A switch apparatus for an automobile with a reduced size by installing a touch type switch apparatus inside a dial switch apparatus is provided. A switch apparatus for an automobile according to the present disclosure includes a main body which has an open lower side, a cover body which is inserted into the open lower side of the main body and is coupled to the main body, a dial switch apparatus which is installed on the main body and has an annular wheel knob rotatable with a virtual rotation axis disposed in a vertical direction as a rotation center, a touch type switch apparatus which is installed on the main body and has a capacitive touch pad which is touched by a user and pressed in an up-down direction, a main PCB which is coupled to the cover body to be disposed in the main body and into which a switch signal is input from the dial switch apparatus and the touch type switch apparatus, and a case body which is coupled to the main body and has a hole, through which the wheel knob and the capacitive touch pad are exposed, on an upper side, in which the capacitive touch pad is disposed inside the wheel knob.

A human machine interface with light sensing contact activation includes an operating panel and a display unit, where the operating panel includes at least one or more of a transparent or translucent substrate provided with at least one key area and at least one illumination source which can emit light into the substrate, and the display unit provides at least one information section at least temporarily displaying information on at least one function, which can be contact activated via the at least one key area of the operating panel. A rearview device and a motor vehicle may include such a human machine interface.

A light emitting pointer device which can reduce luminance unevenness at a light emitting face is provided. An annular rib is provided between a first holding portion holding an emission shaft and a second holding portion holding a light entrance shaft and the annular rib thereby covers a corner of the light entrance shaft. As a result, the light is not likely to enter a pointer body from the corner of the light entrance shaft, thereby reducing stray light and reducing luminance unevenness. An upper face of the annular rib on the light entrance shaft side has a radius of curvature that is greater than a radius of curvature of the corner of the light entrance shaft and is tapered, thus the corner can be easily covered with a space between the light entrance shaft and the annular rib.

In a light guide pointer, a vertex portion of a light control space is located on a sub-pointer portion side with respect to a center axis of a light entrance shaft, providing appropriate luminance balance between a main pointer portion and the sub-pointer portion. The light control space includes a circular arc portion, thereby broadening diffusion range of light that has passed through the light control space and preventing attenuation of light traveling along inclined portions. A center of the circular arc portion is located on the main pointer portion side with respect to the center axis, allowing strong light that has entered the light control space from the vertex portion to be diffused more. Local focusing and/or attenuation of light can be prevented, while providing appropriate luminance balance between the main pointer portion side and the sub-pointer portion side, thereby reducing luminance unevenness at the light emitting face.

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle instrument device including a dial plate, and an illumination casing disposed on the back side of the dial plate. A least the dial plate includes an indicator needle shaft hole. The illumination casing includes a tubular wall which fits the indicator needle shaft hole. The illumination casing is provided with ribs which are longer than a contact length of the tubular wall relative to the dial plate. The dial plate is provided with rib receiving holes to which the ribs are inserted.

Provided are a heat dissipating structure with which stress on an electronic unit that generates heat can be reduced, and a display device comprising the same. The heat dissipating structure comprises: at least two electronic units, e.g. electronic units, that are provided on a circuit hoard, differ from one another in height from the circuit board, and generate heat; a dissipating member for dissipating heat generated from the electronic units; and heat conducting members that are sandwiched between the electronic units and the heat dissipating member so as to conduct heat, wherein the heat conducting members provided between the electronic units and the heat dissipating member have the same thickness.

Devices, systems and methods for controlling an exterior and dashboard lights of an autonomous vehicle are described. One example of a method for controlling one or more exterior lights includes receiving, from an autonomous driving system (ADS) of the vehicle, an input to control one or more exterior lights that are part of a lighting system of the vehicle, and transmitting, based on the input, a message to a controller area network (CAN) bus of the lighting system, the message being further based on a driver command upon a determination that a driver-initiated message is received. In an example, the lighting system of the vehicle further comprises a plurality of dashboard lights.