Light Emitting Emblem Structure for Uniform Luminance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional light emitting vehicle emblems experience luminance unevenness due to low-lightness lines caused by refraction at bent portions on the inner surface of the light guide, affecting the appearance of the emblem.
Innovation Solution
A light emitting emblem design where the light transmitting portion includes a first flat plate portion and a second flat plate portion with specific thickness and width ratios, and a diffusion material to diffuse light, ensuring that low-lightness lines resulting from refraction at bent portions appear outside the light emitting region.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a bent portion is present on the inner surface of the light guide to guide light, then light can be extracted from the light guide, but low-lightness lines appear on the outer surface causing luminance unevenness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the low-lightness line from the two-dimensional light emitting region to a different spatial location by controlling the bent portion's position and the light guide's thickness distribution. The low-lightness line is redirected to appear on the non-light emitting region through precise geometric design of the bent portion and thickness variation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different thickness values to different regions of the light guide (first thickness in the light emitting region, second thickness in the non-light emitting region). This local variation in thickness controls where the low-lightness line appears, ensuring it manifests only in the non-light emitting region where it is not visible.
2Manufacturing precision
If the light guide thickness is increased to reduce refraction effects, then luminance uniformity improves, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly increasing the light guide thickness throughout, the patent applies different thickness values locally: a first thickness in the light emitting region and a different second thickness in the non-light emitting region. This allows achieving the desired luminance uniformity while minimizing the overall volume increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thickness parameter of the light guide in different regions to control light propagation and refraction. By adjusting the thickness ratio and absolute values, the patent achieves optimal luminance uniformity without excessive volume increase.
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
Prevents luminance unevenness by positioning low-lightness lines outside the visually recognized area, enhancing the uniformity and appearance of the light emission.
Implementation Method 1
a low-lightness lines, which are linear low-brightness regions appearing on a surface other than the inner surface of the light transmitting portion due to a factor including refraction of light incident on the bent portion
Implementation Method 2
the light transmitting portion includes a diffusion material configured to diffuse light, emitted from the light emitting element
Data Source
AI summary
A light emitting emblem includes: a light emitting element as a light source; a housing configured to house the light emitting element; and a cover including an emblem on a surface thereof, including a light transmitting portion as defined herein, and attached to the housing to cover the light emitting element, at least a part of an outer surface of the light transmitting portion is exposed to an outside as a light emitting region of the cover, an inner surface of the light transmitting portion includes a bent portion being a boundary line between a plane and a plane different in orientation, and all low-lightness lines, which are linear low-brightness regions appearing on a surface other than the inner surface of the light transmitting portion due to a factor including refraction of light incident on the bent portion, appear in a region other than the light emitting region.