FR3089171A1 - Motor vehicle external part element comprising a light element - Google Patents

Abstract

Element (1) of an external part of a motor vehicle comprising: - a main body forming a wall (10), - an illuminating fabric (20) placed on one face of the wall (10), - a thermally coated film (30), the thermally coated film (30) and the wall (10) defining a sealed closed space (40) in which the lighting fabric (20) is encapsulated, and the air pressure in the sealed closed space (40) between the wall ( 10) and the thermally coated film (30) being less than atmospheric pressure. Figure for the abstract: [Fig. 2]

Description

Description

Title of the invention: Element of an external part of a motor vehicle comprising a light element [0001] The invention relates to external parts of a motor vehicle, and in particular parts comprising an lighting device.

All bodywork visible from the outside and participating in the general appearance of the vehicle, such as an opening, a bumper, a grille, fall within the scope of the invention.

1. There are already known external parts of a motor vehicle provided with an element comprising an illuminating part which comprises an illuminating fabric. In particular, elements are already known comprising an illuminating fabric and a support for the lighting fabric of a motor vehicle part, in which the lighting fabric is fixed to the support by gluing. This solution is not satisfactory because over time the glue migrates into the fabric and causes its yellowing or clouding, or even causes a loss of its luminous efficacy, and there is also a risk of leading to detachment of the fabric from. its support. Other elements comprising an illuminating fabric and a support for the illuminating fabric of motor vehicle parts are described in application FR3046389. These elements include an illuminating fabric and a fabric support, the lighting fabric is fixed in the support by being sandwiched between two parts of the support provided for this purpose. This avoids the problems due to bonding, but this configuration does not give any satisfaction, especially because of its difficulty of implementation. Other solutions for attaching an illuminating fabric to a support for the production of parts of motor vehicle parts comprising an illuminating fabric and a support for the room lighting fabric exist, it is possible for example to clip the fabric onto the support, however, this type of solution involves a very long assembly time.

The invention particularly aims to remedy the drawbacks of existing solutions by providing an element of the outer part of motor vehicles comprising an illuminating fabric which is durable over time and whose manufacture is easy and rapid.

To this end, the invention relates to an element of an external part of a motor vehicle comprising:

- a main body forming a wall,

an illuminating fabric placed on one face of the wall, a thermally coated film, the thermally coated film and the wall defining a sealed closed space in which the illuminating fabric is encapsulated, and the air pressure in the space sealed between the wall and the thermo-managed film being less than atmospheric pressure.

[0007] Thus, the lighting fabric is fixed without glue on the wall, which avoids the problems of deterioration of the lighting fabric in the medium or long term. On the other hand, the lighting fabric is placed in a sealed closed space, in which the air is present in small quantity, which also contributes to protect the lighting fabric from possible degradations due for example to humidity or to d 'other chemical or physical elements, such as oils, fuels, various particles. In addition, the seal between the thermally coated film and the wall is obtained simply by the depression in the sealed space formed between the two.

[0008] The term “thermo-controlled film” or “thermogainable film” means a plastic film capable of forming a surface skin when it is heated and pressed onto a surface by suction. Thermogainage is a special form of thermoforming.

[0009] A "wall" is often called a "panel" by specialists in the field. In the present description, generally means by "lighting fabric" a set of natural and / or synthetic fibers comprising optical fibers inserted through mesh of the fabric or woven with natural or synthetic fibers. Other types of illuminating fabrics can also be used, for example light can be emitted by light emitting diodes (LEDs) inserted into a fabric.

According to other optional characteristics of the element of the external part of a motor vehicle, taken alone or in combination:

- the wall of the main body is made of a polymeric material or a mixture of polymeric materials.

- the wall is transparent or translucent. This is particularly useful when the wall is placed on the external face of the element when it is installed on the vehicle, the illuminating fabric being thus visible from outside the vehicle through the wall.

- the wall is opaque. This can be the case when the wall is placed on the inner face of the element when it is installed on the vehicle.

- The wall comprises on one of its faces a housing intended to receive the lighting fabric, the housing having a shape substantially complementary to that of the lighting fabric. This allows the surface of the lighting fabric not in contact with the wall to be flush with the exterior surface of the wall.

- the thermally coated film is polyurethane. Polyurethane is particularly suitable for thermo-sheathing because of its properties.

- the thermally coated film is transparent. This is particularly useful when the thermally coated film is placed on the external face of the element when the latter is installed on the vehicle, the lighting fabric thus being visible from outside the vehicle through the lighting film.

- the lighting function of the illuminating fabric is carried out by optical fibers. Another object of the invention is an external part of a motor vehicle comprising an element of an external part of a vehicle having the above characteristics.

The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing an element of an external part of a motor vehicle in which:

- main body forming a wall is produced, [0016] - an illuminating fabric is placed on the surface of the wall, [0017] - a heat-transferable film is heated, [0018] - the hot heat-transferable film is brought to the lighting fabric, so as to encapsulate the lighting fabric, by defining a closed space between the thermogainable film and the wall and which contains the lighting fabric, [0019] - part of the air is drawn into the closed space defined between the thermogainable film and the wall.

Thus, this method is simple to implement, and requires few steps, which makes the manufacturing of parts fast. In addition, the fact of combining a positioning of the thermally-controlled film while it is still hot on the wall with an air intake in the closed space defined between the film and the wall makes it possible to obtain a connection between the film. heat-sealed and the wall which is waterproof, resistant and stable over time.

In addition, this manufacturing process avoids the use of adhesives, with which there may be risks of peeling or poor sealing of the interface between the wall and the thermally coated film, and which are also often polluting. for the environment and harmful to people working in the manufacturing of parts.

According to other optional characteristics of the process for manufacturing the external part element of a motor vehicle, taken alone or in combination:

- placing the lighting fabric in a housing on the surface of the wall provided for this purpose.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[Fig.l] is a side section of an outer part of a motor vehicle element according to a first embodiment of the invention.

[Fig.2] is a side section of a motor vehicle exterior part element according to a second embodiment of the invention.

[Fig.3] is a top view of an element of the outer part of a motor vehicle according to the first embodiment of the invention.

Description of the embodiments FIG. 1 shows an element of an external part of a motor vehicle according to a first embodiment of the invention, designated by the general reference 1.

The element 1 of the external part of a motor vehicle is intended to be attached to an external part of a motor vehicle such as a bumper or another body element, a tailgate, part of a roof . The lighting function of element 1 can be used as a decorative element on the exterior of a vehicle, for example for a light signature, or as a technical element, for example in position lights of a vehicle.

The element 1 of the outer part of a motor vehicle comprises a main body forming a wall 10, a luminous fabric 20 and a thermally coated film 30. The illuminating fabric 20 is placed on one face of the wall 10, and the thermally coated film 30 covers the lighting fabric 20 by matching the shape of the lighting fabric 20.

The thermally coated film 30 and the wall 10 thus form a sealed enclosed space 40 in which the lighting fabric 20 is encapsulated. In addition, the air pressure in the sealed enclosed space 40 between the wall 10 and the film thermogainé 30 is less than atmospheric pressure, for example of the order of 0.9 atm, or less.

Preferably, the thermally coated film 30 also covers part of the surface of the wall 10 at the edge of the lighting fabric 20, on either side of the lighting fabric 20.

The lighting fabric 20 is thus fixed without glue on the wall 10, which avoids the problems of deterioration of the lighting fabric in the medium or long term, such as yellowing or a decrease in its lighting capacities. On the other hand, the lighting fabric 20 is placed in a sealed space 40, under relative vacuum of air, which also contributes to protecting it from possible degradations due for example to humidity, or to other chemical elements. or physical (oils, fuels, various particles).

The lighting function of the illuminating fabric 20 can be achieved by optical fibers. In general, the optical fibers are woven with usual textile fibers, the optical fibers then belonging either to the warp threads or to the weft threads, or possibly both. The illuminating fabric, or electroluminescent fabric, is thus united formally illuminated. The individual optical fibers can be gathered into a bundle at one end of the illuminating fabric 20 and fed by a light source. The light passing through the fibers is emitted over the entire length of the fibers through small orifices, or slits, which pierce the outer covering, generally via a specific treatment.

It is understood that any other type of lighting fabric can be used as lighting fabric 20, for example an lighting fabric whose lighting function is provided by light emitting diodes.

The wall 10 is generally composed of a polymer material or a mixture of polymer materials.

In one embodiment, visible in Figures 2 and 3, the wall 10 is translucent or substantially transparent to visible light. In this embodiment, the wall 10 is intended to be located outside the vehicle, i.e. on the side visible from the outside when the element 1 is installed on the vehicle. The light emitted by the illuminating fabric 20 when it is connected to a light source is thus visible through the wall 10 from outside the vehicle.

In another embodiment, visible in Figure 1, the wall 10 is opaque. In this embodiment, the wall 10 is located towards the inside of the vehicle and the thermally-controlled film 30 is located outside the vehicle on the side visible from the outside when the element 1 is installed on the vehicle. The light emitted by the illuminating fabric 20 when it is connected to a light source is visible through the thermally-managed film 30 from outside the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the thermally coated film 30 partially covers the wall 10. The covering of the wall 10 by the thermally coated film 30 having the main function of making it possible to form the sealed enclosed space 40, the overlapping area a a dimension adapted so that the connection between the wall 10 and the thermally coated film 30 has satisfactory mechanical strength and sealing properties. This embodiment is particularly suitable for the case where the wall 10 is located on the external face of the element 1 after installation.

In one embodiment, the thermally coated film 30 covers substantially the entire surface of the wall 10. This embodiment is particularly suitable for the case where the thermally coated film 30 is located on the external face of the element 1 after installation . Indeed, in this case, the external surface of the element 1, visible from the outside of the vehicle appears to be substantially smooth, which is preferable from an aesthetic point of view.

In one embodiment, the thermally coated film 30 is substantially transparent. This is more particularly necessary when the thermally coated film 30 is on the external face of the element 1 after installation. In fact, in this case, the lighting fabric must be visible from outside the vehicle, through the thermally-controlled film 30. In one embodiment, visible in FIG. 1, the wall 10 has on one of its faces a housing 12 provided to receive the lighting fabric 20, the housing 12 having a shape substantially complementary to that of the lighting fabric 20, and being of dimensions similar to those of the lighting fabric. The housing 12 has a shape such that when the lighting fabric 20 is in position in the housing 12, the surface of the lighting fabric not in contact with the wall 10 is flush with the surface of the wall 10. This embodiment is particularly advantageous in the case where the thermally coated film 30 is located on the external face of the element 1 when the element is installed on the vehicle. Indeed, this contributes to the fact that the external surface of element 1 appears as smooth. Generally, the lighting fabric 20 comprises on at least one of its edges a technical area, or connection area 50, visible in particular in Figure 3, used for connecting the lighting fabric to a light source. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the connection zone 50 comprises a part 52, in which the optical fibers used for lighting form a sheet, and come together in a strand or equivalent which is enclosed in a ferrule 56 A sealed sheath 54 at least partially covers the strand and the ferrule 56. In this embodiment, the thermally-coated film 30 covers the sealed sheath 54, so as to form the sealed closed space 40 in which the illuminating fabric is encapsulated. 20.

In another embodiment, visible in FIG. 1, the connection zone 50 is arranged so as to pass through the wall 10, and is therefore not covered by the thermally coated film 30.

The invention also relates to an outer part of a motor vehicle comprising an element 1. It may be a bumper, or another body element, a tailgate, a part of a vehicle roof.

A method of manufacturing an element 1 will now be described. The process includes the following steps:

- We realize or we supply a main body forming a wall 10, [0049] - We place an illuminating fabric 20 on the surface of the wall 10, [0050] - We heat a thermogainable film, [0051] - We brings the hot thermogainable film to the lighting fabric 20, so as to cover the lighting fabric 20, forming an enclosed space between the thermogainable film 30 and the wall 10, this closed space containing the lighting fabric 20, [0052] - We vacuum part of the air in the closed space created between the thermogainable film and the wall 10 and which contains the lighting fabric 20.

In some embodiments, the thermally coated film 30 is positioned so as to cover at least part of the surface of the wall 10 situated on the edge of the lighting fabric 20, on either side of the lighting fabric 20.

This method makes it possible to form an element 1 of a motor vehicle part in which the lighting fabric 20 is encapsulated in a sealed manner and under partial air vacuum, in a sealed closed space 40, between the wall 10 and the thermally coated film. 30. During the manufacture of the element 1, the thermogainable film is heated, it is then very flexible and easy to implement, and is easily pressed against the lighting fabric 20 and possibly on at least part of the wall 10 In addition, due to the evacuation of the sealed space 40, the thermally coated film 30 is pressed onto the lighting fabric 20 and takes its shape in a still improved manner. Then, when it cools down, the thermally-controlled film 30 acquires rigidity and mechanical strength such that the element 1 can be installed on an exterior part of a motor vehicle, without the risk of degrading us desired over time, including in cases where the film 30 is placed on the external face of the element 1 and therefore exposed to external aggressions.

In one embodiment, the wall 10 has on one of its faces a zone 12 whose surface is recessed relative to the surface of the wall. In this case, the lighting fabric 20 is placed on the surface set back from the area 12.

Claims (1)

Claims [Claim 1] Element (1) of an external part of a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises: - a main body forming a wall (10), - an illuminating fabric (20) placed on one face of the wall (10), - a thermally coated film (30), the thermally coated film (30) and the wall (10) defining a sealed closed space (40) in which the lighting fabric (20) is encapsulated, and the air pressure in the space sealed enclosure (40) between the wall (10) and the thermally coated film (30) being less than atmospheric pressure. [Claim 2] Element (1) according to claim 1 wherein the wall (10) is composed of a polymeric material or a mixture of polymeric materials. [Claim 3] Element (1) according to one of the preceding claims in which the wall (10) is transparent or translucent. [Claim 4] Element (1) according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the wall (10) is opaque. [Claim 5] Element according to one of the preceding claims in which the wall (10) comprises on one of its faces a housing (12) designed to receive the illuminating fabric (20), the housing (12) having a shape substantially complementary to that of the fabric illuminating (20). [Claim 6] Element (1) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the thermally coated film (30) is polyurethane. [Claim 7] Element (1) according to one of the preceding claims in which the thermally coated film (30) is transparent. [Claim 8] Element (1) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the lighting function of the illuminating fabric (20) is carried out by optical fibers. [Claim 9] External part of a motor vehicle comprising an element (1) according to one of the preceding claims. [Claim 10] Method for manufacturing an external part element of a motor vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 9 in which: - the main body is formed forming a wall (10), - an illuminating fabric (20) is placed on the surface of the wall (10), - a thermogainable film (30) is heated, - the hot thermogainable film (30) is brought onto the lighting fabric (20), so as to encapsulate the lighting fabric (20), defining a closed space (40) between the thermogainable film (30) and the wall (10) and which contains the lighting fabric (20), - part of the air is sucked into the enclosed space (40) defined between the thermogainable film (30) and the wall (10). [Claim 11] Method according to the preceding claim wherein the lighting fabric (20) is placed in a housing (12) of the surface of the wall (10) provided for this purpose.