BACKLIT DECORATIVE SURFACE, PARTICULARLY FOR THE INTERIOR FINISHING OF MOTOR VEHICLES

Abstract

The invention relates to a planar decorative material (11) comprising perforations (12), for interior fittings, in particular for the automobile industry, which decorative material serves to be illuminated on the rearward face (13) thereof, by an illumination means (18), and allows a portion of the light from the illumination means (18) to pass from the rear face (13) of the decorative material (11), through the perforations (12), to the visible side (14) of the decorative material (11), wherein a film (20) is adhesively bonded to the rear face (13) of the decorative material (11) and the perforations (12) extend from the rear face (13) of the decorative material (11) as far as the visible side (14) thereof, but not through the film (20). (FIG. 2)

The present invention also relates to a production method.

Claims

1. Planar decorative material (11) comprising perforations (12), for interior fittings, in particular for the automobile industry, which decorative material serves to be illuminated on the rearward face (13) thereof, by an illumination means (18), and allows a portion of the light from the illumination means (18) to pass from the rear face (13) of the decorative material (11), through the perforations (12), to the visible side (14) of the decorative material (11), wherein a film (20) is adhesively bonded to the rear face (13) of the decorative material (11) and the perforations (12) extend from the rear face (13) of the decorative material (11) as far as the visible side (14) thereof, but not through the film (20).

2. Planar decorative material (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the film (20) is transparent or translucent.

3. Planar decorative material (11) according to claim 2, characterized in that the film (20) is a hot-melt adhesive film, an adhesive film that is activatable under a temperature and/or pressure increase, or a thermoplastic adhesive film.

4. Planar decorative material (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the decorative material is a soft decorative material, and in particular leather, artificial leather, alcantara or a textile.

5. Planar decorative material (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the film (20) is directly bonded to the rear face (13) of the decorative material (11).

6. Planar decorative material (11) according to claim 3, characterized in that the heat- and/or pressure-activatable film (20) can be pre-laminated onto the rear face (13) of the decorative material (11) under the application conditions for the prefixing, specifically increasing the temperature to a temperature T1 that is less than a temperature T2, and/or a first pressure increase to a pressure p1 that is lower than or equal to a pressure p2, and the film can then be permanently adhesively bonded by an increase to the temperature T2 and/or the pressure p2.

7. Planar decorative material (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the film (20) is an adhesive film produced on the basis of polyurethane, comprising an integrated second component which begins to react with the first component, and thus achieves high-strength adhesive bonding, in the case of activation at a temperature T2 and a pressure p2.

8. Planar decorative material (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the layer thickness of the film (20) is between 25 and 200 micrometers, and preferably between 70 and 130 micrometers.

9. Planar decorative material (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacing between the perforations (12) in the decorative material (11) are the same or different, and/or in that the perforations (12) are all of the same shape or of different shapes and/or of the same size or different sizes and/or of the same cross section or different cross sections.

10. Planar decorative material (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the illumination means (18) comprises a light source (21) and an light guide (22) and/or a diffuser (23) and/or a reflector (24).

11. Method for producing a backlit decorative material (11), in which a film (20) is first laminated onto the rear face (13) of the planar decorative material (11) and subsequently a plurality of perforations (12) are introduced into the decorative material (11), in the compound structure of decorative material (11) and film (20), by means of a laser, which perforations completely penetrate the decorative material (11) from the visible side as far as the rear face (13) without the film (20) being perforated.

12. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that the laser is a UV laser which preferably emits radiation in a wavelength range of between 320 and 400 nm, preferably between 340 nm and 380 nm, and particularly preferably approximately 355 nm.

13. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that the laser is a pulsed laser, preferably having a pulse frequency of up to 120 kHz.

14. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that the perforated compound structure is subsequently, or following storage, laminated onto an illumination means (18) or a transparent or translucent carrier (25) by means of heating to a temperature T2 that is higher than the temperature T1.

15. (canceled)

Description

[0065] In the drawings:

[0066] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the layer structure of a door panel comprising a backlit decorative layer,

[0067] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of region A from FIG. 1, in which the film is also visible,

[0068] FIG. 3 shows the general operating principle of the backlighting, and

[0069] FIG. 4 shows a further variant of the general operating principle of the backlighting comprising a gap.

[0070] The visible side 14 of the decorative material 11 in FIGS. 1 and 2 faces upwards into the vehicle interior.

[0071] In the enlarged view in FIG. 2, it can be seen that the rear face 13 of the decorative material 11 is adhesively bonded to the film 20 over the entire surface thereof.

[0072] The decorative material 11 and the film 20 can be cut to size prior to prefixing.

[0073] The film 20 is preferably a latent reactive adhesive film which can be converted into the slightly tacky state, for prefixing at a first temperature T1 and at a first applied pressure p1 that are approximately 50° C. and 5 N/cm.sup.2. In this state, the side of the film 20 that faces upwards in FIG. 2 is slightly adhesively bonded (prefixed) to the rear face 13 of the decorative material 11. This prefixing is sufficient for preventing detachment of the adhesive film from the decorative material 11 or slipping during storage or during the perforation process.

[0074] For example, the film obtainable from H. B. Fuller, under the name Flexee™ EM9002, can be used as the film 20, wherein a layer thickness of 100 micrometers is preferred.

[0075] Following prefixing, the perforations 12 can then be introduced, by means of a UV laser, into the blank constating of the decorative material 11 and film 20. Within the context of the invention, it has been found that a UV laser having a wavelength of 355 nm allows for complete perforation of the leather 11, without the film 20 that is adhesively bonded to the rear face 13 of the leather 11 also being perforated. The method according to the invention thus achieves selective perforation of the leather 11 in the leather/film compound structure. In this case, the perforations 12 extend through the decorative material 11, but not through the film 20.

[0076] In FIGS. 1 and 3, the spacings of the perforations 12 are different from one another in part.

[0077] The perforated blank can then be activated to the activation temperature T2 of 75° C. to 110° C., optionally after storage of up to six months, and the perforated blank can then be permanently adhesively bonded to the illumination means 18 under an applied pressure of 5 to 20 N/cm.sup.2. A rigid adhesive bond between the film 20 and the illumination means 18 is achieved thereby. Under the activation conditions for the permanent adhesive bonding, it is simultaneously possible to also achieve complete crosslinking of the adhesion between the decorative material 11 and the film 20, which adhesion is still incomplete from the prefixing.

[0078] If desired, a spacer fabric or foam 26 can subsequently also be laminated onto the side of the illumination means 18 remote from the decorative material 11, and the compound structure can then be adhesively bonded to a carrier part 25 of a door panel by means of the lower face of the spacer fabric or foam 26. Of course, it is also possible for the spacer fabric 26 to first be adhesively bonded to the carrier part 25 and for the compound structure consisting of the decorative material 11/film 20/illumination means 18 to then be adhesively bonded thereto. It is likewise possible for the spacer fabric or foam 26 to also be omitted in the layer structure.

[0079] The illumination means 18 comprises a light source 21 such as an LED lamp, a flexible or rigid light guide 22, a reflector 24 and a diffuser 23. The diffuser 23 is planar and may be a non-woven fabric for example. Said diffuser renders diffuse the light source generated in the light source 21, and thus prevents directed dazzling light radiation.

[0080] In this variant, the diffuser 23 forms the upper outer face of the illumination means 18. If diffuse backlighting is not desired, the diffuser 23 can also be omitted.

[0081] In the variant according to FIG. 3, the diffuser 23 is adhesively bonded directly to the light guide 22.

[0082] In the variant according to FIG. 4, a gap 27 is provided between the diffuser 23 and the light guide 22, which gap brings about more homogeneous and more uniform irradiation than in the case of the structure according to FIG. 3. The gap 27 is generally achieved by means of the diffuser 23 and the light guide 22 being spot-welded at some points.

[0083] Instead of the diffuser 23, which may be a semitransparent carrier for example, a transparent carrier 25 can also be used.