Illumination unit for vehicle headlights and vehicle headlights

• US 8,870,426 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2010
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Osram Beteiligungsverwaltung GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: OSRAM Licht AG (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Biebl, Alois, Frey, Peter, Vollmer, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Makiya, David J
• Application Number:
  US13/259,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20120020104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,674 Days
• Field of Search: 362/546
• US Class Current: 362/546
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/00 Light sources using semiconductor devices as light-generating elements, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED] or lasers
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/192 Details of lamp holders, terminals or connectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 45/48 with means for conducting heat from the inside to the outside of the lighting devices, e.g. with fins on the outer surface of the lighting device
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 25/00 Safety devices structurally associated with lighting devices gas- tight or water-tight arrangements F21V31/00; in general F16P; protective circuit arrangements per se H02H7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

An illumination unit for vehicle headlights may include a light-emitting diode device, a housing and an assembly board on which components of an operating circuit for operating the light-emitting diode device are arranged, wherein the housing and the assembly board define an interior space, wherein the assembly board has at least one electrically conductive inner layer that is connected to a ground reference potential of the operating circuit and on its surface the assembly board has at least one electrical contact surface which is contacted with at least one electrically conductive inner layer, and the housing has an electromagnetic shielding structure configured to provide electromagnetic shielding of the interior space, wherein the electromagnetic shielding structure is connected to the at least one electrical contact surface.

Claims

1. An illumination unit for vehicle headlights, the illumination unit comprising:

a light-emitting diode device,

a housing and an assembly board on which components of an operating circuit for operating the light-emitting diode device are arranged,

wherein the housing is made of plastic and a section of the housing is embodied as connector comprising electrical terminals which are electrically connected to metal pins serving as electrical contact pins and protruding through drilled holes in the assembly board,

wherein the housing and the assembly board define an interior space,

wherein the assembly board has at least one electrically conductive inner layer that is connected to a ground reference potential of the operating circuit and on its surface the assembly board has at least one electrical contact surface which is contacted with at least one electrically conductive inner layer by means of one of the metal pins passing through the electrical contact surface and the electrically conductive inner layer, and

the housing has an electromagnetic shielding structure configured to provide electromagnetic shielding of the interior space, wherein the electromagnetic shielding structure comprises a metallization of the housing which connected to the at least one electrical contact surface.

2. The illumination unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one electrical contact surface is embodied as ring-shaped.

3. The illumination unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metallization comprises the part of the housing enclosing the interior space.

4. The illumination unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metallization is embodied as a metallic coating on the inside of the housing in the area of the interior space.

5. The illumination unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metallization extends onto a supporting surface of the housing on which the at least one electrical contact surface of the assembly board is disposed.

6. The illumination unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical contact surface is annular.

7. An illumination unit for vehicle headlights, the illumination unit comprising:

a light-emitting diode device, a housing and an assembly board on which components of an operating circuit for operating the light-emitting diode device are arranged,

wherein the housing is made of plastic and a section of the housing is embodied as connector comprising electrical terminals which are electrically connected to metal pins serving us electrical contact pins and protruding through drilled holes in the assembly board, wherein the housing and the assembly board define an interior space,

wherein the assembly board has at least one electrically conductive inner layer that is connected to a ground reference potential of the operating circuit and on its surface the assembly board has at least one electrical contact surface which is connected with at least one electrically conductive layer by means of one of the metal pins passing through the electrical contact surface and the electrically conductive inner layer, and the housing, has an electromagnetic shielding structure configured to provide electromagnetic shielding of the interior space,

wherein the electromagnetic shielding structure comprises at least one structure selected from a group consisting of;

metal sheet, metal lattice, metal mesh; and

metal film which is connected to the at least one electrical contact surface.

8. The illumination unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the electromagnetic shielding structure is embodied in a bowl-like manner and arranged in the interior space.

9. The illumination unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the electromagnetic shielding structure bears against the at least one electrical contact surface of the assembly board.

10. The illumination unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the electromagnetic shielding structure is fixed to the assembly board by means of a technology from the group consisting of:

flanging, laser welding, adhesive bonding, soldering and force fitting.