Combination indicator apparatus for automotive vehicle

Claim 1

A combination indicator apparatus for an automotive vehicle provided with a plurality of sensors for sensing various information related to the vehicle, comprising: (a) an indicator assembly including: (1) a plurality of analog information indicators of the same type, for indicating different information, independently; and (2) a plurality of driver circuits of the same type, each provided with a digital shift register and each associated with one of said analog information indicators, for driving said analog information indicator independently through said shift register; and (b) a single controller, disposed remote from said indicator assembly, for receiving various information sensed by the sensors and transmitting various digital drive data indicative of the received information to said driver circuits to indicate various information on said analog information indicators via said driver circuits, independently in serial time sharing mode.

Claim 5

A method of displaying instrumentation information on a plurality of similar analog display indicators included in an automobile combination indicating apparatus, comprising: (a) sensing a plurality of discrete automobile operating parameters and providing said parameters as digital signals to a controller; (b) converting said digital signals in the controller to a time-shared signal along a serial bus; (c) communicating said time-shared digital signals to a driver controller containing a shift register; (d) converting the time-shared digital signals to a plurality of instrument signals, each of which signals represents a separate one of said automobile operating parameters; and (e) driving a plurality of analog display indicators with said instrument signals, each of said signals being displayed on a separate analog display indicator.

Claim 6

A method of displaying instrumentation information on a plurality of similar analog display indicators included in an automobile combination indicating apparatus, comprising: (a) sensing a plurality of discrete automobile operating parameters and providing said parameters as digital signals to a controller; (b) converting said digital signals in the controller to a time-shared signal along a serial bus; (c) communicating said time-shared digital signals to a driver controller containing a shift register; (d) converting the time-shared digital signals to a plurality of instrument signals, each of which signals represents a separate one of said automobile operating parameters; and (e) driving a plurality of analog display indicators with said instrument signals, each of said signals being displayed on a separate analog display indicator.