Flexible lighting device and support structure

Abstract

The flexible lighting device may include a flexible transparent body extending along a length of the lighting device, the flexible transparent body including particles dispersed therein. The flexible lighting device may also include a flexible substrate embedded in the flexible transparent body and extending along a length of the lighting device. The flexible substrate separates the flexible transparent body into a first portion having a first concentration of the particles and a second portion having a second concentration of the particles. The first concentration may be different from the second concentration, and a first surface of the flexible substrate may face the first portion and a second surface of the flexible substrate may face the second portion. At least two light emitting elements may be disposed on the first surface of the flexible substrate along the length of the lighting device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 034,195, filed on June 3, 2020, and European Patent Application No. 20188569.6, filed on July 30, 2020. The contents of these are incorporated herein by reference.

Background Art

[0002] A light-emitting element such as a light-emitting diode (LED) is usually disposed on a substrate such as a printed circuit board that supports and electrically connects the light-emitting element.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] Usually, such a substrate is rigid, thus limiting the shape of the lighting device and preventing the provision of a flexible lighting device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] A flexible lighting device has a flexible transparent body extending along the length direction of the lighting device, and the flexible transparent body has particles dispersed therein. The flexible lighting device also has a flexible substrate, which is embedded in the flexible transparent body and extends along the longitudinal direction of the lighting device. The flexible substrate separates the flexible transparent body into a first portion having a first concentration of particles and a second portion having a second concentration of particles. The first concentration may be different from the second concentration, the first surface of the flexible substrate may face the first portion, and the second surface of the flexible substrate may face the second portion. Along the length direction of the lighting device, at least two light-emitting elements may be disposed on the first surface of the flexible substrate.

[0005] A more detailed understanding can be obtained from the following description provided as an example together with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] [Figure 1A] This is a perspective view of a lighting device according to one embodiment. [Figure 1B] Figure 1A is a cross-sectional view of the lighting device. [Figure 1C] This is a diagram of numerous flip-chip LEDs arranged along a flexible transparent substrate. [Figure 2] Figure 1A is a perspective view of an example of a lighting system having a lighting device and support structure. [Figure 3] This is a diagram of another embodiment of the lighting system. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of another example of a lighting system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] Examples of different light illumination systems and / or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) will be described in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings. These examples are not mutually exclusive, and features observed in one example may be combined with features observed in one or more other examples to achieve additional embodiments. Accordingly, it should be understood that the examples shown in the attached drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The same reference numerals represent the same elements throughout.

[0008] In this application, various elements are described using terms such as the first, second, third, etc., but it should be understood that these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms may be used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the invention, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and the second element as the first element. The terms "and / or" used in this application may include any and all combinations of one or more of the relevant listed items.

[0009] When an element such as a layer, region, or substrate is said to be "on top of" or "extending above" another element, it is understood that this may mean it is directly on top of or extends directly above the other element, or that intervening elements may be present. On the other hand, when an element is said to be "directly on top of" or "extending directly above" another element, there are no intervening elements. Also, when an element is said to be "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it is understood that this may mean it is directly connected or coupled to the other element, and / or connected or coupled to the other element via one or more intervening elements. On the other hand, when an element is said to be "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements between that element and the other element. It is understood that these terms are intended to encompass different directions of elements, in addition to any direction shown in the diagram.

[0010] Relative terms such as "down," "up," "upper side," "lower side," "horizontal," or "vertical" may be used to describe the relationship between one element, layer, or region shown in the diagram and another element, layer, or region. It is understood that these terms are intended to encompass not only the orientation shown in the diagram but also different orientations of the apparatus.

[0011] The flexibility of a lighting device is desirable for adapting its shape to the geometric shape of the environment in which it is installed. For example, in automotive applications, it is desirable to provide a flexible lighting device that conforms to the surface or contour of the vehicle body, or to elements inside the vehicle. Similarly, when used for interior decoration, flexible lighting devices can be significant.

[0012] For example, in automotive lighting applications, flexibility may provide additional flexibility in designing the appearance of the lighting device appropriately. In this case, lighting devices for automotive lighting, including, for example, turn signals, position indicators, stop lights, or daytime running lights, can be improved.

[0013] While flexible LED strips already exist, such LED strips are often limited in terms of the directionality of their light output. On the other hand, current structures are often complex and have shortcomings in terms of robustness over their lifespan, particularly when the resulting lighting system is shaped and bent in the required or desired direction. Embodiments described herein provide an improved flexible lighting device, corresponding support structure, and lighting system in terms of the directionality of light output and complexity.

[0014] Figure 1A is a perspective view of a lighting device 150 according to one embodiment. In the example shown in Figure 1A, the lighting device 150 has a flexible substrate 151 embedded in a flexible transparent body 153. Both the flexible substrate 151 and the flexible transparent body 153 may extend along the longitudinal direction 600 of the lighting device 150. In one embodiment, for example, the flexible substrate 151 may be formed from a polyamide material. Such a flexible substrate may be referred to as a flex foil. The flexible transparent body 153 may be formed from a flexible transparent silicone material. Both the flexible substrate 151 and the transparent body 153 are made of flexible material, and it is significant that the lighting device 150 can be bent in all directions, or substantially all directions.

[0015] Figure 1B is a cross-sectional view of the lighting device 150 of Figure 1A. In the example shown in Figure 1B, the light-emitting element 155 is provided on the same side 151A or a first side of the flexible transparent substrate 151. The flexible transparent substrate 151 and the light-emitting element 155 may be completely embedded inside and completely enclosed by the flexible transparent body 153. In the example shown in Figure 1B, the light-emitting element 155 is a flip-chip light-emitting diode (LED). Thus, the structure of the lighting device 150 has flexibility that allows the lighting device 150 to be bent in all directions, while the flexible transparent body 153 mechanically protects and secures both the flexible transparent substrate 151 and the LED 155, thereby achieving a particularly robust and reliable mechanical structure.

[0016] In some embodiments, the LEDs may be configured to emit blue light (also referred to as blue LEDs). The embodiments described herein allow for the use of particularly small LEDs, which are arranged at particularly high densities. Thus, in some embodiments, the LEDs may have a size between 150 μm × 500 μm and 75 μm × 200 μm.

[0017] In one embodiment, at least two light-emitting elements may be arranged on one or both surfaces of the flexible substrate. Arranging the light-emitting elements on both surfaces can result in a higher light intensity output. However, arranging at least two light-emitting elements on only one surface of the flexible substrate can result in a smaller and less complex structure. Thus, in one embodiment, at least two light-emitting elements are arranged on the same side of the flexible substrate. In other words, in one embodiment, the light-emitting elements of the flexible lighting device are arranged only on the same side of the flexible substrate. Thus, in one embodiment, the flexible substrate may be at least semi-transparent. In other words, in one embodiment, the flexible substrate may be configured to allow transmission of at least 50% of the light emitted from at least two light-emitting elements arranged on top. This allows a portion of the light generated by each LED, for example about 20% of the generated light, to be radiated backward, even when the light-emitting elements are arranged on only one side of the flexible substrate, and especially when at least two of the light-emitting elements are LEDs such as sapphire LEDs (for example, when the LEDs are arranged on the flexible substrate in a direction penetrating the substrate). Therefore, providing at least a translucent, flexible substrate may be beneficial if it can support omnidirectional light emission.

[0018] As schematically shown in Figure 1B, particles 152 may be dispersed within the flexible transparent body 153. In some embodiments, these particles may include phosphor particles and / or diffusive particles. In other words, in one embodiment, the flexible transparent body corresponds to, or has, a silicone matrix having embedded particles. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1B, the flexible substrate 151 may be separated into a first portion 153A of the flexible transparent body 151 and a second portion 153B of the flexible transparent body 153. Thus, all LEDs 155 may be located on the first side 151A of the flexible substrate 151 facing the first portion 153A of the flexible transparent body 153. In other words, no LEDs are provided on the second side 151B of the flexible substrate 151 facing the second portion 153B of the flexible transparent body 153.

[0019] The use of phosphor particles in combination with light-emitting elements configured for blue light, such as blue LEDs, is significant. Light emitted from such blue light-emitting elements may be partially scattered by the phosphor particles and therefore converted to yellow light. When this resulting yellow light is mixed with the remaining unconverted blue light, a white appearance can be obtained when the illuminator is emitted. This allows for the adjustment of color temperature to achieve white light by appropriately adjusting the type of phosphor and the density of the phosphor used.

[0020] Separately or in addition to this, in one embodiment of metal oxide particles such as TiO2 particles, the use of diffusing particles may enable a significant diffusion effect, supporting the homogeneity and uniformity of the light emitted from the illuminator. This significantly compensates for non-uniformity that may arise, on the one hand, from the separate arrangement of at least two light-emitting elements along the longitudinal direction, and on the other hand, from the bending of the flexible light-emitting elements.

[0021] Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 1B, as described above, in one embodiment, the first portion 153A and the second portion 153B of the flexible transparent body 153 may be provided with a first concentration and a second concentration of the dispersed particles 152, respectively. In certain embodiments, the first and second concentrations may be adjusted according to an asymmetric light distribution within the flexible transparent body 153. This results from the fact that the LED 155 may be provided on only one side of the flexible transparent substrate 151. For example, the concentration of the dispersed particles in the first portion 153A may be increased as the light intensity exposed to the direct emission of the LED 155 increases. Thus, the concentration of the particles may be made lower in the second portion 153B, which may be exposed only to the lower indirect emission of the LED 155 limited to the transparent flexible substrate 151. It is noted that a high density of particles typically results in a greater amount of scattering events, and thus, in one embodiment where the first concentration of the dispersed particles is greater than the second concentration of the dispersed particles, a greater diffusion and / or color conversion effect, color and / or intensity uniformity can be significantly achieved.

[0022] To further enhance the omnidirectional light emission characteristics of the lighting device, on each side of the flexible substrate, the particle concentration may be adjusted and the color and intensity distribution may be adjusted as a function of the angle around the flexible substrate. Thus, in one embodiment, the flexible substrate may separate the first portion of the flexible transparent body from the second portion of the flexible transparent body. Thereby, at least two light emitting elements may be disposed on the first side of the flexible substrate facing the first portion of the flexible body. Further, the first portion of the flexible transparent body may have a first concentration of the dispersed particles and the second portion of the flexible transparent body may have a second concentration of the dispersed particles. Alternatively or in addition to this, a first coating of a first thickness and / or density may be provided on the first portion of the flexible transparent body and a second coating of a second thickness and / or density may be provided on the second portion of the flexible transparent body.

[0023] Therefore, by adjusting the concentration of the particles, the color and / or intensity distribution can be appropriately adjusted, and the color and / or intensity of the light emitted from the lighting device is made uniform as a function of the angle. In other words, the speckle unevenness of the color and / or intensity can be significantly reduced and / or prevented.

[0024] Alternatively or in addition to this, in one embodiment, the first thickness and / or density may be greater than the second thickness and / or density. In other words, in another or additional approach, the thickness and / or density of the coating provided on the side facing the direct emission of the LED may be adjusted to be greater than the thickness and / or density of the coating provided on the side of the flexible transparent body facing the indirect emission of the LED (through the translucent flexible substrate). Again, with this approach, uniform light emission with respect to intensity and / or color is achieved, thereby preventing speckle unevenness. Otherwise, especially due to the separate arrangement of the light-emitting elements along the flexible substrate, speckle unevenness may occur.

[0025] As can be seen from FIG. 1B, the outer surface 154 of the flexible transparent body 153 may be the interface between the flexible transparent body 153 and the environment (e.g., air), and the corresponding refractive index may change abruptly from the inside to the outside of the flexible transparent body 153. As a result, at least a part of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 155 and colliding with the interface 154 may be reflected back, and thus, the substantially circular interface 154 may provide a mixing box for the light emitted from the LED 155. Therefore, at least a part of the light emitted from the light-emitting element 155 may be reflected at least once or more inside the flexible transparent body 153 before being emitted from the flexible transparent body 153, which may further contribute to homogeneous and uniform light emission (from the viewpoints of color and intensity). Thereby, the speckle unevenness that may occur due to the discontinuous arrangement of the LEDs 155 along the flexible transparent substrate in the absence of this may be significantly prevented.

[0026] Figure 1C is a schematic diagram of multiple flip-chip LEDs 155 arranged along a flexible transparent substrate 151. As shown in the example in Figure 1C, each flip-chip LED 155 is electrically coupled to one another by corresponding conductor tracks 157, 159.

[0027] In one embodiment, at least four, five, or six light-emitting elements may be arranged along the length of the flexible substrate per centimeter (cm). For example, in one embodiment, the distance between adjacent light-emitting elements may be about 1 mm. In this case, for example, up to 10 light-emitting elements may be arranged per centimeter. Such a high-density arrangement is significant because it allows for the achievement of a highly homogeneous intensity / color distribution without the need for specially spatially adapted diffusers.

[0028] In some embodiments, at least two light-emitting elements may be arranged in a single row along the length, which may be significant in that it allows for a smaller diameter for the corresponding illuminator. However, two or more rows of light-emitting elements (e.g., longitudinal arrays) may be provided along the length on the flexible substrate, which may allow for higher attainable light intensities. Furthermore, LEDs of the same color may be used, such as LEDs configured to emit blue light, but LEDs of different colors may also be used. Thus, in some embodiments, the illuminator may have at least three light-emitting elements, at least one of the at least three light-emitting elements configured to emit red light, at least one of the at least three light-emitting elements configured to emit green light, and at least one of the at least three light-emitting elements configured to emit blue light. Such embodiments may be significant in that they provide suitable electronic control. In principle, any color and / or combination of colors can be achieved along the entire length of the illuminator. In some embodiments, LEDs of different colors may be provided in the form of RGB groups (or RGB islands). These RGB islands may be arranged along the length at suitable distances from each other. To enable color mixing, such RGB islands may be provided with individual optical systems, such as individual silicone mixed optical systems.

[0029] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a lighting system 100 as an example having the lighting device and support structure 100 of Figure 1A. In the example shown in Figure 2, the support structure 100 has an internal support that supports a flexible lighting device 150 in the form of a support channel 190, where the flexible lighting device 150 is housed. The channel 190 is formed inside the flexible transparent material 115 and may be between two opposing support walls 111, 112. In other words, in one embodiment, the internal volume of the support structure is filled (completely in one embodiment) with the flexible transparent material, which further contributes to the robustness and reliability of the support structure and may contribute to the corresponding lighting system having the support structure and lighting device. In one example embodiment, the flexible transparent material may correspond to or include a transparent silicone material.

[0030] However, in another embodiment, the support for the flexible lighting device may instead be implemented using internal support tubes connected to an external housing, such as two opposing support walls 111, 112, with one or more dedicated connecting members. However, the configuration shown in Figure 2, which uses a flexible transparent material that is in direct contact with the outer surface of the lighting device 150 via a channel, is significant in terms of photocoupling and, on the other hand, in terms of the overall stability of the configuration.

[0031] The support 100 may further have two opposing reflective surfaces 111A, 112A, which in the shown example may correspond to the inner surfaces 111A, 112A of two opposing support walls 111, 112. Alternatively, in embodiments that do not include two opposing support walls, for example, the two opposing reflective surfaces can be realized in the form of reflective coatings provided on opposite sides of a flexible transparent material.

[0032] The two opposing reflective surfaces 111A and 112A may surround the mixing volume 130, thereby allowing light emitted from the flexible illuminator 150 inserted into the channel 190 and light reflected from one or both of the two opposing reflective surfaces 111A and 112A to pass through. In other words, the two opposing reflective surfaces 111A and 112A may form a mixing box for the light emitted from the inserted flexible illuminator 150, thereby making the light emitted from each of the two separate light output surfaces 131A and 131B of the support structure 100 significantly uniform in terms of intensity and color temperature.

[0033] In other words, of the light emitted from the inserted illuminator, light that does not directly pass through at least one of the two light output surfaces and does not leave the support structure may be reflected one or more times at at least one of the two opposing reflective surfaces. As a result of this substantially statistical process, the light emitted from at least two opposing reflective surfaces undergoes a mixing process, thereby making the light output from the support structure uniform in terms of color and intensity, and significantly compensating for spotting. Otherwise, the discontinuous arrangement of at least two light-emitting elements arranged along the longitudinal direction may result in spotting.

[0034] Since at least two optical output surfaces are provided, for example, bidirectional or omnidirectional light-emitting elements are possible, and the support structure can be particularly significant. Thus, such bidirectional or omnidirectional light emission may be achieved by a simple structure having a robust and reliable flexible member.

[0035] In one embodiment, at least two opposing reflective surfaces may be arranged on the outer surfaces of each of the flexible transparent materials. For example, the outer surface of the flexible transparent material may be an interface between the flexible transparent material and an external environment such as air, and a suitable coating may be provided. Separately or in addition to this, the flexible transparent material may be embedded in a suitable external housing.

[0036] Accordingly, in one exemplary embodiment, the support structure further has at least two opposing support walls, which are arranged at angles to each other, or in one embodiment, substantially parallel to each other (e.g., at an angle of 0° ± 5°). Thus, the two opposing reflective surfaces may correspond to the inner surfaces of each of the at least two opposing support walls. The opposing support walls may be part of or form part of the external housing structure of the support structure, and may be formed from or contain a suitable flexible opaque material. In one embodiment, at least two opposing support walls may have or be formed from a flexible silicone material, and may further have diffusive particles such as metal oxides or TiO2 particles (e.g., from flexible white silicone). This may significantly provide a mixed box function with substantially diffusive reflective properties through the two opposing support walls.

[0037] Accordingly, as shown in Figure 2, the particular structure of the lighting system 1000 not only provides a small, flexible light strip with bidirectional radiation, but also enables particularly homogeneous and uniform light emission from all two separate output surfaces. Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in Figure 2, which has only a single flexible lighting device, two separate light output surfaces with a single light source can be realized. To further support the efficiency of light emission and, for example, to suppress light loss in the inner portion of the lighting system, the lighting system 1000 of Figure 2 further has two optical separation members 118, each extending from each of two opposing support walls 111, 112, and a support channel 190 may be positioned between the two optical separation members 118. In the example shown in Figure 2, each of at least two optical separation members has a substantially triangular cross-section, with one side positioned on the inner surfaces 111A, 112A of the two opposing support walls, and the opposing corners of the triangular cross-section positioned to face the support channel 190. In this case, each of the two optical separation members 118 may have two separate reflective surfaces 118A, which may be arranged to reflect light emitted from the flexible illumination device 150 toward one of the two separated light output surfaces 131A and 131B of the support structure 100.

[0038] As a result, the optical separation member corresponds to a portion of the support structure including a reflective surface, as well as to at least two opposing reflective surfaces, and the light mixing volume is separated into distinct portions assigned to each of the at least two light output surfaces. This allows the optical separation member to significantly contribute to the bidirectional or omnidirectional nature of the light output from the lighting system having the support structure and the corresponding illuminator, and may, for example, help suppress the loss of intensity within the support structure.

[0039] Alternatively, in one embodiment, the support structure may have at least two internal support sections, each support section supporting at least one of at least two corresponding flexible illumination devices. Thus, at least one optical separation member may correspond to a separation wall extending from one of at least two opposing support walls to the other of at least two opposing support walls. Accordingly, the separation wall may have at least one reflective surface positioned to reflect at least a portion of the light emitted from the inserted at least one flexible illumination device toward at least one of the at least two separated optical output surfaces of the support structure. This embodiment may be particularly suitable when each illumination device is used for each optical output surface of the support structure, for example, when high light intensity is desired.

[0040] Figure 3 is a diagram of another embodiment of the lighting system, in which the corresponding components from Figure 2 are denoted by corresponding reference numerals in Figure 3. In addition to the components shown in Figure 2, the lighting system 1000 of Figure 3 further has a set of diffusers 123, which may be arranged on opposing sides of the flexible transparent material 115. Thus, the two opposing sides of the flexible transparent material 115 may correspond to the corresponding separated output surfaces 131A and 131B of the support structure 100, respectively.

[0041] Accordingly, in one embodiment, the light density of the diffusers 121 and 123 may be provided according to the individual distribution of the LEDs 155 along the length 600 of the lighting device 150. For example, the density of the diffusers 121 and 123 may be lower in the portion of the diffuser that corresponds to a portion of the flexible substrate between the LEDs 155. The low density that suppresses scattering between the LEDs 155 and the high density that directly covers the top of the LEDs significantly contribute to achieving a homogeneous color / intensity along the length of the lighting device.

[0042] In one embodiment, each of the diffusers 121 and 123 may be made of silicone containing TiO2 particles. Such light diffusers can be significant because they allow for highly flexible diffusers with strong scattering properties. While such diffusers are significant under certain circumstances, in some applications, sufficient homogeneity of the emitted light may already be achieved by the mixing properties of the mixing volume 130 and the illuminator 150.

[0043] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the lighting device 150 may be positioned inside the support structure 100, and the flexible substrate 150 may form a substantially 0° angle with at least each of the opposing reflective surfaces 111A and 112A. In other words, the flexible substrate 150 may be positioned substantially parallel to the opposing reflective surfaces 111A and 112A. In this arrangement of the lighting device 150, a significantly symmetrical distribution of light is provided within the mixing volume 130, and therefore the intensity of light emitted from the two light output surfaces may be substantially the same.

[0044] Figure 4 is a perspective view of another example of lighting system 1000'. In the example shown in Figure 4, lighting system 1000' has two lighting devices 150. Each lighting device 150 is positioned in its respective mixing volume 130A', 130B', and the two mixing volumes 130A', 130B' may be separated by an optical separation member corresponding to a separation wall 118'. As shown in the example in Figure 4, the optical separation wall 118' may extend from one of two opposing support walls 111 to the other wall of the two opposing support walls 111, and so in the shown embodiment, the optical separation wall 118' has a reflective surface 118A' on each side facing each of the mixing volumes 130A', 130B'. Therefore, each of the two reflective surfaces 118' may be configured to reflect at least a portion of the light emitted from each flexible illuminator 150 toward one of the two separate light output surfaces 131A' and 131B' of the support structure 100'.

[0045] In one embodiment, the lighting system 1000' may be, or include, the headlights of an automobile, the rear combination lights of an automobile, the body lights, and / or the interior lights of an automobile. Thus, the rear lamps and / or headlights may be adapted to several applications, such as daytime running lights, front position indicator lights, or stop lights.

[0046] In one embodiment of the lighting system 1000', the lighting device may be positioned inside the support structure such that the flexible substrate forms an angle of 0°±45°, 0°±30°, 0°±15°, or 0°±5° with at least one of the two opposing reflective surfaces. In other words, in one embodiment, the lighting device may be positioned inside the support structure such that the flexible substrate is substantially parallel to one or more of the at least two opposing reflective surfaces. In one embodiment, such an arrangement can be particularly significant by positioning the facing light-emitting elements in a direction perpendicular to the principal light output direction of at least two light output surfaces. The light output intensity of each light output surface may be substantially equal. Furthermore, the mixing effect of the light mixing volume can be significantly utilized, and significant uniformity of the output light can be achieved.

[0047] In one embodiment, the support structure may further have at least two diffusing elements or diffusing plates, each of which may be arranged corresponding to separate light output surfaces of the support structure, such as opposing surfaces of a flexible transparent material. In one embodiment, the light density of each light diffusing element may vary along the length direction according to the discrete distribution of at least two light-emitting elements. Thus, the light diffusing elements further help to provide significant uniformity of the light emitted from the illumination system with respect to intensity and color temperature, thereby suppressing spotting that may otherwise occur due to the separate arrangement of individual light-emitting elements.

[0048] As a result, lighting systems 1000, 1000' may not only correspond to significant optical elements that provide flexible, elongated light sources capable of bidirectional or omnidirectional light emission, but may also be significant in terms of uniformity and homogeneity of the intensity and color temperature of the emitted light. Spotting, which may occur on the one hand due to the discrete arrangement of LEDs along the longitudinal direction of each lighting system, and on the other hand due to bending of the lighting system, may be significantly suppressed by the means described herein. The use of compact, small flip-chip LEDs enables a thin and compact structure on the one hand, and a flexible and rigid structure on the other hand, which can be significantly utilized in automotive applications such as car headlights, car taillights, and / or car interior lights. The lighting system may also be applied to architectural applications, such as interior lighting.

[0049] Although embodiments have been described in detail, those skilled in the art will understand that modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments shown and described.

Claims

1. A lighting system having a support structure, The aforementioned support structure is A mixture volume comprising at least one flexible transparent material surrounded by at least two opposing reflective surfaces, The flexible transparent material comprises at least one internal support portion formed in the form of a support channel, The at least one lighting device within the at least one internal support portion, It has, The at least one lighting device is A flexible transparent body extending along the longitudinal direction of the lighting device, having dispersed particles, A flexible substrate embedded in the flexible transparent body and extending along the length of the lighting device, wherein the flexible transparent body is separated into a first portion having a first concentration of the particles and a second portion having a second concentration of the particles, the first concentration being different from the second concentration, the first surface of the flexible substrate facing the first portion, and the second surface of the flexible substrate facing the second portion, The lighting device comprises at least two light-emitting elements arranged on the first surface of the flexible substrate along the longitudinal direction, It has, The flexible substrate is at least semi-transparent, A lighting system in which the flexible substrate and the at least two light-emitting elements are embedded inside the flexible transparent body, the flexible transparent body has no internal gaps, and the flexible substrate and the at least two light-emitting elements are in direct contact with the flexible transparent body at the interface with the flexible transparent body.

2. The lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate forms an angle of 0° ± 45° with at least one of the at least two opposing reflective surfaces.

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