Vehicle Lamp Light Guide Optics for Uniform Curved Illumination

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vehicle light guides experience uneven lighting due to hotspots and dark areas, particularly in designs with curved optics, leading to inadequate light distribution and uniformity.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle lamp design featuring a light guide with a reflective surface that includes alternating first and second reflective optics of different shapes, such as arc-shaped and angular grooves, to enhance light diffusion and distribution, along with additional optics on the output surface to minimize hotspots and dark zones.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If conventional light guides use only reflective optics formed on the rear surface, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but hotspots and dark areas occur resulting in uneven lighting image

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of manufactureVSAvoidlighting uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The reflective optic part is segmented into multiple types: first reflective optics and second reflective optics with different shapes. These segmented optical elements are arranged in specific patterns to distribute light more uniformly across the output surface, eliminating the hotspots and dark areas that occur with conventional single-type reflective optics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the light guide are equipped with differently shaped reflective optics tailored to local lighting requirements. The first reflective optics (e.g., arc-shaped) and second reflective optics (e.g., angular grooves) are selectively positioned to address specific lighting deficiencies in different areas, creating locally optimized light distribution that achieves overall uniformity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If light guides are freely curved for aesthetics, then design freedom is enhanced, but it becomes difficult to create a uniform lighting image using only rear-side optics

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedesign freedomVSAvoidlighting uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The reflective optic part is segmented into multiple types: first reflective optics and second reflective optics with different shapes. These segmented optical elements are arranged in specific patterns to distribute light more uniformly across the output surface, eliminating the hotspots and dark areas that occur with conventional single-type reflective optics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the light guide are equipped with differently shaped reflective optics tailored to local lighting requirements. The first reflective optics (e.g., arc-shaped) and second reflective optics (e.g., angular grooves) are selectively positioned to address specific lighting deficiencies in different areas, creating locally optimized light distribution that achieves overall uniformity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Illumination intensity

If multiple types of reflective optics are used to improve lighting uniformity, then lighting uniformity is maximized, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelighting uniformityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple types of reflective optics (first reflective optics and second reflective optics with different shapes) are merged into a single integrated reflective optic part on the rear surface of the light guide. This combining approach achieves uniform lighting distribution without requiring separate optical components or complex assembly procedures, thus improving lighting uniformity while controlling device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 design achieves improved light distribution performance and maximizes lighting uniformity across all directions, ensuring a consistent lighting image even in curved designs.

Implementation Method 1

a reflective surface formed on a rear surface of the guide body, and having a reflective optic part configured to reflect the light input through the input surface to the front side of the light guide part

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectReflection: Reflection

Data Source

PatentEP4653758A1Lamp for vehicle comprising a light guide
Publication Date: 2025.11.26 HYUNDAI MOBIS CO LTD
  • EP4653758A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4653758A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4653758A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A lamp for a vehicle including a light source part to emit light and a light guide part (20) to receive light emitted from the light source part and to output the light from a front side of the light guide part. The light guide part includes: a guide body (110) including an input surface (120) disposed at an end of the guide body in an extension direction of the light guide part to which the light emitted from the light source part is input; a reflective surface (130) formed on a rear surface of the guide body, and having a reflective optic part (131) configured to reflect the light input through the input surface to the front side of the light guide part; and an output surface (150) to output the light to an outer surface of the guide body. The reflective optic part (131) includes a plurality of first reflective optics (132) and second reflective optics (133).