Lighting device for vehicles

1. A lighting device for a vehicle, the lighting device comprising:

a light source unit;

an optical unit having a lens arrangement with at least two lens elements, the at least two lens elements being arranged so as to be distributed in a matrix-like manner;

a flat film material with at least two film segments that each contain a graphic element is arranged upstream of the lens arrangement in a light path and downstream of the light source unit in the light path,

wherein the graphic elements are recorded by exposure of the film material equipped with the lens arrangement such that different lens elements of the lens arrangement are associated with each of the film segments such that a luminous graphic containing the graphic element is created to form the light distribution and the lighting function through illumination of the film material via the light source unit,

wherein the light source unit is controlled such that a first region of the film material is more strongly illuminated than a second region of the same, or wherein multiple adjacent regions of the film material are illuminated in succession so that the whole luminous graphic is switched on or off through activation and/or deactivation of multiple sequential illumination sections of the same.

2. A lighting device for a vehicle, the lighting device comprising:

a light source unit;

an optical unit having a lens arrangement with at least two lens elements, the at least two lens elements being arranged so as to be distributed in a matrix-like manner;

a flat film material with at least two film segments that each contain a graphic element is arranged upstream of the lens arrangement in a light path and downstream of the light source unit in the light path,

wherein the graphic elements are recorded by exposure of the film material equipped with the lens arrangement such that different lens elements of the lens arrangement are associated with each of the film segments such that a luminous graphic containing the graphic element is created to form the light distribution and the lighting function through illumination of the film material via the light source unit,

wherein the film material is at a distance of 1 mm to 4 mm from the light source unit and directly at a boundary surface extending along the back of the lens arrangement.

3. A lighting device for a vehicle, the lighting device comprising:

a light source unit;

an optical unit having a lens arrangement with at least two lens elements, the at least two lens elements being arranged so as to be distributed in a matrix-like manner;

a flat film material with at least two film segments that each contain a graphic element is arranged upstream of the lens arrangement in a light path and downstream of the light source unit in the light path,

wherein the graphic elements are recorded by exposure of the film material equipped with the lens arrangement such that different lens elements of the lens arrangement are associated with each of the film segments such that a luminous graphic containing the graphic element is created to form the light distribution and the lighting function through illumination of the film material via the light source unit,

wherein adjacent lens elements and/or adjacent film segments have a center-to-center distance in a range from 0.5 mm to 2 mm.

4. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein, in an operating position, the lens arrangement is located in a fixed position relative to the film material, wherein the film segment of the film material is positioned in axial extension of a single lens element, and wherein the film segments associated with the lens elements has its own graphic element.

5. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein the lens arrangement has a carrier with a carrier surface along which the lens elements are arranged at equal distances in rows and columns, and wherein the carrier surface is parallel to the surface of the film material.

6. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein the optical unit has a primary optics device located downstream of the light source unit in the light path and upstream of the lens arrangement in the light path, wherein the optics device:

has a flat light guide with a face side as an output surface and a narrow side as an input surface, or

has a reflector arrangement with at least two reflector elements, each associated with the light sources, or

has a light guide containing at least two light guide elements, each associated with the light sources, wherein the light guide elements have a totally reflecting lateral surface and input and output surfaces arranged on opposite faces.

7. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein the primary optics device has a first optical plate facing the light source unit with lenses for focusing the light emitted by the light sources, and a second optical plate facing away from the light source unit with lenses arranged on a side facing the first optical plate for parallelizing the light and with an optical structure on the side facing away from the first optical plate implemented as pillow optics or strip optics, or as micro-optics with a size from 0.3 mm to 1.5 mm, or as diffractive optics with a dimension between 300 nm and 500 μm, for homogeneous illumination of the film material.

8. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein the lens arrangement has lens elements on both sides of its plane of extent, and wherein the lens elements of the applicable pairs of lens elements have the same optical axis.

9. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein the lens arrangement is attached to the film material in a fixed manner in order to form a luminous graphic assembly.

10. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein a separate light source is associated with each lens element of the lens arrangement or with each pair of lens elements.

11. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein the film material is arranged so as to be movable in its direction of extent relative to the lens arrangement, so that, in a first position of the film material relative to the lens arrangement, a number of first film segments of the film material are located on the optical axis of the lens elements in an operating position for generating a first luminous graphic and a number of second film segments of the film material are located in a non-operating position, and wherein, in a second position of the film material relative to the lens arrangement, the number of second film segments of the film material are located on the optical axis of the lens elements in the operating position for generating a second luminous graphic and the number of the first film segments of the film material are located in the non-operating position.

12. The lighting device according to claim 11 , wherein the light sources are controlled in such a manner that, in the second position of the film material relative to the lens arrangement, the second film segments are backlit with light with a higher light intensity than the first film segments in the first relative position in order to generate a lighting function with greater light intensity as compared to the first relative position.

13. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein the light sources are provided as a number of two-color light sources or as RGB light sources that are controllable such that the first luminous graphic generated by the first position of the film material relative to the lens arrangement appears in a first color, and the second luminous graphic generated by the second position of the film material relative to the lens arrangement appears in a second color of light, or in such a manner that the luminous graphic generated by the fixed position of the film material elative to the lens arrangement is implemented as a multicolor luminous graphic and/or as a luminous graphic with alternating colors.

14. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein the film material is provided with a holder that is coupled to an adjusting device, wherein the adjusting device comprises:

a stepper motor for moving the film material into the first relative position and the second relative position, or

an eccentric shaft, or

a linear piezo drive, or

another suitable adjusting mechanism.

15. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein the film material is arranged to be linearly displaceable in the horizontal and/or vertical direction relative to the lens arrangement.

16. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein the adjusting device includes a rotary element that is arranged about an axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to the primary direction of emission, on which element are arranged so as to be distributed in the circumferential direction multiple luminous graphic assemblies having the film material and the lens arrangement attached in a fixed manner to the same, so that a single luminous graphic assembly at a time of the multiplicity of luminous graphic assemblies is, as a function of the rotary position of the rotary element, brought into an operating position in which it is located in front of the light source unit in a primary direction of emission.

17. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein a normal of all the luminous graphic assemblies is arranged to be substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation.