Translucent decorative metal panel and method for producing a translucent decorative metal panel

Abstract

The invention relates to a translucent decorative metal panel (1) having a visible side (S) and, facing away from it, a rear side (R), wherein the decorative metal panel (1) has a metallic main body (10), formed in which there is at least one clearance (11), which is open towards the visible side (S) and towards the rear side (R) and is filled with a translucent filling material (12), wherein the main body (10) and the filling material (12) together provide, towards the visible side (S), a surface (13) which is coated with a translucent metallic covering layer (20) such that, when light is shone from the rear side onto the at least one clearance (11) filled with the filling material (12), the light can be seen on the visible side through the covering layer (20).

Description

[0001] Translucent metal decorative panel and method for producing a translucent metal decorative panel

[0002] Description:

[0003] The invention relates to a translucent metal decorative panel and a method for producing a translucent metal decorative panel.

[0004] A variety of decorative panels and covers are known from the prior art, which feature translucent areas for the realization of design or functional elements. Such translucent areas can be used, for example, to create illuminated decorative stripes or symbols or pictograms for display or control elements integrated into the decorative panels.

[0005] Particularly in the automotive sector, due to the high-quality appearance and feel achieved, it is important that the translucent areas of the decorative panels or covers are not visible or concealed when not illuminated.

[0006] Such areas that are not visible when unlit can be realized, for example, by translucent layers, which are often made of plastic.

[0007] To further optimize the appearance and create additional design possibilities, it is also known to use a translucent Meta II layer instead of plastic.

[0008] For example, DE 10 2017 125 113 A1 discloses a decorative panel in which a thin and therefore translucent metal layer is provided on the visible side in translucent areas, so that recesses provided in a carrier view become visible when illuminated from the rear or backlit. However, with regard to the cited published application, it is problematic that the decorative panel is essentially designed as a multilayer film, which is not only difficult to manufacture and process, but also has a haptic quality that requires improvement, particularly when integrated into or combined with control elements.

[0009] The invention is therefore based on the object of overcoming the aforementioned disadvantages and providing a translucent metal decorative panel with improved manufacturability, handling and haptics.

[0010] This problem is solved by the combination of features according to patent claim 1.

[0011] According to the invention, a translucent metal decorative panel with a visible side and a rear side facing away from it is therefore proposed. The metal decorative panel has a metallic base body, which is preferably not merely a thin layer, but which in particular has a predetermined thickness of at least 1 mm, preferably of at least 3 mm and / or a predetermined mass of at least 5 g or is made of solid material, so that a corresponding quality and haptic effect can be conveyed by the mass or by the movement of the mass by the operator. Furthermore, in particular no further carrier and in particular no film is necessary or provided on the rear of the base body.However, for integration into an operating element, a support for a light source can be provided on the rear. This support, however, does not assume any structural function for the base body and at most holds it relative to the light source. According to the invention, at least one recess which is open to the visible side and to the rear is formed in the base body and which, in a visible view, can form a symbol or pictogram or part of such. The at least one open recess is preferably completely filled with a translucent, i.e. transparent or translucent, filling material, which is in particular plastic. If a plurality of recesses are provided, all recesses are preferably filled with such a filling material.It is further provided that the base body and the filling material together provide a surface towards the visible side, which surface is coated with a translucent metallic cover layer, so that a backlighting of the at least one recess filled with the filling material is visible on the visible side through the cover layer or the filling material arranged in the recesses is visible through the cover layer when illuminated from the back and is not visible through the cover layer without backlighting.

[0012] The metal decorative panel according to the invention is intended in particular for motor vehicles or for integration into control elements or consoles in dashboards or generally for the vehicle interior. The solution according to the invention makes it possible to achieve a pleasant metallic feel (cool touch) with simultaneous high stability and durability, whereby concealed symbols or symbols that are not visible when unlit can be made visible with appropriate backlighting by a light source for a display and the associated operability. If such a decorative panel does not merely serve as a decoration or display, but is integrated into a control element or is therefore used as such, the comparatively heavy base body also results in high-quality behavior when the control element is actuated or moved.

[0013] It can be provided that the entire surface is coated with the covering layer or that the covering layer covers the entire surface and thus all recesses are covered on the visible side.

[0014] Accordingly, all recesses are not visible through the cover layer on the visible side without backlighting and are visible when backlighting is used.

[0015] Alternatively, however, it can be provided that the covering layer covers the entire surface except for an area determined by the filling material of at least one recess or several areas of the surface determined by the filling material of several recesses, so that a single recess or several recesses, but preferably not all recesses, remain visible on the visible side regardless of lighting.

[0016] The translucent metallic cover layer is preferably applied by physical vapor deposition (also known as PVD). Furthermore, it can be provided that the metallic cover layer preferably has a thickness between 2 pm (micrometers) and 900 nm (nanometers), with the thickness preferably being selected such that the recess or a symbol formed by the recess is visible from the viewing side under normal lighting conditions.

[0017] An advantageous development provides that the base body has a receiving space on the rear side, toward which the at least one recess is open or has its rear opening. This receiving space can be surrounded at least in the circumferential direction by walls formed integrally by the base body around an axis running from the visible side to the rear side, wherein the walls preferably completely surround the receiving space in the circumferential direction.

[0018] If such walls are provided, the covering layer can extend from the surface to an outer side of the walls facing away from the receiving space and / or cover the entire base body with the exception of the areas of the base body adjacent to the receiving space.

[0019] Preferably, it is also provided that at least one illuminant for illuminating the at least one recess filled with filling material is arranged and / or fixed in the receiving space, so that the symbols formed on the visible side by the recesses filled with the filling material can also be illuminated by means of the illuminant(s).

[0020] Furthermore, a plurality of illuminants can be arranged and / or fixed in the receiving space for illuminating at least one recess filled with filler material, and in particular the symbols formed on the visible side by the recesses filled with the filler material. Each illuminant is assigned a group with at least one recess filled with filler material, with separating elements formed integrally by the base body extending between the illuminants and designed to prevent light from entering a first group of a different illuminant into a second group of a different illuminant.

[0021] The cover layer can also be completely coated or covered on the visible side, in particular, with a preferably printed decorative layer and / or a protective layer and / or a non-stick layer, i.e., with at least one additional layer. If multiple layers are provided, they can be applied in the given order. It should also be noted that the layers are preferably each transparent or translucent, at least in sections. The protective layer can be provided, for example, by hard anodizing or as a hardcoat layer.

[0022] A further aspect of the invention relates to an operating element with a touch body for receiving a force that can be applied by an operator and with a light source, wherein the touch body is a metal decorative panel according to the invention and the light source is arranged on the back of the touch body, ie preferably in a receiving space formed on the back by the touch body or the metal decorative panel, and is designed to make the at least one recess filled with the filling material visible on the visible side through the cover layer when the at least one recess is illuminated.

[0023] Furthermore, one aspect of the invention relates to a method for producing a translucent metal decorative panel with a visible side and a rear side facing away from it, wherein this is preferably a metal decorative panel according to the invention and wherein an operating element proposed according to the invention can also be produced accordingly by the method. According to the proposed method, this comprises at least the following steps, preferably in the given order: a. producing a metallic base body, preferably with a receiving space arranged on the rear or open and delimited to the visible side, which receiving space can be delimited in the circumferential direction around an axis running from the visible side to the rear by walls formed integrally by the base body; b.Forming at least one recess in the base body which is open to the rear side or to the visible side and which accordingly forms an opening on this side, which recess is preferably completely closed except for the opening thus formed and which can further preferably form a symbol or a part of a symbol on the visible side; c. In particular, completely filling the at least one recess with a translucent, in particular translucent or transparent, filling material, wherein the filling preferably takes place through the respective opening provided in step b.; d. Removing the base body orRemoving the material of the base body on a side opposite the opening of the at least one recess filled with filler material, so that the at least one recess filled with filler material is open towards the visible side and towards the rear side, and the base body and the filler material together provide a surface towards the visible side; e. Coating, in particular, the entire surface with a translucent metallic cover layer, so that backlighting of the at least one recess filled with the filler material is visible on the visible side through the cover layer.

[0024] It is preferably provided that the at least one recess in step b. is designed to be open towards the rear side and closed towards the visible side, so that during the removal in step d., the base body is removed on the visible side, whereby at the same time a continuous surface determined jointly by the filling material and the base body is formed.

[0025] In particular, if the at least one recess in step b. is designed to be open towards the visible side, an additional treatment, for example by grinding or polishing, of the visible side of the base body can be carried out before step e., by which transitions between the areas on the surface determined by the base body and those determined by the filling material are leveled and / or delimited.

[0026] When coating the surface, a portion of the surface can be coated so that, on the visible side, an area with at least one recess filled with filler material remains free of the cover layer, and accordingly, a symbol is visible regardless of the illumination or backlighting. Alternatively, the entire surface can be coated during coating, and the cover layer can be removed after coating in the area of ​​at least one recess filled with filler material, in particular by laser, so that, on the visible side, at least one recess filled with filler material or a symbol formed thereby is also free of the cover layer.

[0027] In each case, it is preferable that only a portion of the recesses filled with the filling material are free of the covering layer and that another portion of the recesses filled with the filling material are covered by the covering layer and are not visible without lighting or backlighting.

[0028] The base body in step a. can be produced, for example, from a sheet metal by sheet metal forming, by die casting - in particular zinc die casting, by milling from a solid metallic material and / or by metal powder injection molding.

[0029] Any receiving space provided in the base body can be formed in step a. integrally during the manufacture of the base body or separately therefrom and, for example, immediately after step a.

[0030] The at least one recess in step b. can further be produced by milling, eroding, lasering and / or by providing a free space in step a.

[0031] The at least one recess in step c. can be filled with the filling material by back-injection, casting and / or dispensing, ie the insertion or application by means of a printing or injection head.

[0032] In step d., the base body can be removed by grinding and / or polishing the surface.

[0033] The covering layer in step e. is preferably applied by physical vapor deposition (PVD).

[0034] After step e, at least one further coating of the visible side or at least one coating of the cover layer can also be applied. Thus, the cover layer can be completely coated or covered on the visible side, in particular, with a preferably printed decorative layer and / or a protective layer and / or a non-stick layer. If multiple layers are provided, these can be applied, in particular, in the given order.

[0035] The features disclosed above can be combined in any way, as long as this is technically possible and they do not contradict each other. Other advantageous developments of the invention are characterized in the subclaims or are presented in more detail below, together with the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the figures. They show:

[0036] Fig. 1 a translucent metal decorative panel;

[0037] Fig. 2 Steps for producing a translucent metal decorative panel.

[0038] The figures are schematic examples. Identical reference numerals in the figures indicate identical functional and / or structural features.

[0039] Figure 1 shows a translucent metal decorative panel 1 according to an advantageous embodiment. This panel has a visible side S facing the viewer during intended use and a rear side R facing away from it and not visible during intended use, particularly on the connection or console side.

[0040] In order to create a high-quality and pleasant and valuable haptic for the user when used as an operating element, it is provided that the base body 10 is not formed from just a thin layer or film, but in the example shown is made from solid metallic material, wherein the base body 10 could also be made from a sheet metal and by sheet metal forming.

[0041] In the base body 10, a plurality of recesses 11 are provided, which are open towards the visible side S and towards the rear side R, wherein the recesses 11 are filled with a transparent filling material 12.

[0042] On the visible side, the filler material 12, together with the base body 10, defines a flat surface 13, which is covered, i.e., coated, with a covering layer 20. It is essential that the covering layer 20 is a translucent metallic covering layer 20, which can be applied, for example, using a PVD process and can accordingly also be referred to as a PVD layer. The covering layer 20 preferably obtains its translucency through a correspondingly thin layer thickness d, which can, for example, be in the range between 2 pm and 900 nm.

[0043] Without illumination or backlighting of the recesses 11 from the rear side R, the recesses 11 are not visible through the cover layer 20. If the recesses 11 are illuminated from the rear side, for example by a light source 30, the light L can penetrate the recesses 11 through the transparent filling material 12 and the translucent metallic cover layer 20, so that the recesses 11 and any symbols or pictograms formed thereby on the visible side become visible to the observer.

[0044] If individual recesses 11 or the symbols or pictograms formed by them are to be visible independently of backlighting and accordingly permanently, it is provided - as in the case of the recess 11 on the right in the representation plane - that the recess 11 or the area 14 determined by the filling material 12 arranged in the recess 11 remains free of the covering layer 20 or the covering layer 20 is removed again from this area 14, for example by lasering.

[0045] To protect the cover layer 20, it is also covered on the visible side with a protective layer 21, which is in particular a so-called hardcoat layer.

[0046] Both the cover layer 20 and, independently of this, the protective layer 21 can be provided only on the visible surface 13 or can additionally extend over the sides of the base body 10 to the rear side of the base body 10. As shown, the base body 10 forms a receiving space 15 on the rear side for receiving a lighting means 30, into which the recesses 11 open at the rear. In the circumferential direction U around an imaginary axis A running from the visible side S to the rear side R, the receiving space 15 is delimited by walls 16 formed integrally by the base body 10.

[0047] Figure 2 shows the manufacturing steps a) to g for producing a metal decorative panel 1 according to Figure 1, wherein the representations a) to e) correspond to the steps a) to e) described in the claims.

[0048] Accordingly, the following is provided: a. First, a metallic base body 10 is produced, in this case milled from a solid metallic material. At the same time, the receiving space 15 is milled into the base body 10. b. Subsequently, recesses 11 open towards the rear side R are formed in the base body, in this case also being produced by milling. c. The recesses 11 are then filled with a transparent plastic as filling material 12. d. The base body 10 or the material of the base body 10 is removed on the visible side by grinding, so that the recesses 11 are open both towards the rear side R and towards the visible side S and the base body 10 together with the filling material 12 defines a visible surface 13. e.Subsequently, the surface 13 thus formed is coated by vapor deposition with a translucent metallic covering layer 20, which covers the entire surface 13 and accordingly also all recesses 11.

[0049] Since the right-hand recess 11 in the representation plane is intended to be visible independently of backlighting, the following step is carried out: f. Removal of the cover layer 20 in the area 14 of a recess 11, or in this case the right-hand recess 11, using a laser. g. To protect the cover layer 20, it is further provided that a protective layer 21 is subsequently applied to the visible side S of the base body 10, which covers the entire surface 13 and both protects it and creates a leveling effect in the area 14.

[0050] The invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Rather, a number of variants are conceivable that utilize the presented solution even in fundamentally different embodiments.

Claims

Patent claims 1 . Translucent metal decorative panel (1) with a visible side (S) and a rear side (R) facing away therefrom, wherein the metal decorative panel (1) has a metallic base body (10) in which at least one (R) open recess (11) is formed, which is filled with a translucent filling material (12), wherein the base body (10) and the filling material (12) are directed to the visible side (S) jointly provide a surface (13) which is coated with a translucent metallic cover layer (20) so that a backlight of the at least one recess (11) filled with the filling material (12) is visible on the viewing side through the cover layer (20).

2. Metal decorative panel according to claim 1, wherein the cover layer (20) covers the entire surface (13) or wherein the cover layer (20) covers the entire surface (13) except for one area (14) of at least one recess (11) determined by the filler material (12) or several areas (14) of the surface (13) determined by the filler material (12) of several recesses (11).

3. Metal decorative panel according to claim 2, wherein the metallic cover layer (20) is applied by physical vapor deposition and / or wherein the metallic cover layer (20) has in particular a thickness (d) between 2 pm and 900 nm.

4. Metal decorative panel according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the base body (10) has a receiving space (15) on the rear side, towards which the at least one recess (11) is open and / or which is surrounded at least in the circumferential direction (U) by walls (16) formed by the base body (10) about an axis (A) running along an axis from the visible side (S) to the rear side (R).

5. Metal decorative panel according to the preceding claim, wherein at least one illuminant (30) for illuminating the at least one recess (11) filled with filling material (12) is arranged and / or fixed in the receiving space (15).

6. Metal decorative panel according to the preceding claim, wherein a plurality of lighting means (30) for illuminating at least one recess (11) filled with filler material (12) are arranged and / or fixed in the receiving space (15), wherein each lighting means (30) is assigned a group with at least one recess (11) filled with filler material (12), and wherein separating elements formed by the base body (10) extend between the lighting means (30), which separating elements are designed to prevent light from one lighting means (30) from entering a group of another lighting means (30).

7. Metal decorative panel according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover layer (20) is coated on the visible side with a decorative layer and / or protective layer (21) and / or non-stick layer.

8. Operating element with a touch body (1) for receiving a force that can be applied by an operator and with a lighting means (30), wherein the touch body (1) is a metal decorative panel (1) according to one of the preceding claims and the lighting means (30) is arranged on the back of the touch body (1) and is designed to make the at least one recess (11) filled with the filling material (12) visible on the visible side through the cover layer (20) when the at least one recess (11) filled with the filling material (12) is illuminated.

9. A method for producing a translucent metal decorative panel (1) with a visible side (S) and a rear side (R) facing away from it, comprising the steps: a. Producing a metallic base body (10); b. Forming at least one recess (11) open towards the rear side (R) or the visible side (S) in the base body (10); c. Filling the at least one recess (11) with a translucent filler material (12); d. Abrading the base body (10) on a side opposite the opening of the at least one recess (11) filled with filler material (12), such that the at least one recess (11) filled with filler material (12) is open towards the visible side (S) and towards the rear side (R), and the base body (10) and the filler material (12) together provide a surface (13) towards the visible side (S); e. Coating the surface (13) with a translucent metallic cover layer (20) such that backlighting of the at least one recess (11) filled with the filling material (12) is visible through the cover layer (20).

10. Method according to the preceding claim, wherein during coating of the surface (13) a part of the surface (13) is coated so that on the visible side an area (14) with at least one recess (11) filled with filler material (12) remains free of the cover layer (20) or when coating the surface (13) the entire surface (13) is coated and the cover layer (20) is removed after coating in the area (14) of at least one recess (11) filled with filler material (12) so that on the visible side at least one recess (11) filled with filler material (12) is free of the cover layer (20).

11. Method according to one of the two preceding claims, wherein the base body (10) is produced in step a. by sheet metal forming, by die casting, by milling from solid material and / or by metal powder injection molding, and / or wherein the at least one recess (11) is produced in step b. by milling, eroding, lasering and / or by providing a free space in step a. and / or wherein the at least one recess (11) is filled with the filling material (12) in step c. by back-injection molding, casting and / or dispensing, and / or wherein the base body (10) is removed in step d. by grinding and / or polishing the surface (13) and / or wherein the cover layer (20) is applied in step e. by physical vapor deposition.

12. Method according to one of the preceding claims 9 to 11, wherein the cover layer (20) is coated on the visible side with a decorative layer and / or protective layer (21) and / or non-stick layer.

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