Vehicle Blade Lighting With Virtual Light Sources for Uniform Emission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle lighting devices using blade-shaped light guides with multiple LEDs suffer from non-homogeneous light emission, which is difficult to address through increased source density or extended depth due to cost and dimensional constraints.
Innovation Solution
A lighting device with a first lighting body and a second lighting body configured for total internal reflection, combined with air lenses and divergent optics, to create a plurality of virtual light sources from a limited number of LEDs, ensuring high uniformity and compactness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the number of light sources is increased to improve light homogeneity, then the light uniformity improves, but the manufacturing cost and implementation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses optical elements to create virtual images of the light sources, effectively copying the light source appearance multiple times within the light guide. This allows a small number of physical LEDs to produce the visual effect of many light sources, achieving homogeneous light distribution without increasing the actual number of LEDs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces optical elements as intermediary components between the light sources and the light guide. These optical elements manipulate light propagation to distribute light more uniformly throughout the light guide, achieving homogeneous illumination without adding more light sources.
2Illumination intensity
If the depth of the light blade is extended to improve light homogeneity, then the light uniformity improves, but the device dimensions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from solving the light distribution problem in one dimension (increasing depth) to solving it in another dimension (adding optical elements perpendicular to the light propagation direction). This allows achieving homogeneous light distribution without extending the light blade depth.
Solution Approach 2:
Optical elements are introduced as intermediary components that manipulate light propagation within the existing light guide dimensions, enabling homogeneous light distribution without extending the device depth.
3Illumination intensity
If additional optical elements are inserted to improve light homogeneity, then the light uniformity improves, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the optical elements with the light guide structure, integrating multiple functions into a single component. This reduces the number of separate parts and simplifies manufacturing while achieving homogeneous light distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide structure is designed to serve multiple functions: guiding light propagation and containing the optical elements that ensure homogeneous distribution. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional dedicated components.
4Illumination intensity
If the number of light sources is increased to improve light homogeneity, then the light uniformity improves, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses optical elements to create virtual images of light sources, allowing a small number of physical LEDs to produce the visual effect of many light sources. This significantly reduces the number of expensive LED components needed while maintaining homogeneous light appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
Optical elements serve as intermediaries that enhance the light output from fewer LEDs, reducing the total number of LEDs required and thereby lowering manufacturing costs while achieving homogeneous illumination.
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
Achieves homogeneous and compact lighting with reduced LED count, lower manufacturing costs, and adaptability to various vehicle styles using a single operation principle.
Implementation Method 1
The first lighting body is configured to receive light in the form of a plurality of light beams from the first light sources on the side of the rear face (working in TIR - Total Internal Reflection), which is arranged parallel to the aforementioned predetermined trajectory, and to emit light through the front face
Implementation Method 2
the first and second optical elements of each first air lens are configured to collimate said plurality of light beams refracted by the rear face in a direction perpendicular to the previous collimation direction determined by said curved refractive surfaces delimiting the rear face
Implementation Method 3
the front face of the first lighting body is provided with a layer of divergent optics configured to receive a plurality of collimated light beams by the first air lenses and transform them into divergent light beams so as to form on the front face of the first lighting body a plurality of second virtual light sources
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A lighting device (1) including a plurality of light sources (2) arranged side-by-side and spaced from one another along a predetermined trajectory (T) and a blade-shaped first lighting body (4), delimited longitudinally between a front face (5) and a rear face (6) parallel to the predetermined trajectory; between the front and rear faces (5,6) first air lenses (8) are present, each being arranged at a light source (2) and including a first and a second collimating optical element (9,10); the front face (5) being provided with divergent optics (11) configured to form on the front face (5) a plurality of virtual light sources (14) arranged spaced from one another with a pitch smaller than the first light sources (2); a second blade lighting body (15) being arranged in front of the front face (5) of the first illuminating body (4), spaced from it by a second air lens (20).