Vehicle Interior Trim With Color-Responsive Hidden Graphics

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current vehicle interior lamps have inadequate decorative effects and attractiveness due to basic display types, which do not effectively utilize light projection or light pipes to enhance the emotional and interactive experience.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle interior trim piece with a light-transmissive skin layer and a pattern layer that displays graphics responsive to changes in visible light, utilizing multiple graphic areas that change color, shape, and position based on the light source's color, and includes a light uniforming layer for enhanced illumination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If light is directly projected on the surface or displayed through a light pipe, then the lighting function is provided, but the decorative effect and attractiveness are inadequate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelighting functionVSAvoiddecorative effect
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The pattern layer is divided into multiple graphic areas with different color characteristics, allowing different regions to display different graphics when illuminated by light of corresponding colors. This segmentation enables the trim piece to display multiple different decorative patterns using a single integrated structure, resolving the contradiction between simple manufacturing and versatile decorative effects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different areas of the pattern layer are designed with different color transmission properties - some areas transmit red light, others transmit green light, and others transmit blue light. This local differentiation allows the trim piece to display different graphics in different regions based on the color of incident light, enhancing decorative versatility while maintaining a unified structural design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Device complexity

If a single color light is used, then the structure is simple, but the graphic display is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight source structureVSAvoidgraphic display capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The pattern layer is designed to respond to multiple colors of light (red, green, blue) simultaneously, making it capable of displaying different graphics based on the color of incident light. This multi-functional design allows a single trim piece to achieve multiple decorative effects without requiring separate light sources or display structures for each color, thus maintaining structural simplicity while enhancing graphic display versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The graphic display capability is enhanced by changing the parameter of light color rather than changing the physical structure of the display system. The pattern layer's color transmission properties remain fixed, but by varying the color parameter of the incident light, different graphics can be displayed, achieving versatility without increasing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple pattern layers are used to achieve color changes, then the decorative effect is enhanced, but the manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor display capabilityVSAvoidassembly process
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple pattern layers with different color characteristics are merged into a single integrated pattern layer structure. Instead of assembling separate layers, the different color transmission areas are combined in one layer, allowing light to pass through different regions to display different graphics. This merging approach maintains the enhanced decorative effect while simplifying the manufacturing and assembly process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 trim piece enhances the decorative effect and driving experience by dynamically displaying graphics in response to light color changes, improving the aesthetic appeal and interaction with the vehicle environment.

Implementation Method 1

the graphic areas and a peripheral area surrounding the multiple graphic areas. Other areas of the multiple graphic areas only allow light corresponding to a color of the graphic area to transmit through

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight transmission: Light

Implementation Method 2

a light-transmissive skin layer and a pattern layer, wherein the pattern layer comprises multiple graphic areas, a graphic that corresponds to at least one graphic area among the multiple graphic areas will only be shown on a viewable surface of the vehicle interior trim piece when the vehicle interior trim piece is illuminated by visible light emitted by a back surface

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight transmission: Light

Data Source

PatentEP3882085B1Vehicle interior trim piece
Publication Date: 2026.01.28 SHANGHAI YANFENG JINQIAO AUTOMOTIVE TRIM SYSTEMS CO LTD
  • EP3882085B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3882085B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3882085B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

A vehicle interior trim piece (200) comprises a light-transmissive skin layer (30) and a pattern layer (50), the pattern layer (50) comprising multiple graphic areas; a graphic that corresponds to at least one graphic area among the multiple graphic areas will only be shown on a viewable surface of the vehicle interior trim piece (200) when the vehicle interior trim piece (200) is illuminated by visible light emitted by a back surface, and the graphic shown on the viewable surface of the vehicle interior trim piece (200) changes in response to changes to the color of the visible light. The vehicle interior trim piece may greatly improve the decorative effect of vehicle interior trim.