Vehicle Headlight Illumination Device with Reflective Wavelength Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle headlight illumination devices face challenges in achieving a compact design while maintaining high luminance, particularly when using high-power light sources, and often suffer from light loss and heat dissipation issues.
Innovation Solution
The proposed illumination device incorporates a wavelength converting member with a reflective member attached to a heatsink, utilizing a dual light guiding system to efficiently guide and reflect converted light back through the device, allowing for compact dimensions and effective heat dissipation, and includes a control unit for monitoring light conversion and aging effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a transmissive configuration is used for the wavelength converting member, then the light conversion efficiency is improved, but the device complexity and heat dissipation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the inversion principle by switching from a transmissive configuration to a reflective configuration. The wavelength converting member is positioned such that the light source and the converted light exit from the same side, with a reflective element behind the converting member reflecting unconverted light back through it. This inverts the conventional optical path arrangement, simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining conversion efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of unconverted light (which would otherwise be wasted) into a beneficial effect by using a reflective element to redirect this light back through the wavelength converting member. This ensures that the unconverted light undergoes another conversion opportunity, improving overall conversion efficiency while eliminating the need for complex additional optical components.
2Illumination intensity
If high-power light sources are used to achieve high luminance, then the illumination intensity is improved, but the heat dissipation challenge increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a reflective element as an intermediary component between the wavelength converting member and the heat sink. This reflective element serves dual purposes: it redirects unconverted light back through the converting member for improved efficiency, and it facilitates heat transfer from the wavelength converting member to the heat sink, enabling effective thermal management of high-power light sources.
3Volume of moving object
If a compact design is implemented, then the device volume is reduced, but the light loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into the reflective element: it acts as both an optical component to redirect light and a thermal management component to facilitate heat dissipation. This consolidation allows for a compact design where the same component addresses both optical efficiency and thermal management, reducing the need for separate additional components that would increase device volume.
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
This solution enables the creation of a high luminance illumination device with a compact design, capable of using high-power light sources, while minimizing light loss and facilitating heat removal, and allows for monitoring of light generation and color/intensity to compensate for aging effects.
Implementation Method 1
a wavelength converting member (4) converting at least part of the light of the first wavelength or wavelength range into light of a second wavelength or wavelength range
Implementation Method 2
a reflective member (5) attached to a side of the wavelength converting member (4) to reflect the light of the second wavelength or wavelength range back through the wavelength converting member (4)
Implementation Method 3
The light converting member with the reflective member can be attached to a heatsink for heat dissipation
Data Source
AI summary
The present inventions relates to an illumination device, in particular for a vehicle headlight. The device comprises at least one light source, a wavelength converting member converting at least part of the light of the light source to light of a different wavelength, a first and a second light guiding element between the light source and the wavelength converting member, and a reflective member being attached to the wavelength converting member. The second light guiding element is designed to guide the light emitted by the light source and having passed through the first light guiding element to the wavelength converting member and to guide the converted light which has been reflected at the reflective member to the first light guiding element. The first light guiding element comprises at least one first guiding structure guiding the light emitted by the light source to the second light guiding element. The first light guiding element also comprises at least one second guiding structure guiding the converted light which has been passed through the second guiding structure to an outcoupling surface of the first light guiding element. The proposed illumination device allows the use of light sources with high luminance and can be realized in a compact manner.