FR2759036A1 - REDUCED DEPTH DASHBOARD - Google Patents

Abstract

The dashboard, well suited to motor vehicles, comprises, at the front, a screen-printed card (3, 17), at the front, at least one indication character (27) and printed at the back of a circuit of conductive tracks (20). A lighting LED (16) is mounted on the back of the card (3). The card 3 is pierced to the right of the indication character (27) of a lighting opening (28). At the rear of the lighting LED (16), a film (30) covers it by forming a light box (31).

Description

REDUCED DEPTH DASHBOARD

  A dashboard, like that of a motor vehicle, also called a handset, may include, among other things, a front face, indicator movements, such as a speedometer, tachometer, odometer and other gauges attached to the rear. on the front face, a screen-printed mask, attached to the front of the front face and representing dials, symbols (witnesses) and other ideograms and indication characters, light sources arranged in light boxes and intended to illuminate symbols, ideograms and characters in specific circumstances to attract the driver's attention, often a flexible connection or electrical supply circuit and, at the rear, a printed circuit board, with conductive tracks , electrical and electronic components, lamps and connectors for connection to the flexible circuit and to an interface of the vehicle, the whole being dressed in a part called, dan s the language of the trade, heightened and protected at the front by a window

  transparent mounted on the flange and, at the rear, by a cover.

  The printed circuit therefore ensures, on the one hand, the supply of the lighting sources, the supply of the motors of the movements and the connection with the flexible circuit and the interface and, on the other hand, other electronic functions say noble and protected against electromagnetic waves, like the functions of calculation and control of motors and other LEDs. For reasons of standardization, more and more often, the printed circuit board is broken up into a small card, called the heart card, ensuring the noble functions, and another support for the other power supply functions.

and connection.

  The screen printing mask is often made on a flexible polycarbonate film, generally from the protected brand Lexan. The flexible circuit is often made of a flexible polyester film. The invention relates more particularly to symbols,

  s ideograms and other indication characters and their lighting.

  In simplified dashboards of reduced depth, symbols and ideograms, such as the drawings of a petrol pump, a thermometer, for example, may not be lit directly from the rear through openings in the support of these symbols, in the right of these symbols, but to be associated with sources of lighting, like light-emitting diodes (LED) which, lit like indicators, simulate, for the driver, the activation of these symbols and

ideograms.

  For those who are used to looking at illuminated symbols, their reaction to symbols only printed and associated with sources is not encouraging, if only for

aesthetic reasons.

  The Applicant has therefore sought a more satisfactory solution for lighting, from the rear, the characters indicating

  reduced depth dashboard.

  Thus, the present invention relates to a dashboard of reduced depth comprising, at the front, a screen-printing support, at the front, at least one indication character, a printed support, at the back, for a circuit of conductive tracks, a light source mounted at the rear of the printed circuit support, the screen printing and printed circuit supports being pierced, in line with the indication character, with a lighting opening and, behind the light source, a film covering it and forming

light box for the source.

  The great merit of the plaintiff is to have thought of making a light box, or enclosure, by means of a film covering the lighting component, which best reduces the

depth of the dashboard.

  This depth can be further reduced if the screen printing and the printed circuit are supported by a common substrate,

two sides respectively.

  Advantageously, other components being mounted at the rear of the printed circuit support, the film of the light box

  also covers them by forming a protective cover.

  The invention will be better understood using the description

  s5 following of the preferred embodiment of the dashboard of the invention, with reference to the attached drawing, in which: - Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the dashboard, and - Figure 2 is a view, on a larger scale, of the portion of the table in FIG. 1 comprising the symbol's lighting diode. The dashboard which will now be described is here that of a motor vehicle. It comprises, from front to rear, a protective front window 1, a covering flange 2, a dual-function printed circuit board 3, an indicator movement motor 4 and other components and a film of

dual function protection 30.

  The printed circuit board 3 is fixed to the rear of a central area 6 of the flange through which a first indication window 7 is released. The card 3, in the area of window 7, on the side facing the 'front, supports a screen printing layer 8 to reveal characters of indication, in particular the scales of the dial associated with the indicator hand 9

of movement 4.

  The side skirt of the flange, in its upper part 10 and at the front of the card 3, comprises a slot 11 for receiving a light source 12, for lighting from the front of the screen printing 8 and the needle 9, here not luminous, the flange skirt 10 and the printed circuit board 3 forming an enclosure, or light box, 13

for source 12.

  The motor 4 is fixed to the rear of the card 3, just like a connector 14, a core box 15 of electronic components

  for the noble functions of the dashboard.

  s The card 3 forms a common substrate for a circuit of conductive tracks 20 printed on the side facing the rear, and to the layer

for screen printing 8.

  The window pane 1 is simply clipped onto the flange skirt 10.

  The supply of the source 12, here a set of SMD lamps is carried out using a flexible flexible circuit 5, fixed to the skirt 10 of the flange 2 and pinched on the card 3 in the area 19 of the edge of the beach

central 6 of the flange 2.

  A second indication window 25 is cleared through the area 6 of the flange here in its lower part. Map 3 extends to this lower part of the flange. In this portion of the dashboard, the card 3 supports, still at the front, a portion of layer, or film, 17, which can moreover be an extension of layer 8, screen printed with an indication symbol 27 To the right of this symbol, the card 3 is pierced with a lighting opening 28. An LED 16 is mounted at the rear of the card 3, connected to power supply tracks of the circuit 20, and comes substantially up to 'at the periphery of the opening 28. A film 30 of thermoformed plastic, like a protective cover, covers the components 14, 4, 15, 16 mounted on the back of the card 3. Above all, the film 30, behind the opening 28 in card 3, wrapping the LED up to card 3, light box shape

31 for LED 16.

  For its light box function, the surface 32 facing the front of the film 30 is white, for the reflection and homogenization of the light from the LED 16, whatever

besides the color of it.

  The realization of the dashboard which has just been described is carried out according to the following steps. After having notably pierced the lighting opening 28 in the card 3, the circuit of conductive tracks 20 is printed there on one side. The components and, in particular, the LED 16 are then placed on this same side. The film 30 is then formed, which is fixed to the periphery of the card 3 by adhesive. Then we stick the film

  screen printing 8, 17 on the other side of the card 3.

Claims (7)

  1 - Dashboard of reduced depth comprising, at the front, a support (3, 8, 17) serigraphy, at the front, of at least one indication character (27), a support (3) printed on the back of a circuit of conductive tracks (20), a light source (16) mounted on the back of the support (3) of the printed circuit (20), the supports (3) of serigraphy (8 , 17, 27) and printed circuit, the supports (3) for screen printing (8, 17, 27) and printed circuit (20) being pierced o10 to the right of the character of indication (27) of an opening of lighting (28) and, behind the lighting source (16), a film   (30) covering it and forming a light box (31) for the source (16).   2 - dashboard according to claim 1, wherein the screen printing (8, 17, 27) and the printed circuit (20) are supported by   a common substrate (3), on the two sides respectively.   3 - dashboard according to one of claims 1 and 2,   wherein the light source (16) is an LED.   4 - dashboard according to one of claims 1 to 3,   wherein the surface (32) facing the front of the film (30) is White color.   5 - dashboard according to one of claims 1 to 4,   wherein the film (30) is made of thermoformed plastic.   6 - dashboard according to one of claims 1 to 5,   in which, other components (14, 4, 15) being mounted at the rear of the support (3) of the printed circuit (20), the film (30) covers them with the way of a protective cover.   7 - dashboard according to claim 6, wherein the   film (30) is glued to the printed circuit support (3).