Patent Application
20180017224
The present disclosure relates generally to lamp assemblies for motor vehicles. More specifically, aspects of this disclosure relate to vehicle headlights and taillights with solid state lighting (SSL) elements, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), or polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs).
Current production motor vehicles, such as the modern-day automobile, are originally equipped with a lighting system to provide interior and exterior illumination for the vehicle operator. Such lighting systems include an assortment of lamp assemblies that are mounted or otherwise integrated to the front, sides and rear of the vehicle. The purpose of these lamp assemblies is to provide exterior illumination for the driver, for example, to operate the vehicle in low-light conditions, such as nighttime driving, and to increase the conspicuity of the vehicle. Such lighting systems can also display information about the vehicle's presence, position, size, direction of travel, as well as provide signaling functions to indicate the operator's intended maneuvering of the vehicle.
Most conventional automobiles are equipped with taillight assemblies that include directional signals to convey the driver's intent to turn the vehicle, and rear brake lights to indicate that the vehicle is slowing or stopping. Generally fitted in multiples of two, symmetrically at the left and right edges of the vehicle rear, the brake lights are red, steady-burning lamps that are illuminated when the driver applies pressure to the brake pedal. Many automobiles are also equipped with a central brake lamp that is mounted higher than the vehicle's traditional left and right brake lamps. The central brake lamp is known as a center high-mounted stop lamp, or “CHMSL” (pronounced chim-zul). The CHMSL is intended to provide a notice of deceleration to following drivers whose view of the vehicle's regular stop lamps is blocked by interceding vehicles.
In addition to the above-mentioned brake light assemblies, current production automobiles are also equipped with front-mounted headlamps. With a similar arrangement to the rear-mounted taillights, an individual headlamp assembly is typically mounted at both the front-left and front-right corners of the vehicle. The headlamp is generally designed to provide forward illumination in two different settings: a “low-beam setting, which provides adequate forward and lateral illumination for normal driving conditions with minimized glare, and a “high-beam” setting, which provides an intense, center-weighted distribution of light that is primarily suitable for driving scenarios where on-coming drivers are not present. Most headlamps are also provided with directional signals (more commonly known as “turn signals” or colloquially as “blinkers”).
Headlamp assemblies, in addition to forward illumination functions, may include multiple lamps to provide various features. Daytime running lamps, also known as daylight running lamps (or “DRL” for short), are provided to increase the conspicuity of the vehicle during daylight conditions. DRLs automatically switch on when the vehicle is shifted into drive. These may be functionally-dedicated lamps incorporated into the vehicle design, or may be provided, for example, by the low- or high-beam headlamps. Similarly, nighttime standing-vehicle conspicuity to the front is provided by white or amber light emitted from front position lamps, more commonly known as “parking lamps”.
Conventional lamp assemblies include numerous internal parts, such as various brackets, multiple reflectors, numerous filament-type light bulbs, internal adjuster mechanisms, and, in some cases, a projector lamp. Traditionally, the entire lamp assembly is pre-assembled into a protective lamp housing prior to integration with the vehicle. A protective outer lens is also necessary to shield the internal lamp componentry from external debris, weather, and the like. The complexity of such prior art lamp assemblies adds to the cost of manufacturing the assembly, which in turn adds to the cost of the automobile. In addition, the large number of parts required to operate some conventional lamp assemblies consumes valuable packaging space in the front fascia of the automobile.
Disclosed herein are vehicle lamp assemblies, methods for making and using vehicle lamp assemblies, and motor vehicles with one or more lamp assemblies. By way of non-limiting example, an improved lamp assembly, which may be in the nature of a headlight or taillight, implements one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or other high-intensity high-luminosity light source such that light generated therefrom passes through an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel disposed in the lamp housing. By modulating the light passed through the OLED panel by the high-intensity light source, light transmitted from the OLED panel can be supplemented to increase overall lumen output of the lamp assembly. Operating a high-intensity light source in conjunction with the OLED panel allows for high luminous output functions to be met, and new lamp design opportunities to be achieved. As another exemplary advantage, the disclosed lamp assembly allows for the use of less-expensive OLED panels (e.g., SDTV 30-50 lumens per watt) versus high luminous OLED panels (e.g., 110-130 lumens per watt) while maintaining desired light output. OLEDs provide design advantages over conventional filament bulbs and other single-point light sources by being able to emit light from an entire surface rather than just a single location.
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to vehicle lamp assemblies for motor vehicles. For example, a vehicle lamp assembly is disclosed that includes a lamp housing, a transparent or generally transparent lens, an OLED panel, and a light source, such as a high-intensity LED. The lamp housing is configured to attach to a motor vehicle's front-end or rear-end vehicle structure (e.g., within a lamp well above the front or rear bumper). The lens is attached to the lamp housing. The OLED panel has a transmissive substrate layer that is attached to the lamp housing, and an electroluminescent layer coupled to the transmissive substrate layer. This electroluminescent layer is configured to emit light through the lens. The light source, which is also attached to the lamp housing, is configured to emit light through the OLED panel, whether active or inactive, and out through the lens.
Other aspects of the present disclosure are directed to motor vehicles with lamp assemblies. The motor vehicle may include any relevant platform, such as passenger vehicles (internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid, electric, etc.), industrial vehicles, buses, all-terrain vehicles (ATV), motorcycles, farm equipment, boats, airplanes, etc. In one example, a motor vehicle includes a vehicle body with front-end and rear-end vehicle structure. A lamp assembly with a lamp housing is mounted to the front-end or rear-end of the vehicle structure. A transparent/generally transparent lens is attached to the lamp housing to define a cavity therebetween. The lamp assembly also includes an OLED panel having a transmissive substrate layer that is mounted inside the cavity of the lamp housing. An electroluminescent layer is coupled to the transmissive substrate layer and configured to emit light through the lens. In addition, a light source is mounted inside the cavity of the lamp housing. This light source is configured to emit light through the transmissive substrate layer of the OLED panel and out of the lamp assembly through the lens.
According to other aspects of the present disclosure, methods of making and methods of using lamp assemblies are presented. For instance, a method of constructing a lamp assembly for a motor vehicle is disclosed. The method includes: providing a lamp housing configured to attach to the motor vehicle's vehicle structure; attaching a transparent or generally transparent lens to the lamp housing; attaching an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel to the lamp housing, the OLED panel having a transmissive substrate layer and an electroluminescent layer coupled to the transmissive substrate layer, the electroluminescent layer being configured to emit light through the lens; and, attaching a light source to the lamp housing, the light source being configured to emit light through the OLED panel and out through the lens.
The above summary is not intended to represent every embodiment or every aspect of the present disclosure. Rather, the foregoing summary merely provides an exemplification of some of the novel aspects and features set forth herein. The above features and advantages, and other features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of representative embodiments and modes for carrying out the present disclosure when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.
The present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, and some representative embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the inventive aspects of this disclosure are not limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, combinations, subcombinations, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
This disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms. There are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail representative embodiments of the disclosure with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure and is not intended to limit the broad aspects of the disclosure to the embodiments illustrated. To that extent, elements and limitations that are disclosed, for example, in the Abstract, Summary, and Detailed Description sections, but not explicitly set forth in the claims, should not be incorporated into the claims, singly or collectively, by implication, inference or otherwise. For purposes of the present detailed description, unless specifically disclaimed: the singular includes the plural and vice versa; the words “and” and “or” shall be both conjunctive and disjunctive; the word “all” means “any and all”; the word “any” means “any and all”; and the words “including” and “comprising” and “having” mean “including without limitation.” Moreover, words of approximation, such as “about,” “almost,” “substantially,” “approximately,” and the like, can be used herein in the sense of “at, near, or nearly at,” or “within 3-5% of,” or “within acceptable manufacturing tolerances,” or any logical combination thereof, for example.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers refer to like features throughout the several views, there is shown in
Turning to
A forward-illuminating, high-beam/low-beam lighting arrangement, designated generally as 30, is encased within the lamp housing 26. With reference to
According to the illustrated example of
An optional diffuser layer 35, which may be in the nature of a Diffractive Optical Element (DOE) that shapes emitted monochromatic light in a specific spatial configuration and intensity profile, is positioned forward of the electroluminescent layer 31 and transmissive substrate 33 of the OLED panel 32. As shown, a color or polarizing optical filter layer 37 is disposed between the electroluminescent layer 31 and the diffuser layer 35. The light emitting electroluminescent layer 31 may itself include multiple sublayers, each comprising a different organic EL material. In this regard, the OLED panel 32 may comprise additional layers and/or other conventional features without departing from the intended scope of the present disclosure. A rigid bezel 38 mounts the OLED panel 32 to the lamp housing 26.
The vehicle lamp assembly 12 is designed to function in at least two different operating modes: a first “low-intensity” mode, which can be used, e.g., for daytime running lamp (DRL) or taillight functions, and a second “high-intensity” mode, which can be used, e.g., for low-beam, high-beam, or stop functions. When in the low-intensity mode, which is shown in
The light source 34 of
To control operation of the lighting arrangement 30, a controller 40 is communicatively coupled to the OLED panel 32 and the light source 34. For configurations employing a high-intensity LED module, the light source 34 comprises an LED printed circuit board (PCB) 42 with an array of discrete LED's 44 mounted to a printed circuit board 42 along with other components based on a desired drive scheme and design requirements. To this end, OLED panel 32 comprises an OLED PCB 46 with driver and control circuits for the OLED lamp. The controller 40, in conjunction with the LED PCB 42 and the OLED PCB 44, operate the OLED panel 32 and the light source 34 in the aforementioned low-intensity mode, during which the OLED panel 32 is active and the light source 34 is inactive, and high-intensity mode, during which both the OLED panel 32 and the light source 34 are simultaneously active.
While aspects of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the precise construction and compositions disclosed herein; any and all modifications, changes, and variations apparent from the foregoing descriptions are within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined in the appended claims. Moreover, the present concepts expressly include any and all combinations and subcombinations of the preceding elements and aspects.
