A backlight unit, a vehicle display apparatus and a method of controlling the same

A backlight unit for a vehicle display apparatus comprising:

• one or more modular lighting units operable to illuminate light beams, each of the one or more modular lighting units is operable to interconnect to form at least one illumination zone of the backlight unit;
• wherein:
• each of the modular lighting unit further comprises:
• a housing;
• and
• an illumination source arranged within the housing and in electrical connection with a circuit board.

A vehicle display apparatus comprising:

• a display layer;
• a backlight unit configured to supply light beams through the display layer comprising:
• one or more modular lighting units operable to illuminate light beams, each of the one or more modular lighting units is operable to interconnect to form at least one illumination zone of the backlight unit;
• wherein:
• each of the modular lighting unit further comprises:
• a housing;
• and
• an illumination source arranged within the housing and in electrical connection with a circuit board;
• and
• a processing unit operable configured to:
• execute a set of instructions to send pulse width modulation (PWM) signals to the backlight unit to illuminate the light beams through the display layer, and
• execute the set of instructions to send PWM signals to control a percentage of brightness of at least one illumination zone of the backlight unit illuminating through the display layer.

A method of illuminating a vehicle display apparatus comprising:

• supplying, by way of a backlight unit, light beams for illuminating through a display layer of a vehicle display apparatus;
• executing, by way of a processing unit, a set of instructions for sending pulse width modulation (PWM) signals to the backlight unit, for illuminating light beams from the through the display layer;
• providing, by way of the backlight unit, at least one illumination zone formed by interconnecting one or more modular lighting units, each of the one or more modular lighting units having an illumination source arranged therein;
• and
• controlling, by way of the processing unit, a percentage of brightness of the at least one illumination zone of the backlight unit illuminating though the display layer.

A computer program stored on a nontransitory computer-readable medium having comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, causes the computer to cause a vehicle display apparatus to:

• supply, by way of a backlight unit, light beams for illuminating through a display layer of a vehicle display apparatus;
• execute, by way of a processing unit, a set of instructions for sending pulse width modulation (PWM) signals to the backlight unit, for illuminating light beams from the through the display layer;
• provide, by way of the backlight unit, at least one illumination zone formed by interconnecting one or more modular lighting units, each of the one or more modular lighting units having an illumination source arranged therein;
• and
• control, by way of the processing unit, a percentage of brightness of the at least one illumination zone of the backlight unit illuminating though the display layer.