Image display system and trim element comprising such a system

Abstract

Image display system and trim element comprising such a system The invention relates to an image display system (1) comprising: a translucent protective 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 at least the display area (5), comprising a front face, facing the protective lens, and a rear face, opposite the front face; a first reflective layer (15), facing the rear face of the display device (13), extending opposite the display area (5) and at least partially opposite the peripheral area (7); and a front luminous layer (11) disposed between the lens (9) and the display device (13), extending from the display area (5) and covering at least partially the peripheral area (7). Figure for the abbreviation: Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: Image display system and trim element comprising such a system

[0001] The present invention relates to an image display system and a trim 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 other.

[0003] FR2104687 is known to have the possibility of integrating into a trim element an extended display system, comprising a display area and a peripheral area, equipped with a light strip extending partly 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 light. To remedy this decrease in visibility, it is necessary to increase the brightness of the display system, and therefore its energy consumption. Furthermore, despite the presence of a light strip around the periphery of the display area, the display area now inevitably includes technical edges that limit the visual continuity between the display area and the surrounding area.

[0005] The aim of the invention is therefore to propose an image display system that limits energy consumption even in the event of high ambient light, while maximizing the integration of the display area into the trim element from an aesthetic point of view.

[0006] To this end, the invention relates to an image display system comprising: • a translucent protective 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 face, facing the protective lens, and a rear face, opposite the front face; and • a first reflective layer, facing the rear face of the display device, extending opposite the display area and at least partially opposite the peripheral area.

[0007] This image display system includes a front light layer disposed between the lens and the display device, extending with respect to the display area and covering at least partially the peripheral area.

[0008] Thanks to the invention, the display device uses not only a rear light source, but also light coming from the front of the device. This light can originate from the front light layer or from the environment and is used by reflection. Thus, in the case of high ambient light, the power supply to the front light layer can be reduced so as to use ambient light to ensure the intensity, and therefore the visibility, of the display area. The energy consumption of the device is thus reduced.

[0009] According to other advantageous aspects of the invention, the image display system comprises one or more of the following features, taken individually or in all technically possible combinations:

[0010] - the display device comprises a technical edge and the display system the image includes a second reflective layer, arranged between the display device and the front light layer, covering at least the technical edge;

[0011] - the image display system comprising a background layer, arranged between the protective lens and the front luminous layer and featuring a decorative pattern made up of transparent and opaque areas.

[0012] - the image display system includes a decoration layer, arranged between the front luminous layer and display device and featuring a decorative pattern made up of transparent and opaque areas;

[0013] - the image display system comprises at least one diode matrix electroluminescent, positioned opposite the peripheral zone between the front luminous layer and the first reflective layer;

[0014] - the image display system includes an electronic control module configured to electronically control the front light layer and at least one matrix of light-emitting diodes;

[0015] - the front luminous layer comprises several sub-zones, each sub-zone having a controllable light intensity, the light intensity of each sub-zone being controlled independently;

[0016] - the display device is a transflective LCD screen;

[0017] - the display device is a transmissive LCD screen.

[0018] The invention also relates to a trim element of a vehicle comprising an image display system according to the invention.

[0019] The invention will become clearer upon reading the following description, given solely by way of non-limiting example, and made with reference to the drawings in which:

[0020] [Fig.1] [Fig.1] is a section of an image display system according to the invention;

[0021] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] is a top view of the image display system of the [Fig.l].

[0022] The image display system 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is preferably intended to be integrated into a trim element of a vehicle, for example a car. By "trim element" is meant, for example, a dashboard, a center console, a seat or a door panel.

[0023] The display system 1 is used to display information or multimedia content to the passengers and / or driver inside the vehicle. For this purpose, it comprises an external surface 3, visible to the passengers and driver, defining a display area 5 and a peripheral area 7 extending at least partially around the display area 5. In other words, the external surface 3 is located at the front of the display system 1. When the display system 1 is installed in a vehicle, the external surface 3 is oriented towards the interior of the vehicle.

[0024] The image display system 1 comprises at a minimum a translucent protective lens 9, a front luminous layer 11, a display device 13 and a first reflective layer 15.

[0025] In the illustrated example, the image display system also includes a decor layer 17, which is optional.

[0026] The various elements mentioned above are arranged parallel to the external surface 3. For each of these elements, a front face and a rear face are defined, which are parallel to the external surface 3 and such that the front face is closer to the external surface 3 than the rear face. The space not belonging to the image display system 1 and located beyond the external layer 3 is called the "exterior".

[0027] The translucent protective lens 9 constitutes the interface of the image display system 1 with the outside. It comprises the external surface 3 of the display system 1. The translucent protective lens 9 serves to protect the display system 1, in particular against dirt, dust, or mechanical shocks, while allowing the passengers and driver to see the content displayed by the display system 1 through it. Translucent means a light transmission rate of substantially between 5% and 100%, a light transmission rate of less than 5% corresponding to an opaque area that does not allow light to pass through. Thus, the protective lens 9 allows light from the image display system 1 to pass through so that this light is visible on the external surface 3.Similarly, the protective lens 9 allows light from outside to pass through so that this light can be selectively reflected by at least the display device 13 and the first reflective layer 15. The lens. translucent protective 9 is for example made of glass or plastic (poly methyl methacrylate acrylic (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC) or PC / PMMA).

[0028] The front light layer 11 is located between the protective lens 9 and the display device 13. It extends opposite the display area 5 and at least part of the peripheral area 7. The front light layer 11 is a transparent plastic film comprising active areas that can emit light and whose intensity is adjustable. For example, the plastic film has a thickness of 0.5 mm or less. This layer is made of PC or PMMA. It thus serves as the primary or supplementary light source for the display device 13. The luminous intensity of the front light layer 11 is lower when the ambient light is high, in order to utilize ambient light and save energy. The light layer 11 is electronically controlled by a control module (not shown), which may or may not belong to the image display system 1.In particular, the electronic control module controls the luminous intensity of the front light layer 11. Advantageously, the front light layer 11 comprises several sub-zones whose luminous intensity can be controlled independently, so as to form a luminous pattern.

[0029] The display device 13 is arranged between the front light layer 9 and the reflective layer 15, opposite the display area 5 and a portion of the peripheral area 7. In other words, the front face of the display device 13 faces the front light layer 11 and the protective lens 9, while its rear face faces the first reflective 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 comes, on the one hand, from the front light layer or from ambient light, being selectively reflected by the display device 13 and, on the other hand, from a backlight unit belonging to the display device 13 and located opposite the front light layer, being selectively transmitted by the display device 13.The display device 13 is, for example, a transflective LCD or a transmissive LCD. It can also be a standard, mini or micro size light-emitting diode (LED) display or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display.

[0030] The first reflective layer 15 is located at the rear of the image display device 1, facing the rear face of the display device 13. It extends opposite the display area 5 and at least partially opposite the peripheral area 7. The function of the first reflective layer 15 is to reflect light from the front light layer 11 and from ambient light. in order to improve the visual continuity of the peripheral area 7 with respect to the display area 5.

[0031] The decorative layer 17 is advantageously arranged between the protective lens 9 and the front light layer 11. Alternatively, the decorative layer 17 is arranged between the front light layer 11 and the display device 13. It has a decorative pattern consisting of transparent and opaque areas. Thanks to micro-perforations on the decorative layer 17, the decorative pattern becomes invisible when the decorative layer 17 is backlit by a light source with an intensity greater than that of the ambient light and is visible when it is not backlit. In the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, the decorative layer 17 extends opposite the display area 5 and the peripheral area 7, and the portion of the decorative pattern opposite the display area 5 is entirely transparent, so as to allow a clear and complete display of the display area 5.The presence of the decoration layer 17 improves the aesthetics of the peripheral area.

[0032] Advantageously, the illumination of the decoration layer 17 by the front light layer 11 creates an apparent pattern on the decoration layer 17, resulting from the combination of the decoration 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 apparent pattern on the decoration layer 17. This dynamic modification makes it possible, in particular, to display information on the peripheral area 7 and to further enhance the aesthetics of the peripheral area 7 as well as its visual continuity with the display area 5. In other words, this makes it possible to increase the usable external surface area of ​​the display system 1.

[0033] To ensure cohesion of the assembly and good transmission of light between the different layers, namely the protective lens 9, the decorative layer 17, the front luminous layer 11 and the display device 13, an optical transmission material, for example an optical glue, may be provided between the adjacent faces of these different layers.

[0034] Generally, the display device 13 includes a bezel 19, which extends around the periphery of the display device 13 and frames it, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The bezel 19 generally has four sides, each side being 5 mm to 5 cm wide. The bezel 19 is inherent to the technical implementation of the display device 13 and does not allow for the display of information. The bezel 19 faces the peripheral zone 7, while the rest of the display device 13 faces the display zone 5.

[0035] Advantageously, the image display system then comprises a second reflective layer 21, covering at least the technical edge 19, disposed between the display device 13 and the front light layer 11. The second reflective layer 21 reflects light from the front light layer 11 or from ambient light. In addition, the decorative layer 17 also covers the technical edge 19. Thus, instead of being a dead zone, the technical edge 19 is integrated into the useful external surface of the display device 1, which helps to improve the visual continuity of the peripheral area 7 with the display area 5.

[0036] Advantageously, a matrix of light-emitting diodes 23 is arranged around the periphery of the transflective display device 13. The LED matrix 23 is electronically controlled by the aforementioned electronic control module. In an embodiment of the invention not shown, the LED matrix 23 defines a plurality of LED sub-matrices that can be activated independently of each other and / or that can each emit a light signal identical to and / or different from the light signals emitted by the other sub-matrices, according to the technology described in patent application FR 21 04686. The integration of an LED matrix 23 makes it possible to display shapes that vary over time through the transparent areas of the decorative pattern, further increasing the usefulness of the peripheral area 7 for displaying information as well as its visual continuity with the display area 5.

[0037] The diode matrix 23 and the first reflective layer 15 are complementary in that the diode matrix 23 allows for a complex and dynamic display, but one that is punctual in time and space, while the first reflective layer 15 allows for a display that is fixed or limited by the variation of the apparent pattern of the decorative layer 17, but continuous in segments in time and space. In other words, the period of variation of the apparent pattern of the decorative layer 17 is much longer than the period of variation of the shapes displayed by the diode matrix 23. Thus, the dynamic display of content in the peripheral area 7 is essentially due to the diode matrix 23, while the visual continuity with the display area 5 is essentially due to the reflection of light from the front luminous layer 11 or from ambient light by the first or second reflective layer 15 or 21 through the decorative layer 17.

[0038] Any feature described above for one embodiment or variant can also be implemented in the other embodiments and variants described above, as far as technically possible.

Claims

Demands

1. Image display system (1) comprising: • a translucent protective 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 at least the display area (5), comprising a front face, facing the protective lens, and a rear face, opposite the front face; and • a first reflective layer (15), facing the rear face of the display device (13), extending opposite the display area (5) and at least partially opposite the peripheral area (7); characterized in that the image display system (1) comprises a front light layer (11) disposed between the lens (9) and the display device (13), extending with respect to the display area (5) and covering at least partially the peripheral area (7).

2. Image display system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the display device (13) comprises a technical edge (19) and the image display system (1) comprises a second reflective layer (21), disposed between the display device (13) and the front light layer (11), covering at least the technical edge (19).

3. Image display system (1) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, comprising a decoration layer (17), disposed between the protective lens (9) and the front light layer (11) and having a decoration pattern formed of transparent areas and opaque areas.

4. Image display system (1) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, comprising a decoration layer (17), disposed between the front light layer (11) and the display device (13) and having a decoration pattern formed of transparent and opaque areas.

5. Image display system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising at least one matrix of light-emitting diodes (23), disposed opposite the peripheral area (7) between the front light layer (11) and the first reflective 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 at least one matrix of light-emitting diodes (23).

7. Image display system (1) according to claim 6, wherein the front light layer (11) comprises several sub-zones, each sub-zone having a controllable light intensity, the light intensity of each sub-zone being controlled independently.

8. Image display system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the display device (13) is a transflective LCD screen.

9. Image display system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the display device (13) is a transmitted LCD screen.

10. A vehicle trim element comprising an image display system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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