Automotive Light Guide for Uniform Taillight Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automotive lights, particularly taillights, exhibit uneven light distribution due to secondary/spurious light components that deviate from the intended optical axis, affecting aesthetic appeal and compliance with photometric standards.
Innovation Solution
The automotive light incorporates a collimated or quasi-collimated light source with a reflector body and a plate-like corrective optic featuring refractive prisms to direct light beams parallel to the optical axis, while deflecting spurious light rays back into the light source or rear body, minimizing their impact on the front half-shell.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If reflector bodies and corrective optics are used to direct light from LEDs, then light distribution uniformity is improved, but secondary/spurious light components deviate from the optical axis causing uneven light distribution on the front half-shell
Solution Approach 1:
A light guide is introduced as an intermediary component between the LED light source and the front half-shell. The light guide receives light from the LED and redistributes it uniformly across the front half-shell through its extended structure, eliminating the need for complex reflector bodies and corrective optics while preventing secondary light components from causing uneven distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical system of reflector bodies and corrective optics with a light guide that uses total internal reflection and light scattering principles. This substitution simplifies the structure while achieving uniform light distribution without generating problematic secondary light components.
2Use of energy by moving object
If LEDs are used as point-type light sources, then energy efficiency is improved, but the narrow opening angle requires complex optical components to achieve uniform backlighting
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide serves as a mediator that transforms the narrow beam from the energy-efficient LED into uniform illumination across the front half-shell. By coupling the LED to one end of the light guide and utilizing the guide's extended structure with total internal reflection, the system maintains LED energy efficiency while achieving uniform backlighting without complex optical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide extends the light distribution in the spatial dimension, transforming the point-source emission into a distributed linear source. This dimensional transformation allows uniform illumination of the front half-shell while maintaining the simplicity and energy efficiency of the point-type LED source.
3Reliability
If complex optical components are introduced to control light distribution, then photometric standards compliance is improved, but the aesthetic appeal is reduced due to spurious light components
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide acts as an intermediary that ensures photometric standards compliance through uniform light distribution while simultaneously enhancing aesthetic appeal. By eliminating reflector bodies and corrective optics that generate spurious light components, the light guide provides clean, uniform illumination that meets photometric requirements and maintains visual aesthetics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the complex optical components (reflector bodies and corrective optics) that cause spurious light components. By taking out these problematic elements and replacing them with a light guide, the system achieves photometric compliance without compromising aesthetic appeal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design ensures uniform light distribution that meets photometric standards with reduced intensity variations, enhancing aesthetic appeal and reducing the need for more powerful LEDs.
Implementation Method 1
a plate-like body, made of a transparent material and spaced from both the collimated or quasi-collimated light source and the front half-shell so as to be crossed by the light beam directed towards the front half-shell, and is provided with a corrective optic shaped so as to deflect the light beam in a predetermined second direction
Implementation Method 2
a series of lighting assemblies that are located inside the rear body, each immediately beneath a respective transparent or semi-transparent sector of the front half-shell, so as to be able to selectively backlight the overlying transparent or semi-transparent sector of the front half-shell
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 2
Figure 4~5
AI summary
Automotive light (1) comprising: a rear body (2) adapted to be fixed on the vehicle; a front half-shell (3) arranged to close the mouth of said rear body (2); and at least one lighting assembly (4) which is located inside the rear body (2) and is adapted to backlight a corresponding transparent or semi-transparent sector of the front half-shell (3); said lighting assembly (4) comprising: a collimated or quasi-collimated light source (5) that produces and directs towards the front half-shell (3) at least one light beam (f) collimated or quasi-collimated in a predetermined first direction (d1); and a corrective optics (10) with plate-like structure, which is interposed between the collimated or quasi-collimated light source (5) and the front half-shell (3), and is adapted to deflect said light beam (f) in a second direction (d2) inclined with respect to said first direction (d1), and which is moreover structured so as to reflect, towards the rear body (2) and/or towards the collimated or quasi-collimated light source (5), at least a part of the light rays that reach the inner face (10i) of the corrective optics (10) and do not belong to said light beam (f).