Sealed Mirror Head Housing for Compact Rear View Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current head sections for rear view devices in motor vehicles are bulky due to the need for separate housings to protect electronic components from dirt and humidity, which hinders compact and aerodynamic design.
Innovation Solution
The housing section and lid section tightly seal the hollow area over almost its entire circumference, allowing electronic units to be placed without additional housing, and incorporating a combined lid section and rear view means as a single component with a translucent or opaque design to facilitate light emission while preventing environmental penetration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate housings are used to protect electronic components from dirt and humidity, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and volume increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the protection function into a single integrated housing structure that encloses all electronic components (control unit, light units) in one sealed cavity formed by the housing section and lid section. This eliminates the need for multiple separate housings for each component while maintaining comprehensive protection against dirt and humidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing section and lid section form a universal protective enclosure that serves all electronic components simultaneously. The sealed hollow area created by these sections provides a common protected environment for multiple different electronic units, reducing overall structural complexity.
2Reliability
If separate housings are used for each electronic component, then protection against environmental factors is improved, but the head section volume and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple electronic components share a single common hollow area enclosed by the housing section and lid section. This consolidated protective space eliminates redundant housing structures and reduces the overall volume required compared to providing individual housings for each component.
Solution Approach 2:
Electronic components are nested within the common hollow area formed by the housing section and lid section. The control unit and light units are arranged within this shared enclosed space, optimizing volume utilization and avoiding the need for separate external housings.
3Ease of manufacture
If the hollow area is freely accessible from outside, then ease of assembly is improved, but protection against dirt and humidity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful factor (open access to hollow area) is extracted and replaced by a sealed closure system. The lid section is designed to tightly seal the hollow area, removing the openness that allowed environmental contamination while maintaining the structural integrity and assembly feasibility of the head section.
Data Source
AI summary
A head section for a rear view device such as an internal or external mirror, for a motor vehicle that includes at least one housing section having a lid section arranged on a side of the housing section which faces away from the direction of driving of the motor vehicle, at least one electronic unit arranged in a hollow area formed between the housing section and the lid section, and at least one rear view means arranged on the lid section for displaying a side or rear area of the motor vehicle in relation to the direction of driving.