GB2497833A - An illuminated design element such as a badge for the exterior of a vehicle - Google Patents
An illuminated design element such as a badge for the exterior of a vehicle Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2497833A GB2497833A GB201217620A GB201217620A GB2497833A GB 2497833 A GB2497833 A GB 2497833A GB 201217620 A GB201217620 A GB 201217620A GB 201217620 A GB201217620 A GB 201217620A GB 2497833 A GB2497833 A GB 2497833A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- text
- design element
- light guide
- surface part
- back plate
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
- B60Q1/26—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R13/00—Elements for body-finishing, identifying, or decorating; Arrangements or adaptations for advertising purposes
- B60R13/005—Manufacturers' emblems, name plates, bonnet ornaments, mascots or the like; Mounting means therefor
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
- G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
- G09F23/00—Advertising on or in specific articles, e.g. ashtrays, letter-boxes
- G09F23/02—Advertising on or in specific articles, e.g. ashtrays, letter-boxes the advertising matter being displayed by the operation of the article
- G09F23/04—Advertising on or in specific articles, e.g. ashtrays, letter-boxes the advertising matter being displayed by the operation of the article illuminated
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
- G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
- G09F13/00—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising
- G09F13/20—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising with luminescent surfaces or parts
- G09F13/22—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising with luminescent surfaces or parts electroluminescent
- G09F2013/222—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising with luminescent surfaces or parts electroluminescent with LEDs
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
- Vehicle Interior And Exterior Ornaments, Soundproofing, And Insulation (AREA)
- Vehicle Waterproofing, Decoration, And Sanitation Devices (AREA)
- Illuminated Signs And Luminous Advertising (AREA)
Abstract
The invention relates to a design element (10, figure 3), in particular a logo, for the exterior of an automobile, comprising at least one illuminable surface part 20, wherein at least one light source 22 is held on a back plate 16, where a surface of the back plate opposite to the illuminable surface is coated with a metal, in particular aluminium. The light source may be indirectly coupled to the illuminable surface part by means of a light guide element 14. The light guide may be made from a transparent plastics material, and may have elevated portions 20 which correspond with cut-outs 18 in an opaque front plate 18. The design element is intended to illuminated in low light conditions, whilst still providing an aesthetically pleasing logo during daytime.
Description
Design element for an automobile The invention relates to a design element, in particular a logo, for the exterior of an automobile according to the preamble of claim 1.
Design elements for the exterior of automobiles, such as brand logos, are generally made "; : of chrome finished high gloss plastic by injection molding or foil forming. Generally, such * desiqn elements are unlit and therefore poorly visible at night. * .
There are various concepts known of using LEDs or similar to illuminate brand logos.
*.. : These, however do suffer from poor aesthetics due to the visibility of the LEDs during daytime and are mostly only available as aftermarket solutions.
* * It is therefore the objective of the present invention to provide a design element according to the preamble of claim 1 which is well illuminated at night as well as aesthetically pleasing during daytime.
This objective is reached by a design element according to craim 1.
Suth a design element, in particular a logo, for the exterior of an automobile, comprises at least one illuminable surface part and at least one light source (22) held on a back plate (16) of the design element.
According to the invention, a surface of said back plate opposite to the light guide element is coatedwith a metal, in particular with aluminium. During daytime, the metallized surface is visible through the cutouts, giving the design element a metalliclchrome-finjshed appearance when no illumination is necessary or desired.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one light source is indirectly coupled to the at least one illuminable surface part by means of a light guide element.
Due to the indirect coupling, the light source itself is not visible during daytime. The design element can therefore be homogenously illuminated at night, without impeding the visual aesthetics during daytime.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the at east one illuminable surface part is formed by a corresponding cutout provided in a front plate of the design element.
This allows for complex patterns of lit and unlit regions, increasing the design possibilities for the design element.
It is particularly advantageous, if the front plate is attached to the light guide element. In such an arrangement, the light exits the light guide element immediately at the front plate, so that the illumination is homogenous and complete. This can be further improved upon, if the light guide element comprises at least one elevated surface portion oriented towards the front plate and corresponding to the at least on illuminable surface part, The elevated surface portion extends into the cutout and forms a continuous front surface of the design S...
.. : element, leading to an aesthetically pleasing impression.
S
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the back plate of the design element is attached to the light guide opposite to the front plate. Thereby, a compact and integrated * *. design element is provided, which is easy to fabricate and to install.
To ensure a homogenous look, the at least one light source is preferably arranged in such a manner that no direct line of view from the light source to the at least one illuminable surface part exists.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the light guide element and/or the back plate consists of a transparent polymer, in particular acrylic, palycarbonate, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or a polycarbonate-acrylonitrile butadiene styrene mixture, These are relatively easy to process and possess the necessary optical properties for providing a strong and homogenous illunlination.
Preferably, the at least one light source is a light emitting diode. Such devices can provide high intensity light at a variety of colors while using only small amounts of energy.
-Below, the invention and its embodiments are further exprained with reference to the drawings, which show in: Fig. 1 A logo for an automobile according to an embodiment of the invention during daytime; Fig. 2 the logo according to Fig. 1 without illumination at night; Fig. 3 the logo according to Fig. 1 with illumination at night; and Fig. 4 an exploded assembly drawing of the logo according to Fig. 3.
A manufacturer logo 10 is fixed to a radiator grille of an automobile. The logo 10 consists of an intransparent front plate 12, a light guideS 14 made from transparent plastics and a ". : back plate 16. The light guide 14 is visible through cutouts 18 in the front plate 12 forming * lettering of the manufacturer's name as well as other decorative elements. Elevated portions 20 of the light guide 14 correspond to the cutouts, providing for a flat front surface of the logo 10.
U * * S *5 S
*r The back plate 16 is coated with aluminium. When the logo lOis illuminated by ambient * light, as during daytime conditions, said coating is visible through the cutouts 16 and the S.....
* light guide 14, giving the logo 10 a chrome-finished appearance. During nighttime, however, such a logo could only reflect back weak ambient light sources, leading to an appearance typical for conventional logos as shown in Fig. 2.
In order to provide better visibility and a strong recognition effect for the brand logo 10 even under low ambient lighting conditions, LEDs 22 are integrated into the back plate 16.
The LEDs 22 are arranged in a central portion 24 of the back pLate 16, where they are shielded from direct view by the front plate 12. Light produced by the LEDs is coupled into the light guide 14 and transmitted through the logo 10 via the cutouts 18 of the front plate 12, leading to a clearly visible and homogenously illuminated logo 10, as depicted in Fig. 3. To further improve the appearance of the logo 10, the non-illuminated parts of the front plate can be appropriately painted, particularly using a high-gloss black finish, to provide for an aesthetically pleasing contrast.
Front plate 12, light guide 14 and back plate 16 can be manufactured from various plastic materials. In particular, acrylic exhibits an exceUent transparency and UV-resistance, can be easily processed and is suitable for vacuum metallizing to apply the aluminium to the back plate 16. Alternative materials are polycarbonate or polycarbonatefacrylanitrile butadiene styrene-mixtures, which also show good transparency, but are rather hard to process. Clear acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is also suitable and easy to process, but exhibits a comparatively lower transparency and IJV stability.
The front plate 12, light guide 14 and back plate 16 can be attached to each other by chemical bonding, screwing or heat stacking or any combination thereof, yielding a compact, easy to process logo 10.
S * *.
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Claims (1)
- <claim-text>Claims 1. Design element (10), in particular logo, for the exterior of an automobile, comprising at least one illuminable surface part (20) and at least one light source (22) held on a * back plate (16) of the design element characterized in that a surface of the back plate (16) opposite to the illuminable surface part (20) is *. coated with a metal, in particular with aluminium. * S -</claim-text> <claim-text>2. Design element (10) according to claim 1, characteriied in that at least one light source (22) is indirectly coupled to the at least one illuminable * surface part (20) by means of a light guide element (14). *5 *</claim-text> <claim-text>* 3. Design element (10) according to claim 1 or2, charactsrjzed in that the at least one illuminable surface part (20) is formed by a corresponding cutout (18) Ørovided in a front plate (12) of the design element.</claim-text> <claim-text>4. Design element (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that the front plate (12) is attached to the light guide element (14).</claim-text> <claim-text>5. Design element according (10) to claim 4, characterized in that the light guide element (14) comprises at least one elevated surface portion (20) oriented towards the front plate (12) and corresponding to the at least on illuminable surface part (20).</claim-text> <claim-text>6. Design element (10) according to claim 5 characterized in that the back plate (16) of the design element (10) is attached to the light guide (14) opposite to the front plate (12).</claim-text> <claim-text>7. Design element (10) according to claim 5or6, characterized in that the at least one light source (22)is arranged in such a manner that no direct line of view from the light source (22) to the at least one illuminable surface part (20) exists.</claim-text> <claim-text>8. Design element (10) according to any one of claims ito 7, characterized in that the light guide element (14) ancUor the back pLate (16) consists of a transparent polymer, in particular acrylic, polycarbonate, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or a * *. ..* * polycarbonate-acrylonitrile butadiene styrene mixture. *ø S. : 9. Design element (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that that at least one Eight source (22) is a light emitting diode. * S * e ** S * S S * *4</claim-text>
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB201217620A GB2497833A (en) | 2012-09-19 | 2012-09-19 | An illuminated design element such as a badge for the exterior of a vehicle |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB201217620A GB2497833A (en) | 2012-09-19 | 2012-09-19 | An illuminated design element such as a badge for the exterior of a vehicle |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB201217620D0 GB201217620D0 (en) | 2012-11-14 |
| GB2497833A true GB2497833A (en) | 2013-06-26 |
Family
ID=47225554
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB201217620A Withdrawn GB2497833A (en) | 2012-09-19 | 2012-09-19 | An illuminated design element such as a badge for the exterior of a vehicle |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2497833A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US10795068B1 (en) | 2019-06-19 | 2020-10-06 | Ford Global Technologies, Llc | Vehicle badge |
Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP2006160136A (en) * | 2004-12-09 | 2006-06-22 | Sakae Riken Kogyo Co Ltd | Light emission display device for vehicle |
| CN200971083Y (en) * | 2006-11-22 | 2007-11-07 | 长春海拉车灯有限公司 | Vehicle label light |
| US20110194305A1 (en) * | 2010-02-11 | 2011-08-11 | Compal Electronics, Inc. | Decoration panel |
| CN202115442U (en) * | 2011-06-08 | 2012-01-18 | 贾云 | LED (light-emitting diode) shining base of car logo |
| CN202175002U (en) * | 2011-08-08 | 2012-03-28 | 比亚迪股份有限公司 | Logo of motor vehicle |
-
2012
- 2012-09-19 GB GB201217620A patent/GB2497833A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP2006160136A (en) * | 2004-12-09 | 2006-06-22 | Sakae Riken Kogyo Co Ltd | Light emission display device for vehicle |
| CN200971083Y (en) * | 2006-11-22 | 2007-11-07 | 长春海拉车灯有限公司 | Vehicle label light |
| US20110194305A1 (en) * | 2010-02-11 | 2011-08-11 | Compal Electronics, Inc. | Decoration panel |
| CN202115442U (en) * | 2011-06-08 | 2012-01-18 | 贾云 | LED (light-emitting diode) shining base of car logo |
| CN202175002U (en) * | 2011-08-08 | 2012-03-28 | 比亚迪股份有限公司 | Logo of motor vehicle |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US10795068B1 (en) | 2019-06-19 | 2020-10-06 | Ford Global Technologies, Llc | Vehicle badge |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB201217620D0 (en) | 2012-11-14 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |