Vehicle Lighting Unit with Continuous Convex Lens Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle headlamps suffer from insufficient luminous intensity in high-beam light distribution patterns due to shielding by shades and have discontinuous lens surfaces that detract from aesthetic appeal.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle lighting unit configuration featuring center and left/right optical units with smooth, continuous convex lens surfaces, allowing light from left and right optical units to project without obstruction, forming high-beam patterns with improved illuminance and aesthetic appeal by eliminating discontinuous lens steps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a shade is used to block light from the lower optical unit, then the high-beam light distribution pattern can be formed with controlled illumination direction, but the luminous intensity becomes insufficient due to light shielding
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the shade component that was blocking light from the lower optical unit. By extracting this harmful element, light from both upper and lower optical units can pass through the projection lens without obstruction, significantly improving high-beam luminous intensity while maintaining controlled illumination through the lens's optical design alone
Solution Approach 2:
The invention divides the lighting system into separate upper and lower optical units, each with its own light source and optical path. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each unit's light contribution to the high-beam pattern, with both paths converging through the projection lens to achieve superior overall luminous intensity
2Adaptability or versatility
If the projection lens has a step formed between center lens portion and peripheral lens portion, then different optical functions can be achieved in different regions, but the lens surface becomes discontinuous reducing aesthetic features
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements different optical characteristics in different regions of the projection lens without creating visible steps. The center lens portion and peripheral lens portion have differentiated optical functions achieved through varying refraction properties or gradient indices, while maintaining a smooth continuous external surface that preserves aesthetic appearance
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses curved surface designs and gradient optical properties within the lens portions to achieve functional differentiation. By varying the curvature profiles or refractive index gradients in different regions, the lens can perform different optical functions (such as focusing vs. collimating) while maintaining a smooth continuous exterior surface without steps
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
Enhances design freedom for forming high-beam light distribution patterns with sufficient illuminance and maintains a single, aesthetically pleasing lens appearance by preventing light shielding and using continuous convex lens surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
a projection lens 210 disposed on the optical axis AX and having a rear-side focal point F... The light passing through the projection lens 210 can be projected forward to form a high-beam light distribution pattern
Implementation Method 2
the first optical unit 220 can include a semiconductor light emitting device 221 and a reflecting surface 222 while the second optical unit 230 can include a semiconductor light emitting device 231 and a reflecting surface 232... the light provided by the second optical unit 230 can be converged at or near the rear-side focal point F of the projection lens 210
Data Source
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AI summary
A vehicle lighting unit (10, 10A) is capable of improving the design freedom (such as that for forming a high-beam light distribution pattern) and to allow an observer to visually recognize the employed projection lens (16) even including a plurality of lens portions (including a plurality of rear-side focal points) as a single lens with high aesthetic feature. The vehicle lighting unit (10, 10A) can include: a projection lens (16) including a first lens portion (12) disposed on a first optical axis (AX1) and having a front lens surface (12a) and a rear lens surface (12b), and a rear-side focal point (F12), and a second lens portion (14L, 14R) disposed at least on one of right side and left side of the first lens portion (12) and on a second optical axis (AX2L, AX2R) and having a front lens surface (14La. 14Ra) and a rear lens surface (14Lb, 14Rb), and a rear-side focal point (F14L, F14R) ; a first optical unit (18) disposed behind the first lens portion (12); and a second optical unit (20L, 20R, 40L, 40R) disposed behind the second lens portion (14L, 14R). The front lens surfaces (12a, 14La, 14Ra) of the first and second lens portions (12, 14L, 14R) can be formed as a single continuous convex lens surface without any step. The first optical unit (18) can include: a first light source (18) disposed behind the rear-side focal point (F12) of the first lens portion (12) and near the first optical axis (AX1) and emitting light upward; a first reflecting surface (24) configured to reflect light emitted upward from the first light source (22) so as to converge the reflected light at or near the rear-side focal point (F12) of the first lens portion (12) and cause the light to pass through the first lens portion (12), thereby forming a low-beam light distribution pattern (P1) of projected light in an illumination direction; and a first shade (26) disposed at or near the rear-focal point of the first lens portion (12). The second optical unit (20L, 20R, 40L, 40R) can be configured to provide light that can pass through the second lens portion (14L, 14R) to form a prescribed light distribution pattern (P2L, P2R) in the illumination direction.