Headlamp Attachment Optics With Stable Light-Dark Boundary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle headlight designs face challenges in reducing the number of components, assembly effort, and installation space, particularly in the vertical direction, while maintaining thermal stability and minimizing mechanical changes due to temperature fluctuations, which can affect the light-dark boundary and lead to glare or poor illumination.
Innovation Solution
The use of transparent silicone light guides combined with optical elements made of a more thermally stable material, such as polycarbonate, to define the light-dark boundary, along with an air gap to prevent thermal expansion, and integrating a mirror aperture into the optical elements to simplify assembly and reduce costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If silicone light guides are used for flexibility and thermal resistance, then ease of manufacture and thermal properties are improved, but thermal stability and dimensional changes under temperature fluctuations worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material construction by combining silicone light guides with glass optical elements. The silicone provides flexibility, thermal resistance, and ease of manufacture, while the glass components contribute thermal stability and dimensional precision. This composite approach allows the system to benefit from the advantageous properties of both materials simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and thermal stability.
2Device complexity
If the number of components is reduced to lower costs and assembly effort, then device complexity is reduced, but thermal management and precision alignment become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into integrated components. The optical elements are designed to combine light guiding, light distribution, and thermal management functions within single components. The mirror aperture is integrated into the optical element structure rather than being a separate component. This merging reduces the overall number of components and assembly steps while maintaining alignment precision through monolithic design and integrated thermal pathways.
3Volume of moving object
If installation space is reduced particularly in vertical direction, then compactness is improved, but heat dissipation and optical performance are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses the vertical space constraint by optimizing the horizontal arrangement and cross-sectional design of optical components. The light guides and optical elements are configured to achieve efficient light distribution and heat dissipation through horizontal spacing and lateral thermal pathways, rather than relying solely on vertical arrangement. This dimensional reconfiguration maintains compact vertical profile while preserving thermal management and optical performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design achieves a thermally stable light-dark boundary, reduces component count and assembly complexity, and ensures compliance with legal lighting requirements by minimizing deformation and glare, while allowing for efficient light distribution and reduced installation height.
Implementation Method 1
each of which has a light-intake surface and a light-output surface and is configured to guide light entering the light-intake surface to the light-output surface, where the light exits
Implementation Method 2
The light guides (20) are made of a transparent silicone material... optical elements (26) are made from a transparent material that is more thermally stable than silicone... an air gap to prevent thermal expansion
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an attachment optics assembly (12) for a light module (10) of a motor vehicle headlight (101), comprising a plurality of light guide elements (14) arranged in a series, each of which has a light entry surface (16) and a light exit surface (18) and is designed to guide light entering the light entry surface (16) to the light exit surface (18), where the light exits, wherein the totality of the light exiting surfaces (18) of the light guide elements (14) is provided to generate a dimmed light distribution with a light-dark boundary, and edge geometries (28) in a region of the light exit surfaces (18) of the light guide elements (14) define a course of the light-dark boundary.It is proposed that each of the light guide elements (14) has a light guide (22) having a light coupling surface (22) and a light coupling surface (24) and is configured to guide light coupled into the light coupling surface (22) to the light coupling surface (24), where the light is coupled out, and has an optical element (26) downstream in a principal direction of light coupled out of the light guide (22), through which light coupled out of the light guide (22) passes, wherein the light guides (22) are made of a transparent silicone material and the optical elements (26) are made of a transparent, thermally more stable material than silicone, and the edge geometries (28) defining the light-dark boundary of the light guide elements (14) are formed in the optical elements (14).