Smoked lens for vehicle

• US 20060062004A1
• Filed: 07/06/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens VDO Automotive Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Birman, Vyacheslav B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,780,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/487
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/20 Optical features of instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/336 Light guides
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/425 Anti-reflection arrangements
• 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: B60Q 3/14 lighting through the surface to be illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/14 for producing polarised light
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133502 Antiglare, refractive index matching layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133562 on the viewer side
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133638 Waveplates, i.e. plates with a retardation value of lambda/n

Abstract

A vehicle instrument cluster lens assembly for achieving a desired smoked lens effect in a vehicle instrument panel includes a first layer having an associated polarizing orientation for transforming incident light into polarized light having a first orientation that corresponds to the polarizing orientation. A second layer receives the polarized light and shifts the first orientation of the polarized light to a second orientation that is different than the first orientation. A surface receives the polarized light from the second layer and at least partially reflects the polarized light in a direction toward the second layer. The second layer shifts the second orientation of the polarized light to a third orientation that is different from the polarizing orientation of the first layer to prevent the polarized light from being transmitted to a vehicle occupant.

Claims

1. A vehicle instrument cluster lens assembly for reducing glare comprising:

a first layer having a polarizing orientation for transforming incident light into polarized light having a first orientation that corresponds to the polarizing orientation;

a second layer for receiving the polarized light and shifting the first orientation of the polarized light to a second orientation that is different than the first orientation; and

a surface for receiving polarized light from the second layer and at least partially reflecting the polarized light in a direction toward the second layer, wherein the second layer shifts the second orientation of the polarized light to a third orientation that is different from the polarizing orientation of the first layer.

2. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the second orientation is shifted about 45°

from the first orientation.

3. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the second orientation is shifted about 90°

from the polarizing orientation.

4. The assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprising an anti-refection layer on the first layer for reflecting at least a portion of the incident light before the incident light impinges upon the first layer.

5. The assembly as recited in claim 4, wherein the anti-reflection layer comprises at least one of magnesium fluoride, zinc sulfide, titanium dioxide, and calcium fluoride.

6. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the first layer comprises a polyethylene film.

7. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the second layer comprises at least one of a polymer film, an inorganic layer, and a layer including mica.

8. The assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprising an acrylic substrate between the second layer and the surface, the acrylic substrate supporting the second layer.

9. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the surface comprises an outer surface of a light guide having a light source for emitting a display light in a first direction toward a light reflector, the light reflector reflecting the display light in a second direction that is transverse to the first direction and toward the surface, the surface transmitting at least a portion of the display light toward the second layer.

10. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the polarizing orientation is linear for transforming the incident light into linearly polarized light.

11. A vehicle instrument cluster lens assembly for reducing glare comprising:

a polarizer having a polarizing orientation for transforming incident light into linearly polarized light having a first orientation that corresponds to the polarizing orientation;

a light retarder for receiving the linearly polarized light and shifting the first orientation of the linearly polarized light to a second orientation that is different than the first orientation;

a surface for receiving linearly polarized light from the light retarder and reflecting the linearly polarized light in a direction toward the light retarder, wherein the light retarder shifts the second orientation of the linearly polarized light to a third orientation that is different from the polarizing orientation of the polarizer; and

a light source for emitting a display light through the surface toward the polarizer, the surface transmitting at least a portion of the display light toward the polarizer.

12. The assembly as recited in claim 11, wherein the polarizer and the light retarder cooperate to absorb a portion of each of the incident light and the display light, the portion of the incident light absorbed being greater than the portion of the display light absorbed.

13. The assembly as recited in claim 11, further comprising a light reflector for receiving the display light in a first direction from the light source and reflecting the display light in a second direction that is transverse to the first direction and toward the surface.

14. The assembly as recited in claim 12, wherein the polarizer comprises a polyethylene film.

15. The assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein the light retarder comprises at least one of a polymer film, an inorganic layer, and a layer including mica.

16. A method of achieving a desired lighting effect in a vehicle instrument cluster lens assembly, comprising

(a) polarizing incident light to produce polarized light having a first orientation;

(b) shifting the first orientation of the polarized light to a second orientation that is different than the first orientation;

(c) reflecting the polarized light to produce reflected polarized light having the second orientation;

(d) shifting the second orientation of the reflected polarized light to a third orientation that is different than the second orientation; and

(e) absorbing the reflected polarized light.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein step (b) comprises shifting the first orientation about 45°

relative to the second orientation.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein step (d) comprises shifting the second orientation about 45°

relative to the third orientation.

19. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein step (e) comprises absorbing the reflected polarized light with a polarizer having a polarizing orientation that is about 90°

different from the third orientation.