Engine Cover With Embedded Circuit For Illuminated Badging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing engine covers with illuminated badging face challenges in hiding wiring, maintaining aesthetics, ensuring safety, and facilitating easy installation and removal, as exposed wiring is unsightly and poses a fire risk, and hard-wired solutions complicate service operations.
Innovation Solution
An illuminated engine cover assembly using a polymerized foam material with embedded flexible printed circuits and a support lattice, where the circuits are overmolded within the cover, allowing for a recessed area with a contact element for electrical connection to the engine, and grommets for secure attachment, integrating the wiring within the cover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If exposed wiring is used to energize illuminated badging, then electrical connection is achieved, but aesthetics deteriorate and fire risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wiring is nested within the engine cover itself. The circuit board is embedded in the cover, and wires are routed through internal channels, effectively hiding the wiring within the cover structure while maintaining electrical connectivity to the illuminated badging.
Solution Approach 2:
A circuit board acts as an intermediary component between the power source and the illuminated badging. This circuit board is embedded in the engine cover and provides a clean, integrated interface for electrical connections, eliminating the need for exposed wiring.
2Reliability
If hard-wired lighting is installed in the engine cover, then illuminated badging is achieved, but ease of removal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection system is segmented into a removable circuit board assembly and a permanent harness assembly. The circuit board can be easily detached from the engine cover, allowing the cover to be removed without dealing with hard-wired connections, while the illuminated badging functionality remains intact when the cover is reinstalled.
3Reliability
If traditional wiring methods are used, then electrical connectivity is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit board is merged with the engine cover structure, becoming an integrated component rather than a separate assembly. This reduces the overall number of components and simplifies the wiring harness requirements, as the circuit board itself serves as the connection interface between the power source and illuminated badging.
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 provides a visually appealing, safe, and serviceable engine cover that reduces noise, is lightweight, and simplifies installation and removal, while being cost-effective by encapsulating wiring within the cover, enhancing both aesthetics and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
The size and material of the engine cover both have an impact on the extent to which engine noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) can be controlled
Data Source
AI summary
An illuminated engine cover assembly including an engine attachment system and an illuminated engine cover is disclosed. The illuminated engine cover assembly comprises an attachment element attached to the engine and an illuminated engine cover composed of polymerized foam. The illuminated engine cover has a recessed area and a receptacle for releasable attachment to the engine attachment element. An illuminated feature is attached to the cover's recessed area. A contact element is fitted within the receptacle. A flexible printed circuit for providing contact between the illuminated feature and the contact element of the receptacle is embedded within the engine cover. A support lattice is optionally embedded within the cover. The support lattice has ends and an intermediate portion to which the illuminated feature is attached. Grommets are attached to each end of the support lattice. The releasable attachment receptacles are formed in the grommets.