Vehicle Container Illumination with Translucent Inner Bin
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle compartments, especially in electrified vehicles, lack effective illumination and temperature control for stored items like beverages and ice, making it difficult to maintain optimal storage conditions and visibility.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle container assembly with a translucent inner bin and a lighting assembly, including multi-colored LEDs, that illuminates the interior and can adjust lighting based on temperature measurements, combined with a heating element for temperature control, ensuring optimal storage conditions and visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a vehicle compartment is used for storing items like beverages and ice, then cargo space is provided, but effective illumination and temperature control are lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting assembly automatically activates when the container lid is opened, providing illumination without requiring separate user action. The system self-regulates based on the lid position sensor, ensuring visibility is enhanced precisely when the user needs to access or view items in the container.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting assembly serves multiple functions: it provides general illumination for visibility, indicates temperature status through color coding (blue for cold, red for warm), and can be controlled via wireless communication. This multi-functional approach addresses both illumination and temperature monitoring needs within a single integrated system.
2Temperature
If items are stored in a vehicle compartment, then cargo capacity is increased, but temperature control for optimal storage conditions is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensor continuously monitors the interior temperature and provides feedback to the control system. The lighting assembly responds by changing color (blue for optimal cold storage, red for warm conditions) and can trigger wireless notifications to the user's device, enabling real-time temperature awareness and corrective action without complex control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting assembly uses color changes to communicate temperature status intuitively - blue light indicates optimal cold storage conditions while red light warns of warm conditions. This visual feedback system simplifies temperature monitoring by translating complex temperature data into easily interpretable color signals that guide user behavior.
3Illumination intensity
If a translucent inner bin is used, then visibility of stored items is improved, but structural complexity of the container assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into an outer container and a removable inner bin, with the inner bin being translucent for visibility. This segmentation allows the translucent material to be applied only where needed (the inner bin) rather than the entire container structure, reducing overall complexity while achieving the visibility benefit. The inner bin can be independently manufactured and replaced.
Solution Approach 2:
The translucent inner bin is nested within the outer container, creating a layered structure where the inner bin provides visibility and the outer container provides structural support and insulation. This nesting arrangement allows each component to fulfill its specific function with optimal material selection, reducing the need for complex integrated designs.
4Loss of information
If lighting assembly with multi-colored LEDs is implemented, then temperature indication capability is enhanced, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting assembly uses periodic or pulsed LED activation rather than continuous operation. The lights are triggered by lid opening events or temperature threshold crossings, consuming energy only when information communication is needed. This periodic action significantly reduces overall energy consumption while maintaining effective temperature status indication.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses multi-colored LEDs that can emit different colors (blue for cold, red for warm) to convey temperature status information. This allows a single LED component to replace multiple separate indicators, reducing the total number of active elements and associated energy consumption while providing comprehensive temperature information through color differentiation.
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 solution provides effective illumination and temperature control, allowing users to monitor storage conditions and maintain optimal temperatures, enhancing the storage and visibility of items within the vehicle container.
Implementation Method 1
a lighting assembly that illuminates an interior of the inner bin through a translucent area of the inner bin
Implementation Method 2
a heater that selectively heats the interior of the inner bin
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary vehicle container assembly includes an outer bin, an inner bin received within the outer bin, and a lighting assembly that illuminates an interior of the inner bin through a translucent area of the inner bin. An exemplary vehicle container illumination method includes illuminating an interior area of an inner bin through a translucent area of the inner bin.