Vehicle emblem assembly and method for forming a vehicle emblem assembly

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of vehicle logo assembly and the method for forming vehicle logo assembly.The vehicle logo assembly (1) has shell (10) and cover (70), and the internal space is enclosed by shell and cover, and the light-emitting component (40) is contained in the internal space, light diffusion component (2), wherein, the inner side of cover (70) facing light-emitting component (40) is provided with coating, so as to present vehicle logo, and cover (70) is provided with light-transmitting site.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a vehicle badge assembly and a method for forming a vehicle badge assembly. BACKGROUND

[0002] Vehicle badges are mainly used to identify the identity of a vehicle for the seller, the user, the maintenance personnel, the traffic management department, etc. In particular, in the case of a vehicle badge capable of emitting light, the visibility, the aesthetics and the safety can be further improved. SUMMARY

[0003] It is an object of the present application to propose a vehicle badge assembly which can be produced cost-effectively.

[0004] It is also an object of the present application to propose a method for forming a vehicle badge assembly.

[0005] According to the present application, a vehicle badge assembly is proposed, having a housing and a cover, an interior space being enclosed by the housing and the cover, a light-emitting assembly and a light-diffusing assembly being accommodated in the interior space, wherein a cover layer is arranged on the inner side of the cover facing the light-emitting assembly, so that a vehicle badge is presented, and the cover is provided with a light-transmissive region. Light can exit the cover through the light-transmissive region.

[0006] With this solution, since the cover itself has a certain thickness, the cover layer forming the vehicle badge can be advantageously protected when arranged on the inner side of the cover, so that it has excellent scratch resistance.

[0007] The cover layer is composed of a first sub-cover layer and a second sub-cover layer, for example. Of course, the cover layer can also have more sub-cover layers, such as a light-transmissive protective layer covering the first sub-cover layer and the second sub-cover layer. Here, the respective sub-cover layers can be understood as cover layers applied in different process steps. By way of example, the first sub-cover layer is a silk-screen printed cover layer, and the second cover layer is an electroplated layer. The sub-cover layers can have different colors from each other or from the cover itself.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present application, the second sub-cover layer covers the first sub-cover layer. This can further advantageously prevent the first sub-cover layer from peeling off. Here, it is understood that the second sub-cover layer can completely or partially cover the first sub-cover layer. Preferably, the second sub-cover layer completely covers the first sub-cover layer. Of course, the second sub-cover layer can additionally at least partially occupy the area of the inner side of the cover which is not occupied by the first sub-cover layer.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present application, the second sub-cover layer is a light-transmissive layer to form the light-transmissive region.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present application, both the first sub-cover layer and the second sub-cover layer are light-opaque layers, wherein a hollow part of a predetermined width is arranged at the interface of the first sub-cover layer and the second sub-cover layer to form the light-transmissive region.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present application, the light diffusion assembly comprises a first light diffusion member and a second light diffusion member, the first light diffusion member is arranged on the light emitting assembly, and the second light diffusion member is arranged between the first light diffusion member and the housing. The diffusion member can be transparent or translucent. If necessary, the surface of the diffusion member can have a coating, a roughened layer or have micro-facets to facilitate light diffusion.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present application, the cross section of the first light diffusion member has a semi-circular inner contour and an outer contour composed of at least one arc segment, for example a semi-“8”-shaped outer contour, to diffuse the light emitting angle of the light source of the light emitting assembly.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present application, the first light diffusion member is ring-shaped, and the light source of the light emitting assembly is arranged in a ring shape.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present application, the second light diffusion member is plate-shaped, and has perforations.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present application, a positioning structure and a locking structure are arranged on the outer periphery of the first light diffusion member, and a mating positioning structure and a mating locking structure are arranged in the housing, which interact to fix the light emitting assembly between the first light diffusion member and the housing; a positioning structure and a locking structure are also arranged on the outer periphery of the second light diffusion member, and a mating positioning structure and a mating locking structure are arranged in the housing, which interact to fix the second light diffusion member.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present application, the light emitting assembly is a printed circuit board assembly.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present application, the light emitting assembly is provided with a heat dissipation assembly between the light emitting assembly and the housing, wherein a heat dissipation layer is arranged on at least one of the two sides of the heat dissipation assembly in contact with the light emitting assembly and the housing.

[0018] For the proposed method for forming a vehicle emblem assembly, comprising:

[0019] - providing a film, printing a coating on the film after pretreatment, forming after the coating is cured, placing the formed film in a mold and applying injection plastic to form the outer layer of the housing;

[0020] - connecting the housing with the light emitting assembly and the light diffusion assembly assembled;

[0021] wherein the injection plastic is applied on the side opposite to the side where the coating is located.

[0022] By this method, in particular by the printing method, for example screen printing, the first sub-coating is formed, which can be achieved simply. In addition, it is also possible to achieve a first sub-coating with a variety of colors. Since the coating is located on the inner side, it is also possible to achieve excellent scratch resistance.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the application, the coating can comprise a first sub-coating and a second sub-coating, wherein the second sub-coating is applied after the first sub-coating.

[0024] The second sub-coating can cover the first sub-coating, the second sub-coating being a light-transmissive layer.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the application, the method further comprises etching the inner side of the housing such that a hollow is formed between the first sub-coating and the second sub-coating for light transmission.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the application, the film and the injection-molded plastic are composed of the same material. This enables a good bonding of the film to the injection-molded plastic, thereby forming a homogeneous housing body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] The application is further explained with the help of the drawings. In the drawings,

[0028] Figure 1 a partially assembled view of the vehicle badge assembly of

[0029] Figure 2 a partially assembled view of the vehicle badge assembly of Figure 1

[0030] Figure 3 a partially assembled view of the housing of the vehicle badge assembly of Figure 1

[0031] a front view of the housing of the vehicle badge assembly of Figure 4 Figure 1 a front view of the housing of the vehicle badge assembly according to another embodiment;

[0032] Figure 5 a cross-sectional view of the housing of

[0033] Figure 6 a cross-sectional view of the housing of Figure 4

[0034] a cross-sectional view of the housing of Figure 7 Figure 5 a cross-sectional view of the housing of DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Embodiments of the application are described herein below exemplarily. As the person skilled in the art will recognize, the embodiments described can be modified in various different ways without departing from the inventive concept. Therefore, the drawings and the description are essentially exemplary and not restrictive. In the following, the same reference signs generally denote functionally equivalent or similar elements.​​​

[0036] The vehicle emblem assembly has a housing and a cover. The vehicle emblem assembly is mounted at a predetermined position of the vehicle, such as a grill of a front portion, a trunk lid of a rear portion, a side portion, or other suitable places of the vehicle, by the housing. The cover has a vehicle emblem thereon, which presents a vehicle brand, a manufacturer, or other information, and can be easily seen.

[0037] According to Figure 1 An embodiment of a vehicle emblem assembly 1 is shown. The vehicle emblem assembly 1 has, in addition to a housing 10 and a cover 70, a light emitting assembly 40 and a light diffusion assembly 2, and, if necessary, a heat dissipation assembly 20 and a heat dissipation layer 30, which are accommodated in an internal space defined by the housing 10 and the cover 70.

[0038] As can be seen from Figure 1 and Figure 4 , the cover 70 is provided with a vehicle identification thereon. In this example, the vehicle identification is a combined figure formed by four fan-shaped areas, which is centrally located at an end face of the cover, and other areas of the cover end face not occupied by the vehicle identification can be regarded as background areas. Of course, the vehicle identification can have any desired shape. Additionally, an unshown border ring surrounding the vehicle identification can also be provided. The cover 70 itself is made of any suitable light-transmissive material, such as a polymer material, as a rigid structure. A first sub-coating 703 is provided on an inner side of the cover facing the housing, which partially occupies the inner side and forms the vehicle emblem. A second sub-coating 704 is also provided on the inner side, which at least partially occupies other portions of the inner side not occupied by the first sub-coating.

[0039] In one aspect, the first sub-coating and the second sub-coating can have different colors in the case that the first sub-coating and the second sub-coating complementarily occupy the inner side of the cover 70. In this case, at least one of the two sub-coatings can transmit light, whereby the light-transmissive layer forms a light-transmissive site to make light outgo outwardly through the cover.

[0040] In another aspect, the second sub-coating can also at least partially cover the first sub-coating, or even completely cover the first sub-coating. In this case, the first sub-coating is a non-light-transmissive layer, and the second sub-coating is a light-transmissive layer, whereby the portion of the covered inner side not occupied by the first sub-coating of the second sub-coating forms a light-transmissive site, so that light outgoes outwardly through the cover. In Figure 3 the second sub-coating 704 completely covers the first sub-coating 703 is shown in an exploded view for the purpose of illustration. In other words, in this example, the first sub-coating is between the cover body and the second sub-coating 704.

[0041] In yet another aspect, the second sub-coating is present in the area of the inner side not occupied by the first sub-coating. However, a hollow 705 is formed between the first sub-coating and the second sub-coating, as can be seen from Figure 5 In this case, both the first sub-coating and the second sub-coating can be light- impermeable layers, and light can exit from the hollow 705. Thus, the hollow forms a light- permeable site.

[0042] Thus, the light-permeable site can be the vehicle logo itself, the inner periphery of the vehicle logo, the outer periphery of the vehicle logo, the inner and outer periphery of the vehicle logo, or other suitable sites.

[0043] Correspondingly, a light-emitting assembly 40 is arranged behind the outer cover 70. The light-emitting assembly has light sources of any form, such as light-emitting diodes, organic light-emitting diodes, polymer light-emitting diodes, or other forms of light-emitting devices. The light sources can be powered by the on-board power supply. A controller, such as a body controller, additionally provided can be used to control the light emission of the light sources. A separate controller for the vehicle logo assembly can also be provided. In order to control the light emission intensity of the light-emitting assembly, the current magnitude through the light sources can be controlled by the controller, for example.

[0044] In the example shown, the light sources are in the form of light-emitting diodes 401, which are arranged annularly on a PCB board 402. The light sources can also have other arrangements on the PCB board as required. In addition, other electronic components are also mounted on the PCB board.

[0045] In the case of light-emitting diodes, the light sources can be regarded as point light sources. In order to make the light exit the outer cover uniformly, a light-diffusing assembly 2 is arranged above the light-emitting assembly 40. In the example shown, the light-diffusing assembly 2 comprises a first light-diffusing member 50 and a second light-diffusing member 60, wherein the first light-diffusing member 50 is arranged above the light-emitting assembly 40 and is mainly used to enlarge the divergence angle of the light emitted by the light sources, and the second light-diffusing member 60 is arranged between the first light-diffusing member 50 and the outer cover 70 and is mainly used to homogenize the light. Here, the respective light-diffusing members can be subjected to relevant processing, such as the provision of a coating, a surface roughening layer, or other microstructures.

[0046] The basic shape of the first light-diffusing member 50 matches the geometric shape formed by the light sources. Here, the first light-diffusing member 50 has a base body that is also annular, which covers the light sources. The cross section of the base body of the first light-diffusing member 50 has a semicircular inner contour 508 and a semicircular “8”-shaped outer contour 509, thereby diffusing the light towards the inner and outer sides of the ring. This also applies to first light-diffusing members 50 of other shapes.

[0047] The second light diffusion member 60 is substantially plate-shaped and is composed of a material having light diffusion capability. The second light diffusion member 60 can be provided with perforations 610 to facilitate air circulation in the spaces on both sides thereof, thereby avoiding condensation, particularly at the outer cover.

[0048] The light diffusion assembly 40 is fixed to the housing. For this purpose, the housing 10 is integrally provided with fixing structures for the first light diffusion member 50 and the second light diffusion member 60.

[0049] The first light diffusion member 50 is provided with a first positioning structure and a first locking structure 506 at the outer periphery thereof, and the housing 10 is provided with a first mating positioning structure and a first mating locking structure 106, which interact to fix the light diffusion assembly 40 between the first light diffusion member 50 and the housing 10. The first positioning structure can be in the form of elastic tabs 505 at the outer periphery, tabs 507 having notches, or a combination thereof. The first mating positioning structure can be in the form of a bayonet 105, a guide wall 107, or a combination thereof, formed at the housing. Upon engagement, the tabs 505 extend into the bayonet 105 with the notches of the tabs 507 guided by the guide wall 107. At this time, the first locking structure 506 in the form of a cap having an opening is in the correct position with respect to the first mating locking structure 106 in the form of a protrusion having a threaded hole. After a screw is screwed in, the fixation of the first light diffusion member 50 is achieved, and thereby the light diffusion assembly 40 is locked between the first light diffusion member 50 and the housing.

[0050] The second light diffusion member 60 is provided with a second positioning structure and a second locking structure 608 at the outer periphery thereof, and the housing 10 is provided with a second mating positioning structure and a second mating locking structure 108. The second positioning structure can be in the form of tabs 609 at the outer periphery of the second light diffusion member 60, notches 611, or a combination thereof. The second mating positioning structure can be in the form of a pair of guide walls 109, a protrusion 111, or a combination thereof, formed at the housing. Upon engagement, the tabs 609 are guided by the guide walls 109, and the protrusion 111 embedded in the notches 611 ensures that the second light diffusion member is in the correct position with respect to the housing. At the same time, the second mating locking structure 108 in the form of a lock block engages into the eyelet of the second locking structure 608, thereby achieving the fixation of the second light diffusion member 60 with respect to the housing.

[0051] The mating positioning structure and the mating locking structure of the housing mentioned above can be provided at the bottom and the outer periphery of the housing.

[0052] When the size of the PCB board of the light diffusion assembly 40 exceeds the first light diffusion member, the outer periphery of the PCB board 402 is provided with notches 406, 407, which match the positioning structure and the locking structure of the first light diffusion member. This can additionally achieve the positioning of the PCB board.

[0053] To facilitate heat dissipation, the light emitting assembly 40 is provided with a heat dissipation assembly 20, which is located between the light emitting assembly 40 and the housing 40. The heat dissipation assembly 20 is, for example, a plate made of a metal material such as aluminum, copper, copper-aluminum alloy, etc. with a predetermined thickness. Additionally, a heat dissipation layer 30 is provided on at least one of the two sides of the heat dissipation assembly 20 which respectively contact the light emitting assembly 40 and the housing. The heat dissipation layer can be a heat dissipation sheet made of a flexible material, or a heat dissipation paste. This further facilitates heat dissipation. In the example shown, the heat dissipation layer 30, which is a heat dissipation sheet, is shown to be located between the light emitting assembly and the heat dissipation assembly. When the heat dissipation layer 30 is in sheet form, it and the heat dissipation assembly 20 can have the same outer peripheral profile as the PCB plate 402. To this end, the heat dissipation layer 30 and the heat dissipation assembly 20 can respectively have notches 306, 307, 206, 207 which correspond to the positions of the notches 406, 407 of the PCB plate. Of course, the heat dissipation assembly 20 can have a larger size, in which case part of the notches can be circular openings.

[0054] The heat dissipation assembly 20 can also have positioning pegs 209 for the PCB plate 402. To this end, positioning holes 409, 309 are provided in the PCB plate and, if necessary, the heat dissipation layer 30.

[0055] When the light emitting assembly 40 is electrically connected to the vehicle power supply through an electrical connector not shown, if necessary, the heat dissipation layer 30, the heat dissipation assembly 20 and the housing 10 can be provided with openings 304, 204, 104 for passing through the electrical connector.

[0056] Preferably, the mating positioning structure and the mating locking structure of the housing 10 for the light diffusion assembly and the light emitting assembly are integrally formed on the housing, for example, injection molded at the bottom 102, the peripheral edge 103 of the housing. This can simplify assembly.

[0057] A method for manufacturing the vehicle emblem assembly 1 described above is set forth below.

[0058] First, the outer cover 70 of the vehicle emblem assembly 1 is manufactured. Here, an in-mold labeling injection molding method is used, among others. To this end, a film layer 702 is first provided, which has a thickness of, for example, 0.1 mm, 0.125 mm, 0.175 mm. If necessary, the film layer 702 is cut to a predetermined size, and pre-treatment such as baking, dust removal, etc. is performed. The film layer 702 can be made of PET, PC, PMMA, etc. A first sub-coating layer 703 is then printed on the film layer 702, which can represent a vehicle logo, for example, an image, text or a combination thereof. The printing is, for example, screen printing. The first sub-coating layer can also have different colors, which is particularly suitable for vehicle logos with multiple colors. After the first sub-coating layer 703 is printed on the film layer 702, the film layer is placed in an oven for curing, and the curing temperature is set at 80-100°C, and the curing time is 1-2 hours, for example.

[0059] The film layer is then subjected to heat pressing and punching, preferably 3D heat pressing, so that the film layer matches the shape of the inner contour of the housing to be subsequently formed. Preferably, a single or double protective film can be applied to the film layer before heat pressing and punching, if necessary, with punching for positioning. Of course, the protective film can be removed in a subsequent process.

[0060] The treated film layer is placed in a mold for injection molding to form the outer layer 701 of the housing 70, wherein the outer layer 701 is on the side of the film layer 702 opposite to the side on which the first sub-coating 703 is applied. Thus, the outer layer is directly bonded to the side of the film layer without a coating. Preferably, the injection molding material forming the outer layer 701 is the same as the material forming the film layer, such as PET, PC, PMMA, etc., which enables the best possible bonding of the outer layer to the film layer. When the thickness of the outer layer 701 is relatively thick, multiple injection molding can be used. Preferably, the outer layer 701 is transparent and has wear resistance.

[0061] To apply the second sub-coating 704, various vacuum coating processes can be used, including but not limited to physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition. Alternatively, electroplating, electroless plating, chemical treatment, electrochemical treatment or other coating methods known in the art can also be used.

[0062] Exemplarily, the first sub-coating 703 is a paint layer, such as a black paint layer, and the second sub-coating 704 is a metal coating, such as an aluminum coating, a chromium coating, a silver coating, etc. The second sub-coating 704 completely covers the first sub-coating 703 and also occupies other areas not occupied by the first sub-coating. More precisely, the second sub-coating occupies the entire inner side of the housing 70, as seen from the cross-sectional view of Figure 6 Of course, other suitable materials can also be used for the second sub-coating to obtain the desired appearance, such as silver, copper, etc. In order to make the housing light-transmissive, the thickness of the second sub-coating can be controlled. The thickness can be set according to the desired light transmittance. For example, the thickness of the second sub-coating is less than 20 nm, in particular less than 15 nm, preferably between 5 and 15 nm. When the light source is activated, the light source can emit light through the second sub-coating.

[0063] In another example, both the first sub-coating and the second sub-coating are light- opaque layers. After applying the two coatings in the manner described above, a hollow 705 can be formed at the junction of the first sub-coating and the second sub-coating by etching, such as laser etching, as seen from the cross-sectional view of Figure 7 The hollow, for example, forms the periphery of a vehicle logo. When the light source is activated, the light emitted by the light source can be emitted from the hollow.

[0064] The colors of the first and second sub-layers can be chosen as desired. Each sub-layer can have a different color itself. The thickness of the respective sub-layer can be controlled so that light can pass through when the light passes through the sub-layer out of the lens.

[0065] Of course, the second sub-layer can also only partially occupy the part of the inside of the housing which is not occupied by the first sub-layer. Thus, the second sub-layer is not stacked on the first sub-layer.

[0066] Additionally, a light-transmissive protective layer can also be applied on the second sub-layer.

[0067] After the light-emitting assembly, the light-diffusing assembly and, if necessary, the heat-dissipating assembly are mounted on the housing, the housing is connected with the pre-assembled housing. In order to prevent the internal electronics of the vehicle sign assembly from being affected by moisture from the outside environment, the housing and the housing are connected together airtight, for example, by welding, bonding.

[0068] Thus, the present disclosure provides an advantageous vehicle sign assembly. Since the sub-layers forming the sign are arranged on the inside of the housing, the sign can be effectively prevented from being scratched. In particular, by the in-mold decoration injection molding method, a complex shape can be realized due to the excellent stretchability of the film layer. At the same time, the vehicle sign assembly formed has a very good surface wear resistance and chemical resistance.

[0069] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described structure, and various modifications can also be made. Although the present disclosure has been described by means of a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as disclosed herein. The scope of the present disclosure should therefore be determined only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle emblem assembly (1) having a housing (10) and a cover (70) that enclose an interior space in which a light emitting assembly (40) and a light diffusing assembly (2) are housed, characterized in that, An outer cover (70) is provided with a coating on the inner side facing the light emitting assembly (40) so as to present a vehicle emblem, and the outer cover (70) is provided with a light-transmitting part; the light diffusion assembly (2) comprises a first light diffusion member (50) and a second light diffusion member (60), the first light diffusion member (50) is arranged on the light emitting assembly (40), and the second light diffusion member (60) is arranged between the first light diffusion member (50) and the outer cover (70); the coating comprises a first sub-coating (703) and a second sub-coating (704); both the first sub-coating (703) and the second sub-coating (704) are light-tight layers, wherein a hollow part (705) with a predetermined width is provided at the junction of the first sub-coating and the second sub-coating to form the light-transmitting part.

2. The vehicle badge assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in, The cross section of the first light diffusion member (50) has a semicircular inner contour (508) and an outer contour (509) composed of at least one arc segment to diffuse the light emitting angle of the light source of the light emitting assembly (40).

3. The vehicle badge assembly (1) according to claim 2, characterized in, The first light diffusion member (50) is annular, and the light source of the light emitting assembly (40) is arranged annularly.

4. The vehicle emblem assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that The second light diffusion member (60) is plate-shaped and has perforations (610).

5. The vehicle emblem assembly (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that A first positioning structure and a first locking structure (506) are provided on the outer periphery of the first light diffusion member (50), and a first matching positioning structure and a first matching locking structure (106) are provided in the housing (10), which interact to fix the light emitting assembly (40) between the first light diffusion member (50) and the housing (10); A second positioning structure and a second locking structure (608) are provided on the outer periphery of the second light diffusion member (60), and a second matching positioning structure and a second matching locking structure (108) are provided in the housing (10).

6. The vehicle badge assembly (1) according to claim 5, characterized in, The light emitting assembly (40) is a printed circuit board assembly.

7. The vehicle emblem assembly (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that The light emitting assembly (40) is provided with a heat dissipation assembly (20) between the light emitting assembly (40) and the housing, wherein a heat dissipation layer (30) is provided on at least one side of the heat dissipation assembly (20) in contact with the light emitting assembly (40) and the housing.

8. A method for forming a vehicle emblem assembly, comprising: providing a film (702), printing a coating on the film after pretreatment, shaping after the coating to be cured, placing the shaped film in a mold and applying injection plastic to form an outer layer (701) of an outer cover; connecting the outer cover with a housing equipped with a light emitting assembly and a light diffusion assembly; wherein the injection plastic is applied on the side opposite to the side where the coating is located.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The coating comprises a first sub-coating (703) and a second sub-coating (704), wherein the second sub-coating (704) is applied after the first sub-coating (703) is applied.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The second sub-coating (704) covers the first sub-coating (703), and the second sub-coating (704) is a light-transmitting layer. The second sub-coating (704) covers the first sub-coating (703), and the second sub-coating (704) is a light-transmitting layer.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein, The method also includes etching on the inner side of the cover, such that a hollow is formed between the first sub-coating and the second sub-coating (705) for light transmission.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The film (702) and the injection-molded material are composed of the same material.

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