Control panels, more particularly for heating, ventilating and/or air conditioning installations for the cabin of a motor vehicle
US6179430A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 6, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jan 30, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 6, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB60K2360/139
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A motor vehicle heating, ventilating and/or air conditioning installation has a control panel comprising a light box which consists of a housing comprising a housing member with an open side closed by a front wall of the control panel, and a light source within the housing. The front wall is of translucent material made opaque on its front face except in lighting zones which define illuminated indicia. Some of the lighting zones have a first thickness, while others are of different thicknesses, so that the luminance of the lighting zones at the front face of the front wall is modified locally. In this way, imperfections in the light box arising from differences in luminance in the illuminated indicia can be compensated for.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.