Backlit button assembly
AssigneeITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
InventorTerrance E. Daul
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A backlit button assembly is provided for aircraft, ship, train, or bus seats. The backlit button assembly may provide changing colors, flashing, or similar features to reflect status information associated with the seat, the vehicle, or other aspects. The button assembly may be combined with one or more sensors and/or communicatively coupled to a controller to detect statuses of the seat, vehicle, or passenger and activate a color change or flashing to reflect the status.
Claims17
A backlit button assembly comprising:
- a button frame coupled to an enclosure;
- an optical strip arranged to pass through light;
- a push button arranged to activate an operation;
- and
- one or more light sources within the enclosure to provide the light with a selected color and/or flashing state based on status information associated with a vehicle, a passenger, a seat position, or a communication network operation, wherein
- the backlit button assembly is positioned at an accessible and visible location on a seat,
- the status information comprises:
- a movement status of the vehicle,
- a presence of the passenger in the seat,
- a seat recline status, or
- a communication network operation status, and
- the optical strip is arranged as one of:
- between the push button and the button frame,
- along a perimeter of the button frame in flange form, or
- underneath the button frame in spacer form.
A backlit button assembly for an aircraft passenger seat, the backlit button assembly comprising:
- a button frame coupled to an enclosure;
- an optical strip arranged to pass through light;
- a push button arranged to activate an operation;
- one or more light sources within the enclosure to provide the light with a selected color and/or flashing state based on status information associated with the aircraft, a passenger, an aircraft seat position, or an inflight communication network operation;
- and
- a controller to receive the status information from a sensor or an aircraft subsystem and to control a selection of a color of the light or a flashing state of the light, wherein
- the backlit button assembly is positioned at an accessible and visible location on an aircraft seat,
- the status information comprises:
- an altitude of the aircraft,
- a presence of the passenger in the aircraft seat,
- an aircraft seat recline status, or
- an inflight communication network operation status, and
- the optical strip is arranged as one of:
- between the push button and the button frame,
- along a perimeter of the button frame in flange form, or
- underneath the button frame in spacer form.
A backlit multi-button assembly comprising:
- a button frame coupled to an enclosure;
- an optical strip arranged to pass through light;
- a plurality of push buttons arranged to activate corresponding operations;
- one or more light sources within the enclosure to provide the light with a selected color and/or flashing state based on status information associated with an aircraft, a passenger, an aircraft seat position, or an inflight communication network operation;
- and
- a controller to receive the status information from a sensor or an aircraft subsystem and to control a selection of a color of the light or a flashing state of the light, wherein
- the backlit multi-button assembly is positioned at an accessible and visible location on an aircraft seat, and
- the optical strip is arranged as one of:
- between the push button and the button frame,
- along a perimeter of the button frame in flange form, or
- underneath the button frame in spacer form.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.