JP2004132757A - Vehicular measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce component costs by simplifying a structure. <P>SOLUTION: A cylindrical outer periphery wall member 21 for surrounding a surface side outer periphery of the dial 8 is formed by a transparent material having the same quality as the transparent cover 25, sides 21a, 21b in the outer periphery wall member 21 are subjected to concealing treatment, a light source 10 is arranged at a rear end section 21d in the outer periphery wall member 21, the outer periphery wall member 21 is utilized as a light guide body, and a tip end section 21c in the outer periphery wall member 21 can be lit as an emission section 26. Additionally, the transparent cover 25 and the outer periphery wall member 21 can be integrated, thus simplifying structure, putting together functions, and reducing component costs. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an instrument for a vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a vehicle such as an automobile, an indicating instrument (vehicle instrument) having a plurality of instrument sections such as a speedometer, a tachometer, a water temperature gauge, an odometer and a trip meter is attached to an instrument panel portion in a front part of a passenger compartment. I have.
[0003]
Among such vehicle instruments, there is an instrument in which the outer periphery of the instrument section is made to glow in a ring shape. (See Patent Document 1)
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-81966 [0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the vehicle instrument disclosed in the above publication has a problem that the structure is complicated and the parts cost is high.
[0006]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle instrument that can solve the above-mentioned problems, simplify the structure, and reduce the cost of parts.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the invention of claim 1, a transparent cover is provided which surrounds the outer periphery of the front surface of the dial and is separated from the dial by a cylindrical outer peripheral wall member with respect to the surface of the dial. In the vehicle instrument to be supported, the transparent cover is formed to have a mountain-shaped cross section so that external light can be reflected toward the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall member, and the outer peripheral wall member is made of the same material as the transparent cover. A light source formed of a transparent material and configured to cover the side surface of the outer peripheral wall member so that a front end edge of the outer peripheral wall member becomes a light emitting portion, and disposed on a rear end edge side of the outer peripheral wall member A vehicle instrument configured to guide illumination light from the light-emitting unit to the light-emitting unit, and integrally connecting a skirt portion of the transparent cover having a mountain-shaped cross section to a rear end edge of the outer peripheral wall member. And
[0008]
According to the invention of claim 1 configured as described above, the cylindrical outer peripheral wall member surrounding the outer periphery on the front surface side of the dial is formed of the same transparent material as the transparent cover, and the side surface of the outer peripheral wall member is formed. By concealing and arranging the light source on the rear edge side of the outer peripheral wall member, the outer peripheral wall member is used as a light guide, and the leading edge of the outer peripheral wall member is illuminated in a ring shape as a light emitting portion. And thereby a new visual effect can be obtained. Further, by integrally connecting the transparent cover and the outer peripheral wall member, the structure can be simplified, the functions can be integrated, and the cost of parts can be reduced.
[0009]
In the invention according to claim 2, the concealing process of the side surface of the outer peripheral wall member is configured by an inner cylindrical member and an outer cylindrical member, and the outer peripheral wall member is accommodated between the inner cylindrical member and the outer cylindrical member. Vehicle instrument.
[0010]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, by performing the concealing process on the side surface of the outer peripheral wall member using the inner cylindrical member and the outer cylindrical member, the concealing process can be reliably performed and the appearance quality can be improved. Can be made more sophisticated.
[0011]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, a light emitting ring member whose inner and outer peripheral surfaces are flush with the inner cylindrical member and the outer cylindrical member is provided in the light emitting portion at the distal end edge of the outer peripheral wall member. Is characterized by the vehicle instrument according to claim 2 provided separately.
[0012]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, by providing the light emitting ring member at the light emitting portion at the distal end edge of the outer peripheral wall member, the light emitting portion can emit light of higher quality. Further, by providing the light emitting ring member separately from the inner cylinder member and the outer cylinder member, manufacturing can be facilitated. Furthermore, by making the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the light emitting ring member flush with the inner and outer cylinder members, a sense of continuity and a sense of unity can be obtained.
[0013]
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided the vehicle instrument according to the third aspect, wherein the light emitting ring member has a metallic thin film and is subjected to a surface treatment of a thin film capable of transmitting illumination light.
[0014]
According to the invention of claim 4 configured as described above, the surface treatment of the thin film applied to the light emitting ring member causes the light emitting ring member to appear as a metallic glossy surface when not illuminated and to transmit the surface treatment when illuminated. You can see the illumination light.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to illustrated examples.
[0016]
1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention.
[0017]
First, the configuration will be described. In a vehicle such as an automobile, an instrument panel is provided at a front portion of a vehicle compartment. The instrument panel is provided with an indicating instrument (vehicle instrument 1) as shown in FIGS. The indicating instrument (vehicle instrument 1) has a plurality of instrument sections 2. Each instrument section 2 includes, for example, a speedometer 3, a tachometer 4, a water temperature gauge 5, a fuel gauge 6, and the like.
[0018]
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, each instrument section 2 includes a dial 8 having a rotating area of the hands 7, a movement 9 for rotating the hands 7, and a light source 10 for illumination such as an LED. A base 11 is provided.
[0019]
The base 11 is disposed on the back side of the dial 8 with a required interval. The dial 8 and the base 11 are both housed in a case 12.
[0020]
A pointer shaft hole 13 is formed substantially at the center of the rotation area of the pointer 7 on the dial 8. The output shaft (the pointer shaft 14) of the movement 9 is inserted into the pointer shaft hole 13. At the tip of the pointer shaft 14, a base 15 (pointer rotation center) of the pointer 7 is attached. A substantially cylindrical pointer cap 16 is attached to the base 15 of the pointer 7.
[0021]
A display portion such as a character scale such as a scale or a numerical value is formed in a substantially circular shape on the outer peripheral portion of the rotation area of the pointer 7. Here, the dial 8 includes a transparent plate made of resin. A non-translucent printing is performed on the dial plate 8 while leaving a display unit such as a character scale, thereby forming a display unit such as a translucent character scale. On the back side of the dial 8, there is provided a light guide 17 for guiding illumination light from the light source 10 to a display unit such as a character scale of the dial 8.
[0022]
Here, the dial 8 has a substantially circular shape in plan view. The dial 8 has a substantially concave shape in a side view. Correspondingly, the side surface of the pointer 7 is also curved along the concave surface of the dial 8. A light source 18 for emitting the hands 7 is provided on the base 15 of the hands 7.
[0023]
In the vehicle instrument 1 of this embodiment, each of the instrument sections 2 is a monocular wind meter as shown in FIGS.
[0024]
That is, by providing the outer peripheral wall member 21 which has a cylindrical shape and surrounds the outer periphery on the front surface side of the dial 8, each instrument section 2 is independently formed to be a monocular wind meter. The water temperature gauge 5 and the fuel gauge 6 are housed in the same outer peripheral wall member 21. Thus, a triple monocular wind meter is provided. The outer peripheral wall members 21 of the three monocular wind meters are connected to each other in a state in which the substantially circular connecting portions 22 are wrapped to form a meter design. Various warning lights 23 and the like are provided on the connecting portion 22.
[0025]
Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the transparent cover 25 is supported so as to be separated from the dial 8 with respect to the surface of the dial 8.
[0026]
The transparent cover 25 has a mountain-shaped cross section so that external light can be reflected toward the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall member 21.
[0027]
Further, the outer peripheral wall member 21 is formed of the same transparent material as the transparent cover 25. The side surfaces 21a and 21b of the outer peripheral wall member 21 are concealed so that the front edge 21c of the outer peripheral wall member 21 becomes the light emitting portion 26.
[0028]
The light source 10 is disposed on the rear edge 21 d of the outer peripheral wall member 21, and the illumination light from the light source 10 is guided to the light emitting unit 26. Here, the light source 10 for illumination described above is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the dial 8 and on the side end portion 17a of the light guide 17 and the rear end edge portion 21d of the outer peripheral wall member 21. Is shared. As the light source 10, for example, an LED is used. A plurality of the light sources 10 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral wall member 21. For example, about 10 to 12 light sources 10 are arranged.
[0029]
Further, the skirt portion 25 a of the transparent cover 25 having a mountain-shaped cross section is integrally connected to the rear end edge 21 d of the outer peripheral wall member 21.
[0030]
The concealing process of the side surfaces 21a and 21b of the outer peripheral wall member 21 is configured by the inner cylindrical member 28 and the outer cylindrical member 29, and the outer peripheral wall member 21 is accommodated between the inner cylindrical member 28 and the outer cylindrical member 29. I have. The concealing process of the side surfaces 21a and 21b of the outer peripheral wall member 21 may be performed by painting or the like.
[0031]
A light emitting ring member 31 whose inner and outer peripheral surfaces are flush with the inner cylindrical member 28 and the outer cylindrical member 29 is provided on the light emitting portion 26 of the distal end edge 21 c of the outer peripheral wall member 21. Are provided separately.
[0032]
The surface of the light emitting ring member 31 is subjected to a surface treatment 32 of a thin film having a metallic luster and capable of transmitting illumination light.
[0033]
In the vehicle instrument 1 of this embodiment, a small display unit 35 is further provided on the transparent cover 25 so as to be in a floating state with respect to the dial 8. The small display unit 35 displays, for example, a shift range display and a direction support display.
[0034]
The small display portion 35 may be attached to any position of the transparent cover 25, but preferably, a position overlapping the base 15 of the pointer 7 of the transparent cover 25, that is, the back surface of the mountain-shaped top 25a of the transparent cover 25. Place and fix on the side.
[0035]
The small display unit 35 is configured by a rectangular LCD panel or EL panel. For example, in the case of an LCD, a diffusion plate 36 is adhered to the back surface, and is configured to be illuminated by a backlight 37 from behind. I have. As the backlight 37, for example, an LED or the like is used. The small display section 35, the diffusion plate 36, and the backlight 37 are housed in a substantially cylindrical housing 38.
[0036]
The top portion 25a of the transparent cover 25 is formed with an opening 39 having substantially the same diameter as the tip of the housing 38. The opening 39 has a light-shielding plate 40 (for example, a light control film or the like for regulating and controlling the light emission direction). Is installed. The small display section 35 described above is arranged closely on the back surface of the light shielding plate 40. The housing 38 is supported on the entire periphery at the edge of the opening 39 on the back surface side. Further, a ring-shaped lens 41 is protrudingly formed at the edge of the opening 39 on the surface side.
[0037]
Preferably, the outer surface 38a of the housing 38 accommodating the small display portion 35 is configured to be substantially flush with the outer surface 15a of the base 15 of the pointer 7. Alternatively, the outer surface 38 a of the housing 38 is configured to have a larger diameter than the outer surface 15 a of the base 15 of the pointer 7. That is, the outer surface 15 a of the base 15 of the pointer 7 is configured to have a smaller diameter than the outer surface 38 a of the housing 38. Note that a small gap 42 is interposed between the outer surface 38 a of the housing 38 and the pointer cap 16.
[0038]
At this time, preferably, the outer side surface 38a of the housing 38 of the small display portion 35 has an inverted tapered shape that becomes thinner as it approaches the dial 8. Similarly, the outer side surfaces 21a and 21b of the pointer cap 16 may have an inverted tapered shape that becomes thinner as it approaches the dial 8.
[0039]
Further, an insertion hole 44 for passing a harness 43 for supplying power to the small display unit 35 and the backlight 37 is provided in the pointer cap 16 provided on the base 15 of the pointer 7, and the insertion hole 44 is used for rotating the pointer 7. On the other hand, a non-interference shape in which the harness 43 does not interfere is adopted. The insertion hole 44 having a non-interfering shape will be described. The harness 43 is formed in a slit, and when the pointer rotates, the harness 43 relatively moves within the insertion hole 44 formed by the arcuate slit.
[0040]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
[0041]
According to this embodiment, the cylindrical outer peripheral wall member 21 surrounding the outer periphery of the front surface of the dial 8 is formed of the same transparent material as the transparent cover 25, and the side surfaces 21 a and 21 b of the outer peripheral wall member 21 are formed. By performing the concealment process and disposing the light source 10 on the rear end edge 21 d of the outer peripheral wall member 21, the outer peripheral wall member 21 is used as a light guide, and the front end edge 21 c of the outer peripheral wall member 21 is used as the light emitting unit 26. , And a new visual effect can be obtained. Further, by connecting the transparent cover 25 and the outer peripheral wall member 21 integrally, the structure can be simplified, the functions can be integrated, and the cost of parts can be reduced.
[0042]
By performing the concealing process on the side surfaces 21a and 21b of the outer peripheral wall member 21 using the inner cylindrical member 28 and the outer cylindrical member 29, the concealing process can be reliably performed and the appearance quality can be further enhanced. Can be.
[0043]
By providing the light-emitting ring member 31 on the light-emitting portion 26 at the front edge 21c of the outer peripheral wall member 21, the light emission of the light-emitting portion 26 can be made higher quality. In addition, by providing the light emitting ring member 31 separately from the inner cylinder member 28 and the outer cylinder member 29, manufacturing can be facilitated. Further, by making the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the light emitting ring member 31 flush with the inner cylindrical member 28 and the outer cylindrical member 29, a sense of continuity and a sense of unity can be obtained.
[0044]
Due to the surface treatment 32 of the thin film applied to the light emitting ring member 31, the light emitting ring member 31 looks like a metallic glossy surface when not illuminated, and can see the illumination light transmitted through the surface treatment 32 when illuminated.
[0045]
Further, according to this embodiment, the small display unit 35 is disposed on the transparent cover 25 so as to be in a floating state with respect to the dial 8. Since it appears to be floating in the air, a new visual effect with a three-dimensional effect can be obtained.
[0046]
Further, by disposing the small display portion 35 at a position overlapping with the base portion 15 of the hands 7, the small display portion 35 can be disposed at a position where the small display portion 35 is easily visible and does not interfere with the dial 8.
[0047]
The outer surface 38a of the housing 38 accommodating the small display portion 35 is substantially flush with the outer surface 15a of the base 15 of the pointer 7, or the outer surface 38a of the housing 38 is By making the diameter larger than that of the outer side surface 15a, the small display section 35 can be finished with a good appearance.
[0048]
Further, by forming the outer surface 38a of the housing 38 of the small display portion 35 into an inverted tapered shape that becomes thinner as approaching the dial 8, a wider display area of the dial 8 can be secured, and the small display portion 35 can be secured. The outer surface 38a of the housing 38 can be effectively hidden from the line of sight. Similarly, by forming the outer surface 15a of the base portion 15 of the hands 7 into an inverted tapered shape that becomes thinner as approaching the dial 8, a wider display area of the dial 8 can be secured, and the small display portion 35 The outer surface 38a of the housing 38 can be effectively hidden from the line of sight.
[0049]
By providing the base 15 of the pointer 7 with an insertion hole 44 through which a harness 43 for feeding power to the small display unit 35 and the like is provided, power can be effectively supplied to the small display unit 35 via the harness 43. In addition, by making the insertion hole 44 non-interfering with the harness 43, it is possible to prevent the harness 43 from interfering with the rotating pointer 7. The power supply to the small display unit 35 and the like can be performed in a non-contact manner besides using the harness 43. In this case, it is needless to say that the insertion hole 44 need not be provided in the base 15 of the pointer 7.
[0050]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the cylindrical outer peripheral wall member surrounding the outer periphery of the front surface of the dial is formed of a transparent material of the same material as the transparent cover. And arranging the light source on the rear edge side of the outer peripheral wall member, thereby using the outer peripheral wall member as a light guide, and illuminating the distal end edge of the outer peripheral wall member as a light emitting portion in a ring shape. Thus, a new visual effect can be obtained. Further, by integrally connecting the transparent cover and the outer peripheral wall member, the structure can be simplified, the functions can be integrated, and the cost of parts can be reduced.
[0051]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, by performing the concealing process on the side surface of the outer peripheral wall member using the inner cylindrical member and the outer cylindrical member, the concealing process can be reliably performed and the appearance quality can be improved. can do.
[0052]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, by providing the light emitting ring member at the light emitting portion at the distal end edge of the outer peripheral wall member, the light emission of the light emitting portion can be made higher quality. Further, by providing the light emitting ring member separately from the inner cylinder member and the outer cylinder member, manufacturing can be facilitated. Furthermore, by making the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the light emitting ring member flush with the inner and outer cylinder members, a sense of continuity and a sense of unity can be obtained.
[0053]
According to the invention of claim 4, the surface treatment of the thin film applied to the light-emitting ring member allows the light-emitting ring member to look like a metallic glossy surface when not illuminated, and to see illumination light transmitted through the surface treatment when illuminated. Can have a practically useful effect.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a central portion of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a side part of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a pointer.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle instrument 8 Dial 10 Light source 21 Outer peripheral wall members 21a, 21b Side surface 21c Front edge 21d Rear edge 25 Transparent cover 25a Foot 26 Light emitting section 28 Inner cylinder member 29 Outer cylinder member 31 Light emitting ring member 32 Surface treatment

Claims (4)

In a vehicle instrument for supporting a transparent cover by separating from the dial with respect to the surface of the dial, by a cylindrical outer peripheral wall member surrounding the outer periphery on the front side of the dial,
The transparent cover has a mountain-shaped cross section, and is configured to reflect external light toward the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall member,
The outer peripheral wall member is formed of a transparent material of the same material as the transparent cover, and a side edge of the outer peripheral wall member is concealed so that a front end edge of the outer peripheral wall member becomes a light emitting portion,
It is configured to guide illumination light from a light source disposed on a rear end side of the outer peripheral wall member to the light emitting unit,
An instrument for a vehicle, wherein a skirt portion of the transparent cover having a mountain-shaped cross section is integrally connected to a rear end edge of the outer peripheral wall member. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the concealing process of the side surface of the outer peripheral wall member includes an inner cylindrical member and an outer cylindrical member, and the outer peripheral wall member is housed between the inner cylindrical member and the outer cylindrical member. Instrument. A light-emitting ring member whose inner and outer peripheral surfaces are flush with the inner cylinder member and the outer cylinder member is provided separately from the inner cylinder member and the outer cylinder member in the light-emitting portion at the distal end portion of the outer peripheral wall member. 3. The vehicle instrument according to claim 2, wherein: 4. The vehicle instrument according to claim 3, wherein the light emitting ring member has a metallic thin film and is subjected to a surface treatment of a thin film capable of transmitting illumination light.

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