The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 29, 1998
Filed:
Jul. 09, 1997
Osamu Yamanaka, Aichi-Ken, JP;
Makoto Tamaki, Kani, JP;
Takemasa Yasukawa, Ichinomiya, JP;
Hiroshi Sugihara, Ogakai, JP;
Kazushi Noda, Ichinomiya, JP;
Yoshio Sano, Gifu-ken, JP;
Tetsuo Tanabe, Ogaki, JP;
Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd., Aichi-ken, JP;
Abstract
A vehicle display device such as a speed meter including indicators, many segments illuminated in two or more colors by plural LEDs and an indicator control circuit. The indicators dispose the segments so as to display a variable such as a car speed in a bar graph or in the form of a number. The indicator control circuit displays the variable by controlling the lighting of the LEDs and changes an emitted light color of indication based on a fixed color changing reference value in accordance with a value of the variable. The control circuit controls a duty ratio of a supply current or a current value in a predetermined set value range determined on the basis of the color changing reference value. Namely, brightness of the emitted light color before a color change is gradually decreased, while brightness of the emitted light color after the color change is gradually increased.