JP2005283176A - Instrument for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display integrally and simultaneously two related information on one display part. <P>SOLUTION: Two light pointers 3, 4 are arranged in the cross state on a dial 2, and each light pointer 3, 4 can be moved in parallel in the axial direction and in the approximately orthogonal direction respectively. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle instrument device.

  A vehicle such as an automobile is provided with a meter display device including a meter display unit such as a speedometer and a tachometer at the front of the vehicle interior. These instrument display devices include an analog type and a digital type. The analog type instrument display device has a pointer rotation area having a character scale on a meter surface such as a dial plate and the pointer is rotatably disposed in the pointer rotation area.

The pointer includes an actual pointer with a material needle-like body and a light pointer that is displayed only by light such as laser light and does not have a material needle-like body. This light pointer is generated by a light pointer generator (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-193852

  For example, when two related information such as the engine speed and torque are to be displayed at the same time, in the conventional analog and digital instrument display devices as described above, the two display units are simply brought close to each other. The display effect was low.

  On the other hand, in order to display two related information on a single display unit in an easy-to-understand manner, it is conceivable to perform graphic display using a graphic display device such as a liquid crystal display. There was a problem that it was expensive and difficult to adopt.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the invention described in claim 1, two light pointers are arranged so as to intersect the dial, and each light pointer can be translated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction. It features a vehicular instrument device.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the two light pointers are arranged so as to intersect the dial, and each light pointer can be translated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction. Thus, it is possible to simultaneously display two related information such as the engine speed and torque together on one display unit.

  Two light pointers are crossed with respect to the dial for the purpose of simultaneously displaying two related information on a single display unit, and each light pointer is substantially perpendicular to the axial direction. This was realized by means of enabling parallel movement in the direction.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below together with illustrated examples.

  1 to 4 show Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  First, the configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicular instrument device 1 is installed in a front portion of a vehicle interior of a vehicle such as an automobile. The vehicular instrument device 1 includes a dial 2 that is erected and arranged to face an occupant, and light pointer generators 5 and 6 that project light pointers 3 and 4 onto the dial 2.

  In addition, the vehicular instrument device 1 illuminates the hood 11 for shielding the dial plate 2 from outside light, the transparent protective cover 12 for protecting the dial plate 2, and the dial plate 2 as necessary. A backlight 13 or the like may be provided. The hood 11 surrounds the outer periphery of the dial 2 and is extended in a hook shape toward the front side of the dial 2. The protective cover 12 is disposed on the front side of the dial 2 with a required interval. The backlight 13 is disposed on the back side of the dial 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the dial 2 is capable of simultaneously displaying two pieces of related information. For example, the engine speed is taken on the horizontal axis and the engine torque is taken on the vertical axis, so that the speed and torque can be displayed simultaneously. For this purpose, the numerical value of the rotational speed, scale 15 and the like are printed and formed on the horizontal axis portion of the dial plate 2. Also, a numerical value / scale of torque may be printed / formed on the vertical axis portion. An engine torque curve 17 is printed and formed in a coordinate plane composed of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis. In this embodiment, since there is a torque curve 17, the scale of torque on the vertical axis is omitted.

  The light pointer generators 5 and 6 are disposed at a position below the front side of the dial 2 and invisible to the passenger. For example, it is provided inside the support portion 21 that supports the lower portion of the protective cover 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the optical pointer generators 5 and 6 include a laser light source 24 as a point light source capable of generating the laser light 23, an aspheric lens 25 for converging the laser light 23 from the laser light source 24, An optical system 27 having a cylindrical lens 26 for converting the laser beam 23 converged by the aspheric lens 25 into a linear shape is provided. The optical system 27 is integrally held by holders 28, 29, 30 and the like so that the optical axis 27a is in a straight line.

  Here, for the laser light source 24, for example, a laser diode is used. For the cylindrical lenses 26, a cylindrical lens, a rod lens, or the like is used.

  A laser transmission circuit 34 mounted on a circuit board is disposed on the side of the optical system 27, and the optical system 27 and the laser transmission circuit 34 are accommodated together in a short cylindrical case 35. The compact-sized light pointer generating devices 5 and 6 are configured. An exit window 36 is formed at a position corresponding to the cylindrical lenses 26 on the side surface of the case 35. The optical system 27 is accommodated so that the optical axis 27 a faces the radial direction of the short cylindrical case 35. The axial direction of the cylindrical lenses 26 is set so that the light pointers 3 and 4 extend in the axial direction of the case 35.

  And the drive unit 41 is attached to the optical pointer generators 5 and 6 of the said structure, and the meter unit 42 is comprised. The drive unit 41 uses a cross coil movement, a stepping motor, or the like. The drive unit 41 is preferably a cylindrical member having substantially the same diameter as the case 35, and an output shaft capable of rotating about the drive unit 41 is connected to an axial center position of the case 35.

  In this embodiment, the two light pointers 3 and 4 are crossed with respect to the dial 2 and the light pointers 3 and 4 can be translated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction.

  More specifically, by using the two light pointer generators 5 and 6, the two light pointers 3 and 4 can be projected onto the dial 2 (from the front side). Further, the two light pointer generating devices 5 and 6 are arranged so that the axial directions thereof intersect with each other, thereby allowing the two light pointers 3 and 4 to intersect with each other. In this embodiment, the axial directions of the two light pointer generators 5 and 6 are made to coincide with the horizontal axis and the vertical axis of the dial 2, respectively. Further, by rotating the optical pointer generating devices 5 and 6 by the drive unit 41, the optical pointers 3 and 4 can be translated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction. It is preferable that the two light pointers 3 and 4 have different colors.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  In each of the light pointer generators 5 and 6, the laser transmission circuit 34 is driven to generate the laser light 23 from the laser light source 24 as a point light source. Then, the laser light source 24 generates a laser beam 23 that expands in a conical shape or an elliptical conical shape with an expansion angle of about 10 °. The laser light 23 from the laser light source 24 is converged by the aspherical lens 25, and the laser light 23 converged by the aspherical lens 25 is converted into a linear shape by the cylindrical lenses 26 to become the light pointers 3 and 4.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the light pointers 3 and 4 are projected onto the dial 2 from the front side. Then, two light pointers 3 and 4 are arranged on the dial 2 so as to cross each other. Here, by distinguishing the colors of the two light pointers 3 and 4 from each other, the two can be easily identified. A third color in which the two colors are combined appears at the intersection of the two light pointers 3 and 4.

  Then, by rotating the output shaft of the drive unit 41, each of the light pointers 3 and 4 is translated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction. As a result, the engine speed and torque can be displayed simultaneously. Here, since the torque curve 17 is printed and formed on the dial 2 in advance, the specified torque is actually generated by comparing the torque curve 17 with the position of the intersection of the two light pointers 3 and 4. It is possible to see at a glance whether or not it is done.

  In this manner, the two light pointers 3 and 4 are arranged so as to intersect the dial 2, and the light pointers 3 and 4 can be translated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction. , 4 do not interfere with each other as in the case of the actual pointer, so that two pieces of related information such as the engine speed and torque can be displayed together on a single display unit. In addition, it is possible to compare the torque curve 17 and the actual torque, which has not been possible so far.

  5 and 6 show a second embodiment in which the present invention is embodied. Parts that are the same as or equivalent to those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and parts that are not described here are described in this embodiment with the description of the above embodiment.

  The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the vehicular instrument device 1 is configured in an andon shape using a cylindrical dial 2 '. The two light pointer generators 5 and 6 are arranged at the axial center position inside the dial plate 2 'so that the two light pointers 3 and 4 are transmissively displayed on the dial plate 2' from the back side. . The dial plate 2 'can also be a semi-cylindrical shape. Moreover, the structure of the light pointer generators 5 and 6 is the same as that of FIG.

  According to this embodiment, it is possible to obtain a row-like vehicular instrument device 1 that can simultaneously display two related information such as the engine speed and torque on a single display unit.

  About parts other than the above, it has the same composition as the above-mentioned example, and can obtain the same operation and effect. In addition, the detail about the part which abbreviate | omitted description is made into description of this Example by description of the said Example.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the embodiments are only examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments. Needless to say, design changes and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the invention are included in the present invention.

It is side sectional drawing of Example 1 of this invention. It is a front view of the dial plate of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the light pointer generator of FIG. FIG. 3 is an operation diagram of the first embodiment. It is side sectional drawing of Example 2 of this invention. It is a front view of the dial plate of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

2 Dial 2 'Dial 3 Light pointer 4 Light pointer

Claims (1)

  An instrument device for a vehicle, wherein two light pointers are arranged so as to intersect each other with respect to the dial, and each light pointer can be translated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction.

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