A lighted trim apparatus includes a light guide sub-assembly. The light guide sub-assembly includes a translucent film layer having a darkening agent on a first surface of the film layer to define multiple translucent windows in the film layer. Multiple light emitting diodes are each mounted on the film layer proximate to one of the windows. A transparent material light guide is applied over the windows and allows light from the light emitting diodes to be transmitted through the windows. A substrate defining an opaque polymeric material layer is commonly applied over the light emitting diodes, the light guide and the first surface of the film and extends beyond a perimeter of the film layer. A transparent cover layer extends over a second surface of the film layer opposite to the first surface and a portion of the opaque polymeric material extends beyond the perimeter of the film layer.

A start switch device includes a start button configured to send a command to start or stop a vehicle drive device, a biometric sensor arranged on the start button for reading a biometric information of an operator to operate an operating surface of the start button, a light source configured to emit an illuminating light from an inside of the start button toward the operating surface, and a design part arranged around the biometric sensor on the operating surface and configured to define a design on the operating surface by the illuminating light transmitted therethrough.

An instrument cluster, in particular for a vehicle, has a dial with a plurality of graphic areas, which are backlit by a device provided with at least one light source, with a front light-guiding element having a front face at least partially covered by a back surface of the dial, and with a rear light-guiding element; the latter has a receiving portion facing said light source and a transmitting portion, which transmits and guides the light received by the receiving portion and is spaced apart from and faces a rear face of the front light-guiding element; the rear face of the front light-guiding element has an optical compensation system, having curved convex or curved concave lens surfaces, for varying the intensity of the light transmitted from said transmission portion to the different graphic areas.

A dual graphic label for an input element of a control device for selectively displaying a first graphic information and a second graphic information includes a first light source, a second light source, an optical masking shield, a light conducting body, and a display face. The optical masking shield has a light blocking surface with a light permeable area in a shape of the first graphic information. The light conducting body has a surface with a light diffusion area in a shape of the second graphic information. The first light source emits a first light ray and the second light source emits a second light ray. The optical masking shield is arranged between the first light source and the light conducting body, and the light conducting body is arranged between the display face and the optical masking shield.

A meter assembly for a vehicle instrument panel. The meter assembly includes a reflector case having a plurality of light guides extending from an inner surface of the reflector case. Neighboring ones of the plurality of light guides have different lengths and extend different distances from the inner surface of the reflector case.

Disclosed herein are devices, methods and systems for producing hologram-based indicia for a vehicle dashboard/cockpit. By employing the aspects disclosed herein, indicia (electronically coupled to the vehicle's microprocessor), is lighted and projected in a three-dimensional virtual manner. The aspects disclosed herein may be embedded in various portions in the vehicle and thus, not consume extra space or area required to create virtual images through other techniques.

An impact feedback operation device includes a base member, an operation member having an operation part equipped with a touch sensor, an actuator having a shape memory alloy wire, a temperature sensor, a voltage sensor, and a processing unit. The processing unit determines an energization condition required for the shape memory alloy wire, depending on a detected temperature and a detected voltage. The operation part is fixed to the base member through an elastically deformable elastic portion.

A vehicle control device includes: a display; a steering wheel; and a vehicle button arranged to be overlapped with a fingerprint scanner at one point of the steering wheel. The vehicle control device further includes: a communication unit configured to communicate with a mobile terminal, the display and the vehicle button; and a processor configured to determine a type of a screen to be displayed on the display, according to whether a fingerprint recognized by the fingerprint scanner matches fingerprint information received from the mobile terminal, if the fingerprint scanner recognizes a fingerprint of a finger which has applied a push input to the vehicle button, and the processor configured to control the display such that the determined screen is displayed.

A collision avoidance and/or pedestrian detection system for a large passenger vehicle such as commuter bus, which includes one or more exterior and/or interior sensing devices positioned strategically around the exterior and interior of the vehicle for recording data, method for avoiding collisions and/or detecting pedestrians, and features/articles of manufacture for improving same, is described herein in various embodiments. The sensing devices may be responsive to one or more situational sensors, and may be connected to one or more interior and/or exterior warning systems configured to alert a driver inside the vehicle and/or a pedestrian outside the vehicle that a collision may be possible and/or imminent based on a path of the vehicle and/or a position of the pedestrian as detected by one or more sensing devices and/or situational sensors.

A dial plate being nonopaque is in a disc shape. A slit member has slits each extending through the slit member in a thickness direction. A light source is located on an opposite side of the slit member from the dial plate. The light source is configured to emit light through the slits of the slit member toward the dial plate to project images on the dial plate.