RU2659355C2 - Backlight with photoluminescent structure in a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transportation.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to vehicle lighting systems. Backlight assembly includes a vehicle cladding panel, an interactive element, an excitation source, a photoluminescent structure and an opaque layer. Interactive element is operatively connected to the cladding panel and includes a light guide body having a front side open through the cladding panel. Excitation source is configured to emit primary radiation for backlighting from the back of the interactive element. Photoluminescent structure is located over the front side and is configured to convert the primary radiation into secondary radiation. Opaque layer partially covers the photoluminescent structure.

EFFECT: improvement in the quality of the general and working illumination of the vehicle is achieved.

17 cl, 11 dwg

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to vehicle lighting systems, in particular to vehicle lighting systems using photoluminescent structures.

State of the art

Lighting from photoluminescent structures has a unique and attractive appearance, therefore it is advisable to use these photoluminescent structures in the vehicle lighting system to create general and working lighting.

Disclosure of invention

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a backlight assembly in a vehicle, which includes a support element and at least one interactive element, illuminated from behind, at least partially passing through an opening in the support element. The excitation source is configured to emit primary radiation to provide backlighting for at least one interactive element illuminated from the rear. The photoluminescent structure is connected to at least one interactive element, illuminated from behind, and is designed to convert the primary radiation into secondary radiation. The opaque layer is connected to the photoluminescent structure and defines the boundaries of the hole through which the secondary radiation passes.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a backlight assembly in a vehicle that includes an interactive element supported by a cladding panel and has a light guide body. The photoluminescent structure is connected to the light guide body and is configured to transmit through the inner surface of the primary radiation, including the first input electromagnetic radiation and / or the second input electromagnetic radiation, and / or the third input electromagnetic radiation. The photoluminescent structure includes a photoluminescent material of red glow, providing the conversion of the first input electromagnetic radiation to the first output electromagnetic radiation, a photoluminescent material of green glow, which converts the second input electromagnetic radiation to the second output electromagnetic radiation, and a photoluminescent material of blue glow, which converts the third input electromagnetic radiation to the third output e electromagnetic radiation.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lighting assembly for a vehicle, which includes a support member for supporting at least one interactive member. The photoluminescent structure is connected to at least one interactive element and provides the conversion of at least one input electromagnetic radiation to at least one output electromagnetic radiation, providing color perception available in the RGB color space (additive color model).

These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following description, claims, and accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

These accompanying drawings show the following:

in FIG. 1 shows a general view of the front of the passenger compartment of an automobile vehicle with various illuminated components;

in FIG. 2 shows a general view of the rear of the passenger compartment of an automobile vehicle with various illuminated components;

in FIG. 3 shows a photoluminescent structure applied as a coating;

in FIG. 4 shows a photoluminescent structure deposited in the form of discrete particles;

in FIG. 5 shows several photoluminescent structures deposited in the form of individual particles and embedded in a separate structure;

in FIG. 6 illustrates a vehicle lighting system using front lighting;

in FIG. 7 illustrates a vehicle lighting system using rear lights;

in FIG. 8 shows a control system for a vehicle lighting system;

in FIG. 9 illustrates a backlight assembly in a center console of an automobile vehicle;

in FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an interactive backlit element along lines VIII-VIII of FIG. 7;

in FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of a vehicle lighting system using shades.

The implementation of the invention

In accordance with the requirements herein, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments of the invention should be considered solely as examples of carrying out the invention and that they can be implemented in various alternative forms. In the drawings, the scale is not necessarily respected; some distinguishing features may be enlarged or reduced for a more detailed image of certain details. Thus, the description of specific structural and functional details should not be interpreted as limitations, but as illustrative examples for acquaintances in the art with options for implementing the concepts disclosed in the document.

In this document, the term “and (or)” when listing two or more items is used to mean that any specified item can be used either separately or in combination with two or more specified items. For example, if it is written that the composition includes components A, B and (or) C, then the composition may include only A; only in; only with; combination of A and B; combination of A and C; combination of B and C; or a combination of A, B and C.

The present invention describes a vehicle lighting system in which a photoluminescent structure is installed in a vehicle component for converting primary radiation to secondary radiation, usually having a different color. In accordance with the present invention, the term “vehicle component” refers to any internal or external component of a vehicle’s equipment, or to a part thereof suitable for using the photoluminescent structure described below. Although in accordance with the present invention, this vehicle lighting system is intended for use in a motor vehicle, it should be understood that the vehicle lighting system can also be implemented in other types of vehicles designed to carry one or more passengers, including, but not limited to by this, ships, trains and aircraft.

In FIG. 1 and 2, it is shown that in the passenger compartment 10 of the automobile vehicle various components 12a-12g of the vehicle are installed, located in the front and rear parts of the passenger compartment 10. Components 12a-12g, as a rule, are a covering of the ceiling of the passenger compartment, a mat on the floor of the passenger compartment , the door trim panel and various parts of the seat, including the seat base, backrest, head restraint and backrest, respectively. As a non-limiting example, a photoluminescent structure can be used in each component 12a-12g, as will be described in detail below, in a selected region 14a-14f of each component 12a-12g. As for the vehicle lighting system described below, it should be understood that the selected region 12a-12f is not limited to any particular shape or size and may include parts of the component having a flat and (or) non-planar shape. Although specific components 12a-12g are provided by way of example, it should be understood that other components can be used with the vehicle lighting system described below. Components can be dashboards and their components, impact mechanisms (e.g. push buttons, switches, knobs, etc.), indicating devices (e.g. speedometer, tachometer, etc.), surfaces with printed images, and also external components, including, but not limited to, keyless entry buttons, identification marks, position lights, license plate lamps, trunk lights, front and rear lights.

In FIG. 3-5, a photoluminescent structure 16 is shown in the form of a coating (for example, a film) that can be applied to a vehicle component, a discrete particle that can be installed in a vehicle component, and several discrete particles embedded in a separate structure, which can be attached to the vehicle component accordingly. At a basic level, the photo-luminescent structure 16 includes an energy conversion layer 18, which may be a separate layer and a multilayer structure, as shown by dashed lines in FIG. 3 and 4. The energy conversion layer 18 may include one or more photoluminescent materials having energy conversion elements that are phosphorescent or fluorescent materials and are intended to convert the input electromagnetic radiation to the output electromagnetic radiation, typically having a long wavelength and a different color compared to the input electromagnetic radiation. The difference in the wavelength of the output electromagnetic radiation and the output electromagnetic radiation is called the Stokes shift, which is the main driving mechanism for the aforementioned energy conversion method, often called down-conversion.

The energy conversion layer 18 can be obtained by dispersing a photoluminescent material in a polymer matrix to obtain a homogeneous mixture using various methods. These methods may include obtaining an energy conversion layer 18 from the composition in a liquid carrier and coating the vehicle component with an energy conversion layer 18 to obtain the desired flat and / or non-planar substrate. The energy conversion layer 18 can be applied to a selected component of the vehicle by painting, screen printing, spraying, applying through a slit head, dipping, and also using a roller or removing excess with a strip. Alternatively, the energy conversion layer 18 may be performed using methods that do not use a liquid carrier. For example, a solid solution (homogeneous mixture in a dry state) of one or more photoluminescent materials in a polymer matrix can be converted into an energy conversion layer 18 by extrusion, injection molding, pressing, calendering and hot molding. In embodiments of the invention in which one or more of the energy conversion layers 18 is made in the form of particles, the energy conversion layers 18, consisting of one or more layers, can be embedded in the selected vehicle component, and not applied to it as a coating. If the energy conversion layer 18 is a multilayer composition, then each layer can be applied sequentially, or the layers can be prepared separately and later combined into one by lamination or embossing. Alternatively, the layers can be coextruded to create an integral multilayer structure for energy conversion.

In FIG. 3 and 4, the photoluminescent structure 16 may further include at least one stabilizing layer 20 for protecting the photoluminescent material in the energy conversion layer 18 from photolytic and thermal degradation to create a continuous output electromagnetic radiation. The stabilizing layer 20 can be made in the form of a separate layer, optically bonded and adjacent tightly to the energy conversion layer 18 or otherwise combined with the energy conversion layer 18, provided that a suitable polymer matrix is selected. The photoluminescent structure 16 may also further include a protective layer 22 optically bonded to and tightly adjacent to the stabilizing layer 20, or another layer to protect the photoluminescent structure 16 from physical and chemical damage due to environmental influences.

The stabilization layer 20 and / or the protective layer 22 can be combined with the energy conversion layer 18 to create a single photoluminescent structure 16 by sequentially applying or printing each layer, or by sequential lamination or embossing. Alternatively, multiple layers can be combined by sequentially applying, laminating or embossing to form a substructure, after which the desired substructures can be combined into a single photoluminescent structure 16 by lamination or embossing. Further, a photoluminescent structure 16 may be applied to the selected vehicle component. Alternatively, the photoluminescent structure 16 may be integrated into the selected vehicle component in the form of one or more separate multilayer particles. As another alternative, the photoluminescent structure 16 may be in the form of one or more separate multilayer particles dispersed in a polymer composition, which can then be applied to a selected vehicle component as a continuous structure. Additional information on the structure of photoluminescent structures can be found in US Pat. links.

In FIG. 6 and 7 show the vehicle lighting system 24 in a configuration with front lighting (FIG. 6) and a configuration with rear lighting (FIG. 7). In both configurations, the vehicle lighting system 24 includes a photoluminescent structure 16 in the form of a coating deposited on the substrate 40 of the vehicle component 42. As mentioned above, the photoluminescent structure 16 includes an energy conversion layer 18 and further has a stabilizing layer 20 and / or a protective layer 22. The energy conversion layer 18 includes a red glow photoluminescent material X1, a green glow photoluminescent material X2, and a photoluminescent material X3 blue glow dispersed in a polymer matrix 44. Photo luminescent materials X1, X2 and X3 red, green and blue glow were chosen due to the fact that various combinations of colors Wow, green and blue allow to create different colors. As described in more detail below, the excitation source 26 excites photoluminescent materials X1, X2 and X3 of red, green and blue glows in various combinations to create light of different colors at the output of the photoluminescent structure 16, providing general or working lighting.

The external installation of the excitation source 26 with respect to the photoluminescent structure 16 is shown, while the excitation source 26 emits primary radiation, which includes light generated by the first input electromagnetic radiation, presented in the form of an arrow 28, the second input electromagnetic radiation, presented in the form of an arrow 30 , and (or) the third input electromagnetic radiation, presented in the form of an arrow 32. The contribution of each input electromagnetic radiation 28, 30, 32 to the primary radiation This depends on the state of inclusion of the corresponding light emitting diode (light emitting diode, LED) configured to emit light at a unique peak wavelength. In both configurations, the blue LED 34 emits the first electromagnetic input 28 at a peak wavelength of λ ₁ selected from the blue spectral range, which is defined in this description as the wavelength range, usually expressed as blue light (~ 450 495 nanometers). A blue LED 36 emits a second input electromagnetic radiation 30 at a peak wavelength λ ₂ also selected from the blue spectrum, and a blue LED 38 emits a third input electromagnetic radiation 32 at a peak wavelength λ ₃ also selected from a blue spectrum.

Since the peak wavelengths λ ₁ , λ ₂ and λ _{3 of the} waves are different from each other, each of the blue LEDs 34, 36 and 38 can play a primary role in the excitation of one of the photoluminescent materials X ₁ , X ₂ , X ₃ red, green and blue glows. In particular, the blue light emitting diode 34 plays a primary role in the excitation of the photoluminescent material X _{1 of} red light, the blue light emitting diode 36 plays the primary role in exciting the photoluminescent material X _{2 of} green light, and the blue light emitting diode 38 plays the primary role in exciting the photoluminescent material X _{3 of} blue glow. In order to more efficiently convert energy, the red glow photoluminescent material X ₁ may have a peak absorption wavelength corresponding to the peak wavelength λ _{1 of the} first electromagnetic radiation input 28. Upon excitation, the red glow photoluminescent material X ₁ converts the first electromagnetic radiation 28 into the first electromagnetic radiation represented in the form of an arrow 46 and having a peak emission wavelength E ₁ , which represents the red spectrum, is determined defined in this description as a wavelength range, expressed, as a rule, in the form of red light (~ 620-750 nanometers). Similarly, the green glow photoluminescent material X ₂ may have a peak absorption wavelength corresponding to the peak wavelength λ _{2 of the} second electromagnetic input radiation 30. When excited, the green glow photographic material X ₂ converts the second electromagnetic radiation 30 into a second electromagnetic output radiation, represented by an arrow 48 and having a peak emission wavelength E ₂ , which is the wavelength of the green range of the spectrum defined herein as a wavelength range, usually expressed as green light (~ 526-606 nanometers). Finally, the photoluminescent material X _{3 of the} blue glow can have a peak absorption wavelength corresponding to the peak wavelength λ _{3 of the} third input electromagnetic radiation 32. When excited, the photoluminescent material X _{3 of the} blue glow converts the third input electromagnetic radiation 32 into the third output electromagnetic radiation, presented in the form arrows 50 and having a peak emission wavelength E ₃ , which represents the longest wavelength of the blue spectrum.

Taking into account the relatively narrow band of the blue spectrum, it should be noted that with respect to the absorption spectra of photoluminescent materials X ₁ , X ₂ , X ₃ red, green and blue luminescence, there may be a certain overlap of the spectra. This can lead to arbitrary excitation of two or more photoluminescent materials from photoluminescent materials X ₁ , X ₂ , X ₃ red, green or blue glow, despite the fact that only one of the LEDs 34, 36, 38 blue glow, thereby creating unexpected color combinations. Thus, if more color separation is necessary, photoluminescent materials X ₁ , X ₂ , X _{3 of} red, green, and blue luminescence, which have narrow-band absorption spectra, should be chosen to minimize the overlap of the spectra, while the peak lengths λ ₁ , λ ₂ and λ ₃ waves should be at a distance from each other to ensure sufficient separation between the peak absorption wavelengths of photoluminescent materials X ₁ , X ₂ , X ₃ red, green and blue glow. Therefore, depending on which of the photoluminescent materials X ₁ , X ₂ , X _{3 of the} red, green and blue glows are excited, secondary radiation can be generated having a more predictable light composition. The secondary radiation may be various colors available in a standard RGB color space, including colors that are predominantly red, green, blue, or a combination of the above colors. For example, when the blue LEDs 34, 36, and 38 are turned on at the same time, the secondary radiation may contain an additional combination of red, green, and blue light, which is usually perceived as white light. Other color perception options available in the RGB color space can be obtained by turning on the blue LEDs 34, 36 and 38 in various combinations and (or) changing the output intensity associated with the blue LEDs 34, 36, 38 by adjusting the current at help pulse width modulation (PWM) or in other ways.

As for the vehicle lighting system 24 disclosed herein, blue LEDs 34, 36, and 38 are selected as the excitation source 26 due to their relative cost effectiveness when used to illuminate the vehicle. Another advantage of the use of blue LEDs 34, 36, and 38 is the relatively low visibility of blue light, which may be less distracting to the driver and passengers of the vehicle in cases where the primary radiation must be transmitted in the open space before it reaches the photoluminescent structure 16 However, it should be understood that other lighting devices, as well as sunlight and / or ambient light, can be used in the vehicle lighting system 24. In addition, given the variety of vehicle components onto which a photoluminescent structure 16 can be applied, it should be understood that the location of the excitation source 26 can be changed depending on the design of a particular vehicle component and may be external or internal to the photoluminescent structure 16 and (or) a component of the vehicle. It should also be understood that the excitation source 26 can emit primary radiation incident directly or indirectly on the photoluminescent structure 16. In other words, the excitation source 26 can be located so that the primary radiation passes to the photoluminescent structure 16, or can be located in such a way so that the propagation of the primary radiation to the photoluminescent structure 16 occurs through a fiber, an optical device, etc.

The energy conversion carried out by photoluminescent materials X ₁ , X ₂ , X ₃ red, green and blue glows described above can be implemented in various ways, taking into account the variety of available elements for energy conversion. According to one embodiment of the invention, the energy conversion process occurs through a single absorption / emission cycle initiated by one energy conversion element. For example, the red glow photoluminescent material X ₁ may include phosphorus with a large Stokes frequency shift to absorb the first input electromagnetic radiation 28 and subsequently emit the first output electromagnetic radiation 46. Similarly, the green glow photoluminescent material X ₂ may include large Stokes phosphorus frequency shift to absorb the second input electromagnetic radiation 48 and the subsequent emission of the second output electromagnetic radiation. One of the advantages of using phosphorus or another element for energy conversion with a large Stokes frequency shift is that by reducing the overlap of the corresponding absorption and emission spectra between the input and output electromagnetic radiation, greater color separation can be achieved. Similarly, due to a single Stokes frequency shift, the probability of overlapping absorption and (or) radiation spectra for the indicated photoluminescent material and the absorption and (or) radiation spectra of another photoluminescent material is reduced, which allows for greater color separation between the selected photoluminescent materials.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the energy conversion process takes place by means of an energy cascade for absorbing / emitting energy started by several energy conversion elements with relatively smaller Stokes frequency shifts. For example, the red glow photoluminescent material X ₁ may contain fluorescent dyes, thereby, the first input electromagnetic radiation 28 is partially or completely absorbed to emit the first intermediate electromagnetic radiation having a long wavelength and color that is not characteristic of the first input electromagnetic radiation 28. The first intermediate electromagnetic radiation is then absorbed a second time to emit a second intermediate electromagnetic radiation, which is still large for inu waves and color, not characteristic of the first intermediate electromagnetic radiation. The second intermediate electromagnetic radiation can be further converted by additional energy conversion elements with corresponding Stokes frequency shifts to obtain the desired peak emission wavelength E ₁ of the first output electromagnetic radiation 46. A similar conversion process can also be performed for the green fluorescent photoluminescent material X ₂ . Despite the fact that energy conversion processes using energy cascades can create wide color spectra, an increase in the number of Stokes shifts can lead to a less efficient conversion with decreasing frequency due to the higher probability of overlapping corresponding absorption and radiation spectra. In addition, if more color separation is necessary, it is necessary to additionally take into account that the superposition of the absorption and (or) radiation spectra of one photoluminescent material and the absorption spectra and (or) radiation of another photoluminescent material that also implements an energy cascade or some other energy conversion process is minimized .

Regarding the photoluminescent material X _{3 of the} blue glow, it is unlikely that successive conversions of the third electromagnetic radiation 32 through the energy stage are necessary, since the input electromagnetic radiation 32 and the output electromagnetic radiation 50 often have relatively close peak wavelengths in the blue spectrum. Thus, the blue fluorescence material X ₃ may include an energy conversion element with a small Stokes frequency shift. If necessary, more color separation should be selected photoluminescent material X ₃ blue glow with a radiation spectrum having a minimum overlap with the absorption spectra of photoluminescent materials X ₁ , X ₂ red and green glow. Alternatively, the ultraviolet LED can replace the blue light emitting diode 38 to use an energy conversion element with a large Stokes frequency shift, which will provide great opportunities for the emission spectrum of the X ₃ photoluminescent material _of blue light within the blue range. For configurations with front lighting, the photoluminescent structure 16 may alternatively include a narrow-band reflective material designed to reflect the third input electromagnetic radiation 32 emitted by the blue light emitting diode 38 instead of performing energy conversion to produce blue light, which eliminates the need for a photoluminescent material X ₃ blue glows. Alternatively, the aforementioned reflective material may be designed to reflect a selected amount of the first and second input electromagnetic radiation 28, 30 to produce blue light, thereby eliminating the need for a photoluminescent material X _{3 of} blue light and a blue light emitting diode 38. For configurations with illumination behind the blue glow, light can alternatively be obtained thanks to the third input electromagnetic radiation 32 passing through the photoluminescent structure 16, while the photoluminescent material X _{3 of the} blue glow is not used.

Since many elements of the energy conversion are Lambertian emitters, the resulting secondary radiation can propagate in all directions, including the propagation from the target output surface 52 of the photoluminescent structure 16. As a result, some or all of the secondary radiation can be trapped (total internal reflection) or absorbed by the corresponding structures ( for example, by vehicle component 42), resulting in a decrease in the luminous efficiency of the photo-luminescent ukture 16. To minimize the aforementioned phenomenon, the photoluminescent structure 16 may further include at least one layer 54 with a selective wavelength intended to redirect (eg, reflect) secondary radiation, whose propagation paths are variable, towards the output surface 52, which also acts as an input surface 56 for the configuration option for front lighting shown in FIG. 4. In the examples using different input surface 56 and output surface 52, as shown for the backlight configuration option in FIG. 5, the selective wavelength layer 54 should completely transmit any primary radiation and redirect any secondary radiation whose propagation paths are variable towards the output surface 52.

In both configurations, the selective wavelength layer 54 is located between the substrate 40 and the energy conversion layer 18 in such a way that at least some secondary radiation propagating towards the substrate 40 is redirected towards the output surface 52 in order to maximize the amount of secondary radiation emanating from the photoluminescent structure is 16. For this purpose, the layer 54 with a selective wavelength should be at least made of materials that scatter but do not absorb the specific lengths of E ₁ , E ₂ , E ₃ radiation waves associated with the first, second and third output electromagnetic radiation 46, 48, 50, respectively. The selective wavelength layer 54 may be coated and optically coupled to the energy conversion layer 18 and fit snugly against both the energy conversion layer 18 and the substrate 40 by some of the above methods or other suitable methods.

In FIG. 8 shows an excitation source 26, which can be electrically connected to a processor 60 that provides energy for the excitation source 26 through a power source 62 (e.g., an on-board power source of the vehicle) and controls the operating state of the excitation source and / or the intensity levels of the primary radiation of the source 26 excitement. Control commands may be executed in the processor 60 automatically using a program stored in a storage device. As an alternative or addition, control commands may be received from the vehicle device or system via at least one input signal 64. Also, as an alternative or addition, control commands may be transmitted to the processor 60 via a user input mechanism 66 of the prior art. including but not limited to push button, switch, touch screen, etc. Although in FIG. 8 shows that the processor 60 is electrically connected to one excitation source 26, it should be understood that the processor 60 can also control additional excitation sources using any of the methods described above.

In FIG. 9 and 10 show a rear lighting unit 67, which is preferably used in the lighting system 24 in the rear lighting configuration for a vehicle described previously with reference to FIG. 5, however, any alternative configuration may be used. As shown in FIG. 9, the rear illumination unit 67 shown has a center console with a support member 68 (for example, a cladding panel) supporting one or more interactive elements with backlighting, indicated at 70a, 70b and 70c. For clarity, the interactive elements 70a, 70b, 70c, illuminated at the rear, are presented in the form of a push button, a rotary knob and a lever switch, respectively, while each of them allows the user to interact with one or more vehicle systems, including with audio system, climate control system, navigation system, etc.

In FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a backlit interactive element 70a in accordance with one embodiment. As for the presented embodiment, the backlight interactive element 70a at least partially passes through an opening in the support element 68 and can be installed in the rear lighting unit 67 in a standard manner. The backlit interactive element 70a may include a light guide body having a front side 78 and at least one side wall 80, and may be formed by injection molding or other suitable method. Although in FIG. 10, the back-lit interactive element 70a is presented in the form of a push button, it should be understood that other embodiments are also possible, including rotary knob, lever switch, etc.

In accordance with the present invention, the excitation source 26 is arranged so as to provide primary radiation in the form of rear illumination, as shown by an arrow 84 directed to the back-lit interactive element 70a. The primary radiation 84 may come directly from the excitation source 26 or indirectly through a light guide, an optical device, etc., and may include one or more input electromagnetic radiation, each of which has a unique peak wavelength and each of which is emitted by a corresponding LED .

The primary radiation 84 enters the front side 78 of the backlight interactive element 70a, and then passes through it. Then, the primary radiation 84 enters the photoluminescent structure 16, which can almost completely convert the primary radiation into secondary radiation, consisting of one or more output electromagnetic radiation, each of which has a unique peak radiation wavelength. Alternatively, the photoluminescent structure 16 can convert the primary radiation to secondary radiation only partially and transmit the remainder in the form of unreformed output electromagnetic radiation. In any case, one or more output electromagnetic radiation, represented in general terms using arrows 86, exit through the output surface 52 of the photoluminescent structure 16 and provide color perception available in the RGB color space.

To reduce the light efficiency of the photoluminescent structure 16, a layer 54 with a selective wavelength can be provided on it, which allows the reflected secondary radiation 86 to be redirected towards the output surface 52. As an addition, the opaque layer 88 can be attached at least to the photoluminescent structure 16, this layer may have a hole 90 in the form of a certain emblem through which secondary radiation 86 will be transmitted, highlighting the emblem.

In FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle lighting system 92 using lampshades in a vehicle 93. Vehicle lighting system 92 using a lampshades is integrated in a vehicle lighting system 24 in a front lighting configuration, which was said above with reference to FIG. 6, however, any other configuration may be used. As shown in FIG. 11, the photoluminescent structure 16 forms a single structure with the vehicle ceiling 94, with several excitation sources 26a-26g arranged so as to produce primary radiation directed to a corresponding region 96a-96g of the photoluminescent structure 16. The primary radiation emanating from each source 26a -26g excitation, may include one or more input electromagnetic radiation, each of which has a unique peak wavelength and each of which is emitted by a corresponding a diode. As mentioned above, the photoluminescent structure 16 can almost completely convert the primary radiation into secondary radiation containing one or more output electromagnetic radiation, each of which has a unique peak radiation wavelength. Alternatively, the photoluminescent structure 16 may partially reflect the primary radiation, and then convert and reflect the rest of the secondary radiation. In any configuration, the photoluminescent structure 16 may also include an additional layer 54 with a selective wavelength, providing redirection of the reflected secondary radiation to attenuate the light efficiency of the photoluminescent structure 16.

In the present embodiment, the excitation sources 26a-26d are operatively connected to the respective head restraints 98a-98d and create a circle-shaped illuminated area in the corresponding corner region 96a-96d of the photoluminescent structure 16. The excitation sources 26e and 26f are optically connected to the respective central pillars 100e, 100f and create an illuminated semicircle region in the corresponding lateral region 96e, 96f of the photoluminescent structure 16. Finally, the excitation source 26g is operatively connected to the ceiling 94 of the trans mercury and creates an illuminated area in the form of a circle in the corresponding Central region 96g. As shown in FIG. 11, such an arrangement can result in overlapping of the respective neighboring regions 96a-96g, which allows the use of almost the entire region of the photoluminescent structure 16. Thus, the vehicle lighting system 92 can be controlled using shades (for example, using a processor 60) to provide a common or isolated lighting by activating all or individual excitation sources 26a-26g. As an alternative or addition, the use of several excitation sources 26a-26g allows any corresponding region 96a-96g of the photoluminescent structure 16 to provide color perception (generated by the output electromagnetic radiation and (or) the reflected input electromagnetic radiation) present in the RGB color space, which will be similar or different from the color perception created by any other area 96a-96g. This result can be achieved by changing the composition of light in the primary radiation emitted by any active source 26a-26g of excitation.

Accordingly, a vehicle lighting system 24 has been disclosed hereinabove. In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle lighting system 24 employs a photoluminescent structure 16 that can convert the primary radiation to secondary radiation to create different color sensations, thereby improving the driving experience and / or overall appearance of the vehicle component.

It should be understood that various variations and modifications can be made to the design described above without departing from the essence of the present invention and that similar concepts are defined by the following claims, unless expressly indicated otherwise.

Claims (35)

1. The backlight assembly, comprising: vehicle cladding panel, an interactive element operatively connected to the cladding panel and including a light guide body having a front side open through the cladding panel; an excitation source configured to emit primary radiation to illuminate the rear of the interactive element; a photoluminescent structure located on top of the front side and configured to convert the primary radiation into secondary radiation, and an opaque layer partially covering the photoluminescent structure. 2. The node according to claim 1, in which the interactive element is made in the form of a push button, rotary knob or lever switch. 3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the excitation source includes a first blue light emitting diode, a second blue light emitting diode and a third blue light emitting diode, each of which is configured to emit blue light with a unique peak wavelength. 4. The node according to claim 3, in which the primary radiation includes the first input electromagnetic radiation emitted by the first blue light-emitting diode, and / or the second input electromagnetic radiation emitted by the second blue light-emitting diode, and / or the third input electromagnetic radiation emitted by the third blue light emitting diode. 5. The node according to claim 4, in which the photoluminescent structure includes an energy conversion layer containing a photoluminescent material of red glow, which is mainly excited by the first input electromagnetic radiation, a photoluminescent material of green light, which is mainly excited by the second input electromagnetic radiation, and a photoluminescent blue glow material, which is mainly excited by the third input electromagnetic radiation. 6. The node according to claim 5, in which the secondary radiation includes a first output electromagnetic radiation, and / or a second output electromagnetic radiation, and / or a third output electromagnetic radiation, each of which has a unique peak emission wavelength. 7. The node according to claim 6, in which the photoluminescent material of red light converts the first input electromagnetic radiation to the first output electromagnetic radiation, the photoluminescent material of green light converts the second input electromagnetic radiation to the second output electromagnetic radiation, and the photoluminescent material of blue light converts the third input electromagnetic radiation in the third output electromagnetic radiation. 8. Backlight assembly for a vehicle, comprising: vehicle cladding panel, an interactive element made in the form of a push button, a rotary knob or a lever switch, the interactive element being functionally connected to the cladding panel and includes a light guide body having a front side open through the cladding panel; an excitation source configured to emit primary radiation to illuminate the rear of the interactive element; a photoluminescent structure located on top of the front side and configured to convert the primary radiation into secondary radiation, and an opaque layer partially covering the photoluminescent structure. 9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the excitation source includes a first blue light emitting diode, a second blue light emitting diode and a third blue light emitting diode, each of which is configured to emit blue light with a unique peak wavelength. 10. The node according to claim 9, in which the primary radiation includes the first input electromagnetic radiation emitted by the first blue light-emitting diode, and / or the second input electromagnetic radiation emitted by the second blue light-emitting diode, and / or the third input electromagnetic radiation emitted by the third blue light emitting diode. 11. The node of claim 10, in which the photoluminescent structure includes an energy conversion layer containing a photoluminescent material of red glow, which is mainly excited by the first input electromagnetic radiation, a photoluminescent material of green light, which is mainly excited by the second input electromagnetic radiation, and a photoluminescent blue glow material, which is mainly excited by the third input electromagnetic radiation. 12. The node according to claim 11, in which the secondary radiation includes a first output electromagnetic radiation, and / or a second output electromagnetic radiation, and / or a third output electromagnetic radiation, each of which has a unique peak emission wavelength. 13. The node according to item 12, in which the photoluminescent material of red light converts the first input electromagnetic radiation to the first output electromagnetic radiation, the photoluminescent material of green light converts the second input electromagnetic radiation to the second output electromagnetic radiation, and the photoluminescent material of blue light converts the third input electromagnetic radiation in the third output electromagnetic radiation. 14. The backlight assembly for a vehicle, comprising: vehicle cladding panel, an interactive element operatively connected to the cladding panel and including a light guide body having a front side open through the cladding panel; an excitation source for illuminating the rear of the interactive element, configured to selectively emit a first, second, and third input electromagnetic radiation; a photoluminescent structure located on top of the front side and containing: - photoluminescent material of red light, which is mainly excited by the first input electromagnetic radiation, - photoluminescent material of green light, which is mainly excited by the second input electromagnetic radiation, and - photoluminescent material of blue glow, which is mainly excited by the third input electromagnetic radiation; and an opaque layer partially covering the photoluminescent structure. 15. The node 14, in which the interactive element is made in the form of a push button, rotary knob or lever switch. 16. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the excitation source includes a first blue light emitting diode, a second blue light emitting diode and a third blue light emitting diode, each of which is configured to emit blue light with a unique peak wavelength. 17. The node according to clause 16, in which the first input electromagnetic radiation is emitted by the first blue light-emitting diode, the second input electromagnetic radiation is emitted by the second blue light-emitting diode and the third input electromagnetic radiation is emitted by the third blue light-emitting diode.

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