JP6996938B2 - Vehicle interior components with lighting equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an interior member for a vehicle, and more particularly to an interior member provided with a lighting device for a vehicle such as an automobile.

Various interior members are installed in the interior of a vehicle, for example, the floor, door, roof, etc. of an automobile, in consideration of the passenger's riding comfort and design. In recent years, attempts have been made to incorporate lighting in order to improve these designs.

Patent Document 1 describes an automobile equipment equipped with a light-emitting knitted fabric that integrates a light-emitting body with a power source or a light source and a self-light-emitting body, and emits light by incorporating a side-leakage optical fiber. The composition in which the knitted fabric is arranged on the edge of the floor mat of the automobile is shown.

Patent Document 2 discloses a mat device in which a light emitting portion is laid on the peripheral edge of a mat body laid on a floor surface, and the light emitting portion includes an optical fiber that emits light received from a light source from a side surface, and is an optical fiber. Is fixed to the mat body with a light-storing material that luminesces and emits light.

The use of optical fibers in interior materials such as flooring to impart designability is being studied in fields other than vehicles. Patent Document 3 relates to a laminated body in which a non-woven mat or a plastic tile, a transparent vinyl chloride sheet, and an acrylic base plate are sequentially laminated with respect to the interior / exterior material of a building, between the vinyl chloride sheet and the acrylic plate. Described is an interior / exterior material in which a large number of optical fibers having a surface in the longitudinal direction as a light emitting surface are arranged in parallel, and a transparent acrylic resin is filled and cured in a cutout portion provided on the mat or tile.

Utility Model Registration No. 3206217 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-117427 Registered Utility Model No. 260387 Gazette

Interior members for vehicles are required to have flexibility (or plasticity) that can be deformed according to the curved surface shape of each part. In addition, pressure resistance against pressure is also required in the part where the occupant's body comes into contact, for example, the floor where the passenger is repeatedly stepped on. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a knitted fabric containing an optical fiber is arranged on the outer periphery of a floor mat, and Patent Document 2 also discloses a configuration in which an optical fiber is attached to the peripheral edge of a mat. In the configuration, although the flexibility of the mat is maintained, it cannot be said that the light emitting part is sufficiently protected when stepped on by a foot, and the lighting effect is excellent in design at any place on the surface of the mat. It's hard to get. Further, when the optical fiber is fixed to the mat by sewing or gluing, it cannot be easily attached or detached when cleaning the floor mat. Since the interior material described in Patent Document 3 is made of acrylic as a base material and the cutout portion is filled with acrylic resin, flexibility that can be used for an automobile floor mat or the like cannot be expected. Further, since the optical fiber is used as a bundle, it is not considered to utilize the characteristics as a linear light emitting body in the design.

Patent Document 1 describes an LED as a light source. Patent Document 3 does not specifically describe a light source, but what is shown is a light bulb. Although Patent Document 2 describes laser light as a light source option, the description of the embodiment is based on an LED, and the light source may be a light bulb, a cold cathode tube, or the like. .. When a light source that emits light such as an LED or a light bulb is used, it is difficult to guide the light to a long distance with a light guide body having a small diameter such as an optical fiber.

In view of the above situation, the present invention can guide a long distance (for example, 1 m or more) by using a light guide member having a flexible small diameter (for example, the diameter of the light guide portion is less than 0.9 mm). At the same time, it is an object of the present invention to provide an interior member for a vehicle equipped with a light emitting unit (illuminating unit) capable of stably holding a desired light emitting pattern obtained by bending a light guide body. Further, an object of the present invention is to provide an interior member having a lighting function, which has flexibility that can follow the internal structure of a vehicle and is also excellent in pressure resistance.

The first configuration of the present invention is
A flexible linear light guide member and
A base material having a light transmitting portion made of a translucent material at least in part,
A vehicle interior member including a light emitting unit including a light source that emits laser light that enters the light guide member.
The light guide member is an interior member for a vehicle embedded in a light transmitting portion of the base material.

According to the interior member having the above configuration, the light guide member having flexibility in the light emitting portion is stably held in a desired shape, an arbitrary line-shaped light emitting pattern is formed, and the interior member is provided with design. It can be given a function as a lighting device. Further, since the light source emits laser light, even when the light guide has a small diameter, it can emit light up to the end of the long light guide.

In the vehicle interior member, the light guide member may be a light diffusing optical fiber having a light guide portion having a diameter of less than 1 mm.

According to the vehicle interior member having the above configuration, the light emitting portion can stably hold an optical fiber having a diameter of less than 1 mm in a bent state with a radius of curvature (R) of 10 mm or less, and a plurality of optical fibers using a long optical fiber can be used. A light emission pattern consisting of light emission lines can be realized.

In the vehicle interior member having the above configuration, the base material includes a base material main body and a light transmitting member constituting the light transmitting portion, and the light transmitting portion is fitted into a groove formed in the base material main body. The light guide member may be a vehicle interior member fitted in a recess provided in the light transmitting portion.

According to the vehicle interior member having the above configuration, the base material main body and the light transmitting portion are used as separate members, and an arbitrary light emitting pattern can be obtained by processing the groove pattern. In addition, the light guide member can be easily assembled.

In the vehicle interior member having the above configuration, the cross section of the groove has a tapered portion in which the groove width on the front surface side of the substrate is narrower than the groove width on the back surface side of the substrate, and the outer surface of the light transmitting portion is the above. It may have a tapered portion corresponding to the shape of the groove. Further, the concave portion of the light transmitting portion may also have a tapered cross section.

With the above configuration, positioning can be easily and accurately performed when the light transmitting portion is installed on the base material main body or when the light guide body is installed on the light transmitting portion.

In the vehicle interior member, the opening width of the groove on the surface side of the base material is W, the depth of the light guide member is z, the refractive index of the light transmitting member is n ₁ , the light transmitting member and the base. When the refractive index of the interface of the material body is n ₂ and the refractive index of air is n _air ,
The inclination angle θ with respect to the surface of the base material at the interface between the light transmitting member and the main body of the base material may satisfy the following formula.

In the vehicle interior member, the base material may be made of a flexible material and may constitute a vehicle floor laying member.

Since the interior member for a vehicle with a lighting device having the above configuration has flexibility and impact pressure resistance, damage to the light guide body can be prevented even when the interior member is used as a floor laying member frequently stepped on by a passenger's foot. , It is possible to impart high designability to the laying member by the light emitting pattern from the light guide body.

The vehicle interior member constituting the floor laying member may further include a cloth floor laying member main body, and the light emitting portion may be detachably attached to the floor laying member main body.

According to the vehicle interior member having the above configuration, by detachably attaching the floor laying member main body and the light emitting part (lighting device), the floor laying member main body can be removed when cleaning, and is separate from the floor laying member main body. It can also be exchanged for.

In the vehicle interior member, the floor laying member main body may be made of pile woven fabric, and the light emitting portion may be attached to the floor laying member main body via a hook-and-loop fastener.

According to the vehicle interior member, the light emitting portion can be easily attached to and detached from the floor laying member main body.

According to the interior member of the present invention, the flexible light guide member can be stably held in a desired shape. At that time, by using a light guide member having a small diameter such as an optical fiber and a laser light source, it is possible to realize a long linear light emission with a total length, and it is possible to form an arbitrary linear light emission pattern.

It is a schematic plan view which shows the floor laying member which concerns on one Embodiment of the vehicle interior member of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the part shown by the frame II in the interior member of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the light emitting part of the interior member shown by line III-III of FIG. It is a schematic plan view which looked at the light emitting part in the interior member of FIG. 1 from the back surface. It is a schematic diagram which shows the assembly process of the interior member of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the preferable condition of the cross section of a light emitting part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the floor laying member which concerns on one Embodiment of the vehicle interior member of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the wiring of the light guide member in the floor laying member shown in b) of FIG.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that each drawing is a conceptual diagram for explaining the configuration of the invention, and does not represent an actual dimensional ratio. In different figures, the corresponding configurations are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a vehicle floor laying member 1 as an embodiment of a vehicle interior member including a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The interior member (floor laying member) 1 includes a floor laying member main body (floor mat) 2 and a light emitting unit 3. The base material 4 of the light emitting unit 3 includes a base material main body 40 and a light transmitting member 42. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the portion shown by the frame II in FIG. As shown here, a flexible linear light guide member (optical fiber) 6 is embedded under the light transmitting member 42. Although not an essential configuration, in the present embodiment, the hard plate member 5 is arranged for the purpose of protecting the light source arranged in the light emitting unit 3. The plate member 5 can also be used as, for example, a vehicle emblem or a plate for displaying a name.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. The base material body 40 is formed with a groove 41 having an opening 41a on the front surface side of the base material, and the inner surface thereof is both an upper (front surface side) tapered surface 41b and a lower (back surface side) tapered surface 41c. It is composed of a step surface 41d connecting the tapered surfaces 41b and 41c, and the groove width is narrowed from the back surface side to the front surface side. The step surface 41d is a surface substantially parallel to the surface of the base material body 40. The light transmitting member 42 is fitted in the groove 41 and connects the top surface 42a, the upper tapered surface 42b, the lower tapered surface 42c, and both tapered surfaces 42b and 42c according to the shape of the groove 41. It has a step surface 42d. Further, the light transmitting member 42 is provided with a recess 42f that is tapered inward from the bottom surface 42e, and the light guide member (optical fiber) 6 is fitted in the recess 42f. A sealing member 43 is further inserted into the recess 42f from the side of the bottom surface 42e, and the light guide member 6 is fixed in the light transmitting member 42. In the present embodiment, a two-step tapered groove cross section is shown, but the tapered surface may have only one step or may be divided into three or more steps.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the light emitting unit 3 as viewed from the back surface side. The groove 41 forms a line-shaped pattern on the base material main body 40. The groove 41 has the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 3 at the portion opened on the surface of the base material main body 40 (opening groove portion 410), but is shown in FIG. 3 at the portion having no opening on the surface (connecting groove portion 411). Similar to the recess 42f of the light transmitting member 42, it has a cross-sectional structure that does not reach the surface of the base material body 40. The long light guide member (optical fiber) 6 is arranged along the groove 41 and is held by the light transmitting member 42 and the sealing member 43 installed in the groove. A terminator (reflector: not shown) may be installed at the end of the light guide member 6 in order to improve the luminous efficiency. The base end of the light guide member 6 is connected to a laser light source 7 such as a laser diode, and is arranged so that the laser light emitted from the light source 7 enters from the end face. The laser light source 7 is connected to an external power source (not shown) via the harness 8.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the assembly of the light emitting unit 3 to the floor laying member main body 2. The light emitting unit 3 may be assembled to the floor laying member main body 2 in the above state, but the backing member 9 may be joined to the back surface as shown in the figure. By joining a hook-and-loop fastener 10 to the back surface of the base material main body 40 or the backing member 9, the light emitting portion 3 becomes a floor laying member main body 2 (for example, a floor mat made of pile fabric) via the hook-and-loop fastener 10. It can be attached and detached freely. With this configuration, the floor laying member main body 2 can be cleaned or replaced separately from the light emitting unit 3.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the conditions of the upper part of the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. The width of the opening 41a of the groove 41 is W, the depth of the light guide member (distance from the top surface 42a of the light transmission member 42 to the upper surface of the light guide member 6) is z, the light transmission member 42, and the base material body 40. When the inclination angle of the interface (upper tapered surfaces 41a, 42b) with respect to the substrate surface is θ, by adjusting W, z, and θ within an appropriate range, the direct light _LD from the light guide member 5 alone is sufficient. Instead, the light _LR reflected at the interface between the base material body 40 and the light transmitting member 42 can also be used, and the range in which the passenger can see the lighting can be expanded.

Specifically, the maximum value (limit viewing angle) of the angle formed by the reflected light _LR when the light reflected at the interface is transmitted without being completely reflected on the surface of the light transmitting member with respect to the perpendicular to the surface of the base material. ) Is β, and the maximum value (limit viewing angle) of the angle formed by the direct light _LD with respect to the same vertical line is α. Can be expressed by the following equation.

Here, n ₁ is the refractive index of the light transmitting member 42, n ₂ is the refractive index of the interface between the light transmitting member 41 and the base material body 40, and n _air is the refractive index in the air.

Considering the material of a general transparent resin, n ₁ is about 1.40 to 1.65 (1.49 in the case of transparent urethane), and the base material body 40 is also made of the same material as the light transmitting member 42. Can be used (colored). n _air and n ₂ may be 1.0. The depth z is preferably 2.5 mm or more in order to prevent damage to the light guide member 6 due to, for example, stepping on the light guide member 6. In order to mount the light transmitting member 42 in the groove 41, θ is preferably less than 90 °.
Although not particularly limited, the opening width W of the groove on the surface side of the base material may be 0.5 to 5.0 times the diameter D of the light guide member.

(Light guide member)
In the present invention, it is preferable to use a flexible, small-diameter light guide member such as an optical fiber as the light guide member. The light guide member may be an optical fiber composed of only a light guide portion, or may be an optical fiber composed of a core wire for light guides composed of one or a plurality of fibers and a covering material for protection. For example, an optical fiber made of a glass fiber core wire serving as a light guide portion and a resinous coating material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) may be used. The optical fiber may be one having improved lateral light diffusivity due to defects and / or scattered particles (light diffusible fiber). Further, the fluorescent substance may be dispersed in the coating material of the optical fiber. As the optical fiber as described above, a commercially available product can be used. By using an optical fiber, a light guide member (optical fiber) having a diameter of less than 3 mm including the covering portion, further less than 1 mm (for example, 0.9 mm), and a light guide portion having a diameter of less than 0.9 mm is used. , Fine linear light emission can be obtained. The length of the light guide member to be used is not particularly limited, but in the present invention, a long light guide can be obtained by using a small diameter optical fiber and a laser light source in combination, specifically, 1 m or more, and further 3 m or more. Further, the length can be 5 m or more, and can be appropriately selected from, for example, a length in the range of 0.1 to 10 m, 1 to 10 m, 3 to 5 m, and 5 to 10 m. As the light guide member, a commercially available product can be used, and as an example, a light guide member sold by Corning Inc. under the registered trademark name of Fibernce may be used.

(light source)
As the light source, a laser light source having excellent directivity is used. Although the laser light source is not particularly limited, it is preferable to use a laser diode (LD) because the size of the light source can be reduced, the price is low, stable output can be obtained, and the power consumption is low. Monochromatic laser light from a single laser light source may be used, but for example, with mixed light using two-color or three-color laser light appropriately selected from three-color laser light of red, green, and blue. By doing so, a laser beam having a desired color may be formed and used. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the laser light source 7 is arranged on the back surface side of the light emitting portion, but a light source for optical transmission in which a light source such as a laser diode is arranged outside and light is transmitted from the laser light source ( An optical transmission fiber) may be used as a light source, and a light guide body may be connected to the light source.

(Light transmitting member)
The light transmitting member constituting the light transmitting portion is preferably made of a transparent flexible resin. For example, a transparent urethane resin can be used, but other elastomer-based or silicone-based transparent resins (for example, transparent silicone resin) may be used.

(Base material)
The material constituting the base material body is not particularly limited, and a hard resin may be used depending on the application, but when used for interior members requiring flexibility such as floor laying members, the base material body is also flexible. It is preferably a resin. For example, a colored urethane resin may be used, or other elastomer-based or silicone-based resin may be colored and used. Further, as the sealing member, the same material as the base material main body can be used. Depending on the application, when the base material body is made of a hard material, a metal may be used, or a resin such as an acrylic resin or a polycarbonate resin may be used. The plate member that protects the light source can also be formed from a similar material.

(Vehicle interior materials)
When the interior member of the present invention is used as a floor laying member, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and various changes can be made. For example, in FIG. 4, the laser light source is arranged on the back surface side of the light emitting portion 3 and is protected by the plate member 5, but when the light source is arranged outside the floor laying member, the plate member 5 is omitted. May be good. In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the light emitting portion is installed on the main body of the floor laying member made of cloth has been described, but a base material made of a flexible resin may be processed into the shape of the floor laying member. The contour shape of the floor laying member is changed according to the position where it is used, the vehicle type, and the like.

The arrangement of the light emitting part and the light emitting pattern can be changed arbitrarily. For example, in FIG. 7, in the interior member 1 shown in a), the light emitting unit 3 is arranged near the center of the floor laying member 1. In the interior member 1 shown in b), the base material main body 40 has a function as a floor laying member, and the light guide members are cross-arranged in the light transmitting member 42 to form a stitch-like light emitting pattern. There is.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the method of forming the light emitting pattern shown in FIG. 7b), and for the sake of explanation, the width of the light transmitting member 42 is emphasized, and the individual light transmitting members 42 arranged in a line shape. The reference numerals l ₁ to l ₁₁ are attached to distinguish (hereinafter referred to as a line). The arrangement on the light guide member is partially indicated by a broken line with an arrow, and the direction of the arrow indicates the direction from the base end to the end of the light guide member 6 (the direction in which the laser beam is guided). The light guide member 6 connected to the light source 7 is first wired to the rightmost line (light transmitting member 42 arranged in a line shape) l ₁ in the figure. The light guide member leaving the line l ₁ bends and enters the adjacent line l ₂ , and is wired from the rightmost line l ₁ to the leftmost line l ₆ . The light guide member leaving the line l ₆ enters the line l ₇ , and is similarly wired from l ₇ to line l ₁₁ via l ₈ , l ₉ , and l ₁₀ . Here, in the lines l ₇ to l ₁₁ , the depth (from the back surface 42e side) of the recess 43 in which the light guide member 6 is arranged is made smaller (shallow) than the depth of the recess 43 in the lines l ₁ to l ₆ . It may and / or may be provided at a position where the lines intersect (for example, a notch may be provided at the lines l ₇ to l _11. In this way, one long light guide member is used to stitch the stitches. It is possible to form various light emission patterns. Similarly, it is possible to form various light emission patterns in the same manner as one stroke.

In the above embodiment, a floor laying member provided with a light emitting portion has been described as an example of the vehicle interior member of the present invention, but the use of the interior member of the present invention is not limited to the floor laying member, and a door panel or a roof panel is used. , Or it may be applied to the back of the seat. Alternatively, it can be applied to flooring materials for large vehicles such as buses and trains. In this case, the interior member of the present invention can be suitably used as a member with a lighting function for a vehicle such as an automobile, and by combining various vehicle interior members with a light emitting unit, an interior member having a lighting function is provided. be able to. According to the present invention, it is possible to emit light from a thin portion by using a light guide member having a small diameter, and if necessary, the light emitting portion is arranged at a position away from the light source by using an optical transmission member. Therefore, it is possible to emit light even at a position where it is difficult to arrange an electric circuit for lighting and an electric wiring, so that it can be applied to various vehicle parts.

According to the interior member with a lighting function of the present invention, it is possible to provide an interior member having a lighting function that exhibits linear light emission of an arbitrary shape by using a flexible small-diameter and long light guide member. can. Such an interior member can enhance the design of the interior of a vehicle such as an automobile.

1 Interior member (floor laying member)
2 Floor laying member Main body 3 Light emitting part 4 Base material 5 Plate member 6 Light guide member 7 Laser light source 40 Base material main body 41 Groove 41a Opening 41b, 41c Tapered part 42 Light transmitting member 42b, 42c Tapered part 9 Backing member 10 Surface laser D Light guide member diameter W Groove width z Light guide member depth θ Interface inclination angle

Claims (4)

A flexible linear light guide member and
A base material having a light transmitting portion made of a translucent material at least in part,
An interior member for a vehicle including a light emitting unit including a light source that emits a laser beam that enters the light guide member.
The light guide member is embedded in a light transmitting portion of the base material .
The base material includes a base material main body and a light transmitting member constituting the light transmitting portion, the light transmitting member is fitted into a groove formed in the base material main body, and the light guide member is An interior member for a vehicle, which is fitted in a recess provided in the light transmitting member . In the vehicle interior member according to claim 1 , the cross section of the groove has a tapered portion in which the groove width on the front surface side of the base material is narrower than the groove width on the back surface side of the base material, and the outer surface of the light transmitting member. Is a vehicle interior member having a tapered portion corresponding to the shape of the groove. The vehicle interior member according to claim 1 or 2 .
The opening width of the groove on the surface of the base material is W, the depth of the light guide member is z, the refractive index of the light transmitting member is n ₁ , and the refractive index of the interface between the light transmitting member and the base material body is defined as. n ₂ , when the refractive index of air is n _air ,
A vehicle interior member in which the inclination angle θ with respect to the surface of the base material at the interface between the light transmitting member and the base material main body satisfies the following formula.

The vehicle interior member according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the base material is made of a flexible material and constitutes a floor laying member with a lighting function.

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