3D-Printed Camera Base With Flocking for Low-Reflection Glazing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manufacturing methods for vehicle driver assistance camera systems are not suitable for small series or individual production due to complexity and cost, particularly with plastic injection, and three-dimensional printing struggles to produce precise structures like small pins or specific surface grains, while paint application poses environmental and health hazards.
Innovation Solution
A method involving three-dimensional printing to create the base of the camera system, followed by depositing flocking fibers on the shutter position, which are electrostatically charged and applied using a double-sided adhesive film to reduce light reflection, allowing for simple and cost-effective production of small series or individual glazed units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If plastic injection process is used to manufacture the base, then manufacturing precision and structural complexity are improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly for small series production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing method from plastic injection to three-dimensional printing, which modifies the production parameters to enable small series and individual production while maintaining structural precision. This parameter change allows the base to be manufactured with the required precision without the high complexity and cost associated with injection molding tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs three-dimensional printing which uses consumable photopolymer resin material that is deposited layer by layer to form the base. This approach replaces expensive, long-lived injection molds with a more flexible, cost-effective additive manufacturing process suitable for low-volume production.
2Ease of manufacture
If three-dimensional printing is used to manufacture the base, then ease of manufacture for small series is improved, but manufacturing precision of small structures deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by depositing the anti-reflective flocking coating on the shutter position of the base before final assembly. This pre-coating step ensures that the anti-reflective properties are established early in the manufacturing process, compensating for any surface precision limitations of three-dimensional printing and ensuring optimal optical performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by selectively coating only the shutter position area of the base with anti-reflective flocking material. This localized treatment addresses the specific optical requirements of the shutter area without requiring high precision across the entire base surface, thereby maintaining production flexibility while achieving the necessary optical performance in the critical region.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If paint is used to achieve anti-reflective properties, then anti-reflective effectiveness is improved, but environmental and health hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from conventional paint to flocking material for achieving anti-reflective properties. This parameter change maintains the effectiveness of light reflection reduction while eliminating the environmental and health hazards associated with paint application, including the need for costly and bulky paint cabins.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs flocking material which can be applied as a loose or attached coating that does not require the extensive environmental controls needed for paint application. This approach replaces hazardous paint with a safer, more environmentally friendly material that achieves the same anti-reflective function without generating harmful emissions or requiring specialized containment facilities.
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
Enables rapid and inexpensive production of small series or individual glazed units for vehicle driver assistance systems with improved anti-reflective properties, reducing vehicle immobilization time during replacement and enhancing image quality by minimizing light reflection.
Implementation Method 1
depositing flocking including fibers, preferably black fibers, on said shutter position
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a glazed unit including a glazed element and a base intended for a vehicle driver assistance system, the base having a system for attaching the light sensor and a shutter position, the method including obtaining the base by three-dimensional printing; then depositing flocking including fibers on the shutter position; then attaching the base to the glazed element.