Patent Publication Number: US-2015068443-A1

Title: Instrument panel having pointer

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0107420 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Sep. 6, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to an instrument panel having a pointer for notifying a driver of an operation state by means of a structure which improves visibility of the driver with a colored portion and a transparent portion. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In general, instrument panels are mounted to a front of an instrument cluster on a front side of a vehicle where the driver sits for a driver to observe speed and RPM of the vehicle, water temperature, fuel quantity, and so on. 
     The present speed and RPM of the vehicle, the water temperature, the fuel quantity, and so on, shown on the instrument panels are made visible to the driver with pointers provided to respective instrument panels. 
     Each of the instrument panels has a light provided therein for the driver or a passenger to easily notice the present numerical values of respective pointers even at night. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic front view of an instrument panel having the related art pointer. Referring to  FIG. 1 , an instrument panel  130  has a pointer  100  disposed on the center of a rotation body  120 . 
     The pointer  100 , which indicates a numerical region  110 , provides poor visibility because the pointer  100 , which is non-transparent, covers the numerical region  110 . 
     The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the disclosure, and therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure provides an instrument panel having a pointer, which has an advantage of improved visibility. An aspect of the present disclosure provides an instrument panel having a pointer, in which a structure and a color of the pointer provide improved visibility of which indicates a numeral on a numerical region of the instrument panel. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the instrument panel having a pointer rotatably centered on a point to pass a numerical region may include a transparent portion formed at the numerical region making the numerical region visible from an outside of the instrument panel. A first color portion is formed on an outer end portion of the pointer so as to be seen in a first color, and a second color portion is formed on a center of the pointer so as to be seen in a second color. 
     The transparent portion may have a fixed thickness. 
     The first color portion may have a first color layer formed on an outside surface thereof for producing the first color, and the second color portion may have a second color layer formed on an outside surface thereof for producing the second color. 
     The first color layer may include a first bottom color layer formed on a surface facing the numerical region, and a first upper color layer formed on a surface opposite to the first bottom color layer. 
     The second color layer may include a second bottom color layer formed on a surface facing the numerical region, and a second upper color layer formed on a surface opposite to the first bottom color layer. 
     The second color portion may gradually become thicker along a direction extending toward the point on which the pointer is rotatably centered. 
     The instrument panel having a pointer of the present disclosure improves visibility by forming a transparent portion at the pointer and maintaining a thickness of the transparent portion. 
     Formation of the color layers with foil on an underside and upper side of the pointer improves visibility. Further, the formation of a region having a first color on one side of the transparent portion and a region having a second color on the other side of the transparent portion of the pointer improves visibility. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic front view of an instrument panel having the related art pointer. 
         FIG. 2  schematically illustrates a partial front view of an instrument panel having a pointer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a plan view of a pointer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a cross sectional view of a pointer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a cross sectional view of a pointer in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a schematic partial side view of a device for forming a color layer on a pointer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a schematic partial front view of an instrument panel having a pointer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to  FIG. 2 , an instrument panel  130  having a pointer  100  includes a numerical region  110  having numerals formed thereon, a first color portion  210 , a transparent portion  200 , and a second color portion  220 . 
     The transparent portion  200  is transparent so that numerals formed at the numerical region  110  can be seen. The first color portion  210  produces a red color, and the second color portion  220  produces a blue color. 
     The first color portion  210  and the second color portion  220  improve visibility of a driver, and the numerals are visible through the transparent portion. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a plan view of a pointer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to  FIG. 3 , the pointer  100  includes a rotation body  120  formed at a rotation center, and the second color portion  220 , the transparent portion  200 , and the first color portion  210  which extend from the rotation body  120 . The second color portion  220 , the transparent portion  200 , and the first color portion  210  may be formed as one unit. In certain embodiments, the first color portion, which produces a first color; and the second color portion  220 , which produces a second color; may be formed of foil or paint. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a cross sectional view of a pointer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to  FIG. 4 , the transparent portion  200  of the pointer  100  has a fixed thickness t. Accordingly, the numeral seen through the transparent portion  200  is not distorted, thereby improving visibility to the driver. The pointer  100  has a first bottom color layer  500   b  formed on an underside of the first color portion  210  facing the numerical region for producing the first color, and a second bottom color layer  510   b  formed on an underside of the second color portion  220  facing the numerical region for producing the second color. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a cross sectional view of a pointer in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to  FIG. 5 , the pointer  100  includes a first color portion  210  having a first bottom color layer  500   b  and a first upper color layer  500   a  formed on an underside and an upper side of the first color portion  210  for producing the first color, respectively. A second color portion  220  has a second bottom color layer  510   b  and a second upper color layer  510   a  formed on an underside and an upper side of the second color portion  220  for producing the second color, respectively. 
     The second color portion  220  has a structure in which the second color portion  220  becomes gradually thicker as the second color portion moves toward a rotation body  120 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a schematic partial side view of a device for forming a color layer on a pointer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to  FIG. 6 , a device for forming a color layer on a pointer includes a first upper roller  650   a , a first bottom roller  650   b , a second upper roller  660   a , and a second bottom roller  660   b.    
     The first upper roller  650   a  has an end portion with a first upper foil  600   a  wound thereon, and the first bottom roller  650   b  has an end portion with a first bottom foil  600   b  wound thereon. The second upper roller  660   a  has an end portion with a second upper foil  610   a  wound thereon, and the second bottom roller  660   b  has an end portion with a second bottom foil  610   b  wound thereon. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the first bottom foil  600   b  is attached to an underside of the first color portion  210  of the pointer  100  to form the first bottom color layer  500   b . The first upper foil  600   a  is attached to an upper side of the first color portion  210  of the pointer  100  to form the first upper color layer  500   a . The second bottom foil  610   b  is attached to an underside of the second color portion  220  of the pointer  100  to form the second bottom color layer  510   b , and the second upper foil  610   a  is attached to an upper side of the second color portion  220  of the pointer  100  to form the second upper color layer  510   a.    
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first bottom color layer  500   b  and the first upper color layer  500   a  produce a red color, and the second bottom color layer  510   b  and the second upper color layer  510   a  produce a blue color. 
     While this disclosure has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.