Illuminated Safety Belt Buckle Lens for Uniform Light Distribution
Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for an easily and inexpensively manufactured assembly that can form a light pattern proximate an opening slot of a safety belt buckle in a passenger compartment of a vehicle, addressing challenges of packaging, energy management, and optical quality in illuminating safety belt buckles.
Innovation Solution
An illuminable safety belt buckle assembly featuring a substrate with a light source, such as an LED, and a molded lens that redirects light rays to create a pattern of substantially uniform intensity, integrated with a vehicle interior part, using a printed circuit board and a protective layer for energy management and moisture protection, with flexible wiring for connectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a light source and lens assembly are integrated into the safety belt buckle, then illumination function is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the light source, driver circuitry, and lens into a single integrated illumination module that is mounted within the safety belt buckle assembly. This merging of components achieves the illumination function while managing the complexity through functional integration rather than separate discrete components.
Solution Approach 2:
The illumination module serves multiple functions: it provides visibility of the buckle opening, acts as a safety feature, and can be integrated with existing vehicle interior lighting systems. The single module performs both aesthetic and functional roles, reducing the need for additional separate components.
2Manufacturing precision
If a molded lens is used to redirect light rays, then optical quality is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lens is molded as an integral part of the illumination module housing, combining the optical element with the structural component. This integration achieves precise optical ray redirection while simplifying manufacturing by eliminating the need for separate lens assembly steps and reducing the number of parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The molded lens is designed with specific geometric parameters and surface profiles that control light ray redirection. By optimizing the lens curvature, angle, and position during the molding process, the patent achieves uniform light distribution and desired optical quality while maintaining ease of manufacture through standard injection molding techniques.
3Volume of moving object
If space-efficient design is implemented, then packaging is improved, but device complexity may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination module is designed to nest within the existing safety belt buckle structure, with the light source, driver, and lens arranged in a compact stacked configuration. This nesting approach achieves space-efficient packaging by utilizing vertical space and integrating components within the existing buckle volume without requiring additional space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent arranges components in three-dimensional space efficiently, positioning the light source, driver circuitry, and lens in different spatial dimensions within the compact module. This dimensional arrangement optimizes space utilization while managing integration complexity through careful spatial planning of electrical and optical pathways.
4Reliability
If protective layer is added for moisture protection, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a protective layer or coating applied to the lens and internal components to prevent moisture ingress. This thin film or shell approach provides reliable environmental protection while adding minimal structural complexity, as the protective layer can be applied during the molding or assembly process rather than requiring separate protective components.
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 assembly provides a space-efficient and energy-efficient solution for illuminating the safety belt buckle, ensuring uniform light distribution and protection from external elements, enhancing both the aesthetic and functional aspects of the vehicle interior.
Implementation Method 1
The lens gathers and receives the light rays at the input surface and redirects gathered light rays to the output surface to generate light in a pattern of substantially uniform intensity proximate the opening and into the passenger compartment
Data Source
AI summary
An illuminable vehicle interior assembly such as safety belt buckle assembly is provided. An illumination module includes a substrate, a light source supported on the substrate to emit incoherent visible light rays through a light emitting surface of the light source and a driver supported on the substrate to controllably supply electrical power to the light source based on a command signal from a remote electronic control unit over a vehicle bus. A lens is molded in a molding process to have a light transmissive output surface and a light transmissive input surface aligned with the light source. The lens gathers and receives the light rays at the input surface and redirects gathered light rays to the output surface to generate light in a pattern of substantially uniform intensity into a passenger compartment of a vehicle.