Design panel and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

The present invention provides a design panel capable of forming a three-dimensional design and a method for manufacturing the same. [Solution] The design panel 1 comprises a first design member 2 having a plurality of openings 23, a first design 25 composed of the plurality of openings 23, a second design member 4 arranged on the back surface 21 side of the first design member 2, a second design 45 provided on the second design member 4 and consisting of a plurality of transmissive parts 42 that transmit at least a portion of the illumination light 60 and a plurality of light-shielding parts 43 that block at least a portion of the illumination light 60, with at least a portion of the transmissive parts 42 and light-shielding parts 43 exposed from the openings 23, and a third design 13 that, when illuminated by illumination light 60, becomes a superimposed design 12 in which the first design 25 and the second design 45 exposed from the openings 23 are superimposed, and when not illuminated, switches to a non-superimposed design 11 different from the first design 25 and the superimposed design 12.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a design panel and a method for manufacturing the same.

Background Art

[0002] As a conventional technique, a display device is known that has a thin film layer on the first surface of a veneer of natural wood, and on the second surface opposite to the first surface of the thin film layer, there are a transparent base material, a metallic concealment layer as a first concealment layer, a light diffusion layer, a light color adjustment layer, and a second concealment layer, with the metallic concealment layer being disposed closer to the veneer side than the second concealment layer and the light color adjustment layer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] This display device can visually recognize the original texture of the veneer. When the light source is turned off, only the original wood grain or color of the veneer can be visually recognized. When the light source is turned on, light displaying arbitrary characters or marks, etc., on a part of the veneer surface can be visually recognized, enabling an excellent light expression effect with design characteristics.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Conventional display devices are for visually recognizing the wood grain or color of the veneer body and it is difficult to form a three-dimensional design.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a design panel capable of forming a three-dimensional design and a method for manufacturing the same.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] One aspect of the present invention provides a design panel comprising: a first design member having a plurality of openings; a first design composed of the plurality of openings; a second design member disposed on the back side of the first design member; a second design provided on the second design member, comprising a plurality of transmissive portions that transmit at least a portion of illumination light and a plurality of light-shielding portions that block at least a portion of illumination light, with at least a portion of the transmissive portions and light-shielding portions exposed from the openings; a substrate interposed between a light source that transmits at least a portion of illumination light and outputs illumination light and the second design member; and a third design that, when illuminated by illumination light, becomes a superimposed design in which the first design and the second design exposed from the openings are superimposed, and when not illuminated, switches to a non-superimposed design different from the first design and the superimposed design.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a design panel, which includes forming a first design on a first design member comprising a plurality of openings, forming a second design on a second design member comprising a plurality of transmissive portions that transmit at least some illumination light and a plurality of light-shielding portions that block at least some illumination light, with at least some of the transmissive portions and light-shielding portions exposed from the openings, arranging the first design member, an adhesive layer and the second design member in that order in a mold, pouring molten resin into the cavity of the mold and performing insert molding to form a substrate that transmits at least some illumination light on the back side of the second design member, thereby obtaining a design panel having a third design that, when illuminated, becomes a superimposed design in which the first design and the second design exposed from the openings are superimposed, and when not illuminated, switches to a non-superimposed design different from the first design and the superimposed design. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, a three-dimensional design can be formed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1(a) shows an example of a non-overlapping design of the design panel according to the embodiment when it is not illuminated, and Figure 1(b) shows an example of an overlapping design of the design panel when it is illuminated. [Figure 2]Figure 2(a) is a diagram showing an example of the first design of the design panel according to the embodiment, and Figure 2(b) is a diagram showing an example of the second design. [Figure 3] Figure 3(a) is an example of a cross-sectional view of a design panel according to an embodiment, taken by cutting along the line III(a)-III(a) in Figure 1(a), viewed from the direction of the arrow. Figure 3(b) is a diagram showing an example of the interior of a vehicle in which the design panel is arranged. [Figure 4] Figures 4(a) to 4(d) show an example of a manufacturing method for a design panel according to an embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] (Summary of the embodiment) The design panel according to the embodiment is generally configured to include: a first design member having a plurality of openings; a first design composed of a plurality of openings; a second design member disposed on the back side of the first design member; a second design provided on the second design member, consisting of a plurality of transmissive parts that transmit at least a portion of the illumination light and a plurality of light-shielding parts that block at least a portion of the illumination light, with at least a portion of the transmissive parts and light-shielding parts exposed from the openings; a base material interposed between a light source that transmits at least a portion of the illumination light and outputs the illumination light and the second design member; and a third design that, when illuminated by illumination light, becomes a superimposed design in which the first design and the second design exposed from the openings are superimposed, and when not illuminated, switches to a non-superimposed design different from the first design and the superimposed design.

[0012] Furthermore, a method for manufacturing a design panel according to another embodiment includes forming a first design on a first design member, which is composed of a plurality of openings; forming a second design on a second design member, which consists of a plurality of transparent parts that transmit at least some illumination light and a plurality of light-shielding parts that block at least some illumination light, with at least some of the transparent parts and light-shielding parts exposed from the openings; arranging the first design member, adhesive layer and second design member in that order in a mold; pouring molten resin into the cavity of the mold and performing insert molding to form a substrate that transmits at least some illumination light on the back side of the second design member; obtaining a design panel having a third design that, when illuminated, becomes a superimposed design in which the first design and the second design exposed from the openings are superimposed, and when not illuminated, switches to a non-superimposed design different from the first design and the superimposed design.

[0013] In this design panel and method for manufacturing the design panel, the second design member is positioned away from the first design member, and when illuminated, the second design exposed at the opening of the first design member and the first design are superimposed to form a superimposed design. Therefore, compared to the case where the first design member is made transparent to superimpose the second design and the first design, a three-dimensional design can be formed.

[0014] [Embodiment] (Overview of Design Panel 1) Figure 1(a) shows an example of the non-overlapping design of the design panel according to the embodiment when it is not illuminated, and Figure 1(b) shows an example of the overlapping design of the design panel when it is illuminated. Figure 2(a) shows an example of the first design of the design panel according to the embodiment, and Figure 2(b) shows an example of the second design. Figure 3(a) shows an example of a cross-sectional view of the design panel according to the embodiment, cut along the line III(a)-III(a) in Figure 1(a), viewed from the direction of the arrow, and Figure 3(b) shows an example of the interior of a vehicle in which the design panel is arranged. Note that in each figure relating to the embodiment described below, the ratios and shapes between figures may differ from the actual ratios and shapes. Also, "X~Y" indicating a numerical range shall be used to mean X or more and Y or less. First, the outline of design panel 1 will be described below.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1(a) to 3(a), the design panel 1 includes a first design member 2 having a plurality of openings 23, a first design 25 configured to include the plurality of openings 23, a second design member 4 disposed on the back surface 21 side of the first design member 2, a plurality of transmissive portions 42 provided in the second design member 4 and configured to transmit at least a part of the illumination light 60, and a plurality of light shielding portions 43 configured to shield at least a part of the illumination light 60. At least a part of the transmissive portions 42 and the light shielding portions 43 is exposed from the openings 23. The second design 45 is formed. When the illumination light 60 is illuminated, a superimposed design 12 is formed in which the first design 25 and the second design 45 exposed from the openings 23 are superimposed. When not illuminated, a third design 13 is provided which switches to a non-superimposed design 11 different from the first design 25 and the superimposed design 12.

[0016] The second design member 4 is a sheet that transmits at least a part of the illumination light 60. The second design 45 is formed on the sheet, and the light shielding portions 43 are formed by an ink material that shields at least a part of the illumination light 60.

[0017] The first design member 2 is a protruding plate. This protruding plate is, for example, a plate-like member obtained by thinly processing a natural material such as bamboo or solid wood.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3(a), the design panel 1 includes a base material 5 interposed between a light source 6 that transmits at least a part of the illumination light 60 and outputs the illumination light 60 and the second design member 4. This light source 6 is, for example, a light emitting element.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2(a), the first design 25 includes a plurality of elongated openings 23 and a plurality of non-opening portions 22 of the first design member 2 that are elongated portions between the openings 23, which are regularly arranged along a first direction A. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the second design 45 includes a plurality of transmissive portions 42 and a plurality of light shielding portions 43, which are regularly arranged along a second direction B that intersects the first direction A. As shown in FIG. 1(b), the third design 13 is a lattice-like design such as a four-in-hand weave in which the non-opening portions 22 and the light shielding portions 43 exposed from the openings 23 intersect three-dimensionally.

[0020] As an example, the design panel 1 is disposed in the vehicle interior such as the instrument panel 90, the center console 91, the floor console 92, and the door trim 93 as shown in FIG. 3(b).

[0021] (Configuration of the First Design Member 2) The first design member 2 of the present embodiment is, for example, bamboo as a natural material, but is not limited thereto. Also, the first design member 2 is, for example, 0.25 to 0.3 mm in thickness, but is not limited thereto. Since the first design member 2 has a thin plate shape with a number of openings 23 penetrating from the front surface 20 to the back surface 21, it is easy to deform not only into a planar shape but also into a curved surface shape.

[0022] This first design member 2 is configured such that, as an example, the second design 45 is substantially invisible through the non-opening portion 22 and the connecting portion 24 by the illumination light 60. As a modification, the first design member 2 may be configured such that at least a part of the second design 45 is visible through the non-opening portion 22 and the connecting portion 24 by the illumination light 60.

[0023] The openings 23 of the first design member 2 are formed, for example, by a laser processing method, a punching processing method, etc., but are not limited thereto.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2(a), the openings 23 have an elongated rectangular shape. The openings 23 are arranged at equal intervals in the upper right oblique direction of the paper surface of FIG. 2(a), that is, in the first direction A, and are also arranged at equal intervals in the direction intersecting the first direction A. The openings 23 are, for example, 1 to 2 mm in width W1 and 15 to 20 mm in length L1, but are not limited thereto.

[0025] The non-opening portion 22 between adjacent openings 23 is, for example, 1 to 2 mm in width W2, but is not limited thereto.

[0026] The connecting portion 24 between the non-openings 22 has a width W3 of 1 mm or less, for example, but is not limited to this. Due to the misalignment at the connecting portion 24, the openings 23 and non-openings 22 are not aligned in a straight line, but are slightly misaligned and aligned along the first direction A.

[0027] (Configuration of the second design element 4) The second design element 4 may, for example, be a transparent sheet, but may be smoked to reduce its transmittance. The second design element 4 may also be made of a natural material. The second design element 4 has an adhesive layer 3 on its surface 40 and is attached to the back surface 21 of the first design element 2. The second design 45 is formed on the back surface 41 of the second design element 4 by printing. The light-shielding portion 43 may, for example, be printed in a color similar to the bamboo used in the first design element 2, but is not limited to this, and may be other colors.

[0028] In this embodiment, "exposed to the opening 23" includes being visible from the opening 23. In other words, "exposed to the opening 23" indicates a state in which it is visible from the opening 23.

[0029] The printing of the second design 45 may be on the front surface 40 or on both sides. Furthermore, the printing of the second design 45 may be, for example, letterpress printing, inkjet printing, laser printing, etc., and is not limited to these.

[0030] Furthermore, the light-transmitting portion 42 and the light-shielding portion 43 may be configured to have multiple transmittances, rather than each having a single transmittance. For example, the light-shielding portion 43 may have regions with multiple transmittances. Therefore, as an example, the light-transmitting portion 42 and the light-shielding portion 43 may be configured with a transmittance of 50% as the dividing line, with the higher end being the light-transmitting portion 42 and the lower end being the light-shielding portion 43.

[0031] The second design element 4 may have a thickness of 100 μm, for example, but is not limited to this.

[0032] The adhesive layer 3 is, for example, a hot-melt sheet, which adheres the first design member 2 and the second design member 4 by the heat applied. This adhesive layer 3 has a thickness of 0.1 mm, for example, but is not limited to this.

[0033] The transparent portion 42 is not printed and transmits illumination light 60. The light-shielding portion 43 is formed by printing and blocks the illumination light 60. The light-shielding portion 43 has a thickness of 1 μm, for example, but is not limited to this. The light-shielding portion 43 may also be configured to transmit some of the illumination light 60.

[0034] The transparent portion 42 has a width W4 of 1 to 2 mm, for example, but is not limited to this. The connecting portion 44 between the transparent portions 42 has a width W6 of 1 mm or less, for example, but is not limited to this.

[0035] The light-shielding portion 43 may, for example, have a width W5 of 1 to 2 mm and a length L2 of 15 to 20 mm, but is not limited to these dimensions.

[0036] Due to a misalignment at the connecting portion 44, the transparent portion 42 and the light-shielding portion 43 are not aligned in a straight line, but are slightly misaligned and aligned along the second direction B.

[0037] As shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), the second design 45 is a design in which the light-shielding portions 43 are arranged in a second direction B that is 90° different from the first direction A in which the openings 23 are arranged, that is, a design that is symmetrical to the first design 25. Therefore, the superimposed design 12 is a design that resembles woven bamboo.

[0038] (Composition of base material 5) The base material 5 is formed using a transparent resin material such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or polycarbonate. In this embodiment, the base material 5 is smoked to suppress the transmittance of illumination light 60.

[0039] Therefore, when the illumination light 60 is not illuminating, the design panel 1, as shown in Figure 1(a), has the transparent portion 42 of the second design member 4 exposed to the opening 23 of the first design member 2 appearing as the smoke color of the base material 5.

[0040] (Regarding non-overlapping designs 11 and overlapping designs 12) As described above, the third design 13 has two designs, as shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b): a non-overlapping design 11 when no lighting is applied, and an overlapping design 12 when lighting is applied.

[0041] As shown in Figure 1(a), the non-overlapping design 11 has the second design 45 exposed in the opening 23, but since it is not illuminated, the translucent portion 42 becomes the smoke color of the base material 5, resulting in a design that is close to a so-called blackout. Therefore, the non-overlapping design 11 differs from the design with only the first design 25, and also differs from the overlapping design 12 in which the second design 45 in the opening 23 is illuminated.

[0042] As shown in Figure 1(b), the superimposed design 12 is a third design 13 in which the first design 25 and the second design 45 are superimposed, with the second design 45 exposed in the opening 23 being illuminated.

[0043] The first design 25 and the second design 45 appear brighter than when not illuminated due to the transmission of some of the illumination light 60. Therefore, the superimposed design 12 becomes a superimposed design of the first design 25, which is brighter when illuminated, and the second design 45, which is also brighter when illuminated.

[0044] (Regarding variations) As a modified example, the design panel 1 may be configured to further include at least one design member having a design, positioned on the back surface 41 side of the second design member 4. In this case, the third design 13 is formed by superimposing the designs of the first design 25, the second design 45, and at least one design member.

[0045] Since this design panel 1 has further designs below the first design 25 and the second design 45, the distance from the first design 25 to the lowest design is greater compared to when this configuration is not adopted, and a more three-dimensional third design 13 can be obtained.

[0046] Another possible modification is that the design panel 1 may include an intervening layer between the base material 5 and the second design member 4, or between the first design member 2 and the second design member 4. This intervening layer may be, for example, a transparent sheet or a transparent resin plate. When the intervening layer is intervened between the base material 5 and the second design member 4, it prevents molten resin 50 from penetrating between the light-shielding portion 43 during insert molding. When the intervening layer is intervened between the first design member 2 and the second design member 4, the distance between the first design 25 and the second design 45 increases, making the superimposed design 12 more three-dimensional.

[0047] An example of a manufacturing method for the design panel 1 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings in Figures 4(a) to 4(c).

[0048] (Manufacturing method for design panel 1) As an example of a manufacturing method for the design panel 1, a first design 25 comprising a plurality of openings 23 is formed on a first design member 2, a second design 45 comprising a plurality of transmissive portions 42 that transmit at least a portion of the illumination light 60 and a plurality of light-shielding portions 43 that block at least a portion of the illumination light 60, with at least a portion of the transmissive portions 42 and light-shielding portions 43 exposed from the openings 23 is formed on a second design member 4, and the first design member 2, adhesive layer 3 and second design member 4 are arranged in the mold 8 in that order. The method involves placing the mold 8 into a cavity 82 and insert molding the molten resin 50 to form a substrate 5 on the back surface 41 side of the second design member 4 that transmits at least a portion of the illumination light 60, thereby obtaining a design panel 1 having a third design 13 that, when illuminated by the illumination light 60, has the first design 25 and the second design 45 exposed from the opening 23 superimposed to form a superimposed design 12, and when not illuminated, switches to a non-superimposed design 11 that is different from the first design 25 and the superimposed design 12.

[0049] Specifically, as shown in Figure 4(a), a first design 25 comprising a plurality of openings 23 is formed on the first design member 2.

[0050] As shown in Figure 4(b), a second design 45 having a plurality of transparent portions 42 and a plurality of light-shielding portions 43 is formed on the second design member 4. Note that the first design 25 and the second design 45 may be formed in any order.

[0051] As shown in Figure 4(c), the first design member 2, the adhesive layer 3, and the second design member 4 are arranged in the mold 8 in that order. This mold 8 is, for example, composed of a first mold 80 and a second mold 81. The mold 8 is formed by integrating the first mold 80 and the second mold 81 to create a cavity 82. The first design member 2, the adhesive layer 3, and the second design member 4 are placed in this cavity 82.

[0052] As shown in Figure 4(d), molten resin 50 is poured into the cavity 82 of the mold 8 and insert molding is performed to form the base material 5 on the back surface 41 side of the second design member 4.

[0053] Then, as shown in Figure 3(a), after the molten resin 50 hardens and the base material 5 is formed, it is removed from the mold 8 to obtain a design panel 1 having the third design 13.

[0054] (Effects of the embodiment) The design panel 1 according to this embodiment can form a three-dimensional design. Specifically, the design panel 1 has a second design member 4 positioned away from the first design member 2, and when illuminated, it can form a superimposed design 12 in which the second design 45 exposed in the opening 23 of the first design member 2 and the first design 25 are superimposed. This allows for the formation of a three-dimensional design compared to the case where the first design member is made transparent to superimpose the second design and the first design.

[0055] In the design panel 1, since the second design 45 is a symmetrical design to the first design 25, compared to a design that does not employ this configuration, the non-opening 22 and the light-shielding portion 43 of the second design 45 exposed to the opening 23 have a superior three-dimensional design that looks as if natural materials such as bamboo are woven together. Furthermore, since the design panel 1 can obtain a design that looks as if natural materials such as bamboo are woven together without actually weaving them together, it does not require the weaving process, and thus manufacturing costs can be reduced compared to the weaving method.

[0056] Since the design panel 1 can switch between a non-overlapping design 11 and an overlapping design 12 for the third design 13 depending on whether it is illuminated or not, it offers a greater degree of design freedom compared to forming a single design.

[0057] Although embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments and modifications are merely examples and do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. These novel embodiments and modifications can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, not all combinations of features described in these embodiments and modifications are essential means for solving the problem of the invention. Moreover, these embodiments and modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0058] 1…Design panel, 2…First design component, 3…Adhesive layer, 4…Second design component, 5…Base material, 6…Light source, 8…Mold, 11…Non-overlapping design, 12…Overlapping design, 13…Third design, 20…Front surface, 21…Back surface, 22…Non-opening, 23…Opening, 24…Connecting part, 25…First design, 40…Front surface, 41…Back surface, 42…Transmitting part, 43…Light-shielding part, 44…Connecting part, 45…Second design, 50…Molten resin, 60…Illumination light, 82…Cavity

Claims

1. A first design member having multiple openings, A first design comprising a plurality of the aforementioned openings, A second design member is positioned on the back side of the first design member, The second design member is provided with a plurality of transparent portions that transmit at least a portion of the illumination light, and a plurality of light-shielding portions that block at least a portion of the illumination light, and the second design is such that at least a portion of the transparent portions and the light-shielding portions are exposed from the opening, A substrate interposed between a light source that transmits at least a portion of the illumination light and outputs the illumination light and the second design member, When the illumination light is on, the first design and the second design exposed from the opening are superimposed to form a superimposed design, and when the light is off, a third design is formed that switches to a non-superimposed design different from the first design and the superimposed design. A design panel equipped with [features / features].

2. The second design member is a sheet that transmits at least a portion of the illumination light, The second design is formed on the sheet, and the light-shielding portion is formed by an ink material that blocks at least a portion of the illumination light. The design panel according to claim 1.

3. The first design element is a veneer. The design panel according to claim 2.

4. The first design has a plurality of elongated openings and a plurality of non-opening portions of the first design member, which are elongated portions between the openings, arranged regularly along a first direction. The second design is such that the plurality of transparent portions and the plurality of light-shielding portions are arranged regularly along a second direction that intersects with the first direction. The third design is a grid-like design, similar to a four-eye weave, in which the non-opening portion and the light-shielding portion exposed from the opening intersect three-dimensionally. The design panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. Furthermore, the second design member is provided with at least one design member having a design, which is positioned on the back side of the second design member. The third design is formed by superimposing the first design, the second design, and the design of at least one design member. The design panel according to claim 4.

6. A first design, comprising multiple openings, is formed on the first design member. A second design is formed on the second design member, comprising a plurality of transparent portions that transmit at least a portion of the illumination light, and a plurality of light-shielding portions that block at least a portion of the illumination light, wherein at least a portion of the transparent portions and the light-shielding portions are exposed from the opening. The first design member, the adhesive layer, and the second design member are arranged in the mold in that order. Molten resin is poured into the cavity of the mold and insert molding is performed to form a substrate that transmits at least a portion of the illumination light on the back side of the second design member. When illuminated by the aforementioned illumination light, the first design and the second design exposed from the opening are superimposed to form a superimposed design, and when not illuminated, the design panel has a third design that switches to a non-superimposed design different from the first design and the superimposed design. A method for manufacturing decorative panels.

Images