Vehicle Headlight Common Lens with Light Shield and LED Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle front headlight lighting apparatuses suffer from insufficient optical quality for both low-beam and high-beam functions due to multiple interactions with optically active surfaces, leading to light loss and reduced visibility.
Innovation Solution
A lighting apparatus with a common lens and two projection units, each equipped with LEDs and light conducting elements as refractors, minimizes optical element interactions through total internal reflection, enhancing optical quality by reducing light loss and improving light distribution precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple optical elements are used to form light distributions for low-beam and high-beam functions, then the lighting apparatus can provide both lighting functions, but the number of interactions with optically active surfaces increases, leading to light loss and reduced optical quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the light distribution functions for low-beam and high-beam into a single projection unit. The projection unit includes a projection lens and a light shield that work together to form both light distributions. By merging the optical elements and functions into one integrated system, the number of optically active surfaces is reduced, minimizing light loss while maintaining the capability to provide both low-beam and high-beam lighting functions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple optical elements are used to regulate light distribution, then both low-beam and high-beam functions can be achieved, but the optical quality decreases due to multiple interactions with optically active surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the light distribution regulation for both low-beam and high-beam functions into a single projection unit with a unified optical system. The projection lens and light shield work together as one coordinated system, reducing the number of separate optically active surfaces that light must interact with. This merging approach maintains precise light distribution control while preserving optical quality by minimizing cumulative optical losses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates redundant optical elements from the system. By using a single projection unit instead of multiple separate optical systems, unnecessary optically active surfaces are removed. The light shield is strategically positioned to directly control light distribution without requiring additional intermediate optical elements, thereby reducing the number of interactions and maintaining high optical quality.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate projection units are used for low-beam and high-beam functions, then each function can be optimized independently, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the low-beam and high-beam projection units into a single integrated projection unit. The unified design includes a projection lens and a light shield that work together to generate both light distributions. This consolidation reduces device complexity by eliminating redundant components while maintaining the ability to independently control and optimize both low-beam and high-beam lighting functions through the coordinated action of the shared optical elements.
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 higher optical quality by minimizing interactions with optically active surfaces, resulting in improved light distribution and reduced light loss, enhancing both low-beam and high-beam functions.
Implementation Method 1
The light conducting element is designed as a refractor or a light refracting body, wherein the light emitted by the at least one LED within the light conducting element is subject to one light deflection at most via total internal reflection
Implementation Method 2
The lighting apparatus is provided with a common lens, for the first and second projection light units, positioned in front in the main irradiation direction
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a lighting apparatus (100) for a vehicle front headlight (900) and vehicle front headlight (900) equipped therewith. The lighting apparatus comprises at least one first projection light unit (700) for providing a low-beam function and a second projection light unit (500, 600) for providing a high-beam function, as well as a light shield (4) arranged in a central plane (40) extending between the first and second projection light units (700, 500, 600). Each projection light unit (700, 500, 600) has at least one LED (7, 5, 6) as the light source. The lighting apparatus (100) is provided with a common lens (1), for the first and second projection light units (700, 500, 600), positioned in front in the main irradiation direction. The light shield (4) extends outwards from the focal point (10) of the lens (1) disposed at the side thereof facing the projection light unit (700, 500, 600) in parallel to the optical axis (101) of the lens (1). The first projection light unit (700) is arranged at a side along the central plane (40). The LED (7) thereof reflects its light outwards from the central plane (40), upwards along the first axis (70). The first projection light unit (700) comprises a first optical element (800), said element orienting the light distributed by the LED (7) thereof towards the focal point (10) of the lens (1). The second projection light unit (500, 600) is arranged under the light shield (4). The LED (5, 6) thereof is oriented towards the focal point (10) of the lens (1) and it reflects its light over a second axis (50, 60) intersecting a focal point (10) of the lens (1). The second projection light unit (500, 600) comprises a second optical element (200, 300) which is designed as a collimation unit, said element aligning the light emitted by its LED (5, 6) in the focal point (10) direction of the lens (1). A light conducting element (2, 3) is present which is designed as a refractor or a light refracting body to serve as the second optical element (200, 300), the light coupling area (21, 31) of which faces towards the LED (5, 6) of the second projection light unit (500, 600) and the light output area (25, 35) of which is oriented to the focal point (10) of the lens (1). Each light emitted by an LED (5, 6) within the light conducting element (2, 3) is subject to one light deflection at most via total internal reflection (TIR). The light conducting element (2, 3) comprises a surface (20, 24, 30, 34) having a continuous, parabolic geometry