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US 6,302,551 B1Granted
Meter for vehicle
AssigneeDenso Corporation
InventorMakoto Matumoto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A meter for a vehicle has a scale plate, a pointer and a plurality of light sources. A first light source lights a scale plate up from a backside thereof. A second light source lights the scale plate up through a light guiding plate. A third light source lights a pointer up from a base thereof. The first light and the second light have different colors. The first and second lights and the third light are activated with time lag. The light sources produce a novel appearance on the meter.
Claims15
A meter for a vehicle, comprising:
- a scale plate made of a transparent material having scales thereon;
- a guide plate disposed along a backside of said scale plate for guiding light;
- an actuator having a shaft passing through holes formed on said scale plate and said guide plate;
- a light emitting pointer supported on said shaft at a base thereon;
- a first light source for supplying light along a thickness direction of said scale plate from a backside thereof;
- a second light source disposed in a radial inside of said first light source for supplying light into said guide plate from an end thereof;
- a third light source disposed in a radial inside of said second light source for supplying light into said light emitting pointer from said base;
- and
- means for controlling said light sources so that at least one of said first and second light sources or said third light source is activated when a key switch of said vehicle is turned on, and that a remaining other one of said light sources is activated after a predetermined delay time.
6 more elements
A meter for a vehicle, comprising:
- a scale plate made of a transparent material having scales thereon;
- a guide plate disposed along a backside of said scale plate for guiding light;
- an actuator having a shaft passing through holes formed on said scale plate and said guide plate;
- a light emitting pointer supported on said shaft at a base thereon;
- a first light source for supplying light along a thickness direction of said scale plate from a backside thereof;
- a second light source disposed in a radial outside of said first light source for supplying light into said guide plate from an end thereof;
- a third light source disposed in a radial inside of said first light source for supplying light into said light emitting pointer from said base;
- means for controlling said light sources so that at least one of said first and second light sources or said third light source is activated when a key switch of said vehicle is turned on, and that a remaining other one of said light sources is activated after a predetermined delay time;
- and
- a guide member for guiding light to supply light of said second light source to the right side of said scale plate from an outside thereof.
7 more elements
A meter for a vehicle, comprising:
- a scale plate made of a transparent material having scales thereon;
- a guide plate disposed along a backside of said scale plate for guiding light;
- an actuator having a shaft passing through holes formed on said scale plate and said guide plate;
- a pointer supported on said shaft at a base thereon;
- a first light source for supplying light along a thickness direction of said scale plate from a backside thereof;
- a second light source disposed in a radial inside of said first light source for supplying light into said guide plate from an end thereof;
- means for detecting an environmental brightness of said vehicle;
- and
- means for controlling said light sources so that said first light source or said second light source is activated according to a detected value of said detecting means.
6 more elements
A meter for a vehicle, comprising:
- a scale plate made of a transparent material having scales thereon;
- a guide plate disposed along a backside of said scale plate for guiding light;
- an actuator having a shaft passing through holes formed on said scale plate and said guide plate;
- a pointer supported on said shaft at a base thereon;
- a first light source for supplying light along a thickness direction of said scale plate from a backside thereof;
- a second light source disposed in a radial outside of said first light source for supplying light into said guide plate from an end thereof;
- means for detecting an environmental brightness of said vehicle;
- means for controlling said light sources so that said first light source or said second light source is activated according to a detected value of said detecting means;
- and
- a guide member for guiding light to supply light of said second light source to the right side of said scale plate from an outside thereof.
7 more elements
A meter for a vehicle, comprising:
- a scale plate made of a transparent material having scales thereon;
- a guide plate disposed along a backside of said scale plate for guiding light;
- an actuator having a shaft passing through holes formed on said scale plate and said guide plate;
- a light emitting pointer supported on said shaft at a base thereon;
- a first light source for supplying light along a thickness direction of said scale plate from a backside thereof;
- a second light source disposed in a radial inside of said first light source for supplying light into said guide plate from an end thereof, light having different color to said first light source;
- a third light source disposed in a radial inside of said second light source for supplying light into said light emitting pointer from said base;
- means for controlling said light sources so that said first and second light sources or said third light source is activated when a key switch of said vehicle is turned on, and that a remaining other one of said light sources is activated after a predetermined delay time;
- and
- means for adjusting a brightness of at least one of said first light source and said second light source.
7 more elements
A meter for a vehicle, comprising:
- a scale plate made of a transparent material having scales thereon;
- a guide plate disposed along a backside of said scale plate for guiding light;
- an actuator having a shaft passing through holes formed on said scale plate and said guide plate;
- a light emitting pointer supported on said shaft at a base thereon;
- a first light source for supplying light along a thickness direction of said scale plate from a backside thereof;
- a second light source disposed in a radial outside of said first light source for supplying light into said guide plate from an end thereof, light having different color to said first light source;
- a third light source disposed in a radial inside of said second light source for supplying light into said light emitting pointer from said base;
- means for controlling said light sources so that said first and second light sources or said third light source is activated when a key switch of said vehicle is turned on, and that a remaining other one of said light sources is activated after a predetermined delay time;
- means for adjusting a brightness of at least one of said first light source and said second light source;
- and
- a guide member for guiding light to supply light of said second light source to the right side of said scale plate from an outside thereof.
8 more elements
A meter for a vehicle, comprising:
- a scale plate made of a transparent material having scales thereon;
- a guide plate disposed along a backside of said scale plate for guiding light;
- an actuator having a shaft passing through holes formed on said scale plate and said guide plate;
- a pointer supported on said shaft at a base thereon;
- a first light source for supplying light along a thickness direction of said scale plate from a backside thereof;
- a second light source disposed in a radial inside of said first light source for supplying light into said guide plate from an end thereof, light having different color to said first light source;
- means for detecting an environmental brightness of said vehicle;
- means for controlling said light sources so that said first light sources or said second light sources is activated according to a detected value of said detecting means;
- and
- means for adjusting a brightness of at least one of said first light source and said second light source.
7 more elements
A meter for a vehicle, comprising:
- a scale plate made of a transparent material having scales thereon;
- a guide plate disposed along a backside of said scale plate for guiding light;
- an actuator having a shaft passing through holes formed on said scale plate and said guide plate;
- a pointer supported on said shaft at a base thereon;
- a first light source for supplying light along a thickness direction of said scale plate from a backside thereof;
- a second light source disposed in a radial outside of said first light source for supplying light into said guide plate from an end thereof, light having different color to said first light source;
- means for detecting an environmental brightness of said vehicle;
- means for controlling said light sources so that said first light source or said second light source is activated according to a detected value of said detecting means;
- means for adjusting a brightness of at least one of said first light source and said second light source;
- and
- a guide member for guiding light to supply light of said second light source to the right side of said scale plate from an outside thereof.
8 more elements
A meter for a vehicle, comprising:
- a scale plate made of a transparent material having scales thereon;
- a guide plate disposed along a backside of said scale plate for guiding light;
- an actuator having a shaft passing through holes formed on said scale plate and said guide plate;
- a pointer supported on said shaft at a base thereon;
- a first light source for supplying light along a thickness direction of said scale plate from a backside thereof;
- and
- a second light source disposed in a radial inside of said first light source for supplying light into said guide plate from an end thereof, light having different color to said first light source.
4 more elements
A meter for a vehicle, comprising:
- a scale plate made of a transparent material having scales thereon;
- a guide plate disposed along a backside of said scale plate for guiding light;
- an actuator having a shaft passing through holes formed on said scale plate and said guide plate;
- a pointer supported on said shaft at a base thereon;
- a first light source for supplying light along a thickness direction of said scale plate from a backside thereof;
- a second light source disposed in a radial outside of said first light source for supplying light into said guide plate from an end thereof, light having different color to said first light source;
- and
- a guide member for guiding light to supply light of said second light source to the right side of said scale plate from an outside thereof.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.