Patent Publication Number: US-2010110657-A1

Title: Instrument Panel And Gauge With Ultraviolet Indicia

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to instrument panels and gauges that are selectively lighted with ultraviolet (UV) light and in particular, instrument panels and gauges including ultraviolet indicia and markings that are not visible until UV light is applied. 
     2. Discussion 
     Vehicle manufacturers continually strive to differentiate vehicles in the marketplace by providing unique styling and aesthetic features. As part of this differentiation, many manufacturers attempt to provide a unique cockpit look and feel for the operator of the vehicle. As part of this unique look and feel, each vehicle manufacturer attempts to have a differentiate their instrument panels and gauges but have been limited by requirements of space and functionality for the various readouts, gauges, status signals, warning lights, and other required information displays. The required space for the numerous gauges, informational lights and other informational interactions, including status signals limits available design options for instrument displays and gauges. 
     Instrument panels and gauges are typically backlighted, which limits design options. More specifically, designers are limited by available space and by the number of gauges, informational displays and status lights to be incorporated. Examples of common gauges in automotive vehicles include speed, engine RPM, engine temperature which may include water temperature, oil temperature, oil pressure, fuel level and time. Examples of various status signals commonly used in vehicles include check engine lights, oil pressure lights, engine temperature lights, low fuel lights, turn signal lights, hazard lights, various status symbols, light or high-beam lights, fog lights, seatbelt lights, glow plug lights, and various other status lights that provide information to the operator of the vehicle when an operator does not need information as detailed as a gauge would typically provide. Therefore, it is desirable to have an instrument panel that allows for more gauges, informational displays, status signals, and warning lights within a smaller space or the same space, and to minimize the required size of the instrument panel or gauges. 
     To differentiate vehicles, manufactures continually strived to provide unique styles and designs and in particular to the look and feel of the gauges on the instrument panel. As the available display and lighting options have remained the same for many years, manufacturers have been limited in providing meaningful styling and functionality differences to consumers, other than shape, colors, and layout of gauges. In addition, it is difficult and expensive with backlit gauges to provide different color warning lights in close proximity while ensuring that no light leaks between adjacent lights. 
     Therefore, it is desirable to provide an instrument panel and gauges that allow for new styles and functionality while at the same time providing clearly readable gauges especially in low lit conditions. It is also desirable to have more information clearly communicated to the driver in the same amount of space, or even in less space. 
     Many operators miss when the needle on a gauge indicates an operational parameter outside of desired operating condition. For example, vehicle operators sometimes miss status signals such as temperature being too hot, low oil pressure, low fuel and more. To draw attention to the gauge indicating a reading outside of desired operational characteristics, many manufacturers including redundant dummy lights or other warning lights to draw the user&#39;s attention to the gauge. These redundant warnings add manufacturing costs and require needed space on the instrument panel. Therefore, it is desirable to clearly communicate and capture an operator&#39;s attention while eliminating redundancies that require extra space on the backplate. 
     Many instrument planes use lighted pointers in low light conditions. The pointers are located above the surface of the backplate and receive light through a light pipe extending cylindrically through the backplate and about the rotational axis of the pointer. The design requirements to provide light to these lighted pointers significantly limits the style of gauges and pointers that may be used. It is difficult, particularly for longer pointers, such as speedometer pointers, to brightly and uniformly light the entire pointer along its length. Also, any bends in the length of the pointer decrease the available light along the length of the pointer. To address these problems, some manufacturers actively light their pointers with an integrated diode, however, these are costly to manufacture and difficult to provide power to the diode, while allowing the pointer to operationally rotate for numerous cycles. The power mechanism to light pointers also requires valuable space behind the backplate. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES 
     The present invention is directed to an instrument panel or gauges for a vehicle that include indicia such as markings, status signals, and warning signals that are invisible under normal visible lighting conditions but illuminate visibly when UV light is applied. 
     The gauges include a back plate having a display surface including various indicia for providing information to the operator of the vehicle. The display surface may be front illuminated or back illuminated with visible light in low light conditions and includes visible indicia under normal lighting conditions without illumination and when illuminated with visible light. The instrument panel or gauges further include nanophosphorus particles that are not visible until UV light is applied. The nanophosphor particles may be formed from dies, individual molecules or particles. The nanophosphor particles are arranged in patterns to create indicia to communicate information to the user of the vehicle. 
     At least one UV light source is provided within the instrument panel to front light the nanophosphorus particles. When the nanophosphorus particles are exposed to UV light from the UV light source, the indicia formed by the nanophosphorus material clearly appears and is visible to the user in both daylight and low ambient light conditions. The indicia, even though not visible when no UV light is applied, is visible in bright daylight when UV light is applied. It is important to note that without the UV light source, the nanophosphorus particles and indicia formed thereby are not visible and instead the driver sees through the substrate including the nanophosphorus particles to the display surface against which it is engaged, or applied to. 
     A transparent member is provided between the user and the UV light source and is configured to block UV light. The blocking of UV light ensures that direct sunlight incident on the backplate does not activate the nanophosphorus particles and protects the operator from UV light produced by the UV light source. 
     A pointer that is easy to manufacture and is clear, translucent, or one color under visible light, but becomes another color when UV light is applied. 
     Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, claims, and drawings. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated and more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein: 
         FIG. 1  shows an exemplary instrument panel using individual and separate gauges; 
         FIG. 2  shows an instrument panel including an instrument cluster having gauges within the cluster; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of an instrument cluster with a first active UV indicia in response to a first UV wavelength of light; 
         FIG. 4  is an exemplary sectional view of an instrument cluster with a UV light source; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged sectional view of the backplate identified as V in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is the further enlarged sectional view of the backplate from V 1  in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7A  illustrates the instrument cluster of  FIG. 3  with a second active UV indicia in response to a second UV wavelength of light under a first UV light wavelength; 
         FIG. 7B  illustrates the instrument cluster of  FIG. 3  with a third active UV indicia in response to a third UV light wavelength; 
         FIG. 7C  illustrates the instrument cluster of  FIGS. 3 ,  7 A and  7 B with an active dummy light illuminated with visible light from behind the backplate and no applied UV light; and 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a pointer being illuminated by nanophosphorus particles. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is generally directed to an instrument panel  20  having a plurality of individual gauges  40  ( FIG. 1 ), at least one of an instrument cluster ( FIG. 2 ), or a combination thereof (not illustrated). Of course, the instrument cluster  30  includes various gauges  32  within the cluster, such as shown on the exemplary single backplate  60 . The present invention includes a UV light source and UV indicia applied to the backplate  60 . The UV indicia light up or illuminate with visible light in response to UV light from the UV light source. Although the instrument panel  20  is illustrated as being located in the dashboard  12  of the vehicle  12 , and particularly applicable to vehicles, the present invention is not limited to vehicles and may be used in a wide variety of settings. 
     The instrument panel  20  may take on any size, shape or configuration and may vary depending upon the type of the vehicle or other setting into which the instrument panel  20  is installed. Of course, the present invention does not require a complete instrument panel  20  with an instrument cluster ( FIG. 2 ) or multiple gauges ( FIG. 1 ), but may be used within a single gauge  40 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the instrument panel  20  may be made up of a variety of gauges  40  as well as other electronic systems. As further illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the instrument panel  20  may be formed as a more traditional vehicle instrument panel including an instrument cluster  30  located substantially in front of the steering wheel  14 . 
     The instrument cluster  30  and gauges  40  are generally formed in a similar fashion having a housing  50  which secures and locates a backplate  60  and a transparent plate  70  disposed some distance from the backplate  60 . A UV light source  80  is included to illuminate any UV indicia or markings  90 . Backplate  60  may include on the front surface  62  various visible indicia and markings  44  which do not require light from the UV light source  80 . The difference generally between an instrument cluster  30  and gauges  40  is that the instrument cluster  30  includes a plurality of instrument cluster gauges  32  on a single backplate  60 , which are similar to the individually housed gauges  40  in  FIG. 1 . If the instrument panel  20  includes various independent gauges  40 , each independent gauge  40  having a UV indicia or markings to be lighted would each need at least one UV light source  80 , while the instrument cluster  30  may require only one UV light source  80  for the whole instrument cluster  30 . Of course both the gauge  40  and the instrument cluster  30  may include multiple UV light sources  80 . The remaining invention shall be generally described below as being applicable to both instrument clusters  30  and gauges  40 . 
     The housing  50  for the gauges  40  or instrument cluster  30  may take on any size, shape or design such as the exemplary housing for the instrument cluster  30  or the exemplary housing for the gauges  40 . The housing  50  is illustrated generally in a sectional view in  FIG. 4  as locating the backplate  60  a distance from the transparent plate  70 . The backplate  60  may include various markings and visible indicia  44  for use in conjunction with pointers  42 , to provide information, or provide status signals such as warning lights, turn signals and the like that are visible in visible light without the application of UV light. The housing generally includes walls  54  having inner surface  52  that engages the backplate  60 . The housing  50  may be made in any size, shape or configuration. The housing  50  also generally includes a cavity behind the backplate  60  allowing for various electronic and other communication features (not illustrated). 
     The backplate  60  has a front or display surface  62  facing the transparent plate  70 . The front surface  62  may include the visible indicia and markings  44  as well as the above described UV indicia and markings  90 . The UV indicia  90  may include markings such as numbers or marks between numbers, range markings, identification symbols and more. As used in this application, the indicia  90  may also include other status signals, warning signals and information signals. For example, status signals may refer to any vehicle status signals, including but not limited to turn signals, hazard light signals, headlights on signals, and hi-beam lights signals, seatbelt lights, glow plug lights, trailer connected lights, fuel level, and more. Information signals may be any signals that communicate information to the operator such as signaling when a particular item is outside a desired operational range. Warning signals may include but are not limited to engine temperature, oil pressure, check engine lights, and more. The backplate  60  may be made in any size, shape or configuration and may further include translucent portions that allow the status lights behind the backplate  60  to light up various status visible symbols and markings that form the visible indicia  44  to alert or communicate with the operator of the vehicle, as shown in  FIG. 7C . 
     The transparent plate  70  is configured to allow the passage of visible light while blocking the passage of the UV light. The transparent plate  70  may be made in any size, shape or configuration to fit within the gauges  40  or instrument cluster  30 . It is important that the transparent plate  70  block UV light to prevent any UV indicia or markings behind the transparent plate from illuminating in response to ambient UV light. For example, in certain conditions the sun may illuminate the backplate  60 , which without the transparent plate would cause the UV indicia or markings  90  to illuminate visibly with light in the visible spectrum due to the UV light in sunlight. The transparent plate may be formed from polycarbonate or any other material that resists the transmission of UV light. In some embodiments glass panels that include a UV resistant coating may form the transparent panel also or other non-glass panels that include UV resistant coating or UV resistant materials embedded within the non-glass panels. 
     The UV light source  80  may be any UV light source capable of causing the UV indicia or markings  90  to illuminate or produce visible light viewable by the operator. The UV light source  80  provides ultraviolet light and in some instances, different UV light sources having different wavelengths of ultraviolet light may be used to allow for different UV indicia  90  to be individually illuminated in the same instrument cluster  30  or gauge  40 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 ,  7 A and  7 B, the same area of the instrument plate receives three different UV indicia or markings. For example, the first UV indicia or markings would be responsive to a UV wavelength while the second UV indicia or markings would be responsive to a UV wavelength, and the third to a third wavelength. This allows the gauges  40  or instrument cluster  30  to stack various UV markings or indicia  90  on one another thereby minimizing space requirements while still providing the desired status signals. As further illustrated in  FIG. 7C , these UV indicia can even be stacked over other visible indicia without interference with such visible indicia. 
     The UV indicia  90  may be configured to provide different colors. For example, a green emitting phosphor is excited by UV at about 365 nm, red emitting phosphors at about 375 nm and/or 365 nm while blue emitting phosphor is excited at around 405 nm. The UV indicia  90  may be a single color and only responsive to a particular UV source  80 . This allows by the blending of different phosphors the ability to produce any desired color. Variation in the shade of color may be made through using different amounts of selected colors of phosphor such as instead of 50% red phosphor and 50% green phosphor to give a standard yellow color to the UV indicia  90  the UV indicia may include 30% green phosphor and 70% red phosphor to shift the yellow indicia toward an orange color. Of course, instead of mixing different amounts of different color emitting phosphor in the UV indicia  90 , applying different amounts of UV at a particular wavelength may obtain the same effect. More particularly, as one set of nanophosphor particles has a stronger illumination, the color changes. This allows for ease of manufacturing while allowing for almost any color and even allows for users to customize the colors emitted, for example, instead of a yellow color, the user could customize the color to a reddish purple. 
     The nanophosphorus particles forming the UV indicia  90  are not visible and the backplate  60  and any underlying visible indicia  44  may be seen through them. More specifically, the nanophosphorus particles have a size of approximately less than 400 nm and only become visible when UV light is applied. By only having the UV indicia be visible when UV light applies allows the UV indicia or markings to be applied over various backlit or front lit status signals. This allows, for example, a very large check engine light, much larger than is typical to illuminate and even flash to catch the driver&#39;s attention. The use of nanophosphorus particles applied to the backplate allows these various status signals without visibly detracting from the aesthetic effects of the instrument panel  20  under normal lighting conditions. 
     The use of different colors also allows the overlay of different signals or indicia in one area. For example, a first status signal may be back lit as in  FIG. 7C  and part of the visible indicia  80  and yet may be overlaid with three different UV indicia  90  as illustrated in  FIGS. 3 ,  7 A and  7 B. If more than one of a particular indicia needs to be simultaneously displayed, they can flashingly rotate. 
     The nanophosphorus particles may be applied directly to the backplate or may be incorporated into a film that is applied then directly to the backplate. For example, the UV indicia  90  could be applied in a clear paint or other substrate to the backing plate. In other embodiments, the UV indicia  90  may be printed onto a film and then the film is applied to the backplate  90 . In other embodiments, the UV indicia may be embedded into a film during the manufacturing process and then applied to the backplate. In each embodiment, the UV indicia is secured or coupled to the backplate either directly or indirectly without any substantial gap between the UV indicia  90  and the backplate  60 . The UV indicia typically form less than 50% and preferably less than 30% by volume of the substrate in which they are incorporated. It is very important that the nanophosphor particles do not detrimentally effect the optical transmission of the substrate. 
     The UV indicia  90  may also be applied to or incorporated in other elements of the instrument panel  20 . For example, a pointer  41  may include nanophosphor particles that illuminate in response to UV light. This allows for a lighted pointer without the need for a light pipe or actively lighting the pointer  41  with an incorporated LED. This also allows for the pointer  41  to change color, such as to signal the driver. For example, a temperature pointer for a vehicle may be blue when the engine is cold, fade into green when the engine is within the normal operating temperature range and fade into red as it approaches the upper range of the temperature range, with a full red pointer symbolizing a problem. Another example is where the engine rpm pointer fades to red  97  as the rpms approach the redline. These systems may even be customized by the user, such as the user setting a speed limit and the speed pointer changing to a red (or other desired color) when the set limit is exceeded. 
     The foregoing discussion discloses and describes an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.