Gear band selector tachometer

Claim 2

An instrument dial assembly for use with an instrument having a pointer rotated to an angular position corresponding to a condition registered by said instrument, the improvement comprising a cup-shaped housing having an open end for carrying said instrument, an inner plate carrying indicia arranged in a circular band divided into segments extending over respective angular portions of said plate, a lens covering said open end and secured to said housing, means for rotatably supporting said plate in said housing between said lens and instrument and for manually rotating said plate from a position external to said housing, an outer plate between said inner plate and said lens for obscuring said band with said outer plate having a window located radially at a position corresponding to said band from the axis of rotation of said inner plate whereby each segment of said indicia is viewed sequentially through said window in response to rotation of said inner plate, means on said pointer overlapping said plates and located between said outer plate and said lens for movement past said window to a position along said indicia viewed through said window for indicating the condition registered by said instrument, and means for providing a tactile signal of the rotation of said inner plate through an angle corresponding to one of said segments.

Claim 3

The assembly claimed in claim 1 in which said means for providing a tactile signal comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses in one of said plates, and a detent on the other of said plates for engaging any one of said recesses with said detent, flexing said one plate in response to rotation of said inner plate to disengage said detent from a recess and permitting release of the flexing stress in response to the alignment of said detent with any of said recesses.

Claim 4

An instrument dial assembly for use with a tachometer drive by a vehicle engine and having a pointer mounted on a pointer shaft rotated to an angular position corresponding to the speed of said engine, the improvement comprising a cup-shaped housing having an open end and carrying said tachometer, an inner plate having vehicle speed indicia arranged in concentric circular bands adjacent the periphery of said plate with each band being divided into segments corresponding to respective speed ranges and extending over equal angular portions of said plate, a transparent lens secured to said housing for covering said open end, means including a shaft rotatably supporting said plate for rotation about an axis coaxial with said pointer shaft with said shaft extending through said lens for enabling manual rotation of said plate, an opaque outer plate between said inner plate and said lens, a first window in said outer plate located radially of said axis at a position corresponding to said bands and extending over an arc corresponding to said angUlar portions to permit viewing indicia in each range aligned with said window, indicia representing engine speed on said outer plate at a position diametrically opposite said window, means carried by said pointer between said outer plate and said lens at diametrically opposite positions for movement by said pointer past said window to a position along said speed indicia visible through said window and along said outer plate engine speed indicia respectively for indicating vehicle and engine speed respectively, and means for indexing said inner plate through each said angular portion relative said outer plate in response to rotation of said inner plate.

Claim 5

An instrument dial assembly for use with a tachometer drive by a vehicle engine and having a pointer mounted on a pointer shaft rotated to an angular position corresponding to the speed of said engine, the improvement comprising a cup-shaped housing having an open end and carrying said tachometer, an inner plate having vehicle speed indicia arranged in concentric circular bands adjacent the periphery of said plate with each band being divided into segments corresponding to respective speed ranges and extending over equal angular portions of said plate, a transparent lens secured to said housing for covering said open end, means including a shaft rotatably supporting said plate for rotation about an axis coaxial with said pointer shaft with said shaft extending through said lens for enabling manual rotation of said plate, an opaque outer plate between said inner plate and said lens, a first window in said outer plate located radially of said axis at a position corresponding to said bands and extending over an arc corresponding to said angUlar portions to permit viewing indicia in each range aligned with said window, indicia representing engine speed on said outer plate at a position diametrically opposite said window, means carried by said pointer between said outer plate and said lens at diametrically opposite positions for movement by said pointer past said window to a position along said speed indicia visible through said window and along said outer plate engine speed indicia respectively for indicating vehicle and engine speed respectively, and means for indexing said inner plate through each said angular portion relative said outer plate in response to rotation of said inner plate.

Claim 6

The dial assembly claimed in claim 3 in which said indexing means comprises a plurality of recesses in one of said plates spaced circumferentially at positions corresponding to said angular portions, and a detent on the other plate arranged to engage in any one of said recesses.

Claim 7

The dial assembly claimed in claim 3 in which said indexing means comprises a plurality of recesses in said inner plate spaced circumferentially at positions corresponding to said angular portions, and a plurality of detents on said outer plate equal in number to said recesses and circumferentially spaced for engaging in any one of said recesses, said plates spaced for flexure of said inner plate by said detents in response to disengagement of said detents from said recesses by rotation of said inner plate and relieving said flexure in response to alignment of said detents with said recesses to thereby provide a tactile indication of the alignment of any of said segments with said window.

Claim 8

In the dial assembly claimed in claim 5, a second window in said outer plate located radially inwardly of said first window and indicia corresponding to a gear number spaced intermediate the ends of each angular portion for registering with said second window in response to the alignment of a respective segment with said first window.

Claim 9

In the dial assembly claimed in claim 6, a third window in said outer plate, and a window in said inner plate for displaying indicia of an odometer located in said housing.

Claim 10

The dial assembly claimed in claim 7 in which said outer plate provided with one background color adjacent said window for contrasting with the background color of said segments and a second background color adjacent said engine speed indicia.

Claim 11

An instrument dial assembly for use with a tachometer driven by a vehicle engine and having a pointer mounted on a pointer shaft rotated to an angular position corresponding to the speed of said engine, the improvement comprising a cup-shaped housing having an open end and carrying said tachometer, an inner plate having vehicle speed indicia with one background color arranged in concentric circular bands adjacent the periphery of said plate with each band being divided into segments corresponding to respective speed ranges and extending over equal angular portions of said plate, a transparent lens secured to said housing for covering said open end, means including a shaft rotatably supporting said plate for rotation about an axis coaxial with said pointer shaft with said shaft extending through said lens for enabling manual rotation of said plate, an opaque outer plate between said inner plate and said lens and having a window located radially of said axis at a position corresponding to said bands and extending over an arc corresponding to said angular positions to permit viewing indicia in each range aligned with said window, indicia representing engine speed on said plate at a position diametrically opposite said window, a second background color on said outer plate adjacent said window and differing from the speed indicia one background color, a third background color on said outer plate adjacent said engine speed indicia and differing from said second color, and means carried by said pointer between said outer plate and said lens at diametrically opposite positions for movement by said pointer pAst said window to a position along said indicia visible through said window and said outer plate engine speed indicia respectively for indicating vehicle and engine speed respectively,

Claim 12

An instrument dial assembly for use with a tachometer driven by a vehicle engine and having a pointer mounted on a pointer shaft rotated to an angular position corresponding to the speed of said engine, the improvement comprising a cup-shaped housing having an open end and carrying said tachometer, an inner plate having vehicle speed indicia with one background color arranged in concentric circular bands adjacent the periphery of said plate with each band being divided into segments corresponding to respective speed ranges and extending over equal angular portions of said plate, a transparent lens secured to said housing for covering said open end, means including a shaft rotatably supporting said plate for rotation about an axis coaxial with said pointer shaft with said shaft extending through said lens for enabling manual rotation of said plate, an opaque outer plate between said inner plate and said lens and having a window located radially of said axis at a position corresponding to said bands and extending over an arc corresponding to said angular positions to permit viewing indicia in each range aligned with said window, indicia representing engine speed on said plate at a position diametrically opposite said window, a second background color on said outer plate adjacent said window and differing from the speed indicia one background color, a third background color on said outer plate adjacent said engine speed indicia and differing from said second color, and means carried by said pointer between said outer plate and said lens at diametrically opposite positions for movement by said pointer pAst said window to a position along said indicia visible through said window and said outer plate engine speed indicia respectively for indicating vehicle and engine speed respectively,

Claim 13

The assembly claimed in claim 9 in which said means carried by said pointer comprises a respective leg at diametrically opposite end of said pointer overlapping each of said plates, and a radially inwardly leg terminating each respective leg located between said lens and outer plate.