Lighting device for vehicles
AssigneeHella GmbH & Co. KGaA
InventorsMartin Mügge, Martin Vollmer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lighting device for vehicles has a light source and a flat optical waveguide with opposing flat sides and narrow sides connecting them. A front flat side is the light emitting surface for light from the light source entering the flat optical waveguide. The front flat side has dedicated micro-optical elements. The optical waveguide is flexible, and framed on at least the opposing narrow sides by retaining elements such that the optical waveguide has a defined curvature in the assembled state.
Claims17
A lighting device for vehicles, the lighting device comprising:
- a light source;
- and
- first and second flexible optical waveguides, each with opposing flat sides and narrow sides connecting the opposing flat sides, wherein a front flat side of each optical waveguide is a light emitting surface for light from the light source entering the optical waveguide, and wherein the front flat side of each optical waveguide has dedicated micro-optical elements,
- wherein in a first configuration, each optical waveguide is flat,
- wherein in a second configuration of the first optical waveguide, the first optical waveguide is held in a frame or a first part of the frame on at least the opposing narrow sides by retaining elements of the frame or the first part of the frame, such that the first optical waveguide has a defined curvature caused by the frame or the first part of the frame, and
- wherein in a second configuration of the second optical waveguide, the second optical waveguide is held in the frame or a second part of the frame on at least the opposing narrow sides by retaining elements of the frame or the second part of the frame, such that the second optical waveguide has a defined curvature caused by the frame or the second part of the frame which is different from the curvature of the first optical waveguide caused by the frame or the first part of the frame.
A method of making a lighting device for vehicles, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a light source;
- and
- providing first and second flat flexible optical waveguides, each with opposing flat sides and narrow sides connecting the opposing flat sides, wherein a front flat side of each optical waveguide is a light emitting surface for light from the light source entering the optical waveguide, and wherein the front flat side of each optical waveguide has dedicated micro-optical elements,
- installing the first optical waveguide in a first part of a frame or in a first frame, the first part of the frame or the first frame having retaining elements on at least the opposing narrow sides of the first optical waveguide, wherein the installation of the first optical waveguide into the first part of the frame or the first frame causes the first optical waveguide to have a first defined curvature in an assembled state;
- and
- installing the second optical waveguide in a second part of the frame or in a second frame, the second part of the frame or the second frame having retaining elements on at least the opposing narrow sides of the second optical waveguide, wherein the installation of the second optical waveguide into the second part of the frame or the second frame causes the second optical waveguide to have a second defined curvature in the assembled state which is different from the curvature of the first optical waveguide caused by the first part of the frame or the first frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.