Compact elliptical infrared light unit for a motor vehicle

• US 6,897,459 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2001
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Albou, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Wells, Nikita
• Assistant Examiner(s): QUASH, ANTHONY G
• Application Number:
  US09/870,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20010050344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: 250/318, 250/504.R, 250/498.1, 250/497, 250/497.1, 382/459, 382/61
• US Class Current: 250/504.00R
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/255 Lenses with a front view of circular or truncated circular outline
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/275 Lens surfaces, e.g. coatings or surface structures
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/686 Blades, i.e. screens moving in a vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/24 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/04 for filtering out infrared radiation dichroic reflectors F21V7/22; using liquid-filled chambers F21V9/12
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2102/00 Exterior vehicle lighting devices for illuminating purposes

Abstract

An infrared light unit for a motor vehicle includes a light source, a reflector having two focal regions and a lens. The light source is in one of the focal regions and produces a pool of reflected light in the other focal region, and the lens converts this pool of light into a beam projected on the road. The light unit includes, between the reflector and the lens, a filter which is opaque to visible light and transparent to infrared light, and which is movable between a position out of the path of light going from the reflector to the lens, and an active position in which all or most of the light going from the reflector to the lens passes through the filter.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle light unit comprising:

a reflector defining two focal regions, one focal region being an internal focal region and the other being an external focal region, the reflector having a defined surface of an approximate ellipsoid;

a light source located in said internal focal region in such a way as to produce a pool of reflected light in said external focal region; and

a lens in front of said external focal region for converting said pool of light into a beam and for projecting said beam forward from the light unit, wherein the light unit further includes a filter movably positioned between the reflector and the lens, so that said filter is located downstream of the external focal region, the filter being opaque to visible light and transparent to only infrared light, and filter-carrying means mounting said filter for moving the filter between a first position out of the path of the light passing from the reflector to the lens, and a second position in which the filter intercepts a substantial part of said light passing from the reflector to the lens.

2. A light unit according to claim 1, further including a member carrying the said filter and adapted for deformation under the effect of thermal deformations of the filter.

3. A light unit according to claim 1, wherein the reflector is disposed in relation to the lens in such a way as to propagate light towards the lens in a stream of light defining an edge, the filter-carrying means being arranged to displace the filter to a position in which a surface of the filter extends along a said edge of the stream of light.

4. A light unit according to claim 1, wherein the reflector defines a lamp hole, the light source being a lamp placed in said lamp hole whereby to produce a shadow zone corresponding to the optical image of the lamp hole, the filter-carrying means being arranged to displace the filter to a position substantially in the said shadow zone.

5. A light unit according to claim 4, wherein the said filter-carrying means consist of means for positioning the filter.

6. A light unit according to claim 5, wherein the filter positioning means include a pivot defining an axis downstream of the said second position of the filter with respect to the direction of propagation of the light.

7. A light unit according to claim 1, defining said second filter position, and an extent of the filter itself, so that, when the filter is in said second position, some of the light radiation from the reflector to the lens bypasses the filter.

8. A light unit according to claim 7, wherein the lens defines zones for disorganizing a light stream, the said zones being located in the path of rays passing from the reflector to the lens and bypassing the filter.

9. A light unit according to claim 8, wherein the said disorganizing zones are defined in annular regions of the lens.