Translucent Flexible Tambour Door for Vehicle Console
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle trim components, such as tambour doors, lack aesthetic appeal and functionality in low-light conditions, as they are typically opaque and do not provide clear visibility through storage areas.
Innovation Solution
A flexible, translucent tambour door component that allows light to pass through, formed from materials like polypropylene, polycarbonate acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and thermoplastic polyurethane, which can be used to selectively open and close storage areas, providing both functionality and aesthetic enhancement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If traditional opaque materials are used for tambour doors, then manufacturing cost and structural simplicity are maintained, but aesthetic appeal and visibility in low-light conditions deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from opaque materials to translucent materials for the tambour door slats. This material parameter change enables light transmission while maintaining the structural form and function of traditional tambour doors, thereby improving visibility in low-light conditions without fundamentally altering the manufacturing process or structural design.
2Shape
If translucent materials are used for the flexible component, then aesthetic appearance and visibility are improved, but material selection and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making only the flexible component (tambour door) translucent while leaving the rest of the console structure opaque. This localized application of translucency enhances aesthetic appearance and visibility where needed without requiring the entire vehicle interior to be manufactured with specialized materials, thereby limiting the increase in manufacturing complexity to a specific component.
3Ease of operation
If opaque materials are used for storage area doors, then structural simplicity is maintained, but functionality for locating objects in low-light conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by changing the optical property of the door material from opaque to translucent. This enables passengers to visually detect and locate objects within the storage area through the door without opening it, particularly in low-light conditions, thereby improving ease of operation and reducing loss of information about the contents.
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 translucent tambour door enhances the vehicle's interior aesthetic and improves usability by allowing passengers to locate and view objects through the door, even in low-light conditions, while maintaining functionality in various trim applications.
Implementation Method 1
At least a portion of the flexible component is translucent. The translucent portion of the flexible component allows light to pass therethrough, which may assist a passenger of the vehicle in locating the flexible component at night.
Data Source
AI summary
A trim component for a vehicle includes a flexible component, and at least a portion of the flexible component is translucent or transparent, allowing light to pass therethrough. The flexible component could also include an opaque portion. The trim component may be a tambour door of a center console or other storage area, a gear shift closeout, or a steering column closeout. The flexible component includes a plurality of slats and a substrate coupling the slats. The center console includes a light source directing light through the translucent portion of the tambour door. The slats are formed from polypropylene or polycarbonate acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and the substrate is formed from thermoplastic polyurethane or a thermoplastic elastomer.