Combination instrument

• US 20020053246A1
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Erben, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US10/000,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20020053246A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/866.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/654 the user being the driver

Abstract

A combination instrument (1) has an instrument carrier which is designed as a tubular, transparent hollow body (2) which is closed off at its ends by means of two side parts (3, 4). A plurality of display instruments (6, 7, 8, 9) arranged on a common circuit board (5) can in this way be inserted without difficulty into the hollow body (2). The combination instrument (1) is in this way optimally protected against environmental influences while at the same time allowing simple adaptation to different applications by cutting the hollow body (2) to length.

Claims

1. A combination instrument, in particular for a watercraft, having an instrument carrier for holding a plurality of display instruments, wherein the instrument carrier has a hollow body (2, 25) which is transparent at least in sections and in its interior accommodates the display instruments (6, 7, 8, 9) in such a way that the displays of the display instruments (6, 7, 8, 9) are visible to an observer through the hollow body (2, 25).

2. The combination instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hollow body is tubular, and wherein the ends of the hollow body (2) are each closed off by means of a side part (3, 4).

3. The combination instrument as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the hollow body (2, 25) has a transparent section which is directed toward the front side of the display instruments (6, 7, 8, 9) and an opaque section which is directed toward the rear side of the display instruments (6, 7, 8, 9).

4. The combination instrument as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the hollow body (2, 25) is produced using the two-component injection-molding process and has a first, transparent area and a second, nontransparent area.

5. The combination instrument as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the side parts (3, 4) have a fixing means for the display instruments (6, 7, 8, 9).

6. The combination instrument as claimed in claim 5, wherein the fixing means is designed to plug in a circuit board (5, 18) which is common to the display instruments (6, 7, 8, 9).

7. The combination instrument as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the hollow body (2, 25) is fixed between the side parts (3, 4), which are stressed toward one another.

8. The combination instrument as claimed in claim 7, wherein the display instruments (6, 7, 8, 9) are fixed in the hollow body (2, 25) with play with respect to the side parts (3, 4).

9. The combination instrument as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein the side parts (3, 4) are sealed with respect to the hollow body (2, 25) by means of a seal.

10. The combination instrument as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one side part (3, 4) has a cutout for making electrical contact (15).

11. The combination instrument as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the hollow body (2, 25) is arranged in a dashboard (11, 22) in such a manner that it can pivot from an operating position, in which the display instruments (6, 7, 8, 9) are visible to an observer, into an at-rest position, in which the display instruments (6, 7, 8, 9) are covered by the dashboard (11, 22).

12. The combination instrument as claimed in one of the preceding claims, which has a cover (21) which can move relative to the hollow body (2), in order to protect against the incidence of extraneous light and damage.

13. The combination instrument as claimed in claim 12, wherein the cover (21) is displaceable in a guide (20) of the respective side part (3, 4).