JP2002039806A - Instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the number of light sources to reduce cost in an instrument illuminated by plural different colors. SOLUTION: A scale plate 21 is partitioned in first - sixth display zones 21a-21f with six slits 80a formed in a light guide plate 80, and plural different color light sources La-Lf are arranged one by one according to the first - sixth display zones 21a-21f. Only one display zone instead of the whole of the scale plate 21 is illuminated by the same color, and thereby, plural arrangement of the light sources having the same luminescent color in the whole of the scale plate 21 can be made unnecessary. In the illumination of the scale plate 21 by plural different colors, the number of the light sources La-Lf can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an instrument illuminated with a plurality of different colors and is suitable for use as a pointer instrument for vehicles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 51-39539 proposes an apparatus which illuminates the entire scale plate with the same color and appropriately switches the entire illumination color between red and green. .

[0003]

However, in the instrument described in the above publication, the illumination color of the entire dial is switched between red and green, so that the entire dial is illuminated in the same color with uniform brightness. A plurality of luminescent color light sources must be arranged on the entire dial. As a result, the number of light sources is increased, leading to an increase in cost.

[0004] In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the number of light sources in an instrument illuminated with a plurality of different colors to reduce costs.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a translucent display panel (2) is provided.
1) is divided into a plurality of display areas (21a to 21f), and a plurality of light sources (La to Lf) of different emission colors are arranged one by one corresponding to the plurality of display areas (21a to 21f). It is characterized by.

Accordingly, light sources of different emission colors (La to La)
Lf) is arranged one by one corresponding to each of the plurality of display areas (21a to 21f), so that not only the entire display panel (21) but only one display area (21a to 21f) is illuminated with the same color. The light source of the same emission color (L
a to Lf) can be omitted from being arranged on the entire display panel (21). Therefore, when illuminating the display panel (21) with a plurality of different colors, the number of light sources (La to Lf) can be reduced.

[0007] If the size of each display area (21a to 21f) is set to be smaller than a size that allows one light source (La to Lf) to illuminate with uniform brightness, the uneven brightness of the display panel (21) is reduced. Can be suppressed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the light guide plate (8) for guiding the light of the light sources (La to Lf) to the display panel (21).
0), a slit (80a) is formed, and a display panel (21) is formed.
Is provided with a plurality of display areas (21a) by slits (80a).
２１21f).

As a result, part of the light incident on the light guide plate (80) from one light source (La) is converted into one light source (L).
a) The display area (2) next to the display area (21a) corresponding to (a)
1b, 21f), the light is blocked by the slit (80a), so that light of different colors is not mixed near the boundary between the adjacent display areas (21b, 21f). Yes, display area (21a
-21f), it can be ensured that the illumination colors are separated.

[0010] In the third aspect of the present invention, the pointer (23) rotating along the surface of the display panel (21) is illuminated by a plurality of light sources (La to Lf). It is characterized by: Thereby, a plurality of light sources (L
Since a to Lf) serve as both the illumination of the display panel (21) and the illumination of the hands (23), the hands (23) can be illuminated in a plurality of different colors without increasing the number of light sources.

Further, according to the present invention, the display areas (21a to 21a) corresponding to the rotational positions of the hands (23) are provided.
Since the pointer (23) is illuminated with the illumination color of (f), the illumination color of the pointer (23) can be changed in accordance with the rotation of the pointer (23). The lighting of the pointer can be refreshed.

Incidentally, the reference numerals in parentheses of the above means are examples showing the correspondence with specific means described in the embodiments described later.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example in which the instrument according to the present invention is applied as a pointer instrument for a vehicle. The pointer instrument is provided on an instrument panel in the cabin of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the pointer instrument includes an instrument panel 10 and a vehicle speedometer 20 disposed on the instrument panel 10, A total 30, a water temperature gauge 40 and a fuel gauge 50 are provided.

The vehicle speedometer 20 has a scale plate (display panel) 21 formed on the instrument panel 10 and a rotating board provided at a position corresponding to the scale panel 21 on the back side (front side of the vehicle) of the instrument panel 10. Device 22 and a light emitting pointer 23.

The scale plate 21 is provided at the center left side of the instrument panel 10 in FIG. Note that the scale plate 21 and the scale plates 31, 41, 5 and 5 described later in the instrument panel 10 are used.
Portions other than 1 are black. Also, dial 21
Is a substantially arc-shaped scale portion 21s that indicates the speed of the vehicle.
The scales and characters of the scale portion 21s are black. It should be noted that the scale plate 21 has a scale portion 21.
It is transparent so as to transmit light except for the scales and characters of s.

The rotating inner unit 22 includes a cross coil type driving unit 22.
a and a pointer shaft 22b, and the pointer shaft 22b is
From the drive unit 22a, a through-hole 61 of the wiring board 60 described later,
The opening 71 of the holder 70, the cylindrical light guide 81 of the light guide plate 80, and the through hole 11 of the instrument panel 10 (scale plate 21).
And extend to the front side of the scale plate 21 so as to be rotatable. However, the rotating inner unit 22 is supported in the casing 90 by the circuit board 60. The driving unit 22a includes:
The pointer shaft 22b is set on the scale plate 2 based on the electromagnetic force according to the input.
1 is rotated along the surface.

The light emitting pointer 23 has a pointer main body 23a and a cover 23b, and rotates along the surface of the scale plate 21. The pointer main body 23a is formed in a longitudinal shape by a transparent light guide resin material.
3a is supported at the tip of the pointer shaft 22b by a boss 23d of the rotating base 23c. This pointer body 23a
As shown in FIG. 3, the rotation base 23c of the
e, and the inclined surface 23e serves as a reflection surface into the rotation base 23c. The cover 23b is formed by covering the pointer main body 23a.
Has a slit 23g in the upper wall corresponding to the surface of the pointer portion 23f of the pointer body 23a.

As a result, in the light emitting pointer 23, when light enters the rotating base 23c of the pointer main body 23a from the back surface, the light is reflected by the inclined surface 23e and proceeds into the pointer 23f. Accordingly, light in the pointer 23f exits through the slit 23g of the cover 23b. This means that the pointer 23f shines with the light emitted from the slit 23g. Note that in FIG.
Indicates a balancer.

The holder 70 is mounted at the bottom end of the annular frame 72 through the outer periphery of the wiring board 60 in the opening at the tip of the peripheral wall of the casing 90. And a holder 73. The holder 73 has a U-shaped cross section.
The inner surface of No. 3 is a white reflective surface. The bottom wall of the holder portion 73 has the opening 71, and a portion of the bottom wall located on the outer periphery of the opening 71 (hereinafter, referred to as a curved outer peripheral portion 74) is centered on the pointer shaft 22b. The wiring board 60 extends toward the surface of the wiring board 60 in a curved shape convex toward the interior of the vehicle interior.

The light guide plate 80 is housed in the holder 73, and the light guide plate 80
Located along its back. The light guide plate 80 has a cylindrical light guide 81 at a portion corresponding to the scale plate 21.
And an annular light guide plate portion 82. Annular light guide plate 8
2 is located coaxially with the pointer shaft 22b, and the light guide plate portion 82 has an inner peripheral portion projecting from the back surface of the scale plate 21 toward the vehicle interior so as to surround the pointer shaft 22b. In the curved shape, it is turned rightward in FIG.
(Along the inner surface of the curved outer peripheral portion 74). The light guide plate 80 is formed of a transparent light guide resin material.

The cylindrical light guide 81 rises coaxially with the pointer shaft 22 b from the inner periphery of the annular light guide plate 82, and the distal end face 81 a of the cylindrical light guide 81 is formed with a through hole of the scale plate 21. Through the portion 11 and the bottom wall opening 23i of the cover 23b, it faces the back surface of the turning base 23c of the pointer main body 23a.
Further, an annular reflection surface 81b is formed at an inner corner of the base end of the cylindrical light guide 81 so as to have an inclined cross section so as to face both the cylindrical light guide 81 and the annular light guide plate 82. The outer peripheral edge of the base end of the reflecting surface 81b coincides with the inner peripheral edge of the annular rear surface flat portion 82a formed on the back surface of the annular light guide plate portion 82 facing the inside of the opening 71 of the holder portion 73. I have.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the light guide plate 80. The light guide plate 80 has six slits 80a radially formed at substantially equal angular intervals around the pointer shaft 22b. The dotted line in FIG. 2 shows the slit 80a, and the scale plate 21 is moved by the slit 80a in the rotation direction of the light emitting pointer 23 in the direction indicated by reference numerals 21a, 21b, 21 in FIG.
c, 21d, 21e, and 21f are divided into six display areas, and specifically, 0,
First display area 2 including scales indicating 20, 40 km / h
1a, a second display area 21b including scales indicating 60 and 80 km / h, a third display area 21c including scales indicating 100 and 120 km / h, and 140 and 160 km / h.
A fourth display area 21d including a scale indicating
Fifth display area 21e including a scale indicating 00 km / h
And a sixth display area 21f indicating a portion sandwiched between the first and fifth display areas 21a and 21e.

Each of the six light sources La, Lb, Lc, L
d, Le and Lf are the surface of the wiring board 60 (the side surface of the vehicle interior).
The light guide plate 80 is disposed on a portion of the light guide plate 80 facing the annular rear surface flat portion 82a so as to be positioned on the same circumference around the axis of the pointer shaft 22b (see FIG. 2). In addition, each light source La ~
Lf is disposed in the annular light guide plate portion 82 and the cylindrical light guide portion 81 of the light guide plate 80 so that light is incident from the rear surface flat portion 82a.

Here, each of the light sources La to Lf comprises a light emitting diode which emits light in blue, green, yellow, orange, red and white, respectively.
a, Lb, Lc, Ld, Le, and Lf are arranged one by one corresponding to the first to sixth display areas 21a to 21f, respectively (see FIG. 2).

Each of the light sources La to Lf is supplied with power via the wiring board 60.

The tachometer 30, the water temperature gauge 40, and the fuel gauge 50 have substantially the same configuration as the vehicle speedometer 20, and have scale plates 31, 41, 51 formed on the instrument panel 10.
And a rotating inner machine (not shown) disposed on the back side of the instrument panel 10, and light emitting hands 33, 43, and 53 supported at the tip of a pointer shaft of the rotating inner machine.

In FIG. 1 and FIG.
Reference numerals 0 and 110 denote an annular return plate and a curved front panel, respectively.

Next, the operation of the pointer instrument having the above configuration will be described.

On the basis of each detection output of a sensor group (not shown), the control circuit determines each of the rotating inner machines 20b, 30b, 40b, 5b.
0b is performed. For this reason, each rotating inner machine 20b,
30b, 40b, 50b are the respective light emitting hands 23, 30c,
The sensors 40c and 50c are rotated in accordance with the engine speed, vehicle speed, cooling water temperature, and fuel amount, which are the respective detection outputs of the sensor group. Further, the control circuit performs a light emission driving process on each of the light sources La to Lf. Thereby, each of the light sources La to Lf simultaneously emits blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and white light, respectively.

Then, in the vehicle speedometer 20, each light source L
The lights a to Lf enter the cylindrical light guide portion 81 and the annular light guide plate portion 82 of the light guide plate 80 from the rear surface flat portion 82a. Then, each of the light thus incident proceeds inside the annular light guide plate portion 82 and is introduced into the outer side of the annular light guide plate portion 82 of the light guide plate 80, and the reflection surface is formed in the cylindrical light guide portion 81. 81
The light is reflected by b and advances toward the front end surface 81a.

Then, of the light incident on the light guide plate 80, the light introduced into the light guide plate 80 outside the annular light guide plate portion 82 passes through the scale plate 21, whereby the scale plate 21 is moved to the rear side. Illuminated by the light emitted by the light source.

Here, the light sources La to Lf are arranged one by one corresponding to the first to sixth display areas 21a to 21f, respectively.
a is blue, the second display area 21b is green, the third display area 2
1c is yellow, the fourth display area 21d is orange, the fifth display area 21e is red, and the sixth display area 21f is white.

As described above, only one display area 21a to 21f is illuminated with the same color, not the entire dial 21, so that a plurality of light sources of the same luminescent color are not disposed on the entire dial 21. it can. Therefore, dial 2
When illuminating 1 with a plurality of different colors, the number of light sources can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

The light guide plate 80 has six slits 80.
a is formed, for example, the light source L of blue emission color
A part of the light introduced from the light guide plate 80 to the outside of the annular light guide plate portion 82 in the light guide plate 80 is changed to the second light adjacent to the first display area 21a.
Even if the light advances toward the sixth display area 21b and 21f, the light is blocked by the slit 80a, so that green and white and blue are displayed near the boundary between the adjacent second and sixth display areas 21b and 21f. Can be suppressed from being mixed with each other, and the illumination colors can be surely separated for each of the display areas 21a to 21f.

The scale 21 has six display areas 21.
Since the display area is divided into a to 21f, the size of one display area is large enough to illuminate with uniform brightness with one light source, so that the luminance unevenness of the scale plate 21 can be suppressed.

On the other hand, of the light incident on the light guide plate 80, the light traveling through the cylindrical light guide portion 81 as described above passes through the through hole 11 of the scale plate 21 after exiting from the front end surface 81a, and emits the light emitting pointer 23. Into the rotation base 23c. The light thus entered is reflected by the reflecting surface 23e in the pointer main body 23a.
And travels toward the pointer 23f. afterwards,
This light exits through the slit 23g of the cover 23b.

Here, of the light emitted from the front end face 81a and passing through the through hole 11 of the scale plate 21, the light emitting pointer 23
Only the light from the light source corresponding to the rotational position of
Into the rotation base 23c. In other words, the light emitting hands 23 are displayed in the display areas 21 a to 21 corresponding to their own rotation positions.
Illumination is performed in the same color as the illumination color 1f, and the illumination color of the light emitting pointer 23 changes according to the rotation. Thereby, the light emission pointer 2
The lighting of No. 3 can be refreshed.

As described above, the plurality of light sources La to L
Since f serves both as illumination of the dial 21 and illumination of the light emitting pointer 23, the number of the light sources can be increased without increasing the number of light sources.
In addition, the light emitting pointer 23 can be illuminated with a plurality of different colors.

Incidentally, also in the tachometer 30, the water temperature gauge 40 and the fuel gauge 50, each of the light sources La to Lf
Substantially as in the case of 0, the dials 31, 41, 51
Illuminates each display area with different colors and emits light 3
3, 43 and 53 are caused to emit light. Thereby, the vehicle speedometer 20
The same operation and effect as in the case of can be achieved.

In this embodiment, for example, the vehicle speedometer 2
0, in the portion of the light guide plate 80 corresponding to the graduation plate 21, the annular light guide plate portion 82 extends toward the light sources La to Lf in a curved shape convex to the left in a tapered shape toward the light sources La to Lf as described above. The cylindrical light guide 81 rises from the inner peripheral end of the annular light guide plate 82 toward the turning base 23 c of the light emitting pointer 23. For this reason, the distance of the optical path in which the light from each of the light sources La to Lf enters the annular light guide plate portion 82 and the cylindrical light guide portion 81 becomes shorter, so that the light from each of the light sources La to Lf can be used efficiently.

(Other Embodiments) In implementing the present invention,
Each of the light sources La to Lf is not limited to a light emitting diode,
Various light emitting elements such as lamps and lighting elements may be used.

In the above embodiment, all the light sources La
Lf are turned on at the same time to illuminate the entire dial 21. However, only the light source corresponding to the turning position of the light emitting pointer 23 is turned on, and only one display area corresponding to the turning position is turned on. May be illuminated, or only the light source corresponding to the rotation position of the light emitting pointer 23 may be turned on and off, and all other light sources may be turned on.

In the above-described embodiment, the slits 80a are formed in the light guide plate 80 to ensure that the illumination colors are separated for each of the display areas 21a to 21f. The emission colors of the light sources adjacent to each other at the boundaries between the areas 21a to 21f may be mixed.
Accordingly, the illumination color gradually changes at the boundaries between the display areas 21a to 21f, and the entire dial 21 is illuminated like a rainbow.

In practicing the present invention, the present invention is not limited to an indicator using a stepping motor as a drive source or a cross-coil indicator, but can be rotated like a movable coil indicator or a movable iron indicator. Even when the present invention is applied to an indicating instrument having a pointer shaft or various instruments, the same operation and effect as those of the above embodiments can be achieved.

In practicing the present invention, the present invention may be applied to a general industrial instrument without being limited to a vehicle instrument.

In implementing the present invention, the light guide plate 80
Is different from the above-described embodiment in that the annular light guide plate portion 82 has a flat plate shape along the scale plate 21, and a simple through-hole portion (through hole portion of the scale plate 21) is used instead of the cylindrical light guide portion 81. 11).

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an instrument showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the scale plate shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the light guide plate shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

La, Lb, Lc, Ld, Le, Lf: Light source, 21, 31, 41, 51: Scale plate, 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d, 21e, 21f: Display area 23: Light guide, 80: Light guide plate, 80a …slit.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Seigo Tani 1-1-1 Showa-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi Pref. F term in DENSO Corporation (reference) 2F074 AA01 AA04 BB06 CC02 DD03 EE02 EE03 FF01 GG08 3D044 BA03 BA21 BA26 BA28 BB01 BD02 3K040 AA02 CA05 FB03 GA05 HA01 HB04

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A light-transmitting display panel (21) includes a plurality of display areas (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d, 21e, 21).
f), and a plurality of light sources (La, Lb, Lc, Ld,
Le, Lf) by changing the plurality of display areas (21a to 21a).
An instrument, wherein one is arranged corresponding to each of f). 2. A light guide plate (80) for guiding light from the light sources (La to Lf) to the display panel (21), wherein a slit (80a) is formed in the light guide plate (80). 21. The instrument according to claim 1, wherein the slit (80) is divided into the plurality of display areas (21a to 21f) by the slit (80a). 3. A pointer (23) that rotates along the surface of the display panel (21), and the pointer (23) is illuminated by the plurality of light sources (La to Lf). The instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the instrument is provided. 4. The pointer (23) includes the pointer (23).
The instrument according to claim 3, characterized in that the instrument is illuminated with the illumination color of the display area (21a to 21f) corresponding to the turning position of (1).