Light Module For Producing Light With a Scattering Pattern That is Electrically Variable and Use Thereof as a Multiple Purpose Light

• US 20080205075A1
• Filed: 07/04/2006
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Ansems, Johannes Petrus Maria, Hikmet, Rifat Ata Mustafa, Kraus, Albrecht, Van Bommel, Ties, Schlager, Walter August
• Application Number:
  US11/994,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20080205075A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/488
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/40 Welcome lights, i.e. specific or existing exterior lamps to assist leaving or approaching the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2500/30 Arrangements for illuminating different zones in the vehicle, e.g. front/rear, different seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/43 General lighting
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/44 Spotlighting, e.g. reading lamps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/74 for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/76 for spotlighting, e.g. reading lamps spotlighting on or for specific fittings B60Q3/20; spotlighting in mass transit vehicles B60Q3/44
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/85 for manual control of the light, e.g. of colour, orientation or intensity
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/003 by interposition of elements with electrically controlled variable light transmissivity, e.g. liquid crystal elements or electrochromic devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/00 Combination of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/20 of different form
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/14 of variable focal length
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13306 Circuit arrangements or driving methods for the control of single liquid crystal cells G02F1/132, G02F1/133382 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13718 based on a change of the texture state of a cholesteric liquid crystal
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13756 the liquid crystal selectively assuming a light-scattering state G02F1/1334, G02F1/13718 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/28 focussing or defocussing

Abstract

The invention provides a light module (1) with a light source (2) for emitting a beam of light (5), an adjustable optical element (300) for adjusting the beam of light (5) from the light source (2) into an adjusted beam of light (25) with a scattering pattern that is electrically variable; and a controller (304) for controlling, in response to an adjusting control signal (371), at least one element of a group of elements comprising the adjustable optical element (300) and the light source (2) by means of at least one driving signal (375, 376). A multi-purpose light, for example for interior car lighting, is advantageously provided thereby.

Claims

1. A light module (1) comprising:

a light source (2) for emitting a beam of light (5);

an adjustable optical element (300) for adjusting the beam of light (5) originating from the light source (2) into an adjusted beam of light (25) with a scattering pattern that is electrically variable; and

a controller (304) for controlling, in response to an adjusting control signal (371), at least one element of a group of elements comprising the adjustable optical element (300) and the light source (2) by means of at least one driving signal (375, 376).

2. The light module (1) according to claim 1, wherein the light source (2) is arranged to provide the beam of light (5) in response to a driving signal (375) so as to comprise continuous light or flash light.

3. The light module (1) according to claim 1, wherein the source (2) is selected from one or more of the group consisting of a halogen lamp, a xenon lamp, an LED, and a luminescent lamp.

4. The light module (1) according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable optical element (300) is arranged to provide the adjusted beam of light (25) in response to a driving signal (376) so as to comprise a beam with adjustable scattering properties.

5. The light module (1) according to claim 4, wherein the adjustable optical element (300) is arranged to provide the adjusted beam of light (25) in response to a driving signal (376) so as to comprise a beam with isotropic scattering properties.

6. The light module (1) according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable optical element (300) is arranged to provide the adjusted beam of light (25) with an adjustable aspect ratio of the light beam in response to a driving signal (376).

7. The light module (1) according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable optical element (300) comprises at least one element from the group of optical elements comprising:

an electro wetting lens, a liquid crystalline lens, a controllable scattering element, a controllable diffraction/refraction element, and a reflection element.

8. The light module (1) according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable optical element (300) comprises a liquid crystalline refractive index gradient element.

9. The light module (1) according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable optical element (300) comprises at least one passive beam-shaping element (440, 441) with the controllable scattering element being placed between the light source (2) and the passive beam-shaping element.

10. The light module (1) according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable optical element (300) comprises a liquid crystal cell containing a liquid crystal material selected from the group comprising:

an LC gel with negative dielectric anisotropy, a chiral gel, and a PDLC (polymer dispersed liquid crystal) material.

11. The light module (1) according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting control signal (371) is generated by a user (41).

12. The light module (1) according to claim 1, wherein the module provides more than one beam of light (25), the light module (1) preferably comprising:

more than one source (2) arranged to provide more than one beam of light (5); and

more than one electrically adjustable optical element (300) arranged to adjust the more than one beam of light (5) from the more than one light source (2) into more than one adjusted beam of light (25) with scattering patterns that are electrically variable.

13. The light module (1) according to claim 1, wherein the module (1) further comprises one or more switches or one or more sensors (350), or one or more switches as well as one or more sensors (350),

wherein the one or more switches (350) provide one or more functions selected from the group comprising:

i) switching one or more sources (2) on and off;

ii) switching all sources (2) on and off at the same time;

iii) electrically adjusting one or more electrically adjustable optical elements (300);

iv) adjusting the scattering properties of one or more beams of light (25);

v) adjusting the luminous intensity of one or more beams of light (25); and

wherein the one or more sensors (350) provide one or more functions selected from the group comprising;

i) detecting one or more of the states;

opening, closing, locking, and unlocking of one or more doors;

ii) detecting a remote signal for one or more of the states;

opening, closing, locking, and unlocking of one or more doors;

iii) detecting the presence of a driver and/or one or more passengers;

iv) detecting movement;

v) detecting a remote control signal intended to control one or more of the functions as described for the switches (350).

14. The light module (1) according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the adjustable optical elements (300) comprises a liquid crystal cell containing a liquid crystal material selected from the group comprising:

an LC gel with negative dielectric anisotropy, a chiral LC gel, and a PDLC (polymer dispersed liquid crystal) material.

15. The light module (1) according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the adjustable optical elements (300) is arranged to provide at least one adjusted beam of light (25) comprising a beam with isotropic scattering properties in response to a driving signal (376).

16. A controller (304) for use in a light module (1) according to claim 1, the controller (304) being arranged to control, in response to an adjusting control signal (371), at least one element of a group of elements comprising the adjustable optical element (300) and the light source (2) by means of at least one driving signal (375, 376).

17. A controller (304) for use in a light module (1) according to claim 12, the controller (304) being arranged to control, in response to an adjusting control signal (371), at least one element of a group of elements comprising one or more adjustable optical elements (300) and one or more light sources (2) by means of at least one driving signal (375, 376).

18. A computer program product to be run on a controller (304) according to claim 16, the computer program product comprising the function of controlling, in response to an adjusting control signal (371), at least one element of a group of elements comprising the adjustable optical element (300) and the light source (2) by means of at least one driving signal (375, 376).

19. A computer program product to be run on a controller (304) according to claim 17, the computer program product comprising the function of controlling, in response to an adjusting control signal (371), at least one element of a group of elements comprising one or more adjustable optical elements (300) and one or more light sources (2) by means of at least one driving signal (375, 376).

20. Use of a light module (1) according to claim 1 as a multiple purpose light, preferably as a multiple purpose interior car light.

21. Use according to claim 20, wherein the use of the light module is selected from the group consisting of reading light, vanity light, approaching light, and stepping light.