Glass Laminate Lighting Unit with Refractive Index Regions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lighting units for display devices and luminaires lack efficient light management and distribution, particularly in achieving uniform illumination and coupling light effectively into thin or flexible light guides.
Innovation Solution
A glass laminate structure with a base layer and a surface layer, where the surface layer has high and low refractive index regions, optically coupled to the base layer, allowing light to propagate and leak into the high refractive index region for emission, and used in lighting units for display devices and luminaires.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a conventional light guiding sheet is used, then light can be introduced and distributed, but uniform illumination and effective coupling into thin or flexible light guides cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating regions with different refractive indices within the light guiding sheet. Specifically, it incorporates high refractive index regions and low refractive index regions in the surface layer, while the base layer has a different refractive index. This spatial variation in optical properties enables different areas of the sheet to perform different functions: the high refractive index regions effectively couple light from LEDs, while the low refractive index regions facilitate uniform light extraction and distribution, thereby achieving both effective light coupling and uniform illumination simultaneously.
2Ease of manufacture
If a single-layer glass structure is used, then manufacturing is simpler, but light management and distribution efficiency is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials by constructing a multi-layer glass laminate structure where each layer has distinct refractive index properties. The base layer, surface layer with high refractive index regions, and low refractive index regions are fused together to form an integrated composite glass structure. This composite approach enables sophisticated light management functions including effective light coupling, uniform distribution, and controlled extraction, while maintaining glass material advantages such as durability and optical clarity.
3Ease of operation
If light is propagated through a base layer with uniform refractive index, then light transmission is simple, but light leakage and distribution control is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the light guiding sheet into functionally distinct regions: a base layer for light propagation and a surface layer with segmented high and low refractive index regions. The high refractive index regions are strategically positioned to couple light from LED sources, while the low refractive index regions are distributed to control light extraction. This segmentation allows the structure to maintain simple light propagation through the base layer while achieving precise control over light leakage and distribution through the segmented surface regions.
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 efficient light management and distribution, providing uniform illumination and effective coupling of light into thin or flexible light guides, enhancing the performance of lighting units in display devices and luminaires.
Implementation Method 1
The high refractive index region is optically coupled to the base layer such that at least a portion of light propagating through the base layer leaks out of the base layer and into the high refractive index region
Data Source
AI summary
A lighting unit includes a glass laminate structure including a base layer formed from a first glass composition with a refractive index nbase and a surface layer fused to a surface of the base layer and formed from a second glass composition with a refractive index nsurface. The surface layer includes a high refractive index region with a refractive index nhigh and a low refractive index region with a refractive index nlow. nbase and nsurface satisfy the equation |nsurface−nbase≥0.001, nhigh is greater than or equal to nbase 1, and nlow is less than nbase. The high refractive index region is optically coupled to the base layer such that at least a portion of light propagating through the base layer leaks out of the base layer and into the high refractive index region. A display device or a luminaire can include the lighting unit.