Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
  • B60K35/00—Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
  • B60K35/10—Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
  • B60K2360/00—Indexing scheme associated with groups B60K35/00 or B60K37/00 relating to details of instruments or dashboards
  • B60K2360/20—Optical features of instruments

Definitions

• the invention relates to the field of vehicles, in particular motor vehicles, and in particular to the display of information intended for persons who are inside the vehicle.
• liquid crystal displays For the display of information related to the operation of the vehicle or its accessories, liquid crystal displays (LCD) are now used. Luminescent displays such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or fluorescent vacuum displays, commonly known by the acronym VFD (vacuum fluorescent display), are also used. These include a triode type cathode ray tube with a heated emitting cathode, accelerator grids and anodes coated with phosphorus. The grids and the anodes are arranged according to a determined pattern corresponding to the information that one wishes to display. Such a display has the advantage of being very bright when it is active. Note that its surface is black when it is not. The image formed is therefore well contrasted and distinguishes itself satisfactorily at usual distance.
• LEDs light-emitting diodes
• VFD vacuum fluorescent display
• buttons for controlling the function concerned for example ventilation, heating and, if necessary, air conditioning.
• These buttons are lit at night, possibly from the rear side by means of a light source illuminating through a translucent wall element.
• the button often has a translucent element on which an appropriate symbol has been drawn.
• the applicant has set itself the objective of making the image, provided by a VFD type display or equivalent, visible from any place in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, on these buttons (day or night).
• the applicant has also set itself the objective of making the reading of the various pieces of information easier by concentrating them in a reduced space.
• a device for controlling a function of a vehicle comprising at least one manual control member and a means of displaying information relating to said function comprising a luminescent display, characterized by the fact that an optical means is interposed between the display and the manual control member, the latter comprising a surface forming a screen for viewing an image projected from said display by the optical means.
• luminescent display is meant in particular the VFD type displays.
• the invention also relates to any type of display emitting an image capable of being projected by optical means onto a surface forming a screen.
• the image is projected by optical means consisting of a lens disposed between the display and the surface of the manual control member.
• FIG. 1 is a front view of a control button on a vehicle dashboard
• FIG. 2 is a view in longitudinal section in the direction AA of FIG. 1.
• Figure 1 shows a dashboard of a motor vehicle shown very schematically. Among the various controls or indicators, there is shown a button 1 controlling the air conditioning. It is a rotary button with a face visible from the passenger compartment of the vehicle. It comprises an opaque annular part 10 and a translucent central part 20 which here indicates a temperature, for example assigned, as well as a state of the air intake inside the vehicle.
• the longitudinal section shows the button 1 housed in the wall 3 of the dashboard. It is retained in axial abutment by a collar 11 extending in the radial direction around the periphery of the cylindrical annular part 10. The collar allows the rotation of the button around its axis R.
• This part of the button is made of an opaque plastic material.
• a concentric element 13 of tubular shape is closed by a translucent wall.
• This wall 14 comprises a visible front face of the passenger compartment of the vehicle. More precisely, this wall is translucent. It has been treated to form a display screen for an image formed on its rear face.
• a lens 16 has been mounted, forming an optical means, in the tubular element 13.
• the display 33 which here is of the VFD type.
• the display comprises a screen 34 on which the source light image is formed.
• the display 33, the lens 16 and the wall 14 form an optical system. The parameters of the latter are determined so that the image emitted by the display is projected onto the rear face 35 of the transparent wall of the button.
• the user acts on the manual control button by rotating it around its axis R, it implements a function, here air conditioning.
• the means for transmitting the command to the air conditioning are not shown in FIG. 2.
• This command has the effect of modifying the display on the screen of the display.
• the user follows the progress of his order, for example the assignment of a temperature, with the image which is projected on the front face of the button.
• FIG. 1 shows the display of the temperature and of the control of the outside air inlet flaps.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Instrument Panels (AREA)
• Air-Conditioning For Vehicles (AREA)
• Devices For Indicating Variable Information By Combining Individual Elements (AREA)
• Indicating Measured Values (AREA)
• Illuminated Signs And Luminous Advertising (AREA)
• Arrangements Of Lighting Devices For Vehicle Interiors, Mounting And Supporting Thereof, Circuits Therefore (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=27619991

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Cited By (5)

Families Citing this family (33)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2002
  • 2002-02-07 FR FR0201504A patent/FR2835643B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2003
  • 2003-02-07 US US10/503,824 patent/US20050204997A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-02-07 DE DE60308322T patent/DE60308322T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-02-07 EP EP03717386A patent/EP1474305B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-02-07 JP JP2003565766A patent/JP4318548B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-02-07 ES ES03717386T patent/ES2271561T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-02-07 WO PCT/FR2003/000404 patent/WO2003066366A1/fr not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (4)

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