In-Vehicle Button Illumination via Localized Reflective Surfaces
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In-vehicle lighting devices face a challenge in ensuring both sufficient visibility of buttons at night for safety and maintaining aesthetic quality during the day, as increasing the clearance around buttons to enhance visibility impairs the device's appearance.
Innovation Solution
An in-vehicle lighting device design featuring a panel with through-holes for buttons, where the buttons have a front end part protruding from the front surface, an intermediate part with a light-reflecting surface, and a back end part extending from the back surface, utilizing a light source and metal plating to create a shining effect in the clearance, ensuring visibility without compromising aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the clearance around the button is increased to secure the amount of light for visibility, then the button visibility is improved, but the aesthetic quality is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The button is designed with a light-reflecting surface specifically on the first intermediate part (side surface), while other parts maintain their original appearance. This localized application of light-reflecting properties ensures that only the necessary portion reflects light for visibility, preserving the overall aesthetic quality while achieving sufficient illumination intensity for button visibility during nighttime driving.
2Area of moving object
If the button size is reduced, then the device compactness is improved, but the light amount for visibility is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The button maintains a small size for device compactness, but the material composition is changed by incorporating a light-reflecting surface on the first intermediate part. This parameter change in material properties compensates for the reduced button area, ensuring sufficient light reflection and visibility despite the smaller button size.
3Reliability
If the clearance around the button is increased to make the button visible during nighttime, then the safety is improved, but the clearance becomes obtrusive during daytime
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the overall clearance around the button, the invention applies a light-reflecting surface locally on the first intermediate part of the button. This localized approach provides sufficient light reflection for nighttime visibility and safety without creating obtrusive clearances that would compromise aesthetic quality during daytime.
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
The design achieves conspicuous button outlines with reduced light leakage, maintaining both safety and aesthetic quality by effectively directing and reflecting light within the clearance, making the buttons visible at night without being obtrusive during the day.
Implementation Method 1
a surface of the first intermediate part containing a material that reflects light emitted from the light source
Data Source
AI summary
An in-vehicle lighting device includes: a panel that has a front surface and a back surface, and has a through-hole penetrating through the front surface and the back surface; a light source disposed on a side of the back surface of the panel; and a button inserted in the through-hole, the button including a front end part protruding from the front surface, an first intermediate part provided continuously with the front end part and located between the front surface and the back surface of the panel, a surface of the first intermediate part containing a material that reflects light emitted from the light source, and a back end part provided continuously with the first intermediate part and protrudes from the back surface.