Abstract:
An indicator assembly for a vehicle instrument cluster is provided. The indicator assembly includes a (“floating”) needle configured to rotate with respect to an indicator housing. The needle is selectively illuminable by a light source which may be mounted in various placements with respect the indicator assembly.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     The present application is a continuation-in-part, under 35 U.S.C. §§365(c) and 120, of International Applications: PCT/FR2005/000937 with an international filing date of Apr. 19, 2005 (which was published as WO 2006/005820 A1 in the French language); and PCT/FR2005/000938 with an international filing date of Apr. 19, 2005 (which was published as WO 2006/005821 A1 in the French language), the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety into the present application. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     The present application relates to dashboard indicators of a motor vehicle or other machine of locomotion. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0003]     The indicator assembly will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:  
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of an indicator assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0005]      FIG. 2  is a front view of an indicator assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0006]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of an indicator assembly according to an exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0007]     One embodiment relates to an indicator comprises a movement, an indicator needle, rotated by the movement in front of a dial supporting indication characters (scale marks and numbers especially), the whole assembly mounted in a casing flange also used for protection and as an outer cover plate of the dial.  
         [0008]     The applicant has sought to develop an indicator with a needle that is visible only on the periphery of the dial and that is of low cost.  
         [0009]     Provided is a dashboard indicator comprising a monobloc needle mounted so as to rotate on a shaft of a drive motor, the needle comprising a bent arm terminated in an indicator end bent back towards its shaft to be moved in circular translation in front of a dial placed on a light duct, the dial and the light duct extending between the indicator end and the arm of the needle, hidden by the duct and the dial, lighting means being provided for the direct lighting of the arm and of the bent-back needle end and the indirect lighting, through the needle arm, of the light duct and hence of the dial.  
         [0010]     Preferably, the indicator is mounted in a flange to which a protective pane extending at the front of the dial is attached.  
         [0011]     Still preferably, the needle arm, forming a light guide, comprises, in a zone close to the shaft, at least one inclined face for the light to enter.  
         [0012]     Advantageously, the lighting means comprise light-emitting diodes (LEDs).  
         [0013]     The lighting of the needle and of the dial is thus easy and cheap to produce.  
         [0014]     The present indicator assembly includes an indicator with a needle that is visible only on the periphery of the dial with the best possible lighting.  
         [0015]     This problem is solved by a dashboard indicator comprising a needle mounted so as to rotate on a shaft of a drive motor, the needle comprising an arm extended by a bent finger with an indicator end bent back towards its shaft to be moved in circular translation in front of a dial placed on a light duct, the dial and the light duct extending between the indicator end and the arm of the needle, hidden by the duct and the dial, first lighting means being provided for the direct lighting of the needle end and second lighting means for the indirect lighting, through the needle arm, of the light duct and hence of the dial.  
         [0016]     Preferably, the indicator is mounted in a flange to which a protective pane extending at the front of the dial is attached.  
         [0017]     Still preferably, the first lighting means are on-board means arranged to be supplied with electric energy by means of a flex, a portion of which is wound about the shaft of the needle.  
         [0018]     Again preferably, the needle finger is fitted to the end of the needle arm and the first lighting means are mounted on this arm end, at the entrance of the bent finger.  
         [0019]     In this case, the flex extends along the arm.  
         [0020]     Advantageously, the first lighting means comprise a three-colour light-emitting diode (LED) allowing the indicator end to change colour depending on its angular position.  
         [0021]     The lighting of the indicator of the indicator assembly is good and can even be very powerful.  
         [0022]     A first embodiment is now described with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Note that the indicator  1  that will now be described forms part of a much wider set of indicators built into a dashboard  2  or instrument cluster comprising a rear end  3 , and a front protective pane  4  held in a casing flange  5  also serving as protection and here as an outer cover plate for the dial of the indicator  1  and certain others.  
         [0023]     Between the protective pane  4  and the rear end  3 , a printed circuit board  6  extends, at the rear of which the movement motor  7  of the indicator is mounted. The motor  7  supports a shaft  8  passing through the board  6  and onto which a spindle  9  of a monobloc indicator needle  10  is sleeve-fitted. The needle  10  comprises an arm  11 , that extends parallel to the board  6 , and that is bent twice at right angles to terminate in an indicator end  12  also extending parallel to the board  6 , bent back towards the shaft  8  of the motor. The needle  10  is made in a material that conducts light and is also transparent to light.  
         [0024]     A plurality of light-emitting diodes  13 , in this instance four, is mounted on the board  6  around the shaft  8  of the motor  7  for rotating the needle  10 .  
         [0025]     The portion of the needle arm  11  extending on either side of the spindle  9  comprises, at its free end, a first outer inclined face  14  for the light to enter, to reflect in the needle, that is to say in its arm  11  and its indicator end  12 , the light of one of the diodes  13 . On the other side of the arm portion, relative to the spindle, a second inner inclined face  15  is arranged for the light to enter, also to reflect the light of one of the diodes  13  in the arm  11 . Because of the transparency of the needle arm  11 , these two zones, in which the inclined faces  14 ,  15  for the light to enter are made, also let the light of the diodes  13  pass through them to provide indirect lighting of the dial, as explained hereinafter, while these diodes  13  provide direct lighting of the needle  10 .  
         [0026]     A light guide lens  16 , designed to be lit indirectly by the diodes  13  through the needle arm  11 , extends between the needle arm  11  and the indicator end  12 . The anterior face  17  of the lens  16  serves as a front face of the indicator supporting the dial  18  ( FIG. 2 ) which may be a Lexan mask on which have been silk-screen-printed, in this instance, a counter scale  19  and speed values  20 . The lens  16  is placed in front of a bottom wall  21  serving as a light box, the wall being pierced with a window  22  in line with the needle spindle  9  and with the zone of the diodes  13  to allow the light of the diodes  13  to pass through. The bottom wall  21  is adjacent to another portion of light box  23  which also forms a zone for mechanically retaining the lens  16  and in which the needle  10  cannot move.  
         [0027]     When the motor  7  rotates the indicator needle  10  on the shaft  8 , the indicator end  12 , that is the only portion of needle that is visible, the needle arm  11  being hidden by the lens  16  and the dial  18 , is moved in circular translation on the periphery of the dial  18 , along the counter scale  19 .  
         [0028]     By night, when the diodes  13  are lit, the indicator end  12  is perfectly illuminated.  
         [0029]     The second embodiment is now described with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . Note that the indicator  1 , that will now be described, forms part of a much wider set of indicators built into a dashboard  2  comprising a rear end  3 , and a front protective pane  4  held in a casing flange  5  also serving as protection and here as an outer cover plate for the dial of the indicator  1  and certain others.  
         [0030]     Between the protective pane  4  and the rear end  3 , a printed circuit board  6  extends, at the rear of which the motor  7  for moving the indicator is mounted. The motor  7  supports a shaft  8  passing through the board  6  and onto which a spindle  9  of an indicator needle  10  is sleeve-fitted. The needle  10  is in two parts and comprises an arm  11 , extending parallel to the board  6 , at the end  26  of which is fitted here a finger  114  bent at right angles to terminate in an indicator end  12  also extending parallel to the board  6 , bent back towards the shaft  8  of the motor. The needle finger  114  is made of light-conductive material. As for the needle arm  11 , it is made of material transparent to the light.  
         [0031]     About the shaft  8  of the motor  7  for rotating the needle  10 , a plurality of light sources which may be light-emitting diodes  13 , in this instance four, is mounted on the board  6 .  
         [0032]     Slightly short of the inner end of the finger  114 , turned towards the printed circuit board  6 , a three-colour LED  24  is placed which is therefore on-board the needle  10 . It is supplied from a flexible circuit (or flex)  25  which extends along the needle arm  11  and which, in conventional manner, is spiral-wound about the spindle  9  and the shaft  8  of the motor  7 , the flex being electrically connected to the electric circuit supported by the board  6 . The needle finger  114 , with its indicator end  12 , is directly lit by the LED  24 . It being a three-colour LED, the colour of the indicator end may be modified depending on the angular position of the needle.  
         [0033]     Because of the transparency of the needle arm  11 , the portion of the arm extending on either side of the spindle  9  lets the light of the diodes  13  pass through it to provide an indirect lighting of the dial, as explained hereinafter.  
         [0034]     Between the needle arm  11  and the indicator end  12 , a light guide lens  16  extends, designed to be lit indirectly by the diodes  13  through the needle arm  11 . The anterior face  17  of the lens  16  serves as a front face of the indicator supporting the dial  18  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ) which may have been silk-screen-printed, in this instance, a counter scale  9  and speed values  20 . The lens  16  is placed in front of a bottom wall  21  serving as a light box, the wall being pierced with a window  22  in line with the needle spindle  9  and with the zone of the diodes  13  to allow the light of the diodes  13  to pass through. The bottom wall  21  is adjacent to another portion of light box  23  which also forms a zone for mechanically retaining the lens  16  and in which the needle  10  cannot move.  
         [0035]     When the motor  7  rotates the indicator needle  10  on the shaft  8 , the indicator end  12 , that is the only portion of needle that is visible, the needle arm  1   1  being hidden by the lens  16  and the dial  18 , is moved in circular translation on the periphery of the dial  18 , along the counter scale  19 .  
         [0036]     By night, when the diodes  13  are lit, the indicator end  12  is perfectly illuminated.