Patent Grant
12085252
This application claims priority to German patent application DE 10 2022 116 279.6, filed Jun. 29, 2023, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The disclosure relates to a motor vehicle having a vehicle headlight. The disclosure also relates to a vehicle headlight, for example a motor vehicle headlight, and a method for operating a vehicle headlight. A vehicle headlight within the meaning of the present disclosure relates, for example, to so-called matrix light or adaptive high beam.
Examples of matrix light or adaptive high beam can be found at web.ar-chive.org/web/20150109234745/http://www.audi.de/content/de/brand/de/vor-sprung_durch_technik/content/2013/08/Audi-A8-erstrahlt-in-neuem-Licht.html (accessed Sep. 5, 2019), www.all-electronics.de/matrix-led-und-laserlicht-bietet-viele-vor parts/(accessed Sep. 2, 2019), and www.next-mobility.news/led-im-fahrzeug-die-rolle-der-matrixscheinwerfer-und-was-sie-leisten-a-756004/(accessed Sep. 2, 2019). Alternative light distributions are also disclosed in Wolfgang Huhn: “Anforderungen an eine adaptive Lichtverteilung für Kraftfahrzeugscheinwerfer im Rahmen der ECE-Regelungen” www.utzverlag.de/assets/pdf/31595 all.pdf.
DE 10 2020 119 939 A1 discloses a headlight having a lens arrangement comprising a first lens, a second lens, and a third lens. In addition, the headlight has a light source for outputting light beams through the lens arrangement. The first lens has a first light entrance surface for inputting light beams from the light source into the lens assembly, and a first light exit surface. The second lens has a second light entrance surface and a second light exit surface. The third lens has a third light entrance surface and a third light exit surface for directing light beams out of the lens assembly and into the vicinity of the headlight. In this regard, the first lens, the second lens, and the third lens each have a positive refractive power for converging the light beams.
US 2018/0283641 A1 discloses a device for projecting a light beam with a mechanical actuator, for example for a motor vehicle, comprising a network of light sources capable of emitting light beams to form said light beam along an optical axis, each light source defining a component of said light beam having a resolution angle defined in a plane, said device further comprising a mechanical actuator configured to displace at least one element of the device such that the optical axis of the light beam is displaced between at least two projection directions at a particular displacement frequency, the projection directions forming between them a displacement angle substantially coplanar with the resolution angle, the displacement angle being equal to a fraction of the resolution angle of the beam.
WO 2017/187765 A1 discloses a solid-state light source device provided with a solid-state light emitting element comprising: a substrate having at least one or more solid-state light emitting elements mounted on a surface; the position of the solid-state light emitting element on the substrate moves to another position within the plane parallel to the surface within a predetermined time within the temporal resolving power of the human eye in a predetermined range on the plane, and then returns to the original position; and a movement mechanism for applying movement to repeat the movement back to the substrate, wherein the movement is repeated. The solid-state light source device of the present disclosure may be used, for example, as a vehicle headlight, a video projection device for a vehicle, a light source of a head-up display or a projector, and the like.
DE 10 2021 101 279 A1 discloses an illumination device for a motor vehicle, comprising a plurality of separate light-emitting diodes or an imaging component having an active surface on which imaging elements are arranged in the form of a matrix or an array, the plurality of separate light-emitting diodes or the imaging elements being arranged to generate pixels of a light distribution, an optical system which is arranged to influence the light emanating from the plurality of separate light-emitting diodes or from the active surface in such a manner so that the light distribution is generated in the exterior of the motor vehicle, and a movement device which is arranged to move at least one of the separate light-emitting diodes or at least part of the imaging component or at least part of the optical system from a first position to a second position and from the second position to the first position during operation of the illumination device, at least a plurality of the pixels of the light distribution being arranged at a different location in the light distribution in the first position than in the second position.
DE 10 2019 118 981 A1 discloses an optical device with at least one light source and with at least one spatial modulator for light, wherein the light of the light source impinges on the modulator. Further, the optical device comprises at least one optic arranged in a beam path between the light source and the modulator and preferably adjustable by an actuator. Additionally or alternatively, a position of the modulator may also be adjustable by an actuator and/or the optical device may have at least two optics that are adjustable by an actuator so that they are each insertable and executable in the beam path. By adjusting the modulator and/or the optics and/or by inserting and executing an optic, the light distribution curve of the light of the light source on the modulator can change.
The disclosure relates, inter alia, to a vehicle headlight comprising, inter alia, an illumination matrix having (a plurality of) independently controllable illumination pixels for generating an illumination pattern (e.g., time-variant), wherein the vehicle headlight may comprise an objective for imaging the illumination pattern, the objective comprising at least one objective lens, wherein the vehicle headlight comprises
Here, the z-orientation is an orientation parallel to or along an optical axis of the lens, wherein an x-orientation is oriented orthogonal to the z-orientation or comprises a component oriented orthogonal to the z-orientation, wherein a y-orientation is oriented orthogonal to the z-orientation or comprises a component oriented orthogonal to the z-orientation, wherein the y-orientation is also oriented orthogonal to the x-orientation or comprises a component oriented orthogonal to the z-orientation.
The disclosure relates, inter alia, to a vehicle headlight comprising, inter alia, an illumination matrix having (a plurality of) independently controllable illumination pixels for generating an illumination pattern (e.g., time-variant), the vehicle headlight being adapted to comprise an objective for imaging the illumination pattern, the objective comprising at least one objective lens, wherein the vehicle headlight comprises
Here, the z-orientation is an orientation parallel to or along an optical axis of the lens, wherein an x-orientation is oriented orthogonal to the z-orientation or comprises a component oriented orthogonal to the z-orientation, wherein a y-orientation is oriented orthogonal to the z-orientation or comprises a component oriented orthogonal to the z-orientation, wherein the y-orientation is also oriented orthogonal to the x-orientation or comprises a component oriented orthogonal to the z-orientation.
An illumination matrix in terms of the present disclosure comprises a plurality of independently controllable illumination pixels, for example, not less than 10,000, not less than 100,000, or not less than 1,000,000. In terms of the present disclosure, a first illumination pixel is independently controllable by a second illumination pixel if the first illumination pixel is independently turnable on and off and/or dimmable by the second illumination pixel, and also the second illumination pixel is independently turnable on and off and/or dimmable by the first illumination pixel. An (independently controllable) illumination pixel in the sense of the present disclosure may comprise, for example, an LED, an OLED, or an SSL. An illumination matrix in terms of the present disclosure may comprise, for example, LEDs (light-emitting diodes), OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes), PLEDs (polymer light-emitting diodes), and/or SSL (solid-state lighting). For example, an illumination pixel as defined in the present disclosure is a separately addressable region. An illumination pixel as defined in the present disclosure is, for example, the smallest unit of a separately controllable area. An illumination pixel in the sense of the present disclosure has, for example, an extension (diagonal or side length or edge length) of at least 20 μm, for example at least 40 μm, for example at least 50 μm. A (light emitting) illumination pixel in terms of the present disclosure has, for example, an extent (diagonal or side length or edge length) of not more than 200 μm, for example not more than 100 μm, for example not more than 50 μm. An illumination matrix in the sense of the present disclosure is, for example, an LED matrix, an OLED matrix, a PLED matrix, an SSL matrix, or an SSL HD matrix.
An actuator within the meaning of this disclosure is, for example, a piezo actuator. Details relating to piezo actuators can be found, for example, in Qi Wang: “Piezoakto-ren für Anwendungen im Kraftfahrzeug, Messtechnik and Modellierung”, Dissertation, Ruhr-Universität Bochum 2006.
In the optical system of the vehicle headlight, comprising the illumination matrix, an objective with at least one objective lens and at least one actuator, for imaging a light distribution onto the environment of the vehicle headlight, for example onto the road in front of the motor vehicle in which the vehicle headlight is arranged, at least one reflector and/or a combination of the at least one reflector and at least one lens, for example the at least one lens of the objective, can also be provided. Thereby, the at least one reflector may be oscillatingly moved or deflected in the aforementioned sense in x-orientation, in y-orientation and/or in z-orientation. The reflector or reflectors can thereby be oscillatingly moved or deflected independently of the illumination matrix and/or at least a part of the objective. However, it may also be provided that at least one reflector is moved depending on the illumination matrix and/or the at least one part of the objective.
The vehicle headlight according to the disclosure enables dynamic control of the light distribution (e.g. gradient) by a light source formed as an illumination matrix in combination with the use of actuators on the light source formed as an illumination matrix and/or on an optical element of the beam path, such as a lens and/or a reflector.
It can be provided that the actuator(s) can rotate and/or displace the optical elements (for example a lens and/or a reflector) influencing the beam path of the generated light and/or the light source in one or more spatial directions. It can also be provided that by means of the actuator(s) at least one optical element of the beam path can be reversibly deformed.
The movement of the optical elements (for example a lens and/or a reflector) influencing the beam path of the generated light and/or of the light source formed as an illumination matrix is, for example, an oscillation which can additionally be superimposed with a temporally synchronized change of the brightness of the light source or of parts of the light source. The amplitude of the oscillating movement can be selected, for example, in such a way that any gap between the illumination pixels of the light source (dark area in the image or in the illumination pattern) is reduced or completely covered by the displacement of the image (based on the movement of the optical elements and/or the light source formed as an illumination matrix). Additionally or alternatively, the amplitude of the oscillating movement of the optical elements and/or the light source formed as an illumination matrix can be designed in such a way that illumination pixels of the segmented light source overlap in the generated illumination pattern to such an extent that the failure of an illumination pixel can be compensated for and/or that at least one illumination pixel of the light source appears at different spatially separated locations of the illumination pattern, which corresponds to a virtual increase in the number of illumination pixels.
The amplitude of the respective oscillating movement is selected, for example, so that it corresponds to 0.1 to a maximum of 10 times the individual illumination pixels in the illumination pattern. This allows the resolution of the headlight to be dynamically adjusted. In addition, functions of the vehicle headlight, for example the formation of situation-dependent illumination patterns, can be enabled and/or restricted by software. Furthermore, the failure of at least one illumination pixel in the illumination pattern can thus be suppressed.
The frequency of the respective oscillating motion is selected, for example, so that it is at least 25 Hz, for example at least 40 Hz, for example at least 90 Hz, but not more than 100 Hz.
A gradient within the meaning of this disclosure is, for example, a gradient within the meaning of the technical lighting regulation FMVSS 118 (incorporated by reference in entirety). Details on gradients and their determination can be found in the dissertation “Entwicklung einer automatisierten Schweinwerfereinstellung mittels aktiver Triangu-lation” of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology of the Karls-ruhe Institute of Technology by Dipl.-Ing. Sebastian Sahner born in Mosbach from 2015 (incorporated by reference in its entirety).
For adjusting a gradient of a bright-dark-boundary by means of oscillating movement of an illumination matrix comprising a plurality of illumination pixels, based on a virtual grid comprising a plurality of virtual grid elements, the intensity of light output of an illumination pixel and/or the switch-on time of the illumination pixel is adjusted depending on the target value of the light intensity assigned to a virtual grid element and the time duration of the spatial overlap of the illumination pixel and the virtual grid element.
Alternatively or additionally, the brightness and/or light intensity of the illumination pixels of the illumination matrix can be dependent on the oscillation of the illumination matrix. This can be associated with a particularly fast switching on and off of the illumination pixels of the illumination matrix.
For purposes of this disclosure, a small gradient is intended to be a gradient in which the light intensity of the imaged illumination pattern transitions from bright to dark over a large range. For the purposes of this disclosure, a comparatively larger gradient is intended to be a gradient in which the light intensity of the imaged illumination pattern transitions from bright to dark in a comparatively smaller range, the transition from bright to dark occurring in extreme cases without a transition region.
In an embodiment, the illumination matrix is connected to an x-oriented actuator and a y-oriented actuator, for example in terms of a rigid coupling or a mechanical coupling or a rigid mechanical coupling. In an embodiment, the or an objective lens is connected to an x-oriented actuator. In an embodiment, the or an objective lens is connected to a y-oriented actuator, for example in the sense of a rigid coupling or a mechanical coupling or a rigid mechanical coupling. In an embodiment, the or an objective lens is connected to a z-oriented actuator, for example in the sense of a rigid coupling or a mechanical coupling or a rigid mechanical coupling.
An example of a motor vehicle has a vehicle headlight as described above. In this context, it is provided, for example, that the motor vehicle comprises an environment sensor system, for example a camera directed at the environment in front of the motor vehicle, for detecting the environment in front of the motor vehicle, the environment sensor system being connected in terms of data technology to the vehicle headlight in such a way that the illumination pattern can be generated as a function of output signals from the environment sensor system.
In an embodiment, an x-oriented and/or y-oriented actuator is controlled in such a way that the illumination matrix is moved or deflected periodically in such a way that a distance between two illumination pixels is not perceptible to the human eye. It is provided, for example, that the frequency of the respective deflection is at least 25 Hz. The amplitude is selected, for example, so that it is 0.1 times to a maximum of 10 times the (edge length of the) individual illumination pixels in the image or the illumination pattern. In an exemplary embodiment, the amplitude of the periodic deflection is at least ΔPXx/2 or at least ΔPXy/2, for example at least ΔPXx or at least ΔPXy. Here, ΔPXx denotes the or a distance between two illumination pixels in x-orientation and ΔPXy denotes the or a distance between two illumination pixels in y-orientation (see
In an exemplary embodiment, an x-oriented and/or y-oriented actuator is controlled in such a way that the illumination matrix is moved periodically in such a way that a defective illumination pixel is not perceptible to the human eye. The amplitude of the periodic deflection is at least (KLx+ΔPXx)/2 or at least (KLy+ΔPXy)/2, for example at least (KLx+ΔPXx) or at least (KLy+ΔPXy). Here, KLx denotes the or an edge length of an illumination pixel in x-orientation, KLy denotes the or an edge length of an illumination pixel in y-orientation, ΔPXx denotes the or a distance between two illumination pixels in x-orientation, and ΔPXy denotes the or a distance between two illumination pixels in y-orientation.
The vehicle headlight further comprises an objective having at least one objective lens.
In one embodiment, the or at least one objective lens is (substantially) made of glass or inorganic glass. Inorganic glass or glass within the meaning of this disclosure is, for example, silicate glass. Glass (or inorganic glass) within the meaning of this disclosure is, for example, glass as described in WO 2009/109209 A1. Glass within the meaning of the present disclosure comprises for example
The or the at least one objective lens may be a press-molded lens. For the purposes of this disclosure, press-molding is to be understood to mean, for example, pressing a (for example optically effective) surface in such a way that subsequent post-processing of the contour of this (for example optically effective) surface can be omitted or is omitted or is not provided. It is thus intended, for example, that a press-molded surface is not ground after the press-molding. Polishing, which does not affect the surface finish but the contour of the surface, may be provided. The press-molding is carried out, for example, in accordance with a process as described in WO 2021/008647 A1. The process described in WO 2021/008647 A1 permits particularly precise press-molding.
In one embodiment, the or at least one objective lens is (substantially) made of plastic. For example, it may be provided that a plastic lens is arranged between two glass lenses.
An edge or a lens edge in the sense of the present disclosure is, for example, three-dimensional. An edge or a lens edge in the sense of this disclosure has, for example, a volume. An edge or a lens edge in the sense of this disclosure comprises, for example, a support shoulder in the direction of the curved surface. It may be provided that the support shoulder is used as a reference or reference surface when grinding the flat surface. It is provided, for example, that the support shoulder is in a fixed relationship to the press-molded surface.
It may be provided that one or more of the (optical or optically effective) surfaces of the at least one objective lens and/or the lens body or the objective lenses and/or the lens bodies, for example the planar or convex curved optically effective surfaces, have a light diffracting structure. The light diffracting structure may be limited to a portion of the surface, for example a central portion of the surface. It is provided, for example, that the light diffracting structure serves for chromatic correction. This means, for example, that color fringes are suppressed and/or reduced by means of the light-diffracting structure.
A or the light entrance surface (of an objective lens) and a or the light exit surface (of an objective lens) in the sense of the present disclosure are, for example, optically effective surfaces. An optically effective surface within the meaning of the present disclosure is, for example, a surface in the intended light path of the headlight or the vehicle headlight or the illumination module.
In one embodiment, at least one objective lens has a light-absorbing lateral surface. In one embodiment, there is a distance—along the optical axis (of the objective lens and/or the vehicle headlight)—between the light entrance surface of the objective lens or the illumination matrix and the light exit surface of the objective lens, the distance being not less than the focal length of the light exit surface of the objective lens and/or not greater than twice the focal length of the light exit surface of the objective lens.
In one embodiment, a motor vehicle comprises an aforementioned vehicle headlight. In one embodiment, the motor vehicle comprises an environment sensor system for detecting the environment in front of the motor vehicle, the environment sensor system being connected in terms of data technology to the vehicle headlight in such a way that the light distribution emitted by means of the vehicle headlight is dependent on the output signals of the environment sensor system. Environment sensor system within the meaning of this disclosure is, for example, a sensor system for detecting driving situations, such as those described in
In one embodiment, an illumination pattern configured as a test pattern may also be generated by means of the vehicle headlight. A test image within the meaning of this disclosure can comprise, for example, a sequence and/or a group of partial test images. The individual partial test images differ from one another, for example, in that, at least in part, different illumination pixels emit light (or are controlled accordingly). It is provided, for example, that for each partial test image there is a partial target image with which the partial test image is or can be compared.
The disclosure further relates to a method of operating an aforementioned vehicle headlight and/or operating a aforementioned motor vehicle.
Motor vehicle within the meaning of the disclosure is, for example, a land vehicle that can be used individually on the road. Motor vehicles within the meaning of the disclosure are, for example, not limited to land vehicles with internal combustion engines.
The following numbered clauses include embodiments contemplated and are not limiting:
The headlight or vehicle headlight 10 shown schematically in
The headlight or vehicle headlight shown schematically in
With reference to the coordinate system of
The illumination module 5 of the vehicle headlight 10 comprises an illumination matrix 534, shown in more detail in
Depending on the design of the illumination matrix, slow switching (on-off) of the illumination pixels of the illumination matrix to create a quasi-static illumination distribution or fast switching on and off of the illumination pixels of the illumination matrix can be provided, that additionally allows to achieve a soft bright-dark-boundary at the edges or dimmable illumination pixels of the illumination matrix can be provided that also additionally allow to achieve a soft bright-dark-boundary in the illumination pattern. Superimposed on all three variants, an oscillation of the optical elements influencing the beam path of the light can be provided. For the purposes of this disclosure, quasi-static can be a static light distribution, but can also refer, for example, to a light distribution that changes according to the requirements of an adaptive headlight light.
It may be provided that the actuator(s) Ax, Ay, and/or Az can rotate and/or displace the optical elements (for example a lens and/or a reflector) influencing the beam path of the generated light and/or the light source formed as an illumination matrix 534 in one or more spatial directions. It can also be provided that by means of the actuator or actuators Ax, Ay and/or Az at least one optical element of the beam path can be reversibly deformed. In this case, the respective actuators Ax, Ay and/or Az are connected to the respective optical element and/or the illumination matrix 534 in the sense of a rigid coupling or a mechanical coupling or a rigid mechanical coupling.
In addition, it may be provided that by means of the control system 3 the brightness and/or light intensity INT of at least one illumination pixel or of a number of illumination pixels or of the entirety of the illumination pixels of the illumination matrix 534 is adjusted. In this context, the illumination pixels of the illumination matrix 534 may be supplied with power via the control system 3 in such a way that they emit light. Alternatively, however, it may be provided that an alternative power source, not shown in more detail, is provided for the illumination pixels of the illumination matrix 534 to generate light. Alternatively or additionally, the brightness and/or light intensity of the illumination pixels of the illumination matrix may be adjusted by means of the actuators Ax, Ay and/or Az, which cause oscillation of the elements influencing the beam path of the light. This can be done, for example, in a suitable manner in connection with fast switching states (switching on and off of the illumination pixels of the illumination matrix) of the illumination pixels of the illumination matrix.
The vehicle headlight 10 further comprises a diagnostic module DIA for detecting faults in the illumination matrix 534 of the illumination module 5. A fault may be at least one non-light emitting illumination pixel or at least one illumination pixel that does not emit light as required or that emits light incorrectly.
The control system 3 further comprises an interface to a data input LEX, by means of which data for implementing legal requirements are transmitted to the control system 3, such as, for example, the target value G* of a gradient (in relation to the current location of the motor vehicle 1). The control system 3 also comprises at least one interface to an information module or infotainment system INFO, by means of which signals from the infotainment system INFO can also be fed to the control system 3. Finally, the control system 3 also comprises at least one interface to the environment sensor system UG, whereby signals from the environment sensor system UG can be fed to the control system 3.
As a function of signals from the diagnostic module DIA, signals from the data input LEX, signals from the infotainment system INFO and signals from the environment sensor system, the control system 3 controls the actuators Ax, Ay and/or Az in such a way that they move the optical elements of the illumination module connected to them and/or the illumination matrix and/or groups of illumination pixels of the illumination matrix in an oscillating and/or periodic manner in such a way that a situation-dependent illumination pattern is projected onto the roadway in front of the motor vehicle 1. In addition, the control system 3 controls the light intensity (dimming) and/or an on/off state of at least one illumination pixel or a number of illumination pixels or the entirety of illumination pixels to generate a situation-dependent illumination pattern.
The control system 3 is furthermore used to control actuators Ax, Ay, Az in such a way that, for example, the gradient (following, for example, a legal requirement of the data input LEX) of the bright-dark-boundary of the illumination pattern L5 is adjusted. The adjustment may, for example, additionally or alternatively be made with respect to whether it is foggy and, if so, to what extent. The control by means of the control system 3 can also change the gradient of the bright-dark-boundary if information is to be projected onto the road ahead of the motor vehicle.
By means of the control system 3, the vehicle headlight 10 is operated in such a way that a predetermined illumination pattern with a bright-dark-boundary having a gradient is projected onto the surroundings in front of the motor vehicle. The vehicle headlight is in the illumination mode.
It can be provided that (by means of the control system 3), for example depending on the situation, it is changed from the illumination mode to an information mode, in order to then change back to the illumination mode. Here, in the illumination mode, a predefinable illumination pattern L5 is set (by means of the control system 3) with a bright-dark-boundary that has a first gradient, which is projected into the area or into the environment in front of the motor vehicle 1. In the information mode, information is projected onto the roadway in front of the motor vehicle sharply and/or with sufficient contrast.
The change between the illumination mode and the information mode can take place, for example, depending on the situation, in predefinable time durations. During the information mode, the gradient of the bright-dark-boundary can be changed.
Furthermore, a cleaning mode can be provided (by means of the control system 3) in which the optical elements of the illumination module and/or the illumination matrix and/or groups of illumination pixels of the illumination matrix can be moved periodically with a first amplitude and/or a first frequency. The first amplitude and/or the first frequency is thereby higher compared to the second amplitude and/or second frequency selected in the information mode and/or illumination mode. Thereby, the amplitude and/or the frequency in the illumination mode can be selected differently than in the information mode The cleaning mode can be provided, for example, before and/or after switching on (at least one illumination pixel) of the illumination matrix.
The illumination module 5 with the illumination matrix 534 generates a situation-dependent illumination pattern by means of the control system 3 of the vehicle headlight (in conjunction with an objective 50 shown in
In the embodiment according to
The light source according to
The objective 50 further comprises a lens body 536 having a convexly curved optically effective surface 531. The lens body 536, together with an anti-reflection 533, an LED matrix as implementation of a (segmented) light source or illumination matrix 534 (hereinafter also referred to as illumination matrix), and a heat sink 535 for the illumination matrix 534 configured as LED matrix, forms part of an illumination lens 53. In an exemplary embodiment, the distance d along the optical axis 555 of the illumination lens 53 or of the lens body 536 or of the objective 50 is greater than the focal length of the convexly curved optically effective surface 531 of the illumination lens 53 and less than twice the focal length of the convexly curved optically effective surface 531 of the illumination lens 53. It may be provided that the heat sink 535 is part of the illumination module 5, but not part of the illumination lens 53.
Light is generated in the illumination matrix 534 by means of the control system 3. The generated light passes through the lens body 536, exits through optical effective surface 531 of the illumination lens 53, and passes through the second objective lens 52 to reach the first objective lens. The light exits the first objective lens 51 at the convex curved surface 511 to be imaged as an illumination pattern L5 on the roadway and/or in the environment of the motor vehicle.
In the exemplary embodiment according to
By means of the actuators A1 and A2, the objective lens 51 can be deflected in an oscillating manner in orientation x and/or in orientation y in order to image, together with a certain intensity of the illumination pixels of the illumination matrix 534, an illumination pattern on the roadway and/or in the surroundings of the motor vehicle which is predetermined by the control system 3.
In an alternative embodiment of an illumination module 5″ as a modification of the illumination module 5, an actuator A1′ for deflecting the illumination lens 53″ is provided instead of the actuator A1. By moving the illumination lens 53″ by means of the actuator A1′, a smaller dimensioned heat sink 535′ can be used instead of the heat sink 535.
For example, a heat sink within the meaning of the present disclosure has cooling fins.
In the course of manufacturing the aforementioned headlight or vehicle headlight 10 or the illumination module 5, the actuators A1 and A2 are calibrated by projecting a test image onto a reference surface 81 as shown in
In an alternative embodiment of an illumination module 5′″ as a modification of the illumination module 5′, an actuator A1′ for deflecting the illumination lens 53″ is provided instead of the actuator A1. By moving the illumination lens 53″ by means of the actuator A1′, a smaller dimensioned heat sink 535′ can be used instead of the heat sink 535.
In the objective 50A, it is provided that the objective lens 33 is moved oscillatingly in orientation x or in orientation z by means of an actuator A3. It is also provided that the opening 31 of the diaphragm is moved in an oscillating manner in orientation y or in orientation z by means of an actuator A4. Alternatively or additionally, the opening 31 of the diaphragm can be deformable by means of the actuator A4.
In the objective 50B, it is provided that the lens 43 is oscillatingly moved in orientation x or in orientation z by means of an actuator A3. Furthermore, in a modification, it is provided that the lens body 460 is oscillatingly moved in orientation y by means of an actuator A5. Due to the oscillating movement of the actuator A5, the heat sink provided for the light source, which is not shown in more detail, can be designed for a comparatively lower cooling power.
In an alternative embodiment, it is provided that the light source of an illumination matrix 534 or of an illumination arrangement 361 or of an illumination arrangement 461, which is designed as an illumination matrix, is not directly connected to the respective lens body 360, 460 or 536, but is arranged at a small distance (air gap) from it. A possible embodiment example is shown in
In this regard, the illumination lens 46 has an illumination arrangement 461 and a lens body 460 with a protruding lens edge 466. It is provided, for example, that the lens body 460 is press-molded. In this regard, it may be provided, for example, that the distance d1 along an optical axis corresponding to the optical axis 555 shown in
Further, the illumination arrangement 461 may include a carrier 4612 on which an illumination matrix 4611 is disposed. In this case, the illumination matrix 4611 has been fabricated on the carrier 4612. Subsequently, the carrier 4612 is connected to the protruding edge 466 of the lens body 460, e.g. glued. Thereby, a small air gap 464 is provided between the carrier 4612 or the illumination matrix 4611 and the light entrance surface 462 of the lens body 460. The size of the air gap 464 corresponds essentially to the distance d1 reduced by the extent of the illumination matrix 4611. It is provided that the illumination lens 46 or the lens body 460 is moved in an oscillating manner in orientation x by means of an actuator A6. In addition, it can be provided that the illumination lens 46 or the lens body 460 is moved oscillatingly in orientation y by means of an actuator A7.
In a further modification to the embodiment according to
The lens 213 configured as a first objective lens is movable in an oscillating and/or periodic manner by means of an actuator A11. The lens 213 configured as an objective lens thus forms an objective lens in the sense of the claims, which can be moved in an oscillating manner by means of the actuator A11.
The illumination matrix 216 can be moved oscillating in y-orientation by means of a (y-oriented) actuator A9 and oscillating in x-orientation by means of an (x-oriented) actuator A10. The actuators A9 and A10 are data-connected to the control system, which is not shown in more detail. The illumination matrix 216 is shown schematically in sections in
In one embodiment, the oscillating movement of the illumination matrix 216 is intended to achieve that the distances between the illumination pixels are (barely) perceptible to the human eye. For this purpose, the (y-oriented) actuator A9 is controlled in such a way that the amplitude of the periodic movement of the illumination matrix 216 generated by means of the actuator A9 is at least ΔPXy/2, for example at least ΔPXy). In addition, the (x-oriented) actuator A10 is controlled in such a way that the amplitude of the periodic movement of the illumination matrix 216 generated by means of the actuator A10 is at least ΔPXx/2, for example at least ΔPXx. Here, ΔPXx denotes the or a distance between two illumination pixels in x-orientation and ΔPXy denotes the or a distance between two illumination pixels in y-orientation. The frequency of the oscillation is selected so that the oscillation cannot be perceived as an independent movement in the illumination pattern, e.g. greater than 25 Hz.
If the diagnostic module DIA detects that an illumination pixel has failed, the periodic movement of the illumination matrix 216 generated by the actuators A9 and A10 is adjusted accordingly. For example, if it has been detected that the illumination pixel PX22 has failed, the actuators A9 and A10 are controlled such that the illumination matrix is periodically moved such that a defective illumination pixel is not perceptible to the human eye. The amplitude of the periodic deflection is at least (KLx+ΔPXx)/2 and/or at least (KLy+ΔPXy)/2, for example at least (KLx+ΔPXx) or at least (KLy+ΔPXy). Here, KLx denotes the or an edge length of an illumination pixel in x orientation, KLy denotes the or an edge length of an illumination pixel in y orientation, ΔPXx denotes the or a distance between two illumination pixels in x orientation, and ΔPXy denotes the or a distance between two illumination pixels in y orientation. In addition, the light output INT of the illumination pixels PX12, PX21, PX23, and PX32 is increased by 10% to 15%.
In another embodiment, the amplitude of the actuators A9 and/or A10 may be selected such that individual illumination pixels of the illumination matrix appear at spatially separated locations in the illumination pattern so that a virtual increase in the number of imaged illumination pixels is achievable.
In another embodiment, however, the amplitude of the periodic motion may be 0.1 to 10 times the edge length KLx of an illumination pixel in x-orientation and or 0.1 to 10 times the edge length KLy of an illumination pixel in y-orientation.
In another embodiment, it can be provided that groups of illumination pixels of the illumination matrix are individually movable in an oscillating manner in orientation x and/or in orientation y by means of an actuator not shown in more detail. For this purpose, for example according to
In one embodiment, it may be provided that the spacing of two illumination pixels is greater than the extent of the two illumination pixels. In this way, the thermal load of the illumination matrix can be reduced.
The considered illumination pixel has a more strongly drawn border. The considered illumination pixel is movable by means of at least one of the actuators Ax, Ay or Az in such a way that it is movable along the time beam symbolized by the arrow with the label “time” from the bottom in
In the area of the outlined considered illumination pixel, a white fill marks the first portion of a time duration in which the illumination pixel is on, and the black fill marks the second portion of a time duration in which the illumination pixel is off. The first portion of the time duration and the second portion of the time duration add up to a particular time duration. This particular time duration is the time duration in which the considered illumination pixel overlaps a particular virtual grid element.
By superimposing a plurality of individual illumination pixels with virtual raster elements in the same way as shown for a selected illumination pixel in
As an alternative to the two-mode operation of the vehicle headlight 10 described in
The elements in the figures are drawn with simplicity and clarity in mind, and not necessarily to scale. For example, the scales of some elements are exaggerated relative to other elements to enhance understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure.
According to the above disclosure, groups of illumination pixels of an illumination matrix can be moved in an oscillating and/or periodic manner by means of actuators and/or, at the same time, at least one objective lens or one objective can be moved in an oscillating and/or periodic manner by means of actuators and, at the same time, an opening of a diaphragm not shown in greater detail can be moved in a deformable and/or periodic and/or oscillating manner by means of actuators. The movements brought about by means of the actuators can thereby map a desired illumination pattern on the roadway in front of the motor vehicle and/or in the vicinity of the motor vehicle as a function of the signals supplied to the control system 3. This means that faulty illumination pixels can be compensated for, imaging errors caused by dark areas between the illumination pixels can be avoided, and a virtual increase in the number of illumination pixels of the illumination matrix is possible.
The foregoing disclosure enables the (situation-dependent and/or dynamic) adjustment of the resolution of the vehicle headlight, the enabling or restriction of functions of the vehicle headlight by the control system, and the compensation of failed illumination pixels of the light source configured as an illumination matrix.
The present disclosure enables an optical system for a vehicle headlight to map a light distribution onto the environment of the vehicle. In this regard, the environment of the vehicle may relate to the area in front of the vehicle, for example, the road or lane on which the vehicle is located. The optical system can be designed in such a way that the light of a segmented light source (for example LED illumination pixels with an average size of about 50 μm×50 μm) fulfills both an illumination task (e.g. bright-dark-boundary) and an information task (projection of, for example, time-variant symbols).
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2022 116 279.6 | Jun 2022 | DE | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170113599 | Park | Apr 2017 | A1 |
| 20170138545 | Minor | May 2017 | A1 |
| 20180073700 | Orisich | Mar 2018 | A1 |
| 20180156409 | Schwaiger | Jun 2018 | A1 |
| 20180283641 | Sanchez et al. | Oct 2018 | A1 |
| 20190049083 | Groetsch | Feb 2019 | A1 |
| 20190126814 | Kay | May 2019 | A1 |
| 20190197934 | El Idrissi | Jun 2019 | A1 |
| 20220403998 | De Mersseman | Dec 2022 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 10 2019 118 981 | Jan 2021 | DE |
| 10 2020 119 939 | Feb 2022 | DE |
| 10 2021 101 279 | Jul 2022 | DE |
| 2017187765 | Nov 2017 | WO |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20240011616 A1 | Jan 2024 | US |
