Automatic transmission lever position indicating device

Claim 1

A visual indicating device for an automotive vehicle having an automatic transmission operatively shiftable by a lever movable successively through a predetermined sequence of positions including a parking position, a reverse position, a neutral position and a plurality of forward driving speed positions, and means for creating input signals in response to the movement of said lever to determine the specific position of the lever is in, said visual indicating device comprising: a housing including a face wall structure having an opaque background with a plurality of translucent indicators corresponding with the position of the lever, each of said translucent indicators corresponding to one of the parking position, the reverse position, the neutral position, and one of the plurality of forward driving speed positions, each translucent indicator having a light emitting diode positioned within said housing in close proximity thereto, an illumination confining means positioned adjacent to each light emitting diode to confine the illumination of each light emitting diode to one of said translucent indicators, and a circuit means within said housing including leads for receiving and transmitting signals, including the input signals of the automotive transmission, and for simultaneously illuminating all of the sequence of translucent indicators at a first intensity using said light emitting diodes and for illuminating one of said translucent indicators corresponding to the position of the lever at a second intensity which is higher than said first intensity so as to provide a visual indication of all of the lever positions and the one position corresponding to the position the lever is in.