Skin material and interior component

Abstract

To provide a skin material and an interior component, which allow for easy adjustment of light emission luminance of optical fibers whose one ends are connected to a common light source.SOLUTION: A skin material 3 has a woven fabric 9 into which a side emission optical fiber 5 constituting one of warp or weft and a non-light guide yarn 8 constituting the other of the warp and weft are woven. The optical fiber has an exposed part 5a, which is exposed on a design face side of the woven fabric, and a non-exposed part 5b, which is covered with the non-light guide yarn so as not to be exposed on the design face side of the woven fabric. A plurality of light emitting regions A having the exposed part of the optical fiber are provided on the woven fabric. The light emitting region includes a first light emitting region A1 and a second light emitting region A2 having the exposed part smaller than the exposed part of the first light emitting region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a skin material and an interior part, and more particularly to a skin material including a fabric woven with optical fibers and an interior part including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] As a conventional skin material, an optical fiber skin material comprising a fabric in which a side-emitting optical fiber and a non-light-guiding thread are woven is generally known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). Patent Document 1 describes an optical fiber skin material 103, as shown in Fig. 13, for example, which is configured with a multifilament or monofilament 106 made of synthetic resin fiber and optical fiber 105 as warp threads, with the optical fiber 105 woven between adjacent filaments 106. Patent Document 2 also describes an optical fiber skin material in which an exit portion is formed by irradiating a laser or the like into the cladding (outer layer) of an optical fiber to penetrate to the core (core portion), and light in the core of the optical fiber is irradiated from the exit portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-095078 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-007712 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, optical fiber skin materials may require designs with different luminance levels at certain parts of the product shape. However, optical fibers connected to a common light source at one end transmit and emit a constant amount of light from the light source, resulting in uniform luminance levels. The optical fiber skin material 103 in Patent Document 1 is designed to protect the optical fibers 105 from scratches, and is therefore unable to achieve designs with different luminance levels among the optical fibers 105 connected to the light source. Furthermore, the optical fiber skin material in Patent Document 2 requires an additional processing step, such as laser irradiation, to create recesses after the skin material is manufactured.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described current situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a skin material and an interior part that allow easy adjustment of the luminance of light emitted from optical fibers, one end of which is connected to a common light source. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is as follows. 1. A skin material comprising a fabric in which a side-emitting optical fiber constituting one of the warp and weft threads and a non-light-guiding thread constituting the other thread are woven, the optical fiber has an exposed portion exposed to the design surface side of the fabric and a non-exposed portion covered with the non-light-guiding thread and not exposed to the design surface side of the fabric, the fabric is provided with a plurality of light-emitting regions each having the exposed portion of the optical fiber; The skin material, wherein the light-emitting region includes a first light-emitting region and a second light-emitting region having an exposed portion that is smaller than the exposed portion of the first light-emitting region. 2. The first light-emitting region and the second light-emitting region are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the plurality of adjacent optical fibers, the first light-emitting region has the exposed portions of a plurality of the optical fibers; The skin material according to 1. above, wherein the second light-emitting region has the exposed portions of some of the optical fibers among the plurality of optical fibers and the non-exposed portions of the other optical fibers. 3. The skin material according to 1 or 2 above, wherein the light-emitting regions are formed in a dot pattern. 4. An interior part comprising a base material and the skin material according to any one of 1. to 3. above, which covers the surface of the base material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the luminance of light emitted from optical fibers, one end of which is connected to a common light source, can be easily adjusted by weaving a fabric. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] The present invention will be further described in the following detailed description, which provides non-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments according to the present invention, and with reference to the mentioned drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings. [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a vehicle door trim including an ornament according to an embodiment, viewed from inside a vehicle compartment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 1, where (a) shows the state when the optical fiber is not guiding light, and (b) shows the emitting state when the optical fiber is guiding light. [Figure 4] 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams of light-emitting regions according to an embodiment, in which (a) shows a structural diagram of a first light-emitting region and its surrounding area, and (b) and (c) show structural diagrams of a second light-emitting region and its surrounding area. [Figure 5] 1 is an explanatory diagram of light-emitting regions, where (a) shows a first light-emitting region, and (b) and (c) show a second light-emitting region. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a skin material according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a method for measuring the brightness of a skin material according to an experimental example. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an image processing diagram of a main part including a first light-emitting region of a skin material. [Figure 9]10 is an explanatory diagram of light-emitting regions according to another embodiment, where (a) shows a first light-emitting region, (b) and (c) show a second light-emitting region, and (d) to (f) show a third light-emitting region. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are explanatory views of light-emitting regions according to still another embodiment, where (a) shows a first light-emitting region and (b) shows a second light-emitting region. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are explanatory views of light-emitting regions according to still another embodiment, where (a) shows a first light-emitting region and (b) shows a second light-emitting region. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams of a skin material according to another embodiment, in which (a) shows a form in which each group of light-emitting regions is arranged along the juxtaposition direction of the optical fibers, and (b) shows a form in which each group of light-emitting regions is arranged along the longitudinal direction and juxtaposition direction of the optical fibers. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a conventional optical fiber skin material. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The matters set forth herein are for illustrative purposes only and are intended to provide an illustrative description of the embodiments of the present invention, with the aim of providing what is believed to be the most effective and easily understandable explanation of the principles and conceptual features of the present invention. In this regard, it is not intended to show structural details of the present invention beyond the extent necessary for a fundamental understanding of the present invention, and the description, taken together with the drawings, will make clear to those skilled in the art how some forms of the present invention may be actually embodied.

[0010] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings and embodiments. In this embodiment, an ornament 1 constituting a vehicle door trim 21 is exemplified as an "interior part" according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle door trim 21 includes a trim main body 22 that covers a metal inner panel (not shown) constituting a vehicle door from the inside of the vehicle compartment. The trim main body 22 includes the ornament 1, a frame material 23, an upper board 24, etc. that form a design surface on the inside of the vehicle compartment.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the ornament 1 according to this embodiment includes a base material 2 and a skin material 3 that covers all or part of the surface of the base material 2. The base material 2 is formed from a synthetic resin or the like into a long plate extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Examples of resin materials that form the base material 2 include polyolefin, polyester, and polyamide. The base material 2 may be a fibrous molded body formed by binding reinforcing fibers using a binder resin such as polyolefin. Examples of reinforcing fibers that may be used include vegetable fibers (kenaf, hemp, jute, etc.), resin fibers (polyester fiber, polyamide fiber, etc.), and inorganic fibers (glass fiber, carbon fiber, etc.). The shape of the base material 2 is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected from the viewpoint of design, etc.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 6, the covering material 3 includes a woven fabric 9 into which side-emitting optical fibers 5 are woven. Specifically, the woven fabric 9 is made of optical fibers 5 and non-light-guiding threads 6 and 7 constituting weft threads and non-light-guiding threads 8 constituting warp threads (see FIG. 4). The woven fabric 9 includes a converging portion 11 in which the tips of multiple optical fibers 5 extending from the edge are bundled with a sleeve or the like. The converging portion 11 is connected to a light source 12 such as an LED. There may be only one converging portion 11, or multiple converging portions 11 may be provided depending on the illumination design. The multiple optical fibers 5, one end of which is connected to the light source 12, extend along the longitudinal direction of the ornament 1 (see FIG. 3). The covering material 3 also includes a cushioning layer 13 laminated on the back surface of the woven fabric 9. However, a woven fabric 9 without the cushioning layer 13 may be used. The material of the cushioning layer 13 is not particularly limited, and a sheet material made of soft polyurethane foam, for example, is often used. Other soft resin foams may also be used as long as they have sufficient cushioning properties.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 5, the optical fiber 5 has an exposed portion 5a exposed on the design surface side of the woven fabric 9 and a non-exposed portion 5b covered with non-light-guiding threads 8 and not exposed on the design surface side of the woven fabric 9. The exposed portion 5a and the non-exposed portion 5b are arranged adjacent to each other along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber 5. The woven fabric 9 is provided with a plurality of light-emitting regions A of a predetermined size, each having the exposed portion 5a of the optical fiber 5. The light-emitting region A includes a first light-emitting region A1 and a second light-emitting region A2 arranged along the longitudinal direction D1 of the optical fiber 5 (see FIG. 3). Each of these light-emitting regions A1 and A2 is formed in the shape of a dot of the same size (for example, a 1 mm square dot). Specifically, each light-emitting region A1 and A2 is formed in the shape of a dot with a vertical width approximately equal to the sum of the diameters of the two optical fibers 5 and a horizontal width approximately equal to the length of the exposed portion 5a along the longitudinal direction D1 of the optical fiber 5. In FIG. 5, the exposed portion 5a of the optical fiber 5 is indicated by a solid line, and the unexposed portion 5b of the optical fiber 5 is indicated by a dashed line.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 4, in the first light-emitting region A1 and its periphery, the optical fiber 5 (for example, 0.25 mm in diameter), non-light-guiding thread 6 (for example, 1500 d), and non-light-guiding thread 7 (for example, 300 d) constituting the weft intersect with the non-light-guiding thread 8 (for example, 150 d) constituting the warp, and two exposed portions 5a of the optical fibers 5 exist in the first light-emitting region A1 (see FIG. 4(a)). That is, the first light-emitting region A1 has two exposed portions 5a of the optical fibers 5 adjacent to each other (see FIG. 5(a)). On the other hand, in the second light-emitting region A2 and its periphery, the optical fiber 5, non-light-guiding thread 6, and non-light-guiding thread 7 constituting the weft intersect with the non-light-guiding thread 8 constituting the warp, and one exposed portion 5a of the optical fiber 5 exists in the second light-emitting region A2 (see FIGS. 4(b) and 4(c)). That is, the second light-emitting region A2 has an exposed portion 5a of one of two adjacent optical fibers 5 and a non-exposed portion 5b of the other optical fiber 5 (see FIGS. 5(b) and 5(c)). Therefore, the exposed area of ​​the exposed portion 5a constituting the second light-emitting region A2 is smaller (specifically, 1 / 2) than the exposed area of ​​the exposed portion 5a constituting the first light-emitting region A1. Note that either of the forms shown in FIGS. 5(b) and 5(c) may be adopted for the second light-emitting region A2.

[0015] 3, the skin material 3 (i.e., the fabric 9) has a first light-emitting region group G1 consisting of a plurality of first light-emitting regions A1 and a second light-emitting region group G2 consisting of a plurality of second light-emitting regions A2. The first light-emitting region group G1 has a plurality of first light-emitting regions A1 arranged along the longitudinal direction D1 and juxtaposition direction D2 of the optical fibers 5. The second light-emitting region group G2 has a plurality of second light-emitting regions A2 arranged along the longitudinal direction D1 and juxtaposition direction D2 of the optical fibers 5. Each of these light-emitting region groups G1 and G2 is arranged along the longitudinal direction D1 of the optical fibers 5.

[0016] The weave of the woven fabric 9 is not particularly limited, and conventionally known weaves (e.g., plain weave, twill weave, satin weave, etc.) can be used as appropriate. The braid structure of the woven fabric 9 is also not limited, and conventionally known weave structures (e.g., single-layer weave, multi-layer weave, etc.) can be used as appropriate. In the woven fabric 9, the optical fibers 5 may be included as warp threads, weft threads, or both warp and weft threads, but are preferably included as weft threads. The non-light-guiding threads 6 to 8 may be included as warp threads, weft threads, or both warp and weft threads, but are preferably included as warp and weft threads. The material constituting the non-light-guiding threads 6 to 8 is not limited, and materials such as plant-based and animal-based natural fibers, regenerated fibers such as rayon, semi-synthetic fibers such as acetate, and synthetic fibers made of synthetic resin can be used.

[0017] A side-emitting optical fiber 5 can guide light incident from one end to the other end while allowing the light to leak from the side. Specifically, the optical fiber 5 has a core-sheath structure with a core and a sheath (clad), and can guide light based on the difference in refractive index between the core and the sheath. The core-sheath structure may have one core per sheath, or two or more cores per sheath. The optical fiber 5 may be a multifilament, but is typically a monofilament. In the case of a multifilament, all of the constituent yarns constituting the filament may have light-guiding properties, or only some of the yarns may have light-guiding properties. In addition, from the viewpoint of weaving, the optical fiber 5 is preferably made of resin. Specifically, (1) an optical fiber in which a core resin and a clad resin are combined to have a refractive index relationship that prevents total reflection at the core-sheath interface, or (2) an optical fiber in which a light-scattering material is blended into the core resin, can be used.

[0018] The above (1) is a side-emitting optical fiber that utilizes the phenomenon that light guided through the core is not totally reflected at the core-sheath interface, but leaks out from the sheath. On the other hand, the above (2) is a side-emitting optical fiber that utilizes the phenomenon that light scattered by the light-scattering material during the light-guiding process leaks out from the side by blending a scattering material. Furthermore, in the above (2), the brightness can be controlled by adjusting the concentration of the light-scattering material blended. Furthermore, side-emitting optical fibers with other configurations may also be used. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more types.

[0019] Next, the effects of the ornament 1 configured as described above will be described. In the ornament 1, when light is guided through the optical fibers 5, each of the light-emitting region groups G1 and G2 emits light as a discontinuous dot pattern (see FIG. 3(b)). At this time, in the first light-emitting region A1 constituting the first light-emitting region group G1, light leaks from the exposed portions 5a of the two optical fibers 5 and emits light (see FIG. 4(a)). On the other hand, in the second light-emitting region A2 constituting the second light-emitting region group G2, light leaks from only the exposed portion 5a of one optical fiber 5 and emits light (see FIGS. 4(b) and 4(c)). Therefore, the light emission brightness of the second light-emitting region A2 is lower than that of the first light-emitting region A1. In other words, in the second light-emitting region A2, one of the two optical fibers 5 is covered with the non-light-guiding thread 8, so the amount of light emitted is reduced compared to the first light-emitting region A1, and the light emission brightness is lowered.

[0020] As described above, in the skin material 3 of this embodiment, the optical fiber 5 has an exposed portion 5a exposed on the design surface side of the woven fabric 9 and a non-exposed portion 5b that is covered with non-light-guiding threads 8 and is not exposed on the design surface side of the woven fabric 9, and the woven fabric 9 is provided with a plurality of light-emitting regions A each having an exposed portion 5a of the optical fiber 5, and the light-emitting region A includes a first light-emitting region A1 and a second light-emitting region A2 having an exposed portion 5a smaller than the exposed portion 5a of the first light-emitting region A1. This makes it possible to easily adjust the light emission brightness of the optical fiber 5, one end of which is connected to a common light source 12, by weaving the woven fabric 9.

[0021] In this embodiment, the first light-emitting region A1 and the second light-emitting region A2 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of two adjacent optical fibers 5, and the first light-emitting region A1 has exposed portions 5a of the two optical fibers 5, while the second light-emitting region A2 has exposed portions 5a of one of the two optical fibers 5 and non-exposed portions 5b of the other optical fiber 5. This makes it possible to easily adjust the light emission brightness in two stages.

[0022] In this embodiment, the light emitting areas A are formed in a dot pattern, which makes it possible to create a dot-patterned light emitting design.

[0023] Furthermore, the ornament 1 of this embodiment includes the base material 2 and the above-described skin material 3 that covers the surface of the base material 2. As a result, by weaving the fabric 9, the luminous brightness of the optical fibers 5, one end of which is connected to the common light source 12, can be easily adjusted.

[0024] Here, a luminance measurement test of the skin material 3 of the experimental example will be described. As shown in Fig. 7, this skin material 3 has a first light-emitting region A1 and second light-emitting regions A2, A2'. In the first light-emitting region A1, light is emitted from the exposed portions 5a of the two optical fibers 5 (see Figs. 4(a) and 8). In the second light-emitting region A2, light is emitted only from the exposed portion 5a of the upper optical fiber 5 (see Fig. 4(b)). In the second light-emitting region A2', light is emitted only from the exposed portion 5a of the lower optical fiber 5 (see Fig. 4(c)).

[0025] In this brightness measurement test, one end of the optical fiber 5 crossing each of the light-emitting regions A1, A2, A2' of the covering material 3 was connected to a common light source 12 (LS-L150 manufactured by Sumita Optical Glass Co., Ltd.), and a brightness measuring device (CS-150 manufactured by Konica Minolta, Inc.) was used to measure the brightness of each of the light-emitting regions A1, A2, A2' located within a measurement range P (1.5 mm diameter) 300 mm from one longitudinal end of the covering material 3 four times from the vertical direction. The measurement results are shown in the table below.

[0026] [Table 1]

[0027] According to this brightness measurement test, the average measured brightness of the second light-emitting region A2 (1.29) and the average measured brightness of the second light-emitting region A2' (1.23) were approximately 2 / 3 times the average measured brightness of the first light-emitting region A1 (1.93). This indicates that reducing the amount of light emitted from two exposed portions 5a of the optical fibers 5 to one exposed portion 5a of the optical fiber 5 changes the brightness to approximately 2 / 3, that is, it is possible to change the brightness of optical fibers 5 at the same distance from the light source 12. The ratio (L2 / L1) of the brightness L1 of the first light-emitting region A1 to the brightness L2 of the second light-emitting regions A2, A2' is, for example, 0.3 to 0.8 (preferably 0.4 to 0.7, and particularly preferably 0.5 to 0.7).

[0028] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications within the scope of the present invention may be made depending on the purpose and application. In other words, while the above-described embodiment illustrates the light-emitting regions A1 and A2 crossed by two optical fibers 5, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a light-emitting region crossed by three or more optical fibers 5 may be used. According to this embodiment, the light-emitting brightness can be easily adjusted in three or more stages. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a woven fabric 9 may be provided with first to third light-emitting regions A1 to A3 crossed by three optical fibers 5. The first light-emitting region A1 has exposed portions 5a of three optical fibers 5 (see FIG. 9(a)), the second light-emitting region A2 has exposed portions 5a of two optical fibers 5 and non-exposed portions 5b of one optical fiber 5 (see FIGS. 9(b) and 9(c)), and the third light-emitting region A3 has exposed portions 5a of one optical fiber 5 and non-exposed portions 5b of two optical fibers 5 (see FIGS. 9(d) to 9(f)).

[0029] Furthermore, it is also possible to employ a light-emitting region traversed by, for example, a single optical fiber 5. For example, as shown in Fig. 10, a woven fabric 9 is provided with first and second light-emitting regions A1 and A2 traversed by a single optical fiber 5, and the first light-emitting region A1 has an exposed portion 5a of the single optical fiber 5 (see Fig. 10(a)), and the second light-emitting region A2 has an exposed portion 5a' (length of exposed portion 5a' < length of exposed portion 5a) and a non-exposed portion 5b of the single optical fiber (see Fig. 10(b)).

[0030] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was given of a light-emitting region A2 consisting of an exposed portion 5a of one of the two optical fibers 5 and a non-exposed portion 5b of the other optical fiber 5, but this is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in FIG. 11, a light-emitting region A2 consisting of an exposed portion 5a of one of the two optical fibers 5 and an exposed portion 5a' (length of exposed portion 5a' < length of exposed portion 5a) and non-exposed portion 5b of the other optical fiber 5 may be employed.

[0031] In addition, in the above embodiment, a dot-shaped (e.g., square, rectangular, etc.) light-emitting area A is exemplified, but this is not limited to this, and a light-emitting area A having, for example, a cross shape, an L shape, a T shape, or a relatively large surface shape may also be used.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the skin material 3 has light-emitting region groups G1, G2 arranged along the longitudinal direction D1 of the optical fibers 5, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 12(a), a skin material 3 having light-emitting region groups G1, G2 arranged along the juxtaposition direction D2 of the optical fibers 5 may be used. In this case, the first and second light-emitting regions A1, A2 are also arranged along the juxtaposition direction D2 of the optical fibers 5. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 12(b), a skin material 3 having light-emitting region groups G1, G2 arranged along the longitudinal direction D1 and the juxtaposition direction D2 of the optical fibers 5 may be used.

[0033] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ornament 1 constituting the vehicle door trim 21 has been exemplified as an interior part, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be used as interior parts constituting vehicle interior products (for example, interior products for vehicles such as automobiles and trains, aircraft, ships, etc.) such as door trim, instrument panel, roof trim, floor trim, luggage trim, rear side trim, rear parshell, package tray, pillar garnish, switch base, quarter panel, armrest, center console, overhead console, sun visor, seat, etc. Furthermore, the ornament 1 can be used as an interior part constituting furniture such as sofas and chairs or the interior walls of houses and buildings.

[0034] The foregoing examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the language used in describing and illustrating the invention is descriptive and exemplary, rather than limiting. As detailed herein, changes may be made within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention in its form. While the description of the invention has referred to specific structures, materials, and examples, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the disclosures therein; rather, the invention is intended to cover all functionally equivalent structures, methods, and uses within the scope of the appended claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0035] The present invention is widely used as a technology relating to a skin material having a fabric with optical fibers woven therein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1. Ornament (interior part) 2. Base material 3;Skin material 5;Optical fiber 5a; Exposed part 5b; Non-exposed part 8; Non-light-guiding yarn 9; Woven fabric A1: First light-emitting region A2: Second light-emitting region

Claims

1. A skin material comprising a fabric in which a side-emitting optical fiber constituting one of warp threads and weft threads and a non-light-guiding thread constituting the other thread are woven, the optical fiber has an exposed portion exposed to the design surface side of the fabric and a non-exposed portion covered with the non-light-guiding thread and not exposed to the design surface side of the fabric, the fabric is provided with a plurality of light-emitting regions each having the exposed portion of the optical fiber; The skin material, wherein the light-emitting region includes a first light-emitting region and a second light-emitting region having an exposed portion that is smaller than the exposed portion of the first light-emitting region.

2. the first light-emitting region and the second light-emitting region are arranged along a longitudinal direction of the plurality of optical fibers adjacent to each other, the first light-emitting region has the exposed portions of a plurality of the optical fibers; The skin material according to claim 1 , wherein the second light-emitting region has the exposed portions of some of the optical fibers and the unexposed portions of other of the optical fibers.

3. The skin material according to claim 1 , wherein the light-emitting regions are formed in a dot pattern.

4. An interior part comprising: a base material; and the skin material according to claim 1 that covers a surface of the base material.

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