Embossed Functional Leather Assembly With Hidden Vehicle Electronics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Luxury vehicle interior components lack functionality beyond aesthetics, as traditional natural leather provides no functional benefits while being expensive to maintain and limited in versatility.
Innovation Solution
A smart functional leather assembly is created by applying a flexible conductive trace and pigmented coating to a leather substrate, which is then embossed to provide an embossed texture, allowing the leather to be both aesthetically pleasing and functional, with integrated electronic elements like sensors and light sources, while maintaining flexibility and ease of installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If traditional natural leather is used for vehicle interior components, then aesthetic appearance and luxurious look are improved, but functionality and versatility remain limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines traditional natural leather with electronic circuit elements, sensors, and functional components into a single integrated assembly. The conductive traces and electronic components are embedded within or applied to the leather substrate, merging aesthetic material with functional technology to create surfaces that provide both luxurious appearance and active functionality such as heating, cooling, sensing, or display capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The leather-based functional assembly is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously - maintaining the aesthetic role of traditional leather while adding functional capabilities such as temperature control, sensory detection, visual display, or tactile feedback. This multi-functional integration allows a single component to serve both decorative and operational purposes in vehicle interiors.
2Adaptability or versatility
If electronic circuit elements are applied to leather substrate, then functionality is improved, but appearance may be cluttered
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic circuit elements, conductive traces, and functional components are strategically positioned and integrated in specific localized areas of the leather substrate rather than uniformly distributed. This allows functionality to be concentrated where needed while preserving the aesthetic quality of the leather in visible areas, creating local functional zones without overall visual clutter.
Solution Approach 2:
The leather substrate itself acts as an intermediary layer that conceals or integrates the electronic components beneath its surface. The natural texture and appearance of the leather mask the underlying circuitry, while still allowing functional elements to operate through or within the material, thus mediating between aesthetic requirements and functional needs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple layers including conductive traces and coatings are applied to leather, then functional capabilities are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Conductive traces and functional coatings are applied to the leather substrate during the leather manufacturing process itself, before the leather is cut or assembled into final components. This preliminary integration of functional elements streamlines production by combining multiple manufacturing steps into one continuous process, reducing subsequent assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested layered structure where conductive traces, functional coatings, and electronic elements are integrated within or upon the leather substrate in concentric or hierarchical layers. This nesting approach consolidates multiple functional layers into a compact integrated assembly, simplifying handling and installation while maintaining complex functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A smart functional leather assembly includes a leather substrate, an electronic circuit layer including one or more conductive traces and optional electronic elements arranged on the leather substrate, optionally a pigmented coating arranged on the circuit layer, and an optional anti-soiling layer arranged on the pigmented layer. The entire smart functional leather assembly, including the circuit, are embossed to provide an embossed smart functional leather assembly with an embossed pattern.