Anti-reflective automotive interior instrument panel surface

• US 5,316,359 A
• Filed: 03/08/1993
• Issued: 05/31/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chrysler Group LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Chrysler Corporation (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Lansinger, Jere R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, David M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOGE, GARY CHAPMAN
• Application Number:
  US08/028,109
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 296/70, 296/97.2, 296/97.7, 296/97.1, 296/39.1, 180/90, D12/192
• US Class Current: 296/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/425 Anti-reflection arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/00 Dashboards as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14

Abstract

An instrument panel for a motor vehicle has a shelf formed with a multiplicity of parallel grooves and ridges to minimize reflected images and glare. The grooves and ridges are generally V-shaped with forwardly and rearwardly facing surfaces. The forwardly facing surfaces are each inclined upwardly and rearwardly at an angle selected to prevent reflection of light upwardly to the windshield and thence into the vehicle operator'"'"'s eyes or glare directly from the shelf surface into the operator'"'"'s eyes.

Claims

1. In a motor vehicle having a cowl structure, a windshield inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the cowl structure at about 30°

to the horizontal, and an instrument panel mounted on the cowl structure, the improvement wherein said instrument panel has a shelf beneath said windshield, said shelf having an upper generally horizontal wall portion and a lower generally horizontal wall portion rearwardly of said upper wall portion and a generally upright wall portion between and connecting said upper and lower wall portions, at least one instrument in said generally upright wall portion provided with illumination and observable by the vehicle operator, each of said upper and lower wall portions being formed with a multiplicity of laterally extending, alternate grooves and ridges, each of said grooves and ridges being defined by a forwardly facing surface and a rearwardly facing surface, the grooves and ridges extending generally parallel to the windshield, said forwardly facing surfaces each being planar surfaces inclined upwardly and rearwardly with respect to the windshield at an angle to the vertical of about 25 degrees to prevent reflection of light upwardly to the windshield and thence reflected from the windshield into a vehicle operator'"'"'s eye area or directly from the shelf into a vehicle operator'"'"'s eye area, said forwardly facing surfaces and rearwardly facing surfaces having a dull finish and being dark in color.

2. In a motor vehicle as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said rearwardly facing surfaces are planar surfaces inclined at an angle of about 25 degrees to the vertical, the adjacent forwardly and rearwardly facing surfaces meet at the bottoms of said grooves in sharp valleys and at the tops of said ridges in sharp crests, and said grooves have a depth of about 0.020 inches.

3. In a motor vehicle having a cowl structure, a windshield inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the cowl structure, and an instrument panel mounted on the cowl structure, the improvement wherein said instrument panel has a shelf beneath said windshield, said shelf having a generally horizontal wall portion formed with a multiplicity of laterally extending, alternate grooves and ridges, each of said grooves and ridges being defined by a forwardly facing surface and a rearwardly facing surface, the grooves and ridges extending generally parallel to the windshield, said forwardly facing surfaces each being planar surfaces inclined upwardly and rearwardly with respect to the windshield at an angle to the vertical of about 25 degrees to prevent reflection of light upwardly to the windshield and thence reflected from the windshield into a vehicle operator'"'"'s eye area or directly from the shelf into a vehicle operator'"'"'eye area, the adjacent forwardly and rearwardly facing surfaces meeting at the bottoms of said grooves in sharp valleys and at the tops of said ridges in sharp crests, said grooves having a depth of about 0.020 inches, and said forwardly facing surfaces and rearwardly facing surfaces having a dull finish and being dark in color.