JP2006162569A - Pointer instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pointer instrument which is fully three-dimensional and new-looking while sufficiently ensuring the area of a portion contributing to the information display of a display panel. <P>SOLUTION: A movement 4 is arranged on the surface side of a liquid crystal panel 2 so that a pointer 3 rotates along the surface of the liquid crystal panel 2. Scales 21, figures 22, and characters 23 for indicating a traveling speed and an engine revolution cooperating with the pointer 3 are formed in the liquid crystal panel 2. A trim ring 5 is arranged on the front surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 and the outer region of the scales 21, the figures 22 and the movement 4 is connected to a trim ring 5 via a bracket 6. Accordingly, a combination meter 1 with a wealth of solidity and novel appearance that sufficiently ensures the area of the portion contributing the information display of the display panel 2, can be realized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointer instrument that indicates a physical quantity using a pointer, and is suitable for use in, for example, a combination meter arranged in a driver's seat of an automobile.

  As a conventional pointer instrument, for example, there is one in which a pointer, a movement, and a power transmission mechanism are arranged on the front side of a dial (see Patent Document 1).

As a result, information can be displayed in the rotation area of the pointer while being based on analog display.
JP 2004-61424 A

  By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional pointer instrument, the front cover arranged on the front side of the dial plate needs to cover the movement and the power transmission mechanism part, and thus has a physique, particularly an area that blocks the dial plate when viewed by a viewer. growing. For this reason, the effective area which contributes to the information display of a dial plate reduces, and the problem that it becomes difficult to obtain the novel appearance of a pointer instrument arises.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides a pointer instrument with a novel appearance that has a three-dimensional effect while ensuring a sufficient area of a portion contributing to information display on a display panel with an easy configuration. For the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following technical means.

  A pointer instrument according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a display panel that is transmitted and illuminated by light from a light source disposed behind the pointer instrument, and a movement that drives and rotates a pointer shaft having a pointer fixed to the tip. Is arranged on the front side of the display panel so that the pointer rotates along the surface of the display panel, and the display panel is formed with a display design that indicates the physical quantity in cooperation with the pointer, and the front of the display panel and display An annular member is arranged on the outer periphery of the design, and the movement is connected to the annular member via a support member.

  According to this structure, what is arrange | positioned at the front side of a display panel and blocks a display panel from a viewer's eyes | visual_axis extends radially from the annular member, the movement arrange | positioned in the approximate center part of an annular member, and a movement. And a support member connected to the annular member. The area ratio of these members to the entire pointer instrument is much smaller than the area ratio of the front cover in the conventional pointer instrument, and the entire area of the display panel can be effectively used as a space for displaying information.

  Thereby, it is possible to realize a pointer instrument with a novel appearance that is rich in three-dimensionality while sufficiently securing an area of a portion that contributes to information display on the display panel.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that the support member is disposed outside the rotation range of the pointer as viewed from the viewer.

  As a result, when the viewer looks at the pointer instrument, it is possible to prevent the indication of the physical quantity from becoming difficult to read due to the pointer being behind the support member, etc., so that a pointer instrument having good visibility can be realized. Can do.

  In the pointer instrument according to claim 3 of the present invention, the electric conductor for driving the movement is disposed on the support member so as not to be visible to the viewer, reaches the annular member, and further extends to the back side of the display panel. It is characterized by.

  Thereby, it can prevent that an electric conductor sees from a viewer and the appearance of a pointer instrument falls.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 4 of the present invention is characterized in that the annular member is formed of a translucent material and is transmitted and illuminated by light from the surface of the display panel.

  As a result, not only the display panel but also the annular member is lit and displayed, so that the appearance of the pointer instrument can be made more innovative. In addition, by illuminating the annular member with the light from the surface of the display panel, a dedicated light source for illuminating the annular member can be eliminated, so that the appearance of the pointer instrument is more innovative while suppressing an increase in the cost of the pointer instrument. Can be.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 5 of the present invention is characterized in that the display panel is a liquid crystal display.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to change the color and brightness of the irradiation light that illuminates the annular member by controlling the color and transmittance of the display panel. Therefore, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in designing the lighting effect of the annular member and realize a display device with a novel appearance that is rich in three-dimensionality.

  Hereinafter, an example in which the pointer instrument according to the present invention is applied to a combination meter 1 mounted on an automobile will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of a combination meter 1 which is a pointer meter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  2 is a cross-sectional view of the combination meter 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an electric circuit configuration of the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The combination meter 1 is disposed in an instrument panel in front of the interior of the automobile, and forms various information relating to the operating state of the automobile as an image on the liquid crystal panel 2. Further, on the front side of the liquid crystal panel 2, that is, on the driver side, a speedometer S for instructing the traveling speed of the automobile as a pointer instrument and a tachometer T for instructing the engine rotational speed of the automobile are formed.

  Below, the structure of the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  The liquid crystal panel 2 that is a display panel uses a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) type in the combination meter 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The liquid crystal panel 2 forms various images on the screen by applying a voltage signal from the outside. As shown in FIG. 2, a light emitting diode 7 as a light source disposed behind (on the right side of FIG. 2) The images are transmitted and illuminated by the emitted light, and their images are displayed.

  On the liquid crystal panel 2, as shown in FIG. 1, a scale 21, numbers 22, and characters 23 that are display designs of the speedometer S and the tachometer T are formed as images. The scale 21 and the numeral 22 are for instructing the running speed of the automobile and the engine speed of the automobile, which are physical quantities, in cooperation with the pointer 3 described later. Therefore, the scale 21 is formed in a radial shape centering on a shaft 41 described later, which is a pointer shaft to which the pointer 3 is fixed, and is arranged on a common arc centered on the shaft 41.

  On the liquid crystal panel 2, various display images are formed in addition to the scale 21, the numbers 22, and the characters 23 that are display designs of the speedometer S and the tachometer T. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, turn signal indicators 24R and 24L, a shift indicator 25, and a distance meter 26 are displayed. When the turn signal switch (not shown) is operated by the driver, the turn signal indicators 24R and 24L are blinked in synchronization with blinking of the operated turn signal lamp (not shown, commonly called blinker). . The shift indicator 25 displays the gear position selected in the transmission of the automobile. The characters indicating the selected gear position are displayed with high luminance, and the characters indicating the other gear positions are displayed with low luminance. Is displayed. The distance meter 26 digitally displays the travel distance of the automobile.

  On the liquid crystal panel 2, as shown in FIG. 1, warning display areas 27 and 28 are provided on both ends thereof. In the warning display areas 27 and 28, various warning display images (not shown) are formed and displayed as necessary. The warning display image is for notifying the driver when the state of each part of the automobile becomes abnormal. Therefore, no warning display image is displayed in the warning display areas 27 and 28 when the automobile is in a normal state.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a light-emitting diode 7 as a light source that transmits and illuminates the liquid crystal panel 2 and a diffusion plate 8 for guiding light emitted from the light-emitting diode 7 to the entire area of the liquid crystal panel 2 are disposed behind the liquid crystal panel 2. Has been. The diffusing plate 8 is formed in a plate shape having substantially the same planar shape as the liquid crystal panel 2 using, for example, a transparent acrylic resin or polycarbonate resin. The diffuser plate 8 is provided with a diffuse reflection layer that diffuses and reflects incident light from the light emitting diode 7. Examples of the diffuse reflection layer include a textured surface, a halftone dot printing layer, and a bright (white, silver, etc.) printing layer. The light emitted from the light emitting diode 7 that has entered the diffusion plate 8 is reflected by the diffuse reflection layer and emitted from the diffusion plate 8, whereby the light emission illuminance of the diffusion plate 8 can be made substantially uniform throughout the diffusion plate 8. That is, the diffusing plate 8 functions as a surface-emitting light source that emits light with uniform illuminance, whereby the illuminance of the liquid crystal panel 2 can be made uniform.

  A printed circuit board 9 is arranged behind the liquid crystal panel 2 as shown in FIG. The printed board 9 is made of, for example, a glass epoxy board and forms an electric circuit of the combination meter 1. The printed circuit board 9 is mounted with the controller 15 in addition to the light-emitting diode 7 described above. The controller 15 is composed of a microcomputer, for example, and performs lighting / extinguishing control of the light emitting diode 7 and drive control of the liquid crystal panel 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the front side (left side in FIG. 2) of the liquid crystal panel 2 and the outer periphery of the scale 21, the numeral 22, and the characters 23 that are display designs are annular corresponding to the speedometer S and the tachometer T, respectively. A trim ring 5 as a member is arranged. The trim ring 5 is formed from a translucent material, for example, a semi-transparent (for example, ground glass) polycarbonate resin or the like, as shown in FIG. When a portion corresponding to each trim ring 5 on the screen of the liquid crystal panel 2 is light-emitting and displayed in a ring shape, each trim ring 5 is transmitted and illuminated by this light and light-emitting displayed.

  On the front side of the liquid crystal panel 2 (left side in FIG. 2), a movement 4 that drives and rotates a shaft 41 that is a pointer shaft is disposed. The movement 4 is arranged such that the shaft 41 is coaxial with the trim ring 5 and the shaft 41 faces the liquid crystal panel 2. The movement 4 includes a cross coil actuator, a stepping motor, or the like, and rotates the shaft 41 by an angle corresponding to an external electric signal (a vehicle speed signal or an engine rotation signal in one embodiment of the present invention). . A pointer 3 is fixed to the tip of the shaft 41.

  The pointer 3 is formed of a translucent material, such as a transparent acrylic resin, and as shown in FIG. 2, the pointer 3 emits light when light emitted from the light emitting diode 10 fixed to the movement 4 enters.

  A flexible printed circuit board 11 as an electrical conductor is electrically connected to the movement 4. This flexible printed circuit board 11 is connected to a printed circuit board 7 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the movement 4 and the light emitting diode 10 are electrically connected to the printed circuit board 9.

  The movement 4 is held and fixed to a bracket 6 as a support member as shown in FIG. The bracket 6 includes an arm 61, and an end of the arm 61 is connected to the trim ring 6 as shown in FIG. The arm 61 is provided with a tunnel portion 61a, and the flexible printed circuit board 11 is inserted into the tunnel portion 61a. Thereby, since the flexible printed circuit board 11 can be shielded from the line of sight of the viewer, a good appearance of the combination meter 1 can be maintained.

  As shown in FIG. 1, one arm 61 is provided in the speedometer S and two arms 61 are provided in the tachometer T. In any case, as is apparent from FIG. 1, the arm 61 is disposed outside the rotation range of the pointer 3 when viewed from the driver. Therefore, the pointer 3 is not obstructed by the arm 61, and good visibility of the speedometer S and the tachometer T can be ensured.

  Here, in the combination meter 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the bracket 6 is formed integrally with the trim ring 5 by resin molding. Further, the bracket 6 is coated up to the arm 61 with a light-shielding paint. As a result, the number of components can be reduced, and only the trim ring 5 can be transmitted and illuminated by the light from the liquid crystal panel 2 to display light.

  On the front side of the liquid crystal panel 2 (left side in FIG. 2), a facing plate 12 is disposed. The facing plate 12 is formed in a substantially frame shape from a resin material, and is disposed in close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the liquid crystal panel 2. A transparent cover 14 is attached to the viewer side (left side in FIG. 2) end of the facing plate 12. The transparent cover 14 is formed of a light-transmitting material, for example, a thin plate such as acrylic resin or polycarbonate resin, and prevents foreign matter (dust, water droplets, etc.) from entering the combination meter 1 to keep the surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 clean. Yes.

  A case 13 is disposed behind the facing plate 12 (on the right side in FIG. 2). The case 13 is formed of, for example, a resin material or the like, and accommodates and fixes the liquid crystal panel 2 and the printed board 9 described above.

  Next, the electric circuit configuration and operation of the combination meter 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the schematic diagram showing the electric circuit configuration of FIG.

In the combination meter 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG.
The controller 15 is constantly supplied with power from the battery 17. Further, an ignition switch 16 is connected to the controller 15 so as to detect its operating state (ON or OFF).

  The controller 15 is connected to various electrical components controlled by the controller 15 and various sensors and switches for obtaining signals necessary for the controller 15 to control various electrical components so that detection signals can be input. Yes. As shown in FIG. 3, the various electrical components controlled by the controller 15 include a liquid crystal panel 2, a movement 5 (two for speedometer S and tachometer T), and light emitting diodes 7 and 10. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the various sensors and switches include a vehicle speed sensor 18, an engine rotation sensor 19, a turn signal switch 20, and a transmission shift lever position switch 30. In addition to these, various sensors or switches (not shown) are connected.

  When the ignition switch 16 is turned ON by the driver's operation, the controller 15 detects it and starts operation.

  First, the light emitting diodes 7 and 10 are turned on and the liquid crystal panel 2 is driven. In other words, the scale 21, the numbers 22, and the characters 23 are formed as images on the screen of the liquid crystal panel 2. A portion corresponding to each trim ring 5 on the screen is controlled to a predetermined color and light transmittance. As a result, the combination meter 1 displays the scale 21, the number 22, the characters 23, and the private mind on the speedometer S and the tachometer T, and the trim ring 5 is illuminated by the light transmitted through the liquid crystal panel 2. The light is displayed.

  At the same time, the traveling speed of the vehicle is calculated based on the detection signal from the vehicle speed sensor 18 and the rotational speed of the engine is calculated based on the detection signal from the rotation sensor 19. 41 is rotated to display them according to the angular position of each pointer 3. In addition, characters indicating the gear position selected based on the detection signal from the shift lever position switch 30 are displayed with high luminance, and characters indicating the other gear positions are displayed with low luminance. In addition, the accumulated travel distance is displayed on the distance meter 26. In the combination meter 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle speed sensor 18 detects the rotational speed of a propeller shaft (not shown) that transmits power to drive wheels (not shown) of the automobile. The travel speed and travel distance of the automobile can be calculated from the rotational speed of the propeller shaft detected by the vehicle speed sensor 18 and the known diameter of the drive wheel.

  Next, the effect of the arrangement structure of the movement 4, which is the feature of the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, that is, the effect on the appearance improvement of the combination meter 1 will be described.

  In the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the movement 4 is disposed on the front side of the liquid crystal panel 2 so that the pointer 3 rotates along the surface of the liquid crystal panel 2. Is formed with scales 21, numerals 22 and letters 23 indicating the running speed and the engine speed in cooperation with the pointer 3, and the trim ring 5 is arranged on the front surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 and on the outer periphery of the scales 21 and 22. The movement 4 is structured to be connected to the trim ring 5 via a bracket 6.

  In the conventional pointer instrument, a movement is arranged on the front side of the dial, and the driving force of the movement is transmitted to the pointer shaft through a power transmission mechanism and rotated. For this reason, a front cover that shields the movement and power transmission mechanism from the viewer's line of sight is required, but the area ratio of the front cover to the pointer instrument as a whole is large, and the dial cannot be used effectively for information display or has a novel view. There is a problem that it is difficult to obtain shine.

  On the other hand, in the combination meter 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the area in the visual recognition direction of the member for supporting and fixing the movement 4, that is, the trim ring 5 and the bracket 6 can be reduced.

  As a result, the movement 4 can appear as if it floats on the front side of the liquid crystal panel 2, and the driver can visually recognize most of the screen of the liquid crystal panel 2. Therefore, it is possible to realize a novel appearance combination meter 1 with a rich stereoscopic effect while sufficiently securing the area of the portion contributing to information display of the liquid crystal panel 2.

  Moreover, in the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention, the trim ring 5 is formed from the translucent material. As a result, a portion corresponding to each trim ring 5 on the screen of the liquid crystal panel 2 is displayed in a ring shape, and each trim ring 5 is displayed by light emission, thereby making the appearance of the combination meter 1 more innovative. can do.

  In FIG. 4, the front view of the modification of the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention is shown.

  In the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the trim ring 5 is disposed independently for each of the speedometer S and the tachometer T.

  On the other hand, in this modified example, as shown in FIG. 4, one trim ring 5 surrounds the speedometer S and the tachometer T.

  Also in this case, the area in the visual recognition direction of the trim ring 5 and the bracket 6 can be reduced so that most of the screen of the liquid crystal panel 2 can be viewed by the driver, which contributes to information display on the liquid crystal panel 2. It is possible to realize the combination meter 1 having a novel appearance and rich in three-dimensionality while ensuring a sufficient area of the portion.

  In the above-described combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention and the modification thereof, the trim ring 5 disposed on the front surface side of the liquid crystal panel 2 is formed in an annular shape, but is not limited to a circular shape. Other shapes such as an ellipse, a quadrilateral, a polygon, and the like may be used.

  Further, in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above and the modified example thereof, the bracket 6 is formed as an integral part with the trim ring 5, but it is not necessary to be integrated, and is manufactured as an individual part. It may be assembled.

  Further, in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above and the modified example thereof, the trim ring 5 is formed from a light-transmitting material and is lit and displayed. For example, the resin surface may be formed by metal plating, or may be formed from a metal material such as aluminum.

  In this case, when the surroundings are bright such as in the daytime, the trim ring 5 reflects the external light and shines visually. When the surroundings are dark, such as at night, the trim ring 5 is visually recognized as a black ring against the background of the screen of the liquid crystal panel 2 that is lit and displayed. Therefore, the appearance of the trim ring 5 can be changed between daytime and nighttime to realize a novel appearance combination meter 1.

  Further, in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above and the modified example thereof, the speedometer S and the tachometer T are provided as pointer instruments, but it is not necessary to limit to these, and other types of It may be replaced with or added to a pointer instrument such as a water temperature gauge, a fuel gauge, or a clock.

  Further, in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above and the modification thereof, the flexible printed circuit board 11 is used as an electric conductor for connecting the movement 4 to the outside. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Other types of electrical conductors such as a general covered electric wire may be used.

  Further, in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above and the modified example thereof, the light emitting diode 7 is used as a light source for transmitting and illuminating the liquid crystal panel 2, but it is necessary to limit to the light emitting diode 7. Alternatively, other types of light sources such as a light bulb, a discharge tube, an EL panel, and the like may be used.

  Further, in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above and the modified example thereof, the light emitting diode 10 is used as a light source for transmitting the pointer 3 through transmission. However, the light emitting diode 10 is not necessarily limited to the light emitting diode 10. Other types of light sources such as light bulbs, discharge tubes, EL panels, etc. may be used. Further, the light source for illuminating the pointer 3 may be directly fixed to the pointer 3 without being fixed to the movement 4, and may be rotated integrally with the pointer 3. Furthermore, the pointer 3 may be formed from the light source itself, for example, between cold cathodes, a light emitting diode, or the like.

  Further, the above-described pointer instrument according to the embodiment of the present invention and the modification thereof has been described by way of example when applied to the combination meter 1 mounted on an automobile. However, the pointer instrument is not necessarily limited to a pointer instrument for a vehicle. The present invention may be applied to a pointer instrument incorporated in other consumer devices.

It is a front view of the combination meter 1 which is a pointer instrument by one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention, and is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a mimetic diagram explaining the electric circuit composition of combination meter 1 by one embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the modification of the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Combination meter (pointer meter)
2 Liquid crystal panel (display panel)
21 scale (display design)
22 Numbers (display design)
23 characters (display design)
24R Turn signal indicator 24L Turn signal indicator 25 Shift indicator 26 Distance meter 27 Warning display area 28 Warning display area 3 Pointer 4 Movement 41 Shaft (pointer shaft)
5 Trim ring (annular member)
6 Bracket (support member)
61 Arm 61a Tunnel 7 Light-emitting diode (light source)
8 Diffusion plate 9 Printed circuit board 10 Light emitting diode 11 Flexible printed circuit board (electrical conductor)
12 Rotating plate 13 Case 14 Transparent cover 15 Controller 16 Ignition switch 17 Battery 18 Vehicle speed sensor 19 Rotation sensor 20 Turn signal switch 30 Shift lever position switch S Speedometer T Tachometer

Claims (5)

A display panel that is transmitted and illuminated by light from a light source arranged behind the light source;
It has a movement that drives and rotates a pointer shaft with a pointer fixed to the tip.
The movement is disposed on the front side of the display panel such that the pointer rotates along the surface of the display panel.
The display panel is formed with a display design that indicates a physical quantity in cooperation with the pointer,
An annular member is disposed on the front surface of the display panel and on the outer periphery of the display design,
The pointer instrument, wherein the movement is connected to the annular member via a support member.   The pointer instrument according to claim 1, wherein the support member is disposed outside a rotation range of the pointer as viewed from a viewer.   The electric conductor for driving the movement is disposed on the support member so as not to be seen by a viewer, reaches the annular member, and further extends to the back side of the display panel. Item 3. The pointer instrument according to item 2.   The pointer instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the annular member is formed of a translucent material and is transmitted and illuminated by light from the surface of the display panel.   The pointer instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the display panel is a liquid crystal display.

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