Lighting apparatus for a vehicle

• US 10,081,294 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2016
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Ahn, Byoung Suk, Shin, Jik Soo, Jin, Keon Soo, Lim, Jung Wook, Lee, Ki Hong
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowman, Mary Ellen
• Application Number:
  US15/374,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20180099605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/076 by electrical means including means to transmit the movements, e.g. shafts or joints
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/50 Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/147 the main emission direction of the LED being angled to the optical axis of the illuminating device
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/16 Laser light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/25 Projection lenses
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/265 Composite lenses; Lenses with a patch-like shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/295 specially adapted to projection lenses
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/30 characterised by reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/635 by moving refractors, filters or transparent cover plates
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/657 by moving light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/675 by moving reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2102/13 for high-beam region or low-beam region
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2103/60 Projection of signs from lighting devices, e.g. symbols or information being projected onto the road

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a lighting apparatus for a vehicle that makes information images to be shown in a low-beam area clear by showing information on a road with high visibility using light for a high beam and that has a small layout by showing information on a road using the function of a high beam and is manufactured at a low manufacturing cost with a small weight.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus for a vehicle, the lighting apparatus comprising:

an optical module configured to be mounted on the vehicle to be able to tilt and having a light source;

a variable reflection unit disposed on the optical module for receiving and reflecting light from the light source such that the light is changed into an image;

a projective lens disposed on the optical module for receiving and transmitting the light reflected by the variable reflection unit to the outside, wherein the projective lens has a variable focus;

a tilting adjuster configured to be fixed to the vehicle and connected to the optical module, wherein the tilting adjuster is configured for adjusting a tilting angle of the optical module so that the light traveling through the projective lens is radiated as a high beam or onto a road; and

a focus adjuster connected to the projective lens to adjust a focus of the projective lens and adjust the focus of the projective lens when the optical module is tilted by the tilting adjuster and radiates light,

wherein the optical module is configured to be coupled to a pivot hinge to tilt up, down, or up and down,

wherein the tilting adjuster is disposed at an upper portion of the optical module and the pivot hinge is disposed at a lower area of the optical module, and

wherein, when the tilting adjuster is not in operation, an initial position of the optical module is maintained when a high beam is radiated.

2. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tilting adjuster includes an actuating motor that is configured to be fixed to the vehicle and a moving rod that is movable in a forward direction and a backward direction by the actuating motor, and

wherein the optical module is connected to the moving rod such that when the actuating motor is operated, the moving rod is moved and the optical module is correspondingly tilted.

3. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the variable reflection unit is a Digital Micro-mirror Device (DMD) composed of a plurality of micro-reflectors that are turned on, turned off, or turned on and off in response to an operation signal to change angles so that a path of incident light is changed.

4. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the focus adjuster includes an actuator on the optical module and a rotary rod extending in a front-rear direction from the actuator and rotating when the actuator operates, and

wherein the projective lens is thread-fastened to the rotary rod to move in a forward direction and a backward direction on the rotary rod when the actuator operates.

5. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the projective lens includes a plurality of lenses and any one of the lenses is connected to the focus adjuster and movable in a forward direction and a backward direction to adjust the focus.

6. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the tilting adjuster is operated, the optical module is tilted downward when light is radiated onto the road.