Device for vehicle lighting

• US 20040022051A1
• Filed: 05/08/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Weidel, Edgar
• Granted Patent: US 6,863,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/31
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/04 the devices being headlights

Abstract

Poor visibility at night is a stressful and dangerous situation, dreaded by many drivers. The frequency of accidents is decidedly higher at night as a result of poor visibility, compared with driving during the day and with good visibility. An improvement of visibility at night is achieved by using systems which, in addition to the normal headlights, have two “laser headlights” which use laser diodes emitting in the near infrared range as a light source. In order to minimize the space requirement for the laser headlights in addition to the normal headlights, a device is described in which, in an inventive way, the light beam used for lighting is deflected by a deviating prism and a reflector. It is conceivable to design the device such that the reflector emits the light beam in a direction which is rotated by approximately 90 degrees with respect to the direction of incidence of the light beam into the deviating prism. It is possible in this way to place the light source or the light beam supply directly behind the reflector, thereby creating a flat, space-saving structure in the lighting device by using a bent beam path.

However, the device is also suitable for stationary applications, in particular in or on buildings.

Claims

1. A device for vehicle lighting,

wherein the light beam, used for lighting, is divertedly emitted using a deviating prism and a reflector.

2. The device as recited in claim 1,

wherein the reflector emits the light beam in a direction which is rotated by approximately 90 degrees with respect to the direction of incidence of the light beam into the deviating prism.

3. The device as recited in one of claims 1 or 2,

wherein the light beam is generated by a laser light source which is contained in the device itself.

4. The device as recited in claim 3,

wherein the laser light source is designed as a Fabry-Perot diode.

5. The device as recited in claim 3,

wherein the laser light source is designed as a surface-emitting laser diode.

6. The device as recited in claim 5,

wherein several surface-emitting laser diodes are operated in parallel for enlargement of the light emission area.

7. The device as recited in one of claims 1 or 2,

wherein the light beam is supplied to the device via a light guide.

8. The device as recited in one of claims 1 through 7,

wherein the light beam is supplied to the deviating prism via a lens.

10. The device as recited in one of claims 1 through 9,

wherein the light beam may be guided so that only certain zones of the lens, and thus only certain zones of the reflector, are lighted.

11. The device as recited in one of claims 1 through 10,

wherein the reflector, for targeted guiding of the light beam, has an undulated, saw-tooth-like microstructure.

12. The device as recited in claim 11,

wherein the surface of the reflector is designed such that it simultaneously acts as a diffuser, the individual sections of the undulated, saw-tooth-like microstructure of the reflector lighted by the light beam being designed as micro lenses or micro wedges.

13. The device as recited in one of claims 11 or 12,

wherein the reflector has several zones with different reflectivity properties.

14. Use of a device as recited in one of claims 1 through 13, for stationary applications, in particular in or on buildings.

9. The device as recited in claim 9 [sic;

8],

wherein the lens and the deviating prism are manufactured in one piece.