JP2007064760A - Lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lighting system for a dial plate which is superior in design and rationally configured. <P>SOLUTION: The lighting system for lighting the dial plate 100 with light of a luminous element 200 comprises a transparent or translucent cover 300 covering the face of the dial plate and a plate-shape light guide body 400 guiding the light to the lighting parts 110 and 120 of the dial plate and the cover. The lighting parts of the dial plate is constituted by arranging members 111 and 121 having light transmissivity in front of the light guide body and the cover is to be cast by light of the luminous element from the light guide body and the edge 310 is to emit light. On the path of light going to the edge, a colored part 410 for setting the emitting color of the edge to a specific color is provided so that the colors of the lighting parts of the dial plate and of the edge are different. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for illuminating a dial of a clock or instrument.

In general, an apparatus for illuminating a dial of a timepiece or a meter using a light emitting element such as an LED is known. Illuminating the dial makes it easy to read the display of a clock or instrument even in a dark place and has a great decorative effect. This type of device is also disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 6 and the like.
Japanese Patent No. 3631081 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-72078 JP-A-10-160520 JP 2000-2563 A JP 2004-118008 A JP 2004-184197 A

  In recent years, the design of watches and instruments has been diversified, and devices for illuminating the dial plate are required to be further devised to improve the function and aesthetics of the dial plate. An object of the present invention is to provide a dial plate illumination device that is excellent in design and is rationally configured.

  The invention described in claim 1 of the present application is an illumination device that illuminates a dial plate with light from a light emitting element, and includes a transparent or translucent cover body that covers the dial plate. It is assumed that the edge portion emits light when light is input, and a light path that reaches the edge portion is provided with a colored portion that sets a light emission color of the edge portion to a predetermined color. It is an illuminating device having a configuration different from the illuminating part of the dial.

  The invention described in claim 2 of the present application is an illumination device that illuminates a dial plate with light from a light emitting element, a transparent or translucent cover body covering a front surface of the dial plate, an illumination unit of the dial plate, and the A plate-shaped light guide that guides light to the cover body, and the illuminating portion of the dial is configured by arranging a light-transmissive member on the front surface of the light guide, and the cover body includes: The illumination device is configured to emit light from the light emitting element from the light guide and emit light at an edge thereof.

  The invention described in claim 3 of the present application is the light guide body, the cover body, or a color part for setting a light emission color of the edge part to a predetermined color between them in claim 2, It is an illuminating device of the structure which made the color of the said edge part differ from the illuminating part of the said dial.

  The invention described in claim 4 of the present application is the illumination device according to claim 3, wherein the light guide is a two-color molded member in which the colored portion is provided integrally.

  The invention described in claim 5 of the present application is the illuminating device according to claim 3, wherein the colored portion is provided by printing on at least one of the light guide body and the cover body.

  The invention described in claim 6 of the present application is the illumination device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the light guide is provided with a stepped portion for mounting the cover.

  The invention described in claim 7 of the present application is any one of claims 2 to 6, further comprising a substrate on which the light emitting element is mounted, wherein the light guide is a concave light input portion for inputting light of the light emitting element. And the light emitting element is mounted at a position facing the light input portion. The lighting device is configured so as to overlap with the substrate.

  The invention described in claim 8 of the present application is the illumination device according to claim 7, wherein the light guide has a polygonal shape, and the light input portion is provided at a corner of the polygon.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the illuminating device of the dial plate excellent in design property and comprised rationally can be obtained.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. A timepiece 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a polygonal (timepiece in the illustrated example) analog timepiece provided on an instrument panel 700 of an automobile. This timepiece 1 includes an illumination device 10 that illuminates the dial 100 with light from a light emitting element 200.

  The illuminating device 10 of the present example includes a dial 100, a light emitting element 200, a transparent or translucent cover body 300 that covers the front surface of the dial plate 100, and illumination units 110 and 120 and a cover body 300 of the dial 100. A plate-shaped light guide 400, a substrate 500 on which the light emitting element 200 is mounted, a dial plate 100, a cover 300, a light guide 400, and a holder 600 that supports the substrate 500. As the light emitting element, a colorless or appropriately colored LED is employed.

  Hooks 610 and locking portions 510 are respectively provided at the main points of the holder 600 and the substrate 500, and the dial plate 100, the cover body 300, and the light guide body 400 are held between the holder 600 and the substrate 500. At the same time, the hook 610 is locked to the locking portion 510 and assembled. The timepiece 1 is mounted by fitting a holder 600 on the instrument panel 700. In addition, holes 101, 401, 501 are provided in the center of the dial 100, the light guide 400, and the substrate 500, and the pointer pipe 3 that drives the pointer 2 has these holes 101, 401, 501. Is inserted. The pointer pipe 3 is driven by a movement not shown.

  The illumination units 110 and 120 of the dial plate 100 are configured by disposing a light-transmissive member on the front surface of the light guide 400. In this example, the first illumination unit 110 is provided in the central area of the dial 100, and the second illumination unit 120 serving as a time display index is provided around the first illumination unit 110. The first illumination unit 110 is configured by disposing a transparent or translucent sheet member 111 on which black printing 112 is applied. The black print 112 is applied with light-transmitting ink. The second illumination unit 120 is configured by assembling a transparent or translucent annular member 121 subjected to half vapor deposition to the frame body 130 and arranging the assembled body. The annular member 121 is provided with a plurality of convex portions, which serve as the second illumination unit 120. The frame 130 is an opaque member provided with a hole 131 that penetrates the second illumination unit 120.

  The cover body 300 is a transparent or translucent member that covers the front and side surfaces of the dial plate 100, and the edge portion 310 emits light when light from the light emitting element 200 is input from the light guide body 400. Yes. The edge portion 310 is a portion where light input to the cover body 300 is brought to the outside, and is provided so as to surround the polygonal dial plate 100 when viewed from the front.

  In the case of this example, the light guide 400 is provided with a colored portion 410 that sets the emission color of the edge portion 310 to a predetermined color. The colored part 410 is a translucent part containing a predetermined colorant. The color of the edge part 310 is different from the color of each illumination part 110, 120 of the dial 100. That is, the colored portion 410 is provided in the light path to the edge portion 310, the color of the edge portion is set by the colored portion 410, and the color is different from the color of the first illumination unit 110 or the second illumination unit 120. It has become.

  The light guide 400 is a transparent or translucent two-color molded member in which the colored portion 410 is integrally provided. The light guide 400 is provided with a stepped portion 420 for mounting the end surface 301 of the cover body 300, and light input portions 430 for inputting light of the light emitting element 200 at a plurality of locations. The end surface 301 of the cover body 300 is in contact with the colored portion 410. The light guide 400 is disposed so as to overlap the substrate 500, and the light emitting elements 200 are mounted at positions facing the plurality of light input units 430, respectively. The light guide body of this example exhibits a polygon corresponding to the dial plate 100 and the cover body 300, and the light input portions 430 are provided at each corner of the polygon. The light input part 430 in the figure has a concave shape with the corners on the substrate 500 side cut out. Note that fine irregularities are provided on the entire surface of the light guide 400 facing the substrate 500 as light diffusion means for diffusing light.

  According to such a configuration, the first illumination unit 110, the second illumination unit 120 of the dial plate 100, and the edge portion 310 of the cover body 300 can be efficiently illuminated with the light of the light emitting element 200. In this example, when the light emitting element 200 is not lit, the first illumination unit 110 is black, the second illumination unit 120 is silver glossy, and the edge portion 310 is colorless and transparent. When the light emitting element 200 is turned on, the first illumination unit 110 glows white, the second illumination unit 120 glows silver, and the edge portion 310 becomes a fluorescent color such as orange, red, blue, purple, or green. Shine. The fluorescent color of the edge portion 310 is set by the color of the colored portion 410. In particular, since the colors of the first illumination unit 110, the second illumination unit 120, and the edge unit 310 when the light emitting element 200 is turned on and off are different from each other, the appearance is beautiful and unexpected. Yes. That is, the illumination device 10 of this example is excellent in that such a complex light emission color can be obtained by the single color light emitting element 200.

  The colored portion 410 may be configured by a separate member and disposed between the light guide body 400 and the cover body 300. However, in such a case, the number of parts increases. That is, the light guide 400 of this example is a two-color molded member integrally provided with the colored portion 410, and according to such a configuration, the number of parts is reduced and the assembling work can be facilitated. There is. Alternatively, the colored portion can be provided integrally with the cover body 300. In such a case, the cover body 300 may be a two-color molded member.

  Furthermore, since the light guide 400 of this example is provided with the stepped portion 420 for mounting the cover body 300, the assembling work between the light guide 400 and the cover body 300 can be easily and accurately performed. There is also.

  In addition, the light guide 400 of this example is provided with a concave light input portion 430 for inputting light of the light emitting element 200, and is disposed so as to overlap the substrate 500. Since it is mounted at a position facing the light input part 430, there is also an advantage that the assembling work of the light emitting element 200, the light guide 400, and the substrate 500 can be performed easily and accurately. Then, according to the concave light input part 430, the light of the light emitting element 200 can be efficiently input to the light guide 400.

  Furthermore, the light guide 400 of the present example has a polygonal shape, and the light input portions 430 are provided at the corners of the polygon. According to such a configuration, the light of the light emitting element 200 can be fully utilized. In particular, if the edge portion 310 of the cover body 300 is provided so as to correspond to the sides of the polygon, an effect that the brightness of the entire edge portion 310 is uniform can be obtained.

  As described above, the illumination device of this example is excellently designed and rationally configured, and can be suitably used as a device for illuminating a timepiece dial. In addition, it is needless to say that the configuration of each part in the present example can be appropriately changed in design within the technical scope described in the claims, and is not limited to that illustrated in the drawings. The configuration of the illumination device of this example can be applied to a dial of various instruments in addition to a watch.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the case of this example, the colored portions 410 and 320 are provided by printing the main parts of the light guide body 400 and the cover body 300. Colored transparent ink is used for such printing. The entire side surface of the light guide 400 is a colored portion 410. The cover body has an end surface 301 in contact with the substrate 500, and a portion facing the side surface of the light guide body 400 is a colored portion 320. The other basic configuration is the same as that of the above-described embodiment.

  In this way, the colored portion can be provided by printing on the essential parts of the light guide body and the cover body. According to such a configuration, it is not necessary to provide the colored portion as a separate member, so that there is an advantage that the number of parts is reduced and the assembling work is facilitated. Also, printing is inexpensive in terms of cost.

  The illuminating device of the present invention can be suitably used as a device for illuminating a dial of a clock or instrument. For example, it is possible to improve the design of the timepiece by applying it to a timepiece dial provided on an instrument panel of a car.

It is a front view which shows the timepiece concerning the Example of this invention. It is a side sectional view showing an important section of an illuminating device concerning an example of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the light emitting element, the light guide, and a board | substrate concerning the Example of this invention. It is a side sectional view showing an important section of an illuminating device concerning an example of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the light emitting element, the light guide, and a board | substrate concerning the Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Clock 2 Pointer 3 Pointer pipe 10 Illuminating device 100 Dial 101 Hole part 110 First illumination part 111 Sheet member 112 Black printing 120 Second illumination part 121 Annular member 130 Frame body 131 Hole part 200 Light emitting element 300 Cover body 301 End face 310 Edge portion 320 Colored portion 400 Light guide 401 Hole portion 410 Colored portion 420 Step portion 430 Light input portion 500 Substrate 501 Hole portion 510 Locking portion 600 Holder 610 Hook 700 Instrument panel

Claims (8)

In the illumination device that illuminates the dial with the light of the light emitting element,
A transparent or translucent cover body covering the dial,
The cover body is assumed to emit light from the light-emitting element and emit an edge thereof.
The light path to the edge portion is provided with a colored portion that sets a light emission color of the edge portion to a predetermined color, and the color of the edge portion is different from the illumination portion of the dial. Lighting device. In the illumination device that illuminates the dial with the light of the light emitting element,
A transparent or translucent cover body covering the front of the dial, and a plate-shaped light guide that guides light to the illumination portion of the dial and the cover body,
The illuminating part of the dial plate is configured by arranging a light transmissive member in front of the light guide body, and the cover body has its edge when light of the light emitting element is input from the light guide body A lighting device characterized in that the part emits light.   A colored portion that sets the emission color of the edge portion to a predetermined color is provided between the light guide body, the cover body, or between them, so that the color of the edge portion is different from the illumination portion of the dial. The lighting device according to claim 2, wherein   The lighting device according to claim 3, wherein the light guide is a two-color molded member in which the colored portions are integrally provided.   The lighting device according to claim 3, wherein the colored portion is provided by printing at least one of the light guide body and the cover body.   The lighting device according to claim 2, wherein the light guide is provided with a step portion on which the cover is mounted. A substrate on which the light emitting element is mounted;
The light guide is provided with a concave light input portion for inputting light of the light emitting element, and is disposed so as to overlap the substrate.
The lighting device according to claim 2, wherein the light emitting element is mounted at a position facing the light input unit.   The lighting device according to claim 7, wherein the light guide has a polygonal shape, and the light input portion is provided at a corner portion of the polygon.

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