US 5,161,480 A · Indication display unit for a vehicle

Abstract

An indication display unit for a vehicle provides a driver with a circular meter indication by an analog meter having a scale disposed along with a circumference and an indication needle disposed inside the circumference, which is made in consideration not only from the function's point of view as is conventionally done, but also from the view point of the decorative design as well so as to produce many user's long-awaited new type of interesting meter indication. In the indication display unit according to the present invention, since a circular meter indication of an analog meter is optically converted to an oval shape by use of either a positive cylindrical lens, a negative cylindrical lens or a concave reflecting member having a different magnification rate between the longitudinal direction and lateral direction which are respectively disposed facing the indication surface of the analog meter, the indication observed through a prism reflecting member disposed between the above optical materials and the analog meter is such that the indication needle extends or reduces in accordance with the rotated angle thereof making an oval-shaped image of the analog meter, so that quite interesting and tasteful meter indication is thereby offered.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An indication display unit for a vehicle for providing a driver with a circular meter indication by use of a scale disposed along with a circumference and an indication needle disposed inside said circumference, said indication display unit comprising:

an analog meter including an inner mechanism having a needle shaft extending therefrom, a casing disposed at a needle shaft side of said inner mechanism, a reflector stored in said casing and having a cylindrical concave surface thereof directed to an open side of said casing, a discharge lamp disposed along a focal point of said reflector, said focal point formed as a straight line, a light dispersing plate disposed to cover the open side of said casing, a scale plate having said scale disposed in front of said light dispersing plate, said scale having a longitudinal direction extending from a front to a rear direction of travel of said vehicle, and an indication plate superposed on said scale plate and having said indication needle thereon, a center portion of said indication plate firmly fixed to an end of said needle shaft, said scale plate and indication plate forming an indication surface;
and
a positive cylindrical lens disposed opposed to said indication surface of said analog meter wherein light from said discharge lamp, after passing through said positive cylinder lens, is observed by said driver, a cylindrical axis of said positive cylindrical lens is directed in said longitudinal direction of said scale, wherein
said scale and said indication needle are magnified in a lateral direction thereof by said positive cylindrical lens to form an oval-shaped meter indication.

1 more element

an analog meter including an inner mechanism having a needle shaft extending therefrom, a casing disposed at a needle shaft side of said inner mechanism, a reflector stored in said casing and having a cylindrical concave surface thereof directed to the open side of said casing, a discharge lamp disposed along a focal point of said reflector, said focal point formed as a straight line, a light dispersing plate disposed to cover the open side of said casing, a scale plate having said scale disposed in front of said light dispersing plate, said scale having a longitudinal direction extending from a front to a rear side of a direction of travel of said vehicle, and an indication plate superposed on said scale plate and having said indication needle thereon, a center portion of said indication plate firmly fixed to an end of said needle shaft, said scale plate and said indication plate forming an indication surface;
and
a negative cylindrical lens disposed opposed to said indication surface of said analog meter wherein light from said discharge lamp, after passing through said negative cylindrical lens, is observed by said driver, a cylinder axis of said negative cylindrical lens is directed in a lateral direction of said scale, wherein
said scale and said indication needle are reduced in said longitudinal direction thereof by said negative cylindrical lens to form an oval-shaped meter indication.

1 more element

an analog meter including an inner mechanism having a needle shaft extending therefrom, a casing disposed at a needle shaft side of said inner mechanism, a reflector stored in said casing and having a cylindrical concave surface thereof directed to an open side of said casing, a discharge lamp disposed along a focal point of said reflector, said focal point formed as a straight line, a light dispersing plate disposed to cover the open side of said casing, a scale plate having said scale disposed in front of said light dispersing plate, said scale having a longitudinal direction extending from a front to a rear direction of travel of said vehicle, and an indication plate superposed on said scale plate and having said indication needle thereon, a center portion of said indication plate firmly fixed to an end of said needle shaft, said scale plate and said indication plate forming an indication surface;
and
a reflecting means disposed opposed to said indication surface wherein light from said discharge lamp, after reflection from said reflecting means, is observed by said driver, said reflecting means having a concave reflecting surface directed to said indication surface of said analog meter and said reflecting means disposed such that a radius of curvature of said concave reflecting surface, corresponding to said longitudinal direction of said scale, is made longer than a radius of curvatures of said concave reflecting surface corresponding to a lateral direction of said scale, wherein
said indication surface of said analog meter is disposed within said focal point of said concave reflecting surface of said reflecting means corresponding to said radius of curvature in said lateral direction thereof, wherein an analog meter indication in said lateral direction with respect to said scale and said indication needle is observed relatively larger than that in the longitudinal direction thereof due to a difference of magnification rate of said reflecting means corresponding respectively to the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of said scale, therein forming a meter indication of an oval shape.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Indication display unit for a vehicle

Life of this patent

Indication display unit for a vehicle

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10