Motor Vehicle Headlamp Light Module with Segmented Projection Lens
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle headlight modules struggle to produce a cost-effective and efficient light distribution with a light-dark boundary that minimizes color fringes and provides adequate illumination both vertically and laterally, while maintaining a simple direct imaging system.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle headlight module with a smooth projection lens having three partial areas, where the central area generates a high-contrast light-dark boundary without color fringes, and the outer areas are superimposed to enhance lateral and core brightness, compensating for insufficient illumination in front of the vehicle by overlapping reddish and bluish color fringes from the outer partial areas with the white partial distribution of the central area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a direct imaging system with a single projection lens is used, then the number of components is minimized and cost is reduced, but color fringes appear at the edges of the light distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The projection lens is divided into three distinct sub-areas (central, first lateral, second lateral) with different optical functions. The central sub-area generates the core light distribution with minimal color fringe, while the lateral sub-areas generate overlapping partial distributions that compensate for each other's color fringes, achieving overall color neutrality without requiring additional correction components
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the projection lens are assigned different optical properties and functions. The central sub-area is optimized for sharp cut-off and minimal color fringe, while the lateral sub-areas are positioned and shaped to generate color fringes that complementarily overlap and neutralize each other, creating locally optimized zones that collectively solve the color fringe problem
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the projection lens is divided into multiple sub-areas for color correction, then color fringes are compensated, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The projection lens is designed as a single optical element with three integrated sub-areas, each having specific curvature and positioning characteristics. This segmentation is built into the lens manufacturing process itself, allowing color correction to be achieved through the lens design rather than requiring separate correction components, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving color fringe compensation
3Manufacturing precision
If only the central sub-area of the projection lens is used, then a high-contrast light-dark boundary is achieved, but the illumination area in front of the vehicle is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The projection lens is segmented into a central sub-area for generating the sharp light-dark boundary and two lateral sub-areas for extending the illumination coverage. The lateral sub-areas are positioned to project light into regions that complement the central area's output, thereby expanding the overall illumination area while preserving the high-contrast boundary created by the central region
Solution Approach 2:
The light distributions from the central and lateral sub-areas are merged in the projection space. The central sub-area provides the core illumination with sharp cut-off, while the lateral sub-areas add overlapping light that extends the illuminated area and enhances lateral brightness, creating a combined distribution that achieves both high contrast and adequate coverage
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
The solution achieves a color-neutral light distribution with a large vertical width and high-contrast cut-off, reducing the number of components and costs compared to shutter-based systems, while ensuring adequate illumination in front of the vehicle and maintaining color neutrality.
Implementation Method 1
a projection lens (14), which is arranged in a light beam emanating from the semiconductor light source (28) and which generates a light distribution from the light beam in which an edge of a light-emitting surface of the semiconductor light source is imaged as a light-dark boundary
Implementation Method 2
the light-emitting surface of the projection lens, as well as the light-intake surface facing the semiconductor light source, is smooth and has no steps
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A vehicle headlight module is presented, comprising a semiconductor light source and a projection lens that generates a light distribution in which an edge of the semiconductor light source is imaged as a cut-off line. The projection lens has a first sub-area that generates a first partial light distribution and a second sub-area that generates a second partial light distribution, which overlaps with the first partial light distribution. The light module is characterized by the projection lens having a third sub-area that generates a third partial light distribution, which is bounded by the cut-off line and overlaps with the first and second partial light distributions. The first and second partial light distributions lie below the cut-off line generated by the third sub-area.