Cone-Shaped Hollow Light Guide for LED Uniform Illumination

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Light source devices using LEDs suffer from poor light uniformity due to their high directivity, necessitating a solution to distribute light more evenly.

Innovation Solution

A light guide element with a cone-shaped hollow portion and microstructure patterns on its surfaces to refract and diffuse light emitted from LEDs, ensuring uniform illumination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If LED is used as light source, then energy saving performance is improved, but light uniformity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy saving performanceVSAvoidlight uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

A light guide element is introduced as an intermediary component between the LED light source and the target surface. This light guide element contains a cone-shaped hollow portion that receives light from the LED and redistributes it through its specially designed microstructure patterns, thereby mediating the transformation from directional LED light to uniform illumination while preserving the energy efficiency of the LED source

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The light guide element employs non-uniform microstructure patterns with varying densities at different locations. High-density areas and low-density areas are strategically arranged to control light scattering and redirection locally, ensuring that light is distributed uniformly across the entire illumination surface while maintaining the energy-saving benefits of the LED source

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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 light guide element effectively uniformizes light from LEDs, providing a more consistent and even illumination across the light source device.

Implementation Method 1

A light guide element with a cone-shaped hollow portion and microstructure patterns on its surfaces to refract and diffuse light emitted from LEDs

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRefraction: Refraction

Implementation Method 2

A light guide element with a cone-shaped hollow portion and microstructure patterns on its surfaces to refract and diffuse light emitted from LEDs

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDiffusion: Diffusion

Data Source

PatentUS9575237B2Light guide element and light source device using the light guide element

Publication Date: 2017.02.21 RADIANT OPTO ELECTRONICS CORP

AI summary

A light guide element and a light source device using the same are provided. The light guide element has a main body. The main body has a hollow portion with a cone shape and a microstructure pattern formed on the main body. The cone-shaped hollow portion has a bottom portion and a top portion. The bottom portion is located on the bottom surface of the main body, and has a first hollow cross section area. The top portion is opposite to the bottom surface, and has a second cross section area smaller than the first cross section area. The microstructure pattern includes high-density areas and low-density areas to improve a light distribution caused by the cone-shaped hollow portion. The light source device includes the light guide element and a ht emitting diode (LED). The LED is used to emit light into the cone-shape hollow portion through the bottom portion.