Light guide element and luminaire

Abstract

The light guide element comprises a light-in surface, a light-out surface, and a reflecting surface connecting the light-in surface and the light-out surface, and a plurality of structure units outwardly protruding from at least part of the reflecting surface, each of the structure units comprising a first surface and a second surface, the first surface being an inclined surface forming a certain angle with the reflecting surface, the first surface being close to the light-in surface and intersecting the reflecting surface, and gradually moving away from the reflecting surface from the light-in surface to the light-out surface, and the second surface extending from the edge of the first surface to the reflecting surface, and the light entering from the light-in surface being reflected on the first surface and exiting from the second surface. The light guide element forms a decorative fish scale pattern structure by setting an inclined surface on the surface of the light guide element. The light guide element has the same light guide effect as the traditional light guide plate, and has a decorative effect that the ordinary light guide plate does not have due to the three-dimensional surface characteristics.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a light guide element, in particular a light guide element for a lamp, and a related lamp. BACKGROUND

[0002] Lamps are a great invention of mankind to conquer the night, turning the night into day, and expanding the range and time of human activities. Now, lamps are not only used for lighting, but also for creating a warm and romantic atmosphere through the levels of light and shadow. With the improvement of people's living quality, the development of LED has brought more design space to lamp design. Among them, light guide plates are popular among users due to their variable shapes, uniform light, and high luminous efficiency.

[0003] A light guide plate is made of optical-grade acrylic / PC board, and then a high-tech material with extremely high refractive index and no light absorption is used to form light guide points on the bottom surface of the optical-grade acrylic board. When light hits each light guide point, the reflected light will spread to various angles, then break the reflection condition and shoot out from the front surface of the light guide plate. Light guide points are generally formed by silk-screen printing, laser dotting, etc. The surface of the traditional light guide plate is flat, with the characteristics of ultra-thin, ultra-bright, and uniform light guide. When the light guide plate is applied to lamps, it is usually used as the external contour of the lamp. At this time, the flat surface will be slightly dull. Designers hope to have a product that has three-dimensional surface characteristics, can form a specific light output effect, and maintain the light output efficiency of traditional light guide elements. SUMMARY

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to at least solve one of the above problems, and to provide a light guide element with three-dimensional surface characteristics.

[0005] To achieve the above functions, the technical solution adopted by the present application is to provide a light guide element, characterized in that the light guide element comprises a light-in surface and a light-out surface, and a reflection surface connecting the light-in surface and the light-out surface, a plurality of outwardly protruding structure units are arranged on at least part of the reflection surface, the structure unit comprises a first surface and a second surface, the first surface is an inclined plane forming a certain angle with the reflection surface, the side close to the light-in surface intersects with the reflection surface, and gradually moves away from the reflection surface from the light-in surface to the light-out surface direction, the second surface extends from the edge of the first surface to the reflection surface, and the light entering from the light-in surface is reflected on the first surface and emitted on the second surface.

[0006] Preferably, the included angle α between the first surface and the reflection surface satisfies 0.5°≤α≤3°.

[0007] Preferably, the second surface is perpendicular to the reflection surface.

[0008] Preferably, the structural units are arranged in a spaced-apart manner, and the second face of a structural unit connects the first face of the structural unit and the first face of another structural unit.

[0009] Preferably, the structural units are arranged in an array.

[0010] Preferably, the structural units are arranged in a staggered manner.

[0011] Preferably, the first face has a circular arc, elliptical arc or parabolic outer contour line on the side close to the light exit face.

[0012] Preferably, the size of the structural units decreases with the distance of their positions from the light exit face.

[0013] Preferably, the light guide element is plate-shaped, and the upper and lower faces thereof are reflective faces, and at least one of the reflective faces is provided with the structural units; or the light guide element is a columnar structure or a hollow barrel-shaped structure, and the structural units are arranged on the outer surface of the columnar structure or barrel-shaped structure.

[0014] The application also provides a lamp, characterized in that the lamp comprises a light source and the light guide element as described above, and the light source is arranged to face the light entrance face of the light guide element.

[0015] The light guide element provided by the application forms a decorative fish scale pattern by arranging inclined faces on the surface of the light guide element. Such a light guide element has the same light guiding effect as a conventional light guide plate, and has a decorative effect that a conventional light guide plate does not have due to its three-dimensional surface feature. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a structural schematic view of a preferred embodiment of the light guide element of the application;

[0017] Figure 2 is a front view of the preferred embodiment; Figure 1 is a side view of the preferred embodiment;

[0018] Figure 3 is a structural schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the light guide element of the application;

[0019] Figure 4 is a structural schematic view of still another preferred embodiment of the light guide element of the application;

[0020] Figure 5 is a light path diagram of a preferred embodiment of the light guide element of the application;

[0021] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the lamp of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A magnified view of part A in the middle. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The light guide element for lamps proposed in this invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0024] The light guide element 1 of a preferred embodiment of this application is as follows: Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the light guide element 1 is generally flat, including an incident light surface 101 and an emitting light surface 102 arranged opposite to each other, and two reflecting surfaces 103 and 104 connecting the incident light surface 101 and the emitting light surface 102. In other preferred embodiments, the light guide element 1 can also be a wedge-shaped plate, with the side closer to the emitting light surface 102 being slightly thinner than the side closer to the incident light surface 101. In this embodiment, the light guide element 1 has a plurality of outwardly protruding structural units 105 on the reflecting surface 103. In other embodiments, the structural units 105 can also be arranged on the reflecting surface 104, or simultaneously on both reflecting surfaces 103 and 104. The structural units 105 can cover the entire reflecting surface 103, or only be arranged in a part of the reflecting surface 103, or form a pattern on the reflecting surface 103; this application does not limit this.

[0025] Structural unit 105 includes a first surface 1051 and a second surface 1052. The first surface 1051 is an inclined plane forming an angle α with the reflecting surface 103. Its side near the light-incident surface 101 intersects with the reflecting surface 103 and gradually moves away from the reflecting surface 103 from the light-incident surface 101 towards the light-outceasing surface 102. The second surface 1052 extends from the edge 1051 of the first surface towards the reflecting surface 103 and is perpendicular to the reflecting surface 103. In other embodiments, the second surface 1052 may also be slightly inclined. The angle α between the first surface 1051 and the reflecting surface 103 should satisfy 0.5°≤α≤3°. Thus, light entering from the light-incident surface 101 will continue to be reflected inside the light-guiding element 1 through the first surface 1051 and will exit when it touches the second surface 1052. The specific optical path diagram is as follows. Figure 5 As shown.

[0026] To create a better three-dimensional effect on the surface of the light guide element 1, multiple structural units 105 are typically arranged. Each structural unit 105 can be separated, in which case the edge of the second surface 1052 connecting to the first surface 1051 intersects with the reflective surface 103. In this embodiment, the structural units 105 are overlapped, meaning one structural unit 105 partially covers another structural unit 105. In this case, the second surface 1052 of the structural unit 105 connects to the edge of its first surface 1051 and intersects with the first surface 1051 of the other structural unit 105 in its middle portion.

[0027] The structural units 105 are typically arranged in an array. In this embodiment, all structural units 105 are of the same shape and size, and the two rows of structural units are staggered in the column. Furthermore, the outer contour line of the first surface 1051 of the structural unit 105 near the light-emitting surface 102 is an arc, thus forming a staggered arrangement like fish scales, which is more visually appealing. In other preferred embodiments, the outer contour line of the first surface 1051 near the light-emitting surface 102 can also be an elliptical arc or a parabola, or even a straight tooth shape, etc., which is not limited in this application.

[0028] In this embodiment, the light guide element 1 can be used as follows: Figure 6 The side-emitting flat panel light shown can replace the light guide plate in a conventional flat panel light. The illustrated flat panel light includes a back plate 62, reflective paper 63, light guide element 1, and frame 61. The frame 61 and back plate 62 together form the outer contour of the light fixture. The reflective paper 63 and light guide element 1 are layered on the back plate 62. Figure 7 As can be seen from the enlarged view, the light source 65 is set on one side wall of the frame 61. After the light guide element 1 is installed on the frame, the light source 65 faces one side of the light guide element 1, and the light incident surface 101 of the light guide element 1 should be set on this side.

[0029] Figure 3 This application illustrates a light guide element 2 according to another preferred embodiment. The light guide element 2 is a hollow barrel-shaped structure, with multiple structural units 205 of uniform shape and size arranged on its outer peripheral side. The specific structure of the structural units is similar to that in the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be described again here. In a lamp fixture including this light guide element 2, the light source is arranged in a ring shape matching the barrel shape, and the light guide element 2 is positioned above the ring light source as the outer contour of the lamp fixture. This is typically used in the lamp heads of table lamps or multi-head chandeliers. The light guide element 2 can also be a solid column, with the structural units 205 still arranged on its outer peripheral side. When applied to a lamp fixture, the light source is positioned at the center of the lower cross-section of the columnar light guide element 2.

[0030] Figure 4The light guide element of another preferred embodiment of the present application is shown. The light guide element 3 is in the shape of a sector. The structural units 305 are arranged in the arc part of the sector near the edge. The scale-like structural units 305 are smaller in size near the center and larger in size at the outer side. The relative size of the structural units 305 is proportional to the radius of the position, that is, the size of the structural units 305 decreases with the increase of the distance from the light emitting surface. When the light guide element 3 is applied to a lamp, the light source is arranged facing the two side edges of the sector. In addition, the light guide element 3 can also be a ring-shaped flat plate. The structural units 305 are arranged in the outer ring. The scale-like structural units 305 can also vary in size according to the distance from the center.

[0031] The above is only some preferred embodiments of the present application. In the design of a lamp, the light guide element can be in any shape. The arrangement of the structural units thereon can also be varied. The structural units can be arranged regularly, scattered or even in decorative patterns. The present application is not limited in this respect.

[0032] The above description of the preferred embodiments of the present application is for the purpose of illustrating and describing, and is not intended to limit the present application to the disclosed forms. Obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. It is intended that the present application encompass all such modifications and variations as long as they come within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A light guide element, characterized in that, The light guide element comprises a light-in surface and a light-out surface, and two side reflection surfaces connecting the light-in surface and the light-out surface, at least part of the reflection surfaces are provided with a plurality of outwardly protruding structure units, the structure units comprise a first surface and a second surface, the first surface is an inclined plane forming a certain angle with the reflection surface, the first surface is close to the intersection of the light-in surface and the reflection surface, and gradually away from the reflection surface from the light-in surface to the light-out surface, the included angle α satisfies 0.5°≤α≤3°; The second surface extends from the edge of the first surface to the reflection surface and is perpendicular to the reflection surface, the light entering from the light-in surface is reflected on the first surface, then reflected on the other side of the reflection surface to complete a set of secondary reflection or multiple sets of secondary reflection, and finally emitted from the second surface.

2. The light guide element of claim 1, characterized in that: The structure units are arranged separately, the second surface connects the first surface and the reflection surface; or, the structure units are arranged overlappingly, that is, one structure unit partially covers another structure unit, and the second surface of one structure unit connects the first surface of the structure unit and the first surface of another structure unit.

3. A light guide element according to claim 2, characterized in that: The structure units are arranged in an array.

4. The light guide of claim 2, wherein: The structure units are arranged in a scale-like staggered manner.

5. A light guide element according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer contour line of the first surface close to the light-out surface is a circular arc line, an elliptical arc line or a parabolic line.

6. The light guide of claim 2, wherein: The size of the structure unit decreases with the increase of the distance from the position of the structure unit to the light-out surface.

7. A light guide element according to any of claims 1-6, characterized in that: The light guide element is in a plate shape, and the upper and lower surfaces thereof are reflection surfaces, at least one of the reflection surfaces is provided with the structure unit; or, the light guide element is in a columnar structure or a hollow barrel structure, and the structure unit is arranged on the outer surface of the columnar structure or the barrel structure.

8. A luminaire characterized by: The lamp comprises a light source and the light guide element according to any one of claims 1-7, and the light source is arranged to face the light-in surface of the light guide element.

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