Display system and trim element for a vehicle comprising such a display system

Abstract

Vehicle display system and trim element comprising such a display system. This display system includes a protective lens (4) forming an extended display surface having a first display area (6) of first display resolution and a second display area (8) of second display resolution, the first display resolution being strictly greater than the second display resolution, a display device (10) disposed opposite the first display area and configured to display light signals on it, and a light panel (16) having at least one controllable lighting unit (18) disposed opposite the second display area and configured to backlight said second display area.The luminous panel (16) has a peripheral portion (20) of variable thickness between a first thickness (Y1) and a second thickness (Y2), the second thickness (Y2) being less than the first thickness (Y1), at least a portion (24) of the second thickness being positioned between the display device (10) and the protective lens (4). Figure for the abbreviation: Figure 1.

Description

Title of the invention: Display system and trim element for vehicle comprising such a display system

[0001] The present invention relates to a display system and a trim element comprising such a display 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 discloses the possibility of integrating an extended display system into a trim element. This system comprises a first display area and a second display area. The display system includes a light strip extending partially opposite the second display area to allow for an extended display, supplementing the display in the first main display area with the display in the second display area. The first display area provides a first-resolution display, for example, illuminated by a display device comprising a liquid crystal display (LCD). The display resolution of the second display area is a second display resolution, which is lower than the first display resolution. Display resolution is defined, as is known, by the number of pixels per unit length of the display surface.

[0004] In such an extended display system, it is desirable to ensure visual continuity between the display areas. However, the first display area includes technical edges, which are not illuminateable and which limit the visual continuity between the first display area and the second display area.

[0005] A known solution is to arrange a light guide element, with an "S"-shaped profile, to guide some of the light from the light sheet to partially cover the first display area, specifically the technical edge of the first display area. However, the geometry of such a guide element results in a loss of light and also increases the overall thickness of the extended display system, which is then bulky.

[0006] The present invention aims to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks, while ensuring a harmonious visual continuity between the first and second display areas.

[0007] To this end, the invention relates to a display system comprising a protective lens forming an extended display surface comprising a first display area with a first display resolution and a second display area with second display resolution, the first display resolution being strictly greater than the second display resolution, the system further comprising: - a display device positioned opposite the first display area and configured to display light signals on said first display area, - a light panel comprising at least one controllable lighting unit arranged opposite the second display area and configured to backlight said second display area.

[0008] The luminous panel includes a peripheral part of variable thickness between a first thickness and a second thickness, the second thickness being less than the first thickness, at least a portion of the second thickness of said peripheral part being positioned between the display device and the protective lens.

[0009] Advantageously, the peripheral part allows the light from the light panel to be guided, and the visual continuity to be harmonized between the first display area and the second display area, without loss of brightness and by reducing the total thickness of the extended display system.

[0010] According to other advantageous aspects of the invention, the display system comprises one or more of the following features, taken individually or in all technically possible combinations.

[0011] The peripheral part consists of a first portion having an edge of said first thickness and extending in continuity with a main part of said luminous slab, and a second portion having at least one edge of said second thickness and extending in continuity with said first portion.

[0012] The first portion has a semi-trapezoidal profile and said second portion has a rectangular profile.

[0013] The first portion has a profile having a first side of dimension equal to the first thickness and a second side, parallel to the first side, of dimension equal to the second thickness, and said rectangular profile of the second portion has a first dimension equal to said second thickness.

[0014] The display device comprises an active area and a technical edge, said peripheral part extending so as to cover said technical edge.

[0015] The luminous panel further comprises a light-reflecting layer directed towards the protective lens.

[0016] The system includes a support layer, with at least one lighting unit integrated on said support layer.

[0017] The light panel comprises a plurality of controllable lighting units, each controllable lighting unit being a light-emitting diode.

[0018] The plurality of light-emitting diodes forms a matrix of light-emitting diodes defining several sub-matrices of diodes, each sub-matrix being activatable independently of the other sub-matrices.

[0019] The light panel further comprises a plurality of pads reflecting part of a light signal generated by at least one lighting unit towards said peripheral part.

[0020] The invention also relates to a trim element of a vehicle comprising a display system as defined above.

[0021] The invention also relates to a vehicle incorporating such a trim element.

[0022] 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:

[0023] [Fig-1] [Fig.1] is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display system according to a method of implementation;

[0024] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] is a schematic cross-sectional view of part of a luminous slab;

[0025] [Fig.3] [Fig.3] is a perspective view of a luminous panel according to a mode of realization.

[0026] A display system 2 according to the invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3.

[0027] The display system 2 is preferably intended to be integrated into an element trim of a vehicle (not shown), for example a car. By "trim element", we mean for example a dashboard, a center console, a seat or a door panel.

[0028] The display system 2 is used to display information and / or multimedia content to the driver and / or passengers of the vehicle. In other words, the display system 2 forms a human-machine interface, particularly for use in a vehicle.

[0029] The display system 2 includes a protective lens 4, which forms an interface between the display system 2 and the outside, i.e. the space occupied by the user(s) of the display system.

[0030] The protective lens 4 comprises an outer face 5, also called the front face, visible to users, and an inner face 7, also called the rear face.

[0031] Hereafter, the expression "forward" will be used to indicate that it is the direction of the Y axis of the spatial reference frame (X,Y,Z) on the [Fig.1].

[0032] The protective lens 4 serves both as an extended display surface and as protection against dirt, dust or mechanical shocks.

[0033] Preferably, the protective lens 4 has at least one first zone having a light transmission rate greater than 70%, notably greater than 90%. Alternatively, the protective lens 4 has at least one second zone having a rate light transmission ranges from 5% to 70%. For example, the protective lens 4 has an area with a transmission rate of around 5% to create a tinted window effect (in English, "black panel").

[0034] The protective lens 4 is for example made of glass or plastic (poly methyl acrylic methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC) or PC / PMMA).

[0035] The display system 2 is an extended display system, in which the protective lens 4 forms an extended display surface comprising a first display area 6 of first resolution and a second display area 8 of second resolution. As already stated, resolution refers to the number of image pixels per unit length of the display surface.

[0036] The first resolution is strictly greater than the second resolution. In other words, the first display area allows for a finer display, containing more detail, while the second display area allows for a coarser display, containing less detail.

[0037] In the example illustrated in the cross-sectional view of [Fig.1], the display system 2 comprises a first display area 6 and a second display area 8.

[0038] According to variants not shown, the display system 2 comprises several second display areas 8 of second resolution, each second display area 8 being contingent to the first display area 6, in top view, by an edge of the first display area.

[0039] A display device 10 is arranged opposite the first display area and configured to display light signals on said first display area, under the control of an electronic control unit not shown.

[0040] The display device 10 is for example a liquid crystal display device, for example a display device using TFT (Thin-Film-Transistor) LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) technology having an active display area 12, an opaque area (or technical edge) 14. The opaque area is a non-illuminable area and remains fixed, for example dark in color.

[0041] The display system 2 further comprises a light panel 16, comprising one or more controllable lighting units 18, arranged opposite the second display area 8, so as to backlight the second display area 8, the direction of propagation of the light being indicated by the arrows F on the [Fig.1].

[0042] For example, the controllable lighting units 18 are light-emitting diodes.

[0043] For example, the lighting units 18 are arranged in a matrix arrangement, forming a matrix of light-emitting diodes, comprising individually controllable sub-matrices.

[0044] The lighting units 18 are controlled by an electronic control unit (not shown).

[0045] The part of the light panel 16 in which the controllable lighting units 18 are installed is called the main part 21.

[0046] The luminous slab 16 further comprises a peripheral part 20, a cross-section of which is illustrated in [Fig.1].

[0047] The peripheral part 20 has a variable thickness, between a first thickness Y1 and a second thickness Y2.

[0048] Thickness is defined as the dimension along the Y axis in the (X,Y,Z) reference frame represented in [Fig.1].

[0049] In the illustrated example, the first thickness Y1 is the thickness of the main part of the luminous panel 16.

[0050] The second thickness Y2 is strictly less than the first thickness Yl.

[0051] Preferably, the ratio between the first thickness Y1 and the second thickness Y2 is greater than or equal to 3.

[0052] By way of non-limiting example, the first thickness Y1 is on the order of 3mm and the second thickness Y2 is on the order of 0.8mm.

[0053] The peripheral part 20 is arranged so that at least a portion of the peripheral part 20 having said second thickness Y2 is placed between the display device 10 and the protective lens 4.

[0054] In the illustrated embodiment, the peripheral part 20 is composed of two portions, respectively a first portion 22 with a semi-trapezoidal profile and a second portion 24 with a rectangular profile.

[0055] The first portion 22 extends in continuity with the main part 21 of the luminous panel 16. The second portion 24 extends in continuity with the first portion 22.

[0056] More generally, in embodiments, the peripheral part 20 is composed of two portions, a first portion which extends in continuity with the main part having an edge of the first thickness Y1 and a second portion which extends in continuity with the first portion having at least one edge of the second thickness Y2.

[0057] The first portion 22 has a half-trapezoidal profile (also called a semi-trapezoidal profile), whose parallel sides, which are parallel to the Y-axis in the representation of [Fig. 1], are respectively a first side of dimension equal to the first thickness Y1 and a second side, parallel to the first side, of dimension equal to the second thickness Y2. In addition, the first portion 22 has a front face 23 extending parallel to the (X,Z) plane in [Fig. 1], and a second rear face, extending along a second plane, inclined at an angle 0 with respect to the first plane. In the profile view, the profile of the first portion 22 has a third straight side and a fourth straight side inclined relative to the third side at an angle of 0, which is for example between 2° and 30°, and for example equal to 10° corresponding to a ratio of 1.6.

[0058] The profile of the second portion 24 is rectangular, the rectangle having dimensions X2 x Y2. In other words, this rectangular profile has a first dimension, along the Y-axis, equal to the second thickness Y2 and a second dimension, along the X-axis, denoted X2. For example, X2 is substantially equal to the dimension along the X-axis of a technical edge 14.

[0059] Thus, advantageously, the second portion of the peripheral part is arranged so as to cover the technical edge, and this then makes it possible to ensure continuity of display.

[0060] The light panel 16, having a peripheral portion 20 arranged in this way, functions as a light guide, configured to transfer a portion of the light supplied by the light panel 16 to continuously illuminate the protective lens forming the extended display surface. The interior 25 of the light panel 16, visible in [Fig. 2], forming a transparent light guide, is, for example, injection-molded from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate, or silicone, or cast from PMMA or polyurethane.

[0061] Advantageously, the chosen shape makes it possible to reduce the overall size, in particular to reduce the total thickness of the display system compared to a system comprising an "S" shaped light guide element, or any other light guide element with a constant section, and also makes it possible to reduce the losses in light energy transferred.

[0062] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the controllable lighting units 18 of the light panel 16 are arranged on a support layer 26. In one embodiment, the electronic control unit of the controllable lighting units 18 is arranged on the support layer 26, for example in the form of a printed circuit board.

[0063] Preferably, the support layer 26 comprises light extraction units 28 (see [Fig.2]).

[0064] The light panel 16 further includes a reflective layer 30, disposed at the rear of the support layer 26, configured to reflect light towards the protective lens 4. For example, the upper face of the reflective layer 30, i.e. the face oriented towards the support layer 26, is white.

[0065] Optionally, the display system 2 further comprises a diffusion layer 32, positioned between the light panel 16 and the protective lens 4. The function of this diffusion layer 32 is to homogenize the signal over the surface luminous (also called luminous flux) exiting the light guide, and to pointwise widen the solid angle of diffusion of the light signal.

[0066] Optionally, the light panel 16 also includes dots 29 (also called "anti-spot" dots) which allow part of the light signal to be reflected locally at the level of the light-emitting diodes in the light guide, so as to also homogenize the outgoing light signal.

[0067] Optionally, a plurality of pellets 29 form homogenization points, allowing the rate of light transmission on the reflective surface to be modulated.

[0068] Advantageously, the proposed display system is easier to implement, the mechanical integration of the second portion of the peripheral part of the light panel between the display device 10 and the protective lens 4 being facilitated by its shape compared to the integration of an S-shaped guide element. Thus, mechanical continuity is facilitated.

[0069] Advantageously, the overall size of the display system is reduced because its thickness is decreased.

Claims

Demands

1. A display system comprising a protective lens (4) forming an extended display surface having a first display area (6) of first display resolution and a second display area (8) of second display resolution, the first display resolution being strictly greater than the second display resolution, the system further comprising: - a display device (10) disposed opposite the first display area and configured to display light signals on said first display area, - a light panel (16) comprising at least one controllable lighting unit (18) disposed opposite the second display area (8) and configured to backlight said second display area (8), characterized in that the light panel (16) has a peripheral portion (20) of variable thickness between a first thickness (Y1) and a second thickness (Y2),the second thickness (Y2) being less than the first thickness (Y1), at least a portion (24) of the second thickness of said peripheral part (20) being positioned between the display device (10) and the protective lens (4).

2. Display system according to claim 1, wherein said peripheral part (20) is composed of a first portion (22) having an edge of said first thickness (Y 1) and extending in continuity with a main part of said light panel, and a second portion (24) having at least one edge of said second thickness (Y2) and extending in continuity with said first portion (22).

3. Display system according to claim 2, wherein said first portion (22) has a semi-trapezoidal profile and said second portion (24) has a rectangular profile.

4. System according to claim 3, wherein said first portion (22) has a profile having a first side of dimension equal to the first thickness (Y1) and a second side, parallel to the first side, of dimension equal to the second thickness (Y2), and in which said rectangular profile of the second portion (24) has a first dimension equal to said second thickness (Y2).

5. Display system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the display device (10) comprises an active area (12) and a technical edge (14), said peripheral part (20) extending so as to cover said technical edge (14).

6. Display system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said light panel (16) further comprises a light-reflecting layer (30) in the direction of the protective lens (4).

7. Display system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a support layer (26), said at least one lighting unit (18) being integrated on said support layer (26).

8. Display system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the light panel (16) comprises a plurality of controllable lighting units (18), each controllable lighting unit (18) being a light-emitting diode.

9. Display system according to claim 8 wherein the plurality of light-emitting diodes forms a matrix of light-emitting diodes defining several sub-matrices of diodes, each sub-matrix being activatable independently of the other sub-matrices.

10. Display system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the light panel (16) further comprises a plurality of dots (29) reflecting a part of a light signal generated by at least one lighting unit (18) towards said peripheral part (20).

11. A vehicle trim element comprising a display system conforming to claims 1 to 10.

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