Staggered Light Guide Pipes for Cross-Lighting Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electronic devices with adjacent light guide pipes, the close proximity leads to cross-lighting issues, making it difficult to distinguish the working state of individual light-emitting devices due to the limited housing volume.
Innovation Solution
The light guide pipes' incident ends between adjacent housings are staggered by a predetermined distance, eliminating the need for light shielding materials and components, allowing clear indication of each device's working state without crosstalk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the light guide pipes of adjacent electronic devices are placed close together to reduce housing volume, then the volume efficiency is improved, but cross-lighting occurs making it difficult to distinguish working states
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the contradiction by staggering the incident ends of adjacent light guide pipes in the length direction (creating spatial separation in one dimension), while maintaining their close proximity in the lateral direction. This dimensional approach allows both compact housing volume and clear working state indication to coexist.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the light guide pipe structure by differentiating between the incident end position and the emergent end position. By staggering only the incident ends while keeping emergent ends aligned at the front panel, the system achieves both compactness and clear indication without requiring additional light shielding components.
2Reliability
If light shielding materials and components are added to prevent cross-lighting, then the working state indication clarity is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide pipes themselves serve the dual function of guiding light and providing spatial separation through their staggered arrangement. The structure of the light guide pipes is utilized to prevent cross-lighting without requiring additional dedicated light shielding components, making the system self-sufficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the light shielding function from separate components and integrates it into the spatial arrangement of the light guide pipes themselves. By removing the need for additional light shielding materials and components, the solution simplifies the overall device structure while maintaining functionality.
3Reliability
If the incident ends of light guide pipes are staggered to prevent cross-lighting, then the working state indication clarity is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates the staggered positioning of incident ends directly into the housing structure design. By pre-establishing the spatial relationship between adjacent light guide pipes through the housing configuration, the manufacturing process benefits from built-in positioning references that reduce the need for high-precision post-assembly adjustments.
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 prevents cross-lighting, ensuring clear visibility of each device's working state while reducing costs by eliminating the need for additional light shielding components and optimizing the use of space within the electronic device.
Implementation Method 1
A light generated by the light-emitting device is transmitted to the front of the panel through the light guide pipe
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes a plurality of sub-electronic modules arranged side by side. Each of the sub-electronic modules includes a housing having a top wall, a bottom wall, and a pair of side walls, and a light guide pipe mounted on one of the side walls. The light guide pipe has an incident end, an emergent end located at a front portion of the housing, and a main body located between the incident end and the emergent end and extending in a length direction of the housing. The incident ends of the light guide pipes located between at least a pair of adjacent housings are staggered by a predetermined distance in the length direction.