OPTICAL MODULE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE HEADLIGHT PROVIDED WITH AN OPTICAL DEVIATION ELEMENT

• US 20070211485A1
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Godbillon, Vincent
• Granted Patent: US 7,503,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/509
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/162 Incandescent light sources, e.g. filament or halogen lamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/172 High-intensity discharge light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/26 Elongated lenses
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/334 the reflector consisting of patch like sectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/336 with discontinuity at the junction between adjacent areas
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/36 Combinations of two or more separate reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/365 successively reflecting the light

Abstract

An optical module for a motor vehicle headlight comprising a reflector having an optical axis and at least one focus, a light source placed in the vicinity of the focus to be reflected, and a transparent optical deviation element placed in front of part of the reflector and comprising a lens referred to as a “square lens”, the reflector being placed at the rear of the lens, the optical deviation element being able to provide an essentially horizontal spread of the light. The exit face of the “square lens” is tangent to a plane disposed obliquely with respect to the optical axis.

Claims

1. An optical module for a motor vehicle headlight comprising:

a reflector having an optical axis and at least one focus, a light source placed in the vicinity of said at least one focus of the reflector, and a transparent optical deviation element placed in front of part of the reflector and comprising a lens referred to as a square lens, said reflector being placed at the rear of said lens, said transparent optical deviation element being able to provide a substantially horizontal spread of the light, wherein an exit face of said square lens is tangent to a plane disposed obliquely with respect to said optical axis.

2. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein the vertical generatrices of the entry face of the lens are disposed in the plane disposed obliquely with respect to the optical axis.

3. The optical module according to claim 2, wherein a wall of the reflector comprises at least one cutout on one side of a plane passing through said optical axis of the reflector, and that at least one supplementary reflector is disposed on a side of the cutout opposite to the optical axis, and at least one supplementary reflector being designed to collect at least part of the light coming from the light source emerging through the cutout, and to produce a supplementary beam that is not intercepted by the lens.

4. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein the plane tangent to the exit face and/or to the vertical generatrices of the entry face of the “

square lens”

is inclined by at least 1.5°

, with respect to a plane passing through the normal to the optical axis and cutting said plane on said optical axis.

5. The optical module according to claim 4, wherein the plane tangent to the exit face of the “

square lens” and

/or to the vertical generatrices of the entry face of this is inclined by at most 12°

, with respect to a plane passing through the normal to the optical axis and cutting the said plane on said optical axis.

6. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein the plane tangent to the exit face of the “

square lens” and

/or to the vertical generatrices of the entry face thereof is inclined by an angle of between 4° and

6°

with respect to the plane passing through the normal to the optical axis and cutting said plane on said optical axis.

7. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein the plane tangent to the exit face and/or to the vertical generatrices of the entry face of the “

square lens”

is inclined with respect to the plane passing through the normal to the optical axis and cutting said plane on said optical axis the angular difference being measured positively above the optical axis.

8. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein the plane normal to the optical axis is substantially vertical, the module being in the position of mounting in the vehicle.

9. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein the top edge of the “

square lens”

is further forward than its bottom edge with respect to the general direction of travel of light emitted by the light source, the module being in the position of mounting in the vehicle.

10. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein one of the lateral edges of the “

square lens”

is further forward than the opposite lateral edge, with respect to the general direction of travel of the light emitted by the light source, the module being in the position of mounting in the vehicle.

11. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein the wall of the reflector comprises two cutouts situated on each side of a plane passing through the optical axis, in particular respectively above and below the horizontal plane passing through the optical axis or respectively to the right and to the left of a vertical plane passing through the optical axis, at least one supplementary reflector being associated with each cutout and disposed on the side of the cutout opposite to the optical axis in order to produce a supplementary beam that is not intercepted by the lens.

12. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein each cutout is associated with a supplementary reflector, the two supplementary reflectors being asymmetric.

13. The optical module according to claim 3, wherein the supplementary reflectors have different focal lengths and/or focal lengths of at least 10 mm or 15 mm.

14. A motor vehicle headlight including an optical module according to claim 1.

15. An optical module for a motor vehicle headlight, said optical module comprising:

a reflector having an optical axis and at least one focus, a light source placed in the vicinity of said at least one focus of the reflector, and

a lens in front of said reflector for providing a substantially horizontal spread of the light, wherein, at least one of an exit face or an entry face of said lens is generally tangent to a plane disposed obliquely with respect to said optical axis and an entry face that forms an angle with respect to a plane that is normal to said optical axis wherein said lens comprises at least one cylindrical face with vertical generatrices.

16. The optical module according to claim 15, wherein vertical generatrices of the entry face of the lens are disposed in the plane disposed obliquely with respect to the optical axis.

17. The optical module according to claim 16, wherein a wall of the reflector comprises at least one cutout on one side of said plane passing through said optical axis of the reflector, and that at least one supplementary reflector is disposed on a side of the cutout opposite to said optical axis, said at least one supplementary reflector being designed to collect at least part of the light coming from the light source emerging through the cutout and to produce a supplementary beam that is not intercepted by said lens.

18. The optical module according to claim 15, wherein a plane tangent to the exit face and/or to the vertical generatrices of said entry face is inclined by at least 1.5°

, in particular at least 2°

, with respect to a plane passing through the normal to said optical axis and cutting said plane on said optical axis.

19. The optical module according to claim 16, wherein the plane tangent to the exit face of the lens and/or to the vertical generatrices of the entry face of this is inclined by at most 12°

, in particular at most 10°

, with respect to a plane passing through the normal to the optical axis and cutting said plane on said optical axis.

20. An optical module for a motor vehicle headlight comprising:

a reflector having an optical axis and at least one focus, a light source placed in the vicinity of said at least one focus of the reflector, and a transparent optical deviation element placed in front of part of the reflector and comprising a lens having a cylindrical face with vertical generatrices, said reflector being placed at the rear of said lens, said transparent optical deviation element being able to provide a substantially horizontal spread of the light, wherein an exit face of said lens being generally tangent to a plane disposed obliquely with respect to said optical axis.