Illuminated badge for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9616823-B1
Application number	US-201615243224-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 22, 2016
Priority date	Aug 22, 2016
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A badge is provided herein. The badge includes a housing defining a viewable portion having indicia. A first set of light sources is configured to emit light toward the viewable portion. A light guide extends between the viewable portion and the first set of light sources. A decorative layer and a diffusive layer are disposed between an upper surface of the light guide and viewable portion. A second set of light sources is configured to emit light toward the viewable portion. The first set of light sources illuminates a first region of the viewable portion and the second set of light sources illuminates a second region of the viewable portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle badge, comprising:
a housing of said badge defining a viewable portion having indicia;
a first set of light sources configured to emit light toward the viewable portion;
a light guide extending between the viewable portion and the first set of light sources;
a decorative layer and a diffusive layer disposed between an upper surface of the light guide and viewable portion; and
a second set of light sources configured to emit light without the light guide toward the viewable portion, wherein the first set of light sources illuminates a first region of the viewable portion and the second set of light sources illuminates a second region of the viewable portion.

2. The badge of claim 1 , wherein the first set of light sources are disposed below the indicia and configured to emit light through the indicia when illuminated.

3. The badge of claim 2 , wherein the light guide extends between the first set of light sources and the indicia.

4. The badge of claim 1 , wherein a bottom portion of the light guide is disposed proximately to a top surface of a printed circuit board such that the light guide and printed circuit board define a plurality of cavities.

5. The badge of claim 4 , further comprising:
a first light source opening disposed on a first side of one of the plurality of cavities and a second light source opening disposed on a second side of the one of the plurality of cavities.

6. The badge of claim 5 , wherein a controller is configured to illuminate a first light source prior to illumination of a second light source, the first and second light sources each disposed within the first set of light sources.

7. The badge of claim 6 , wherein the first and second light sources are disposed in the first set of light sources.

8. A vehicle badge, comprising:
a housing of said badge having a viewable portion;
a first light source configured to illuminate a first portion of the viewable portion;
a light guide disposed between the first light source and the viewable portion;
a second light source configured to illuminate without the light guide a second portion of the viewable portion; and
a diffusive layer and a decorative layer disposed between the light guide and the viewable portion.

9. The badge of claim 8 , wherein the first light source is configured as a plurality of independently controlled LED sources and the second set of light sources are configured as a plurality of independently controlled LED light sources.

10. The badge of claim 8 , wherein the light guide includes an opaque material on an outer surface thereof to prevent light emitted from the second light source from entering the light guide.

11. The badge of claim 8 , further comprising:
an optically clear adhesive layer disposed between the diffusive layer and the decorative layer.

12. The badge of claim 9 , wherein the first light source illuminates in a substantially white color and wherein the second light source illuminates in a non-white color.

13. A method of forming a vehicle badge, comprising:
forming a housing of said badge;
disposing a light source within the housing, the light source configured to direct light towards a viewable portion;
disposing a light guide between the light source and viewable portion;
disposing a second set of light sources within the housing, the second set of light sources configured to illuminate without the light guide a background region of the viewable portion; and
forming an indicia layer defining one or more indicia by adhering a diffusive layer to a decorative layer, the indicia layer disposed between the viewable portion and light guide.

14. The method of forming a badge of claim 13 , wherein the indicia layer includes an adhesive layer disposed between the diffusive layer and decorative layer.

15. The method of forming a badge of claim 13 , wherein the light source is configured as a set of independently illuminable light sources.

16. The method of forming a badge of claim 15 , further comprising the step of:
sequentially illuminating an adjacently disposed first set of light sources until each first light source is illuminated.

17. The method of forming a badge of claim 13 , wherein the second set of light sources emit varying hues of a color of light while the first set of light sources sequentially illuminate the indicia disposed on the viewable portion.

18. The method of forming a badge of claim 13 , wherein the indicia layer is cut into a predefined geometry that coincides to a top surface of the light guide to define indicia through the viewable portion.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Salter Stuart C
• Dellock Paul Kenneth
• Musleh Michael A

Classifications

• B60R13/005 Primary

  Manufacturers' emblems, name plates, bonnet ornaments, mascots or the like; Mounting means therefor · CPC title

• G09F21/04

  by land vehicles · CPC title

• B60Q1/56

  for illuminating registrations or the like {, e.g. for licence plates} · CPC title

• F21W2107/10

  for land vehicles · CPC title

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title