Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Display in frame or transparent casing; or diorama including...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-06
2001-11-06
Jones, Deborah (Department: 1775)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Display in frame or transparent casing; or diorama including...
C428S014000, C428S031000, C428S076000, C428S542200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312773
ABSTRACT:
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a front frame which is intended for a combination instrument, in particular of a vehicle, and has a cover forming a boundary around a display of the combination instrument, the cover being at least partially covered with a decorative element. The invention furthermore relates to a process for producing a front frame of this type.
Front frames of the abovementioned type are used in today's motor vehicles and are therefore known. The front frame of the combination instrument is covered with respect to the passenger compartment by means of a covering window. The cover has a plurality of apertures for indicating instruments, digital displays or warning lights which are arranged on a rear instrument carrier.
The cover is at least partially covered with the decorative element, which is merely painted in a contrasting color in a simple design or, in the case of more complicated embodiments, can, in addition to purely structural elements, also be provided with imprints which assist in improving the functionality or the readability of the combination instrument or in facilitating the understanding of the display. For this purpose, the decorative element is provided, for example, with a coating or an imprint.
A disadvantage here is that the decorative element has to be positioned exactly with respect to the display. Because the decorative element is arranged in the driver's permanent field of vision, even the smallest deviations can be seen and therefore convey an inferior impression of the combination instrument. The observation of small tolerances, which is required in order to avoid deviations of this type, is associated here with a considerable outlay on production.
In other combination instruments the decorative element is designed as a printed film which has to be stuck onto the cover in a further operation. In this case, the film has to be cut out very exactly and laid carefully, since otherwise projecting lengths and gaps are produced. In particular, the outer edges of the film should not protrude over the cover. A further disadvantage here is that the film shows signs of aging over the course of time which may lead to the formation of folds and cracks, for example, but also to the film becoming detached from the cover.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is based on the problem of providing a front frame of the type mentioned at the beginning in such a manner that the decorative element can be arranged on the cover without any problem and without a significant outlay on production. The intention here is, in particular, to prevent folds or cracks, which lead to an inferior impression. The intention is furthermore to provide a process for producing a front frame of this type.
The problem mentioned first is solved according to the invention by the decorative element being a molding which is connected to the front frame. By this means, the decorative element can be premanufactured independently of the front frame and subsequently needs merely to be connected to the front frame. In comparison with a film, the molding is considerably less problematic to handle and makes exact positioning possible, for example, by use of fitting pins. By selecting a suitable material, which can also take place in this case irrespective of the material of the front frame, signs of aging or damage due to strong sunlight are also prevented. To this end, the molding can also be manufactured from a metal and designed as a carrier of components, for example, a flat liquid crystal display. The formation as a separate molding means that any painting or coating which may be required can at the same time be done substantially more simply, in particular separately from the remaining components of the combination instrument.
A particularly simple development of the invention is provided here if the molding is connected to the front frame with a force fit. To this end, the molding can be bonded, for example to the front frame or the cover, and thereby makes rapid installation possible. At the same time, the molding can be used in order to reinforce the combination instrument and can also replace the cover in subregions.
Another particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention is provided if the molding is connected to the front frame with a form fit. This enables tolerance values, which facilitate the installation in particular, to be provided in a simple manner. At the same time, different thermal expansions can be compensated for, so that deformation of the combination instrument does not occur, for example in the case of direct sunlight.
In this connection, a particularly simple development of the invention is provided by the molding being connected to the front frame by means of a clip connection. This means that a special tool is not required in order to install the molding and so, for example, even retrofitting of the molding in the case of existing and appropriately prepared combination instruments is easily possible, and so an individual design appropriate to the user's tastes is possible.
To this end, it is particularly advantageous if the molding is connected to the front frame in a detachable manner. This enables the molding to be easily exchanged in the event of possibly being damaged, for one thing, and also, for another thing, should there be a change to the customer's specification or in order to complement an existing cover. This exchange does not require a garage visit; rather, it can be carried out by the customer himself.
A development of the invention is particularly well-suited to this end, in which the molding has an edge region which is surrounded by the front frame. The edge region of the molding is therefore invisible to someone looking at the combination instrument. Possible manufacturing tolerances are therefore insignificant for the visual appearance. For this purpose, the front frame may, in particular, also have a circumferential groove in the form of an undercut into which the molding can be inserted with a form fit and so, for example, is at the same time designed as a clip connection.
Another particularly advantageous development of the invention is also achieved if the molding has a boundary surface which is adjacent to the display and is inclined toward it. This boundary surface, which is desirable for structural considerations, makes possible a visually attractive boundary around the display in a similar manner to a passe-partout. For this purpose, the boundary surface, which is also known as the tube frame, can protrude in particular into a recess in the cover and can have a contrasted coloring.
To this end, a particularly effective development is provided by the boundary surface enclosing the display essentially in a funnel-shaped manner. As a result, in addition to a visually attractive impression, simple centering of the funnel-shaped boundary surface within the corresponding recess in the cover can be achieved at the same time.
The second problem mentioned, of providing a process for producing a front frame which is intended for a combination instrument, in particular of a vehicle, and has a cover forming a boundary around a display of the combination instrument, the cover being at least partially covered with a decorative element, is solved according to the invention by the decorative element first of all being premanufactured as a molding, subsequently being placed into the injection mold and finally the front frame being injected in such a manner that a front section of the front frame grips around an edge region of the molding. This enables the front frame to be produced and connected to the molding in a joint operation. This results in a connection which is either force-fitting or form-fitting and which can also, for example, be detached. Because of the section of the front frame which fits around the edge region of the molding, the connection is invisible to someone looking at it, and so a satisfactory appearance can easily be achieved. In this case, the outlay on production is
Klubenspies Dieter
Ritter Thomas
Zeiss Manfred
Bahta Abraham
Farber Martin A.
Jones Deborah
Mannesmann VDO AG
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