Vehicle Rearview Assembly Single LED Dual Light Pools
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rearview mirror assemblies using incandescent bulbs require multiple components and high heat dissipation, increasing costs and complexity, while LED implementations often struggle to provide adequate illumination for multiple areas efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A rearview assembly utilizing a single white LED device mounted to a substrate with an optical assembly featuring secondary optics that reflect and refract light to create two separate pools of illumination for the driver and passenger areas, reducing component count and heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If multiple incandescent bulbs are used to illuminate multiple areas, then adequate illumination for multiple areas is achieved, but component count and heat dissipation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides a single LED's light output into multiple separate pools of light using optical elements (lenses and reflectors) positioned at different locations around the LED. This segmentation of light paths allows one LED to illuminate multiple separate areas (driver lap, passenger lap) that would traditionally require multiple separate light sources, thereby reducing component count while maintaining adequate illumination coverage.
2Illumination intensity
If multiple incandescent bulbs are used to illuminate multiple areas, then adequate illumination for multiple areas is achieved, but heat dissipation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the function of multiple incandescent bulbs into a single LED device. By combining multiple illumination functions into one LED source and using optical elements to distribute the light to multiple areas, the system achieves the same multi-area illumination coverage while significantly reducing heat dissipation, since LEDs generate far less heat than incandescent bulbs and only one LED is used instead of multiple bulbs.
3Device complexity
If a single LED is used with optical assembly, then component count is reduced, but illumination adequacy for multiple areas must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces optical intermediaries (lenses and reflectors) positioned between the single LED source and the target areas. These intermediary optical elements manipulate the light paths to create multiple separate pools of light that illuminate different areas (driver lap, passenger lap), ensuring that illumination adequacy for multiple areas is maintained despite using only a single LED component.
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 provides efficient, cost-effective, and reliable illumination for multiple areas with reduced heat and component count, achieving lower costs and higher reliability compared to traditional multi-bulb systems.
Implementation Method 1
an optical assembly with secondary optics for reflecting and refracting light emitted from the LED device
Implementation Method 2
an optical assembly with secondary optics for reflecting and refracting light emitted from the LED device
Data Source
AI summary
Rearview assemblies for a vehicle are provided. The rearview assembly includes a housing coupled to a mounting structure that is configured to be mounted in a vehicle. The housing includes a rearward viewing means, and also includes a lamp subassembly. The lamp subassembly includes a single white LED device mounted to a substrate, and also includes an optical assembly with secondary optics for reflecting and refracting light emitted from the LED such that the emitted light forms two separate pools of light external to the rearview assembly. In an alternate embodiment, the lamp subassembly is included in a mounting structure for a vehicle rearview assembly. In still another embodiment, a vehicle optical accessory is provided, in which the vehicle optical accessory has one LED that provides two separate pools of light external to the vehicle optical accessory.