TWM655238U - Covered multi-phase hybrid light guide structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an encapsulated multi-phase hybrid light-guiding structure, comprising: a light-guiding substrate for allowing a light ray to pass through; a light-entry surface, disposed on one side of the light-guiding substrate, the light-entry surface being suitable for coupling to a light source to receive the light ray; at least one light-emitting surface, disposed on at least one side of the light-guiding substrate, wherein the at least one light-emitting surface is disposed on at least one side different from the light-entry surface; and at least one light-guiding characteristic structure, disposed inside the light-guiding substrate, to receive the light ray entering from the light-entry surface, and to reflect and/or refract the light ray to the at least one light-emitting surface. The present invention is suitable for the application of light-guiding materials with optical multi-visual effect changes.

Description

Encapsulated multi-phase hybrid light guide structure

The invention provides a light-guiding structure, in particular a cladding multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure.

In addition to the well-known TVs and computer monitors, the daily life applications of optical display products include road signs, large billboards, signboards, information display screens, price displays, roof billboards, etc., as well as decorative lights, atmosphere lights and other decorative light sources or lamps that are not used to display information, covering the fields of entertainment, work, education, transportation, commercial activities, etc. With different occasions and application needs, there are a variety of light guide products with suitable size, energy consumption, and cost available, such as light guide plates, light guide strips, etc.

Take the light guide plate as an example. The light guide plate is a thin optical component used for lighting or display applications. Its main function is to guide the light from the light source and evenly distribute it to the surface of the light guide plate to achieve a uniform lighting effect of the lighting equipment or a uniform display effect of the display equipment. Light guide plates are generally used in backlight modules, such as LCD backlights, LED flat panel lights, light boxes, indicator lights, etc. Similar applications such as light guide strips are often used in decorative lights, atmosphere lights, etc. for e-sports, game consoles, entertainment and other industries to provide gorgeous lighting effects of different colors and brightness to quickly attract consumers' attention.

The design of light guide plates or light guide strips is generally achieved by texturing the surface, ensuring that light energy is reflected and refracted within the light guide plate, ultimately achieving uniform illumination or producing a specific light guide effect according to the surface pattern design. Generally, optical grade acrylic materials, such as optical grade acrylic or polycarbonate (PC) materials, are used, and then materials with extremely high refractive index and non-light absorbing are used to print light guide diffusion points or specific patterns on the surface of the optical grade acrylic material by, for example, laser engraving or screen printing. In this way, when light hits each light guide diffusion point or pattern, the reflected light will diffuse at various angles, and then different diffusion point pattern designs are used to guide and scatter the light to produce different visual effects.

It is known that the common manufacturing or processing methods of light guide plates or light guide strips in the market are to make their optical characteristic structures by methods such as dot printing, laser dotting or hot pressing, and these manufacturing methods are to make characteristic structures on the surface of the light guide plate or light guide strip. In order to achieve different light emission effects of the light guide strip, the known method is to make characteristic structures on each side of the light guide strip so that the light is emitted toward the positive and negative emission surfaces.

However, conventional light-guiding structures such as decorative lights and atmosphere lights all use the above-mentioned light-guiding methods. In addition to being able to directly use multiple light sources to produce different light effects, light-guiding structures such as light guide plates or light guide strips usually transform the original point light source into a line or surface, and print or laser to produce surface features such as dots on the surface, or carve grooves on the surface of the light-guiding structure to achieve uniform light emission or produce a specific pattern effect through a special appearance.

In addition, in the conventional method of manufacturing optical feature structures on the surface of light guide structures, the optical feature structures may be damaged due to exposure to harsh external environments, and because they are difficult to repair locally, they usually need to be directly replaced with new light guide structures due to difficulty in maintenance or high costs, resulting in increased costs and waste of resources.

Therefore, it is crucial to create new and diverse visual lighting effects based on the existing light guide structure and its original light source arrangement while protecting its optical characteristic structure.

In view of this, the present invention provides an encapsulated multi-phase hybrid light-guiding structure, which is designed by mixing light-guiding characteristic structures of different materials inside the light-guiding plate. Light-guiding characteristic structures with various materials, shapes, and optical characteristics can be mixed inside the light-guiding structure to produce different graphics and optical effects. Moreover, since it does not need to pass through the dots or graphic features on the surface, the light-guiding characteristic structure can be protected inside the material of the light-guiding plate and prevented from being affected by external factors.

One aspect of the present invention provides an encapsulated multi-phase hybrid light-guiding structure, comprising: a light-guiding substrate for allowing a light ray to pass through; a light-entry surface, disposed on one side of the light-guiding substrate, the light-entry surface being suitable for coupling to a light source to receive the light ray; at least one light-emitting surface, disposed on at least one side of the light-guiding substrate, wherein the at least one light-emitting surface is disposed on at least one side different from the light-entry surface; and at least one light-guiding characteristic structure, disposed inside the light-guiding substrate to receive the light ray entering from the light-entry surface, and to reflect and/or refract the light ray to the at least one light-emitting surface.

As described above, in the encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure, the at least one light-guiding characteristic structure is mixed into the light-guiding substrate when the light-guiding substrate is processed and formed.

In the aforementioned encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure, the at least one light-guiding characteristic structure does not contact the at least one light-emitting surface.

As mentioned above, in the encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure, the surface of the at least one light-emitting surface does not have a light-guiding pattern or a light-guiding structure.

As described above, the encapsulated multi-phase hybrid light-guiding structure, wherein the shape of the at least one light-guiding characteristic structure can be selected from at least one of the group consisting of a sphere, a star, an ellipse, a triangular prism, a tetrahedron, an octahedron, a polyhedron, a cone, and a column.

In the aforementioned encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure, the at least one light-guiding characteristic structure is light-diffusing powder.

In the aforementioned encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure, the at least one light-guiding characteristic structure is metal.

As described above, in the encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure, the at least one light-guiding characteristic structure is uniformly disposed in the light-guiding substrate.

As described above, in the encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure, the at least one light-guiding characteristic structure is disposed in the light-guiding substrate in a non-uniform manner.

In the aforementioned encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure, the material of the light-guiding substrate can be selected from at least one of the group consisting of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), methyl methacrylate-styrene (MS), and polystyrene (PS).

By placing the light-guiding characteristic structure inside the light-guiding substrate, the light-guiding characteristic structure of the novel encapsulated multi-phase hybrid light-guiding structure can be mixed with light-guiding characteristic structures of various materials, shapes, and optical characteristics to produce different patterns and optical effects. For example, by mixing the granular light-guiding characteristic structure into the light-guiding substrate, a visual lighting effect similar to the starry sky can be produced, or by making the light-guiding characteristic structure into a special shape, an optical multi-visual change effect of mixed visual effects of different patterns can be easily produced. In addition, since it does not need to place and make the characteristics such as dots or patterns on the surface, the light-guiding characteristic structure can be protected inside the light-guiding substrate and is not easily affected by external factors, thereby taking into account both durability and novel visual effects.

In order to explain the technical content of the present invention in detail, the following is further explained in combination with the implementation method and the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in the content of this article, terms such as "first", "second" and "third" are used to distinguish the differences between components, rather than to limit the components themselves or to indicate a specific order of components. In addition, in the content of this article, when a specific quantity is not specifically indicated, the article "a" refers to one component or more than one component.

In order to fully understand the purpose, features and effects of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail through the following specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the light guide structure of the prior art. The design of the conventional light guide structure 900 is to texture the surface or process it in a special way, for example, a light guide feature structure 930 is provided on the surface of the light exit surface 920, so that the light L from the light source 940 can enter from the light entrance surface 910 and be reflected and refracted in the conventional light guide structure 900 such as the light guide plate or the light guide strip. When the light L hits each light guide diffusion point, that is, the light guide feature structure 930, the reflected light L will diffuse to various angles, and then the light guide feature structure 930 of different designs or patterns is used to guide the light L to the light exit surface 920, so that the light guide plate or the light guide strip can emit light in various directions. The commonly known form or processing method of manufacturing the light-guiding characteristic structure 930 of the light-guiding structure 900 is to manufacture the light-guiding characteristic structure 930 by methods such as dot printing, laser dotting or hot pressing. These manufacturing methods all make the characteristic structure on the surface of the light-guiding structure, so there is the aforementioned problem of being easily contaminated or worn, and further processing is required after the light-guiding substrate is formed in order to obtain the desired visual optical effect.

2 is a schematic diagram of a structure of an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light guide structure in an embodiment of the present invention. The encapsulated multi-phase mixed light guide structure 10 of the present invention comprises a light guide substrate 100 , a light incident surface 110 , at least one light emitting surface 120 and at least one light guide characteristic structure 130 .

The light-guiding substrate 100 is the main light-guiding material of the light-guiding plate for allowing light L to pass through. In one embodiment, the material of the light-guiding substrate 100 can be selected from at least one of the group consisting of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), methyl methacrylate-styrene (MS), and polystyrene (PS).

The light incident surface 110 is disposed on one side of the light-guiding substrate 100. The light incident surface 110 is suitable for coupling to the light source 140 to receive the light L. In one embodiment, the light source 140 includes but is not limited to various color light sources such as LED and laser. In one embodiment, a plurality of light sources 140 can be disposed, and the light L is emitted into the light-guiding substrate 100 from the same light incident surface 110. In one embodiment, a plurality of light sources 140 can be disposed, and the light L can be emitted into the light-guiding substrate 100 from one or more light incident surfaces 110. In one embodiment, the above-mentioned light sources 140 can be the same or different from each other, such as different light intensities, different light wavelengths, different light emitting methods, different control methods, etc. In one embodiment, the above-mentioned light L can be the same or different from each other, such as different light intensities, different light wavelengths, different light emitting periods and frequencies, etc. For example, part of the light source 140 and its light L may emit light continuously, and another part of the light source 140 and its light L may emit light in a flashing manner at a fixed frequency, etc.

At least one light emitting surface 120 is disposed on at least one side of the light-guiding substrate 100. In one embodiment, the light emitting surface 120 may be one side. In another embodiment, the light emitting surface 120 may be a plurality of sides. In another embodiment, the light emitting surface 120 may be all sides except the light incident surface 110, that is, at least one light emitting surface 120 is disposed on at least one side different from the light incident surface 110. It should be noted that, in one embodiment, the light incident surface 110 may also be the light emitting surface 120 at the same time. In one embodiment, the appearance of the encapsulated multi-phase hybrid light-guiding structure 10 is not limited to a flat plate or a strip, that is, the shape of the light-guiding substrate 100 and its light emitting surface 120 may be a plane, a curved surface, a spherical surface, an irregular surface or a combination thereof, etc., and is not limited thereto. For example, one side of the light emitting surface 120 may be a plane, and the other side may be a curved surface, etc., so as to achieve different visual presentation effects.

At least one light-guiding characteristic structure 130 is disposed inside the light-guiding substrate 100 to receive the light L entering from the light-incident surface 110 and reflect and/or refract the light L to the light-exiting surface 120. In one embodiment, the light-guiding characteristic structure 130 is mixed into the light-guiding substrate 100 when the light-guiding substrate 100 is processed and formed. For example, the material of the light-guiding characteristic structure 130 is pre-mixed into the raw material of the formed light-guiding substrate 100 so that the material of the light-guiding characteristic structure 130 can be encapsulated in the light-guiding structure formed by the light-guiding substrate 100. Since the encapsulated light-guiding characteristic structure 130 and the light-guiding substrate 100 are in different phases, an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure 10 can be achieved, and it has the effect of easily processing and mixing a variety of different types and types of light-guiding characteristic structures 130.

In one embodiment, the light-guiding characteristic structure 130 does not contact the at least one light-emitting surface 120, that is, the light-guiding characteristic structure 130 is located inside the light-guiding substrate 100 and is not exposed outside. In one embodiment, since the light-guiding characteristic structure 130 of the encapsulated multi-phase hybrid light-guiding structure 10 is located inside the light-guiding substrate 100, the surface of the light-emitting surface 120 does not have any light-guiding pattern or light-guiding structure, during processing, it is only necessary to directly shape the light-guiding substrate 100 and the light-guiding characteristic structure 130, and there is no need to process additional patterns, dots, and surface structures for this purpose.

Figure 3 shows a structural schematic diagram of light-guiding characteristic structures of different shapes mixed in an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 shows a structural schematic diagram of light-guiding characteristic structures of uneven mixing in an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 shows a structural schematic diagram of light-guiding characteristic structures of different sizes mixed in an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention.

In one embodiment, please refer to FIG. 3 , the shape of the light-guiding characteristic structure 130 can be selected from at least one of the group consisting of a sphere, a star, an ellipse, a triangular prism, a tetrahedron, an octahedron, a polyhedron, a cone, and a column, and is not limited thereto. Any shape that can be thought of or transformed by a person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs through the content and concept disclosed by the present invention belongs to the scope of the present invention. Among them, please refer to FIG. 3 , the light-guiding characteristic structure 130 is taken as an example of a star, and by pre-processing the light-guiding characteristic structure 130, it can be made into different specific shapes and different sizes through processes such as polymerization and cutting to achieve different light-shaped effects. For example, as shown in FIG5 , FIG5 shows examples of light-guiding feature structures 130 of different sizes. Through light-guiding feature structures 130 of different sizes and their specific shapes, multiple reflection scattering can be achieved compared to light-guiding feature structures 130 of smaller volumes, and a more obvious graphic shape effect can be achieved. In one embodiment, the aforementioned various specific structures can be mixed and used interchangeably, that is, the light-guiding feature structure 130 can be mixed with a combination of spheres, stars and other shapes at the same time, and is not limited to being a single shape. Thus, by disposing light-guiding feature structures 130 of different shapes and sizes inside the light-guiding substrate 100, light-guiding feature structures 130 of various materials, shapes, and optical properties can be mixed and disposed in the encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure 10 to produce different patterns and optical effects. For example, by mixing granular light-guiding feature structures 130 into the light-guiding substrate 100, a visual lighting effect similar to the starry sky can be produced, or by making the light-guiding feature structure 130 into a special shape, an optical multi-visual changing effect of mixed visual effects of different patterns can be easily produced. In addition, since it does not need to set and manufacture features such as dots or patterns on the surface, the light-guiding feature structure 130 can be protected inside the light-guiding substrate 100 and is not easily affected by external factors, thereby taking into account both durability and novel visual effects.

In one embodiment, the light-guiding characteristic structure 130 may be a light-diffusing powder. In one embodiment, the light-guiding characteristic structure 130 may be a metal. By using light-guiding characteristic structures 130 with different shapes, sizes, and characteristics, different visual optical effects can be produced according to needs. For example, when the light-guiding characteristic structure 130 is a light-diffusing powder, a fine-point luminous effect distributed over a large range can be achieved. For another example, when the light-guiding characteristic structure 130 is a metal, a metallic gloss effect of metal surface cutting can be achieved.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 2 , the light-guiding characteristic structures 130 are processed and disposed in the light-guiding substrate 100 in a uniformly mixed manner, thereby achieving a uniformly mixed distribution effect. In one embodiment, the light-guiding characteristic structures 130 are disposed in the light-guiding substrate 100 in a non-uniformly mixed manner, referring to FIG. 4 , the distribution state of the light-guiding characteristic structures 130 includes a sparse portion 131 and a dense portion 132, and wherein the distance between the plurality of light-guiding characteristic structures 130 in the sparse portion 131 is greater than the distance between the plurality of light-guiding characteristic structures 130 in the dense portion 132, that is, the light-guiding characteristic structures 130 are distributed in a sparse and dense manner, thereby achieving a differentiated optical visual effect in different regions. Furthermore, by mixing different amounts of the light-guiding feature structure 130 at different stages during processing, the light-guiding feature structure 130 can be adjusted in a sparse manner with a dense portion 131 and a dense portion 132 for a specific area. In the denser area of the light-guiding feature structure 130 (i.e., the dense portion 132), the brightness of the light L reflected will be higher. Conversely, in the sparser area of the light-guiding feature structure 130 (i.e., the sparse portion 131), the brightness of the light L reflected will be lower.

Figure 6A shows a schematic diagram of a sphere in which the light-guiding characteristic structure of the encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6B shows a schematic diagram of a star in which the light-guiding characteristic structure of the encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6C shows a schematic diagram of a quadrangular pyramid in which the light-guiding characteristic structure of the encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6D shows a schematic diagram of an octahedron in which the light-guiding characteristic structure of the encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6E shows a schematic diagram of a cylinder in which the light-guiding characteristic structure of the encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6F shows a schematic diagram of a triangular prism in which the light-guiding characteristic structure of the encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention. By changing the shape of at least one light-guiding characteristic structure 130 into a variety of forms, for example, it can be selected from at least one of the group consisting of a sphere, a star, an ellipse, a triangular prism, a tetrahedron, an octahedron, a polyhedron, a cone, a column or other various shapes. For example, the spherical structure of FIG. 6A can make the light evenly reflected in all directions; for example, the star of FIG. 6B can have a specific light-emitting appearance; for example, the octahedron of FIG. 6D can be used and designed for light reflection at a specific angle compared to the sphere, and therefore this shape is not limited to eight faces, and it can have a polyhedron with a multi-faceted form; for example, the triangular prism of FIG. 6F, through its single-bevel form, its asymmetric structure can make the light easier to reflect in a single direction, so that the light can move forward uniformly to enhance the light intensity of a specific area, etc. This achieves different optical mixed visual effects.

In summary, through the encapsulated multi-phase hybrid light-guiding structure of the present invention, light-guiding characteristic structures with various materials, shapes, and optical characteristics can be mixed and arranged in the encapsulated multi-phase hybrid light-guiding structure to produce different patterns and optical effects. For example, by mixing a granular light-guiding characteristic structure in a light-guiding substrate, a visual lighting effect similar to the starry sky can be produced, or by making the light-guiding characteristic structure into a special shape, an optical multi-visual change effect of mixed visual effects of different patterns can be easily produced. In addition, since it does not need to set and make features such as dots or patterns on the surface, the light-guiding characteristic structure can be protected inside the light-guiding substrate and is not easily affected by external factors, thereby taking into account both durability and novel visual effects.

The present invention has been disclosed in the above with the preferred embodiment, but those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiment is only used to describe the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that all changes and substitutions equivalent to the embodiment should be included in the scope of the present invention, and the above embodiments can be combined and changed in any way. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be based on the scope defined by the patent application.

10: Encapsulated multi-phase hybrid light-guiding structure 100: Light-guiding substrate 110: Light-entry surface 120: Light-exit surface 130: Light-guiding characteristic structure 131: Sparse part 132: Dense part 140: Light source 900: Known light-guiding structure 910: Light-entry surface 920: Light-exit surface 930: Light-guiding characteristic structure 940: Light source L: Light

FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a light-guiding structure of the prior art; FIG2 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention; FIG3 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of light-guiding characteristic structures of different shapes mixed in an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention; FIG4 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of light-guiding characteristic structures of uneven mixing in an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention; FIG5 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of light-guiding characteristic structures of different sizes mixed in an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention; FIG6A is a schematic diagram showing the light-guiding characteristic structure of an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention as a sphere; FIG. 6B shows a schematic diagram of a light-guiding characteristic structure of an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention as a star; FIG. 6C shows a schematic diagram of a light-guiding characteristic structure of an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention as a tetrahedron; FIG. 6D shows a schematic diagram of an light-guiding characteristic structure of an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention as an octahedron; FIG. 6E shows a schematic diagram of a light-guiding characteristic structure of an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention as a cylinder; FIG. 6F shows a schematic diagram of a light-guiding characteristic structure of an encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure in an embodiment of the present invention as a triangular prism.

10: Encapsulated multi-phase hybrid light-guiding structure

100: Light-guiding substrate

110: Light-entering surface

120: Bright surface

130: Light-guiding characteristic structure

140: Light source

L: Light

Claims (10)

A wrapped multi-phase hybrid light-guiding structure comprises: a light-guiding substrate for allowing a light ray to pass through; a light-entry surface disposed on one side of the light-guiding substrate, the light-entry surface being suitable for coupling to a light source to receive the light ray; at least one light-emitting surface disposed on at least one side of the light-guiding substrate, wherein the at least one light-emitting surface is disposed on at least one side different from the light-entry surface; and at least one light-guiding characteristic structure disposed inside the light-guiding substrate to receive the light ray entering from the light-entry surface and reflect and/or refract the light ray to the at least one light-emitting surface. The encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one light-guiding characteristic structure is mixed into the light-guiding substrate when the light-guiding substrate is processed and formed. The encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one light-guiding characteristic structure does not contact the at least one light-emitting surface. The encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure as described in claim 1, wherein the surface of at least one light-emitting surface does not have a light-guiding pattern or a light-guiding structure. As described in claim 1, the shape of the at least one light-guiding characteristic structure can be selected from at least one of the group consisting of a sphere, a star, an ellipse, a triangular prism, a tetrahedron, an octahedron, a polyhedron, a cone, and a column. The encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one light-guiding characteristic structure is light diffusing powder. An encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure as described in claim 1, wherein at least one light-guiding characteristic structure is metal. The encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one light-guiding characteristic structure is uniformly arranged in the light-guiding substrate. An encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one light-guiding characteristic structure is arranged in the light-guiding substrate in a non-uniform manner. The encapsulated multi-phase mixed light-guiding structure as described in claim 1, wherein the material of the light-guiding substrate can be selected from at least one of the group consisting of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), methyl methacrylate-styrene (MS), and polystyrene (PS).

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