DISPLAY DEVICE WITH CHANGEABLE DISPLAY BACKGROUND

• US 20090277375A1
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki North America Incorporated (Yazaki Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yazaki North America Incorporated (Yazaki Corporation)
• Inventors: Fanfa, Marcelo R., Baudon, Dimitri
• Granted Patent: US 7,887,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 116/288
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1515 Reconfigurable dials
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/33 Illumination features
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/20 Output arrangements, i.e. from vehicle to user, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/215 characterised by the combination of multiple visual outputs, e.g. combined instruments with analogue meters and additional displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• 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: B60Y 2304/076 by add-on parts, e.g. retrofit
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/28 Structurally-combined illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 13/04 Construction
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2213/10 Drivers for gauges

Abstract

A vehicle display with a housing having a gauge port, an interior wall around the gauge port, and an appliqué port extending from an exterior side of the vehicle display and intersecting the gauge port. A light source provides light into the gauge port and directs the light outwardly from a front side of the housing. An appliqué has a first locking feature. The appliqué port at least partially receives the appliqué between the front side of the housing and the light source. The light from the light source illuminates a portion of the appliqué. The first locking features releasably engages a second locking feature.

Claims

1. A vehicle display comprising:

a housing defining a gauge port, an interior wall that is disposed about the gauge port, and an appliqué

port that extends from an exterior side of the vehicle display and intersects the gauge port;

a light source providing light into the gauge port, the light source being configured to direct the light outwardly from a front side of the housing;

an appliqué

having a first locking feature, the appliqué

being at least partially received into the appliqué

port between the front side of the housing and the light source such that the light from the light source illuminates a portion of the appliqué

, the first locking feature being releasably engaged to a second locking feature.

2. The vehicle display of claim 1, further comprising an analog gauge received in the gauge port, at least a portion of the analog gauge being visible when the appliqué

is received in the appliqué

port and the first and second locking features are engaged to one another.

3. The vehicle display of claim 2, wherein the analog gauge includes a rotary output member and a pointer that is coupled to the rotary output member for movement therewith.

4. The vehicle display of claim 3, wherein a groove is formed into the appliqué

, the groove extending inwardly from an exterior edge of the appliqué

, the pointer, the rotary output member or both the pointer and the rotary output member being positioned in the groove when the appliqué

is received in the appliqué

port and the first and second locking features are engaged to one another.

5. The vehicle display of claim 3, further comprising gauge indicia that are coupled to the housing and which are separate from the appliqué

.

6. The vehicle display of claim 1, further comprising a display received in the gauge port, the display being visible through a portion of the appliqué

when the appliqué

is received in the appliqué

port and the first and second locking features are engaged to one another.

7. A vehicle display comprising:

a housing defining a plurality of indicator apertures and a plurality of appliqué

ports, each of the appliqué

ports intersecting an associated one of the indicator apertures and an exterior side of the vehicle display;

a plurality of appliqué

s, each of the appliqué

s being received in a corresponding one of the appliqué

ports to thereby form an appliqué

/port pair with a corresponding one of the appliqué

ports;

a plurality of light sources, each of the light sources being associated with one of the appliqué

ports and configured to direct the light outwardly from a front side of the housing;

identification means for generating an identification signal for each of the appliqué

/port pairs, each identification signal identifying at least one characteristic of the appliqué

of the appliqué

/port pair and a location of the appliqué

port; and

a controller coupled to the plurality of light sources and operating the light sources to illuminate based at least partially on the identification signal for each of the appliqué

/port pairs.

8. A vehicle display comprising:

a gauge housing having a transparent faceplate and defining an appliqué

port, the transparent faceplate and the appliqué

port being positioned on an external surface of the gauge housing;

a telltale position grid having a plurality of light sources, the telltale position grid disposed within the housing and externally visible through the transparent faceplate; and

an appliqué

member sized for insertion into the gauge housing through the appliqué

port, the appliqué

member having indicia for selectable lighting by the plurality of light sources.

9. The vehicle display of claim 8, further comprising:

a first locking feature on the gauge housing; and

a second locking feature on the appliqué

member, the first locking feature receivably engaging the second locking feature.

10. The vehicle display of claim 8, further comprising:

an identification device on the appliqué

member; and

a receiving device on the gauge housing, the identification device communicating with the receiving device to provide identification information of the appliqué

member.

11. The vehicle display of claim 10, wherein the identification information includes at least one of scale, indicia location, telltale location, step motor speed, pointer range, and overall brightness and color for the light sources.

12. The vehicle display of claim 10, wherein the identification device is a radio frequency identification tag.

13. The vehicle display of claim 8, wherein the plurality of light sources are light emitting diodes.

14. The vehicle display of claim 8, wherein the appliqué

member further comprises;

a locking grip, the locking grip including a first locking feature for removable attachment to a second locking feature on the gauge housing.

15. The vehicle display of claim 14, wherein the locking grip is a combination of a hard material for structure and a soft material for grip.

16. The vehicle display of claim 15, wherein the hard material is a polymer.

17. The vehicle display of claim 15, wherein the soft material is an elastomer.

18. A method comprising:

providing a vehicle gauge with a housing having a plurality of gauge ports, each of the gauge ports being associated with a light;

selecting an appliqué

from a plurality of appliqué

s;

inserting the selected appliqué

into a first slot formed in the exterior of the vehicle gauge and inline with a first one of the gauge ports;

controlling the lights according to a first schedule, the first schedule being at least partially determined by a location of the first slot in which the selected appliqué

is inserted;

removing the selected appliqué

from the first slot;

inserting the selected appliqué

into a second slot formed in the exterior of the vehicle gauge and inline with a second one of the gauge ports, the second slot being different from the first slot; and

controlling the lights according to a second schedule, the second schedule being at least partially determined by a location of the second slot in which the second appliqué

is inserted.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing the first and second schedules to the vehicle gauge through one of radio frequency identification, contact rib identification, and light coding.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising locking the selected appliqué

in the vehicle gauge to provide calibrated gauge readings.