Bar-like Side-emitting Light Guide for Uniform Planar Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional planar light source structures require a large number of LED crystals and light guiding structures, leading to high production costs due to complex designs and numerous components.
Innovation Solution
A bar-like side-emitting light guide with a specific cross-sectional design, featuring a coupling part and reflective surfaces, is used to guide light from a light emitting diode to produce a uniform planar light source, reducing the need for multiple components and simplifying the manufacturing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If conventional light guiding structures with sharp protruding structures and bent base parts are used to surround each LED, then light can be guided to sides through total reflection and refraction, but the number of LED crystals and light guiding structures required increases significantly, leading to high production costs
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple conventional light guiding structures are merged into a single integrated light guiding plate. The light guiding plate contains multiple light guiding portions that correspond to different LED positions, consolidating what would have been separate structures into one component. This reduces the number of individual light guiding structures from many separate pieces to a single integrated plate, thereby reducing assembly complexity and production costs while maintaining the light guiding function.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guiding plate serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a structural support for multiple LEDs, provides light guiding paths for multiple light sources, and creates the planar light emission surface. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate support structures and individual light guides for each LED, reducing the overall component count while achieving the same illumination quality.
2Illumination intensity
If a large number of LED crystals and light guiding structures are used to achieve uniform light mixing, then the required light emission quality is met, but the production cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines multiple light guiding functions into a single light guiding plate, reducing the number of components that need to be manufactured and assembled. This integration simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces production costs while maintaining the uniform light mixing effect through the carefully designed light guiding portions within the plate.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guiding plate uses variations in thickness parameters to control light propagation. The plate has different thickness regions that guide light from different LED positions to achieve uniform distribution across the emission surface. By controlling geometric parameters like thickness rather than using numerous components, the invention achieves uniform light mixing at lower production cost.
3Ease of operation
If conventional light guiding structures with complex geometries are used, then light can be effectively guided from central point sources, but the structural complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention integrates multiple light guiding paths into a single planar structure. Instead of using separate three-dimensional light guiding structures with sharp protrusions and bent bases for each LED, the light guiding plate provides multiple two-dimensional guiding paths within a single flat component, reducing structural complexity while maintaining light guiding effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from three-dimensional light guiding structures (with depth, height, and complex spatial arrangements) to a two-dimensional planar light guiding plate. This dimensional simplification reduces structural complexity while the plate's thickness variations and patterned design maintain the light guiding functionality through optical path control within the planar geometry.
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
The solution achieves a uniform light mixing effect with reduced production costs and complexity, allowing for flexible LED deployment and lower manufacturing expenses while maintaining high light emission quality.
Implementation Method 1
the light from the LED is transformed to side emission through total reflection and refraction
Implementation Method 2
a portion of the light will be refracted by the base part 100 and the sharp protruding structure 102
Implementation Method 3
guiding a received light beam to emit from both sides
Data Source
AI summary
A bar-like side-emitting light guide suitable for re-directing an incident light beam such that the light beam emerges from each side of the structure. The guide structure includes a light guiding bar having an upper surface and a lower surface and extending along a longitudinal direction. On a cross-sectional plane of the light guiding bar, there is a first line interval on the upper surface. A second line interval, a third line interval and a coupling part are located at the lower surface. The coupling part couples with the second line interval and the third line interval. The distance from the lower surface of the light guiding bar to a reference plane of the upper surface varies such that the thickness gradually decreases from the coupling part to the sides. In addition, a planar light source module can be constructed by arranging the foregoing light guiding bars in parallel.