Lighting device and rearview device for vehicles

• US 20170227187A1
• Filed: 02/06/2017
• Published: 08/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SMR Patents Sarl (SMR Patents)
• Original Assignee: SMR Patents Sarl (SMR Patents)
• Inventors: Meier, Eugen, Schmidt, Oliver, Fritz, Daniel, Negel, Raimund
• Granted Patent: US 10,808,908 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2665 on rear-view mirrors lighting devices for vehicle interior on or for rear-view mirrors B60Q3/258
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/1207 with lamps; with turn indicators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/31 Optical layout thereof

Abstract

A lighting device for a visual display in a rearview device of a vehicle includes at least one light element, at least one reflecting element which is included on or in a support element of the lighting device and is adapted to reflect incident light from the light element, at least one absorption element which is included on or in the support element of the lighting device and is adapted to absorb incident light from the light element, and at least one light guide element which is included on or in the support element of the lighting device and is adapted to collect and guide incident light from the light element, where the support element, the reflecting element, the absorption element or the light guide element are at least partially curved away from the light element.

Claims

1. A lighting device for a visual display in a rearview device of a vehicle, comprising:

at least one light element; and

at least one of

at least one reflecting element which is included on or in a support element of the lighting device and is adapted to reflect incident light from the light element, and at least one absorption element which is included on or in the support element of the lighting device and is adapted to absorb incident light from the light element;

or

at least one light guide element which is included on or in the support element of the lighting device and is adapted to collect and guide incident light from the light element,

wherein the support element, the reflecting element, the absorption element or the light guide element are at least partially curved away from the light element.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein

the inner surface of the reflecting element which faces the incident light of the light element has a concave curvature, or

the inner surface of the absorption element which faces the incident light of the light element has a concave curvature, or

the inner surface of the light guide element which faces the incident light of the light element has a concave curvature, and

wherein the concave curvature of the reflecting element, of the absorption element or of the light guide element is preferably at least segmentally spherical or aspherical.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein

the inner surface of the reflecting element, of the absorption element, or of the light guide element which faces the incident light of the light element is at least partially structured and/or grained, or

the inner surface of the reflecting element, of the absorption element, or of the light guide element which faces the incident light of the light element is at least partially a light-scattering surface.

4. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein

the reflecting element reflects at least 35%, preferably at least 50% and most preferably at least 70% of the radiation power of the light of the light element incident thereon, in particular in a directed and/or diffuse manner, or

the absorption element absorbs at least 65%, preferably at least 75% and most preferably at least 95%, of the radiation power of the light of the light element incident thereon.

5. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein

the support element is at least partially curved, and

the at least one reflecting element or the at least one absorption element is arranged on or in the inner surface of the support element in the region of the curvature, or the at least one reflecting element or the at least one absorption element has a curvature which preferably corresponds substantially to the curvature of the support element.

6. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein

the support element and the at least one light guide element are molded individually or together with at least one curvature, and

the at least one reflecting element and/or the at least one absorption element is arranged on or in the curvature of the light guide element.

7. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the support element is molded together with the reflecting element or the absorption element.

8. The lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising

an exchangeable cover element or diaphragm element which is light-permeable in at least one region or has an opening in at least one region,

wherein the light-permeable region or the opening determines a modifiable illumination contour of the lighting device.

9. The lighting device according to claim 8, wherein

the cover element or diaphragm element is adapted to cover, preferably opaquely cover, the region curved by the support element, or

the cover element or diaphragm element has a reflecting surface on the side facing away from the support element.

10. The lighting device according to claim 8, wherein

the cover element or diaphragm element is connected or connectable to the support element, or

a housing is provided by the cover element or diaphragm element and the support element, which is preferably tight or sealed.

11. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one reflecting element comprises a reflective, in particular highly reflective, material, or is coated with a reflective, in particular highly reflective, material, or

the at least one reflecting element has a light-scattering surface structure on at least a part of its surface which faces at least one light element, or

the at least one reflecting element is comprised by the support element, or is connected, in particular detachably, to the support element, or

the support element acts as the at least one reflecting element, or

the at least one reflecting element comprises a transition from a dielectric material to air.

12. The lighting device according to claim 11, wherein the reflective material comprises chromium and/or aluminum, or the dielectric material comprises a plastic, in particular PMMA.

13. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one absorption element is comprised by the support element, or is connected, in particular detachably, to the support element, or

the support element acts as the at least one absorption element, or

the at least one absorption element is reflective at least in parts.

14. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element are provided in or by an element.

15. The lighting device according to claim 14, wherein

the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element are arranged on opposite sides of a substrate, or

the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element are arranged on different sides of the light guide element.

16. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein

the substrate is deformable, in particular bendable or foldable, and

the at least one reflecting element and the at least one absorption element, when provided on opposite sides of the substrate, both face or can face at least one light element.

17. The lighting device according to claim 8, wherein the support element, the reflecting element, the absorption element or the light guide element are curved away such that the light beam coming from the light element impinges on a surface of the support element, the reflecting element, the absorption element or the light guide element at an obtuse angle ranging from 91 degrees to 179 degrees so that the light beam passes through the light-permeable region or the opening.

18. The lighting device according to claim 17, wherein the dimension of the obtuse angle is dependent on a dimension or an arrangement of the light-permeable region or the opening.

19. A rear-view device of a vehicle having a lighting device according to claim 1.

20. The rearview device according to claim 19, further comprising at least one rearview element, wherein the at least one rearview element has a mirror element or a camera or an electronic display.