Vehicle steering wheel lighting device having a light guide supporting the diffuser

Abstract

A lighting device for a vehicle steering wheel rim, comprising a holding body comprising at least one internal wall with at least one opening, at least one light source arranged to emit light, a diffuser arranged to diffuse the light coming from the at least one light source towards the vehicle occupant, a light guide arranged to guide the light emitted from the at least one light source towards the diffuser, wherein the light guide comprises a light collecting face arranged on a first side of the opening, a light emitting face arranged on a second side of the opening, and the light guide is also engaged with the diffuser to shape it with a predetermined size.

Claims

1. A lighting device for a vehicle steering wheel rim, comprising: a holding body comprising at least one internal wall with at least one opening, at least one light source arranged to emit light, a diffuser arranged to diffuse light coming from the at least one light source towards the vehicle occupant, a light guide arranged to guide the light emitted from the at least one light source towards the diffuser, wherein the light guide comprises a light collecting face arranged on a first side of the opening, a light emitting face arranged on a second side of the opening, and the light guide is further engaged with the diffuser to support the diffuser.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide comprises a transmission portion arranged between the collecting face and the emitting face, and arranged in the at least one opening.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the internal wall is arranged between the light source and the diffuser.

4. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide and the diffuser each comprise a coupling portion arranged to fit one inside the other.

5. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide has a width less than a width of the at least one opening of the inner wall.

6. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide is at least partially in contact with the diffuser on the second side of the opening.

7. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide has at least one dimension larger than a dimension of the opening on the side of an inner part of the holding body so as to require a mounting of the light guide on the holding body before the positioning of the lighting device on the steering wheel rim.

8. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the diffuser comprises clips, so as to be clipped onto the holding body.

9. The lighting device according to claim 8, wherein the clips are arranged to be in an inner part of the holding body when the diffuser is assembled with the holding body.

10. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide is held transversely by the opening.

11. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the holding body comprises a single opening.

12. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the holding body is arranged to be covered with a steering wheel sheath.

13. The lighting device according to claim 1 in combination with a vehicle steering wheel rim.

14. The lighting device according to claim 13 in combination with a vehicle.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention, which is provided by way of example but in no manner limited thereto, and illustrated by the attached drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a front view of a steering wheel comprising a lighting device in a rim;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the rim comprising the lighting device, along the cross-section I-I;

(4) FIG. 3 shows another cross-sectional view of the rim comprising the lighting device, at a clip of a diffuser of the lighting device, along the cross-section II-II;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a holding body of the lighting device;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the diffuser.

(7) FIG. 6 shows a top view of a light guide of the lighting device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT(S)

(8) FIG. 1 shows a front view of a steering wheel 1 comprising a lighting device 40 in a rim 10.

(9) FIG. 1 thus shows the vehicle steering wheel 1 that typically comprises a rim 10 connected to a hub 20 by several arms 30. The rim 10 is equipped in the upper position, also known as the 12 o'clock position, with a lighting device 40. This lighting device 40 has an external display wall 12a of a diffuser 12 that extends along the rim 10 over an angular sector of about 60? to 80?, but it is possible to provide a greater or lesser angular extent, up to 180? or even more for example, or even less than 60?.

(10) A cross-section I-I of the rim 10 is provided in order to show a cross-sectional view of the rim along I-I in FIG. 2.

(11) A cross-section II-II of the rim 10 is provided in order to show a cross-sectional view of the rim along II-II in FIG. 3.

(12) FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the rim 10 comprising the lighting device 40, along the section I-I.

(13) The lighting device 40 comprises a holding body 11 with an internal wall p and at least one opening 11o.

(14) The lighting device 40 further comprises at least one light source 15 arranged to emit light, such as an LED. The lighting device 40 also comprises the diffuser 12 (or light diffuser 12) arranged to diffuse light coming from the light source 15 towards a vehicle occupant. In other words, the diffuser 12 diffuses the light towards the user, that is, its external surface or external display wall 12a is the surface directly visible by the user.

(15) The lighting device 40 further comprises a light guide 14 arranged to guide the light emitted from the light source 15 towards the diffuser 12. The light guide 14 is arranged between the light source 15 and the diffuser 12.

(16) The light guide 14 comprises a light collecting face 14c arranged on the side of the light source 15 and a light emitting face 14e on the side of the diffuser 12. The light guide 14 passes right through the opening 110 of the internal wall 11p of the holding body 11. That is, the collecting face 14c of the light guide 14 is arranged on a first side of the opening 11o and the emitting face 14e is arranged on a second side of the opening 110 (typically on the user's side).

(17) In other words, the light guide 14 comprises a transmission portion arranged between the collecting face 14c and the emitting face 14e, and arranged in the opening 110. The internal wall 11p is thus arranged between the light source 15 and the diffuser 12.

(18) The light guide 14 is engaged with the diffuser 12 to shape it in a predetermined size. Indeed, the diffuser 12 is a thin part and in an arc of a circle in the embodiment presented, and it can therefore twist or overturn, both in assembly and during use, which can damage the other parts of the rim 10 or create defective points in the light scattering, which is not only unsightly but also ineffective for correctly transmitting information to the user.

(19) The light guide 14 and the diffuser each comprise a coupling portion arranged to fit together. That is, the light guide 14 and the diffuser 12 can be in contact, or the light guide 14 can support the diffuser 12, but also the light guide 14 can engage with the diffuser 12 to lock its movement. Reference is made to the light guide 14 acting as a centering pin in the light guide 12 which comprises a receiving surface 12s and a lateral guide wall 12g.

(20) The lighting device 40 further comprises a printed circuit board 16 (PCB) connected to the light source 15 to support it and control it.

(21) The steering wheel rim 10 further comprises a covering 18 such as leather (or artificial leather or other) and a foam 17.

(22) The rim 10 may further comprise an electronic device 19 sheathed and under the covering 18, such as a presence sensor (capacitive, resistive or other) and/or a heating element, the latter not being essential to the invention.

(23) FIG. 3 shows another cross-sectional view of the rim 10 comprising the lighting device 40, at a clip of the diffuser 12 of the lighting device 40, that is, along the cross-section II-II.

(24) Reference numbers are included as much as possible with respect to the other figures.

(25) Thus, the covering 18 covers the electronic device 19 which is partially supported by the holding body 11. The printed electronic circuit 16 controls the light source 15 which illuminates the light guide 14.

(26) The diffuser 12 is provided with clips 12c which are arranged to engage with protrusions 11h of the holding body 11, which makes it possible to attach the diffuser 12 to the holding body 11 by moving it through the top of the steering wheel, by pressing it into the holding body 11.

(27) In one embodiment, the diffuser 12 is generally U-shaped, the lengths of the arms of the U of which vary along the rim 10. In one embodiment, at least two arms of the U of the diffuser 12 can open from the first side of the opening 110 as shown in FIG. 3. Furthermore, at least two arms of the U of the diffuser 12 may open on the second side of the opening 11o as shown in FIG. 2.

(28) In one embodiment, the light guide 14 and the diffuser 12 can engage at several engagement points.

(29) FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the holding body 11 of the lighting device 40.

(30) The holding body 11 is provided with attachment portions 11a on the bottom (or at its inner face), so as to guide one or more connecting cables of the PCB and thus facilitate the mounting of the lighting device on the steering wheel.

(31) The holding body 11 is also equipped with holes 11b to leave a passage for the clips 12c of the diffuser 12 when the latter is inserted from the top into the holding body 11, in order to attach them together. The diffuser 12, which is provided with the clips 12c, can then engage with the protrusions 11h of the holding body 11.

(32) The holding body 11 further comprises blanks 11c serving as a support for the covering 18 guiding the diffuser 12 during its installation in the holding body 11.

(33) FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the diffuser 12. As indicated above, the diffuser 12 comprises clips 12c, preferably installed all along the arc of the diffuser 12, for example eight clips (that is, four on the radially inner face of the diffuser 12 and four on the radially outer face of the diffuser 12).

(34) The diffuser 12 comprises the lateral guide wall 12g to guide the diffuser during insertion into the holding body 11. The diffuser 12 further comprises a diffusion surface or external display wall 12a diffusing the light on the side opposite the light guide 12.

(35) FIG. 6 shows a top view of the light guide 14. The covering 18 is shown and the diffuser 12 is not shown because it is not yet mounted on the rim 10. The holding body 11 may further comprise holding projections 21 in order to hold and/or center the light guide 14 in the opening 110. This facilitates inter alia the subsequent assembly of the diffuser.

(36) It will be understood that various modifications and/or improvements which are obvious for the person skilled in the art may be made to the different embodiments of the invention described in this present description without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

(37) In particular, reference is made to adaptations in terms of number of fastening points such as clips 12c, enlarging or decreasing the arc of the diffuser 12.