Integral Heat Sink Light Shield for Vehicle Lamp Glare Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current vehicle lamp assemblies fail to effectively control stray light rays from LEDs, leading to glare and back dazzle, which violate regulatory beam patterns and pose safety risks, especially in adverse weather conditions.

Innovation Solution

A heat sink with an integrally formed light shield that automatically registers and aligns with the LED, blocking unwanted light rays and reducing glare and back dazzle by directing them away from optical surfaces.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a moveable shield, shade or mask is located between a reflector and a lens to control beam pattern, then glare and back dazzle are reduced, but device complexity increases due to separate part and actuator requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveglare and back dazzleVSAvoidnumber of parts and actuators
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The shield is integrally formed with the heat sink as a single monolithic structure, eliminating the need for separate shield parts and their associated actuators. This merging of functions reduces device complexity while maintaining the beam pattern control capability to reduce glare and back dazzle.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If a separate shield with actuator is used to control beam pattern, then regulatory compliance is achieved, but manufacturing cost and assembly complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveregulatory complianceVSAvoidmanufacturing cost and assembly
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The shield and heat sink are manufactured as a single integrated component, reducing the number of parts to be manufactured and assembled. This integral construction simplifies manufacturing processes and assembly operations while maintaining the shield's ability to control beam patterns for regulatory compliance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The integral design allows the shield to be automatically positioned relative to the LED through the heat sink's structure, eliminating the need for separate adjustment mechanisms or actuators. The system serves itself by using the heat sink structure to provide both thermal management and optical shielding functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Object-affected harmful factors

If traditional separate shield design is used, then light control function is achieved, but positioning precision and registration tolerance are difficult to control

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight ray controlVSAvoidshield positioning and registration
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

By forming the shield and heat sink as a single integral structure, the positioning and registration between shield and LED are determined by the heat sink's manufacturing tolerances rather than by separate component assembly tolerances. This eliminates cumulative tolerance errors and ensures consistent positioning precision.

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 solution provides a cost-effective, low-part-count system that accurately positions the shield relative to the LED, reducing glare and back dazzle while protecting the light source during assembly and use, and can be customized to comply with regulatory beam patterns.

Implementation Method 1

The shield is adapted to block at least a portion of the stray light rays

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight blocking: Absorption (EM radiation)

Implementation Method 2

a heat sink comprising a body having a first portion and a second portion joined by a joining portion

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat dissipation: Heat Sink

Data Source

PatentEP3396240B1A vehicle lamp assembly having an improved heat sink with light shield
Publication Date: 2022.11.09 VALEO NORTH AMERICA INC(US)
  • EP3396240B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3396240B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP3396240B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A heat sink for use in a lamp assembly comprising a body having a first portion that lies in a first imaginary plane and that is adapted to receive at least one light source for emitting light rays and a shield that extends from the first portion. The shield blocks at least a portion of the light rays to facilitate reducing or eliminating glare or back dazzle. The shield is integrally or monolithically formed in the body and lies in a second imaginary plane that is generally orthogonal to the first imaginary plane.