Light Guide Additive Manufacturing Selective Reworking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Additively manufactured light guides suffer from diffuse light dispersion due to rough surfaces, leading to inefficient light guidance and increased production costs, as they require complex geometric structures for decoupling, which are costly and difficult to implement.
Innovation Solution
A method involving additive manufacturing followed by selective reworking to create smooth surfaces for total internal reflection and maintain rough surfaces for light decoupling, using recesses that prevent machining tools from reaching critical decoupling points, allowing for targeted light decoupling and cost-effective production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If additive manufacturing is used to produce light guides, then production costs and complexity are reduced, but light guidance efficiency deteriorates due to diffuse light dispersion from rough surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating distinct surface zones: smooth surfaces in light guidance regions to enable total internal reflection, and rough surfaces in light decoupling regions to enable light extraction. This is achieved through selective machining that preserves the as-built additive manufacturing surface topology in specific areas while machining other areas smooth, thereby optimizing both light guidance efficiency and manufacturing simplicity
2Reliability
If complex geometric structures are added to achieve light decoupling, then light decoupling performance improves, but device complexity and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses local quality by creating light decoupling points through localized surface roughness preservation in the additive manufacturing process. Instead of adding complex geometric structures throughout, only specific local regions maintain the as-built rough surface topology to enable light decoupling, while the rest of the structure remains simple and smooth for efficient light guidance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies self-service by utilizing the inherent surface topology generated by the additive manufacturing process itself. The as-built rough surface, which would normally be considered a defect, is leveraged as a functional feature for light decoupling, eliminating the need for additional complex geometric structures or post-processing steps to create decoupling features
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
Enables efficient light guidance with targeted decoupling, reducing production costs and complexity, allowing for complex geometries and multi-material structures, and offering design flexibility for vehicle interior lighting.
Implementation Method 1
create smooth surfaces for total internal reflection
Implementation Method 2
maintain rough surfaces for light decoupling
Data Source
AI summary
A light guide is produced using a blank generated by additive manufacture. The blank is then reworked with at least one machining tool. The blank is exclusively reworked in at least one region, which is not provided as a light decoupling point.