Optical attachment for a light-emitting diode and brake light for a motor vehicle
AssigneeSidler GmbH & Co.
InventorBernd Merz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical attachment 10 for a light source, in particular for a light-emitting diode 12, exhibits an inner lens area 14 which surrounds an optical axis 13 of the optical attachment 10 for inner light beams 15 emitted from the light source and an outer reflector area 16 for outer light beams 17 of the light source which surrounds the inner lens area 14 in a ring-like manner. Due to this combination of refraction in the inner lens area and reflection in the outer reflector area, the dimensions of the optical attachment can be kept relatively small and, in comparison to a lens or a reflector, more light can be collected and the point-shaped light diode can be imaged on the exiting side as a large area light appearance.
Claims11
An optical attachment for a light source, the light source having a focal point, the optical attachment having a center and an optical axis, the optical axis passing though the focal point and the center, the optical attachment comprising:
- an azimuthally asymmetric inner lens for inner light beams emitted by the light source, said inner lens containing the center and surrounding the optical axis;
- and
- an azimuthally asymmetric outer reflector for outer light beams from the light source, said outer reflector surrounding said inner lens in a ring-like manner, wherein said inner lens and said outer reflector are formed by mutually adjacent individual angular sectors distributed azimuthally about said optical axis with each angular sector having a substantially constant axial cross-section in a plane passing though said angular sector and containing the optical axis, wherein axial cross-sections of separate angular sectors differ by a scaling with respect to the focal point of the optical attachment in dependence on a radial extension of a respective angular sector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.