# US 11,906,126 B2 · Illumination apparatus for a motor vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,906,126 B2 - Document ID: US11906126B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/792,173 - Filed: 2021-03-15 - Published: 2023-02-16 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2020-03-24 - Assignees: B ayerische M otoren W erke A ktiengesellschaft - Applicants: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft - Inventors: Thomas Binder; Sebastien Casenave; Dominik Hart; Katharina Santner; Chunyue Zhai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906126B2 ## CPC - F21S 43/14: Light emitting diodes [LED] - F21S 43/26: {Refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters not provided in groups F21S43/235 - F21S43/255} - F21S 43/31: Optical layout thereof - F21S 43/33: characterised by their material, surface treatment or coatings - F21S 43/40: characterised by the combination of reflectors and refractors - B60Q 2400/20: Multi-color single source or LED matrix, e.g. yellow blinker and red brake lamp generated by single lamp - F21S: NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL ## Abstract An illumination apparatus for a motor vehicle includes a lighting device having one or more light sources, a reflector arrangement having one or more scatter reflectors, and one or more transparent bodies each having a surface made of a plurality of flat facets. The illumination apparatus is designed such that light generated by the light source(s) of the lighting device is scattered at the scatter reflector(s) of the reflector arrangement, as a result of which scattered light is created, which is refracted at least partially on facets of the transparent body or bodies and then exits the illumination apparatus in order to generate a light distribution. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An illumination apparatus for a motor vehicle, the illumination apparatus comprising: a lighting device which has one or more light sources, a reflector arrangement which has one or more scattering reflectors, and one or more transparent bodies, each of which has a surface made up of a plurality of planar facets, wherein the illumination apparatus is configured such that light which is generated by the one or more light sources of the lighting device is scattered on the one or more scattering reflectors of the reflector arrangement, resulting in scattered light which is at least partially refracted at a first facet of the one or more transparent bodies upon entering the one or more transparent bodies, is subsequently reflected by at least one second facet of the one or more transparent bodies, and subsequently exits from the illumination apparatus to generate a light distribution, and wherein at least one scattering reflector of the one or more scattering reflectors comprises a plurality of irregularly arranged reflection elements. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one light source of the one or more light sources is a polychromatic light source, the light of which is spectrally decomposed by way of light refraction at the first facet of the one or more transparent bodies. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one transparent body of the one or more transparent bodies is formed from glass and/or at least another transparent body of the one or more transparent bodies is formed from plastic. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The illumination apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the glass is crystal glass. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each light source of the one or more light sources is assigned to a separate scattering reflector of the one or more scattering reflectors on which exclusively light of the assigned light source is scattered. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a respective scattering reflector of the one or more scattering reflectors has a scattering surface which is curved at least in sections. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: a main beam direction of the one or more light sources of the lighting device extends essentially in a vertical direction upon installation of the illumination apparatus in the motor vehicle, and the light of the one or more light sources is deflected via the reflector arrangement toward the one or more transparent bodies, which are positioned in a horizontal direction adjacent to the one or more light sources. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a respective light source of the one or more light sources is an essentially punctiform light source. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The illumination apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the respective light source is an LED unit made up of one or more LEDs or a laser light source made up of one or more laser diodes. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the lighting device is operable in one or more operating modes, and in a respective operating mode, light is provided for a light function which is assigned to the respective operating mode. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The illumination apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the one or more operating modes comprise at least one of the following: a first operating mode for providing a flashing light as the light function; a second operating mode for providing a daytime running light as the light function; a third operating mode for providing a position light as the light function; or a fourth operating mode for providing a light production before startup or after shutdown of the motor vehicle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the lighting device comprises one or more light groups each made up of at least one of the one or more light sources, and the at least one of the one or more light sources of one light group each emit light having a same color and other light sources from different groups emit light having different colors. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The illumination apparatus according to claim 12, wherein: the lighting device is operable in one or more operating modes, in a respective operating mode, light is provided for a light function which is assigned to the respective operating mode, and one light group is assigned to each operating mode and exclusively one or more light sources of the assigned light group are switched on in the respective operating mode. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherin the lighting device, the reflector arrangement, and the one or more transparent bodies are housed in a common housing, which has a transparent pane for light exit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an additional lighting device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the illumination apparatus is configured to be installed in a vertical direction above a vehicle headlight. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) A motor vehicle comprising the illumination apparatus according to claim 1.