Component with a Translucent Surface with a Variable Shape

Abstract

A component with an exterior decorative surface and with signaling or operating elements arranged in the surface or near the surface, in particular an interior trim component of a vehicle, wherein the component comprises a component carrier as supporting structure or substructure and a multilayered film arranged on the exterior thereof, wherein the film comprises a layer composite composed of at least one outer cover layer which is at least partly light-transmissive and is optionally provided with a coating, and at least one further layer which is at least partly light-transmissive and is arranged on the rear side of the cover layer, wherein the layers forming the film consist of a flexible, elastomeric and reversibly deformable polymer, and the component carrier comprises devices which act on the film for the at least regional deformation of the film, i.e. deformation that concerns partial regions of the surface, and also devices for the at least regional transillumination of the film.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A component with an exterior decorative surface and with signaling or operating elements arranged in the surface, or near the surface, wherein the component comprises a component carrier as supporting structure, or substructure, and a multilayered film arranged on the exterior thereof; wherein the film comprises a layer composite composed of at least one outer cover layer which is at least partly light-transmissive and is optionally provided with a coating, and at least one further layer which is at least partly light-transmissive and is arranged on the rear side of the cover layer; wherein the layers forming the film consist of a flexible, elastomeric and reversibly deformable polymer; and, wherein the component carrier comprises devices which act on the film for the at least regional deformation of the film, and also devices for the at least regional transillumination of the film.

17. The component as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least partial deformation of the film is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the surface and includes an outwardly directed partial bulging of the film, or bulging restricted to partial regions of the surface, or forms a partial depression of the film, or depression restricted to partial regions of the surface, below the surrounding surface level.

18. The component as claimed in claim 16, wherein the devices for at least partial or regional transillumination are arranged in or near the film regions which are subjected to a deformation by the devices which act on the film.

19. The component as claimed in claim 16, wherein the layer composite forming the film comprises one or a plurality of transparent, non-colored polymer layers and/or one or a plurality of translucent, colored polymer layers, preferably pigmented polymer layers, wherein the film or the layer composite is embodied overall as at least partly light-transmissive.

20. The component as claimed in claim 16, wherein the layer composite forming the film comprises an outer grained or structured layer embodied as transparent.

21. The component as claimed in claim 16, wherein the layer composite forming the film comprises an electrical functional layer.

22. The component as claimed in claim 16, wherein the layers forming the film consist of polyurethane, silicone or latex.

23. The component as claimed in claim 16, wherein the devices for transillumination are embodied as light sources arranged in the component carrier or on the rear side of the component carrier.

24. The component as claimed in claim 23, wherein a stencil consisting of light-nontransmissive material and having light-transmissive cutouts is laminated in or arranged between light source and cover layer.

25. The component as claimed in claim 16, wherein the devices for the deformation of the film are arranged as actuators arranged in the component carrier, and wherein the devices are embodied as stamps that are displaceable perpendicularly to the surface of the component, or as actuators that displace or move partial surfaces of the component carrier.

26. The component as claimed in claim 16, wherein sensors for identifying the approach of objects or persons or for identifying touches are arranged in the component carrier or in the layer composite of the film; and wherein the sensors are arranged in or near the film regions that are subjected to a deformation by the devices which act on the film.

27. The component as claimed in claim 26, wherein capacitive, resistive or inductive sensors are arranged in the layer composite of the film.

28. The component as claimed in claim 27, wherein the actuators, stamps or displaceable partial surfaces are embodied as switches or controllers, signaling or operating elements or include such elements.

29. The component as claimed in claim 28, wherein the switches or controllers, signaling or operating elements, with the aid of signals of the sensors for identifying approach or touch that are situated in the layer composite of the film, are illuminated, activated and positioned prominently by actuators in the case of an outwardly directed partial bulging or depression of the film.

30. The component as claimed in claim 29, wherein an inductive charger for an appliance that operates with a rechargeable battery, preferably a cellular phone, in the motor vehicle is activated with the aid of signals of the sensors situated in the layer composite of the film, wherein the charging position for the appliance is produced by a depression in the film, said depression having been produced with the aid of the actuators.

31. The component as claimed in claim 16, wherein the component is an interior trim component of a vehicle.

Description

[0049] The invention will be explained in greater detail on the basis of an exemplary embodiment. In the figures:

[0050] FIG. 1 shows the layer construction of various embodiments of multilayered films for the exterior surface of a component according to the invention, and

[0051] FIG. 2 shows the layer construction of further embodiments of multilayered films for the exterior surface of a component according to the invention.

[0052] FIG. 1 shows the layer construction of various multilayered films 10, 20, 30 and 40 for the exterior surface of a component according to the invention during production, the films here being produced in a transfer coating method, such that the underside of the respective exemplary embodiments of layer constructions/layer composite systems in FIG. 1 constitutes the later exterior of the film and thus of the entire component according to the invention. The same also applies to the illustrations in FIG. 2.

[0053] In this case, FIG. 1 firstly shows the layer construction of a film 10 situated on the exterior of a component according to the invention and composed of three non-colored, transparent, i.e. substantially completely light-transmissive plies or layers 1a, 1b and 1c, which were spread on successively, such that the rear side of the ply 1c is planar to the greatest possible extent. A colored but still translucent film layer 2a then follows.

[0054] FIG. 1 likewise shows the layer construction of another embodiment of a film 20 situated on the exterior of a component according to the invention. In the case of the film 20, in addition and adjacent to the ply or layer 2a, a further non-colored, transparent layer 3 and a once again colored layer 4 are also applied with a different thickness than the layer 2a. Such a construction can advantageously be used for the fine setting of the transparency or translucency.

[0055] In a further embodiment of a film 40 situated on the exterior of a component according to the invention, it is provided that, for setting the light transmissivity, plies or layers 2a, 2b and 4 colored to different degrees can also be used, which additionally have a different thickness.

[0056] The exemplary embodiment of a film 30 situated on the exterior of a component according to the invention shows that in certain cases a transparent non-colored, superficially grained polymer layer also suffices to achieve a planar underside which can additionally be adjoined by a colored translucent polymer ply, which then forms the exterior of the film and thus of the entire component according to the invention.

[0057] FIG. 2 shows exemplary embodiments of the layer construction of further multilayered films 50 and 60 for the exterior surface of a component according to the invention.

[0058] In the embodiment of a film 50 situated on the exterior of a component according to the invention, it is provided that an electrically conductive functional layer 5 can be situated on the rear side of the layer composite, which functional layer was applied by printing in this case.

[0059] The embodiment of a film 60 situated on the exterior of a component according to the invention shows that the electrically conductive functional layer 5 can also be situated within a layer composite according to the invention.

[0060] A description is given below of how, for example, a layer composite situated on the exterior of a component according to the invention or an exterior film 10 can be produced in a transfer coating method.

[0061] Firstly, a non-colored aliphatic polycarbonate ester-polyether polyurethane dispersion (Impranil DLU, Covestro) is applied to a grained carrier paper and is dried for 3 min at 100° C., with the result that a first ply or layer 1a having a grammage of approximately 50 g/m.sup.2 is obtained.

[0062] A doctor blade is used to spread onto said first layer a second layer 1b composed of polyurethane high solids composition (solids content approximately 95.6%) with an application of approximately 130 g/m.sup.2, consisting of Impranil HS 80 (butanone oxime-blocked isocyanate prepolymer, Covestro), Baxxodur E331 (diamine crosslinker, BASF) and methoxypropyl acetate in a ratio of 100:8.6:5. This layer is cured for 3 min at 170° C.

[0063] A third layer or ply 1c having the same formulation is spread onto the second layer with approximately 70 g/m.sup.2 and is cured in the same way.

[0064] The layer composite then produced, which is planar to the greatest possible extent, then has applied to it a further layer 2a, namely a colored or pigmented composition with approximately 140 g/m.sup.2. The formulation of the composition is identical to the formulation of the composition from the layers 1b and 1c, except that this time 3 parts of a solvent-containing black pigment preparation (19% pigment proportion gas black, 38% solvent proportion, 43% acrylate resin) are also added.

[0065] A test specimen was stamped (5×20 cm) from the film 10 thus produced and was extended in a Zwick tension-extension testing machine 1000 times in each case to 30 and 50% (100 mm/min extension rate) and was subsequently relaxed again with zero force. After the test cycles, the residual extension of the film was determined as 0% (measured 5 minutes after the end of the test cycle).

[0066] If a high solids polymer composition consisting of Impranil HS 80, Impranil HS 62 (both butanone oxime-blocked isocyanate prepolymers, Covestro), Baxxodur E331 (diamine crosslinker, BASF) and methoxypropyl acetate in a ratio of 50:50:7.1:5 or a mixture of Larithane LS 969 (butanone oxime-blocked isocyanate prepolymer, Novotex) and

[0067] Baxxodur E331 is used in the example described above, then a film structure still having a residual extension of just 1.5% after 1000 test cycles (measured 5 minutes after the end of the test cycle) is obtained in each case.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

Part of the Description

[0068] 1a-1c Light-transmissive ply or layer [0069] 2a-2b Colored, translucent layer [0070] 3 Non-colored, transparent layer [0071] 4 Colored, translucent layer [0072] 5 Functional layer [0073] 10-50 Film situated on the exterior of a component according to the invention