MXPA99010935A - Measuring system, especially for display devices in the automobile technology - Google Patents

Abstract

Mecanismo de medición, en particular para dispositivos indicadores de la técnica automotriz, que comprende cuando menos un primero y un segundo elementos de impulsión controlables independientemente que tienen en cada caso un primerárbol (17, 19) de impulsión que se puede conectar en arrastre de giro con un elemento indicador, siendo que elárbol (19) de impulsión del segundo elemento de impulsión se hace pasar coaxialmente a través delárbol (17) de impulsión configurado comoárbol hueco del primer elemento de impulsión, y sobresale con su extremo fuera del extremo delárbol de impulsión configurado comoárbol hueco. Dibujo principal es la figura 1

Description

MEASUREMENT MECHANISM, PARTICULARLY FOR INDICATOR DEVICES OF THE AUTOMOTIVE TECHNIQUE Description of the invention The invention relates to a measurement mechanism, in particular for automotive indicating devices. In the automotive technique, analogous indicator instruments are frequently used for the indication of interesting parameters, such as, for example, the speed of the vehicle, the number of revolutions of the engine, the level of filling of the fuel tank or the like. In such indicating instruments, by means of an optional driving element, for example a rotating coil or a stepper motor, a mobile indicator needle moves along a corresponding scale on which the interesting range of values of the parameter is implanted. to indicate In the case of the known indicator devices, an independent measuring mechanism having connection contacts for feeding the signals corresponding to the respective parameters as well as a drive element is used for each individual indication or for each individual parameter. with a drive shaft that is provided in a case of the measuring mechanism. The drive shaft can be connected with the pointer that must be moved. Due to this, particularly in the case of combined instruments, the problem of accommodating the required quantity of measurement mechanisms on the plate or in the case of the combined instrument frequently occurs. Frequently it is required that the analogue indicators are adjacent so close to one another that the measurement mechanisms can not be accommodated in the desired way with conventional means, due to the size of the boxes of the measuring mechanisms. It is true that as a solution it is offered to provide two or more measuring mechanisms with the corresponding drive elements in a single box, or carry out the transmission to the shaft of the indicator needle to be moved by means of a gear that allows a more remote arrangement of the corresponding metering mechanism or impulse element. However, both solutions are complex and therefore can not be done with the desirable economy in spending. DE 39 06 721 A1, US 4,170,132 and DE 20 59 474 B2 each disclose respectively an indicator needle instrument and a torque indicator in which, in order to avoid the abovementioned disadvantages, two measuring mechanisms are provided, the trees of which drive are traversed coaxially. At the ends of the drive shafts, an indicator needle is fixed in each case. In both instruments the measurement mechanisms are arranged side by side in a common box. This results in a flat but nevertheless extended construction in the radial direction. In addition, the assembly of a double instrument of this kind with a multitude of individual parts in a common box requires a relatively high expense. EP 0 194 437 A1 also discloses an indicating device having two measuring mechanisms arranged coaxially to one another in each case on one side of a scale plate; in this the ends of the axes of the indicator needles on which the indicator needles are mounted are turned towards each other. However, in many applications it is not possible to arrange a measurement mechanism on the observer side of an instrument. From this state of the art the object of the invention is the task of creating a measurement mechanism, in particular for automotive technology indicating devices, which allows the representation of at least two parameters, which can be carried out with little expense and that can be adapted flexibly to the respective requirements.

The invention solves this task with the features of claim 1. The invention starts from the knowledge that by means of the coaxial arrangement known per se of two driving shafts of two driving elements in each case independently controllable, an analogous indication can be made of when minus two parameters occupying very little space, both in relation to the indicator elements or indicator scales as well as in relation to the measurement mechanism. The measurement mechanism according to the invention has at least two independent boxes in which respectively a drive element with a drive shaft is provided. After the assembly of these individual measuring mechanisms to form a global measuring mechanism, the drive shaft configured as a hollow shaft of the first individual measuring mechanism is traversed by the drive shaft of the second individual measuring mechanism, the mechanisms being Individual measurements are grouped into a global measurement mechanism. By means of this, a very simple assembly and a great flexibility to adapt the global measurement mechanism to different individual cases is achieved. Advantageously, both individual measuring mechanisms are designed for this in virtually identical manner, except for the drive shafts and parts or areas eventually influenced by them. In the industrial production of a large number of parts, this has a significant cost saving. In the case of the preferred embodiment of the invention, a guide sleeve for the drive shaft is attached to the housing in the case of the second individual measuring mechanism. This ensures on the one hand a guide for the drive shaft ~ and on the other hand prevents the hollow shaft of the first measuring mechanism from exerting some influence on the drive shaft of the second drive mechanism in the assembled state of the overall measuring mechanism. measurement housed in the guide sleeve. Likewise, in the case of the first individual measuring mechanism, a fixing flange can be provided, traversed by the hollow shaft, which, in addition to the guide of the hollow shaft, serves as a fixing aid when mounting the measuring mechanism on a component. of assembly, preferably a support plate or conductive. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, electrical connection contacts are removed from the case of the first and second individual measuring mechanisms, the connection contacts of the case of one of the individual measuring mechanisms preferably being. they are taken out to their outer side and the connection contacts of the other individual measuring mechanism are removed towards their inner side (in each case referred to the mounting position of the individual measuring mechanisms), and the connection contacts mentioned being The latter are configured in such a length that they extend to the area of the connection contacts of the individual measuring mechanism mentioned in the foreground. This gives the advantage that after the assembly of both individual measuring mechanisms to form a global measuring mechanism, the entire measuring mechanism can be connected from one side only. According to an embodiment of the invention, the first and second individual measuring mechanisms have connecting elements in their boxes with which the individual measuring mechanisms are joined to form a global measuring mechanism. For this purpose, the connecting elements can be configured as interlocking elements. But of course the individual measuring mechanisms can also be connected to one another by means of screws, or by compression or in a similar way. It is also conceivable to first connect both individual measuring mechanisms only by inserting one or the other of the two drive shafts, and then joining this combination of both individual measuring mechanisms with a mounting component, for example a conductive plate of an instrument combined, using screws, clamps or similar. In this case, it is also possible for one or more connection contacts of one of the individual measuring mechanisms to pass through the housing of the other individual measuring mechanism and thereby fix the position of the measuring mechanisms. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the measuring mechanism can comprise a support piece in which the first and second individual measuring mechanisms are housed, preferably in independent fixing recesses. In this embodiment of the invention, the guide sleeve provided in the second individual measuring mechanism can pass through the support part and preferably intervene through the case of the first individual measuring mechanism in the drive shaft configured as a shaft hollow of the first individual measuring mechanism. This gives the advantage that the second individual measuring mechanism is fixed to the support part by the guide sleeve, and that simultaneously the guide sleeve serves as a (additional) guide for the hollow shaft. Of course, also in the case of the embodiments mentioned above without a support part, the guide sleeve of the second individual measuring mechanism can intervene for this purpose in the hollow shaft of the first individual measuring mechanism. In addition, the guide sleeve can produce a fixation of the individual measuring mechanisms by means of a corresponding passage opening in the housing of the first individual measuring mechanism. In the embodiment of the invention in which the support part for the individual measuring mechanisms is provided, preferably first locking elements are provided in the boxes of the first and / or second individual measuring mechanisms, which for the fastening and fixing the individual measuring mechanisms, cooperate with second interlocking elements formed in the support piece. By this, the advantage of a simple assembly of the measuring mechanism is obtained. The support part may in turn comprise first connecting means cooperating with second connecting elements provided on a mounting component for fixing and holding the measuring mechanism. These connecting elements can also be designed as interlocking elements or screw connections or compression joints (the measuring mechanism or the mounting component is pierced by mounting rivets, and the ends of the rivets are compressed). Other embodiments of the invention are derived from the dependent claims. The invention is explained below on the basis of an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing: In the drawing: FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a measuring mechanism according to the invention, FIG. cutting through the measuring mechanism of figure 1 in a plane through the driving shafts, and figure 3 a schematic representation of a combined instrument for a motor vehicle with several measuring mechanisms in accordance with figure 1. The The measuring mechanism (1) shown in FIG. 1 comprises a first individual measurement mechanism (3), a second individual measurement mechanism (5) and a support piece 7 that serves for fastening and mounting the mechanisms 3, 5 of individual measurement by forming a global measurement mechanism 1. The individual measuring mechanisms 3, 5 comprise a housing 9, 11 as well as respectively a drive element not shown in detail in the housing 9, 11. The drive element can be configured, for example, as a stepper motor . With this, each of the individual measurement mechanisms 3, 5 can be configured in a manner known per se, with the exception of the particular characteristics which are explained below: For the production of the double measuring mechanism according to the invention with axes Therefore, it is possible to resort to the individual measurement mechanisms known per se, which need only be modified in relatively few aspects.5 of the individual measuring devices project connection contacts 13, 15 configured in the manner of pins, through which the corresponding drive element can be electrically controlled in each case independently of the other. In addition, drive shaft 17, 19 of the respective drive element is fed out of each housing 9, 11 of the individual measuring mechanisms 3, 5. Each end of the drive shafts 17, 19 may be connected to a separate indicator element, for example in the form of an indicator needle. In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the drive shaft 17 of the first individual measuring mechanism is designed as a hollow drive shaft, on the other hand the drive shaft 19 of the second individual measuring mechanism as a full shaft. The support part 7 has mounting recesses 21, 23 for the individual measuring mechanisms 3, 5. To fix and fasten each of the individual measuring mechanisms 3, 5, interlocking projections 9a are provided in the boxes 9, 11 of the individual measuring mechanisms, which are locked in counter-interlocks 21a, 23a configured as elastic stirrups in the areas of the recesses 21, 23 for mounting the support part 7. The support part 7 has a through hole 25 through which the drive shaft 19 can be passed or a guide sleeve 27 which is provided in the case 11 of the second individual measuring mechanism. The guide sleeve 27 serves on the one hand to guide and stabilize the drive shaft 19, and on the other hand to fix the second individual measurement mechanism 5 in the mounting pocket of the support piece 7.

Accordingly, for the assembly of the individual components of the measuring mechanism 1 to form a global measuring mechanism it is only necessary to insert both individual measuring mechanisms 3, 5 into the mounting recesses 21, 23 of the support part 7, and lock them in them. In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, the connection contacts of the second individual measuring mechanism 5 are led out of the box 11 on the internal side (with respect to the subsequent mounting position), and are configured of such length that after assembly of the individual components they are substantially aligned with the connecting contacts 13 of the first individual measuring mechanism, which are led out of the box 9 on the outer side (with respect to the rear mounting position) ). In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the support part 7 is configured so that the mounting recesses 21, 23 on the upper side and on the underside of the support part 7 are displaced relative to each other in the direction radial. The individual measuring mechanisms 3, 5 are inserted into the mounting recesses 21, 23 rotated relative to each other by 180 °. This has the advantage that the connection contacts 13, 15 of both individual measuring devices 3, 5 can be provided in each case in the same position without problems due to the connection contacts 15 of the longest configuration of the device. second individual measurement mechanism 5 when the support piece 7 and the individual measurement mechanism 3 are traversed. For this purpose, passage openings 29 for both rear connection contacts 15 shown in FIG. 1, and on the wall of the housing of the first individual measurement mechanism 3, are provided for both contacts of the support piece 7 for this purpose. front connections of the second individual measurement mechanism 5 shown in FIG. 1. Of course, for the front connection contacts 15 it is also necessary to provide corresponding passage openings 33 in the bottom of the mounting recess 21. Figure 2 shows a cut-out of a cut through the double measuring mechanism in accordance with Figure 1 finished assembling. As can be seen in this illustration, the drive shaft 19 of the second measuring mechanism 5 is driven by a pinion 35, which, as part of an actuating element not otherwise represented in greater detail, is coupled with a stepper motor not represented either. The pinion 35 is injected directly onto the drive shaft 19, whereby a recess 19a ensures a seat which prevents an inverse rotation of the pinion 35. The guide sleeve 27 which is provided in the box 11 of the second individual measurement mechanism 5 traverses the perforation or through opening 25 of the support piece 7 and protrudes into the hollow shaft 17 provided with the corresponding diameter of the first individual measuring mechanism 3. The hollow shaft 17 is formed in one piece with a pinion 37, which as part of a drive element not shown in greater detail, is driven by a stepper motor not shown in the first individual measuring mechanism 3 either. The advantage of the intervention of the guide sleeve 27 in the hollow shaft 17 is that the turning movement of the hollow shaft 17 can not be transferred in a detrimental manner to the shaft 19, or that the shafts 17, 19 can not be influenced mutually in a harmful way. The end of the hollow shaft 17 is guided with its end outwards through a fixing flange 39 on the top of the box 9 of the first individual measuring mechanism 3. This fixing flange 39 serves on the one hand to guide the hollow shaft 17, and on the other hand it can also serve as a fixing and mounting aid for mounting the measuring mechanism 1 to a mounting component not shown in greater detail, for example a plate of a combined instrument. The upper end of the hollow shaft 17 projecting above the upper end of the fixing sleeve 27 has a reduced diameter without however coming into contact both shafts 17, 19 (in the normal position). On this upper end of the hollow shaft 17 an indicator element can be fitted, for example in the form of an indicator needle. Correspondingly, on the end of the full shaft 19 projecting from the end of the hollow shaft 17, another indicator element can be fixed. In this way, a double mechanism of measurement of simple structure is obtained which can be substantially manufactured using conventional, slightly modified, individual measuring mechanisms, by means of the use of a support piece. Assembly of the components requires only two operating stages and can be easily automated. The assembly of the entire measuring mechanism 1 in or on a support piece can be effected, for example, by providing retaining tabs 41 on the support part 7 with which the measuring mechanism can be retained by means of counter-drivers, for example simple castings, in or on the mounting component. Of course, the measuring mechanism 1 can also be connected additionally or exclusively by means of screwed connections or other types of connections with the mounting component. To illustrate the purpose of application of the double measurement mechanism shown in Figures 1 and 2, Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of a combined instrument for a motor vehicle. The combined instrument 42 comprises a total of three measurement mechanisms 1, 1 ', 1"according to FIGS. 1 and 2. Each of the double measurement mechanisms 1, 1', 1" is connected with two needle contacts. Indicators 43a, 43b, 43'a, 43'b, 43"a, 43" b. Of both, the indicator pointer in each longer case is passed below a panel 45, 45 ', 45"on which a scale 47, 47', 47" is provided in each case for the parameter that will reproduce the indicating needle 43b, 43'b, 43"b shorter. In the same way, under the indicator needles 43a, 43'a, 43", there are provided longer panels with corresponding scales 49, 49 ', 49" to reproduce the respective parameters. By means of the use of the double measuring mechanisms 1, 1 ', 1"according to the invention, therefore, a structure of the simplest and space-saving of the combined instrument 42 is obtained.

Claims (5)

1. CLAIMS Measurement mechanism, in particular for automotive technology indicating devices, comprising a) at least one first and second control elements independently controllable with in each case a drive shaft that can be connected in a rotational drive with an element indicator, b) being that the impeller shaft of the second drive element is passed coaxially through the drive shaft configured as a hollow shaft of the first drive element, and protrudes with its end outside the end of the drive shaft configured as a shaft hollow, characterized by the fact c) that the first drive element is configured with its drive shaft as a first individual measurement mechanism in a separate housing, and the second drive element with its drive shaft as a second drive mechanism. individual measurement in another independent box, being that the drive shaft of the element or respective drive is conducted out of the box, and d) that the first and second individual measurement mechanisms are joined to form a global metering mechanism. Metering mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the first and second individual measuring mechanisms are of substantially equal configuration except for the design of the drive shafts and the parts subject to their influence. Measuring mechanism according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a guide sleeve for the impeller shaft is attached to the housing of the second individual measuring mechanism. Measuring mechanism according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the case of the first individual measuring mechanism a fixing flange is provided, traversed by the hollow shaft, which simultaneously serves as a fixing aid during mounting of the measuring mechanism on a mounting component, preferably a support or conductive plate. Measuring mechanism according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that electrical connection contacts are removed from the case of the first and second individual measuring mechanisms, preferably the connection contacts of the case from one of the individual measuring mechanisms are drawn to its outer side and the connection contacts of the other individual measuring mechanism are drawn to its inner side (in each case referred to the mounting position of the individual measuring mechanisms), and wherein the connection contacts mentioned to the latter are configured of such a length that they extend to the area of the connection contacts of the aforementioned individual measuring mechanism. Measuring mechanism according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first and second individual measuring mechanisms comprise elements of union in their boxes by means of which the individual measuring mechanisms are joined to form a measuring mechanism global. Measuring mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that the connecting elements are configured as retaining elements. Measuring mechanism according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that one or several connection contacts of one of the individual measuring mechanisms pass through the other individual measuring mechanism. Measuring mechanism according to one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that the guide sleeve that is provided in the second individual measuring mechanism intervenes in the case of the first individual measuring mechanism and preferably also in the shaft of drive configured as a hollow shaft of the first individual measuring mechanism.Measuring mechanism according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a support part is provided in which the first and the second of the individual measuring mechanisms are housed, preferably in mounting recesses independent Measuring mechanism according to claim 10, characterized in that the guide sleeve that is provided in the second individual measurement mechanism passes through the support part, and preferably intervenes in the drive shaft configured as a hollow shaft of the first individual measurement mechanism through the case of the first individual measurement mechanism. Measuring mechanism according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that one or more of the longer connection contacts removed from the internal side of the respective individual measuring mechanism pass through the support part and / or the respectively another individual measurement mechanism. Measuring mechanism according to one of Claims 10 to 12, characterized in that in the boxes of the first and / or second individual measuring mechanisms, first retaining elements cooperating with second retaining elements configured are provided on the support piece to hold and fix the individual measuring mechanisms. Measuring mechanism according to one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the support part comprises first connecting elements cooperating with second connecting elements provided in a mounting component for fixing / holding the mechanism measurement.