Iridescent badges for vehicles
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsPaul Kenneth Dellock, Stuart C. Salter, Talat Karmo, Michael Musleh, Chester Stanislaus Walawender
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Abstract
An iridescent vehicle badge (and methods for making it) that includes a translucent, polymeric badge having a non-planar shape and comprising an interior and an exterior surface. Further, at least one of the surfaces of the badge comprises a plurality of diffraction gratings that are integral with the badge, each having a thickness from 250 nm to 1000 nm and a varying period from 50 nm to 5 microns. In some cases, the thickness can range from 500 nm to 750 nm. The period, in some cases, can vary within a set of discrete values in one or more portions of the at least one of the surfaces of the badge, e.g., from 150 nm to 400 nm.
Claims20
An iridescent vehicular badge for ambient lighting, comprising:
- a translucent, polymeric vehicular badge having a non-planar shape and comprising an interior and an exterior surface;
- and
- a non-specular, light-scattering backing layer applied to the interior surface of the badge,
- wherein each of the interior surface and the exterior surface is faceted and comprises a plurality of diffraction gratings integral with the badge,
- wherein each grating has a thickness from 500 nm to 750 nm and a period from 150 nm to 400 nm, and
- further wherein the badge comprises an arch-like cross-sectional shape.
An iridescent vehicular badge for ambient lighting, comprising:
- a translucent, polymeric vehicular badge having a non-planar shape and comprising an interior and an exterior surface;
- and
- a non-specular, light-scattering backing layer applied to the interior surface of the badge,
- wherein each of the interior surface and the exterior surface is curved and comprises a plurality of diffraction gratings integral with the badge,
- wherein each grating has a thickness from 500 nm to 750 nm and a period from 150 nm to 400 nm, and
- wherein the badge comprises an arch-like cross-sectional shape.
An iridescent vehicular badge for ambient lighting, comprising:
- a translucent, polymeric vehicular badge having a non-planar shape and comprising an interior and an exterior surface;
- and
- a non-specular, light-scattering backing layer applied to the interior surface of the badge,
- wherein each of the interior surface and the exterior surface is faceted and comprises a plurality of diffraction gratings integral with the badge,
- wherein each grating has a thickness from 500 nm to 750 nm and a period from 150 nm to 400 nm,
- wherein the badge further comprises glass fillers in the range of 1% to 15% by volume, and
- further wherein the badge comprises an arch-like cross-sectional shape.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.