Vehicle Light

• US 20100014309A1
• Filed: 06/19/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: HEIDINGER, Juergen
• Granted Patent: US 8,317,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/551
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/237 rod-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/245 emitting light from one or more of its major surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/247 with a single light source being coupled into the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/001 the light being emitted along at least a portion of the lateral surface of the fibre
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer

Abstract

A vehicle light is provided having a light source, a fiber-optic light guide into which light of the light source is coupled on a coupling surface, an expander for expanding the aperture angle of an incident light beam, and deflectors, which are intended for deflecting incident light, disposed behind a rear side of the fiber-optic light guide.

Claims

1. A vehicle light having a light source, the vehicle light comprising:

a fiber-optic light guide, having a front side and a rear side, light from the light source being coupled-in to the fiber-optic light guide on a coupling surface;

an expander for expanding an aperture angle of an incident light beam; and

a deflector for deflecting incident light, said deflector being disposed behind the rear side of the fiber-optic light guide.

2. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the deflector is formed as a facet structure on a reflector device disposed behind the rear side of the fiber-optic light guide.

3. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the expander comprises at least one of scattering elements in the fiber-optic light guide and a rough texture applied to at least one surface of the fiber-optic light guide.

4. The vehicle light according to claim 2, wherein the expander comprises at least one of scattering elements in the fiber-optic light guide and a rough texture applied to at least one surface of the fiber-optic light guide.

5. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the expander is formed such that light is coupled out of the front side of the fiber-optic light guide at different front-coupling-out points, and light is coupled out of the rear side of the fiber-optic light guide at different rear-coupling-out points;

and

wherein the light coupled out has different preferred orientations depending on a distance between the coupling surface and the front-coupling-out point or the rear-coupling-out point, respectively.

6. The vehicle light according to claim 2, wherein the expander is formed such that light is coupled out of the front side of the fiber-optic light guide at different front-coupling-out points, and light is coupled out of the rear side of the fiber-optic light guide at different rear-coupling-out points;

and

wherein the light coupled out has different preferred orientations depending on a distance between the coupling surface and the front-coupling-out point or the rear-coupling-out point, respectively.

7. The vehicle light according to claim 3, wherein the expander is formed such that light is coupled out of the front side of the fiber-optic light guide at different front-coupling-out points, and light is coupled out of the rear side of the fiber-optic light guide at different rear-coupling-out points;

and

wherein the light coupled out has different preferred orientations depending on a distance between the coupling surface and the front-coupling-out point or the rear-coupling-out point, respectively.

8. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the deflector is formed such that deflected light enters again from the rear side of the fiber-optic light guide and exits from the front side of the fiber-optic light guide at different exit points in different preferred orientations.

9. The vehicle light according to claim 2, wherein the deflector is formed such that deflected light enters again from the rear side of the fiber-optic light guide and exits from the front side of the fiber-optic light guide at different exit points in different preferred orientations.

10. The vehicle light according to claim 3, wherein the deflector is formed such that deflected light enters again from the rear side of the fiber-optic light guide and exits from the front side of the fiber-optic light guide at different exit points in different preferred orientations.

11. The vehicle light according to claim 5, wherein the deflector is formed such that deflected light enters again from the rear side of the fiber-optic light guide and exits from the front side of the fiber-optic light guide at different exit points in different preferred orientations.

12. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the deflector is formed such that all light exiting from and/or coupled out of the front side of the fiber-optic light guide substantially has an identical overall preferred orientation at different points on the front side.

13. The vehicle light according to claim 5, wherein the deflector is formed such that all light exiting from and/or coupled out of the front side of the fiber-optic light guide substantially has an identical overall preferred orientation at different points on the front side.

14. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the deflector is formed such that light, which is deflected with the aid of the deflector, and which exits from the front side at different exit points together with the light coupled out of the front side at different front-coupling-out points, substantially has an identical overall preferred orientation at different exit points or front-coupling-out points.

15. The vehicle light according to claim 5, wherein the deflector is formed such that light, which is deflected with the aid of the deflector, and which exits from the front side at different exit points together with the light coupled out of the front side at different front-coupling-out points, substantially has an identical overall preferred orientation at different exit points or front-coupling-out points.

16. The vehicle light according to claim 12, wherein the overall preferred orientation is located parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

17. The vehicle light according to claim 14, wherein the overall preferred orientation is located parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

18. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the deflector is formed such that a deflector located closer to the light source brings about a less efficient deflection of incident light than a deflector located farther from the light source.

19. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the expander is formed such that an expander located closer to the light source brings about a less efficient coupling out of incident light than an expander located farther from the light source.