Quadratic Diffusion Optical Structure for Vehicle Headlight Glare Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current vehicle headlight optical structures struggle to achieve legal light distribution requirements while minimizing glare and maintaining a pleasant light-dark transition, often resulting in undesirable brightness fluctuations and sharp edges that can cause driver fatigue.

Innovation Solution

An optical structure with quadrangular base area elements that cover the entire surface of the lens, modifying the light distribution through a scattering function to achieve a predeterminable, homogeneous light image with reduced sharpness and glare, ensuring compliance with legal light distribution standards.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If special facets or discrete elevations are used in the projection lens to create signlight, then light intensity requirements are met, but bright points of light are perceived from outside which are rejected for design reasons

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignlight intensityVSAvoidperceived brightness points
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the lens surface into multiple small optical structure elements arranged in a grid pattern, where each element has a specific height to deflect light. This segmentation allows the signlight function to be distributed across many small elements rather than concentrated in discrete elevations, eliminating perceived bright points while meeting illumination requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different local properties to different regions of the lens surface by varying the height of optical structure elements in specific areas. Elements in the signlight region have optimized heights to deflect light upward, while other regions maintain different characteristics, allowing localized control of light distribution without creating unwanted visual effects

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Illumination intensity

If the lens surface is statistically roughened to achieve a softer HD limit, then the light-dark boundary becomes softer, but oncoming road users are dazzled

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveHD line softnessVSAvoidglare to oncoming users
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of statistical roughening, the patent uses a structured grid of discrete optical elements with controlled heights. This segmentation provides deterministic control over light scattering, softening the HD line through precise geometric design rather than random surface variations, thereby avoiding excessive glare

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent controls the height parameter of optical structure elements to precisely regulate the degree of light scattering. By optimizing the height values, the HD line softness is achieved while limiting the scattering angle to prevent glare reaching oncoming users, providing deterministic control over the trade-off between softness and glare

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Illumination intensity

If light segments are arranged with sharp delimiting edges to eliminate dark areas in full light mode, then no grids are visible, but sharp light-dark boundaries are perceived as unpleasant and cause driver fatigue

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight distribution uniformityVSAvoidsharp boundary perception
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the lens surface into a grid of optical elements that correspond to light segments. By controlling the height and distribution of these elements, the patent softens the boundaries between light segments while maintaining their individual identities, eliminating sharp perceived boundaries without creating visible grids

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The optical structure elements act as intermediaries between the sharp geometric light segments and the perceived light distribution. These elements with optimized heights serve as a transition layer that softens the boundaries, mediating between the need for defined segments and the desire for soft perceived boundaries

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 effectively reduces the sharpness of the light-dark boundary, enhances light distribution homogeneity, and minimizes glare, providing a more pleasant and compliant light pattern for vehicle headlights.

Implementation Method 1

the optical structure consists of a large number of optical structure elements, which structure elements have a light-scattering effect

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight scattering: Scattering

Data Source

PatentEP3042119B1Optical structure having a microstructure with a quadratic diffusion function
Publication Date: 2017.11.15 ZKW GRP GMBH
  • EP3042119B1 patent drawingFigure 1~4
  • EP3042119B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6
  • EP3042119B1 patent drawingFigure 7~7b

AI summary

The invention relates to an optical structure (100) for a lighting device (1) of a motor vehicle headlight, said lighting device (1) being designed to emit light, which creates a predetermined light distribution (LV1) from the light emitted by the lighting device. Said optical structure (100) of the lighting device (1) is associated with the lighting device (1) in such a way or is part of the lighting device (1) such that said optical structure (100) is radiated by essentially the entire light luminous flux of the lighting device (1). Said optical structure (100) consists of a plurality of optical structure elements (110) which have a light-diffusing effect, and said optical structure elements (100) are designed such that the unmodified light distribution (LV1) generated by the lighting device (1) is modified by the optical structure (100) to form a predeterminable modified light distribution (LV2), and the optical structure elements (110) have a square base surface (202), i.e. that the surface (202) between the corner points (201) of a square grid (200) is completely covered by the base surface of precisely one optical structure element (110).