Vehicle Display Local Dimming for Tell-Tale Contrast Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle information display systems compromise the contrast ratio of instrument panels when a digital tell-tale is illuminated, as the increased backlight luminance to support tell-tale illumination affects the entire display, leading to unwanted luminance.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle information display assembly featuring a light guide with apertures corresponding to each tell-tale, coupled with a second illumination source activated only when the tell-tale is illuminated, providing localized increased luminance without affecting the overall display contrast.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the backlight luminance is increased to support tell-tale illumination, then the tell-tale visibility is improved, but the display contrast ratio deteriorates due to unwanted luminance across the entire display
Solution Approach 1:
The backlight system is segmented into multiple independent light sources, each corresponding to a specific tell-tale region. This allows individual control of illumination for each tell-tale without affecting the entire display, thereby maintaining contrast ratio while improving tell-tale visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by providing enhanced illumination only in the specific regions where tell-tales are located, rather than uniformly across the entire display. This is achieved through strategically positioned light sources and optical guides that direct light precisely to tell-tale areas, preserving the contrast ratio in non-illuminated regions.
2Illumination intensity
If the backlight luminance is increased to illuminate the tell-tale, then the alert visibility is improved, but energy consumption increases due to full display illumination
Solution Approach 1:
The backlight system is divided into multiple independent light sources, each controllable separately. This segmentation enables energy-efficient operation by activating only the specific light source corresponding to the illuminated tell-tale, rather than illuminating the entire display, thereby reducing overall energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by providing illumination only where needed (at the tell-tale location) rather than across the entire display. This selective illumination approach reduces energy consumption while still achieving the goal of making the alert visible and attention-grabbing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution maintains the contrast ratio of the display by ensuring that only the tell-tale is illuminated with increased brightness, reducing the need for scaling across the display and enhancing the visibility of alerts without unnecessary luminance.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide to transmit the light from the first illumination source to the digital display in an even manner
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of second illumination sources, each proximate to one of the plurality of apertures in the light guide such that one of the plurality of second illumination sources may be activated when a corresponding one of the plurality of tell-tales is activated
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle information display assembly comprises a digital display including a plurality of tell-tales, a first illumination source to provide light to the display, a light guide to transmit the light from the first illumination source to the digital display in an even manner, wherein the light guide defines a plurality of apertures each in a region of one of the plurality of tell-tales, and a plurality of second illumination sources, each proximate to one of the plurality of apertures in the light guide such that one of the plurality of second illumination sources may be activated when a corresponding one of the plurality of tell-tales is activated. A method of communicating information relating to a vehicle operating parameter, and a vehicle information display assembly are also disclosed.