Vehicle Interior Covering Pattern Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Decorative patterns on interior vehicle surfaces often suffer from visual distortion due to stretching and wrapping during application, which reduces their aesthetic value, and existing methods like direct printing on components increase costs or introduce bubbles and discoloration.
Innovation Solution
Applying a covering with a decorative orthogonal pattern to interior vehicle surfaces by orienting it so that a segment of the pattern forms an angle of less than ninety degrees with a visual reference line, and using a method that involves determining a visual reference line and rotating the covering before application to minimize distortion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the material is stretched and wrapped over the edges of a surface during application, then the material can be installed on complex surfaces, but visual distortion of the decorative pattern occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by deliberately orienting the decorative pattern at non-traditional angles (specifically less than 90 degrees) relative to the substrate edges. This asymmetric orientation breaks the visual alignment that would normally highlight distortion, allowing the pattern to mask stretching and wrapping effects while maintaining aesthetic appearance on complex surfaces
2Manufacturing precision
If patterns are printed directly on the vehicle component, then visual distortion is avoided, but costs per component increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a decorative covering as a copy or overlay that contains the desired pattern, rather than printing directly on the component. This copying approach allows the pattern to be applied separately and oriented to mask distortion, achieving visual precision without the high costs of direct printing processes
3Manufacturing precision
If vacuums are used to reduce distortion during application, then pattern distortion is minimized, but bubbles form under the film and discoloration occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-orienting the decorative pattern at specific angles before application to the substrate. This preliminary orientation strategy allows the pattern to inherently mask distortion during installation, reducing or eliminating the need for vacuum processes that cause bubbles and discoloration
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are interior vehicle surfaces having a substrate and a covering having imposed thereon a decorative pattern. The covering is applied to the substrate oriented so that a segment of the decorative pattern forms an angle of less than ninety degrees with a visual reference line. Application of the covering includes determining a visual reference line with respect to the interior vehicle surface to be covered, rotating the covering less than ninety degrees such that a segment of the pattern originally parallel to the visual reference line is now angled with respect to the visual reference line and applying the rotated covering to the interior vehicle surface.