Surface mounted gauge with illuminated pointer
AssigneeDelco Electronics Corporation
InventorsSteven G. Skiver, Mankong H. Leung
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automotive instrument cluster has closely spaced face plate and circuit board and a compact gauge including a housing mounted on the side of the circuit board facing the face plate. A light conducting pointer has a two-part snap-together hub extending into the gauge housing and an end face adjacent surface mount LEDs on the circuit board for direct pointer illumination. A gear on the hub is driven by another gear on a stepper motor which is offset from the pointer hub. The stepper motor has a permanent magnet armature supported by the housing and the circuit board, and surface mount electromagnets on the circuit board to provide a motor field.
Claims14
In an automotive display having a printed circuit board, a gauge pointer assembly comprising:
- a light conducting pointer having a hub and a needle, the hub being rotatably mounted on the circuit board for pointer rotation about an axis;
- a light source means mounted on the circuit board adjacent the hub for pointer illumination;
- a magnetic armature movably mounted on the circuit board and offset from the axis;
- electromagnetic field means mounted on the circuit board adjacent the armature for controlling armature movement;
- and
- drive means coupling the armature and the pointer for rotating the pointer in response to armature movement.
In an automotive display having a face plate with inner and outer surfaces including an aperture, a circuit board spaced from the inner surface of the face plate, and indicia on said outer surface a gauge comprising:
- a housing mounted on the circuit board between the circuit board and the face plate and having an opening opposite the aperture in the face plate, the housing and the circuit board defining a gauge cavity;
- a light conducting pointer having a needle movable across the outer surface of the face plate cooperable with said indicia and a hub extending from the needle into the gauge cavity;
- means for supporting the hub on the circuit board for rotation in the opening and in the aperture about a first axis, the hub having an end face spaced from the circuit board;
- a light source means on the circuit board opposite the end face of the hub for illuminating the pointer;
- a gauge motor in the cavity mounted for rotation about a second axis;
- means for activating the motor mounted on the circuit board and
- drive means for coupling the motor to the hub for pointer rotation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.