Delco Electronics Corporation

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Other

Cooper Industries, Inc.

Marvin L Owen

Mark James Miller

James Edward Nelson

James J Fitzgerald

Thomas F Coha

Frederick D Jacobs

Robert C Swain

An automotive instrument cluster case is molded of a resin material. A rigid rear wall of the case has a planar outer surface including a connector region having two adjacent flaps, each flap molded with a thin flexible section and a rigid terminal section. Printed circuit paths are applied to the plane outer surface including the flaps. Then the flaps are deformed into the case, with the flexible section being curved and the terminal sections being spaced apart with the circuit paths forming terminal strips facing one another to form a connector socket. Interlocking stop elements molded on the inner surface hold the flaps apart to receive a male connector.

Molded printed circuit board with wipe-in connector and method of making

A gauge includes a transparent pointer driven through gears by a stepper motor offset from the pointer axis. An output gear on the pointer axis is transparent and has a first hub supporting the pointer and a second hub aligned with a lamp, so that light is passed through the output gear to the pointer. The first hub has retention pads molded onto its side. The pointer has a tubular sleeve with axial slots to allow expansion and has retention ribs which ride over the pads upon assembly and snap over the pads to secure the pointer in an axially fixed position. The sleeve also has tapered axial ribs which slide between the pads during assembly to angularly orient the pointer.

Illuminated snap-on gauge pointer assembly

A box-like molded housing with an open front has a flexible printed circuit wrapped around it, the printed circuit having a terminal array attached to a housing flange adjacent the front opening. A frame having a translucent web or filter covers the open front and contains a liquid crystal cell. A slot in the frame contains an elastomeric connector for joining terminals on the cell with terminals on the printed circuit to provide control signals to the cell. The housing interior is a reflector cavity and contains lamps for illuminating the web and the cell through the web. The printed circuit carries surface mount components, supplies power to the lamps, and has a contact array for connection to spring contacts of an external connector.

Compact liquid crystal display for instrument panel having a wrap around

A twist-in socket for insertion into a printed circuit assembly has a molded plastic body, conductive paths deposited or plated onto the surface, and an LED and a resistor connected to the paths for energization by the printed circuit. The sockets are molded in arrays, plated to form the conductive paths, the components inserted by automatic machines and flow soldered to the paths, and then individual sockets are snapped off the array. In one embodiment, the LED and resistor have leads extending through holes in the socket to reach the conductive paths. In another embodiment, surface mount components are used, and plated-through holes in the socket couple the path to the surface mount components.

Light emitting diode and socket assembly

A lamp assembly includes a lamp socket adapted for receiving a lamp. The lamp socket has a rectangular subbase which includes at least one tang projecting upwardly from the subbase which is adapted to apply an outward force against the inner sides of the circular section of a hole in a circuit board or panel. The tang has at least one downwardly facing shoulder spaced upwardly from the upper surface of the subbase by a distance which is substantially the thickness of the circuit board or panel whereby the shoulder is moved to allow the insertion of the lamp assembly into the hole of the circuit board or panel and then moved back into position to hold the circuit board or panel under the shoulder upon the circuit board or panel engaging the subbase. Thus, the lamp assembly can be locked into position within the hole in the printed circuit board or panel without rotation, and then removed by rotating the lamp assembly.

Snap-in lamp for printed circuits

A transmission operator lever mechanism is used to establish the desired operating condition in a transmission. An indicator mechanism with a pointer and indicia is provided to show the selected operating condition. The operator lever is connected with the indicator pointer through an adjustable mechanism comprising a clip and a cable. A tool engaging structure is formed on a portion of the lever mechanism. A tool is engageable in the clip and in the tool engaging structure to permit manipulation of the clip relative to the lever whereby the desired operating condition and the selected condition represented by the indicia and pointer will be in agreement.

Adjustment mechanism for a transmission position indicator

An adjustment mechanism for a transmission indicator has a clip member for securement with the shift tube and a cable attachment for securement with a cable connected to the indicator which is alignable with various indicia. The cable attachment is connected with one threaded member and another threaded member is connected with the clip. Relative rotation of the threaded members causes the cable and indicator to move relative to the shift tube to permit adjustment or 'zeroing' of the indicator for proper alignment with the indicia.

Adjustment mechanism for a transmission indicator

A transmission ratio indicator assembly has a linear input member and an output member that moves on a constant radius. The input member includes a slide member guided on a flat surface, which slide member has an arm extending normal to the flat surface and into a slot formed in a follower portion of the output member. The follower portion has integral spring arms and is guided in a constant radius recess. The spring arms prevent the follower portion from vibrating in the recess. An indicator is secured to the follower and aligns with the transmission ratio selections imprinted on an indicia surface disposed on the outer wall of the constant radius recess in response to movement of the input member.

Growing community of inventors

Grand Blanc, MI, United States of America

Marvin L Owen