Vehicle window system and motor vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle window system (100) and a motor vehicle. The vehicle window system (100) comprises: a light-emitting assembly (140), arranged on a side surface of glass assemblies (110, 120), wherein the glass assemblies (110, 120) comprise at least one first glass assembly (110) and at least one second glass assembly (120), the first glass assembly (110) is configured to have a first surface facing the outside of a vehicle and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and the second glass assembly (120) is configured to have a fourth surface facing the inside of the vehicle and a third surface opposite to the fourth surface; and a polarizing film assembly (130), arranged between the second surface of the first glass assembly (110) and the third surface of the second glass assembly (120), wherein the polarizing film assembly (130) can be controlled to at least partially reflect light from the light-emitting assembly (140).

Description

Car window systems and motor vehicles Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to vehicle windows, and more specifically, to vehicle window systems capable of providing luminous effects and motor vehicles equipped with such vehicle window systems. Background Technology

[0002] In various fields, numerous lighting or signaling devices are known for providing light for illumination or signal indication. For example, in motor vehicles, headlights are generally used to provide lighting or signal indication functions. It should be noted that due to the requirements of vehicle design, the light-emitting surface of headlights is relatively small, creating a need for a wider range of indication signals from a point to a surface. This allows for better indication not only in inclement weather and dimly lit environments but also for more convenient guidance.

[0003] Therefore, there is a demand for adding lighting functions to car windows to improve vehicle safety, convenience, and entertainment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One object of this disclosure is to solve or overcome at least one of the above-mentioned and other problems and defects existing in the prior art.

[0005] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a vehicle window system is provided, the vehicle window system including a light-emitting component disposed on a side of a glass component; the glass component including at least one first glass component and at least one second glass component, the first glass component being disposed having a first surface facing outward of the vehicle and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the second glass component being disposed having a fourth surface facing inward of the vehicle and a third surface opposite to the fourth surface; a polarizing film assembly disposed between the second surface of the first glass component and the third surface of the second glass component; wherein the polarizing film assembly can be controlled to at least partially reflect light from the light-emitting component outward of the vehicle.

[0006] In some embodiments, the polarizing film assembly includes at least a first polarizing film element and a second polarizing film element, which can be controlled separately to adjust the polarization angle.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first polarizing film element and the second polarizing film element in the polarizing film assembly are arranged in a staggered manner.

[0008] In some embodiments, the window system further includes a housing surrounding the area of ​​the glass assembly; and the light-emitting component is disposed within the housing.

[0009] In some implementations, the light-emitting component is arranged within a housing below the glass component area.

[0010] In some embodiments, the light-emitting component includes: one or more light sources, each of which can be independently controlled to selectively turn on or off or to adjust brightness; and a light guide disposed between the light source and the side of the glass assembly to guide light from the light source toward the side of the glass assembly.

[0011] In some embodiments, the light-emitting component is further configured to include a lamp housing, which is a sealed structure.

[0012] In some embodiments, the window system further includes a control unit configured to control the opening and / or closing of the light-emitting components, the brightness of the light-emitting components, and the polarization angle of the first polarizing film element and / or the second polarizing film element, respectively.

[0013] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a motor vehicle is disclosed, wherein the motor vehicle includes the window system described in any of the above embodiments.

[0014] Other objects and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of the disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will help to provide a comprehensive understanding of the disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To better understand this disclosure, a set of accompanying drawings has been provided. These drawings form part of the specification and illustrate embodiments of the disclosure, which should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, but rather as examples of how the disclosure may be implemented. These drawings include the following figures:

[0016] Figure 1 is an exploded view showing the structure of a window system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 2 is an overall front view showing the structure of a window system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line A-A' of a window system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating four controlled states of a window system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Therefore, although the embodiments may be modified in various ways and take various alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings and are described in detail below as examples. There is no intention to limit oneself to the specific forms disclosed. Rather, all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims should be included. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this disclosure, identical or similar components are indicated by identical or similar reference numerals. The following description of embodiments of this disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the overall concept of this disclosure and should not be construed as a limitation thereof.

[0022] Furthermore, in the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth for ease of explanation to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and apparatuses are illustrated to simplify the figures.

[0023] The terminology used in this disclosure is for descriptive purposes only and is not intended to limit or constrain this disclosure. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless explicitly indicated by the context. In this disclosure, terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to indicate the presence of the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and do not exclude the prior presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0024] Furthermore, in this disclosure, terms including serial numbers such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various different components, but these components are not limited by the aforementioned terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish one component from other components. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may be referred to as a first component. The term "and / or" includes a combination of multiple related listed items or any one or more of the related listed items. Meanwhile, terms such as "front," "rear," "upper," and "lower" used in the following description are defined based on the accompanying drawings, and the shape and position of the components are not limited by these terms.

[0025] Figure 1 is an exploded view showing the structure of a window system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2 is an overall front view showing the structure of a window system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the window system 100 includes glass assemblies 110 and 120, and a polarizing film assembly 130 disposed between the glass assemblies 110 and 120. Glass assembly 110 is disposed on the outer side of the vehicle, having a first surface facing outwards and a second surface opposite to the first surface. Glass assembly 120 is disposed on the inner side of the vehicle, having a fourth surface facing inwards and a third surface opposite to the fourth surface. The polarizing film assembly 130 is disposed between the second surface of the first glass assembly and the third surface of the second glass assembly. This disclosure illustrates a configuration including two glass assemblies 110 and 120; it should be understood that more layers of glass assemblies may be included, as long as the polarizing film assembly 130 is located between two glass assemblies. Figures 1 and 2 show an example of the window system 100 as a vehicle side window; the window system 100 can also be a sunroof, windshield, or any area in a vehicle containing glass assemblies.

[0027] The window system 100 further includes a light-emitting component 140. Preferably, the light-emitting component 140 is arranged near the sides of the glass components 110 and 120, such that light from the light-emitting component 140 can be emitted toward the sides of the glass components 110 or 120, enter from their sides, and propagate therein. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2, the light-emitting component 140 is arranged within a housing below the areas of the glass components 110 and 120, thereby allowing it to be concealed within the door housing along with the window system's own lifting mechanism, achieving visual aesthetics without occupying additional space. In other embodiments, the window system 100 may further have a housing surrounding the window area; for example, when the window system is a sunroof, the light-emitting component 140 may be arranged within a housing surrounding the window area.

[0028] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the polarizing film assembly 130 can be controlled to at least partially reflect light from the light-emitting component 140 toward the outside or inside of the vehicle. Preferably, the polarizing film assembly 130 includes at least a first polarizing film element and a second polarizing film element, wherein the first and second polarizing film elements can be controlled separately to adjust their respective polarization angles, thereby achieving different light emission effects. Some polarizing film assemblies 130 may also have more layers of polarizing film elements. Note that Figure 4 shows states 4a-4b of the polarizing film assembly 130 being controlled by a controller (not shown), and the various states of the polarizing film 130 will be further described in detail below in conjunction with Figure 4.

[0029] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a window system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure along line A-A'. As shown in Figure 3, in some embodiments, the light-emitting component 140 includes one or more light sources 144. Each of the light sources 144 can be independently controlled to selectively turn on or off or to adjust its brightness to achieve a desired light emission effect or dynamic lighting effect. Preferably, the light source 144 can be an RGB LED light source, such as an RGB LED light strip. Although a light source 144 formed as a light strip is shown in Figure 1, it should be understood that the light source 144 can be any form of strip light source, such as a light source with side-emitting light guides.

[0030] The light-emitting component 140 also includes a light guide 143 disposed between the light source 144 and the side of the glass assembly 110 for guiding light from the light source 144 toward the side of the glass assembly 110. It should be understood that the light guide 143 can have any adaptable shape, as long as it can guide light from the light source 144 out in an appropriate direction. In some embodiments, the light guide 143 may also have collimation effects.

[0031] Note that Figure 3 shows the case where the light-emitting component 140 is located below the side of the glass assembly 110 on the outer side of the vehicle to illuminate the glass assembly 110. In this case, light from the light-emitting component 140 can enter the glass assembly 110 and then be reflected outward by the polarizing film assembly 130. At this time, the glass assembly area of ​​the window system 100 can be observed to emit light from the outer side of the vehicle, providing higher visibility in dark environments or extreme weather conditions. In other embodiments, depending on different needs, the light-emitting component 140 may also be located below the side of the glass assembly 120 on the inner side of the vehicle to illuminate the glass assembly 120, or multiple light sources 144 may be included to be located below both the sides of the glass assemblies 110 and 120 simultaneously, allowing light emitted by the light-emitting component 140 to illuminate both glass assemblies 110 and 120. When the light-emitting component 140 is located below the side of the glass assembly 120 on the inner side of the vehicle, the window system 100 can be controlled to emit light inward to provide ambient lighting inside the vehicle. When the light-emitting component 140 is located below the sides of both the glass components 110 and 120, the window system 100 can be controlled to emit light simultaneously to both the outside and inside of the vehicle. In some examples, the window system 100 may also display an additional image on the glass component 120 facing the inside of the vehicle while emitting light to the inside of the vehicle, for display to passengers inside the vehicle.

[0032] In some embodiments, the light-emitting component 140 may optionally include a heat sink 147, wherein the heat sink 147 may have fins extending outward from the light-emitting component 140. In some embodiments, the heat sink 147 is preferably bonded to the light-emitting component 140 by thermally conductive adhesive 145 to achieve better heat dissipation.

[0033] The light-emitting component 140 shown in Figure 3 is further configured to include a lamp housing 142, which surrounds the light-emitting component 140 and is configured as a sealed structure. In some embodiments, the lamp housing 142 of the light-emitting component 140 has an opening for receiving the side of the glass assembly 110 and / or 120, and another opening for receiving the light source 144 and / or the heat sink 147. Preferably, as shown in Figure 3, one opening of the lamp housing 142 is an upper opening, which is sealed to the side of the glass assembly 110 and / or 120 via a sealant assembly 141, and the other opening of the lamp housing 142 is a lower opening, which is sealed to the fins of the heat sink 145 via another sealant assembly 146, so that the entire lamp housing 142 is configured as a sealed structure.

[0034] In some embodiments, the window system 100 further includes a control unit (not shown). This control unit can control the opening and / or closing of the light-emitting assembly 140, as well as the brightness of the light-emitting assembly 140, and simultaneously control various states of the polarizing film assembly 130. Preferably, the control unit can control the opening and / or closing or brightness of each light source 144 in the light-emitting assembly 140 to achieve a desired light emission effect or dynamic light effect.

[0035] Figure 4 shows the various states of the window system 100 under control (4a-4d). When the polarizing film is controlled in the pass-through state, the lines constituting the polarizing film are horizontal, allowing light to pass through. When the polarizing film and / or reflective film are in the reflective state, the lines constituting the polarizing film are vertical, reflecting most of the light. When the polarizing film is in the dimming state, the lines constituting the polarizing film are tilted, reflecting some light while allowing some to pass through. The states of the polarizing film can be controlled by a controller via circuitry.

[0036] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the first polarizing film element is mainly used to control the emission of light from the light-emitting component 140. Preferably, the first polarizing film element includes a polarizing film 131 with an adjustable polarization angle and a reflective film 132. The second polarizing film element and the first polarizing film element together are used to control the light from outside the vehicle entering the vehicle interior. Preferably, the second polarizing film element includes a polarizing film 133 with an adjustable polarization angle.

[0037] In the various states shown in Figures 4a to 4d, the light-emitting component 140 has different on / off states, and the first polarizing film elements 131 and 132 and / or the second polarizing film element 133 have their own different polarization angles. At the same time, the first polarizing film elements 131 and 132 are staggered with the second polarizing film element 133 to achieve different dimming effects.

[0038] Specifically, in Figures 4a and 4b, the light-emitting component 140 is in the open state, so that light from the light-emitting component 140 enters the side of the glass component 120 and is emitted out of the polarizing film component 130.

[0039] In this scenario, Figure 4a shows an opaque interior state, where at least a portion of the light from the light-emitting component 140 is deflected on the polarizing film 131 of the first polarizing film element and reflected on the reflective film 132, thus emitting light outwards. This makes the glass component area of ​​the vehicle appear to emit light when viewed from the outside. Note that in Figure 4a, the second polarizing film element 133 is in a state of reflecting external light; that is, light from outside the vehicle is also reflected by the polarizing film element 133. Therefore, when viewed from inside the vehicle, no light is emitted into the glass component area, thus preventing interference with the driver's operation or affecting the passenger experience.

[0040] In some embodiments, Figure 4b shows the interior light transmission state. In this case, similar to Figure 4a, at least a portion of the light from the light-emitting component 140 is deflected on the polarizing film 131 of the first polarizing film element and reflected on the reflective film 132 to be emitted to the outside of the vehicle, so that the glass component area of ​​the vehicle appears to be illuminated when viewed from the outside. Note that, unlike the state in Figure 4a, in Figure 4b, the second polarizing film element 133 is in a state that allows external light to pass through, that is, light from the outside of the vehicle can enter the vehicle interior. Therefore, when viewed from the inside of the vehicle, the outside of the vehicle can be observed through the glass component area, allowing passengers inside the vehicle to observe the situation outside the vehicle while the vehicle's glass component area is illuminated.

[0041] In Figures 4c and 4d, the light-emitting component 140 is turned off, allowing only light from outside the vehicle to enter the vehicle interior through the glass component area. In the case shown in Figure 4c, the polarizing film 131 and reflective film 132 of the first polarizing film element and the polarizing film 133 of the second polarizing film element are both in a pass-through state, allowing light from outside the vehicle to enter the vehicle interior without dimming / reflection, thus enabling passengers inside the vehicle to clearly observe the outside environment. In the case shown in Figure 4d, the polarizing film 131 and reflective film 132 of the first polarizing film element are in a pass-through state, while the polarizing film 133 of the second polarizing film element is in a dimming state to adjust the intensity and / or angle of light entering the vehicle interior from outside, achieving appropriate interior lighting efficiency.

[0042] Although Figures 4a-4d show the control unit controlling the opening and / or closing of the light-emitting component 140 and simultaneously controlling the polarizing film assembly 130 in four states, it should be understood that the technical solution of this disclosure further includes, according to actual needs (including the need for light emission in the window area and the need for brightness inside the vehicle), the corresponding brightness of the light-emitting component 140 can be controlled and the polarization angle of each element of the polarizing film assembly can be adjusted in combination with the opening / closing of the light-emitting component 140 to achieve other states not shown in Figure 4.

[0043] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide motor vehicles that include optical modules or lighting devices as described in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0044] Although this disclosure has been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the embodiments disclosed in the drawings are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of this disclosure and should not be construed as limiting the disclosure. The dimensions in the drawings are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the disclosure.

[0045] While some embodiments of the general concept of this disclosure have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general concept of this disclosure, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A vehicle window system (100), comprising: A light-emitting component (140) is arranged on the side of a glass assembly (110, 120); The glass assembly includes at least one first glass assembly (110) and at least one second glass assembly (120), the first glass assembly (110) being arranged to have a first surface facing outward of the vehicle and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and the second glass assembly (120) being arranged to have a fourth surface facing inward of the vehicle and a third surface opposite to the fourth surface. A polarizing film assembly (130), the polarizing film assembly being disposed between a second surface of a first glass assembly and a third surface of a second glass assembly; characterized in that, The polarizing film assembly (130) can be controlled to reflect light from the light-emitting assembly in at least a portion.

2. The vehicle window system according to claim 1, wherein The polarizing film assembly (130) can be controlled to at least partially reflect light from the light-emitting assembly toward the outside or inside of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle window system according to claim 1, wherein... The polarizing film assembly (130) includes at least a first polarizing film element (131, 132) and a second polarizing film element (133), wherein The first polarizing film element (131, 132) and the second polarizing film element (133) can be controlled separately to adjust the polarization angle.

4. The window system according to claim 3, wherein The first polarizing film element (131, 132) and the second polarizing film element (133) are arranged in a staggered manner.

5. The window system according to claim 1 further includes a housing. The housing surrounds the area of ​​the glass components (110, 120); and the light-emitting component (140) is arranged inside the housing.

6. The window system according to claim 5, wherein The light-emitting component (140) is arranged inside the housing below the glass component area.

7. The vehicle window system according to claim 1, wherein The light-emitting component (140) includes: One or more light sources (144), each of which can be independently controlled to selectively turn on or off or to adjust brightness; A light guide (143) is arranged between the light source and the side of the glass assembly to guide light from the light source toward the side of the glass assembly.

8. The window system according to claim 7, wherein The light-emitting component is further configured to include a lamp housing (142), which is a sealed structure.

9. The window system according to claim 3, further comprising: The control unit is configured to control the opening and / or closing of the light-emitting component, the brightness of the light-emitting component, and control the polarization angle of the first polarizing film element and / or the second polarizing film element respectively.

10. A motor vehicle, wherein, The motor vehicle includes the window system as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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