JP2005083847A - Meter illumination structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve loaded performance of meter unit on a vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: A light source 32 is arranged below the lower surface 30B as an outer fringe of a transparent dial face 30 which can be seen through, and the light irradiated from the light irradiating surface 32A of the light source 32 goes from the lower surface 30B side of the transparent dial face 30 toward the upper surface 30C. The light is diffused on the way by a scale 54 where emposing is formed in a dent formed as an approximate hemisphere on the back surface 30A side of the transparent dial face 30. As the results, a part of the light A diffused by the scale 54 transmits a front panel 26 toward the driver so that the driver can see the scale 54 on the transparent dial face 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a meter illumination structure, and more particularly to a meter illumination structure that illuminates a combination meter of a vehicle such as an automobile.

Conventionally, in a meter illumination structure for illuminating a combination meter of a vehicle such as an automobile, a light guide plate provided with a secondary scale is placed on the surface side of the scale board provided with the primary scale, and the primary scale is a scale. The board is illuminated by light transmitted from the back side, and the secondary scale is light-guided by the light guided to the light guide plate. There is known a configuration in which a transmission-illuminated main scale and a light-guided secondary scale are viewed in combination (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-139579 A

  However, in the meter illumination structure of Patent Document 1, the scale provided on the scale board is illuminated by the light source disposed on the back side of the scale board and the light guide plate. As a result, a large space for disposing the light source on the back side of the scale plate is required, the depth of the meter unit is increased, and the performance of mounting the meter unit on the vehicle body is reduced.

  In view of the above fact, an object of the present invention is to provide a meter illumination structure capable of improving the performance of mounting a meter unit on a vehicle body.

The meter illumination structure of the present invention according to claim 1 includes a transparent dial capable of transmitting light,
A display character comprising a recess formed in the transparent dial and a light diffusing means formed on the inner peripheral surface of the recess;
A light source for illuminating light toward the display character from the outer peripheral edge of the transparent dial into the transparent dial;
It is characterized by having.

  Therefore, when the light source emits light from the outer peripheral edge of the transparent dial that can transmit light into the transparent dial toward the display character formed on the transparent dial, the light is applied to the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion of the display character. By being diffused by the formed light diffusing means, the display characters can be visually recognized on the transparent dial. As a result, a large space for disposing the light source on the back side of the transparent dial is not required, the depth of the meter unit is reduced, and the mounting performance of the meter unit on the vehicle body can be improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the meter illumination structure according to the first aspect, the light diffusion means is a texture.

  Therefore, in addition to the contents of the first aspect, since the light can be diffused by the texture formed on the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion of the display character, the configuration is simple.

  The meter illumination structure according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises a transparent dial capable of transmitting light, a recess formed in the transparent dial, and a light diffusing means formed on the inner peripheral surface of the recess. Since it has a character and the light source which illuminates light toward the display character from the outer periphery part of a transparent dial in a transparent dial, it has the outstanding effect that the mounting performance to the vehicle body of a meter unit can be improved.

  In the meter illumination structure according to the first aspect, the light diffusing means is a texture in the meter illumination structure according to the first aspect. Therefore, in addition to the effect according to the first aspect, an excellent effect that the configuration is simple is provided. Have.

  An embodiment of a meter illumination structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the figure, the arrow FR indicates the vehicle body front direction, and the arrow UP indicates the vehicle body upward direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a combination meter 10 as a meter unit of the present embodiment is disposed on an instrument panel provided in a vehicle cabin.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the combination meter 10 includes a speedometer 12, a tachometer 14, a fuel meter 16, and a temperature meter 18, and these meters are arranged in a housing including a lower case 20, a turn-back plate 22, and a front panel 26. The base 28, the transparent dial 30, and the light source 32 are assembled together.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the facing plate 22 is attached to the opening 20 </ b> A of the lower case 20 at the bottom 22 </ b> A, and the front panel 26 has a front end opening of the facing plate 22 that is curved in an arc shape in a side view. 22B.

  The base 28 is disposed in a space 31 formed by the bottom 22A of the facing plate 22 and the lower case 20, and the base 28 includes a speedometer 12, a tachometer 14, a fuel meter 16, and a temperature meter 18. A plurality of rotating devices 33 for rotating and a plurality of light sources 36 for illuminating various indicators 34 disposed on the bottom 22A of the facing plate 22 are disposed.

  Further, the pointer shafts 40 of the speedometer 12, the tachometer 14, the fuel meter 16, and the temperature meter 18 protrude from the rotation device 33 and pass through through holes 42 formed in the bottom portion 22 </ b> A of the facing plate 22. The rotation base 44 disposed at the distal end of the pointer shaft 40 is disposed on the display surface (front surface) 22B side of the bottom 22A of the facing plate 22.

  A pointer 46 is fixed to each rotation base 44 of the speedometer 12, the tachometer 14, the fuel meter 16, and the temperature meter 18, and the pointer 46 extends along the display surface (front surface) 22B of the bottom portion 22A of the facing plate 22. To rotate.

  The transparent dial 30 is disposed in a space 50 constituted by the facing plate 22 and the front panel 26, and the transparent dial 30 is disposed in parallel along the display surface 22 </ b> B of the facing plate 22. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the transparent dial 30 is formed in a rectangular plate shape having a predetermined thickness M from a material such as a colorless transparent light guide resin material, and includes a speedometer, a tachometer, a fuel meter, and a temperature as display characters. Each scale 54 of the meter, for example, 0, 10, 20... 180 km / h, 0, 1, 2,.

  As shown in FIG. 1, each scale 54 of the transparent dial 30 is formed as a substantially hemispherical recess on the back surface 30 </ b> A side of the transparent dial 30, and diffuses light on the inner peripheral surface of the recess. As the light diffusing means, for example, wrinkles are formed.

  A light source 32 is disposed at a portion facing the lower surface 30B as the outer peripheral edge of the transparent dial 30, and the light source 32 is fitted into a notch 52 formed in the lower wall portion 22C of the facing plate 22. ing. The light source 32 is composed of a plurality of light emitters, and the light irradiation surface 32A of the light source 32 is connected to the entire lower surface 30B of the transparent dial 30, the speedometer 12, the tachometer 14, the fuel meter 16, and the temperature meter 18. Only a predetermined portion of the lower surface 30B of the corresponding transparent dial 30 can be irradiated with light.

  Therefore, the light (arrow A in FIG. 1) irradiated from the light irradiation surface 32A of the light source 32 travels from the lower surface 30B side of the transparent dial 30 toward the upper surface 30C, and is diffused at each scale 54 along the way. It is like that. As a result, a part of the light A diffused at each scale 54 passes through the front panel 26 toward the occupant side, so that the occupant can visually recognize each scale 54 on the transparent dial 30. It has become.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  In this embodiment, when the light source 32 irradiates the lower surface 30B as the outer peripheral edge of the transparent dial 30 that can transmit light, the light irradiated from the light irradiation surface 32A of the light source 32 (arrow A in FIG. 1) The transparent dial 30 proceeds from the lower surface 30B side toward the upper surface 30C, and is diffused at each scale 54 along the way. As a result, a part of the light A diffused at each scale 54 passes through the front panel 26 toward the occupant side, so that the occupant can visually recognize each scale 54 on the transparent dial 30.

  As a result, in this embodiment, the light source 32 can be disposed below the transparent dial 30, and a large space for disposing the light source 32 on the back side of the transparent dial 30 is not necessary. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1, the depth L of the combination meter 10 can be reduced, and the mounting performance of the combination meter 10 on the vehicle body is improved.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since light can be diffused with the embossing formed in the inner peripheral surface of the recessed part of each scale 54, a structure is simple.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since each indicator 46 of the speedometer 12, the tachometer 14, the fuel meter 16, and the temperature meter 18 can be seen through the transparent dial 30 where the scale 54 shines, visibility is good.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, when the indicator 34 is turned on, the tachometer 14 and the temperature meter 18 among the scales 54 that interfere with the visual recognition of the indicator 34 are operated at that time. The visibility of the parts 34A and 34B of the indicator 34 can be improved by turning off the light emitter of the light source 32 that irradiates the scales 54A and 54B corresponding to the meters without any trouble.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the light source 32 is disposed at a portion facing the lower surface 30B as the outer peripheral edge portion of the transparent dial 30, but the light source 32 has an upper surface, a lower surface, What is necessary is just to arrange | position to at least any one of both sides | surfaces.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the wrinkle was formed in the inner peripheral surface of the recessed part which is each scale 54 of the transparent dial 30 as a light-diffusion means for diffusing light, it replaces with a wrinkle and other light-diffusion means is used. You may form in the internal peripheral surface of the recessed part which is the scale 54. FIG.

It is a sectional side view which shows the combination meter to which the meter illumination structure in one Embodiment of this invention was applied. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the vehicle body diagonally back which shows the combination meter to which the meter illumination structure in one Embodiment of this invention was applied. It is a front view which shows the combination meter to which the meter illumination structure in one Embodiment of this invention was applied.

Explanation of symbols

10 Combination meter (meter unit)
20 Lower case 22 Flip plate 26 Front panel 28 Base 30 Transparent dial 32 Light source 34 Indicator 54 Scale (display character)

Claims (2)

Transparent dial that can transmit light,
A display character comprising a recess formed in the transparent dial and a light diffusing means formed on the inner peripheral surface of the recess;
A light source for illuminating light toward the display character from the outer peripheral edge of the transparent dial into the transparent dial;
A meter illumination structure comprising:   The meter illumination structure according to claim 1, wherein the light diffusion means is a texture.

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