Patent Application
20220154909
This application claims the priority of European Patent Application Ser. No. 20 207 639.4 filed Nov. 13, 2020 pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention is directed to an external cladding component of or for a vehicle. Moreover, the present invention relates to a vehicle comprising such an external cladding component.
External cladding components are playing an increasingly important role in the exterior design of a vehicle and are usually flat components. Non-exhaustive examples of external cladding components are front grilles, side skirts, bumpers, tailgates and spoilers. Typically the external cladding components are made by injection molding, however, within the present disclosure the external cladding components are not limited to injection molded parts and can for example be made of metal, glass or the like.
External cladding components form a significant part of the outer surface of a given vehicle. With increasing digitalization and electrification of modern vehicles, the outer surface is used more and more as a display for showing information. Such information may for example be that the vehicle control unit has identified a potentially dangerous situation. Such a dangerous situation may be that a collision with a pedestrian is highly likely. In this situation, at least a part of the outer surface could display a red flash to optically warn the pedestrian and to defuse the situation. An acoustical signal may thus become superfluous.
External cladding components capable of displaying such information typically comprise a transparent plastic similar to a headlight cover. However, transparent plastics often do not fulfill the mechanical requirements for external cladding components, in particular regarding rigidity and scratch resistance. As a consequence, it is not preferred to manufacture the entire external cladding component of a transparent plastic. The section of the external cladding component that is intended for displaying information has therefore to be made of a different plastic as compared to the remaining external cladding component. Such external cladding components are therefore fairly inflexible and expensive to produce.
An aspect of one embodiment of the present invention is to present an external cladding component by which information can be displayed and which can be manufactured at reduced cost as compared to external cladding components known from the prior art. Furthermore, another embodiment of the present invention has the object to provide a vehicle comprising such an external cladding component.
This and other aspects of the present invention are realized by the features specified in the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.
According to an embodiment, the external cladding component of or for a vehicle comprises
According to the present disclosure, the external cladding component is equipped with a light source that may be fastened to the external cladding component or at least interact with the external cladding component. Due to the fact that the external cladding component comprises an aperture or opening, the beam of light emitted by the light source can impinge on the second surface that is the visible face of the external cladding component. The area in which the beam of light is impinging on the second surface is referred to as the illumination section. Thus an observer can take note of the illumination section. Depending on what kind of color, pattern or picture is displayed in the illumination section, certain information can be transmitted. The light source may be designed such that only one illumination section is generated. However, the light source may also be capable of providing a plurality of individual illumination sections.
Next to the arrangement of a light source relative to the base body of the external cladding component, the only main constructional modification needed is the aperture or opening in the base body. It is not necessary to use a specific material for the base body. In particular, it is not necessary to use a transparent material such as glass or a transparent plastic. The modifications necessary as compared to an existing external cladding component are thus fairly small. Moreover, it is not necessary to provide the second surface with a specific surface quality. As a consequence, the external cladding component according to the present disclosure can be implemented with little effort.
In another embodiment, the beam of light forms an angle of impact with the illumination section that is bigger than 0° and smaller than 360° , preferably between 1° and 90° and most preferably between 10° and 80° . The beam of light typically leaves the light source by an angle of radiation. The angle of impact could be defined as the angle formed between the illumination section and the angle of radiation in a plane perpendicular to the second surface within the illumination section. In case the angle of impact was 0° or 360° , the beam of light would run parallel to the illumination section and never impinge on the latter. In case the angle of impact is bigger than 10° the light yield inside the illumination section is sufficient such that the light impinging on the illumination section is clearly visible by an observer.
A further embodiment of the external cladding component comprises a curvature which is
Usually, external cladding components comprise curvatures which may partially or completely extend into the illumination section. Alternatively, the curvature is located outside the illumination section and the illumination section as such is plane. In both cases the curvature is influencing the angle of impact. In case the curvature extends into the illumination section, there may be distortions in the distribution of the light impinging on the illumination section due to the changing angle of impact within the illumination section. This effect may be equalized by specific measures such that an even illumination is reached in spite of the curvature inside the illumination section.
According to another embodiment, the external cladding component comprises protrusions on which the beam of light at least partially impinges. Such protrusions could e.g. be part of the radiator grille. However, they could also be arranged on the second surface in small scale, e.g. for generating line patterns. The protrusions could be designed in a way that they partially shadow the illumination section thereby emphasizing the line patterns. The protrusions could also be provided by a higher reflectivity compared to the remaining illumination section. The amount of light reflected by the protrusions is thereby increased.
In a further embodiment, the aperture is arranged inside a recess of the external cladding component. Recesses are commonly present in external cladding components. The aperture can be arranged offset from the illumination section. There is no need to deflect the beam of light to make sure that it impinges on the illumination section.
In another embodiment, the external cladding component comprises an optical unit for deflecting the beam of light. In this embodiment the illumination section can be located on the second surface almost regardless of the particular geometry of the external cladding component. In particular there is no need to arrange the aperture inside a recess. The optical unit therefore increases the size of the second surface that can be illuminated. Beyond that the position of the light source can be chosen with a higher flexibility.
A further embodiment is characterized in that the external cladding component comprises a moving unit for moving the optical unit relative to the light source. By means of the moving unit the illumination section can be changed. Moreover, the light yield of the beam of light impinging on the illumination section can be varied. The illumination section thus does not appear static to the observer but dynamic. Dynamic lights usually attract the attention of an observer more easily compared to static lights which may be useful in case of a dangerous situation.
According to another embodiment, the external cladding component comprises a lid for closing the aperture. The lid prevents dust and other contaminants from entering into the external cladding component. The light source can be protected from outer influences.
In a further embodiment the lid is movable by the moving unit. In this embodiment the movement of the optical unit and the moving unit is synchronized. There is no need to provide the external cladding component with a further unit for opening and closing the aperture.
In another embodiment, the external cladding component comprises color changing means for changing the color of the beam of light. Such means could be color filters. It is also possible to use a number LEDs as the light source, at least one for each primary color. By mixing the light emitted by the LEDs the color of the beam of light can also be changed. The ability to change the color of the beam of light increases the amount of information that can be displayed on the illumination section. As an example, the current charge condition of the batteries of an electric vehicle can be displayed on the second surface such that the driver is informed before starting the vehicle. When the illumination section is green, the charge condition is fine, when yellow the battery condition is intermediate and when red the batteries should be recharged.
A further embodiment is characterized in that the light source is integrated into a projector or a beamer. In this embodiment it is possible to show a plurality of pictures or to show a video sequence. The amount of information that can be displayed on the illumination section is significantly increased.
Another aspect of the invention is directed to a vehicle comprising an external cladding component according to one of the preceding embodiments. The technical effects and advantages as discussed with respect to the present external cladding component also apply to the vehicle. Briefly, it is possible to use the second surface of the external cladding component to display information without the need to fundamentally change the design of the external cladding component.
According to another embodiment, the vehicle comprised a control unit by which the light source and/or the projector and/or the moving unit can be controlled. The driver or the owner of the vehicle may customize the way to illuminate the illumination section and define respective scenes. As an example when the driver opens the car by the remote key, the illumination section may be illuminated by a smiley to greet the driver.
In a further embodiment, the vehicle comprises a number of sensors that determine the current status of the vehicle, wherein the light source and/or the projector and/or the moving unit are controlled depending on the determined status of the vehicle. The sensors may control the surroundings of the vehicle. In case a pedestrian is detected which may collide with the vehicle an illumination section that is visible to the pedestrian could be illuminated in red or flashing red or as a red flashing exclamation mark to draw the attention of the pedestrian to the vehicle and prevent the potential collision.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent upon reading the following description of currently preferred exemplified embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:
In
The base body 14 forms a recess 20. To form the recess 20 the base body 14 comprises a first section 22, a second section 24 and a third section 26. The first section 22 is enclosing a first angle y1 of around 90° with the second section 24 while the second section 24 is enclosing a second angle y2 with the third section 26, the second angle y2 being smaller than the first angle y1. The first angle y1 may significantly differ from 90° . As external cladding components 101 are usually curved it may not be possible to clearly define the first section 22, the second section 24 and the third section 26 and thus the first angle y1 and the second angle y2. However, the underlying concept is analogously applicable to curved cladding components 101.
An aperture 28 completely running through the base body 14 is located inside the recess 20 and inside the second section 24 of the base body 14. Moreover, the external cladding component 101 comprises a light source 30 that is fastened to the base body 14 by fastening means that are not shown. Alternatively the light source 30 can be fastened to parts of the vehicle 12 such as the chassis. The light source 30 comprises in total four LEDs, 32 each of which emit light of a different color such that a beam of light 33 is generated. However, another number of LEDs 32 may also be employed. Depending on the application only one LED 32 may be sufficient. The light source 30 is part of a projector 34 that further comprises color changing means 36 for changing the color of the beam of light 33, in this case a color filter 38. In the embodiment shown in
The projector 34 is arranged such that it protrudes the aperture 28 and partially extends beyond the second surface 18. The gap between the projector 34 and the second section 24 may be filled by a filling material (not shown) which may be transparent or opaque. In this case the aperture 28 is closed. In the first embodiment of the external cladding component 101 the projector 34 is arranged perpendicular to the second section 24 and the aperture 28. The beam of light 33 leaves the projector 34 by an angle of radiation 13 and partially impinges on the second surface 18 forming an illumination section 40. In other words: The illumination section 40 is the part of the second surface 18 illuminated by the beam of light 33. In this case the illumination section 40 is plane. The illumination section 40 forms an angle of impact a with the beam of light 33 that is in this case about 15° . The angle of impact α is the angle formed between the illumination section 40 and the angle of radiation β . The smaller the angle of impact a, the smaller the light yield or the light intensity of the beam of light 33 in the illumination section 40.
The illumination section 40 is visible to an observer. Depending on the performance of the projector 34 it may only be possible to change the color of the beam of light 33 such that the illumination section 40 is e.g. illuminated in green or red. However, it may be possible to project certain patterns such as letters or pictures on the second surface 18. Video-sequences may also be projected on the second surface 18.
The mask 39 is able to shadow parts of the light beam 33 such that sharp edges are generated that demarcate illuminated areas from shadowed areas of the light beam. The use of the mask 39 is not limited to the second embodiment but may also be used in the other embodiments shown.
The reflectivity of the protrusions 42 may be higher compared to the remaining illumination section 40. This pattern is only produced by the surface design of the second surface 18 and not by the light source 30 or the projector 34. Thus the design of the projector 34 and the light source 30 can be kept simple.
In the seventh embodiment of the external cladding component 107 of the present disclosure that is shown in
As in the seventh embodiment, the eighth embodiment comprises the optical unit 46 for deflecting the beam of light 33. Moreover, the optical unit 46 or parts of the same are arranged on a lid 47 by which the aperture 28 can be closed as shown in
The vehicle 12 is equipped with a control unit 58 that is communicating with a plurality of sensors 60. For this purpose the sensors 60 are connected with the control unit 58 by wires 59. The control unit 58 is further connected with the light sources 30 or the projectors 34 of the mentioned external cladding components 10 by wires 59. For the sake of clarity, only the wires 59 by which the front bumpers 50 are connected with the control unit 58 are shown. It is noteworthy that in
In the embodiment shown, the sensors 60 are embodied as radar sensors, lidar sensors, infrared sensors, ultrasound sensors or the like. The surroundings of the vehicle 12 can be observed by these sensors 60 and the status of the vehicle 12 can be determined, e.g., with respect to potential collisions with pedestrians or cyclists. In case the control unit 58 detects a potential collision with a pedestrian the control unit 58 may send a signal to the light sources 30 or the projectors 34 of one or both of the front bumpers 50, the side skirt 54, the rear bumpers 52, the tailgate 62 or the B-pillar cladding that are visible to the pedestrian causing them to project a red flashing light on the second surface 18 thereby warning the pedestrian such that a collision may be prevented.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 207 639.4 | Nov 2020 | EP | regional |
