Backlit Interior Trim Panel With Translucent Decorative Veneer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing illuminated interior trim panels in vehicles lack luxurious decorative surface materials and are often made of hard plastic, which does not provide a luxurious look and feel, and require additional process steps and higher costs for materials with perforations or translucent inlays.
Innovation Solution
A decorative cover for a back-illuminated interior trim panel comprising a sturdy shell-structure with a transparent plate and a decorative component top layer made from materials like wood veneer, metallic layer, paper, or fabric, having a predetermined degree of translucency, allowing light to shine through while maintaining a luxurious appearance, and is manufactured in a seamless, single component structure using injection molding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If hard plastic injection molded material is used for the interior trim panel, then the manufacturing process is simple and cost-effective, but the luxurious look and feel is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining a translucent plastic substrate with a decorative layer (wood veneer, metal foil, fabric, or paper) to create an interior trim panel that exhibits both the manufacturing advantages of injection molded plastic and the luxurious appearance of premium materials. The composite structure allows the panel to be produced through standardized manufacturing processes while achieving a high-end aesthetic through the decorative surface layer.
2Shape
If decorative surfaces with perforations and/or translucent inlays are used, then a luxurious appearance is achieved, but more process steps are required and material scrap increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the decorative function and the structural function into a single integrated component. Instead of separately creating perforations or inlays and then assembling them onto a base panel, the invention combines these elements directly into the injection molded translucent plastic panel itself, reducing the number of manufacturing steps and minimizing material waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by controlling the translucency of the plastic material during injection molding to achieve the desired decorative effect. By adjusting the translucency parameter of the base material, the panel can display decorative patterns and textures without requiring additional perforation or inlay processes, thereby simplifying manufacturing.
3Shape
If opaque trim materials like wood, metal, or fabric are used without backlighting, then a luxurious appearance is achieved, but the ability to provide ambient lighting is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different optical properties in different regions of the panel. The base panel is made translucent to allow light transmission, while the decorative layer is applied selectively to specific areas. This allows certain regions to display luxurious textures when backlit, while other regions maintain light transmission for ambient illumination, achieving both aesthetic and functional requirements simultaneously.
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 a durable, luxurious-looking trim panel with even lighting and reduced manufacturing costs by using fewer production steps and minimizing material waste, while ensuring a seamless, solid surface appearance both with and without illumination.
Implementation Method 1
a light source component (40, 140) comprising: a carrier plate (20), shaped to form a back surface of the interior trim panel (100) and having a reflective surface, at least one LED light, mounted onto the reflective surface
Implementation Method 2
a carrier plate (20), shaped to form a back surface of the interior trim panel (100) and having a reflective surface
Data Source
AI summary
A decorative cover for a back-illuminated interior trim panel for a vehicle, said cover being a sturdy shell-structure including a transparent plate, forming the back side of the shell-structure, and a decorative component top layer including a trim material layer, which forms the outer surface of the decorative cover, wherein the trim material layer is formed from a trim material which is one from a group of materials consisting of a wood veneer, a metallic layer, a paper, a textile and a fabric, and wherein the laminate is configured to have a predetermined degree of translucency.