Lighting Device with Local Photon Supply and Light Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current lighting devices with light-emitting diodes and light guides used in vehicles require either diverse LEDs or electronic intensity control circuits to achieve increasing light intensity, leading to complexity, increased size and cost, weight, power consumption, and potential failures.
Innovation Solution
A lighting device design where photons from a local supply zone on the entry face are distributed to create a decreasing light intensity on the output face without using different LEDs or electronic control circuits, utilizing identical LEDs and a light guide made of polycarbonate or PMMA, with angular sectors and facets to manage photon distribution and homogenization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If diverse light-emitting diodes with different intensities are used to achieve increasing light intensity, then the light intensity distribution is improved, but the device complexity and inventory management become worse
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a light guide with spatially varying properties - the absorption coefficient varies along the length of the light guide, and selective extraction zones are created at different positions. This allows identical LEDs to produce different effective intensities at different output zones without requiring diverse LED components, thus resolving the contradiction between light intensity distribution and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes physical parameters of the light guide itself rather than changing the LED parameters. By varying the absorption coefficient, extraction efficiency, or geometric parameters along the light guide length, the system achieves different light intensities at different zones using identical LEDs, thereby improving illumination distribution while maintaining simple inventory management
2Illumination intensity
If electronic intensity control circuits are used to supply variable light intensities, then the light intensity distribution is improved, but the size and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electronic control circuits with an optical-passive solution. Instead of using active electronic components to control LED intensity, the system uses passive optical elements within the light guide (such as absorption layers, extraction structures, or geometric configurations) to achieve the desired light intensity distribution, thereby eliminating the need for complex electronic control hardware and reducing size and cost
3Quantity of substance
If a large number of light-emitting diodes are used to uniformly supply the entire input face, then the photon supply is improved, but the weight, size, and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the light guide into distinct functional zones - a localized input zone where photons are introduced and multiple extraction zones along the length where light is delivered. This segmentation allows efficient photon utilization through the light guide's internal physics, reducing the need for numerous LEDs while maintaining adequate photon supply across the output face, thereby reducing weight
4Quantity of substance
If a large number of light-emitting diodes are used to uniformly supply the entire input face, then the photon supply is improved, but the power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates continuous light extraction along the length of the light guide through strategically positioned extraction zones rather than requiring discrete LED sources at multiple locations. This continuous action approach allows photons to be efficiently distributed along the entire output face using fewer LEDs, reducing the total power consumption while maintaining adequate photon supply
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 design significantly reduces the number of LEDs needed, minimizes weight, size, and power consumption, while avoiding the complexity and cost of diverse LEDs and electronic controls, achieving a 'comet' or 'shooting star' effect with a decreasing light intensity along the output face.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide of flat type and comprising a guide part placed between input and output faces
Implementation Method 2
light-emitting diodes generating photons
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
A lighting device (ED) comprises light-emitting diodes (D1-D4) and a flat light guide (LG) with a guiding portion (PG) positioned between entrance (FE) and exit (FS) faces. The entrance face (FE) supplies photons to the guiding portion (PG), and the exit face (FS) emits guided photons to the outside. The light-emitting diodes (D1-D4) are all placed opposite input zones (ZE1-ZE4), defined in a supply zone (ZA) of the input face (FE) located opposite a first output zone (ZS1) of the output face (FS), and arranged to distribute the received photons into predefined angular sectors (SA1-SA4) in order to induce on a second output zone (ZS2) of the output face (FS), located next to the first output zone (ZS1), a decreasing light intensity from the first output zone (ZS1).