Vehicle Trim Part With Concealable Light Window Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional trim parts for electric vehicles lack functional lighting that is both visible and adjustable, limiting their ability to provide safety-relevant and design-oriented illumination while maintaining a uniform appearance.
Innovation Solution
A trim part with a base body having a translucent or transparent light window and a device that adjusts to cover or reveal a lighting function, allowing for different lighting states and configurations, including safety and design features, by using kinematic elements to control the visibility of the lighting from the outside.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a lighting function is integrated into the trim part, then the lighting function becomes visible and provides safety and design benefits, but the trim part loses its uniform appearance and seamless integration with the vehicle body
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed to be movable between a first position (flush with the base body) and a second position (retracted to reveal lighting). This dynamic configuration allows the trim part to switch between a seamless uniform appearance and a visible lighting function, resolving the contradiction between aesthetic integration and functional visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting function is separated into a movable device that can be independently positioned relative to the base body. This segmentation allows the lighting component to be concealed when not in use and revealed when needed, maintaining the uniform appearance of the trim part while providing functional lighting capability.
2Reliability
If the lighting function is always visible, then safety and communication options are enhanced, but the trim part cannot maintain a clean uniform appearance when lighting is not needed
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates a movable mechanism that transitions between concealed and visible states. This dynamic design provides safety lighting only when needed while maintaining a simple uniform appearance during normal operation, balancing safety requirements with aesthetic considerations.
3Shape
If a movable device is added to control lighting visibility, then the lighting can be concealed when not needed, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting control function is segmented into a separate movable device that can be independently manufactured and then integrated with the base body. This modular approach simplifies manufacturing by allowing specialized production of the movable component and the base body separately, followed by assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable device is designed with a straightforward transition mechanism between positions, reducing manufacturing complexity. The design focuses on achieving the essential concealed/visible functionality without over-engineering the movement mechanism, thereby maintaining ease of manufacture while providing the desired aesthetic and functional benefits.
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
Enables a 'disappearing function' where lighting is only visible when needed, providing functional and decorative illumination that integrates seamlessly with the vehicle's design, enhancing safety and communication options.
Implementation Method 1
a light window in the form of a light-transmitting transparent or translucent area
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a cladding part (40) of an outer skin of a vehicle - with a base body (2) having an outer-facing visible side and an inner side, and comprising at least in a partial area a light window (49) in the form of a translucent transparent or translucent area, and at least in a partial area a non-translucent area with a color-imparting coating, - with a lighting function (48) arranged behind the visible side of the base body (2) for illuminating or lighting the light window (49), - with a device having a visible side with a color-imparting coating, wherein the device (47) is adjustably connected to the base body,that the device (47) in a first position closes the light window (49) and completely covers the lighting function (48) as seen from the outside, with the viewing side facing the outside, and in a second position releases the light window (49) and the lighting function (48) as seen from the outside, such that the lighting function is visible through the light window from the outside.