Plastic part such as an automotive vehicle interior plastic part having a dampening support surface capable of wirelessly and conductively allowing electrical signals to travel between the part and an electrical device arbitrarily positioned and supported on the surface

• US 9,205,753 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2013
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Global IP Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Winget, Larry J., Preisler, Darius J., Heikkila, Christopher A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Evans, James P
• Application Number:
  US14/050,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20140035523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104, 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 439/626
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A plastic part such as an automotive vehicle interior plastic part having a dampening support surface is provided. The surface is capable of wirelessly and conductively allowing electrical signals including power signals to travel between the part and an electrical device such as a cell phone arbitrarily positioned and supported on the surface during vehicle motion.

Claims

1. An automotive vehicle interior plastic part having a dampening support surface capable of wirelessly and conductively allowing electrical signals to travel between the part and an electrical device arbitrarily positioned and supported on the surface, the part comprising:

a substrate molded from an insulating material in a molding process;

a dampening first member bonded to the substrate and formed from a first non-metallic conductive material molded onto the insulating material in the molding process, the first member forming a first part of the support surface; and

a dampening second member bonded to the substrate and formed from a second non-metallic conductive material molded onto the insulating material in the molding process, the second member forming a second part of the support surface, wherein the substrate electrically insulates the first member from the second member and wherein the first and second members dampen vibration and shock at the support surface and allow electrical signals to travel between the part and the device during vehicle motion.

2. The part as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical signals include electrical power signals and wherein the device includes a rechargeable battery.

3. The part as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical signals provide data communication between the part and the device.

4. The part as claimed in claim 1, wherein the molding process is an injection molding process.

5. The part as claimed in claim 4, wherein the injection molding process comprises an insert molding process.

6. The part as claimed in claim 4, wherein the injection molding process comprises a multi-shot molding process.

7. The part as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first and second non-metallic conductive materials comprises an electrically conductive elastomer.

8. The part as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the electrically conductive elastomers comprises an electrically conductive thermoplastic elastomer.

9. The part as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first member is formed as a first integral, unitary, conductive structure including a first base portion and a first set of surface-defining portions, each of the first set of the surface-defining portions and the first base portion including particles of a first filler dispersed therein in a concentration sufficient to provide a substantially continuous conductive path in the first member.

10. The part as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second member is formed as a second integral, unitary, conductive structure including a second base portion and a second set of surface-defining portions, each of the second set of surface-defining portions and the second base portion including particles of a second filler disbursed therein in a concentration sufficient to provide a substantially continuous conductive path in the second member.

11. The part as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first and second sets of surface-defining portions are sized, shaped and arranged laterally adjacent to each other in a pattern at the support surface in relation to a predetermined distribution of contacts on the device to achieve wireless conductive signal transfer between the device and the part in various positions and orientations of the device when supported on the support surface.

12. The part as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first conductive structure includes a first coupling portion electrically coupled to the first base portion and being operable for biasing the first set of surface-defining portions at a first voltage level.

13. The part as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second conductive structure includes a second coupling portion electrically coupled to the second base portion and being operable for biasing the second set of surface-defining portions at a second voltage level different from the first voltage level.

14. The part as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first and second sets of surface-defining portions are interdigitated.

15. A vehicular charging pad having a dampening support surface capable of wirelessly and conductively charging an electrical device arbitrarily positioned and supported on the surface, the pad comprising:

a substrate molded from an insulating material in a molding process;

a dampening first member bonded to the substrate and formed from a first non-metallic conductive material molded onto the insulating material in the molding process, the first member forming a first part of the support surface; and

a dampening second member bonded to the substrate and formed from a second non-metallic conductive material molded onto the insulating material in the molding process, the second member forming a second part of the support surface, wherein the substrate electrically insulates the first member from the second member and wherein the first and second members dampen vibration and shock at the support surface and allow charging of the device during vehicle motion.

16. The pad as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first member is formed as a first integral, unitary, conductive structure including a first base portion and a first set of surface-defining portions, each of the first set of the surface-defining portions and the first base portion including particles of a first filler dispersed therein in a concentration sufficient to provide a substantially continuous conductive path in the first member.

17. The pad as claimed in claim 16, wherein the second member is formed as a second integral, unitary, conductive structure including a second base portion and a second set of surface-defining portions, each of the second set of surface-defining portions and the second base portion including particles of a second filler disbursed therein in a concentration sufficient to provide a substantially continuous conductive path in the second member.

18. The pad as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first and second sets of surface-defining portions are sized, shaped and arranged laterally adjacent to each other in a pattern at the support surface in relation to a predetermined distribution of contacts on the device to achieve wireless conductive power transfer to the device in various positions and orientations of the device when supported on the support surface.

19. A conductive charging pad having a dampening support surface capable of wirelessly and conductively charging an electrical device arbitrarily positioned and supported on the surface, the pad comprising:

a substrate molded from an insulating material in a molding process;

a dampening first member bonded to the substrate and formed from a first non-metallic conductive material molded onto the insulating material in the molding process, the first member forming a first part of the support surface; and

a dampening second member bonded to the substrate and formed from a second non-metallic conductive material molded onto the insulating material in the molding process, the second member forming a second part of the support surface, wherein the substrate electrically insulates the first member from the second member and wherein the first and second members dampen vibration and shock at the support surface and allow charging of the device.

20. The pad as claimed in claim 19, wherein the first member is formed as a first integral, unitary, conductive structure including a first base portion and a first set of surface-defining portions, each of the first set of the surface-defining portions and the first base portion including particles of a first filler dispersed therein in a concentration sufficient to provide a substantially continuous conductive path in the first member.

21. The pad as claimed in claim 20, wherein the second member is formed as a second integral, unitary, conductive structure including a second base portion and a second set of surface-defining portions, each of the second set of surface-defining portions and the second base portion including particles of a second filler disbursed therein in a concentration sufficient to provide a substantially continuous conductive path in the second member.

22. The pad as claimed in claim 21, wherein the first and second sets of surface-defining portions are sized, shaped and arranged laterally adjacent to each other in a pattern at the support surface in relation to a predetermined distribution of contacts on the device to achieve wireless conductive power transfer to the device in various positions and orientations of the device when supported on the support surface.