INTERIOR DESIGN ELEMENT WITH INTEGRATED SCREEN

Abstract

An interior design element for a motor vehicle, comprising a carrier, a screen element, a decor layer having at least one perforated section, at least one lighting element, and a control unit coupled to the screen element and to the lighting element. The screen element and the decor layer are arranged adjacent to one another on the carrier. The perforated section borders the screen element and is penetrable with light from the lighting element. The screen element and the perforated section together form a common display surface, wherein the control unit splits up image information into information portions and activates the lighting element and the screen element such that the information portions can be displayed in the perforated section and in the screen element. The information portions displayed in the perforated section and in the screen element complement each other and in total represent the complete image information.

Claims

1. An interior design element for a motor vehicle, comprising: a carrier; a screen element arranged on the carrier; a decor layer arranged on the carrier and having a perforated section, the perforated section bordering the screen element and forming a common display surface with the screen element; a lighting element arranged beneath the perforated section and configured to emit light through the perforated section; and a control unit coupled to the screen element and the lighting element, wherein the control unit is configured to: divide image information into a first information portion and a second information portion; and activate the lighting element and the screen element to display the first information portion in the perforated section and display the second information portion in the screen element, wherein the displayed first and second information portions complement each other and together represent the image information.

2. The interior design element according to claim 1, wherein the perforated section comprises a first luminous area configured to display the first information portion and the screen element comprises a second luminous area configured to display the second information portion, the displayed first and second information portions being distinguished on the common display surface by at least one of light color, light intensity, or defined contour.

3. The interior design element according to claim 1, further comprising: a touch panel arranged on the common display surface formed by the screen element and the perforated section, the touch panel being coupled to the control unit and configured to send touch location information to the control unit in response to a detected touch; wherein the control unit is coupled to the touch panel and configured to: determine a touch location on the display surface based on the received touch location information.

4. The interior design element according to claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured to match the determined touch location with a position of the image information on the display surface.

5. The interior design element according to claim 3, wherein the touch panel comprises at least one of a piezoelectric or a capacitive sensor element.

6. The interior design element according to claim 5, wherein the touch panel comprises a transparent foil and the at least one sensor element is mounted on the transparent foil.

7. The interior design element according to claim 1, wherein the lighting element comprises a plurality of light points independently controllable by the control unit.

8. The interior design element according to claim 7, wherein the screen element comprises a plurality of light points, and the lighting element comprises a smaller quantity of light points than the screen element.

9. The interior design element according to claim 7, wherein the light points are punctiform light sources.

10. The interior design element according to claim 9, wherein the punctiform light sources are at least one of light emitting diodes (LEDs) or organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs).

11. The interior design element according to claim 9, further comprising: partitions arranged between the punctiform light sources to divide the lighting element into sections.

12. The interior design element according to claim 1, further comprising: a second lighting element arranged at an angle to the first lighting element and having a direction of emission extending substantially parallel to the decor layer.

13. The interior design element according to claim 12, wherein the second lighting element has a maximum light intensity that is lower than a maximum light intensity of the first lighting element.

14. The interior design element according to claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises an at least partially transparent material and is arranged between the lighting element and the decor layer.

15. The interior design element according to claim 1, wherein the perforated section includes holes with a diameter of 0.01 to 3 mm.

16. The interior design element according to claim 15, wherein the diameter of the holes decreases as the distance from the screen element to the hole increases.

17. The interior design element according to claim 16, wherein the holes are filled with a partially transparent filler material.

18. A method of operating an interior design element of a motor vehicle, the interior design element comprising a carrier, a screen element arranged on the carrier, a decor layer arranged on the carrier and having a perforated section bordering the screen element and forming a common display surface with the screen element, a lighting element configured to emit light through the perforated section, and a control unit coupled to the screen element and the lighting element, the method comprising the following steps performed by the control unit: receiving image information; dividing the image information into a first information portion and a second information portion; and activating the lighting element and the screen element to display the first information portion in the perforated section and display the second information portion in the screen element, such that the displayed first and second information portions complement each other and together represent the image information.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the interior design element further comprises a touch panel coupled to the control unit, the touch panel arranged in at least one of the area of the screen element or the area of the perforated section, the method comprising the following steps performed by the control unit: detecting an input signal from the touch panel before or during the step of receiving image information.

20. A device for displaying information in a motor vehicle, comprising: a carrier having a carrier plate and a side facing the interior of the vehicle; a screen element mounted on the carrier side facing the interior of the vehicle; a decor layer mounted on the carrier side facing the interior of the vehicle, the decor layer comprising a perforated section surrounding the screen element and forming a common display surface with the screen element; a lighting element mounted on the carrier plate beneath the perforated section, surrounding the screen element, and configured to emit light through the perforated section; and a control unit electronically coupled to the screen element and the lighting element, the control unit being configured to: receive image information; determine a first information portion and a second information portion based on the received image information; and activate the lighting element and the screen element to display the first information portion in the perforated section and display the second information portion in the screen element, such that the displayed first and second information portions complement each other and together represent the image information.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a section of an exemplary interior design element according to the present disclosure,

[0043] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the embodiment according to the present disclosure of the interior design element shown in FIG. 1,

[0044] FIG. 3 shows another plan view of an interior design element according to the present disclosure in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,

[0045] FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of a perforated section of an interior design element according to the present disclosure,

[0046] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a motor vehicle with integrated interior design element according to the present disclosure, and

[0047] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of a method of displaying image information in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a section of an interior design element according to the present disclosure. The interior design element comprises a decor layer 3 and a screen element 2. The screen element 2 and the decor layer 3 form the visible side of the interior design element, in which the screen element borders the decorative part 3. In the present embodiment the screen element 2 is a flat-panel display and the decor layer 3 is made of leather. A plurality of holes 10 have been made in the decor layer 3, thereby forming a perforated section 4. The perforated section 4 here is positioned to border the screen element 2 and forms a sort of ring around the screen element. Both the screen element 2 and the decor layer 3 are mounted on a carrier (shown in FIG. 4). However, in the present embodiment the carrier has been removed to ensure the clarity of the drawing. The holes may be filled at least partially with a transparent filler material 19 (shown in FIG. 3).

[0049] A first lighting element 5 is located underneath the perforated section 4. As in the case of the perforated section 4, the lighting element 5 wraps around the screen element 2. The first lighting element 5 in the present embodiment is provided as a plurality of punctiform light sources 5.1 (i.e. in the shape of a point) arranged on a carrier plate 14. The punctiform light sources 5.1 are RGB LEDs. The RGB LEDs can be activated independently of one another by a control unit (not shown in FIG. 1). Partitions 9 are provided between the punctiform light sources 5.1. The partitions 9 divide the first lighting element 5.1 into sections. This can prevent the light emitted from the punctiform light sources 5.1 from excessively overlapping before reaching the perforated section 4.

[0050] In addition, a second lighting element 8 is arranged on the interior design element, substantially at right angles to the decor layer 3. The second lighting element 8 borders the screen element 2 and radiates parallel to the decor layer 3, away from the screen element 2 In this manner, a soft illumination of the perforated section 4 over a broad area can be provided with the aid of the second lighting element 8. To ensure that the broad illumination is not impeded by the partitions 9, the partitions 9 can have transparent sections, for example, or they can have a height selected to maintain a gap between the partition 9 and the decor layer 3.

[0051] A control unit (not shown), that is coupled to the first lighting element 5 and to the screen element 2, controls a display surface 12 composed partly of the perforated section 4 and partly of the screen element 2. Image information 11 to be displayed is divided by the control unit into a first and a second information portion 11.1, 11.2. The first information portion 11.1 can then be displayed in the perforated section 4 with the aid of the first lighting element 5 and the second information portion 11.2 can be displayed in the screen element 2.

[0052] In this way, for example, a portion of the image information 11 in the perforated section 4 and an additional portion in the screen element 2 may be displayed. An example of this is shown in FIG. 2, which depicts a plan view of the embodiment according to the present disclosure as shown in FIG. 1. A second information portion 11.2, which a viewer may interpret as a roadmap for navigation, is provided by the screen element 2. A first information portion 11.1 is additionally displayed in the perforated section, representing the continued course of the road into which the vehicle will presumably travel. Furthermore, the course of the road, where applicable, is displayed in a color that differs from that of the normal route. This may indicate to the viewer the current traffic situation, for example, indicating a traffic jam. In the present example, the image information 11 relating to the road is thus displayed not only by the perforated section 4, but also by the screen element 2. The decor layer 3 in the perforated section 4 is part of the display surface 12 that is observed by the viewer. The two information portions 11.1, 11.2 displayed together form the image information 11 that is presented to the viewer. The information portions 11.1, 11.2 are shown as luminous areas on the display surface 12.

[0053] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the interior design element according to the present disclosure as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in another section of the display surface 12. In contrast to FIG. 2, in the perforated section 4 additional image information 11 is generated that does not extend into the screen element 2, and yet there is a connection with the image information 11 in the screen element 2. For example, in the screen element 2 image information 11 is generated which the viewer interprets as being the letter C, while the image information 11 produced in the perforated section 4 is a dynamic running light that signals to the viewer that, for example, the image information 11 letter C has been selected.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 3, the holes may be filled at least partially with a transparent filler material 19. This may reduce dirt, debris, or other materials from collecting in the holes. Further, the first and the second information portions 11.1, 11.2 may be generated by one or more luminous areas 15, 16 set apart from the display surface 12 by one or more light colors 17, 18 and/or at least one light intensity and/or a defined contour. For example, the perforated section 4 may include a first luminous area 15 configured to display the first information portion 11.1, and the screen element 2 may include a second luminous area 16 configured to display the second information portion 11.2. The displayed first and second information portions 11.1, 11.2 may be distinguished from the display surface 12 by at least one of light color, light intensity, or defined contour.

[0055] FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of an interior design element according to the present disclosure. Here a section was selected in which the perforated section is arranged in the decor layer 3. The carrier 1 is arranged between the first lighting element 5 and the decor layer 3. The carrier 1 in the present embodiment is made of polycarbonate and is transparent, such that light emitted by the first lighting element 5 can radiate through the carrier 1 and reach the decor layer 3. Furthermore, a touch panel 6 in the form of a touch-sensitive transparent foil is arranged between the decor layer 3 and the carrier 1. Capacitive sensor elements are arranged on the foil, registering when a viewer touches the perforated section 4, for example. These registered movements can be relayed to the control unit (not shown), so that the display surface 12 can be used at the same time as the input field.

[0056] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a motor vehicle 20 in the form of an automobile, with an integrated interior design element according to the present disclosure. In the present embodiment a control unit 21 is coupled to a board network 22 of a vehicle 20 via cables, thereby enabling vehicle-specific data to be gathered and processed by the control unit 21. The interior design element according to the present disclosure possesses two optical sensor elements 23 as an additional operating element in the form of cameras through which passengers' gestures can be detected. The recognized gestures can be transmitted to the control unit and serve as an input signal for creating or modifying image information 11.

[0057] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of a method according to the present disclosure for displaying image information 11 in an interior design element of the present disclosure. The method begins with step S1, uploading image information 11 to be displayed into the control unit 21. The image information 11 here can be made available, for example, by an entertainment system or a navigation system connected to the control unit 21. In addition to the information to be displayed, the image information also includes local parameters with which the control unit 21 can determine the exact position of the image information 11 on the display surface. Step S2 is performed after step S1 and encompasses the distribution of the image information 11. During the distribution, the control unit 21 subdivides the image information 11 into a first and a second information portion 11.1, 11.2. The first information portion 11.1 serves for displaying a portion of the image information 11 in the perforated section 4, while the second information portion 11.2 serves for displaying a portion of the image information 11 in the screen element 2. The exact distribution depends on where the image information 11 to be generated is intended to be displayed on the display surface and in what proportions the image information 11 is positioned in the perforated section and in the screen element.

[0058] Finally, step S2 is followed by steps S3.1 and S3.2, in which step S3.1 includes displaying the first information portion 11.1 in the perforated section 4 and S3.2 encompasses displaying the information portion 11.2 in the perforated section 4. The control unit 21 controls the screen element 2 or the lighting element 5 accordingly, in order to display the particular information portion 11.1, 11.2 on the perforated section 4 or the screen element 2, respectively. Thus, the information portions 11.1, 11.2 are presented separately to the viewer, who may perceive the complete image information 11 through the combination of information portions 11.1, 11.2.

[0059] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented with computer-executable instructions. Various operations or functions are described herein, which may be implemented or defined as software code or computer-executable instructions. Such content may be directly executable, source code, or difference code. A machine or computer readable storage medium may cause a machine to perform the functions or operations described, and includes any mechanism that stores information in a form accessible by a machine (e.g., computing device, control unit, and the like), such as recordable/non-recordable media (e.g., read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, and the like).

[0060] Having described aspects of the present disclosure in detail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of aspects of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims. As various changes could be made in the embodiments described without departing from the scope of aspects of the present disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0061] 1 carrier [0062] 2 screen element [0063] 3 decor layer [0064] 4 perforated section [0065] 5 (first) lighting element [0066] 5.1 light source [0067] 6 touch panel [0068] 8 second lighting element [0069] 9 partition [0070] 10 hole [0071] 11 image information [0072] 11.1 information portion [0073] 11.2 information portion [0074] 12 display surface [0075] 14 carrier plate [0076] 15 luminous area [0077] 16 luminous area [0078] 17 light color [0079] 19 transparent filler material [0080] 20 motor vehicle [0081] 21 control unit [0082] 22 board network [0083] 23 optical sensor element