Light emitting panel assemblies include in one form of the invention a light emitting panel member made of a transparent resiliently deformable elastomeric material that absorbs impact without breakage for use in automotive lighting applications of various types. In another form of the invention, a rigid light emitting panel member may be used with dome switches for switch area lighting or to backlight control buttons/key pads by providing holes or openings in the panel member for the control bu...

Light emitting panel assemblies include a light emitting panel member having a uniform or variable pattern of light extracting deformities of well defined shapes in or on one or more surface areas of the light emitting panel member. The size and shape as well as the depth and angular orientation and position or location of the light extracting deformities may vary along the length and/or width of a panel surface area to obtain a desired light output distribution from the panel surface area. Also...

Optical assembly includes a light emitter and a film through which light passes from the light emitter. The film has a uniform or variable pattern of individual deformities of well defined shape that are projections or depressions on or in one or more surface areas of the film. The deformities are quite small in relation to the width and length of the film. At least some of the deformities may have two or more surfaces that come together to form a ridge having a total length that is quite small ...

Light redirecting films include a pattern of individual optical elements of well defined shape on the light exit surface of the films for refracting the light entering the entrance surface of the films from a backlight toward a direction normal to the exit surface. The individual optical elements overlap and intersect each other. Also, the orientation, size and/or shape of the optical elements may be tailored to redirect more of the incident light from the backlight within a desired viewing angl...

Light emitting panel assemblies include in one form of the invention a light emitting panel member made of a transparent resiliently deformable elastomeric material that absorbs impact without breakage for use in automotive lighting applications of various types. In another form of the invention, a rigid light emitting panel member may be used with dome switches for switch area lighting or to backlight control buttons/key pads. Also, a rigid light emitting panel member may be used as a structura...

Light emitting panel assemblies include a sheet, film or plate overlying a light emitting member. The sheet, film or plate has a pattern of deformities on one or both sides that may vary or be random in size, shape or geometry, placement, index of refraction, density, angle, depth, height and type for controlling the light output distribution to suit a particular application. Also the sheet, film or plate may have a coating or surface treatment for causing the light to pass through a liquid crys...

The transreflectors may comprise a transparent substrate having reflective surfaces and other light transmissive surfaces for respectively reflecting and transmitting a greater portion of the light striking opposite sides of the substrate. Alternatively, the transreflectors may comprise two or more transparent substrates of different indices of refraction bonded together, with a pattern of optical deformities in the mating side of one of the substrates and an inverse pattern of optical deformiti...

Light emitting panel assemblies include in one form of the invention a light emitting panel member made of a transparent resiliently deformable elastomeric material that absorbs impact without breakage for use in automotive lighting applications of various types. In another form of the invention, a rigid light emitting panel member may be used with dome switches for switch area lighting or to backlight control buttons/key pads. Also, a rigid light emitting panel member may be used as a structura...

The method of selecting a light redirecting film or optical panel includes the steps of providing a length of film or substrate having a pattern of optical elements that varies, then selecting an area of the film or substrate that has a pattern of the optical elements that best suits a particular application, and removing the selected area from the film or substrate to provide the light redirecting film or optical panel. The pattern may be a repeating pattern that varies at different locations o...

Optical assembly includes a light emitter and a film through which light passes from the light emitter. The film has a uniform or variable pattern of individual deformities of well defined shape that are projections or depressions on or in one or more surface areas of the film. The deformities are quite small in relation to the width and length of the film. At least some of the deformities may have two or more surfaces that come together to form a ridge having a total length that is quite small ...