Cabin performance device

Abstract

To provide a cabin performance device which enables novel performance while maintaining unity of a design in a cabin.SOLUTION: A cabin performance device includes a cover panel 2 constituting at least a part of a dashboard of a vehicle, and a light source 5a illuminating the cover panel 2 from the back face side. The cover panel 2 includes a sheet base material 40 having light permeability, a decorative layer 42 which is positioned on the back face side of the sheet base material 40, has light permeability, and decorates the sheet base material 40, and a stitch expression layer 43. The stitch expression layer 43 has a light-shielding part 43s positioned on the back face side of the decorative layer 42, and a stitch part 43b which is not formed with the light-shieling part 43s and has a shape simulating a seam. The plurality of stitch parts 43b are provided side by side in a predetermined direction, and are visually recognized like a linear seam by light emitted by the light source 5a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle interior effect device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle display device that includes a display panel arranged on the dashboard of a vehicle (automobile), a line light arranged on the dashboard, a line light arranged on the interior lining of the driver's seat door, and a line light arranged on the interior lining of the passenger seat door. The device creates a cabin space by associating the line display portion of the display panel with the line light. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-176616 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the device described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the uniformity of the design of the vehicle interior will be lost due to the difference in texture between the dedicated member for the line lighting and the dashboard.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned situation, and aims to provide a vehicle interior presentation device that can create innovative presentations while maintaining uniformity in the design of the vehicle interior. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle interior effect device according to the present disclosure includes: a cover panel that forms at least a portion of a dashboard of the vehicle; a light source that illuminates the cover panel from the back side, The cover panel is a light-transmitting sheet substrate; a decorative layer located on the back side of the sheet base material, having optical transparency, and for decorating the sheet base material; a light-shielding portion located on the back side of the decorative layer; and a stitch expression layer having a stitch portion simulating a stitch in a shape where the light-shielding portion is not formed, The stitch portions are arranged in a predetermined direction and are visually recognized as line-shaped seams by the light emitted from the light source. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to create a novel presentation while maintaining uniformity in the design of the vehicle interior. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle interior effect device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Enlarged view of part I in Figure 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line III-III shown in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle interior effect device 10 according to this embodiment is mounted on a dashboard 11 (including an instrument panel) inside the vehicle interior, and effects the vehicle interior space.

[0011] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the vehicle interior effect device 10 includes display units 1L, 1R, and 1C, a cover panel 2, a circuit board 5 on which a light source 5a is mounted, and a rear case 6. The cover panel 2 forms part of the dashboard 11 and has, for example, a fabric-like or leather-like pattern. The cover panel 2 has stitch lines SL that are visually recognized as linear seams, based on a principle described below.

[0012] Hereinafter, the direction facing the vehicle passengers (e.g., the driver) relative to the interior rendering device 10 will be referred to as the "front" (indicated as "F" in Figures 3 and 4), and the opposite direction will be referred to as the "rear" (indicated as "B" in Figures 3 and 4). The rear surface of a given configuration provided on the interior rendering device 10 will also be referred to as the "rear face." The terms "upper" and "lower" used below correspond to the up-down direction of the vehicle.

[0013] The display units 1L, 1R, and 1C are each composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, or the like, and are capable of displaying images showing information related to the vehicle. The display units 1L, 1R, and 1C are provided on the rear side of the cover panel 2. The images displayed by the display units 1L, 1R, and 1C can be seen through the cover panel 2.

[0014] The cover panel 2 includes a base material 3 and a skin sheet 4 provided to cover the front surface of the base material 3. As shown in Fig. 4, the cover panel 2 is attached to an attachment target portion 11a of the dashboard 11 by means of locking means such as hooks formed on the base material 3.

[0015] The base material 3 is a light-transmitting plate-like member and is made of resin such as polycarbonate (PC) or acrylic (PMMA: Poly Methyl Methacrylate). The base material 3 has a shape corresponding to the dashboard 11, for example, a curved plate shape. The base material 3 may be formed integrally with the skin sheet 4 by injection molding, or may be pre-formed into a plate shape and then adhered to the skin sheet 4. In addition, the back surface of the base material 3 may be textured in an area of ​​the cover panel 2 that is illuminated by the light source 5a, thereby providing a function of diffusing light from the light source 5a. In addition, a touch sensor film may be provided on the back surface of the base material 3 or between the skin sheet 4 and the base material 3.

[0016] The skin sheet 4 is laminated on the front surface of the base material 3 and is formed to represent the texture and pattern of the dashboard 11. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the skin sheet 4 includes a sheet substrate 40, a grain layer 41, a decorative layer 42, a stitch expression layer 43, a light diffusion layer 44, and protrusions 45.

[0017] The sheet substrate 40 is a light-transmitting sheet, and is made of resin, for example, PC, PMMA, etc. The sheet substrate 40 may have a smoky color tone as long as it is light-transmitting.

[0018] The textured layer 41 is formed so as to cover the entire front surface of the sheet substrate 40. The textured layer 41 has a pattern that imitates, for example, the texture of leather or the weave of cloth, and is formed of a light-transmitting printed layer. By changing the material or composition of the textured layer 41, the wet / dry feel or coefficient of friction, etc. can be adjusted.

[0019] The decorative layer 42 is formed on the back surface of the sheet substrate 40, is light-transmitting, and is a printed layer for decorating the sheet substrate 40. The decorative layer 42 expresses a leather-like or fabric-like color tone, and in combination with the grain layer 41 formed on the front surface of the sheet substrate 40, can further create a decorative texture. The color of the decorative layer 42 is arbitrary depending on the purpose, and is not limited to one color, and may be composed of various colors and layers.

[0020] The stitch expression layer 43 has a light-shielding portion 43s formed on the back surface of the decorative layer 42 and a stitch portion 43b, which is a portion where the light-shielding portion 43s is not formed and has a shape that resembles a seam. The light-shielding portion 43s is a dark-colored printed layer that has light-shielding properties and is formed on the back surface of the decorative layer 42. The stitch portion 43b is a blank portion of the back surface of the decorative layer 42 where the light-shielding portion 43s is not formed. Note that the material that constitutes the light-diffusing layer 44, described below, penetrates into the stitch portion 43b. In other words, the stitch expression layer 43 expresses the stitch portion 43b, which has a shape that resembles a seam, by the shape of the portion where the light-shielding portion 43s is not formed. In the cover panel 2, the portion where the stitch portion 43 is formed in this manner has light transparency. As a result, the stitch portion 43 emits light in response to the light emitted by the light source 5a, and the shining stitch shape is visible.

[0021] Each stitch portion 43 has, for example, a generally rectangular shape that is elongated in the left-right direction in Fig. 2. A plurality of stitch portions 43 are arranged side by side in a stitch direction SD (an example of a predetermined direction) that corresponds to the left-right direction in Fig. 2, and stitch lines SL (linear seams) are visible due to the light emitted by the light source 5a. In this embodiment, the stitch lines SL are composed of two rows of lines spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction.

[0022] The light diffusion layer 44 is a printed ink layer that diffuses light emitted from the light source 5a and causes the stitch portion 43 to emit light uniformly. The light diffusion layer 44 covers the back surface of the light-shielding portion 43s and is formed so as to penetrate into the stitch portion 43b. The light diffusion layer 44 only needs to be light-transmitting and light-diffusing, and may have a smoky color tone.

[0023] Although not shown, the light-shielding portion 43s and the light diffusion layer 44 are not formed on the facing portions of the skin sheet 4 that face the image display surfaces of the display units 1L, 1R, and 1C. In these facing portions, the skin sheet 4 may be fixed to the image display surfaces of the display units 1L, 1R, and 1C by optical bonding.

[0024] The protrusions 45 are optically transparent printed layers formed on the front surface of the textured layer 41. A plurality of protrusions 45 are arranged side by side in the stitch direction SD corresponding to the stitch portions 43b. As can be seen with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, each protrusion 45 is positioned to cover its corresponding stitch portion 43b. Light emitted from the light source 5a passes through the stitch portion 43b to illuminate the protrusions 45. The protrusions 45 arranged in this manner make the stitches that make up the stitch line SL appear raised, creating a more realistic stitching effect.

[0025] The circuit board 5 is a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) provided on the rear side of the cover panel 2. The light sources 5a are LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) mounted on the front side of the circuit board 5, and a plurality of them are provided lined up in the stitching direction SD.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, the arrangement pitch of the light sources 5a in the stitch direction SD may be wider than the arrangement pitch of the stitch portions 43b. In other words, the stitch portions 43b and the light sources 5a do not necessarily correspond one-to-one. Furthermore, although the stitch line SL in this embodiment is composed of two rows of lines spaced apart in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 4, the light sources 5a may be shared by both rows of lines rather than corresponding to each of the two rows. In other words, the stitch portions 43b and the light sources 5a may be offset in the vertical direction. Arranging the light sources 5a in this manner is sufficient to illuminate the stitch line SL. Furthermore, when considering the representation of realistic line-shaped stitches, the spacing between adjacent stitch portions 43b in the stitch direction SD and the vertical spacing between the two rows of lines may become narrow. Therefore, arranging the light sources 5a one-to-one may result in a complex configuration. Arranging the light sources 5a as described above avoids this complication.

[0027] A control unit (not shown) consisting of a microcontroller is mounted on the circuit board 5 or on a board (not shown) electrically connected to the circuit board 5. This control unit can individually control the light emission of each of the multiple light sources 5a. Here, light emission control includes control of the light emission timing and light emission brightness of each light source 5a. The multiple light sources 5a may also include LEDs that emit light of different colors. This allows for a novel effect in which light flows in a line along the stitch line SL.

[0028] 4, the rear case 6 is a box-shaped member that is located on the rear side of the cover panel 2, is open to the front, and houses the circuit board 5. It is preferable that the front end of the rear case 6 be in contact with or close to the cover panel 2 so that light emitted from the light source 5a does not leak from between the cover panel 2 and the rear case 6.

[0029] The vehicle interior rendering device 10 described above includes the following additional configurations.

[0030] (Addendum) (Appendix 1) a cover panel that forms at least a portion of a dashboard of the vehicle; a light source that illuminates the cover panel from the back side, The cover panel is a light-transmitting sheet substrate; a decorative layer located on the back side of the sheet base material, having optical transparency, and for decorating the sheet base material; a light-shielding portion located on the back side of the decorative layer; and a stitch expression layer having a stitch portion simulating a stitch in a shape where the light-shielding portion is not formed, The stitch portion is provided in a plurality of rows in a predetermined direction, and is visually recognized as a line-shaped seam by the light emitted from the light source. Vehicle interior decoration device.

[0031] According to the vehicle interior effect device described in Appendix 1, the stitching on the cover panel that constitutes at least a part of the dashboard can be made to emit light, which resembles a seam, thereby enabling a novel effect while maintaining the uniformity of the design of the vehicle interior.

[0032] (Appendix 2) The sheet further includes a light-transmitting convex portion located on the front side of the sheet base material and covering the stitch portion, The light emitted from the light source passes through the stitch portion and illuminates the convex portion, The protruding portions are provided in a plurality of rows in the predetermined direction corresponding to the stitching portions. 10. The vehicle interior effect device according to claim 1.

[0033] According to the vehicle interior effect device described in Appendix 2, the raised convex parts can create a more realistic stitching effect.

[0034] (Appendix 3) The light sources are provided in a plurality of rows in the predetermined direction, and each of the light sources is individually controllable for light emission. 3. A vehicle interior effect device according to claim 1 or 2.

[0035] According to the vehicle interior effect device described in Appendix 3, the lighting pattern of the stitching portions arranged in a predetermined direction can be changed, thereby enabling more innovative effects to be produced.

[0036] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and drawings, and modifications (including the omission of components) can be made as appropriate within the scope of the present invention.

[0037] Although the above describes an example in which the cover panel 2 constitutes a part of the dashboard 11, the cover panel 2 may be provided over the entire area of ​​the dashboard 11. In other words, it is sufficient that the cover panel 2 constitutes at least a part of the dashboard 11.

[0038] The stitch direction SD is not limited to a straight line and may be a curved line. The stitch line SL may be composed of one line instead of two lines, or may be composed of three or more lines.

[0039] The arrangement of each layer constituting the cover panel 2 can be changed as desired as long as the purpose is achieved. In this document, the expression "A is located on the rear side of B" includes not only an arrangement in which A is in contact with the rear side of B, but also an arrangement in which another element is interposed between A and B. Similarly, the expression "C is located on the front side of D" includes not only an arrangement in which C is in contact with the front side of D, but also an arrangement in which another element is interposed between C and D.

[0040] In the above description, in order to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, descriptions of well-known technical matters have been omitted as appropriate.

[0041] This invention allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to explain this invention and do not limit the scope of this invention. That is, the scope of this invention is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the meaning of the invention equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of this invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 10... vehicle interior effect device, 11... dashboard, 11a... mounting target part 1L, 1R, 1C...Display unit 2...Cover panel, SL...Stitch line, SD...Stitch direction 3...Base material 4...Skin sheet 40...Sheet substrate 41...grain layer 42...Decorative layer 43...stitch expression layer, 43s...light-shielding portion, 43b...stitch portion 44...Light diffusion layer 45...Convex part 5...circuit board, 5a...light source, 6...rear case

Claims

1. a cover panel that forms at least a portion of a dashboard of the vehicle; a light source that illuminates the cover panel from the back side, The cover panel is a light-transmitting sheet substrate; a decorative layer located on the back side of the sheet base material, having optical transparency, and for decorating the sheet base material; a light-shielding portion located on the back side of the decorative layer; and a stitch expression layer having a stitch portion simulating a stitch in a shape where the light-shielding portion is not formed, The stitch portion is provided in a plurality of rows in a predetermined direction, and is visually recognized as a line-shaped seam by the light emitted from the light source. Vehicle interior decoration device.

2. The sheet further includes a light-transmitting convex portion located on the front side of the sheet base material and covering the stitch portion, The light emitted from the light source passes through the stitch portion and illuminates the convex portion, The protruding portions are provided in a plurality of rows in the predetermined direction corresponding to the stitching portions. The vehicle interior effect device according to claim 1.

3. The light sources are provided in a plurality of rows in the predetermined direction, and each of the light sources is individually controllable for light emission. The vehicle interior effect device according to claim 1 or 2.

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