Light emitting panel assemblies for use in automotive applications and the like
View Patent ↗Light emitting panel assemblies include in one form of the invention a light emitting panel member made of a transparent resiliently deformable elastomeric material that absorbs impact without breakage for use in automotive lighting applications of various types. In another form of the invention, a rigid light emitting panel member may be used with dome switches for switch area lighting or to backlight control buttons/key pads. Also, a rigid light emitting panel member may be used as a structural member, and two or more such light emitting panel members may be stacked together and used to light an instrument panel or the like.
1. A light emitting assembly for vehicle illumination comprising a light guide having opposite sides and at least one light input surface along at least one edge of said light guide, one or more light emitting diodes along said light input surface for receiving light from said light emitting diodes and conducting the light from said edge for emission of the light from at least one of said sides, a plurality of light extracting deformities on at least one of said sides, said deformities having shapes for controlling an output ray angle distribution of emitted light to suit a particular application, and a transparent substrate overlying at least one of said sides, said substrate providing an exterior portion of a vehicle for vehicle illumination at said exterior portion.
2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said substrate comprises at least one of a sheet, film, lens and plate.
3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said substrate is attached to said light guide.
4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said substrate is positioned against said light guide.
5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said substrate covers said at least one of said sides.
6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said deformities are at least one of depressions and raised surfaces on at least one of said sides.
7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said deformities vary on at least one of said sides.
8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of said deformities is at least one of prismatic, lenticular and other device that changes the output ray angle distribution.
9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said light emitting diodes are attached to a circuit.
10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said light emitting diodes are embedded, potted, bonded or molded into said light guide.
11. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said deformities are on more than one of said sides.
12. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said deformities are on both sides of said light guide.
13. The assembly of claim 1 wherein at least some deformities are on said substrate.
14. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said substrate has at least one of a prismatic lens, lenticular lens, and other device that changes the output ray angle distribution.
15. The assembly of claim 1 wherein more than one said substrate overlies said light guide.
16. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said substrate has deformities on at least one surface of said substrate, said deformities on said substrate having shapes for controlling an output ray angle distribution of emitted light to suit a particular application, at least some of the deformities on at least one of said light guide and said substrate varying relative to one another in at least one of the following characteristics: size, shape, placement, index of refraction, density, angle, depth, height and type.
17. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the variations in the deformities are random.
18. The assembly of claim 16 wherein said substrate comprises at least one of a sheet, film, lens and plate.
19. The assembly of claim 16 wherein said substrate has reflective and refractive surfaces.
20. The assembly of claim 16 wherein said substrate has a coating.
21. The assembly of claim 16 wherein more than one said substrate overlies said light guide.
22. The assembly of claim 16 wherein at least one side of at least one of said substrate and said light guide is prismatic or lenticular.
23. The assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of said light guide and said substrate has at least one of a coating and surface treatment that changes, wherein the changes in said at least one of the coating and surface treatment are at least one of the following: density, color, index of refraction, reflection, opaqueness, translucence, area, depth, shape, size and type.
24. The assembly of claim 23 wherein said at least one of the coating and surface treatment are at least one of the following: paint, ink, coating and epoxy.
25. The assembly of claim 23 wherein the coating is selected to improve at least one of the following: color correction, opaqueness, diffusion, reflection, translucence and transmission of light.
26. The assembly of claim 23 wherein at least one side of at least one of said light guide and said substrate is at least one of prismatic, lenticular and other device that changes the output ray angle distribution.
27. The assembly of claim 23 wherein the coating on at least one of said light guide and said substrate randomly changes.
28. The assembly of claim 23 wherein the surface treatment of at least one of said light guide and said substrate randomly changes.
29. The assembly of claim 23 wherein at least one side of at least one of said light guide and said substrate varies in shape or geometry.
30. The assembly of claim 29 wherein the shape or geometry of said one side randomly varies.
31. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said substrate provides protection for the light guide.
32. The assembly of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of said light emitting diodes along said light input surface.
33. The assembly of claim 1 wherein at least some of said deformities include prismatic surfaces having angles that vary.