JP2008002996A - Indicator meter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an indicator meter including a decoration part capable of more emphasizing stereoscopic effect for a dial. <P>SOLUTION: The indicator meter 1 includes: the dial 2 on which a first indication design 21 is formed; an indicator 4 rotated along a viewing-side front surface of the dial 2; a light-transmitting part 24 formed in a shape of an outer frame of the first indication design 21 in the dial 2; a light source 64 arranged at the back of the dial 2; and a reflective part 31 arranged at the back of the light-transmitting part 24 and reflecting light emitted by the light source 64 to the viewing-side through the light-transmitting part 24. The reflective part 31 performing luminous indication by reflecting the light emitted by the light source 64 is made as the decoration part decorating the dial 2, and is made visible through the light-transmitting part 24. Accordingly, the indicator meter including the decoration part capable of further enhancing the stereoscopic effect for the dial can be provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointer instrument provided with a decorative portion formed in the shape of an outer frame of a display design.

  In recent years, various methods have been proposed in vehicle pointer instruments to provide a novel and attractive display, and as one of them, a decorative ring is formed in the shape of the outer frame of the display design on the dial. A pointer instrument is known.

For example, a pointer instrument provided with a decorative ring on which a reflective surface is formed is disclosed (see Patent Document 1). The reflective surface of the decorative ring is for displaying the decorative ring by emitting light by reflecting the leakage light of the light source that emits the pointer to the viewing side. Thereby, the decoration ring tries to enhance the function of decorating the dial.
JP 2003-222539 A

  In Patent Document 1, the reflective surface of the decorative ring displays light by reflecting the leaked light of the light source that emits the pointer, but the stereoscopic effect due to the reflective surface that displays the light is displayed on the dial with respect to the dial. Only the thickness can be obtained. For this reason, the decoration function of a decoration ring cannot fully be improved.

  This problem is not limited to the decorative ring, but is a problem common to the decorative portion formed in the shape of the outer frame of the display design.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said point, and it aims at providing the pointer instrument provided with the decorating part which can emphasize a three-dimensional effect more with respect to a dial face.

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

  The pointer instrument according to claim 1 has a dial on which a first display design is formed, a pointer that rotates along the front side of the dial on the viewing side, and an outer frame shape of the first display design on the dial. A light-transmitting part formed, a light source disposed behind the dial, and a reflecting part disposed behind the light-transmitting part and reflecting light emitted from the light source to the viewing side through the light-transmitting part, A reflection part that emits and displays light by reflecting light emitted from a light source is configured to be viewed through a light-transmitting part as a decoration part for decorating a dial.

  In this configuration, the reflective portion is disposed behind the translucent portion formed in the shape of the outer frame of the first display design on the dial, and the reflective portion that emits light by reflecting the light emitted from the light source, It is made visible as a decoration part through a translucent part. Thereby, the depth feeling with respect to the dial of the decorating part can be emphasized by the distance between the translucent part and the reflecting part as the depth feeling with respect to the dial of the reflecting part that emits light.

  Here, since it is possible to increase the distance between the light transmitting portion and the reflecting portion, it is possible to further emphasize the stereoscopic effect of the reflecting portion with respect to the dial, and since the reflecting portion emits and displays light, It becomes possible to emphasize the feeling more. As a result, it is possible to provide a pointer instrument provided with a decorating part that can emphasize the stereoscopic effect on the dial face.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 2 is characterized in that a second display design is formed in the translucent portion.

  Thereby, a 2nd display design overlaps with the reflective part which carries out the light emission display in a translucent part, and is visually observed. For this reason, the embossing feeling of the second display design with respect to the reflecting portion overlaps with the feeling of depth of the reflecting portion with respect to the dial face, thereby enhancing the three-dimensional effect. For this reason, the three-dimensional feeling with respect to the dial of the reflection part visually observed as a decoration part can be emphasized more.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 3 is characterized in that the reflecting portion is formed as a reflecting surface formed in a concave shape.

  Thereby, the reflected light from the reflection part is condensed by the concave mirror effect of the reflection part. For this reason, in a translucent part, a site | part with a high brightness | luminance of the reflected light from a reflection part and a low site | part around that arise. That is, in the reflection part visually observed through the translucent part, halation in which the luminance is low occurs around a portion where the luminance is high. As a result, it is possible to enhance the function of decorating the dial face by the reflecting portion that is visually observed as the decorating portion.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 4 is characterized in that the reflecting portion is formed as a metallic reflecting surface.

  Thereby, in a translucent part, the crystal | crystallization feeling peculiar to a metallic tone is added to the reflected light from a reflection part, As a result, the function to decorate a dial face by the reflection part made visible as a decoration part can be improved.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the pointer instrument includes a wiring board disposed behind the dial and mounted with a light source, and the reflecting portion is disposed on the rear side of the wiring board.

  Thereby, since the distance of a translucent part and a reflection part can be taken more, the depth feeling with respect to the dial of a decoration part can be emphasized more as a depth feeling with respect to the dial of a reflection part. For this reason, the three-dimensional feeling with respect to the dial of the reflection part visually observed as a decoration part can be emphasized more.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 6 is characterized in that the light source is mounted on the back surface of the wiring board.

  As a result, the light source can directly guide the light of the light source to the reflecting portion disposed on the back side of the wiring board without newly providing a light guide. When the light guide means is provided to guide the light from the light source, the guided light is generally attenuated by the light guide means. On the other hand, since the light guide means is unnecessary, there is no attenuation due to the light guide means. Therefore, the brightness of the light emitting display of the reflection portion is not reduced, and the effect of the pointer instrument according to claim 5 is further improved. Can be increased.

  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.

(Constitution)
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 cross-sectional view of a portion 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, the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention constitutes a speedometer that displays a traveling speed, and is disposed at a position facing the driver on the instrument panel 14.

  The combination meter 1 includes a dial 2 and a pointer 4, and the dial 2 includes a substrate 20 (FIGS. 2 and 3), characters (including numbers) 21 as a first display design, and a second display design. The scale 22 is provided. The substrate 20 is formed from a light-transmitting material, for example, a plate material such as a transparent polycarbonate resin.

  For example, the black and opaque background layer 23 is formed on the viewing side surface of the substrate 20, that is, the left surface in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the character 21 is formed as the opening of the background layer 23. For example, a white light-transmitting layer can be formed in the opening of the background layer 23, and the character 21 can be formed as a light-transmitting layer in the opening.

  A transparent portion 24 having a ring shape which is the shape of the outer frame of the character 21 in the dial 2 is provided by not forming the background layer 23 on the outer peripheral side of the character 21 in FIG. Further, for example, a scale 22 that is white and reflects light is formed on the back surface of the light transmitting portion 24, that is, on the right surface in FIGS. 2 and 3. The scale 22 and the background layer 23 are formed by screen printing or hot stamping.

  Light emitting diodes 61 and 62, a light emitting diode 64 as a light source, an illumination case 71, and a printed circuit board 91 as a wiring board are arranged behind the dial 2, that is, on the right side in FIG. The printed circuit board 91 constitutes an electric circuit unit of the combination meter 1, and the light emitting diodes 61, 62, and 64 are mounted on the printed circuit board 91. The light emitting diode 64 is mounted on the back surface (the right surface in FIG. 2) of the printed circuit board 91.

  A through hole 25 is provided at a substantially central portion of the dial 2, and a shaft 51 that is rotated by the movement 5 is inserted into the through hole 25. The shaft 51 extends to the viewing side (left side in FIG. 2) of the dial 2 through the through hole 25 of the dial 2, and the pointer 4 is fixed to the tip of the shaft 51. The pointer 4 is rotated by the shaft 51 along the viewing side front surface (the left surface in FIG. 2) of the dial 2.

  The movement 5 is constituted by, for example, a cross coil movement or a stepping motor, and rotates the shaft 51 by an angle corresponding to an external electric signal (a vehicle speed signal in the combination meter 1 according to the present embodiment). . The movement 5 is mounted and fixed on the printed circuit board 91.

  The reflection surface 31 that is a reflection part is a ring along the light transmission part 24 having a ring shape behind the light transmission part 24 (right side in FIG. 2) and behind the printed circuit board 91 (right side in FIG. 2). It is formed in a shape and a concave shape. The reflecting surface 31 reflects light emitted from the light emitting diode 64 to the viewing side (left side in FIG. 2) through the light transmitting portion 24, and is formed on the decorative ring 3 formed in a ring shape. The reflecting surface 31 is formed as a metallic reflecting surface on which an aluminum thin film is formed. The decoration ring 3 is made of acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene (ABS) resin or the like, and is fixed to the lower case 13.

  The illumination case 71 guides the light of the light emitting diode 61 to the pointer 4, guides the light of the light emitting diode 62 to the character 21 of the dial 2, and transmits the light of the light emitting diode 64 reflected by the reflecting surface 31 to the translucent portion of the dial 2. 24.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a light emitting diode 63 that allows light to enter from the outer peripheral side of the dial 2 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the dial 2. The light emitting diode 63 is mounted and fixed on the printed board 92, and the illumination case 72 is configured to guide the light of the light emitting diode 63 to the scale 22 of the dial 2. The printed circuit board 91 and the printed circuit board 92 are electrically connected by wiring (not shown).

  On the printed circuit board 91, the control device 10 (FIG. 4) for driving the movement 5 and turning on / off the light emitting diodes 61-64 is mounted. The control device 10 is composed of a microcomputer or the like, and is configured to turn on the light emitting diodes 61-64 only when the surroundings are dark (when the amount of external light incident on the combination meter 1 is small). Specifically, the control device 10 is configured to turn on the light emitting diodes 61-64 when the small lamp lighting switch 16 (FIG. 4) for lighting the small lamp (tail lamp) of the automobile is turned on. .

  The transparent cover 11, the upper case 12, and the lower case 13 that protect the dial 2 and the pointer 4 form a casing that houses the combination meter 1 except the light emitting diode 63, the illumination case 72, and the printed board 92.

  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 10 composed of a microcomputer or the like is always supplied with electric power from the battery 18, and the ignition switch 17 and the small lamp lighting switch 16 are connected so that their operation positions (off position, on position) can be detected. Is done. Further, a vehicle speed sensor 15 for detecting the traveling speed of the vehicle is connected to the control device 10 so that the signal can be input.

  Further, the movement 5 and the light emitting diodes 61 to 64 driven by the control device 10 in accordance with the detection signal from the vehicle speed sensor 15 are also connected to the control device 10.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the combination meter 1 according to the present embodiment in the above configuration will be described.

(Operation)
When the ignition switch 17 is turned on by the driver, in FIG. 4, the control device 10 detects this and starts operation, and drives the movement 5. That is, the control device 10 calculates the vehicle speed of the vehicle based on the output signal from the speed sensor 15 and drives the movement 5 so as to rotate the shaft 51 by an angle corresponding to the calculated vehicle speed.

  Further, when the surroundings become dark (when the amount of external light incident on the combination meter 1 decreases), the driver turns on the small lamp lighting switch 16 to turn on the small lamp of the vehicle. The control device 10 detects it and turns on the light emitting diodes 61-64. Hereinafter, the viewing state of the combination meter 1 will be described separately with the reflective surface 31 as the center when the light emitting diodes 61-64 are turned on and off.

(1) When the light emitting diodes 61-64 are extinguished External light enters the reflecting surface 31 through the light transmitting portion 24 in FIG. 3, and the reflecting surface 31 transmits the incident light to the viewing side (left side in FIG. 3). reflect. Thereby, the reflective surface 31 is visually observed as a decorating part that decorates the dial 2 through the translucent part 24. The reflective surface 31 is disposed further rearward than the printed circuit board 91 disposed behind the translucent portion 24 of the dial 2. For this reason, the sense of depth of the reflective surface 31 with respect to the dial 2 is enhanced by the distance between the translucent portion 24 and the reflective surface 31, and the reflective surface 31 is decorated with a more stereoscopic effect with respect to the dial 2. It is visually observed as a part.

  Here, since the distance between the translucent portion 24 and the reflecting surface 31 can be increased, the stereoscopic effect of the reflecting surface 31 that emits light on the dial 2 can be more emphasized.

  Further, the scale 22 is visually observed by overlapping the reflecting surface 31 in the light transmitting portion 24. For this reason, the embossing feeling of the scale 22 with respect to the reflecting surface 31 and the feeling of depth of the reflecting surface 31 with respect to the dial 2 overlap, and the three-dimensional effect with respect to the dial 2 of the reflecting surface 31 is further emphasized.

(2) When the light emitting diode 61-64 is turned on The light of the light emitting diode 61 that has been turned on is guided to the illumination case 71 in FIG. Further, the light of the light-emitting diode 62 turned on is guided to the illumination case 71 and illuminates the character 21 of the dial 2 by transmission.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the light emitted from the light emitting diode 64 is reflected to the viewing side through the light transmitting part 24 by the reflecting surface 31 along the optical path P1. Specifically, the light from the light emitting diode 64 is reflected by the reflecting surface 31, and this reflected light is guided to the light transmitting portion 24 by the illumination case 71 and passes through the light transmitting portion 24 to the viewing side (the left side in FIGS. 2 and 3). ) Is reached.

  Thereby, the reflecting surface 31 that emits and displays light by reflecting the light emitted from the light emitting diode 64 is viewed through the light transmitting portion 24 as a decorative portion for decorating the dial 2. For this reason, the sense of depth of the reflective surface 31 that emits and displays light relative to the dial 2 is enhanced by the distance between the translucent portion 24 and the reflective surface 31.

  Here, since the distance between the light transmitting portion 24 and the reflecting surface 31 can be increased, the stereoscopic effect of the reflecting surface 31 with respect to the dial 2 can be further emphasized, and the reflecting surface 31 emits light. Therefore, this stereoscopic effect can be further emphasized.

  Further, since the reflecting surface 31 is formed in a concave shape, the reflected light from the reflecting surface 31 is collected by the concave mirror effect of the reflecting surface 31. For this reason, in the translucent part 24, a site | part with a high brightness | luminance of the reflected light from the reflective surface 31 and a low site | part around it arise. That is, in the reflective surface 31 that is viewed through the light-transmitting portion 24, halation that lowers the luminance occurs around a portion with high luminance. As a result, it is possible to enhance the function of decorating the dial 2 by the reflecting surface 31 that is visually observed as the decorating portion.

  Further, since the reflection surface 31 is formed as a metallic reflection surface 31, the translucent portion 24 adds a crystal feeling peculiar to the metallic tone to the reflected light from the reflection surface 31. As a result, the reflection portion 31 is visually observed as a decoration portion. The function of decorating the dial 2 by the reflecting surface 31 to be made can be enhanced.

  Further, since the light emitting diode 64 is mounted on the back surface of the printed circuit board 91, the light of the light emitting diode 64 is not applied to the reflection surface 31 disposed on the back side of the printed circuit board 91 without newly providing a light guiding means. Can be guided directly. When the light guide means is provided to guide the light from the light source, the guided light is generally attenuated by the light guide means. On the other hand, since the light guide means is unnecessary, there is no attenuation by the light guide means. Therefore, the stereoscopic effect of the reflective surface 31 can be enhanced without reducing the luminance of the light emitting display on the reflective surface 31.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the light of the light-emitting diode 63 turned on is guided to the illumination case 72 along the optical path P <b> 2 and enters the light transmitting part 24. Reflected (left side in FIGS. 2 and 3). As a result, the scale 22 for emitting and displaying the light is visually observed by overlapping the reflecting surface 31 for displaying and emitting the light in the light transmitting portion 24. For this reason, the embossing feeling of the scale 22 for light emission display with respect to the reflection surface 31 for light emission display overlaps with the depth feeling with respect to the dial 2 of the reflection surface 31 for light emission display, so The three-dimensional effect can be emphasized more.

  In the present invention, it is not necessary to link the turning on / off of the light emitting diodes 61-64 with the turning on / off of the small lamp lighting switch 16. That is, the present invention can also be applied to the self-luminous type combination meter 1 in which the light emitting diodes 61 to 64 are turned on by turning on the ignition switch 17.

  Further, it is not necessary to form the reflecting surface 31 in a concave shape. For example, the reflecting surface 31 may be formed in an inclined plane shape as long as the light emitted from the light emitting diode 64 is reflected to the viewing side through the light transmitting portion 24. is there.

  Further, it is not necessary to form the reflection surface 31 as a metallic reflection surface 31, and it is also possible to form the reflection surface 31 as a reflection surface 31 having a color tone different from the color tone (at least one of hue, brightness, and saturation) of the background layer 23. It is.

(Modification)
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a first modification of FIG.

  In the first modified example, as shown in FIG. 5, the reflecting surface 31 is not formed on the decorative ring 3 but on the lower case 13 without providing the decorative ring 3. Further, since the reflecting surface 31 is disposed between the dial 2 and the printed board 91, the light emitting diode 64 is mounted on the viewing side face (the left face in FIG. 5) of the printed board 91.

  As a result, the light of the light-emitting diode 64 turned on is reflected to the viewing side through the light transmitting portion 24 by the reflecting surface 31 along the optical path P1, as shown in FIG. Specifically, light from the light emitting diode 64 is reflected by the illumination case 71 and guided to the reflecting surface 31, and is reflected by the reflecting surface 31. The reflected light is guided to the light transmitting part 24 by the illumination case 71 and reaches the viewing side (left side in FIG. 5) through the light transmitting part 24.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the light of the light-emitting diode 63 turned on is guided to the illumination case 72 along the optical path P2 and enters the light transmitting portion 24, and this incident light is viewed on the viewing side (FIG. 5). To the left).

  As a result, the same effects as described above can be obtained.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modification of FIG.

  In the second modification, as shown in FIG. 6, the light guide ring 3 formed of a transparent acrylic resin or the like is provided instead of the decorative ring 3, and the reflection surface 31 is formed on the light guide ring 3. Further, since the reflecting surface 31 is disposed between the dial 2 and the printed board 91, the light emitting diode 64 is mounted on the viewing side face (the left face in FIG. 6) of the printed board 91.

  Thereby, the light of the light-emitting diode 64 turned on is reflected to the viewing side through the light transmitting portion 24 by the reflecting surface 31 according to the optical path P1, as shown in FIG. Specifically, light from the light emitting diode 64 is introduced into the light guide ring 3, and the introduced light is guided to the reflection surface 31 and reflected by the reflection surface 31. The reflected light is guided to the light transmitting part 24 through the light guide ring 3 and reaches the viewing side (left side in FIG. 6) through the light transmitting part 24.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the light emitted from the light emitting diode 63 is guided to the illumination case 72 along the optical path P2 and enters the light transmitting portion 24, and this incident light is viewed on the viewing side (see FIG. 6). To the left).

  As a result, the same effects as described above can be obtained.

  FIG. 7 is a front view showing a modification of FIG.

  In this modified example, as shown in FIG. 7, the translucent portion 24 is not formed in a ring shape, but is formed in a shape in which the letter “C” is rotated 90 degrees to the right. Along with this, the reflecting surface 31 is also formed in a shape along the translucent portion 24. Thereby, the effect similar to the above-mentioned effect can be acquired.

  In addition, the translucent part 24 can be formed in shapes other than the shape mentioned above, as long as it is the shape of the outer frame of the character 21 which is a 1st display design.

  Further, the light emitting diode 64 is composed of, for example, a light emitting diode that emits blue light and a light emitting diode that emits red light, and the light from the light emitting diode 64 is converted into blue when the traveling speed of the automobile exceeds the speed limit. It can also be configured to switch from red to red.

  The combination meter 1 which is a pointer instrument according to the present invention described above includes a dial 2 on which a character 21 as a first display design is formed, a pointer 4 that rotates along the front side of the dial 2 on the viewing side, and a character A light-transmitting portion 24 formed in the shape of the outer frame of the character 21 on the board 2, a light-emitting diode 64 that is a light source disposed behind the dial 2, and a light-emitting diode disposed behind the light-transmitting portion 24 and emitting light A reflecting surface 31 that is a reflecting portion that reflects light emitted from the diode 64 to the viewing side through the light transmitting portion 24, and reflects the light emitted from the light emitting diode 64 to display the reflecting surface 31 on the dial 2. It is comprised so that it may be visually observed through the translucent part 24 as a decorating part to decorate.

  Thereby, the pointer instrument provided with the decoration part which can emphasize a three-dimensional effect more with respect to a dial face can be provided.

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

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 cross-sectional view of a portion 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 cross-sectional view showing a first modification of FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modification of FIG. FIG. 7 is a front view showing a modification of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Combination meter (pointer meter), 2 Dial, 20 Board | substrate 21 Character (1st display design), 22 Scale (2nd display design), 23 Background layer 24 Translucent part, 25 Through-hole, 3 Decoration ring (Conduction ring) Light ring), 31 Reflecting surface (reflecting part)
4 pointer, 5 movement, 51 shaft, 61-63 light emitting diode 64 light emitting diode (light source), 71, 72 lighting case 91 printed circuit board (wiring board), 92 printed circuit board, 10 control device 11 transparent cover, 12 upper case, 13 Lower case 14 Instrument panel, 15 Speed sensor 16 Small lamp lighting switch, 17 Ignition switch, 18 Battery

Claims (6)

A dial on which a first display design is formed;
A pointer that rotates along the front side of the dial on the viewing side;
A translucent part formed in the shape of the outer frame of the first display design in the dial;
A light source disposed behind the dial;
A reflection part disposed behind the light-transmitting part and reflecting light emitted from the light source to the viewing side through the light-transmitting part;
A pointer instrument that is configured to allow the reflecting portion that emits and displays light by reflecting light emitted from the light source to be viewed through the translucent portion as a decorating portion that decorates the dial.   The pointer instrument according to claim 1, wherein a second display design is formed in the translucent part.   The pointer instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reflecting portion is formed as a reflecting surface formed in a concave shape.   The pointer instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reflecting portion is formed as a metallic reflecting surface. A wiring board disposed behind the dial and mounted with the light source;
The pointer instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the reflecting portion is disposed on a rear side of the wiring board.   The pointer instrument according to claim 5, wherein the light source is mounted on a back surface of the wiring board.

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