Vehicle Interior Light Guide Prisms for Stray Light Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle interior lighting systems struggle to provide targeted illumination of specific areas within the vehicle interior while minimizing disruptive stray light and maintaining a high-quality appearance.
Innovation Solution
The use of light-deflecting prisms arranged between light-deflection areas in a vehicle interior lighting device, which redirect unwanted light back into the light guide through total internal reflection and refraction, while allowing useful light to pass undisturbed, utilizing different refractive indices and separate manufacturing of prisms for effective beam deflection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a warning light is provided in the instrument panel to inform the driver of a malfunction, then the driver is notified of the issue, but the driver's attention is diverted from the road, potentially causing an accident
Solution Approach 1:
The warning notification function is segmented from the traditional instrument panel location and relocated to the headrest area. This spatial segmentation allows the warning light to notify the driver without requiring their attention to shift from the road, as the headrest is within the driver's peripheral awareness but does not demand focal attention.
Solution Approach 2:
The headrest acts as an intermediary medium between the warning system and the driver. Instead of placing the warning light directly in the driver's line of sight (instrument panel), the headrest serves as an intermediate location that conveys the warning information indirectly, reducing the harmful effect of distraction while maintaining notification reliability.
2Ease of manufacture
If the headrest cover is made detachable to facilitate cleaning, then maintenance ease is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The headrest is segmented into two separate components: a detachable headrest cover and a fixed headrest body. This segmentation allows the cover to be removed for cleaning while the body remains in place, facilitating maintenance without requiring complete disassembly of the headrest assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The headrest cover is extracted as a separate, removable component from the headrest assembly. This extraction enables the cover to be easily detached for cleaning purposes while the main headrest structure remains intact and functional, balancing ease of maintenance with structural simplicity.
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 enhances targeted illumination, reduces disruptive stray light, and maintains a high-quality appearance by efficiently directing light to desired areas, minimizing glare and improving light output.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide member (33) having a light source (32) and a warning light (34) arranged at different positions in a vehicle interior lighting apparatus (30)
Implementation Method 2
a light guide member (33) having a light source (32) and a warning light (34) arranged at different positions
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A vehicle interior lighting apparatus (1) comprises an elongate light guide (2) having at least one end-side light input coupling surface (4), a longitudinal light deflection surface (5) and a longitudinal light output coupling surface (6) opposite the light deflection surface (5), and at least one light source (3), the light (L) of which is able to be coupled into the light guide (2) at the at least one light input coupling surface (4) and able to be coupled out of the light guide (2) at the light output coupling surface (6) by way of a light deflection at the light deflection surface (5), wherein at least one light deflection prism (8) is disposed optically downstream of the light output coupling surface (6) and there is at least one jump between two refractive indices (n0, n1, n2) in a light path between the light guide (2) and the at least one light deflection prism (8) and the at least one light deflection prism (8) is disposed between two adjacent light deflection regions (7) when viewed perpendicular to the light output coupling surface (6). A vehicle (F) has at least one vehicle interior lighting apparatus (1). The invention is particularly advantageously usable for door lighting.