VEHICLE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WITH PCB-MOUNTED SHIELD

1 . A lighting assembly for a vehicle headlight, comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB) defining a surface;

a plurality of discrete LED devices disposed on the surface of the PCB and each defining an output surface, the output surfaces together defining a layout arrangement with substantially continuous illumination;

a shield directly attached to the PCB, wherein the shied defines a contoured edge at least partially overlying the output surface of at least one discrete LED device of the plurality of discrete LED devices to define an edge of a predetermined illumination pattern, wherein the shield further defines two opposite side edges with the contoured edge extending therebetween, and wherein the shield further includes a foot at each of the two opposite side edges for connection to the PCB; and

an imaging lens assembly overlying the plurality of discrete LED devices and configured to focus and direct light from the plurality of discrete LED devices to produce a lighting pattern in accordance with the predetermined illumination pattern.

2 . The lighting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shied further defines another edge spaced apart from the contoured edge and extending between the two opposite side edges with a third foot extending therefrom for connection to the PCB.

3 . The lighting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shield is configured as a surface-mount device (SMD) that is attached to the surface of the PCB by soldering.

4 . The lighting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shield is made of metal.

5 . The lighting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shield includes a non-reflective coating.

6 . The lighting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shield includes a planar portion with a flat shape that overlies the at least one discrete LED device.

7 . The lighting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shield is spaced apart from the output surface of the at least one discrete LED device with no component disposed therebetween.

8 . The lighting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shield is spaced apart from the output surface of the at least one discrete LED device by a distance of less than 1.0 millimeter.

9 . The lighting assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the discrete LED devices are individually controllable to produce an intensity of light in accordance with the predetermined illumination pattern and to operate in a reduced intensity mode to produce a dimmed region of the lighting pattern.

10 . The lighting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the layout arrangement of the plurality of discrete LED devices define a shape corresponding to the predetermined illumination pattern.

11 . The lighting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the imaging lens assembly defines a focal plane that is substantially coplanar with the output surfaces of the plurality of discrete LED devices.

12 . The lighting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the layout arrangement includes the plurality of discrete LED devices being spaced apart to define gaps between adjacent ones of the output surfaces, and wherein the imaging lens assembly is further configured to blend light between the adjacent ones of the discrete LED devices to fill portions of the lighting pattern corresponding to the gaps and to thereby cause the lighting pattern to appear smooth and unaffected by the gaps.

13 . The lighting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the layout arrangement includes a plurality of rows of the plurality of discrete LED devices, with each of the rows having a different number of the discrete LED devices.

14 . A lighting assembly for a vehicle headlight, comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB) defining a surface;

a plurality of discrete LED devices disposed on the surface of the PCB and each defining an output surface, the output surfaces together defining a layout arrangement with substantially continuous illumination;

a shield directly attached to the PCB and overlying the output surface of at least one discrete LED device of the plurality of discrete LED devices and to define at least one edge of a predetermined illumination pattern, wherein the shield includes a planar portion with a flat shape that overlies the at least one discrete LED device by a distance of less than 1.0 millimeter; and

an imaging lens assembly overlying the plurality of discrete LED devices and configured to focus and direct light from the plurality of discrete LED devices to produce a lighting pattern in accordance with the predetermined illumination pattern.

15 . The lighting assembly of claim 14 , wherein the shield is configured as a surface-mount device (SMD) that is attached to the surface of the PCB by soldering.

16 . The lighting assembly of claim 14 , wherein the shield is spaced apart from the output surface of the at least one discrete LED device with no component disposed therebetween.

17 . A lighting assembly for a vehicle headlight, comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB) defining a surface;

a plurality of discrete LED devices disposed on the surface of the PCB and each defining an output surface, the output surfaces together defining a layout arrangement with substantially continuous illumination;

a shield directly attached to the PCB and overlying the output surface of at least one discrete LED device of the plurality of discrete LED devices and to define at least one edge of a predetermined illumination pattern, wherein the shield is spaced apart from the output surface of the at least one discrete LED device with no component disposed therebetween; and

an imaging lens assembly overlying the plurality of discrete LED devices and configured to focus and direct light from the plurality of discrete LED devices to produce a lighting pattern in accordance with the predetermined illumination pattern.

18 . The lighting assembly of claim 17 , wherein the shield is configured as a surface-mount device (SMD) that is attached to the surface of the PCB by soldering.

19 . The lighting assembly of claim 17 , wherein the shield is made of metal.

20 . The lighting assembly of claim 17 , wherein the shield includes a planar portion with a flat shape that overlies the at least one discrete LED device, and wherein the shield includes a plurality of feet that extend perpendicularly to the planar portion and are configured for connection to the surface of the PCB.