Vehicle Interior Groove Structure for Wide-Angle Glare Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional reflection outer skin materials for vehicle interiors do not effectively direct all reflected light to absorbing surfaces, leading to glare issues for passengers regardless of their viewing angle.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle interior member with groove portions featuring two flat reflection surfaces facing each other, where the plane angle of the surfaces is less than 65 degrees, and the angles relative to a parallel plane intersecting at the groove's opening are different, ensuring light is attenuated and absorbed, reducing external reflection and glare from any angle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a reflection outer skin material with light reflecting surfaces and light absorbing surfaces is provided on an instrument panel, then light absorption is improved to reduce glare, but light reflected by the light reflecting surfaces is not fully directed to the light absorbing surfaces, causing glare to persist for passengers viewing from certain angles
Solution Approach 1:
The groove portions are divided into multiple segments with different surface orientations. Each groove portion contains a light reflecting surface and a light absorbing surface arranged at specific angles, creating segmented functional zones that systematically direct light through multiple reflections to the absorbing surfaces, ensuring complete light absorption regardless of viewing angle
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the outer skin material have locally optimized groove structures. The groove portions are strategically positioned and oriented to handle light from different incident directions, with each local region having tailored reflecting and absorbing surface configurations to address specific glare problems from particular viewing angles
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional reflection outer skin material is used, then manufacturing is simple, but light reflection to outside is not sufficiently suppressed, causing glare issues
Solution Approach 1:
The light reflecting surfaces and light absorbing surfaces are merged into an integrated groove portion structure. Both functional surfaces are formed as part of the same molded feature, combining multiple functions (reflection and absorption) into a single manufacturing element, which simplifies production while achieving superior light control
Solution Approach 2:
The groove portions are designed with specific geometric parameters (plane angles less than 65 degrees, particular orientations of reflecting and absorbing surfaces) that optimize light reflection and absorption characteristics. These parameter optimizations are achieved through standard injection molding techniques, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while dramatically reducing light reflection
3Loss of energy
If the plane angle of reflection surfaces is increased, then light absorption may improve, but reflection of light to outside increases, causing glare
Solution Approach 1:
The groove portions feature asymmetric configurations where the light reflecting surface and light absorbing surface are oriented at different angles relative to the groove axis. This asymmetric arrangement ensures that reflected light is directed preferentially toward the absorbing surfaces rather than back toward the outside, maximizing light absorption while minimizing external reflection and glare
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 effectively suppresses light reflection and glare for passengers by ensuring the light is absorbed, even when viewed from different angles, through the strategic design of the groove angles and surface orientations, allowing for efficient manufacturing via injection molding.
Implementation Method 1
groove portions, each being formed, in a section, of two flat reflection surfaces facing each other... light from outside reflected at the reflection surfaces of the groove reflects repeatedly, advances in the depth direction of the groove, attenuates and is absorbed
Implementation Method 2
light from outside reflected at the reflection surfaces of the groove reflects repeatedly, advances in the depth direction of the groove, attenuates and is absorbed
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a vehicle interior member that can suppress the reflection of light to the outside, and that can reduce glare from whatever angle a passenger views the interior member. A cross-section of a groove 6 formed in a vehicle interior member 4 is substantially V-shaped, and is constituted by two flat surfaces, a first reflection surface 7 and a second reflection surface 8. The groove 6 has a groove angle θ of 32 degrees, and the reflectance at a light receiving surface 5 is no more than 2.0%.