Flat LED Luminaire Oblique Light Guide Edge Illumination
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional LED lights with light-transmissive covers often have darker edge areas compared to central areas, leading to undesirable light distribution and design limitations due to the need for wide or voluminous edge regions.
Innovation Solution
An LED lamp design featuring a light guide that extends obliquely from the edge of a plate-shaped cover towards the LED light source, allowing second light to pass through and be emitted outward, ensuring homogeneous light distribution across the entire surface, including the edge area, with a narrow and low-height edge region.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a conventional LED light uses a plate-shaped cover with LEDs arranged in a plane, then the structure is simple and compact, but the edge of the cover receives less light and appears darker compared to the middle area
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide extends obliquely inwards from the edge region towards the LED light source, creating a three-dimensional light distribution path. This dimensional approach allows light to reach the edge areas effectively while maintaining a flat overall structure, resolving the contradiction between uniform illumination and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide acts as an intermediary element between the LED light source and the cover edge. It redirects and distributes light from the central LED area to the edge regions, ensuring uniform light emission across the entire cover surface while keeping the LED arrangement simple.
2Illumination intensity
If a wide or voluminous edge region is used to achieve homogeneous light emission, then light distribution is improved, but the design possibilities are limited and the luminaire becomes bulky
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of expanding the edge region laterally (two-dimensional solution), the light guide extends obliquely inwards (three-dimensional approach). This allows sufficient light path length to reach the edges while maintaining a narrow, low-profile external appearance, thus achieving homogeneous light emission without increasing luminaire volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide is nested within the existing luminaire structure, extending from the edge region towards the LED source without requiring additional lateral space. This nested configuration enables effective light distribution while keeping the overall luminaire dimensions compact and design-flexible.
3Shape
If the light guide extends obliquely inwards from the edge region, then homogeneous light emission is achieved with a narrow profile, but the light guide structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide has different geometrical properties in different regions: it extends obliquely inwards from the edge region where light distribution is needed, while maintaining a compact configuration near the LED source. This localized geometric variation achieves the desired narrow profile and homogeneous light emission without requiring complex structures throughout the entire luminaire.
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 uniform light output over the entire surface, allowing for a slim, flat appearance and enhanced design flexibility by eliminating the need for space-consuming components and ensuring the edge area is as thin as possible.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide (4) which - viewed in cross-section perpendicular to the first plane - extends obliquely inwards from an edge region (31) of the cover (3) towards the LED light source (1)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The luminaire comprises an LED light source (1) with several first LEDs (2) arranged in a first plane (E1) for emitting a first light and second LEDs (2') for emitting a second light onto a translucent, plate-shaped cover (3) through which the first light is emitted to the outside, the cover (3) extending in a second plane (E2) parallel to the first plane (E1), and a light guide (4) which, viewed in a cross-section perpendicular to the first plane (E1), extends obliquely inwards from an edge region (31) of the cover (3) towards the LED light source (1) such that the second light shines into the light guide (4) through an end face (41) facing the LED light source (1) and subsequently exits the light guide (4) at least partially in the direction of the cover (3) and is then emitted to the outside through the cover (3).