IP Library Granted Patent US 12,202,401
Granted Patent B2
US 12,202,401 · App. 15/483,504 · Granted Jan 21, 2025

Interior trim part of a motor vehicle

Inventor: Carter Scott Cannon (Munich, DE)
Assignee: International Automotive Components Group NA, Inc.
B60Q3/208B32B3/08B32B3/266B32B5/022B32B5/024B32B5/026B32B5/18B32B5/245B32B5/26B32B7/12B32B9/025B32B9/047B32B27/12B32B27/40B60Q3/54B60Q3/80B60R13/0212B60R13/0231B32B17/10541B32B2262/02B32B2262/0246B32B2307/414B32B2605/003B60Q3/14B60Q3/20B60Q3/217B60Q3/233B60Q3/242B60Q3/252B60Q3/267B60Q3/68B60R2013/0287G09F13/04G09F13/16
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,202,401
App. No.
15/483,504
Granted
Jan 21, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The disclosure relates to an interior trim part of a motor vehicle, which includes a support layer ( 10 ), a cover layer ( 14 ) on a front side of the support layer and an illumination unit ( 16 - 26 ) on an opposite rear side of the support layer. The support layer includes a perforation ( 12 ), which forms an illuminated structure when the illumination unit emits light through the perforation.

Claims (39)

1. An interior trim part of a motor vehicle, comprising:

a support, wherein the support is a substrate of the interior trim part and has a front side and a rear side opposite the front side and is at least partially opaque,

a decorative cover applied to the front side of the substrate, wherein the decorative cover has a front side which provides an outermost surface of the interior trim part and has one or more layers,

an illumination unit, which emits light, applied to the rear side of the substrate,

wherein the substrate supports the decorative cover and the illumination unit, and includes a plurality of through-holes,

wherein the one or more layers of the decorative cover overlie each through-hole of the plurality of through-holes of the substrate and extend across both the front surface of the substrate and the plurality of through-holes of the substrate such that a same number of the one or more layers of the decorative cover extend across both the front surface of the substrate and the plurality of through-holes of the substrate,

wherein the decorative cover which overlies each through-hole of the plurality of through-holes has a uniformly closed surface and the through-holes are hidden until the illumination unit is activated,

wherein, when activated, the illumination unit is arranged to emit light into different combinations of through-hole arrangements of the plurality of through-holes, sequentially, with each of the different combinations of through-hole arrangements providing different illuminated structures, respectively, on the front side of the decorative cover overlying the lighted plurality of through-holes,

wherein, when activated, the illumination unit is arranged to emit light at a first time into a first combination of through-hole arrangements of the plurality of through-holes, and to emit light at a second time into a second combination of through-hole arrangements of the plurality of through-holes, with each of the first and second combinations of through-holes arrangements providing a first and second different illuminated structure, respectively, on the front side of the decorative cover overlying the lighted plurality of through-holes, and

wherein the first and second different illuminated structures are of an illumination sequence to generate moving illumination.

2. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein each through-hole of the plurality of through-holes has a polygonal shape or a circular shape.

3. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein at least one illuminated structure of the different illuminated structures is at least one of a graphic pattern, an image or at least one letter.

4. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the illumination unit is activated in response to a door of the motor vehicle being opened.

5. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the illumination unit is activated in response to an engine of the motor vehicle being started.

6. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the illumination unit is activated in response to an audio system of the motor vehicle being operated.

7. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the illumination unit is activated in response to speed of the motor vehicle.

8. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the illumination unit selectively illuminates the different combinations of the through-hole arrangements in a time sequence to produce an impression of animation or dynamics.

9. The interior trim part of claim 8 , further comprising a control unit operatively coupled with the illumination unit to selectively illuminate the different combinations of the through-hole arrangements in the time sequence to produce the impression of animation or dynamics.

10. The interior trim part of claim 9 , wherein the control unit controls the illumination unit to selectively illuminate the different combinations of the through-hole arrangements in the time sequence to produce the impression of animation or dynamics.

11. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the decorative cover comprises at least one of a textile, a foil, a synthetic leather, a leather or a perforated material.

12. The interior trim part of claim 11 , wherein the textile comprises at least one of a non-woven textile, a woven textile or a knitted textile.

13. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the cover includes multiple layers.

14. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the cover is translucent.

15. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the cover is transparent.

16. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein each through-hole of the plurality of through-holes has a linear shape or an elongated shape.

17. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of through-holes are arranged in a pattern, an image or at least one letter.

18. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the illumination unit comprises at least one of an LED, an OLED, an electroluminescence light source, a light conductor, or a light-conducting textile.

19. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the illumination unit is at least partially embedded in the substrate.

20. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the interior trim part is an instrument panel, door, side wall, center console, roof, or interior lining.

21. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the decorative cover comprises a foil or a synthetic layer.

22. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein each through-hole of the plurality of through-holes has a same shape.

23. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein all layers of the decorative cover overlie each through-hole of the plurality of through-holes of the substrate and extend across both the front surface of the substrate and the plurality of through-holes of the substrate.

24. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein the illumination sequence is provided by the illumination unit being arranged to emit light at the first time into the first combination of through-holes of the plurality of through-holes without emitting light at the first time into the second combination of through-holes of the plurality of through-holes and to emit light at the second time into the second combination of through-holes of the plurality of through-holes without emitting light at the second time into the first combination of through-holes of the plurality of through-holes.

25. The interior trim part of claim 1 , wherein:

the interior trim part is a roof lining;

the illumination unit comprises a flexible light-conducting textile applied to the rear side of the substrate, wherein the flexible light-conducting textile is formed of light-conducting optical fibers which each provide an optical waveguide, respectively; and

the one or more layers of decorative cover comprises an outermost textile layer.

26. The interior trim part of claim 24 , wherein the substrate is a pressed-fiber reinforced sheet.

27. The interior trim part of claim 25 , wherein the pressed-fiber reinforced sheet is formed of natural and/or synthetic fibers.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE OF PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME 057569/0893. Recorded Jun 6, 2025
From: BLUE TORCH FINANCE LLC
To: INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP NORTH AMERICA, INC.; INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP GMBH
Reel/Frame 071494/0829 →
RELEASE OF PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME 063121/0799. Recorded Jun 6, 2025
From: BLUE TORCH FINANCE LLC
To: INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP NORTH AMERICA, INC.; INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP GMBH
Reel/Frame 071494/0928 →
RELEASE OF PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME 067006/0846. Recorded Jun 6, 2025
From: BLUE TORCH FINANCE LLC
To: INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP NORTH AMERICA, INC.; INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP GMBH
Reel/Frame 071494/0946 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 12, 2025
From: INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP GMBH
To: INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Reel/Frame 070188/0332 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Feb 10, 2025
From: AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP GMBH
To: AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP GMBH
Reel/Frame 070167/0268 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 5, 2024
From: INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP GMBH
To: INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP NA, INC.
Reel/Frame 068182/0384 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 20, 2023
From: INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP GMBH
To: BLUE TORCH FINANCE LLC, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 063121/0799 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 20, 2017
From: CANNON, CARTER SCOTT
To: INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP GMBH
Reel/Frame 042760/0288 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2016 106 539.0 · Apr 11, 2016 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170291536A1 · Oct 12, 2017
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