Patent Application
20160207453
The present disclosure relates to an indicator gauge assembly for a vehicle, and more particularly, to an indicator gauge assembly that includes a primary gauge and an auxiliary gauge integrated within a trim ring surrounding the primary gauge.
The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
A vehicle can have one or more indicator gauges, e.g., a speedometer, a tachometer, a fuel gauge, and a battery charge gauge, arranged within an indicator gauge assembly of a dashboard of a vehicle. These indicator gauges can be configured to display information regarding the operation and status of the vehicle to the occupants of the vehicle. As vehicles become more complex and sophisticated, it may be desirable to provide a large amount of information to the occupants. In some cases, vehicles are being designed to include large displays (Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs), touchscreens, and the like) to display information to the occupants of the vehicle. There may be, however, a limited amount of available space within a dashboard to include indicator gauges while also maintaining a clean and functional design, especially when a large display is included in the design.
In various embodiments of the present disclosure, an indicator gauge assembly is disclosed. The indicator gauge assembly can include at least one primary indicator gauge, a configurable digital display arranged next to the at least one primary indicator gauge, a trim member substantially surrounding the at least one primary indicator gauge and arranged over a portion of the configurable digital display, and at least one auxiliary indicator gauge arranged within the trim piece member. The trim member can include an opaque portion and a transparent portion. The at least one auxiliary indicator gauge can be arranged within the transparent portion.
Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.
The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
As previously discussed, it may be desirable to provide a large amount of information to the occupants of a vehicle. Further, vehicle manufacturers are increasingly adding more and larger displays, LCDs, and other forms of indicator gauges to their designs. As larger-sized, and a larger number of, indicator gauges are being added to vehicle designs, it is becoming increasingly important to maximize the utility of the limited amount of available space (e.g., within a dashboard) in which such indicator gauges may be integrated, while also providing an aesthetically pleasing and efficient design. Therefore, it may be desirable to provide an improved indicator gauge assembly that addresses these and other disadvantages of the presently used designs.
Accordingly, an indicator gauge assembly that addresses one or more of the above identified disadvantages is presented. The indicator gauge assembly includes at least one primary indicator gauge, a trim member substantially surrounding the primary indicator gauge, and at least one auxiliary indicator gauge that is arranged within the trim member. Further details of the presented indicator gauge are provided below.
Referring now to
With particular reference to
With continuing reference to
Referring now to
The auxiliary indicator gauge 130 can include a light source that is at least partially arranged within the trim member 120. The light source can include one or more light guides 126, 128, and/or one or more LEDs 165,
With particular reference to
As shown in
Referring now to
The trim member 120 can be arranged over a portion of display 150, and the at least one auxiliary indicator gauge 140 can be arranged within the trim member 120. In this manner, the portion of the display 150 can be illuminated to transmit light to the light guide 126, which is configured to reflect a portion of the light transmitted from the display 150, thereby illuminating the light guide 126 in the appropriate areas, as described above. The light guide 126 can be constructed of a single light transmitting element, or from a plurality of individual members coupled together. It should be appreciated that the light guide 126 can be constructed with a lower diffusion rate than the light guide 128 such that discrete portions of the light guide 126 can be separately illuminated from other portions.
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known procedures, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/104,383, filed on Jan. 16, 2015. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62104383 | Jan 2015 | US |
