Automotive lamp with elongated aspherical lens

• US 10,400,975 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OSRAM Sylvania Inc. (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: OSRAM Sylvania Inc. (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Bushre, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Raleigh, Donald L
• Application Number:
  US16/014,464
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0035 relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/22 for reverse drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/004 outside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/143 the main emission direction of the LED being parallel to the optical axis of the illuminating device
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/26 Elongated lenses
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/14 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/26 Refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters not provided in groups F21S43/235 - F21S43/255
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2103/45 Reversing lights
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0066 in the form of an LED array

Abstract

Automotive lamp (10), preferably a backup lamp, includes first lamp (12) and plural LEDs (26a-n). The lamp (12) comprises light-transmissive material, first and second opposed end surfaces (16, 18), a source side (20) and an emission side (22) each extending between end surfaces (16, 18), source side (20) facing LEDs (26a-n), and emission side (22) having an aspherical surface facing area to be illuminated (24). The elongated optical lens (14) has a length (L) extending, parallel a first horizontal X-axis, between the end surfaces (16, 18) that is greater than a thickness along second horizontal Z-axis and a height along vertical Y-axis (X-, Y-, and Z-axes being mutually orthogonal). Elongated optical lens (14) defines focus line segment (FS) extending parallel the X-axis, and preferably bends LED light below a horizontal XZ plane, i.e. back towards source side (20). Backup lamp (12) provides to camera (52) ground illumination of minimum 1 lux at distances 0-6 meter when mounted to vehicle at heights between conventional bumper and roofline.

Claims

1. An automotive lamp (10) comprising:

a first lamp (12) comprising;

an elongated optical lens (14) comprising a light transmissive material, a first end surface (16), a second end surface (18), a source side (20) extending between the first end surface (16) and the second end surface (18), and an emission side (22) having an aspherical surface (23) extending between the first end surface (16) and the second end surface (18) and facing an area to be illuminated (24), wherein the elongated optical lens (14) further comprises a length (L) extending between the first end surface (16) and the second end surface (18) which is parallel to a first horizontal X-axis, a thickness (T) in a second horizontal Z-axis, and a height (H) in a vertical Y-axis, the X-axis being orthogonal to the Z-axis and the Y-axis being orthogonal to both the X-axis and the Z-axis, wherein the length (L) of the elongated optical lens (14) is greater than both the thickness (T) and the height (H) of the elongated optical lens (14) and wherein the elongated optical lens (14) is configured to define a focus line segment (FS) extending parallel to the X-axis; and

a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) (26a-n) facing the source side (20) and spaced longitudinally along the source side (20);

wherein the elongated optical lens (14) is configured to bend at least a portion of light emitted by the plurality of LEDs (26a-n) at an angle greater than 90 degrees below an XZ plane defined by the X-axis and Z-axis.

2. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of LEDs (26a-n) is configured to emit light in a generally Lambertian emission pattern.

3. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of LEDs (26a-n) is separated from source side (20) by air.

4. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 1, wherein the plurality of LEDs (26a-n) comprises a first LED (30) proximate the first end (16) of the elongated optical lens (14) and a second LED (32) proximate the second end (18) of the elongated optical lens (14), and a third LED (34) disposed between the first and the second LED (30, 32).

5. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 4, wherein the first, the second, and the third LED (30, 32, 34) are disposed at different positions along the Y-axis of the first lamp (12).

6. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 5, wherein the first and the second LED (30, 32) are disposed above an XZ plane (XZ) defined by the X-axis and Z-axis.

7. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 4, wherein the first and the second LED (30, 32) are disposed along the Z-axis of the first lamp (12) at a first distance from the focus line segment (FS), and wherein the third LED (34) is disposed along the Z-axis at a second distance from the focus line segment (FS), and wherein the second distance is different than the first distance.

8. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 7, wherein the third LED (36) is positioned closer to the focus line segment (FS) than the first and the second LED (30, 32).

9. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 4, wherein a principal emission axis of the generally Lambertian radiation pattern (C) of each of the first and the second LEDs (30, 32) is directed at a downward angle relative to the Z-axis of the first lamp (12).

10. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 9, wherein a principal emission axis of the generally Lambertian radiation pattern (C) of the third LED (36) is disposed parallel to the Z-axis.

11. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 1, wherein the elongated optical lens (14) comprises a material having a refractive index (n) in the range of 1.4 to 1.6.

12. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 1, wherein the first lamp (12) is configured to provide a ground illumination along a horizontal ground (G) of at least 1 lux at a distance from 0 m to 6 m from the first lamp (12) when the first lamp (12) is mounted to a vehicle (V) standing on the horizontal ground (G) at a mounting height from the horizontal ground (G) in the range of 371 mm to 1200 mm.

13. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 12, further comprising a second lamp (38), the second lamp (12) comprising:

a second elongated optical lens (14) comprising a second source side (20) and a second emission side (22) having a second aspherical surface (23) facing the area to be illuminated (24), wherein the second elongated optical lens (14) further comprises a second length (L) extending between two opposite end surfaces (16, 18) which is parallel to the X-axis, a second thickness (T) in second Z-axis, and a second height (H) in the Y-axis, wherein the second elongated optical lens (14) comprises a light transmissive material and the second length (L) is greater than both the second thickness (T) and the second height (H) of the second elongated optical lens (14); and

a second plurality of LEDs (26a-n) facing the second source side (20) and spaced longitudinally along the second source side (20);

wherein the second lamp (12) is configured to provide ground illumination of at least 1 lux from 0 m to 6 m from the second lamp (12) when the second lamp (12) is mounted to the vehicle (V) at a mounting height in the range of 371 mm to 1200 mm; and

wherein the first (12) and the second lamp (12) are configured to provide ground illumination along the horizontal ground (G) at a distance of at least 6 m total width on the horizontal ground (G) when the first and second lamp (12) are each mounted to the vehicle (V) standing on the horizontal ground (G) at a spacing of 1,750 mm from each other.

14. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 1, further comprising a video camera (52), wherein the first lamp (12) and the video camera (52) are configured to be mounted to a rear of a vehicle (V) standing on a horizontal ground (G), and wherein the area to be illuminated (24) is on the horizontal ground (G) behind the vehicle (V) and includes at least a portion of a field of view (FV) of the video camera (52).

15. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 1, wherein the source side (20) of the elongated optical lens (14) comprises a plurality of vertical flutes (54), each vertical flute (54) of the plurality of vertical flutes (54) corresponding to a respective LED (26a-n) of the plurality of LEDs (26a-n).

16. An automotive lamp (10) comprising:

a first lamp (12) comprising;

an elongated optical lens (14) comprising a light transmissive material, a first end surface (16), a second end surface (18), a source side (20) extending between the first end surface (16) and the second end surface (18), and an emission side (22) having an aspherical surface (23) extending between the first end surface (16) and the second end surface (18) and facing an area to be illuminated (24), wherein the elongated optical lens (14) further comprises a length (L) extending between the first end surface (16) and the second end surface (18) which is parallel to a first horizontal X-axis, a thickness (T) in a second horizontal Z-axis, and a height (H) in a vertical Y-axis, the X-axis being orthogonal to the Z-axis and the Y-axis being orthogonal to both the X-axis and the Z-axis, wherein the length (L) of the elongated optical lens (14) is greater than both the thickness (T) and the height (H) of the elongated optical lens (14) and wherein the elongated optical lens (14) is configured to define a focus line segment (FS) extending parallel to the X-axis; and

a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) (26a-n) facing the source side (20) and spaced longitudinally along the source side (20);

wherein the elongated optical lens (14) is configured to bend at least a portion of light emitted by the plurality of LEDs (26a-n) below an XZ plane defined by the X-axis and Z-axis towards the Y-axis.

17. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 16, wherein the plurality of LEDs (26a-n) comprises a first LED (30) proximate the first end (16) of the elongated optical lens (14) and a second LED (32) proximate the second end (18) of the elongated optical lens (14), and a third LED (34) disposed between the first and the second LED (30, 32).

18. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 17, wherein the first, the second, and the third LED (30, 32, 34) are disposed at different positions along the Y-axis of the first lamp (12).

19. An automotive lamp (10) comprising:

a first lamp (12) comprising;

an elongated optical lens (14) comprising a light transmissive material, a first end surface (16), a second end surface (18), a source side (20) extending between the first end surface (16) and the second end surface (18), and an emission side (22) having an aspherical surface (23) extending between the first end surface (16) and the second end surface (18) and facing an area to be illuminated (24), wherein the elongated optical lens (14) further comprises a length (L) extending between the first end surface (16) and the second end surface (18) which is parallel to a first horizontal X-axis, a thickness (T) in a second horizontal Z-axis, and a height (H) in a vertical Y-axis, the X-axis being orthogonal to the Z-axis and the Y-axis being orthogonal to both the X-axis and the Z-axis, wherein the length (L) of the elongated optical lens (14) is greater than both the thickness (T) and the height (H) of the elongated optical lens (14) and wherein the elongated optical lens (14) is configured to define a focus line segment (FS) extending parallel to the X-axis; and

a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) (26a-n) facing the source side (20) and spaced longitudinally along the source side (20);

wherein the elongated optical lens (14) is configured to bend at least a portion of light emitted by the plurality of LEDs (26a-n) downward towards a plane parallel to the Y-axis and defined by an upper and a lower edge of the source side (20).

20. The automotive lamp (10) of claim 19, wherein the plurality of LEDs (26a-n) comprises a first LED (30) proximate the first end (16) of the elongated optical lens (14) and a second LED (32) proximate the second end (18) of the elongated optical lens (14), and a third LED (34) disposed between the first and the second LED (30, 32), and wherein the first, the second, and the third LED (30, 32, 34) are disposed at different positions along the Y-axis of the first lamp (12).