Windshield IR Coating for Hidden Sensors and Uniform Appearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle devices with optical transmitters and receivers, such as infrared detection elements on windshields, face challenges in achieving good optical properties and visual appearance, particularly in ensuring uniformity and concealment of components from external observation while maintaining infrared radiation transmittance.
Innovation Solution
A translucent windshield with an infrared component and a coating that is transparent to infrared radiation, arranged both within and outside the component area, ensuring uniform optical properties and appearance by matching the coating's color to the surrounding elements, thus concealing the components from view while allowing uninterrupted infrared radiation transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an infrared component is integrated into the windshield, then the functionality of receiving and transmitting infrared radiation is improved, but the visual appearance uniformity deteriorates due to the visible component area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a coating with a predetermined color coordinate to the windshield in the component area where the infrared component is arranged. The color coordinate is specifically selected to match the surrounding elements (such as the display device in switched-off state), making the component area visually indistinguishable from adjacent areas. This resolves the contradiction by changing the visual appearance (color) of the component area to achieve uniformity while maintaining infrared transmission functionality.
2Shape
If a coating is applied to the windshield to match colors, then the visual appearance uniformity is improved, but the infrared radiation transmittance deteriorates due to absorption or reflection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a coating that combines multiple properties: it has a predetermined color coordinate for visual matching while simultaneously being transparent or translucent to infrared radiation. This composite material approach allows the coating to serve dual functions - aesthetic uniformity in the visible range and infrared transmission in the infrared range - thereby resolving the contradiction between appearance and functionality.
3Shape
If the coating is arranged only outside the component area, then the visual appearance uniformity is improved by concealing components, but the infrared radiation transmission deteriorates due to blocking the component area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the coating specifically in the component area where the infrared component is arranged, with the coating's properties (color coordinate and infrared transparency) being locally optimized for this region. The coating is arranged both in the component area and outside it, ensuring that the component area visually matches surrounding areas while maintaining infrared transmission. This local quality approach resolves the contradiction by making the coating's presence and properties specific to the component area's needs.
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 enables the integration of display devices and infrared components into a common windshield, providing a uniform appearance and maintaining the functionality of infrared components without significant external visibility, while ensuring reliable infrared radiation transmittance and matching the visual appearance to the surrounding elements.
Implementation Method 1
The coating is permeable to radiation in the infrared range. The coating is in particular translucent and/or transparent to radiation in the infrared range.
Implementation Method 2
The coating has a predetermined color location. The color coordinate of the coating is specified in such a way that a desired color coordinate is realized for the external observer.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
An apparatus for a motor vehicle (100) comprises: - a translucent windshield (111), - an infrared component (120, 121, 122) which is designed to receive and/or transmit radiation (101, 102) in the infrared range, - a coating (113) which is arranged on a main surface (114) of the windshield (111), wherein - the infrared component (120, 121, 122) is arranged on the main surface (114) of the windshield (111) in a component region (123, 124, 125), - the coating (113) is arranged between the windshield (111) and the infrared component (120, 121, 122) and arranged both within the component region (123, 124, 125) and outside of the component region (123, 124, 125), and - the coating (113) is transmissive to radiation (101, 102) in the infrared range and has a specified color locus.