Vehicle Interior Light Guide Mounting for Precise Ambient Lighting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing interior trim parts for motor vehicles face challenges in precisely positioning and securely holding light guides while ensuring easy production and unhindered light emission.

Innovation Solution

An interior trim part design featuring an elongated light guide held by an elongated holding part connected to a dimensionally stable carrier, with a foam-like layer and skin covering, allowing for precise positioning and indirect lighting, and featuring a channel-like bend for easy assembly and secure light guide placement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the light guide is directly embedded in the foam layer, then the light guide can be positioned and secured, but the manufacturing tool costs increase and assembly complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight guide positioning reliabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing tool cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The interior cladding part is divided into distinct functional layers: a foam layer for structural support, a holding part with channel-like bend for light guide positioning, and a skin layer for covering. This segmentation allows each layer to serve its specific function without requiring complex integrated tools, reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining positioning reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The holding part acts as an intermediary element between the foam layer and the light guide. It provides the channel-like bend that receives and secures the light guide, eliminating the need for complex embedding tools while ensuring reliable positioning. This intermediary structure simplifies the manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the light guide is directly embedded in the foam layer, then the light guide can be secured, but the assembly complexity and time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight guide securing reliabilityVSAvoidassembly time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The holding part is pre-formed with the channel-like bend structure during the molding process, before assembly. This preliminary preparation of the positioning structure eliminates the need for time-consuming adjustments or complex assembly operations, allowing the light guide to be quickly and reliably secured.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If the light guide is positioned precisely, then high-quality ambient lighting is achieved, but the manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight guide positioning precisionVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The holding part provides localized precision positioning through its channel-like bend structure, while the rest of the interior cladding part maintains simple, cost-effective construction. This local quality approach achieves the necessary positioning precision without increasing overall structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

4Stability of the object's composition

If the light guide is securely held, then positioning stability is improved, but light emission may be hindered

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight guide positioning stabilityVSAvoidlight emission intensity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The skin layer is designed as a thin, flexible covering that conforms to the holding part's channel-like bend structure. This thin film approach allows the light guide to be securely held in position while permitting light to pass through unhindered, maintaining illumination intensity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

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 enables precise and reliable positioning of the light guide, achieving high-quality ambient lighting with reduced manufacturing costs and unhindered light emission, enhancing the light appearance and ease of assembly.

Implementation Method 1

a light guide (12), to which a light source (102) can be connected and through which light can be transmitted

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTotal internal reflection: Total Internal Reflection

Data Source

PatentEP4021762B1Interior lining for vehicle comprising a light guide
Publication Date: 2023.11.15 VOLKSWAGEN AG
  • EP4021762B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4021762B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4021762B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to an interior trim part (1) for a motor vehicle (K), comprising at least one elongate light guide (12), which extends at least in some regions along the interior trim part (1), the interior trim part (1) having at least one dimensionally stable support (20), with a foam-like layer (21) covering the dimensionally stable support (20) and with a skin (22) coating the foam-like layer (21). The invention is characterised in that the at least one light guide (12) is held in an elongate holding part (10), which is in turn connected to the dimensionally stable support (20) of the foam-like layer (21).