Vehicle Panels

Abstract

To provide a panel for vehicles with which it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wrinkles to a dimmer film, even when a glass depth is deep.SOLUTION: A panel 1 for vehicles comprises: a first window part 11 and a second window part 12 which are transparent and are arranged by being spaced from each other; a nontransparent part 13 which is non-transparent and is located so as to enclose each of the first window part 11 and the second window part 12; and a dimmer film 20 which is located so as to cover the first window part 11 and the second window part 12. The dimmer film 20 is separated between a first dimmer film 21 that covers the first window part 11 and a second dimmer film 22 that covers the second window part 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle panel. [Background technology]

[0002] As a conventional vehicle panel, for example, there is a panel equipped with a light control glass described in Patent Document 1. This conventional light control glass has a glass body having a light control layer therein. The light transmittance of the light control glass changes depending on the voltage applied to the light control layer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-137873 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned vehicle panel may be curved to fit the shape of the vehicle. If the glass depth is large, that is, if the curvature of the panel is large, it is possible that wrinkles will occur in the light control film when a large-sized light control film is applied.

[0005] To address this problem, it is possible to reduce the glass depth or the size of the window. However, the former approach may impair the design of the vehicle panel, while the latter approach may increase the area of ​​non-transparent areas around the window, reducing the marketability of the vehicle panel.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vehicle panel that can suppress the occurrence of wrinkles in a light control film even when the glass depth is large. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A vehicle panel according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a first window portion and a second window portion which are transparent and spaced apart from each other, a non-transparent portion which is non-transparent and arranged so as to surround each of the first window portion and the second window portion, and a light-adjusting film which is arranged so as to cover the first window portion and the second window portion, and the light-adjusting film is separated into a first light-adjusting film which covers the first window portion and a second light-adjusting film which covers the second window portion.

[0008] In this vehicle panel, the first window portion and the second window portion are arranged apart from each other, and the light control film is separated into a first light control film covering the first window portion and a second light control film covering the second window portion. This allows the size of the first light control film and the second light control film to be reduced compared to a configuration in which the first window portion and the second window portion are covered by a single light control film. Therefore, even if the glass depth is deep, the generation of wrinkles in the light control film can be suppressed. In this vehicle panel, since it is not necessary to reduce the size of the first window portion and the second window portion to suppress wrinkles, there is no need to expand the non-transparent area around the window portion. Therefore, the merchantability of the vehicle panel is also maintained.

[0009] The first and second photochromic films may be connected to each other by a conductive member. In this case, the first and second photochromic films can be controlled by applying a voltage to one of the first and second photochromic films. This simplifies the configuration.

[0010] The conductive member may be disposed in a part of the region between the first and second photochromic films in a plan view. In this case, electrical connection between the first and second photochromic films can be achieved with a simple configuration.

[0011] The conductive member may be disposed over the entire area between the first and second photochromic films. In this case, electrical connection between the first and second photochromic films can be more reliably achieved. In addition, it is possible to prevent a step from being generated due to the conductive member not being disposed in part of the area between the first and second photochromic films.

[0012] The conductive member may be a bus bar, which makes it possible to ensure electrical continuity between the first and second light control films with a simple structure.

[0013] The non-transparent portion may be formed of a ceramic layer, which allows the non-transparent portion to be formed with high designability. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present disclosure, even when the glass depth is large, the occurrence of wrinkles in the photochromic film can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 is a side view that illustrates a schematic view of a glass main body that constitutes the vehicle panel illustrated in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a vehicle panel according to a comparative example. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the vehicle panel shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a vehicle panel according to a modified example. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a vehicle panel according to one aspect of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0017] 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle panel 1 shown in the figure is a panel with a light control function that is applied to the roof of a vehicle such as a passenger car. The vehicle panel 1 has a rectangular shape in a plan view and a curved shape according to the roof shape of the vehicle. The vehicle panel 1 includes a first window portion 11, a second window portion 12, a non-transparent portion 13, and a light control film 20.

[0018] The first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12 are transparent portions. The first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12 are arranged at a distance from each other in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The first window portion 11 is a window located on the front side of the vehicle when the vehicle panel 1 is applied to the vehicle, and the second window portion 12 is a window located on the rear side of the vehicle when the vehicle panel 1 is applied to the vehicle. As an example, when the vehicle panel 1 is applied to the roof of a passenger car, the passenger can view the outside of the vehicle through the first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12 by adjusting the light control function. Each of the first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12 has a substantially rectangular shape with curved corners in a plan view.

[0019] Unlike the first window 11 and the second window 12, the non-transparent portion 13 is a portion that has non-transparency regardless of the adjustment of the light control function. The non-transparent portion 13 is arranged to surround each of the first window 11 and the second window 12 in a plan view. A vehicle body or the like is arranged at a position corresponding to the non-transparent portion 13. In this embodiment, the non-transparent portion 13 has an outer edge portion 14 that constitutes the outer edge portion of the vehicle panel 1, and a partition portion 15 that partitions the first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12. The partition portion 15 extends in a direction perpendicular to the two sides so as to connect two sides that extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle among the four sides of the outer edge portion 14. There is no particular limit to the width of the partition portion 15, but in order to ensure a sufficient area of ​​the first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12, the width of the partition portion 15 is smaller than the length of the shortest side of the first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12, for example.

[0020] The dimming film 20 is disposed in correspondence with the first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12. The dimming film 20 is, for example, configured of a liquid crystal panel, and has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The dimming film 20 is electrically connected to a power supply device and a control device, not shown. The light transmittance of the dimming film 20 changes according to the voltage applied to the dimming film 20 from the power supply device. In the vehicle panel 1, the light in the vehicle cabin can be adjusted through the first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12 by changing the voltage applied to the dimming film 20.

[0021] Fig. 2 is a side view showing a schematic view of a glass main body constituting the vehicle panel shown in Fig. 1. In the example of Fig. 2, the front of the vehicle when the vehicle panel 1 is applied to the vehicle is shown as "front" (left side of Fig. 2), and the rear of the vehicle is shown as "rear" (right side of Fig. 2). In addition, the upper side of the vehicle when the vehicle panel 1 is applied to the vehicle is shown as "upper" (upper side of Fig. 2), and the lower side of the vehicle is shown as "lower" (lower side of Fig. 2).

[0022] As described later, the vehicle panel 1 includes a glass body 41. As shown in the figure, the glass body 41 has a curved shape in accordance with the roof shape of the vehicle. Here, the glass body 41 has an upwardly convex shape as a whole. The curvature of the front side of the glass body 41 is larger than the curvature of the rear side. The glass body 41 according to this embodiment has a predetermined glass depth H. The glass depth H is the distance between the uppermost point of the glass body 41 and the lowermost point of the glass body 41 in a posture in which the vehicle panel 1 is applied to the vehicle. The glass depth H is a parameter set according to the roof shape of the vehicle to which the vehicle panel 1 is applied. When the glass depth H is large, the curvature of the glass body 41 tends to be large.

[0023] 3 is a plan view showing a vehicle panel according to a comparative example. The vehicle panel 100 shown in the figure includes a light control film 200 instead of the light control film 20. Unlike the light control film 20, the light control film 200 has a large structure that integrally covers the first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12. In such a vehicle panel 100, if a large light control film 200 is applied to the first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12, it is considered that wrinkles will occur in the light control film 200 when the light control film 200 is aligned with the glass body 41.

[0024] To address this problem, it is possible to reduce the glass depth or the size of the window. However, the former approach may impair the design of the vehicle panel. The latter approach may increase the non-transparent area around the window, reducing the marketability of the vehicle panel. In response to this, the vehicle panel 1 is designed to be configured so that wrinkles in the light control film can be suppressed even when the glass depth is large. The features of the vehicle panel 1 are described in detail below.

[0025] Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the vehicle panel shown in Fig. 1. As shown in the figure, the light control film 20 is separated into a first light control film 21 that covers the first window portion 11 and a second light control film 22 that covers the second window portion 12. The first light control film 21 has a rectangular shape that is one size larger than the first window portion 11, and is arranged so as to overlap the entire first window portion 11. The second light control film 22 has a rectangular shape that is one size larger than the second window portion 12, and is arranged so as to overlap the entire second window portion 12.

[0026] The first and second dimming films 21 and 22 are connected to each other by a conductive member 30. In this embodiment, the conductive member 30 is composed of two bus bars 31. Each bus bar 31 is disposed in a part of the area between the first and second dimming films 21 and 22. The two bus bars 31 are disposed spaced apart from each other in the extension direction of the partition portion 15 of the non-transparent portion 13. The bus bar 31 electrically connects one side of the first dimming film 21 facing the second dimming film 22 to one side of the second dimming film 22 facing the first dimming film 21.

[0027] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 illustrates a cross-section of the region of the vehicle panel 1 where the first light control film 21 is disposed. As shown in the figure, in this region, the vehicle panel 1 includes the first light control film 21, a pair of glass bodies 41, 41, a ceramic layer 42, and a pair of intermediate layers 43, 43.

[0028] The glass body 41 is a plate-like portion made of, for example, so-called inorganic glass. The outer shape of the glass body 41 approximately matches the outer shape of the vehicle panel 1. As described above, the glass body 41 is formed into a curved shape as a whole, and has a glass depth H. The glass body 41 is a pair of front and back laminated glass, and constitutes the outermost layers of the front and back of the vehicle panel 1.

[0029] The ceramic layer 42 is a portion that constitutes the non-transparent portion 13. The ceramic layer 42 is formed, for example, by applying a black ceramic material to the glass body 41 and drying it. The ceramic layer 42 is provided on the inner surface of one of the pair of glass bodies 41 (the upper glass body 41 in the example of FIG. 5). In this embodiment, the ceramic layer 42 is not provided on the other glass body 41 (the inner surface of the lower glass body 41 in the example of FIG. 5), but a configuration in which the ceramic layer 42 is provided on each of the inner surfaces of both glass bodies 41 may be used.

[0030] The intermediate layer 43 is made of a material containing resin, for example. The intermediate layer 43 is provided for the purpose of improving the strength of the vehicle panel 1 and preventing the glass body 41 from shattering. Here, a pair of intermediate layers 43, 43 are provided to sandwich the first light control film 21. One intermediate layer 43 is provided between the ceramic layer 42 on one glass body 41 side and the first light control film 21. The other intermediate layer 43 is provided between the other glass body 41 and the first light control film 21.

[0031] 5 shows only the cross section of the region of the vehicle panel 1 where the first light control film 21 is arranged, but the cross-sectional configuration of the vehicle panel 1 is the same in the region where the second light control film 22 is arranged. In the region where the second light control film 22 is arranged, the second light control film 22 is provided instead of the first light control film 21 in FIG.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-section of the region between the first and second light control films 21 and 22 in the vehicle panel 1. As shown in the figure, the first and second light control films 21 and 22 are not disposed in this region, and two bus bars 31 are provided between a pair of intermediate layers 43, 43 in a state of being spaced apart from each other. In the example of FIG. 6, the cross section is illustrated diagrammatically, so that a gap is generated in the portion between the pair of intermediate layers 43, 43 where the bus bar 31 is not provided. However, in the actual manufacturing process of the vehicle panel 1, a predetermined pressure is applied when the glass main body 41, 41, the ceramic layer 42, the intermediate layer 43, 43, and the bus bar 31 are laminated. As a result, the periphery of the bus bar 31 is substantially filled with the pair of intermediate layers 43, 43.

[0033] As described above, in the vehicle panel 1, the first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12 are arranged apart from each other, and the light control film 20 is separated into the first light control film 21 covering the first window portion 11 and the second light control film 22 covering the second window portion 12. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the first light control film 21 and the second light control film 22 compared to a configuration in which the first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12 are covered by a single light control film 200 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, even if the glass depth H is deep, the generation of wrinkles in the light control film 20 can be suppressed. In this vehicle panel 1, since it is not necessary to reduce the size of the first window portion 11 and the second window portion 12 to suppress wrinkles, it is not necessary to expand the area of ​​the non-transparent portion 13 around the window portion. Therefore, the merchantability of the vehicle panel 1 is also maintained.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first and second dimming films 21 and 22 are connected to each other by a conductive member 30. In this case, the first and second dimming films 21 and 22 can be controlled by applying a voltage to one of the first and second dimming films 21 and 22. This simplifies the configuration.

[0035] In this embodiment, the conductive member 30 is a bus bar 31. Moreover, the conductive member 30 is disposed in a part of the region between the first dimming film 21 and the second dimming film 22 in a plan view. In this case, electrical connection between the first dimming film 21 and the second dimming film 22 can be realized with a simple and easy configuration.

[0036] In this embodiment, the non-transparent portion 13 is formed of the ceramic layer 42. This allows the non-transparent portion 13 to be formed with high designability.

[0037] The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a vehicle panel 1A according to a modified example may have a conductive member 30A instead of the conductive member 30. The conductive member 30A is disposed in the entire area between the first light adjusting film 21 and the second light adjusting film 22. In this modified example, the conductive member 30A is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view, and electrically connects the entire side of the first light adjusting film 21 on the second light adjusting film 22 side to the entire side of the second light adjusting film 22 on the first light adjusting film 21 side.

[0038] Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in Fig. 7. Fig. 8 illustrates a cross-section of an area of ​​the vehicle panel 1A where the first light control film 21 is disposed. As shown in the figure, the configuration of the vehicle panel 1A in such an area is the same as the configuration of the vehicle panel 1.

[0039] 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-section of the region between the first and second light control films 21 and 22 in the vehicle panel 1A. As shown in the figure, the first and second light control films 21 and 22 are not disposed in this region, and a conductive member 30A is provided over the entire region between the pair of intermediate layers 43, 43. In the vehicle panel 1A, the conductive member 30A is disposed over the entire region between the first and second light control films 21 and 22, so that no gap is generated between the pair of intermediate layers 43.

[0040] In this modification, the conductive member 30A is disposed in the entire area between the first and second dimming films 21 and 22. In this case, it is possible to more reliably achieve electrical connection between the first and second dimming films 21 and 22. In addition, it is possible to prevent a step from occurring due to the conductive member 30 not being disposed in part of the area between the first and second dimming films 21 and 22.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the non-transparent portion 13 is formed by providing the ceramic layer 42 on the glass body 41. However, as an example, a panel formed by overlapping a colored resin member on a transparent plate-like member may be used instead of the glass body 41 and the ceramic layer 42. Even in this case, it is possible to form the non-transparent portion 13 with the colored resin member.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the bus bar 31 connects one side of the first light adjusting film 21 facing the second light adjusting film 22 to one side of the second light adjusting film 22 facing the first light adjusting film 21. However, the positions at which the bus bar 31 connects the first light adjusting film 21 and the second light adjusting film 22 can be changed as appropriate as long as the effects of the present disclosure are achieved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1, 1A...vehicle panel, 11...first window portion, 12...second window portion, 13...non-transparent portion, 20...light control film, 21...first light control film, 22...second light control film, 30, 30A...conductive member, 31...bus bar, 42...ceramic layer.

Claims

1. a first window portion and a second window portion that are transparent and spaced apart from each other; a non-transparent portion having non-transparency and arranged to surround each of the first window portion and the second window portion; a light control film disposed to cover the first window portion and the second window portion; A pair of intermediate layers arranged to sandwich the photochromic film, The light control film is separated into a first light control film covering the first window portion and a second light control film covering the second window portion, The first and second light control films are connected to each other by a conductive member, The conductive member is a bus bar arranged so as to be sandwiched between the pair of intermediate layers.

2. a first window portion and a second window portion that are transparent and spaced apart from each other; a non-transparent portion having non-transparency and arranged to surround each of the first window portion and the second window portion; a light control film disposed to cover the first window portion and the second window portion; A pair of intermediate layers arranged to sandwich the photochromic film, The light control film is separated into a first light control film covering the first window portion and a second light control film covering the second window portion, A pair of glass bodies arranged to sandwich the light control film and the pair of intermediate layers, The non-transparent portion is formed of a ceramic layer disposed between the glass body and one of the pair of intermediate layers.

3. The vehicle panel according to claim 1 , wherein the conductive member is disposed in a part of an area between the first light control film and the second light control film in a plan view.

4. The vehicle panel according to claim 1 , wherein the conductive member is disposed over the entire area between the first light control film and the second light control film.

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