Image display system and cladding element with such a system

Abstract

Image display system (1), comprising: - a transparent cover lens (9) defining a display area (5) and a peripheral area (7) extending at least partially around the display area; - a display device (13) positioned opposite the display area (5), comprising a front surface facing the cover lens and a rear surface opposite the front surface; and - a first reflector layer (15) facing the rear side of the display device (13), extending opposite the display area (5) and at least partially opposite the edge area (7); characterized in that the image display system (1) comprises a front light layer (11) arranged between the lens (9) and the display device (13), extending opposite the display area (5) and at least partially covering the edge area (7).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an image display system and a cladding element comprising such a system.

[0002] The invention relates to the dynamic display of information and / or audiovisual content, in particular in a vehicle trim element such as a dashboard, a center console, a seat, a door panel or the like.

[0003] It is known from FR2104687 that an extended display system comprising a display area and a peripheral area can be integrated into a cladding element provided with a light film extending partially opposite the peripheral area in order to improve the visual continuity of the display area with the peripheral area.

[0004] However, the visibility of the information displayed by such a device decreases with ambient brightness. To counteract this reduced visibility, the system's brightness and therefore its power consumption must be increased. Furthermore, despite the presence of a light foil at the periphery of the display area, the display area today inevitably has border zones that limit the visual continuity of the display area with the peripheral area.

[0005] The aim of the invention is therefore to provide an image display system that limits energy consumption even in strong ambient light conditions while maximising the integration of the display area into the cladding element from an aesthetic point of view.

[0006] For this purpose, the object of the invention is a display system comprising: - a transparent cover lens defining a display area and a peripheral area extending at least partially around the display area; - a display device positioned opposite the display area, comprising a front surface facing the cover lens and a rear surface opposite the front surface; and - a first reflector layer facing the back of the display device, which extends opposite the display area and at least partially opposite the edge area.

[0007] This image display system includes a front light layer disposed between the lens and the display device, which extends relative to the display area and at least partially covers the edge area.

[0008] Thanks to the invention, the display device no longer uses only a backlight source, but also light coming from the front of the device. This light can come from the front light layer or from the environment and acts by reflection. In this way, in high ambient brightness, the power supply to the front light layer can be reduced, allowing the ambient light to be used to ensure the intensity and therefore visibility of the display area. This reduces the device's power consumption.

[0009] According to other advantageous aspects of the invention, the image display system comprises one or more of the following features, which can be used individually or in any technically possible combination: - the display device comprises a bezel zone and the image display system comprises a second reflector layer arranged between the display device and the front light layer and covering at least the bezel zone; - the image display system comprises a decorative layer arranged between the cover lens and the front light layer and having a decorative pattern formed from transparent and opaque areas; - the image display system comprises a decorative layer arranged between the front light layer and the display device and having a decorative pattern formed from transparent and opaque areas; - the image display system comprises at least one matrix of light-emitting diodes arranged opposite the edge region between the front light layer and the first reflector layer; - the image display system comprises an electronic control module configured to electronically control the front light layer and the at least one LED array; - the front light layer comprises a plurality of sub-areas, each sub-area having a controllable light intensity, the light intensity of each sub-area being controlled independently; - the display device is a transflective LCD screen; - the display device is a transmissive LCD screen.

[0010] The invention also relates to a vehicle trim element comprising an image display system according to the invention.

[0011] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, given only as a non-limiting example and with reference to the drawings, in which: [ Fig. 1] Fig. Figure 1 is a cross-section of an image display system according to the invention; [ Fig. 2] Fig. 2 a plan view of the image display system of Fig. 1 is.

[0012] The Fig. 1 and Fig. The image display system 1 shown in Figure 2 is preferably intended for integration into a trim element of a vehicle, such as a car. A "trim element" is understood to mean, for example, a dashboard, a center console, a seat, or a door panel.

[0013] The display system 1 is used to display information or multimedia content for passengers and / or the driver in the vehicle. For this purpose, it comprises an outer surface 3 visible to passengers and the driver, which defines a display area 5, and a peripheral area 7 extending at least partially around the display area 5. In other words, the outer surface 3 is located at the front of the display system 1. When the display system 1 is installed in a vehicle, the outer surface 3 faces the interior of the vehicle.

[0014] The image display system 1 comprises at least one transparent cover lens 9, a front light layer 11, a display device 13 and a first reflector layer 15.

[0015] In the example shown, the image display system also includes a decorative layer 17, which is optional.

[0016] The various elements are arranged parallel to the outer surface 3. For each of these elements, a front surface and a rear surface are defined, which are parallel to the front surface 3 and extend such that the front surface is closer to the outer surface 3 than the rear surface. The "outside" is the space beyond the outer layer 3 that does not belong to the image display system 1.

[0017] The transparent cover lens 9 forms the interface between the image display system 1 and the outside world. It encompasses the outer surface 3 of the display system 1. The transparent cover lens 9 serves to protect the display system 1 from dirt, dust, or mechanical impacts, while allowing passengers and drivers to view the content provided by the display system 1. Transparent means that the light transmission rate is substantially between 5% and 100%, with a light transmission rate of less than 5% corresponding to an opaque portion that does not allow any light to pass through. In this way, the cover lens 9 transmits light from the image display system 1, so that this light is visible on the outer surface 3. Likewise, the cover lens 9 transmits light from the outside, so that this light can be selectively reflected by at least the display device 13 and the first reflector layer 15.The transparent cover lens 9 is made of, for example, glass or plastic ((polymethyl)methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC) or PC / PMMA).

[0018] The front light layer 11 is arranged between the cover lens 9 and the display device 13. It extends opposite the display area 5 and at least part of the edge area 7. The front light layer 11 is a transparent plastic film comprising active areas that emit light and whose intensity can be adjusted. For example, the plastic film has a thickness of 0.5 mm or less. This layer is made of PC or PMMA. It thus functions as a light source for the display device 13, either primarily or complementarily to the ambient brightness. The higher the ambient brightness, the lower the light intensity of the front light layer 11 in order to utilize the ambient light and save energy. The light layer 11 is electronically controlled by a control module (not shown), which may or may not be part of the image display system 1.The electronic control module controls in particular the light intensity of the front light layer 11. Advantageously, the front light layer 11 comprises several sub-areas whose light intensity can be controlled independently of one another in order to form a light pattern.

[0019] The display device 13 is arranged between the front light layer 9 and the reflector layer 15, opposite the display area 5 and a part of the edge area 7. In other words, the front surface of the display 13 faces the front light layer 11 and the cover lens 9, while its rear surface faces the first reflector layer 15. The display device 13 uses incident light energy to display images according to a command from the aforementioned control module or another control module. The incident light energy originates, on the one hand, from the front light layer or from the ambient light and is selectively reflected by the display 13, and, on the other hand, from a backlight unit belonging to the display 13 and arranged opposite the front light layer and is selectively transmitted through the display 13.The display device 13 is, for example, a transflective LCD screen or a transmissive LCD screen. It can also be a standard, mini, or micro light-emitting diode (LED) display or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display.

[0020] The first reflector layer 15 is arranged on the rear side of the image display device 1 and faces the rear surface of the display device 13. It extends opposite the display area 5 and at least partially opposite the edge area 7. The function of the first reflector layer 15 is to reflect light from the front light layer 11 and the ambient brightness to improve the visual continuity of the edge area 7 with respect to the display area 5.

[0021] The decorative layer 17 is advantageously arranged between the cover lens 9 and the front illumination layer 11. Alternatively, the decorative layer 17 is arranged between the front illumination layer 11 and the display device 13. It has a decorative pattern consisting of transparent and opaque zones. Thanks to microperforations on the decorative layer 17, the decorative pattern becomes invisible when the decorative layer 17 is illuminated from behind by a light source with an intensity that is stronger than that of the ambient light, and is visible when it is not illuminated from behind. In the Fig. 1 and Fig. In the example shown in Figure 2, the decorative layer 17 extends opposite the display area 5 and the edge area 7, and the part of the decorative pattern opposite the display area 5 is completely transparent, allowing the display area 5 to be displayed clearly and completely. The presence of the decorative layer 17 improves the aesthetics of the edge area.

[0022] Advantageously, the illumination of the decorative layer 17 by the front light layer 11 creates a visible pattern on the decorative layer 17, resulting from the combination of the decorative pattern and the light pattern of the front light layer 11. Thus, the modification of the light pattern by the electronic control module as described above leads to a dynamic modification of the visible pattern on the decorative layer 17. This dynamic modification makes it possible, in particular, to display information on the edge region 7 and further improve the aesthetics of the edge region 7 and its visual continuity with the display area 5. In other words, this increases the usable external surface of the display system 1.

[0023] In order to ensure overall cohesion and good light transmission between the various layers, ie the cover lens 9, the decorative layer 17, the front light layer 11 and the display device 13, an optical transmission material such as an optical adhesive may be provided between the adjacent surfaces of these various layers.

[0024] Typically, the display device 13 comprises a border zone 19 extending around the periphery of the display device 13 and framing the display device 13, as shown in the Fig. 1 and Fig.2. The border zone 19 generally comprises four sides, each side being between 5 mm and 5 cm wide. The border zone 19 is inherent in the technical implementation of the display device 13 and does not allow the display of information. The border zone 19 faces the edge region 7, while the rest of the display device 13 faces the display region 5.

[0025] Advantageously, the image display system then comprises a second reflector layer 21 covering at least the border zone 19 located between the display device 13 and the front light layer 11. The second reflector layer 21 reflects light from the front light layer 11 or ambient light. The decorative layer 17 also covers the border zone 19. Thus, the border zone 19 is integrated into the usable outer surface of the display device 1 and is not a dead zone, which contributes to improving the visual continuity of the edge region 7 with the display region 5.

[0026] A matrix of light-emitting diodes 23 is advantageously arranged around the periphery of the transflective display 13. The light-emitting diode array 23 is electronically controlled by the aforementioned electronic control module. In an embodiment of the invention not shown, the diode array 23 defines a plurality of sub-arrays of diodes that can be activated independently of one another according to the technology described in patent application FR 21 04686 and / or that can each emit a light signal identical to and / or different from the light signals emitted by the other sub-arrays. The integration of a diode array 23 enables the display of time-varying shapes through the transparent zones of the decorative pattern, further improving the usability of the peripheral area 7 for displaying information as well as its visual continuity with the display area 5.

[0027] The diode array 23 and the first reflector layer 15 complement each other in that the diode array 23 enables a complex and dynamic, yet temporally and spatially point-like display, while the first reflector layer 15 enables a display that is determined or limited by the variation of the apparent pattern of the decorative layer 17, but is temporally and spatially continuous and piecemeal. In other words, the variation period of the visible pattern of the decorative layer 17 is much greater than the variation period of the shapes displayed by the diode array 23. Thus, the dynamic content display in the edge region 7 is essentially due to the diode array 23, while the visual continuity with the display region 5 is essentially due to the reflection of the light from the light front layer 11 or the ambient brightness by the first or second reflector layer 15 or 21 by the decorative layer 17.

[0028] Any features described above in one embodiment or variant may, to the extent technically possible, also be implemented in the other embodiments and variants described above. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] FR 2104687

[0003] FR 21 04686

[0026]

Claims

[1] Image display system (1) comprising: - a transparent cover lens (9) defining a display area (5) and a peripheral area (7) extending at least partially around the display area; - a display device (13) positioned opposite the display area (5), comprising a front surface facing the cover lens and a rear surface opposite the front surface; and - a first reflector layer (15) facing the rear side of the display device (13), which extends opposite the display area (5) and at least partially opposite the edge area (7); characterized by that the image display system (1) comprises a front light layer (11) arranged between the lens (9) and the display device (13), which extends opposite the display area (5) and at least partially covers the edge area (7). [2] The image display system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the display device (13) comprises a bezel zone (19) and the image display system (1) comprises a second reflector layer (21) disposed between the display device (13) and the front light layer (11) and covering at least the bezel zone (19). [3] Image display system (1) according to one of claims 1 or 2, comprising a decorative layer (17) arranged between the cover lens (9) and the front light layer (11) and having a decorative pattern of transparent and opaque areas. [4] Image display system (1) according to one of claims 1 or 2, comprising a decorative layer (17) arranged between the front light layer (11) and the display device (13) and having a decorative pattern formed from transparent and opaque areas. [5] Image display system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, comprising at least one arrangement of light-emitting diodes (23) arranged opposite the edge region (7) between the front light layer (11) and the first reflector layer (15). [6] Image display system (1) according to claim 5, comprising an electronic control module configured to electronically control the front light layer (11) and the at least one array of light-emitting diodes (23). [7] The image display system (1) according to claim 6, wherein the front light layer (11) comprises a plurality of sub-regions, each sub-region having a controllable light intensity, the light intensity of each sub-region being controlled independently. [8] Image display system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the display device (13) is a transflective LCD screen. [9] Image display system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the display device (13) is a transmissive LCD screen. [10] Vehicle trim element comprising an image display system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9.

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