Vehicle Dashboard Illumination via Central LED and Optical Guides
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dashboards face challenges in achieving uniform illumination of dial, needle indicators, and buttons while efficiently utilizing lighting means, often requiring multiple light sources and complex configurations.
Innovation Solution
A dashboard design featuring a single light source, utilizing optical guides to transmit light uniformly across the dial, needle indicator, and push button, where the peripheral ring acts as a first optical guide and a second guide directs light to the button, with light-emitting diodes positioned behind the hub of the needle indicator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If multiple light sources are used to illuminate dial, needle indicator, and push button separately, then each component can be illuminated, but the lighting system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple lighting functions into a single light source located at the center of the dial. This one light source illuminates the dial scale, needle indicator, and push button simultaneously through strategic positioning and optical paths, eliminating the need for separate light sources for each component and thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining adequate illumination of all dashboard elements
Solution Approach 2:
The single central light source serves multiple functions: it illuminates the dial scale markings, provides lighting for the needle indicator, and lights up the push button. This multi-functional lighting approach allows one component (the central light source) to perform the work of what would traditionally require multiple separate lighting elements, simplifying the overall system
2Device complexity
If a single light source is used to illuminate all components, then lighting system complexity is reduced, but uniform illumination of all components becomes difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the single light source at the center of the dial, behind the needle indicator hub, to create locally optimized illumination. This central positioning allows light to radiate outward and illuminate different components (dial scale, needle, push button) with appropriate intensity for each area, achieving uniform overall illumination while using a simplified single-source system
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
This design allows for efficient and uniform illumination of multiple dashboard components with a single light source, reducing the complexity and cost of lighting systems while maintaining aesthetic appeal through translucent or transparent materials.
Implementation Method 1
the rod constitutes the peripheral edge of a first optical guide for transmitting light from the lighting source
Implementation Method 2
optical guide for transmitting light from the lighting source
Implementation Method 3
the light source consists of at least one light-emitting diode
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The fascia (1) has a dial plate (4) associated to a pointer indicator (2) and comprising ranges (41) indicating reference values and/or symbols. A push button (6) reinitializes an additional indicator (42) associated to the dial plate. The pointer indicator, ranges, a peripheral ring (31) and the button are translucent or transparent. A light source is constituted of LEDs (100), and illuminates the pointer indicator, ranges, ring and the button. The dial plate is in support against a disk shaped optical guide (3) in a space defined by the ring.