Back to results
US 7,607,808 B2Granted
Instrument panel housing with light diffuser
AssigneeContinental Automotive Systems US, Inc.
InventorsVyacheslav B. Birman, Werner Eckardt, Christian Jean Tanguy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A light distributing assembly for a vehicle instrument panel includes a light source that emits light in a first direction. A first surface that is transverse to the first direction receives the light and changes the direction of the light to a second direction. A vehicle instrument panel housing having a second surface receives the light from the first surface and reflects a portion of the reflected light toward a vehicle display surface to illuminate the vehicle display surface.
Claims12
A light distributing assembly for a vehicle instrument panel comprising:
- a circuit board;
- a light source in electrical communication with the circuit board, the light source emitting light in a first direction;
- a vehicle display surface that illuminates in response to light received from the light source;
- a diffuser member between the light source and the vehicle display surface, wherein the diffuser member includes a first surface roughness that diffuses the light to produce diffused light;
- and
- a vehicle instrument panel housing having a surface that reflects at least a portion of the diffused light from the diffuser member toward the vehicle display surface, wherein the surface includes a second surface roughness that is different than the first surface roughness, and wherein the vehicle instrument panel housing includes a beveled opening that receives the light source or the light from the light source.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.