US-12625316-B2 - Display of light patterns on a flexible guide sheet

US12625316B2US 12625316 B2US12625316 B2US 12625316B2US-12625316-B2

Abstract

The invention relates to a lighting module including an assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet, each flexible guide sheet of the assembly being suitable for receiving light rays at an edge of the flexible guide sheet and for reflecting the light rays in a direction substantially normal to a surface of the flexible guide sheet according to at least one pattern etched in the flexible guide sheet. The assembly is suitable for returning light according to a first pattern and a second pattern. The module includes a first and a second light injection element suitable for distributing light in the assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet. At least one light source is suitable for selectively injecting light into the first and second light injection elements so as to form the first pattern or the second pattern.

Inventors

Eduardo ALVEAR
Sidahmed BEDDAR
Benoit Delande
Hafid EL-IDRISSI

Assignees

VALEO VISION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230531
Priority Date: 20220531

Claims (20)

1 . A luminous module comprising: an assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet, with each flexible guide sheet of the assembly being able to receive luminous rays via at least one edge of the flexible guide sheet and to reflect the luminous rays in a direction substantially normal to a surface of the flexible guide sheet according to at least one pattern etched in the flexible guide sheet, wherein the assembly is able to reflect light according to a first pattern and a second pattern etched in the assembly; at least one first and one second light injection element, with each of the first and second injection elements being able to receive light and to distribute the light throughout the assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet; at least one light source able to selectively inject light into the first light injection element and into the second light injection element; wherein the first light injection element and the assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet are arranged in such a way as to project light according to the first pattern and wherein the second light injection element and the assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet are arranged in such a way as to project light according to the second pattern.
2 . The luminous module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each injection element from among the first injection element and the second injection element includes a plurality of injection guides, with each injection guide being able to receive light from one end of the guide and to guide the light to a given longitudinal position on the injection element, with the longitudinal positions of the injection guides all being different in such a way as to longitudinally distribute the light throughout the injection element.
3 . The luminous module as claimed in claim 1 , including a first light source able to inject light into the first light injection element and a second light source able to inject light into the second light injection element.
4 . The luminous module as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first light source is able to generate light in a first wavelength range and wherein the second light source is able to generate light in a second wavelength range, different to the first range.
5 . The luminous module as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the first and second patterns are geometrically identical.
6 . The luminous module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light source is able to selectively inject light into a first optical fiber connected to the first injection element and into a second optical fiber connected to the second injection element.
7 . The luminous module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first injection element is arranged in such a way as to inject light into a first section of the edge of the guide sheet of the assembly, and wherein the second injection element is arranged in such a way as to inject light into a second section of the edge of the flexible guide sheet, with a first portion of the flexible guide sheet located opposite the first section of the edge being etched according to the first pattern, and a second portion of the flexible guide sheet located opposite the second section of the edge being etched according to the second pattern.
8 . The luminous module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the assembly includes at least one first and one second flexible guide sheet, with the first pattern being etched in the first flexible guide sheet and the second pattern being etched in the second flexible guide sheet, with the first injection element being arranged in such a way as to inject light into an edge of the first flexible guide sheet and the second injection element being arranged in such a way as to inject light into an edge of the second flexible guide sheet.
9 . The luminous module as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the first and second guide sheets are superimposed in the luminous module, in order to project the first and second patterns into a common area of the luminous module.
10 . The luminous module as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the first and second flexible guide sheets are placed next to one another in such a way as to project the first and second patterns at distinct positions.
11 . The luminous module as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the assembly includes more than two flexible guide sheets placed next to one another in such a way as to form a matrix of flexible guide sheets, with each flexible guide sheet being associated with a light injection element able to inject light into an edge of the flexible guide sheet and each flexible guide sheet having at least one pattern etched in the sheet.
12 . The luminous module as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the flexible guide sheets of the assembly have the same square or rectangular shape.
13 . The luminous module as claimed in claim 12 , wherein a dimension of the shape of the guide sheets ranges between 3 and 25 cm, notably between 3 and 5 centimeters.
14 . The module as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a control element able to control the at least one light source in order to selectively project light according to the first pattern and according to the second pattern.
15 . The module as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the control element is able to dynamically control the at least one source in such a way as to produce a luminous animation comprising at least the first and second patterns.
16 . The module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each flexible guide sheet in the assembly includes polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TUP) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film.
17 . The module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each flexible guide sheet includes a film including microstructures, in which each pattern from among the first and second patterns is etched by ultraviolet printing of the microstructures of the film.
18 . The module as claimed in claim 17 , wherein, for each flexible guide sheet, a surface density of microstructures decreases with the distance from the edge of the guide sheet into which the light is injected.
19 . A method for controlling a luminous module, the luminous module includes an assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet, with each flexible guide sheet of the assembly being able to receive luminous rays via at least one edge of the flexible guide sheet and to reflect the luminous rays in a direction substantially normal to a surface of the flexible guide sheet according to at least one pattern etched in the flexible guide sheet, wherein the assembly is able to reflect light according to a first pattern and a second pattern etched in the assembly, at least one first and one second light injection element, with each of the first and second injection elements being able to receive light and to distribute the light throughout the assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet, at least one light source able to selectively inject light into the first light injection element and into the second light injection element, wherein the first light injection element and the assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet are arranged in such a way as to project light according to the first pattern and wherein the second light injection element and the assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet are arranged in such a way as to project light according to the second pattern, implemented by a control element able to control the at least one light source in order to selectively project light according to the first pattern and according to the second pattern, the method comprising receiving an animation command, with the animation command identifying an animation including a series of patterns including the first pattern and the second pattern, and controlling the at least one light source as a function of the animation command, in such a way as to dynamically project the animation.
20 . A method for manufacturing a luminous module comprising the following steps of: providing a roll of flexible film able to guide light in the thickness thereof; etching at least one first and one second pattern on the roll of flexible film using ultra-violet printing; cutting the roll in order to obtain an assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet with a given dimension, with the assembly comprising the first pattern and the second pattern; arranging a first injection element and a second injection element relative to the assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet in order to form a luminous module; arranging at least one light source in the luminous module in such a way as to selectively inject light into the first light injection element and into the second light injection element; wherein the first light injection element and the assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet are arranged so as to project light according to the first pattern and wherein the second light injection element and the assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet are arranged in such a way as to project light according to the second pattern.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to the field of luminous modules, notably light guidance luminous modules. The invention particularly, but not exclusively, applies to the display of dynamic information or animations based on light patterns. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is now a requirement for such animations to be created in numerous items of equipment in order to convey information, for aesthetic customization purposes or to create ambiance. It is also a requirement for animations to be created with a high resolution level. To this end, it is known practice to use screens, such as LCD screens. However, this technology is not only expensive but also sensitive to environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity or UV radiation. Furthermore, it is preferable to have a flexible luminous module in order to facilitate its integration into any type of equipment. Therefore, a requirement exists for a luminous module that is able to create an animation, and that is reliable, inexpensive and easy to integrate in any type of equipment. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention improves the situation. For this purpose, a first aspect relates to a luminous module comprising: an assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet, with each flexible guide sheet of the assembly being able to receive luminous rays via at least one edge of the flexible guide sheet and to reflect the luminous rays in a direction substantially normal to a surface of the flexible guide sheet according to at least one pattern etched in the flexible guide sheet, with the assembly being able to reflect light according to a first pattern and a second pattern etched in said assembly; at least one first and one second light injection element, with each of the first and second injection elements being able to receive light and to distribute the light throughout the assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet; at least one light source able to selectively inject light into the first light injection element and into the second light injection element; wherein the first light injection element and the assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet are arranged so as to project light according to the first pattern and wherein the second light injection element and the assembly of at least one flexible guide sheet are arranged so as to project light according to the second pattern. Thus, the use of an assembly of flexible guide sheets allows a flexible luminous module to be obtained that is therefore adaptable to numerous functionalities, with its integration into any type of equipment being facilitated. The selective injection of light into at least two light injection elements allows the display of the first and second patterns to be controlled, and thus allows animations to be created that are based on such patterns. Furthermore, the number of sources is minimized by using light guides, which reduces the costs as well as the footprint of the luminous module. According to one embodiment, each injection element from among the first injection element and the second injection element can comprise a plurality of injection guides, with each injection guide being able to receive light from one end of the guide and to guide the light to a given longitudinal position on the injection element, with the longitudinal positions of the injection guides all being different in such a way as to longitudinally distribute the light through the injection element. This allows light to be homogeneously distributed in the edge of the flexible guide sheet, which improves the projection quality of the first and second patterns. According to one embodiment, the module may comprise a first light source able to inject light into the first light injection element and a second light source able to inject light into the second light injection element. Providing one light source per injection element facilitates the control of the selective injection of light into the first and second injection elements. In addition, the first light source may be able to generate light in a first wavelength range and the second light source may be able to generate light in a second wavelength range, different to the first range. Thus, the patterns may assume different colors, which facilitates the customization of an animation created from the first and second patterns. In addition, the first and second patterns may be geometrically identical. Thus, it is then possible to dynamically vary the color of a single pattern in order to create an animation or to convey information depending on the color of the pattern. As a variant, the light source may be able to selectively inject light into a first optical fiber connected to the first injection guide and into a second optical fiber connected to the second injection guide. Such an embodiment reduces the footprint close to the flexible guide sheets and allows the light source to be moved away from the flexible guide sheets. Therefor