Gauge with large illuminated gauge face
First Claim
1. A gauge housing comprising means for defining a chamber having first and second relatively larger and smaller chamber portions, means in said second smaller chamber portion for creating light rays, means in said first larger chamber for passing light rays therethrough, indicia means associated with said light rays passing means, and means for effecting a peripheral space at a juncture of said first and second chamber portions to effect light ray impingement upon substantially the entirely of a peripheral portion of said light rays passing means.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An instrument gauge for motor vehicles which includes a large front face lens, an annular spacer ring, a dial plate and a light-diffuser plate, all of which have relatively large diameter/circumferences and each being preferably made from transparent/translucent plastic material. An outermost circumferential edge portion of the light-diffuser plate rests upon a radially outwardly directed flange which unites a large outer chamber of an inner gauge housing with a smaller chamber thereof. The inner housing is also preferably made of transparent/translucent material. Light rays emitted from behind the light-diffuser board are transmitted to outermost circumferential edge portions of the dial plate to fully illuminate the same beyond that heretofore provided which prevents the utilization of larger indica and renders the same more readily viewable.
35 Citations
59 Claims
- 1. A gauge housing comprising means for defining a chamber having first and second relatively larger and smaller chamber portions, means in said second smaller chamber portion for creating light rays, means in said first larger chamber for passing light rays therethrough, indicia means associated with said light rays passing means, and means for effecting a peripheral space at a juncture of said first and second chamber portions to effect light ray impingement upon substantially the entirely of a peripheral portion of said light rays passing means.
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32. A gauge housing comprising a housing body defined by a substantially large peripheral wall, a relatively smaller peripheral wall and an annular wall defining a juncture between said large and smaller peripheral walls;
- said large and smaller peripheral walls defining relatively large and smaller chambers, means in said smaller chamber for creating light rays emitted toward said large chamber, a light-transmitting panel of a peripheral size accommodated to and located within said large chamber adjacent to but axially spaced from said annular wall, and means for maintaining said light-transmitting panel in axial spaced relationship to said annular wall whereby light rays will impinge upon substantially the entirety of a peripheral edge portion of said light-transmitting panel.
- View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
- 46. A light diffusion device for uniformly dispersing light across a gauge dial plate having indicia associated therewith comprising a substantially annular member made of at least one of transparent and translucent material, said annular member including front and rear surfaces each merging with an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface, and said inner peripheral surface being of a frusto-conical configuration widening in a direction from said rear surface toward said front surface to reflect light rays toward said outer peripheral and front surfaces thereby effecting substantially uniform illumination across said front surface.
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53. A method of assembling an instrument which includes a housing into which is to be inserted any electric motor having a shaft to which is to be secured a pointer comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a housing having a peripheral wall defining a chamber and an opening at axially opposite ends thereof, (b) providing an electric motor having a motor shaft with axially opposite exposed shaft ends, (c) axially telescopically uniting a pointer upon one of the shaft ends through axial movement of the pointer toward an opposite one of the shaft ends, and (d) preventing movement of the opposite one shaft end during the performance of step (c) thereby preventing electric motor damage.
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54. A method of accurately assembling a plurality of gauge components in gauge housing comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a first plurality of gauge components of which at least one gauge component is a disc carrying a pair of latching tongues, (b) snap-securing the first plurality of gauge components together utilizing the latching tongues to form a unitized subassembly, (c) providing the subassembly and a gauge housing with axially alignable ribs and grooves, (d) axially slidably assembling the gauge housing and subassembly through relative sliding movement of the ribs and grooves, (e) providing at least one additional gauge component which includes grooves mirroring the grooves of the subassembly, and (f) axially slidably assembling the additional gauge component through relatively sliding movement of the grooves thereof and the housing ribs. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. A gauge housing comprising means defining a chamber, a lens closing an opening of said housing, a light diffuser panel inboard of said lens, a bore in each of said panels, said bores being substantially axially aligned, a control pin slidable in said bores, means for biasing said pin toward said lens, a collar carried by said pin, and an O-ring seal between said collar and said lens bore for preventing the entry of contaminants through said lens bore into said chamber.
Specification