Gauge with large illuminated gauge face

• US 7,278,749 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Auto Meter Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: John T. Sullivan
• Inventors: Sullivan, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar; Stephen F.
• Application Number:
  US11/029,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20060146542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 362/29, 362/30, 362/489, 116/284, 116286-288, 116/DIG.5, 116/DIG.36, 340/461, 340/815.4
• US Class Current: 362/30
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0091 using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/28 Structurally-combined illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/07 Indicating devices, e.g. for remote indication indicating working conditions of vehicles G07C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 116/05 using light guides
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 116/36 Illuminated dial and pointer

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.

Claims

1. A gauge housing comprising means for defining a chamber having first and second relatively larger and smaller chamber portions, means for generating substantially uniform total peripheral illumination through light rays emitted radially from a plurality of substantially peripherally disposed light rays generating means, means in said first larger chamber for passing the light rays therethrough, indicia means associated with said light rays passing means, means between said light rays generating means and said light rays passing means for diffusing the peripheral illumination prior to said light rays reaching said light rays passing means whereby said indicia means is substantially uniformly totally peripherally illuminated by diffused peripheral illumination, and means for effecting a peripheral space at a juncture of said first and second chamber portions to effect substantially uniform diffused total peripheral illumination impingement upon substantially the entirely of a peripheral portion of said light rays passing means.

2. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 including pin means projecting through said light rays passing means for manually effecting control functions of an electronic instrument housed in said chamber.

3. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 including means for circumferentially orienting and axially guiding said light rays passing means and said peripheral space effecting means relative to said first relatively larger chamber portion.

4. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 including a motor in said smaller chamber portion, and opening means in a closed end of said smaller chamber portion through which a back-up tool can be inserted to abut said motor during gauge assembly.

5. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 wherein said chamber defining means first and second chamber portions are defined by an inner housing located within an outer housing, and said juncture is in axial opposing relationship to an axial annular end wall of said outer housing.

6. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 wherein said chamber defining means first and second chamber portions are defined by an inner housing located within an outer housing, said juncture is in axial opposing relationship to an axial annular end wall of said outer housing, and means for securing said juncture in abutting relationship to said axial annular end wall.

7. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 wherein said chamber defining means first and second chamber portions are defined by an inner housing located within an outer housing, said juncture is in axial opposing relationship to an axial annular end wall of said outer housing, means for securing said juncture in abutting relationship to said axial annular end wall, and said securing means includes a bezel.

8. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 wherein said chamber defining means first and second chamber portions are defined by an inner housing located within an outer housing, said juncture is in axial opposing relationship to an axial annular end wall of said outer housing, means for securing said juncture in abutting relationship to said axial annular end wall, said securing means includes a bezel, and a substantially transparent viewing panel having a peripheral edge portion sandwiched between said bezel and an axial annular end wall of said inner housing.

9. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 wherein said peripheral space effecting means is a peripheral edge portion of one of a light ray transmitting panel defined by said light rays passing means and a light ray diffusing panel defined by said diffusing means.

10. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 wherein said peripheral space effecting means is a peripheral edge portion of one of a light ray transmitting panel defined by said light rays passing means and a light ray diffusing panel defined by said diffusing means, and said light rays generating means is carried by a panel spaced axially inboard of said light ray panel peripheral edge portion and said juncture.

11. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 wherein said peripheral space effecting means is a peripheral edge portion of one of a light ray transmitting panel defined by said light rays passing means and a light ray diffusing panel defined by said diffusing means seated in axial opposing relationship to said juncture.

12. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 wherein said light rays passing means and said peripheral space effecting means are each defined by a panel, and said panels are of at least one of a size and peripheral outline to preclude entry thereof into said smaller chamber portion.

13. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 wherein said light rays passing means and said peripheral space effecting means are each defined by a panel, said panels are of at least one of a size and peripheral outline to preclude entry thereof into said smaller chamber portion, and said peripheral space effecting means panel includes a peripheral edge portion in abutment with said juncture.

14. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 wherein said light rays passing means and said peripheral space effecting means are each defined by a panel, said panels are of at least one of a size and peripheral outline to preclude entry thereof into said smaller chamber portion, and said peripheral space effecting means panel includes a circumferential portion in abutment with said juncture.

15. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 including lens means between said light rays generating means and said peripheral space effecting means for directing light rays toward said peripheral space effecting means.

16. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 including lens means between said light rays generating means and said peripheral space effecting means for directing light rays toward said peripheral space effecting means, a motor panel carrying a motor located inboard of said light rays generating means;

and means for unitizing said light rays generating means, said lens means, said motor panel and said peripheral space effecting means as a unitized subassembly for unitized insertion into said chamber means.

17. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 including lens means between said light rays generating means and said peripheral space effecting means for directing light rays toward said peripheral space effecting means, a motor panel carrying a motor located inboard of said light rays generating means;

and means for unitizing said light rays generating means, said lens means, said motor panel and said peripheral space effecting means as a unitized subassembly for unitized insertion into said chamber means with a peripheral edge portion of said peripheral space effecting means being seated upon an annular juncture wall portion between said first and second chamber portions.

18. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 including an exterior housing defining an exterior chamber housing at least said smaller chamber portion.

19. The gauge housing as defined in claim 1 including an exterior housing defining an exterior chamber housing at least said smaller chamber portion, and means for supporting said exterior housing upon a support surface.

20. The gauge housing as defined in claim 2 including an electronic instrument including gauge function electronics housed in said chamber, and said pin means being mounted for axial sliding movement relative and substantially parallel to an axis of said chamber for selectively manually operating said gauge function electronics.

21. The gauge housing as defined in claim 2 including an electronic instrument including gauge function electronics housed in said chamber, and said pin means being a plurality of pins each mounted for axial sliding movement relative and substantially parallel to an axis of said chamber for selectively manually operating said gauge function electronics.

22. The gauge housing as defined in claim 2 including an electronic instrument including gauge function electronics housed in said chamber, said pin means being mounted for axial sliding movement relative and substantially parallel to an axis of said chamber for selectively manually operating said gauge function electronics, and means biasing said pin means in a direction away from said second smaller chamber portion.

23. The gauge housing as defined in claim 2 including an electronic instrument including gauge function electronics housed in said chamber, said pin means being mounted for axial sliding movement relative and substantially parallel to an axis of said chamber for selectively manually operating said gauge function electronics, a lens outboard of said light rays passing means, opening means in said lens and said light rays passing means in which said pin means slide, and means for sealing said lens opening means and pin means relative to each other to prevent entry of exterior medium into said chamber through said lens opening means.

24. The gauge housing as defined in claim 22 wherein said pin means are a plurality of pins.

25. The gauge housing as defined in claim 22 including an electronic instrument including gauge function electronics housed in said chamber, said pin means being mounted for axial sliding movement relative and substantially parallel to an axis of said chamber for selectively manually operating said gauge function electronics, a lens outboard of said light rays passing means, opening means in said lens and said light rays passing means in which said pin means slide, and means for sealing said lens opening means and pin means relative to each other to prevent entry of exterior medium into said chamber through said lens opening means.

26. The gauge housing as defined in claim 25 wherein said pin means are a plurality of pins.

27. The gauge housing as defined in claim 3 wherein said circumferentially orienting and axially guiding means are cooperative grooves and ribs, one of said grooves and ribs are formed in said light rays passing means and said peripheral space effecting means, and the other of said grooves and ribs are formed in said larger chamber portion.

28. The gauge housing as defined in claim 3 wherein said circumferentially orienting and axially guiding means are cooperative grooves and ribs, said grooves are formed in said light rays passing means and said peripheral space effecting means, and said ribs are formed in said larger chamber portion.

29. The gauge housing as defined in claim 4 wherein said motor includes an axially projecting portion axially aligned with said closed end opening means which is abutted by a back-up tool during gauge assembly.

30. The gauge housing as defined in claim 4 including an exterior housing having an exterior peripheral wall substantially surrounding said chamber portions and an end wall with an access opening aligned with said closed end opening means for entry of a back-up tool during gauge assembly and exit of wiring for installation purposes.

31. The gauge housing as defined in claim 4 including an exterior housing having an exterior peripheral wall substantially surrounding said chamber portions, an end wall with an access opening aligned with said closed end opening means for entry of a back-up tool during gauge assembly and exit of wiring for installation purposes, wiring exiting said access opening, and means sealing said access opening and wiring to prevent a medium form entering said exterior housing through said access opening.

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 one of said chambers for generating substantially uniform total peripheral illumination through light rays emitted radially from a plurality of substantially peripherally disposed light rays generating means toward the large peripheral wall of 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, indicia means associated with said light transmitting panel, an illumination diffusion panel located between said light transmitting panel and said light rays generating means for diffusing the peripheral illumination prior to the light rays reaching the light-transmitting panel, and means for maintaining said light-transmitting panel in axial spaced relationship to said annular wall whereby diffused peripheral illumination will impinge upon substantially the entirety of a peripheral edge portion of said light-transmitting panel.

33. The gauge housing as defined in claim 32 including a pointer having a shaft and a pointer arm, and said pointer shaft projects through an opening in said light-transmitting panel.

34. The gauge housing as defined in claim 33 wherein at least some of said indicia are upon said light-transmitting panel peripheral edge portion.

35. The gauge housing as defined in claim 33 including a substantially transparent front face panel overlying said light-transmitting panel and closing said large chamber.

36. The gauge housing as defined in claim 33 including a substantially transparent front face panel overlying said light-transmitting panel and closing said large chamber, said substantially transparent front face panel having a peripheral outermost edge portion and a substantially annular axially projecting wall radially inboard of said peripheral outermost edge portion, said annular axially projecting wall is in internal telescopic relationship to said large peripheral wall, and said front face panel peripheral outermost edge portion rests upon an annular face of said large peripheral wall.

37. The gauge housing as defined in claim 33 including a substantially transparent front face panel overlying said light-transmitting panel and closing said large chamber, a bezel defined by a peripheral skirt merging with a channel wall having an inboard edge, said peripheral skirt being in exterior surrounding relationship to said large peripheral wall, said channel wall being in axial overlying relationship to said transparent front face panel peripheral edge portion, and a terminal peripheral edge of said channel wall seats against an annular shoulder of said transparent front face panel peripheral edge portion.

38. The gauge housing as defined in claim 35 including pin means projecting through said substantially transparent front face panel and said light-transmitting panel for manually effecting control functions of an electronic instrument housed in at least one of said chambers.

39. The gauge housing as defined in claim 33 including a substantially transparent front face panel overlying said light-transmitting panel and closing said large chamber, a bezel defined by a peripheral skirt merging with a channel wall having an inboard edge, said peripheral skirt being in exterior surrounding relationship to said large peripheral wall, said channel wall being in axial overlying relationship to said transparent front face panel peripheral edge portion, a terminal peripheral edge of said channel wall seats against an annular shoulder of said transparent front face panel peripheral edge portion, and said terminal peripheral edge and said annular shoulder are of a substantially cylindrical configuration having an axis of revolution corresponding to an axis of said large and smaller chambers.

40. The gauge housing as defined in claim 32 including an exterior housing substantially housing said housing body, and means for removably securing said exterior housing relative to said housing body.

41. The gauge housing as defined in claim 32 including an exterior housing substantially housing said housing body, and means for removably securing said exterior housing relative to said housing body smaller peripheral wall.

42. The gauge housing as defined in claim 40 wherein said exterior housing includes an annular terminal end face seated against said juncture annular wall.

43. The gauge housing as defined in claim 42 including a transparent panel having a peripheral edge portion seated upon a terminal annular end face of said large peripheral wall, a bezel defined by a peripheral wall merging with a concavo-convex channel wall terminating in a terminal edge, said bezel peripheral wall being in exterior telescopic relationship to said housing body large peripheral wall, said concavo-convex channel wall opening toward and in axially opposing relationship to said transparent panel peripheral edge portion, and said concavo-convex channel wall terminal edge being in abutting relationship to a shoulder of said transparent panel.

44. 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:

(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.

45. A method of accurately assembling a plurality of gauge components in gauge housing comprising the steps of:

(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.

46. The method as defined in claim 45 wherein the additional gauge component is one of a second plurality of gauge components.

47. The method as defined in claim 45 wherein the additional gauge component is one of a second plurality of gauge components, and at least one of the second plurality of gauge components includes grooves mirroring the grooves of the subassembly.

48. The method as defined in claim 45 wherein the additional gauge component is a ring.

49. The method as defined in claim 45 wherein the additional gauge component is a disc.

50. 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 lens and panel, 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.