A MEASURING INSTRUMENT, PREFERABLY FOR WATERCRAFT

Abstract: The present invention relates to a measuring instrument for watercraft, e.g. a fuel gauge, an ammeter, an oil-pressure gauge or the like. A transparent front plate (instrument glass) covers the instrument dial and is permanently attached to the instrument. A separate decoration strip or panel covers a small part of the front plate.

Description: A measuring instrument, preferably for watercraft The present invention relates to a measuring instrument, preferably for watercraft, e.g. for indicating fuel volume, voltage, oil pressure and the like, comprising an instrument body, an indicator dial and a transparent front plate which covers the indicator dial. With watercraft instruments of this kind it is known to attach the transparent front instrument glass to the instrument body with the aid of a frame, provided with a bayonet-fitting which coacts with the instrument body. The frame serves as an attachment means and also as a decora¬ tion and one and the same instrument can be provided with different frames for fitting the instrument to different installations, e.g. different types of engine. When ne- cessary, one type of frame can be exchanged for another, e.g. if the instrument is moved to another panel. It muπt be possible to fit certain ty e:) of wuLcrcrart instruments, or gauges, into an open recess in a water- craft, which means that the instrument must be watertight and consequently that there must be a close fit between frame, glass and instrument body. Furthermore, a great deal of accuracy is required when fitting the parts together. If the parts are not fitted together correctly, it is possible that moisture will penetrate into the instrument and damage the same. The object of the present invention is to provide an instrument, or gauge, of the aforesaid kind which can be made completely watertight and which can nevertheless be "tailor made" tυ sυrπ extent with regard to its aesthetic appearance, e.g. so as to conform with the engine in¬ stallation for which the instrument is intended. This object is achieved in accordance with the invention in that the transparent front plate is permanently fixed to the instrument body and/or the dial, and in that a separate decoration strip/decoration panel covers a part of the front plate. For example, an instrument manufacturer is able to deliver instruments of a basic design to different engine manu¬ facturers and supply decoration strips or panels which bear the name or trade mark of the various engine manu¬ facturers, so that each engine manufacturer or engine installation contractor is able to place, e.g., his name on the instrument, simply by snap-fitting his personal decoration strip onto the transparent front plate of the instrument. It is also possible to supply a variety of decoration strips or panels directly to the customer, so as to enable different tastes, with regard to the aeste- thic appearance of the instrument installation, to be satisfied to a greater extent than was previously possible, - The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an exemplifying embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a partially sectioned side view of an inventive measuring instrument or gauge; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the ringed area in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a front plate with a decoration strip attached thereon. The illustrated instrument, or gauge, may be a moving coil instrument for indicating fuel volume, voltage, amperage, oil pressure, water coolant temperature or the like, and includes a cylindrical instrument casing or body 1 which houses a moving coil and associated electrical components. A dial 2 is attached to an attachment plate 3 on the in¬ strument casing 1 and is covered by a transparent front plate 4. The plate 3, the dial 2 and the front plate 4 of the illustrated embodiment are square in shape and the front plate 4 has a centrally located circular part 5 which has a spherically cupped surface in the otherwise flat surface thereof (of Fig. 3). The front plate 4 suitably comprises a plastics material and is glued or welded permanently to the attachment plate 3 and/or to the rim of the dial 2, so as to obtain a com¬ pletely watertight join at 6, in order to prevent the ingress of moisture into the space 7 between the dial 2 and the front plate 4, i.e. the "instrument glass". The instrument is intended to be fitted into a circular aperture in an instrument panel, with the aid of a U-shaped bracket structure 8 and two nuts 9 which are screwed into two screws 10 firmly connected to the body of the instrument. A decoration strip or panel shown generally at 11 covers the lower part of the front plate 4. The decoration strip 11 of the illustrated embodiment is trough-shaped and grips around the lower part of the front surface of the front plate 4 and the rear side of the attachment plate 3. As will best be seen from Fig. 2, the parts 12, 13 of the front plate and the attachment plate 3 overlapped by the decoration strip 11 are recessed, so that the outer sur- face of the decoration strip 11 is flush with surfaces adjacent thereto, so as to obtain a smooth and even transition between said surfaces. The part 12 of the front plate 4 and the part 13 of the plate 3 are each provided with a respective groove 1*1 nriri 15. The decoration strip or panel 11 has corresponding beads 16 and 17 on its mutually opposing inner surfaces. The strip 11 is conveniently made of a springy, resilient plastics material, so as to enable mutually opposing wall sections of the strip or panel 11 to be first pressed apart and then allowed to spring back with the beads 16, 17 snapping into the grooves 1 , 15, when the trough- -shaped decoration strip is fitted to the instrument panel by moving the strip up over the recessed parts 12, 13 of the front plate 4 and the attachment plate 3. The described embodiment will normally suffice to hold the decoration strip 11 firmly on the instrument, particularly since the wall 18 of- the strip 11 will be clamped firmly against the instrument panel when the instrument is fitted in position. If desired, the connection can be further strengthened by placing a piece of double-sided adhesive tape in the bottom of the trough of the trough-shape de¬ coration strip.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A measuring instrument, preferably intended for water¬ craft, for indicating fuel volume, voltage, oil pressure and the like, comprising an instrument body, a dial and a transparent front plate covering the dial, characterized in that the front plate (4) is permanently attached to the instrument body (1) and/or the dial (2); and in that a separate detachable decoration strip or panel (11) covers part of the front plate. 2. An instrument according to Claim 1, characterized in that the decoration strip or panel (11) has profiled resilient parts; and in that the front plate (4) and/or the instrument body (1) has corresponding profiled parts (14, 15) which coact with the profiled panel parts (16, 17) in a manner to enable the decoration strip to be snap-fitted to the front plate. 3. An instrument according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the. part of the front plate overlapped by the decoration strip or panel is recessed so that the outer surfaces of said parts lie essentially in mutually the same plane.

Inventors: FALCK FRANS GUNNAR, FALCK, FRANS, GUNNAR
Applicants: VOLVO PENTA AB, AB VOLVO PENTA
Application year: 1988
Main classification: G09F7
IPC codes: G01D11, G01F23, G09F11, G09F23