CLADDING ELEMENT WITH IMAGE PROJECTION SURFACES

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle trim element (20) comprising an outer surface (22) on which an image projection surface (24) is arranged, wherein the image projection surface (24) is designed to receive an image (26) projected by an image generation unit (28), characterized in that it comprises an illumination area (30) which is arranged at least on a section of the periphery of the image projection surface (24), wherein the illumination area (30) is illuminated by a light beam emitted by at least one additional light source (32).

Description

The present invention relates to a trim element, in particular for a motor vehicle door panel. The present invention relates in particular to a trim element comprising an image projection surface suitable for receiving an image projected by an image generating unit. It is known that an image generation unit is provided in a vehicle interior arrangement, for example on a dashboard, center console or the like, to display images on an image projection surface located on an outer surface of a door panel trim element. When active, the image generation unit displays, for example, various types of information relating to the operation of the vehicle, or purely aesthetic elements. Such an image generation unit is, for example, arranged on a part of the dashboard to be able to project images onto the image projection surface, with the images then being displayed by reflection of the images from the image generation unit onto an outer surface of the door panel trim element. The outer surface of the trim element may include a coating that is at least partially reflective in order to reflect images projected by the image generation unit towards a user located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Such an arrangement is advantageous insofar as it allows the door leaf to have a uniform appearance in and around the image projection surface, particularly when the image generation unit is not activated, with this appearance being mediated by the outer surface of the cladding element. One disadvantage of this type of arrangement is that a so-called "postcard" effect can occur, meaning that the user sees the edge of the image projected onto the cladding element relatively sharply, which impairs the uniform appearance of the display and the cladding element. Another disadvantage of this type of arrangement is that the shadow of certain door leaf elements, such as a handle, can be projected onto part of the image projection surface. One of the objectives of the invention is to provide a fairing element that improves the visual experience of a vehicle user, in particular by improving the homogeneity of the image projected onto the fairing element and creating a more immersive effect. For this purpose, the subject matter of the invention is a vehicle trim element comprising an outer surface on which an image projection surface is arranged, wherein the image projection surface is designed to receive an image projected by an image generation unit, characterized in that it comprises an illumination area which is arranged at least on a section of the periphery of the image projection surface, wherein the illumination area is illuminated by a light beam emitted by at least one additional light source. The additional light source allows for a reduction in the contrast on the coating of the cladding element between the projection surface, which receives the projected image, and the surrounding surface, which does not. This reduces the contrast at the edges of the projected image, resulting in an improved visual and immersive effect for the user.According to further advantageous aspects of the invention, the cladding element comprises one or more of the following features, which can be used individually or in any technically possible combination: - the illumination area partially overlaps the image projection surface; - the at least one additional light source is arranged on the cladding element; - the at least one additional light source comprises a light strip adjacent to the illumination area; - the light strip produces a grazing light over the illuminated area; - the at least one additional light source is arranged on a rear side of a projecting element on the outer surface of the cladding element, the projecting element preferably being a handle; - the at least one additional light source is arranged on an inner surface of the cladding element to illuminate the illumination area by backlighting;- which includes at least one additional light source, a light-emitting diode.; The invention also provides a door leaf comprising a cladding element according to one of the preceding features. The invention also proposes an interior arrangement for a vehicle passenger compartment, comprising a dashboard element and a door leaf according to the preceding feature, wherein the image generation unit is arranged on the dashboard element. The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, which is given only as a non-limiting example and was prepared with reference to the drawings, wherein: [Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a motor vehicle passenger compartment comprising a trim element according to the invention; [Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a schematic front view representing the trim element shown in Fig. 1. In the remainder of the description, identical or similar elements are in some cases referred to by the same reference symbols. Figure 1 shows a partial illustration of a motor vehicle passenger compartment 10, which includes an interior design 12. The interior design 12 includes, in particular, a dashboard element 14 and a door leaf 16. The door leaf 16 is mounted on the inside of a door structure 18. The door leaf 16 includes a trim element 20, the outer surface 22 of which, i.e., facing the interior of the passenger compartment 10, is provided with an image projection surface 24 suitable for receiving an image 26 projected by an image generation unit 28. According to the illustrated embodiment, the image generation unit 28 is arranged on the dashboard element 14 in such a way that it is able to project the image 26 in the direction of the image projection surface 24. The outer surface 22 of the cladding element 20, for example, includes a partially reflective coating that allows the light rays forming the image 26 to be reflected towards a vehicle user in the passenger compartment 10. According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the image projection surface 24 is generally rectangular in shape. Advantageously, the cladding element 20 includes a lighting area 30 arranged around the periphery of the image projection surface 24. The lighting area 30 is designed to receive a light beam emitted by an additional light source 32. According to the illustrated embodiment, the illumination area 30 extends along a side edge 34 of the image projection surface 24. This lighting area 30 can partially overlap with the image projection surface 24, here along the associated side edge 34. According to the illustrated embodiment, the cladding element 20 has a projecting element 36 on its outer surface 22, which here forms a handle for the door leaf 16. The projecting element 36 is positioned globally between the image projection surface 24 and the image generation unit 28. The lighting area 30 is therefore located partially below or behind the protruding element 36. Advantageously, the additional light source 32 is arranged on a rear surface 38 of the projecting element 36 to emit a light beam in the direction of the illumination area 30. The additional light source 32 comprises, for example, one or more light-emitting diodes. In this embodiment, the light source reduces or eliminates the shadow of the projecting element 36 that is produced by the light beam projected by the image-generating unit 28. According to alternative embodiments (not shown), the additional light source 32 can be positioned differently than in the embodiment described above; for example, it can be placed on an inner surface of the cladding element 20 to illuminate the lighting area 30 by backlighting. The additional light source 32 can also be implemented in the form of a light strip adjacent to the lighting area 30. In this embodiment, the light strip produces illumination that grazes the lighting area 30. Advantageously, the additional light source 32 is switched on when an image 26 is projected by the image generation unit 28 onto the image projection surface 24. The additional light source 32 then generates a beam of light in the illumination area 30, thereby reducing the contrast between the lateral edge 34 of the image 26 and the adjacent area of ​​the outer surface 22 onto which no image is projected. The intensity of the light beam emitted by the additional light source 32 is adjusted to reduce the contrast at the side edge 34 of the image projection surface 24 without reducing the contrast of the projected image 26 and its visibility to the vehicle user. The additional light source 32 visually extends the image projection area 24 onto the cladding element 20, here in the direction of the protruding element 36, and blurs the visible boundary of the image projection area 24. Any features described above for one embodiment or variant may also be applied to other embodiments and variants, insofar as this is technically possible.

Claims

Vehicle trim element (20) comprising an outer surface (22) on which an image projection surface (24) is arranged, which is designed to receive an image (26) projected by an image generation unit (28), characterized in that it comprises an illumination area (30) which is arranged at least on a section of the periphery of the image projection surface (24), wherein the illumination area (30) is illuminated by a light beam emitted by at least one additional light source (32). Cladding element (20) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the lighting area (30) partially overlaps with the image projection surface (24). Cladding element (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one additional light source (32) is arranged on the cladding element (20). Cladding element (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one additional light source (32) comprises a light strip adjacent to the lighting area (30). Cladding element (20) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the light strip produces a grazing light over the illumination area (30). Cladding element (20) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the at least one additional light source (32) is arranged on a rear side (38) of a projecting element (36) on the outer surface (22) of the cladding element (20), wherein the projecting element (36) is preferably a handle. Cladding element (20) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the at least one additional light source (32) is arranged on an inner surface of the cladding element (20) to illuminate the lighting area (30) by backlighting. Cladding element (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one additional light source (32) comprises a light-emitting diode. Door leaf (16) comprising a cladding element (20) according to one of the preceding claims. Interior arrangement (12) for a vehicle passenger compartment (10), comprising a dashboard element (14) and a door leaf (16) according to the preceding claim, wherein the image generation unit (28) is arranged on the dashboard element (14).

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