Surface display units with opaque screen

• US 10,379,265 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2016
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Brown, Gordon Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Dudek, James A
• Application Number:
  US15/572,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20180149777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1523 Matrix displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/28 for instruments which are not visible when inactive
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/339 Translucent dashboard skins
• 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 35/223 Flexible displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/415 Glare prevention
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/00 Dashboards as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/20 Dashboard panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/02 made of crystals, e.g. rock-salt, semi-conductors G02B1/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/04 made of organic materials, e.g. plastics G02B1/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/14 operating by reflection only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/003 Light absorbing elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/021 the diffusion taking place at the element's surface, e.g. by means of surface roughening or microprismatic structures
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0236 the diffusion taking place within the volume of the element
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0257 creating an anisotropic diffusion characteristic, i.e. distributing output differently in two perpendicular axes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0278 used in transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0294 adapted to provide an additional optical effect, e.g. anti-reflection or filter
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/23 Photochromic filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/153 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/60 : characterised by the nature of the surface

Abstract

A surface display unit incorporates an opaque screen (180) and an image panel (110). The opaque screen is disposed on the front side of the image panel which provides an optical image. The opaque screen generally hides the image panel while the surface display unit is not in use. When the image panel is activated to provide an optical image, the opaque screen provides a suitable level of transparency so that a viewer can observe the optical image with sufficient clarity. The opaque screen can provide optical enhancement, decorative texture, and/or mechanical support and include antiglare, anti-reflective, and anti-scratch films (140, 150, 160). The opque screen can be a laminated polymer film, an electrochromic or photochromic system, or a switchable dye doped liquid crystal material.

Claims

1. A surface display unit comprising:

an image panel configured to provide an optical image on a front surface thereof; and

a opaque screen disposed over the front surface of the image panel,

wherein the opaque screen comprises an opaque matrix material layer that transmits light, reflects light or transmits and reflects light from the image panel;

wherein the opaque matrix material layer has a transmission coefficient of from 0.01 to 0.5 within the wavelength range from 400 nm to 800 nm for light from the optical image.

2. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the opaque matrix material layer attenuates light impinging thereupon from a front side of the opaque matrix material layer and transmits light from the image panel.

3. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the opaque matrix material layer comprises an opaque glass-ceramic material.

4. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the opaque matrix material layer is provided as a single sheet or as a laminate structure comprising multiple layers.

5. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the opaque matrix material layer comprises a layer stack of a transparent material layer and a diffusion material layer that provides optical diffusion.

6. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the opaque matrix material layer comprises a glass core with at least one optically opaque cladding thereupon.

7. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the opaque matrix material layer comprises a dye-sensitized material layer.

8. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the opaque matrix material layer comprises a dye-doped liquid crystal material.

9. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the opaque matrix material layer comprises a material having one or more peaks in a transmission coefficient as a function of wavelength within a range from 400 nm to 800 nm.

10. The surface display unit of claim 9, wherein multiple peaks are present in the transmission coefficient, and correspond to wavelengths of illumination radiation of the optical image formed at the image panel.

11. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the opaque matrix material layer comprises a material having at least two states corresponding to different transmission coefficients, wherein a ratio of a first transmission coefficient for an off-state to a second transmission coefficient for an on-state is in a range from 0.001 to 0.5 with a wavelength range from 400 nm to 800 nm.

12. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the opaque matrix material layer comprises an electrochromatic material layer, or a photochromatic material layer.

13. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the image panel comprises a display unit that generates an image employing a single illumination source.

14. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the image panel comprises a pixilated display device.

15. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the image panel comprises a display panel including a plurality of micro light emitting diodes provided in an array pattern.

16. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the optical image is transmitted from the image panel through the opaque screen to a viewer.

17. The surface display unit of claim 1, further comprising a projection source for emitting an image onto the opaque screen.

18. The surface display unit of claim 17, wherein the image is reflected from the front surface to a viewer.

19. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the image panel has multiple brightness settings to provide different amount of illumination.

20. The surface display unit of claim 1, wherein the image panel has a color weighted brightness adjustment system to compensate for a non-uniform transmission coefficient curve of a material of the opaque matrix material layer within a visible wavelength range.