Dashboard assembly with one single light source

The present invention relates to automotive vehicle dashboard assemblies of the type comprising at least one pointer indicator.

The indicator then generally comprises a dial centred on the pointer axis and bearing on its periphery velocity indications or other, in front of which the pointer is positioned in real time by a stepper motor for pointing the relevant indication.

As the indicator occupies a large surface, the central part of such a surface is advantageously used for supporting a second indicator, for example, a LCD (liquid crystal display) indicator.

All those items, dial, pointer, LCD, need to be lighted according to the technology of each of them. Usually, lighting is provided by means of

LEDs (light emitting diodes) arranged on a printed circuit board located at the rear of the assembly, in front of the items to be lighted, or upstream ends of more or less sophisticated light guides for supplying the light emitted by the LEDs, from the printed circuit board to each of such items.

The whole assembly is thereby technically quite complex and further requires an expensive mounting step. The Applicant tried to solve such a situation and thus suggests this invention.

Thus, the present invention relates to a dashboard assembly comprising a first rotating pointer

indicator, with a central part comprising a second indicator, and a peripheral part comprising a dial of the first indicator, the assembly being characterized in that the pointer, the dial of the first indicator and the second indicator are lighted by only one single light source located behind the central part of the first indicator, the pointer of the first indicator being provided on a rotating disc.

Preferably, the disc is arranged so as to reflect and lead the light from its central part up to its periphery so as to light the dial with an intensity being independent from the disc angular position.

It is to be noticed that the disc, being wholly lighted, the pointer is also lighted.

Advantageously, the pointer being screen printed on the rear side of the disc, it possible to impart to it any desirable shape without any difficulty.

Still preferably, the second indicator receives light from the light source through the disc central axis.

Advantageously, the second indicator is an

LCD indicator lighted without any other light duct than the above-mentioned light central duct and hanging before the central part by a bracket -shaped console, which let it freely rotate.

Again advantageously, the assembly comprises a printed circuit board, the light source is made of a set of electroluminescent diodes surrounding the motor axis of the first indicator, the diodes being arranged on the assembly printed circuit board.

Mounting is then very simple.

Other features and advantages of the present

invention will become more evident from the following description of the assembly according to this invention, referring on the accompanying drawing, wherein: - Fig. 1 is a front view of the assembly according to the invention, and

- Fig. 2 shows a axial sectional view of the assembly on Fig. 1 along the line II-II.

Referring to Fig. 1, the assembly 1 of an automotive vehicle here comprises two first pointer indicators 2, each partly covered with a bracket- shaped console 3 abutting on the lower part of the assembly and to which a second indicator 4 is hanging, here a LCD indicator, on the right side of the central part of the first indicator 2.

The console 3 is here made more rigid by means of a transparent plastic material arm 9 being able to support the bracket end located in the central part of the first indicator 2 through abutting on the higher part thereof .

Each pointer indicator 2 comprises a rotating pointer 6 pointing on a dial 5, provided on a rigid polycarbonate support 34 onto which indications 7 are screen printed, essentially a graduation scale and some reference values of the vehicle driving parameters, for example, velocity values from 20 to 20 kilometres/hour.

The pointer 6 is here of a particular design and is also screen printed on a transparent polycarbonate rotating disc 22 covering the dial 5 and it is actually the disc 22 being driven into rotation by the motor 14 of the first indicator 2 that will be disclosed in further detail hereinbelow.

The disc 22 is positioned rotationalIy so that the screen printed pointer 6 is kept constantly maintained in front of the relevant graduations 7, in real time. The structure and the operation of the assembly 1 will be described now in further detail, referring to Fig. 2.

On Fig. 2, the housing 16 of the assembly 1 can be more easily seen supporting the projection thereof 11 closed by a fore-pane 12 and the printed circuit board 13 thereof. The shapes for the bracket of the console 3 and the arm 9 leave the disc 22 freely in rotation and provide for the electric supply 26 of the second indicator 4 from the printed circuit board 13.

The motor of the first indicator 2, a common stepper motor, is provided at the rear of the printed circuit board 13 and the axis 15 of the motor 14 goes therethrough freely and is integral with the disc 22 located at the front so that the latter can rotate freely, being driven by the motor 14.

Moreover, the axis 15 and the disc 22 are formed integrally with each other by means of a cylindrical axis 23 integral with the disc 22, with the same rotation axis as the axis 15, and made of the same transparent polycarbonate material, or other, serving as a light guide as described hereinbelow.

On the side turned to the front of the printed circuit board 13 and around the axis 15, LEDs (here six of them) are provided serving as one only light source 21 lighting the rear side of the central part of the disc 22, both the axis 23 as around said axis. It is to be noticed from now on that such a

source lights the disc 22, the pointer 2, the dial 5 and the LCD indicator 4. This is the rigid support 34 that forms a light box. The disc 22 is a luminous indicator disc. The fore-side of the disc 22 is shaped in its central part so as to have a conical recess 25 with an apex angle of 45 ° and with the same axis as the axis 15 and in periphery according to a frustoconical portion 30 being strongly flared between the rear side 31 and the front side 32 of the disc 22 extending parallel to the board 13; an area with circular ridges forming a crown 8 adjacent to the front side 32 of the disc 22. The cone 25 makes it possible to send back, or reflect, the light from the source 21 at 90 ° to the frustoconical portion 30 and the ridged crown 8 sending it back to the periphery 33 thereof and to the dial 5. Thus, the dial 5 is lighted with an intensity being independent from the angular position of the disc 22. This is on the rear side of the frustoconical portion 30 of the disc 22, on the periphery thereof, near the free circular edge 33, where the pointer 6 is screen printed.

The central part of the flow coming from the source 21 crosses the central axis 23 and lights the rear side of the LCD 4 with an intensity being independent from the angular position of the disc 22.

An intermediary filter 10 could be provided, arranged so as to homogenize the lighting and adapt the light flow coming from the source 21 as a function of the LCD being used or for obtaining a particular colour.

The assembly 1 is thus arranged so that the

pointer 6, the dial 5 of the first indicator 2 and the second indicator 4 are lighted by one single light source 21 located at the rear of the central part of the first indicator 2 as well as the second indicator 4.

The scale and the figures on the dial 5 are preferably obtained by means of a fluorescent ink in order to better capture the light. It is to be noticed that they are screen printed directly on the support 34, thus saving a polycarbonate sheet.

The pointer 6 being screen printed at the rear of the transparent disc 22, numerous shapes are possible .

It is also to be noticed that the light injected into the disc 22 makes it possible for indicators to be lighted in night-time.

The advantages of this invention are numerous and include the easy mounting of the assembly, its low cost, its low depth, amongst others. The LEDs 21 can be arranged in a crown shape surrounding the axis 15 of the motor 14.