A vehicle display device includes: a display; a vehicle information image generator; an external image obtaining device; a display controller that displays the vehicle information image and the external image on the display; and an external image display determination device that determines whether the display controller is going to display the not displayed external image. When the display controller is going to display the not displayed external image, the display controller displays the external image, which the display controller is going to display, on the display with gradually increasing brightness of the external image from the brightness that is lower by a predetermined amount than original brightness to predetermined brightness that is determined based on the original brightness.

A vehicular control system includes a forward viewing camera that views through the windshield of the vehicle and captures image data. Responsive at least in part to processing, via a processor of a control, of captured image data, other vehicles exterior the vehicle are detected and road curvature of the road along which the vehicle is traveling is determined. Data that is at least in part relevant to a current geographic location of the vehicle is wirelessly communicated from the vehicle to a remote data receiver. The data is derived, at least in part, from processing of captured image data. The data is processed at the remote data receiver to determine information relevant to the vehicle. The remote data receiver receives data from another vehicle and, responsive at least in part to processing of data received from the other vehicle, location and/or movement of the other vehicle may be determined.

An instrument cluster is provided with a display panel having a plurality of graphic areas and with a backlighting device arranged behind the display panel for backlighting the graphic areas. The backlighting device has at least one light source and at least one light-guide element, which is provided with a receiving portion facing the light source for directly receiving a light beam and with at least one transmitting portion for transmitting and guiding the light towards at least one of the graphic areas. A cover is provided for shielding rays of light passing through the receiving portion and directed onto the display panel. The cover defines a channel, which has an inlet facing the receiving portion and at least one outlet facing one of the graphic areas. The channel is shaped in such a way as to transmit light indirectly from its inlet to its outlet.

A glass element is manufactured by a deep-drawing process with a plurality of surface regions marked by corresponding structure elements in the glass element such that they can be haptically sensed. A respective operator control input can be made by touching the surface regions.

A smart functional vehicle component includes a vehicle component, a leather sheet fixed over a surface of the vehicle component, a flexible electronic circuit contacting an A-surface of the leather sheet and including a printed and cured conductive ink, a light source that emits light when electrical power is supplied to the light source, the light source being electrically connected to the circuit, and a pigmented coating arranged over the electronic circuit and over the light source. The pigmented coating inhibits or prevents the circuit and the light source form being visible through the pigmented coating. Light emitted by the light source is visible through the pigmented coating. Light emitted by the light source provides visual indicators that convey information to a vehicle occupant.

An indoor illumination lamp as a map lamp includes a housing to be attached to an interior ceiling of a vehicle and provided with an opening, a switch knob arranged at the opening of the housing and including a light-transmitting logo part, and a three-color light emitting diode arranged in the housing and capable of emitting light toward the logo part.

A vehicle door trim interior, including: an armrest; a surface depression located in the armrest, wherein the surface depression is covered with a skin; at least one actuation switch located below the skin and in the surface depression; and a position control switch associated with least one actuation switch, the position control switch only becoming active upon actuation of the at least one actuation switch.

The present disclosure relates to a function display for selectively displaying several symbols representing one switching function, respectively, and/or at least two switching states, including a light guide stack which forms a display surface facing towards an observer; wherein the light guide stack is formed from at least planar light guides arranged in an overlaid manner in a stacking direction, which are arranged so as to be spaced apart by a transparent or translucent layer; at least one light source per light guide wherein, further, at least one microstructured symbol area in or on the light guide which is configured, if the light source is activated, to be visible to the observer; a circuit board on which the several light sources are arranged and fixed; a panel fixed to the light guide stack to which the circuit board is fixed while resting against a mounting surface.

A display including a liquid crystal layer, a light source, and a wall. The liquid crystal layer includes a first display area, a second display area, and a transition area therebetween. The light source is configured to generate light of a first intensity to illuminate the first display area with light of the first intensity, and generate light of a second intensity that is greater than the first intensity to illuminate the second display area with light of the second intensity. The wall is opposite to the transition area and is configured to permit passage of light of the first intensity and light of the second intensity to the transition area such that at the transition area there is a gradual transition from light of the second intensity proximate to the second display area to light of the first intensity proximate to the first display area.

An LED indicating device, in particular for a vehicle instrument cluster, has a plate provided with at least one light permeable portion adapted to be illuminated by a plurality of LED sources arranged in a position spaced apart from such a rear surface of such a light permeable portion; the device has a body which is arranged between the LED sources and the rear surface of the light permeable portion and has a first surface facing the LED sources and a second surface facing the rear surface; the body consists of a matrix made of a light impermeable material and of a plurality of light permeable elements, which are embedded in the matrix in positions spaced apart from one another and continuously extend from the first surface to the second surface.