Light-Guide Sunroof Assembly

Abstract

A light-guide sunroof assembly comprises a plastic substrate and a light source module furnished besides the plastic substrate. An outer layer of the plastic substrate is added with dye to form a colored background. A plurality of light-guide microstructures is furnished on the plastic substrate to guide the light generated by the light source module toward an inner surface of the plastic substrate. Thereby, the light generated by the light source module is guided by the plastic substrate and then ejects out of the inner surface of plastic substrate, so as to provide a light decoration or lighting effect that enriches the visual experience. Moreover, the plastic substrate is first formed into a curved plastic plate through a hot pressing process, and then a connecting structure is formed and fixed on the plastic plate by an insert-molding injection process, in order to replace the traditional car sunroof mechanism which is assembled by glass plate bonded with metal connecting parts.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A light-guide sunroof assembly, comprises:
 a substrate, having an outer surface, an inner surface and a plurality of side surfaces vertically connected between the outer and inner surfaces; the substrate being a multilayer structure comprising at least two layers of plastic materials which comprises a transparent engineering plastic layer and a colored upper acrylic layer located above the plastic layer; wherein, the light transmittance of the colored upper acrylic layer is less than the light transmittance of the plastic layer, in addition, the colored upper acrylic layer forms a colored background upon the plastic layer;   at least one light source module, disposed on at least one of the side surfaces of the substrate; the at least one light source module being capable of emitting light sideward toward the plastic layer, such that the light can travel laterally along the plastic layer;   a primer layer, furnished at an outer rim area of the inner surface of the substrate; and   a connecting structure, fixed to the outer rim area of the inner surface of the substrate at a position having the primer layer; the connecting structure being capable of connecting to an external component, such that the substrate together with the at least one light source module can be connected to the external component through the connecting structure.   
     
     
         2 . The light-guide sunroof assembly of  claim 1 , wherein, a coloring agent is added in the upper acrylic layer, so that the upper acrylic layer has a color and its light transmittance is between 5% and 70%; the coloring agent contains at least one of the following colors: black, red, blue, green, or other relatively dark colors; the plastic layer is one of transparent, colorless or transparent-white and has a light transmittance greater than 90%. 
     
     
         3 . The light-guide sunroof assembly of  claim 1 , wherein, the light-guide sunroof assembly further comprises a plurality of light-guide microstructures disposed on at least one of the outer surface, or a middle layer, or the inner surface of the substrate; the plurality of light-guide microstructures can guide and direct the light traveling laterally along the plastic layer downward toward and then emit out of the inner surface of the substrate; the light-guide microstructures are arranged in a predetermined pattern; when the at least one light source module emits light, only the light at the positions of these light-guide microstructures will be guided downward and then emitted out from the inner surface of the substrate; the predetermined pattern of light emission formed by the arrangement of the light-guide microstructures can be displayed on the inner surface of the substrate. 
     
     
         4 . The light-guide sunroof assembly of  claim 3 , wherein, fluorescent powders are filled in the plurality of light-guide microstructures in order to improve the luminous brightness of the predetermined pattern of light emitted by the arrangement of the plurality of light-guide microstructures. 
     
     
         5 . The light-guide sunroof assembly of  claim 3 , wherein, the light-guide microstructures are formed by using a laser engraving machine, such that, the predetermined pattern is “engraved” inside the middle layer of the substrate. 
     
     
         6 . The light-guide sunroof assembly of  claim 3 , wherein:
 an upper hard coating layer is formed above the upper acrylic layer, and a lower hard coating layer is formed on the inner surface of the substrate;   the plurality of light-guide microstructures is disposed on at least one of the following: the upper acrylic layer and the plastic layer.   
     
     
         7 . The light-guide sunroof assembly of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the substrate is composed of at least three layers of different plastic materials by coextrusion, which comprises: the plastic layer located at middle of the substrate, the upper acrylic layer located above the plastic layer, and a lower acrylic layer located under the plastic layer;   an upper hard coating layer is formed above the upper acrylic layer, and a lower hard coating layer is formed under the lower acrylic layer;   the lower acrylic layer is one of transparent, colorless or transparent-white, and the transmittance of the lower acrylic layer is greater than 90%;   the plurality of light-guide microstructures is disposed on at least one of the following: the upper acrylic layer and the lower acrylic layer.   
     
     
         8 . The light-guide sunroof assembly of  claim 7 , wherein:
 a coated film layer is formed above the upper hard coating layer; the coated film layer comprises a cohesive layer, a UV-cut layer and a wear-resistant layer;   the material of the cohesive layer comprises SiO 2 ;   the material of the UV-cut layer comprises Ti 3 O 5  added with UV absorber;   the material of the wear-resistant layer comprises SiO 2 ;   a top hard coating layer is further furnished on the top of the coated film layer.   
     
     
         9 . The light-guide sunroof assembly of  claim 7 , wherein, the light-guide sunroof assembly further comprises at least one sealing ring layer; the sealing ring layer is disposed on a surface of the primer layer facing the connecting structure, such that the sealing ring layer is sandwiched between adjoining surfaces of the primer layer and the connecting structure. 
     
     
         10 . The light-guide sunroof assembly of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the substrate has a curved surface at least at an outer peripheral region of the inner surface of the substrate;   the external component is a sunroof actuating mechanism of car;   the connecting structure is made of hard plastic material or metal material;   wherein, when the connecting structure is made of the hard plastic material, the connecting structure is molded and fixed on the outer rim area of the inner surface of the substrate having the primer layer by using an insert-molding injection process; in addition, the hard plastic material of the connecting structure includes at least one of the following: polymethyl methacrylate (also referred as PMMA), Polycarbonate (also referred as PC), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (also referred as ABS), Polypyromellitimide (also referred as PMMI), Polyethylene terephthalate (also referred as PET), Polyethylene 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate (also referred as PEN), Polyethersulfone (also referred as PES), and Polyimide (also referred as PI); when the connecting structure is made of metal material, the connecting structure is adhered and fixed to the outer rim area of the inner surface of the substrate at a position having the primer layer by using the primer layer as an adhesive;   the primer layer comprises one of the following: compounds of Amines and heterocyclic amines, Silane compounds, and Polyurethane (also referred as PU), and is coated on the outer rim area of the inner surface of the substrate by precision wet coating process, and can provide good adhesion effect between the substrate and the connecting structure;   the sealing ring layer comprises one or more rings which are furnished on the surface of the primer layer by a dispensing method; each ring of the sealing ring layer is extending around the outer rim area in a ring shape;   the material of the sealing ring layer includes one of the following: silicone and Polyurethane (PU for short), which can improve the sealing effect between the substrate and the connecting structure.   
     
     
         11 . The light-guide sunroof assembly of  claim 3 , wherein, material of the substrate of the light-guide sunroof assembly is weakened at a predetermined area of the substrate, so that the substrate includes an easily breakable structure at the predetermined area. 
     
     
         12 . The light-guide sunroof assembly of  claim 11 , wherein, the easily breakable structure is formed by the one of the following:
 a plurality of dots is densely arranged in the predetermined area of the substrate by mechanical or laser processing in order to create small cracks in the material at these densely arranged dots and makes the structure there weakened and easily broken, so as to form the easily breakable structure;   a ring-shaped dotted structure is formed in the predetermined area of the material inside the substrate by energy irradiation or a different material interface in order to make the structure of the ring-shaped dotted structure weakened and easily broken, so as to form the easily breakable structure; and   a plurality of vertical dashed structures and horizontal dashed structures are formed inside the material of the substrate by energy irradiation in order to make the dashed structures weakened and easily broken, so as to form the easily breakable structure;   wherein, the easily breakable structure also has the function of directing light traveling in the substrate toward and emitting out from the inner surface of the substrate, such that a user can visually identify the location of the easily breakables structure.