Displaying light pattern on flexible guide plate

Abstract

The invention relates to a lighting module (500) comprising at least one flexible guide plate (510.1; 510.2), each flexible guide plate in the assembly being adapted to receive light rays at an edge of the flexible guide plate and to reflect light rays in a direction substantially perpendicular to a surface of the flexible guide plate according to at least one pattern etched in said flexible guide plate, the assembly is adapted to reflect light according to the first pattern and the second pattern. The module comprises a first and a second light injection element (520.1; 520.2), the first light injection element and the second light injection element being adapted to distribute light in an assembly of at least one flexible guide plate. At least one light source (530.1; 530.2) is adapted to selectively inject light into the first light injection element and the second light injection element in order to form a first pattern or a second pattern.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting module, and in particular to the field of a light-guiding lighting module. The present invention is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for displaying dynamic information or animation based on light patterns.

[0002] Nowadays, there is a need to create such animations in many equipment projects in order to convey information, for aesthetic customization purposes or to create an atmosphere.

[0003] This is also a requirement for creating animations at a high-resolution level.

[0004] For this purpose, it is known to use a screen, such as an LCD screen.

[0005] However, this technology is not only expensive but also sensitive to environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity or UV radiation.

[0006] Furthermore, it is preferred to have a flexible lighting module in order to facilitate its integration into any type of device.

[0007] There is therefore a need for lighting modules that are able to create animations and that are reliable, cheap and easy to integrate in any type of device.

[0008] The present invention improves this situation.

[0009] To this end, a first aspect relates to a lighting module comprising: an assembly of at least one flexible guide plate, wherein each flexible guide plate in the assembly is capable of receiving light via at least one edge of the flexible guide plate and reflecting the light in a direction substantially perpendicular to a surface of the flexible guide plate,

[0010] according to at least one pattern etched in the flexible guide plate, wherein the component is capable of reflecting light according to a first pattern and a second pattern etched in said component;

[0011] at least one first light injection element and at least one second light injection element, wherein each of the first injection element and the second injection element is capable of receiving light and distributing the light throughout the assembly of the at least one flexible guide plate;

[0012] at least one light source capable of selectively injecting light into the first light injection element and the second light injection element;

[0013] wherein the assembly of the first light injection element and the at least one flexible guide plate is arranged to project light according to a first pattern, and wherein the assembly of the second light injection element and the at least one flexible guide plate is arranged to project light according to a second pattern.

[0014] Thus, the use of a flexible guide plate assembly allows obtaining a flexible lighting module which can thus be adapted to many functions, facilitating its integration into any type of device. The selective injection of light into at least two light injection elements allows controlling the display of the first and second patterns and thus allows the creation of animations based on such patterns. Furthermore, by using a light guide the number of sources is minimized, which reduces the cost of the lighting module as well as the space occupied.

[0015] According to one embodiment, each injection element from the first injection element and the second injection element may include a plurality of injection guides, wherein each injection guide is capable of receiving light from one end of the guide and guiding the light to a given longitudinal position on the injection element, wherein the longitudinal positions of the injection guides are all different in such a way that the light is distributed longitudinally through the injection elements.

[0016] This allows the light to be evenly distributed in the edge of the flexible guide plate, which improves the projection quality of the first and second patterns.

[0017] According to one embodiment, a module may include a first light source capable of injecting light into a first light injection element and a second light source capable of injecting light into a second light injection element.

[0018] Each injection element provides a light source to facilitate controlling the selective injection of light into the first injection element and the second injection element.

[0019] Additionally, the first light source may be capable of generating light within a first wavelength range, and the second light source may be capable of generating light within a second wavelength range different from the first range.

[0020] Thus, the pattern may take on different colors, which facilitates customization of the animation created by the first pattern and the second pattern.

[0021] Additionally, the first pattern and the second pattern may be geometrically identical.

[0022] Thus, the color of a single pattern can then be changed dynamically in order to create an animation or to convey information depending on the color of the pattern.

[0023] As a variant, the light source may be able to selectively inject light into a first optical fiber connected to the first injection guide and into a second optical fiber connected to the second injection guide.

[0024] Such an embodiment reduces the occupied space close to the flexible guide plate and allows the light source to be moved away from the flexible guide plate. Thus, the integration of the light emitting module in devices with occupied space constraints is facilitated.

[0025] Additionally, the light source may be a laser source.

[0026] The module is therefore able to project patterns with high light energy density.

[0027] According to a first embodiment, a first injection element may be arranged so as to inject light into a first segment of an edge of a flexible guide plate of a component, and a second injection element may be arranged so as to inject light into a second segment of an edge of the flexible guide plate, wherein a first portion of the flexible guide plate positioned opposite to the first segment of the edge is etched according to a first pattern, and a second portion of the flexible guide plate positioned opposite to the second segment of the edge is etched according to a second pattern.

[0028] Therefore, several patterns can be individually displayed on the same flexible guide panel.

[0029] According to other embodiments, the component may include at least one first flexible guide plate and at least one second flexible guide plate, wherein a first pattern is etched in the first flexible guide plate and a second pattern is etched in the second flexible guide plate, wherein the first injection element is arranged so as to inject light into an edge of the first flexible guide plate, and the second injection element is arranged so as to inject light into an edge of the second flexible guide plate.

[0030] In these embodiments, a pattern is etched in each flexible guide plate, which allows the pattern to be multiplied in equal flexible guide plates without reducing their size.

[0031] According to the second embodiment, the first guide plate and the second guide plate may be overlapped in the light emitting module so as to project the first pattern and the second pattern in a common area of ​​the light emitting module.

[0032] Thus, animations can be created by changing the pattern in the common area.

[0033] As a variant, according to the third embodiment, the first guide plate and the second guide plate may be placed adjacent to each other in such a way that the first pattern and the second pattern are projected at different positions.

[0034] Thus, spatial shifting of the pattern can be exploited to create animations, or to project several patterns at once, which increases the number of pattern combinations that can be provided for a given number of flexible guide plates.

[0035] In addition, the component may include more than two flexible guide plates, which are placed adjacent to each other in such a way as to form a matrix of flexible guide plates, wherein each flexible guide plate is associated with a light injection element capable of injecting light into the edge of the flexible guide plate, and each flexible guide plate has at least one pattern etched in the flexible guide plate.

[0036] Each flexible guiding plate is therefore a matrix element of a light emitting module, which allows creating complex animations from light patterns.

[0037] Additionally or as a variant, the flexible guide plates in the assembly may have the same square or rectangular shape.

[0038] Thus, the production of the lighting module is simplified and the associated costs are reduced.

[0039] Furthermore, the size of the guide plate of this shape ranges between 3 cm and 25 cm, in particular between 3 centimeters and 5 centimeters.

[0040] Thus, the matrix elements, being flexible guides, are small, which allows the production of lighting modules with a large number of flexible guides. This allows the projection of many patterns and thus the creation of complex lighting animations.

[0041] According to one embodiment, the module may further comprise a control element capable of controlling the at least one source in order to selectively project light according to the first pattern and according to the second pattern.

[0042] Thus, a single element is able to selectively control the injection of light into various light injection elements of a lighting module, which improves the synchronization of the display of light patterns with respect to each other.

[0043] Furthermore, the control element may be adapted to dynamically control the at least one source in such a way that a light animation comprising at least the first pattern and the second pattern is generated.

[0044] This makes it easier to create light animations from patterns.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the thickness of each flexible guide plate in the assembly may range between 0.2 mm and 1 mm.

[0046] Such a thickness allows the flexible guiding plate to be highly flexible and facilitates its integration, in particular on a curved support.

[0047] According to one embodiment, at least one flexible guide plate in the assembly may be made of a transparent material.

[0048] This increases the integration possibilities of the lighting module as well as its aesthetic appearance.

[0049] At least one flexible guide plate may be translucent or opaque.

[0050] In addition, each flexible guide plate in the assembly may include a polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TUP), or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film.

[0051] This material allows the production of transparent flexible guide plates.

[0052] According to one embodiment, each flexible guide plate may include: a flexible film including a microstructure, in which each of the first pattern and the second pattern is etched by ultraviolet printing the microstructure of the flexible film.

[0053] This microstructure allows the production of patterns with good resolution while maintaining a high transparency level of the flexible guide plate.

[0054] Additionally, for each flexible guide plate, the surface density of the microstructures may decrease with distance from the edge of the guide plate into which the light is injected.

[0055] The uniformity of the pattern projected by the flexible guide plate is thus improved.

[0056] A second aspect of the present invention relates to a method for controlling a light-emitting module according to the first aspect of the present invention, the method being implemented by a control element capable of controlling the at least one source so as to selectively project light according to a first pattern and according to a second pattern, the method comprising: receiving an animation command, wherein the animation command identifies an animation comprising a series of patterns, the series of patterns comprising a first pattern and a second pattern; and controlling the at least one source according to the animation command in such a way that the animation is dynamically projected.

[0057] A third aspect of the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a light emitting module, the method comprising the following steps:

[0058] - providing a flexible film roll capable of guiding light across its thickness;

[0059] - etching at least one first pattern and at least one second pattern on the flexible film roll using ultraviolet printing;

[0060] - cutting the roll so as to obtain an assembly of at least one flexible guiding plate of given dimensions, wherein the assembly comprises a first pattern and a second pattern;

[0061] - arranging the first injection element and the second injection element relative to the assembly of at least one flexible guide plate so as to form a lighting module;

[0062] - at least one light source is arranged in the lighting module in such a way that light is selectively injected into the first light injection element and the second light injection element.

[0063] The assembly of the first light injection element and the at least one flexible guide plate is arranged such that light is projected according to a first pattern, and the assembly of the second light injection element and the at least one flexible guide plate is arranged such that light is projected according to a second pattern.

[0064] Thus, the flexible film is mechanically protected, which increases its service life. These protective layers can also protect the flexible film from UV rays, which prevents degradation of the etching of the pattern in the flexible guide plate.

[0065] According to one embodiment, after etching the first pattern and the second pattern, the manufacturing method may further include laminating the flexible film roll so as to add a transparent protective layer on both sides of the flexible film.

[0066] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

[0067] [ Figure 1 ] shows a part of a light emitting module according to the present invention;

[0068] [ Figure 2 ] shows an injection element of a light emitting module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0069] [ Figure 3 ] shows a light emitting module according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0070] [ Figure 4 ] shows a light emitting module according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0071] [ Figure 5 ] shows a light emitting module according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0072] [ Figure 6 ] is a simplified diagram showing the steps of a method for controlling a light emitting module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0073] [ Figure 7 ] is a simplified diagram showing the steps of a method for manufacturing a light-emitting module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] The present description focuses on features that distinguish the method or lighting module from those known in the prior art.

[0075] Figure 1 A part of a light emitting module 100 according to the present invention is shown.

[0076] The lighting module 100 comprises a flexible guide plate 110 capable of receiving light via an edge 114 and reflecting the light in a direction Z substantially perpendicular to the surface of the flexible guide plate, the flexible guide plate thus being Figure 1 The XY plane of the .

[0077] A guide plate is understood to mean an optical guiding element, one of the dimensions of which is much smaller in space than the other two dimensions, for example one or more orders of magnitude smaller. Figure 1 As shown, in this case, the guide plate is a flexible guide plate whose thickness along the Z axis is at least two orders of magnitude smaller than its dimension in the XY plane in which the flexible guide plate 110 extends.

[0078] The flexible guide plate 110 may include a flexible film 111 at its core, the flexible film including: at least one edge 114, which is capable of guiding light in the general direction X; and includes a component of a microstructure 113, which is capable of reflecting the light guided in the flexible film 111 to the outside of the flexible guide plate 110, especially in one or more directions substantially along the Z axis.

[0079] The flexible film 111 may be a substrate film made of polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TUP), or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The thickness of the flexible film 111 (i.e., the dimension along the Z axis) may range between 12 micrometers and 1,000 micrometers. More specifically, the thickness of the flexible film 111 may range between 50 micrometers and 1,000 micrometers, for example, between 200 micrometers and 500 micrometers. As a variant, the thickness of the flexible guide plate 110 ranges between 200 micrometers and 1,000 micrometers.

[0080] The above materials, combined with the low thickness as described above, allow obtaining a flexible membrane 111. Other materials may be considered for the composition of the flexible membrane 111. However, it is preferred according to the invention to provide a deformable transparent material.

[0081] A thin coating of microstructures 113 may be applied to one of the faces of the flexible film 111 or integrated in the flexible film 111. The microstructure coating 113 may in particular have a thickness along the Z axis of less than 20 micrometers.

[0082] Such microstructures 113 may generally take the form of bumps on which light is reflected in a direction substantially along the Z axis. Such microstructures 113 may be adapted to pattern the light leaving the flexible film 111. For this purpose, the microstructures 113 may be etched by UV printing according to the desired pattern.

[0083] Microstructures 113 are understood to be structures or irregularities of the flexible film whose dimensions are less than a few micrometers. Microstructures therefore also include nanostructures. Microstructures 113 of such size ensure a high transparency of the flexible film 111. In particular, a transparency of about 97% can be obtained in practice by using microstructures 113. As a variant, the flexible guide plate can be translucent or opaque.

[0084] Advantageously, the microstructures 113 may be distributed along the X-axis such that the linear density of the microstructures 113 is proportional to the distance from the edge 114 via which the light injected by the injection element 120 is received. In other words, the farther the microstructures 113 are from the edge 114, the denser the microstructures are grouped together. Such a distribution advantageously ensures a uniform distribution of the luminous intensity of the pattern emitted by the flexible guide plate 110 along the X-axis.

[0085] The flexible guide plate 110 may further comprise one or two optional protective layers 112.1 and 112.2 allowing to mechanically protect the flexible film 111. Furthermore, at least one of the protective layers 112.1 and 112.2 may comprise an anti-UV treatment, thus allowing to protect the flexible film from UV rays once the microstructures 113 have been etched. Without such UV protection, the pattern projected by the flexible guide plate 110 may degrade over time, especially when the flexible guide plate is exposed to sunlight.

[0086] The flexible film 111 and the protective layers 112.1 and 112.2 are Figure 1 However, it will be understood that the protective layers 112.1 and 112.2 may be attached to the flexible film, in particular by lamination.

[0087] Since the guide plate 110 is flexible, it is not necessarily comprised in a plane, but can be bent, depending on where it is placed and the mechanical constraints imposed on it.

[0088] Figure 1 The illustrated portion of the light module 100 also includes a light injection element 120 (also referred to as a light strip) because the light injection element extends longitudinally in a direction Y and is capable of extending in a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal direction (e.g., at a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal direction). Figure 1 When arranged in the manner shown, light is injected along the X-axis).

[0089] The light injection element 120 is Figure 1 However, the light injection element 120 may have a circular, elliptical or polygonal cross-section.

[0090] Thus, the light injection element 120 includes an output surface 122 extending in a longitudinal direction and capable of injecting light in a direction substantially perpendicular to the output surface 122. The light injection element 120 further includes an input surface 121 capable of receiving light from the light source 130 at one end of the light injection element 120, and the light injection element 120 is capable of guiding the light longitudinally along the Y-axis, thereby distributing the light on the output surface 122. Figure 2 The distribution of light by the output surface 122 will be more clearly understood in the description of FIG.

[0091] There are no restrictions on the light source 130. For example, it can be a light source of the LED type, for example, which has the advantages of being small, having low energy consumption and having low heat accumulation. The light source 130 may be able to generate light in a wavelength range. This range can be centered on visible colors so as to generate colored light, such as blue, red or green. As a variant, the light source 130 can emit light across the entire wavelength range visible to the human eye, in such a way that white light is generated. Laser-type light sources 130 can generate a very narrow wavelength range.

[0092] As a variant, the light source 130 is not arranged directly opposite the input surface 121 of the injection element 120, but the lighting module 100 further comprises an optical fiber placed between the source 130 and the injection element 120, which allows moving the source 130 away from the assembly formed by the injection element 120 and the flexible guide plate 110.

[0093] Figure 2 An injection element 120 of a light emitting module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0094] The injection element 120 may include a plurality of injection guides 123 capable of receiving light from a source 130 via an input surface 121 and guiding the light to longitudinal positions on an output surface 122, wherein the longitudinal positions of the light guides are different in such a manner that the light is distributed to at least several longitudinal positions on the output surface 122.

[0095] This allows light to be injected at different longitudinal positions along the Y-axis on the edge 114. Each longitudinal position on the edge 114 may correspond to a guide line of the flexible film 111 that is capable of guiding light along such guide line along the X-axis.

[0096] This combination of flexible guide plate 110 , injection element 120 and source 130 thus allows to project light in direction Z via a flexible, transparent, translucent or opaque surface with good surface homogeneity and according to a given pattern.

[0097] In practice, such a lighting module may allow emitting patterns with brightness ranging between 100 and 1,000 candela per square meter, wherein the light extraction efficiency may range between 25% and 80%.

[0098] Details regarding the structure and arrangement of these elements 110 , 120 , and 130 are further described in detail in the international patent application published under number WO 2011130715 A2.

[0099] The light emitting module according to the present invention comprises:

[0100] - at least one guide plate (e.g. Figure 1 10) as shown in the flexible guide plate 110), wherein the component is capable of reflecting light according to a first pattern and a second pattern; - at least one first light injection element and at least one second light injection element, wherein each light injection element can be a reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The described injection element 120; and

[0101] - at least one light source (such as the one referenced above Figure 1 The at least one light source 130 described above is capable of selectively injecting light into the first injection element and the second injection element.

[0102] According to the invention, the assembly of a first light injection element and at least one flexible guiding plate is arranged such that light is projected according to a first pattern and the assembly of a second light injection element and at least one flexible guiding plate is arranged such that light is projected according to a second pattern.

[0103] Thus, selective injection of light into the first injection element and into the second injection element allows animations to be created from the first pattern and the second pattern. Such animations can thus be produced by the flexible lighting module at low cost, easy to manufacture, with high resolution and high luminous intensity.

[0104] A "pattern" is understood to mean any predefined spatial distribution of the luminous intensity emitted by the light-emitting module. In particular, reference is made herein to a two-dimensional pattern or a one-dimensional pattern. Thus, the pattern may be a two-dimensional shape or symbol obtained by the contrast between the luminous intensity at different positions in the XY plane of the flexible guide plate 110. The pattern may also comprise a plurality of shapes or symbols. Alternatively, the pattern covers a predefined or intentional spatial distribution of the luminous intensity which does not result in the appearance of any overall shape, such as a distribution resulting in a cloud of luminous points. In the context of the present invention, the pattern is formed by injecting light into an injection element which is arranged relative to the flexible guide plate in such a way that a pattern is formed on the flexible guide plate.

[0105] Specific embodiments of the present invention are described below.

[0106] Figure 3 A lighting module 300 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0107] In a first embodiment, several injection elements are arranged to inject light into the same flexible guide plate, the flexible guide plate comprising several patterns.

[0108] In particular, Figure 3 In the example of FIG. 3 , the first injection element 320 . 1 and the second injection element 320 . 2 are arranged such that light is injected into the edge 314 of the flexible guide plate 310 .

[0109] The first injection element 320.1 and the second injection element 320.2 may be similar to the reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 Similarly, the flexible guide plate 310 may correspond to the flexible guide plate 110 described above.

[0110] like Figure 3 As shown, the first injection element 320.1 and the second injection element 320.2 are arranged so as to inject light into the edge 314 at different longitudinal positions along the Y-axis.

[0111] It should be noted that since the guide plate 310 is flexible, the guide plate may not be flat but may be curved. Figure 3 The light emitting module 300 is shown when the guide plate is flat, for example placed on a flat rigid support.

[0112] Thus, the first injection element 320.1 can inject light into the edge 314 which is then guided by the flexible guide plate 310 into the first part 315.1 of the flexible guide plate 310. The second injection element 320.2 can inject light into the edge 314 which is then guided into the second part 315.2 of the flexible guide plate 310.

[0113] For this purpose, the first source 330.1 is arranged opposite the input surface of the first injection element 320.1 in such a way that the light propagates within the first injection element 320.1 and thus towards the first portion 315.1 of the flexible guide plate 310. The second source 330.2 is arranged opposite the input surface of the second injection element 320.2 in such a way that the light propagates within the second injection element 320.2 and thus towards the second portion 315.2 of the flexible guide plate 310.

[0114] As a variant, a single source may be provided and the lighting module 300 comprises a first optical fiber capable of delivering light from the single source to the input surface of the first injection element 320.1 and a second optical fiber capable of delivering light from the single source to the input surface of the second injection element 320.2.

[0115] The first source 330.1 and the second source 330.2 or a single source may selectively inject into the first injection element 320.1 and / or into the second injection element 320.2. This selective injection may be controlled by a control element 340 connected to or controlling the power supply to the two sources 330.1 and 330.2.

[0116] A first pattern 316.1 is etched in the first portion 315.1, and a second pattern 316.2 is etched in the second portion 315.2. Selective injection of light into the first injection element 320.1 and / or the second injection element 320.2 thus allows the first pattern to be projected, the second pattern to be projected, neither of these patterns to be projected, or both patterns to be projected simultaneously, thereby allowing animation to be created from at least the first pattern and the second pattern by dynamic control.

[0117] exist Figure 3 In the example of , the first pattern 316.1 and the second pattern 316.2 have different shapes. However, according to the definition of pattern provided above, these patterns can be any intentional or predetermined spatial variation of luminous intensity. In addition, when the pattern is a shape, the first pattern 316.1 and the second pattern 316.2 can have the same shape. The animation is then achieved by spatial movement of the pattern from the first part 315.1 to the second part 315.2, or vice versa. In addition, when the sources 330.1 and 330.2 generate light of different colors, the color projected for each pattern can vary.

[0118] Figure 3 An example with two patterns and two injection elements has been shown in . However, the first embodiment also covers a light emitting module having a flexible guide plate with three or more parts and having at least three injection elements, wherein each part comprises an etched pattern, wherein each injection element is placed opposite one of the parts.

[0119] A dedicated source for each injection element may be provided for this purpose, or a single source with several optical fibers may be provided for this purpose.

[0120] Figure 4 A lighting module 400 according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0121] In a second embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting module 400 comprises at least one first flexible guide plate 410.1 and at least one second flexible guide plate 410.2, wherein the two flexible guide plates are overlapped, which means that at least a portion of the first flexible guide plate 410.1 in the XY plane overlaps with at least a portion of the second flexible guide plate 410.2 in a common area corresponding to a set of positions in the XY plane.

[0122] Preferably, the first flexible guide plate 410.1 and the second flexible guide plate 410.2 have the same size in the XY plane and are completely superimposed.

[0123] It should be noted that since the guide plate is flexible, the guide plate may not be flat but may be curved. Figure 4The light emitting module 400 is shown when the guide plate is flat, eg stacked on a flat support.

[0124] Such superposition is particularly advantageous since, as mentioned above, the flexible guide plate is preferably transparent.

[0125] Thus, the first flexible guide sheet 410.1 and the second flexible guide sheet 410.2 are capable of projecting a first pattern 416.1 and a second pattern 416.2, respectively, in a common area.

[0126] The first injection element 420.1 is arranged to inject light into an edge of the first flexible guide plate 410.1 and the second injection element 420.2 is able and arranged to inject light into an edge of the second guide plate 410.2.

[0127] For this purpose, the first source 430.1 is arranged opposite the input surface of the first injection element 420.1 in such a way that the light propagates within the first injection element 420.1 and thus towards the first flexible guide plate 410.1. The second source 430.2 is arranged opposite the input surface of the second injection element 420.2 in such a way that the light propagates within the second injection element 420.2 and thus towards the second flexible guide plate 410.2.

[0128] As a variant, a single source may be provided and the lighting module comprises a first optical fiber capable of delivering light from the single source to the input surface of the first injection element 420.1 and a second optical fiber capable of delivering light from the single source to the input surface of the second injection element 420.2.

[0129] The first source 430.1 and the second source 430.2 or a single source may selectively inject into the first injection element 420.1 and / or into the second injection element 420.2. Such selective injection may be controlled by a control element 440 connected to or controlling the power supply to the two sources 430.1 and 430.2.

[0130] A first pattern 416.1 is etched in the first flexible guide plate 410.1, and a second pattern 416.2 is etched in the second flexible guide plate 410.2. Selective injection of light into the first injection element 420.1 and / or the second injection element 420.2 thus allows the first pattern to be projected, the second pattern to be projected, neither of these patterns to be projected, or both patterns to be projected simultaneously, thereby allowing animation to be created from at least the first pattern and the second pattern by dynamic control.

[0131] exist Figure 4 In the example of FIG. 4 , for illustrative purposes, the first pattern 416.1 and the second pattern 416.2 have different shapes and are Figure 3The patterns 316.1 and 316.2 are the same. However, according to the definition of pattern provided above, these patterns can be any intentional or predetermined spatial distribution of luminous intensity. In addition, in the case where the pattern is a shape, the first pattern 416.1 and the second pattern 416.2 can have the same shape but different colors. In fact, when the sources 430.1 and 430.2 generate light of different colors, the color projected for each pattern can vary.

[0132] Figure 4 An example with two patterns, two injection elements and two flexible guide plates has been shown in . However, the second embodiment also covers a lighting module with at least three flexible guide plates, with at least three injection elements, wherein each injection element is placed opposite one of the flexible guide plates. A dedicated source for each injection element can be provided for this purpose, or a single source with several optical fibers can be provided for this purpose.

[0133] At least one of the flexible guide plates may be transparent. As a variant, according to the second embodiment, the flexible guide plate located below the light emitting module 400 (i.e., the first flexible guide plate 410.1) may be opaque or translucent. Conversely, the second flexible guide plate 410.2 is transparent or translucent so as to allow at least a portion of the light emitted by the first flexible guide plate 410.2 to pass through.

[0134] Figure 5 A lighting module 500 according to a third embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0135] In a third embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting module 500 comprises at least one first flexible guide plate 510.1 and at least one second flexible guide plate 510.2, wherein the two flexible guide plates are placed adjacent to each other and the two flexible guide plates are therefore capable of projecting light from different positions in the XY plane in which the flexible guide plates mainly extend.

[0136] It should be noted that since the guide plate is flexible, the guide plate may not be flat but may be curved. Figure 5 The lighting module 500 is shown when the flexible guide plate is flat, for example placed on a flat rigid support.

[0137] Thus, the first flexible guide plate 510.1 is capable of projecting a first pattern (not shown) at a first position on the XY plane, and the second flexible guide plate 510.2 is capable of projecting a second pattern 516.2 at a second position on the XY plane, wherein the first position and the second position are different, for example adjacent to each other. Each projected pattern may include a symbol or a portion of a symbol. When the pattern of a flexible guide plate includes a portion of a symbol, this portion may be complementary to another portion of the symbol formed by the pattern of another flexible guide plate, or complementary to other portions of the symbol formed by the pattern of the other flexible guide plate.

[0138] The first injection element 520.1 is arranged to inject light into an edge of the first flexible guide plate 510.1 and the second injection element 520.2 is able and arranged to inject light into an edge of the second guide plate 510.2.

[0139] The relative arrangement of the injection element and the flexible guide plate is in accordance with the explanations set out above and for Figure 5 The third embodiment will not be described in detail.

[0140] The first source 530.1 is arranged opposite to the input surface of the first injection element 520.1 in such a way that the light propagates inside the first injection element 520.1 and thus towards the first flexible guide plate 510.1. The second source 530.2 is arranged opposite to the input surface of the second injection element 520.2 in such a way that the light propagates inside the second injection element 520.2 and thus towards the second flexible guide plate 510.2.

[0141] As a variant, a single source may be provided and the lighting module 500 comprises a first optical fiber capable of delivering light from the single source to the input surface of the first injection element 520.1 and a second optical fiber capable of delivering light from the single source to the input surface of the second injection element 520.2.

[0142] The first source 530.1 and the second source 530.2 or a single source can selectively inject light into the first injection element 520.1 and / or the second injection element 520.2. This selective injection can be controlled by a control element 540 connected to the two sources 530.1 and 530.2 or controlling the power supply to the two sources 530.1 and 530.2.

[0143] A first pattern is etched in the first flexible guide plate 510.1 and a second pattern is etched in the second flexible guide plate 510.2. Selective injection of light into the first injection element 520.1 and / or the second injection element 520.2 thus allows the first pattern to be projected, the second pattern to be projected, neither of these patterns to be projected, or both patterns to be projected simultaneously, thereby allowing animation to be created from at least the first pattern and the second pattern by dynamic control.

[0144] exist Figure 5 In the example of FIG. 5 , for illustrative purposes only, a light emitting module 500 including twelve flexible guide plates arranged in a matrix having three rows and four columns, twelve injection elements and twelve light sources has been shown.

[0145] In the third embodiment, there is no limit to the number of flexible guide plates. Therefore, the third embodiment is applicable to N flexible guide plates, N corresponding associated injection elements, and N light sources or a single source connected to N injection elements by N optical fibers, where N is any integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0146] There is also no restriction placed on the arrangement of the flexible guide plates relative to each other. When they are positioned in a matrix, there is no restriction placed on the number of rows or columns.

[0147] The first pattern and the second pattern may have different shapes and may be, for example, Figure 3 The patterns 316.1 and 316.2 are the same. However, according to the definition of pattern provided above, these patterns can be any intentional or predetermined spatial distribution of luminous intensity. In addition, when the pattern is a shape, the first pattern and the second pattern can have the same shape but different colors. In fact, when the sources 530.1 and 530.2 generate light of different colors, the color projected for each pattern can vary.

[0148] The flexible guiding plates may be connected to each other by a support matrix structure, which itself may be flexible. As a variant, each flexible guiding plate may be connected to the surrounding flexible guiding plate by fastening means, by bonding, clamping, clipping, or any other method.

[0149] The components of the light source can be controlled by a control element 540 via a set of wires, each of which connects the control element 540 to the light source. The wires can be supported by a structure 550 that allows the wires to be concentrated and routed toward the control element, thereby reducing the space occupied, and also allows the wires to be shielded.

[0150] In the XY plane, no restrictions are imposed on the size of the flexible guide plates. For example, each flexible guide plate may be rectangular or square, with at least one dimension ranging between 2 cm and 10 cm. For example, the flexible guide plate is square or rectangular, with:

[0151] - a size ranging between 2 cm and 10 cm, for example between 2 cm and 5 cm, for example equal to 5 cm; and

[0152] - Another dimension ranging between 2 cm and 10 cm, for example between 2 cm and 5 cm, for example equal to 5 cm.

[0153] For example, each flexible guide plate is a 3 cm x 3 cm square.

[0154] The first embodiment, the second embodiment and the third embodiment have been described exclusively with respect to each other. However, it should be noted that these three embodiments can be combined in the same lighting module, in particular:

[0155] - the first embodiment and the second embodiment may be combined: at least two flexible guide plates are superposed, and one of the two flexible guide plates is associated with two light injection guides capable of selectively injecting light into two different parts of the guide plate, wherein two patterns are respectively etched in the two parts;

[0156] - the first embodiment and the third embodiment may be combined: at least two flexible guide plates are placed adjacent to each other and one of the two flexible guide plates is associated with two light injection guides capable of selectively injecting light into two different portions of the guide plate, wherein two patterns are respectively etched in the two portions;

[0157] The second embodiment and the third embodiment may be combined: at least two flexible guide plates are placed adjacent to each other, and one of the two flexible guide plates overlaps with a third flexible guide plate of the light emitting module;

[0158] -The first, second and third embodiments may be combined: at least two flexible guide plates are placed adjacent to each other, and one of the two flexible guide plates is overlapped with a third flexible guide plate of the light-emitting module, and one of the three flexible guide plates is associated with two light injection guides capable of selectively injecting light into two different parts of the guide plate, wherein two patterns are respectively etched in the two parts.

[0159] Figure 6 is a simplified diagram showing the steps of a method for controlling a light emitting module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0160] The control method may be implemented by a control element, such as one of the control elements 340, 440 and 540 capable of controlling a single light source, or a light source dedicated to the injection element.

[0161] In step 600, the control element receives an animation command, wherein the animation command identifies an animation including a series of patterns including a first pattern and a second pattern. Of course, when the lighting module includes at least three injection elements that can control the injection of light, the animation can have three or more patterns.

[0162] In step 601, the control element determines an instruction for controlling one or more light sources according to the animation command, wherein the control instruction controls one or more light sources for selectively injecting light into any one of the injection elements. The control instruction may correspond to a given time range, and thus allows the animation indicated in the animation command to be dynamically created. For example, a first pattern is projected during a first time range, then both the first pattern and the second pattern are projected during a second time range after the first time range, and finally, the second pattern is projected during a third time range after the second time range. Therefore, the duration of a given time range determines the refresh rate of the projected pattern. This duration may be of the order of one second, or may be less than one second. In order to allow fluid animation, the time range may be less than one tenth of a second.

[0163] In step 602, one or more light sources are controlled based on the control instructions to dynamically project an animation.

[0164] The control element may include a processor configured to communicate unidirectionally or bidirectionally with a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) or a read-only memory (ROM) or any other type of memory (flash memory, EEPROM, etc.) via one or more buses or via a wired connection. As a variant, the memory includes a plurality of memories of the above types. Preferably, the memory is a non-volatile memory. The processor is capable of executing instructions stored in the memory, which are used to implement the reference Figure 6 The steps of the control method are presented. Alternatively, the processor may be replaced by a microcontroller designed and configured to perform the steps of the control method according to the invention.

[0165] Figure 7 is a simplified diagram showing steps of a method for manufacturing a light emitting module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0166] The manufacturing method comprises a step 700 of obtaining a flexible film roll capable of guiding light over its thickness, such as with reference to Figure 1The flexible film 111 described above. For example, at least one dimension of the roll is greater than ten centimeters or even greater than one meter. Preferably, the width of the roll is of the order of tens of centimeters or one meter, and its upper length is, for example, greater than one meter. However, the thickness of the roll is small and equal to the thickness of the flexible film described above, in such a way that several flexible guide plates can be obtained by cutting the roll.

[0167] In step 702, at least one first pattern and at least one second pattern are etched on the roll by ultraviolet printing. Thus, a microstructure (such as the above-mentioned microstructure 111) is formed on the surface of the flexible film, wherein the microstructure is capable of reflecting light guided in the flexible film toward the outside of the flexible film, especially in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane in which the flexible film extends when the flexible film is placed on a flat rigid support.

[0168] In step 702, the flexible film roll may optionally be laminated to add a transparent protective layer on each side of the flexible film roll. Such a layer may be as described above with reference to Figure 1 Described are protective layers 112.1 and 112.2.

[0169] In step 703, the optionally laminated roll is cut so as to obtain an assembly of at least one flexible guide plate of given dimensions, wherein the assembly comprises a first pattern and a second pattern. According to a first embodiment, the first pattern and the second pattern are on the same guide plate cut in this way, while in a second and a third embodiment, the two patterns are on two different flexible guide plates.

[0170] In step 704, the first injection element and the second injection element are arranged relative to the assembly of at least one previously cut flexible guide plate. In a first embodiment, the first injection element and the second injection element are fixed to the edge of the same flexible guide plate. In a second and a third embodiment, each injection element is fixed to a given flexible guide plate, thus obtaining assemblies, wherein each assembly comprises a flexible guide plate and an injection element.

[0171] In step 705, at least one light source is arranged so as to selectively inject light into the first light injection element and the second light injection element. As described above, a light source may be dedicated to each injection element, in which case, for the second and third embodiments, a light source is added to each component, or, alternatively, a single light source is connected to the injection element via a corresponding optical fiber.

[0172] In step 706 , which is performed for both the first and second embodiments, the components are arranged relative to each other.

[0173] In a second embodiment, the components are arranged so that the flexible guide plates are superimposed. In a third embodiment, for example, the components are arranged adjacent to each other in the form of a matrix. For this purpose, each component can be fixed to a matrix support, or the components can be fixed to each other.

[0174] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above by way of example; it extends to other variants.

Claims

1. A light emitting module (300; 400; 500), comprising: - at least one flexible guide plate (110; 310; 410.1； 410.2； 510.1; 510.2), each flexible guide plate in the assembly is capable of receiving light via at least one edge (114; 314) of the flexible guide plate and reflecting the light in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the flexible guide plate according to at least one pattern etched in the flexible guide plate, wherein the assembly is capable of reflecting light according to a first pattern (316.1; 416.1) and a second pattern (316.2; 416.2) etched in the assembly; - at least one first light injection element and at least one second light injection element (120; 320.1; 320.2; 420.1; 420.2; 520.1; 520.2), wherein each of said first injection element and said second injection element is capable of receiving light and distributing said light throughout said assembly of at least one flexible guide plate; - at least one light source (130; 330.1; 330.2; 430.1; 430.2; 530; 530.2) capable of selectively injecting light into the first light injection element and the second light injection element; wherein the assembly of the first light injection element and at least one flexible guide plate is arranged such that light is projected according to the first pattern, and wherein the assembly of the second light injection element and at least one flexible guide plate is arranged such that light is projected according to the second pattern.

2. The light emitting module according to claim 1, wherein: Each injection element (120; 320.1; 320.2; 420.1; 420.2; 520.1; 520.2) from the first injection element and the second injection element includes a plurality of injection guides (123), each of which is capable of receiving light from one end of the guide and guiding the light to a given longitudinal position on the injection element, wherein the longitudinal positions of the injection guides are all different in such a way that the light is longitudinally distributed over the entire injection element.

3. The lighting module of claim 1 or 2, comprising a first light source (330.1; 430.1; 530.1) capable of injecting light into the first light injection element (320.1; 420.1; 520.1) and a second light source (330.2; 430.2; 530.2) capable of injecting light into the second light injection element (320.2; 420.2; 520.2).

4. The light emitting module according to claim 3, wherein: The first light source (330.1; 430.1; 530.1) is capable of generating light within a first wavelength range, and wherein the second light source (330.2; 430.2; 530.2) is capable of generating light within a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range.

5. The light emitting module according to claim 4, wherein: The first pattern and the second pattern (316.1; 416.1; 316.2; 416.2) are geometrically identical.

6. The light emitting module according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The light source is capable of selectively injecting light into a first optical fiber connected to the first injection element (320.1; 420.1; 520.1) and into a second optical fiber connected to the second injection element (320.2; 420.2; 520.2).

7. The light emitting module according to claim 6, wherein: The light source is a laser source.

8. A lighting module as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The first injection element (320.1) is arranged so as to inject light into a first section of an edge (314) of a guide plate (310) in the component, and wherein the second injection element (320.2) is arranged so as to inject light into a second section of the edge of the flexible guide plate, wherein a first portion (315.1) of the flexible guide plate positioned opposite to the first section of the edge is etched according to the first pattern (316.1), and a second portion (315.2) of the flexible guide plate positioned opposite to the second section of the edge is etched according to the second pattern (316.2).

9. The light emitting module according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The assembly comprises at least one first flexible guide plate and at least one second flexible guide plate (410.1; 410.2; 510.1; 510.2), wherein the first pattern (416.1) is etched in the first flexible guide plate and the second pattern (416.2) is etched in the second flexible guide plate, wherein the first injection element (420.1; 520.1) is arranged such that light is injected into an edge of the first flexible guide plate and the second injection element (420.2; 520.2) is arranged such that light is injected into an edge of the second flexible guide plate.

10. The light emitting module according to claim 9, wherein: The first guide plate and the second guide plate (410.1; 410.2) are overlapped in the light emitting module (400) so as to overlap the first pattern and the second pattern (416.1; 416.2) is projected into the common area of ​​the light emitting modules.

11. The light emitting module according to claim 9, wherein: The first and second flexible guide plates (510.1; 510.2) are placed adjacent to each other in such a way that the first and second patterns are projected at different positions.

12. The light emitting module according to claim 11, wherein: The assembly comprises more than two flexible guide plates (510.1; 510.2), said more than two flexible guide plates are placed adjacent to each other in such a way as to form a matrix of flexible guide plates, wherein each flexible guide plate is associated with a light injection element (520.1; 520.2) capable of injecting light into an edge of said flexible guide plate, and each flexible guide plate has at least one pattern etched in said plate.

13. The light emitting module according to claim 11 or 12, wherein: The flexible guide plate (510.1; 510.2) have the same square shape or rectangular shape.

14. The light emitting module according to claim 13, wherein: The size of the guide plate (510.1; 510.2) of the shape ranges between 3 cm and 25 cm, in particular between 3 cm and 5 cm.

15. A module as claimed in any of the preceding claims, further comprising a control element (340; 440; 540) capable of controlling the at least one source (130; 330.1; 330.2; 430.1; 430.2; 530; 530.2) so as to selectively project light according to the first pattern (316.1; 416.1) and according to the second pattern (316.2; 416.2).

16. The module of claim 15, wherein: The control element (340; 440; 540) is capable of dynamically controlling the at least one source in such a way that a light animation is generated which comprises at least the first pattern and the second pattern (316.1; 416.1; 316.2; 416.2).

17. A module as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein: Each flexible guide plate (110; 310; 410.1; 410.2; 510.1; 510.2) The thickness range is between 0.2mm and 1mm.

18. A module as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein: At least one flexible guide plate (110; 310; 410.1; 410.2; 510.1; 510.2) in the assembly is made of a transparent material.

19. The module of claim 18, wherein: Each flexible guide plate (110; 310; 410.1; 410.2; 510.1; 510.2) comprises polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TUP) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film.

20. A module as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein: Each flexible guide plate (110; 310; 410.1; 410.2; 510.1; 510.2) comprises a film (111) comprising a microstructure (113), wherein each of the first pattern and the second pattern (316.1; 416.1；316.2；416.2)。 21. The module of claim 20, wherein: For each flexible guide plate (110; 310; 410.1; 410.2; 510.1; 510.2), the surface density of the microstructure (113) decreases with the distance from the edge of the guide plate, and the light is injected into the edge of the guide plate.

22. A method for controlling a lighting module according to claim 15, said method comprising a control element (340; 440; 53 ... 540) is implemented so as to be based on the first pattern (316.1; 416.1) and according to said second pattern (316.2; 416.2) selectively projecting light, the method comprising: receiving (600) an animation command, wherein the animation command identifies an animation comprising a series of patterns, the series of patterns comprising the first pattern and the second pattern; and controlling (601; 602) the at least one source according to the animation command in such a way that the animation is dynamically projected.

23. A method for manufacturing a light emitting module (300; 400; 500), the method comprising the following steps: - providing (700) a flexible film roll capable of guiding light across its thickness; - etching (701) at least one first pattern and at least one second pattern on the flexible film roll using ultraviolet printing; - cutting (703) said roll so as to obtain an assembly of at least one flexible guiding plate of given dimensions, wherein said assembly comprises said first pattern and said second pattern; - arranging (704) the first injection element and the second injection element relative to said assembly of at least one flexible guide plate so as to form a lighting module; - arranging (705) at least one light source in the lighting module in such a way that light is selectively injected into the first light injection element and the second light injection element; wherein the assembly of the first light injection element and at least one flexible guide plate is arranged to project light according to the first pattern, and wherein the assembly of the second light injection element and at least one flexible guide plate is arranged to project light according to the second pattern.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising: After etching the first and second patterns, the flexible film roll is laminated (702) to add a transparent protective layer on both sides of the flexible film.

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