US-12617317-B1 - Article with shapeshifting surface

US12617317B1US 12617317 B1US12617317 B1US 12617317B1US-12617317-B1

Abstract

An article and method to provide vehicle interior panels that offer control of vehicle systems where the control features visually present themselves to the occupant when a given control is desired or in need. The method includes the use of proximity sensors and a shapeshifting (morphing) surface.

Inventors

Carter Scott Cannon
Sung-up Kim
Alexander H. Green

Assignees

INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP NA, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240520

Claims (20)

1 . A method of operating an interior article of a motor vehicle, comprising: providing the article, the article having an outer surface including at least one shifting surface region and at least one non-shifting surface region adjacent the shifting surface region, the article having at least one proximity sensor configured to detect an object within a sensing distance of the outer surface, the article having at least one controller operable to operate at least one operational function of the vehicle by an occupant of the vehicle, the controller disposed beneath the outer surface and activatable by the vehicle occupant upon the vehicle occupant touching the outer surface of the article, the article arrangeable in a first positional arrangement of the shifting surface region and the non-shifting surface region relative to each other such that the outer surface of the article has a first shape concealing a location of the controller from the vehicle occupant, the article arrangeable in a second positional arrangement of the shifting surface region and the non-shifting surface region relative to each other such that the outer surface of the article has a second shape revealing the location of the controller to the vehicle occupant; and moving the shifting surface region relative to the non-shifting surface region from the first positional arrangement concealing the location of the controller from the vehicle occupant to the second positional arrangement revealing the location of the controller to the vehicle occupant, in response to the proximity sensor detecting the object within the sensing distance of the outer surface.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one proximity sensor comprises a capacitive sensor, a camera-based sensor, an eye-tracking sensor, an electromagnetic field sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a radar sensor, or a wireless sensor.
3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one proximity sensor as a sensing range which detects the object when the object is at a distance of 0.1 cm to 15 cm of the outer surface of the article.
4 . The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one proximity sensor is operable to detect the object being a hand or finger of the occupant of the vehicle.
5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the controller further comprises backlighting; and lighting the backlighting of the contoller when the shifting surface region is in the second positional arrangement revealing the location of the controller to the vehicle occupant.
6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the article further comprises a flexible deformable bladder; and moving the shifting surface region relative to the non-shifting surface region further comprises inflating and/or deflating the flexible deformable bladder to move the shifting surface region relative to the non-shifting surface region.
7 . The method of claim 6 wherein the article further comprises a fluid pump to inflate and/or deflate the flexible deformable bladder; and the flexible deformable bladder is a gas bladder or a liquid bladder.
8 . The method of claim 6 wherein the controller is operable to inflate or deflate the flexible deformable bladder to a plurality of selected levels of inflation and/or a plurality of selected levels of deflation.
9 . The method of claim 1 wherein the outer surface comprises a cover material which is: translucent or transparent; and/or formed of poly(vinyl chloride), polyurethane, thermoplastic olefin, polyester, or polysiloxane.
10 . The method of claim 1 father comprising moving selected portions of the shifting surface region in sequence to one another from the first positional arrangement to the second positional arrangement.
11 . An interior article of a motor vehicle, comprising: an outer surface including at least one shifting surface region and at least one non-shifting surface region adjacent the shifting surface region, at least one proximity sensor configured to detect an object within a sensing distance of the outer surface, at least one controller operable to operate at least one operational function of the vehicle by an occupant of the vehicle, the controller disposed beneath the outer surface and activatable by the vehicle occupant upon the vehicle occupant touching the outer surface of the article, the article arrangeable in a first positional arrangement of the shifting surface region and the non-shifting surface region relative to each other such that the outer surface of the article has a first shape concealing a location of the controller from the vehicle occupant, the article arrangeable in a second positional arrangement of the shifting surface region and the non-shifting surface region relative to each other such that the outer surface of the article has a second shape revealing the location of the controller to the vehicle occupant; and the shifting surface region movable relative to the non-shifting surface region from the first positional arrangement concealing the location of the controller from the vehicle occupant to the second positional arrangement revealing the location of the controller to the vehicle occupant, in response to the proximity sensor detecting the object within the sensing distance of the outer surface.
12 . The interior article of claim 11 wherein the at least one proximity sensor comprises a capacitive sensor, camera-based sensor, eye-tracking sensor, electromagnetic field sensor, ultrasonic sensor, radar sensor, or wireless sensor.
13 . The interior article of claim 11 wherein the at least one proximity sensor as a sensing range which detects the object when the object is at a distance of 0.1 cm to 15 cm of the outer surface of the article.
14 . The interior article of claim 11 wherein the at least one proximity sensor is operable to detect the object being a hand or finger of the occupant of the vehicle.
15 . The interior article of claim 11 wherein the controller further comprises backlighting; and the controller is operable to light the backlighting when the shifting surface region is in the second positional arrangement revealing the location of the controller to the vehicle occupant.
16 . The interior article of claim 11 wherein the article further comprises a flexible deformable bladder; and the shifting surface region is movable relative to the non-shifting surface region by inflation or deflation of the flexible deformable bladder.
17 . The interior article of claim 16 wherein the article further comprises a fluid pump to inflate and/or deflate the flexible deformable bladder; and the flexible deformable bladder is a gas bladder or a liquid bladder.
18 . The interior article of claim 16 wherein the controller is operable to inflate or deflate the flexible deformable bladder to a plurality of selected levels of inflation or a plurality and/or a plurality of selected levels of deflation.
19 . The interior article claim 11 wherein the outer surface comprises a cover material which is: translucent or transparent; and/or formed of poly(vinyl chloride), polyurethane, thermoplastic olefin, polyester, or polysiloxane.
20 . The interior article of claim 11 further comprising the shifting surface region having selected portions being movable in sequence to one another from the first positional arrangement to the second positional arrangement.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This non-provisional patent application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/503,275, filed May 19, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD An article with a shapeshifting (morphing) surface, and more particularly an automotive article, such as an automotive interior trim article, with a shapeshifting (morphing) surface where control features only visually present themselves to a vehicle occupant when a given control is desired. BACKGROUND Vehicle interior panels now typically employ some amount of touch-sensitive controls. These controls have replaced mechanical type configurations. The controls are directed to a variety of vehicle systems, such as vehicle operations, HVAC systems, navigation, audio systems, etc. There nonetheless remains a desire to provide vehicle interior panels that provide control of vehicle systems, where the control features themselves may only visually present themselves to the vehicle occupant when a given control is desired or in need. The control system then would also desirably return to a configuration on the vehicle panel where it is in effect no longer visible, after operation by the user or within a certain period of prescribed time after use. SUMMARY A method of operating an interior article of a motor vehicle, comprising providing the article, the article having an outer surface including at least one shifting surface region and at least one non-shifting surface region adjacent the shifting surface region, the article having at least one proximity sensor configured to detect an object within a sensing distance of the outer surface, the article having at least one controller operable to operate at least one operational function of the vehicle by an occupant of the vehicle, the controller disposed beneath the outer surface and activatable by the vehicle occupant upon the vehicle occupant touching the outer surface of the article. The article is arrangeable in a first positional arrangement of the shifting surface region and the non-shifting surface region relative to each other such that the outer surface of the article has a first shape concealing a location of the controller from the vehicle occupant. The article is also arrangeable in a second positional arrangement of the shifting surface region and the non-shifting surface region relative to each other such that the outer surface of the article has a second shape revealing the location of the controller to the vehicle occupant. The method includes moving the shifting surface region relative to the non-shifting surface region from the first positional arrangement concealing the location of the controller from the vehicle occupant to the second positional arrangement revealing the location of the controller to the vehicle occupant, in response to the proximity sensor detecting the object within the sensing distance of the outer surface. FIGURES Various aspects and features of the present disclosure will be better understood by reading the following detailed description, taken together with the drawings wherein: FIG. 1A is front plan view of an article according to the present disclosure with a (hybrid) shape/contour of the outer surface concealing the location of controller(s) for operation of the motor vehicle, such that the location of the controller(s) is/are concealed/hidden or otherwise invisible to an occupant of the vehicle; FIG. 1B is front plan view of an article according to the present disclosure with a (hybrid) shape/contour of the outer surface revealing the location of controller(s) operation of the motor vehicle, such that the location of the controller(s) is/are revealed/exposed or otherwise visible tacitly and visually to the occupant of the vehicle; FIG. 1C is a front plan view of an article according to the present disclosure with a (hybrid) shape/contour of the outer surface revealing the location of controller(s) for operation of the motor vehicle, such that the location of the controller(s) is/are revealed/exposed or otherwise backlit and visible tacitly and visually to the occupant of the vehicle, and the controller(s) are further lighted with backlighting to further assist in revealing their location, for driver distraction free operation; FIG. 1D is front plan view of an article according to the present disclosure with a (hybrid) shape/contour of the outer surface revealing the location of controller(s) for driver distraction-free operation of the motor vehicle as in FIG. 1B after the backlighting is eliminated; FIG. 1E is front plan view of an article according to the present disclosure with a (hybrid or hydraulic textile) shape/contour of the outer surface concealing the location of controller(s) for operation of the motor vehicle as in FIG. 1A after returning to an initial state; FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of an article according to the present di