Low-beam headlight assembly with hybrid lighting function

• US 9,927,086 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2016
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Zawacki, Jeffrey T.
• Primary Examiner(s): KELLY, RAFFERTY D
• Application Number:
  US15/130,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20170299138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 362509
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0035 relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0041 of several lamps in relation to each other
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/141 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/148 the main emission direction of the LED being perpendicular to the optical axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/151 arranged in one or more lines
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/16 Laser light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/18 Combination of light sources of different types or shapes
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/663 by switching light sources by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2102/13 for high-beam region or low-beam region
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2103/10 Position lights
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2103/55 Daytime running lights [DRL]

Abstract

A low-beam headlight assembly includes a transparent outer lens, an optical reflector housing, and first and second lighting sources. The reflector housing has a reflective inner surface configured to reflect incident light through the transparent outer lens. The lighting sources collectively generate the incident light. The optical reflector housing reflects the incident light from the second lighting source through a designated region of the transparent outer lens to enhance a hot spot adjacent to a beam cut-off zone of a low-beam lighting pattern from the first lighting source. The low-beam headlight assembly may have a vertical height of less than about 20 mm, or about 10 mm and 15 mm. The first lighting source may include light-emitting diodes, while the second lighting source may include a laser device such as a laser diode. A vehicle includes a body and a headlight assembly that includes the low-beam headlight assembly.

Claims

1. A low-beam headlight assembly comprising:

a transparent outer lens;

an optical reflector housing having a reflective inner surface operable to reflect incident light through the transparent outer lens;

a first and a second lighting source collectively operable to generate the incident light;

wherein the optical reflector housing is operable to direct the incident light from the first light source to define a low-beam lighting pattern having a hot spot at least partially bounded by a beam cutoff zone;

wherein the optical reflector housing is operable to direct the incident light from the second lighting source through a designated region of the transparent outer lens to enhance the hot spot adjacent to the beam cut-off zone of the low-beam lighting pattern from the first lighting source; and

wherein the low-beam headlight assembly has a vertical height of less than about 20 mm.

2. The low-beam headlight assembly of claim 1, wherein the vertical height is between about 10 mm and 15 mm.

3. The low-beam headlight assembly of claim 1, wherein the first lighting source includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes.

4. The low-beam headlight assembly of claim 1, wherein the second lighting source includes a laser device.

5. The low-beam headlight assembly of claim 4, wherein the laser device is a laser diode.

6. A low-beam headlight assembly comprising:

a transparent outer lens;

an optical reflector housing having a reflective inner surface; and

a first and a second lighting source collectively operable to generate incident light;

wherein the low-beam assembly has a vertical height of less than about 20 mm, the first lighting source is a plurality of LEDs operable to generate a low-beam lighting pattern, and the second lighting source is a laser diode configured to maintain a high luminous flux over a designated region of the low-beam lighting pattern as a second part of the reflected incident light; and

wherein the optical reflector housing is operable to direct the incident light from the first light source to define the low-beam lighting pattern, with the low-beam lighting pattern having a hot spot at least partially bounded by a beam cutoff zone;

wherein the optical reflector housing is operable to direct the incident light from the second lighting source through a designated region of the transparent outer lens to increase an intensity of the hot spot.

7. The low-beam assembly of claim 6, wherein the vertical height is between about 10 mm and 15 mm.

8. A vehicle comprising:

a body; and

a headlight assembly having a low-beam headlight assembly connected to the body, wherein the low-beam headlight assembly includes;

a transparent outer lens;

an optical reflector housing having a reflective inner surface operable to reflect incident light through the transparent outer lens; and

a first and a second lighting source collectively operable to generate the incident light;

wherein the optical reflector housing is operable to direct the incident light from the first light source to define a low-beam lighting pattern having a hot spot at least partially bounded by a beam cutoff zone;

wherein the optical reflector housing is operable to direct the incident light from the second lighting source through a designated region of the transparent outer lens to enhance the hot spot adjacent to the beam cut-off zone of the low-beam lighting pattern from the first lighting source; and

wherein the low-beam headlight assembly has a vertical height of less than about 20 mm.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the headlight assembly includes a high-beam headlight assembly proximate the low-beam headlight assembly.

10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the vertical height is between about 10 mm and 15 mm.

11. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the first lighting source includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes.

12. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the second lighting source includes a laser device.

13. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the laser device is a laser diode.

14. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the first lighting source includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes and the second lighting device is a laser diode.