JP2007187529A - Pointer instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pointer instrument capable of realizing comparison of a novel viewing state in the pointer. <P>SOLUTION: The pointer instrument 1 includes a dial plate 21, the pointer 22 rotating along the viewing side front face of the dial plate 21, and a translucent member 23 arranged on the viewing side of at least a part of the pointer 22. The pointer instrument 1 has a constitution wherein the translucent member 23 changes light from a part of the pointer 22 and thereby the part of the pointer 22 is viewed in a state different from a residual part of the pointer 22, and the light from the part of the pointer 22 is reflected light of natural light by the part of the pointer 22 or emitted light from the part of the pointer 22 receiving light emitted from a light source 24. Hereby, the comparison of the novel viewing state can be achieved in the pointer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointer instrument.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various methods have been employed in order to ensure a novel and visually recognizable visibility in a vehicular pointer instrument installed in an automobile.

  For example, a light-shielding body having a light-shielding property is provided on the front surface of the pointer base, and a ring-shaped light emitting member extending from the outer periphery of the light-shielding body is provided on the outer periphery of the pointer base, and is disposed behind the dial. There has been proposed one that causes the pointer main body and the light emitting member to emit light by light from a light source (see Patent Document 1).

This is intended to enhance the design and decoration of the pointer display by displaying the pointer main body and the light emitting member in a luminous manner.
JP 2003-42816 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, only a simple comparison between the light emission display of the pointer main body and the light emitting member and the display where the light shield does not emit light, that is, a simple visual recognition state comparison is used. For this reason, it has been difficult to realize a novel visibility with a good appearance.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pointer instrument capable of realizing a novel contrast between visual states in a pointer.

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

  The pointer instrument according to claim 1 includes a dial, a pointer that rotates along the front side of the dial on the viewing side, and a translucent member that is disposed on the viewing side of at least a part of the pointer. The light-sensitive member changes the light from a part of the pointer so that a part of the pointer is visually recognized in a state different from the rest of the pointer, and the light from the part of the pointer reflects natural light by a part of the pointer. The light is emitted by a part of the pointer that receives light or light emitted from the light source.

  In this configuration, the translucent member arranged on the viewing side of the pointer changes the light from a portion of the pointer, thereby causing a portion of the pointer to be visually recognized in a state different from the remaining portion of the pointer. Thereby, it is possible to realize a novel contrast between the visual recognition state in the pointer.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 2 is configured such that the translucent member diffuses light from a part of the pointer.

  In this structure, since the translucent member diffuses the light from a part of the pointer, this part is in a blurred state. By contrasting this blurred visual state with the remainder of the pointer, a novel visual state comparison can be realized in the pointer.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 3 is configured such that the translucent member changes the color tone of light from a part of the pointer.

  In this configuration, since the color tone of light from a part of the pointer is changed, this part is in a visually recognizable state with a different color tone (lightness, hue, saturation). By comparing the visual state of the different color tone with the remaining part of the pointer, a novel visual state can be compared with the pointer.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 4 is configured such that the translucent member refracts light from a part of the pointer.

  In this configuration, since the translucent member refracts light from a part of the pointer, this part is in a state of viewing an image by the refracted light, for example, a state of viewing an enlarged or reduced or deformed image. . By comparing the visual state of the image by the refracted light with the remaining portion of the pointer, a novel visual state of the pointer can be realized.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 5 is configured such that the translucent member is disposed so as to cover a part of the pointer along the rotation region of the pointer.

  In this configuration, the translucent member is disposed so as to cover a part of the pointer along the rotation region of the pointer. Thereby, the above-mentioned effect can be obtained along the rotation region of the pointer.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 6 is configured such that the translucent member has an opening or a colorless transparent portion at a portion facing the remaining portion of the pointer.

  In this configuration, the translucent member has an opening or a colorless transparent portion at a portion facing the remaining portion of the pointer. Thereby, the above-described effects can be obtained with a simple configuration.

  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.

(One embodiment)
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 taken along line II-II in FIG.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of part III in FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a circuit configuration diagram illustrating an electrical circuit configuration of the combination meter 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

  The combination meter 1 which is a pointer instrument is arranged in front of the driver's seat of the automobile and displays various information related to the automobile.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a combination meter 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a speedometer 2 for displaying the traveling speed of the host vehicle, a tachometer 3 for displaying the engine speed of the host vehicle, and the remaining fuel. A fuel gauge 4 for displaying the quantity and a water temperature gauge 5 for displaying the temperature of the engine cooling water are provided.

  The speedometer 2 includes a dial 21 in which letters (including numerals), scales, and backgrounds thereof are formed on a translucent resin plate such as polycarbonate resin, and a front side on the viewing side of the dial 21 (upper surface in FIG. 2). ) And a pointer 22 that rotates along the head. In addition, a ring-shaped translucent member 23 is provided on the viewing side so as to overlap the tip of the pointer 22.

  Behind the dial 21 (lower side in FIG. 2), a movement 22a, a light emitting diode 24, a light guide 25, a case 6, and a printed board 7 are disposed. The printed circuit board 7 forms an electric circuit part of the combination meter 1, and the movement 22 a and the light emitting diode 24 are mounted on the printed circuit board 7.

  The movement 22a is composed of, for example, a cross coil actuator or a stepping motor, and rotates the pointer 22 by an angle corresponding to an external electric signal (vehicle speed signal in the present embodiment).

  The light guide unit 25 is made of a light-transmitting resin such as acrylic resin, guides the light from the light emitting diode 24 to the dial 21 and the pointer 22, and illuminates the dial 21 and causes the pointer 22 to emit light. It is.

  The pointer 22 is made of a light-transmitting material such as acrylic resin, and has a red layer on the front surface of the pointer 22. As a result, the pointer 22 emits light in red by the white light of the light emitting diode 24 incident on the pointer 5.

  The translucent member 23 is provided in a ring shape on the viewing side so as to overlap the tip of the pointer 22. That is, the translucent member 23 is disposed so as to cover the tip of the pointer 22 along the rotation region of the pointer 22.

  The translucent member 23 is subjected to a diffusion process so as to diffuse the light from the pointer 22. For example, the translucent member 23 is formed of a translucent resin such as acrylic resin in a ring shape, and a textured surface having fine irregularities is formed on the upper or lower surface of the translucent member 23 in FIG. Alternatively, the translucent member 23 can be formed by mixing fine particles to be diffused into the translucent resin. The translucent member 23 is fixed to the design plate 8 covering the end portion of the dial 21 by heat caulking, an adhesive, or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an opening 23 a is formed in the translucent member 23 at the position of the main scale of the dial 21.

  The electric circuit configuration of the combination meter 1 according to the present embodiment described above will be described with reference to FIG.

  The control device 9 composed of a microcomputer or the like is always supplied with electric power from the battery 12, and the ignition switch 11 is connected so as to detect its operation position (off position, on position). Further, a vehicle speed sensor 10 for detecting the traveling speed of the automobile is connected to the control device 9 so that these signals can be input.

  In addition, a movement 22 a and a light emitting diode 24 that are driven by the control device 9 in response to a detection signal from the vehicle speed sensor 10 are also connected to the control device 9.

  In the following, the operation of the combination meter 1 according to the present embodiment in the above configuration will be described focusing on the visual recognition state of the pointer 22 in the speedometer 2.

  When the ignition switch 11 is turned on by the driver, in FIG. 4, the control device 9 detects this and starts the operation, turns on the light emitting diode 24 and drives the movement 22 a. That is, the control device 9 calculates the vehicle speed of the automobile based on the output signal from the speed sensor 10, and drives the movement 22a so as to rotate the pointer 22 by an angle corresponding thereto.

  In addition, the tachometer 3, the fuel gauge 4 and the water temperature gauge 5 shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the light of the light-emitting diode 24 that has been turned on is guided by the light guide unit 25, illuminates the dial 21, and displays the pointer 22 in red.

  A translucent member 23 that has been subjected to ring-shaped diffusion treatment is provided on the viewing side so as to overlap the tip of the pointer 22. For this reason, the red light from the pointer 22 is diffused by the translucent member 23 and is visually recognized as a blurred red image at the portion A of FIG. On the other hand, the remaining part of the pointer 22 is clearly visible in red.

  By comparing the blurred visual state with the clear visual state of the remaining part of the pointer, a novel visual state comparison can be realized in the pointer 22. As a result, in the combination meter 1 which is a pointer instrument, it is possible to realize a novel visual appearance.

  Further, the tip of the pointer 22 is clearly visible in red in the opening 23a. For this reason, since the visual recognition state of the distal end portion of the pointer 22 changes depending on the rotation position, it is possible to realize a further novel visual contrast in the pointer 22.

  The translucent member 23 can be formed in a disk shape without being formed in a ring shape. In this case, the translucent member 23 is formed from a colorless and transparent disk shape, and only the ring-shaped portion in FIG. 1 is diffused to form the remaining portion of the translucent member 23 as a colorless and transparent colorless transparent portion. To do.

Similarly, the opening 23a can be formed as a colorless and transparent portion.
(Modification)
FIG. 5 is a partial front view showing a first modification of the translucent member 23 shown in FIG.

  In the first modification, the translucent member 23 is disposed not on the tip end side of the pointer 22 but on the rotation center side of the pointer 22. Further, the design plate 8 is extended from the lower side to the upper side in FIG. 5 so as to cover the rotation center side of the pointer 22. The translucent member 23 is fixed to the back surface side of the extending portion.

  As a result, the portion on the rotation center side of the pointer 22 is visually recognized as a blurred red image in the portion A of FIG. 5, and the remaining portion of the pointer 22 is clearly visible in red. As a result, it is possible to realize a novel visual state contrast different from the above in the pointer 22.

  FIG. 6 is a partial front view showing a second modification of the translucent member 23 shown in FIG.

  In the second modification, the translucent member 23 is disposed not at the tip end side or the rotation center side of the pointer 22 but at the center portion of the pointer 22.

  Thereby, the center portion of the pointer 22 is visually recognized as a blurred red image in the portion A of FIG. 6, and the remaining portion of the pointer 22 is clearly visible in red. As a result, it is possible to realize a novel visual state contrast different from the above in the pointer 22.

  In FIG. 6, a colorless transparent portion can be used instead of the opening 23a.

  FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view showing a third modification of the translucent member 23 shown in FIG.

  8A is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VIIIA-VIIIA in FIG. 7, and FIG. 8B is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VIIIB-VIIIB in FIG.

  In the third modification, the light transmissive member 23 is provided with the lens portion 23b without being subjected to the diffusion treatment. Each lens portion 23b is formed in a hemispherical shape (convex lens shape) as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, and is arranged in a line along the rotation direction of the pointer 22, as shown in FIG. .

  For this reason, the red light from the pointer 22 is refracted by the lens portion 23b in the portion A of FIG. On the other hand, the remaining portion of the pointer 22 is visually recognized in red as it is.

  The contrast between the visually recognizable state of the enlarged shape and the visually recognizable state of the remaining shape of the pointer as it is can realize a novel contrast of the visually recognizable state different from the above in the pointer 22.

  Furthermore, the distal end portion of the pointer 22 is clearly visible in red at a portion of the translucent member 23 other than the lens portion 23b. For this reason, since the visual recognition state of the distal end portion of the pointer 22 changes depending on the rotation position, it is possible to realize a further novel visual contrast in the pointer 22.

  In addition, the lens part 23b can be formed in a concave lens shape instead of a convex lens shape, for example. In this case, the distal end portion of the pointer 22 is visually recognized in a shape reduced by the concave lens-shaped lens portion 23b. Thereby, the contrast of the novel visual recognition state different from the above is realizable.

  FIG. 9 is an enlarged front view showing a fourth modification of the translucent member 23 shown in FIG.

  In the fourth modified example, the translucent member 23 is not subjected to the diffusion treatment, and the translucent member 23 is not provided with the lens portion 23b. (Lightness, hue, saturation) is changed.

  Specifically, the translucent member 23 is a green translucent member. For this reason, the red light from the pointer 22 passes through the green translucent member 23 in the portion A of FIG. 9 at the tip of the pointer 22 so that the color tone of the light changes from red to substantially black. Is visually recognized. On the other hand, the remaining part of the pointer 22 is visually recognized in red as it is.

  As a result, the tip of the pointer 22 is visually recognized as a blackish image in the portion A of FIG. 9, and the remaining portion of the pointer 22 is visually recognized as a red image. That is, in the pointer 22, by comparing the visual recognition state with the different color tone, a novel visual recognition state contrast different from the above can be realized.

  In addition, the combination of the color tone of the pointer 22 and the translucent member 23 is not limited to this example.

  In addition, when the light is bright such as in the daytime, natural light such as sunlight is reflected by the pointer 22, so that the pointer 22 can be visually recognized. For this reason, the present invention can be applied to a pointer that does not emit light. That is, as the light from the pointer 22, light obtained by reflecting natural light such as sunlight reflected by the pointer 22 can be used.

  The above-described combination meter 1 which is a pointer instrument according to the present invention is arranged on the dial 21, the pointer 22 rotating along the front side of the dial 21 on the viewing side, and at least a part of the pointer 22 on the viewing side. A translucent member 23, and the translucent member 23 changes the light from a part of the pointer 22 so that a part of the pointer 22 is visually recognized in a state different from the remaining part of the pointer 22. The light from a part is reflected light of natural light by a part of the pointer 22 or light emitted by a part of the pointer 22 that receives light emitted from the light emitting diode 24 that is a light source.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and combinations thereof and other various modifications are conceivable.

  Thereby, the contrast of a novel visual recognition state is realizable in a pointer by this.

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 taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of part III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a circuit configuration diagram illustrating an electrical circuit configuration of the combination meter 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a partial front view showing a first modification of the translucent member 23 shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a partial front view showing a second modification of the translucent member 23 shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view showing a third modification of the translucent member 23 shown in FIG. 8A is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VIIIA-VIIIA in FIG. 7, and FIG. 8B is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VIIIB-VIIIB in FIG. FIG. 9 is an enlarged front view showing a fourth modification of the translucent member 23 shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Combination meter (pointer meter)
2 Speedometer, 21 Dial, 22 Pointer, 22a Movement 23 Translucent member, 23a Opening, 23b Lens 24 Light-emitting diode (light source), 25 Light guide 3 Tachometer, 4 Fuel gauge, 5 Water temperature gauge 6 Case , 7 Printed circuit board, 8 Design board 9 Control device, 10 Vehicle speed sensor, 11 Ignition switch, 12 Battery

Claims (6)

Dial,
A pointer that rotates along the front side of the dial on the viewing side;
A translucent member disposed on the viewing side of at least a part of the pointer,
The translucent member makes the part visually recognizable in a state different from the remaining part of the pointer by changing light from the part of the pointer.
The pointer instrument according to claim 1, wherein the light from the part of the pointer is light emitted by the part that has received reflected light of natural light by the part or light emitted from a light source.   The pointer instrument according to claim 1, wherein the translucent member diffuses light from the part of the pointer.   The pointer instrument according to claim 1, wherein the translucent member changes a color tone of light from the part of the pointer.   The pointer instrument according to claim 1, wherein the translucent member refracts light from the part of the pointer.   5. The pointer according to claim 1, wherein the translucent member is disposed so as to cover the part of the pointer along a rotation region of the pointer. Instrument.   The pointer instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the translucent member has an opening or a colorless and transparent portion at a portion facing the remaining portion of the pointer.

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