Signals and indicators – Indicators – Rotary indicator with actuating means
Patent
1995-03-02
1998-01-13
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
Signals and indicators
Indicators
Rotary indicator with actuating means
116DIG6, G01D 1322, G01R 108
Patent
active
057067570
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an indicating instrument in which a pointer rotated by a internal driving unit indicates a value to be read, and especially to an indicating instrument having a pointer illuminated by a light emitted from an outside light source.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventional indicating instruments for vehicles such as speedometers which have illuminated pointers are shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid Open No. Hei 3-36920 and Japanese Utility Model Application Laid Open No. Sho 54-44545.
The first, a conventional indicating instrument disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application No. Hei 3-36920, has a pointer which includes therein a light source rotated by a rotating shaft. The second, a conventional indicating instrument disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Sho 54-44545, has a light source disposed outside a pointer and an offset shaft formed to surround the light source and rotate the pointer.
In the first conventional instrument, since electric power must be supplied from a stationary portion to the light source which rotates together with the pointer, the structure becomes complicated, thereby causing an increase in the axial size of the instrument.
In the second conventional instrument, a special shaft such as an offset shaft must be employed and, moreover, the efficiency of the light transmission from the light source to the pointer is low since the light leaks outside the pointer.
The present invention is made in view of the above, and has an object of providing an indicating instrument in which a light source may be secured to a stationary base member to illuminate the pointer, where the instrument is simple in structure, axially compact, free from the need of a special shaft such as an offset shaft, and which achieves high efficiency in light transmission from the light source to the pointer.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An indicating instrument according to the present invention includes an internal driving unit having a bearing secured to a base member, a rotating shaft carried by the bearing and rotated by the internal driving unit and a pointer having high light conductance characteristics and held rotably along with the rotating shaft, and is characterized in that an accommodation space formed at the center of the shaft inside either one of or both the bearing and the rotating shaft to face the aforementioned base member, and a light source is disposed in the accommodation space and secured to the base member. Since the light source is secured to the stationary base member, power is supplied through the base member without difficulty so that a simple, axially compact indicating instrument which is free from the need to use a special shaft like an offset shaft may be provided. Further, since the light source is disposed in an accommodation space which is formed inside either one of or both the bearing and the rotating shaft, the light source is enclosed by either or both the bearing and the rotating shaft so that the light coming from the light source may be transmitted to the pointer without leaking out, and the efficiency of the instrument's light transmission is enhanced.
An indicating instrument according to the present invention is further characterized in that a light collecting portion having a light collecting surface which faces the light source and reflecting surface and which couples with the light collecting surface is formed at the foot portion of the pointer approximately perpendicular thereto, and the collecting surface is formed in a curved shape to condense the light onto the reflecting surface. As a result, since the curved light collecting surface of the pointer condenses the light coming from the light source onto the reflecting member, the light leaking out from the reflecting surface may be almost eliminated and the transmission efficiency of the light may thereby be enhanced.
An indicating instrument according to the present invention is characterized in that the rotating shaft is formed into a cylindrical
REFERENCES:
patent: 2536557 (1951-01-01), Levesque
patent: 3033155 (1962-05-01), Beckman
patent: 3129691 (1964-04-01), Walker
patent: 5152456 (1992-10-01), Murphy
patent: 5259333 (1993-11-01), Iino et al.
patent: 5546888 (1996-08-01), Skiver et al.
Hashimoto Hiroshi
Kataoka Masami
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Nippondenso Co. Ltd.
Worth Willie Morris
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