Surface Lighting Apparatus with Refract Guiding Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional illumination units, particularly Back Light Units (BLUs), have low flexibility due to their thickness (1 mm or more) and are not suitable for large-area installations since they require light sources on all four sides, limiting their design freedom and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A surface lighting apparatus is designed without additional adhesion layers, featuring a light guiding unit, a reflecting unit, a diffusing unit, and a refract guiding unit, which refracts and disperses light to achieve thin thickness, flexibility, and high efficiency, with the refract guiding unit having a slope and protrusions to correct thickness differences and enhance light distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional illumination units use PMMA material with thickness of 1 mm or more, then structural strength is sufficient, but flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination unit is divided into multiple functional layers: light source layer, light guiding layer with first patterns, reflecting layer, and diffusing layer with second patterns. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized independently - the light guiding layer provides structural support while the patterned layers enable thin profile and flexibility without compromising overall strength
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs thin film structures throughout, with the light guiding layer and diffusing layer formed as thin patterns rather than solid blocks. This reduces the overall thickness from conventional 1 mm or more to a much thinner profile while maintaining sufficient structural strength through the patterned design that distributes mechanical stress
2Area of stationary object
If illumination units are installed in large area, then coverage is improved, but flexibility is lost due to requirement of light sources at four sides
Solution Approach 1:
The light guiding layer serves multiple functions simultaneously: it guides light from the source, provides structural support, and through its patterned design enables both thin profile and flexibility. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate support structures at four sides, allowing large-area installations to maintain flexibility with simplified light source configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces patterned structures in the light guiding layer and diffusing layer that create optical paths in multiple dimensions. The first patterns in the light guiding layer and second patterns in the diffusing layer work together to distribute light uniformly across large areas while maintaining the thin, flexible form factor through vertical layering rather than horizontal expansion
3Strength
If additional adhesion layers are added, then bonding strength is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the adhesion function into the patterned layers themselves. The light guiding layer and diffusing layer are formed with patterns that inherently provide bonding surfaces and adhesion areas, eliminating the need for separate adhesion layers. This integration maintains bonding strength while reducing overall device complexity and manufacturing steps
Solution Approach 2:
The patterned structures in the light guiding layer and diffusing layer serve dual purposes: their primary optical function and their adhesion function. The patterns themselves create the bonding interfaces needed to hold the structure together, allowing the structure to be self-sufficient without additional dedicated adhesion components
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 enables flexible surface lighting with high light efficiency, preventing glaring and ensuring constant light emission from different angles, while maintaining productivity and design freedom by integrating light sources in a thin, efficient structure.
Implementation Method 1
a refract guiding unit formed between the light source and the light guiding unit and concentrating total light input by refracting at least a part of light input from the light source to guide the light to the light guiding unit
Implementation Method 2
a light guiding unit for dispersing light input from light source through patterns formed in the light guiding unit
Implementation Method 3
a reflecting unit formed at a lower part of the light guiding unit to reflect light being out among dispersed light of the light guiding unit
Implementation Method 4
a diffusing unit adjoining an upper part of the light guiding unit and scattering light dispersed from the light guiding unit
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a surface lighting apparatus. According to the present invention, the surface lighting apparatus comprises a light guiding unit for dispersing light input from light source through patterns formed in the light guiding unit, a reflecting unit formed at a lower part of the light guiding unit to reflect light being out among dispersed light of the light guiding unit, a diffusing unit adjoining an upper part of the light guiding unit and scattering light dispersed from the light guiding unit, and a refract guiding unit formed between the light source and the light guiding unit and concentrating total light input by refracting at least a part of light input from the light source to guide the light to the light guiding unit.