Vehicle assembly having luminescent feature and method
First Claim
1. A vehicle assembly, comprising:
- a body structure defining an opening;
a transparent window panel disposed in the opening, the window panel having an interior surface and an exterior surface;
a conductive material extending along a perimeter of the window panel; and
an electroluminescent pigment having a first end portion disposed at a first location on the perimeter of the window panel and a second end portion disposed at a second location on the perimeter of the window panel that is spaced apart from the first location on the perimeter of the window panel, the electroluminescent pigment electrically connected to the conductive material,wherein the electroluminescent pigment includes a plurality of strips extending from one side of the window panel to an opposite side of the window panel.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A luminescent feature on a vehicle and a method for installing the same on a vehicle includes a transparent window panel positioned on the vehicle, a conductive material extending along at least a portion of a perimeter of the window panel and at least one electroluminescent pigment strip. The window panel has an interior surface and an exterior surface. Each at least one electroluminescent pigment strip has a first end portion in electrical contact with the conductive material at a first location along the perimeter of the window panel and a second end portion in electrical contact with the conductive material at a second location on the perimeter of the window panel that is spaced apart from the first location.
55 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A vehicle assembly, comprising:
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a body structure defining an opening; a transparent window panel disposed in the opening, the window panel having an interior surface and an exterior surface; a conductive material extending along a perimeter of the window panel; and an electroluminescent pigment having a first end portion disposed at a first location on the perimeter of the window panel and a second end portion disposed at a second location on the perimeter of the window panel that is spaced apart from the first location on the perimeter of the window panel, the electroluminescent pigment electrically connected to the conductive material, wherein the electroluminescent pigment includes a plurality of strips extending from one side of the window panel to an opposite side of the window panel. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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2. A vehicle assembly, comprising:
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a body structure defining an opening, wherein the body structure includes a roof portion and the opening is a sunroof opening; a transparent window panel disposed in the opening, the window panel having an interior surface and an exterior surface; a conductive material extending along a perimeter of the window panel; an electroluminescent pigment having a first end portion disposed at a first location on the perimeter of the window panel and a second end portion disposed at a second location on the perimeter of the window panel that is spaced apart from the first location on the perimeter of the window panel, the electroluminescent pigment electrically connected to the conductive material; and a wire electrically connecting the conductive material to a power source, wherein the wire extends from the conductive material downward along a pillar supporting the roof body structure to the power source.
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8. A luminescent feature on a vehicle, comprising:
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a transparent window panel positioned on the vehicle, the window panel having an interior surface and an exterior surface; a conductive material extending along at least a portion of a perimeter of the window panel; and at least one electroluminescent pigment strip, wherein each at least one electroluminescent pigment strip has a first end portion in electrical contact with the conductive material at a first location along the perimeter of the window panel and a second end portion in electrical contact with the conductive material at a second location on the perimeter of the window panel that is spaced apart from the first location, and wherein each at least one electroluminescent pigment strip further has a middle portion disposed between the first end portion and the second end portion, the middle portion spaced apart from the conductive material and only electrically connected to the conductive material through the first and second end portions. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A luminescent feature on a vehicle, comprising:
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a transparent window panel positioned on the vehicle, the window panel having an interior surface and an exterior surface; a conductive material extending along at least a portion of a perimeter of the window panel; and at least one electroluminescent pigment strip, wherein each at least one electroluminescent pigment strip has a first end portion in electrical contact with the conductive material at a first location along the perimeter of the window panel and a second end portion in electrical contact with the conductive material at a second location on the perimeter of the window panel that is spaced apart from the first location wherein the conductive material extends along a majority of the perimeter of the window panel. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. A method of installing a luminescent feature on a vehicle, comprising:
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providing a transparent window panel for mounting on the vehicle, the window panel having an interior surface and an exterior surface; applying a conductive material along at least a portion of a perimeter of the window panel; and applying at least one electroluminescent pigment strip to the window panel, including electrically connecting a first end portion of each at least one electroluminescent pigment strip to the conductive material at a first location along the perimeter of the window panel and electrically connecting a second end portion of each at least one electroluminescent pigment strip to the conductive material at a second location along the perimeter of the window panel that is spaced apart from the first location. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. A vehicle assembly, comprising:
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a body structure defining an opening; a transparent window panel disposed in the opening; a first transparent electrode coating on the transparent window that comprises an electrically conductive polymer; a transparent topcoat that comprises a color conversion additive; a second transparent electrode positioned between the transparent topcoat and the first transparent electrode layer that comprises an electrically conductive polymer; and a phosphor layer positioned between the first transparent electrode layer and the second transparent electrode layer that is excitable by an electrical field established across the phosphor layer upon application of an electrical charge between the first transparent electrode layer and the second transparent electrode layer to emit an electroluminescent light of a first color to both the first transparent electrode that permits transmission of the light emitted of the first color by the phosphor layer to illuminate the exterior of the vehicle and the transparent topcoat that permits transmission of only a portion of the light emitted by the phosphor layer to convert the light emitted by the phosphor layer to a light of a different color to illuminate the interior of the vehicle with a second color that is different from the first color. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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Specification