Steering Wheel Grip Illumination With Anisotropic Lens Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing steering devices inefficiently use light energy as a significant portion of illumination passes through areas in front of and behind the wheel, rather than directly onto the wheel, reducing the perceived luminance and effectiveness of LED illumination.
Innovation Solution
A steering device with a rotary part and grip part, featuring a first light irradiation part that includes a light emitting element and a lens to narrow the angle range of emitted light, ensuring a larger angle range in one plane and a smaller angle range in a perpendicular plane, thereby increasing the proportion of light incident on the grip part.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a light emitting element emits light in a wide angle range to illuminate the grip part, then the illumination coverage is improved, but a significant portion of light passes through areas in front of and behind the wheel part without impinging on the wheel part, causing energy waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the light emission angle range through a lens. The lens narrows the angle range of light emitted by the light emitting element, changing the physical parameter of light distribution. This ensures that light is concentrated within a specific angle range that directs illumination onto the wheel part, preventing light from passing through areas in front of and behind the wheel part, thereby improving both illumination intensity and energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a lens as an intermediary component between the light emitting element and the grip part. This lens acts as a mediator that controls and directs the light path, narrowing the emission angle and ensuring light impinges on the wheel part. The lens serves as the intermediary that resolves the contradiction by shaping light distribution to achieve both adequate illumination coverage and reduced energy waste.
2Loss of energy
If the angle range of emitted light is narrowed to increase the proportion of light incident on the grip part, then light energy efficiency is improved, but the illumination coverage in certain directions may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by precisely controlling the light emission angle range through the lens. The lens narrows the angle range to optimize the proportion of light incident on the wheel part, while the specific angular parameters are chosen to maintain adequate illumination coverage. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction by finding the optimal balance between energy efficiency and coverage area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating non-uniform light distribution through the lens. The lens concentrates light in specific angular directions that correspond to the wheel part's location, while allowing reduced illumination in directions in front of and behind the wheel part. This local concentration of light quality achieves high energy efficiency while maintaining sufficient coverage where needed.
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 configuration enhances the perceived luminance on the grip part, allowing drivers to easily visualize the steering wheel, especially during transitions from automatic to manual operation, by focusing light more effectively onto the upper portion of the grip part.
Implementation Method 1
a lens configured to narrow the angle range of the light emitted by the light emitting element
Data Source
AI summary
A steering device includes a rotary part rotatably attached to a mobile body, and a grip part connected to the rotary part, wherein the rotary part includes a light irradiation part configured to emit light toward at least a portion of the grip part, the light irradiation part includes a light emitting element configured to emit light at an angle range that is determined in advance, and a lens configured to narrow the angle range of the light emitted by the light emitting element, and when an extension direction of the at least the portion of the grip part to which the light is emitted is assumed as a first direction, a direction perpendicular to a direction of an optical axis of the light emitted by the light irradiation part and to the first direction is assumed as a second direction, a plane including the optical axis and the first direction is assumed as a first plane, and a plane including the optical axis and the second direction is assumed as a second plane, the lens narrows the angle range of the light emitted by the light emitting element such that a first angle range is larger than a second angle range, the first angle range being an angle range in the first plane, the second angle range being an angle range in the second plane.