Vehicle Lighting Tool Light Guide Body Thickness Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle lighting tools face challenges in efficiently guiding light from different colored light sources while maintaining a reduced thickness of the light guide body, as they require complex structures and increased size due to differing optical paths.
Innovation Solution
A lighting tool design featuring a light guide body with inclined surfaces and abutting sections that allow light from facing light sources to be reflected and guided in the same direction, reducing the thickness and complexity of the light guide body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If light sources having different colored lights are disposed separately and lights are made to enter the light guide body from different positions, then the lighting tool can achieve diverse colored light emission, but the structure of incident sections becomes complicated and the size of the light guide body is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple incident sections into a single integrated incident section structure. The light guide body has one incident section that receives light from multiple light sources having different colored lights, eliminating the need for separate incident sections for each light source. This combining approach simplifies the overall structure while maintaining the capability to emit diverse colored lights.
Solution Approach 2:
The single incident section is designed to serve multiple functions by accommodating light from different light sources with different colors. The incident section structure is universal in that it can handle various light sources simultaneously, performing multiple functions (receiving white light, orange light, red light, etc.) through a single interface rather than requiring dedicated sections for each light source.
2Ease of operation
If lights from different incident sections are reflected by inclined surfaces inclined in opposite directions, then the light can be guided in the same direction, but the thickness of the light guide body should be increased (doubled)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the reflection functions for different light sources into a single reflection section with one pair of inclined surfaces. Instead of having separate reflection sections for each light source (which would require opposite inclinations and double the thickness), the design uses one reflection section that handles light from multiple incident sections, thereby maintaining the same light guidance direction without increasing the thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the spatial arrangement by positioning the reflection section such that it receives light from multiple incident sections located at different positions. The inclined surfaces are oriented to reflect light from these different positions into a common direction, effectively using the third dimension (depth/thickness) efficiently without requiring additional thickness.
3Reliability
If the light guide body is designed according to the difference in optical paths for lights entering from different incident sections, then each light path can be optimized, but the designing complexity and the thickness of the light guide body are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the optical path design into a unified structure where a single reflection section and light guide section handle light from multiple incident sections. This unified design approach maintains optical path optimization for different colored lights while avoiding the complexity of designing separate optimized paths for each light source, thereby reducing overall design complexity.
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 design efficiently guides light from different positions into a single optical path, reducing the thickness of the light guide body and simplifying the structure, while maintaining effective light emission with different colored lights.
Implementation Method 1
a reflection section that includes a pair of inclined surfaces disposed between the first incident section and the second incident section and inclined in opposite directions with each other... and that is configured to reflect the light entering from the first incident section and the second incident section in a same direction using the pair of inclined surfaces
Implementation Method 2
a light guide section configured to guide the light reflected by the reflection section... configured to guide light from the first light source and the second light source in a same direction
Data Source
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Figure 3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
In a lighting tool for a vehicle, a part (L4) of light (L) emitted from a light source (7A) which is either one of a first light source (7A) and a second light source (7B) enters from an incident section (11A) which is one of a first incident section (11A) and a second incident section (11B), passes through the light guide body (9) at a side closer to a light guide section (13) than an abutting section (16c), and is emitted from another incident section (11B) toward another light source (7B) and then reflected by the another light source (7B), and a part of light (L4) reflected by the another light source (7B) enters from the another incident section (11B) and then is reflected toward the light guide section (13) by an inclined surface (16b).