JP2002236035A - Indicator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make significant thinner designing, curtailment of the number of parts and higher productivity achievable. SOLUTION: The indicator has a mobile electrode plate 2 having a plurality of electrodes and a fixed electrode plate 6 having a plurality of electrodes arranged facing the mobile electrode plate 2. An electrostatic actuator is built to move the mobile electrode plate 2 with respect to the fixed electrode plate 6 under attraction and repulsion between the mobile electrode plate 2 and the fixed electrode plate 6, by switching the polarity of the electrodes of the fixed electrode plate 2. The display of characters, graduations and the like is formed integral on the fixed electrode plate 6, while an indication part 1 for indicating the character and graduation parts is formed on the mobile electrode plate 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an indicating instrument used for a vehicle such as an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle such as an automobile is provided with an indicating instrument such as a speedometer or an engine speed meter.

In general, this indicating instrument has a circuit board disposed on the back side of a display plate on which characters, symbols, scales, etc. are formed, and a cross-coil type movement is mounted on the circuit board. A structure is provided in which an extended pointer shaft is passed through the display plate, and a pointer is attached to a tip of the pointer shaft protruding toward the front surface of the display plate.

However, an indicator using a cross-coil movement has a basic structure in which the cross-coil movement is wound around a bobbin with a coil, so that it is inevitably thick, heavy, and heavy. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the thickness.

Therefore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-29556 proposes a display device using an electrostatic actuator instead of a cross-coil movement. This display device has a structure in which a fixed-side electrode of an electrostatic actuator is mounted on the back side of a display plate, and a moving-side electrode of the electrostatic actuator is mounted on a pointer shaft so as to face the fixed-side electrode.

As described above, the use of the electrostatic actuator makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the display device.

[0007]

A display device using the above-mentioned electrostatic actuator merely replaces the cross-coil type movement with an electrostatic actuator.
The structure of the display remained essentially the same as when using the cross-coil movement.

Therefore, the advantages of the electrostatic actuator are not fully utilized, and there is room for further reduction in thickness. For example, since the pointer has a structure in which the hands rotate on the front side of the display panel, it is necessary to secure a space in the thickness direction for the hands to rotate, which hinders the reduction in thickness. I have.

Further, since the pointer is fixed to the pointer shaft, there is a problem that the number of parts increases and the assembling operation takes time.

[0010] Furthermore, since the illuminants such as light emitting diodes are directly attached to the display panel and the illumination of the hands, the appearance quality and the illumination effect are poor, and the power supply structure to the illuminants becomes complicated. The number of parts has increased, the assembly work has been poor, and it has become expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an indicating instrument which solves the above-mentioned problems and can achieve a significant reduction in thickness, a reduction in the number of parts, an improvement in productivity, and the like.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a moving electrode plate having a resistor layer or a plurality of electrodes, and a moving electrode plate disposed opposite to the moving electrode plate. A fixed electrode plate having a plurality of electrodes, wherein the polarity of the electrodes of the fixed electrode plate is switched, and the movable electrode plate is moved relative to the fixed electrode plate by suction and repulsion between the moving electrode plate and the fixed electrode plate. An electrostatic actuator to be constructed is provided, wherein a display of characters and scales is integrally formed on the fixed electrode plate, and an indicator for indicating the characters and scales is formed on the movable electrode plate.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a movable electrode plate having a resistor layer or a plurality of electrodes, and a fixed electrode plate having a plurality of electrodes opposed to the movable electrode plate are provided. Having an electrostatic actuator for moving the movable electrode plate relative to the fixed electrode plate by suction and repulsion between the movable electrode plate and the fixed electrode plate by switching the polarity of the electrodes of the fixed electrode plate, Display of characters and scales is integrally formed on the fixed electrode plate, and an indicator for indicating the characters and scales is formed on the movable electrode plate, thereby reducing the number of parts and simplifying assembly work. In addition, productivity can be improved and costs can be reduced, and the thickness can be significantly reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the movable electrode plate has a transparent electrode formed on a transparent insulating substrate, and a light source is disposed on the back side of the movable electrode plate. Illuminates the indicator formed on the movable electrode plate with backlight.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the moving electrode plate has a structure in which a transparent electrode is formed on a transparent insulating base material, and a light source is disposed on the back side of the moving electrode plate. By illuminating the indicator formed on the movable electrode plate with the light emitted from the light source, the indicator can be transmitted and illuminated, and the appearance quality and the lighting effect can be improved. The power supply structure can be simplified and cost can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the movable electrode plate on which the indicator is formed is rotatably disposed on a circuit board for driving and controlling an electrostatic actuator, and the fixed electrode plate is provided with a character / character. The fixed electrode plate and the movable electrode plate are integrally formed on a cap-shaped display having scales, and the display is placed on the movable electrode plate. Features.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the movable electrode plate on which the indicator is formed is rotatably disposed on the circuit board for driving and controlling the electrostatic actuator, and the movable electrode plate is fixed. The electrode plate is integrally formed on a cap-shaped display body having characters, scales, and the like, and the fixed electrode plate and the movable electrode plate are arranged to face each other while the display body is covered on the movable electrode plate, and mounted on a circuit board. By fixing, it is possible to reduce the number of parts, simplify the assembling work, improve productivity and reduce costs.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the display body includes a locking claw that can be inserted and locked into a locking hole formed in the circuit board.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the locking claw provided on the display body is inserted and locked into the locking hole formed on the circuit board, so that the display can be performed with one touch. Since the body can be worn, the assembling work can be facilitated.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, at least one of the movable electrode plate and the fixed electrode plate is formed by laminating a plurality of transparent insulating substrates on which transparent electrodes are formed while shifting the electrodes. It is characterized by that.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the movable electrode plate or the fixed electrode plate is formed by laminating a plurality of transparent insulating substrates on which transparent electrodes are formed while shifting the electrodes. Inexpensive and easy
A thinner moving electrode plate or fixed electrode plate can be formed.

[0022]

First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 6 show a first embodiment of the present invention.

First, the structure will be described. The first embodiment is an example of a speedometer for a vehicle. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 3 denotes a substantially disk-shaped transparent moving electrode plate constituting an electrostatic actuator. Reference numeral 2 denotes a rotating plate in which an indicator 1 is formed from the center toward the outer periphery. The instruction unit 1 is, as shown in FIG.
A light-transmissive colored layer 20 such as white or red is formed on the surface of the movable electrode plate 2, and a light-shielding layer 21 such as black is formed on a portion other than the indicator 1 by printing or the like.

Further, a rotary shaft hole is formed in the center of the rotary plate 3, and a bearing bush 9 is attached and fixed to the rotary shaft hole. The rotating plate 3 has an elastic supporting member such as a conductive coil spring 11 and a bearing near the tip of a conductive shaft 8 projecting substantially perpendicularly from the circuit board 4 to the surface side, which will be described later, and a bearing. It is rotatably supported via a bush 9.

An insulating sleeve 12 is interposed between the conductive shaft 8 and the conductive coil spring 11 so as not to contact each other, and a cap 10 is attached to the tip of the shaft 8. Have been. The position at which the rotary plate 3 is mounted from the surface of the circuit board 4 is adjusted by the press-fitting position of the cap 10, and the gap between the movable electrode plate 2 and the fixed electrode plate 2 disposed opposite to each other is adjusted.

The fixed electrode plate 6 which is arranged opposite to the moving electrode plate 2 and constitutes the electrostatic actuator is formed transparent like the moving electrode plate 2 and has a display section 5 for displaying characters, scales, symbols and the like. Are formed integrally with the display body 7 on which is formed.

The display 7 is made of a transparent thermoplastic resin such as acrylic, ABS, polyethyl methacrylate,
A ring plate made of polycarbonate, polyarylate, polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethersulfone, or the like, and having the opening 13a having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the rotating plate 3 to form the display unit 5. A display surface 13 and a short cylindrical side wall 14 extending from the outer peripheral edge of the display surface portion 13 to the circuit board 4 side. A plurality of locking claws 16 which can be inserted and locked in the formed locking hole 15 with one touch are provided. The two locking claws 16 and the locking holes 15 are formed with a phase shift of 180 ° in the circumferential direction with respect to the side wall 14, but three or more locking claws 16 and the locking holes 15 may be formed. Note that the display 7 is arranged concentrically with respect to the rotating plate 3.

Further, a light-transmitting colored layer 23 of, for example, white is formed on at least a portion of the display body 7 corresponding to the display portion 5 such as characters, symbols, and scales on the display surface portion 13 so as to form characters and symbols. A black light-shielding layer 24 is formed on a portion other than the scale and the like, and a transmission illumination section 25 is formed. The light transmitting layer 23 and the light shielding layer 24 are preferably formed by printing. Further, a film sheet on which the light-transmitting colored layer 23 and the light-shielding layer 24 are formed by printing may be in-mold molded on the surface side of the display surface portion 13 when the display 7 is injection-molded.

A reflective layer 27 of white or the like is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the side wall 14 of the display 7 in order to improve the light reflection efficiency inside the display 7, and a light-shielding layer of black or the like is formed outside the reflective layer 27. 26 is formed. The light-shielding layer 26 may be formed by applying a light-shielding paint or by integrally forming a light-shielding portion on a side wall with a film sheet forming the display unit 5 and performing in-mold molding. Alternatively, a conductive resin may be used for the light-shielding paint so that the influence of external noise may be avoided.

Further, if necessary, the display surface 1 of the display 7
A corner portion between the side wall 3 and the side wall 14 is chamfered to form an inclined surface serving as the reflection surface 17. Further, if necessary, the display surface 1
A gentle inclined surface 18 is formed on the surface of the surface 3 near the inner periphery.

The moving electrode plate 2 and the fixed electrode plate 6
The configuration is such that a transparent electrode is formed on a transparent insulating substrate.
At this time, the transparent electrodes may be arranged on the surface of the transparent insulating base material or may be embedded in the transparent insulating base material. It is preferable to provide an insulating protective layer made of a coating film of a transparent insulating paste or a transparent insulating ceramic on the surface of the transparent electrode. The insulating protective layer is formed by a bar coater method, a spin coater method, a roll coater method, or the like. The film thickness is determined in consideration of the distance between the electrodes, the thickness of the transparent insulating substrate, and the like.

Examples of the transparent insulating substrate include polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polysulfone, polyether sulfone, polyether sulfone,
A film or sheet of polycarbonate, polyester, polyimide, polymethyl methacrylate, polyarylate, or the like is used.

The transparent electrode is formed of a transparent conductive material. As the transparent conductive material, a transparent metal or a transparent metal oxide having conductivity is generally used. Examples of the transparent metal include gold, silver, copper, palladium, indium-tin, zinc, and aluminum. As a transparent metal oxide having conductivity, indium oxide,
There are indium oxide-tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide, aluminum oxide, and the like. Indium oxide-tin oxide is particularly preferable because of its high transparency. The transparent electrode is formed by laminating thin films on the surface of a transparent insulating substrate by a vacuum evaporation method or a sputtering method.

Here, the vacuum deposition method means 10 -4 to 10 -5.
Vapor generated by heating the material of the transparent electrode to a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point under a vacuum of about Torr is condensed on the surface of the transparent insulating substrate to form a fine particle thin film.

In the sputtering method, a thin film is formed on the surface of a transparent substrate using a sputtering phenomenon that occurs when inert gas ions generated by glow discharge in a vacuum are caused to collide with the target surface at an accelerated rate. Things.
The sputtering method can form a thin film at a lower temperature than the vacuum evaporation method, and thus is suitable for forming a thin film on the surface of a transparent substrate.

Since the thickness of the transparent conductive material affects the resistance value of the patterned transparent electrode, it is appropriately selected in relation to the resistance value.

For the transparent electrode, a transparent conductive polymer such as polyacetylene or polyaniline may be used in addition to the above-mentioned metals and metal oxides. The transparent conductive polymer can be formed by printing or the like. For example, forming antimony-doped tin oxide into ultrafine particles (0.1 to 0.6 μm), forming a coating, and printing and applying the coating on the surface of a transparent insulating substrate, for example, a polyester film. Can be. In this manner, by using a transparent conductive polymer or the like, an etching process or the like for patterning a transparent electrode is not required, and the manufacturing process can be simplified. In addition, expensive devices such as a vacuum evaporation device and a sputtering device are not required, and equipment investment can be reduced. Further, the transparent conductive polymer is mechanically strong, flexible, and easy to pattern.

More specifically, the moving electrode plate 2 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, a land-like current collector 32 is provided around the shaft insertion hole 31 on the surface of the rotary plate 3, and a radial transparent electrode 33 is formed from the current collector 32 toward the outer periphery. Further, a ring-shaped current collector 34 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the surface of the rotating plate 3, and a radial transparent electrode 35 is formed from the current collector 34 toward the inner periphery. The current collector 32 is connected to a conductor pattern 36 formed on the back side of the circuit board 4 via a spring-like current collector 30 made of phosphor bronze or the like fixed to the current collector 32 with solder or the like and the shaft 8. Is done.

The current collector 34 is connected to a radially extending conductor pattern 39 formed on the back surface of the rotating plate 3 through a through hole 38 formed in the rotating plate 3. On the side, it is connected to a land-shaped conductor pattern 40 that is continuous with the conductor pattern 39. Conductor pattern 4
0 is formed around the shaft insertion hole 31 and has a size corresponding to the diameter of the coil spring 11;
It is electrically connected to a conductor pattern 41 formed on the surface side of the circuit board 4 via the coil spring 11.

These two-phase transparent electrode 33 and transparent electrode 35
The polarity of the voltage applied to is fixed. For example, the transparent electrode 33 is a positive electrode, and the transparent electrode 35 is a negative electrode. Alternatively, the transparent electrode 33 may be a negative electrode and the transparent electrode 35 may be a positive electrode.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the fixed electrode plate 6 has a current collector 45 formed on the inner peripheral portion on the back surface side of the ring-shaped transparent insulating base material corresponding to the display surface 13. A radial transparent electrode 46 is formed from the part 45 toward the outer periphery. Further, a current collector 47 is formed on the outer peripheral portion on the back surface side of the ring-shaped transparent insulating base material, and a radial transparent electrode 48 is formed from the current collector 47 toward the inner periphery. Further, a current collecting portion 49 is formed on the outer peripheral portion on the front surface side of the ring-shaped transparent insulating base material, and the radial transparent electrode which is taken out from the current collecting portion 49 to the back surface through the through hole 50 and goes to the inner periphery. 51 are formed. Current collecting unit 45, current collecting unit 47, current collecting unit 49
Are connected to a conductor pattern 53 formed on the surface side of the circuit board 4 via the same flexible printed circuit board 52 adhered to a transparent insulating base material by a conductive adhesive or the like (using a conductive adhesive or the like). Connected by adhesion). The three-phase transparent electrode 46, the transparent electrode 48, and the transparent electrode 51 are supplied with a pulse voltage whose polarity changes in synchronization with a phase difference.

The fixed electrode plate 6 is insert-molded on the back side of the display surface 13 when the display 7 is injection-molded. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, after the display body 7 is injection-molded, the fixed electrode plate 6 is placed on the back side of the display surface section 13, and a transparent cup-shaped protective member 54 is further placed from below the back side of the display surface section 13. You may make it press-fit in a side and fix it.

Here, as shown in FIG.
Three-phase transparent electrode 46, transparent electrode 51, transparent electrode 48
Are formed at an equal pitch in the circumferential direction by shifting the electrodes by ３ pitch from each other. The two-phase transparent electrode 33 and the transparent electrode 35 of the movable electrode plate 2 correspond to the transparent electrode 46, the transparent electrode 51, and the transparent electrode 48 of the fixed electrode plate 6 with the third phase being blank 55. Form. It is desirable that the interval between adjacent transparent electrodes be as small as possible in order to improve the pointing resolution.

Further, a display 7 on which a fixed electrode plate is integrally formed is mounted on a circuit board 4 by a shaft 8 and a spring 1.
1. When placed on the movable electrode plate 2 rotatably disposed via the cap 10, the transparent electrode 33, the transparent electrode 35 of the movable electrode plate 2 and the transparent electrode 4 of the fixed electrode plate 6
6, the transparent electrode 51 and the transparent electrode 48 are located to face each other.

The circuit board 4 calculates the deflection angle of the indicating section 1 of the indicating instrument based on the output signal from a sensor (not shown), generates a drive signal based on the deflection angle, and controls the driving of the electrostatic actuator. An illumination device having a drive control circuit and emitting white or orange light for transmitting and illuminating the indicator 1 of the rotating plate 3 and the display 5 of the display 7 at a position inside the display 7 on the circuit board 4. A light emitting body 56 such as a light emitting diode (a board mounted LED or a chip LED) is provided. In FIG. 1, a plurality of luminous bodies 56 are arranged around the shaft 8 at a required interval. The circuit board 4 is a double-sided board type on which circuits can be formed on both sides.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the electrostatic actuator fixes the transparent electrode 33 of the movable electrode plate 2 to the positive electrode, the transparent electrode 35 to the negative electrode, the transparent electrode 46 of the fixed electrode plate 6 to the positive electrode, When the negative electrode 51 is the negative electrode and the transparent electrode 48 is the positive electrode, a repulsive force acts between the transparent electrode 33 and the transparent electrode 46 and between the transparent electrode 35 and the transparent electrode 51, and the gap between the transparent electrode 33 and the transparent electrode 51 is generated. Attraction force acts between the transparent electrode 35 and the transparent electrode 48. With this suction force,
The moving electrode plate 2 moves to the right side in FIG. 6 by one transparent electrode with respect to the fixed electrode plate 6. Next, when the polarities of the transparent electrode 46, the transparent electrode 51, and the transparent electrode 48 are shifted to the right side in FIG. 6 by one with respect to the moving electrode plate 2 after the movement, the same polarity relationship as in FIG. Moving electrode plate 2 with respect to plate 6
Moves to the right in FIG. 6 by one transparent electrode. Thereafter, by repeating the above, the electrostatic actuator can be rotated. In addition, by appropriately setting the polarities of the transparent electrode 46, the transparent electrode 51, and the transparent electrode 48, the electrostatic actuator can be reversed or stopped.

Further, by turning on a light-emitting body such as a light-emitting diode disposed on a circuit board, an indicator 1 formed on a transparent rotating plate 3 and a display formed by a transparent member are formed. The character / scale portion of the display unit 5 of the body 7 is illuminated by transmission. The indicator 1 of the rotating plate 3 is directly illuminated with light from the light emitting diode from the back, and the characters and scales formed on the display 7 are the direct light from the light emitting diode and the side wall of the display 7. The light and the scale portion are transmitted and illuminated by the light that enters the display 7 from the inner peripheral surface 14 and travels through the display 7.

As described above, according to the first embodiment,
A movable electrode plate having a plurality of electrodes; and a fixed electrode plate having a plurality of electrodes disposed to face the movable electrode plate. An electrostatic actuator for moving the movable electrode plate 2 with respect to the fixed electrode plate 6 by suction and repulsive force between the fixed electrode plate 6 and the fixed electrode plate 6, and displaying characters, scales and the like on the fixed electrode plate 6 integrally. By forming the indicator 1 on the moving electrode plate 2 to indicate the character / scale portion, the number of parts can be reduced, the assembling work can be simplified, productivity can be improved, and cost can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to significantly reduce the thickness.

Further, the moving electrode plate 2 has a structure in which a transparent electrode is formed on a transparent insulating base material, and a light source 56 is disposed on the back side of the moving electrode plate 2. By illuminating the indicator 1 formed in the back light, the indicator 1 can be transmitted and illuminated, the appearance quality and the illumination effect can be improved, and the power supply structure to the light emitter 56 can be simplified. Cost can be reduced.

The moving electrode plate 2 on which the indicator 1 is formed
Is fixed on a circuit board 4 for driving and controlling an electrostatic actuator, and the fixed electrode plate 6 is integrally formed on a cap-shaped display body 7 having characters, scales and the like.
The fixed electrode plate 6 and the movable electrode plate 2 are arranged to face each other while being covered with the movable electrode plate 2, and the fixed electrode plate 6 and the movable electrode plate 2 are mounted and fixed on the circuit board 4, thereby reducing the number of parts and simplifying the assembling work. Productivity can be improved and costs can be reduced.

The locking claw 16 provided at the end of the side wall 14 of the display 7 on the circuit board 4 side is inserted and locked in a locking hole 15 formed in the circuit board 4, so that the display 7 can be touched with one touch. Can be mounted, so that the assembling work can be facilitated.

[0054]

[Modification] FIG. 7 shows a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention.
By removing the opening 3a and closing the opening 13a with the same transparent resin as that of the display body 7, a transparent transmission window 60 that covers the rotating plate 3 is formed integrally with the opening 13a.

As described above, by forming the transparent transmission window 60 that covers the rotary plate 3 integrally with the display body 7, the transmission window 6 is formed.
The transparent fixed electrode plate 6 constituting the electrostatic actuator can be extended to the inner peripheral side also at the zero portion, so that a larger torque can be obtained.

In this case, on the surface of the transmission window 60,
If necessary, an antireflection film 61 is formed by coating or the like,
Avoid shadows. In addition, by forming the light-shielding layer 24 together with the display surface 13 at the center of the transmission window 60 when the display surface 13 is formed, the cap 10 can be hidden and the appearance design can be improved.

[0057]

Second Embodiment FIGS. 8 and 9 show a second embodiment of the present invention. The same or equivalent parts as those in the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

First, the structure will be described. In the second embodiment, a transparent insulating substrate 65 on which the transparent electrode 33 is formed and a transparent insulating substrate 66 on which the transparent electrode 35 is formed are laminated. The moving electrode plate 2 is formed.

Here, the transparent insulating substrate 65 is disposed on the upper surface side of the moving electrode plate 2, and the transparent electrode 33 and the current collector 32 are formed on the surface side of the transparent insulating substrate 66.

The transparent insulating substrate 66 is disposed on the lower surface side of the movable electrode plate 2, and the conductive pattern 40 for making electrical contact with the coil spring 11 is provided on the lower surface side of the transparent insulating substrate 66.
Are formed, and a transparent electrode 35 is formed radially from the conductor pattern toward the outer periphery.

These transparent insulating substrates 65 and 66 are laminated with the pitch of the transparent electrodes shifted, and one of them is
, And the other can be supplied via the coil spring 11. The transparent electrode substrate 6
The transparent electrodes 33 and 35 formed on the reference numerals 5 and 66 are formed at the same pitch as the transparent electrodes 33 and 35 provided on the movable electrode plate 2 described in the first embodiment.

In the moving electrode plate 2, for example, the indicator 1 is formed of a light-transmitting colored layer 20 in white or red on a transparent film, and a light-shielding layer of black or the like is formed in a portion other than the indicator 1. A pointer film 68 formed by printing 21 is laminated between the transparent insulating substrates 65 and 66 to form an indicator. still,
Instead of the pointer film 68, the indicator 1 may be formed on the surface of the transparent insulating substrate 65 by direct printing or the like.

The method for laminating and fixing the transparent insulating substrates 65 and 66 is as follows: laminating and fixing with a transparent adhesive, heat welding and fixing, or insertion of a shaft formed at the center of the transparent insulating substrates 65 and 66. The hole is fixed by caulking with eyelets or the like.

A film 69 of a transparent insulating substrate on which the transparent electrode 46 is printed, a film 70 of a transparent insulating substrate on which the transparent electrode 48 is printed, and a film of a transparent insulating substrate on which the transparent electrode 51 is printed By laminating 71 with
A fixed electrode plate 6 is formed.

Here, the transparent insulating substrate film 69-
Reference numerals 71 are the same, and the transparent electrodes are stacked so that the transparent electrodes do not overlap by shifting the pitch of the transparent electrodes of the films 69 to 71 by 1 pitch. The positional relationship of the stacked electrodes is the same as that of the transparent electrode of the fixed electrode plate 6 described in the first embodiment.

Each of the transparent insulating substrate films 69 to
A pattern lead 74 having a land portion with a cross slit 73 formed at the tip is extended from 71 and the terminal 75 and the pattern lead are inserted by piercing the pattern lead 74 into a terminal 75 protruding from the lower end of the display 7. The land of the conductive pattern printed at the tip of the tip 74 is in contact with the land so that an electrical connection is made. The terminal 75 is electrically connected to the circuit board 4 by soldering or the like.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, for example, the fixed electrode plate 6 is a transparent cup-shaped protection member 5 similar to that shown in FIG.
4 is pressed into the back surface of the display surface portion 13 so as to be fixed between the protection member 54 and the back surface of the display surface portion 13.

As shown in FIG. 11, a large number of small triangular beam-shaped light guides 76 extending in the axial direction are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 14 as auxiliary lighting means so as to protrude in the circumferential direction. The light from the light emitting body 56 may be efficiently incident inside. This light guide 76 can be applied to each embodiment.

According to the second embodiment, the electrodes of the transparent insulating substrates 65 and 66 are stacked while being shifted from each other, so that the transparent insulating substrate does not require a complicated structure such as a crossover or a through hole, and is inexpensive. In addition, it is possible to easily form the thin moving electrode plate 2. At this time, by further laminating the pointer film 68, the pointer line 1 can be formed in the same process.

The same transparent insulating substrate film 6
By laminating the electrodes 9 to 71 while displacing the electrodes, the thin fixed electrode plate 6 can be formed inexpensively and easily.

The other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment.
, And the same operation and effect can be obtained.

[0072]

Third Embodiment FIGS. 12 to 14 show a third embodiment of the present invention. The same or equivalent parts as those in the first or second embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

In the third embodiment, a transparent resistor layer 81 (dielectric) is provided on the surface of a transparent insulating layer 80 instead of a plurality of transparent electrodes formed on the moving electrode plate 2. .

As the insulating layer 80, an insulating film or the like is used, and an indicator is formed on the surface from the center to the outer periphery. The indicator is a light-transmitting colored layer such as white or red. A light-shielding layer of black or the like is formed by printing or the like on the portion excluding the indication portion.

An electrostatic actuator having a movable electrode plate 82 having a transparent insulating layer 80 and a transparent resistor layer 81 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
When the transparent electrode 46 is a positive electrode and the transparent electrode 51 is a negative electrode,
A current flows through the resistor layer 81 due to a potential difference between the transparent electrode 46 and the transparent electrode 51, and a (mirror image) charge as shown by a broken line is induced at the boundary between the insulating layer 80 and the resistor layer 81 to be in an equilibrium state. Since the polarity of this charge is different from that of the transparent electrodes 46 and 51, the moving electrode plate 82 is attracted to the display 7.

Next, the transparent electrode 46 is used as a negative electrode,
Is a positive electrode and the transparent electrode 48 is a negative electrode.
Although the electric charges in 51 and 48 can move instantaneously, the moving electrode plate 8
The charge of 2 cannot move immediately due to the resistance of the resistor layer 81. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13B, a repulsive force acts between the charge facing the transparent electrode 46 and the charge facing the transparent electrode 51, and the transparent electrode 51 and the charge on the left side in the drawing are generated. And between the transparent electrode 48 and the electric charge on the left side in the drawing. Due to the suction force, the movable electrode plate 82 moves to the right side in FIG. 6 by one transparent electrode with respect to the fixed electrode plate 6. Thereafter, the transparent electrodes 46, 51,
On the other hand, by repeating charging and moving in a cycle of a pattern as shown in FIG. 14, the electrostatic actuator can be rotated. Further, the transparent electrode 46 and the transparent electrode 5
1. By appropriately setting the polarity of the transparent electrode 48,
It is also possible to reverse or stop the electrostatic actuator.

As described above, the transparent resistor layer 81 (dielectric) is provided on the surface of the transparent insulating layer 80 in place of the plurality of transparent electrodes formed on the moving electrode plate 2 and is made of a light-transmitting colored ink. By forming the indicator 1 by printing, power to the moving electrode plate can be made unnecessary, and the gauge can be made thinner.

The other parts than those described above have the same configuration as those of each embodiment, and the same operation and effect can be obtained.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and there are design changes and the like that do not depart from the gist of the present invention. Is also included in the present invention.

For example, combinations other than those described in the above embodiments are also possible.

[0081]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a movable electrode plate having a resistor layer or a plurality of electrodes, and a fixed electrode having a plurality of electrodes opposed to the movable electrode plate. An electrostatic actuator that has an electrode plate and that switches the polarity of the electrode of the fixed electrode plate to move the movable electrode plate relative to the fixed electrode plate by suction and repulsion between the moving electrode plate and the fixed electrode plate. The fixed electrode plate is formed integrally with the display of characters and scales, and the moving electrode plate is formed with an indicator for indicating the characters and scales. It is possible to simplify the structure, improve productivity and reduce costs, and achieve a significant reduction in thickness.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the movable electrode plate has a structure in which a transparent electrode is formed on a transparent insulating base material, and a light source is disposed on the back side of the movable electrode plate, and the movable electrode plate is moved by irradiation light from the light source. By illuminating the indicator portion formed on the electrode plate with backlight, the indicator portion can be transmitted and illuminated, the appearance quality and the illumination effect can be improved, and the power supply structure to the light emitter can be simplified. Costs can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the movable electrode plate on which the indicator is formed is rotatably disposed on a circuit board for driving and controlling the electrostatic actuator, and the fixed electrode plate is provided with characters, scales, etc. The fixed electrode plate and the movable electrode plate are integrally formed on a cap-shaped display member having , The assembly work can be simplified, productivity can be improved, and costs can be reduced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the display body can be mounted with one touch by inserting and locking the locking claw provided on the display body into the locking hole formed in the circuit board. In addition, assembly work can be facilitated.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the movable electrode plate or the fixed electrode plate is formed by laminating a plurality of transparent insulating substrates on which the transparent electrodes are formed by displacing the electrodes. A practically useful effect that a thinner movable electrode plate or fixed electrode plate can be formed can be exhibited.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view partially omitted from FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a moving electrode plate.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a fixed electrode plate.

FIG. 5 is a partial side sectional view of a display body showing a case where a fixed electrode plate is fixed using a protection member.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the electrostatic actuator.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view according to a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

9 is a partial side sectional view of a display body showing a means for fixing a fixed electrode plate in the case of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of the display of FIG. 9;

11 is a plan view of the display of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 6, according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams of the operation of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a table showing a voltage pattern according to FIG. 13;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pointer part 2 Moving electrode plate 3 Rotating plate 4 Circuit board 5 Display part 6 Fixed electrode plate 7 Display 15 Locking hole 16 Locking claw 33 Transparent electrode 35 Transparent electrode 46 Transparent electrode 48 Transparent electrode 51 Transparent electrode 65 Transparent insulation Substrate 66 Transparent insulating substrate 69 Transparent insulating substrate film 70 Transparent insulating substrate film 71 Transparent insulating substrate film 82 Moving electrode plate

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A movable electrode plate having a resistor layer or a plurality of electrodes, and a fixed electrode plate having a plurality of electrodes arranged to face the movable electrode plate, wherein the polarity of the electrodes of the fixed electrode plate is switched. Thereby, an electrostatic actuator that moves the movable electrode plate with respect to the fixed electrode plate by suction and repulsion between the movable electrode plate and the fixed electrode plate is configured, and display of characters, scales, and the like is integrally formed on the fixed electrode plate. An indicating instrument, wherein an indicating portion for indicating the character / scale portion is formed on the movable electrode plate. 2. The moving electrode plate has a transparent electrode formed on a transparent insulating base material, a light source disposed on the back side of the moving electrode plate, and is formed on the moving electrode plate by irradiation light from the light source. The indicating instrument according to claim 1, wherein the indicating section is illuminated with a back light. 3. A movable electrode plate on which the indicator is formed is rotatably disposed on a circuit board for driving and controlling an electrostatic actuator, and the fixed electrode plate is a cap-shaped display having characters, scales and the like. The fixed electrode plate and the movable electrode plate are integrally formed on a body, and the fixed electrode plate and the movable electrode plate are arranged to face each other in a state where the display body is covered with the movable electrode plate, and is fixed to a circuit board. Indicating instrument as described. 4. The indicating instrument according to claim 3, wherein the display has a locking claw that can be inserted and locked into a locking hole formed in the circuit board. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the movable electrode plate and the fixed electrode plate is formed by laminating a plurality of transparent insulating substrates on which transparent electrodes are formed while shifting the electrodes. The indicating instrument according to any one of the above.