlet is h, wherein b out>b in, and b in+b out<2h. The light-emitting apparatus further comprises a lens, which is used to project and image a light distribution of a focal plane of the lens to a far field. The light-emitting apparatus further comprises a shaping reflective surface which is located between the reflector cup and an optical path of the lens and extends congruently in the A direction, wherein a first end of the shaping reflective surface is close to the light outlet of the reflector cup, and a second end of the shaping reflective surface extends towards the lens. The light emission angle of the light source is limited in the B direction by using the reflector cup; furthermore, the light emission area is expanded in the B direction by using a virtual reflector cup formed by the shaping reflective surface, so that after being imaged and projected on the far field via the lens, a light distribution which has an expanded area and also forms an illuminance gradient in the B direction can be formed.

Description

Lighting devices and headlights Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of lighting, and in particular to a light-emitting device and a vehicle lamp using the light-emitting device. Background Art

[0002] In the automotive lighting sector, the requirements for headlights are the most stringent, with strict regulations governing their illumination range and intensity. A schematic diagram of the structure of an automotive headlight currently on the market is shown in Figure 1. Light 121 emitted by a light source 101 is incident on a reflective surface 102, where it is reflected and converged, forming a light band at the point of convergence. The cross-sectional position of the light band is shown as 121a in Figure 1, and the light band is perpendicular to the drawing in Figure 1. A cutoff aperture 104 is located at the convergent focal point 121a and blocks a portion of the light to form a cutoff line. Light after passing through the convergent focal point 121a is incident on a lens 103, which images the light distribution in the plane of the cutoff aperture 104 (i.e., the plane of the convergent focal point) into the far field. Thus, the light band at the convergent focal point 121a forms a light band in the far field. Due to the action of the cutoff aperture 104, the edge of this far-field light band has a clear cutoff line, thus meeting regulatory requirements.

[0003] The problem with the current solution is that the light source generally uses an LED light source, which emits light at all angles. As a result, there will inevitably be light rays such as light 123 shown in the figure that are directly emitted outside the reflective surface, thereby reducing the efficiency of the system.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the problem of low efficiency of current vehicle lighting solutions, the present invention proposes a light emitting device, comprising a light source and a reflector cup, wherein the reflector cup extends congruently along direction A, comprises a light inlet and a light outlet opposite to each other, and comprises two opposite reflective surfaces A1 and A2 between the light inlet and the light outlet; direction B is orthogonal to direction A, and the width of the light outlet in direction B is b. out , the width of the light entrance in the B direction is b in , the distance from the light entrance to the light exit is h, where b out >b in , and b in +b out <2h, The light emitted by the light source enters the reflector cup from the light inlet of the reflector cup, a part of the light passes through the reflector cup and directly exits from the light outlet, and the remaining part of the light enters the A1 reflective surface or the A2 reflective surface of the reflector cup and is reflected by it and then exits from the light outlet; it also includes a lens, which is an imaging lens for projecting the light distribution of its focal plane and imaging it to the far field, and the light exiting from the light outlet of the reflector cup is incident on the lens and is projected to the far field by it; the effective width of the lens in the B direction is LB , the focal length of the lens is F, It also includes a shaped reflecting surface located between the reflective cup and the lens optical path and extending congruently along direction A. The first end of the shaped reflecting surface is close to the light outlet of the reflective cup, and the second end extends toward the lens.

[0006] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, the distance from the second end of the shaped reflective surface to the optical axis of the reflective cup is not less than the distance from the first end to the optical axis of the reflective cup.

[0007] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, the transversals of the A1 reflective surface and the A2 reflective surface on the cross section perpendicular to the direction A are transversal lines A1 and A2, respectively; transversal line A1 is at least partially a parabola, the focus of the parabola coincides with the endpoint of transversal line A2 at the light entrance; and the portion of the axis of the parabola passing through the focus on one side of the reflector cup is inclined in a direction away from transversal line A1 relative to a line connecting the centers of the light entrance and the light exit; or

[0008] At least part of section A1 is a parabola, and section A2 is a straight line. The endpoint of section A1 at the light entrance is point M, and the symmetric point of point M with respect to section A2 is point N. The focus of the parabola of section A1 coincides with point N, and the portion of the axis of the parabola passing through the focus on one side of the reflector cup is inclined in a direction away from section A1 relative to the line connecting the centers of the light entrance and the light exit.

[0009] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, it also includes a B1 reflecting surface and a B2 reflecting surface extending congruently along the B direction, and the A1 reflecting surface, the B1 reflecting surface, the A2 reflecting surface, and the B2 reflecting surface are connected to form a reflecting channel. The light emitted by the light source is incident from the light entrance of the reflecting channel, and is emitted from the light exit of the reflecting channel after propagating in the reflecting channel.

[0010] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, the reflective channel is a transparent material entity, and the A1 reflective surface, B1 reflective surface, A2 reflective surface, and B2 reflective surface are all smooth surfaces on the side of the transparent material entity. After the light emitted by the light source enters the reflective channel from the light entrance of the reflective channel, part of the light is incident on the smooth surface on the side of the transparent material entity and undergoes total reflection.

[0011] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, the first end of the shaped reflective surface is in close contact with the light outlet of the reflective channel.

[0012] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, in direction B, the center of the light outlet of the reflector cup is not on the center line of the lens, and in direction B, the shaped reflective surface is located on the side of the reflector cup away from the center line of the lens.

[0013] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, in direction B, the reflective cup and the shaped reflective surface are deflected so that the optical axis of the emitted light passes through the center of the lens.

[0014] In the above-mentioned light-emitting device, preferably, the sections of the A1 reflective surface, the A2 reflective surface, and the shaped reflective surface on the cross section perpendicular to the direction A are the A1 section, the A2 section, and the shaped section, respectively. The first end of the shaped section is close to the endpoint of the A1 section at the light outlet. The angle between the second end of the shaped section and the endpoint of the A2 section at the light outlet and the line connecting the center of the light outlet and the light inlet of the reflective cup is α.

[0015] The present invention also provides a vehicle lamp comprising the above-mentioned light-emitting device, a housing and a mask. The light-emitting device is fixed in the housing, the mask seals the housing, and light emitted by the light-emitting device is emitted through the mask.

[0016] The reflective cup can be used to limit the angle of the light source in the B direction. At the same time, the virtual reflective cup formed by the shaped reflective surface can expand the luminous area in the B direction. In this way, after the lens is used for far-field imaging projection, a light distribution with an expanded area in the B direction and an illumination gradient can be formed. This is particularly suitable for car lighting applications that take into account both high and low beams. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] FIG1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle lamp in the prior art;

[0018] Figures 2a and 2b are schematic diagrams of the first embodiment of the present invention in two directions respectively;

[0019] FIG2c is a schematic diagram showing the working principle of the reflective cup of the present invention;

[0020] FIG2 d shows the far-field light distribution after removing the shaping reflective surface in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] FIG2e shows the far-field light distribution after considering the influence of the shaping reflective surface in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] FIG2 f is a schematic diagram showing the working principle of the shaping reflective surface in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] FIG3 shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] 4a and 4b are respectively a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention and a schematic diagram of the working principle of another reflective cup;

[0025] FIG5 is a schematic diagram showing the working principle of a reflective cup according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] FIG6 a shows a schematic diagram of the working principle of a shaping reflective surface according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] FIG6b is a schematic diagram showing far-field light distribution of the embodiment of FIG6a ;

[0028] 7a and 7b respectively show a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention and a schematic diagram of its far-field light distribution;

[0029] FIG8 shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figures 9a and 9b are schematic diagrams showing another embodiment of the present invention in two directions;

[0031] FIG9c shows a perspective view of the reflection channel in the embodiment of FIG9a;

[0032] Figures 10a and 10b are schematic diagrams showing another embodiment of the present invention in two directions;

[0033] FIG10c is a schematic diagram showing far-field light distribution of the embodiment shown in FIG10a;

[0034] FIG11a shows a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] FIG11 b shows a schematic diagram of a cut-off aperture in the embodiment shown in FIG11 a ;

[0036] FIG11c shows a schematic diagram of far-field light distribution when the cut-off line stop shown in FIG11b is applied;

[0037] FIG11d is a schematic diagram showing another cut-off line aperture in the embodiment shown in FIG11a;

[0038] FIG. 11 e is a schematic diagram showing the far-field light distribution when the cut-off line stop shown in FIG. 11 d is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The present invention provides a light-emitting device, the front view and top view of the first embodiment of which are shown in Figures 2a and 2b respectively. The light-emitting device includes a light source 201 and a reflective cup 202. The reflective cup 202 extends congruently along the A direction. The reflective cup 202 includes a relative light inlet 202c and a light outlet 202d. The light inlet 202c and the light outlet 202d include two relative A1 reflective surfaces 202a1 and A2 reflective surfaces 202a2. The B direction is orthogonal to the A direction. As shown in the figure, in Figure 2a, the A direction is perpendicular to the paper and inward, and the B direction is upward. In Figure 2b, the A direction is upward and the B direction is perpendicular to the paper and outward. The width of the light outlet 202d in the B direction is b. out , the width of the light entrance 202c in the B direction is b in , the distance from the light entrance to the light exit is h, where b out >b in , and b in +b out <2h, The light emitted by the light source 201 enters the reflective cup from the light inlet 202c of the reflective cup 202. A portion of the light passes through the reflective cup 202 and is directly emitted from the light outlet (such as the light 225 in the figure). The remaining light is incident on the A1 reflective surface or the A2 reflective surface of the reflective cup and is reflected therefrom before being emitted from the light outlet 202d. The light emitting device also includes a lens 203, which is an imaging lens for projecting and imaging the light distribution of its focal plane into the far field. The light emitted from the light outlet 202d of the reflective cup enters the lens and is projected into the far field by the lens. The effective width of the lens 203 in the B direction is L B , the focal length of lens 203 is F, The lighting device further includes a shaped reflective surface 204 extending congruently along direction A between the reflective cup 202 and the lens 203 . The first end of the shaped reflective surface 204 is close to the light outlet 202 d of the reflective cup, and the second end extends toward the lens 203 .

[0040] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2a, the reflector 202 extends congruently along direction A. Reflector 202 restricts the propagation direction of light in direction B. Light incident on reflective surface A1 202a1 and reflective surface A2 202a2 is reflected and redirected, exiting through light outlet 202d. A schematic diagram of the optical path of reflective surface 202 in the cross-section of Figure 2a is shown in Figure 2c. The function of reflective surface 202 will be explained in detail with reference to Figure 2c.

[0041] In this embodiment, the light source 201 is an LED, which emits light at full angles. Therefore, in FIG2c , the light source 201 emits light at full angles upward, with a half-angle of 90 degrees. This light is divided into two parts. Light with a small angle can be emitted directly from the light outlet 202d, while light with a large angle will be incident on the A1 reflective surface 202a1 or the A2 reflective surface 202a2 and reflected therefrom before being emitted from the light outlet 202d. In order to achieve the purpose of reflecting the large-angle light toward the light outlet 202d, the width of the light outlet must be greater than the width of the light inlet, that is, b out >b in In addition, a reference line 251 is formed by connecting the endpoint 202a21 of the A2 reflective surface 202a2 at the light entrance and the endpoint 202a12 of the A1 reflective surface 202a1 at the light exit. This line represents the light with the largest angle that can be emitted from the light source 201 directly from the light exit 202d without being reflected by the reflective surface. According to geometric principles, the tangent value of the inclination angle of the reference line 251 is equal to That is, as long as b is satisfied in +b out<2h, the maximum angle of light emitted from light source 201, which exits directly from light outlet 202d without being reflected by the reflective surface, can be less than 45 degrees. Simultaneously, by properly designing reflective surfaces A1 and A2, the exit angle of light at large angles reflected by reflective surfaces A1 and A2 can also be less than 45 degrees. In this way, the light emitted from light source 201 can be compressed in direction B by reflective cup 202, achieving a compressed exit angle of less than or equal to 45 degrees. There are multiple implementations for the specific design of reflective surfaces A1 and A2, which are described in detail below.

[0042] In summary, through the reasonable design of the A1 reflective surface and the A2 reflective surface, the light emitted from the light source 201, whether it is emitted directly from the light outlet 202d or emitted from the light outlet 202d after being reflected by the A1 reflective surface or the A2 reflective surface, can be made into a half-angle light emission. Compress to an angle less than 45 degrees. According to the law of conservation of optical etendue, The incident angle is the 90-degree half-angle of the LED light source, so we can get

[0043] The light emitting device further includes a lens 203, which is an imaging lens for projecting the light distribution of its focal plane and imaging it into the far field. The light emitted from the light outlet 202d of the reflector cup is incident on the lens and projected into the far field. The effective width of the lens 203 in the B direction is L B , the focal length of lens 203 is F, so the half angle of light received by lens 203 in direction B is equal to Since the angle of the light emitted from the reflective cup light outlet 202d is limited to half an angle in the B direction Within, and Therefore, the majority of light emitted from the reflector's light outlet 202d is incident within the effective aperture of lens 203, allowing it to be efficiently projected into the far field by lens 203, eliminating the light leakage issues seen in prior art. For example, light 221 is reflected once by reflective surface A2 202a2 before being incident on lens 203 and projected into the far field, forming light 222. Light 225 is emitted directly from light outlet 202d without being reflected by reflective surface A1 or A2, then incident on lens 203 and projected into the far field, forming light 226.

[0044] It should be noted that, as shown in FIG2b , the reflector 202 does not compress the light emitted by the light source 201 in direction A. Therefore, the light distribution at the reflector light outlet 202d is relatively wide in direction A. In other words, at the reflector light outlet 202d, the light presents a light distribution that is wide in direction A and narrow in direction B (because it is limited in direction B by the reflective surfaces A1 and A2). This light distribution, after being imaged by the lens 203 and projected into the far field, also forms a far-field light distribution 262 that is wide in direction A and narrow in direction B, as shown in FIG2d .

[0045] The light-emitting device also includes a shaped reflective surface 204 extending congruently along direction A, positioned between the reflector 202 and the lens 203 in the optical path. The first end of the shaped reflective surface 204 is located near the reflector's light outlet 202d, and the second end extends toward the lens 203. A portion of the light emitted from the reflector's light outlet 202d is incident on the shaped reflective surface 204. This light is reflected by the shaped reflective surface 204, changing its direction, and ultimately entering the lens 203 and projected into the far field. For example, light ray 223 in Figure 2a exits the light outlet 202d, enters the shaped reflective surface 204, is reflected by the surface, and enters the lens 203, where it is projected into the far field as light ray 224. In order to derive the light spot formed by this part of the light in the far field, the light 223 reflected by the shaped reflective surface 204 is reversed along a straight line to obtain a virtual light ray 223'. The light ray 223 can be equivalently regarded as being formed by the virtual light ray 223' emitted from the light outlet of the virtual reflective cup 202'. In other words, the light 224 projected into the far field through the lens 203 can be regarded as being emitted from the virtual reflective cup 202', and the virtual reflective cup 202' is the mirror image of the reflective cup 202 on the shaped reflective surface 204. Since the first end of the shaped reflective surface 204 is close to the light outlet 202d of the reflective cup, the virtual reflective cup 202′ and the solid reflective cup 202, which serve as mirror images, are close to each other. If, preferably, the first end of the shaped reflective surface 204 is in close contact with the light outlet 202d of the reflective cup, the light outlet of the virtual reflective cup 202′ will be connected to the light outlet of the solid reflective cup 202, thereby effectively forming a larger light-emitting surface. That is, it is equivalent to the light outlet of the reflective cup 202 in the B direction extending twice in the +B direction, and the light energy that extends out is the light energy emitted from the solid reflective cup 202 and incident on the shaped reflective surface 204.

[0046] Therefore, the far-field light distribution at this time should be extended in the -B direction based on the light distribution in Figure 2d, as shown in Figure 2e. To avoid misunderstanding, it is worth noting that the light distribution shown in Figure 2d is the light distribution when the shaped reflective surface 204 is not included in this embodiment. In this case, the far-field light spot 262 is formed by the light emitted from the reflector cup light outlet 202d through the imaging projection of the lens 203. This light spot 262 is basically uniform. The light distribution shown in FIG2e is the light distribution when the shaping reflective surface 204 is included in this embodiment. It can be seen that among the light emitted from the reflector cup light outlet 202d, the light that is not incident on the shaping reflective surface 204 and directly incident on the lens 203 (for example, light rays 221 and 225) is imaged by the lens 203 and projected into the far field to form a light spot 262′. Meanwhile, among the light emitted from the reflector cup light outlet 202d, the light that is incident on the shaping reflective surface 204 and reflected therefrom and then incident on the lens 203 (for example, light ray 223) is imaged by the lens 203 and projected into the far field to form a light spot 264. As mentioned above, the light spot 264 can be equivalently regarded as the light emitted by the virtual reflector 202' being directly imaged and projected into the far field by the lens 203. Since the virtual reflector is close to or even connected to the real reflector, the light spot 264 formed by the virtual reflector 202' will also be close to or even connected to the light spot formed by the real reflector 202. The light spot 264 is equivalent to the extension of the light spot 262' formed by the light outlet of the real reflector 202 in the -B direction.

[0047] In Figure 2e, the density of the dot matrix represents the intensity of the illumination, with a denser array representing a higher illumination. The following explains the formation of this light distribution in conjunction with Figure 2f. For ease of analysis, the reflector's light outlet 202d is divided into two equal parts along the B direction. The half closest to the shaped reflective surface 204 is represented by light point 271, and the half further from the shaped reflective surface is represented by light point 272. Light beams with a certain angular range (representing the angular range of light emitted from light outlet 202d) are emitted from light points 271 and 272, respectively. Among the three light rays 271a, 271b and 271c emitted from the light-emitting point 271, two light rays 271b and 271c are incident on the shaping reflective surface 204, which is equivalent to two light rays 271b' and 271c' being emitted from the mirror light-emitting point 271'; at the same time, among the three light rays 272a, 272b and 272c emitted from the light-emitting point 272, only one light ray 272c is incident on the shaping reflective surface 204, which is equivalent to one light ray 272c' being emitted from the mirror light-emitting point 272'. Thus, it can be understood that in Figure 2e, spot 264a of light spot 264 formed by virtual reflector 202' is a portion of the energy split from spot 262a of light spot 262 formed by solid reflector 202, while spot 264b of light spot 264 formed by virtual reflector 202' is a portion of the energy split from spot 262b of light spot 262 formed by solid reflector 202. Furthermore, spot 264b splits more energy than spot 264a. Analysis of Figure 2f shows that the larger the size of shaped reflective surface 204 and the further its second end extends toward the reflector, the more energy the mirrored light points 271' and 272' split from the solid light points 271 and 272, and vice versa. Therefore, the illumination of spot 264 can be controlled by controlling the size of the shaped reflective surface. However, as can be understood from Figure 2f, even if the shaped reflective surface is infinitely large, the energy of spot 264 is less than half that of spot 262. Therefore, as shown in Figure 2e , the shaped reflective surface 204 creates a far-field light distribution that expands along the -B direction and gradually weakens. It's worth noting that in Figures 2e and 2f , the relative brightness values ​​of the light distribution are represented and analyzed using partitions. This is simply for convenience; in practice, the far-field light distribution can continuously weaken along the -B direction.

[0048] Although the brightness of spot 262a is slightly reduced by spot 264a due to the shaped reflective surface, the illumination is somewhat reduced. However, considering the exponential increase in the illumination range and the minimal or no decrease in illumination at the highest brightness, the light distribution shown in FIG2e is clearly more suitable for applications such as vehicle lights that require both near-field floodlighting and high-brightness illumination at a distance. That is, spots 264a, 264b, 262b, and 262a illuminate from near to far, creating a wide illumination range. Furthermore, since the darker spots illuminate closer and the brighter spots illuminate farther, the resulting road illumination is nearly uniform, resulting in a very good lighting effect. Conversely, if uniform spot illumination is used, the illumination will be too bright near the road, resulting in poor lighting effects and wasted light near the road, resulting in unnecessary energy consumption.

[0049] In summary, in this embodiment, the reflective cup 202 is used to focus the light emitted by the light source into a half angle. Within the angle range of The system can effectively collect light emitted from the light outlet of the reflector cup and project it into the far field. The shaped reflective surface near the light outlet of the reflector cup forms a mirror image virtual reflector close to the reflector cup, so that an illumination light field with a doubled area that gradually weakens in the -B direction is formed in the far field. This illumination light field is particularly suitable for application scenarios where both near and far objects are illuminated at the same time.

[0050] 2c, the preferred design method of the reflective surface A1 and the reflective surface A2 of the reflective cup 202 is introduced. As mentioned above, the width b of the light entrance of the reflective cup is in , Width of light outlet b out The distance h from the light entrance to the light exit determines that the tangent value of the maximum angle of direct light is equal to Therefore, the surface shapes of the reflective surfaces A1 and A2 of the reflective cup must also be designed to limit the maximum emission angle of light reflected from incident light at large angles. Let's take the design of reflective surface A1 202a1 as an example. The transverse lines of the A1 and A2 reflective surfaces, on a cross section perpendicular to the A direction, are transverse line A1 (also indicated by 202a1 in the figure) and transverse line A2 (also indicated by 202a2 in the figure). Transverse line A1 202a1 is a parabola, the focus of which coincides with the endpoint 202a21 of transverse line A2 202a2 at the light entrance. The axis 252 of the parabola passing through the focal point on one side of the reflective cup is tilted away from transverse line A1 202a1 relative to the line connecting the centers of the light entrance and light exit. In Figure 2c, this tilt is to the right. According to the geometric principles of a parabola, light rays 241 and 243 emitted from the parabola's focal point 202a21 and incident on the A1 reflective surface 202a1 will, after being reflected by the parabola, emerge in directions parallel to the axis of the parabola, forming emergent light rays 242 and 244, respectively. The angle of reflection of light emitted from any other part of light source 201 incident on the same point of incidence will be smaller than the angles of incidence of light rays 242 and 244. For example, light 246 in Figure 2c is emitted from the center of the light source and is incident on the same point of incidence as light 241. The angle of incidence of its reflected light 247 is necessarily smaller than that of light 242. Therefore, the angle of incidence of all light emitted from light source 201 and incident on the A1 reflective surface 202a1 is no greater than the axis 252, thus achieving angle control of the reflected light. The A2 reflective surface can be designed using the same principles as the design of the A1 reflective surface.

[0051] Assume that the angle between the axis 252 of the parabola (i.e., the A1 section of the A1 reflecting surface 202a1) passing through the focus and the line connecting the centers of the light inlet and the light outlet is K. The angle K is the maximum exit angle of all light incident on the A1 reflecting surface 202a1 emitted from the light source 201 after reflection. Preferably, That is, the maximum angle of the light reflected by the A1 reflective surface and the A2 reflective surface is equal to the maximum angle of the light directly emitted from the light source. Both angles are equal to In this way, the exit angle of all light emitted from the light source 201 after passing through the reflective cup 202 is controlled to be no greater than Angle. According to the law of conservation of optical etendue,

[0052] In this embodiment, the reflective cup extends congruently along direction A, so that the reflective surface A1 and the reflective surface A2 also extend congruently along direction A. This makes the light entrance and the light exit also extend congruently along direction A. In other words, the light entrance and the light exit include straight edges extending along direction A. This has the following advantages:

[0053] 1. If the light source uses LED, the LED's light-emitting surface is generally rectangular or square with straight edges. In this way, the straight edge of the light entrance can be aligned with the edge of the LED light-emitting area, achieving maximum efficiency while also achieving better light uniformity because there is no gap (or the gap is small).

[0054] 2. Regulations stipulate that the light distribution of headlights should be relatively wide in the horizontal direction and relatively narrow in the vertical direction, and a light-dark dividing line extending in the horizontal direction is required to avoid glare to other drivers. Using a straight edge of the light outlet extending along the A direction to achieve this light-dark dividing line is very suitable and efficient.

[0055] In this embodiment, the second end of the shaped reflective surface 204 extends along the optical axis of the reflector toward the lens. That is, the distance from the second end of the shaped reflective surface to the optical axis of the reflector is equal to the distance from the first end to the optical axis of the reflector. This creates a mirrored virtual reflector 202' that is parallel to the physical reflector 202, resulting in a larger equivalent spot size. In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG3 , unlike the embodiment shown in FIG2a , the distance from the second end of the shaped reflective surface 304 to the optical axis of the reflector 302 is greater than the distance from the first end to the optical axis of the reflector 302. This creates a mirrored virtual reflector 302' further away from the lens 303. This advantage is that the presence of the shaped reflective surface 304 has minimal effect on the angle of light emitted from the reflector 302. The energy of light emitted from the reflector 302 incident on the shaped reflective surface 304 is also relatively small, meaning that the virtual reflector 302' receives less light energy, which facilitates the formation of a more pronounced illumination gradient in the far field.

[0056] Based on the above two embodiments, it can be seen that preferably, the distance from the second end of the shaped reflective surface to the optical axis of the reflector cup is not less than the distance from the first end to the optical axis of the reflector cup. Of course, in actual applications, the distance from the second end of the shaped reflective surface to the optical axis of the reflector cup may be less than the distance from the first end to the optical axis of the reflector cup, which will be explained in the next embodiment.

[0057] Figure 4a shows a schematic diagram of the structure of another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the distance from the second end of the shaped reflective surface 404 to the optical axis of the reflector 402 is shorter than the distance from the first end to the optical axis of the reflector 402. In this case, the shaped reflective surface 404 is relatively short to avoid excessively affecting the light emitted by the reflector 402. This is useful for applications where the illumination area does not need to be large and relatively uniform illumination is required.

[0058] This embodiment differs from the embodiment shown in FIG2a in that it utilizes a different structure to form the reflector 402. A schematic diagram of the optical path principle of this reflector 402 is shown in FIG4b. In this embodiment, the transverse lines of the A1 reflective surface 402a1 and the A2 reflective surface 402a2, on a cross section perpendicular to the A direction, are referred to as transverse lines A1 and A2, respectively. Transverse line A1 is a parabola (also indicated by 402a1 in the figure), and transverse line A2 is a straight line (also indicated by 402a2 in the figure). The endpoint of transverse line A1 402a1 at the light entrance is point M, and the symmetric point of point M with respect to transverse line A2 402a2 is point N. The parabola's focal point coincides with point N. The portion of the parabola's axis 452 passing through focal point N on one side of the reflector is tilted away from transverse line A1 402a1 relative to the line connecting the centers of the light entrance and light exit, i.e., tilted to the right in FIG4b. For the convenience of analysis, in FIG4 b , the solid arrows represent actual light rays, the dashed arrows represent the mirror light rays of the actual light rays, and the numbers are the corresponding solid light rays followed by a ' symbol.

[0059] Observe the three light rays 440, 444, and 447 emanating from the left endpoint M of light source 401 (i.e., the endpoint of A1 section 402a1 at the light entrance). These three light rays are incident on A2 section 402a2 and reflected. The reflected light rays 441, 445, and 448 are equivalent to the straight-line propagation of light rays 440', 444', and 447' emanating from point N, the mirror image of point M. Light rays 441 and 445 are incident on A1 reflective surface 402a1. Since point N is the focus of parabola (A1 reflective surface) 402a1, light rays 441 and 445, after reflection from A1 reflective surface 402a, emerge parallel to the parabola's axis 452 as parallel light rays 442 and 446. Light 446 emerges directly, while light 442, incident on the plane of A2 section, emerges as light 443. Light 443 emerges at the same angle as light 442. Therefore, the light rays reflected from point M through the A1 reflective surface 402a all emerge from the light outlet at a certain angle K. It is easy to deduce that the emission angle of light emitted from any point of the light source after being reflected by the A1 reflective surface 402a1 is not greater than the K angle. Therefore, the angle control of the reflected light is achieved. On the other hand, more preferably, the angle between the line from the focus N of the A1 section 402a1 to the end point of the A1 section at the light outlet and the line from the light inlet to the center of the light outlet is also equal to the K angle. For example, the light ray 448 is not incident on the A1 reflective surface but is directly emitted from the upper edge of the A1 reflective surface. This light ray is equivalent to the light ray 447' emitted from point N and directly emitted from the light outlet. Its emission angle is also equal to K. Therefore, the emission angle of any light ray emitted directly from the light source 401 is less than or equal to the K angle. In this way, similar to the embodiment shown in Figure 2c, by controlling b in 、b outBy properly designing the A1 reflective surface and the dimensions of the reflector 402, the reflective cup 402 can control the light emission angle.

[0060] The present invention illustrates preferred design methods for the reflective surfaces A1 and A2 of a reflector cup using the two embodiments shown in Figures 2c and 4b. However, in practice, other design methods are possible, which are not fully enumerated here. As long as the reflective cup's dimensions a, b, and h meet the requirements of the present invention, it falls within the scope of protection of the present invention. For example, continuously curved reflective surfaces, such as those shown in Figures 2c and 4b, may present machining difficulties. In practice, as shown in Figure 5, the cross-section of at least one of the reflective surfaces A1 502a1 and A2 502a2 of the reflector cup 502 in the first cross-section may be formed by splicing multiple broken lines. Taking the A1 reflective surface 502a1 as an example, its cross-section perpendicular to the A direction (also indicated by 502a1 in the figure) is composed of multiple broken lines 502a1a, 502a1b, and 502a1c. This makes processing easier. The principle is to use multiple broken lines to simulate the A1 cross-section of the parabola shown in Figure 2c. The endpoints of the multiple broken lines 502a1a, 502a1b, and 502a1c all lie on the parabola. Although this may cause some deviation in the control of the output light angle, it is acceptable in practice.

[0061] As can be seen from the description of the above embodiment, the shaped reflective surface plays an important role in the implementation principle of the present invention. The above embodiment does not limit or describe the extension length of the shaped reflective surface toward the lens. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the extension length of the shaped reflective surface toward the lens is described in conjunction with the schematic diagram of Figure 6a. In this embodiment, the cross-sections of the A1 reflective surface 602a1, the A2 reflective surface 602a2, and the shaped reflective surface 604 of the reflective cup 602 in the cross section perpendicular to the direction A are the A1 cross-section (also indicated by 602a1), the A2 cross-section (also indicated by 602a2), and the shaped cross-section (also indicated by 604). The first end of the shaped cross-section 604 is close to the endpoint of the A1 cross-section 602a1 at the light outlet. The angle α (marked in the figure) between the line connecting the second end 604a of the shaped cross-section 604 and the endpoint 602a22 of the A2 cross-section 602a2 at the light outlet and the line connecting the centers of the light outlet and the light entrance of the reflective cup 602 is formed. This limits the extension length of the second end of the shaped reflective surface toward the lens. The following is a detailed explanation. According to the above description of the reflective surface A1 of the reflective cup, it can be known that through reasonable design, the luminous half angle of the light emitted from the light-emitting surface 602d of the reflective cup 602 can be controlled within within, For example, the adjacent light rays 642 and 643 emitted from the left end point 601a1 of the light source 601, the light 642 is emitted directly from the upper edge 602a22 of the A2 reflective surface, and the angle between the light 642 and the optical axis is The light 643 is incident on the upper edge 602a22 of the reflective surface A2 and is reflected. The angle between the reflected light 642 and the optical axis is also That is to say, the light outlet 602d of the reflective cup 602 can be regarded as a light emitting half angle of In this embodiment, the luminous half angle of another light ray 641 emitted from the left end point 601a1 of the light source 601 after being reflected by the A2 reflective surface is also It happens to be incident on the second end 604a of the shaped reflective surface and is reflected by it. The mirror image light 641' of light 641 is equivalently emitted from the light outlet of the virtual reflective cup 602'. Because light 641 is the light with the largest angle emitted by the reflective cup, and because it is incident on the second end 604a of the shaped reflective surface, it can be determined through analysis that light 641 is the light that can be incident on the rightmost side of the shaped reflective surface (i.e., the light farthest in the +B direction). In other words, its mirror image light 641' is the light emitted from the virtual reflective cup 602' at the leftmost side (i.e., the light farthest in the -B direction). If the light outlet 602d of the reflective cup 602 is divided into two parts 602d1 and 602d2 along direction B, as shown in the figure, the light emitted from the part 602d1 cannot be incident on the shaped reflective surface 604, while the light emitted from the part 602d2 can be incident on the shaped reflective surface 604. In other words, the equivalent part 602'd2 of the virtual reflective cup 602' can emit light (this part of light is the light emitted from the part 602d2 and incident on the shaped reflective surface 604), while no light is emitted from the part 602'd1 of the virtual reflective cup 602'. Therefore, the light distribution formed in the far field is shown in Figure 6b. The light emitted from section 602d1 of the reflector 602's light outlet corresponds to spot 662a, the light emitted from section 602d2 of the reflector 602's light outlet corresponds to spot 662b, and the light emitted from section 602'd2 of the virtual reflector 602''s light outlet corresponds to spot 664b. The light emitted from section 602'd2 of the virtual reflector 602''s light outlet is the light emitted from section 602d2 of the reflector 602''s light outlet and incident on the shaped reflective surface. Its energy is obviously less than half of the total energy of the light emitted from section 602d2. Therefore, the illuminance of spot 664b is lower than that of spot 662b. Furthermore, since the light emitted from section 602d1 of the reflector 602's light outlet is not affected by the shaped reflective surface 604, the illuminance of spot 662a is the same as that without the shaped reflective surface, and does not decrease.

[0062] In this embodiment, since the length of the second end of the shaping reflective surface 604 extending toward the lens is limited, the illumination of the portion 662a of the far-field light spot that illuminates the far end is maintained at a maximum, thereby achieving the best long-range effect. It can be understood from FIG6a that as the second end 604a of the shaping reflective surface 604 continues to extend toward the lens (upward in the figure), the angle α between the second end 604a of the shaping section 604 and the endpoint 602a22 of the A2 section 602a2 at the light outlet and the line connecting the light outlet and the center of the light inlet of the reflective cup 602 will become smaller, and the proportion of light incident on the shaping reflective surface in the light emitted from the light outlet 602d of the reflective cup will increase, and the corresponding far-field light spot will gradually extend in the -B direction. When α becomes smaller than the angle α of the line connecting the second end 604a of the shaping section 604 and the endpoint 602a22 of the A2 section 602a2 at the light outlet will become smaller. At the same time, part of the light emitted from any position of the light outlet of the reflector cup is incident on the shaped reflective surface. In theory, the edge illumination of the far-field light spot in the +B direction can still be kept at the maximum. At this time, the size of the far-field light spot in the B direction reaches the maximum. When the second end 604a of the shaped reflective surface 604 continues to extend toward the lens, At this time, the far-field light spot no longer grows, and the brightest point of the far-field light spot also begins to weaken. At this time, the far-field spot size and the maximum illumination reach a relatively good balance. At this time, the shaping reflective surface does not reduce the angle of the light emitted from the reflective cup (it is still half angle ), and due to In this way, the lens can still efficiently collect the light emitted from the reflective cup and reflected from the shaped reflective surface.

[0063] Of course, in practical applications This is also a possible situation, because at this time although the far-field light spot no longer increases, the proportion of light from the virtual reflector cup will increase, that is, the uniformity of the far-field light spot is increased.

[0064] In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG7a , unlike the embodiment shown in FIG2a , in direction B, the center 702dc of the light outlet of the reflector 702 is not on the centerline Bc of the lens 703, and in direction B, the shaped reflective surface 704 is located on the side of the reflector 702 away from the lens centerline Bc. This has the advantage that, as shown in FIG7b , the far-field light spot (including the light spot formed by the light outlet of the reflector 702 and the light spot formed by the light outlet of the virtual reflector 702') is concentrated on one side relative to the centerline Bc in direction B. In automotive lighting applications, this means that light above the horizontal line is very weak or absent, thus providing an anti-glare effect.

[0065] In the embodiment shown in Figure 7a, the reflector and the shaped reflective surface are offset as a whole toward the +B direction. This has the advantage of shifting the far-field light spot toward the -B direction, thereby reducing / preventing glare. However, this may also cause light emitted by the reflector in the +B direction to be emitted outside the lens (i.e., unable to enter the effective aperture of the lens), resulting in reduced efficiency. To address this issue, in another embodiment shown in Figure 8, the reflective channel and the shaped reflective surface are deflected as a whole so that the optical axis of the entire emitted light passes through the center of the lens. This allows as much light as possible to enter the effective aperture of the lens, thereby improving collection efficiency.

[0066] In the aforementioned embodiment, the reflective surfaces A1 and A2 of the reflective cup extend congruently along direction A and control the light's angle in direction B, while not limiting the light's angle in direction A. In practical applications, however, it is also meaningful to limit the angle or aperture of light emitted in direction A so that it can be fully utilized. Therefore, in another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 9a and 9b , unlike the embodiment shown in Figures 2a and 2b , in addition to the reflective cup 902 including an A1 reflective surface 902a1 and an A2 reflective surface 902a2 extending congruently along direction A, the light-emitting device also includes a B1 reflective surface 902b1 and a B2 reflective surface 902b2 extending congruently along direction B. The A1 reflective surface 902a1, the B1 reflective surface 902b1, the A2 reflective surface 902a2, and the B2 reflective surface 902b2 are connected to form a reflective channel 902. Light emitted by the light source 901 enters the reflective channel through a light inlet, propagates through the reflective channel, and exits through a light outlet of the reflective channel 902. The preferred design method for the B1 reflective surface and the B2 reflective surface is the same as the design method for the A1 reflective surface and the A2 reflective surface, and will not be further described here. In this way, the luminous angle of the light emitted from the light source 901 in the B direction is limited by the A1 reflecting surface and the A2 reflecting surface (as shown in Figure 9a), and the luminous angle in the A direction is limited by the B1 reflecting surface and the B2 reflecting surface (as shown in Figure 9b). In this way, the angle limitation of the light in two orthogonal directions is achieved through the reflection channel 902, so that the light emitted from the reflection channel can be collected by the lens as much as possible, thereby improving efficiency.

[0067] The aforementioned embodiment does not describe the specific implementation of the A1 and A2 reflective surfaces. Of course, they can be implemented using methods similar to aluminum-plated or silver-plated reflective mirrors. Another difference of this embodiment is that the reflective channel 902 is a transparent material entity. As shown in Figure 9c, the A1 reflective surface 902a1, the B1 reflective surface 902b1, the A2 reflective surface 902a2, and the B2 reflective surface 902b2 are all smooth surfaces on the side of the transparent material entity. After the light emitted by the light source enters the reflective channel from the light inlet of the reflective channel, part of the light is incident on the smooth surface of the side of the transparent material entity and undergoes total reflection. The advantage of this is that it is easy to process, all reflective surfaces are integrally formed, and because it is total reflection, the reflectivity is close to 100%. The disadvantage of the solid reflective channel 902 is that the solid lens material has a certain absorption of light, which is generally acceptable in practical applications. Another advantage of using a transparent reflective channel 902 is that, preferably, the first end of the shaped reflective surface 904 can be in close contact with the light outlet of the reflective channel. This creates a mirrored virtual reflective channel (reflective cup) that is also in close contact with the physical reflective channel, resulting in a continuous far-field light distribution without gaps. However, if the reflective channel is formed by a silver-plated or aluminum-plated reflector, since any reflective surface has a certain thickness, the shaped reflective surface 904 can only be in close contact with the rear of the reflective surface at the closest point, and must be a certain thickness away from the reflective surface.

[0068] In this embodiment, the reflective channel 902 is a transparent material entity, which also brings a problem, that is, the distance h from the light entrance to the light exit of the A1 reflective surface and the A2 reflective surface must be A , which is equal to the distance h from the light entrance to the light exit of the B1 and B2 reflective surfaces B , that is, h A =h B According to the design method of the A1 reflective surface and the A2 reflective surface, h A It is the angle that needs to be limited according to the B direction, b in 、b out The size is reasonably designed and cannot be adjusted at will; the same h B It is based on the angle that needs to be limited in direction A and the width a of the light outlet in direction A. out , the width of the light entrance in direction A is a in For example, in this embodiment, since the width of the light source 901 in the B direction is smaller than its width in the A direction, even if the reflection channel controls the same luminous angle in the A and B directions, h A is also smaller than h B of.

[0069] In order to make the reflection channel have the same height in the A and B directions, in this embodiment, the reflection channel further includes an A1 extension surface 902a1L and an A2 extension surface 902a2L extending congruently along the A direction. The A1 extension surface 902a1L and the A2 extension surface 902a2L are both planes. The A1 extension surface 902a1L is located on the side of the A1 reflection surface 902a1 away from the light source and is connected to the A1 reflection surface 902a1. After the two are connected, the total height perpendicular to the A and B directions is equal to h B The A2 extension surface 902a2L is located on the side of the A2 reflection surface 902a2 away from the light source and is connected to the A2 reflection surface 902a2. The total height of the two connected in the directions perpendicular to A and B is equal to h B More specifically, the A1 reflective surface 902a1 extends toward the lens to form a plane 902a1L, and the A2 reflective surface 902a2 extends toward the lens to form a plane 902a2L. The total length after extension is equal to h B In the B direction, the light emitted from the light outlets of the A1 reflective surface and the A2 reflective surface will be directly reflected and propagated on these two extended reflective surfaces. This reflection and propagation process has little effect on the luminous angle (if the two extended reflective surfaces are parallel to each other, the luminous angle will not be affected at all. Considering that a draft angle needs to be left in the actual injection molding process, the two extended reflective surfaces are not completely parallel, and their effect on the luminous angle is also very small). Therefore, the light emitted from the light outlets of the extended planes 902a1L and 902a2L can be regarded as being in the same state as the light emitted from the light outlets of the A1 reflective surface and the A2 reflective surface, that is, having the same luminous angle. This solves the problem that the height of the reflection channel in the A and B directions must be the same.

[0070] In this embodiment, preferably, the design method of the B1 and B2 reflective surfaces is the same as the design method of the A1 and A2 reflective surfaces. Of course, the B1 and B2 reflective surfaces can also be designed using different methods. For example, the B1 and B2 reflective surfaces are relatively parallel planes. Although this cannot achieve the purpose of limiting the luminous angle in direction A (because reflection between two parallel planes cannot change the angle), it still relies on the reflection on the B1 and B2 reflective surfaces to suppress the diffusion of the luminous aperture in direction A. For another example, the B1 and B2 reflective surfaces are relatively planes with a certain inclination angle, which can also achieve the purpose of compressing the luminous angle.

[0071] In the embodiment shown in FIG9a and FIG9b, by rationally designing the B1 reflective surface 902b1 and the B2 reflective surface 902b2 of the reflective channel 902, the emission angle in the A direction can be compressed so that the light emission half angle in the A direction is At the same time, through the reasonable design of the A1 reflective surface 902a1 and the A2 reflective surface 902a2 of the reflection channel, the emission angle in the B direction can be compressed so that the luminous half angle in the B direction is In this embodiment, Since the larger the luminous angle, the larger the lens diameter is required to receive the light, the width of the lens 903 in the A direction is equal to its width in the B direction, so that the light emitted by the reflection channel 902 can be received in both directions A and B. In this embodiment, the width of the light source 901 in the A direction is greater than its width in the B direction, that is, the width of the light entrance of the reflection channel a in >b in , and if Then there must be a out >b out . And because Therefore h B >h A Therefore, it is necessary to use the A1 extension surface 902a1L and the A2 extension surface 902a2L to make the height of the reflection channel in the A and B directions equal.

[0072] In practical applications, the luminous angle of the reflection channel in the B direction may not be equal to the luminous angle in the A direction, that is, For example At this time, the width of the lens in direction A can be smaller than its width in direction B, forming a long strip of light outlet shape, which has a more technological feel. There are two cases to discuss here. The first case is that the width of the light source in direction A and direction B is equal, that is, a in =b in .because a out >b out , so h B >h A In this case, it is still necessary to use the A1 extension surface and the A2 extension surface to make the height of the reflection channel equal in the A and B directions. And a in =b in , then h A >h B In this case, it is obvious that the B1 extension surface and the B2 extension surface need to be used to make the height of the reflection channel equal in the A and B directions. The second case is that the width of the light source in the A direction is smaller than its width in the B direction, that is, a in in , then h cannot be determined at this time A and h B The relative size of h A =h B ​For example, a in 1mm, b in 2mm, is 15 degrees, then a out 3.86mm, h B is 9.07mm. is 22 degrees, then b out 5.34mm,h A It is also 9.07mm, which is h A =h B . In this case, there is no need to extend the surface.

[0073] In summary, whether to use the extended surface depends on the actual design requirements. A ≠h B , it is necessary to use an extension surface in the smaller direction to make the height of the reflection channel in the A and B directions equal. If h A =h B , then there is no need to use an extension surface. In the specific design, a preferred solution is to reflect the luminous angle of the channel in the B direction Not equal to its luminous angle in direction A This is conducive to achieving a long strip-shaped lamp shape. Whether the extended surface is needed at this time is related to the dimensions of the light source in the A and B directions.

[0074] The structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 10a and 10b. Different from the embodiment shown in Figures 9a and 9b, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 10b, it also includes a second shaping reflective surface 1005 extending congruently along the B direction between the reflection channel 1002 and the optical path of the lens 1003. The first end of the second shaping reflective surface 1005 is close to the light outlet of the reflection channel 1002, and the second end extends toward the lens 1003. As can be seen from the comparison between Figure 10b and Figure 9b, in this embodiment, the width of the lens 1003 in the A direction is significantly reduced, which causes the light emitted from the reflection channel 1002 to be incident outside the lens in the A direction. For example, if there is no reflection of the second shaping reflective surface 1005, the light 1021 will not be collected by the lens like the light 1021', and the condition is not satisfied at this time. in is the luminous half angle of the reflection channel in the A direction, L A is the effective width of the lens in the A direction. A drastically reduced, making Therefore, much of the light emitted from the reflection channel in direction A will not be collected by the lens.

[0075] Second shaping reflective surface 1005 solves this problem. For example, light 1021 is reflected by second shaping reflective surface 1005 to form light 1022, which then enters the aperture of lens 1003 and exits as light 1023. Using the aforementioned analysis method, it can be seen that the virtual light 1022' obtained by inverting light 1022 can be equivalently considered to be emitted from virtual reflection channel 1002'. In other words, the light outlet of virtual reflection channel 1002' can be equivalently considered to be an extension of the physical reflection channel 1002 in the +A direction. Therefore, the light spot formed in the far field correspondingly expands in the -A direction. A schematic diagram of the far-field light distribution of this embodiment is shown in Figure 10c. As shown in Figure 10c, light spot 1062, located in the middle of direction A, is formed when light emitted from the reflection channel in direction A directly enters the lens without passing through the second shaping reflective surface and is imaged and projected to the far field by the lens. The illuminance gradient formed by light spot 1062 in direction B is the result of the action of shaping reflective surface 1004 in direction B, which will not be further explained here. Furthermore, due to the action of second shaping reflective surface 1005 in direction A, virtual reflection channel 1002' forms an extended light spot 1063 in direction -A. The illuminance of extended light spot 1063 is lower than that of light spot 1062, and the illuminance decreases with distance in the -A direction. Therefore, the extended light spot 1063, formed by the combined action of shaping reflective surface 1004 and second shaping reflective surface 1005, exhibits a decaying illuminance gradient in both the -A and -B directions, significantly expanding the illumination range while maintaining essentially no decay in the brightest illuminance of the entire light distribution. Furthermore, this embodiment also includes a third shaping reflective surface 1006. The third shaping reflective surface 1006 is close to the light outlet of the reflection channel in the -A direction. Accordingly, a virtual reflection channel 1002" connected to the physical reflection channel 1002 is formed in the -A direction, and an extended light spot 1064 is formed in the +A direction of the far field. The extended light spot 1064 formed by the simultaneous action of the shaping reflective surface 1004 and the third shaping reflective surface 1006 has an attenuated illumination gradient in both the +A direction and the -B direction, thereby significantly expanding the illumination range again.

[0076] In this embodiment, in the B direction, the width L of the lens 1003 is B It is larger and can accept light at a larger angle, and the luminous angle of the reflection channel 1002 in the B direction can match it, that is, in is the half angle of the light emission of the reflection channel in the B direction. The shaping reflection surface 1004 does not change the light emission angle range of the reflection channel much. In the A direction, the width L of the lens 1003 is A Significantly smaller than L B, can only receive light with a smaller angle in direction A, and the reflection channel has difficulty in compressing the luminous angle in direction A to be very small, so the luminous angle of the reflection channel in direction A does not match the receiving angle of the lens 1003, that is, in In order to reflect the luminous half angle of the channel in direction A, the second shaping reflection surface and the third shaping reflection surface can utilize the light in direction A that originally could not enter the lens to form an extended light spot in direction A, thereby expanding the illumination area.

[0077] It is worth noting that in the description of the present invention, directions A and B are orthogonal to each other. Direction A generally refers to the horizontal direction, while direction B refers to the vertical direction. However, A and B are merely codes and can be interchanged or refer to other directions. As long as A and B are orthogonal to each other, they fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the shaping reflective surface, the second shaping reflective surface, and the third shaping reflective surface are all planar. This is because planar reflectors facilitate the description of the equivalent virtual reflective cup and virtual reflective channel. In practice, the shaping reflective surface can also be curved, which can also form an extended light spot in the far field. The extended light spot of the virtual reflective cup formed by a planar shaping reflective surface is the same width as the extended light spot of a solid reflective cup (because the virtual reflective cup and the solid reflective cup are mirror images). However, a curved shaping reflective surface can form a wider extended light spot, thereby forming a larger illumination range, which will be explained in the next embodiment.

[0079] Before describing another embodiment, it should be noted that the terms "shaped reflective surface," "second shaped reflective surface," or "Xth shaped reflective surface" in the description of the present invention actually all fall under the category of shaped reflective surfaces and are simply used to distinguish them in the description. Furthermore, various embodiments of the present invention frequently mention "reflective channel" and "reflective cup." As can be seen from the above description, the reflective channel is formed based on the reflective cup. The difference lies in that the reflective cup restricts the light angle in one direction, while the reflective channel restricts the light angle in two orthogonal directions. Therefore, the reflective channel is also a type of reflective cup, albeit a more complex form. Therefore, when referring to a reflective channel or a reflective cup in the description of the present invention, we are referring to the "reflective cup," an optical device that compresses the light angle of a light source.

[0080] FIG11 a is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the present invention, which differs from the embodiment shown in FIG10 a in the following aspects:

[0081] 1. That is, the luminous half angle of the reflection channel 1102 in the B direction Much larger than the half angle of the light received by lens 1103 in direction B For example, light 1123, originally emitted from outside lens 1103 (indicated by the dotted line in Figure 11a), is reflected back into the aperture of lens 1103 by incident on shaping reflective surface 1104. Another light 1125 is also reflected by shaping reflective surface 1104 and returns to the aperture of lens 1103.

[0082] 2. Reflecting surface 1104 is not a flat surface, but rather a curved surface that convexly extends away from the reflector cup. This has the advantage of forming a wider, extended light spot in direction B. Reversing ray 1123 yields virtual ray 1123', which can be considered equivalent to emanating from virtual light point 1123s. Reversing ray 1125 yields virtual ray 1125', which can be considered equivalent to emanating from virtual light point 1125s. Since the shaped reflective surface 1104 is a curved surface convex away from the reflective cup, it does not form a virtual reflective cup that is mirrored with the light outlet of the reflective cup 1102. Instead, it can be regarded as a collection of virtual light points such as 1123s and 1125s. The width of the coverage area of ​​these virtual light points in the B direction is obviously greater than the width of the light outlet of the physical reflective cup 1102 in the B direction. This is because the shaped reflective surface 1104 is a curved surface convex away from the reflective cup, which has the magnifying effect of a concave reflector on the virtual image of the incident light.

[0083] 3. The first end of the shaped reflective surface 1104 is close to the reflective cup 1102 in the +B direction, while the second end extends toward the lens 1103. The second end extends to the edge of the effective aperture of the lens 1103, and the extension length exceeds the embodiment shown in Figure 10a. The effect of the extension length of the shaped reflective surface has been described in the embodiment shown in Figure 6a. That is, the first end of the shaped section line is close to the endpoint of the A1 section line at the light outlet. The angle α between the line connecting the second end of the shaped section line and the endpoint of the A2 section line at the light outlet and the line connecting the center of the reflective cup light outlet and the light inlet is α. satisfy It is possible to achieve that the shaped reflection surface has no effect on the angle range of the light emitted from the reflector cup. However, in this embodiment, since the emitting angle of the reflector cup is greater than the receiving angle of the lens, it is necessary to That is, the shaped reflective surface is used to reduce the luminous angle to match the receiving angle of the lens, so as to ensure that all light is incident within the lens aperture as much as possible.

[0084] 4. The reflector cup 1102 and the shaped reflective surface 1104 are considered as a whole, and the light-emitting angle of this whole matches the light-collecting angle of the lens 1103. Because the shaped reflective surface 1104 affects the angular distribution of light, the light-emitting angle of the reflector cup-shaped reflective surface combination is not symmetrical. Therefore, in this embodiment, the reflector cup-shaped reflective surface combination is rotated toward the lens and toward the shaped reflective surface, so that the central ray of the emitted light from this combination coincides with the center of the lens. This ensures that as much of the emitted light as possible is incident within the aperture of the lens 1103.

[0085] 5. The center of the light outlet of the reflector 1102 is not on the centerline Bc of the lens. The shaped reflective surface 1104 is located on the side of the reflector 1102 away from the lens centerline Bc. This has the advantage of keeping the light spot below the horizontal, preventing glare oncoming vehicles and pedestrians. In this embodiment, a cutoff aperture 1107 extending along direction A is located on the reflective surface 1102a2 at the edge of the reflector's light outlet. A schematic diagram of this cutoff aperture is shown in Figure 11b. The edge of this cutoff aperture 1107 includes a first straight edge 1107a and a second straight edge 1107b that is parallel to and offset from the first straight edge. The first straight edge 1107a extends deeper into the light outlet than the second straight edge 1107b. The first and second straight edges are connected at their junction by a short edge 1107c. The angle between this short edge and the first and second straight edges is less than 55 degrees and greater than 35 degrees. The resulting far-field light distribution is shown in Figure 11c. It can be seen that the light distribution has a wider range in the B direction than that in Figure 10c (because the range of the virtual light point is wider), and there is an illumination gradient in the B direction (the illumination gradient is shown as four grids in the figure for convenience of representation; it should actually be a basically continuous distribution). The light distribution is mainly concentrated below the horizontal line Bc, and the edge near the horizontal line forms the shape of the edge of the cutoff aperture, which is the requirement of automobile low-beam lighting. According to the requirements of automobile low-beam lighting, there is another form of cutoff aperture, as shown in Figure 11d. The edge of the cutoff aperture 1107 includes a first straight edge 1107a and an oblique edge 1107b intersecting with the first straight edge 1107a. The angle between the oblique edge 1107b and the first straight edge 1107a is greater than 65 degrees and less than 85 degrees. The first straight edge 1107a extends deeper into the interior of the light outlet than the oblique edge 1107b. The far-field light distribution thus generated is shown in Figure 11e.

[0086] The lens aperture is mentioned several times throughout the description of this invention. This refers to the effective aperture, which is the aperture of the lens when combined with other components of the invention. In actual applications, some lenses may have a frame for fixation. This frame does not play an optical role and is therefore not included in the calculation of the effective aperture. Some lenses may be molded together with other lenses, forming a single large optical element. However, the original lens still functions in this area, and the other lenses or optical components do not count towards the effective aperture.

[0087] In the description of the present invention, since the optical principle of the two directions A and B is to be described, the optical principle of the two directions A and B is to be described. When using symbols such as α, sometimes A is used as a subscript to indicate the angle in the direction of A, and sometimes B is used as a subscript to indicate the angle in the direction of B. Sometimes no subscript is used, and the context should be used to determine whether it refers to the direction of A or the direction of B.

[0088] In the above embodiments of the present invention, the reflective cup and the shaped reflective surface are used to change the distribution of light. As described above, the reflective cup is used to compress the angle of light emitted by the light source, so that the light outlet of the reflective cup can be regarded as a new luminous half angle of Small-angle light source; in this case, the light outlet of the reflective cup is basically evenly distributed, and a corresponding evenly distributed light spot will be formed in the far field. In applications such as car lights, there will be problems such as the lighting area being too concentrated and too small, and too bright near, so it is an important issue to form an expanded uneven light spot while maintaining a relatively high maximum light intensity. The present invention utilizes the effect of the shaped reflective surface to separate a portion of the energy from the main light spot to form an extended light spot, thereby solving this problem. The different forms of shaped reflective surfaces listed in different embodiments of the present invention can form different styles of extended light spots, but their essence is to use the extended light spot to achieve the expansion of the lighting area and a smaller loss of maximum light intensity.

[0089] In the above embodiments of the present invention, the reflective cup and the shaped reflective surface are used to change the distribution of light. As described above, the reflective cup is used to compress the angle of light emitted by the light source, so that the light outlet of the reflective cup can be regarded as a new luminous half angle of Small-angle light source; in this case, the light outlet of the reflective cup is basically evenly distributed, and a corresponding evenly distributed light spot will be formed in the far field. In applications such as car lights, there will be problems such as the lighting area being too concentrated and too small, and too bright near, so it is an important issue to form an expanded uneven light spot while maintaining a relatively high maximum light intensity. The present invention utilizes the effect of the shaped reflective surface to separate a portion of the energy from the main light spot to form an extended light spot, thereby solving this problem. The different forms of shaped reflective surfaces listed in different embodiments of the present invention can form different styles of extended light spots, but their essence is to use the extended light spot to achieve the expansion of the lighting area and a smaller loss of maximum light intensity.

[0090] The present invention also provides a vehicle lamp comprising the above-mentioned light-emitting device, a housing and a mask. The light-emitting device is fixed in the housing, the mask seals the housing, and light emitted by the light-emitting device is emitted through the mask.

[0091] In the above description, sin(x) represents the sine function of x, tan(x) represents the tangent function of x; asin(x) represents the inverse sine function of x, and atan(x) represents the inverse tangent function of x.

[0092] It should be noted that the distinguishing technical features between the various embodiments of the present invention are not limited to being applied to their respective embodiments, but can be applied to various embodiments. It is impossible to list all possible combinations in the description of the present invention. Therefore, the implementation principles and beneficial effects of various technical features are explained by way of examples. When applied to other embodiments, people in this technical field will use their implementation principles to achieve the beneficial effects.

[0093] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present invention's description and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A light emitting device, comprising a light source, characterized in that: It also includes a reflective cup, which extends congruently along the A direction, includes a light inlet and a light outlet opposite to each other, and includes two opposite reflection surfaces A1 and A2 between the light inlet and the light outlet; The B direction is orthogonal to the A direction, and the width of the light outlet in the B direction is b out , the width of the light entrance in the B direction is b in , the distance from the light entrance to the light exit is h, where b out >b in , and b in +b out <2h, The light emitted by the light source enters the reflector cup from the light inlet of the reflector cup, a part of the light passes through the reflector cup and directly exits from the light outlet, and the remaining part of the light enters the A1 reflective surface or the A2 reflective surface of the reflector cup and is reflected therefrom and then exits from the light outlet; It also includes a lens, which is an imaging lens, used to project the light distribution of its focal plane and image it to the far field, and the light emitted from the light outlet of the reflector cup is incident on the lens and projected to the far field by it; the effective width of the lens in the B direction is L B , the focal length of the lens is F, It also includes a shaped reflecting surface extending congruently along direction A and located between the reflective cup and the lens optical path. The first end of the shaped reflecting surface is close to the light outlet of the reflective cup, and the second end extends toward the lens.

2. The light emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance from the second end of the shaped reflective surface to the optical axis of the reflective cup is not less than the distance from the first end to the optical axis of the reflective cup.

3. The light emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sections of the A1 reflective surface and the A2 reflective surface on the cross section perpendicular to the A direction are the A1 section and the A2 section respectively, the A1 section is at least partially a parabola, the focus of the parabola coincides with the end point of the A2 section at the light entrance, and the part of the axis of the parabola passing through the focus on one side of the reflector cup is inclined in a direction away from the A1 section relative to the line connecting the centers of the light entrance and the light exit; or, At least part of the A1 section is a parabola, and the A2 section is a straight line; the endpoint of the A1 section at the light entrance is point M, the symmetric point of point M about the A2 section is point N, the focus of the parabola of the A1 section coincides with point N, and the part of the axis of the parabola passing through the focus on one side of the reflector cup is inclined in a direction away from the A1 section relative to the line connecting the centers of the light entrance and the light exit.

4. The light emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a B1 reflection surface and a B2 reflection surface extending congruently along the B direction. The A1 reflection surface, the B1 reflection surface, the A2 reflection surface, and the B2 reflection surface are connected to form a reflection channel. The light emitted by the light source is incident from the light entrance of the reflection channel, and is emitted from the light exit of the reflection channel after propagating in the reflection channel.

5. The light emitting device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The reflection channel is a transparent material entity, and the A1 reflection surface, B1 reflection surface, A2 reflection surface, and B2 reflection surface are all smooth surfaces on the side of the transparent material entity. After the light emitted by the light source enters the reflection channel from the light inlet of the reflection channel, part of the light is incident on the smooth surface on the side of the transparent material entity and undergoes total reflection.

6. The light emitting device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first end of the shaped reflective surface is in close contact with the light outlet of the reflective channel.

7. The light emitting device according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a second shaping reflection surface located between the reflection channel and the lens light path and extending congruently along direction B, wherein a first end of the second shaping reflection surface is close to the light outlet of the reflection channel and a second end extends toward the lens.

8. The light emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the B direction, the center of the light outlet of the reflective cup is not on the center line of the lens, and in the B direction, the shaped reflection surface is located on a side of the reflective cup away from the center line of the lens.

9. The light emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sections of the A1 reflective surface, the A2 reflective surface and the shaping reflective surface on the cross section perpendicular to the A direction are the A1 section, the A2 section and the shaping section respectively. The first end of the shaping section is close to the end point of the A1 section at the light outlet. The angle between the second end of the shaping section and the end point of the A2 section at the light outlet and the line connecting the center of the light outlet and the light inlet of the reflector cup is α.

10. A vehicle lamp, characterized in that: The light emitting device comprises any one of claims 1 to 9, and further comprises a shell and a mask, wherein the light emitting device is fixed in the shell, the mask forms a seal with the shell, and the light emitted by the light emitting device is emitted through the mask.

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