JP2002357460A - Measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a measuring instrument capable of improving the appearance of a display panel in the measuring instrument mounted on a various kinds of vehicles such as motorcycle and automobile. SOLUTION: This measuring instrument is provided with a pointer 4, which is turned around the axis by means of a rotary shaft 2 in a driving device 3, and a display panel 5 having a base board 504 formed of a translucent material. On the front face of the base board 504, a translucent gradation display part G constructed of a dot pattern varied in density along the predetermined direction is arranged, and a lining layer 505 matching the gradation display part G is arranged on the back face of the base board 504. Thereby, the gradation display part G can be illuminated with a clear color, and consequently, a coloring property is improved and an appearance of the display panel 5 can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an instrument mounted on various vehicles such as motorcycles and automobiles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this type of meter device, a pointer which rotates around an axis by a rotating shaft of a driving device and a display panel arranged behind the pointer indicate the measured value in a pointer type. Devices are known. As disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-119662, a base material for forming a display panel is a transparent substrate, and a base layer made of a dark (gray) light-shielding layer is printed on the front surface of the substrate. It is known that a gradation display layer (gradation display section) formed of a black dot pattern whose density is changed according to a predetermined direction is formed on the front surface thereof and is printed thereon.

[0003] By forming a gradation display layer composed of a dot pattern on the display panel in this way, it is possible to give a bright and dark three-dimensional effect to the display panel. However, the dot pattern forming the gradation display layer has a black pattern.
Since the underlying layer, which is the background, is gray, the color is poor. Therefore, as a method of giving the gradation display part a sense of color, for example, the dot pattern is set to a chromatic color such as blue, green, yellow or a light color, and the base layer is set to a dark color such as black or gray. It is possible to do.

[0004]

However, in the former method of forming a chromatic or light-colored dot pattern on a dark-colored base layer, the chromatic or light-colored dot pattern is formed on a dark-colored base layer. Since the dot pattern is configured to be stacked, the dot pattern is affected by the dark base layer, and the entire gradation display layer is darkened or dull.

The present invention has been made in view of this point, and a main object of the present invention is to provide an instrument device capable of improving the color development of a gradation display section and improving the appearance of a display panel. is there.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a display panel having a pointer which is rotated around an axis by a rotation shaft of a driving device, and which has at least a translucent substrate disposed behind the pointer. Comprising a semi-transmissive gradation display portion composed of a dot pattern whose density changes in a predetermined direction on the front surface of the substrate, and providing an underlayer corresponding to at least the gradation display portion on the back surface of the substrate. Features.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a colored transmission layer is provided between the gradation display section and the substrate.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the substrate is inclined to provide a ring-shaped inclined portion corresponding to the operation of the pointer, and the gradation display portion is provided so as to include at least a part of the inclined portion. And

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the display panel has a display section arranged in accordance with the operation of the pointer, and the gradation display section is formed in a ring shape according to the arrangement of the display section. And

Further, in the invention, it is preferable that the gradation display section comprises a dot pattern whose density changes radially from the center of rotation of the hands.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that illumination means for illuminating the gradation display section from the front side is provided.

[0012]

FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on these figures. 1 is a front view of an instrument device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a lighting design of the display panel according to the embodiment.

1 and 2, the instrument device according to the present embodiment includes a circuit board 1, a driving device 3 which is conductively mounted on the circuit board 1 and has a rotating shaft 2 extending forward, and a rotating shaft 2 around the rotating shaft 2. The hands 4 to be driven, the display panel 5 located behind the hands 4, a facing plate 6 exposing the front side of the display panel 5, and the hands 4 and the display panel 5 arranged in front of the circuit board 1. And a frame 8 positioned between the circuit board 1 and the display panel 5.

The circuit board 1 is composed of, for example, a hard circuit board in which a wiring pattern (not shown) is formed on a glass epoxy base material, and a light source 7 and, for example, a driving unit (not shown) for driving and controlling the driving device 3. And various circuit components (not shown) such as resistors and capacitors are electrically connected to the wiring pattern.

The driving device 3 is composed of a movable magnet type instrument or a stepping motor, and its main part is mounted behind the circuit board 1 so that the rotating 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 rotating shaft 2, and has a cover attached to its center of rotation.

The display panel 5 is arranged on the front side of the display panel 5 in an arc-shaped arrangement corresponding to the rotation operation of the hands 4. The display panel 5 includes a character portion 51 and a scale 52 to which the hands 4 are pointed. The display unit 53 includes a display unit 53 and a background unit 54 serving as a background of the display unit 53.

In the case of the present embodiment, the display panel 5
The first display panel 55 and the second display panel 56 are separately formed, and are arranged in the axial direction of the rotary shaft 2 so as to partially overlap each other.

The first display panel 55 has a through-hole 57 for connecting the rotary shaft 2 to the pointer 4 and is formed as a flat plate extending from the periphery of the through-hole 57 in the direction in which the pointer 4 extends. A character portion 51 is arranged on the outer peripheral edge, and a reflection portion 58 is provided on the back surface on the circuit board 1 side.

The second display panel 56 has a ring-shaped inclined portion 59 which surrounds the outer periphery of the first display panel 55 and extends obliquely to the rear (toward the frame 8 or the circuit board 1), and the inclined portion 59. And a flat plate portion 501 extending in parallel from the first display panel 55 toward the outer periphery, and an extension portion 502 extending inward from the inclined portion 59 in parallel with the first display panel 55. Are arranged to overlap the first display panel 55 at a predetermined interval.

The inclined portion 59 is connected to the first display panel 55
Is inclined at a predetermined angle, in the present embodiment, approximately 45 degrees behind, and a scale portion 52 and a coloring portion 503 forming a gradation display portion described in detail later are provided in this region.

Each of the first display panel 55 and the second display panel 56 uses a light-transmitting substrate 504 as a base material. In the case of the first display panel 55, the substrate 504 is formed in a flat plate shape. A background portion 54 composed of a black print layer is formed on the front surface of the plate-shaped substrate 504 except for the region serving as the character portion 51, and a white light-shielding material is provided on the back surface except for the region serving as the character portion 51. A diffusion layer 51a made of a light-transmitting white printing layer is formed in a region where the reflection part 58 made of a printing layer is formed and the character part 51 where the reflection part 58 is not formed is formed. Although not shown, the front surfaces of the character portion 51 and the background portion 54 are covered with a transparent overcoat layer.

On the other hand, in the case of the second display panel 56, the substrate 504 is set in a stepped shape so as to form the inclined portion 59, the flat plate portion 501, and the extension portion 502, and the front portion of the substrate 504 corresponding to the flat plate portion 501 is formed. The background portion 54 made of a black light-shielding printing layer is formed on the substrate 504 corresponding to the extension portion 502 and the reflection portion 58 of the first display panel 55 is formed.
Is formed on the front surface of the substrate 504 corresponding to the inclined portion 59.
3 are formed directly. On the back side of the substrate 504, an underlayer 505 made of a dark-colored (for example, gray) print layer and a light-shielding layer 506 made of a dark-colored (for example, black) light-shielding printing layer are provided below. The base layer 505 is laminated on the front and back so that the light blocking layer 506 is on the front side and the light blocking layer 506 is on the back side. In this case, the underlayer 505 has a light-transmitting property, and serves as a background of a gradation display section described later and determines the color of the scale section 52.
Are the background part 54 and the coloring part 50
3 is removed, and the scale layer 52 surrounded by the background portion 54 is formed by configuring the base layer 505 so as to be able to be seen through the portion excluding the background portion 54 and the coloring portion 503. Although not shown, the background portion 54, the coloring portion 503,
Like the first display panel 55, the front sides of the reflection part 58 and the scale part 52 are covered with a transparent overcoat layer.
In this embodiment, since the base layer 505 is light-transmitting, the light-shielding layer 506 is separately provided for the purpose of preventing the second display panel 56 from being transparent. If possible, the light-blocking layer 506 need not be formed. In this case, the base layer 505 also functions as a light-blocking layer.

As shown in FIG. 4, the coloring section 503 is formed of a halftone dot printing layer formed in a predetermined dot pattern with a chromatic color tone, for example, yellow ink.
Scale part 5 extending from the outer peripheral end of the extension part 502 to the inclined part 59
The ring is formed in a region except for the region 2 in accordance with the operation of the pointer 4. Since the colored portion 503 is not formed in the region to be the scale portion 52 as described above, the scale portion 52 is formed.
Can be clearly displayed. The size per predetermined unit area of the dot pattern (not limited to a round shape) that forms a halftone dot increases from the inside (the rotating shaft 2 side) to the outside (the later-described exposure window portion of the return plate 6). This is set so as to gradually change, thereby forming a gradation display portion G by shading the color on the outer periphery of the first display panel 55. In the present embodiment, the color is lightened radially from the rotation center of the hands 4. It is set to be.

The gradation display portion G is formed in a dot pattern (halftone dot shape) so that
Of the display panel 56 has a semi-transmissive property capable of partially transmitting light incident on the substrate 504 side.

In the present embodiment, the coloring section 503 is set to a halftone dot having a predetermined dot pattern. However, if the gradation can be expressed by shading of the color and the light transmitting property, the coloring section 503 can be used. The shape and the forming method thereof are arbitrary. For example, a plurality of line-shaped colored layers may be provided at different intervals.

The return plate 6 exposes the hands 4 and the main part of the display panel 5 and conceals other necessary areas, and has an exposure window 61 having a diameter larger than the inclined part 59 of the display panel 5. It has.

The light source 7 is composed of, for example, a light emitting diode. The first light source 71 is arranged near the center of rotation of the hands 4 and illuminates the hands 4, and a circuit board corresponding to a first reflecting wall of the frame 8 described later. 1 and a second light source 72 that illuminates the display panel 5 in front of the display panel 5.

The frame body 8 is a case body made of, for example, a white synthetic resin and positioned between the circuit board 1 and the display panel 5 to support the display panel 5. The frame 8 has a cylindrical wall 81 extending toward the hands 4 so as to surround the rotary shaft 2,
A first reflecting wall 82 formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical wall 81
And a second reflecting wall 83 which extends in a curved manner so as to face the first reflecting wall 82 and the first display panel 55.

The light source 7 and the frame 8 constitute an illuminating means 9, and the cylindrical wall 81 transmits light from the first light source 71 to the pointer 4.
To form a first lighting room S1 leading to the first lighting room S
The first illuminant 91 for transmitting and illuminating the pointer 4 is constituted by the first light source 71 and the first light source 71.

The first reflecting wall 82 is provided with a second light source 72.
And a reflecting surface that reflects the light from the second light source 72 to the outer periphery and extends toward the outer periphery.
Constitutes a reflecting surface for reflecting light reflected to the outer periphery through the first reflecting wall 82 toward the display panel 5 side. The first and second reflecting walls 82 and 83 and the reflecting portion 58 constitute a second light source. 72
From the opening P facing the character portion 51 and the inclined portion 59
Is formed, and the second lighting room S2 is formed.
2 and a second light source 7 arranged in the second illumination room S2.
2 constitutes a second illumination means 92 for illuminating the inclined portion 59 through the character portion 51 and the opening P (illuminating the gradation display portion G from the front side of the second display panel 56). In this case, the opening P functions as an irradiation unit that irradiates the front surface of the inclined portion 59 with light.

When light is incident on the front surface of the inclined portion 59 through the second illuminating means 92, the gradation display portion G emits yellow light so as to surround the outer periphery of the first display panel 55, and emits light in a ring shape. The light emitting unit R (see FIG. 5) is formed. At this time, the ring-shaped light emitting portion R is visually recognized with a color gradation such that the color gradually becomes lighter from the inside toward the outside. The ring-shaped light emitting portion R is visually recognized by the light reflected on the inclined portion 59 including the gradation display portion G, but in the present embodiment, the gradation display portion G
Is formed directly on the front surface of the substrate 504, and a base layer 505 serving as the background of the color portion 503 is formed on the back surface of the substrate 504, and the colored portion 503 and the base layer 50 are formed.
5 are arranged so as to be separated from each other with the substrate 504 interposed therebetween, and the gradation display portion G is semi-transmissive, so that not only the light reflected on the surface of the dot pattern colored portion 503 but also the dot pattern Substrate 50 from gap
4, the gradation display portion G is also illuminated by the light that is reflected and guided inside the substrate 504 and the light that is diffused and guided through the underlayer 505, so that the gradation display portion G is made of a dark base layer 505. It emits bright and vivid light without being affected by the light-shielding layer 506, thereby improving the color development of the ring-shaped light-emitting portion R and improving the appearance of the display panel 5.

Further, since the ring-shaped light-emitting portion R is visually perceived with a color gradation, the periphery of the first display panel 55 is bright and has a color gradation like an annular lunar eclipse. The first display panel 55 including the character portion 51 is visually perceived with a three-dimensional effect so as to emerge, and the ring-shaped light-emitting portion R shines like an annular lunar eclipse. Lighting designs can be formed. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the ring-shaped light emitting portion R emits bright light in a chromatic color, whereas the first display panel 55 having the black background portion 54 has the character portion 51.
Since the other portions do not emit light, the three-dimensional effect can be emphasized by the brightness of the ring-shaped light emitting portion R and the first display panel 55.

In this embodiment, the character portion 51 (the first display panel 55) and the inclined portion 59 are formed by the second lighting room S2.
By employing a structure that illuminates both the vicinity (the second display panel 56) and the vicinity, the structure can be made simple and compact.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the driving device 3
And a display panel 5 having a substrate 504 made of a translucent material.
On the front surface of the substrate 504, there is provided a semi-transparent gradation display portion G composed of a dot pattern whose density changes along a predetermined direction, and on the back surface of the substrate 504, a gradation display portion G
Is provided, the gradation display portion G can emit light with a vivid color, thereby improving the color development and the appearance of the display panel 5.

In this embodiment, the second display panel 5
The ring 6 is tilted in accordance with the operation of the pointer 4 to provide a ring-shaped inclined portion 59, and the colored portion 503 is provided in the inclined portion 59, so that the lighting design of the display panel 5 can be given a three-dimensional effect. .

In the present embodiment, the gradation display portion G is formed of a dot pattern whose density changes radially from the center of rotation of the pointer 4, so that novelty and design can be added to the display panel 5. Can be enhanced. In this embodiment, the display panel 5 is a pointer 4
The display section 53 is arranged in accordance with the operation of the display section 53, and the gradation display section G is formed in a ring shape in accordance with the arrangement shape of the display section 53.
Can be made to correspond to the operation of the pointer 4 and the arrangement form of the display unit 53, so that the display panel 5 of the pointer-type instrument has a harmonious design in addition to the improvement of the design by the gradation display unit G. Can be made.

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a colored transmission layer 507 made of, for example, a yellow light-transmitting printing layer is formed on the front surface of the substrate 504 corresponding to the inclined portion 59. Then, a colored portion 508 composed of a predetermined dot pattern for forming a semi-transmissive gradation display portion G is superimposed and printed on the colored transmission layer 507 with a black ink, and the base layer 505 and the base layer 505 are shaded on the back surface of the substrate 504. And a layer 506. This coloring section 50
Reference numeral 8 indicates that the color of the colored transmission layer 507 is light (the black color is strong) radially from the center of rotation of the pointer 4 as in the first embodiment.
Thus, a gradation pattern is formed on the outer periphery of the first display panel 55 by shading the color. According to this embodiment, the colored portion 508 and the colored transmission layer 507, the underlayer 505, and the light shielding layer 506 are
In addition, the light emitted from the front side of the second display panel 56 enters the substrate 504 through the colored transmission layer 507 where the colored portion 508 is not formed. The gradation display portion G can be used as the base layer 505 or the light shielding layer 506.
It is visually recognized brightly and vividly without being affected by the above, and the same operation and effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. Moreover, by forming the gradation display portion G with a dot pattern composed of the black colored portions 508 formed on the colored transmission layer 507, the gradation pattern can be clarified as compared with the case of the first embodiment. .

In each of the above embodiments, the inclined portion 59 is provided on the second display panel 56 having the gradation display portion G. However, like the first display panel 55, the inclined portion 59 may be formed in a flat plate shape. The illumination unit 9 may have any structure as long as it illuminates the gradation display unit G from the front side. For example, the illumination unit may be configured by a light source disposed in front of the display panel 5.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an instrument capable of achieving the intended purpose and improving the appearance of the display panel.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary perspective view of a main part of the display panel according to the embodiment; .

FIG. 5 is an exemplary front view showing a lighting design of the display panel according to the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of a display panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 circuit board 2 rotation axis 3 drive device 4 pointer 5 display panel 6 dial plate 7 light source 8 frame 9 lighting means 51 character unit 52 scale unit 54 background unit 55 first display panel 56 second display panel 59 inclined unit 72 Second light source 92 Second illumination means 503, 508 Colored portion 504 Substrate 505 Underlayer 506 Light shielding layer 507 Colored transmission layer G Gradation display portion P Opening R Ring light emitting portion

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A pointer which rotates around an axis by a rotation axis of a driving device, and a display panel which is disposed behind the pointer and has at least a light-transmissive substrate, the density of which changes in a predetermined direction on a front surface of the substrate. A semi-transmissive gradation display section comprising a dot pattern to be formed, and an underlayer corresponding to at least the gradation display section is provided on the back surface of the substrate. 2. The instrument device according to claim 1, wherein a colored transmission layer is provided between said gradation display section and said substrate. 3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is inclined to provide a ring-shaped inclined portion corresponding to the operation of the pointer, and the gradation display portion is provided so as to include at least a part of the inclined portion. 3. The meter device according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the display panel has a display section arranged in accordance with the operation of the pointer, and the gradation display section is formed in a ring shape in accordance with the arrangement of the display section. The instrument device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The instrument device according to claim 4, wherein the gradation display section is formed of a dot pattern whose density changes radially from the center of rotation of the pointer. 6. The instrument device according to claim 1, further comprising an illumination unit that illuminates the gradation display unit from a front side.