Vehicle Mirror Light Guide Panel for Wide-Area Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle display devices, such as door mirrors with integrated turn signals, have limited light emission areas, making it difficult for the light to be easily visible to other vehicles, as they primarily emit light from a small oblong surface rather than a larger area.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle display device configuration that includes a mirror element and a panel-like light guide element with optical-path changing portions, where the light source is positioned to emit light from near the attachment, allowing the light to be directed outward and creating a larger visible light emission surface by using the mirror or window surface for light emission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a small oblong light guide material is attached to the mirror body, then the device structure is simple, but the light emission area is small and visibility is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a one-dimensional oblong light guide to a two-dimensional panel-like light guide element that covers a larger area of the mirror surface. This dimensional expansion allows light to be emitted across the entire mirror surface rather than from a small attached component, significantly increasing the light emission area while maintaining integration with the mirror body.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide element is merged with the mirror body to form an integrated structure. The light guide element is positioned in the rear of the mirror element and extends across its surface, combining the functions of light guidance and mirror structure into a unified design that maximizes light emission area without adding separate attached components.
2Illumination intensity
If light is emitted from a small oblong surface, then the device complexity is low, but the visibility to other vehicles is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The light emission area is expanded from a small oblong shape to a large panel-like surface that covers most of the mirror front surface. This dimensional expansion in the plane of the mirror surface dramatically increases the area over which light is emitted, making the turn signal much more visible to other vehicles from various angles and distances.
3Area of stationary object
If the light guide element is simply attached to the mirror body, then the installation is easy, but the light emission area remains small
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide element is merged with the mirror body to form an integrated structure where the light guide element is positioned in the rear of the mirror element and extends across its surface. This integration allows the light emission area to be maximized while maintaining ease of manufacture through a unified design that can be produced as a single assembly rather than requiring attachment of separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel-like light guide element serves multiple functions: it guides light from the light source, emits light across a large area for visibility, and integrates with the mirror body structure. This multi-functionality allows the same component to achieve both large light emission area and ease of manufacture through a single integrated element.
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 enhances the visibility of the light emission from the vehicle display device, allowing for a larger surface area to radiate light, thereby improving visibility to other vehicles and enabling various alerts, such as turn signals, brake indicators, and emergency signals, without distorting the reflective mirror image.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide element configured to guide incident light from the light source; and the light guide element including: an emission surface configured to output incident light; and an optical-path changing portion configured to change the optical path of incident light toward the emission surface
Implementation Method 2
a light guide element configured to guide incident light from the light source; and the light guide element including: an emission surface configured to output incident light; and an optical-path changing portion configured to change the optical path of incident light toward the emission surface
Implementation Method 3
a mirror element configured to reflect external light entering from a front surface toward the front surface; and a reflective layer formed on the other surface of the transmissive portion and configured to reflect external light entering from the front surface and passing through the transmissive portion toward the front surface
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle display device is configured for installation to a vehicle and includes a mirror element configured to reflect external light entering from a front surface toward the front surface, and a light emitting device. The light emitting device includes a light source configured to emit light, and a light guide element configured to guide incident light from the light source. The light guide element includes an emission surface configured to output incident light, and an optical-path changing portion configured to change the optical path of incident light toward the emission surface. The mirror element and the light guide element are stacked at an outer surface of the mirror element to allow the optical-path changing portion to change the optical path.