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EP-3847056-B1 - VEHICLE ADAPTABLE DRIVING BEAM HEADLAMP

EP3847056B1EP 3847056 B1EP3847056 B1EP 3847056B1EP-3847056-B1

Inventors

  • SIMCHAK, JEFFREY
  • HANSEN, David, Bjarne

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20190905

Claims (14)

  1. A vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp (200), comprising: an inner lens assembly (110) having a plurality of discrete sub-lenses (131-141) for shaping light; a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), wherein each one of the plurality of LEDs is aligned with a respective discrete sub-lens of the inner lens assembly; a controller (105) adapted for dimming the one or more LEDs for selectively dimming portions of the vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp; a first projection lens (121) and a second projection lens (122); wherein the inner lens assembly comprises a first array of discrete sub-lenses (131-135) and a second array of discrete sub-lenses (136-141), both arranged in a single horizontal plane, with the first array located adjacent the second array; and wherein the first array of discrete sub-lenses (131-135) is oriented for directing light to the center of the first projection lens (121), and the second array of discrete sub-lenses (136-141) is oriented for directing light to the center of the second projection lens (122), located adjacent the first projection lens, characterized in that each array of discrete sub-lenses (131-135, 136-141) has a curvature such that central portions of the array of discrete sub-lenses are arranged along a focus curve of the respective projection lens for providing a centrally focused portion of a beam pattern, and peripheral portions of each array of discrete sub-lenses are arranged off of the focus curve of the respective projection lens for blurring peripheral portions of the beam pattern.
  2. The vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp of claim 1, wherein each discrete sub-lens (131-135,136-141) of the inner lens assembly (110) is a total-internal-reflection and collimation type lens that includes optic elements centered over a respective one of the plurality of LEDs for shaping light.
  3. The vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein each discrete sub-lens (131-135,136-141) of the inner lens assembly (110) is adapted for spreading light from a corresponding LED and blending light with light emitted from a neighboring discrete sub-lens such that the beam pattern emitted from the inner lens assembly appears as one homogenous light source.
  4. The vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a pitch of each sub-lens (131-135,136-141) of the inner lens assembly is adapted such that a narrower pitch in the central region of each array of discrete sub-lenses provides a higher intensity and increased resolution in the central portion of the beam pattern, and a broader pitch in the peripheral regions of each array of discrete sub-lenses assembly provides a lower intensity and a coarser resolution in the peripheral portions of the beam pattern.
  5. The vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the beam pattern is adaptively changed while the vehicle is turning by illuminating LEDs directed towards a vehicle's turning direction, and at the same time dimming one or more LEDs directed away from the vehicle's turning direction, thereby enabling the beam pattern to shift without requiring any moveable components or a motor in the headlamp.
  6. The vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an opaque material (125) surrounding each of the discrete sub-lenses (131-135,136-141) of the inner lens assembly (110) to prevent internal light transfer between each lens of the inner lens assembly.
  7. The vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp of claim 6, wherein the opaque material (125) comprises a latch (117) adapted to extend over an inner face of the inner lens assembly and a heat stake (118) adapted to extend through a gap in the inner face for securing the opaque material (125) with the inner lens assembly (110).
  8. The vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp of claim 6, wherein the opaque material (125) and the inner lens assembly (110) are formed using a two-shot injection molding process such that the opaque material (125) and the inner lens assembly (110) are held together without additional mechanisms.
  9. The vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first projection lens (121) generates a first collective undivided image, and the second projections lens (122) generates a second collective undivided image.
  10. The vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a camera system for imaging a forward view and a controller for determining a target location based on camera images such that the controller determines which LEDs to modulate or turn off in real-time or near real-time based on the camera images.
  11. The vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp of claim 10, wherein the controller dims certain LEDs using pulse-width modulation based on the target location.
  12. The vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp of any one of the preceding claims, wherein exit surfaces of the discrete sub-lenses (131-135,136-141) and the first projection lens (121), and the second projections lens (122) include an anti-reflection coating to improve light control efficiency.
  13. The vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: a baffle (151) disposed within the headlamp for separating the first array of discrete sub- lenses (131-135) from the second array of discrete sub-lenses (136-141); and the baffle (151) prevents cross-talk of light between the first array of discrete sub-lenses (131-135) and the second projection lens (122), and the baffle (151) prevents cross-talk of light between the second array of discrete sub-lenses (136-141) and the first projection (121).
  14. The vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lens assembly includes a first carrier (127) including a first array of slots adapted for receiving individual sub-lenses of said first array of discrete sub-lenses, wherein said slots are provided in an opaque material configured to optically isolate each discrete sub-lens such that light from side faces of each discrete sub-lens is prevented from reaching a neighboring discrete sub-lens in the first array, and the lens assembly further includes a second carrier (128) including a second array of slots adapted for receiving individual sub-lenses of said second array of discrete sub-lenses, wherein said slots are provided in an opaque material configured to optically isolate each discrete sub-lens such that light from side faces of each discrete sub-lens is prevented from reaching a neighboring discrete sub-lens in the second array.

Description

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to the field of headlamp assemblies for use in vehicles. More specifically, the present invention relates to adaptable-driving-beam (ADB) headlamps. 2. Description of the Related Art Many types of adaptable headlamps for vehicles are described in the prior art. For example, U.S. patent 9,476,558 to Stefanov et al. discloses numerous primary lens elements disposed in a matrix. U.S. Patent 9,188,299 to Fiederling et al. discloses a plurality of LEDs and a plurality of optical waveguides aligned with the LEDs for directing light to a planoconvex optical lens. U.S. Patent 8,801,242 to Hamm et al. discloses a light module for a vehicular lamp that generates a plurality of stripe-shaped segments of a high-beam light distribution. U.S. Patent Publication 2015/0192264 to Holzl et al. discloses a vehicle headlight having a plurality of LEDs and a corresponding plurality of light guides. U.S. Patent 9,618,174 to Jungwirth et al. discloses an adaptable vehicle headlight with an array of LED light sources, an array of corresponding primary optical elements, and secondary optical elements. EP 2280215 A2 and WO 2013/020156 A1 each disclose an LED vehicle headlight for generating a dynamic light distribution by directing LED light first through a primary optical element and then through a secondary optical element. US 2017/ 0241606 A1 discloses an optical light beam projection device for a vehicle headlight including a primary optical system provided with a plurality of convergent optics, two adjacent convergent optics having separated optical axes. SUMMARY A vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp according to the present invention is defined in claim 1 and includes an inner lens assembly having a plurality of discrete sub-lenses for shaping light and a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Each one of the plurality of LEDs is aligned with a respective discrete sub-lens of the inner lens assembly. An outer lens is adapted to receive light from the inner lens assembly and project the light outward from the vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp. A controller is adapted for dimming one or more LEDs for selectively dimming portions of the vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp. Embodiments of an adaptable-driving-beam headlamp for a vehicle include a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted on one or more printed circuit boards. An inner lens assembly has a plurality of inner lenses. Each inner lens of the inner lens assembly is aligned with a respective one of the plurality of LEDs for shaping emitted light. An outer projection lens is adapted to receive light from the inner lens assembly and project the light from the vehicle. A camera system is used for imaging a forward view from the vehicle. A controller is adapted for determining a target location based on images received from the camera system such that dimming of one or more LEDs via the controller reduces glare from the vehicle adaptable-driving-beam headlamp as perceived at the target location. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Illustrative embodiments of the present invention as defined in the appended claims are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporated by reference herein and wherein: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inner lens assembly aligned with an outer lens of a vehicle adaptable-driving-beam (ADB) headlamp, in an embodiment;FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of an inner lens assembly having a matrix of inner lenses aligned in three arrays, in an embodiment;FIG. 3 is a beam pattern from a vehicle ADB headlamp, in an embodiment;FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of a vehicle ADB headlamp having four rows of inner lenses aligned vertically, in an embodiment;FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of a vehicle ADB headlamp having four rows of inner lenses aligned vertically;FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a vehicle ADB headlamp, in an embodiment;FIG. 7 shows the front perspective view of the vehicle ADB headlamp of FIG. 6 with some outer components removed to reveal internal components;FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the vehicle ADB headlamp of FIG. 6 with some outer components removed to reveal internal components;FIG. 9 is a close up view of some components of the vehicle ADB headlamp of FIG. 6;FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of the vehicle ADB headlamp of FIG. 6; andFIG. 11 is a top-down cross-sectional view the vehicle ADB headlamp of FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments of the present invention include an adaptable-driving-beam (ADB) headlamp for a vehicle that provides a means to adaptively dim or turn off portions of the headlamp while driving for the purpose of reducing glare as perceived by someone outside the vehicle (e.g., an occupant of another vehicle or a pedestrian). FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary inner lens assembly 110 aligned wi