Flexible Wireless Vehicle Lighting Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional vehicle lighting fixtures require a housing and wire harness, limiting their installation locations and making after-market modifications and customizations difficult.
Innovation Solution
A flexible lighting assembly with a layered structure including an electroluminescent light source, polymer layers, and an on-board power source, which can be wirelessly powered and adhered to various surfaces without the need for a dedicated housing or wire harness, allowing it to conform to contours and be easily repositioned.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a housing and wire harness are used in traditional vehicle lighting fixtures, then the lighting fixture can be structurally supported and powered, but the installation locations are limited and after-market modification becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the traditional housing and wire harness components from the lighting system. The lighting element is presented as a standalone flexible assembly that can be directly adhered to surfaces without requiring a dedicated housing structure or complex wiring harness for power delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting assembly utilizes a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) as the structural backbone, replacing rigid housing structures. The FPC provides both mechanical support and electrical connectivity in a single flexible substrate, allowing the lighting to conform to various surfaces and installation locations.
2Ease of manufacture
If a housing and wire harness are used in traditional vehicle lighting fixtures, then the lighting fixture can be structurally supported and powered, but after-market modification and customization becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system is segmented into modular FPC-based units that can be independently designed, manufactured, and installed. Each lighting element is a self-contained module on the flexible circuit board, allowing for easy customization and after-market modification without requiring integration with complex housing structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical housing and separate wire harness system with an integrated FPC structure. The flexible printed circuit board combines structural support, electrical wiring, and mounting functions into a single flexible substrate, eliminating the need for mechanical assembly of multiple components.
3Shape
If a rigid housing structure is used, then the lighting fixture can be protected and structurally stable, but it cannot conform to contours of surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible printed circuit boards as the structural foundation of the lighting assembly. The FPC can be bent and shaped to conform to contours of various surfaces while maintaining its structural integrity and electrical functionality, replacing traditional rigid housing structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting assembly is designed with flexible materials and structures that allow it to adapt its shape dynamically during installation and application. The FPC-based construction enables the lighting to be molded to different surface contours without requiring rigid structural support.
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 and customizable lighting solutions that can be applied to any surface, eliminating the need for dedicated housing and wiring, providing a self-contained, easily installable, and repositionable lighting system for vehicles and other applications.
Implementation Method 1
a layered electroluminescent light source arranged over the first polymer layer, the electroluminescent light source emitting light when activated
Implementation Method 2
a first adhesive layer for adhering the lighting device to the associated surface; a second adhesive layer arranged over the electroluminescent light source. The second adhesive layer adheres the second polymer layer to the electroluminescent light source
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible, sheet-like, multi-layered lighting assembly for applying to a surface. The lighting assembly includes an on-board power source for powering the lighting assembly. The lighting assembly includes a sheet-like electroluminescent light source that is activated by power from the power source, and when activated, emits light. The power source may include a flexible thin sheet-like battery, a wireless power receiver, or a combination thereof. The wireless power receiver may receive power from a power signal generated by a wireless power transmitter; and may operate to directly power the electroluminescent light source, or may recharge the battery. The lighting assembly includes outer and inner polymer layers for protecting the other layers of the lighting assembly, and an adhesive layer on the inner polymer layer for adhering the lighting assembly to a surface.