Ultrathin optical system adopting side-entry Mini LED technology
By combining side-lit Mini LED technology with dotted PC film, the problems of thinness and flexibility in automotive interior and exterior lighting are solved, achieving efficient and uniform optical effects and low energy consumption, and adapting to non-flat surface designs.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202423142651.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-19
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-31
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-19
AI Technical Summary
Existing automotive interior and exterior lighting optical systems are difficult to make thin and flexible. Traditional direct-lit and side-lit LED layouts have problems such as poor optical uniformity, high cost, and inability to adapt to non-flat surfaces.
Employing side-lit Mini LED technology, combined with a PC film and reflector with dotted surfaces, and through flip-chip structure and optical encapsulation layer design, uniform light distribution and efficient utilization are achieved, while a flexible substrate is integrated to adapt to curved designs.
It achieves a thinner optical system, improves optical uniformity and contrast, reduces energy consumption, extends equipment life, and adapts to non-flat surface designs, providing higher display effects and light efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN223499407U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model belongs to the fields of automotive interior lighting, exterior lighting, luminous car logos, reading lights, and ambient lighting, and specifically relates to an ultra-thin optical system using side-lit Mini LED technology. Background Technology
[0002] As the demands for styling and lighting effects in automotive interior and exterior lighting continue to rise, the optical systems within them are trending towards thinner designs. With the development of LED technology, the use of Mini LEDs (Mini Light-Emitting Diodes) as backlights has become widely adopted. Traditional automotive interior and exterior lighting primarily employs direct-lit LED arrays and side-lit LED arrays. The disadvantage of direct-lit LED arrays lies in the fact that the optical system requires a certain mixing distance (OD value) for light mixing. A smaller OD value leads to poorer optical uniformity, necessitating increased LED density to improve optical performance, thus significantly increasing costs. Furthermore, due to limitations in LED chip thickness and mixing distance, it is difficult to achieve an overall thickness of less than 10mm for optical systems using direct-lit LED arrays. Traditional side-lit LED arrays primarily use 3014 packaged LED chips paired with a 2mm thick rigid light guide plate. The light guide plate converts the point light source emitted by the LED into a uniform surface light source, achieving an overall optical system thickness of 5-10mm. However, a drawback is that because automotive interior and exterior surfaces are typically not flat, traditional side-lit LED arrays cannot meet the requirements for flexibility. Therefore, neither of the above two technical solutions can satisfy the current project's demands for thinness and flexibility. Summary of the Invention
[0003] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the purpose of this utility model is to provide an ultra-thin optical system employing side-lit Mini LED technology. This system uses side-lit Mini LED light strips paired with a PC film with dotted surfaces, achieving the requirements of thinness and flexibility of the optical light-emitting surface. It can also improve the uniformity and contrast of the display effect, reduce energy consumption, and extend the service life of the equipment.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:
[0005] An ultra-thin optical system employing side-lit Mini LED technology includes a diffusion structure, a PC film with dotted patterns, a side-lit Mini LED strip, and a reflector. The diffusion structure is located on the top of the PC film for uniform light distribution. The side-lit Mini LED strip is located on the side of the PC film. Dotted patterns are printed on the lower surface of the PC film or formed using laser dotting. These dots disrupt total internal reflection within the PC film, altering the light propagation path and resulting in a uniform light distribution, ultimately forming a uniform surface light source. A reflector is located on the bottom of the PC film to improve light utilization and brightness uniformity, reducing light source loss.
[0006] The side-lit Mini LED light strip includes a flexible substrate, a Mini LED blue light chip, an optical encapsulation layer, and a light-diffusing decorative layer. The Mini LED blue light chip is mounted on the flexible substrate using a flip-chip method. The optical encapsulation layer encapsulates the Mini LED blue light chip and contains yellow phosphor. The Mini LED blue light chip excites the yellow phosphor, and white light is formed through light mixing. A light-diffusing decorative layer is provided on the surface of the optical encapsulation layer to make the light distribution more uniform.
[0007] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the diffusion structure consists of four layers of film, which are, from top to bottom, an upper diffusion film, an upper brightness enhancement film, a lower brightness enhancement film, and a lower diffusion film. The overall thickness of the diffusion structure is 0.8 mm. The optical film is used to homogenize the light and increase the overall brightness, so that the light is diffused evenly. The thickness of the PC film is 0.5-0.6 mm.
[0008] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the flexible substrate is an FPC substrate, the Mini LED blue light chip has a thickness of 0.15mm, the FPC substrate has a thickness of 0.15mm, the optical encapsulation layer has a thickness of 0.25mm, and the light-diffusing decorative layer has a thickness of 0.1mm.
[0009] Advantages and beneficial effects of this utility model:
[0010] (1) The optical system provided by this utility model adopts a side-entry Mini LED light strip with a PC film with dots. The PC (polycarbonate) film replaces the rigid light guide plate, and the overall thickness can be within 5mm. Since the PC film has a certain degree of flexibility, the optical light-emitting surface can be designed to be flexible, which provides more flexibility for the design and application of display devices, and can better adapt to the curves of the car body, thus meeting the requirements of thinness and flexibility of the optical light-emitting surface. In addition, the PC film with dots can effectively control the distribution of light by arranging the dots from sparse to dense and from small to large, so that the light mixing is good, the light efficiency is more uniform, and the uniformity and contrast of the display effect are improved.
[0011] (2) The side-lit Mini LED light strip provided by this utility model adopts a flip-chip structure (the electrode is set at the bottom of the LED chip). This assembly method can reduce light shading and improve luminous efficiency. In addition, since no lead soldering is required, the chip (blue light chip) arrangement density can be increased, thereby achieving higher resolution and better display effect, and solving the problem of uneven light emission. Furthermore, the flip-chip structure Mini LED blue light chip (LED chip) can directly conduct heat to the flexible substrate, thus having better heat dissipation performance, which can not only reduce energy consumption, but also improve the lifespan of the LED.
[0012] (3) In this invention, yellow phosphor is added to the optical encapsulation layer. The blue light chip excites the yellow phosphor, and white light is formed by the mixing of these lights. This design can improve the light conversion efficiency and reduce energy loss. In addition, in order to achieve a uniform optical effect, a light-uniform decorative layer is added to the surface of the optical encapsulation layer. The light-uniform decorative layer can make the light distribution more uniform, reduce the problems of light spots and uneven brightness, and thus further improve the uniformity and visual effect of the display screen.
[0013] (4) This utility model adopts Mini LED technology, which allows for high-density packaging (because the chip size is small, generally between 100-300 micrometers), so more LED chips can be integrated in the same area, thereby achieving higher brightness and contrast.
[0014] (5) When light enters the PC film from the side, the dots disrupt the total internal reflection condition, causing the light to scatter inside the PC film, thus forming a uniform surface light source. This design can effectively convert point light sources or line light sources into large-area uniform illumination. In addition, the high reflectivity reflector placed under the PC film can further improve the light utilization rate, achieve high reflectivity, and reduce the loss of light source. The combination of the PC film with dots and the high reflectivity reflector can achieve uniform light distribution. This uniformly distributed light can be used in various applications such as backlight modules and lighting equipment, providing a more comfortable, warm, and efficient light source. Attached Figure Description
[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort. In the drawings:
[0016] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the optical system of this utility model;
[0017] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the diffusion structure of this utility model;
[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the PC film with printed dots on the lower surface of this utility model;
[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a PC film with a dot pattern formed by laser dotting on the lower surface of the present invention;
[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the side-mounted Mini LED light strip of this utility model.
[0021] Reference numerals: 1. Diffusion structure; 2. PC film with dots; 3. Side-lit Mini LED light strip; 4. Reflective sheet; 11. Upper diffusion film; 12. Upper brightness enhancement film; 13. Lower brightness enhancement film; 14. Lower diffusion film; 21. Dots; 31. Flexible substrate; 32. Mini LED blue light chip; 33. Optical sealing layer; 34. Light-diffusing decorative layer. Detailed Implementation
[0022] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0023] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "set" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection, a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; or they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.
[0024] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, this embodiment provides an ultra-thin optical system using side-lit Mini LED technology, including a diffusion structure 1, a PC film 2 with dotted patterns, a side-lit Mini LED strip 3, and a reflector 4. The diffusion structure 1 is located on the top of the PC film 2 for uniform light distribution. The side-lit Mini LED strip 3 is located on the side of the PC film 2. Dotted patterns 21 are printed on the lower surface of the PC film 2 or formed using a carbon dioxide laser. These dots disrupt total internal reflection within the PC film, altering the light propagation path and resulting in a uniform light distribution, ultimately forming a uniform surface light source. The reflector 4 is located on the bottom of the PC film 2 to improve light utilization and brightness uniformity, reduce light source loss, and optimize visual effects.
[0025] The side-lit Mini LED light strip 1 includes a flexible substrate 31, a Mini LED blue light chip 32, an optical encapsulation layer 33, and a light-diffusing decorative layer 34. The Mini LED blue light chip (also called an LED chip) 32 is mounted on the flexible substrate 31 using a flip-chip method. The optical encapsulation layer 33 encapsulates the Mini LED blue light chip 32 and contains yellow phosphor. The Mini LED blue light chip 32 excites the yellow phosphor, and white light is formed through light mixing. A light-diffusing decorative layer 34 is provided on the surface of the optical encapsulation layer 33 to make the light distribution more uniform.
[0026] Furthermore, such as Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment, the thickness of the diffusion structure 1 is 0.8 mm. The diffusion structure 1 is composed of four layers of film, which are, from top to bottom, an upper diffusion film 11, an upper brightness enhancement film 12, a lower brightness enhancement film 13, and a lower diffusion film 14. The diffusion structure 1 is used to perform light uniformity treatment, so that the light is diffused evenly, thereby improving brightness uniformity, improving color stability, and reducing luminance.
[0027] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the upper diffusion film 11, upper brightness enhancement film 12, lower brightness enhancement film 13, and lower diffusion film 14 are high-temperature optical films. For the selection of specific high-temperature optical films, those skilled in the art can refer to the prior art.
[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the flexible substrate 31 is an FPC substrate with a thickness of 0.15mm, the Mini LED blue light chip 32 has a thickness of 0.15mm, the optical encapsulation layer 33 has a thickness of 0.25mm, and the light-diffusing decorative layer 34 has a thickness of 0.1mm. Thus, the overall thickness of the side-lit Mini LED light strip can be as low as 0.65mm.
[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the thickness of the PC film 2 is 0.5-0.6mm. The point light source emitted by the side-lit Mini LED light strip 3 forms a uniform surface light source after passing through the reflector 4 and the PC film 2 with dots. Then, it is emitted after being uniformly processed by the diffusion structure 1. The overall thickness is ultra-thin, which can be less than 5mm. This uniformly distributed light can be used in backlight modules, lighting equipment, etc., to provide a more comfortable, stable and efficient light source.
[0030] In this embodiment, the printed dots 21 are mainly made by using heat-drying or UV ink (SiO2 / TiO2, a light source material with diffusion and reflection characteristics) as printing raw materials, which are coated on the reflective side of the PC film to form dots, thereby destroying total internal reflection and causing the incident light to scatter, forming a diffuse reflection effect, and being uniformly emitted from the front (upper surface) of the PC film.
[0031] The above describes specific embodiments of this utility model, but the scope of protection of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model should be included within the scope of protection of this utility model. Therefore, the scope of protection of this utility model should be determined by the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. An ultra-thin optical system employing side-lit Mini LED technology, characterized in that, The device includes a diffusion structure, a PC film with dotted surfaces, a side-lit Mini LED light strip, and a reflector. The PC film has a diffusion structure on its top surface for uniform light distribution. The side-lit Mini LED light strip is located on the side of the PC film. Dotted surfaces are printed on the bottom surface of the PC film or formed using laser dotting. These dots disrupt total internal reflection within the PC film, altering the light propagation path and resulting in a uniform light distribution, ultimately forming a uniform surface light source. A reflector is located on the bottom surface of the PC film to improve light utilization and brightness uniformity, and reduce light source loss. The side-lit Mini LED light strip includes a flexible substrate, a Mini LED blue light chip, an optical encapsulation layer, and a light-diffusing decorative layer. The Mini LED blue light chip is mounted on the flexible substrate using a flip-chip method. The optical encapsulation layer encapsulates the Mini LED blue light chip and contains yellow phosphor. The Mini LED blue light chip excites the yellow phosphor, and white light is formed through light mixing. A light-diffusing decorative layer is provided on the surface of the optical encapsulation layer to make the light distribution more uniform.
2. The ultra-thin optical system employing side-mounted Mini LED technology according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diffusion structure consists of four layers of film, from top to bottom: upper diffusion film, upper brightness enhancement film, lower brightness enhancement film, and lower diffusion film. The overall thickness of the diffusion structure is 0.8 mm. The optical film is used to homogenize the light and increase the overall brightness, so that the light is diffused evenly. The thickness of the PC film is 0.5-0.6 mm.
3. The ultra-thin optical system employing side-lit Mini LED technology according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible substrate is an FPC substrate. The MiniLED blue light chip has a thickness of 0.15mm, the FPC substrate has a thickness of 0.15mm, the optical encapsulation layer has a thickness of 0.25mm, and the light-diffusing decorative layer has a thickness of 0.1mm.