Automotive meter having illuminated pointer

A meter for use in an automotive vehicle comprising:

• a scale plate having scale positions aligned circularly from a zero-scale position to a full-scale position in a clockwise direction;
• a pointer adapted to rotate along a front surface of the scale plate, the pointer including a pointer base and a pointer needle formed integrally with the pointer base;
• a pointer driver disposed behind the scale plate and connected to the pointer base to rotate the pointer under control of an electronic controller;
• and
• a light source for illuminating an entire length of the pointer needle, the light source being disposed close to the pointer base, wherein:
• the meter further includes a plurality of light-emitting elements disposed behind the scale plate for illuminating the pointer needle when the pointer is at the zero-scale position, the plurality of light-emitting elements being aligned along a longitudinal direction of the pointer needle positioned at the zero-scale position, and a light-conducting member disposed between the plurality of light-emitting elements and the pointer base for conducting light emitted from the plurality of the light-emitting elements to the pointer base;
• the pointer base includes a light-reflecting surface that distributes light emitted from the plurality of light-emitting elements to respective portions in the pointer needle according to a position of each light-emitting element, the light emitted from the light-emitting elements positioned closer to a driving axis of the pointer driver being distributed to portions in the pointer needle remoter from the driving axis;
• and
• the plurality of the light-emitting elements are progressively lit, when the pointer is at the zero-scale position, from one of the light-emitting elements positioned remotest from the driving axis until the light-emitting elements are all lit, so that the pointer needle is progressively illuminated from its foot portion toward its tip portion.

A meter for use in an automotive vehicle comprising:

• a scale plate having scale positions aligned circularly from a zero-scale position to a full-scale position in a clockwise direction;
• a pointer adapted to rotate along a front surface of the scale plate, the pointer including a pointer base and a pointer needle formed integrally with the pointer base;
• and
• a pointer driver disposed behind the scale plate and connected to the pointer base to rotate the pointer under control of an electronic controller, wherein:
• a plurality of light-emitting elements are embedded in the pointer needle throughout an entire length thereof;
• and
• when a key switch of the automotive vehicle is turned on and the pointer is at the zero-scale position, the plurality of light-emitting elements are lit, under control of the electronic controller, one by one from one of the light-emitting elements positioned closest to the pointer base until all of the plurality of light-emitting elements are lit, so that the pointer needle is progressively illuminated from its foot portion toward its tip portion.

A meter for use in an automotive vehicle comprising:

• a scale plate having scale positions aligned circularly from a zero-scale position to a full-scale position in a clockwise direction;
• a pointer adapted to rotate along a front surface of the scale plate, the pointer including a pointer base and a pointer needle formed integrally with the pointer base;
• and
• a pointer driver disposed behind the scale plate and connected to the pointer base to rotate the pointer under control of an electronic controller, wherein:
• a plurality of light-emitting elements are disposed on the pointer base and covered by a bimetal cover;
• and
• when a key switch of the automotive vehicle is turned on and the pointer is at the zero-scale position, the plurality of light-emitting elements are all lit, under control of the electronic controller, and at the same time the bimetal cover is heated to gradually uncover the plurality of light-emitting elements to expose the light-emitting elements one by one from the bimetal cover, so that the pointer needle is progressively illuminated from its foot portion toward its tip portion.