Illuminating glazing with incorporated deflector

Abstract

A lighting glazing includes a first sheet of glass of refractive index n1 with a first main face, a second main face and a rim; a transparent polymer film in adhesive contact with the second main face of the first sheet, the film having a refractive index n2<n1; a light source positioned facing the rim of the first sheet of glass, wherein an area of the second main face of the first sheet of glass is provided with a reflecting relief or else is covered with a transparent flat structure, of refractive index n3 greater than or equal to n1, provided with a reflecting relief.

Claims

1. A lighting glazing comprising: a first sheet of glass of refractive index n.sub.1 with a first main face, a second main face and a rim; a transparent polymer film in adhesive contact with the second main face of the first sheet of glass, said transparent polymer film having a refractive index n.sub.2<n.sub.1; a second sheet of glass with a first main face, a second main face and a rim, the transparent polymer film being in adhesive contact with the first main face of the second sheet of glass, and a light source positioned facing the rim of the first sheet of glass, wherein an area of the second main face of the first sheet of glass is provided with a specular reflecting textured surface, and wherein the specular reflecting textured surface is a textured surface of Fresnel lens type or of Fresnel prism type.

2. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein a height of the specular reflecting textured surface is between 5 μm and 1 mm.

3. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 2, wherein the height of the specular reflecting textured surface is between 10 μm and 500μm.

4. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein a metallic layer is present on said specular reflecting textured surface.

5. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the refractive index n.sub.2 of the transparent polymer film is less by at least 0.02 than the index n.sub.1 of the first sheet of glass.

6. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein a coating of low index having a refractive index n.sub.4 less by at least 0.02 than the index n.sub.1 of the first sheet of glass is present on said specular reflecting textured surface.

7. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 6, wherein the refractive index n.sub.4 is less by at least 0.1 than the index n.sub.1 of the first sheet of glass.

8. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the specular reflecting textured surface is a textured surface of Fresnel prism type, the individual prisms of said textured surface being essentially parallel to the lit rim of the first sheet of glass.

9. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the specular reflecting textured surface is a textured surface of Fresnel prism type, the individual prisms of said textured surface having an arched form.

10. A vehicle, comprising a lighting glazing as claimed in claim 1.

11. The vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the lighting glazing forms part of the roof of the vehicle.

12. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light source includes a light-emitting diode module.

13. A lighting glazing comprising: a first sheet of glass of refractive index n.sub.1 with a first main face, a second main face and a rim; a transparent polymer film in adhesive contact with the second main face of the first sheet of glass, said transparent polymer film having a refractive index n.sub.2<n.sub.1; a second sheet of glass with a first main face, a second main face and a rim, the transparent polymer film being in adhesive contact with the first main face of the second sheet of glass, and a light source positioned facing the rim of the first sheet of glass, wherein an area of the second main face of the first sheet of glass is covered with a transparent flat structure, of refractive index n.sub.3 greater than or equal to n.sub.1, provided with a specular reflecting textured surface.

14. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 13, wherein the transparent flat structure is a film of plastic material, or a silica-based mineral or organo-mineral coating obtained by sol-gel pathway.

15. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 14, wherein the plastic material is poly(ethylene terephthalate), polycarbonate, poly(methylmethacrylate), or polystyrene.

16. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 13, wherein a height of the specular reflecting textured surface is between 5 μm and 1 mm.

17. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 16, wherein the height of the specular reflecting textured surface is between 10 μm and 500 μm.

18. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 13, wherein a metallic layer is present on said specular reflecting textured surface.

19. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 13, wherein the refractive index n.sub.2 of the transparent polymer film is less by at least 0.02 than the index n.sub.3 of the transparent flat structure.

20. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 13, wherein a coating of low index having a refractive index n.sub.4 less by at least 0.02 than the index n.sub.3 of the transparent flat structure is present on said specular reflecting textured surface.

21. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 20, wherein the refractive index n.sub.4 is less by at least 0.1 than the index n.sub.3 of the transparent flat structure.

22. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 13, wherein the specular reflecting textured surface comprises geometrical patterns consisting of flat or curved surfaces.

23. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 22, wherein the specular reflecting textured surface is a regular textured surface with repetitive geometrical patterns.

24. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 13, wherein the specular reflecting textured surface is a textured surface of Fresnel lens type or of Fresnel prism type.

25. A vehicle, comprising a lighting glazing as claimed in claim 13.

26. The vehicle as claimed in claim 25, wherein the lighting glazing forms part of the roof of the vehicle.

27. The lighting glazing as claimed in claim 13, wherein the light source includes a light-emitting diode module.

Description

(1) The present invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the appended figures in which,

(2) FIG. 1 is a cross section of the edge of a first embodiment of a glazing according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 is a cross section of the edge of a second embodiment of a glazing according to the invention,

(4) FIG. 3A shows the shape of a relief of straight Fresnel prism type,

(5) FIG. 3B shows the shape of a relief of arched Fresnel prism type.

(6) The glazing according to the invention represented in FIG. 1 is a single glazing comprising a first sheet of glass (1) with a first main face (11), a second main face (12) and a rim (13). The first sheet has an optical index n.sub.1, generally close to 1.5. A light-emitting diode module (8) is positioned in such a way that the emitting face of the LEDs is facing the rim (13) of the first sheet. At a certain distance from the lit rim of the first sheet there is an area (5) of the second main face (12) of the first sheet which is textured, that is to say comprises a relief of Fresnel prism type, consisting of a plurality of individual prisms, each consisting of an oblique surface (4a) and a surface (4b) essentially perpendicular to the general plane of the first sheet. The hollows of the relief are filled with a material (7) with low optical index (n.sub.4<<n.sub.1), for example a silica-based mineral material formed in situ by a sol-gel method. All the second main face (12) of the first sheet is in adhesive contact with a transparent polymer film (3) of optical index n.sub.2<n.sub.1 which also covers the mineral material (7).

(7) Because the optical index n.sub.2 of the separator (3) is less than the optical index n.sub.1 of the first sheet, the latter operates as a waveguide for a light ray (R) emitted by the LED. When this ray (R) arrives at the relief of the textured area (5), it is not refracted by the interface in Fresnel prism form but is reflected by one of the oblique surfaces (4a). Since the reflecting oblique surfaces (4a) are all oriented toward the light source, this reflection of the light ray (R) takes place mostly toward a fairly limited space under the glazing.

(8) FIG. 2 represents a cross section of the edge of a laminated glazing according to the invention. This glazing comprises a first sheet (1) with a first main face (11), a second main face (12) and a rim (13) and a second sheet (2) with a first main face (21) and a second main face (22). The transparent film (3) in adhesive contact with the first main face (21) of the second sheet and the second main face (12) of the first sheet here acts as lamination separator. Side-emitting LED modules (8) are placed on the first main face of the second sheet (21) in such a way that the emitting face of the LEDs is facing the rim (13) of the first sheet. The textured area (5) here corresponds not to a reflecting relief in the second main surface (12) of the first sheet, but to a planar and flat structure (6) provided with a reflecting relief. The optical index n.sub.3 of this flat structure (6) is greater than or equal to n.sub.3 and a light ray R which arrives at the interface between the first sheet (1) and the flat structure (6) is not reflected by this interface but enters into the flat structure. It is reflected only by one of the oblique surfaces (4a) of the reflecting interface that the relief forms in the area (5).

(9) FIGS. 3A and 3B are provided mainly to illustrate two particularly preferred embodiments of the geometry of the reflecting relief of the area (5). The two figures represent Fresnel prisms, consisting of a plurality of individual prisms each having a surface (4b) that is essentially perpendicular to the plane of the base of the prism, and an oblique surface (4a). It is these oblique surfaces (4a) which will preferably be oriented toward the light source and will reflect the light in a direction roughly perpendicular to the plane of the glazing.