Continental Automotive Systems Us, Inc.

Continental Automotive Systems Corporation

Siemens Vdo Automotive Corporation

Christian Jean Tanguy

Vyacheslav B Birman

Werner Eckardt

Shirley Yu

Richard Daniel Sanders

Chay Lee

Daniel Pasquale Tollis

Orthell LaVount Adams

Daniel Arthur Brudzynsky

A gauge assembly includes a gauge surface and a light guide. The gauge surface includes a concave surface having an illuminable scale. The light guide forms a geometric shape corresponding to the concave surface of the gauge surface. The light guide has ends that curve away from the gauge surface to receive light.

Gauge 360 illumination lightguide

A button assembly configured to be illuminated is provided. The button assembly includes a movable button having a viewing surface and a back side. The button has portions defining a window in the viewing surface. A flexible light conductor is disposed on the back side of the button. The flexible light conductor has an inlet end configured to receive light, and the flexible light conductor has a light-emitting portion disposed adjacent to the window. The flexible light conductor is configured to conduct light from the inlet end to the light-emitting portion. The light-emitting portion is configured to emit light so that the light is visible through the window.

Button with flexible light conductor

An illuminated instrument cluster utilizes a single light emitting diode to backlight the entire dial surface. The LED is aligned with a light guide then directs light into a cavity of a light housing. The cavity includes a surface that reflects light upwardly onto a back surface of the dial face to provide the desired illumination.

One LED illuminated cluster

A pointer assembly includes the pointer and hub that are both illuminatable. The hub includes a main portion with a concave surface. A reflector is partially received within a slot through the concave surface and is supported on top of the hub. The reflector includes a reflective surface that directs light onto the concave surface. Light from a light source is directed by separate reflective surfaces on the pointer and the reflector to illuminate both the hub and the pointer.

Illuminated hub pointer

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.

Instrument panel housing with light diffuser

An instrument cluster assembly includes an outer gauge that is disposed about an inner gauge. The inner gauge is flood lit and the outer gauge is back lit. A single light guide assembly receives light from a plurality of light source exposed about an outer perimeter of the outer gauge. Light directed through the light guide is emitted through a light emitting edge to illuminate the inner gauge. Light traveling from the light source through the light guide is uniformly transmitted through a curved transition portion to back light the outer gauge assembly.

Flood and back lit instrument cluster

A vehicle display includes two colored light sources that are operatively connected to a circuit board. Each of the two colored light sources emits a colored light that mixes to form a desired color of display light that illuminates a vehicle graphic. The desired color of display light is within a predetermined color tolerance. The vehicle display achieves a small size without incurring added expenses associated with using more than two light sources.

Illuminated display having two single-colored light sources

A light guide assembly for illuminating an instrument surface includes a continuous curved transition portion for uniformly directing and transmitting light from a light source to a backlight surface of the instrument surface. The curved shape of the transition portion is tailored to transmit a desired amount of light into the backlight portion and a desired amount outwardly against a back surface of the instrument surface.

High light-efficiency illumination cluster

An illuminated pointer includes an outer pointer that surrounds an inner pointer. The outer pointer extends from a base and is generally elliptical. The inner pointer extends from the base into the void of the outer pointer. The illuminated pointer utilizes a single light source for illuminating both the outer and inner pointer. The inner pointer provides easier reading of a dual scale gauge such as with a speedometer having both English and Metric speed scales.

Growing community of inventors

Sterling Heights, MI, United States of America

Christian Jean Tanguy