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US 10,379,368 B2Granted
Rotary dial assembly
AssigneesKabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho, Tram, Inc.
InventorsHiroaki Yamaguchi, Shuri Arakawa, Yuichi Inami
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rotary dial assembly includes a rotary dial configured to selectively display a plurality of graphical images and a polarized film assembly disposed in the rotary dial and configured to control the selective displaying of the plurality of graphical images on the rotary dial. When the rotary dial is rotated the polarized film assembly is illuminated such that at least one of the plurality of graphical images is displayed on the rotary dial assembly.
Claims16
A rotary dial assembly, comprising:
- a rotary dial configured to selectively display a plurality of graphical images;
- a polarized film assembly disposed in the rotary dial and configured to control the selective displaying of the plurality of graphical images on the rotary dial;
- a film holder that supports a first polarized film section of the polarized film assembly, the first polarized film section being a multilayer film that includes at least one absorbing polarized film layer including the plurality of graphical images;
- a lower housing configured to rotatably support the rotary dial and secure the film holder in a fixed state such that the rotary dial is rotatable relative to the film holder;
- and
- an upper housing configured to cover the lower housing and a portion of the rotary dial, wherein
- the film holder comprises:
- a tubular main body provided at an upper side of the film holder;
- an annular flange disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the tubular main body and configured to support the first polarized film section of the polarized film assembly;
- and
- a plurality of annular wall sections extending from the tubular main body toward a lower side of the film holder, the annular wall sections being spaced from each other in a circumferential direction of the film holder to permit rotation of the rotary dial, and
- when the rotary dial is rotated the polarized film assembly is illuminated such that at least one of the plurality of graphical images is displayed on the rotary dial assembly.
9 more elements
A display assembly comprising:
- a light source configured to emit light having a specific polarizing axis;
- a first polarized film that includes a first graphic display region that is configured to transmit first polarized light having a first polarizing axis and a first non-polarized region that is configured not to transmit polarized light having a polarizing axis different from the first polarizing axis;
- a second polarized film that includes a second graphic display region that is configured to transmit second polarized light having a second polarizing axis and a second non-polarized region that is configured not to transmit polarized light having a polarizing axis different from the second polarizing axis;
- and
- a rotation assembly that supports the first polarized film and the second polarized film side by side along a traveling direction of the light from the light source such that the first polarizing axis and the second polarizing axis are orthogonal to each other, and that integrally rotates the first polarized film and the second polarized film, wherein
- by integrally rotating the first polarized film and the second polarized film with the rotation assembly, the graphic display region through which the light from the light source transmits is changed to one of the first graphic display region or the second graphic display region.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.