8 patents in this list

Updated:

Automotive lighting systems endure harsh conditions, from temperature extremes to constant vibrations, demanding durability and reliability. As vehicles advance, lighting must keep pace, offering not just illumination but safety and communication. Extending the service life of these systems is crucial, reducing maintenance costs and enhancing vehicle performance.

Challenges lie in managing heat, ensuring consistent brightness, and detecting potential failures before they occur. Components must withstand thermal stress and maintain functionality over time, adapting to varying driving conditions. Balancing these factors without compromising performance is a key concern for engineers and manufacturers.

This page explores technical strategies to address these challenges, including advanced heat management techniques, adaptive circuit designs, and predictive maintenance systems. These solutions aim to enhance the longevity and reliability of automotive lighting, providing consistent performance and improved safety for drivers and passengers alike.

1. Semiconductor Light-Emitting Device with Pixel Array and Barrier Walls for Controlled Emission Pattern

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., 2023

A pixel-type semiconductor light-emitting device and vehicle headlamp that provides optimized illumination performance, contrast, brightness, and cut-off without increased complexity and power consumption. The light-emitting device has an array of pixels with light-emitting structures surrounded by barrier walls. Fluorescent layers on the structures emit light. The barrier walls shape the light emission pattern and prevent mixing between pixels. Some pixels have individual fluorescent layers, while others have a continuous layer. This allows different light distributions and intensities between adjacent pixels without cross-talk.

US11735698B2-patent-drawing

2. Light-Emitting Module with Grooved Graphite Member and Embedded Metal Inserts for Enhanced Heat Transfer

NICHIA CORPORATION, 2023

A light-emitting module with improved heat dissipation and reliability. It uses a graphite member with grooves and embedded metal inserts, along with a metal member, to transfer heat more uniformly from the LED substrate. The graphite member is sandwiched between the LED substrate and another substrate, and the metal inserts in its grooves provide high thermal conductivity paths to dissipate heat.

US11725796B2-patent-drawing

3. Automotive Lamp with Scanning Light Source and Abnormality Detection Control System

KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., 2023

Automotive lamp employing a scanning light source for dynamic control of the light distribution ahead of the vehicle. The lamp includes a control system to detect abnormalities in the light source operation. Abnormality detection is performed by comparing the instruction signal to turn the light on/off with the actual detection of the light state at specific judgment timings.

US11729875B2-patent-drawing

4. Multi-Sided Modular LED Light Bar with Flat-Sided Faces and Integrated Components

DVA Holdings LLC, 2022

An improved LED lighting assembly with a multi-sided modular LED light bar that addresses issues like misalignment, assembly difficulties, and reliability of conventional linear LED tubes. The multi-sided LED light bar has multiple flat-sided faces that intersect at angles. The LED emitters, heat sink, and driver are arranged inside the multi-sided array. The bar can have 2, 3, or more sides. The parallel-series wiring, internal driver, and redundancy improve reliability. The modular design allows customizable length and emitter count. The lack of wiring connections simplifies installation. The flat sides enable even light distribution without a curved tube.

US11441758B2-patent-drawing

5. Vehicle Lighting Predictive Maintenance System Utilizing Onboard AI and Accelerated Neural Networks for Failure Detection

Micron Technology, Inc., 2021

Predictive maintenance of vehicle lighting using onboard artificial intelligence and accelerated neural networks to proactively detect and mitigate lighting failures before they occur. The system analyzes sensor data from the vehicle to identify degradation or issues with the lighting components. It uses accelerated neural networks on a dedicated storage device to process the sensor data and predict when lighting components will fail. This allows proactive maintenance scheduling rather than reactive failure repair.

US20210049834A1-patent-drawing

6. Multi-Sided Modular LED Light Bar with Flat-Sided Non-Curvilinear Tubular Array

Michael W. May, 2020

An LED lighting assembly with a multi-sided modular LED light bar that provides advantages like improved efficiency, redundancy, scalability, and easier installation compared to conventional linear LED tubes. The multi-sided LED light bar has multiple flat sides, forming a non-curvilinear tubular array. The sides can contain modular LED boards and a central driver board. This design allows parallel-series wiring, redundancy, and scalability compared to conventional series wiring. The modular construction enables easy length scaling and board replacement. The flat sides also enable lens covers to modify beam angles. The driver is optional and can be inside or outside the bar.

US10851974B2-patent-drawing

7. Vehicle Lighting Unit with Multi-Color LED Integration and Light Guide Module

LG INNOTEK CO., LTD., 2019

A lighting unit for vehicles that allows composite beams in multiple colors by integrating LEDs with different colors in the light source module. This allows tail lights, stop lights, turn signals, etc., to be integrated into a single unit with increased design flexibility and efficiency. The LEDs are mounted in the grooves of a light guide module. Another variation has separate light source modules with their own guides that interfere with creating composite beams. Optical fibers with reflective patterns are also inserted into the light guide to further enhance the light output.

8. Flexible Copper-Clad Laminate with Alternating Thermoplastic Polyimide and Polyimide Layers

Hyundai Motor Company, 2018

Flexible copper-clad laminate for vehicle LED lamps with improved heat dissipation and dimensional stability. The laminate has a composite layer with alternating thermoplastic polyimide (TPPI) and polyimide layers. The TPPI layers have a higher coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CTL) and lower modulus compared to the polyimide layers. The thickness ratio of TPPI to polyimide is adjusted to balance heat resistance, dimensional stability, and mechanical properties.

US9970617B2-patent-drawing

A variety of problems are addressed by these methods, such as component dependability, heat dissipation, and proactive maintenance. These developments can increase dependable and safe driving by extending the life and enhancing the performance of vehicle lighting systems.