Flexible Lighting Device with Light Guide Film for Vehicle Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional lighting devices using LED light sources face limitations in design flexibility, thickness, and ease of installation due to rigid light guide plates, which restrict their ability to create desired shapes and colors while maintaining a simple structure and efficient optical performance.

Innovation Solution

A lighting device with a light conversion module and a light source module featuring light emitting elements spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the module's thickness, including a base substrate, light guide layer, and reflection pattern layer with optical patterns, allowing for adjustable bending of linear light and improved luminous intensity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If a light guide plate is used to emit uniform light, then the lighting performance is improved, but the device thickness increases and flexibility is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelighting performanceVSAvoiddevice thickness
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the rigid light guide plate with a flexible light guide film that has light scattering particles distributed within it. This thin film structure maintains the light diffusion function while significantly reducing thickness and enabling flexibility for various installation surfaces including curved and irregular geometries.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and removes the light guide plate component entirely, replacing it with a thinner light guide film combined with a reflective sheet. This extraction eliminates the thickness and rigidity problems associated with traditional light guide plates while preserving the essential light distribution function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Adaptability or versatility

If color filters or filters with desired-shaped light transmission ports are added to express atmosphere, then the atmospheric expression capability is improved, but the device structure becomes mechanically complicated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveatmosphere expression capabilityVSAvoiddevice structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple functions into the light guide film itself - light guidance, light scattering, and color filtering are all integrated into a single flexible film layer. This merging eliminates the need for separate color filter components and their associated mounting structures, significantly simplifying the overall device architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The light guide film is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: guiding light from LEDs, scattering light for uniform distribution, and providing color filtering capabilities. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed and simplifies the overall device structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Illumination intensity

If a light guide plate is used to implement linear light, then the optical image is improved, but the product design freedom is limited due to rigid material

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoptical image qualityVSAvoidproduct design freedom
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a flexible light guide film instead of a rigid light guide plate, enabling the lighting device to conform to various shapes and surfaces. The flexibility allows integration into curved, angled, or irregularly shaped housings while maintaining effective light distribution and optical image quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The flexible light guide film allows the lighting device to adapt dynamically to different installation environments and design requirements. The film can be bent, shaped, and configured to match various housing geometries without compromising performance, providing significant design freedom.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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 enables a flexible, thin, and highly customizable lighting device capable of producing various stereoscopic effects, enhancing design freedom and meeting regulatory luminous intensity requirements for vehicle lighting applications.

Implementation Method 1

a light guide layer disposed on the base substrate

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight guidance: Waveguide (optics)

Implementation Method 2

a reflection pattern layer disposed between the base substrate and the light guide layer, and wherein the reflection pattern layer includes a reflection layer disposed between the base substrate and the light guide layer

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight reflection: Reflection

Implementation Method 3

a plurality of first and second light guide structures extending along a first direction

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight refraction: Refraction

Implementation Method 4

capable of producing various stereoscopic effects

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight scattering: Scattering

Data Source

PatentEP3537027B1Lighting device
Publication Date: 2022.05.04 LG INNOTEK CO LTD
  • EP3537027B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3537027B1 patent drawingFigure 2a
  • EP3537027B1 patent drawingFigure 2b~3a

AI summary

Disclosed in an embodiment is a lighting device comprising: a light conversion module including one surface and the other surface; and a light source module disposed at a side surface of the light conversion module, wherein the light source module comprises a plurality of light emitting elements disposed so as to be spaced in a first direction, the first direction is a thickness direction of the light conversion module, and at least one among the plurality of light emitting elements is disposed higher than the one surface of the light conversion module in the first direction.