US 11,794,642 B2
Skin for a vehicle interior trim part comprising a light source
Yvan Vanluchene, Wetteren (BE); Geert Trossaert, Wetteren (BE); and Linda Dedoncker, Wetteren (BE)
Assigned to Ascorium GMBH, Konigswinter (DE)
Appl. No. 17/785,793
Filed by ASCORIUM GMBH, Königswinter (DE)
PCT Filed Jan. 13, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/050525
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 15, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/144285, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 22, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 20152320 (EP), filed on Jan. 16, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0363190 A1, Nov. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. B60Q 3/54 (2017.01)
CPC B60Q 3/54 (2017.02) [B60K 2370/339 (2019.05); B60K 2370/345 (2019.05)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A skin for a vehicle interior trim part, which skin comprises at least a translucent elastomeric layer composed of a pigmented plastic material, the translucent elastomeric layer having an outer surface and an inner surface opposite the outer surface, and the translucent elastomeric layer comprising at least one first portion which is configured to be placed in front of a light source and to transmit visible light generated by said light source from said inner surface to said outer surface,
wherein said first portion of the translucent elastomeric layer comprises a surface relief to produce an image on said first portion when said visible light is transmitted through said first portion of the translucent elastomeric layer, which surface relief forms at least one first area, where the translucent elastomeric layer has a thickness which is smaller than or equal to a first thickness (d1) and at least one second area, where the translucent elastomeric layer has a thickness which is larger than or equal to a second thickness (d2) which is larger than said first thickness (d1), with the difference (d2−d1) between said first thickness (d1) and said second thickness (d2) larger than 0.08 mm but smaller than 3.0 mm, and
said pigmented plastic material has over at least one range of visible light wavelengths an average spectral attenuation coefficient (αav), which average spectral attenuation coefficient is the average of spectral attenuation coefficients (α(λ)) determined for different wavelengths (λ) in regular intervals over said range of visible wavelengths by the following formula:

OG Complex Work Unit Math
wherein:
d1=said first thickness; and
T1(λ)=the spectral transmittance at said wavelength (λ), measured in accordance with EN ISO 13468-2:2006 part 2, of a film of said pigmented plastic material having a uniform thickness equal to said first thickness (d1),
said average spectral attenuation coefficient (αav) being comprised between 1.0 and 25 mm−1 and being related to the difference (d2−d1) between said first (d1) and said second thickness (d2) according to the following formula:
αav(d2−d1)>−ln 0.50.