Development of New Styling Lamp having a 3D Pattern

The signal lamps having various designs are being developed with the emergence of LED. In the early stage, the designs were usually developed in several dot shapes, and nowadays most designs are developed in lines by using light guide and in planes having uniform brightness. Moreover, the car manufacturers wish to have their own independent design that is unconventional and unique. We suggest the system that is capable of making 3D patterns on a thin plate by using the light guide in the optical medium and the pattern film that reflects the light only to the particular direction This system shows a similar 3D effect as multiple reflections from half mirror, but it can make 3D effect with simpler optical configuration. In addition, it does not only make simple straight lines, but also makes curves by adjusting the pattern shapes of the optical film. The optical film is developed by Roll-to-Roll process. This 3D pattern-realizing optical system is expected to be applied to many vehicles as it is capable of forming various designs. This paper covers the contents associated with the system design that realizes the 3D patterns and the process development.