Smoked lens for vehicle

• US 7,780,304 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2005
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems US Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Birman, Vyacheslav B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Jong-Suk (James)
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsidulko; Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/175,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20060062004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,875 Days
• Field of Search: 362/19, 362/23, 362/27, 362/28, 362/29, 362/30, 362/615, 362/618, 362/622, 362/471, 362/489, 359/493, 359/501, 359/601, 359/602, 359/609, 359/613
• US Class Current: 362/19
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/20 Optical features of instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/336 Light guides
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/425 Anti-reflection arrangements
• 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: B60Q 3/14 lighting through the surface to be illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/14 for producing polarised light
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133502 Antiglare, refractive index matching layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133562 on the viewer side
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133638 Waveplates, i.e. plates with a retardation value of lambda/n

Abstract

A vehicle instrument cluster lens assembly for achieving a desired smoked lens effect in a vehicle instrument panel includes a first layer having an associated polarizing orientation for transforming incident light into polarized light having a first orientation that corresponds to the polarizing orientation. A second layer receives the polarized light and shifts the first orientation of the polarized light to a second orientation that is different than the first orientation. A surface receives the polarized light from the second layer and at least partially reflects the polarized light in a direction toward the second layer. The second layer shifts the second orientation of the polarized light to a third orientation that is different from the polarizing orientation of the first layer to prevent the polarized light from being transmitted to a vehicle occupant.

Claims

1. A vehicle instrument cluster lens assembly for reducing glare comprising:

a first layer having a polarizing orientation for transforming incident light into polarized light having a first orientation that corresponds to the polarizing orientation;

a second layer for receiving the polarized light and shifting the first orientation of the polarized light to a second orientation that is different than the first orientation;

a light guide comprising a first interior surface facing a second surface for propagating light from a display light, the display light connected to said light guide, and at least partially external to said light guide, to a reflector having a reflector surface which reflects light from the light guide through the interior facing surface and the second surface toward the second layer and having an outer surface for receiving polarized light from the second layer and at least partially reflecting the polarized light in a direction toward the second layer, wherein the second layer shifts the second orientation of the polarized light to a third orientation that is different from the polarizing orientation of the first layer.

2. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the second orientation is shifted about 45°

from the first orientation.

3. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the second orientation is shifted about 90°

from the polarizing orientation.

4. The assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprising an anti-refection layer on the first layer for reflecting at least a portion of the incident light before the incident light impinges upon the first layer.

5. The assembly as recited in claim 4, wherein the anti-reflection layer comprises at least one of magnesium fluoride, zinc sulfide, titanium dioxide, and calcium fluoride.

6. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the first layer comprises a polyethylene film.

7. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the second layer comprises at least one of a polymer film, an inorganic layer, and a layer including mica.

8. The assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprising an acrylic substrate between the second layer and the surface, the acrylic substrate supporting the second layer.

9. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the light guide comprises a light source for emitting a display light in a first direction toward a light reflector, the light reflector reflecting the display light in a second direction that is transverse to the first direction and toward the surface, the surface transmitting at least a portion of the display light toward the second layer.

10. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the polarizing orientation is linear for transforming the incident light into linearly polarized light.