JPH05319140A - Instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the occupied width of projection, into the dashboard, of an instrument fitted to the dashboard of a vehicle. CONSTITUTION:An electric type instrument main body 37 is fixed and connected to the back of a supporting plate 34 provided with a flexible printed base plate 36, arranged thereon, the display layers for respective instruments are provided on the surface, and a LED 41 for lighting is arranged on the inner face of a hood shaped reflector 40 arranged on the front face side of the supporting plate 34 so as to light up the front face of the display plane. In this way, the supporting plate 34 is set as a base, the flexible printed base plate 36 is arranged on the back, the electric type instrument main body is fixedly connected to the proper place, the display plane is arranged on the front side of the supporting plate, hereby the thickness of the instrument device is made thin, especially the thickness from the display face of the instrument to the rearward is nearly same as the thickness of the instrument main body, and hence the occupied width for fitting of the instrument device in the dashboard of a vehicle is reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an instrument device mounted on a vehicle, and more particularly to a combination type instrument device in which a plurality of types of measurement values are indicated by a plurality of instrument bodies.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A plurality of types of measured values such as a running speed of a vehicle, a remaining fuel amount, and a water temperature are indicated by a combination type instrument device arranged on a dashboard in a vehicle interior.
Electric meter bodies such as cross-coil meter have come to be used.

Generally, in such an instrument device, as shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-122,739, a printed circuit board on which drive circuit components are mounted is arranged in an instrument housing, and this printed circuit board is provided. Various electric instrument bodies are arranged and connected on the top, and the instrument housing containing the various instrument bodies is fixed to the dashboard of the vehicle.

By the way, the quietness of the passenger compartment of a vehicle has been considerably improved by the development of the soundproof structure of the vehicle body. However, the noise generated in the passenger compartment, especially the air conditioner is combined with the improvement of the cutoff of external noise. The wind noise at the air blowout port is starting to stand out. In other words, since wind power is strengthened during rapid heating and cooling, wind noise at the fins at the outlet becomes considerably loud, which is becoming an obstacle as noise.

[0005] Such wind noise is generated by increasing the wind power, but the same cooling and heating effect can be obtained by increasing the absolute amount of warm air or cold air without increasing the wind power. Attempts have been made to reduce the generation of wind noise due to such wind power by making the ventilation duct that passes through the board thick.

The increase in the occupied area in the dashboard due to the increase in the size of the ventilation duct inevitably results in a thinner instrument device incorporated in the dashboard, that is, behind the instrument device protruding into the dashboard. There is a demand for reducing the protruding width of the device, which has reached the limit in the above-described conventional instrument device structure.

Further, a lamp for illumination is arranged in the instrument housing as night illumination of the instrument, and transmitted illumination or indirect reflection illumination is provided from behind the instrument dial plate. It is necessary to increase the capacity of the housing, and in such an illumination structure, the width of the rearward protrusion of the instrument device becomes larger, and the overall thickness of the instrument device remains the same even if the instrument body itself becomes thinner. The result is.

[0008]

In the measuring device having the above-mentioned conventional structure, since the rearward projecting width of the measuring device, that is, the occupied width in the dashboard of the vehicle is large, the ventilation duct becomes large and the vehicle interior space becomes large. Due to the decrease in the amount of dashboard protrusion that accompanies the expansion, the width of integration of the instrument device into the dashboard becomes smaller, which inevitably pushes the front of the instrument device toward the outside of the dashboard, that is, toward the driver side. The appearance design of the enclosure is bad,
There is also a problem that the driver feels a sense of pressure as the instrument display surface becomes closer.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a support plate made of synthetic resin, which serves as a reference for assembly of a meter device, and a plurality of meter bodies are arranged on the back side of the support plate at appropriate intervals. ,
The signal terminal of the instrument body and the electric circuit pattern of the printed circuit board are electrically connected and fixed to the support plate, and a display layer provided with an index corresponding to the measurement item of the instrument body is provided on the surface side of the support plate. , The rotary shaft that interlocks with the movable part of the instrument main body protrudes to the front side through the support plate and the penetrating part of the display layer and fixes the pointer at the tip, and also the exterior parts of the instrument device such as the end piece with reference to the support plate. It is designed to be fixed.

(Embodiment 1) As an electric instrument main body applied to the instrument device of the present invention, any one of an electric magnet type instrument and a motor type instrument may be used as long as it has a movable part which is movable by the input of a drive signal. However, as a suitable one for the purpose of thinning, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-6
The cross-coil type instrument disclosed in No. 9,914 and the step motor type instrument disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 64-25,757 can be easily adopted. In the embodiment, a cross-coil type instrument is adopted, and four instrument main bodies are arranged in parallel to indicate four types of measurement values.

FIG. 1 shows a plan view having a typical instrument layout applied to the instrument device of the present invention. The instrument device 1 includes a traveling speedometer 2 and an engine as the types of the instruments stored therein and the measured values. The tachometer 3, the fuel gauge 4 and the water temperature gauge 5 are respectively used as cross-coil type gauges as their gauge bodies. Other display information provided in the meter device 1 includes a gear position display section 6, an odometer 7 and a warning display section 8. The display sections 6 and 8 are light emitting diodes (LED), and The odometer 7 is composed of a fluorescent display tube. When a liquid crystal display plate is used instead of the fluorescent display tube, a surface light emitting plate is arranged behind it to illuminate.

Each instrument 2, 3, 4, 5 in the instrument device 1
Has separate display panels 9, 10, 11, 12 as separate display layers, and each of them has marks 13, 14, 15, 16 such as numbers, letters, etc. for displaying measurement items on its surface. And each index is configured to be translucent.

A dial plate 17 which allows the display surfaces of the display plates 9, 10, 11, 12 and the other display portions 6, 7, 8 to be seen through and which covers between them is arranged on the front surface thereof. An outer frame 18 that covers the periphery of the instrument device 1 and arranges the appearance of the instrument device 1 is attached.

As shown in FIG. 2, the instrument device 1 is a cross coil type instrument body as the instrument body of each of the instruments 2, 3, 4, and 5.
19, 20, 21, 22 are fixed on the back side of a synthetic resin support plate 23 with a space between them, and the indicators 2, 3, 4, 5 are displayed on the front side of the support plate 23. Surface light-emitting plates 24, 25, 2 composed of individual electroluminescent elements (EL) spread over a wider area than the surface
6, 27 are provided, and the display boards 9, 10, 11, 1 are provided on the front surface thereof.
2 are arranged.

Each instrument main body 19, 20, 21, 22 is equipped with a rotary magnet as a movable part which follows a change of a drive magnetic field generated by a drive signal to each of the wound cross coils, and stands upright from the rotary magnet. Pointers 28, 29, 30, 31 at the tip of the rotating shaft
Is fixed, and it is possible to know the change of the measurement item instructed by each instrument by the contrast reading with the scale index provided on the display boards 9, 10, 11, 12 of each instrument.

In this way, each instrument main body is fixed behind the support plate 23, but the drive signal to the instrument main body or the surface light emitting plate is arranged along the surface of the support plate 23. Done by This printed circuit board
32 is provided with an electric circuit pattern for supplying and transmitting a power supply voltage and a drive signal, and the signal terminal of the instrument main body is provided on the supporting plate in the signal electric path.
Electrical connection with fixing to 23. Further, the back of the printed circuit board 32 is protected by a resin or metal housing 33 covering the instrument body and the instrument main body, but the housing 33 is not particularly required depending on the installation in the dashboard of the vehicle.

According to the above-mentioned embodiment, since the instrument main body and other various parts constituting the instrument device are fixed on the basis of the support plate 23, and the illumination of the surface light-emitting plate is used for the transmission illumination of the display plate. As in the conventional instrument structure, the instrument body is housed in a housing with a large capacity, and the housing capacity is expanded to suppress the high temperature due to the illumination by the lamp light source. It is possible to provide a measuring instrument device which is thin and has a simple structure and easy assembling. That is, with respect to the instrument main body, a terminal through hole is provided in the support plate 23, the signal terminal of the instrument main body is projected upward, and the instrument main body is simultaneously connected to the electric path of the printed board 32 through the through hole. The basic structure of the instrument device can be configured by fixing it to the support plate 23 with screws or the like.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which an LED is used for the illumination structure to illuminate from the front side and the printed circuit board is provided on the back side of the support plate. It has a configuration in which it is bent and arranged. In the figure, a lamp box 35 for an alarm monitor is integrally formed on a support plate 34 made of synthetic resin, and a flexible printed circuit board 36 is arranged on the back surface of the lamp box 35. A part of is cut out and bent and arranged.

On the back side of the support plate 34, an electric instrument body 37 such as a speedometer or a thermometer is laid out and connected. In this case,
The fixing to the support plate 34 and the electrical connection of the printed circuit board 36 to the electric path are made by conductive screws. In addition, the drive circuit that controls the signal to the instrument main body 37 and the lamp box 35 is housed in the circuit box 38 and is printed on the printed circuit board 36.
Is fixed to the support plate 34.

A connector 39 for connecting to an external signal source or a power source is formed on the support plate 34. By engaging a part of the printed circuit board 34 with the connector 39, an electrical connection with an external connector is possible. To do. Further, the hood-like end piece 40 is fixed to the front side of the support plate 34 by the support plate 34, and the inner surface of the hood portion of the end piece 40 is provided with an LED 41 for illuminating the instrument display section with illumination light. Similarly, a voltage can be supplied to the LED 41 by extending a part of the printed circuit board 36 and routing it to a proper place of the hood.

With the above structure, it is possible to reduce the thickness as an instrument device and to provide the printed circuit board 36 on the back surface of the support plate.
By arranging and connecting and fixing electrical parts including the instrument body 37,
The electrical connection and the fixing to the support plate 34 can be simultaneously performed by screwing or the like, and the flexible printed circuit board 36
Has the advantage that it can be flexibly arranged.

Further, in the above embodiment, the flexible printed circuit board 36 is arranged along the back surface of the support plate 34, and the connection between the flexible printed circuit board 36 and the printed circuit board 36 such as the instrument main body 37 is performed by the support plate 34.
However, if the signal terminal of the instrument main body 37 appears on the back side of the instrument main body 37, the flexible printed circuit board 36 is attached to the flexible printed circuit board 36 with the instrument main body 37 first fixed to the support plate 34. It may be configured to be drawn to the back side of the main body 37 and connected. Whether such a connection configuration is performed for all electric components fixed to the support plate 34 or only for a part thereof is determined by the terminal structure of those components. Can be freely selected by.

(Third Embodiment) The instrument device shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 shows an embodiment in which the fixing parts to the support plate in the present invention are modularized to improve the degree of freedom of parts replacement. The support plate 42 is formed of a light guide plate made of a translucent resin material, and the end face thereof has an LED for illumination.
A lighting module 44 provided with 43 is fixed, and illumination light is guided inside the support plate 42 which is a light guide plate. For example, a transparent display plate arranged in front of the lighting plate 44 or a transparent display directly printed. A display layer having a portion can be used for transmission illumination.

A printed circuit board 45 is arranged on the back surface of the support plate 42, and together with the instrument main body 46, other electronic components including the lighting module 44 are modularized and fixed together with their electrical connection. Examples of modularized parts are an alarm display module 47 such as an LCD alarm monitor, an odometer module 48 for displaying the mileage of the vehicle with a fluorescent display tube, a step motor type character wheel, or the like, or a drive circuit for controlling these electric loads. It has a built-in circuit module 49.

These modularized parts are fixed to the support plate 42 by appropriate means such as screwing as a replacement unit of the instrument device, and replacement work due to failure or failure of each module part is removed from the support plate 42 and replaced. Can be easily carried out by using the basic parts including the support plate 42 in common, and by selectively fixing the module parts in accordance with various display specifications and characteristic specifications of the measuring device, an extremely economical measuring device can be provided. It can be provided without impairing thinning.

In FIG. 5, the transparent protective plate 50 which covers and fixes the front side of the support plate 42 is subjected to an antiglare treatment, for example, an antireflection coating or a fine inclined surface cut,
It is provided as a flat protective cover,
As a result, there is no large protrusion to the front side like the hood-like dial in the second embodiment, and not only is the back side thinned to the inside of the dashboard based on the support plate 42, but the instrument including the front side is also included. It is possible to reduce the thickness of the entire device.

[0027]

According to the instrument device of the present invention, when the instrument device is protruded to the rear of the device, that is, when the instrument device is mounted on the dashboard of the vehicle, the width of the built-in occupancy in the dashboard becomes extremely small, and therefore, the inside of the dashboard is very small. It is possible to provide a thin instrument device that is extremely well arranged without being affected by the phenomenon of being pushed forward due to pressure on the instrument device behind due to the increase in the size of the ventilation duct.

Further, since the rear thickness of the instrument device depends on the thickness of the instrument body for most of the instrument display surface, it is possible to further reduce the thickness by reducing the thickness of the instrument body. Further, by using a surface light emitting plate or an LED, which is an electroluminescent element, as the illuminating means, it is not necessary to secure a case capacity due to heat generation like a lamp, and the thickness of the entire instrument device can be made extremely thin.

Further, according to the instrument device structure of the present invention,
The main body of the instrument and the electronic components for the drive circuit, etc. can be effectively placed on one supporting plate that serves as a reference, and the electronic components with large capacity are placed at the external position of the instrument and connected by the connection cord through the electrical connection. By connecting, the instrument device itself can be kept thin. In addition, the modularization of electrical components fixed to the support plate has greatly improved the degree of freedom in selecting specifications and the ease of component replacement.

Due to the development of multiplex communication technology in vehicles in recent years, a large-scale control circuit is mounted in another part of the vehicle body.
In the case of time-divisionally driving the instrument device by serial communication, the instrument device of the present invention only needs to have a minimum of electronic components installed therein. A large number can be arranged, and the instrument device can be extremely effective for such an instrument system while achieving a reduction in thickness.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an instrument device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an essential part of a measuring device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part of an instrument device showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the meter device of the same embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Measuring device 2,3,4,5 Measuring device 9,10,11,12 Display plate 13,14,15,16 Index 17,40 Look-back plate 19,20,21,22,37,46 Electric measuring device main body 23, 34,42 Support plate 24,25,26,27 Surface light emitting plate 28,29,30,31 Pointer 32,36,45 Printed circuit board 33 Housing 41,43 LED (light emitting diode) 44 Lighting module 47 Alarm display module 48 Odometer module 49 circuit module

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A printed circuit board on which at least an electric circuit pattern for signal transmission is formed, a support plate for fixing a plurality of electric instrument main bodies to the back side thereof, and a support plate disposed on the front side of the support plate. A display layer with an index corresponding to each measurement item instructed by the instrument main body, and a rotary shaft that interlocks with the movable part of the instrument main body that protrudes through a penetrating portion provided at the corresponding portion of the instrument main body of the support plate and the display layer. The printed circuit board has a pointer fixed to the tip, and is arranged on the front surface or the back surface side of the support body so as to be electrically connected to the signal terminal arranged on the back side of the instrument body or the support plate side of the instrument body. An instrument device characterized in that, while being drawn around, instrument exterior parts such as a dial are fixed on the basis of the support plate. 2. The printed circuit board is formed of a flexible printed circuit board, and each of the printed circuit boards is provided with a curved circuit board provided with an electric circuit pattern for a signal or voltage to an instrument main body or another display element fixed to a support. 2. The instrument device according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connection is made as follows. 3. The support plate is formed of a light guide plate made of a translucent resin material, and a light source for light guide illumination is arranged at an appropriate location of the light guide plate.
The measuring device described. 4. The circuit board including a drive circuit for fixing the instrument body to the back side of the support plate and at least driving the instrument body, and other illumination devices and display devices are each independently selected from the support plate. Alternatively, the instrument device according to claim 1, wherein the combination device is modularized, and each module unit is fixed to a support plate and electrically connected to a printed circuit board. 5. A hood fixed to the support plate and having a hood projecting from the front side of the instrument unit,
2. The instrument device according to claim 1, wherein a light emitting diode that emits light toward the display surface is provided on the hood portion of the facing side. 6. The display layer is formed of a display plate made of a transparent or translucent material, and an opaque or semitransparent background color printing layer is provided on the surface of the plate body while leaving at least the index, and the display plate is also provided. 2. The instrument device according to claim 1, wherein a surface light emitting plate made of an electroluminescent element (EL) is disposed between the support plate and the support plate.