Dimensional enhancement lens

• US 7,647,881 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2007
• Issued: 01/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Inventors: Kraus, Karen M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson; Amy Cohen
• Application Number:
  US11/746,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20080278803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 116/28.1, 116/49, 116 621- 624, 116/284, 116/286, 116/302, 116/304, 116/305, 116/334, 116/335, 116/DIG.5, 116/DIG.20, 116/DIG.35, 116/DIG.36, 362/26, 362/27, 362/29, 362/489, 362/617, 362/620, 359/798, 359/802, 359/809, 359/810, 359/742, 359/811
• US Class Current: 116/304
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/20 Optical features of instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 25/002 Magnifying glasses
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 116/05 using light guides

Abstract

A lens for use with a display panel configured to emit light and display images is provided. The lens has a light-emitting surface and a plurality of enhancement portions. A first enhancement portion is configured to physically correspond to a first image displayed on the display screen. The first enhancement portion is further configured to collect at least a portion of the light emitted by the display screen and emit the light through the light-emitting surface of the lens. A second enhancement portion is configured to physically correspond to a second image displayed on the display screen.

Claims

1. A display assembly comprising:

a display panel having a display screen configured to emit light and display a plurality of images;

a lens overlying at least a portion of the display screen, at least a portion of the lens being transparent or translucent, the lens comprising;

a light-emitting surface; and

a plurality of enhancement elements, a first enhancement element of the plurality of enhancement elements being configured to physically correspond to a first image of the plurality of images displayed on the display screen, the first enhancement element being further configured to collect at least a portion of the light emitted by the display screen and emit the light through the light-emitting surface, and a second enhancement element of the plurality of enhancement elements being configured to physically correspond to a second image of the plurality of images displayed on the display screen, the first and second enhancement elements being distinct.

2. The display assembly of claim 1, the lens further comprising at least one opaque portion.

3. The display assembly of claim 1, the lens further comprising portions that include metallization.

4. The display assembly of claim 1, further comprising an external light source, wherein the lens emits light collected from the external light source and the display screen.

5. The display assembly of claim 4, wherein the external light source is a light-emitting diode.

6. The display assembly of claim 1, the lens further comprising anti-reflective coating.

7. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one enhancement element of the plurality of enhancement elements separates at least a portion of the plurality of images displayed on the display screen.

8. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one enhancement element of the plurality of enhancement elements is a magnifying lens.

9. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one enhancement element of the plurality of enhancement elements is a portion of a Fresnel lens.

10. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein the lens further comprises:

a light-collecting surface overlying the display screen, the light-collecting surface being configured to collect at least a portion of the light emitted by the display screen, the light-collecting surface being disposed opposite to the light-emitting surface; and

a height, the height being defined between the light-emitting and light-collecting surfaces, the height varying in dimension.

11. The display assembly of claim 10, wherein the lens further comprises portions defining an opening within the lens, the opening extending through the height of the lens.

12. The display assembly of claim 11, the display screen being a touch screen.

13. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein the display screen is a reconfigurable display screen.

14. The display assembly of claim 13, wherein the display screen is configured to display a first set of images that physically corresponds to the first and second enhancement elements of the lens, and the display screen is further configured to display a second set of images that physically corresponds to the first and second enhancement elements of the lens.

15. The display assembly of claim 14, wherein an image of the first set of images is a gear indicator and an image of the second set of images is a warning indicator.

16. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein the display assembly is attached to the interior of a motor vehicle.

17. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein the display screen is one of a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, a thin film transistor (TFT) LCD screen, a screen utilizing a digital light processing (DLP) projector, a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) screen, a plasma display panel (PDP), and a cathode ray tube.

18. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second enhancement elements is a ring.

19. The display assembly of claim 1, wherein the first enhancement element corresponds to a gear indicator shown on the display screen.

20. The display assembly of claim 19, wherein the second enhancement element corresponds to a speedometer shown on the display screen.