Sun Visor Integrated Auxiliary Headlights for Lower Vehicle Drag
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing commercial vehicles face high air resistance and increased energy consumption due to auxiliary headlights mounted in recesses or external sun visors, which create turbulence and disrupt laminar airflow.
Innovation Solution
Integrating auxiliary headlights into a sun visor with a diffuser lens that forms the front of a cover, flush-mounted within an opening, and incorporating a stiffening frame to minimize air resistance by ensuring uniform airflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If additional headlights are mounted at the front upper corners of the driver's cab, then the vehicle has improved illumination capability, but air resistance and energy consumption increase due to turbulence and interference contours
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the auxiliary headlight housing with the sun visor structure, integrating two separate components into one unified element. The headlight housing is formed as an integral part of the sun visor, allowing the visor to extend over the windshield while housing the headlight, thereby eliminating the need for separate mounting structures and reducing overall air resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent positions the auxiliary headlight within the sun visor structure that extends over the upper section of the windshield, utilizing the vertical and lateral space above the windshield rather than mounting at the front upper corners. This dimensional repositioning allows the headlight to be integrated into the existing aerodynamic flow path without creating additional interference contours
2Illumination intensity
If additional headlights are mounted at the front upper corners of the driver's cab, then the vehicle has improved illumination capability, but air resistance increases due to turbulence and interference contours
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the auxiliary headlight housing with the sun visor structure, integrating two separate components into one unified element. The headlight housing is formed as an integral part of the sun visor, allowing the visor to extend over the windshield while housing the headlight, thereby eliminating the need for separate mounting structures and reducing overall air resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the aerodynamic parameters of the sun visor and headlight housing by designing smooth transitions and streamlined contours. The visor is shaped to maintain laminar airflow, and the headlight housing is integrated with smooth surfaces that minimize flow separation and turbulence, thereby reducing air resistance while maintaining illumination capability
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the sun visor extends over the upper section of the windshield with integrated headlight, then air resistance is reduced through streamlined contours, but the complexity of integrating the headlight housing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the auxiliary headlight housing with the sun visor structure, integrating two separate components into one unified element. The headlight housing is formed as an integral part of the sun visor, allowing the visor to extend over the windshield while housing the headlight, thereby eliminating the need for separate mounting structures and reducing overall air resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The sun visor is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides sun protection by extending over the windshield, houses the auxiliary headlight, and contributes to aerodynamic efficiency through its streamlined contours. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall vehicle structure
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
Reduces air resistance and energy consumption by smoothing airflow through the integration of the sun visor and diffuser lens, enhancing aerodynamics and reducing disruptive contours.
Implementation Method 1
air resistance is reduced by this integration. The extent of air resistance is therefore only determined by the contours of the sun visor and not by those of separate additional headlights
Implementation Method 2
The resulting parallelism of the inflow surfaces of the sun visor and lens and the simultaneous flow across them results in uniform and less diffused air deflection, which reduces air resistance
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a roof area (3) of a motor vehicle (2), in particular a commercial vehicle, with at least one auxiliary headlight (12), which includes a housing (11) open towards the front of the vehicle, at least one light (13) arranged in the housing (11), and a diffuser lens (18) covering the housing opening (11) from the front. To further develop a generic roof area (3) of a motor vehicle (2) in such a way as to minimize its air resistance and thus reduce the energy consumption for the vehicle propulsion, the invention provides that the roof area (3) has a sun visor (5) extending over an upper section (6) of the outer surface (7) of the windshield (8) of the motor vehicle (2) and in which the at least one auxiliary headlight (12) is received, wherein the sun visor (5) has at least one through-opening (10) in which the diffuser lens (18) of the respective headlight (12) is arranged flush with the surface.