Vehicle Charging Cover Display With Laser-Ablated Paint Layers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle exterior displays suffer from color shifts due to illumination through paints or colored materials, limiting design flexibility and visibility of information.
Innovation Solution
A hinged cover for a vehicle's charging socket is designed with laser-ablated paint layers that maintain a chosen wavelength, allowing information display independent of the exterior component's color, using LEDs or OLEDs for illumination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If light is used to illuminate information through painted exterior components, then information can be displayed on the vehicle exterior, but color shifts occur due to illumination through paints or colored materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the painted exterior component entirely from the display path. Instead of illuminating through paint, the display is integrated directly into the exterior component itself, eliminating the color-shifting paint layer from the optical path while maintaining the aesthetic appearance when the display is off.
Solution Approach 2:
The exterior component has different optical properties in different regions: the display regions are transparent or translucent to allow light passage, while other regions maintain the opaque painted appearance. This local differentiation allows information display without compromising the overall aesthetic design.
2Loss of information
If a display is integrated into the exterior component, then information can be displayed, but the design of the vehicle is affected when the display is switched off
Solution Approach 1:
The display regions utilize transparent or translucent materials that can change their optical appearance. When the display is off, these regions blend with the overall exterior design. When activated, they become visibly transparent or translucent to allow light transmission for information display, creating a dynamic aesthetic effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The exterior component dynamically changes its optical properties based on display activation. The transition between opaque (display off) and transparent/translucent (display on) states allows the vehicle design to adapt between aesthetic mode and information display mode.
3Ease of manufacture
If single color illumination is used, then the exterior component can be simple to manufacture, but the information display lacks flexibility and color richness
Solution Approach 1:
The exterior component serves multiple functions: it maintains structural and aesthetic roles while also functioning as a multi-color display medium. The transparent/translucent regions can display various colors and information types, making the component universally functional for different information display needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The exterior component uses composite construction combining opaque painted regions with transparent or translucent display regions. This composite structure enables both aesthetic appearance and color-rich information display capabilities within a single integrated component.
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 flexible, color-rich information display on the vehicle exterior that is invisible when not in use, enhancing design integration and visibility of charge state and other vehicle information.
Implementation Method 1
a pattern in the form of holes or areas is produced in all the paint layers by ablation by means of a laser
Implementation Method 2
using LEDs or OLEDs for illumination
Data Source
AI summary
An information display on the outside of a vehicle, comprised of at least one illumination element or a display, which is overpainted with paint layers, wherein one of the paint layers has the car colour, and wherein a pattern in the form of holes or areas is produced in all the paint layers by ablation by means of a laser.