Automotive Light Guide Uniformity via Local Pattern Spacing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automobile lamp apparatuses with light guides fail to maintain uniform lighting images when patterns intersect, resulting in significant differences in lighting quality at these crossover points.
Innovation Solution
A lamp apparatus design featuring a light guide with a third guide unit where first and second patterns intersect, with the first patterns gradually decreasing in interval as they move away from the first light source and second patterns doing the same as they move away from the second light source, ensuring uniform lighting across the guide.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If patterns are formed in the light guide to fully reflect light, then light reflection efficiency is improved, but lighting image uniformity deteriorates at pattern crossover points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different pattern intervals in different regions of the light guide. Specifically, the interval between adjacent patterns is set to be smaller in the first region (near the light source) and larger in the second region (farther from the light source). This local differentiation ensures that light reflection efficiency is maintained across the entire light guide while compensating for the non-uniform light distribution caused by the geometry of the light guide and light source positioning.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the light guide is made flexible to implement various shapes, then design adaptability is improved, but lighting uniformity at pattern intersections deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a third region specifically at pattern crossover points where the interval between patterns is adjusted to be larger than in adjacent regions. This local modification at intersection points compensates for the excessive light concentration that would otherwise occur, maintaining lighting uniformity while allowing the light guide to be flexible and adopt various shapes for different automotive applications.
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 allows for various shapes of light guides while maintaining uniform lighting images by adjusting pattern intervals, preventing significant differences in lighting quality at crossover points and enhancing overall illumination uniformity.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide fully reflecting the light generated by the first light source and the light generated by the second light source and emitting the fully reflected light forward
Data Source
AI summary
A lamp apparatus for an automobile, including: first and second light sources each generating light; and a light guide fully reflecting the light generated by the first light source and the light generated by the second light source and emitting the fully reflected light forward. The light guide includes: a first guide unit with first patterns fully reflecting the light generated by the first light source forward, a second guide unit with second patterns fully reflecting the light generated by the second light source forward, and a third guide unit coupled to the first and second light sources, extending from one end of the first guide unit and one end of the second guide unit, and disposing the first guide unit and the second guide unit orthogonally to each other. The first and second patterns are formed in the third guide unit to cross each other.