Vehicle door lighting equipment.

Abstract

The invention relates to a plastic diffusion element (1) designed to form, together with a masking element, a lighting system for equipping a motor vehicle opening. The diffusion element (1) forms a body allowing light diffusion and extends along a longitudinal axis between a first (6) and a second end. The body includes a lug (8) intended to be inserted into an opening in the masking element. The lug (8) protrudes from the first end (6) and has a faceted surface (10). The faceted surface (10) includes an entry zone (11) designed to be illuminated by light radiation and to allow the introduction of light radiation into the diffusion element (1). The faceted surface (10) has, at least on the entry zone (11), a surface finish with a roughness of less than 0.025 µm. (Figure 2)

Description

Title of the invention: Lighting equipment for vehicle doors.

[0001] The technical field relates to light diffusion parts for lighting equipment of openings, lighting equipment including such a diffusion part, openings including such lighting equipment and motor vehicles having such openings.

[0002] For some years now, car manufacturers have been striving to offer vehicles with a cabin featuring a particularly refined lighting environment, with various illuminated trims used to highlight the cabin's shape and / or to provide information to passengers. These illuminated trims generally require the use of light guides or diffusers. For car manufacturers, the quality of their vehicles' finish and their aesthetic appeal are essential to differentiate themselves from other brands. Therefore, manufacturers are making considerable efforts to continuously improve the lighting effects and integration of their illuminated trims.

[0003] A light trim is generally equipped with a diffuser designed to emit a predetermined amount of light into the passenger compartment. The diffuser is sometimes accompanied by a masking piece designed to obscure certain areas of the diffuser, in order to shape the diffuser's illuminated surface.

[0004] Diffusers are usually supplied with light radiation by a light guide that directs light emitted by a light source. However, experience shows that the transfer of light radiation to the diffuser, for example from the light guide, often generates visual defects by creating so-called hot spots where the light intensity is excessive compared to the rest of the illuminated surface. Usually, these overintensity problems are avoided or reduced by adding intermediate light elements capable of absorbing the excess intensity, or by using a textured surface on the illuminated surface. However, these two solutions prove unsuitable for a part where the appearance is important to the aesthetics of the vehicle interior.

[0005] Thus, there is a need for a solution to avoid the presence of a hot spot in a light diffuser intended to form a piece whose appearance is important for aesthetics, when it diffuses light.

[0006] The present invention aims to overcome the problems described above. In this technical context, one objective of the present invention is to provide a diffusion component whose power supply by light radiation does not generate hot spot and whose aesthetic appearance is suitable for a part contributing to the appearance of the passenger compartment of the vehicle equipped with the diffusion part.

[0007] To this end, the present invention relates to a diffusion piece made of plastic material designed to form with a masking piece a lighting equipment for equipping an opening of a motor vehicle, the diffusion piece forming a body allowing the diffusion of light and extending along a longitudinal axis between a first and a second end, the body comprising a lug, intended to be inserted into an opening of the masking piece, the lug protruding from the first end and having a faceted surface, the faceted surface comprising an entry zone, designed to be illuminated by light radiation and to allow the introduction of light radiation into the diffusion piece, the faceted surface having, at least on the entry zone, a surface finish having a roughness of less than 0.025 pm.

[0008] The invention also relates to a lighting equipment designed to equip an opening, the equipment comprising a diffusion piece according to the invention and a masking piece extending at least in part along the diffusion piece along the longitudinal axis and designed to cover at least part of the body and the first end, the masking piece having a through opening designed to receive the lug of the diffusion piece.

[0009] The invention also relates to a vehicle opening comprising a trim equipped with at least one lighting device according to the invention.

[0010] The invention finally relates to a motor vehicle having at least one opening according to the invention.

[0011] Thus, the diffusion element, thanks to its entry zone and surface finish, prevents hot spots where excessive light intensity is visible. Indeed, experience shows that the diffusion element according to the invention makes it possible to create a lighting system free of visual defects, particularly hot spots. In particular, the entry zone eliminates the diffraction phenomena that cause local overintensities.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the diffusion element, the first end extends along a first plane substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, the faceted surface being polyhedral, each polyhedron outside the entrance zone being inclined with respect to the first plane. Experience shows that the polyhedra, by creating angles between them, improve the management of unwanted light reflections.

[0013] According to one possibility, the diffusion piece is obtained by an injection of plastic material allowing natural demolding.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the diffusion part, the body is formed of several layers of plastic material, in particular polycarbonate.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the lighting equipment, the entry area is flush with an external surface of the masking piece.

[0016] According to one possibility, the lighting equipment includes a light guide attached to the equipment to direct light radiation towards the entry area of ​​the diffusion room.

[0017] Advantageously, the lighting equipment further comprises a light source designed to supply the light guide with light radiation.

[0018] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0019] [Fig-1] [Fig.1] represents a perspective view of equipment according to the invention;

[0020] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] represents a plate of main views of a diffusion room according to the invention implemented in the equipment of [Fig.1] and showing the first end;

[0021] [Fig. 3] [Fig. 3] shows a perspective view of a masking piece and a light guide used to form the lighting equipment of [Fig.1];

[0022] In these figures, the same references are used to designate the same elements.

[0023] A diffusion element 1 according to the invention, illustrated in the figures, is designed to form, with a masking element 2 illustrated in [Fig. 3], a lighting device 3 according to the invention, illustrated in [Fig. 1], for equipping a motor vehicle opening according to the invention. The masking element 2 is opaque.

[0024] The diffusion element 1 is made of plastic, in particular polycarbonate. The diffusion element 1 is, for example, made of several layers of plastic. In the example shown in [Fig. 2], the diffusion element 1 is made of two layers 4a, 4b of polycarbonate. Advantageously, the diffusion element 1 can be obtained by an injection molding process allowing for natural demolding.

[0025] As illustrated in [Fig. 1], the diffusion piece 1 forms a body 5 that allows light diffusion and extends along a longitudinal axis AA between a first 6 and a second 7 end. As shown in [Fig. 2], the body 5 includes a lug 8 designed to be inserted into an opening 9, illustrated in [Fig. 1], in the masking piece 2.

[0026] As illustrated in [Fig. 2], the lug 8 projects from the first end 6 and has a faceted surface 10. This faceted surface 10 includes an entry zone 11 designed to be illuminated by light radiation and to allow the introduction of light radiation into the diffusion piece 1. The faceted surface 10 has, at least on the entry zone 11, a surface finish having a roughness less than 0.025 pm. In the illustrated example, the inlet surface 11 is flat and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis AA.

[0027] As illustrated in [Fig. 2], the first end 6 of the diffusion piece 1 extends along a first plane substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis AA and the faceted surface 10 is polyhedral. Each polyhedron 12 of the faceted surface 10 is then inclined with respect to the first plane.

[0028] In the equipment 3 according to the invention, the masking piece 2 extends at least partially along the body 5 of the diffusion piece 1 and covers the first end 6. The masking piece 2 has a plurality of cutouts 13, illustrated in [Fig. 3], allowing light to be diffused from the diffusion piece 1 to the outside of the equipment 3. The lug 8 of the diffusion piece 1 is inserted into the opening 9 of the masking piece 2. Advantageously, the lug 8 is dimensioned so that, when the lug 8 is inserted into the opening 9, the entry area 11 of the faceted surface 10 then becomes flush with an external surface 14 of the masking piece 2.

[0029] As illustrated in [Fig.3], the equipment 3 according to the invention comprises a light guide 15 fixed on the masking piece 2. The light guide 15 is arranged to direct light radiation from a light source 16 to the entry area 11. The light source 16 is, for example, a light-emitting diode package s.

[0030] Finally, as illustrated in [Fig.2], the first end 6 is advantageously divided by a sharp edge 17 dividing the first end 6 into two parts inclined relative to each other.

[0031] An opening according to the invention, not illustrated, is then equipped with at least one piece of equipment 3 according to the invention. The equipment 3 is, for example, concealed in the trim of the opening, with only the cutouts 13 being visible so that light is emitted outwards from the opening, into the passenger compartment of the vehicle, when the light source 16 emits light.

[0032] Thus, the diffusion element 1, thanks to its entrance zone 11 and its surface finish, prevents hot spots where excessive light intensity is visible. Indeed, experience shows that the diffusion element 1 makes it possible to form the luminous device 3 free from visual defects, particularly hot spots. In particular, the entrance zone 11 eliminates the diffraction phenomena that cause local overintensity.

[0033] The invention is not limited to the embodiment of the diffusion piece described above, only by way of example, but other embodiments can be designed by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope and extent of the present invention.

Claims

Demands

1. A diffusion piece (1) made of plastic material designed to form with a masking piece (2) a lighting device (3) for fitting a motor vehicle opening, the diffusion piece (1) forming a body (5) allowing the diffusion of light and extending along a longitudinal axis (AA) between a first (6) and a second (7) end, the body (5) comprising a lug (8), intended to be inserted into an opening (9) of the masking piece (2), the lug (8) projecting from the first end (6) and having a faceted surface (10), the faceted surface (10) comprising an entry zone (11), designed to be illuminated by light radiation and to allow the introduction of light radiation into the diffusion piece (1), the faceted surface (10) having, at least on the entry zone (11), a surface finish having a roughness of less than 0.025 pm.

2. Diffusion piece (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first end (6) extends along a first plane substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis (AA), the faceted surface (10) being polyhedral, each polyhedron (12) outside the inlet zone (11) being inclined with respect to the first plane.

3. Diffusion piece (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is obtained by an injection of plastic material allowing natural demolding.

4. Diffusion piece (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the body (5) is formed of several layers (4a, 4b) of plastic material, in particular polycarbonate.

5. Lighting equipment (3) designed to equip an opening, the equipment (3) comprising a diffusion piece (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and a masking piece (2) extending at least in part along the diffusion piece (1) along the longitudinal axis (AA) and designed to cover at least part of the body (5) and the first end (6), the masking piece (2) having a through opening (9) designed to receive the lug (8) of the diffusion piece (1).

6. Lighting equipment (3) according to claim 5, characterized in that the entry area (11) is flush with an external surface (14) of the masking piece (2).

7. Lighting equipment (3) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that it comprises a light guide (15) fixed to the equipment (3) to direct light radiation towards the inlet area (11) of the diffusion room (1).

8. Lighting equipment (3) according to claim 7, characterized in that it further comprises a light source (16) designed to supply the light guide (15) with light radiation.

9. Vehicle opening comprising a trim equipped with at least one (3) light according to any one of claims 5 to 8.

10. Motor vehicle having at least one opening according to claim 9.

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