Modular Light Guide With Segmented Sections
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The production of optical elements with complex geometric shapes and varying material thicknesses is challenging due to material collapse and tolerance issues during manufacturing, particularly in injection molding, which affects the precision and efficiency of light guidance in luminaire applications.
Innovation Solution
An optical element design featuring laterally spaced light-guiding sections and free spaces, allowing for a one-piece construction with uniform material thickness, enabling precise and efficient light guidance and radiation distribution without significant material thickness variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If optical elements are manufactured with complex geometric shapes and varying material thicknesses to achieve precise light guidance, then light direction control is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to material collapse and tolerance issues during injection molding
Solution Approach 1:
The optical element is divided into multiple light-guiding sections (first, second, third light-guiding sections) that are laterally spaced apart from each other. Each section independently guides light from a respective light source, allowing the complex light guidance function to be segmented into simpler, manufacturable sections with more uniform thickness profiles, thereby resolving the contradiction between light direction precision and manufacturing ease
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a traditional single-piece optical element with varying thickness to a modular arrangement of laterally spaced sections. This spatial reorganization in the lateral dimension allows each section to have more uniform thickness while collectively achieving the desired light guidance precision through their distributed arrangement
2Adaptability or versatility
If optical elements are designed with complex geometric shapes to define specific beam patterns, then light distribution control is improved, but production efficiency deteriorates due to difficult manufacturing processes
Solution Approach 1:
The optical element is segmented into multiple laterally spaced light-guiding sections, each capable of being manufactured independently with simpler geometry. This segmentation maintains the ability to control light distribution for each section while significantly improving production efficiency by avoiding the manufacturing difficulties of complex single-piece geometries
Solution Approach 2:
Each light-guiding section is designed with a standardized structure that can guide light from different light sources while maintaining similar geometric characteristics. This universality allows for more efficient manufacturing processes while still achieving versatile light distribution control across multiple sections
3Manufacturing precision
If optical elements are manufactured as single-piece components with varying material thicknesses, then light guidance precision is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases due to tolerance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The optical element is divided into multiple laterally spaced light-guiding sections, each with more uniform material thickness. This segmentation reduces the manufacturing complexity of each individual section while maintaining light guidance precision through the collective arrangement of sections, each handling light from specific light sources
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 simplifies production, ensures precise light guidance, and achieves homogeneous radiation across the light decoupling section, maintaining high light intensity and reducing material complexity, thus addressing the challenges of complex shape manufacturing and material collapse.
Implementation Method 1
TIR optical elements are known in which a light beam coupled into the lens body via the light-input section is completely reflected at the lens body's interfaces within the lens body until it exits the lens body via the light-output section
Implementation Method 2
A light source point is particularly preferably assigned to an optical element. When a point light source is arranged at the light source point, a predetermined proportion of the light emitted by the light source is coupled into the lens body via the light coupling section and coupled out of the light coupling section at a predetermined beam angle
Data Source
Figure 1a~1d
Figure 2a~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to an optical element 1, 1A, 1B for light control in a luminaire, the optical element comprising a lens body whose surface forms a light coupling section 100, 100A, 100B and a light coupling section 200, 200A, 200B, wherein the lens body is configured to ensure that a light beam 40, which strikes its light coupling section 100, 100A, 100B, is coupled into the lens body and that the light beam 40 is coupled out of its light coupling section 200, 200A, 200B.The lens body has several light-guiding sections 2, 2A, 2B which are connected to each other in a light-guiding manner and which are arranged distributed over a horizontal section plane, wherein each light-guiding section 2, 2A, 2B has a continuous course in the horizontal section plane between its two longitudinal ends and is bounded laterally to its course by two opposite lateral extension ends, wherein each light-guiding section 2, 2A, 2B is laterally spaced from its laterally adjacent light-guiding sections 2, 2A, 2B in the horizontal section plane and is designed in particular to guide the light beam 40 along its continuous course between its lateral extension ends.