Vehicle Headlight Lighting Device with Hyperbolic and Spherical Optics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle headlight systems face inefficiencies in generating lighting functions such as low beam and high beam, as they often result in light loss during the deflection process, which affects the overall light output and intensity.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a lighting device with a primary optical element featuring a hyperbolically shaped area and a secondary optical element, such as a sphere or cone, which focuses and redirects light rays to maximize their distribution onto a reflector without significant loss, using attachment optics to focus light beams onto a point and leveraging the law of refraction to ensure more light rays hit the reflector effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a traditional planar light decoupling surface is used, then the device structure is simple, but light loss occurs during deflection and luminous flux at the reflector is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spheroidality by replacing the traditional planar light decoupling surface with a spherical light decoupling surface. This curved surface design enables light rays to be refracted and directed more effectively onto the reflector, reducing light loss during deflection. The spherical geometry creates optimal refraction angles that maintain luminous flux while redirecting light efficiently, resolving the contradiction between minimizing energy loss and maintaining structural simplicity.
2Productivity
If attachment optics are added to focus light beams, then light distribution efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the attachment optics with the primary optical element into a single integrated structure. The attachment optics, which focus light beams onto a point, are combined with the primary optical element that contains the hyperbolically shaped area. This integration achieves improved light distribution efficiency by ensuring precise focusing and redirection of light rays onto the reflector, while avoiding the increased device complexity that would result from separate, discrete optical components.
3Manufacturing precision
If a hyperbolically shaped area is used in the primary optical element, then light rays are redirected more precisely, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs mathematically definable curved surfaces (hyperboloid and sphere) that, while requiring precision, benefit from well-established manufacturing techniques for rotational surfaces. The hyperbolically shaped area in the primary optical element and the spherical light decoupling surface can be manufactured using precision molding or grinding methods suitable for rotational symmetry. These standard manufacturing approaches for curved surfaces help manage the precision requirements while achieving the precise light ray redirection needed for optimal reflector illumination.
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 configuration enhances the efficiency of light distribution, maintaining constant luminous flux and intensity, even with slight changes in the spherical radius, and increases the luminous flux at the reflector compared to traditional planar light decoupling surfaces, thereby meeting legal requirements for light distribution.
Implementation Method 1
a light-conducting primary optical element arranged in the main radiation direction of a first lamp, which has a light coupling surface for coupling light beams into the primary optical element on a side facing the first lamp, a light coupling surface on a side facing away from the first lamp and a lateral surface extending between the light coupling surface and the light coupling surface , on which the coupled-in light can be passed on by total reflection in the direction of the light-coupling surface of the primary optical element
Implementation Method 2
a secondary optical element arranged in the light emission direction after the light-coupling surface of the primary optical element, which has a light-coupling surface on a side facing the light-coupling surface of the primary optical element and a light-coupling surface on a side facing away from the primary optical element, and a reflector arranged in the light emission direction after the light decoupling surface of the secondary optical element and intended to generate a light distribution or a partial light distribution of a light function, wherein the secondary optical element is set up to direct the light rays emitted by the first lamp, which reach the light decoupling surface of the secondary optical element, onto the reflector during decoupling by means of refraction or to let them pass without changing direction
Implementation Method 3
in the main emission direction of the first lamp, an attachment optic is arranged in front of the light coupling surface of the primary optical element, which is set up to focus the light beams emitted by the first lamp onto a point, whereby the secondary optical element as part of a sphere with a spherical center, wherein the reflective lateral surface of the primary optical element has a hyperbolically shaped area with a focal point and a virtual focal point
Data Source
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AI summary
Lighting device for a motor vehicle headlight, comprising: - a primary optical element (100) arranged in the main emission direction of a first light source (50), which has a light coupling surface (110) for coupling light into the primary optical element (100), a light coupling surface (120), and a cladding surface extending between the light coupling surface (110) and the light coupling surface (120), on which the coupled light can be guided by total internal reflection in the direction of the light coupling surface (120) of the primary optical element (100); - a secondary optical element (200) arranged downstream of the light coupling surface (120) of the primary optical element (100), which has a light coupling surface (210) and a light coupling surface (220); and - an arranged reflector (400, 410, 420), wherein the secondary optical element (200, 250, 500) is part of a quadric is formed, wherein the secondary optical element (200, 250, 500) is set up,to direct the light rays emitted by the first light source (50), which reach the light output surface (220, 270, 520) of the secondary optical element (200, 250, 500), onto the reflector (400, 410, 420) by means of refraction during coupling, or to allow them to pass through without changing direction.