Indicating instrument

Details Indicating instrument Indicating instrument

1995-11-03

2001-07-31

Williams, Hezron (Department: 2856)

Signals and indicators

Indicators

Rotary indicator with actuating means

C116S286000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06267072

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an indicating instrument for use in various devices or machines and particularly in an automobile.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional gauge installed in an automobile, generally an arc-shaped lighting tube is disposed behind a trans-illuminous dial plate along the indicating portion to illuminate the front surface thereof as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Hei 2-80916.
Since the lighting tube is disposed along the indicating portion, the thickness of the above gauge can be made thin.
However, if a plurality of such gauges are installed in a car, the combined instrument structure becomes rather complicated and requires many parts, resulting in a cost increase in manufacturing.
In addition, different arc-shaped-lighting-tubes have to be provided for gauges having different-shaped dial plates.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Hei 3-183912 discloses a dial gauge which has a partial-cylindrical reflector secured through a light diffusing plate to the back of the dial plate and a straight lighting tube disposed in the reflector. A driving shaft for a dial indicator extends from the back of the reflector through the reflector, the diffusing plate and the dial plate to the front of the dial plate.
However, the driving shaft for the dial indicator of the above described gauge is extremely long and the gauge becomes considerably thick. The extremely long shaft may increase the response time of the indicator and the hysteresis of the indication, thereby decreasing indication accuracy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made in view of the foregoing problems, and has a primary object of providing a thin and highly responsive indicating instrument having a straight illumination lamp and a light conducting plate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an indicating instrument which includes a dial plate having a patterned trans-illuminous portion, a straight illumination lamp disposed behind the dial plate near the patterned portion, a light conducting plate disposed behind the dial plate in an optical path between the illumination lamp and the patterned trans-illuminous portion, whereby the patterned trans-illuminous portion is illuminated by the straight illumination lamp evenly using a simple structure.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple and thin indicating instrument which includes a straight illumination lamp, a plurality of patterned trans-illuminous portions, a light conducting plate having through holes respectively corresponding to through-holes in the patterned trans-illuminous portions, a plurality of driving units having driving shafts respectively corresponding to the patterned portions, and a plurality of luminous indicators connected respectively to the shafts through the respective through holes of the light conducting plate, whereby the patterned trans-illuminous portions and the luminous indicators are illuminated by a single straight illumination lamp evenly.


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Patent Abstract of Japan, vol. 12 No. 377 (P-768) 10/1988 re JP-A 63123082.

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