US-12618537-B2 - Vertical automotive lighting module with identical day and night lighting aspects

US12618537B2US 12618537 B2US12618537 B2US 12618537B2US-12618537-B2

Abstract

A lighting module for an automotive vehicle includes a plurality of lighting sub-modules each including at least one light source, a flat optical light guide with an input surface, and an output surface and a reflection surface which is capable of reflecting light from the input surface to the output surface. The plurality of lighting sub-modules includes first lighting sub-modules configured to each produce a lighting sub-beam with an upper horizontal cut-off, and second lighting sub-modules configured to each produce a lighting sub-beam without an upper horizontal cut-off. The first and second lighting sub-modules are juxtaposed so as to form, along the juxtaposition, a plurality of alternations between the first and second lighting sub-modules.

Inventors

Pierre Albou
Antoine De Lamberterie
Pierre Renaud
Vanesa SANCHEZ

Assignees

VALEO VISION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20220628
Priority Date: 20210630

Claims (16)

1 . A lighting module for an automotive vehicle, comprising a plurality of lighting sub-modules each comprising: at least one light source; and a flat optical guide with an entry face facing the at least one light source, an exit face and, at the rear of the exit face, a reflection face configured to reflect light from the entry face toward the exit face, wherein the plurality of lighting sub-modules comprises first lighting sub-modules configured to each produce a lighting sub-beam with horizontal upper cut-off and second lighting sub-modules configured to each produce a lighting sub-beam without horizontal upper cut-off, the first and second lighting sub-modules are juxtaposed in such a way as to form an arrangement wherein adjacent lighting sub-modules alternate between the first lighting sub-modules configured to produce the lighting sub-beam with horizontal upper cut-off and the second lighting sub-modules configured to produce the lighting sub-beam without horizontal upper cut-off, an orientation of the flat optical guides is perpendicular to the main direction in which the flat optical guides extend, the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting submodules form sheets extending in a vertical main direction such that the exit face of each of the flat optical guides has a vertical profile that is stepped and inclined, from top to bottom, rearward, and the flat optical guides are longitudinally offset relative to each other such that the exit face of each of the flat optical guides has an inclined or curved horizontal profile.
2 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules extend in a horizontal or vertical main direction, when the lighting module is in the mounting position and seen from the front.
3 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the exit faces of the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules are adjacent and form an overall exit face of the lighting module having a height H and a width 1 , said height H being greater than or equal to 5 times said width 1 .
4 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the alternations between the first and second lighting sub-modules are in a number corresponding to the number of first lighting sub-modules or to the number of second lighting sub-modules.
5 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules extend in a horizontal main direction, when the lighting module is in the mounting position and seen from the front, and are offset longitudinally relative to one another such that the exit faces of said flat optical guides have an inclined or curved vertical profile.
6 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the exit faces of the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules are adjacent and form an overall exit face of the lighting module having a height H and a width 1 , said height H being greater than or equal to 5 times said width 1 .
7 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 6 , wherein a number of alternating arrangements between the first and second lighting sub-modules is a number corresponding to the number of first lighting sub-modules or to the number of second lighting sub-modules.
8 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules extend in a horizontal main direction, when the lighting module is in the mounting position and seen from the front, and are offset longitudinally relative to one another such that the exit faces of said flat optical guides have an inclined or curved vertical profile.
9 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a number of alternating arrangements between the first and second lighting sub-modules is a number corresponding to the number of first lighting sub-modules or to the number of second lighting sub-modules.
10 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein for each of the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules, the entry face is transverse to the exit face and the reflection face has a curved vertical profile capable of reflecting the light from the entry face toward the exit face along an optical axis of the lighting sub-module.
11 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 10 , wherein each of the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules comprises a connection portion with two divergent lateral faces, connecting the sheet to the exit face, said exit face having a curved transverse profile forming a lens.
12 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules comprises a connection portion with two divergent lateral faces, connecting the sheet to the exit face, said exit face having a curved transverse profile forming a lens.
13 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising additional light sources arranged at the rear of the two divergent faces of the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules, configured to provide a daytime running light.
14 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules extend in a horizontal main direction, when the lighting module is in the mounting position and seen from the front, and are offset longitudinally relative to one another such that the exit faces of said flat optical guides have an inclined or curved vertical profile.
15 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 14 , wherein, for each of the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules, the reflection face comprises facets capable of reflecting the light from the entry face toward lenses on the exit face along an optical axis of the lighting sub-module, and wherein, for each of the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules, the reflection face has a profile such that a distance between the exit face and the reflection face, along the optical axis of the lighting sub-module, decreases as a distance between said reflection face and the entry face increases.
16 . The lighting module as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising additional light sources arranged at the rear of the reflection faces of the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules, configured to provide a daytime running light.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to the field of lighting, in particular automotive lighting. PRIOR ART Automotive vehicle headlamps currently offer, among other things, three regulatory lighting modes, namely lighting with horizontal upper cut-off, commonly referred to as “low beam”, lighting with no cut-off, commonly referred to as “high beam”, as well as daytime lighting commonly referred to as “DRL”, which stands for “Daytime Running Light”. Published patent EP 2 045 515 A1 discloses a lighting module, specifically with horizontal upper cut-off, that is to say of “low beam” type, comprising a vertical sheet optical guide with one end, on the exit face side, of divergent section and forming a projection lens with the curved exit face. The sheet optical guide comprises a reflection face with a curved profile, of parabolic type, configured to reflect the rays coming from the entry face toward the exit face along an optical axis of the lighting module. For this purpose, the light source(s) facing the entry face are located at the focus of the parabolic profile. This document also provides for the arrangement of several sheet optical guides side by side, these sheets meeting toward the rear at the reflection face and the entry face. Published patent EP 2 679 884 A1 discloses a lighting module, specifically with horizontal upper cut-off, that is to say of “low beam” type, comprising a flat horizontal optical guide with a series of projection lenses on the exit face and a reflection face with a stepped profile to distribute the light transmitted along the guide toward the various projection lenses. The lighting modules described above are advantageous in that they can operate in regulatory automotive lighting modes while having an illuminated face, namely the exit face of the optical guide, which is thin and elongate, affording an advantage in terms of integration into a vehicle bodywork. However, they have the disadvantage of operating in only one lighting mode. To operate in the regulatory lighting modes, that is to say with and without horizontal cut-off, it is necessary to provide two lighting modules, where applicable placed side by side. The cumulative exit face then has a different illuminated appearance depending on the lighting mode activated. However, it is desirable for the illuminated or exit face to have an identical or at least similar appearance in the different lighting modes. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The aim of the invention is to mitigate at least one of the drawbacks of the abovementioned prior art. More particularly, the invention aims to propose an automotive lighting module that operates in at least two lighting modes, preferably a lighting mode with cut-off and a lighting mode without cut-off, while having an essentially constant illuminated appearance. Even more particularly, the invention aims to propose an automotive lighting module having a vertically elongate shape. The invention relates to a lighting module for an automotive vehicle, comprising a plurality of lighting sub-modules each comprising at least one light source; a flat optical guide with an entry face facing the at least one light source, an exit face and, at the rear of the exit face, a reflection face capable of reflecting light from the entry face toward the exit face; remarkable in that the plurality of lighting sub-modules comprises first lighting sub-modules configured to each produce a lighting sub-beam with horizontal upper cut-off and second lighting sub-modules configured to each produce a lighting sub-beam without horizontal upper cut-off; and the first and second lighting sub-modules are juxtaposed in such a way as to form, along the juxtaposition, several alternations between the first and second lighting sub-modules. The term “juxtaposition” means that the lighting sub-modules are arranged side by side with or without clearance. The term “flat optical guide” means an optical guide with two main guide faces that are opposite and generally parallel, these two faces being generally extensive without necessarily being perfectly flat. These two faces are separated by a perimeter defining a thickness of the flat optical guide, and the thickness may moreover be variable. The entry face, the reflection face and possibly the exit face are located on this perimeter. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules extend in a horizontal or vertical main direction, when the lighting module is in the mounting position and seen from the front. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the exit faces of the flat optical guides of the plurality of lighting sub-modules are adjacent and form an overall exit face of the lighting module having a height H and a width l, said height H being greater than or equal to 5 times said width l. The adjacent exit faces may be in direct contact or exhibit a clearance, from one to the next. Accor