Future Door Panel
Development of a distinct and remarkable concept for door panel
FDPanel project aims to create a human-machine interface, intuitive and targeted for the final user needs, providing new experiences (mainly sensory), anticipating, and following the new automotive industry market trends.
This project will focus on the development of cutting edge solutions in terms of the intrinsic architecture of door panel, decoration, comfort, and functionalization/sensing of polymeric solutions with direct incorporation in injection processes (IMD or IML). New illumination solutions and materials that present uniform light transmission will be addressed, and the visual interface of information/alert and sound elements (MEMS speakers and printed piezoelectrics).
Additionally, the aim is to develop new solutions to reduce the door panel weight without compromising requirements regarding impact resistance in a collision situation, and also decrease the assembly time through reducing the number of panel fixations, increasing the flexibility of the assembly process.
Main goals
- Development of new door panel weight reduction solutions/processes;
- Disruptive and innovative door panel design that meets users’ needs;
- Development of coatings with thermal management properties to maximize driver comfort;
- Development of new acoustic solutions (loudspeakers);
- Development of different light solutions;
- Replacement of traditional mechanical buttons for touch and/or movement detection through capacitive and/or haptic technology (vibration).
Project number: POCI-01-0247-FEDER-070118
Approval date: 10 November 2020
Project duration: October 2020 to June 2023
Total eligible cost: 5 402 836.10 €
Financial support EU: ERDF – 3 385 973.68 €
Project type: SI I&DT Empresarial – Copromoção
Intervention region: Centre and North of Portugal
Results
The project intends to obtain different results, oriented to today users’ desires, namely:
- Door panel weight reduction between 15 to 20 % and decrease average assembly time around 15 %;
- Development of module-type architecture concept, allowing product customization;
- Reducing the heating of “beltine upper” structure using coatings with thermal management properties;
- New acoustic solution (miniaturized) allowing more space for other functions;
- New light concepts as backlighting, illuminated sewing, and LEDs matrices creating different ambiance moods and sending warning and information notes to the driver;
- Integration of structures with touch detection and haptic feedback functionalities.