Interior Assembly for a Motor Vehicle and Method for Producing an Interior Assembly

Abstract

An interior assembly for a motor vehicle includes a decorative layer and a lighting unit. The decorative layer has a plurality of cutouts which are arranged with respect to one another in such a way that they represent at least one symbol. The lighting unit is assigned to the cutouts in such a way that the light which is emitted by the lighting unit in the switched on state of the lighting unit is directed through at least some of the cutouts to a surface of the decorative layer.

Claims

1. An interior assembly for a motor vehicle, comprising: a decorative layer; and a lighting unit, wherein the decorative layer has a plurality of cutouts which are arranged with respect to one another in such a way that they represent at least one symbol, and wherein the lighting unit is assigned to the cutouts in such a way that the light which is emitted by the lighting unit in the switched on state of the lighting unit is directed through at least some of the cutouts to a surface of the decorative layer.

2. The interior assembly according to claim 1, wherein the decorative layer has at least to a certain extent diffusor particles in the region of the at least one symbol.

3. The interior assembly according to claim 2, wherein the cutouts are each filled with a material which serves as a light guide.

4. The interior assembly according to claim 3, wherein the material which serves as a light guide contains at least one light-guiding particle.

5. The interior assembly according to claim 4, wherein the cutouts have a diameter of less than 0.5 mm.

6. The interior assembly according to claim 5, wherein the decorative layer comprises metal, glass, real wood and/or carbon fiber reinforced plastic or is composed of one of these materials.

7. The interior assembly according to claim 6, wherein the interior assembly comprises at least one touch sensitive switching element.

8. The interior assembly according to claim 7, wherein at least one light guiding intermediate layer is arranged between the touch sensitive switching element and the decorative layer, and wherein the light guiding intermediate layer is a plastic layer that comprises a transparent polycarbonate and/or has been produced in a two component injection molding method.

9. The interior assembly according to claim 8, wherein the cutouts extend into the light guiding intermediate layer, and wherein the light guiding intermediate layer is coupled to the material which serves as a light guide is connected integrally or in a materially joined fashion.

10. The interior assembly according to claim 9, wherein the symbols are embodied as switching symbols at the activation of which an assigned vehicle function is switched.

11. The interior assembly according to claim 10, wherein the installed state of the interior assembly the surface of the decorative layer is at least part of the outer surface, directed toward the vehicle occupant, of the interior assembly.

12. A method for producing an interior assembly, the method comprising the acts of: making available a lighting unit and a decorative layer of a motor vehicle interior assembly; making cutouts in the decorative layer so that the cutouts represent at least one symbol, by applying a laser; and arranging the lighting unit and the decorative layer with respect to one another in such a way that light which is emitted by the lighting unit passes through the cutouts.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the cutouts are filled with a light guiding material, wherein a light guiding intermediate layer is provided which is made available together with the light guiding material in a two component injection molding method.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein at least one touch sensitive switching element is assigned to the decorative layer, wherein the light guiding intermediate layer is arranged between the at least one touch sensitive switching element and the decorative layer.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the light guiding material which fills the cutouts is smoothed by knife and/or ground together with the decorative layer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an interior assembly in a sectional illustration; and

[0027] FIG. 2 shows an interior assembly in a plan view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an interior assembly 10 in a sectional illustration. The interior assembly 10 comprises a decorative layer 12, a touch-sensitive switching element 14 and a light-guiding intermediate layer 16 which is arranged between the decorative layer 12 and the touch-sensitive switching element 14. In this respect, a sandwich design is produced for the interior assembly 10.

[0029] The decorative layer 12 is constructed, for example, from wood, glass, metal and/or CFC. Alternatively, the decorative layer 12 can comprise at least one region made of wood, glass, metal and/or CFC.

[0030] The touch-sensitive switching element 14 can be a so-called touch film.

[0031] A plurality of cutouts 18 are arranged in the decorative layer 12. These cutouts 18 project into the intermediate layer 16 and are filled with a light-guiding material 20. For example, the cutouts 18 have a round profile and a diameter of less than 1 mm, in particular less than 0.5 mm. The cutouts 18 can be made by means of laser cutting into the decorative layer 12. However, the invention is not limited to round cutouts 18; the cutouts 18 can basically have any desired geometry.

[0032] The intermediate layer 16 can be embodied in one piece or in a materially joined fashion with the material 20 which serves as the light guide by forming the intermediate layer 16 and the light-guiding material 20 in a two-component injection molding method.

[0033] At least one lighting unit 22 is arranged on the side of the interior assembly 10. The lighting unit 22 comprises, for example, one or more LEDs or other lighting means.

[0034] The light beams which are irradiated by the lighting unit 22 can be input via the intermediate layer 16 into the light-guiding material 20 which is provided in the cutouts 18 and in this way can be guided to a surface 24 of the decorative layer 12, which surface 24 is directed toward a passenger compartment of the vehicle. A vehicle occupant looks at the surface 24, which accordingly the external surface of the interior assembly 10.

[0035] This is illustrated by way of example for a multiplicity of light beams on the basis of an individual light beam 26. The light beam 26 exits the cutout 18 at the surface 24 of the decorative layer 12. As a result, the cutouts 18 can be perceived as illuminated dots by a vehicle occupant. If a plurality of cutouts 18 are illuminated by the at least one lighting unit 22, then the cutouts 18 can be perceived as at least one illuminated symbol 28 by vehicle occupant. For this purpose, the cutouts 18 are so small and are arranged so close to one another that a viewer does not perceive the cutouts 18 as individual dots.

[0036] In order to improve the visibility of the symbols 28, the decorative layer 12 can have diffusor particles at least in the region of the cutouts 18. Exiting light beams 26 can be refracted at the diffusor particles so that the at least one symbol 28 can be perceived from different viewing angles by a vehicle occupant.

[0037] If the lighting unit 22 is switched off, the symbol 28 is virtually invisible. As a result, the design of the interior assembly can be particularly elegant, in particular no mechanical elements such as switches or the like are visible.

[0038] By means of the touch-sensitive switching element 14, the symbol 28 can serve as an operator control element for electrical loads. For example, contact with the symbol 28 by the switching element 14 is sensed by means of a capacitive coupling, in response to which a signal is passed onto an electrical load.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows an interior assembly 10 in a plan view. The decorative layer 12 of the interior assembly 10 comprises a multiplicity of cutouts 18 which together form a plurality of symbols 28. The selected symbols 28 are merely selected by way of example; a multiplicity of further symbols 28 are conceivable. A symbol 28 can serve as an operator control element for activating the flashing hazard warning system or the vehicle heating system.

[0040] Generally, the interior assembly 10 can comprise a plurality of illuminated regions, each of which is assigned a lighting unit 22. Each illuminated region comprises at least part of a symbol 28 and the assigned cutout 18. As a result, a plurality of symbols 28 can be illuminated independently of one another, in particular in accordance with an operating state of the motor vehicle.

[0041] In the text which follows an exemplary method for producing an interior assembly 10 is explained.

[0042] After the provision of a lighting unit 22 and of a decorative layer 12, cutouts 18 which correspond to symbols 28 which are to be displayed are made in the decorative layer 12. The cutouts 18 accordingly represent at least one symbol 28. The cutouts 18 can be fabricated with a laser.

[0043] At least the cutouts 18 are filled with the light-guiding material 20, in particular wherein the light-guiding intermediate layer 16 is provided (at the same time), which intermediate layer 16 is for example made available together with the light-guiding material 20 in a two-component injection molding method.

[0044] The lighting unit 22 and the decorative layer 12 are then arranged with respect to one another in such a way that light which is emitted by the lighting unit 22 passes through the cutouts 18.

[0045] The light-guiding material 20 which fills the cutouts 18 is preferably subsequently smoothed by knife and/or ground with the decorative layer 12 so that an even surface 24 is produced.

[0046] Diffusor particles can also be introduced beforehand into the regions of the symbols 18 in order to improve the visibility of the symbols 18 from different angles.

[0047] Generally, a touch-sensitive switching element 14 can be assigned to the decorative layer 12 so that during the production of the interior assembly 10 corresponding switching symbols which can be enabled to activate or deactivate a vehicle function can be made available at the same time.

[0048] The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the embodiments of the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.