Vehicle Interior Groove Structure for Low-Glare Light Reflection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vehicle interior members with reflection outer skin materials fail to effectively direct all reflected light to absorbing surfaces, leading to glare for passengers depending on their viewing angle.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle interior member featuring a light receiving surface with groove portions formed by two flat reflection surfaces, where the plane angle of the reflection surfaces is less than 65 degrees, and the reflection surfaces incline in opposite directions, with a shallow and deep surface portion configuration to absorb light.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a reflection outer skin material with grooves is provided on an instrument panel, then light absorption is improved, but light reflection to outside is not fully suppressed causing glare

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight absorptionVSAvoidlight reflection causing glare
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The light receiving surface is segmented into multiple groove portions, each containing reflection surfaces that divide and redirect light paths. This segmentation ensures that reflected light is distributed across multiple directions rather than concentrating in glare-causing directions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the light receiving surface have different groove configurations with specific plane angles (less than 65 degrees) and orientations. The reflection surfaces in each local region are designed to redirect light away from passenger viewing angles, creating location-specific light control properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Object-generated harmful factors

If the plane angle of reflection surfaces is reduced, then light reflection is suppressed, but manufacturing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight reflectionVSAvoidgroove formation precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The plane angle of reflection surfaces is optimized to be less than 65 degrees, which provides an optimal balance between light reflection suppression and manufacturing feasibility. This parameter change ensures effective glare reduction while remaining achievable with conventional molding processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Object-generated harmful factors

If reflection surfaces are configured to absorb all reflected light, then glare is reduced, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveglare reductionVSAvoidgroove structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The reflection surfaces and light absorbing functions are merged into a single integrated groove structure. The groove portions themselves serve both to reflect light away from glare directions and to absorb remaining light, eliminating the need for separate absorption components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The groove structure is designed to automatically redirect and absorb light through its geometric configuration alone, without requiring additional active components or complex control systems. The structure itself performs the light management function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

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 suppresses light reflection outside and reduces glare for passengers regardless of their viewing angle, achieving a reflectance of less than 2.0% at the light receiving surface.

Implementation Method 1

two flat reflection surfaces facing each other, wherein a plane angle of the reflection surfaces is less than 65 degrees

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectReflection: Reflection

Implementation Method 2

the deep surface portion is smaller than that of the shallow surface portion... reflectance at the light receiving surface is less than 2.0%

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAbsorption: Absorption (EM radiation)

Data Source

PatentEP3992008B1Vehicle interior member and vehicle interior member manufacturing method
Publication Date: 2025.02.12 NIFCO INC
  • EP3992008B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3992008B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3992008B1 patent drawingFigure 4

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 %.