Speaker interior lighting unit, speaker having the same, and vehicle having such a speaker

Abstract

The present invention relates to a speaker interior illumination unit (1) for backlighting a speaker cover (2) of a speaker (4) having at least one opening (3), in particular the speaker grill. Essentially, the speaker interior illumination unit (1) comprises an acoustically transparent luminous fabric (6) that is set up to emit light and that can be disposed between the speaker unit (5) of the speaker (4) and the speaker cover (2), the luminous fabric being formed by or comprising light-emitting, illuminable, or self-luminous threads (8). The present invention particularly relates to a speaker (4) having such a speaker interior illumination unit (1), and more particularly to a vehicle (24) having at least one such speaker (4).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a speaker interior lighting body for backlighting a speaker cover, for example a speaker grille, of a speaker having at least one opening, as set forth in the preamble of claim 1. The invention relates in particular to a speaker equipped with such a speaker interior lighting body, and more particularly to a motor vehicle equipped with at least one such speaker. [Background technology]

[0002] A speaker typically has a speaker cover visible from the outside, e.g., in the form of a speaker grill, through which the generated acoustic signal passes toward the surroundings. For aesthetic reasons and to improve customer comfort, the speaker can be equipped with internal lighting, which is used to backlight the speaker cover. However, with speaker covers made of thin sheet metal, thin plastic materials, or fiber materials, the desired uniform and full-surface backlighting is associated with relatively high design costs or cannot be realized. For such backlighting, currently, light guides and scattering media (e.g., scattering plates) are required, but due to their relatively large dimensions, they can only couple light into the speaker laterally, especially between the speaker unit and the speaker cover, which is disadvantageous for uniform backlighting. Furthermore, light guides and scattering plates used for backlighting have disadvantages with regard to the required acoustic passage through the speaker. They are usually solid, compact objects made of transparent or translucent materials, which can significantly attenuate the generated acoustic signal. From US Pat. No. 5,629,991 and US Pat. No. 5,629,991, luminescent fabrics are known which are used for ambient lighting, especially in motor vehicles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] DE102012013105A1 [Patent Document 2] DE102012006712A1 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide an improved or at least alternative embodiment of a speaker interior illumination body, in particular a speaker having such an interior illumination body, and in particular a vehicle having such a speaker. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to the present invention, this problem is solved in particular by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims and the description.

[0006] The basic idea of ​​the present invention is to realize backlighting of a speaker cover of a speaker by using an interior speaker illumination body having a luminous fabric.

[0007] To this end, the present invention proposes a speaker interior illumination body for a speaker, which is set up to backlight a speaker cover, such as a speaker grill, of a speaker having at least one opening. The speaker interior illumination body according to the present invention is characterized by an acoustically transparent luminous fabric set up to emit light, which can be or is arranged between a speaker unit of the speaker for providing an acoustic signal and the speaker cover, and which luminous fabric is formed from or comprises light-emitting self-luminous or illuminable yarns.

[0008] Furthermore, the luminous fabric of the proposed speaker interior illumination body can be used to realize not only conventional point illumination, but also area illumination, i.e., particularly diffuse, and uniform in all directions, particularly determined by the dimensions of the luminous fabric. Furthermore, the luminous fabric is relatively compact due to the typical area shape of the fabric, and is therefore lightweight and can be relatively easily integrated into the speaker, while having almost no effect on other components of the speaker. The luminous fabric is particularly configured to be acoustically transparent so that the acoustic signal provided by the speaker unit of the speaker is virtually not attenuated, thereby providing the speaker user with a pleasant acoustical and auditory effect that remains unchanged despite the built-in backlighting. This provides an overall desirable speaker interior illumination body that can be used to realize uniform backlighting of the speaker cover of the speaker, a pleasant visual light effect for the speaker user, and the best possible acoustic experience.

[0009] The present invention understands the concept of "emitting" to mean radiating, scattering, or transmitting. Furthermore, the aforementioned self-luminous yarn according to the present invention is a yarn that can generate and emit light by itself using an appropriate resource, such as an energy source. In contrast, an illuminable yarn is understood in the present invention to be a yarn that cannot generate light by itself. However, an illuminable yarn can be illuminated, for example, using a light source, and is suitable for coupling, guiding, and emitting light.

[0010] The luminous fabric is preferably in the form of a sheet, as is typical for fabrics. That is, the luminous fabric is a sheet-like formation. Furthermore, the luminous fabric may be uniformly constructed, in particular having a grid-like structure defined by the self-luminous or illuminable yarns. The self-luminous or illuminable yarns may be interconnected, in particular woven. The self-luminous or illuminable yarns may be arranged in a crossing pattern, for example, where the self-luminous or illuminable yarns cross each other at approximately or exactly 90° angles. Fabric openings may be defined between the crossing self-luminous or illuminable yarns, allowing for virtually unimpeded passage of the provided acoustic signal.

[0011] Furthermore, the speaker interior illumination body may have at least one light source for providing light and a light guide for guiding the light from the at least one light source to the luminous fabric, the fabric edge of which is at least partially or completely overmolded with the light guide. The at least one light source may be embodied, for example, by a light-emitting diode (LED) or other suitable light-emitting means. The at least one light source advantageously provides light in a wavelength range visible to the human eye, for example, from 400 nm to 800 nm. The at least one light source and the light guide are advantageously configured so that the provided light can be coupled into the light guide, guided within the light guide, and then coupled to the luminous fabric, particularly to the illuminable yarns of the luminous fabric according to this embodiment of the invention. In other words, the light guide functions as a connecting member between the at least one light source and the luminous fabric. The fabric edge of the luminous fabric being at least partially or completely overmolded with a light guide means that the fabric edge of the luminous fabric, i.e., the illuminable yarns in this region, particularly in this embodiment of the invention, are partially or completely embedded in the light guide. This allows light to be transmitted from the light guide to the luminous fabric relatively easily, particularly evenly and with relatively little loss, i.e., separated. The light guide is advantageously embodied as an injection-molded part. Furthermore, the luminous fabric can be handled relatively easily with the injection-molded light guide, which simplifies the assembly of, for example, a speaker interior illumination unit.

[0012] Furthermore, the light guide may be configured in an annular shape, in particular in the shape of a complete ring, and / or the light guide may encircle the luminous fabric at least partially or completely, and / or the light guide may have one or more coupling points for coupling light. Advantageously, the at least one light source mentioned above may be arranged on a mounting surface of the coupling point, and the light provided can be coupled into the light guide using the mounting surface of the coupling point. This defines a preferred configuration of the light guide.

[0013] Furthermore, the aforementioned illuminable threads advantageously have warp threads and weft threads for connecting the warp threads. Accordingly, the luminous fabric advantageously forms two thread systems. The warp and weft threads may be arranged crosswise, thereby forming a grid pattern. The warp and weft threads may be formed by or include light-guiding fibers, also known as optical fibers. Alternatively, the warp threads may be formed by or include such light-guiding fibers, while the weft threads may be formed by or include non-light-guiding fibers. The phrase "warp and / or weft threads are formed by light-guiding fibers" can mean that the warp and / or weft threads consist of just one light-guiding fiber or, for example, multiple light-guiding fibers bundled together. Light-guiding fibers can be used to guide light. Non-light-guiding fibers cannot be used to guide light. Fibers without light guides can have a relatively high strength compared to fibers with guides, which allows the construction of light emitting fabrics with them, i.e., weft yarns, in a relatively robust manner.

[0014] Furthermore, it is advantageous for the aforementioned warp threads and the aforementioned weft threads to have free ends facing the light guide at the fabric edge of the luminous fabric overmolded with the light guide. These free ends may be the axial ends of the end faces of the warp threads and weft threads. Using the free ends, light coming from the light guide can be coupled into the luminous fabric with relatively little loss. The light coupled into the warp threads and weft threads can be separated again via their lateral surfaces. Furthermore, the warp threads may extend in a meandering manner through the luminous fabric and be intended to form loops at the fabric edge of the luminous fabric overmolded with the light guide. In this case, the weft threads of the illuminable threads may have free ends facing the light guide overmolded with the light guide at the fabric edge of the luminous fabric. Alternatively, the weft threads may extend in a meandering manner through the luminous fabric and be intended to form loops at the fabric edge of the luminous fabric overmolded with the light guide.

[0015] Furthermore, optical waveguides advantageously have a core with a relatively high refractive index and a cladding surrounding the core with a relatively low refractive index, thereby allowing light to be relatively easily coupled into and guided through the optical waveguide. Furthermore, optical waveguides can have structures and / or roughness disposed on their cladding surfaces, which can be used to easily couple light into or decouple it from the optical waveguide. Furthermore, optical waveguides can have injected scattering interferents, such as particles. Such interferents can be injected, particularly in the region of the core-cladding interface between the core and the cladding, to aid in coupling and / or decoupling of light.

[0016] The light-guiding fiber, or the warp and weft, is preferably made of a light-guiding material, such as a polymer. The light-guiding fiber, or the warp and weft, can also have a core with a relatively high refractive index and a cladding surrounding the core with a relatively low refractive index. Additionally, the light-guiding fiber, or the warp and weft, can have injected scattering interferents, such as particles. Such interferents can be injected, particularly in the region of the core-clad interface between the core and the cladding, to aid in light coupling and / or decoupling.

[0017] Furthermore, it is advantageous for the aforementioned self-luminous thread to be formed of or include light-emitting fibers. The light-emitting fibers are advantageously fibers that emit light themselves or can be excited to emit light, for example, when connected to an energy source. For example, the self-luminous thread can be connected to an energy source, in particular a power source, to generate and emit light. This allows the speaker interior illumination unit to dispense with an additional light source, thereby enabling a particularly compact speaker interior illumination unit or a particularly compact speaker to be realized. The self-luminous thread being formed of light-emitting fibers can advantageously mean that the self-luminous thread consists of just one light-emitting fiber or of multiple light-emitting fibers, for example, bundled together.

[0018] The self-luminous yarns are conveniently intended to have warp yarns and weft yarns for joining them, the warp yarns and weft yarns having free ends at the fabric edges of the luminous fabric, or alternatively, the weft yarns may have free ends at the fabric edges of the luminous fabric, and the warp yarns may be intended to extend in a meandering pattern through the luminous fabric and form loops at the fabric edges.

[0019] The speaker interior lighting can provide, for example, multicolored backlighting. It can also embody color changes or color transitions. It is also conceivable that the backlighting can generate sequential or pulsed light effects, for example by turning on and off the light source(s). The speaker interior lighting can also be used for flicker background lighting, color changes synchronized with the rhythm of the music, signal and warning functions, and additional lighting functions, particularly object-finding and ambient lighting.

[0020] Another basic concept of the present invention is a speaker. The speaker includes a speaker unit having at least one speaker basket set up to provide an acoustic signal; a support structure, particularly a strut support structure, preferably a cross-strut support structure, arranged or supported on the speaker unit, particularly in the area of ​​the speaker basket; a speaker cover, e.g., a speaker grille, having at least one opening, stretched over the speaker basket and particularly the support structure and arranged on the speaker unit; and a speaker interior illumination body as described above. The speaker interior illumination body is fixed, particularly clamped, between the speaker cover on one side and the support structure on the other side, so that the planar, i.e., particularly diffused, light provided by the speaker interior illumination body can illuminate the speaker evenly around the speaker through the at least one opening in the speaker cover. This provides a preferred speaker in which the speaker cover is backlit. The at least one opening in the speaker cover can, in particular, include perforations and / or design openings, such as patterns, letters, etc.

[0021] A further basic concept of the invention is a motor vehicle having at least one loudspeaker of the type described above, which can be used in any of the usual mounting methods in the vehicle, for example as a backlighting speaker in the rear shelf of the vehicle or as a separate speaker box in the vehicle.

[0022] In summary, the present invention advantageously relates to a speaker interior illumination body for backlighting a speaker cover, in particular a speaker grille, having at least one opening of the speaker. The essential feature of the speaker interior illumination body is that it comprises an acoustically transparent luminous fabric that can be arranged between a speaker unit of the speaker and the speaker cover and is set up to emit light, the luminous fabric being formed by or comprising light-emitting, illuminable or self-luminous yarns. The present invention particularly relates to a speaker having such a speaker interior illumination body, and more particularly to a vehicle having at least one such speaker.

[0023] Further important features and advantages of the invention emerge from the dependent claims, the drawings and the corresponding description based on the drawings.

[0024] It is to be understood that the features mentioned above, and those further described below, may not only be used in the combinations shown, but may also be used in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0025] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the drawings and described in more detail below, where like reference numbers indicate identical or similar, or functionally identical, components.

[0026] Here, the following is generally described in each of the drawings: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 shows a perspective view of a motor vehicle according to the invention, having at least one loudspeaker according to the invention, equipped with a loudspeaker interior lighting body according to the invention; [Figure 2] 1 shows a plan view of a loudspeaker according to the invention; [Figure 3] The speaker of FIG. 2 is shown in cross section along line AA shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 1 shows a plan view of a speaker interior lighting body according to the present invention; [Figure 5] FIG. 4 shows a portion of the speaker interior illumination body of FIG. 4, indicated by the dashed circle V. [Figure 6] 6 shows the same part as in FIG. 5, but with another embodiment of the speaker interior lighting body. [Figure 7] 6 shows the same part as in FIG. 5, but with another embodiment of the speaker interior lighting body. [Figure 8] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a light guide of the speaker interior illumination body of the present invention according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] 1 shows a perspective view of a motor vehicle 24 according to the invention, equipped with at least one speaker 4 according to the invention having a speaker interior illumination unit 1 according to the invention. The speaker 4 described above can be used in the motor vehicle 24 in any of the usual mounting methods, for example as a backlit speaker 4 in the door lining of the motor vehicle 24.

[0029] A loudspeaker 4 according to the present invention, shown in plan view in FIG. 2 and in cross section in FIG. 3, comprises a loudspeaker unit, generally designated 5, set up in a conventional manner to provide an acoustic signal. The loudspeaker 4 further comprises a support structure 23 consisting of intersecting star-shaped struts arranged on or supported by a speaker basket 22 of the loudspeaker unit 5, which is supported by a substructure 29 of the loudspeaker 4, thereby allowing the terms "strut support structure" or "cross-strut support structure" to be used. The loudspeaker 4 further comprises a speaker cover 2, i.e., a speaker grille in this example, having at least one opening 3, exemplarily formed as a letter opening 27 arranged in an enclosed area 26 and a surrounding perforation 33. The speaker cover 2 is stretched over the speaker basket 22 and support structure 23 and is attached to the loudspeaker unit 5 via a frame 28 of a housing 30 of the loudspeaker 4. Furthermore, the speaker 4 comprises a speaker interior lighting body 1 according to the invention, shown separately in FIG. 4, which is fixed, in this example clamped, between the speaker cover 2 on the one hand and the support structure 23 on the other hand.

[0030] The speaker interior illumination device 1 serves to backlight the aforementioned speaker cover 2 or at least one opening 3 thereof, and includes an acoustically transparent light-emitting fabric 6 formed by or having light-emitting illuminable threads 8 set up to emit light and disposed between the speaker unit 5 of the speaker 4 and the speaker cover 2. The light-emitting fabric 6 is illustratively planar and has a grid-like structure defined by the crosswise woven illuminable threads 8. The speaker interior illumination device 1 further includes two light sources 10 a, 10 b, for example light-emitting diodes (LEDs), for providing light, and an annular light guide 11 for guiding light from both light sources 10 a, 10 b to the light-emitting fabric 6. In order to be able to couple the light provided by both light sources 10a, 10b into the light guide 11, the light guide 11 is intended to have two separate coupling points 13a, 13b, each with a mounting surface, onto which the respective light sources 10a, 10b can be assembled and the light provided can be coupled into the light guide 11. In order to be able to further transmit the light from the light guide 11 to the luminous fabric 6, the fabric edge 12 of the luminous fabric 6 is intended to be overmolded by the light guide 11, i.e. the illuminable threads 8 in this area are embedded in the light guide 11. Thereby, the light provided by the light sources 10a, 10b can first be coupled into the annular light guide 11 and then guided to the luminous fabric 6, from which it can be further transmitted to the luminous fabric 6. The luminous fabric 6 uses the coupled light to provide uniform illumination in all directions, not just in a point-like manner as in the conventional case, but also in an area, i.e. particularly diffused, which is particularly determined by the dimensions of the luminous fabric 6. As a result, the speaker interior lighting unit 1 can realize overall uniform backlighting of the speaker cover 2 in such a way that the light provided by the speaker interior lighting unit 1 uniformly illuminates the surroundings 25 of the speaker 4 through at least one opening 3 of the speaker cover 2. This can realize a visually pleasant lighting effect for the user of the speaker 4 or the automobile 24.In this case, the luminous fabric 6 is relatively compact, which on the one hand makes it relatively easy to incorporate it into the speaker 4 in terms of design, and on the other hand leaves the other components of the speaker 4 largely unaffected, so that in particular the acoustic signal provided by the speaker unit 5 of the speaker 4 is virtually not attenuated and therefore a pleasant acoustic auditory effect can be generated for the user.

[0031] Figure 5 shows a portion of the speaker interior illumination body 1 of Figure 4, indicated by the dashed circle V in Figure 4. It can be seen that the illuminable threads 8 of the luminous fabric 6 comprise so-called warp threads 14 and weft threads 15 connecting them. The warp threads 14 and weft threads 15 form a uniform luminous fabric 6 and advantageously intersect at an angle of approximately or exactly 90°, being formed by or comprising light-guiding fibers, which may also be called optical fibers. At the fabric edge 12 overmolded with the light guide 11, the warp threads 14 and weft threads 15 have free ends 19, 20 facing the light guide 11, which form a cut fabric contour edge 31 by means of which the provided light can be coupled into the luminous fabric 6 with particularly relatively little loss.

[0032] Figure 6 shows the same part as in Figure 5, but with a different embodiment of the speaker interior illumination body 6. This luminous fabric 6 is made of a finer mesh than that shown in Figure 5 and is distinguished by the fact that the warp threads 14 are made of or have light-guiding fibers and the weft threads 15 are made of or have non-light-guiding fibers. Using such weft threads 15, the luminous fabric 6 can be constructed, for example, in a relatively robust manner. The free ends 19, 20 of the warp threads 14 and weft threads 15 face towards the light guide 11.

[0033] Figure 7 shows the same part as Figure 5, but with a different embodiment of the speaker interior illumination body 6. This luminous fabric 6 is distinguished from the luminous fabric 6 known from Figure 6 in that the light-guiding fiber warp threads 14 run meander-like through the luminous fabric 6 and form loops 21 at the fabric edge 12 of the luminous fabric 6, which is overmolded with the light guide 11. The non-light-guiding fiber weft threads 15 also point with their free ends 10b towards the light guide 11.

[0034] Finally, FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the light guide 11 of the speaker interior illumination body 1 according to the present invention. This light guide has an internally located core 16 with a circular cross-section and a relatively high refractive index, and an external cladding 17 surrounding the core 16 with a relatively low refractive index. This allows light to be coupled into and separated from the light guide 11 relatively easily. Furthermore, the light guide 11 can have injected scattering interferents, such as particles. Such interferents can be injected, particularly in the region of the core-clad interface 18 between the core 16 and the cladding 17, to aid in the coupling and / or separation of light.

Claims

1. A speaker interior lighting unit (1) for backlighting a speaker cover (2), in particular a speaker grill, of a speaker (4), having at least one opening (3), comprising: - The speaker interior illumination body (1) is characterized by an acoustically transparent luminous fabric (6) that can be placed between the speaker unit (5) of the speaker (4) and the speaker cover (2) and that is set up to emit light, the luminous fabric being formed from or comprising illuminable or self-luminous threads (8) that emit light.

2. at least one light source (10a, 10b) for providing light; a light guide (11) for guiding light from at least one of said light sources (10a, 10b) to said luminescent fabric (6); and - A loudspeaker interior illumination body (1) according to claim 1, wherein the fabric edge (12) of the luminous fabric (6) is at least partially or completely overmolded by the light guide (6).

3. 3. The speaker interior illumination body (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the light guide (11) has a core (16) having a relatively high refractive index and a cladding (17) surrounding the core (16) having a relatively low refractive index.

4. - said light guide (11) has the following configuration: - be configured in a circular shape; - at least partially or completely surrounding said luminescent fabric (6), - having one or more coupling points (13a, 13b) for coupling light; 4. The speaker interior illumination body (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it comprises at least one of the following:

5. - said illuminatable thread (8) has warp threads (14) and weft threads (15) connecting them; - said warp threads (14) and said weft threads (15) are formed by or comprise light-guiding fibres, or - A loudspeaker interior illumination body (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the warp threads (14) are formed by or comprise light-guiding fibres and the weft threads (15) are formed by or comprise non-light-guiding fibres.

6. - the warp threads (14) and the weft threads (15) have free ends (19, 20) pointing towards the light guide (11) at the fabric edge (12) of the luminescent fabric (6) overmolded by the light guide (11), or - the warp threads (14) extend in a meandering pattern through the luminescent fabric (6) and form loops (21) at the fabric edges (12) of the luminescent fabric (6) overmolded with the light guide (11), and / or - A speaker interior illumination body (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the weft threads (15) extend in a meandering manner through the luminous fabric (6) and form loops at the fabric edges (12) of the luminous fabric (6) overmolded by the light guide (11).

7. - said self-luminous thread is made of or comprises light-emitting fibers, - Speaker interior illumination body (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that optionally the self-luminous thread is connected to an energy source, in particular a power supply, in order to generate and emit light.

8. the self-luminous yarn comprises warp threads and weft threads connecting them, - the warp threads and the weft threads have free ends at the fabric edges of the luminescent fabric (6), or - A speaker interior illumination body (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the weft threads have free ends at the fabric edges of the luminous fabric (6) and the warp threads extend in a meandering manner through the luminous fabric (6) and form loops at the fabric edges.

9. A speaker (4), a speaker unit (5) set up to provide an acoustic signal and having at least one speaker basket (22); a support structure (23) arranged or supported on said speaker unit (5), in particular in the area of ​​said speaker basket (22); a speaker cover (2) having at least one opening (3) stretched over the speaker basket (22) and in particular the support structure (23) and arranged on the speaker unit (5); - a loudspeaker interior illumination body (1) made according to any one of claims 1 to 8, said loudspeaker interior illumination body (1) being fixed, in particular clamped, between said loudspeaker cover (2) on the one hand and said support structure (23) on the other hand, so that the light provided by said loudspeaker interior illumination body (1) can evenly illuminate the surroundings (25) of said loudspeaker (4) through at least one opening (3) in said loudspeaker cover (2); The speaker (4).

10. A motor vehicle (24) comprising at least one loudspeaker (4) according to claim 9.

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