US3580755A - Nonflammable,thin,integrally illuminated control panel overlay - Google Patents

Nonflammable,thin,integrally illuminated control panel overlay Download PDF

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Publication number
US3580755A
US3580755A US706044A US3580755DA US3580755A US 3580755 A US3580755 A US 3580755A US 706044 A US706044 A US 706044A US 3580755D A US3580755D A US 3580755DA US 3580755 A US3580755 A US 3580755A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
indicia
overlay
blank
nonflammable
openings
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US706044A
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English (en)
Inventor
Thomas L Kidd Jr
Albert D Mcclain Jr
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
General Electric Co
Original Assignee
General Electric Co
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by General Electric Co filed Critical General Electric Co
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Publication of US3580755A publication Critical patent/US3580755A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q3/00—Arrangement of lighting devices for vehicle interiors; Lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle interiors
    • B60Q3/10—Arrangement of lighting devices for vehicle interiors; Lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle interiors for dashboards
    • B60Q3/14—Arrangement of lighting devices for vehicle interiors; Lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle interiors for dashboards lighting through the surface to be illuminated
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T156/00—Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
    • Y10T156/10—Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
    • Y10T156/1002—Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor with permanent bending or reshaping or surface deformation of self sustaining lamina
    • Y10T156/1007—Running or continuous length work
    • Y10T156/1023—Surface deformation only [e.g., embossing]

Definitions

  • a nonfiammable control panel overlay with legible indicia openings, integral illumination and integral supporting means comprises a metallic member with indicia openings on the front thereof backed by a nonflammable, transparent backing member mounted in a recessed area on the back of the member behind the indicia openings, an electroluminescent lamp mounted in a second recessed area behind the transparent backing member and ribs on the back side of the member comprising the unetched areas left when the various mounting recesses are formed.
  • Such a metallic overlay is made by mechanically engraving the indicia, on the front of a metal blank and then chemically etching the rear of the blank, in a stepwise fashion to form the various recesses and remove unnecessary material, until breakthrough to the indicia occurs.
  • This invention relates to a nonfiammable control panel overlay suitable for use in aircraft and spacecraft. More specifically it pertains to such overlays which are thin, self-supporting and integrally illuminated.
  • a general object of the present invention is to provide a thin, nonflammable, integrally illuminated panel assembly.
  • Another object is to provide a nonflammable, lightweight, integrally illuminated, self-supporting panel overlay.
  • a further object of this invention is to provide an in expensive, easily manufactured, integrally illuminated, nonfiammable panel overlay including highly legible illuminated character openings therein.
  • a metallic overlay with indicia openings therein, a nonflammable, fiat, transparent backing member mounted in a recessed area behind the indicia openings, and an electroluminescent lamp mounted in a second recessed area behind the transparent backing member.
  • the overlay may also include integral supporting ribs on the back side thereof.
  • the necessary character openings and recesses and integral reinforcement ribs on the back side of the overlay are made preferably by mechanically engraving the front of the overlay in the shape of the character openings desired and applying a temporary support material, such as a maskant, to the Whole overlay including the first engraved areas.
  • Recesses are then chemically etched, in stages, on the back of the overlay, exposing from the reverse side the previously engraved characters and providing mounting seats for a permanent transparent support member behind the etched character openings and for an electroluminescent lamp behind the transparent support member.
  • Unetched areas on the back of the overlay provide integral supporting ribs therefor.
  • FIG. 1 is a front view of a control panel overlay comprising the preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a rear view of the overlay shown in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a cross section of the overlay shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
  • FIG. 4 is a rear view of a metal blank engraved and etched in accordance with the present invention to produce the overlay shown in FIGS. 1-3.
  • FIG. 1 there is shown an anodized aluminum overlay 1 with indicia openings 2 and a control switch 3.
  • FIG. 2 the rear of overlay '1 is seen with switch 3 removed. Also seen in FIG. 2 are integrally formed supporting ribs 4 for the overlay 1 and electroluminescent lamps 5 including necessary connectors and wiring.
  • FIG. 3 A cross section of the same control panel overlay is shown in FIG. 3, in which is also shown, a flat transparent backing member 6, specifically a piece of zinc borosilicate glass, mounted behind indicia openings 2 in a recessed area 7. Mounted behind backing member 6 in a second recessed area 8 is an electroluminescent lamp 5. The connectors and connecting wire for electroluminescent lamp as well as control switch 3 is omitted from FIG. 3 for purposes of clarity.
  • the overlay 1 will generally be comprised of a metallic material for purposes of nonilammability.
  • Zinc borosilicate glass is selected in the preferred form of the present invention for the trans parent backing member because of its flexibility and high temperature resistance relative to other glasses and for its nonflammability relative to plastics.
  • Backing member 6 may be tinted to control color or brightness in the illuminated indicia openings.
  • the metallic overlay of the present invention is either assembled with a dust cover on the back thereof or mounted on some form of control panel backing member.
  • the indicia are first mechanically engraved on one side of a metal blank to a uniform depth somewhat less than the blank thickness. The remaining unengraved thickness holds the free centers of the indicia characters and makes possible very precise character formation. Support material is then applied to the engraved side of the blank and the reverse side is chemically etched. When this process is complete the thickness of the blank in the area surrounding the indicia is sufficiently reduced to expose the indicia on the reverse side of the blank. Openings in the shape of complex indicia characters are thus formed with good precision.
  • mounting recesses for backing member 6 and lamps 5 may also be formed and excess material around integral supporting ribs may be removed.
  • the metallic overlay shown in FIGS. l-3 was made from a five inch by seven inch blank of 0.091 inch thick 7075-T6 aluminum. (In other examples, 6061- T6 aluminum has also been used with equal success. These materials are commercially recognized as structural grade aluminum alloy.)
  • FIG. 4 A rear view of this metal blank following engraving and etching is seen in FIG. 4.
  • the indicia were formed on one side of the blank, by mechanical engraving, to a flat depth of 0.01 inch,'with a cutter having a side taper on the order of 3.
  • the width of the indicia character lines was about 0.026 inch and the ratio of line length to line width was about 6 to 1.
  • the blank was anodized, by a conventional anodization process, after it had been mechanically engraved.
  • a chemical etch maskant coating was then flow coated on both sides of the blank. After allowing the maskant to dry it was cut and removed in the area defining backing member recess 7. This exposed area was then etched to a depth of 0.01 inch with a conventional sodium hydroxide etchant bath at 180200 F. Typically, this bath was made up of 20 ounces of sodium hydroxide crystals, 0.3-0.4 ounce of sodium gluconate and 0.2-1.0 ounce of sodium sulfide per gallon of water. (Other maskants, other sodium hydroxide baths, and other types of etchants, such as hydrochloric acid baths, have been used.) In The Surface Treatment and Finishing of Aluminium and Its Alloys, S. Wernick and R.
  • the complex indicia characters thus formed by the combined mechanical engraving-chemical etch procedure of the present invention are much superior in sharpness and legibility to any heretofore known to have been produced by either mechanical or chemical means alone.
  • these indicia have the form of continuous penetrations (rather than a succession of dots in line) which may include completely closed loops, so that the portion of the metal blank inside a loop is completely separated from the remainder.
  • a zinc borosilicate backing member 6 is bonded with a conventional epoxy cement in recess 7.
  • PVA polyvinyl alcohol
  • silicone rubber elastomer overcoat to the front of the overlay.
  • the glass backing member may be permanently bonded in place. The PVA-silicone on the front of the metallic panel overlay is then easily removed without damage to the indicia openings.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Illuminated Signs And Luminous Advertising (AREA)
  • ing And Chemical Polishing (AREA)
US706044A 1968-02-16 1968-02-16 Nonflammable,thin,integrally illuminated control panel overlay Expired - Lifetime US3580755A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US70604468A 1968-02-16 1968-02-16

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3580755A true US3580755A (en) 1971-05-25

Family

ID=24835997

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US706044A Expired - Lifetime US3580755A (en) 1968-02-16 1968-02-16 Nonflammable,thin,integrally illuminated control panel overlay

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US3580755A (enExample)
DE (1) DE1809075A1 (enExample)
FR (1) FR1592634A (enExample)
GB (1) GB1241427A (enExample)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3962008A (en) * 1971-12-01 1976-06-08 The Bendix Corporation Message tape for instrument display systems
US4105493A (en) * 1975-07-05 1978-08-08 The Gillette Company Production of shaving foil

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3962008A (en) * 1971-12-01 1976-06-08 The Bendix Corporation Message tape for instrument display systems
US4105493A (en) * 1975-07-05 1978-08-08 The Gillette Company Production of shaving foil

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1241427A (en) 1971-08-04
FR1592634A (enExample) 1970-05-19
DE1809075A1 (de) 1969-08-21

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