Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090129050 | LASER ETCHED GRAPHIC FOR A DECORATIVE SURFACE - A disclosed vehicle instrument panel includes a control panel having illuminated buttons formed with an illuminatable decorative surface. The disclosed decorative surface includes a translucent layer disposed between a background layer and a graphic layer. Material is removed from the background layer to reveal the underlying translucent and graphic layers. The depth within which material is removed is determined to fall within a thickness of the translucent layer such that any variation in depth is accommodated within the translucent layer. | 05-21-2009 |
20090316382 | ONE LED ILLUMINATED CLUSTER - An illuminated instrument cluster utilizes a single light emitting diode to backlight the entire dial surface. The LED is aligned with a light guide then directs light into a cavity of a light housing. The cavity includes a surface that reflects light upwardly onto a back surface of the dial face to provide the desired illumination. | 12-24-2009 |
20100064962 | FLOOD ILLUMINATED CLUSTER WITH TELLTALES - An illuminated gauge assembly includes a top surface of a light housing that includes a scale and a light guide that extends through the light housing for distributing light onto the surface of the top surface. A single light source is disposed below the light housing and directs through the light guide onto the top surface of the light housing. | 03-18-2010 |
20100083894 | MULTI-COLORED FEATURES FOR INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GAUGES - An instrument cluster includes a gauge with selectively and visually variable features to communicate vehicle information to a vehicle operator. A border is illuminatable by colored LED assemblies to provide an indication of the range of a vehicle operating condition. A pointer assembly is also selectively illuminatable to provide a visual reference of a specific operating condition that is responsive and varies depending on a specific current operating condition. A digital display within the gauge includes telltales that are also selectively illuminatable and visually variable, responsive to specific operating conditions to communicate not only a problem or an issue with a specific feature but also a range or magnitude of alert to the vehicle operator. | 04-08-2010 |
20110061586 | POINTER ILLUMINATION - A disclosed instrument cluster includes dial gauges with an illuminated pointer including light reflecting features for uniformly distributing light within the pointer. The light deflecting structure directs light toward tip of the pointer by reflecting the light of each of the first and second sides. The light deflecting structure provides the desired distribution of luminescence by directing light toward the sides surfaces of the pointer. | 03-17-2011 |
20120206251 | TELL TALE OVER CLUSTER LIGHT GUIDE - A gauge provides information indicative of vehicle speed and includes a pointer that moves relative to the scale to indicate a current measured the vehicle parameter. A tell tale housing is supported above and spaced apart from the gauge face. A main circuit board supports light emitting devices such as LEDs that are turned on or off to illuminate the corresponding tell tale. A light guide is supported within the tell tale housing and directs light from the LED to the at least one tell tale spaced apart from the main circuit board and the main gauge surface. | 08-16-2012 |
20140165901 | INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER - An instrument cluster assembly is disclosed and includes at least one gauge. The gauge comprises a dial surface and a ring spaced apart from the dial surface. The ring has an outer surface and an inner surface that includes ring graphics. The gauge further comprises a pointer rotatable about an axis. The pointer may include a pointer arm including a portion extending into a space defined between the inner surface of the ring and the dial surface and at least partially visible through the ring. The dial surface my include dial graphics. | 06-19-2014 |
20140165903 | POINTER CAP FOR CLUSTER GAUGE - A gauge assembly is disclosed and includes a gauge surface including graphics representing a vehicle operating parameter and a pointer supported for movement about an axis to indicate a current condition of the vehicle operating parameter by pointing to a specific location on the gauge surface. A cap mounted to the pointer along the axis is formed from a plastic film material different than the material forming the pointer. | 06-19-2014 |
20140165904 | NEGATIVE SLOPE POINTER - A gauge assembly for a motor vehicle includes a gauge surface with graphics representing a vehicle operating parameter and a pointer supported for movement about an axis to indicate a current condition of the vehicle operating parameter by pointing to a specific location on the gauge surface. The pointer includes a pointer arm extending away from a hub and a bottom surface with a negative slope angled away from a plane normal to the axis toward the gauge surface. | 06-19-2014 |
20140167947 | PHYSICAL POINTER OVER FLAT DISPLAY VEHICLE INSTRUMENT PANEL - A disclosed vehicle instrument panel assembly includes a display disposed within a first plane and configured for generating an image indicative of vehicle operation and a pointer disposed on a second plane spaced apart from the first plane and extending at least partially over the display to highlight the image generated by the display. | 06-19-2014 |