CN105526542B

CN105526542B - Luminous grating strip assembly

Info

Publication number: CN105526542B
Application number: CN201510672854.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 斯图尔特·C·萨尔特; 保罗·肯尼思·德洛克; 康奈尔·路易斯·加德纳
Original assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2014-10-21
Filing date: 2015-10-16
Publication date: 2020-01-14
Anticipated expiration: 2035-10-16
Also published as: DE102015117865A1; RU2015145150A; MX2015014624A; RU2686786C2; TR201512938A2; MX358924B; RU2015145150A3; BR102015026598A2; CN105526542A

Abstract

A vehicle grille assembly is provided. The grate assembly includes a plurality of grate bars, each including a housing having a first portion and a second portion. A first portion of each grill bar is illuminated in a first color and a second portion of at least one grill bar is illuminated in a second color that is visually distinct from the first color.

Description

Luminous grating strip assembly

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to vehicle lighting systems, and more particularly to vehicle lighting systems using one or more photoluminescent structures.

Background

The illumination resulting from the use of the photoluminescent structure provides a unique and attractive visual experience. Accordingly, it is desirable to implement such structures in motor vehicles for various lighting applications.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention, a grille bar of a vehicle grille assembly is provided. The grille bar includes a housing and first and second light sources disposed within the housing. The first portion of the housing is configured to emit light in response to excitation by light emitted from the first light source. The second portion of the housing is configured to propagate light emitted from the second light source.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle grille assembly is provided. The grille assembly includes a plurality of grille bars, each grille bar including a housing having a first portion and a second portion. A first portion of each grill bar is illuminated in a first color and a second portion of at least one grill bar is illuminated in a second color that is visually distinct from the first color.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a grille bar of a vehicle grille assembly is provided. The grill bar includes a housing having a first portion and a second portion. A first light source is disposed within the housing and configured to illuminate the first portion. The first portion is configured to emit light upon receiving light emitted from the first light source.

These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present invention will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon studying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

Drawings

In the drawings:

figure 1A shows a photoluminescent structure connected to a support element according to an embodiment;

FIG. 1B shows a photoluminescent structure connected to a support element according to another embodiment;

figure 1C shows a photoluminescent structure according to yet another embodiment connected to a support element;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a vehicle having a light grille bar assembly;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the grill bar taken along line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a grid bar having a plurality of light emitting diodes disposed therein; and

fig. 5 is a rear view of a grid bar having a plurality of light emitting diodes disposed therein.

Detailed Description

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and some of the drawings may be exaggerated and minimized to present a functional overview. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

As used herein, the term "and/or," when used in a series of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be used alone, or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be used. For example, if a composition is described as comprising components A, B and/or C, the composition may comprise a alone, B alone, a combination of C, A and B alone, a combination of a and C, a combination of B and C, or a combination of A, B and C.

The following disclosure describes a light emitting grid bar assembly that advantageously uses one or more photoluminescent structures configured to convert light received from an associated light source and re-emit the light at a different wavelength.

Referring to fig. 1A-1C, various exemplary embodiments of photoluminescent structures 10 are shown, each of which can be coupled to a support element 12, the support element 12 can correspond to a vehicle fixture or vehicle-related piece of equipment. In fig. 1A, the photoluminescent structure 10 is shown generally as a coating (e.g., a thin film) that can be applied to the surface of the support element 12. In fig. 1B, the photoluminescent structure 10 is shown generally as discrete particles that can be bonded to the support element 12. In fig. 1C, photoluminescent structure 10 is shown generally as a plurality of discrete particles that can be incorporated into a supporting medium 14 (e.g., a film), and supporting medium 14 can then be applied (as shown) to supporting element 12 or incorporated with supporting element 12.

At a most basic level, given that the photoluminescent structure 10 includes a energy conversion layer 16, the energy conversion layer 16 may include one or more sub-layers, which are exemplarily illustrated by dashed lines in fig. 1A and 1B. Each sublayer of the energy conversion layer 16 may include one or more photoluminescent materials having energy conversion elements with phosphorescent or fluorescent properties. Upon receiving light of a particular wavelength, each photoluminescent material may be excited, thereby subjecting the light to a conversion process. Under the down conversion principle, the input light is converted into light of a longer wavelength output from the photoluminescent structure 10. In contrast, under the up conversion principle, the input light is converted into light of a shorter wavelength output from the photoluminescent structure 10. When a plurality of different wavelengths of light are simultaneously output from the photoluminescent structure 10, the wavelengths of light may be mixed together and represented as a plurality of colors of light.

In some embodiments, the light that has been down-converted or up-converted may be used to excite other photoluminescent materials in the energy conversion layer 16. The process of using converted light output from one photoluminescent material to excite another and so on is commonly referred to as energy cascading and can be used as an alternative for achieving various color representations. With either conversion principle, the difference in wavelength between the excitation light and the converted light is called stokes shift (stokes shift) and serves as the primary driving mechanism for the energy conversion process corresponding to the change in wavelength of the light. In the various embodiments discussed herein, each photoluminescent structure may operate under any one of the conversion principles.

The energy conversion layer 16 can be prepared by dispersing the photoluminescent material in a polymer matrix using a variety of methods to form a homogeneous mixture. Such a method may include preparing the energy conversion layer 16 from a formulation in a liquid carrier medium and applying the energy conversion layer 16 to the desired support element. The energy conversion layer 16 can be applied to the support element by painting (painting), screen printing, spraying, slot coating (slot coating), dip coating (dip coating), roller coating (rod coating) and bar coating (bar coating). Alternatively, the energy conversion layer 16 may be prepared by a method that does not use a liquid carrier medium. For example, the energy conversion layer 16 may be implemented by dispersing the photoluminescent material into a solid solution (homogeneous mixture in a dry state) that may be incorporated in a polymer matrix that may be formed by extrusion, injection molding, compression molding, calendaring, thermoforming, and the like. The energy conversion layer 16 may then be incorporated into the support element using any method known to those skilled in the art. When the energy conversion layer 16 includes sublayers, each sublayer may be sequentially coated to form the energy conversion layer 16. Alternatively, the sub-layers may be prepared separately and subsequently laminated or stamped together to form the energy conversion layer 16. Alternatively, the energy conversion layer 16 may be formed by co-extruding sublayers.

Referring back to fig. 1A and 1B, the photoluminescent structure 10 may optionally include at least one stabilizing layer 18 to protect the photoluminescent material contained within the energy conversion layer 16 from photolytic and thermal degradation. The stabilization layer 18 may be configured as a separate layer that is optically connected and adhered to the energy conversion layer 16. Alternatively, the stabilization layer 18 may be integrated with the energy conversion layer 16. The photoluminescent structure 10 can also optionally include a protective layer 20 optically connected and adhered to the stabilizing layer 18 or other layers (e.g., the conversion layer 16 in the absence of the stabilizing layer 18) to protect the photoluminescent structure 10 from physical and chemical damage caused by exposure from the environment. The stabilizing layer 18 and/or the protective layer 20 may be combined with the energy conversion layer 16 by sequentially coating or printing each layer, sequentially laminating or embossing, or any other suitable method.

Additional information regarding the construction of photoluminescent structures is disclosed in U.S. patent No. 8,232,533 entitled "photolytic and environmentally stable multilayer structure for efficient electromagnetic energy conversion and sustained secondary emission" filed 2012, 7, 31 of kingly et al, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. For additional information on the manufacture and use of photoluminescent materials to achieve various light emissions, reference is made to the following applications: patent No. 8,207,511 entitled "photoluminescent fibers, compositions, and fabrics made therefrom" filed on day 26 of 6/2012 by botts et al; us patent 8,247,761, entitled "photoluminescent indicia with functional coating", filed on 8/21/2012 by argyrawal et al; us patent No. 8,519,359B2 entitled "photolytically and environmentally stable multilayer structure for efficient electromagnetic energy conversion and sustained secondary emission" filed 2013, 8/27; a patent entitled "illumination delivery system for producing sustained secondary emission" entitled U.S. patent No. 8,664,624B2 filed 3, 4/2014, kasley et al; us patent publication No. 2012/0183677 entitled "photoluminescent composition, method of manufacture, and novel use", filed 2012, 7, 19, of argraviol et al; an application entitled "photoluminescent object" having U.S. patent publication No. 2014/0065442a1, filed 3, 6/2014, kasley et al; and us patent publication No. 2014/0103258a1 entitled "chromium light emitting compositions and textiles" filed 4/17 of 2014 by argyraville et al, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Referring to FIG. 2, the vehicle 22 is shown with the grille assembly 24 positioned in the front fascia 26 of the vehicle 22. The grille assembly 24 generally covers an opening 28 in the front fascia 26 to allow cooling air to enter the engine compartment while also protecting various components therein, such as the engine and radiator. The grille assembly 24 may also be used as a styling element for aesthetic purposes in the appearance of the vehicle 22. The grate assembly 24 may include a plurality of grate bars 30 having a linear and/or non-linear configuration. The grill bars 30 may be elongated and may extend horizontally from one side of the vehicle 22 to the other. In other embodiments, the grid bars 30 may be in a vertical or cross-line arrangement. The grill bars 30 may be disposed in a stacked configuration in which spaces 32 are formed between each grill bar 30 to allow air to enter the openings 28. As will be described in greater detail below, each grill bar 30 may be configured to provide one or more different lighting functions. For example, each grill bar 30 may have a front 34 illuminated in a first color and a rear (not shown) illuminated in a second color that is visually different from the first color. When the vehicle 22 is viewed head-on, the front 34 of each grille strip 30 provides an outward glow, while the rear of each grille strip 30 illuminates the area behind the grille assembly 24. The rearward illumination may be viewed through the spaces 32 between each grille strip 30 and may be further visible through vents 36 or other openings in the front fascia 26 of the vehicle 22. The contrast in illumination between the front 34 and rear of the grill bars 30 gives the grill assembly 24 a different styling element. Although the grille assembly 24 is described herein as being used in a front fascia 26, it should be understood that grille assemblies in other vehicle positions may be similarly configured.

Referring to fig. 3, a cross-section of a grid bar 30 is shown according to one embodiment. The grill bar 30 includes a housing 38 having a front 34, a top 40, a bottom 42, and a back 44. Each

portion

34, 40, 42, 44 may be constructed of a substantially light transmissive rigid material such as, but not limited to, plastic. The front, top and

bottom portions

34, 40, 42 may embody a one-piece U-shaped configuration assembled to the rear portion 44 via sonic or laser welding. Alternatively, the

portions

34, 40, 42, 44 of the housing 38 may be assembled together via low pressure insert molding.

The readily visible portion of the housing 38 may be metallized to give the grill bar 30 a metallic appearance. In one embodiment, the metal layer 46 may be applied to the bottom surfaces of the front, top and

bottom portions

34, 40, 42 via partial vacuum deposition. The metal layer 46 should be light transmissive to allow light to pass from the interior side 48 to the exterior side 50.

The grill bar 30 may also include a photoluminescent structure 52 connected to some or all of the front 34 and optionally the top and/or bottom 40, 42 of the housing 38. According to one embodiment, the photoluminescent structure 52 at least partially covers the metal layer 46 and may be applied over the metal layer 46 as a single continuous structure or multiple structures. The remaining uncovered portions of the metal layer 46 may be covered by a light reflecting layer 54, the light reflecting layer 54 including, but not limited to, white paint. In alternative embodiments, the photoluminescent structure 52 may be molded or otherwise bonded to the front, top and/or bottom 34, 40, 42.

Still referring to fig. 3, the grill bar 30 may further include a Printed Circuit Board (PCB)56 disposed within the housing 38 and may extend the length of the grill bar 30. The PCB 56 may be secured to the top and

bottom portions

40, 42 of the housing 38 and may be vertically aligned with the front and

rear portions

34, 44 of the housing 38. Additionally, the PCB 56 may be sized to divide the housing 38 into a first compartment 58 and a second compartment 60. At least one light source 62 may be located in the first compartment 58 and at least one light source 64 may be located in the second compartment 60. The two

light sources

62, 64 may be powered by the vehicle power supply or other power source. The light source 62 may be disposed on a first side 66 of the PCB 56 and the light source 64 may be disposed on a second side 68 of the PCB 56. White solder mask (not shown) may be applied to the first and

second sides

66, 68 of the PCB 56 to reflect light incident thereon.

The light source 62 may be configured to emit unfocused light that excites a majority of the photoluminescent structure 52, while the light source 64 may be configured to emit unfocused light that substantially illuminates and is transmitted through the rear portion 44 of the housing 38 to provide illumination of the peripheral region.

Light sources

62 and 64 may be configured as various lamp types, such as, but not limited to, halogen lamps, fluorescent lamps, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), Organic LEDs (OLEDs), and Polymer Light Emitting Diodes (PLEDs). In one embodiment, a plurality of LEDs 70 may be longitudinally spaced across the first side 66 of the PCB 56 and oriented to face the front 34 of the grill bar 30 (fig. 4). Further, a plurality of LEDs 72 may be longitudinally spaced across the second side 68 of the PCB 56 and oriented to face the rear 44 of the grill bar 30 (fig. 5). The

individual LEDs

70, 72 may be connected in series or parallel and are not limited to any particular number. However, by positioning the PCB 56 further away from the front 34, or stated differently, closer toward the rear 44, fewer LEDs 70 may be required to uniformly illuminate the photoluminescent structure 52, thereby reducing construction costs. As a further cost-effective measure, it may not be necessary to include an LED72 in each of the grill bars 30 of the grill assembly 24 in order to produce sufficient back illumination. For example, with the grille assembly 24 shown in fig. 2, it is possible to adequately illuminate the area behind the grille assembly 24 by providing the LEDs 72 only in the center grille strips 30.

In operation, the portion of the housing 38 covered by the photoluminescent structure 52 may be configured to luminesce in response to excitation by light emitted from the light source 62. In particular, the photoluminescent structure 52 may be configured to perform energy conversion on light emitted from the light source 62. According to one embodiment, the photoluminescent structure 52 is configured to down-convert light received from the light source 62 into new, longer wavelength light. The light source 62 may be an LED configured to emit ultraviolet light (wavelength 10-400 nm), violet light (wavelength 380-450 nm), or blue light (wavelength 450-495 nm) to take advantage of the relatively low cost attributed to these types of LEDs. The converted light emitted from the photoluminescent structure 52 may correspond to visible light that includes a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum detectable by the human eye (wavelength-390-700 nm) and may be represented as a plurality of colors defined by a single wavelength (e.g., red, green, blue) or a mixture of wavelengths (e.g., white). It should therefore be understood that the photoluminescent structure 52 may be configured such that the converted light emitted therefrom is represented as monochromatic or polychromatic light. For example, the photoluminescent structure 52 may be configured to convert light emitted from the light source 62 into white light, which may provide a cost-effective alternative to using white LEDs.

According to one embodiment, the photoluminescent structure 52 is substantially lambertian, i.e. the apparent brightness of the photoluminescent structure 52 is substantially constant regardless of the viewing angle of the observer. As a result, the converted light may be emitted outward from the photoluminescent structure 52 in multiple directions. For the embodiment shown in fig. 3, a portion of the converted light may be transmitted through the metal layer 46 and output from portions of the housing 38 via the front, top and

bottom portions

34, 40, 42 of the housing 38, thereby causing those portions to appear to emit light. Another portion of the converted light may be emitted to the first compartment 58 and may be eventually redirected back towards the photoluminescent structure 52 by the white solder mask of the reflective layer 54 or the first side 66 of the PCB 56 before eventually being output from the respective portion of the housing 38 via the photoluminescent structure 52 and the metal layer 46. This helps to ensure that an optimum amount of converted light is output from the housing 38. In addition, the provision of the reflective layer 54 and white solder mask on the first side 66 of the PCB 56 also helps to ensure that an optimum amount of light emitted from the light source 62 reaches the photo-luminescent structure 52. For example, it is possible that a portion of the light emitted from the light source 62 is reflected off the photoluminescent structure 52 resulting in a degraded excitation of the photoluminescent structure 52. Thus, by providing a means to redirect this light back towards the photoluminescent structure 52, the irregularly propagating light originating from the light source 62 and contained within the first compartment 58 is given another opportunity to excite the photoluminescent structure 52. Similarly, the reflective layer 54 and the white solder mask on the second side 68 of the PCB 56 provide a means of redirecting irregularly propagating light originating from the light source 64 back toward the rear 44 for output therethrough, thereby increasing the illumination of the area behind the grille assembly 24. According to one embodiment, the light source 64 is an LED configured to emit red light.

Thus, a light grid bar assembly has been advantageously described herein. The grille bar assembly provides a number of benefits, including the efficient and cost-effective means of producing a variety of illuminations to provide different styling elements on a vehicle.

For the purposes of describing and defining the present teachings, it is noted that the terms "substantially" and "approximately" are utilized herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. The terms "substantially" or "approximately" are also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue.

It is to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structure without departing from the concepts of the present invention, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.

Claims

1. A grille bar of a vehicle grille assembly comprising:

a housing; and

a first light source and a second light source disposed within the housing;

wherein a first portion of the housing is configured to emit light in response to excitation by light emitted from the first light source; and

wherein a second portion of the housing is configured to transmit light emitted from the second light source to illuminate an area behind the grille assembly.

2. The grid bar of claim 1, further comprising a printed circuit board disposed within the housing and having a first side and a second side, wherein the first light source is disposed on the first side of the printed circuit board and the second light source is disposed on the second side of the printed circuit board.

3. The grid bar of claim 2, wherein the first and second sides of the printed circuit board are configured to reflect light.

4. The grid bar of claim 2, wherein the printed circuit board divides the housing into a first compartment and a second compartment, and wherein the first light source is located in the first compartment and the second light source is located in the second compartment.

5. The grille bar of claim 1, wherein the first portion emits light in a first color and the light output from the second portion is a second color that is visually different from the first color.

6. A grill bar according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the housing is metallized to have an exterior metallic appearance.

7. A vehicle grille assembly comprising:

a plurality of grill bars, each of the grill bars comprising a housing having a first portion and a second portion;

wherein the first portion of each grill bar is illuminated in a first color; and

wherein the second portion of at least one grill bar is illuminated in a second color that is visually distinct from the first color to illuminate an area behind the grill assembly.

8. The vehicle grille assembly of claim 7, further comprising a first light source disposed within the housing of each grille bar, wherein the first portion is configured to emit light in response to excitation provided by light emitted from the first light source.

9. The vehicle grille assembly of claim 8, further comprising a second light source disposed within the housing of at least one grille bar, wherein light emitted from the second light source is output from the housing via the second portion.

10. The vehicle grille assembly of claim 9, further comprising a printed circuit board disposed within the housing and having a first side and a second side, wherein the first light source is disposed on the first side of the printed circuit board and the second light source is disposed on the second side of the printed circuit board.

11. The vehicle grille assembly of claim 10, wherein the first side and the second side of the printed circuit board are configured to reflect light.

12. The vehicle grille assembly of claim 10, wherein the printed circuit board divides the housing into a first compartment and a second compartment, and wherein the first light source is located in the first compartment and the second light source is located in the second compartment.

13. The vehicle grille assembly of claim 7, wherein a portion of the housing is metalized with an exterior metallic appearance.

14. A grille bar of a vehicle grille assembly comprising:

a housing having a first portion and a second portion;

a first light source disposed within the housing and configured to illuminate the first portion; and

a second light source disposed within the housing;

wherein the first portion is configured to emit light upon receiving light emitted from the first light source, light emitted from the second light source being output from the housing via the second portion to illuminate an area behind the grille assembly.

15. The grid bar of claim 14, further comprising a printed circuit board disposed within the housing and having a first side and a second side, wherein the first light source is disposed on the first side of the printed circuit board and the second light source is disposed on the second side of the printed circuit board.

16. The grid bar of claim 15, wherein the first and second sides of the printed circuit board are configured to reflect light.

17. The grid bar of claim 15, wherein the printed circuit board divides the housing into a first compartment and a second compartment, and wherein the first light source is located in the first compartment and the second light source is located in the second compartment.

18. The grille bar of claim 14, wherein the first portion emits light in a first color and the light output from the second portion is a second color that is visually different from the first color.

19. A grill strip according to claim 14 wherein a portion of the housing is metallized to have an outer metallic appearance.