Light-transmitting design materials and illuminated decorative items

Abstract

To provide an optically transparent design material capable of being adopted in design surfaces of articles with various shapes, and capable of clearly expressing design of a fiber pattern without depending on presence of light from a rear surface side.SOLUTION: An optically transparent design material includes: a surface layer 44 where a fiber pattern is printed on a film base material 50 composed of materials with optical transparency to constitute a design surface; and a fiber layer 46 bonded on a rear surface of the film base material 50 and formed in a mat state while at least natural fibers 60 are entangled. By such a structure, when light from the rear surface side is not radiated, a natural fiber feeling is expressed by the fiber pattern provided on the surface layer 44. In contrast, when the light from the rear surface side is radiated, the fiber pattern provided on the surface layer 44 and the natural fibers 60 in the fiber layer 46 come up on a front surface of the surface layer 44 and a natural fiber feeling can be expressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a light-transmitting design material that is used like a skin on the design surface of an article, and to an illuminated decorative item that uses the light-transmitting design material. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a molded body has been known in which intertwined plant fibers such as kenaf are bonded together by a thermoplastic resin. This molded body contains plant fibers mainly for the purpose of weight reduction, and members manufactured using this molded body are often used in a state where the surface is covered with a skin material or a resin surface material and cannot be seen, as in the vehicle interior material described in the following Patent Document 1. On the other hand, as in the following Patent Document 2, it is being considered to use the above-mentioned molded body containing plant fibers as a design surface of, for example, vehicle interior materials and furniture, and to realize articles with a fiber pattern design. Note that the vehicle interior material described in Patent Document 1 is configured such that a film decorated by printing is bonded to a translucent base material, and a lighting means is arranged on the back side of the film, and by irradiating light from the back side, a design such as a pattern that is not expressed when not illuminated can be made to stand out. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-003662 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2021-160118 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the vehicle interior material described in the above Patent Document 1, when light is irradiated onto a film on which a pattern is printed, the pattern may become faint due to the light, or the pattern may disappear depending on the location where the light is strong or the hue of the pattern. In other words, in such a configuration, there is a problem that the brightness and hue of the design are limited. In addition, the molded body described in the above Patent Document 2 is configured to transmit light by lowering the basis weight, and it is possible to clearly express the design of the fiber pattern regardless of the presence or absence of light from the back side, but there is a problem that it may break when molded into a shape having uneven parts, and the shape that can be molded is limited. In addition, even if it can be molded, there is a problem that thin parts are likely to occur in the uneven parts, and the light intensity differs between the uneven parts and flat parts.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and aims to provide a light-transmitting design material that can be used on the design surfaces of articles of various shapes and that can clearly express a textile pattern design regardless of the presence or absence of light from the back side. Another aim of the present invention is to provide an illuminated decorative item that can clearly express a textile pattern design regardless of the presence or absence of light from the back side. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the light-transmitting design material of the present invention is a surface layer that constitutes a design surface and is formed by printing a fiber pattern on a film substrate made of a light-transmitting material; a fiber layer that is adhered to the back surface of the film substrate and that is formed into a mat shape by entangling at least natural fibers; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0007] When light is not irradiated from the back side of the light-transmitting design material with this configuration, the fiber pattern on the surface layer expresses a natural fiber feel. On the other hand, when light is irradiated from the back side, the fiber pattern on the surface layer is partially blurred or erased by the light, but the natural fibers in the fiber layer stand out on the surface of the surface layer, expressing a natural fiber feel.

[0008] For example, when natural fibers are used as the base material to reduce the weight of vehicle interior materials, the fibers of the natural fibers are bonded with thermoplastic resin to form a plate-like molded body. In contrast, the "fiber layer" in the light-transmitting design material of this configuration is not bonded with thermoplastic resin, and since it is made to stand out on the surface by light, it is possible to make it thinner, and the shape of the light-transmitting design material of this configuration can be changed relatively freely. In other words, the light-transmitting design material of this configuration can be adhered to the surface of articles of various shapes.

[0009] The "fiber layer" in the light-transmitting design material of this configuration may be made of one or more natural fibers, or may be made of a mixture of synthetic fibers. From the viewpoint of expressing the feel of natural fibers, this fiber layer is preferably a so-called nonwoven fabric, and is preferably not needle-punched.

[0010] In the above configuration, the fiber layer has a mass per unit area of ​​8 g / m 2 More than 20g / m 2 The following configuration may be adopted.

[0011] For example, when natural fibers are used as a base material for the purpose of reducing the weight of vehicle interior materials, the fibers of the natural fibers are bound together with a thermoplastic resin to form a plate-like molded article, and the mass per unit area (basis weight) of the molded article is 400 to 600 g / m. 2 The fiber layer used in this type of light-transmitting design material has a much smaller basis weight than when used as such a substrate, making it suitable for conforming to articles of various shapes. It is desirable for the fiber layer to have as small a basis weight as possible, but from the viewpoints of adhesion to the film substrate and formability into a mat, a weight of 8 g / m or less is generally used. 2 ~12g / m 2 It is desirable that:

[0012] In the above configuration, the fiber layer may be configured such that first fibers, which are the natural fibers, and second fibers, which are fibers having a smaller fiber diameter than the natural fibers, are entangled with each other.

[0013] The fiber layer in the light-transmitting design material of this configuration is configured such that the second fibers, which have a small fiber diameter, are entangled between the first fibers or with the first fibers themselves. The presence of these second fibers ensures an adhesive area when adhering the surface layer to the film substrate or when adhering the light-transmitting design material to a substrate, etc., and can increase the adhesiveness of the fiber layer. In addition, natural fibers, which have a relatively large fiber diameter, may cause unevenness on the film substrate, but with the light-transmitting design material of this configuration, the second fibers penetrate between the natural fibers, making it possible to suppress the occurrence of such unevenness on the film substrate.

[0014] In the above configuration, the first fibers may have a fiber diameter of 80 μm or more and 100 μm or less, and the second fibers may have a fiber diameter of 10 μm or more and 30 μm or less.

[0015] In a light-transmitting design material of this configuration, the second fibers are easily entangled with the first fibers, making it suitable for increasing the adhesion of the fiber layer.

[0016] In the above configuration, the content of the first fibers in the fiber layer may be set to be equal to or greater than 50% and equal to or less than 80%.

[0017] In order to express a natural fiber texture on the surface layer when light is irradiated from the back side, the more natural fibers the more desirable, but with this light-transmitting design material, the adhesive strength of the second fibers is sufficiently ensured and the natural fiber texture can be sufficiently expressed by the first fibers. It is more desirable for the content of the first fibers to be 65 to 75%.

[0018] In the above configuration, the second fibers may be optically transparent synthetic resin fibers.

[0019] In this configuration of light-transmitting design material, the second fiber is light-transmitting, so when light is irradiated from the back side, the second fiber does not protrude to the surface, thereby enhancing the natural fiber feel of the first fiber while increasing the adhesive strength to the surface, etc.

[0020] In the above configuration, the second fibers may be natural fibers different from the first fibers, and the fiber layer may be configured so that the first fibers are mixed in greater amounts than the second fibers on the surface layer side.

[0021] When light is irradiated from the back side of this light-transmitting design material, the presence of the second fibers with a smaller fiber diameter gives a sense of depth to the image expressed on the surface, thereby enhancing the design.

[0022] In the above configuration, the fiber layer is formed by mixing two or more natural fibers of the same color but different shades, and the natural fibers having a relatively darker color are mixed in greater amounts on the surface layer side.

[0023] When light is shone on the back side of this light-transmitting design material, the presence of the light-colored second fiber gives the image expressed on the surface a sense of depth, enhancing the design.

[0024] In the above-mentioned configuration, the surface layer may be configured such that an uneven shape is formed on the surface side of the film substrate in accordance with the fiber pattern and is made of a light-transmitting resin material.

[0025] The light-transmitting design material of this configuration has a three-dimensional natural fiber pattern, making it highly aesthetically pleasing.

[0026] In order to solve the above problems, the illuminated ornament of the present invention comprises: A decorative item using the light-transmitting design material having the above-mentioned configuration on its surface, A base material made of a light-transmitting material and constituting at least a part of the outer shell of the decorative item; The light-transmitting design material covers the surface of the base material; An illumination device disposed on a rear side of the base material and configured to irradiate light toward the base material; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0027] In an illuminated decorative item of this configuration, at least a part of the outer casing expresses a natural fiber feel through the natural fiber pattern on the surface of the light-transmitting design material when the lighting device is not turned on, and when the lighting device is turned on, expresses a natural fiber feel through the natural fiber pattern on the surface that is difficult to see and the natural fibers of the fiber layer that stand out on the surface.

[0028] In the illuminated decorative article having the above-described configuration, the base material is an interior material main body that constitutes the main interior material inside the vehicle cabin, and the lighting device is arranged on the outside of the vehicle cabin of the interior material main body, and can be configured as a vehicle interior material that constitutes the design surface of the vehicle cabin.

[0029] The illuminated ornament of this configuration can give the interior of the vehicle a natural fiber feel, improving the design of the vehicle interior. Effect of the Invention

[0030] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a light-transmitting design material that can be used on the design surfaces of articles of various shapes and that can clearly express a fiber pattern design regardless of the presence or absence of light from the back side, and it is also possible to provide an illuminated decorative item that can clearly express a fiber pattern design regardless of the presence or absence of light from the back side. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a view showing a vehicle in which the light-transmitting design material of the present invention is used, as seen from inside the vehicle interior. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the ornament shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the rear side of the vehicle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the light-transmitting design material of the present invention. [Figure 4]FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of a fiber layer constituting the light-transmitting design material of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a vehicle interior material (illuminated decorative item) using the light-transmitting design material of the present invention. The vehicle interior material of this embodiment is used for the door trim 12 that constitutes the interior surface of the passenger compartment (vehicle compartment) of a side door 10 of a vehicle (automobile). The side doors 10 are provided on the driver's side (right side in the vehicle width direction) and the passenger's side (left side in the vehicle width direction), respectively, and are configured to be able to be opened and closed by rotating around a rotation axis that extends generally vertically on the front side of the vehicle. The vehicle interior material of this embodiment is used for both the driver's side door 10 and the door trim 12 of the driver's side side door 10. In the following explanation, the door trim 12 of the driver's side side door 10 will be explained as a representative example.

[0033] The door trim 12 constitutes the interior portion of the side door 10, and is attached to the door inner panel from the interior side of the vehicle. As shown in Fig. 1, the door trim 12 includes a lower board 14, an upper board 15, and an ornament 16. An armrest 17 is formed at the upper end of the lower board 14, and the ornament 16 is disposed above the armrest 17.

[0034] This ornament 16 is the vehicle interior material of this embodiment. The ornament 16 is mainly composed of a housing 20 with a space formed inside. As shown in Fig. 1, the housing 20 is elongated and extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and is fixed between the lower board 14 and the upper board 15 that constitute the door trim 12, with one surface of the housing 20 forming a part of the interior surface of the vehicle compartment.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 2, the housing 20 is generally box-shaped and includes a first housing member 21 that constitutes the portion inside the vehicle cabin and a second housing member 22 that constitutes the portion outside the vehicle cabin. More specifically, the second housing member 22 has a bottom surface portion 23 (the portion outside the vehicle cabin) and a wall portion 24 that stands upright from the periphery of the bottom surface portion 23, and is generally a dish-shaped member. On the other hand, the first housing member 21 is a lid-shaped member that closes the opening of the second housing member 22 that is formed into a dish shape. Specifically, the first housing member 21 has the same outer shape as the second housing member 22 when viewed in the vehicle cabin interior / exterior direction, and is joined at its periphery to the tip of the wall portion 24 of the second housing member 22.

[0036] The housing 20 is provided with an illumination device 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the illumination device 30 includes a plurality of LED tapes 33 each including a longitudinal substrate 31 and a plurality of LEDs 32 arranged on the substrate 31 along the longitudinal direction. The LED tapes 33 are attached to the bottom surface 23 of the second housing member 22 in a state in which they extend in the vehicle front-rear direction at intervals in the vertical direction. The second housing member 22 is made of synthetic resin and does not transmit or reflect light. The illumination device 30 is capable of controlling the lighting state of the LEDs 32, specifically, of switching the LEDs 32 on and off, and of changing the illuminance within a certain range, and when the LEDs 32 are on, the illuminance can be changed in stages from a relatively bright high illuminance to a relatively dark low illuminance.

[0037] The first housing member 21 is a board member made up of a skin material 40 and a base material 42, and the skin material 40 is the light-transmitting design material of the present invention. The base material 42 is made of a highly light-transmitting synthetic resin (e.g., acrylic, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate). In this embodiment, the base material 42 is made of acrylic. As shown in Fig. 2, the base material 42 has a central portion in the vertical direction that bulges toward the interior of the room, giving it a mountain-shaped cross section. The skin material 40, which is a light-transmitting design material, is adhered to the interior side of the base material 42.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3, the skin material 40 is composed of a surface layer 44 constituting a design surface and a fiber layer 46 bonded to the back surface of the surface layer 44. The surface layer 44 is mainly composed of a film substrate 50 made of a light-transmitting material. The film substrate 50 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, it is made of polyvinyl chloride. The surface layer 44 is formed by laminating a printed layer 52 on the surface side (inside the vehicle interior) of the film substrate 50, in which a fiber pattern imitating the fiber layer 46 is printed by inkjet paint, and a three-dimensional shape layer 54 on the surface side of the printed layer 52, in which an uneven shape is formed of a light-transmitting resin material (for example, a UV-cured resin) in accordance with the fiber pattern of the printed layer 52. In this embodiment, the thickness of the surface layer 44 is about 130 μm to 230 μm. More specifically, the thickness of the film substrate 50 is about 70 μm to 90 μm, the thickness of the printed layer 52 is about 15 μm to 40 μm, and the thickness of the three-dimensional shape layer 54 is about 45 μm to 100 μm.

[0039] The fiber layer 46 is formed into a mat shape by intertwining plant fibers 60, which are natural fibers as the first fibers, and resin fibers 62, which are second fibers. Examples of the plant fibers 60 include bast plant fibers such as kenaf, and wood fibers obtained by defibrating wood. Although the plant fibers 60 are exemplified as natural fibers, they may be animal fibers or mineral fibers. In the fiber layer 46 of this embodiment, the plant fibers 60, which are natural fibers, are kenaf fibers. The resin fibers 62 are made of a transparent or semi-transparent resin material having light transmission properties, and examples of the thermoplastic resin include polyolefin resins (polypropylene, polyethylene, etc.), polyester resins (aliphatic polyester resins such as polylactic acid and polycaprolactone, and aromatic polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate), and the like. In this embodiment, the resin fibers 62 are made of polypropylene (PP).

[0040] In this embodiment, the plant fibers 60, which are kenaf fibers, have an average fiber diameter of 80 μm or more and 100 μm or less, while the resin fibers 62 have a smaller fiber diameter than the plant fibers 60. The fiber diameter of the resin fibers 62 is 10 μm or more and 30 μm or less. Also, as shown in Fig. 4, the plant fibers 60 are fibers with a relatively straight shape, while the resin fibers 62 are fibers with a curled shape.

[0041] The fiber layer 46 is formed by mixing the vegetable fibers 60 and the resin fibers 62 in a predetermined ratio, and opening and laminating the mixture using a carding machine. The fiber layer 46 is not needle punched, and no holes or the like caused by needle punching are formed. In this embodiment, when the total mass of the mixed fiber obtained by mixing these is 100 wt%, the mixed fiber may contain, for example, 70 wt% vegetable fibers 60 and 30 wt% resin fibers 62. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fiber layer 46 has a mass per unit area of ​​10 g / m 2 The fiber layer 46 is formed so that the mass per unit area of ​​the fiber layer 46 is about 8 g / m2, because the fiber layer 46 is intended to express an image of natural fibers on the design surface of the first housing member 21, as will be described in detail later. 2 More than 20g / m 2 It is preferable that the thickness is less than 8g / m 2 More than 12g / m 2 It is more preferable that:

[0042] Incidentally, from the viewpoint of expressing a fibrous texture on the design surface of the first housing member 21, the fiber layer 46 needs only the vegetable fibers 60 and does not need the resin fibers 62. On the other hand, when the fiber layer 46 is composed only of the vegetable fibers 60, the film substrate 50 is mainly used and is relatively thin, so that the design surface (indoor side) of the surface layer 44 has unnatural unevenness due to the natural fibers, which impairs the natural fiber texture. In addition, the surface of the fiber layer 46 has uneven natural fibers in order to express the natural fiber texture, so that the fiber layer 46 is bonded to the substrate 42 or the surface layer 44 with uneven adhesion (variation in adhesive strength on the bonding surface).

[0043] In this embodiment, as described above, the fiber layer 46 is mainly made of plant fibers 60 and is intertwined with the resin fibers 62 having a smaller fiber diameter than the plant fibers 60. The plant fibers 62 are interposed between the plant fibers 60 and the surface layer 44 or between the plant fibers 60 and the base material 42, so that the plant fibers 62 can be prevented from causing unevenness in the surface layer 44 due to the plant fibers 60. In addition, the presence of the resin fibers 62 increases the surface area of ​​the fiber layer 46, that is, increases the bonding area. In addition, the resin fibers 62 are dispersed even in areas where there are few plant fibers 60, so that the variation in adhesive force on the bonding surface can be suppressed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the fiber layer 46 can be reliably bonded to the surface layer 44 and the base material 42. In order to enhance adhesive strength while expressing a fibrous texture, it is preferable that the content of plant fibers 60 is 50 wt% or more and 80 wt% or less, and that the content of resin fibers 62 is 50 wt% or less and 20 wt% or more, so that the total mass of the plant fibers 60 is 100 wt%. More preferably, the content of plant fibers 60 is 65 wt% or more and 75 wt% or less, and that the content of resin fibers 62 is 35 wt% or less and 25 wt% or more.

[0044] When the lighting device 30 is turned off and no light is irradiated from the back side, the covering material 40, which is the light-transmitting design material constructed as described above, expresses a natural fiber feel through the fiber pattern provided on the surface layer 44. On the other hand, when the lighting device 30 is turned on and light is irradiated from the back side, the fiber pattern provided on the surface layer 44 will be partially blurred or erased by the light, but the plant fibers 60 in the fiber layer 46 will stand out on the surface of the surface layer 44, expressing a natural fiber feel.

[0045] For example, when natural fibers are used for the substrate to reduce the weight of vehicle interior materials, the fibers of the natural fibers may be bound by a thermoplastic resin and molded into a plate-like molded body. In contrast, the fiber layer 46 in this skin material 40 is not bound by a thermoplastic resin and is thinner than a molded body. Therefore, this skin material 40 can be changed in shape relatively freely, and is firmly bonded to the substrate (main interior material) 42, which has a curved shape, as in this embodiment.

[0046] <Other embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. For example, the following embodiments are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the fiber layer 46 is mixed with the resin fiber 62 as the second fiber, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be made of natural fiber (e.g., cotton) having a smaller fiber diameter than the vegetable fiber 60 as the first fiber. According to this embodiment, when the lighting device 30 is turned on, a sense of depth can be expressed by two kinds of natural fibers having different fiber diameters. Furthermore, when the mixed fibers are spread and laminated, a sense of depth can be created by forming the mixed fibers into a mat shape in which the first fiber (kenaf fiber) 60 having a larger fiber diameter is more abundant than the second fiber (cotton) toward the surface layer 44 side. In addition, the fiber layer may be formed by mixing three or more kinds of fibers, for example, fibers having different fiber diameters.

[0048] The fiber layer can be formed by mixing two or more types of natural fibers of the same color but different shades. According to this embodiment, the two types of natural fibers of different shades can express a sense of depth. Furthermore, when the mixed fibers are spread and layered, a mat shape is formed in which the darker natural fibers are more abundant than the lighter natural fibers on the surface layer 44 side, thereby creating a greater sense of depth.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the fiber layer 46 contains the first fiber, the plant fiber 60, as well as the second fiber, the resin fiber 62, but may contain only natural fibers as long as they can be directly adhered to the back surface of the film substrate 50.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the light-transmitting design material is used in the door trim 12 for a vehicle, but it is not limited thereto and can be used in other vehicle interior materials such as the ceiling material and instrument panel of the vehicle. It is also not limited to vehicles and can be used in interior materials of other vehicles. Furthermore, it is not limited to vehicle interior materials and can be used in the interior of buildings and furniture. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] Reference Signs List 16...Ornament [vehicle interior material (illuminated decorative item)], 21...First housing member, 30...Lighting device, 40...Skin material [light-transmitting design material], 42...Base material, 44...Surface layer, 46...Fiber layer, 50...Film base material, 52...Printed layer, 54...Three-dimensional shape layer, 60...Plant fiber [natural fiber, first fiber], 62...Resin fiber [second fiber]

Claims

1. a surface layer that constitutes a design surface and is formed by printing a fiber pattern on a film substrate made of a light-transmitting material; a fiber layer that is adhered to the back surface of the film substrate and that is formed into a mat shape by entangling at least natural fibers; A light-transmitting design material with the above features.

2. The fiber layer has a mass per unit area of ​​8 g / m ２ 20g / m or more ２ The light-transmitting design material according to claim 1, which is as follows:

3. 3. A light-transmitting design material as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the fiber layer is formed by intertwining a first fiber, which is the natural fiber, with a second fiber, which is a fiber having a smaller fiber diameter than the natural fiber.

4. The light-transmitting design material according to claim 3, wherein the first fibers have a fiber diameter of 80 μm or more and 100 μm or less, and the second fibers have a fiber diameter of 10 μm or more and 30 μm or less.

5. The light-transmitting design material according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the content of the first fibers in the fiber layer is 50% or more and 80% or less.

6. The light-transmitting design material according to claim 3 , wherein the second fiber is a resin fiber having light transmittance.

7. the second fibers are natural fibers different from the first fibers; The light-transmitting design material according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the fiber layer is formed such that the first fibers are mixed in greater amounts than the second fibers on the surface layer side.

8. The light-transmitting design material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the fiber layer is formed by mixing two or more natural fibers of similar colors but different shades, and the natural fibers of relatively darker colors are mixed in greater amounts on the outer layer side.

9. The light-transmitting design material according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the surface layer is formed on the surface side of the film substrate with an uneven shape that matches the fiber pattern, the uneven shape being made of a light-transmitting resin material.

10. A decorative article using the light-transmitting design material according to any one of claims 1 to 9 on its surface, A base material made of a light-transmitting material and constituting at least a part of the outer shell of the decorative item; The light-transmitting design material covers the surface of the base material; An illumination device disposed on a rear side of the base material and configured to irradiate light toward the base material; Illuminated ornaments with

11. The substrate is an interior material main body that constitutes the interior material in the vehicle cabin, The lighting device is disposed on the vehicle interior exterior side of the interior material body, 11. The illuminated decorative article according to claim 10, which is an interior material for a vehicle constituting a decorative surface of a vehicle compartment.

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