WO2007003663A1

WO2007003663A1 - Interior lining element for a motor vehicle, motor vehicle and method of producing said lining element

Info

Publication number: WO2007003663A1
Application number: PCT/ES2005/000382
Authority: WO
Inventors: Adelaida Antolin Fernandez; Carolina Olivan Ahedo
Original assignee: Grupo Antolin-Ingenieria, S.A.
Priority date: 2005-07-05
Filing date: 2005-07-05
Publication date: 2007-01-11

Abstract

The invention relates to an interior lining element for a motor vehicle. The invention comprises a lining part (1, 1A) having a visible surface (11) and at least one light guide (2) which is built into the lining part (1, 1A) at the visible surface (11) thereof. The light guide, which comprises at least one lateral light-emitting segment, is built into the lining part such that, when the light guide conveys light, light is emitted from the visible surface (11) at the lateral emitting segment. The invention also relates to a vehicle comprising one or more elements in accordance with the invention and to a method of producing said elements.

Description

ELEMENT OF INTERNAL COATING FOR AN AUTOMOBILE VEHICLE, AUTOMOBILE VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE

COATING ELEMENT

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention is included in the field of interior lighting of motor vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Traditionally, the interior lighting of motor vehicles is carried out through the use of conventional lamps, which usually comprise one or more bulbs located behind translucent covers designed to achieve a controlled distribution of light, with the aim of creating a environment, a specific environment, at will of the user. Another type of light source used for some interior applications of motor vehicles is based on LEDs ("Light-Emitting Diode"), which may have certain advantages over conventional light bulbs, for example, because LEDs in general they generate relatively little heat, high reliability and integration in small thicknesses.

It is also known to use light guides to produce "points of light" at positions away from a primary light source. The use of light guides may be convenient in cases where, for various reasons, the primary light source (for example, a bulb or the like) cannot be located in the area to be illuminated (for example, to avoid that heat is produced in said area, or for reasons of space). In these cases, a light guide (based on what is known as an "optical fiber" or similar) can be used to carry light from one end of the guide, in which the guide receives light from the primary light source , to the opposite end of the guide, in which the light leaves the guide, so that said opposite end does

The light source function in the area in which it is located. In general, This type of light guides or optical fibers are designed to prevent light from leaving the guide along the guide, something logical since it is usually desired that the greatest possible part of the light reaches the opposite end to the input end of the light in the guide. Lighting systems based on points of light (produced by optical fibers, LEDs and / or bulbs, etc.) can be used to illuminate the interior of the vehicle sufficiently to ensure good visibility of the relevant objects, but they are not suitable from the point in view of the creation of a homogeneous ambient lighting, that is, the uniformity in the lighting is limited. In addition, the control of said lighting is difficult and, in some cases, does not exist if it is not changing the elements of the installation. The bulbs take up a lot of space and are difficult to integrate into some elements of the interior of the car, and these and the LEDs are points that can fail, causing discontinuities in the lighting. Also, with a few light points, there are large variations in the lighting of different parts of the interior of the vehicle, depending on the distance to the point of light, shadows, etc. This can create problems, especially when driving in the dark, since some parts of the interior can be excessively illuminated (with the problems of night visibility that this can cause the driver) while other parts do not illuminate sufficiently well.

Logically, the number of light points can be increased, for example, using rows of light bulbs or LEDs, etc., but this may represent a more complex installation (and, therefore, expensive) and does not always provide lighting with the desired characteristics.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An inventive concept on which the invention is based corresponds to the use of light guides not to produce illumination in the form of points of light in the area of the exit ends of the light guides, but to produce a substantially continuous illumination, at The length of one or several sections of the guides. To this end, the incorporation into lateral emission light guide vehicles has been conceived. Specifically, light guides are known that do not emit light only at the exit end of the guide, but also (and / or mainly or only) along the light guide. The international patent application (PCT) publ. no. WO-A-00/63613 describes several examples of guides of this type (described as "side emitting light guides", that is, as "lateral emission light guides"), as well as their use in some lighting devices. The light guides described in WO-A-00/63613 can be quite flexible, which gives a lot of flexibility when designing the lighting device configurations.

WO-A-2004/031818 describes another example of a light guide with emission on the surface of the guide. Other examples of lateral emission light guides are described in US publ. no. US-A-5659643, US-A-5432876 and US-A-5845038. The inventors of the present invention have conceived that lateral emission light guides can have an especially interesting application in motor vehicles and be of surprising utility to generate a substantially continuous and homogeneous illumination, suitable for creating an ambient light, dimmable and with The light source not seen inside the car. More specifically, the inventors have conceived that the lateral emission light guides can be integrated into the lining elements of the vehicle; Examples of these elements are the roof trim ("headliner"), the door trim ("door trim") and the pillar trim ("pillar trim"). This allows a surprisingly easy incorporation of this type of lighting in the vehicles, which does not complicate the assembly process of the vehicle, allows to control and guarantee the operation of the lighting system due to its simple accessibility in the trim or the like, and an advantageous coupling in areas of said trim. Therefore, a first aspect of the invention refers to an interior lining element for a motor vehicle, configured to define at least a part of an interior surface view of the vehicle.

The element comprises a lining part (for example, a lining panel, an interior trim for a vehicle, etc.) which has a visible surface configured to constitute a part of the interior surface of a vehicle.

In accordance with the invention, the cladding element further comprises at least one light guide incorporated in said cladding part (for example, in a trim) in correspondence with said exposed surface. Said, at least one, light guide has at least one section of lateral light emission and is incorporated in the lining part so that, when said light guide conducts light, light is emitted from said surface seen in correspondence with said lateral emission section. In this way, the incorporation in the cladding elements of this type of light guides allows one or more sections to be established in which the surface seen emits light in a continuous way along the section or sections. The use of light guides, which can present curved segments, trajectory changes, etc., allows a lot of flexibility when designing the internal lighting of the vehicle, with the advantages that this implies.

In addition, there are commercially available devices that allow modifying the intensity and / or color of the light that is transmitted through such a guide, whereby, if said devices are associated with the light guide, the lighting can, in Each moment, be regulated and adapted easily and safely, by the user, something that can bring added value to vehicles that incorporate this type of elements.

The light guide (or light guides) can be (s) housed (s) in a channel (or in several channels) in the lining part. The exposed surface may have one or more openings in correspondence with said channels, openings through which the corresponding channel communicates with the outside and that extends longitudinally along or in correspondence with at least a part of the section or sections of lateral light emission, so that the light guide can illuminate an interior of a vehicle through the opening.

On the other hand, the light guide (or guides) can also be housed in a channel in said lining part, the surface being seen a piece of lining (for example, a layer, sheet, cover or cover) that is translucent or transparent at least in correspondence with at least a part of said, at least one, lateral light emission section, so that the light guide can illuminate an interior of a vehicle through said lining piece.

The light guide can have a cross section substantially complementary to the cross section of the channel.

The lateral emission section may have at least one curved section, for example, in the plane of the surface seen. The light guide can have one or more curvatures configured so that the intensity of the lateral emission of light after the curvature or curvatures is substantially less than the intensity of the lateral emission of light before the curvature or curvatures, in one direction of the light along the light guide. This phenomenon occurs due to the characteristics of many commercially available light guides, in which the light tends to escape from the guide in correspondence with curved sections. This phenomenon can be used to achieve a variation in the intensity of the light emitted along a light guide, something that further increases the design possibilities of the interior lighting of the vehicle.

The lining element may comprise, in a manner associated with the light guide, at least one source of lighting configured to introduce light into an input end of the light guide. The light source may comprise means for selectively generating light of different colors and / or intensities, for example, depending on the position of a regulation element that allows the user to vary the color and / or the intensity of the light, depending on their wishes at all times.

In fact, the lining part can incorporate a plurality of light guides, and at least one light source configured to introduce light into an input end of the light guide can be associated to each light guide. In addition, each lighting source may comprise means for selectively generating light of different colors and / or intensities, so that the lighting generated by each light guide can be regulated independently by the user. It is understood that this further increases the chances of designing optimal and variable lighting according to the user's tastes.

The lining part may comprise an interior trim for the vehicle, for example, a roof trim or a door trim. Alternatively, the lining part may comprise another type of element, for example, an interior door panel.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a motor vehicle having an interior lining comprising at least one lining element according to what has been described above, for example, a plurality of such elements. Another aspect of the invention relates to a method for manufacturing an interior lining element for a motor vehicle. The method comprises the steps of: producing a coating part that has a visible surface configured to constitute a part of the interior surface of a vehicle; and incorporating in said lining part and in correspondence with said exposed surface, at least one light guide having at least one lateral light emission section, so that, when said light guide conducts light, light is emitted from said surface seen in correspondence with said lateral emission section. The production of the coating part can be done in a conventional manner, although in some embodiments it may be necessary to modify the molds or presses to establish some type of channel or housing for the light guides and associated elements (light sources, etc.) . The light guides can be anchored in the lining part in many ways, for example, by clips or clamps, or by an appropriate selection of the dimensions of the channels and their lateral openings, and of the light guides, so that the Light guides cannot be extracted laterally from the channels (through said lateral openings). In these cases, the light guides can be incorporated into the channels, for example, in the manufacturing process itself (for example, by injection in mold) of the lining part, or later, in which case the light guides can be introduced through an open end of the channels. The average expert in the field may, on each occasion, opt for the manufacturing method that best suits the needs, for example, in terms of manufacturing costs, product quality, etc.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To complement the description and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to some preferred examples of practical implementation thereof, a set of drawings is accompanied as an integral part of said description. in which for the purposes of illustration and not limitation, the following has been represented:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a door of a car that incorporates a cladding element according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2.- Shows a cross-sectional view of said cladding element. Figure 3.- Shows a view of the same cross section of said cladding element, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

Figures 4 and 5.- Show schematic views of possible configurations or paths of a light guide in a cladding element (not illustrated in the figures).

Figures 6 and 7.- Schematically show two views of an interior of a vehicle, in which several lining elements with openings or translucent parts can be seen from which the interior of the vehicle is illuminated with light emitted by a light guide (not illustrated in the figures).

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 illustrates a door 100 of a vehicle, which includes a frame on which a cladding element comprising a cladding part 1, 1A is mounted, which may comprise a modular support for accessories of the door, and / or that You can understand what is known as a door trim. In Figure 1, said covering part comprises a support or panel 1 whose inner surface has a coating that constitutes the exposed face of the panel. In addition, an element known as "medallion" 1A is attached to panel 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the lining part 1, 1A two channels 12 are formed in which at least one light guide 2 is arranged; In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, it can be two different light guides, or a single light guide that runs both the upper and the lower channel (something that is easily implementable since the light guides can be curved and traversed Zig-zag, meander, sinusoidal paths, etc.).

The light guide has at least one section of lateral light emission, in correspondence with the zones 13 in which the upper and lower end of the medallion are separated from the panel, such that between the medallion and The panel establishes a slot or opening 13 through which the light exits the channel 12 and penetrates into the interior of the vehicle. As can be seen from Figure 2, this is possible without the light guide being visible to the user of the vehicle, that is, it can be indirect lighting.

Logically, there is also the possibility of producing the panel 1 or a trim or the like in one piece, with the channels 12 traveled by the light guides formed in the process of injection or conformation of the piece, for example. Figure 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment based on that of the figure

2, but in which a transparent cover 14 covering the opening of the upper channel 12 has been added (logically, the same type of cover can be applied to the lower channel). Instead of a cover, it is also possible to cover the entire panel or trim with a layer that is transparent or translucent or that has a transparent or translucent portion corresponding to channel 12.

Any of the embodiments discussed above allows the generation of lighting with continuous sections, from the surface view of the interior linings of a vehicle. Figures 4 and 5 reflect possible paths of a light guide 2, which comprises a curved section 22. The possibility of incorporating curved sections may be important for adapting the paths of the light guides to the interior surfaces of the vehicle. The light guides can be those that produce a lateral emission of light along the entire light guide or at least in some sections of the light guide. At one end of the light guide a light source 23 is located, which may include means for varying the color and / or the intensity of the light (there are a large number of conventional systems to implement this possibility of varying the color and / or the intensity of the light transmitted through a light guide, so it has not been considered necessary to include a more detailed description of this aspect). In addition, in Figures 4 and 5, the light guides have an abrupt curvature 24 which makes the intensity of the lateral emission of light after the curvature 24 substantially less than the intensity of the lateral emission of light before the curvature , in a direction of the light along the light guide. This phenomenon can be used to achieve a variation in the intensity of the light along the light guide.

Figures 6 and 7 schematically illustrate an interior of a vehicle, in which it can be seen how the lining elements have openings 13 or translucent areas 14 through which the interior of the vehicle is illuminated with the light emitted laterally by guides of light (not illustrated in figures 6 and 7), incorporated in said cladding elements, in accordance with the invention.

In this text, the word "comprises" and its variants (such as "understanding", etc.) should not be interpreted in an exclusive manner, that is, they do not exclude the possibility that the description includes other elements, steps, etc.

On the other hand, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments that have been described but also covers, for example, the variants that can be made by the average expert in the field (for example, in terms of the choice of materials, dimensions , components, configuration, etc.), within what follows from the claims.

Claims

1.- Interior lining element for a motor vehicle, configured to define at least a part of an interior view surface of the vehicle, comprising: a lining part (1, 1A) having a visible surface (11) configured to constitute a part of the interior surface of a vehicle; characterized in that the cladding element further comprises at least one light guide (2) incorporated in said cladding part (1, 1A) in correspondence with said exposed surface (11), said light guide having at least one lateral emission section of light and the light guide being incorporated in the lining part so that, when said light guide conducts light, light is emitted from said seen surface (11) in correspondence with said lateral light emission section.

2. Element according to claim 1, wherein said at least one light guide is housed in a channel (12) in said lining part, the surface having an opening (13) seen through the Ia which channel communicates with the outside and that extends longitudinally to

The length of at least a part of said, at least one, section of lateral emission of light, so that the light guide can illuminate an interior of a vehicle through said opening (13).

3. Element according to claim 1, wherein said at least one light guide is housed in a channel (12) in said coating part, the surface being seen a piece (14) of coating that is translucent at least in correspondence with at least a part of said, at least one, section of lateral emission of light, so that the light guide can illuminate an interior of a vehicle through said covering piece (14).

4. Element according to any of claims 2 and 3, wherein said at least one light guide has a cross section substantially complementary to the cross section of the channel.

5. Element according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said lateral emission section has at least one curved section (22).

6. Element according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the light guide has at least one curvature configured so that the intensity of the lateral emission of light after the curvature is substantially less than the intensity of the emission lateral of light before the curvature, in a direction of the light along the light guide.

7. Element according to any of the preceding claims, which further comprises, in a manner associated with the light guide (2), at least one lighting source configured to introduce light into an input end of the light guide.

8. Element according to claim 7, wherein the at least one light source comprises means for selectively generating light of different colors and / or intensities.

9. Element according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the coating part incorporates a plurality of light guides, and because each light guide is associated with at least one lighting source configured to introduce light at one end input of the light guide.

10. Element according to claim 9, wherein each source of lighting comprises means for selectively generating light of different colors and / or intensities, so that the lighting generated by each light guide can be regulated independently.

11. Element according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the lining part comprises an interior trim for the vehicle.

12. Element according to claim 11, wherein said interior trim is a roof trim.

13. Element according to claim 11, wherein said interior trim is a door trim.

14. Element according to any of claims 1-10, wherein the lining part comprises an interior door panel.

15. Automobile vehicle, which has an inner lining comprising at least one element according to any of the preceding claims.

16. Automobile vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the inner lining comprises a plurality of elements according to any of claims 1-14.

17.- Method for manufacturing an interior lining element for a motor vehicle, comprising the step of: producing a lining part (1, 1A) having a visible surface (11) configured to constitute a part of the interior surface of A vehicle; characterized in that it also includes the step of incorporating in said covering part and in correspondence with said visible surface (11), at least one light guide (2) having at least one lateral light emission section, so that, when said light guide conducts light, light is emitted from said surface view (11) in correspondence with said side emission section.