Vehicle Lamp Housing with Breakable Access for Fast Component Removal

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle components are designed for ease of assembly and prevention of detachment, making disassembly time-consuming and costly, which increases recycling costs and decreases recycling rates.

Innovation Solution

A housing component with destructible portions that can be easily broken using a predetermined tool, allowing functional components to be extracted without disassembling the housing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If components are designed with priority given to ease of assembly and prevention of detachment, then assembly ease and component stability are improved, but disassembly time and effort increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomponent stabilityVSAvoiddisassembly time

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is segmented into multiple portions including a destructible portion and a non-destructible portion. The destructible portion is specifically designed to be broken or cut away to provide access to functional components, while the non-destructible portion maintains structural integrity. This segmentation allows selective disassembly without compromising overall component stability during normal operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The destructible portion is extracted as a separate functional element from the main housing structure. This extracted portion serves as a dedicated access path that can be removed or destroyed to enable component extraction, while the main housing structure remains intact for potential reuse or recycling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Stability of the object's composition

If components are designed with priority given to ease of assembly and prevention of detachment, then assembly ease and component stability are improved, but recycling costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomponent stabilityVSAvoidrecycling cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is segmented into multiple portions including a destructible portion and a non-destructible portion. The destructible portion is specifically designed to be broken or cut away to provide access to functional components, while the non-destructible portion maintains structural integrity. This segmentation allows selective disassembly without compromising overall component stability during normal operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The destructible portion is designed to be discarded or removed during the recycling process, while the non-destructible portion and functional components are recovered for reuse. This selective discarding and recovering approach reduces recycling costs by focusing efforts on preserving valuable components rather than attempting to disassemble the entire housing structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Strength

If housing components are integrated by adhesion or welding, then structural strength is improved, but disassembly complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural strengthVSAvoiddisassembly complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is segmented into multiple portions including a destructible portion and a non-destructible portion. The destructible portion is specifically designed to be broken or cut away to provide access to functional components, while the non-destructible portion maintains structural integrity. This segmentation allows selective disassembly without compromising overall component stability during normal operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The destructible portion is extracted as a separate functional element from the main housing structure. This extracted portion serves as a dedicated access path that can be removed or destroyed to enable component extraction, while the main housing structure remains intact for potential reuse or recycling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4675163A1Housing component and method for destructing housing component

Publication Date: 2026.01.07 KOITO MFG CO LTD

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Figure 2(a)~2(b)
Figure 3(a)~3(b)

AI summary

Novel features for facilitating removal of a component inside a vehicle lamp are provided. A housing component 42 constitutes a part of a housing for containing a function component for realizing a function of a vehicle lamp. The housing component 42 includes a destructible portion 44 having a structure that facilitates destruction by a predetermined operation of a predetermined tool. The destructible portion 44 is configured to form, by being destructed, an opening portion 46 through which the function component inside the housing can be removed without disassembling the housing.