Symmetrical Groove Structure for Glare-Free Light Deflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing focusing light-directing slats require complex tool geometries and result in varying prism contours, leading to high material consumption, precision issues, and glare due to asymmetrical sawtooth formations, making it difficult to achieve consistent light guidance and energy distribution across different slat widths and distances.
Innovation Solution
A planar preliminary product with a three-dimensional mirror structure featuring symmetrical, parallel grooves and ridges, where the angle between sidewalls remains constant, allowing for identical optical effects across varying slat widths and distances, achieved through a curvature process that maintains symmetry and sharp edges without solvents, enabling precise light deflection and glare-free performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If asymmetrical sawtooth prism structures are used for light deflection, then light guidance is achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases and precision decreases due to varying contours for each slat width
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry in reverse - it uses symmetrical prism structures (isosceles triangles) instead of asymmetrical sawtooth formations. Each prism has two equal sidewalls meeting at a constant apex angle, creating uniform contours across all slat widths. This symmetry eliminates the need for complex varying tool geometries while maintaining precise light deflection through consistent optical paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The symmetrical prism structure with constant apex angle serves as a universal solution for all slat widths and distances. The same basic prism geometry can be applied across different product variants, eliminating the need for dedicated tools for each configuration. The universal prism design maintains consistent optical performance while simplifying manufacturing across the product range.
2Reliability
If sol-gel coatings are applied to achieve prismatic shaping, then surface structure is formed, but adhesion fails and microfractures occur during coiling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent abandons the sol-gel coating approach entirely in favor of direct metal forming or alternative coating methods that do not require solvent admixture. By eliminating the problematic sol-gel process, the patent avoids adhesion failures and microfractures without compromising the prismatic structure formation, effectively discarding a unreliable process in favor of more robust manufacturing methods.
3Ease of manufacture
If solvents are added to sol-gel to improve processability, then viscosity decreases and application becomes easier, but fogging occurs causing color shifts in glass panes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful element - solvents - from the coating system. By eliminating solvent-based sol-gel coatings and replacing them with solvent-free alternatives or direct metal forming processes, the patent achieves both processability and optical clarity without fogging or color shifts in the final glass product.
4Ease of manufacture
If soft aluminium material is used for embossing prisms, then material formability improves, but slat elasticity decreases causing warping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter - transitioning from soft aluminium to harder, more elastic materials that can withstand embossing while maintaining structural stability. The new material selection provides sufficient formability for prism creation while retaining the elasticity needed to prevent warping and maintain slat straightness during and after the forming process.
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 simplifies tooling and production, achieves consistent light guidance and energy distribution across different slat widths and distances, reduces material consumption, and ensures glare-free performance by maintaining symmetry and sharp edges, even in microstructured films, while avoiding fogging and color shifts.
Implementation Method 1
The sidewalls F1 and F2 have surfaces which specularly reflect light in a glare-free manner substantially according to the law of reflection that angle of incidence is equal to angle of reflection
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a planar preliminary product for producing focusing light-directing slats having a top side and an underside. The top side and the underside are the largest sides in terms of area. The top side has a groove structure having parallel grooves and ridges in a longitudinal direction and having a multiplicity of sidewalls F1 and F2. A respective pair of sidewalls F1 and F2 forms a common ridge projecting on the top side. The sidewalls F1 and F2 are in each case at an angle with respect to one another which is at least approximately constant along the transverse direction and longitudinal direction of the groove structure. The top side has an overall contour defined by the vertices of the ridges. The sidewalls F1 and F2 of adjacent pairs are at an angle γ with respect to one another. The sidewalls F1 and F2 are symmetrical with respect to one another in relation to an area of symmetry, which is oriented at right angles with respect to the overall contour and is arranged at the location lying in the centre between the sidewalls F1 and F2. The angle γ between all pairs of sidewalls F1 and F2 is at least approximately constant. The sidewalls have a surface, which surfaces specularly reflect light substantially according to the law of reflection that angle of incidence is equal to angle of reflection.