Vehicle Electronic Key with Inner Opaque Layer for Wear-Resistant Symbols
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Modern electronic vehicle keys with remote control functions face issues with function symbols on their housings wearing out due to environmental influences, leading to unclear assignment of functions over time.
Innovation Solution
An electronic key design featuring a semitransparent display section with an opaque layer applied to the inner side of the housing wall, containing cutouts that define information symbols, and a lighting source for illumination, ensuring the symbols remain visible and legible for extended periods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If function symbols are applied directly to the housing or buttons, then the electronic key can display information clearly, but the symbols wear out due to environmental influences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of the function symbols by forming relief structures directly on the housing surface through injection molding. These relief copies of the symbols are integrated into the housing material itself, providing a durable representation that doesn't wear out like painted or printed symbols. The relief structures maintain visibility while being resistant to environmental degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a two-component injection molding process that combines different materials with distinct properties. The housing is made from a base material providing structural integrity, while a second material forms the relief symbol structures. This composite approach allows the symbols to be embedded within the housing matrix, protecting them from wear while maintaining their visual function.
2Shape
If the housing wall is made semitransparent to conceal internal structures, then aesthetic appeal is enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single injection molding process. The semitransparent housing material, the relief symbol structures, and the integrated button assemblies are all formed in one manufacturing step using a specialized mold. This merging of operations eliminates the need for separate manufacturing and assembly steps, reducing overall complexity despite the advanced material requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent achieves the semitransparent aesthetic by controlling the optical parameters of the plastic material used in injection molding. By selecting materials with specific transparency characteristics and adjusting molding parameters such as wall thickness and cooling rates, the desired aesthetic effect is obtained while maintaining manufacturability through standard injection molding techniques.
3Illumination intensity
If the wall thickness is reduced in the display section, then the symbols become more visible through the housing, but the structural strength is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different wall thicknesses to different regions of the housing. The display section features a reduced wall thickness to allow light transmission and symbol visibility, while other structural regions maintain full thickness for strength. This localized variation in geometry is achieved through programmable injection molding that controls material flow and solidification in different zones of the mold cavity.
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 ensures that information symbols on the electronic key remain easily identifiable and clear for users, resisting environmental wear and tear, while the semitransparent design conceals internal structures, enhancing aesthetic appeal and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
an electronic key (ES1, ES2), in particular a radio-controlled key (ES1, ES2), for a vehicle (V), comprising a housing (GHO, GHU) having a housing wall (GHW) with a semitransparent display section (AZA), an information symbol (IS) for representing an item of information to be displayed to a user
Implementation Method 2
an opaque layer which has been applied to an inner side of the housing wall section with the reduced wall thickness, with cutouts which at least partially define the information symbol (IS)
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic key, e.g., a wireless key for a vehicle, is disclosed. The key has a housing with a housing wall having a semi-transparent display section. An information symbol for representing information to be displayed to a user is further provided. The display section has a housing wall section with reduced wall thickness, wherein a light-impermeable layer, in which recesses representing the information symbol are produced, is applied to an inner side of the housing. The combination of a housing wall section of reduced thickness and the light-impermeable layer on the inner side of the housing as an information symbol provided in the display section creates an information symbol that may be very sharp and bright when backlit and, due to the semitransparent formation of the display section, is not visible when not backlit.