Abstract: A transportable outboard motor has a tiller which is pivotable about a lateral tilt axis into a plurality of tilt positions and also pivotable about an axial yaw axis into a plurality of yaw positions. The tiller is pivotable about the axial yaw axis into a straight-ahead position, into a port yaw position which is oriented towards the port side relative to the straight-ahead position, and into a starboard yaw position which is oriented towards the starboard side relative to the straight-ahead position. The tiller is pivotable downwardly about the lateral tilt axis from the port yaw position, and downwardly about the lateral tilt axis from the starboard yaw position. Pivoting the tiller into the plurality of yaw positions creates space for a user to manually grasp a swivel tube and thereby lift the transportable outboard motor from a rear-laydown position.

Abstract: A transportable outboard motor has a midsection and a tiller extending forwardly from the midsection. The tiller is pivotable about a lateral tilt axis into a downward tilt position in which the tiller is oriented transversely to the lateral and longitudinal directions. The tiller in the downward tilt position is configured to permit manual carrying of the transportable outboard motor.

Abstract: Automated motor vehicle battery voltage protection is provided by setting voltage trip points for increasing engine speed and for shedding selected electrical loads. The system is effected by programming a vehicle body computer which communicates with, and exerts control over, various vehicle system controllers over one or more controller area networks. The body computer is programmed to monitor battery voltage and initiates an increase in engine speed first, and if that fails to restore a minimum battery voltage level, begins shedding loads in a predetermined order.

Abstract: Vehicle theft deterrence is affected by requiring the entry of an enabling code to prevent disablement of vehicle operation. System operational variables may be programmed by operators. The system is substantially integrated with existing vehicle control systems.

Abstract: An instrument panel of an automotive vehicle has an original circuit board (10). An LED (16) is disposed on a bridge (34) in the board and faces a driver of the vehicle. Two terminals (16T1, 16T2) extend through the bridge to conductive continuity with respective conductive traces (24, 26) on the rear board face 12. Should the LED fail, it is replaced by severing the bridge from the board and removing it along with the LED on it. The severing creates a through-hole (36) in the board. A socket (40) that contains a replacement LED (16R) is installed in the through-hole and provides conductive continuity of the respective traces on the board with respective terminals of the replacement LED.

Abstract: An instrument panel of an automotive vehicle has an original circuit board (10). An LED (16) is disposed on a bridge (34) in the board and faces a driver of the vehicle. Two terminals (16T1, 16T2) extend through the bridge to conductive continuity with respective conductive traces (24, 26) on the rear board face 12. Should the LED fail, it is replaced by severing the bridge from the board and removing it along with the LED on it. The severing creates a through-hole (36) in the board. A socket (40) that contains a replacement LED (16R) is installed in the through-hole and provides conductive continuity of the respective traces on the board with respective terminals of the replacement LED.

Abstract: A switch module in an instrument panel of a motor vehicle contains multiple switch assemblies connected by wiring to a controller. Multiple devices controlled by the switch assemblies are connected by wiring to the controller. The controller has a programmed matrix correlating a switch input from each particular switch assembly in the module with a particular device to place each particular device under control of the corresponding switch assembly.

Abstract: An instrument panel of an automotive vehicle has an original circuit board (10). An LED (16) is disposed on a bridge (34) in the board and faces a driver of the vehicle. Two terminals (16T1, 16T2) extend through the bridge to conductive continuity with respective conductive traces (24, 26) on the rear board face 12. Should the LED fail, it is replaced by severing the bridge from the board and removing it along with the LED on it. The severing creates a through-hole (36) in the board. A socket (40) that contains a replacement LED (16R) is installed in the through-hole and provides conductive continuity of the respective traces on the board with respective terminals of the replacement LED.

Abstract: An instrument panel of an automotive vehicle has an original circuit board (10). An LED (16) is disposed on a bridge (34) in the board and faces a driver of the vehicle. Two terminals (16T1, 16T2) extend through the bridge to conductive continuity with respective conductive traces (24, 26) on the rear board face 12. Should the LED fail, it is replaced by severing the bridge from the board and removing it along with the LED on it. The severing creates a through-hole (36) in the board. A socket (40) that contains a replacement LED (16R) is installed in the through-hole and provides conductive continuity of the respective traces on the board with respective terminals of the replacement LED.

Abstract: A control system for a vehicle provides for the control of electrically differentiated loads utilizing a local controller, the functionality of which depends upon a programmed central control unit. A first serial data link connects a plurality of autonomous local controllers of fixed functionality to the central control unit. A second serial data link links at least a first dependent controller to electrical system controller. The electrical system controller provides for controlling multiplexing of signals on the first and second serial data links. Memory provides both protected and nonprotected sections, with the protected sections providing storage for configuration data structures residing in memory and the data structures providing functional definitions for the first dependent controller.

Abstract: Two lamp sockets (40, 42) on a wiring board (32) behind a switch assembly (18) have identical geometries. Each comprises a through-hole with a polarizing feature. Plural discrete contact pads (44, 46, 48, 50) are disposed on the board surface spaced apart around the margin of each through-hole. Plural discrete conductor traces (52, 54, 56, 58) are printed on the board surface to run from the respective contact pads. Each socket can accept either a first model (66) or a second model (68) of lamp assembly to make either socket a status indicator for the switch assembly or a nighttime illumination socket. A common wiring board can thereby serve different requirements for the locations of status indicator and nighttime illumination lamps.

Abstract: Rather than using the viscosity of dampening oil to establish the speed at which the movement of an air core instrument gauge moves, the speed is defined by programming speed data into memory of a microprocessor that controls the movement. When the microprocessor receives an input signal commanding the movement to move, it develops an output signal for operating the movement that is based both on the input signal and on the stored speed signal. The stored speed signal is used by the microprocessor as weight for a software filter used in development of the output signal.

Abstract: A turn lock bezel mounts an instrument gauge on an instrument panel by exerting axial retention forces that force a bezel ring against a front margin of a mounting aperture in the instrument panel and a dial graphic and dial plate of the gauge against a rear edge of a retaining ring that holds a window glass in the bezel ring and passes axially into the mounting aperture. In a first embodiment, when the bezel is turned a small acute angle in one direction, it can be extracted from the mounting aperture leaving the gauge behind in the instrument panel, and when turned a small acute angle further, the bezel can still be extracted, but it now extracts the gauge too. In a second embodiment, a lost motion connection is provided between the bezel and the gauge so that finger tip clearance will exist between the rear edge of the bezel ring and the instrument panel before the bezel begins to extract the gauge.

Abstract: Results of self-testing of portions of an automotive vehicle's electronic instrument cluster are displayed on the cluster's speedometer and tachometer. A fault in a particular portion is indicated by operating the pointers of both meters in unison by repetitive sweeping from zero to a particular location corresponding to the particular portion containing the fault. Detection of no faults is indicated by sweeping both pointers in unison from zero to maximum and back. A person can judge the movements of the meters by observing whether the pointers sweep smoothly in unison or in an erratic manner.

Abstract: The pointer of an air-core meter instrumentation gauge comprises a driven hub via which the pointer is separably attached to a driving hub on the rotor of the air core meter movement. The driving hub is press-fitted to the rotor in proper circumferential alignment so that when the pointer is attached, the pointer will be inherently properly circumferentially oriented too. This is accomplished by providing a keyed connection between the driving and driven hubs such that the pointer can be assembled to the driving hub in only one particular circumferential orientation. The hubs also have a snap-together catch feature that is additional to the keyed connection.

Abstract: A speedometer/tachometer assembly for an automotive vehicle, such as a heavy truck, has a ten section DIP switch for calibrating the speedometer and a like switch for calibrating the tachometer. When set to all "0's", each switch causes the corresponding meter to be driven by a variable frequency signal from a corresponding sensor, as calibrated by a corresponding calibration factor that has been preloaded in the non-volatile memory of a microprocessor that operates the meters. When set to all "1's", each switch causes the corresponding meter to be operated from pre-calibrated data appearing on a data link. When set to any other setting, the setting determines the calibration factor that is applied to the uncalibrated signal, and this is used to drive the corresponding meter.

Abstract: An instrumentation system in which air core gauges are adapted for use with a microprocessor that provides data for the gauges in digital form via an address/data bus. One of the principal features of the invention is that minimum circuitry interfaces the microprocessor with the air core gauges. Each gauge is assigned to a particular output device on the microprocessor memory map. The microprocessor addresses a particular gauge via the address bus at the same time that data for the gauge is present on the data bus. Each gauge comprises a sample and hold circuit and an air core driver circuit which operate the gauge's air core meter. The sample and hold circuits share a common digital-to-analog (D/A) converter which is interposed between the digital data bus and the sample and hold circuits.