Vehicle decal assembly

• US 10,160,405 B1
• Filed: 08/22/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Salter, Stuart C., Dellock, Paul Kenneth, Singer, Jeffrey, Buttolo, Pietro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess, Bruce H
• Application Number:
  US15/683,268
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 4281951, 428914
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/04 External Ornamental or guard strips; Ornamental inscriptive devices thereon fastening strips or bars to sheets or plates by means of clips F16B5/12
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/30 Elements containing photoluminescent material distinct from or spaced from the light source shades F21V1/17; globes, bowls or cover glasses F21V3/08, F21V3/12; refractors F21V5/10; reflectors F21V7/26, F21V7/30; elements with provision for controlling the spectral properties or intensity F21V9/40
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/4205 having a diffractive optical element [DOE] contributing to image formation, e.g. whereby modulation transfer function MTF or optical aberrations are relevant
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1866 Transmission gratings characterised by their structure, e.g. step profile, contours of substrate or grooves, pitch variations, materials G02B5/1809, G02B5/1828, G02B5/1833, G02B5/1838 and G02B5/1847 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/20 with luminescent surfaces or parts luminescent compositions C09K11/00; light sources using luminescence F21K2/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/12 using special optical effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/048 Advertisement panels on sides, front or back of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/10 by an adhesive layer

Abstract

A vehicle decal assembly is provided herein. The decal assembly includes a substrate having a diffraction grating along a surface thereof. A luminescent structure is disposed along a surface of the substrate. A reflective layer is disposed on an opposing side of the luminescent structure from the substrate. An adhesive layer is configured to maintain the substrate on a vehicle panel.

Claims

1. A vehicle decal assembly, comprising:

a substrate having a diffraction grating along a surface thereof;

a luminescent structure disposed along the surface of the substrate;

a reflective layer including boron nitride and disposed on an opposing side of the luminescent structure from the substrate; and

an adhesive layer configured to maintain the substrate on a vehicle panel.

2. The vehicle decal assembly of claim 1, wherein the diffraction grating comprises a plurality of ridges having a thickness of between about 250 nm to about 1000 nm.

3. The vehicle decal assembly of claim 2, wherein the luminescent structure comprises at least one luminescent material configured to convert an incident light in a non-visible spectrum received into a visible, converted light.

4. The vehicle decal assembly of claim 3, wherein the incident light comprises one of blue light, violet light, and UV light.

5. The vehicle decal assembly of claim 3, wherein a first portion of an incident light is redirected by the diffraction grating and a second portion of the incident light excites the luminescent structure.

6. The vehicle decal assembly of claim 5, wherein a first fraction of the second portion becomes converted light and a second fraction is reflected off the reflective layer.

7. The vehicle decal assembly of claim 1, wherein the diffraction grating comprises a plurality of ridges having a period of the diffraction grating between about 50 nm and about 5 microns.

8. The vehicle decal assembly of claim 1, wherein the luminescent structure includes a long-persistence luminescent material therein.

9. The vehicle decal assembly of claim 1, wherein said decal assembly extends longitudinally along a portion of a vehicle.

10. The vehicle decal assembly of claim 1, wherein the substrate has a pattern integrally formed therein.

11. A decal assembly for a vehicle, comprising:

a substrate having a diffraction grating along a first surface thereof, wherein the diffraction grating has a thickness of between about 250 nm to about 1000 nm, the substrate having an opposing, second surface defining a plurality of patterns tessellating across the second surface;

a reflective layer disposed rearwardly of the substrate; and

an adhesive layer configured to maintain the substrate on a vehicle panel.

12. The decal assembly for a vehicle of claim 11, further comprising:

a luminescent structure disposed along a surface of the substrate.

13. The decal assembly for a vehicle of claim 11, wherein the thickness of the diffraction grating is between about 500 nm and about 750 nm.

14. The decal assembly for a vehicle of claim 11, wherein a period of the diffraction grating is between about 50 nm and about 5 microns.

15. A decal assembly, comprising:

a luminescent structure disposed along a first surface of a substrate, the substrate having an offset pattern in an opposing second surface, the pattern having lowered portions disposed closer to the luminescent structure than the remaining portions of the second surface;

a reflective layer disposed on an opposing side of the luminescent structure from the substrate; and

an adhesive layer coupling the substrate to a vehicle panel.

16. The decal assembly of claim 15, wherein the substrate has a diffraction grating along a surface thereof.

17. The decal assembly of claim 16, wherein the thickness of the diffraction grating is between about 500 nm and about 750 nm.

18. The decal assembly of claim 16, wherein a period of the diffraction grating is between about 50 nm and about 5 microns.

19. The decal assembly of claim 15, wherein the luminescent structure defines a pattern that is visible through the substrate.