Multi-piece light guide for opaque surface alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing accessory devices with pre-cut openings face alignment issues, particularly when the layer includes sensitive materials like fabric that can burn or char during laser cutting, making precise alignment and cutting challenging.
Innovation Solution
A multi-piece light guide assembly with a light guide body and a light guide insert, where a single cutting operation forms aligned openings in both the opaque layer and the light guide body, using a CNC cutting tool to create a through hole and a blind hole, allowing for precise alignment and avoiding damage to sensitive materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If laser cutting is used to create pre-cut openings in the opaque layer, then the opening can be formed efficiently, but the fabric layer may burn or char and alignment precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide assembly is divided into multiple pieces: a light guide body and a light guide insert. The light guide insert is positioned within a cavity of the light guide body, allowing the opening in the opaque layer to be aligned with the cavity rather than requiring precise alignment with a single light guide component. This segmentation enables the opening to be positioned accurately relative to the cavity while the light guide insert provides the light guiding function, thereby resolving the alignment precision issue with laser cutting.
2Device complexity
If a single cutting operation is used to form both the opening in the opaque layer and the cavity in the light guide body, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but the requirement for alignment precision increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the light guide into a light guide body and a light guide insert, the single cutting operation creates an opening that aligns with the cavity in the light guide body. The light guide insert is then placed within the cavity, providing tolerance for alignment variations. This segmentation allows the single cutting operation to achieve sufficient precision for the opening-cavity alignment without requiring extremely tight tolerances, thus reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining adequate alignment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The cavity in the light guide body acts as an intermediary structure that mediates between the opening in the opaque layer and the light guide insert. The single cutting operation creates the opening that aligns with the cavity, and the light guide insert is positioned within the cavity. This intermediary cavity structure provides a buffer zone that accommodates alignment variations, enabling the single cutting operation to achieve satisfactory alignment precision without excessive complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If the light guide insert is positioned within a cavity in the light guide body, then alignment tolerance is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide is segmented into a light guide body and a light guide insert, with the insert positioned within a cavity of the body. This segmentation provides alignment tolerance because the insert can be positioned within the cavity rather than requiring precise alignment with the opening in the opaque layer. The cavity structure is simple to manufacture and integrates well with the light guide body, so the increase in device complexity is minimal while the alignment tolerance benefit is significant.
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 efficient and precise alignment of the light guide insert with the opaque layer, ensuring effective light passage without damaging sensitive materials, and reduces the complexity of aligning pre-cut openings, thereby enhancing the assembly process and light distribution.
Implementation Method 1
The light guide insert is configured to receive the light from the light guide body and diffuse the light uniformly across a light emission surface
Implementation Method 2
performing a single cutting operation that forms a first opening in the opaque layer and a cavity in the light guide body
Data Source
AI summary
An accessory device is disclosed. The accessory device may include a light guide assembly that directs light from a light source (or sources) through an opening of the accessory device, and in particular, in a base portion of the accessory device. The light guide assembly may be disposed in a compartment of the accessory device and include a light guide body as well as a light guide insert disposed in an opening of the light guide body. To form the opening, a single cutting operation may cut through the base portion and the light guide body so that the respective openings of the base portion and the light guide body are aligned. The light guide body may be designed to receive the light from the light source and direct or focus the light toward the light guide insert. The light guide insert may refract, scatter, and/or diffuse the light.