Bright panel display cluster

• US 10,310,323 B1
• Filed: 02/12/2018
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Inventors: Koch, Marcus Walter, Regez, Philip, Ledermann, Alexandra, Berns, Belinda
• Primary Examiner(s): Hines, Anne M
• Application Number:
  US15/894,211
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1523 Matrix displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/331 Electroluminescent elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/34 Backlit symbols
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/347 Optical elements for superposition of display information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/349 Adjustment of brightness
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/682 Arrangements to cover or hide instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/22 Display screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133388 with constructional differences between the display region and the peripheral region
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133502 Antiglare, refractive index matching layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133504 Diffusing, scattering, diffracting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133606
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133555 Transflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1336 Illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133626 providing two modes of illumination, e.g. day-night
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136222 Colour filters incorporated in the active matrix substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/66 Normally white display, i.e. the off state being white

Abstract

A display cluster having an active state and an inactive state includes a front cover with an outer surface facing outwardly toward a viewer and an inner surface opposite the outer surface. An active display region with a display screen to generate an image and a first backlight may be surrounded by a peripheral region including a second backlight. One or more of the backlights may illuminate with the display cluster in the active state. A partial mirror may be disposed on the inner surface of the front cover to allow the display light from the active display region to pass outwardly therethrough and to block incident light from passing therethrough. The partial mirror may prevent reflections from one or more structures located therebeyond, away from the viewer, and may thereby present a uniform appearance between the active display region and the peripheral region with the display cluster in the inactive state.

Claims

1. A display cluster having an active state and an inactive state and comprising:

a front cover including an outer surface facing outwardly toward a viewer and an inner surface opposite the outer surface;

an active display region including a display screen to generate an image;

a peripheral region surrounding the active display region;

a partial mirror layer disposed on the inner surface of the front cover to allow the display light from the active display region to pass outwardly therethrough and to block incident light from passing therethrough to prevent reflections from therebeyond and thereby presenting a uniform appearance between the active display region and the peripheral region with the display cluster in the inactive state.

2. The display cluster as set forth in claim 1 wherein the peripheral region has a pale color having a color intensity below a predetermined value.

3. The display cluster as set forth in claim 2 wherein the peripheral region is white in color.

4. The display cluster as set forth in claim 1 wherein the partial mirror layer is comprised of metal.

5. The display cluster as set forth in claim 4 wherein the partial mirror layer includes aluminum.

6. The display cluster as set forth in claim 1 wherein the partial mirror layer is a multilayer dielectric coating having a plurality of layers of dielectric material.

7. The display cluster as set forth in claim 1 wherein the partial mirror layer is formed on the inner surface of the front cover by vapor deposition.

8. The display cluster as set forth in claim 1 further including a tinted layer covering the display screen and appearing as a light color with the display cluster in the inactive state.

9. The display cluster as set forth in claim 1 further including a first backlight within the active display region and disposed below the front cover opposite the outer surface to emit a display light with the display cluster in the active state.

10. The display cluster as set forth in claim 1 further including a second backlight disposed in the peripheral region below the front cover opposite the outer surface for illuminating the peripheral region.

11. The display cluster as set forth in claim 10 further including a diffuser of translucent material for spreading light from the second backlight over the peripheral region as a peripheral light with the display cluster in the active state.

12. The display cluster as set forth in claim 1 wherein the front cover is made of translucent material to provide with a uniform coloration over the display cluster.

13. A display cluster for a vehicle and having an active state and an inactive state and comprising:

a backing plate for providing structural rigidity and for mounting the display cluster to the vehicle;

an active display region including a first backlight to emit a display light with the display cluster in the active state, and a display screen to generate an image and including a liquid crystal display (LCD) mounted to the backing plate and having a thin film transistor layer (TFT) covered by a tinted layer and appearing as a light color with the display cluster in the inactive state;

a peripheral region surrounding the active display region and including a second backlight disposed upon the backing plate for illuminating the peripheral region and a diffuser of translucent material for spreading light from the second backlight over the peripheral region as a peripheral light with the display cluster in the active state;

a front cover being a generally flat sheet of translucent material overlying the active display region and the peripheral region to provide with a uniform coloration over the display cluster which may be white or a bright color, and with the front cover including an inner surface facing the backing plate and an outer surface opposite the inner surface;

wherein the outer surface of the front cover reflects incident light from environmental sources to cause a first reflected light;

wherein the inner surface of the front cover reflects the incident light to cause a second reflected light;

wherein the diffuser reflects the incident light to cause a third reflected light causing a non-uniformity between the active display region and the peripheral region;

a partial mirror layer of metal disposed on the inner surface of the front cover for allowing the display light from the active display region to pass outwardly therethrough while also blocking the incident light from passing therethrough to prevent the incident light from reflecting outwardly from therebeyond including from the diffuser and thereby presenting a uniform appearance between the active display region and the peripheral region with the display cluster in the inactive state;

wherein the partial mirror layer includes aluminum;

wherein the partial mirror layer is formed on the inner surface of the front cover by vapor deposition;

wherein the front cover causes the display light to be reduced in brightness along a first dimming region;

wherein the front cover causes the peripheral light to be reduced in brightness along a second dimming region.