Lighting apparatus, lens and method of making the lens

• US 7,387,413 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2004
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Schott AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Schott AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Harmgardt, Rolf, Beier, Wolfram, Pawlowski, Edgar, Brinkmann, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang; Audrey Y
• Application Number:
  US10/895,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20050052742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 359/566, 359/13, 359/19, 359/543, 359/742, 359/15, 359/565, 362/296, 362/510, 362/539, 362/538, 362/459, 362/460, 362/487, 362/507, 362/453, 362/227, 362/228, 362/235, 362/464, 362/495, 353/29, 353/30
• US Class Current: 362/460
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/50 Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body
• 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 41/28 Cover glass
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/43 characterised by the shape thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/002 using microoptical elements for redirecting or diffusing light
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0252 using holographic or diffractive means
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/2202 Reconstruction geometries or arrangements

Abstract

In order to meet the legal requirements regarding color of light from a headlight, especially at the light-dark boundary and how much scattered light can occur in the dark region, a lens (5) is provided, which has a diffractive structure on at least one of its surfaces (8). This lens (5) is built into a headlight with a diaphragm (4) arranged between the lens (5) and a light source (3) so that the diffractive structure is arranged substantially only in a region of the lens surface that is not masked by the diaphragm. In various embodiments a computer-generated hologram (17a-17e) can be arranged in the other region of the lens surface that is masked by the diaphragm, so that the lighting apparatus can perform other functions, such as improving driver visibility, displaying an image, measuring the distance to an object or detecting rain or snow.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus of a vehicle, said lighting apparatus comprising

a light source (3);

a lens (5) arranged in relation to the light source, so that light from the light source passes through said lens, said lens (5) having a planar side closest to the light source and a convex side opposite from the planar side, said convex side of said lens facing away from the light source (3);

a diaphragm (4) arranged between the light source (3) and the lens (5) so as to mask a region of said planar side of said lens, said lens (5) having a computer-generated hologram (17a) arranged only in said region of said planar side of said lens masked by said diaphragm (4) and said lens (5) having a diffractive structure arranged only on another region of said planar side of said lens that is not masked by the diaphragm (4);

a laser (10) and micro-optics (11), said laser (10) and said micro-optics being both arranged between said diaphragm (4) and said lens (5); and

a cover disk or plate (13) arranged on a side of said lens (5) opposite from said light source (3), so that light generated by said laser (10) is projected via the micro-optics (11) through said computer-generated hologram (17a) on said lens (5) to produce an image (12) on said cover disk or plate (13).

2. The lighting apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a reflector (2) in which said light source (3) is mounted.

3. A lighting apparatus of a vehicle, said lighting apparatus comprising

a light source (3);

a lens (5) arranged in relation to the light source, so that light from the light source passes through said lens, said lens (5) having a planar side closest to the light source and a convex side opposite from the planar side, said convex side of said lens facing away from the light source (3);

a diaphragm (4) arranged between the light source (3) and the lens (5) so as to mask a region of said planar side of said lens; and

a detector (15) arranged between the diaphragm (4) and the lens (5), said detector comprising means for detecting aging of the light source that affects lighting performance of the light source (3);

in which said lens (5) has a computer-generated hologram (17b ) arranged only in said region of said planar side of said lens masked by said diaphragm (4) and said lens (5) has a diffractive structure arranged only on another region of said planar side of said lens that is not masked by the diaphragm (4); and

in which said computer-generated hologram (17b) is arranged to focus at least a portion of the light from the light source on the detector (15) in order to detect aging of said light source (3).

4. The lighting apparatus as defined in claim 3, further comprising a reflector (2) in which said light source (3) is mounted.

5. A lighting apparatus of a vehicle, said lighting apparatus comprising

a light source (3);

a lens (5) arranged in relation to the light source, so that light from the light source passes through said lens, said lens (5) having a planar side closest to the light source and a convex side opposite from the planar side, said convex side of said lens facing away from the light source (3);

a diaphragm (4) arranged between the light source (3) and the lens (5) so as to mask a region of said planar side of said lens;

an infrared laser (10′

) and micro-optics (11′

), said infrared laser (10′

) and said micro-optics (11′

) being both arranged between said diaphragm (4) and said lens (5); and

an infrared radiation detector (15) arranged between the diaphragm and the lens;

in which said lens (5) has a computer-generated hologram (17c, 17d, 17e) arranged only in said region of said planar side of said lens masked by said diaphragm (4) and said lens (5) has a diffractive structure arranged only on another region of said planar side of said lens that is not masked by the diaphragm (4); and

in which said infrared laser (10′

) produces an infrared beam and is arranged so that said infrared beam is projected via said micro-optics (11′

) through said computer-generated hologram (17c) and infrared radiation of said infrared beam is reflected from an object in front of the lighting apparatus and detected by said infrared radiation detector in order to improve visibility, to measure distance to said object, or to detect rain or snow.

6. The lighting apparatus as defined in claim 5, further comprising a reflector (2) in which said light source (3) is mounted.