# US 10,767,827 B2 · LED lighting device

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- Number: US 10,767,827 B2
- Document ID: US10767827B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/590,195
- Filed: 2019-10-01
- Published: 2020-04-02
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2018-10-02
- Assignees: Lumileds Holding B.V.
- Applicants: Lumileds Holding B.V.
- Inventors: Steffen Zozgornik
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10767827B2

## CPC

- F21S 41/24: Light guides
- F21V 5/008: {Combination of two or more successive refractors along an optical axis}
- F21S 41/143: the main emission direction of the LED being parallel to the optical axis of the illuminating device
- F21S 41/151: arranged in one or more lines
- F21S 41/285: {Refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters not provided in groups F21S41/24 - F21S41/2805}
- F21V 5/043: {the lens having cylindrical faces, e.g. rod lenses, toric lenses}
- F21Y 2103/10: comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements
- F21Y 2115/10: Light-emitting diodes [LED]
- F21S: NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- F21V: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED

## Abstract

The invention describes an LED lighting device comprising an imaging optic and an illumination unit, wherein the illumination unit comprises a row of a plurality of LEDs and a pre-collimator collimating the light emitted by the LEDs, and the imaging optic is arranged such that a focal plane of the imaging optic coincides with the LED row of the illumination unit. The invention further describes a respective automotive headlight, and a method for the assembly of an LED lighting device.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An LED lighting device comprising an imaging optic and an illumination unit, wherein
the illumination unit comprises a row of a plurality of LEDs arranged to emit light into a pre-collimator collimating the light emitted by the LEDs, and
the imaging optic is arranged such that a first focal plane of the imaging optic lies in a plane with the LED row of the illumination unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The LED lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging optic, besides the first focal plane, has a second focal plane, wherein, in a coordinate system, where the x-axis is the axis along the length of the LED row, the y-axis is the axis perpendicular to the x-axis pointing to the imaging optic, and the z-axis is the axis perpendicular to the x-axis and the y-axis,
light rays propagating within a plane, defined by the x-axis and the y-axis of this coordinate system, are refracted according to the first focal plane,
light rays propagating within a plane, defined by the y-axis and the z-axis of this coordinate system, are refracted according to the second focal plane,
wherein the second focal plane coincides with an exit face of the pre-collimator.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The LED lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging optic comprises an aspherical lens,
with two opposite lens-surfaces shaped as cylindrical lenses wherein the focal lines of the two lens-surfaces are arranged perpendicular to each other, or
being a convex lens with different optical powers and focal lengths in two orientations perpendicular to each other.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The LED lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the pre-collimator is designed such that, in a coordinate system, where the x-axis is the axis along the length of the LED row, the y-axis is the axis perpendicular to the x-axis pointing to the imaging optic, and the z-axis is the axis perpendicular to the x-axis and the y-axis, it
collimates light propagating in a—plane, defined by the y-axis and the z-axis of this coordinate system, and
does not collimate light propagating in a—plane, defined by the x-axis and the y-axis of this coordinate system,
wherein an entry face of the pre-collimator comprises two short edges and two long edges, and wherein two small side faces of the pre-collimator meeting the short edges of the entry face are preferably non-reflecting faces.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The LED lighting device according to claim 4, wherein the pre-collimator is shaped such that a virtual straight line between an outer edge of the LED row to an outer edge of the imaging optic extends through the body of the pre-collimator without intersecting the two small side faces of the pre-collimator.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The LED lighting device according to claim 1, wherein an entry face of the pre-collimator covers the LED row with the entry face exceeding the LED row by at least the width of an LED of the LED row on both sides of the length of the LED row.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The LED lighting device according to claim 4, wherein the small side faces are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the entry face.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The LED lighting device according to claim 4, wherein large side faces of the pre-collimator meeting the long edges of the entry face are designed for acting as collimating faces.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The LED lighting device according to claim 1, wherein a surface of an exit face of the pre-collimator is structured with a roughening or a lenticular lens array, wherein the structure is designed such that light leaving the pre-collimator through the exit face is spread in a plane, defined by a y-axis and a z-axis of a coordinate system, where an x-axis is the axis along the length of the LED row, the y-axis is the axis perpendicular to the x-axis pointing to the imaging optic, and the z-axis is the axis perpendicular to the x-axis and the y-axis.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The LED lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the LEDs can be controlled individually.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The LED lighting device according to claim 1, comprising two or more illumination units positioned adjacent to each other with spaces between the LED rows of adjacent illumination units, wherein the pre-collimators of the illumination units are arranged and/or designed such that light beams of adjacent LED rows in the far field overlap with another with no gaps in-between.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

An automotive headlight for a vehicle, comprising an LED lighting device according to claim 1.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The automotive headlight according to claim 12, comprising a lighting device with two or more illumination units arranged, as seen when installed in the vehicle, in a vertical stack with spaces between adjacent LED rows.

### Claim 14

A method for the assembly of a lighting device with an imaging optic and an illumination unit, wherein the illumination unit comprises a row of a plurality of LEDs arranged to emit light into a pre-collimator collimating the light emitted by the LEDs, comprising the step:
arranging the imaging optic such that a focal plane of the imaging optic is positioned such that the focal plane lies in a plane with the LED row of the illumination unit.