Patent Application
20150162148
The present disclosure relates generally to the illumination of a rotary knob assembly for a control panel, and in particular to a lightpipe having a plurality of concentric surfaces that allows light to be emitted therefrom.
Rotary knob assemblies utilized within a vehicle control panel for adjusting vehicle settings such as a temperature controller are well-known. Typically, the assemblies use equipment which illuminates the knob either to show the setting is ON or to visually indicate to the user the parameters of the setting.
Rotary knob assemblies are generally equipped with many components such as multiple lightpipes and multiple light emitting diodes to sufficiently illuminate the knob. These components have been assembled in a variety of configurations. In one known example, the multiple light emitting diodes and multiple lightpipes have been located both within and outside the knob assembly. In another known example, the light emitting diodes and multiple lightpipes have been located entirely within the assembly to illuminate certain portions of the knob. Alternatively, the light emitting diodes and multiple lightpipes have also been located outside the assembly to illuminate certain portions of the knob. However, all these examples of different configurations utilize a multitude of components and occupy a large volume of space on the control panel. The configurations are thus undesirable to both users and manufacturers. Additionally, the use of multiple light emitting diodes requires significant energy use within the control panel. Accordingly, there is a need for a rotary knob assembly that is compact and utilizes less energy.
A rotary knob assembly for a vehicle control panel is provided.
According to one aspect, the rotary knob assembly is part of a vehicle control panel and includes a lightpipe in communication with a push button disposed within a rotary knob portion of the rotary knob assembly. The lightpipe also includes a peripheral portion that engages a halo ring disposed between the push button and the rotary knob portion. The lightpipe also includes a plurality of concentric circles recessively disposed on the middle portion thereof, the concentric circles generally define a central axis of the lightpipe. The rotary knob assembly further includes a first light emitting diode (LED) in communication with a middle portion to emit light to the lightpipe. The light from the first LED is refracted through the lightpipe and is distributed through the plurality of concentric circles to illuminate to a graphic display of the push button and to the peripheral portion to illuminate the halo ring.
Another aspect of the rotary knob assembly includes a lightpipe having a generally cylindrical shape. The lightpipe is in communication with an inner surface of a push button within a rotary knob portion of a vehicle control panel. The lightpipe also includes a peripheral portion that engages a halo ring. The lightpipe, the push button, and the halo ring remain stationary when the rotary knob portion rotates. The lightpipe further includes a plurality of concentric circles defining a central axis. The rotary knob assembly further includes a first LED which emits light to the middle portion of the lightpipe. The light from the first LED is refracted through the lightpipe and is distributed through the plurality of concentric circles to illuminate a graphic display of the push button and to the peripheral portion to illuminate the halo ring.
The aspects disclosed herein provide various advantages. For instance, the rotary knob assembly may be compact compared to conventional rotary knob assemblies through the utilization of one lightpipe and one LED to illuminate both the halo ring and the graphic display of the push button. Additionally, the rotary knob assembly disclosed herein may be more energy efficient than conventional knob assemblies due to the utilization of one LED to illuminate both the halo ring and the graphic display of the push button.
Other aspects of the present disclosure will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Detailed examples of the present disclosure are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed examples are merely exemplary and may be embodied in various and alternative forms. It is not intended that these examples illustrate and describe all possible forms of the disclosure. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
The aspects disclosed herein provide a rotary knob assembly including a lightpipe. The lightpipe has a middle portion and a peripheral flange. The middle portion may be affixed to a push button that is disposed in a middle of a rotary knob portion of a rotary knob assembly. According to another aspect, the peripheral flange of the lightpipe can engage a halo ring surrounding the push button. Additionally, the lightpipe may have a plurality of concentric circles formed on the middle portion that are recessively disposed on a surface thereof and which define a central axis of the lightpipe to provide illumination to a graphic display of the knob assembly. It will be appreciated that the lightpipe may have a variety of other configurations.
The push button 16 can have a graphic display 18. As shown in
shown above the graphic display 18. However, the indicator light 20 is not limited to the location above the graphic display 18 and may instead be located adjacent to the graphic display 18 or in a variety of other suitable locations.
As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features of the present disclosure as illustrated and described with reference to any of the Figures may be combined with features illustrated in one or more other Figures to produce examples of the present disclosure that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative examples for typical applications. However, various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of the present disclosure may be desired for particular applications or implementations.
A first light emitting diode (LED) 32 (not shown) may also be disposed on the control panel 12 within the rotary knob portion 14. The first LED 32 can emit light directly to the middle portion 50 of lightpipe 26. The light may be refracted through the lightpipe 26 to the middle portion 50 to illuminate the halo ring 22. Also, the light may be distributed directly through the plurality of concentric circles 30 to illuminate the graphic display 18 on the push button 16. Specifically, the recessed portions or gaps between the plurality of concentric circles 30 allow the light from the first LED 32 to pass through the circles 30 directly to the graphic display 18, unlike conventional lightpipes which do not and must use multiple LEDs to illuminate a display. The plurality of concentric circles 30 may also direct the light to the halo ring 22 to provide further illumination to the halo ring 22. The plurality of concentric circles 30 may have progressively increasing diameters going towards the push button 16 or progressively decreasing diameters going towards the first LED 32. Additionally, more or less concentric circles 30 may be employed. Instead of circles, other structures or surfaces for allowing light to pass through may be employed as well.
With respect to
The rotary knob assembly 10 can further include a plurality of concentric circles 30 recessively disposed across the middle portion 50 of the lightpipe 26, the plurality of concentric circles 30 define a central axis 28 of the lightpipe 26 As discussed in
As shown in
With respect to
The rotary knob assembly 10 also includes a halo ring 22 surrounding the push button 16. Specifically, the halo ring 22 is radially disposed between the push button 16 and the rotary knob portion 14 within the control panel 12. The rotary knob assembly 10 also includes the lightpipe 26 having an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion of the lightpipe 26 having a middle portion 50 and a peripheral flange 52. The peripheral flange 52 of the lightpipe 26 engages a halo ring 22. The lightpipe 26 may have a generally cylindrical shape. The lightpipe 26 may be affixed to the inner surface of the push button 16 within the rotary knob portion 14 of the control panel 12. Specifically, the inner surface of the push button 16 may have a biased portion 54 or peg which engages a groove within the lightpipe 26 and locks the lightpipe 26 into place. Furthermore, the lightpipe 26, the push button 14, and the halo ring 22 remain stationary when the rotary knob portion 14 rotates.
The lightpipe 26 may further include a plurality of concentric circles 30 recessively disposed on the middle portion 50 therein and which define a central axis 28 of the lightpipe 26. As discussed in
The rotary knob assembly 10 may further include a second LED 34 in communication with the control panel 12 within the rotary knob portion 14. The second LED 34 may be adjacent to the first LED 32. The second LED 34 may also be adjacent to the light conduit 24 to illuminate the indicator light 20 of the push button 16. Moreover, the indicator light 20 as well as the halo ring 22 and the graphic display 18 may be illuminated during daytime or nighttime driving utilizing two different color light emitting diodes, one specifically used for the graphic display 18 and the halo ring 22 and another used for the indicator light 20. For example, the first LED 32 may be blue to illuminate both the graphic display 18 and the halo ring 22 while the second LED 34 may be yellow to illuminate the indicator light 24.
As described above,
While examples of the disclosure have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these examples illustrate and describe all possible forms of the disclosure. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understand that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Additionally, the features and various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further examples of the disclosure.
