Amorphous Metal Shell Vehicle Lighting Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle lighting assemblies, particularly in decorative and aesthetic areas like scuff plates, face challenges in durability and resistance to contaminants, with limited effectiveness in enhancing visibility and maintaining a luxurious appearance.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle lighting assembly featuring an amorphous metal shell with apertures and an insert molded acrylic lens, housing a light emitting diode (LED) lighting device, which provides a durable and aesthetically appealing illuminated area resistant to wear and corrosion, and can be mounted in areas like door sills.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional materials are used for vehicle lighting assemblies in decorative areas, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but durability and resistance to contaminants deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an amorphous metal shell combined with conventional materials (acrylic lens, LED lighting device) to create a composite lighting assembly. The amorphous metal shell provides superior durability and contaminant resistance, while the acrylic lens and LED components maintain ease of manufacture and cost-effectiveness. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by strategically applying high-performance material only where needed for durability.
2Reliability
If amorphous metal shell is used for vehicle lighting assembly, then durability and aesthetic appeal are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: the amorphous metal shell providing structural integrity and aesthetics, the acrylic lens for light diffusion, and the LED lighting device for illumination. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured and quality-tested independently, then assembled together, thereby reducing overall manufacturing complexity despite using advanced amorphous metal material.
Solution Approach 2:
The acrylic lens serves as an intermediary component between the LED lighting device and the external environment. It simplifies the manufacturing process by providing a familiar, easily molded material that can be insert-molded into the amorphous metal shell, bridging the complexity gap between advanced metal forming and conventional plastic molding processes.
3Illumination intensity
If amorphous metal shell with apertures and insert molded lens is used, then aesthetic appeal and visibility enhancement are improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The aperture structure and the insert-molded lens are merged into a single integrated manufacturing process. The lens is insert-molded directly into the amorphous metal shell during shell formation, ensuring precise positioning and alignment. This combining of operations eliminates separate positioning steps and reduces the need for post-assembly adjustments, thereby maintaining high aesthetic appeal while managing manufacturing precision requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances visibility and aesthetic appeal while offering improved durability and resistance to contaminants, maintaining a luxurious appearance and reducing material costs through the use of amorphous metal and insert molded components.
Implementation Method 1
a shell that is an amorphous metal... with at least one aperture that permits light from the lighting device to move through the shell
Implementation Method 2
the lighting device includes at least one light emitting diode
Implementation Method 3
a lens disposed within the cavity between the lighting device and the at least one aperture... the lens includes an acrylic material
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary vehicle lighting assembly includes, among other things, a shell that is an amorphous metal, and a lighting device that is held between the shell and a vehicle structure. An exemplary vehicle lighting method includes, among other things, covering at least a portion of a lighting device with a shell that is an amorphous metal, and transmitting light from the lighting device through at least one aperture in the shell.