Lighting Device With Microstructured Light Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current light devices for motor vehicles, which mix light beams from different sources, are often fragile, bulky, and produce inhomogeneous beams, making them unsuitable for use as warning lights, and polychromatic options are expensive and limited in power choice.
Innovation Solution
A light device featuring at least two light sources of different colors combined using a light guide with pointed-shaped microstructures on its input face, which disperses light rays to produce a homogeneous mixture, minimizing reflections and optimizing the distribution of light, and optionally incorporating a multi-chip LED for reduced size and white light output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If semi-reflecting blades are used to mix light beams from different sources, then light mixing is achieved, but the device becomes fragile and bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical semi-reflecting blade system with an optical solution using a light guide with microstructures on its input face. The microstructures refract and reflect light internally to achieve beam mixing without moving mechanical parts, thereby eliminating fragility associated with mechanical components while maintaining the light mixing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide acts as an intermediary element between the light sources and the output. It receives light from multiple sources, processes it through internal refraction and reflection at the microstructured input face, and delivers a mixed beam, thereby achieving the mixing function without direct interaction between light sources.
2Ease of operation
If semi-reflecting blades are used to mix light beams, then light mixing is achieved, but the device becomes bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical blade assembly is replaced by a compact light guide with microstructures. This optical solution achieves the same light mixing function in a much smaller volume, as the microstructures are formed directly on the light guide surface rather than requiring separate mechanical components.
3Ease of operation
If conventional light mixing devices are used, then light beams are mixed, but the resulting beam is inhomogeneous
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide features localized microstructures at specific regions of its input face. These microstructures create localized refraction and reflection effects that distribute light from different sources more uniformly across the output face, thereby improving beam homogeneity through spatially varying optical properties.
4Adaptability or versatility
If polychromatic light-emitting diodes are used, then color variety is available, but they are expensive and offer limited power choices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple monochromatic light-emitting diodes (each emitting a single color) with a light guide system. By merging the output of several inexpensive monochromatic LEDs and mixing their beams through the light guide, the system achieves color variety comparable to polychromatic LEDs but at lower cost with broader power availability options.
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 compact, durable, and homogeneous light mixture suitable for motor vehicle warning lights, allowing for customizable color shades and efficient light distribution, such as achieving white light from red, green, and blue sources.
Implementation Method 1
The pointed-shaped microstructures make it possible to disperse the incident light rays in different directions so as to produce a relatively homogeneous mixture of the rays originating from the two light sources
Implementation Method 2
a light guide comprising an input face and an output face and configured to transmit the light rays coming from the at least two light sources from its input face to its output
Implementation Method 3
In addition, the pointed shapes make it possible to minimize the number of light rays reflected at the entry surface
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a lighting device (1) comprising: at least two different-coloured light sources (3a, 3b); and a light guide (5) having an input face (5a) and an output face (5b) and configured to transmit the light rays (7) from the at least two light sources (3a, 3b) from the input face (5a) towards the output face (5b). According to the invention, the at least two light sources (3a, 3b) are disposed beside one another and the light guide (5) includes a plurality of pointed microstructures (9) distributed over the input face (5a) thereof.