JP2002195856A - Meter device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a meter device capable of illuminating the outline of a pointer-type display part at a low cost. SOLUTION: This device is equipped with a meter body 3 having forward extending drive shafts 2, pointers 4 driven to rotate by the drive shafts 2, a front panel 5 having translucent measured-value display parts 51 equipped with a plurality of scales, characters, etc., arranged correspondently to the pointers 4 and annular translucent parts 53 surrounding pointer-type display parts D comprising the display parts 51 and the pointers 4, light sources 8 disposed behind the front panel 5, and a frame body 9 having reflection parts 91 and 92 disposed between the light sources 8 and the front panel 5 to reflect the light from the light sources 8 to the display parts 51 and the translucent parts 53.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a meter device mounted on various vehicles such as motorcycles and automobiles, and more particularly to a lighting structure thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A meter device mounted on various vehicles is equipped with a meter body having a drive shaft protruding from a circuit board, a pointer attached to a tip of the drive shaft, and a pointer corresponding to the pointer behind the pointer. A front panel having a plurality of translucent measurement value display sections and a light-shielding ground portion serving as a background of the translucent display sections is disposed, and a light source disposed behind the front panel causes a front surface to be disposed. A structure for transmitting and illuminating a measured value display section of a panel is generally used.

[0003] This type of meter device usually has a plurality of hands driven by a plurality of instrument bodies and a plurality of measured value displays corresponding to the respective hands, in order to enable a pointer type display of a plurality of types of measured values. It has a plurality of pointer-type display units, such as a speedometer, a tachometer, a water temperature gauge, and a fuel gauge. When the plurality of pointer-type display units are illuminated, their visibility is improved. For the purpose of improving the discriminability, design, etc., the outside of each pointer-type display unit is made to emit light in a ring shape, and the outline of each pointer-type display unit is illuminated and displayed.
It is known in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 87980 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-11837.

The publications disclosed in these publications use a ring-shaped light guide, a light source corresponding to the ring-shaped light guide, and a case or a reflector attached to the light source or the light guide.
The ring-shaped light guide is caused to emit light through a light source to illuminate and display the outline of the pointer-type display unit.

[0005]

However, the structure disclosed in the above publication requires a dedicated light source to emit light from the ring-shaped light guide. In addition, the light from the light source is directly taken into the ring-shaped light guide to emit light,
Many light sources are needed to suppress uneven light emission of the ring-shaped light guide. Further, in order to obtain uniform light emission, it takes a lot of man-hours to set the shape of the ring-shaped light guide and to form a grain, for example. From these circumstances, it is disadvantageous in terms of cost when illuminating and displaying the outline of the pointer type display unit. The present invention has been made in view of these points, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a meter device capable of illuminating the outline of a pointer-type display unit at a low cost.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an instrument body having a drive shaft extending forward, hands driven by the drive shaft, and a plurality of hands arranged corresponding to the hands. A front panel having a measured value display section, a band-shaped or annular translucent section surrounding the pointer-type display section including the measured value display section and the pointer, a light source disposed behind the front panel, A frame is provided between the light source and the front panel, and includes a frame having a reflecting portion that reflects light of the light source to the measurement value display portion and the light transmitting portion.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a plurality of instrument bodies having a drive shaft extending forward, a plurality of hands rotationally driven by the drive shaft, and a plurality of hands arranged corresponding to each of the hands. A plurality of or a single front panel having a band-shaped or annular light-transmitting portion surrounding each of a plurality of pointer-type display portions each including the hands and the corresponding measurement value display portion. A plurality of light sources disposed behind the front panel, and a light source disposed between the light source and the front panel and corresponding to each of the respective measurement value display portions and the respective light transmitting portions. And a frame having a reflecting portion for reflection.

Further, the invention is characterized in that the light source is arranged at a position deviating directly below the measured value display section and the light transmitting section.

Further, the invention is characterized in that the light-transmitting portion forms an outline of the pointer-type display portion.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a light-transmitting member is provided on the front panel for receiving and emitting light from the light-transmitting portion, and the light-transmitting member forms an outline of the pointer-type display portion. I do.

Further, according to the present invention, the light source is disposed closer to the drive shaft than the measured value display section and the light transmitting section, and the reflecting section faces the light source and reflects light from the light source to the outer periphery. The first reflector and the front panel are characterized by being a second reflector which extends outwardly with an appropriate space, and reflects light from the first reflector toward the front panel. I do.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a circuit board is arranged behind the reflection section, and the instrument main body is arranged behind the circuit board so that the drive shaft passes through the circuit board. .

Further, according to the present invention, the reflecting portion has a wall portion located between the driving shaft and the light source and extending forward.
The first reflection portion is formed on the wall portion.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of the light sources are arranged on a concentric circle centered on the drive shaft.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the frame is made of a white synthetic resin material.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a white reflective layer is provided on the front panel.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A meter device according to the present invention has an instrument body with a drive shaft extending forward, hands driven to rotate by the drive shaft, and a plurality of scales, characters, etc. arranged corresponding to the hands. A front panel having a measured value display section having optical properties, a band-shaped or annular translucent section surrounding the pointer-type display section composed of the measured value display section and the hands, and disposed behind the front panel; And a frame disposed between the light source and the front panel and having a reflecting portion that reflects light from the light source to the measured value display portion and the light transmitting portion. As a result, the measurement value display unit and the light-transmitting unit forming the outline of the pointer-type display unit, which constitute a part of the pointer-type display unit, are illuminated by the common light source through the reflection unit formed on the frame. A dedicated light source is not required for performing contour illumination, and cost can be reduced. In the case where the contour is formed by the light-transmitting portion, a light-transmitting member such as a light guide can be dispensed with, and the cost can be further reduced.

Instead of directly illuminating the outline with the light transmitting portion, a strip-shaped or ring-shaped light transmitting member which receives light from the light transmitting portion and emits light is provided on the front panel. By doing so, contour illumination may be performed, and even in this case, since the light-transmitting member emits light through the reflecting portion and the light-transmitting portion of the frame, significant light emission unevenness of the light-transmitting member is suppressed. Compared with a conventional configuration in which light from a light source is directly taken into a light transmitting body, the shape setting, processing, and the like of the light transmitting body become easier, and cost reduction can be achieved. Note that a light guide may be separately arranged between the light transmitting portion and the reflecting portion for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of introducing light into the light transmitting member.

When the meter device has a plurality of pointer-type display units, contour illumination may be performed in correspondence with a specific pointer-type display unit or each of the pointer-type display units. It is possible to improve the visibility and design of the meter as a whole, and to improve the identification or identification of each pointer-type display unit. In this case, the front panel may be divided into a plurality according to the number of translucent portions corresponding to the pointer-type display portions, or a single panel may be provided with a plurality of translucent portions corresponding to the pointer-type display portions. Good.

When illuminating the measured value display portion and the light transmitting portion through the reflecting portion of the frame, if a light source is arranged at a position just below the measured value display portion and the light transmitting portion, illumination unevenness is reduced. This is advantageous in maintaining the lighting balance. At this time, the light source is disposed on the drive shaft side of the measured value display unit and the light transmitting unit, and the first reflection unit facing the light source and reflecting the light to the outer periphery and the front panel are disposed on the reflection unit of the frame. Providing a second reflector which extends outward with an appropriate space and reflects light from the first reflector toward the front panel can improve illumination efficiency and achieve uniform illumination. It is advantageous.

A circuit board is arranged behind the frame, and the instrument body is arranged on the circuit board.
When adopting the reflection part consisting of the reflection part, if the instrument main body is arranged behind the circuit board so that the drive shaft penetrates the circuit board, the instrument main body can be prevented from becoming an obstacle during illumination, Space efficiency and lighting efficiency can be improved.

When the reflecting portion has a wall portion located between the drive shaft and the light source and extending forward, providing the first reflecting portion on the wall portion can simplify the frame structure.

Further, in the case of employing a reflecting portion composed of the first and second reflecting portions, the illumination efficiency can be improved by arranging a plurality of light sources on a concentric circle centered on the driving shaft.

Forming the frame from a white synthetic resin material is advantageous in terms of lighting efficiency, weight reduction and cost reduction.

Providing a white reflective layer on the front panel is advantageous in terms of illumination efficiency.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a meter device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a meter device, and FIG.
2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part showing a part of a detailed structure of a region B in FIG.

1 and 2, the meter device according to the present embodiment includes a circuit board 1, a plurality of instrument bodies 3 which are electrically connected to the circuit board 1 and have a drive shaft 2 extending forward, A front panel 5 that is positioned behind the hands 4 and is disposed on the circuit board 1 behind the hands 4;
A dial plate 6 disposed in front of the front panel 5 and exposing a pointer-type display unit to be described later, and a plurality of light sources 7 arranged in front of the circuit board 1 and around the drive shaft 2,
8 and a frame 9 disposed between the front panel 5 and the circuit board 1.

The circuit board 1 is, for example, a hard circuit board in which a wiring pattern (not shown) is formed on a glass epoxy base material, and the driving means (for driving and controlling the light sources 7, 8 and, for example, the instrument body 3). Various circuit components (not shown) such as a resistor and a capacitor are electrically connected to the wiring pattern.

The instrument body 3 is composed of a movable magnet instrument or a stepping motor, and its main part is mounted behind the circuit board 1 so that the drive shaft 2 penetrates the circuit board 1. It is electrically connected to the wiring pattern (the driving means) by the conducting means.

The pointer 4 is made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin, is connected to the tip of the drive shaft 2, and has a light-shielding cover attached to the center of rotation. The pointer 4 is a light emitting pointer that emits light by receiving light from the light source 7.

A plurality of front panels 5 are arranged in an arcuate array along the rotation trajectory of the hands 4, and display a measurement value display section 51 such as a scale or a character to be indicated by the hands 4, The ground portion 52 that forms the background of the measured value display unit 51 and the measured value display unit 5 outside the ground portion 52 of the measured value display unit 51 are separated.
1 has a light-transmitting part 53 formed in an annular shape surrounding the element 1, and a reflective layer 54 formed corresponding to the ground part 52.

The measurement value display sections 51 to the reflection layer 54
As shown in FIG. 3, the measured value display section 51 is made of translucent ink having an appropriate color, and the ground portion 52 is made of, for example, black light-shielding ink. 55 is formed by printing on the front side of
Is formed by printing on the back surface of the plate member 55 excluding the corresponding range of the measured value display section 51 and the light transmitting section 53 with a semi-transmissive white ink having a high light reflectivity. The plate 52 is formed by printing a translucent ink having an appropriate color on the translucent area where the plate member 55 is partially exposed by printing a part of the part 52 in an annular shape. Further, the measurement value display section 51, the ground portion 52, and the reflection layer 54 can be formed on the back surface of the base material 55, or the reflection layer 54 can be formed on the front surface of the base material 55 behind the ground portion 52. .

The measurement value display section 51 is combined with the corresponding hands 4 to form a plurality of types of pointer display sections D corresponding to the respective measurement display objects.
In the case of the present embodiment, it serves as a speedometer display, a tachometer display, a water temperature gauge display, and a fuel gauge display.

The front panel 5 is also provided with a through hole at a position corresponding to the drive shaft 2 so that the drive shaft 2 and the pointer 4 can be connected through the through hole.

The return plate 6 exposes each set of the pointer-type display portion D and the light-transmitting portion 53 surrounding the same, and conceals other required areas. An exposure window portion 61 having a diameter larger than that of each set with the light transmitting portion 53 is provided.

Each of the light sources 7 and 8 is composed of, for example, a surface-mounted light emitting diode. Of these light sources 7 and 8, the light source 7 is a light emitter that is disposed close to the drive shaft 2 and illuminates the pointer 4 to emit light. The light source 8 is a light emitter that is disposed outside the light source 7 and illuminates the measured value display unit 51 and the light transmitting unit 53 to emit light. The light source 8 is located on the circuit board 1 outside the translucent section 53 and the measured value display section 51 in each of the instrument display sections A including the translucent section 53, and is provided on the circuit board 1.
Three are disposed on the inner side (drive shaft 2) side, and are disposed at substantially equal intervals on a concentric circle centered on the drive shaft 2.

The frame body 9 is a case body made of, for example, a white synthetic resin and positioned between the front panel 5 and the circuit board 1 to support the front panel 5. The frame 9 has a reflecting portion 9 in accordance with the light transmitting portion 53 corresponding to each pointer-type display portion D.
The first and second reflectors 91 and 92 are opposed to the light source 8 and mainly reflect light from the light source 8 to the outer periphery, and gradually from the periphery of the light source 8 toward the outer periphery. A second reflector 92 extends close to the front panel 5 and reflects light from the light source 8 side and the first reflector 91 side to the front panel 5 side. The first reflector 91 has a drive shaft. A second reflecting portion 92 is formed of a conical wall that is inclined toward the front panel 5 so as to face the light source 8 continuously from a cylindrical portion (wall portion) 93 extending toward the pointer 4 around the second reflecting portion 92. 5 is formed of a bowl or dish-shaped annular wall that is steeply inclined as it approaches 5. And, mainly, the first and second reflecting portions 91 and 9
2. The cylindrical room 93 and the front panel 5 form an illumination room including a hollow portion that guides light from the light source 8 to the measured value display unit 51 and the light transmitting unit 53. At this time, a reflection layer 54 is formed on the back side of the front panel 5, and this reflection layer 54 is formed.
The light is re-reflected into the lighting room by this to increase the lighting efficiency.

In such a configuration, when the light sources 7 and 8 emit light, the light emitted from the light source 7 illuminates the hands 4, the hands 4 emit light linearly, and the light emitted from the light sources 8 The light is reflected and diffused through the illumination room, and is guided to the measured value display section 51 and the light transmission section 53 mainly by indirect light, and these emit light. As a result, the outlines of the pointer-type display portions D are formed by the light-transmitting portions 53 that emit light.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the drive shaft 2
A main body 3 extending forward, a pointer 4 driven to rotate by the drive shaft 2, a plurality of scales corresponding to the pointer 4, a measured value display section 51 having translucency such as characters,
A front panel 5 having an annular light-transmitting portion 53 surrounding a pointer type display portion D composed of the measured value display portion 51 and the hands 4.
A light source 8 disposed behind the front panel 5, and a reflection unit disposed between the light source 8 and the front panel 5 and reflecting light from the light source 8 to the measurement value display unit 51 and the light transmission unit 53. By providing the frame 9 having 91 and 92, the measured value display 51 forming a part of the pointer-type display D and the light transmitting part 53 forming the contour of the pointer-type display D are formed by the frame. Since the illumination is performed by the common light source 8 through the reflection portions 91 and 92 formed in 9, a dedicated light source is not required for performing contour illumination, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, in this embodiment, since the contour is formed by the light transmitting portion 53 itself and illuminated, a dedicated component such as a light guide can be eliminated, and the cost can be further reduced.

Further, in this embodiment, a configuration having a plurality of types of pointer-type display sections D is provided, and contour illumination is performed in correspondence with each of the pointer-type display sections D. In this way, the visibility of the entire meter is improved. In addition, it is possible to improve the designability, the specificity, or the distinguishability of each pointer-type display unit D.

In the present embodiment, the reflecting portions 91,
When illuminating the measurement value display unit 51 and the light transmission unit 53 through 92, the light source 8 is arranged at a position just below the measurement value display unit 51 and the light transmission unit 53, so that illumination unevenness can be easily reduced. It is effective in keeping the lighting balance.

In this embodiment, the light source 8 is disposed closer to the drive shaft 2 than the measured value display section 51 and the light transmitting section 53, and the frame 9
The first reflecting portion 91 facing the light source 8 and reflecting the light to the outer periphery and the front panel 5 are extended to the outside with an appropriate space, and the light from the first reflecting portion 91 is And the second reflection portion 92 that reflects the light toward the front panel 5 side, it is possible to achieve a reduction in thickness and weight while improving illumination efficiency and uniformity.

In this embodiment, the drive shaft 2 is mounted on the circuit board 1.
Is disposed behind the circuit board 1 so as to penetrate the instrument body 3, it is possible to prevent the instrument body 3 from becoming an obstacle at the time of illumination, and in particular, the first and second reflecting portions 91 and 92.
In the case of employing a reflecting portion composed of, it is possible to improve space efficiency and illumination efficiency.

In this embodiment, when the frame 9 has a cylindrical portion 93, the first reflecting portion 9 is attached to the cylindrical portion 93.
By providing 1, the configuration of the frame 9 can be simplified.

In this embodiment, the first and second reflecting portions 9 are provided.
With the configuration having the first and second light sources 92 and the plurality of light sources 8 arranged on concentric circles around the drive shaft 2, the illumination efficiency can be improved.

In this embodiment, the frame 9 is made of a white synthetic resin material, so that the lighting efficiency and the weight can be reduced.
This is advantageous in terms of cost reduction. In the present embodiment, the illumination efficiency is improved by providing the white reflective layer 54 on the front panel 5.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a main part showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the shape of the light transmitting portion 53 is set to a discontinuous annular shape in which a part is broken. . With such a configuration, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be expected. Note that the shape of the light transmitting portion 53 is the pointer type display portion D.
It is optional as long as the contour of the image is displayed by illumination.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of a third embodiment of the present invention, in which a part is shown in cross section. Front panel 5
An annular light-transmitting body 100 that receives light from the light-transmitting portion 53 and emits light is provided thereon, and the light-transmitting member 100 emits light by light introduced through the light-transmitting portion 53 to perform contour illumination. . Note that the light transmitting body 100 can be formed of a transparent synthetic resin.

With such a configuration, the reflecting portion 9 of the frame 9 is also provided.
Since the light-transmitting member 100 is configured to emit light through the light-transmitting members 1 and 92, the same effects as those of the above embodiments can be expected.
00, light emission unevenness is suppressed, and the shape setting, processing, and the like of the light transmitting body 100 become easier as compared with a configuration in which light from a light source is directly taken into a light transmitting body (light guide) as in the related art. Cost reduction can be achieved.

In this embodiment, by employing the light transmitting body 100, a three-dimensional contour illumination image can be formed, and the design can be improved. The shape of the light transmitting body 100 is arbitrary as long as it illuminates and displays the outline of the pointer-type display unit D, and may be, for example, a discontinuous annular shape.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
At 00, a measured value display section comprising a scale section 101 having a projection is formed. With such a configuration, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments can be expected.
Is added to the light transmitting body 100, the design can be improved. In the present embodiment, the scale 101 is added to the translucent body 100, but a measurement value display unit composed of characters and indices may be added.

In the first and second embodiments, the measured value display section 51 and the light transmitting section 53 are separated from each other, but they may be combined. May be arranged.

[0055]

As described above in detail, the present invention relates to an instrument main body having a drive shaft extending forward, a pointer driven to rotate by the drive shaft, and a plurality of measured value displays corresponding to the pointer. Part, a front panel having a band-shaped or annular light-transmitting part surrounding the pointer type display part composed of these measurement value display part and the pointer, a light source arranged behind this front panel, this light source, and the light source By providing a frame having a reflection portion disposed between the front panel and the measurement value display portion and reflecting the light of the light source to the light transmission portion, the pointer-type display portion is contour-illuminated at a low cost. Can be provided.

The present invention also provides a plurality of instrument bodies having a drive shaft extending forward, a plurality of hands rotationally driven by the drive shaft, and a plurality of measured value display sections arranged corresponding to each of the hands. A plurality or a single front panel having a band-shaped or annular light-transmitting portion surrounding each of a plurality of pointer-type display portions each including the hands and the corresponding measurement value display portion, and behind the front panel A plurality of light sources, and a reflection unit disposed between the light sources and the front panel and reflecting the light of the light sources to the respective measurement value display units and the light transmission units, respectively. By providing the frame, it is possible to provide a meter device capable of illuminating the outline of the pointer-type display unit at a low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a meter device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view along the line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an essential part perspective view showing a cross section of a part showing a detailed structure of a region B in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an essential part perspective view showing a part of the third embodiment of the present invention in cross section.

FIG. 6 is an essential part perspective view showing a part of the fourth embodiment of the present invention in cross section.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 circuit board 2 drive shaft 3 instrument main body 4 pointer 5 front panel 6 dial plate 7, 8 light source 9 frame body 51 measured value display section 52 ground section 53 light transmitting section 54 reflecting layer 55 plate material 61 exposed section 91 first reflecting section (Reflection part) 92 Second reflection part (Reflection part) 100 Translucent member 101 Scale part (Measurement value display part) D Pointer type display part

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An instrument body having a drive shaft extending forward, a pointer driven to rotate by the drive shaft, a plurality of measured value display sections arranged in correspondence with the pointer, the measured value display section and the pointer. A front panel having a band-shaped or annular light-transmitting portion surrounding the pointer-type display unit consisting of: a light source disposed behind the front panel; and a light source disposed between the light source and the front panel. And a frame having a reflection part for reflecting light to the measurement value display part and the light transmission part. 2. A plurality of instrument bodies with a drive shaft extending forward, a plurality of hands rotationally driven by the drive shaft,
A plurality of measurement value display sections arranged corresponding to each of the hands, and a plurality of types of pointer-type display sections each including the hands and the corresponding measurement value display section. A plurality of or a front panel having a portion, a plurality of light sources disposed behind the front panel,
A frame that is disposed between the light source and the front panel, and has a reflecting portion that reflects the light of the light source to each of the measurement value display portions and the light transmitting portions. Meter device. 3. The meter device according to claim 1, wherein the light source is disposed at a position deviated from immediately below the measured value display unit and the light transmitting unit. 4. The meter device according to claim 1, wherein the light transmitting portion forms an outline of the pointer type display portion. 5. A light-transmitting member which receives light from the light-transmitting portion and emits light on the front panel, and the light-transmitting member forms an outline of the pointer-type display portion. The meter device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 6. A first light source, wherein the light source is disposed closer to the drive shaft than the measured value display unit and the light transmitting unit, and the reflecting unit faces the light source and reflects light from the light source to an outer periphery. The reflection part and the front panel are formed as a second reflection part which extends outwardly with an appropriate space, and reflects light from the first reflection part side to the front panel side. The meter device according to any one of claims 3 to 5. 7. The circuit board according to claim 6, wherein a circuit board is arranged behind the reflection section, and the instrument body is arranged behind the circuit board such that the drive shaft passes through the circuit board. The meter device as described. 8. The reflection unit has a wall portion located between the drive shaft and the light source and extending forward, and the first reflection unit is formed on the wall portion. Claim 6
Or the meter device according to claim 7. 9. The meter device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the light sources are arranged on a concentric circle around the drive shaft. 10. The meter device according to claim 1, wherein the frame is made of a white synthetic resin material. 11. The meter device according to claim 1, wherein a white reflective layer is provided on the front panel.