Motor Vehicle Lock Integral Light Guide LED Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle lock systems lack a cost-effective and structurally simple safety solution that provides sufficient light intensity to enhance visibility and safety, often requiring additional assembly steps and openings in the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle lock with an integral light guide element and an LED bulb arranged directly on a circuit board, where the light guide element is formed as an integral part of the lock housing, directing light to the inlet mouth and eliminating the need for separate electrical connections and structural modifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a separate bulb and additional electrical connections are used to illuminate the motor vehicle lock, then the light intensity and visibility are improved, but the device complexity and assembly steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the light guide element directly with the lock housing to form an integral component, eliminating the need for separate bulb housings and additional electrical connections. The light guide element is embedded within the lock housing structure itself, merging two previously separate components into one unified assembly that provides both structural support and light guidance functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock housing serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the locking mechanism, houses the electrical components, and simultaneously acts as a light guide structure. The integral light guide element is formed as part of the lock housing, allowing the housing to guide light from the bulb to the inlet mouth area without requiring separate light guiding components.
2Illumination intensity
If additional openings are made in the motor vehicle to install lighting components, then the visibility and safety are improved, but the manufacturing complexity and structural modifications increase
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide element is merged with the existing lock housing structure, utilizing the housing's existing geometry and openings. The inlet mouth opening, originally designed for locking mechanism operation, is repurposed as a light exit aperture, eliminating the need for additional openings in the vehicle body or door structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock housing's existing structural features, including its openings and geometry, are utilized to serve the lighting function. The housing itself provides the light guide structure and light exit pathways, eliminating the need for separate light guide components and additional structural modifications to the vehicle.
3Illumination intensity
If multiple separate components are used for the lighting system, then the light guidance and illumination are improved, but the assembly steps and production time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide element is formed as an integral part of the lock housing, combining what would traditionally be separate components into a single unified structure. This integration eliminates multiple assembly steps for attaching separate light guide elements, bulbs, and housings, reducing production time and assembly complexity while maintaining effective light guidance from the bulb to the inlet mouth.
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 creates a cost-effective, high-intensity lighting system that increases safety by providing illumination without additional assembly steps, enhancing visibility and safety without altering the vehicle's structure, and can be used for various applications beyond doors, such as flaps and convertible roofs.
Implementation Method 1
an LED is used as a luminous means, which is arranged directly on a circuit board
Implementation Method 2
by means of the light guide element the light emitted by the light source is directed in the direction of a inlet mouth
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a motor vehicle locking mechanism, in particular a motor vehicle door lock (17), comprising a lock housing (8), an electric power supply (7), an illuminant (5), and a light-guiding element (6) which interacts with the illuminant (5) and which is designed as an integral part of the motor vehicle locking mechanism so that at least some areas of the motor vehicle locking mechanism can be illuminated.