FR3078512A1 - MULTIZONE LIGHT GUIDE AND MULTIZONE LUMINOUS DEVICE COMPRISING SUCH A GUIDE - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi-zone light guide (100) for a vehicle cabin. The multizone light guide (100) diffuses ambient light from a light source (900) into a vehicle interior through a plurality of light areas. The multi-zone light guide (100) comprises a plurality of optical fibers (101), said plurality of optical fibers (101) defining at least two woven light portions (110) and at least one connecting portion (120) disposed between them at least two woven light portions (110). The optical fiber assembly (101) is alternately along its free length so as to form the connecting portion (120) and woven to form the woven light portions (110) separated by the connecting portion (120). These woven light portions (110) scatter light from the light source (900). The connecting portion (120) confines this light from the woven light portion (110) to the other woven light portion (110).

Description

Field of the invention

The field of the present invention relates to that of interior panels for vehicles and in particular that of light panels intended to equip a passenger compartment of a vehicle. It relates particularly, but not exclusively, to the field of flexible light panels.

Prior art

Nowadays, the passenger compartment of a vehicle can be illuminated by light sources and / or by light guides comprising transparent plastic plates such as polycarbonate or polymethyl methacrylate. These light guides diffuse light from one or more light sources. These light sources are aligned with the light guide so as to diffuse the light in the edge of the light guide plates.

One of the drawbacks of these light guides is the need for an injection mold to form these light guides, on the one hand, and on the other hand the need to have several light sources when the light guides light have complex shapes that a single light source cannot illuminate. Furthermore, this type of light guide generally requires the use of prisms so as to ensure the diffusion of light inside the light guides. Another drawback of these light guides is their high rigidity due to the nature of the molding materials used, which can lead to the formation of zones of weakness during assembly, in particular in the zones of connection with the light sources. These fragile zones can therefore potentially lead to cracks or breaks in the interior of the light guides.

Another known alternative is to use an electroluminescent sheet which is coated with a light-emitting material when an electric current passes through it. These electroluminescent sheets although flexible, are only in two dimensions, which greatly limits the possibilities of designers, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, requires several independent sheets to cover non-continuous surfaces.

This is why the applicant proposes a set of light panels making it possible to diffuse light in multizone, from a continuous set of optical fibers. This set allows great flexibility between the panels and has the advantage of simply adapting to complex shapes.

Statement of the invention

The object of the present invention is to solve all or part of the drawbacks mentioned above in the form of a multizone light guide for diffusing ambient light coming from a single light source in a passenger compartment of the vehicle through a plurality of light zones, the multizone light guide comprising a set of optical fibers, said set of optical fibers defining at least two woven light portions and at least one connecting portion arranged between the at least two woven light portions, in which:

the set of optical fibers is, along its length, alternately free so as to form the connection portion and woven so as to form the at least two woven light portions separated by the connection portion;

the at least two woven light portions are configured to diffuse light coming from the light source and comprise a set of light weft threads aligned in a first direction and a set of non-light warp threads aligned in a second direction, said second direction being oriented obliquely with respect to said first direction, said warp threads being inserted totally or partially between said weft threads;

the optical fibers form the set of light weft threads of the woven light portions and the set of non-light warp threads of said woven light portions is formed by non-light-conducting textile threads; and, the link portion is configured to confine the light from one woven light portion to the other woven light portion.

Thus, thanks to this arrangement, the light guide requires a single light source, diffuses light in multizone, has a very great flexibility between the woven light portions and makes it possible to adapt easily to complex shapes.

According to one embodiment, the connection portion comprises a protection member configured to protect and totally or partially group the optical fibers or the portion of optical fibers contained in said connection portion.

Furthermore, the protective member also serves to avoid any light leakage in the connection portion (s) in the event that the optical fibers radiate light radially due to their surface imperfection.

According to one embodiment, said set of light weft son comprises a diffusion zone configured to at least partially diffuse the light towards the passenger compartment of the vehicle and / or a transmission zone configured to transmit the light coming from the diffusion zone. towards the connecting portion.

According to one embodiment, the optical fibers or the portion of optical fibers contained in the diffusion zone have surface imperfections so that they are capable of diffusing light radially.

Thus, thanks to this arrangement, the optical fibers or the portion of optical fibers contained in the diffusion zone will be able to diffuse light towards the passenger compartment because of their surface imperfections, while the optical fibers contained in the transmission zone and / or the bonding zone, free from surface imperfections, will only diffuse light along their axis.

According to one embodiment, the diffusion zone comprises at least a first diffusion end and a second diffusion end, the optical fibers or the portion of optical fibers contained in the first diffusion end having fewer surface imperfections than the optical fibers or the portion of optical fibers contained in the second diffusion end.

Thus, thanks to this arrangement, the light scattering is regular along the scattering area.

According to one embodiment, one of the woven light portions comprises an optical connection member configured to be connected to a light source.

The present invention also relates to a multi-zone light device for diffusing ambient light in a vehicle interior, the multi-zone light device comprising at least:

a multizone light guide according to the invention;

a support piece, the support piece being configured to support the multi-zone light guide and to be fixed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle; and, an appearance piece, the appearance piece being configured to improve the aesthetic appearance of the support piece and to protect the multizone light guide.

Thus, thanks to this arrangement, the multizone light device requires a single light source, diffuses light in multizone and allows to have complex shapes.

According to one embodiment, the appearance part comprises a set of openings and / or a set of transparent areas in particular at wavelengths in the visible range and preferably at wavelengths between 400nm and 700nm.

Thus, thanks to this arrangement, light can be diffused either through the openings or through the transparent areas.

According to one embodiment, the multi-zone light device is a console, a door panel, an upper or lower upright, an element of a dashboard and / or a dashboard.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear better on reading the following description of several embodiments of the invention given by way of nonlimiting examples.

List of Figures

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the detailed description which is set out below with reference to the drawings, in which:

Figures 1, 2 and 3 show examples of light guides 100 according to the invention;

FIG. 4 shows an example of a light device 200 when at least one light guide 100 according to the invention is used;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a dashboard according to one embodiment.

In the detailed description which follows of the figures defined above, the same elements or the elements fulfilling identical functions may retain the same references so as to simplify the understanding of the invention.

Description of the invention

FIG. 1 represents a multizone light guide 100 with a light source 900 connected to one of the ends of the multizone light guide 100. The light emitted by the light source 900 and conveyed along the multizone light guide 100 is scattered in the passenger compartment of a vehicle through a plurality of light zones included in the multizone light guide 100, as shown in FIG. 5.

The light source 900, which can be monochrome or full color, emits light in the light guide. This light guide includes a set of optical fibers 101. The optical fibers 101 consist of a heart and an outer sheath enveloping the heart. Each of the optical fibers 101 is defined by an axial direction along which the light propagates. However, as explained in detail in the following paragraphs, certain optical fibers may also scatter light radially, that is to say in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, due to the presence of surface imperfections which lay bare their hearts. This set of optical fibers 101 is, along its length, alternately woven so as to form woven light portions 110 on a first portion, and free so as to form a connecting portion 120 on a second portion.

These woven light portions 110, for example two in number in FIGS. 1 and 2, are configured to diffuse light coming from the light source 900. These woven light portions 110 are formed by the set of optical fibers 101, which form a set of light weft yarns 111, on the first portion, and by a set of non-light warp yarns 112 inserted totally or partially between the light weft yarns 111. When the woven light portions 110 are laid flat so as to define a flat surface, the weft yarns 111 are substantially aligned in a first direction and the warp yarns 112 are substantially aligned in a second direction, said second direction being oriented obliquely, and preferably perpendicularly, relative to said first direction. The warp son 112 will advantageously be formed from a textile material, of the nylon type for example, and will have no other function than to bind the optical fibers 101 together. This weaving gives the light guide very great flexibility, which makes it easy to adapt to complex shapes such as a console, a door panel, an upper or lower upright, an element of a dashboard and / or a dashboard, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Depending on the surface treatment which is applied to the woven light portions 110, the light may more or less escape from the optical fibers 101 forming the woven light portion (s) 110 through their surface imperfections to illuminate the passenger compartment in a punctual manner .

These woven light portions 110 are separated by the connecting portion 120, which is configured to confine the light coming from a woven light portion 110 towards the other woven light portion 110, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 .

In the variant embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the optical fibers 101 are grouped in bundles at the level of one or of the connecting portions 120. The bundle of optical fibers is advantageously surrounded by a protective member 122, configured to protect and totally or partially group the optical fibers 101 or the portion of optical fibers 101 contained in said connecting portion 120. Another aspect of this protective member 122 is to confine the light when the light propagates from a portion woven light beam 110 towards another woven light portion 110. If necessary, the ends of the protective member are crimped so as to keep the optical fibers 101 compact, that is to say so as to reduce their space required.

The set of light weft yarns 111 of a woven light portion 110 may comprise a diffusion zone 115 configured to at least partially diffuse the light towards the passenger compartment of the vehicle. This diffusion zone 115 is obtained by a physical, chemical and / or optical surface treatment of the optical fibers 101 which modifies the surface of the optical fibers 101. The optical fibers 101 thus treated thus have surface imperfections, such as nicks, punching, or surface attacks for example, which expose the core of the optical fibers.

A difference between a treated woven light portion 110 and an untreated woven light portion 110 is the way in which the light is diffused. In fact, when the woven light portion 110, or at least one region of the woven light portion 110, is not treated, the light cannot escape from the woven light portion (s) 110 to illuminate the passenger compartment, in the manner of a beam, whereas when the woven light portion 110 is treated, or at least one region of the woven light portion 110, the light escapes from the woven light portion (s) 110 to illuminate the passenger compartment multidirectionally. In other words, the light is scattered in several radial directions.

This surface treatment is advantageously applied so as to define in the diffusion zone 115 at least a first diffusion end 114 and at least a second diffusion end 116, the optical fibers 101 or the portion of optical fibers 101 contained in the first diffusion end 114 having fewer surface imperfections than the optical fibers 101 or the portion of optical fibers 101 contained in the second diffusion end 116 so that the light diffusion is regular along the diffusion zone 115 and does not do not show over-lit areas, called hot spots, and under-lit areas, say cold spots.

The set of light weft wires 111 can also include a transmission zone 117 configured to transmit light coming from the diffusion zone 115 to the connection portion 120.

One of the features of the transmission area 117 and / or of the connection portion 120 is that it only contains optical fibers 101 or portions of optical fibers 101 which are not treated so as to modify their surface condition. As a result, the optical fibers 101 or the portions of optical fibers 101 contained in the diffusion zone 117 and / or the connecting portion 120 will be substantially free of surface imperfections and will only diffuse light along their axis. .

At the end of the woven light portion 110, an optical connection member 109 may be present to connect the light source 900 to the woven light portion 110. In the alternative embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a optical connection 128 is also provided for connecting a connection end of a connection portion 120 to the woven light portion 110 which is adjacent to it.

As mentioned previously, this multizone light guide can be found in a multizone light device 200, FIG. 5, which can take the form of an interior trim element of a vehicle such as a console, a door panel, an upper or lower upright, an element of a dashboard and / or a dashboard.

This multi-zone light device 200 comprises the multi-zone light guide 100, a support piece 210 configured to support the multi-zone light guide 100 and to be fixed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, a part of appearance 220 configured to cover and improve the aesthetics of the support piece 210 and to protect the multizone light guide 100.

According to the variations, the appearance part 220 comprises a set of openings 221 and / or a set of transparent areas 222. This set of transparent areas 222 is transparent at the wavelengths of the visible range and preferably at the lengths of wave between 400nm and 700nm.

This multizone light device 200 is produced by providing the support piece 210, and by placing the multizone light guide 100 on the support piece 210. Following this, an appearance piece 220 is provided and placed on the light guide multizone 100 and on the support piece 210 so as to create a sandwich structure.

This assembly, support piece 210, multizone light guide 100 and aspect piece 220, is molded. Thus, it is no longer necessary to have an additional molding step to form a light guide.

Claims (10)

1. Multizone light guide (100) for diffusing ambient light from a single light source (900) into a vehicle interior through a plurality of light areas, the multizone light guide (100) comprising a set of optical fibers (101), said set of optical fibers (101) defining at least two woven light portions (110) and at least one connecting portion (120) disposed between the at least two woven light portions (110), in which: the set of optical fibers (101) is, along its length, alternately free so as to form the connection portion (120) and woven so as to form the at least two woven light portions (110) separated by the connection portion (120); the at least two woven light portions (110) are configured to diffuse light from the light source (900) and have a set of light weft threads (111) aligned in a first direction and a set of warp threads non-luminous (112) aligned in a second direction, said second direction being oriented obliquely with respect to said first direction, said non-luminous warp threads (112) being inserted wholly or partially between said luminous weft threads (111); the optical fibers (101) form the set of light weft threads (111) of the woven light portions (110) and the set of non-luminous warp threads (112) of said woven light portions (110) is formed by threads non-light-conducting textiles; and, the link portion (120) is configured to confine light from one woven light portion (110) to the other woven light portion (110). 2. Multizone light guide (100) according to claim 1, in which the connection portion (120) comprises a protection member (122) configured to totally or partially protect the optical fibers (101) or the optical fiber portion ( 101) contained in said connecting portion (120). 3. Multizone light guide (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said set of light weft son (111) comprises a diffusion zone (115) configured to at least partially diffuse the light towards the passenger compartment of the vehicle and / or a transmission area (117) configured to transmit light from the diffusion area (115) to the link portion (120). 4. Multizone light guide (100) according to claim 3, in which the optical fibers (101) or the portion of optical fibers (101) contained in the diffusion zone (115) have surface imperfections so that they are capable of diffusing light radially. 5. Multizone light guide (100) according to claim 3 or 4, in which the diffusion zone (115) comprises at least a first diffusion end (114) and a second diffusion end (116), the optical fibers ( 101) or the portion of optical fibers (101) contained in the first diffusion end (114) having fewer surface imperfections than the optical fibers (101) or the portion of optical fibers (101) contained in the second end of diffusion (116). 6. Multizone light guide (100) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, in which one of the woven light portions (110) comprises an optical connection member (109) configured to be connected to a source of light (900). 7. Multizone light guide (100) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 6, in which the link portion (120) comprises an optical link member (128) configured to be connected to a woven light portion (110 ). 8. Multizone light device (200) for diffusing ambient light in a passenger compartment of the vehicle, the multizone light device (200) comprising at least: a multizone light guide (100) according to one of claims 1 to 7; a support piece (210), the support piece (210) being configured to support the multi-zone light guide (100) and to be fixed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle; and, an appearance piece (220), the appearance piece (220) being configured to improve the aesthetic appearance of the support piece (210) and to protect the multi-zone light guide (100). 9. Multizone light device (200) according to claim 8, in 5 which the appearance part (220) comprises a set of openings (221) and / or a set of transparent zones (222) in particular at wavelengths in the visible range and preferably at wavelengths between 400nm and 700nm. 10. Multizone light device (200) according to claim 8 or 9, 10 which is a console, a door panel, an upper or lower upright, an element of a dashboard and / or a dashboard.