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EP-4741707-A1 - A HEADLAMP THICKWALL ELEMENT

EP4741707A1EP 4741707 A1EP4741707 A1EP 4741707A1EP-4741707-A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a headlamp thickwall element (1) for homogenising and focusing an incoming light beam to be emitted from a vehicle headlamp. The headlamp thickwall element (1) is of polygonal shape defined by at least three circumferential sidewalls (2), and within the sidewalls (2), the headlamp thickwall element (1) comprises: a circumferential rib (3); a first circumferential planar array of first optical elements (4) for refracting, and optionally also reflecting, an incoming light beam at a specific angle; a second circumferential planar array of second optical elements (5) for dispersing an incoming light beam into a plurality of directions; and a central planar array of decorative optical elements (6) surrounded by the first and second circumferential planar arrays. The circumferential rib (3) is arranged along an inner circumference of all sidewalls (2). The first circumferential array is arranged on the circumferential rib (3) along one of the sidewalls (2). The second circumferential array is arranged on the circumferential rib (3) along the remaining sidewalls (2).

Inventors

  • Durcik, Vaclav

Assignees

  • Hella Autotechnik Nova s.r.o.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241111

Claims (9)

  1. A headlamp thickwall element (1) for homogenising and focusing an incoming light beam to be emitted from a vehicle headlamp, the headlamp thickwall element (1) being of polygonal shape defined by at least three circumferential sidewalls (2), characterised in that within the sidewalls (2), the headlamp thickwall element (1) comprises: a. a circumferential rib (3) arranged along an inner circumference of all sidewalls (2); b. a first circumferential planar array of first optical elements (4) for refracting, and optionally also reflecting, an incoming light beam at a specific angle, wherein the first circumferential array is arranged on the circumferential rib (3) along one of the sidewalls (2); c. a second circumferential planar array of second optical elements (5) for dispersing an incoming light beam into a plurality of directions, wherein the second circumferential array is arranged on the circumferential rib (3) along the remaining sidewalls (2); and d. a central planar array of decorative optical elements (6) surrounded by the first and second circumferential planar arrays.
  2. The headlamp thickwall element (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the first optical elements (4) are lenses having a ridged surface.
  3. The headlamp thickwall element (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that a ridge (7) of the ridged surface is orthogonal to the adjacent sidewall (2).
  4. The headlamp thickwall element (1) according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the second optical elements (5) are lenses having a concave, convex or planar surface (8).
  5. The headlamp thickwall element (1) according to claim 4, characterised in that a line (9) connecting two adjacent second optical elements (5) is orthogonal to the adjacent sidewall (2).
  6. The headlamp thickwall element (1) according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the decorative optical elements (6) are lenses having a concave, convex or planar surface (8).
  7. The headlamp thickwall element (1) according to claim 6, characterised in that a line (10) connecting two adjacent decorative optical elements (6) is non-orthogonal to the adjacent sidewall (2).
  8. The headlamp thickwall element (1) according to claim 6, characterised in that the decorative optical elements (6) are arranged in a layout, the shape of the layout being square, rectangular, with alternating smaller and larger rectangles, brick-like, diamond-shaped, hexagonal with two sides arranged horizontally, hexagonal with two sides arranged vertically, or octagonal with diamonds spaced in between.
  9. The headlamp thickwall element (1) according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the headlamp thickwall element (1) has a pentagonal shape with two long and three short sidewalls (2), the long sidewalls (2) being arranged opposite each other, wherein the first circumferential planar array is arranged on the circumferential rib (3) along one of the long sidewalls (2).

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to a headlamp thickwall element for homogenising and focusing an incoming light beam to be emitted from a vehicle headlamp. In other words, headlamp thickwall elements are combined optical elements on the surface of a headlamp for auxiliary modification of an incoming light beam. Background of the Invention Auxiliary light functions in automotive industry are typically formed by light guides covered with headlamp thickwall elements. The headlamp thickwall elements aim to generate homogenously appearing light-emitting elements when looking at a vehicle from the front, often in line with a preferred design of the headlamp, and at the same time, a specific illumination on the road when looking ahead from the vehicle interior. This is usually achieved by optical elements arranged in the headlamp thickwall element, also having a decorative or design function. All headlamps are designed based on legal requirements. The legal requirements are set in order to increase the driver and passenger safety and to prevent the environment from been violated. Every headlamp is allowed to have higher intensity at HOVO position where most of the light hits the road, i. e. at 0° angle horizontal and at 0° angle vertical. So, the main focus when designing or manufacturing a headlamp is usually given to the HOVO position. However, most of the time, the headlamp is not viewed from HOVO position. This leads to be a challenging factor for the manufacturers to maintain homogeneity even when the headlamp is viewed from different angles. Known vehicle headlamp thickwall elements comprising one kind of optical elements can be found in prior art documents US 2018372279 A1, US 2020079284 A1, CN 118463068 A, EP 4078021 A1, KR 102621888 B1 and CN 210568142 U. A disadvantage of such headlamp thickwall elements is insufficient homogeneity and focusing of the illumination and/or limitations in modifying the decorative aspects of the headlamp. There is therefore a need in the prior art and the object of the present invention is to provide a headlamp thickwall element providing sufficiently homogenised and focused light beam while keeping the possibility for decorative modifications. Summary of the Invention The object of the present invention is achieved by a headlamp thickwall element according to claim 1. The preferred embodiments of the headlamp thickwall element are disclosed in claims 2 to 8. The headlamp thickwall element serves for homogenising and focusing an incoming light beam to be emitted from a vehicle headlamp, and it is of polygonal shape defined by at least three circumferential sidewalls. The underlying idea of the headlamp thickwall element according to the present invention lies in a specific arrangement of optical elements within the circumferential sidewalls. The headlamp thickwall element comprises: a. a circumferential rib arranged along an inner circumference of all sidewalls;b. a first circumferential planar array of first optical elements for refracting, and optionally also reflecting, an incoming light beam at a specific angle, wherein the first circumferential array is arranged on the circumferential rib along one of the sidewalls;c. a second circumferential planar array of second optical elements for dispersing an incoming light beam into a plurality of directions, wherein the second circumferential array is arranged on the circumferential rib along the remaining sidewalls; andd. a central planar array of decorative optical elements surrounded by the first and second circumferential planar arrays. Such an arrangement of optical elements allows to emit a homogenous light beam from the headlamp (mainly due to the decorative optical elements), wherein at the same time, this light beam is focused at a specific angle on a specific area on the road ahead of the vehicle, the area representing at least the HOVO position (mainly due to the first and second optical elements). The fact that the first and second optical elements are arranged around the decorative optical elements, along the inner circumference of the sidewalls, does not disturb the visual appearance or design of the headlamp. The circumferential rib supports the first and second optical elements along the sidewalls. When viewed from the front, the sidewalls thus surround the optical elements and form a polygonal shape. The direction from back to front is the main direction into which the thickwall element outputs light, e.g., it is parallel to direction of travel of vehicle carrying this thickwall element in its front lamp. The first and second optical elements can provide a more intensive illumination than the decorative elements. The thickwall element can then provide an illumination pattern (especially polygonal) with a higher intensity on the border than in the middle. The pattern thus provides decorative illumination, but the border also provides an illumination function to improve visibility, e.g., of a sidewa