Decorative glass panels for vehicle interiors

Abstract

The present invention relates to a decorative panel for the interior of a vehicle. The decorative panel comprises a glass sheet having an inner surface and an outer surface. The decorative panel further comprises a backing material. The backing material integrally covers the inner surface of the glass sheet. The backing material is made of a material adapted to be injection molded, the material exhibiting a hardness of at least 50 Shore A, preferably at least 60 Shore A. The luminous transmittance of the backing material is at least 1%, preferably at least 5%, more preferably at least 10%, even more preferably at least 50%. The present invention also relates to the use of such a decorative panel in combination with a light source. The present invention further relates to a method for manufacturing such a decorative panel.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to decorative glass panels, and more particularly to decorative glass panels that are particularly advantageous for automotive applications as interior vehicle glass, allowing for backlighting or illumination through the edges while meeting safety constraints. [Background technology]

[0002] Decorative glass panels are needed in the automotive market, especially in the luxury car segment. Decorative plastic panels are considered to be of low quality, especially from an aesthetic point of view. In addition, plastic is very sensitive to impacts and scratches compared to glass. Furthermore, plastics usually yellow with age, whereas glass maintains its optical quality for many years.

[0003] In addition, a decorative glass panel must meet two opposing demands: it must be durable and lightweight. The demand for durability tends towards thick glass sheets. However, such thick glass sheets are usually very heavy and increase the total weight of the vehicle. Therefore, there is a tendency to choose thin glass sheets, but in that case, security requirements are faced. In fact, if a decorative glass panel is installed in a vehicle and is broken, the safety of passengers against glass fragments must be ensured. The use of a safety film, which is usually a plastic layer placed adjacent to the glass panel to hold the glass fragments in case of breakage, would further increase the cost of the decorative panel, since an additional element would be used and the integration into the vehicle would be more complicated. Therefore, another option is to use tempered glass, which is strengthened either through thermal or chemical strengthening.

[0004] The automotive industry is looking for decorative glass panels that allow for further illumination. Decorative glass panels are usually made by gluing a glass sheet to a carrier. WO2020178383A1 describes a method for producing decorative panels by injecting a soft material between the glass sheet and the carrier. This document shows an example of edge illumination. However, such integration through the edge of the glass sheet often results in light contamination in the entire decorative glass panel, while car manufacturers are looking for a sharp and seamless design where light is present only in a portion of the decorative glass panel.

[0005] There is therefore a need for decorative glass panels that allow more flexibility in terms of lighting integration whilst ensuring compatibility with security requirements and industrial processes. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention relates to a decorative panel for the interior of a vehicle. Such a decorative panel comprises a glass sheet having an inner surface and an outer surface. The decorative panel further comprises a backing material. Such a backing material integrally covers the inner surface of the glass sheet. The backing material is adapted to fix the decorative panel to a vehicle. The backing material is made of a material adapted to be injection molded, such material exhibiting a hardness of at least 50 Shore A, preferably at least 60 Shore A. The luminous transmittance of the backing material is at least 1%, preferably at least 5%, more preferably at least 10%, even more preferably at least 50%.

[0007] The invention also relates to the use of such a decorative panel in combination with a light source.

[0008] The invention further relates to a method for producing such a decorative panel.

[0009] The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers refer to like elements in the various drawings. These examples are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be limiting. The drawings are schematic representations and are not to scale. The drawings are not limiting of the invention in any way. Further advantages are explained by way of examples. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1a shows a decorative panel according to one embodiment of the invention, and Figure 1b shows the same decorative panel with the addition of a primer.

[0011] [Diagram 2] Figure 2a shows a decorative panel according to another embodiment of the invention, and Figure 2b shows the same decorative panel with the addition of a primer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims.

[0013] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, some embodiments described herein include some features and not others that are included in other embodiments, but combinations of features from different embodiments are within the scope of the invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

[0014] The present invention proposes a decorative panel for the interior of a vehicle. The decorative panel according to the invention is attached to any part of the interior of a vehicle to provide better aesthetics or to fix or protect parts of the interior of the vehicle. Such decorative panels are attached to cover (fully or partially) the door, the contour of the door handle, parts of the dashboard or the center console (center console means the console between the front seats, which may extend towards the dashboard), the back of the seat (including the back of the headrest), the roof, the armrest, etc. Vehicle refers to any kind of vehicle, such as (but not limited to) cars, vans, trucks, motorcycles, buses, trams, trains, drones, planes, helicopters, etc.

[0015] The decorative panel comprises a glass sheet having an outer surface and an inner surface. The inner surface refers to the surface facing the carrier, and the outer surface refers to the surface opposite thereto. The composition of the glass sheet is not particularly limited. The glass sheet may be soda-lime silicate glass, aluminosilicate glass, alkali-free glass, borosilicate glass, etc. Preferably, the glass sheet of the present invention is made of soda-lime glass or aluminosilicate glass. The glass sheet according to the present invention may be a glass sheet obtained by the float process, the drawing process, the rolling process or any other process known for producing glass sheets from molten glass compositions. According to a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the glass sheet is a float glass sheet. The term "float glass sheet" is understood to mean a glass sheet formed by the float glass process, which includes flowing molten glass on a bath of molten tin under reducing conditions. The glass sheet preferably has a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.1 mm.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the invention, the glass sheet has a composition comprising, in contents expressed as a percentage of the total weight of the glass: SiO255~85% Al2O30-30% B2O30~20% Na2O 0~25% CaO 0~20% MgO 0~15% K2O 0~20% BaO 0-20%.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the glass sheet has a composition comprising, in contents expressed as a percentage of the total weight of the glass: SiO255~70% Al2O30-25% B2O30-10% Na2O 5~20% CaO 0~5% MgO 0~15% K2O 0~10% BaO 0-5%.

[0018] In a more preferred embodiment, the glass sheet has a composition comprising, in contents expressed as a percentage of the total weight of the glass: SiO260~70% Al2O35-20% B2O30~5% CaO 0~3% MgO 0~10% Na2O 10~20% K2O 0~5% BaO 0-5%.

[0019] In a more preferred embodiment, the glass sheet has a composition comprising, in contents expressed as a percentage of the total weight of the glass: SiO265~70% Al2O3 4-8% B2O30-1% CaO 0~2% MgO 7~12% Na2O 14~18% K2O 0~2% BaO 0-1%. Such a composition represents a good compromise between the mechanical performance of the glass after chemical strengthening and cost optimization.

[0020] In a more preferred embodiment, the glass sheet has a composition comprising, in contents expressed as a percentage of the total weight of the glass: SiO265~75% Al2O30-3% B2O30-1% CaO 5~10% MgO 4~8% Na2O 10~15% K2O 0~1% BaO 0-1%.

[0021] The decorative panel further includes a backing material that integrally covers the inner surface of the glass sheet. The backing material that integrally covers the inner surface of the glass sheet may increase safety for vehicle occupants in the event of glass sheet breakage. In fact, the glass sheet fragments may be prevented from scattering in the event of glass sheet breakage because the glass sheet fragments are adhered to the backing material.

[0022] The backing material is made of a material adapted to be injection molded. After curing, it exhibits a hardness of at least 50 Shore A, preferably at least 60 Shore A. The Shore A hardness scale measures the hardness of flexible molded rubber. ISO868:2003 specifies a method for determining the indentation hardness of plastics using two types of durometers (type A for soft materials and type D for hard materials). With this method it is possible to measure either the initial indentation or the indentation after a specified time, or both. This method is an empirical technique used mainly for control purposes. There is no simple relationship between the indentation hardness determined by this method and any of the fundamental properties of the test material.

[0023] The backing material may be made of a thermoplastic polymer, such as polypropylene, a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), such as an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPO), polyurethane, polyamide, soft polyvinyl chloride, silicone or similar material or any material suitable for injection molding, so long as it is transparent or translucent to visible light.

[0024] The backing material is required to be transparent or translucent to visible light. Visible light means light corresponding to the visible wavelength range, which is included in the range of 380 nm to 780 nm. In this specification, the total light transmittance is considered using a light source D65 (LTD) at an observation solid angle of 2° to quantify the luminous transmittance (according to the ISO 9050 standard). The luminous transmittance represents the percentage of the radiant flux of wavelengths 380 nm to 780 nm that is transmitted through the adhesive layer. By transparent or translucent, it is understood that the backing material has a luminous transmittance of at least 1%. The luminous transmittance of the backing material can be at least 3%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 99%.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the inner surface of the glass sheet is at least partially coated with an opaque layer having a luminous transmittance of less than 1%. To quantify the luminous transmittance, the total light transmittance with illuminant D65 (LTD) at an observation solid angle of 2° is considered (according to the ISO 9050 standard). The luminous transmittance represents the percentage of the radiant flux of wavelengths between 380 nm and 780 nm that is transmitted through the opaque layer. Such an opaque layer can be an ink layer, a lacquer, an enamel, a paint, a layer deposited by plasma deposition. Such an opaque layer can be deposited on the glass sheet by any method known in the art. Non-limiting examples of deposition processes for decoration include silk screen printing, inkjet printing, laser printing or screen printing methods. The preferred method is silk screen printing, mainly due to its ability to generate high quality colored patterns, its flexibility and its fast deposition rate. Inkjet printing is also a preferred method due to its great flexibility in terms of design. A combination of silk screen printing and inkjet printing can also be used to exploit the advantages of both techniques. Other deposition methods include spraying or curtain coater techniques. Alternatively, the opaque layer can be a polymeric film, in which case it is deposited by a conventional lamination process.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the inner surface of the glass sheet is at least partially coated with a translucent or transparent layer having a luminous transmittance of at least 1%. The luminous transmittance of this layer may be at least 3%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 99%. To quantify the luminous transmittance, the total light transmittance with illuminant D65 (LTD) at an observation solid angle of 2° is considered (according to the ISO 9050 standard). The luminous transmittance represents the proportion of the radiant flux of light with wavelengths between 380 nm and 780 nm that is transmitted through the translucent or transparent layer. Such a translucent or transparent layer may be an ink layer, a lacquer, an enamel, a paint, a layer deposited by plasma deposition. Such a translucent or transparent layer may be deposited on the glass sheet by any method known in the art. Non-limiting examples of deposition processes for decoration include silk screen printing, inkjet printing, laser printing or screen printing methods. The preferred method is silk screen printing, mainly due to its ability to produce high quality colored patterns, its flexibility and its fast deposition rate. Inkjet printing is also a preferred method due to its great flexibility in terms of design. A combination of silk screen printing and inkjet printing can also be used to take advantage of the advantages of both techniques. Other deposition methods include spray or curtain coater techniques. Alternatively, the translucent or transparent layer can be a polymeric film, which is then deposited by a conventional lamination process.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the backing material obtained by injection molding is further applied to at least one edge of the glass sheet. That is, not only is the backing material injected to cover the inner surface of the glass sheet, but the backing material also covers at least one edge of the glass sheet. Such a configuration allows light to pass in the area around the glass sheet without the glass being contaminated by light leakage (separation of the optical system from the glass). It also allows the entire glass surface to be covered with a unique (opaque) decorative layer. Thus, there is no need to add a semi-transparent layer to hide the light source on the back side of the glass, which allows cost reduction and easy processing with 100% homogeneity and no constraints on the printing position. Furthermore, such a configuration makes it easier to integrate and the backing material acts as a soft seal in case of possible contact with rigid surrounding parts. This effectively prevents, for example, noise generation due to vibration.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the glass sheet is chemically strengthened. Chemically strengthened glass allows the glass to be cold bent and thus to be shaped into the desired shape. Chemical strengthening also improves the mechanical resistance of the glass sheet.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the inner surface of the glass sheet further comprises a primer. Thus, the primer is applied to the inner surface of the glass sheet that is at least partially pre-coated with the decoration. The use of such a primer improves adhesion to the backing material. Such a primer can be, for example, a primer that comprises a silane.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the outer surface of the glass sheet is also decorated with paint, through etching, or with a layer deposited by plasma deposition.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, rigid elements are added to the backing material, which may be used to strengthen the backing material or to facilitate fastening the decorative panel to the interior of the vehicle.

[0032] The invention also proposes the use of a decorative panel as described above in combination with a light source, the decorative panel being fixed to the interior of the vehicle.

[0033] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a decorative panel for the interior of a vehicle, comprising the steps of: a) providing a glass sheet having an inner surface and an outer surface; b) injection molding a backing material completely covering the inner surface of the glass sheet, the backing material being adapted to secure a decorative panel to a vehicle; c) curing the backing, the backing exhibiting in its cured form a hardness of at least 50 Shore A, preferably at least 60 Shore A, and the luminous transmittance of the backing (20) in its cured form is at least 1%, preferably at least 5%, more preferably at least 10%, even more preferably at least 50%. We also propose a method including:

[0034] The luminous transmittance of this layer can be at least 3%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 99%.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises a step a' subsequent to step a, which consists of at least partially coating the inner surface of the glass sheet with a layer having a luminous transmittance of less than 1%.

[0036] In another embodiment, the method includes a step a' subsequent to step a, which comprises at least partially coating the inner surface of the glass sheet with a layer having a luminous transmittance of at least 1%, which may be at least 3%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 99%.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the method includes the step of coating the inner surface of the glass sheet with a primer prior to step b.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, a backing material is further applied to the edges of the glass sheet.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, stiff elements are further added to the backing material after step c.

[0040] Referring to Figure 1a, the decorative panel (1) comprises a glass sheet (30). An outer surface (32) of the glass sheet (30) faces the interior (not shown) of the vehicle to which the decorative panel (1) is fixed. An inner surface (31) of the glass sheet (30) is at least partially coated with a layer (300) having a luminous transmittance of either less than 1% or at least 1%. The luminous transmittance of this layer can be at least 3%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 99%.

[0041] The backing (20) completely covers the inner surface (31) of the glass sheet (30). The backing is made of a material adapted to be injection molded, such material exhibiting a hardness of at least 50 Shore A, preferably at least 60 Shore A. The backing (2) is shown to include two protrusions (100) for fastening the trim panel (1) to the interior of the vehicle. Other means of fastening such trim panels will be known to those skilled in the art.

[0042] FIG. 1b shows a similar embodiment to FIG. 1a, except that an additional primer (350) is deposited on the inner surface (31) of the glass sheet (30) to improve adhesion of the backing material (20).

[0043] Referring to Figure 2a, the decorative panel (1) comprises a glass sheet (30). An outer surface (32) of the glass sheet (30) faces the interior (not shown) of the vehicle to which the decorative panel (1) is fixed. An inner surface (31) of the glass sheet (30) is at least partially coated with a layer (300) having a luminous transmittance of either less than 1% or at least 1%. The luminous transmittance of this layer can be at least 3%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 99%.

[0044] The backing (20) completely covers the inner surface (31) of the glass sheet (30) as well as the edges of the glass sheet (30). The backing is made of a material adapted to be injection molded, such material exhibiting a hardness of at least 50 Shore A, preferably at least 60 Shore A. The backing (2) is shown to include two protrusions (100) for fastening the trim panel (1) to the interior of the vehicle. Other means of fastening such trim panels will be known to those skilled in the art.

[0045] FIG. 2b shows a similar embodiment to FIG. 2a, except that an additional primer (350) is deposited on the inner surface (31) of the glass sheet (30) to improve adhesion of the backing material (20).

[0046] While the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered as illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. In the foregoing description, specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. However, no matter how detailed the above description may appear in the text, it will be understood that the invention can be practiced in many ways. The present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

Claims

1. A decorative panel (1) for the interior of a vehicle, comprising: a. a glass sheet (30) including an inner surface (31) and an outer surface (32); b. a backing material (20) integrally covering the inner surface (31) of the glass sheet (30), the backing material (20) being adapted to fix the decorative panel (1) to the vehicle, being made of a material adapted to be injection molded, and the material exhibiting a hardness of at least 50 Shore A, preferably at least 60 Shore A; The decorative panel (1) is characterized in that the luminous transmittance of the backing material (20) is at least 1%, preferably at least 5%, more preferably at least 10%, and even more preferably at least 50%.

2. 2. A decorative panel (1) for the interior of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface (31) of the glass sheet (30) is at least partially coated with a layer (300) having a luminous transmittance of less than 1%.

3. 2. A decorative panel (1) for the interior of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface (31) of the glass sheet (30) is at least partially coated with a layer (300) having a luminous transmittance of at least 1%.

4. Decorative panel (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the backing material (20) is further applied to at least one edge of the glass sheet (30).

5. Decorative panel (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the glass sheet (30) is chemically strengthened.

6. Decorative panel (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a primer (350) is arranged between the backing material (20) and the glass sheet (30).

7. Decorative panel (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outer surface (32) of the glass sheet (30) is decorated with a paint, through etching or with a layer deposited by plasma deposition.

8. Decorative panel (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the backing (20) is supplemented with rigid elements.

9. Use of a decorative panel (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8 in combination with a light source, said decorative panel being fixed to the interior of a vehicle.

10. A method for manufacturing a decorative panel (1) for the interior of a vehicle, comprising the steps of: a. providing a glass sheet (30) having an inner surface (31) and an outer surface (32); b. Injecting a backing material (20) completely covering the inner surface (31) of the glass sheet (30), the backing material (20) being adapted to fix the decorative panel (1) to the vehicle; c. curing said backing material (20), wherein said backing material (20) in its cured form exhibits a hardness of at least 50 Shore A, preferably at least 60 Shore A, and wherein said backing material (20) in its cured form has a luminous transmittance of at least 1%, preferably at least 5%, more preferably at least 10%, and even more preferably at least 50%. The method includes:

11. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising a step a′ subsequent to step a, the step a′ consisting of at least partially coating the inner surface (31) of the glass sheet (30) with a layer (300) having a luminous transmittance of less than 1%.

12. 11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising a step a' subsequent to step a, the step a' consisting of at least partially coating the inner surface (31) of the glass sheet (30) with a layer (300) having a luminous transmittance of at least 1%.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, comprising, before step b., coating the inner surface (31) of the glass sheet (30) with a primer (350).

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the backing material (20) is further applied to the edges of the glass sheet (30).

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein further rigid elements are added to the backing material (20) after step c.

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