Opalescent Vehicle Light via Light Guide Blind Holes
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for vehicle lights to produce a homogenous and opalescent light beam without using opalescent materials, as regulations prohibit their use in the automotive industry, and existing methods fail to achieve both homogeneity and aesthetic opalescent effects simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle light design featuring a light guide with blind holes that extend along its surface, causing light refraction and scattering, producing an opalescent effect through cylindrical or spherical caustics, while maintaining homogeneity by ensuring all light rays interact with the holes, thus avoiding the need for opaline materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If opalescent materials are used to produce the opalescent effect, then the aesthetic lighting effect is improved, but the homogeneity of the light beam deteriorates and regulatory compliance worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the problematic opalescent material from the system while preserving the desired opalescent lighting effect through an alternative optical mechanism. The light guide body eliminates the need for opalescent materials by using a specific geometric structure with inclined planes that refract light to create the same aesthetic effect without compromising beam homogeneity or regulatory compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the optical parameters of the light guide body by introducing inclined planes with specific angles (α and β) ranging from 10° to 45°. This geometric parameter modification enables the light guide to refract light and produce the opalescent effect without using opalescent materials, thereby maintaining both aesthetic quality and beam homogeneity.
2Illumination intensity
If opalescent materials are used to achieve the opalescent effect, then the aesthetic feature is improved, but regulatory compliance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the use of prohibited opalescent materials from the vehicle light system. By replacing these materials with a geometrically structured light guide body, the design achieves the desired opalescent effect while ensuring compliance with automotive lighting regulations that prohibit certain materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates an optical copy or simulation of the opalescent effect through the light guide body's inclined plane structure. Instead of using actual opalescent materials, the design replicates the visual appearance and aesthetic qualities of opalescence through controlled light refraction, thereby achieving the same effect without the regulatory restrictions.
3Illumination intensity
If embossment or micro-optic is used on the light output surface, then partial aesthetic effect is achieved, but complete opalescence and homogeneity cannot be achieved simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide body performs multiple functions simultaneously: it guides light from the light source, creates the opalescent effect through its inclined plane structure, and ensures beam homogeneity. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate embossment or micro-optic components, achieving complete aesthetic effect and optical completeness within a single integrated structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the light guiding function and the aesthetic effect generation into a single integrated light guide body structure. The inclined planes are incorporated directly into the light guide body, combining what would traditionally require separate components (light guide plus surface treatment) into one unified element, thereby achieving complete functionality without increased complexity.
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 design achieves a homogeneous and pleasing opalescent light beam that meets photometric specifications, replicating the effect of opaline materials without compromising beam homogeneity, thus addressing regulatory constraints and aesthetic requirements.
Implementation Method 1
the light guide body (36) has a first inclined plane (46) extending from the light inlet wall (28) toward the light outlet wall (32) and configured to refract a portion of the light beam (B1) emitted by the light source (16)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~4a
AI summary
Vehicle light (4) comprising - a container body (8) that delimits a containment seat (12) that houses at least one light source (16) suitable to emit, when electrically powered, a plurality of light rays (Ri) defining a light beam to propagate outside of the vehicle light (4), - a lenticular body (20), which partially closes the containment seat (12) and is suitable to be crossed by said light beam produced by the light source (16), - a light guide (24) facing, near a light inlet wall (28), said at least one light source (16), so as to receive the light beam from this and transmit it to a light outlet wall (32), facing the lenticular body (20), - wherein the light guide (24) comprises a body (36) having a prevailing longitudinal extension (L) that defines the propagation direction of the light beam inside the body (36) by total internal reflection, a first and a second side wall (40,44) substantially parallel to said prevailing longitudinal extension (L), characterized in that - the body (36) has a first groove (48), which extends from the first to the second side wall (40,44), the first groove (40) comprising a plurality of first holes (52), defining cylindrical or spherical optics suitable to realize cylindrical or spherical caustics that produce, through successive refractions, a scattering of said light rays (Ri) towards the light outlet wall (32) so as to emit a light beam with opalescent effect, wherein said first holes (52) are adjacent to each other without interruption, wherein said first holes (52) of the first groove (48) are blind with respect to a thickness (56) of the body (36) of the light guide (24), penetrating from a first face (60) of the body (36) for a first depth (64) less than said thickness (56).