CN-122008854-A - Vehicle interior component with light-emitting portion

Abstract

A vehicle interior component includes an invisible display facing a surface configured to reflect an image appearing on the display toward an occupant area of a vehicle cabin in which the component is mounted. The assembly is configured to emit light directly from the light emitting portion of the occupant area facing surface. The vehicle interior component may include a panel including the surface. The panel may be at least partially transparent at the light emitting portion. The panel may be at least partially transparent at the image-reflecting portion of the surface. The light emitting portion and the image reflecting portion may form a continuous flat surface. When light is emitted from the light emitting portion of the surface, an icon may be formed. The icon may be a warning icon.

Inventors

• Hugo Pichin
• Stephanie Buchheit

Assignees

• 佛吉亚汽车内部系统公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20251112

Priority Date

20241112

Claims (15)

1. 1. A vehicle interior component comprising an invisible display facing a surface configured to reflect an image appearing on the display toward an occupant area of a vehicle cabin in which the component is mounted, wherein the component is configured to emit light directly from a light emitting portion of the surface facing the occupant area.
2. 2. The vehicle interior assembly of claim 1, further comprising a panel comprising the surface, wherein the panel is at least partially transparent at the light emitting portion.
3. 3. The vehicle interior assembly of claim 2, wherein the panel is at least partially transparent at an image reflective portion of the surface.
4. 4. The vehicle interior assembly of claim 3, wherein the light emitting portion and the image reflecting portion form a continuous planar surface.
5. 5. The vehicle interior assembly of claim 2, wherein the panel is 50% to 75% transparent.
6. 6. The vehicle interior component of claim 1, further comprising a luminescent layer arranged to emit light directly from the luminescent portion of the surface, wherein the luminescent layer is at least partially transparent.
7. 7. The vehicle interior component of claim 6, further comprising a Light Emitting Diode (LED) comprising the light emitting layer.
8. 8. The vehicle interior component of claim 1, wherein the light emitting portion of the surface is an upper portion of the surface closest to the display.
9. 9. The vehicle interior component of claim 1, wherein an icon is formed when light is emitted from the light emitting portion of the surface.
10. 10. The vehicle interior component of claim 9, wherein the icon is a warning icon.
11. 11. The vehicle interior component of claim 1, wherein light from the light emitting portion of the surface exhibits a brightness at least twice that of the reflected image.
12. 12. The vehicle interior component of claim 1, wherein the brightness of the display remains constant when light is emitted directly from the light emitting portion of the surface.
13. 13. The vehicle interior assembly of claim 1, wherein the display is a downward facing display that displays the image in a direction toward a floor of the vehicle cabin.
14. 14. The vehicle interior assembly of claim 1, wherein the surface is oriented at an angle of 10 degrees to 80 degrees relative to the display.
15. 15. A vehicle dashboard comprising the vehicle interior component of claim 1, wherein the reflected image comprises at least one of a speedometer, tachometer, odometer, thermometer, fuel gauge, turn indicator, headlight indicator, compass, navigation map, or gear indicator.

Description

Vehicle interior component with light-emitting portion Technical Field The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle interior components, and more particularly to vehicle interior components that present information or images to vehicle occupants. Background Vehicle interior components are typically used to communicate information, such as vehicle speed, navigation information, HVAC settings, etc., to a driver and/or other vehicle occupants. In some cases, such information may be conveyed in the form of a reflected image. In one example, FR3073053 discloses a heads-up display that projects an information image onto the inner surface of a windshield in the driver's field of view. An advantage of such a display is that the driver can view vehicle speed, fuel level, etc. without looking down at a conventional dashboard. But the image in the driver's field of view may also be distracting and its visibility may be affected under intense light. Disclosure of Invention Embodiments of a vehicle interior component include an invisible display facing a surface configured to reflect an image appearing on the display toward an occupant area of a vehicle cabin in which the component is mounted. The assembly is configured to emit light directly from the light emitting portion of the occupant area facing surface. In various embodiments, a vehicle interior component includes a panel including the surface. The panel is at least partially transparent at the light emitting portion. In various embodiments, the panel is at least partially transparent at the image-reflecting portion of the surface. In various embodiments, the light emitting portion and the image reflecting portion form a continuous planar surface. In various embodiments, the panel is 50% -75% transparent. In various embodiments, the vehicle interior component includes a light emitting layer arranged to emit light directly from the light emitting portion of the surface. The luminescent layer is at least partially transparent. In various embodiments, the vehicle interior component includes a Light Emitting Diode (LED) that includes a light emitting layer. In various embodiments, the light emitting portion of the surface is the upper portion of the surface closest to the display. In various embodiments, the icon is formed when light is emitted from the light emitting portion of the surface. In various embodiments, the icon is a warning icon. In various embodiments, the light from the light emitting portion of the surface exhibits a brightness at least twice that of the reflected image. In various embodiments, the brightness of the display remains constant when light is emitted directly from the light emitting portion of the surface. In various embodiments, the display is a downward facing display that displays an image in a direction toward the floor of the vehicle cabin. In various embodiments, the surface is oriented at an angle of 10 degrees to 80 degrees relative to the display. In various embodiments, a vehicle dashboard includes a vehicle interior component. The reflected image includes at least one of a speedometer, tachometer, odometer, thermometer, fuel gauge, turn signal light, headlight light, compass, navigation map, or gear light. Any one or more of the features set forth above, as well as any of the features in the drawings and the following detailed description, are designed to be combined in any technically feasible combination, except insofar as the features are mutually exclusive, in order to define the claimed invention. Drawings Exemplary embodiments will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein: FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a vehicle interior component, and Fig. 2 is a front view of the vehicle interior components. Detailed Description A vehicle interior component is described herein that reflects an image from an invisible display toward an occupant area of a vehicle. A portion of the surface of the reflective image can also emit light directly as desired so that the viewer sees the reflective image and an auxiliary image from the same surface, such as a warning light. Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a vehicle interior assembly 10. The illustrated assembly 10 is embodied as a vehicle dashboard located directly below a vehicle windshield, which typically includes gauges, and presents other vehicle-related information to the driver, who need only quickly glance down to obtain such information. The following detailed description is applicable to any vehicle interior component mounted anywhere in a vehicle, such as on the passenger side of the vehicle interior, the rear seat area, the doors, the roof, and the like. The vehicle interior assembly 10 includes a display 12 and a panel 14 supported by a base 16. The base 16 provides the overall shape and structure of the illustrated instrument panel 10, and supports th