Illuminated Vehicle Meter Light Guiding Ring Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle meters have limited design freedom due to the light guiding body being sandwiched by the visor, restricting the outer appearance and form, and fail to provide an improved display appearance quality, especially for car meters which are frequently visible to the driver.
Innovation Solution
A meter design featuring a light-emitting part with a light-guiding ring composed of a light-guiding body and a light shielding body, progressively narrower towards the end, integrated with a prism and diffusing material, allowing for stable luminance and improved light emission efficiency, and enabling flexible positioning to enhance the outer appearance quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the light guiding body is sandwiched by the visor ends, then the light emission function is achieved, but the design freedom and outer appearance quality are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The light guiding body is divided into multiple light guiding portions arranged side by side, each independently guiding light to specific meter units. This segmentation allows flexible positioning and arrangement while maintaining effective light emission, resolving the contradiction between structural constraint and design freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guiding body extends in the radial direction of the visor, utilizing the radial dimension to achieve light distribution across different meter units. This dimensional approach allows the light guiding structure to adapt to various visor configurations while maintaining design flexibility.
2Illumination intensity
If the light guiding body is provided only in proximity of meter units, then the structure is simple, but the luminance stability and light emission efficiency are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the light guiding body have optimized light guiding characteristics tailored to specific meter unit requirements. Each light guiding portion can be designed with local variations in shape, size, and optical properties to achieve stable luminance for different display elements without requiring complete structural redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guiding body serves multiple functions simultaneously: it guides light from the light source to multiple meter units, provides structural support, and enables flexible positioning. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components, maintaining structural simplicity while achieving luminance stability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the light guiding body is restricted to nearly circular shape, then the visor integration is achieved, but the adaptability to different meter configurations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The light guiding body is divided into multiple light guiding portions that can be independently configured. This segmentation allows the overall structure to adapt to different meter unit arrangements (linear, radial, clustered) while each portion maintains its functional integrity, resolving the contradiction between shape restriction and configuration adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guiding body design allows for dynamic adaptation to different configurations through modular arrangement of light guiding portions. The structure can be adjusted and reconfigured for different meter layouts without requiring complete redesign, achieving versatility while maintaining functional consistency.
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 provides a meter with enhanced light emission efficiency and stable luminance, allowing for improved display appearance quality and design flexibility, particularly at night, by guiding light effectively through the prism and diffusing material, while maintaining constant luminance and preventing light leakage.
Implementation Method 1
a light-emitting part including a light-guiding ring, a light source and a prism provided between the light-guiding ring and the light source
Implementation Method 2
a prism provided between the light-guiding ring and the light source
Implementation Method 3
the light guiding ring includes a diffusing material provided in a rear part of the light guiding body
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
The meter (10) is composed of multiple meter units (20), a visor (30), a blank glass (31), a case (32), and a back cover (33). On the visor (30) is provided a ring-like light-emitting part (50) that surrounds the meter units (20). The light-emitting part (50) is composed of a light guiding ring (51), a light source (52) and a prism (53). The light guiding ring (51) is fixed to a mounting part (30T) that is provided in the proximity of an end part of the visor (30). The light guiding ring (51) is composed of a light guiding body (51S) and a light shielding body (51T), but it can be composed of a diffusing material (51U).