Vehicle Illumination System With Stepped Light Guides
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing illumination systems in vehicles struggle to achieve homogeneous and continuous light emission across elongated geometries, leading to discontinuities and increased heat generation, which complicates the design and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
The illumination system comprises two or more primary light guides with partial overlap, a secondary light guide positioned between the primary light guides and the light extraction surface, and a constant distance maintained between light output surfaces and input surfaces to ensure homogeneous light distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a continuous printed circuit board with a higher number of LED elements is used to cover the entire elongated geometry, then the illumination coverage and continuity are improved, but the device cost and heat generation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination system is divided into multiple independent light guides (first, second, and third light guides) positioned at different depths. Each light guide is illuminated by separate LED elements, allowing the system to achieve continuous illumination coverage using a limited number of LED elements rather than requiring a continuous strip of LEDs along the entire geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guides are nested in a stepped configuration at different depths relative to the illumination surface. The first light guide is at a first depth, the second light guide is at a second depth, and the third light guide is at a third depth, creating a layered structure that maximizes illumination coverage while minimizing the number of required LED elements.
2Illumination intensity
If a continuous printed circuit board with a higher number of LED elements is used to cover the entire elongated geometry, then the illumination coverage is improved, but the heat generation and temperature increase leading to more complicated design
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination system is divided into multiple independent light guides (first, second, and third light guides) positioned at different depths. Each light guide is illuminated by separate LED elements, allowing the system to achieve continuous illumination coverage using a limited number of LED elements rather than requiring a continuous strip of LEDs along the entire geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the continuous LED element configuration from the system, replacing it with discrete LED elements that illuminate separate light guides. This extraction eliminates the need for a continuous circuit board and reduces the overall heat generation while maintaining illumination coverage.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional illumination systems are used to illuminate new geometries, then the device can perform auxiliary illumination functions, but the configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination system is designed to perform multiple functions including conventional illumination, auxiliary illumination, and aesthetic illumination effects. The stepped light guide configuration enables the system to achieve various illumination patterns and effects while maintaining a relatively simple and compact structure that can be integrated into different vehicle applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables dynamic illumination effects through the stepped light guide configuration, allowing different regions to be illuminated independently or in sequence to create moving or changing illumination patterns. This dynamic capability is achieved without requiring complex mechanical moving parts, maintaining system simplicity while providing versatile illumination functions.
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 prevents intensity losses and provides a homogeneous, continuous light effect across the illuminated geometry, reducing heat generation and design complexity while maintaining a smaller number of LEDs.
Implementation Method 1
Each primary light guide comprises at least one end configured to receive light beams generated by at least one light emitting element
Implementation Method 2
each of the primary light guides comprising at least one light extraction optics zone configured to direct at least part of the light beams transmitted by the respective primary light guide towards the light extraction surface
Implementation Method 3
a secondary light guide arranged between the primary light guides and the light extraction surface of the device where it is installed
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The present invention relates to an illumination system which is installed in light signaling devices in vehicles or, generally, to illumination devices in vehicles, including for example the headlights, lamps or similar devices in vehicles, wherein the illumination system comprises a secondary light guide which is installed, coupled to the overlapping configuration of the different primary light guides, with a constant being maintained between the distances of light input and output of the secondary light guide with the contiguous elements, that is to say, of the entire guide from which light enters and with respect to the light extraction surface of the illumination device. The invention also relates to the device which includes the illumination system as well as to the vehicle which comprises the above illumination device.