Patent Application
20160016510
The present disclosure is related generally to instrument clusters for vehicles.
Vehicles include instrument clusters and gauges for communicating desired operating parameters such as vehicle speed, engine rpm and direction indicators. Different methods and devices are known for communicating this information. Each method and device provides not only the function of communicating operating information to a driver, but also form and contribute to the style and aesthetic appearance of a vehicle interior. Accordingly, it is desirable to develop new and unique devices and methods for communicating and representing vehicle operating information to contribute to a desired appearance.
An instrument cluster assembly is disclosed and includes at least one gauge. The gauge includes a dial and a light guide film disposed behind the dial. A light source is configured to illuminate the light guide film. A plurality of emitting dots on the light guide film are configured to direct light toward the dial.
The emitting dots may direct light toward associated dial graphics on the dial. In one example, the light guide film is ring shaped and disposed behind a ring of graphics on the dial. A plurality of side-emitting LEDs are disposed around an outer perimeter of the light guide film and configured to illuminate it.
The use of a light guide film allows for thinner and lighter instrument clusters. The flexibility of the light guide film allows for a variety of features in the cluster assembly to be illuminated.
These and other features disclosed herein can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.
Referring to
The example gauge 12 further includes at least one light source 20 configured to illuminate the light guide film 18. The example light source 20 is a side emitting LED in communication with printed circuit board 16 and disposed radially outward of an outer perimeter 22 of the light guide film 18. Other types of light sources are also contemplated. The light source 20 is configured to emit light toward the light guide film 18 to illuminate the light guide film 18.
Referring to
In one application, the light guide film 18 is applied directly to the back of the dial 14. The light guide film 18 may also or alternatively be applied directly to the printed circuit board 16.
The example light guide film 18 is ring shaped and configured to be disposed behind the ring of dial graphics 26 on the dial 14, but other light guide film shapes and arrangements are contemplated. By using a single ring shaped light guide film 18 for one ring of dial graphics 26, fewer light sources 20 are necessary.
Each example emitting dot 24 is disposed directly behind an associated dial graphic 26 to illuminate that dial graphic 26. More than one emitting dot 24 may be associated with a single dial graphic 26, and more than one dial graphic 26 may be associated with a single emitting dot 24. Dial graphics 26 may include numbers, tick marks, lines, symbols, or anything else to be illuminated on the dial. In one application, the emitting dots 24 imitate the shapes of their associated dial graphics 26. The shapes, density, and distribution of the emitting dots 24 are easily customizable to meet the illumination needs of the particular gauge.
The example gauge utilizes three light sources 20A,B,C disposed radially outward of the outer perimeter 22 of the light guide film 18, but other numbers of light sources and arrangements are contemplated. One or more light sources 20 may be disposed radially outward of an outer perimeter 27 of the dial graphics 26. As another example, at least one light source 20 may be disposed radially inward of an inner perimeter of a ring shaped light guide film 18.
The example gauge 12 utilizes light guide film 18 to illuminate graphics 26 on the dial 14, but light guide film may be used to illuminate other features on the instrument cluster assembly 10 as well. For example, light guide film may be used to illuminate a pointer assembly 30 or an outer ring 32.
A light guide film is thin and flexible. Light guide film is thus thinner, lighter, and more flexible than current light guide designs in instrument clusters. Utilizing a light guide film in an instrument cluster would thus allow for thinner and lighter clusters, and the light guide film's flexibility creates the possibility for new features to be illuminated.
The example light guide film 18 may be made of plastic or silicone rubber. Other materials are contemplated. The example film 18 is approximately 0.2 mm, but other thicknesses (0.1 mm-1.5 mm) are contemplated. In the example, the distance between the dial 14 and the printed circuit board 16 is less than 3 millimeters, because of the low thicknesses of the light guide film 18 and the LED 20 (less than 2 millimeters), which allows for significant space saving.
The light guide film 18 has a unique property in that light is trapped inside the film (shown schematically in
In one alternative example, shown schematically in
In example gauge 212, shown in
Although the different examples have a specific component shown in the illustrations, embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from one of the examples in combination with features or components from another one of the examples.
Although embodiments of this invention have been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.
