A display panel such as an automobile instrument panel is formed ... a fiber optic ribbon which extends through the depression, which ribbon is remotely energized by a lamp to illuminate the depression. A clear plastic envelope for supporting the ribbon within the depression is assembled to the ribbon and the assembly is inserted into the slot ...

A woven fiber-optic sheet (1) has warp strands (2) formed by sheathed bundles of fine optic-fibers (4). The fibers (4) of each strand (2) are broken pseudo-randomly, different ones at different locations along its length so that light transmitted into the strands (2) from a source (7) escapes from the various locations (8) to radiate through the transparent sheathing (5). Decorative effect is intensified by periodic light-color change being a rotating multi-color filter (9) to distribute different colors to different strands (2).

A display panel that uses waveguides - the strands are placed side-by-side with a light source at the top shining down through. There are several outputs along the strand to allow the light to be produced as pixels, with acoustic energy used to control the output.