US 12,772,396 B2Granted

Supports for bendable auto interior cover materials

AssigneeCorning Incorporated

InventorsEvan Gray Kister, Jason Scott Stewart

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A display assembly for an automotive interior includes a cover substrate comprising a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface; and a support structure. The support structure comprises a plurality of frame portions adhered to separate regions of the second major surface via an adhesive layer to retain the cover substrate in a curved configuration. A shear joint couples two of the plurality of frame portions to one another, the shear joint being configured to maintain a mechanical connection between the two frame portions despite bending stresses being present in the cover substrate, while permitting the two frame portions to move relative to one another along at least a first axis. A gap in the adhesive layer is disposed proximate to the shear joint, the gap decoupling thermally-induced strain distributions of different segments of the adhesive layer from one another via the shear joint.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A display assembly for an automotive interior, the

display assembly comprising:
a cover substrate comprising a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface;
and
a support structure comprising:
a plurality of frame portions, each of the plurality of frame portions being adhered to a separate region of the second major surface via an adhesive layer to retain the cover substrate in a curved configuration that is different from a neutral state of the cover substrate;
a shear joint coupling two of the plurality of frame portions to one another, the shear joint configured to maintain a mechanical connection between the two frame portions despite bending stresses being present in the cover substrate, while permitting the two frame portions to move relative to one another along at least a first axis;
and
a gap in the adhesive layer disposed proximate to the shear joint, the gap decoupling thermally-induced strain distributions of different segments of the adhesive layer from one another via the shear joint;
wherein the cover substrate comprises (i) a first portion retained in a first fixed shape by a first frame portion of the plurality of frame portions and (ii) a second portion retained in a second fixed shape by a second frame portion of the plurality of frame portions;
and
wherein at least one of the first frame portion and the second frame portion comprises sub-portions that are separate components of the support structure, and the sub-portions of the at least one of the first frame portion and the second frame portion are connected to one another via the shear joint.

8 more elements

A display assembly for an automotive interior, comprising:

a cover substrate comprising a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface;
and
a support structure comprising:
a plurality of frame portions, each of the plurality of frame portions being adhered to a separate region of the second major surface via an adhesive layer to retain the cover substrate in a curved configuration that is different from a neutral state of the cover substrate;
a shear joint coupling two of the plurality of frame portions to one another, the shear joint configured to maintain a mechanical connection between the two frame portions despite bending stresses being present in the cover substrate, while permitting the two frame portions to move relative to one another along at least a first axis;
and
a gap in the adhesive layer disposed proximate to the shear joint, the gap decoupling thermally-induced strain distributions of different segments of the adhesive layer from one another via the shear joint;
wherein the cover substrate comprises (i) a first portion retained in a first fixed shape by a first frame portion of the plurality of frame portions and (ii) a second portion retained in a second fixed shape by a second frame portion of the plurality of frame portions;
wherein the cover substrate comprises a dynamic bending portion extending between the first frame portion and the second frame portion, the dynamic bending portion offset from the first frame portion and the second frame portion along the first axis;
wherein the support structure comprises a central portion disposed between the first frame portion and the second frame portion, and the shear joint connects the central portion to at least one of the first frame portion and the second frame portion;
and
wherein the central portion comprises a flexible support layer adhered to the dynamic bending portion via the adhesive layer, and the shear joint connects the flexible support layer to the first frame portion or the second frame portion.

9 more elements

A display assembly for an automotive interior, the display assembly comprising:

a cover substrate comprising a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface;
a support structure comprising:
a frame attached to the second major surface of the cover substrate via an adhesive layer, the frame comprising:
a first frame portion adhered to a first portion of the cover substrate and retaining the first portion in a first fixed shape;
and
a second frame portion adhered to a second portion of the cover substrate and retaining the second portion in a second fixed shape, wherein the cover substrate comprises a dynamically bending portion extending between the first frame portion and the second frame portion;
a central portion attached to the second major surface at a dynamic bending portion of the cover substrate;
a first shear joint connecting a first edge of the central portion to the first frame portion, the first shear joint permitting the central portion to move along a first axis relative to the first frame portion while maintaining a connection between the first frame portion and the central portion as the cover substrate is bent in the dynamic bending portion;
a second shear joint connecting a second edge of the central portion to the second frame portion, the second shear joint permitting the central portion to move along the first axis relative to the second frame portion while maintaining a connection between the second frame portion and the central portion as the cover substrate is bent in the dynamic bending portion;
and
an actuator assembly configured to move the first frame portion relative to the second frame portion to bend the cover substrate in the dynamic bending portion,
wherein the central portion comprises a flexible support layer adhered to the dynamic bending portion via the adhesive layer, and
wherein the first and second shear joints connect the flexible support layer to the first frame portion and the second frame portion, respectively.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/709,708Filed 7 Nov 2022 · us provisional application
Priority: 19 Nov 2021
Published: US 2025/0008674 A12 Jan 2025
Granted: 20 Oct 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H05K 5/0226
Mechanical details of casings: hinges
B60K 35/223
Display screens: flexible displays
B60K 35/53
Instruments characterised by their means of attachment to or integration in the vehicle: movable instruments, e.g. slidable
H05K 5/03
Details: covers

Family

Application63/281,284Us provisional application · filed 19 Nov 2021
US 2025/0008674 A1Pre-grant publication · published 2 Jan 2025
US 12,772,396 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere

Building an agent or pulling many patents? Use the API or MCP server instead of scraping pages. Get an API key