초록 ▼

An instrument cluster generally including a backing material and a plurality of fibers forming indicia that indicate a vehicle parameter. The plurality of fibers is coupled to the backing material. The instrument cluster also includes an illumination device that illuminates at least one of the backi

An instrument cluster generally including a backing material and a plurality of fibers forming indicia that indicate a vehicle parameter. The plurality of fibers is coupled to the backing material. The instrument cluster also includes an illumination device that illuminates at least one of the backing material and the plurality of fibers.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An instrument cluster comprising: a housing that forms a periphery of the instrument cluster; a pointer rotatably connected to said housing, said pointer having a needle portion and a hub portion; a backing material connected to said housing, said backing material having a fr

What is claimed is: 1. An instrument cluster comprising: a housing that forms a periphery of the instrument cluster; a pointer rotatably connected to said housing, said pointer having a needle portion and a hub portion; a backing material connected to said housing, said backing material having a front face visible within the instrument cluster, wherein said hub portion extends through said backing material and said needle portion rotates over said backing material; a plurality of fibers forming indicia that indicate a vehicle parameter, said plurality of fibers embroidered to said backing material, wherein a portion of said indicia is radially disposed about said pointer, said indicia are arranged to be descriptive of an increasing value of said vehicle parameter, wherein said pointer is operable to rotate and point to said indicia to indicate a value of said vehicle parameter; an illumination device connected to said housing and at least partially positioned in front of said front face, said illumination device illuminates at least one of said front face of said backing material and a portion of said indicia formed by said plurality of fibers on said front face. 2. The instrument cluster of claim 1 wherein said front face of said backing material fluoresces when illuminated by said illumination device. 3. The instrument cluster of claim 1 wherein said front face of said backing material phosphoresces when illuminated by said illumination device. 4. The instrument cluster of claim 1 wherein said plurality of fibers fluoresces when illuminated by said illumination device. 5. The instrument cluster of claim 1 wherein said plurality of fibers phosphoresces when illuminated by said illumination device. 6. The instrument cluster of claim 1 wherein said backing material is made of one of leather, plastic, silk, cotton, cork, wool, satin, wood, velour, velvet, woven wire poly vinyl chloride layers, pleather and combinations thereof. 7. The instrument cluster of claim 1 wherein said illumination device produces ultra-violet light wherein said plurality of fibers fluoresces when illuminated by said illumination device and said illumination device is operable to not illuminate said backing material. 8. The instrument cluster of claim 1 wherein said illumination device includes one of a light-emitting diode, an incandescent bulb, a light-emitting diode, a fluorescent lamp and combinations thereof. 9. The instrument cluster of claim 1 wherein said illumination device includes a plurality of illumination devices coupled to said periphery of of said housing in front of said front face of said backing material. 10. The instrument cluster of claim 1 wherein light from said illumination device is invisible to a human eye. 11. The instrument cluster of claim 1 wherein said portion of said indicia provides a number, a tick mark and a border, said number is adjacent said tick mark, said tick mark is descriptive of said number and said tick mark is disposed between said number and said border. 12. The instrument cluster of claim 1 wherein said plurality of fibers embroidered to a single piece of said backing material form said indicia that provide a plurality of gauges in the instrument cluster. 13. A vehicle instrument cluster comprising: a backing material made of fabric; a plurality of fibers forming indicia that indicate a vehicle parameter, said fibers that form said indicia are embroidered on said backing material such that at least one fiber extends over said front face of said backing material, through said backing material to a back face of said backing material, over said back face of said backing material, and through said backing material to said front face of said backing material, wherein said at least one fiber forms at least one generally one hundred eighty degree bend around said backing material; a pointer that is rotatable to selectively point to one of said indicia, wherein a portion of said indicia are radially disposed about said pointer and arranged to be descriptive of an increasing value of said vehicle parameter, wherein said pointer is operable to indicate a value of said vehicle parameter when said pointer points to one of said indicia. 14. The vehicle instrument cluster of claim 13 further comprising an illumination device that illuminates at least one of said front face of said backing material and said indicia, wherein at least one of said front face of said backing material and said indicia fluoresces when illuminated by said illumination device. 15. The vehicle instrument cluster of claim 14 wherein said illumination device produces ultra-violet light. 16. The vehicle instrument cluster of claim 14 wherein said illumination device includes one of a light-emitting diode, an incandescent bulb, a light-emitting diode, a fluorescent lamp and combinations thereof. 17. The vehicle instrument cluster of claim 13 wherein said backing material is made of one of leather, silk, cotton, wool, satin, velour, velvet, woven wire poly vinyl chloride layers, pleather and combinations thereof. 18. An instrument cluster having an illumination device that emits light, the instrument cluster comprising: a housing that forms a periphery of the instrument cluster, said housing connected to a dashboard in a vehicle; a backing material made of one of cloth and leather, said backing material connected to said housing; indicia formed of a plurality of threads embroidered to said backing material with an embroidery stitch; a pointer rotatably connected to said housing, said pointer having a needle portion and a hub portion, wherein a portion of said indicia is radially disposed about said pointer, said indicia are arranged to be descriptive of an increasing value of a vehicle parameter, wherein said pointer is operable to rotate and point to said indicia to indicate a value of said vehicle parameter, wherein one of a front face of said backing material and said indicia on said front face of said backing material fluoresce due to the light contacting said front face of said backing material from the illumination device, wherein all of said indicia on said backing material are viewable from within said vehicle. 19. An instrument cluster comprising: a housing that forms a periphery of the instrument cluster; a single piece of backing material made of one of cloth and leather connected to said housing; indicia formed of a plurality of threads embroidered to said single piece of backing material, said indicia representing a scale descriptive of values associated with a vehicle parameter; an illumination device that directs light to a front face of said single piece of backing material that causes one of said front face of said single piece of backing material and a portion of said indicia on said front face to fluoresce; and a pointer that is rotatable to selectively point to one of said indicia on said scale to indicate a value of said vehicle parameter, wherein a portion of said indicia is radially disposed about said pointer. 20. A method of providing a gauge in a vehicle with a pointer that indicates a value of a vehicle parameter associated with the gauge, the method comprising: providing a housing operable to contain an instrument cluster in a vehicle; providing a single piece of backing material made of one of cloth and leather; embroidering a plurality of threads into said backing material to form indicia that indicate a vehicle parameter, wherein said embroidering includes radially disposing a portion of said indicia about said pointer and arranging said portion of said indicia to be descriptive of an increasing value of the vehicle parameter; connecting said single piece of backing material to said housing to be viewable from within the vehicle; illuminating a front face of said backing material and a portion of said plurality of threads on said front face, wherein said illuminating includes causing one of said portion of said indicia on said front face and said front face of said backing material to fluoresce. 21. The method of claim 20 further comprising laser-cutting said backing material. 22. The method of claim 20 further comprising providing a computer-controlled embroidery machine and programming said embroidery machine with an instrument cluster design.