Patent Publication Number: US-2007096000-A1

Title: Vehicle gauge mounting bracket

Description:
BACKGROUND  
      The present invention relates generally to gauges and instruments used in vehicular applications such as speedometers, fuel gauges and the like, and, more particularly, to the mounting brackets used in mounting the gauges and instruments in the vehicles in which they are contained.  
      Gauges with illuminated dials and pointers have been made for many years, for a variety of different applications. One of the largest applications for such gauges is the automotive industry where gauges having illuminated dials and pointers are used in large numbers, and have been in use for many years. Much effort has gone into the development of such gauges that can be efficiently and economically manufactured and that are aesthetically pleasing. Numerous patents have been issued on various designs and constructions for such gauges. Similarly, instruments may be used in vehicles to indicate pressure, temperature, liquid level, rotations per minute (RPM) and various other measurements that are used to monitor the operation of a vehicle.  
      While limited gauges and instruments come standard in vehicles, many consumers prefer to add additional gauges and/or instruments to their vehicles to enhance the monitoring capability available to them. These gauges and/or instruments may be added for specific applications such as automobile drag racing or street racing or may be added to increase the efficiency of the vehicle by monitoring engine and vehicle characteristics. For each of these devices (standard gauges, standard instruments, “add-on” gauges and “add-on” instruments), the device must be mounted or attached to the vehicle.  
     SUMMARY  
      The invention provides a new and novel way of attaching gauges and/or instruments to a vehicle. These gauges and/or instruments may be attached to the outside of the vehicle or to the inside of the vehicle. The invention provides an adjustable mounting bracket including a vehicle mounting portion, an encircling portion and a securing means which enables the user to mount the gauge as desired. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a right side perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of a mounting device for affixing a tubular gauge or instrument in a vehicle;  
       FIG. 2  is a schematic view showing the range of adjustment of the device of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a left side perspective view of the device of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a front view of the device of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 5  is a front view of an exemplary gauge mounted within a second embodiment of a mounting device;  
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of  FIG. 3 ; and  
       FIG. 7  is a view like  FIG. 6  illustrating a different orientation of the device.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       FIGS. 1 and 3 , illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a mounting device  101  for affixing a tubular gauge or instrument  102  in a vehicle. As shown, the mounting device  101  includes three portions: a vehicle mounting portion  103 , a grasping portion  104 , and a securing portion  105 .  
      The vehicle mounting portion  103  includes a device mounting surface  106  which may be curved (as shown) or otherwise contoured to conform to a mounting surface of the vehicle to which mounting device  101  will be attached. As shown, the mounting surface  106  may include one or more holes  107  used to pass bolts (not shown) through to attach the mounting device  101  to the vehicle mounting surface (not shown). Alternatively, other attachment means may be used such as Velcro®, tape, rivets, screws, bolts, brackets, or any other attachment means which affixes the mounting device  101  to the vehicle mounting surface (not shown). While a curved device mounting surface  106  is shown in  FIG. 1 , one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that other shaped device mounting surfaces may be used to conform to, or to give the desired interface with a vehicle mounting surface.  
      A grasping portion  104  encircles the tubular gauge or instrument  102  such that, when properly fastened, the orientation between the instrument  102  and the mounting device  101  is substantially fixed. In use, at least a portion of the inner surface  109  of the grasping portion  104  makes contact with a portion of the outer circumference  110  of the instrument  102 . This capability enables the user to adjust the orientation of the instrument  102  with respect to the mounting device  101 . The ability to adjust the orientation of the instrument  102  is desirable to increase the visibility of the gauge face  108  of the instrument  102 .  
      Refer now to  FIG. 2  which illustrates the range of movement of the instrument  102  with respect to the device  101 . By adjusting the angle of tilt of the instrument  102 , the axis  122  of the instrument may be skewed from the axis  123  of the grasping portion  104 . Line  124  schematically illustrates the range of possible adjustment angles of the skew of axis  122  to the axis  123 . The axis  122  is shown by phantom lines in two skewed positions in  FIG. 2  with the instrument  102  shown by phantom lines in two corresponding skewed positions. The range line  124  is defined by the furthermost adjustment extents of the axis  122 . Generally the axis  122  thus could be adjusted to anywhere on or inside the line  124 . The particular dimensions of the surfaces may be chosen to vary the range of skew  124 .  
      Again referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the securing portion  105 , in this embodiment, may be tightened to reduces the diameter of the encircling grasping portion  104  such that the instrument  102  is securely held by the grasping portion  104 .  
       FIG. 4  is a front view of an exemplary instrument  102  mounted within the mounting device of  FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, the vehicle mounting portion  103  is curved, the grasping portion  104  completely encircles instrument  102  and the securing means  105  is a hex bolt.  
      Other methods of securely attaching the  102  to the grasping portion  104  would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to be encompassed within the present invention. For example, the grasping portion  104  may be configured so that it does not completely encircle the instrument  102 .  FIG. 5  is a front view of an exemplary gauge instrument  102  mounted within a second embodiment of a mounting device. In this embodiment, the vehicle mounting portion  502  is flat to conform to a flat vehicle mounting portion, the grasping portion  504  does not completely encircle the gauge  102  in that a gap  503  interrupts a first segment  508  from a second segment  509  of the encircling portion  504 . The securing means  105  is a hex bolt engaging with its head the second segment  509  and threaded into the base of the first segment  508 .  
      With reference to  FIG. 6 , the mounting device  101  includes a curved vehicle mounting portion  103 , a grasping portion  104 , and a securing portion  105 . As shown in the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 6 , in the illustrated embodiment, the inner surface  109  of the grasping portion  104  conforms to the outer raised circumference  110  of the gauge  102 . As shown, the inner surface  109  of the grasping portion  109  is a concave surface while the outer circumference  110  of the gauge  102  includes a convex surface. With this configuration the concave surface engages the convex surface to prevent relative movement if the grasping portion  104  and the instrument  122  in the axial direction. The outer circumference  110  of the gauge includes an enlarged raised area  110  which allows the mounting device to  101  to be attached in a way that the orientation of the gauge can be varied. In other words the width of the outer circumferential surface  110  of the gauge (W oc  in  FIG. 6 ) is larger than the width of the inner surface  109  (W is  in  FIG. 6 ) of grasping portion  104 . In this embodiment, the orientation of the gauge is dependent on the portion of the outer circumference  110  of the gauge  102  with which the inner surface  109  of the mounting device  101  mates. In  FIG. 6  axis  122  is parallel to axis  123 .  
      The workings of the instrument can be as desired, for example the gauge features as described in Westberg et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,374, entitled “High Performance Tachometer” which was issued on May 18, 1999.  
       FIG. 7  is a second cross-sectional view illustrating a different orientation possible with mounting device. In this embodiment, the inner surface  109  of the encircling portion  109  mates with a different portion of outer circumference  110  of the gauge  102  allowing the gauge  102  to tilt up. In  FIG. 7  axis  122  is skewed from axis  123 . Whether parallel or skewed, axis  122  may intersect axis  123 .  
      The foregoing represents some of the possibilities for practicing the invention. Many other embodiments are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention. It is intended that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting and that the scope of the invention is given by the following claims together with their full range of equivalents.