权利要求：
Claims
1. An integrated functional multilayer structure (100, 200, 300, 350, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000), comprising a flexible, preferably 3D-formable and thermoplastic, substrate film (102), circuitry (104, 105, 106) provided upon the substrate film, said circuitry comprising a first light source (104) containing at least one light-emission unit, optionally LED, and a monolithic lightguide layer (108) molded upon the substrate film so as to cover and optically couple to the first light source (104), the lightguide layer (108) comprising optically attenuating, translucent material, wherein the lightguide layer (108) comprises a first surface (108 A) and an opposite second surface (108B), the second surface (108B) facing the first light source (104) and a portion of the first surface (108 A) containing, within a first distance (H) from the first light source (104), a pre-defined outcoupling area (112) for the light emitted by the first light source (104) and transmitted within the lightguide layer (108), said lightguide layer (108) further containing a light leakage prohibition region (114) nonoverlapping with the outcoupling area (112) and separated from the first light source (104) by at least a second, preferably greater, distance (D), and the attenuation of emitted light effectuated on a direct optical path between the first light source (104) and the outcoupling area (112) is less than the attenuation effectuating on a shortest, optionally also direct, optical path between the first light source (104) and the light leakage prohibition region (114), and further wherein the optical transmittance of the translucent material of the lightguide layer is between about 25% and about 80% at selected wavelengths of about 2 mm thick sample of the translucent material while the associated half power angle is between about 5 and about 70 degrees.
2. The stmcture of claim 1, wherein said first light source (104) has direct lines of sight (LOS) free of light blocking elements both with the outcoupling area (112) and the light leakage prohibition region (114).
3. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein a light depletion distance (DD) from the first light source indicative of dominant intensity loss of the emitted light at selected, preferably at least visible, wavelengths of light emitted by the first light source while propagating in the translucent material, is between the first (H) and second (D) distances.
4. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein the light leakage prohibition region (114) comprises or consists of a portion of the first surface (108 A) of the lightguide layer (108), said portion being optionally visually perceivable externally.
5. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein the light leakage prohibition region (114) defines a selected, optionally essentically cubical, cuboidal or cylindrical, sub-volume of the lightguide layer (108) optionally extending through the lightguide layer (108) in a direction spanning the first (108 A) and second (108B) surfaces.
6. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein
• the light leakage prohibition region (114) defining a portion of the first surface of the lightguide layer exhibits luminance uniformity of at least 50% responsive to the light of the first light source outcoupled therethrough; and/or
• the outcoupling area (112) exhibits luminance uniformity of at least about 70% responsive to the light of the first light source outcoupled therethrough.
7. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein the light leakage prohibition region defines a portion of the first surface of the lightguide layer and the intensity of light of the first light source outcoupled via the light leakage prohibition region via said portion of the first surface of the lightguide layer is dominantly less than of the light emitted by the first light source at selected, preferably at least visible, wavelengths and outcoupled via the outcoupling area.
8. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein the second distance (D) is about 1.2, 1.5, 2, 3, 4 or 5 times greater than the first distance (H).
9. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein the at least first light source ( 104) comprises
• top-emitting, side-emitting, dual side emitting, or bottom emitting and optionally flip-chip type light-emission unit, such as a LED;
• multiple light-emission units (104a) packaged or at least grouped together; and/or
• a multicolor or specifically RGB LED of several LED emitters provided within a single package.
10. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein (300) at least the first light source is associated with at least one further outcoupling area, the first and further outcoupling areas optionally having a light blocking element (122) at least partially in between.
11. The stmcture of any preceding claim, wherein the shortest distance between the first light source (104) and the outcoupling area (112) is equal or less than the first distance (H), and less than about 20 mm, more preferably less than about 10 mm, even more preferably less than about 8 mm, and most preferably less than about 5 mm.
12. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein the thickness of the lightguide layer (108) of translucent material is about 10 mm or less, more preferably about 5 mm or less.
13. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein the translucent material comprises plastic resin, preferably thermoplastic resin.
14. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein the translucent material is colored, optionally comprising masterbatch or pigment based color additive therein.
15. The stmcture of claim 14, wherein the let-down ratio is about 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1% or less.
16. The stmcture of any preceding claim, comprising a tilted, optionally beveled, surface (513 A) relative to the plane of the underlying substrate film, for hosting at least the first light source (104), said tilted surface optionally further hosting a circuit board for the at least one light source.
17. The stmcture of any preceding claim, comprising a diffuser (109) preferably of varying thickness on the optical path extending from the first light source to the environment of the stmcture via the outcoupling area (112), wherein the diffuser is
optionally monolithic with the lightguide layer and the translucent material of the lightguide layer, additively produced on the lightguide layer, and/or subtractively produced from a layer (120, 120b, 122) upon the lightguide layer.
18. The structure of any preceding claim, comprising, adjacent the translucent material of the lightguide layer, a module having a wall structure (724) at least laterally substantially surrounding an optionally spring-loaded circuit board (502), hosting at least the first light source (104), wherein the circuit board and the first light source are accessible and one or both of them preferably replaceable externally from the environment of the structure further preferably via a movable, optionally hinged or removable, cover (718) on the first (108A) or second (108B) surface.
19. The structure of any preceding claim, comprising an optionally cylindrical optical reflector wall structure laterally surrounding at least the first light source and extending in the thickness direction of the lightguide layer at least partially embedding the reflector wall structure, the internals of the reflector wall structure optionally comprising diffusive resin different from the translucent material of the lightguide layer.
20. The structure of any preceding claim, comprising (900, 1000), upon the lightguide layer, preferably a stack of an air gap or air cavity (906) and/or ensemble (9006) of one or more layers optionally further comprising plastics and/or glass, wherein at least a film (120, 916) advantageously contains an optically functional 3D shape additively produced, optionally screen printed, from opaque or translucent material or locally shaped, optionally thermoformed, from the concerned film.
21. The structure of any preceding claim, comprising at least one, attached and/or additively in-situ produced such as printed functional element (120, 122) on the first surface (108 A) of the lightguide layer (108), optionally positioned adjacent and/or upon the outcoupling area (112) or light leakage prohibition region (114), selected from the group consisting of: conductive trace, electrode, electrical insulator, electronic component, circuit element, connector, light blocking element, graphical element, optical diffuser, reflector, dispersive element, and collimator.
22. The structure of any preceding claim, comprising at least one, attached and/or addivitely in-situ produced such as printed, film (120) or coating on the first side of the lightguide layer, optionally positioned adjacent and/or upon the outcoupling area (112) or light leakage prohibition region (114) and defining an opaque or translucent
light masking or filtering element and/or at least part of a graphical element to be illuminated by the first light source or a further light source included.
23. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein (200) the substrate film (102) contains a 3D-formed, optionally thermo formed, portion (111) hosting the first light source (104) thereon in a tilted orientation relative to first surface (108A).
24. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein the circuitry further comprises at least one element (106) selected from the group consisting of: a number of electrically conductive traces optionally printed using printed electronics technology connecting at least to the first light source, electronic component, integrated circuit, electrode, contact pad, and/or an electrical connector.
25. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein the substrate film and/or further film or material layer included comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of: polymer, thermoplastic material, electrically insulating material, PMMA (Polymethyl methacrylate), Poly Carbonate (PC), copolyester, copolyester resin, polyimide, a copolymer of Methyl Methacrylate and Styrene (MS resin), glass, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), carbon fiber, organic material, biomaterial, leather, wood, textile, fabric, metal, organic natural material, solid wood, veneer, plywood, bark, tree bark, birch bark, cork, natural leather, natural textile or fabric material, naturally grown material, cotton, wool, linen, silk, and any combination of the above.
26. The structure of any preceding claim, wherein the lightguide layer, specifically the translucent material thereof, and/or a further fill layer (110) included in the structure comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of: polymer, organic material, biomaterial, composite material, thermoplastic material, thermosetting material, elastomeric resin, PC, PMMA, ABS, PET, copolyester, copolyester resin, nylon (PA, polyamide), PP (polypropylene), TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), polystyrene (GPPS), TPSiV (thermoplastic silicone vulcanizate), and MS resin.
27. A method (400) for manufacturing an integrated functional multilayer structure, comprising: obtaining (404) a flexible substrate film preferably comprising formable, optionally thermoformable, material;
providing (406, 408) circuitry upon the substrate film preferably utilizing printed electronics technology and/or selected mounting technology, said circuitry comprising a first light source (104) containing at least one light-emission unit, optionally LED; producing (412) a monolithic lightguide layer of optically attenuating, translucent and preferably also thermoplastic material optionally by molding or casting, upon the substrate film to cover, optically couple to, and preferably also at least partially embed the first light source; wherein the lightguide layer (108) and the first light source are mutually configured so that the lightguide layer comprises a first surface (108 A) and an opposite second surface (108B), the second surface (108B) facing the first light source (104) and a portion of the first surface (108 A) containing, within a first distance (H) from the first light source (104), a pre-defined outcoupling area (112) for the light emitted by the first light source (104) and transmitted within the lightguide layer (108), said lightguide layer (108) further containing a light leakage prohibition region (114) nonoverlapping with the outcoupling area (112) and separated from the first light source (104) by at least a second, preferably greater, distance (D), and that the attenuation of emitted light effectuated on a direct optical path between the first light source (104) and the outcoupling area (112) is less than the attenuation effectuating on a shortest, optionally also direct, optical path between the first light source (104) and the light leakage prohibition region (114), and further wherein the optical transmittance of the translucent material of the lightguide layer is between about 25% and about 80% at selected wavelengths of about 2 mm thick sample of the translucent material while the associated half power angle is between about 5 and about 50 degrees.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein the substrate film is 3D-formed preferably by thermoforming to exhibit at least locally a resulting 3D-shape optionally whereupon the first light source is located.
29. The method of any of claims 27-28, wherein the translucent material is produced through blending at least pigment or masterbatch color additive with raw resin in a selected let-down ratio.
30. The method of any of claims 27-29, wherein the lightguide layer is produced upon the substrate film by injection molding, optionally low pressure injection molding and/or using a molding temperature lower than about 250, 200 or 150 deg Celsius.