Liquid crystal indicator

• US 4,392,102 A
• Filed: 04/28/1981
• Issued: 07/05/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Congress Financial Corporation (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Sugalski, Raymond K., Blake, Charles R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BEHA JR, WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US06/258,532
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 320/2, 320/48, 350/330, 350/331 R, 350/331 T, 350/336, 350/337, 350/351, 350/350 S, 73/356, 340/366 B
• US Class Current: 320/110
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/165 of organic liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1313 specially adapted for a particular application
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/21 State of charge of battery

Abstract

A liquid crystal indicator label and method for making same includes a liquid crystal material, adapted to change color in response to a change in temperature within a predetermined range, which is adhered to a predetermined surface portion of a transparent substrate and a black background adhered at least behind the liquid crystal material, with an adhesive adhered behind the black background and any portion of the substance not covered by the black background. The liquid crystal is preferably confined to a surface area substantially smaller than the entire surface of the substrate, and a border member is positioned either between the liquid crystal and the substrate or between the liquid crystal and the black background to overlap at least some of the edge portions of the liquid crystal. According to a modified aspect of the invention, the black background covers the entire back surface of the substrate and alpha-numeric characters can be located between the substrate and the black background to display a desired message along with the indicator. As preferable embodied, the label according to the invention is used with a battery charger, with the liquid crystal portion positioned directly adjacent a heat generating circuit element which is adapted to heat up when current flows through battery cells placed in the charger.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal indicator for indicating the flow of current through battery cells in a battery charger for charging, which includes a liquid crystal indicator label comprising:

a substantially transparent substrate having a front surface adapted to provide an exterior surface of said indicator and a back surface on the opposite side thereof;

a liquid crystal material adhered to a predetermined portion of said back surface of said substrate, said predetermined portion being less than the surface area of said back surface, said liquid crystal material being adapted to change color in response to changes in temperature within a predetermined range;

a black background layer adhered at least behind said liquid crystal material within the predetermined portion of said substrate; and

means for attaching the indicator to a desired structure,

said liquid crystal indicator label being mounted to the casing of the battery charger substantially directly adjacent heat generating circuit means associated with each battery cell in the battery charger such that said liquid crystal indicator label changes color when charging current flows through said heat generating circuit means to indicate that the associated battery cell is being charged.

2. A liquid crystal indicator for indicating the flow of current through battery cells in a battery charger for charging, which includes a liquid crystal indicator label comprising:

a substantially transparent substrate having a front surface adapted to provide the exterior surface of said indicator and a back surface on the opposide side thereof;

a liquid crystal material adhered to a predetermined portion of said back surface of said substrate, said predetermined portion being less than the surface area of said back surface, said liquid crystal material being adapted to change color in response to changes in temperature within a predetermined range;

a black background layer adhered at least behind said liquid crystal material within the predetermined portion of said substrate; and

an adhesive adhered to said black background layer and to any portion of said substrate not covered by said black background layer,

said liquid crystal indicator label being mounted to the casing of the battery charger substantially directly adjacent heat generating circuit means associated with each battery cell in the battery charger such that said liquid crystal indicator label changes color when charging current flows said heat generating circuit means to indicate that the associated battery cell is being charged.

3. A liquid crystal indicator according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined portion of said substrate is substantially less than the entire area of said back surface.

4. A liquid crystal indicator according to claim 3, which further includes a border means adhered between said black background layer and said substrate and at least partially adhered directly behind said liquid crystal layer along at least a portion of its edge portion, said border means exposing said liquid crystal material in a desired discrete pattern substantially without masking any relatively large surface area portion of said substrate, and wherein said black background layer is adhered to essentially all the area of the back surface of said substrate.

5. A liquid crystal indicator according to claim 4, wherein said border means comprise strips of metallic-like paint.

6. A liquid crystal indicator according to claim 3 or 5, wherein said liquid crystal material is silk screened onto said substrate.

7. A liquid crystal indicator according to claim 4, which further includes alpha-numeric characters adhered between said substrate and said black background layer for providing a message on said substrate.

8. A liquid crystal indicator according to claim 7, wherein said liquid crystal layer, said border means and said alpha-numeric characters are silk-screened between said substrate and said black background layer.

9. A liquid crystal indicator according to claim 3, wherein the heat generating circuit means comprise diodes coupled in series with each battery cell to be charged.