Vehicle Lighting Fixture Light Guide Plate Curvature

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vehicle lighting fixtures with circular arc-shaped light guide plates suffer from reduced visual recognizability when viewed from the front oblique direction due to their flat light emission surface, leading to performance degradation.

Innovation Solution

The vehicle lighting fixture employs a light guide plate formed in a substantially circular truncated conical shape with recessed lens cut surfaces on the front emission surface and V grooves on the rear surface, configured to diffuse and reflect light uniformly, enhancing visual recognizability and aesthetic appeal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the light guide plate has a flat front light emission surface, then the manufacturing is simple, but the visual recognizability when viewed from the front oblique direction is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidvisual recognizability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The front light emission surface is formed with a circular arc shape instead of a flat surface. This curvature allows the light guide plate to be visually recognized from front oblique directions while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through injection molding processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention transitions from a two-dimensional flat surface to a three-dimensional circular arc surface. This dimensional change enables the light guide plate to maintain its light-emitting function while gaining visual recognizability from multiple viewing angles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Loss of information

If the light guide plate is formed in a circular truncated conical shape with recessed lens cut surfaces, then the visual recognizability is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisual recognizabilityVSAvoidstructural complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The light guide plate integrates multiple functions into a single component: light guidance, light emission, and visual identification. The circular arc-shaped front surface and recessed lens cut surfaces serve both aesthetic/functional purposes and structural purposes, reducing the need for additional separate components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention combines the light-emitting function with the visual identification function in a single integrated structure. The front light emission surface with its circular arc shape and recessed lens cut surfaces simultaneously performs light emission and provides visual recognizability, eliminating the need for separate visual identification elements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Device complexity

If the light guide plate has a flat front surface, then the structural complexity is low, but the light distribution uniformity when viewed from oblique directions is poor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural complexityVSAvoidlight distribution uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The circular arc-shaped front light emission surface distributes light more uniformly across different viewing angles. The curvature of the surface ensures that light rays are emitted at varying angles, creating a more uniform light distribution pattern when viewed from front oblique directions compared to a flat surface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

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 configuration improves light distribution and visual recognizability when viewed from the front oblique direction, providing a uniform light projection and preventing moiré patterns during light source activation and deactivation.

Implementation Method 1

a light guide plate (20) having a front light emission surface (20c)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTotal internal reflection: Total Internal Reflection

Implementation Method 2

a structural body (20d1) provided to the rear surface (20d) of the light guide plate (20), configured to diffuse and reflect light guided within the light guide plate (20)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDiffusion: Diffusion

Implementation Method 3

V grooves on the rear surface, configured to diffuse and reflect light uniformly

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectReflection: Reflection

Data Source

PatentEP3315854B1Vehicle lighting fixture
Publication Date: 2020.12.09 STANLEY ELECTRIC CO LTD
  • EP3315854B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3315854B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3315854B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

A vehicle lighting fixture (10) utilizing a light guide plate (20) with a circular arc shape and capable of improving the visual recognizability of the light guide plate (20) when seen from its front oblique direction is provided. The vehicle lighting fixture (10) includes: a light guide plate (20) having a first end portion (20a), a second end portion (20b), a front light emission surface (20c) extending between the first end portion (20a) and the second end portion (20b) in a circular arc shape, a rear surface (20d) opposite to the front light emission surface (20c), an inner peripheral surface 20e, an outer peripheral surface 20f, a plurality of lens cut surfaces (20c1) formed in the front light emission surface (20c) to extend in a circular arc shape, the lens cut surfaces (20c1) being recessed rearward and formed in a concentric manner; and a structural body (20d1) provided to the rear surface (20d) of the light guide plate (20), the structural body (20d1) being configured to diffuse and reflect light guided within the light guide plate (20) in order for the light to exit through the front light emission surface (20c). The light guide plate (20) is formed in a substantially circular truncated conical shape where a part of the light guide plate (20) on an outer peripheral side is located rearward more than a part of the light guide plate (20) on an inner peripheral side is.