Vehicle Light Guide With Color-Changeable Screen for On-Off Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional automotive lighting systems are either fully visible or fully invisible, lacking a means to differentiate their appearance between on and off states, which limits their visibility and aesthetic appeal.
Innovation Solution
A lighting system incorporating a light source with a decoupling surface and an electronically controlled, colour-changeable screen, such as an e-ink display, that can assume different states to match or contrast with the environment, controlled in a master/slave relationship with the light source, allowing for varying visibility and aesthetic effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional lighting system uses a fixed appearance design, then the manufacturing cost is low and the structure is simple, but the lighting system cannot provide different appearances in on and off states, limiting visibility and aesthetic appeal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color-changing technology through a screen that can display different colors or patterns depending on whether the light source is on or off. The screen changes its optical properties to provide distinct appearances for both states, resolving the contradiction by enabling appearance differentiation without requiring fundamentally different physical structures for each state.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting system integrates multiple functions into a single unified structure: the light guide plate serves both as a light transmission medium when the light is on and as a background for the screen when the light is off. This multi-functionality allows the system to provide different appearances without requiring separate structures for each operating state.
2Illumination intensity
If the lighting system uses a visible design in off-state, then the aesthetic appeal and visibility are enhanced, but the energy consumption increases due to additional background lighting requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The screen utilizes the ambient light from the environment or the light guide plate itself as its illumination source, rather than requiring a separate background light. This self-service approach allows the screen to display images and patterns in the off-state without additional energy consumption, as it passively reflects or transmits available light.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the optical parameters of the screen dynamically - when the light source is on, the screen may become transparent or translucent to allow light transmission; when the light source is off, the screen becomes opaque to display images. This parameter change enables visibility control without additional energy input.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the lighting system uses a simple unlit appearance in off-state, then the energy consumption is low, but the lighting system becomes indistinguishable from the vehicle body, reducing visibility and aesthetic appeal
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system transitions from a static appearance to a dynamic one by enabling the screen to display different images, patterns, or colors in the off-state. This dynamic capability allows the system to be visually distinct from the vehicle body without continuous energy consumption, as the screen can maintain its display state passively.
Solution Approach 2:
The screen's ability to change color or display different visual patterns provides a means to make the lighting system visually distinct in the off-state without requiring additional energy input. The color-changing property is inherent to the screen material rather than requiring active illumination.
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 system provides a distinct appearance in both lit and unlit states, enhancing visibility or stealth as needed, with the colour-changeable screen making the lighting system more or less noticeable depending on its operational state, while maintaining energy efficiency by not requiring its own background light.
Implementation Method 1
the structure is an e-ink display
Implementation Method 2
a light guide comprising a decoupling surface to exit light rays
Implementation Method 3
a light guide comprising a decoupling surface to exit light rays
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A lighting system for a vehicle comprising: - a light source accommodation means (10) provided with a light control means (16) providing control over at least an on-state and an off-state of the light source (9), - a light guide (6) comprising a decoupling surface (12) to exit light rays, - a screen (7) located next to the light guide (6) and opposite the decoupling surface (12) of the light guide (6). The screen (7) has an electronically controlled colour-changeable surface (13) configured to assume at least two colour-states and -the screen (7) is provided with screen control means (15) providing control over the electronically controlled colour-changeable surface (13) of the screen (7) in a master/slave relationship with the light control means (16).