Motor Vehicle Lighting Arrangement with Overlapping Defect Light Guides

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Solution Overview

Problem

Achieving a homogeneous transition in luminance between two separate light guides in motor vehicle lighting arrangements while preventing excessive heating at the light feed point is challenging, as existing solutions struggle to maintain uniformity and aesthetics.

Innovation Solution

A defect arrangement is created on a shorter second light guide that opens into the first light guide, with the defect arrangements overlapping in the transition region, and both light guides are injection-molded in one piece to ensure a visually pleasing and uniform light pattern, with the density of defects decreasing in the overlap area.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If light is fed into a single light guide, then the structure is simple, but excessive heating occurs at the light feed point

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure simplicityVSAvoidheating at light feed point
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The invention divides the light feeding function into multiple light guides (first light guide 2 and second light guide 7), each receiving light from separate light sources (5 and 10). This segmentation distributes the thermal load across multiple feed points instead of concentrating it at a single point, thereby reducing excessive heating while maintaining structural feasibility through the integrated molding of the light guide assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Temperature

If two separate light guides are used to reduce heating, then heating is reduced, but homogeneous transition in luminance between light guides becomes difficult to achieve

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheating at light feed pointVSAvoidhomogeneous transition in luminance
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges the two separate light guides (2 and 7) into a single integrated component through injection molding in one piece. This merging ensures precise alignment and continuous optical properties at the transition region, achieving homogeneous luminance transition while maintaining the thermal benefits of separate light feeding points. The integrated structure eliminates gaps or misalignments that would otherwise disrupt light uniformity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention applies local quality by creating a defect arrangement specifically in the transition region where the two light guides meet. This localized defect arrangement ensures that light from both guides mixes uniformly at the critical transition zone, achieving homogeneous luminance transition without affecting the overall structure or requiring changes to the entire light guide system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Manufacturing precision

If defect arrangements overlap in the transition region, then uniform light pattern is achieved, but the defect arrangement becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuniform light patternVSAvoiddefect arrangement complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The defect arrangements from both light guides (2 and 7) are merged into a single integrated defect pattern in the transition region through co-injection molding. This merging creates a unified defect arrangement that ensures uniform light emission without requiring separate defect structures, thereby achieving the desired light uniformity while minimizing the actual complexity increase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 solution enables a stable and aesthetically pleasing transition between the two light guides, ensuring a uniform light pattern and preventing excessive heating, while allowing for efficient light coupling at multiple points, which is particularly advantageous in headlight applications.

Implementation Method 1

two light guides (2, 7) which have defect arrangements (6, 12) for light emission

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectOptical imperfection scattering: Scattering

Data Source

PatentEP2660508B1Lighting arrangement for motor vehicles
Publication Date: 2021.10.13 ZKW GRP GMBH
  • EP2660508B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2660508B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5
  • EP2660508B1 patent drawingFigure 6~7

AI summary

The assembly (1) has light sources (5, 10) that is provided to inject light into the lower and upper light conductors (2,7). The upper light conductor which is shorter than the lower light conductor, is comprised of an optical light radiation arrangement (12). The upper light conductor is opened at a junction point (11), for emission of light into the lower light conductor. The light radiation arrangement of the upper light conductor arranged in a transition region (2a) is connected to an optical light radiation arrangement (6) of the lower light conductor.