JP4228273B2 - Lighting device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an illuminating device that backlight-illuminates display members mounted on various vehicles such as motorcycles and automobiles.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in this type of lighting device, for example, a display member (liquid crystal display element) that displays information such as travel distance, fuel consumption, outside air temperature, time, etc., a light source that backlights this display member, and a display A diffusion plate disposed between the member and the light source and diffusing light from the light source; and a light guide member disposed along the back of the diffusion plate. In this case, the light source is disposed at the center of the display member. It arrange | positions directly under the corresponding light guide member. When the light source is turned on, the light from the light source is transmitted through the light guide member and introduced into the diffusion plate, and the display member is backlit by diffusing (irradiating) the light introduced into the diffusion plate to the back surface of the display member. Illuminated (see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-47595
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the case of the illumination device described in Patent Document 1, the light source is arranged immediately below the light guide member corresponding to the central portion of the display member, and the light of the light source supplied into the light guide member is diffused by the diffusion plate. However, even if a diffusion plate is employed, the display member position located directly above the light source tends to be brightest and darker as it goes to the outer periphery.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of these points, and a main object thereof is to provide an illumination device capable of suppressing illumination unevenness.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a display member, a light source for backlighting the display member, and a light guide disposed between the light source and the display member to guide light from the light source to the display member. The light guide member is formed at a concave incident surface located on the optical axis of the light source and at a position off the optical axis so as to allow light from the light source to enter, and the incident portion And a light emitting portion formed of a plurality of convex surfaces for emitting light from the display member side, a space is formed between the light emitting portion and the display member, and the light from the light source is The light diffused through the concave surface is introduced into the light guide member so as to spread radially around the optical axis, and the diffused light introduced into the light guide member is further radiated through the plurality of convex surfaces. Released into the space in a diffused state Characterized in that that.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention, and the case where the embodiment of the present invention is applied to a meter mounted on, for example, a motorcycle will be described below based on these embodiments. 1 is a front view of a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of FIG.
[0010]
1 and 2, the illumination device according to the present embodiment includes a circuit board 1, a driving device 3 that is conductively attached to the circuit board 1 and has a rotary shaft 2 extending forward, and a pointer that is rotationally driven by the rotary shaft 2. 4, a display plate 5 disposed on the circuit board 1 behind the pointer 4, a first light source 6 that illuminates the pointer 4 and the display plate 5, and the display plate 5 and the first light source 6. And a display unit 8 that is conductively attached to the circuit board 1 and disposed below the pointer 4.
[0011]
The circuit board 1 is composed of a hard circuit board in which a wiring pattern (not shown) is applied to a glass epoxy base material, for example, and includes a first light source 6, a second light source to be described later, and driving / driving of the driving device 3. Driving means (not shown) for controlling and various circuit components (not shown) such as resistors and capacitors are conductively connected to the wiring pattern. The circuit board 1 has a hole 11 through which a lead pin, which will be described later, passes.
[0012]
The driving device 3 is composed of a movable magnet type instrument or a stepping motor, and is mounted on the front side of the circuit board 1 and is electrically connected to the wiring pattern (the driving unit) by appropriate conduction means such as soldering.
[0013]
The pointer 4 is made of a translucent synthetic resin, is connected to the tip of the rotating shaft 2 and extends linearly, and a cap 42 made of a light-shielding synthetic resin that covers the outer periphery of the rotation center portion of the indicating portion 41. It has. Reference numeral 43 denotes a red translucent hot stamp layer formed on the front surface of the instruction unit 41.
[0014]
The display board 5 has an arcuate array shape along the rotation trajectory of the pointer 4, an index portion 51 including a scale 51 a and a number 51 b to be indicated by the instruction portion 41 of the pointer 4, and a background of the indicator portion 51. And a background portion 52 that forms the shape. The indicator portion 51 and the background portion 52 are formed of a printing layer formed on the front surface of a thin plate-like base material (not shown) made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin, and the indicator portion 51 is formed of a white light-transmitting ink. The background portion 52 is formed of black light-shielding ink. The print layers of the index portion 51 and the background portion 52 are formed by printing using means such as screen printing. Reference numeral 53 denotes a rectangular opening provided at 52 background portions corresponding to a display member described later of the display unit 8, and the display surface of the display member is exposed through the opening 53. .
[0015]
The first light source 6 is made of a chip-type light emitting diode that emits white light, for example, and a plurality of the first light sources 6 are arranged on the front side of the circuit board 1.
[0016]
The light guide 7 is made of a translucent acrylic resin, and receives a light receiving portion 71 that receives light from the first light source 6 and a first light that reflects the light taken from the light receiving portion 71 toward the rotating shaft 2. Light reflected from the reflecting wall 72, the second reflecting wall 73 for supplying the light reflected through the first reflecting wall 72 toward the rotating shaft 2 into the pointing portion 41 of the pointer 4, and the light received from the light receiving portion 71. And a third reflecting wall 74 that reflects toward the indicator portion 51 that is opposite to the rotating shaft 2 side, and a third reflecting wall that is formed so as to approach the back surface of the display board 5 as it goes outward from the light receiving portion 71. A fourth reflection wall 75 that reflects the light reflected to the outer periphery through the wall 74 to the display panel 5 side is provided, and the light receiving unit 71 is disposed so as to face the first light source 6.
[0017]
The first light source 6 and the light guide 7 constitute an illuminating means 9, and the first light source 6 and a light guide provided in the illumination path from the first light source 6 to the instruction portion 41 of the pointer 4. The light receiving unit 71 of the body 7 and the first and second reflection walls 72 and 73 constitute a first illumination unit 91 that illuminates the indicating unit 41. And the 1st light source 6, the light-receiving part 71 of the light guide 7 provided in the illumination path | route from this 1st light source 6 to the parameter | index part 51 of the display board 5, the 3rd, 4th reflective wall 74, 75 constitutes a second illumination means 92 for illuminating the indicator 51.
[0018]
The display unit 8 is disposed below the cap 42 of the pointer 4 and between the display board 5 and the circuit board 1. The display member 81 faces the opening 53 of the display board 5, and the display member. A second light source (light source) 82 that backlight-illuminates 81, a light guide member 83 that is disposed between the display member 81 and the light source 82 and guides light from the light source 82 to the display member 81, and a rear surface of the display member 81 And a diffusing member 84 for making light traveling from the light guide member 83 toward the display member 81 uniform.
[0019]
The display member 81 is made of, for example, a liquid crystal display element. Based on detection signals (electrical signals) of various sensors (not shown), the display member 81 is a transmission type that includes a plurality of information such as the vehicle travel distance, fuel consumption, outside temperature, and time. Information is displayed by the display segment 81a.
[0020]
The light source 82 is, for example, a chip-type light emitting diode that emits blue light, and is a light emitter that is mounted on the circuit board 1 and supplies light into the light guide member 83.
[0021]
The light guide member 83 is made of a light-transmitting acrylic resin, is formed in a substantially box shape, and has a bottom wall portion (plate-shaped portion) 85 disposed close to the light source 82 as shown in FIG. A side wall portion 86 that is continuously formed on the bottom wall portion 85 and an opening portion 87 that opens on the diffusion member 84 side are provided. In the present embodiment, the light guide member 83 is formed integrally with the light guide 7.
[0022]
The bottom wall portion 85 is formed in a substantially plate shape, and an incident portion 88 that allows light from the light source 82 to enter the bottom wall portion 85, and light that has been introduced into the bottom wall portion 85 through the incident portion 88 is diffused member 84 ( And an emitting portion 89 for irradiating the display member 81) side.
[0023]
The incident portion 88 is formed in a substantially spherical concave surface that opens to the light source 82 side, and its cross-sectional shape is a concave curved surface, and is provided so that the vertex of the concave surface is positioned on the extended line of the optical axis L. In addition, the emitting portion 89 is formed on a substantially spherical convex surface having the display member 81 side as an apex opposite to the incident portion 88, and in this embodiment, the two convex surfaces are adjacent to each other along the surface direction of the bottom wall portion 85. In this case, the valleys of the two convex portions are located on the optical axis L, and both of the two convex portions are opposed to the incident portion 88.
[0024]
In this embodiment, the light guide member 83 has a function as a light guide that guides light from the light source 82 to the diffusion member 84, and also functions as a holding member that holds the display member 81 and the diffusion member 84. Also have.
[0025]
That is, in FIG. 3, the side wall portion 86 of the light guide member 83 located on the right side is formed with a step portion 801 that accommodates and holds one side surface 81 b of the display member 81 and one side surface 84 a of the diffusing member 84. Further, since a positioning portion 802 for positioning the side surface 84b is formed at the side surface 84b facing the one side surface 84a of the diffusion member 84, the diffusion member 84 is positioned on the side wall portion 86 by the stepped portion 801 and the positioning portion 802. Will be retained. In this case, since the diffusing member 84 is held on the side wall portion 86 so as to close the opening 87 while the periphery of the back surface is in contact with the upper end surface of the side wall surface 86, the diffusing member 84, the bottom wall portion 85, the side wall A space portion S is formed in the space surrounded by the portion 86.
[0026]
Then, by disposing the display member 81 on the diffusing member 84, the diffusing member 84 and the display member 81 can be accommodated in the light guide member 83 (light guide 7). The display member 81 is positioned by an elastic piece provided with a step 801 and a locking piece (not shown). Reference numeral 803 denotes an insertion hole for inserting a lead pin described later.
[0027]
Reference numeral 10 denotes a lead pin for electrically connecting the circuit board 1 and the display member 81, and one end 10 a of the lead pin 10 is electrically connected to an electrode (not shown) of the display member 81. The other end (terminal portion) 10b extends through the insertion hole 803 of the light guide member 83 and the hole portion 11 of the circuit board 1 to the back side of the circuit board 1 and protrudes to the back side of the circuit board 1 The portion 10b is electrically connected to the wiring pattern by means such as soldering.
[0028]
In such a configuration, when the first light source 6 and the light source 82 of the display member 8 are turned on, the light emitted from the first light source 6 is supplied into the instruction unit 41 of the pointer 4 by the first illumination means 91. And light supplied to the back surface of the indicator portion 51 of the display panel 5 by the second illumination means 92. The indicator 41 emits red light linearly when the light supplied into the indicator 41 passes through the translucent hot stamp layer 43, and the light supplied to the back of the indicator 51 is within the indicator 51. , The scale 51a and the number 51b of the indicator 51 emit white light.
[0029]
Further, the light emitted from the light source 82 of the display member 8 enters the bottom wall portion 85 of the light guide member 83 positioned immediately above the light source 82. At this time, the bottom wall portion 85 has an incident portion 88 adjacent to the light source 82, and light from the light source 82 is efficiently incident on the bottom wall portion 85 through the incident portion 88. Therefore, the light from the light source 82 is introduced into the bottom wall 85 in a diffused state so as to spread radially around the optical axis L.
[0030]
The light introduced into the bottom wall portion 85 in a spread state through entrance portion 88 as will be discharged into the space within the S through the exit section 89. Here, since the emission part 89 is formed as a plurality of convex surfaces, the light introduced into the bottom wall part 85 is emitted in a diffused state so as to spread radially through the emission part 89 and is emitted into the space part S. .
[0031]
As a result, the light reaching the space S is diffused radially in the process of entering the bottom wall 85 through the incident part 88 and in the process of exiting from the bottom wall 85 through the emission part 89. Further, in the present embodiment, the dispersion is caused by the presence of the space portion S provided between the bottom wall portion 85 and the diffusion member 84, and is substantially uniformed when passing through the diffusion member 84 to reach the display member 81. The display member 81 is backlit substantially uniformly.
[0032]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the display member 81, the light source 82 for backlighting the display member 81, and the light from the light source 82 disposed between the light source 82 and the display member 81 is supplied to the display member 81. A light guide member 83 for guiding, and the light guide member 83 has an incident part 88 for incident light from the light source 82 and an emission part 89 for emitting light from the incident part 88 to the display member 81 side. The light incident from the light source 82 can be satisfactorily diffused by the incident portion 88 having a concave surface that allows the light from the light source 82 to be incident radially, and the output portion 89 having a convex surface that allows the light from the incident portion 88 to be radially emitted. The display member 81 can be backlit substantially uniformly.
[0033]
Moreover, in this embodiment, by providing the space part S between the output part 89 and the display member 81, light can be disperse | distributed with sufficient balance and illumination unevenness can be suppressed further.
[0034]
Further, in the present embodiment, the emission part 89 is divided into two convex surfaces, and the incident part 88 is formed on a concave surface facing the two convex surfaces, so that it can be diffused over a wide range around the optical axis L. It becomes.
[0035]
Moreover, in this embodiment, the said emission part is divided | segmented and formed in the at least 2 or more convex surface, and the said incident part is formed in the concave surface facing the said 2 or more convex surface, By using a point-like light source, An advantageous configuration can be obtained when the display member is illuminated. In the present embodiment, the case where the incident portion 88 is provided at one location on the bottom wall portion 85 and the emission portion 89 is provided at two locations on the bottom wall portion 85 has been described. However, the number of incident portions 88 and emission portions 89 formed is arbitrary. It is also possible to provide two or more incident parts 88 and more than one emission part 89 for one light source 82.
[0036]
In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the display segment 81a is backlit using the single light source 82 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of light sources 82 can be provided. In this case, the incident part 88 and the emission part 89 may be formed corresponding to each light source 82.
[0037]
The shape of the incident portion 88 is arbitrary as long as the light from the light source 82 can be incident radially, and the shape of the emission portion 89 can also be the shape if the light introduced through the incident portion 88 can be emitted radially. Is optional.
[0038]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an illuminating device that can achieve the initial purpose and can suppress uneven illumination.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
3 is an essential part cross-sectional view showing an enlarged B part in FIG. 2. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pointer 2 Rotating shaft 3 Drive device 4 Pointer 5 Display board 6 First light source 7 Light guide 8 Display member 81 Display element 82 Light source (second light source)
83 Light guide member 84 Diffusion member 85 Bottom wall portion 88 Incident portion 89 Outgoing portion L Optical axis S Space portion

Claims (1)

A display member, a light source that backlight-illuminates the display member, and a light guide member that is disposed between the light source and the display member and guides light from the light source to the display member,
The light guide member is formed at a concave incident portion located on the optical axis of the light source and at a position off the optical axis to allow light from the light source to enter the light from the incident portion. An emission part composed of a plurality of convex surfaces emitting to the display member side;
A space is formed between the emission part and the display member,
The light from the light source is diffused through the concave surface and introduced into the light guide member so as to spread radially around the optical axis,
The diffusing light introduced into the light guide member is emitted into the space portion in a state of being diffused radially through the plurality of convex surfaces .

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