Vehicle cabin arrangement comprising a lighting device

• US 9,617,014 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2014
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Abel, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Alavi, Ali
• Application Number:
  US14/255,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20140313751A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 362471, 362464, 362549
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/43 General lighting
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/47 Circuits; Control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00 Passenger or crew accommodation; Flight-deck installations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2011/0038 Illumination systems for cabins as a whole
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/02 Arrangements or adaptations of signal or lighting devices

Abstract

A vehicle cabin arrangement for a vehicle body and a method for lighting a vehicle cabin and for displaying information using such a vehicle cabin arrangement are disclosed. A lighting device with a light-emitting surface directed towards the cabin interior space is provided on a ceiling section. The lighting device has separate lighting elements each having a dedicated light-emitting element surface, which lighting elements can assume different switch-on states and/or light emission states which differ in at least one property of the emitted light. A control device for controlling the lighting device is provided. The lighting elements are arranged so that, both in the direction parallel to the cabin longitudinal axis and in the direction perpendicular to the cabin longitudinal axis, element surfaces are arranged next to one another. The control device can control each lighting element individually with respect to its switch-on state and/or its light emission state.

Claims

1. A vehicle cabin arrangement for assisting boarding of a vehicle body, comprising:

a cabin wall which extends in tubular manner along a cabin longitudinal axis and surrounds an interior space, wherein the cabin wall has, when viewed transversely with respect to the cabin longitudinal axis, two opposite side sections, a ceiling section arranged between the two side sections and a floor section opposite the ceiling section;

a lighting device, which is disposed centrally above a longitudinal aisle on the ceiling section and has a light-emitting surface directed towards the interior space, wherein the lighting device has a plurality of separate lighting elements, each of which has a dedicated light-emitting element surface directed towards the interior space and can assume different switch-on states or different light emission states which differ in terms of at least one property of the light emitted by the element surface of the respective lighting element;

a control device for controlling the lighting device;

the lighting elements being arranged distributed over the ceiling section where a plurality of element surfaces are arranged next to one another both in a direction parallel to the cabin longitudinal axis and in a direction perpendicular to the cabin longitudinal axis;

the control device being adapted to control each lighting element individually such that, during operation, the lighting element can assume selectively each of the different switch-on states or different light emission states independently of the other lighting elements; and

the control device having a storage device for storing a plurality of control parameter sets, each of which corresponds to a different light emission pattern of the plurality of lighting elements, the pattern comprising different switch-on states or light emission states of different lighting elements, and the control device being adapted to control the lighting device selectively for each of the control parameter sets where the lighting elements are operated in accordance with the corresponding light emission pattern;

wherein a sensor device is provided in signal connection to the control device and configured to receive a boarding pass signal from an electronic boarding pass and to transmit a sensor signal corresponding to the boarding pass signal to the control device,

wherein the boarding pass signal and the sensor signal comprise identification information which is configured to identify a seat of a holder of a boarding pass, and

wherein the control device is configured to control the lighting elements corresponding to the sensor signal, such that one or more of the plurality of element surfaces, which is in a region of the seat of the holder of the boarding pass or is assigned to the seat of the holder of the boarding pass, is configured to reproduce information indicating the seat of the holder of the boarding pass by emitting corresponding light in the form of an arrow or in the form of a path which is configured to extend from an entry of the vehicle cabin arrangement up to the corresponding allocated seat.

2. The vehicle cabin arrangement according to claim 1, wherein, for each lighting element, different states of the light emission states differ from one another with respect to the intensity of the emitted light or with respect to the colour of the emitted light.

3. The vehicle cabin arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the control device is adapted such that, during operation:

once a control parameter set corresponding to a light emission pattern which is constant over time has been stored in the storage device and once this control parameter set has been selected, the control parameter set controls the lighting device such that the lighting elements are operated using the light emission pattern which is constant over time;

or

once a control parameter set corresponding to a light emission pattern which is variable over time has been stored in the storage device and once this control parameter set has been selected, the control parameter set controls the lighting device such that the lighting elements are operated using the light emission pattern which is variable over time.

4. The vehicle cabin arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least one lighting element comprises an OLED element which provides the element surface.

5. The vehicle cabin arrangement according to claim 1, wherein, in the direction parallel to the cabin longitudinal axis, at least 10 element surfaces are arranged next to one another and, in the direction perpendicular to the cabin longitudinal axis, at least 3 element surfaces are arranged next to one another.

6. The vehicle cabin arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of rows of seats is fitted on the floor section, which rows of seats each extend transversely to the cabin longitudinal axis and are spaced apart from one another along the cabin longitudinal axis, and wherein, when viewed in the direction of the cabin longitudinal axis, at least one lighting element is arranged on a level with each row of seats.

7. The vehicle cabin arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the element surfaces of a plurality of the lighting elements extend in a common plane.

8. The vehicle cabin arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a shield element is provided in front of the light-emitting surface of the lighting device, wherein the shield element has light-transmissive openings which are arranged in front of the light-emitting element surfaces of the lighting elements.

9. The vehicle cabin arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the electronic boarding pass is designed to transmit the boarding pass signal representing a seat position of the holder to the sensor device.

10. A vehicle comprising:

a vehicle cabin arrangement for assisting boarding of a vehicle body, the vehicle cabin arrangement comprising;

a cabin wall which extends in tubular manner along a cabin longitudinal axis and surrounds an interior space, wherein the cabin wall has, when viewed transversely with respect to the cabin longitudinal axis, two opposite side sections, a ceiling section arranged between the two side sections and a floor section opposite the ceiling section;

a lighting device, which is provided on the ceiling section and has a light-emitting surface directed towards the interior space, wherein the lighting device has a plurality of separate lighting elements, each of which has a dedicated light-emitting element surface directed towards the interior space and can assume different switch-on states or different light emission states which differ in terms of at least one property of the light emitted by the element surface of the respective lighting element;

a control device for controlling the lighting device;

the lighting elements being arranged distributed over the ceiling section where a plurality of element surfaces are arranged next to one another both in a direction parallel to the cabin longitudinal axis and in a direction perpendicular to the cabin longitudinal axis;

the control device being adapted to control each lighting element individually such that, during operation, the lighting element can assume selectively each of the different switch-on states or different light emission states independently of the other lighting elements; and

the control device having a storage device for storing a plurality of control parameter sets, each of which corresponds to a different light emission pattern of the plurality of lighting elements, the pattern comprising different switch-on states or light emission states of different lighting elements, and the control device being adapted to control the lighting device selectively for each of the control parameter sets where the lighting elements are operated in accordance with the corresponding light emission pattern;

wherein a sensor device is provided in signal connection to the control device and configured to receive a boarding pass signal from an electronic boarding pass and to transmit a sensor signal corresponding to the boarding pass signal to the control device,

wherein the boarding pass signal and the sensor signal comprise identification information which is configured to identify a seat of a holder of a boarding pass, and

wherein the control device is configured to control the lighting elements corresponding to the sensor signal, such that one or more of the plurality of element surfaces, which is in a region of the seat of the holder of the boarding pass or is assigned to the seat of the holder of the boarding pass, is configured to reproduce information indicating the seat of the holder of the boarding pass by emitting corresponding light in the form of an arrow or in the form of a path which is configured to extend from an entry of the vehicle cabin arrangement up to the corresponding allocated seat.

11. A method for assisting boarding of a vehicle cabin and for displaying information using a vehicle cabin lighting arrangement, the method comprising:

providing a vehicle cabin arrangement for a vehicle body, the vehicle cabin arrangement comprising;

a cabin wall which extends in tubular manner along a cabin longitudinal axis and surrounds an interior space, wherein the cabin wall has, when viewed transversely with respect to the cabin longitudinal axis, two opposite side sections, a ceiling section arranged between the two side sections and a floor section opposite the ceiling section;

a lighting device, which is provided on the ceiling section and has a light-emitting surface directed towards the interior space, wherein the lighting device has a plurality of separate lighting elements, each of which has a dedicated light-emitting element surface directed towards the interior space and can assume different switch-on states or different light emission states which differ in terms of at least one property of the light emitted by the element surface of the respective lighting element;

a control device for controlling the lighting device;

the lighting elements being arranged distributed over the ceiling section where a plurality of element surfaces are arranged next to one another both in a direction parallel to the cabin longitudinal axis and in a direction perpendicular to the cabin longitudinal axis;

the control device being adapted to control each lighting element individually such that, during operation, the lighting element can assume selectively each of the different switch-on states or different light emission states independently of the other lighting elements; and

the control device having a storage device for storing a plurality of control parameter sets, each of which corresponds to a different light emission pattern of the plurality of lighting elements, the pattern comprising different switch-on states or light emission states of different lighting elements, and the control device being adapted to control the lighting device selectively for each of the control parameter sets where the lighting elements are operated in accordance with the corresponding light emission pattern;

inputting data corresponding to information to be displayed to the control device;

storing a control parameter set on the basis of the input data in the storage device, wherein the control parameter set represents a light emission pattern which corresponds to the information to be displayed; and

controlling the lighting device by the control device on the basis of the control parameter set such that each lighting element is controlled individually with respect to the switch-on state or the light emission state, and the lighting device is operated corresponding to the light emission pattern;

wherein a sensor device is provided in signal connection to the control device and configured to receive a boarding pass signal from an electronic boarding pass and to transmit a sensor signal corresponding to the boarding pass signal to the control device,

wherein the boarding pass signal and the sensor signal comprise identification information which is configured to identify a seat of a holder of a boarding pass, and

wherein the control device is configured to control the lighting elements corresponding to the sensor signal, such that one or more of the plurality of element surfaces, which is in a region of the seat of the holder of the boarding pass or is assigned to the seat of the holder of the boarding pass, is configured to reproduce information indicating the seat of the holder of the boarding pass by emitting corresponding light in the form of an arrow or in the form of a path which is configured to extend from an entry of the vehicle cabin arrangement up to the corresponding allocated seat.