Vehicle cabin wayfinding assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10214287-B2
Application number	US-201615054767-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2016
Priority date	Feb 26, 2016
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

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.

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.

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

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Valentine Jr William Hanson

Classifications

• B64D2045/007

  Indicators or signs in the cabin, e.g. exit signs or seat numbering · CPC title

• B64D47/02

  Arrangements or adaptations of signal or lighting devices · CPC title

• F21V7/0083

  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 title

• B64D45/00 Primary

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64D11/00 Primary

  Passenger or crew accommodation; Flight-deck installations not otherwise provided for · CPC title