Two gauge illumination with one light guide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016229337-A1
Application number	US-201514711945-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 14, 2015
Priority date	Feb 11, 2015
Publication date	Aug 11, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A light guide assembly for illuminating two gauges utilizing a single light guide includes of a two pairs of light sources such as LEDs, OLED's, quantum dots or other useful light sources functioning to emit light in opposite directions. A light guide receives the light emitted by the LEDs and leaks light out of its open surfaces. A protrusion from the light guide which leaks light in a specific orientation depending on its geometry illuminates a second gauge. An opaque gauge which covers the main portion of the light guide and is located above the light guide.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An instrument panel gauge illumination assembly for evenly lighting of an instrument gauge comprising:
A light source to emit light into the assembly; A circular light guide having a pair of spaced light entrances and a continuous arcuate surface center portion wherein the light from the light source is directed into the assembly at the base of each of the pair of spaced entrances, each of said spaced lenses having a sloped surface leading to said arcuate center portion An opaque gauge layer which covers the light guide but has channels there through for defining illuminated indicia wherein the gauge is illuminated by light leakage from the light guide through said illuminated indicia; wherein light propagated through the light guide illuminates an area of said gauge corresponding to said arcuate center portion and light leakage through said sloped entrances illuminates a portion of said gauge between said spaced entrances which provides substantially 360 degree even illumination of said gauge.

2 . The assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein the light guide can illuminates 360 degrees of a given circular area.

3 . The assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein the arcuate circular surface is textured such that light is evenly leaked throughout the surface to provide an even amount of emitted light to be displayed.

4 . The assembly as recited in claim 3 wherein the surface is textured by having ribs, micro lenses, roughness, or light blocking layers, applied to the surface.

5 . The assembly as recited in claim 3 wherein the surface texturing provides increased light leakage further from the light source in order to facilitate an even amount of light leakage throughout the light guide.

6 . The assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein the light guide is encased in a reflective material to allow only light leakage from the top part of the light guide.

7 . The assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein the light source is selected from the LED, OLED, quantum dots and combinations of these.

8 . An instrument panel illumination assembly for evenly lighting elements of an instrument panel comprising:
A light source emitting light into the assembly A light guide wherein light from the light source is guided through the area of the light guide and leaked from the light guide to illuminate the area where the leak occurs; A protrusion from the light guide which leaks light in a specific direction corresponding to the geometry of the protrusion; A secondary gauge wherein said gauge is illuminated by light leakage from the protrusion;

9 . The assembly as recited in claim 8 wherein the light guide is encased in a reflective material to allow only light leakage from non-encased areas

10 . The assembly as recited in claim 9 wherein the protrusion extends from the light guide in a break of the reflective encasing material of the light guide to cause light leakage from the protrusion lighting an area based on the geometry of the protrusion.

11 . The assembly as recited in claim 8 wherein the light source is selected from LED, OLED, quantum dots and combinations of these.

12 . An instrument panel illumination assembly for evenly lighting elements of an instrument panel comprising:
A primary gauge portion which covers the light guide wherein the gauge is illuminated from light emitted by light leakage from the light guide through an opaque gauge surface including areas of transparent indicia; A secondary gauge portion immediately adjacent the primary guage portion and capable of being illuminated from light being impinged upon it; Said primary gauge comprising: An instrument panel gauge illumination assembly for evenly lighting of an instrument gauge comprising: A set of LEDs wherein the LEDs emit directional light into the assembly; A circular light guide having a pair of spaced light entrances and an arcuate continuous surface center portion wherein the light from the LED is directed into the assembly at the base of each of the pair of spaced entrances, each of said spaced lenses having a sloped surface leading to said arcuate center portion An opaque gauge layer which covers the light guide but has channels there through for defining illuminated indicia wherein the gauge is illuminated by light leakage from the light guide through said illuminated indicia; wherein light propagated through the light guide illuminates an area of said gauge corresponding to said arcuate center portion and light leakage through said sloped entrances illuminates a portion of said gauge between said spaced entrances which provides substantially 360 degree even illumination of said gauge said light guide portion including a side surface and an surface facing the gauge layer, said light guide portion having a protrusion facing and extending into said secondary gauge portion for allowing light to escape from the light guide to illuminate said secondary guage area. The assembly as recited in claim 12 wherein the light guide can illuminate up to the 360 degrees of a given circular area.

13 . The assembly as recited in claim 12 wherein the light guide is manufactured in order that light is evenly leaked throughout the light guide to provide and even amount of emitted light.

14 . The assembly as recited in claim 14 wherein the light guide is manufactured to achieve varying levels of light leakage across the surface by having ribs, micro lenses, roughness, or light blocking layers applied to the surface.

15 . The assembly as recited in claim 14 wherein the respective method of increasing light leakage (ribs, micro lenses, roughness, light blocking layers) increases light leakage the more light has been leaked in order to provide an even amount of light emitted from the light guide.

16 . The assembly as recited in claim 12 wherein the protrusion leaks light out of the light guide onto the secondary gauge wherein the secondary gauge is below the light guide.

17 . The assembly as recited in claim 12 wherein the light guide encased in a reflective material to only allow light leakage from un-encased areas.

18 . The assembly as recited in claim 18 wherein the un-encased areas are the top of the light guide and the area from where the protrusion extends.

19 . The assembly of claim 18 wherein said un-encased area has a sloped surface for directing light to the gauge and illuminating the gauge from above.

20 . The assembly as recited in claim 12 wherein the light guide is made of PMMA (poly methyl methacrylate.)

Assignees

• Continental automotive systems inc

Inventors

• Birman Vyacheslav B
• Fitz Cristian Leonard

Classifications

• G02B6/001 Primary

  the light being emitted along at least a portion of the lateral surface of the fibre · CPC title

• B60Q3/66

  for distributing light among several lighting devices · CPC title

• B60K37/00 Primary

  Dashboards (as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14) · CPC title

• B60Q3/14

  lighting through the surface to be illuminated · CPC title

• G01D11/28 Primary

  Structurally-combined illuminating devices · CPC title