Combination instrument

• US 6,720,937 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2000
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Neugart, Elmar, Over, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, FRANCIS N
• Application Number:
  US09/684,740
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/1.3, 345/5, 345/905, 340/461-462, 348/837, 348/836, 348/840, 361/681
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/223 Flexible displays
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/305 Panel mounting of instruments

Abstract

In order to improve the readability of analog or digital display units (2a, 2b, 3) arranged in a combination instrument, 1 that either at least one of the display units (2a, 2b, 3) can be pivoted about at least one spatial axis (X, X1, X2, X′, Y, Y1, Y2, Y′) by a drive arranged in the combination instrument (1), 2 or that at least the front side of the housing of the combination instrument (1) is subdivided into a plurality of subregions (A, B, C), and that at least one of these subregions (A, B or C) can be pivoted together with the display units (2a, 2b, 3) integrated in it.

Claims

1. Combination instrument having analog and/or digital display units (2a, 2b, 3), wherein at least one of the display units (2a, 2b, 3) is pivotable about at least one spatial axis (X, X1, X2, X′

, Y, Y1, Y2, Y′

) by a drive arranged in the combination instrument (1), wherein the display units (2a, 2b, 3) are pivotable in two spatial planes.

2. Combination instrument according to claim 1, wherein at least a front side of a housing of the combination instrument (1) is subdivided into a plurality of subregions (A, B, C), and at least one of said subregions (A, B or C) is pivotable together with the display units (2a, 2b, 3) integrated therein.

3. Combination instrument having analog and/or digital display units (2a, 2b, 3), wherein at least one of the display units (2a, 2b, 3) is pivotable about at least one spatial axis (X, X1, X2, X′

, Y, Y1, Y2, Y′

) by a drive arranged in the combination instrument (1), wherein the display units (2a, 2b, 3) or a plurality of subregions (A, B or C) of a housing of the combination instrument (1) are pivotable by at least one servomotor which is controllable by a driver.

4. Combination instrument according to claim 3, wherein the display units (2a, 2b, 3) are pivotable in two spatial planes.

5. Combination instrument according to claim 3, wherein at least a front side of the housing of the combination instrument (1) is subdivided into the plurality of subregions (A, B, C), and at least one of said subregions (A, B or C) is pivotable together with the display units (2a, 2b, 3) integrated therein.