Vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly

• US 10,214,287 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Valentine, Jr., William Hanson
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, Daniel I
• Application Number:
  US15/054,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20170247111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/00 Arrangement of lighting devices for vehicle interiors; Lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle interiors
• 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 2045/007 Indicators or signs in the cabin, e.g. exit signs or seat numbering
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2203/00 Aircraft or airfield lights using LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/02 Arrangements or adaptations of signal or lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0083 Array of reflectors for a cluster of light sources, e.g. arrangement of multiple light sources in one plane combination of two or more reflectors F21V7/0025
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/50 On board measures aiming to increase energy efficiency

Abstract

A vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly is configured to be secured within an internal cabin of a vehicle. The vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly may include a placard having a front face, and at least one directional reflector offset from the front face of the placard. The directional reflector(s) defines one or more indicia, and is configured to directionally reflect light that is emitted from a light source into an application zone.

Claims

1. A vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly configured to be secured within an internal cabin of a vehicle, the vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly comprising:

a placard having a front face that extends along a vertical axis and along a longitudinal axis that is perpendicular to the vertical axis, the placard disposed above an aisle and one or more seats within the internal cabin of the vehicle; and

at least one directional reflector offset from the front face of the placard and extending from the front face, wherein the at least one directional reflector defines one or more indicia, wherein the at least one directional reflector comprises at least one reflective surface that is convex along the vertical axis and concave along the longitudinal axis, and wherein the at least one directional reflector is configured to receive light that is emitted from a light source mounted within the internal cabin across the aisle from the placard such that the light passes above passengers in the aisle, the at least one directional reflector configured to directionally reflect the light received from the light source downward towards the aisle into an application zone,

wherein the application zone has a defined lateral width along the length of the aisle that enables passengers that are within a threshold proximity to the vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly to view the light reflected by the at least one directional reflector.

2. The vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one directional reflector is configured to directionally reflect the light into the application zone in a direction towards passengers that move along the aisle towards the vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly as the passengers are loading into the internal cabin.

3. The vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly of claim 1, wherein the directionally-reflected light has an intensity within the application zone that is higher than outside of the application zone.

4. The vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one directional reflector is shaped as one or more wayfinding indicia.

5. The vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one directional reflector surrounds at least one planar area of the front face that is shaped as one or more wayfinding indicia.

6. The vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one directional reflector comprises a plurality of parallel reflector segments separated by gaps.

7. The vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one reflective surface outwardly bows away from the front face of the placard.

8. The vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly of claim 1, wherein the application zone is defined vertically between a minimum reflection angle and a maximum reflection angle, wherein the minimum reflection angle is determined by a first visual perspective that extends a first designated height from the floor and is located at an aisle-most surface of the first seat, and wherein the maximum reflection angle is determined by a second visual perspective that extends a second designated height from the floor and is located at an aisle-most surface of the second seat that is separated from the aisle-most surface of the first seat by the aisle, wherein the first designated height that is a ninety-fifth percentile of male human height, and wherein the second designated height that is a fifth percentile of female human height.

9. The vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one directional reflector comprises a plurality of parallel reflector segments separated by gaps, each of the reflector segments comprising a plurality of the reflective surfaces disposed side by side along the respective reflector segment, and wherein each of the reflective surfaces is convex along the vertical axis and concave along the longitudinal axis.

20. The vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one directional reflector comprises a plurality of parallel reflector segments separated by gaps along a height of the placard, each of the reflector segments comprising at least one of the reflective surfaces outwardly bowing away from the front face of the placard, wherein each of the reflective surfaces extends vertically from a respective upper point to a respective base point, wherein the upper point and the base point are located at different depths relative to the front face of the placard.

10. A vehicle comprising:

a fuselage defining an internal cabin that includes a floor supporting a first seat and a second seat within the internal cabin, the first and second seats disposed in a common row and separated from each other by an aisle along the floor;

at least one light source within the internal cabin disposed above the first seat, the at least one light source configured to emit light across the aisle in a direction parallel to a plane of the floor such that the light passes above passengers in the aisle; and

a vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly secured within the internal cabin above the second seat and across the aisle from the at least one light source, the vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly comprising;

a placard having a front face that extends along a vertical axis and along a longitudinal axis that is perpendicular to the vertical axis; and

at least one directional reflector offset from the front face of the placard, wherein the at least one directional reflector defines one or more indicia, wherein the at least one directional reflector comprises at least one reflective surface that is convex along the vertical axis and concave along the longitudinal axis, and wherein the at least one directional reflector is oriented at an angle to directionally reflect light received from the at least one light source downward towards the aisle into an application zone,

wherein the application zone has a defined lateral width along the length of the aisle that enables passengers that are within a threshold proximity to the vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly to view the light reflected by the at least one directional reflector.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the directionally-reflected light has an intensity within the application zone that is higher than outside of the application zone.

12. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the at least one directional reflector is shaped as one or more wayfinding indicia.

13. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the at least one directional reflector surrounds at least one planar area of the front face that is shaped as one or more wayfinding indicia.

14. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the at least one directional reflector comprises a plurality of parallel reflector segments separated by gaps, and wherein a height to depth aspect ratio of the reflector segments relative to the front face of the placard is constant.

15. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the at least one reflective surface outwardly bows away from the front face of the placard.

16. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the application zone is defined vertically between a minimum reflection angle and a maximum reflection angle, wherein the minimum reflection angle is determined by a first visual perspective that extends a first designated height from the floor and is located at an aisle-most surface of the first seat, and wherein the maximum reflection angle is determined by a second visual perspective that extends a second designated height from the floor and is located at an aisle-most surface of the second seat that is separated from the aisle-most surface of the first seat by the aisle, wherein the first designated height is a ninety-fifth percentile of male human height, and wherein the second designated height is a fifth percentile of female human height.

17. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the at least one directional reflector comprises a plurality of reflective units, and each of the plurality of reflective units has one of the reflective surfaces that is horizontally concave and vertically convex.

21. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly is secured on an overhead storage bin above the second seat and the at least one light source is mounted to a ceiling of the internal cabin across the aisle from the vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly.

22. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the at least one directional reflector comprises a plurality of parallel reflector segments separated by gaps, each of the reflector segments having one or more of the reflective surfaces, wherein the reflector segments directionally reflect the light emitted from the at least one light source into the application zone with a pulsating effect as perceived by a passenger moving along the aisle, and wherein an intensity of the light that is directionally-reflected by the reflector segments is greater within the application zone than outside of the application zone.

18. A method of efficiently directing passengers aboard a vehicle, the method comprising:

emitting light from a light source within an internal cabin of the vehicle towards a vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly that is secured within the internal cabin proximate to a row of seats, the light source and the vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly disposed along opposite sides of an aisle that separates seats within the row of seats, wherein the light is emitted across the aisle such that the light passes above passengers in the aisle; and

directionally reflecting the emitted from the light source with at least one directional reflector of the vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly downward towards the aisle into a defined application zone, wherein the at least one directional reflector defines one or more indicia, wherein the at least one directional reflector comprises at least one reflective surface that is convex along a vertical axis and concave along a longitudinal axis that is perpendicular to the vertical axis, wherein the directionally reflecting operation comprises reflecting light via the at least one reflective surface at an increased intensity within the application zone, and not reflecting light or reflecting light at a decreased intensity outside of the application zone,

wherein the application zone has a defined lateral width along the length of the aisle that enables passengers that are within a threshold proximity to the vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly to view the light reflected by the at least one directional reflector.

19. A vehicle comprising:

a fuselage defining an internal cabin;

at least one light source within the internal cabin; and

a vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly secured within the internal cabin, the vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly comprising;

a placard having a front face that extends along a vertical axis and a longitudinal axis that is perpendicular to the vertical axis; and

at least one directional reflector offset from the front face of the placard and extending from the front face, wherein the at least one directional reflector defines one or more indicia, wherein the at least one directional reflector comprises a plurality of parallel reflector segments separated by gaps, each of the reflector segments comprising a plurality of reflective units disposed side by side along the respective reflector segment, each of the reflective units includes a respective reflective surface that is concave along the longitudinal axis, and wherein the reflective surfaces directionally reflect light that is emitted from the at least one light source into corresponding lateral envelopes within an application zone to provide a pulsating effect as an individual moves through the internal cabin past the vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly.