Light emitting panel assemblies for use in automotive applications and the like

• US 6,367,940 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2000
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Innovative Display Technologies LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Solid State Opto Limited (Global Lighting Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Parker, Jeffery R., Hough, Thomas A., Miller, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schuberg, Darren
• Assistant Examiner(s): ASSAF, FAYEZ G
• Application Number:
  US09/703,088
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 362/23, 362/26, 362/27, 362/29, 362/30, 362/489, 116/286, 116/287, 116/288, 405/77
• US Class Current: 362/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0082 mounted on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/26 the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/32 for indicating vehicle sides , e.g. clearance lights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/14 lighting through the surface to be illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/252 Sun visors
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/64 for a single lighting device
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/66 for distributing light among several lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/0472 Traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/18 Edge-illuminated signs
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/22 electroluminescent electroluminescent light sources per se H05B33/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/83 characterised by legends, e.g. Braille, liquid crystal displays, light emitting or optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/014 LED
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/018 Electroluminescent panel
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/044 Edge lighting of layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/056 Diffuser; Uneven surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/062 Light conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2231/026 Car

Abstract

Light emitting panel assemblies include in one form of the invention a light emitting panel member made of a transparent resiliently deformable elastomeric material that absorbs impact without breakage for use in automotive lighting applications of various types. In another form of the invention, a rigid light emitting panel member may be used with dome switches for switch area lighting or to backlight control buttons/key pads by providing holes or openings in the panel member for the control buttons/key pads. Also, a rigid light emitting panel member may be used as a structural member, and two or more such light emitting panel members may be stacked together and used to light an instrument panel or the like. One or more light sources may be mounted within one or more light transition areas adjacent one or more light input surfaces of the light emitting panel members. Also one or more light sources may be positioned adjacent one side of the light emitting panel members for causing light to shine through the panel members or through holes in the panel members for performing specified lighting functions.

Claims

1. An assembly comprising outer and inner transparent light emitting panel members in stacked relation to one another, each of said panel members having a greater width than thickness and outer and inner surfaces, a graphic overlay supported by the outer surface of said outer panel member, pointers outwardly of said graphic overlay which are illuminated by light emitted from said outer panel member, and said inner panel member including a plurality of light emitting surface areas through which light that is optically conducted along said inner panel member is emitted for passage through said outer panel member to illuminate portions of said graphic overlay.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein common light sources extend into aligned openings in said panel members for supplying light to each of said panel members through the walls of said openings that is optically conducted along each of said panel members.

3. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising a rotatable shaft extending through an opening in said outer panel member for supporting said pointer outwardly of said graphic overlay, and a prismatic surface around a wall of said opening in said outer panel member for reflecting/refracting light emitted from said outer panel member into said pointer.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein said pointer is made of a transparent light conducting material which receives light from said outer panel member and directs the light out through light emitting surface areas on said pointer.

5. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising indicator lights inwardly of said panel members for shining light directly through said panel members for illuminating indicators on said graphic display.

6. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising multiple colored lights associated with said panel members for providing a colored light output distribution.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein said multiple colored lights are selectively operable to produce a desired light output from said assembly.

8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein said multiple colored lights comprise at least one of the following:

a plurality of colored light emitting diodes, a single light emitting diode with multiple colored chips which simultaneously emit different colored lights.

9. The assembly of claim 6 wherein said multiple colored lights comprise a plurality of different colored light emitting diodes which are selectively operable to produce a desired light output from said assembly.

10. The assembly of claim 6 wherein said multiple colored lights are selectively operable to produce different colored light outputs from said assembly.