Steering Wheel Light Guide Segmentation for Partial Light Bar Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing steering wheel light bars diffuse visible light across the entire light guide body, making it difficult to accurately illuminate only a partial region, which can lead to inefficient lighting and potential safety issues during driving.
Innovation Solution
The steering wheel features a light guide body with partitioned regions separated by light shielding members, allowing only specific areas to be illuminated by visible light sources, ensuring precise lighting control and improved handling and manufacturing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the light guide body is formed in an elongated shape across the plurality of visible light sources, then the light bar can be illuminated, but visible light emitted from the visible light sources is diffused in the light guide body and illuminates the entire light guide body, making it difficult to accurately illuminate only a partial region
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide body is divided into multiple independent light guide portions along its longitudinal direction, with each portion corresponding to a specific visible light source. Light shielding members are positioned between adjacent light guide portions to prevent light diffusion across segments, enabling precise control of illumination regions.
2Measurement precision
If the light guide body is partitioned into multiple separated regions, then accurate illumination of partial regions is achieved, but the device complexity increases due to additional light shielding members and partition structures
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide body maintains a substantially continuous L-shaped cross-section configuration for overall structural simplicity, while locally introducing light shielding members only at specific positions between light guide portions. This approach achieves precise partial region illumination without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If the light guide body is made continuous and elongated, then manufacturing is simplified, but the entire light guide body is illuminated even when only a part of the visible light sources is turned on, reducing energy efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide body is segmented into multiple independent light guide portions, each associated with a specific visible light source. When only certain light sources are activated, only the corresponding light guide portions are illuminated, preventing unnecessary light diffusion and reducing energy waste while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
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 enables accurate illumination of specific parts of the light bar, enhancing driver visibility and safety by preventing unwanted light diffusion, while simplifying manufacturing and improving workability.
Implementation Method 1
visible light emitted from the visible light sources is diffused through a light guide body formed to have a substantially L-shaped cross section so as to extend from the back surface side to a front surface side of the substrate, and radiated from a radiation opening
Implementation Method 2
the light guide body is partitioned such that at least regions of the opening side portion are separated from each other at least at one location between the visible light sources with a light shielding member interposed therebetween
Data Source
AI summary
The light guide body includes a light source side portion located on the visible light sources side, which is the back surface side of the substrate, and an opening side portion disposed to extend from the back surface side to the front surface side of the substrate while intersecting the light source side portion. The light guide body has a substantially L-shaped cross section. The light guide body is partitioned such that at least regions of the opening side portion are separated from each other at least at one location between the visible light sources with a light shielding member interposed therebetween.