Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Hiroshi Niimi

Naoyuki Aoki

Yukihide Shibata

Hirofumi Ikeuchi

Tatsuya Seto

Masaaki Muraki

Ryouichi Nishikawa

Kozo Ono

An indicating instrument includes a generally straight illumination lamp or cold cathode fluorescent lamp and a light conducting plate which are disposed on the back of a dial plate. The dial plate has plurality of trans-illuminous gauge or meter patterns. The cold cathode fluorescent lamp is disposed longitudinally at an upper side of the light conducting plate to guide the light of the lamp to the trans-illuminous gauge or meter patterns.

Indicating instrument

A preheating device for an illuminating unit comprises a cold cathode fluorescent tube, a heater for heating the cold cathode fluorescent tube at the time of low temperature and ensuring the brightness, a temperature sensor, a door-unlocking detector, and a CPU controlling the heater. When a driver of a vehicle unlocks a door of a vehicle with a key to get it in, the door-unlocking detector detects unlocking of the door and sends the detected signal to the CPU. The CPU starts electric supply to the heater to preheat the cold cathode fluorescent tube when a detected signal of the unlocking of the door is input by the door-unlocking detector and a cold temperature signal is input by the temperature sensor.

Preheating device of illuminating unit for vehicle

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Chita-gun, Japan

Hiroshi Niimi