Light guide piece and electronic product

Abstract

The invention discloses a light guide piece and an electronic product, and relates to the technical field of electronic products, the light guide piece is used for conducting light rays emitted by a light source, the light guide piece comprises a body, one end of the body is provided with a bent part, and the bent part is arranged in an arc shape; the expanding teeth are arranged on the light incident surface of the bending part, at least part of the light rays are incident to the body through the expanding teeth, and the expanding teeth are used for adjusting the angle of the light rays incident to the bending part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electronic products, and in particular to a light guide component and an electronic product. Background Art

[0002] With the development of smart technology and wireless technology, more electronic products are appearing on the market. With the increasing popularity of these products, consumers are increasingly demanding higher standards for appearance and functionality. Indicator lights on electronic products are an integral part of the product. As indicators of product function, they require uniform illumination on the light-emitting surface and sufficient brightness to convey relevant product information. Light bar displays are also a simple interactive solution for smart products. However, with the increasing variety of product forms, strip light guide displays are no longer limited to simple straight light bars. Curved strip light guide structures have emerged, and both marquee and progressive lighting effects must be achieved whenever possible.

[0003] To better fit the product's appearance and form, the strip-shaped light guide structure is partially bent, forming an arc-shaped light guide. This curved structure disrupts the reflective properties of the light guide surface, causing it to dim. The arc structure can even cause parts of the strip-shaped light guide to fail to illuminate properly. This can result in dark areas on the product, reduced lighting efficiency, and the inability to use marquee or progressive lighting effects. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a light guide member, aiming to solve the technical problem that an arc-shaped light guide structure causes dark areas in the product and reduces the light efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a light guide member for guiding light emitted by a light source, the light guide member comprising:

[0006] The main body has a curved portion at one end, wherein the curved portion is arranged in an arc shape;

[0007] The expansion teeth are provided on the light incident surface of the curved portion, and at least a portion of the light is incident on the curved portion through the expansion teeth. The expansion teeth are used to adjust the angle at which the light is incident on the curved portion.

[0008] The present invention further provides an electronic product, comprising a light source and the light guide member as described above, wherein the light emitted by the light source is incident on the light guide member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0010] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a light guide provided by the present invention;

[0011] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of the expansion teeth of an embodiment of a light guide provided by the present invention;

[0012] Figure 3 A light path diagram showing the design of the inclination angle of the first deflection surface of the light guide member embodiment provided by the present invention;

[0013] Figure 4 This is a designed light path diagram of the inclination angle of the second deflection surface of the light guide embodiment provided by the present invention.

[0014] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0015] 100. Ontology;

[0016] 200, curved portion; 210, concave surface; 220, convex surface; 230, light incident surface; 240, light exit surface; 250, compensation surface;

[0017] 300, expansion tooth; 310, first deflection surface; 311, first connection end; 312, first terminal; 320, second deflection surface; 321, second connection end; 322, second terminal.

[0018] The purpose, features and advantages of the present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with the embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

[0021] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or suggesting their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features limited to "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In addition, if "and / or" or "and / or" appears in the full text, its meaning includes three parallel solutions. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes solution A, solution B, or solutions that satisfy both A and B. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in this field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is mutually contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0022] In existing technology, strip-shaped light guides are partially bent to better match the product's appearance and form, forming an arc-shaped light guide structure. This curved structure disrupts the reflective properties of the light guide surface, causing the light guide to dim. The arc structure can even prevent parts of the strip from illuminating properly. This can lead to dark areas on the product, reduced lighting efficiency, and the inability to use marquee or progressive lighting effects.

[0023] The present invention provides a light guide element.

[0024] See also Figures 1 to 4 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the light guide is used to transmit light emitted by a light source, and the light guide includes a main body 100 and an expansion tooth 300, wherein one end of the main body 100 has a curved portion 200, and the curved portion 200 is arranged in an arc shape; the expansion tooth 300 is arranged on the light incident surface 230 of the curved portion 200, and at least part of the light passes through the expansion tooth 300 and is incident on the curved portion 200, and the expansion tooth 300 is used to adjust the angle at which the light is incident on the curved portion 200.

[0025] In this embodiment, there are multiple light sources, which are arranged in parallel below the light guide. The bottom surface of the light guide is the light entrance surface 230, and the top surface is the light exit surface 240. After the light emitted by the light source enters the light guide from the light entrance surface 230, it is reflected and refracted inside the light guide to achieve the corresponding lighting effect. In the specific implementation process, the portion of the light guide near the end is bent to form a curved portion 200, and the main body 100 is integrally provided with the curved portion 200. The expansion teeth 300 are protruding from the light entrance surface 230 of the curved portion 200, so that part of the light from the light source enters the curved portion 200 through the expansion teeth 300. The expansion teeth 300 cause part of the light to be offset, thereby making the light on the light exit surface 240 of the light guide more uniform, ensuring that the brightness of the curved portion 200 is consistent with the brightness of the main body 100. The expansion teeth 300 can change the original transmission path of light by setting inclined surfaces or optical elements, and deflect the light to a suitable position to avoid light concentration in a certain part or less light in a certain part, so that the light is evenly dispersed in the curved part 200.

[0026] The light guide proposed in the technical solution of the present invention is used to conduct the light emitted by the light source. The light emitted by the light source enters the light guide and is conducted and diffused by the light guide, thereby achieving a corresponding display effect. Specifically, one end of the main body 100 of the light guide has a curved portion 200 arranged in a ring shape, and the expansion teeth 300 are arranged on the light incident surface 230 of the curved portion 200. Part of the light enters the light guide through the expansion teeth 300. The expansion teeth 300 can adjust the angle at which the light enters the curved portion 200, and then refract the light to the corresponding position, so that the light is evenly distributed in the curved portion 200, so as to avoid the appearance of dark areas or optical hotspot areas on the light exiting surface 240 of the curved portion 200, improve the lighting effect, and realize the uniform light design of the light guide with an arc portion. The light guide proposed in the technical solution of the present invention will not change the original component layout of the product, nor will it make the light guide structure of the product too complicated, and will not cause additional production costs and assembly costs, so that manufacturers can obtain better optical form products without affecting the appearance of the product, and obtain products with higher cost performance and more complete functions. Moreover, it will not cause major changes to the light-guiding structure. It only adds a specific and precise optical structure on the original basis, making it more compatible with the product and not destroying the original product plan due to the optical solution.

[0027] In this technical solution, the expansion tooth 300 is integrally formed with the curved portion 200. The expansion tooth 300 deflects light by providing an inclined surface at an angle to the light incident surface 230 of the curved portion 200. Specifically, in one embodiment, the expansion tooth 300 is provided with a first deflecting surface 310, which is used to deflect a portion of the light incident on the end surface of the curved portion 200.

[0028] It is understandable that, under the condition that the light source remains unchanged, when the light guide is curved from a long strip shape, the total reflection condition of the light source along the length direction of the light guide is destroyed. Therefore, compared with a straight light guide, after the light guide is curved, the energy loss at the far end is too large, and the light cannot be transmitted to the far end, resulting in a dark area near the end. In this embodiment, the light is incident from the first deflection surface 310 to the expansion tooth 300 and the curved portion 200. After the light is incident on the first deflection surface 310 along a certain direction, the optical path is deflected, and part of the light is deflected toward the end face of the curved portion 200. The end face of the curved portion 200 serves as a total reflection compensation surface 250. The light is totally reflected by the compensation surface 250, so that part of the light can be emitted from the part near the end of the light emitting surface 240, thereby increasing the brightness at the edge near the end and solving the problem of dark areas.

[0029] Specifically, in one embodiment, the first deflecting surface 310 includes a first connecting end 311 and a first terminal 312 . The connecting end is connected to the light incident surface 230 . The first terminal 312 extends toward the end surface close to the curved portion 200 and is disposed away from the light incident surface 230 .

[0030] In this embodiment, the first connection end 311 is used to connect to the light incident surface 230. One end of the first connection end 311 is connected to the concave surface 210 of the curved portion 200, and the other end is connected to the convex surface 220 of the light incident surface 230. The first terminal 312 is inclined away from the light incident surface 230 and is spaced a certain distance from the light incident surface 230, which is the height of the end face of the expansion tooth 300. The first terminal 312 is located on the side of the first connection end 311 away from the body 100. It should be noted that the light source is located on the side of the expansion tooth 300 close to the body 100. Some light, including edge light, passes through the first deflecting surface 310 and is incident on the expansion tooth 300 and the curved portion 200, where it is deflected toward the end face of the curved portion 200.

[0031] During the specific implementation process, the projection of the first terminal 312 on the light incident surface 230 has a point A. Point A is the intersection of the outer edge light of the light source and the light incident surface 230 in the absence of the expansion tooth 300. The light of the light source has a refraction angle β in the curved portion 200 and satisfies β = arccos(L / ((L2+D2)1 / 2)), where L is the height of the end face of the curved portion 200, and D is the distance between point A and the end face of the curved portion 200.

[0032] It should be noted that the light source used in this technical solution is a Lambertian light source with a divergence angle of 120°, that is, the angle between the two edge lines of the light source in the length direction of the light guide is 120°. Figure 3As shown, without considering the expansion teeth 300, the intersection of the edge light of the light source and the light incident surface 230 is point A, and the refraction angle β is the critical angle that needs to be optimized inside the curved portion 200. That is, when the edge light is transmitted from point A to the intersection of the end face of the curved portion 200 and the light emitting surface 240, the angle between the edge light of the light source and the vertical direction is the critical light that needs to be deflected. The first deflection surface 310 deflects the edge light and part of the light and transmits it to the end face of the curved portion 200. At this time, the refraction angle β satisfies β = arccos (L / ((L2+D2)1 / 2)), where L and D can both be measured, and the refraction angle β can be calculated. The appropriate deflection angle of the first deflection surface 310 can be obtained through software iterative optimization, and the angle between the first deflection surface 310 and the light incident surface 230 can also be further calculated using the refractive index of the light guide.

[0033] The minimum included angle between the first deflecting surface 310 and the light incident surface 230 is θ, and satisfies cos(γ / 2-θ) / cosβ=n, where γ is the divergence angle of the light source and n is the refractive index of the body 100 .

[0034] It should be noted that the refractive index of the curved portion 200 is a known quantity. For example, when the light guide is made of PC material, the refractive index is 1.548. When other light guide materials are used, the corresponding refractive index value is selected. According to the refractive index formula and the angle relationship after offset, cos(γ / 2-θ) / cosβ=n is obtained. Among them, the divergence angle of the light source is 120°, and the angle θ can be obtained by calculation.

[0035] In one embodiment, the angle between the first deflecting surface 310 and the light incident surface 230 is positively correlated with the amount of light incident on the end surface of the curved portion 200. That is, the larger the inclination angle of the first deflecting surface 310 is, the more light is deflected to the end surface of the curved portion 200.

[0036] In one embodiment, the curved portion 200 has a concave surface 210 and a convex surface 220 that are oppositely disposed, and the expansion tooth 300 has a second deflection surface 320 , which is used to adjust part of the light to be deflected and emitted toward the convex surface 220 .

[0037] During implementation, the first deflecting surface 310 deflects and compensates for light, while the end face of the curved portion 200 is fully reflected. However, due to the curvature of the curved portion 200, the light is fully reflected along a straight line within the curved portion 200, resulting in poor surface uniformity on the outer surface, with dark areas and optical hotspots. To compensate for the disruption to the total reflection condition of the light-emitting surface 240 caused by the curvature difference, this condition needs to be reconstructed. By analyzing the vertical optical path along the side of the curved portion 200, it is necessary to reduce the light transmission angle, thereby shifting the light in the optical hotspot area to the dark area. To this end, it is necessary to provide an inclined surface on the expansion tooth 300 to reduce the internal total reflection angle of some optical light. Specifically, in this embodiment, the expansion tooth 300 is provided with a second deflecting surface 320 to deflect some of the light reflected from the optical hotspot into the dark area. Specifically, light near the concave surface 210 is deflected to the light-emitting surface 240 near the convex surface 220, resulting in a more uniform light distribution within the curved portion 200 and avoiding dark areas and optical hotspots. The second deflection surface 320 is formed by chamfering the expanded tooth 300 having the first deflection surface 310 , and can also be obtained by optical software optimization.

[0038] In one embodiment, the second deflecting surface 320 includes a second connecting end 321 and a second terminal 322 . The second connecting end 321 is connected to the concave surface 210 . The second terminal 322 extends obliquely toward the convex surface 220 and is disposed away from the light incident surface 230 .

[0039] Specifically, the second connection end 321 is connected to and aligned with the concave surface 210 of the curved portion 200 and extends along the length of the superconducting optical element. The second terminal 322 is connected to the first terminal 312 of the first deflecting surface 310 and together they form the edge of the expanded tooth 300. To prevent the other sidewalls of the expanded tooth 300 from interfering with light, in this embodiment, the second deflecting surface 320 is triangular in shape, with the second terminal 322 serving as the point of connection with the first terminal 312.

[0040] In one embodiment, the minimum included angle between the second deflecting surface 320 and the light incident surface 230 is α, and satisfies: Among them, is half of the divergence angle of the light source, m is the distance between the highest point and the lowest point of the light-emitting surface 240, e is the distance between the intersection of the outer edge light of the light source and the light-entering surface 230 and the convex surface 220 when there is no expansion tooth 300, and when there is no expansion tooth 300, the outer edge light of the light source has an intersection B with the convex surface 220, and f is the distance between the intersection B and the light-entering surface 230.

[0041] refer to Figure 4As shown, in this embodiment, the edge light is moved from the optical burst point position of the light emitting surface 240, that is, the highest point, to the lowest point of the light emitting surface 240, so that the highest burst point compensates for the dark area at the lowest point. Through optical software light path analysis, it can be found that the light is totally reflected twice by the side wall before reaching the light emitting surface 240. The height difference between the highest point and the lowest point of the light emitting surface 240 is m. Therefore, the height of the light that first enters the light guide needs to be lowered by m / 2, and it is ensured that the total reflection condition is still met at this position. Figure 4 It can be seen that the first total reflection point moves down by m / 2. At this time, the refraction angle increases. Since the material is fixed and the refractive index is constant, the corresponding incident angle should be increased so that the light is deflected to the lowered position. Where m, e, and f are known, and σ is 60°, the deflection angle α can be calculated according to the formula.

[0042] At this time, the total reflection angle of the light inside the curved portion 200 becomes smaller, and the light is offset, so that the intensity of the light surface 240 is consistent and uniform. In order to achieve the best final lighting effect, the angle between the second deflection light incident surface 230 and the light incident surface 230 can be curvatured so that the second deflection light incident surface 230 is more consistent with the Lambertian light source distribution characteristics.

[0043] In addition, it is understood that the expansion tooth 300 further includes a first side surface and a second side surface that are interconnected. The first side surface is connected to the edge of the curved portion 200 and is coplanar with the sidewall of the curved portion 200. One end of the second side surface is connected to the light incident surface 230, and the other end is connected to the first deflection surface 310. The first side surface and the convex surface 220 are coplanar, and the second side surface is located on the side of the first side surface facing away from the light source to prevent interference between the first and second side surfaces with the transmission of light. The first side surface and the second deflection surface 310 and 320 form the overall surface of the expansion tooth 300.

[0044] It should be noted that this specific embodiment is not limited to the curvature and material of the light guide in actual application, and can achieve efficient and uniform light design solutions. If necessary, all the surface types mentioned in the invention can be curved and concave according to the product form, thereby achieving higher light efficiency and higher adaptability.

[0045] The present invention also provides an electronic product comprising a light source and a light guide. The specific structure of the light guide is similar to that of the aforementioned embodiments. Since this electronic product utilizes all of the technical solutions of all of the aforementioned embodiments, it at least exhibits all of the beneficial effects provided by the technical solutions of the aforementioned embodiments, and therefore will not be further detailed here. The light source is positioned below the light guide and is evenly distributed according to the shape of the light guide. Light emitted by the light source is incident on the light guide.

[0046] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformation made by using the contents of the present invention description and drawings under the inventive concept of the present invention, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields, is included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A light guide, characterized in that: Used to conduct light emitted by a light source, the light guide comprises: The main body has a curved portion at one end, wherein the curved portion is arranged in an arc shape; and The expansion teeth are provided on the light incident surface of the curved portion, and at least a portion of the light is incident on the main body through the expansion teeth. The expansion teeth are used to adjust the angle at which the light is incident on the curved portion.

2. The light guide member according to claim 1, wherein The expansion tooth is provided with a first deflection surface, and the first deflection surface is used to deflect part of the light and make it incident on the end surface of the curved portion.

3. The light guide member according to claim 2, wherein: The first deflecting surface includes a first connecting end and a first terminal. The connecting end is connected to the light incident surface. The first terminal extends toward an end surface close to the curved portion and is disposed away from the light incident surface.

4. The light guide member according to claim 3, wherein: The projection of the first terminal on the light incident surface has a point A, and the point A is the intersection of the outer edge light of the light source and the light incident surface in the absence of the expansion tooth. The light of the light source has a refraction angle β in the curved portion and satisfies β=arccos(L / ((L2+D2)1 / 2)), where L is the height of the end face of the curved portion, and D is the distance between the point A and the end face of the curved portion.

5. The light guide member according to claim 4, wherein: The minimum angle between the first deflection surface and the light incident surface is θ, and satisfies cos(γ- θ ) / cosβ=n, wherein γ is half of the divergence angle of the light source, and n is the refractive index of the body.

6. The light guide according to claim 2 or 5, wherein: The included angle between the first deflecting surface and the light incident surface is positively correlated with the amount of light incident on the end surface of the curved portion.

7. The light guide member according to claim 2, wherein: The curved portion has a concave surface and a convex surface that are arranged opposite to each other, and the expansion tooth is provided with a second deflection surface, and the second deflection surface is used to adjust part of the light to be deflected and emitted toward the convex surface.

8. The light guide member according to claim 7, wherein: The second deflecting surface includes a second connecting end and a second terminal. The second connecting end is connected to the concave surface. The second terminal extends obliquely toward the convex surface and is disposed away from the light incident surface.

9. The light guide member according to claim 8, wherein: The minimum angle between the second deflection surface and the light incident surface is α, and satisfies Among them, γ is half of the divergence angle of the light source, m is the distance between the highest point and the lowest point of the light-emitting surface, e is the distance between the intersection point of the outer edge light of the light source and the light-entering surface and the convex surface in the absence of the expansion tooth, and in the absence of the expansion tooth, the outer edge light of the light source has an intersection B with the convex surface, and f is the distance between the intersection B and the light-entering surface.

10. An electronic product, characterized in that: It comprises a light source and the light guide member according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the light emitted by the light source is incident on the light guide member.

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