JP2008171772A - Vehicle meter device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle meter device which can prevent a wrong connection of a connector economically. <P>SOLUTION: In the vehicle meter device in which a white first circuit board side connector 51 and a second circuit board side connector 52 are connected with a white first vehicle side connector 71 and a black second vehicle side connector 72 and a meter side and a vehicle side are electrically connected, on a black-colored back cover 6, there are formed a first connector cover 63 surrounding an outer circumference for the first circuit board side connector 51 and a second connector cover 64 surrounding an outer circumference of the second circuit board side connector 52, and a peeping portion 65 is formed on the first connector cover 63. The first circuit board side connector 51 of which the white color of a side face 51a is exposed and recognized as white through the connector peeping portion 65 is connected with the first vehicle side connector 71 of the same color, and the second circuit board side connector 52 which is recognized as black when hidden by the second connector cover 64 is connected with the second vehicle side connector 72, and a prevention of a wrong connection can be attained economically. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular meter device, and more particularly, to a technique for performing electrical connection with a vehicle side using a connector in the meter device.

  Conventionally, in a vehicle meter device, a board-side connector and a vehicle-side connector are connected to electrically connect various movements for driving a pointer, a controller for driving a display device, and the like to the vehicle side. Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In the case where such a connector is provided, when a plurality of connectors are set, erroneous connection is prevented.
As a technique for preventing such an erroneous connection, a right combination connector is formed in the same color different from the other combination, and the operator identifies the color with a color, or a connector on the board side of the meter device and a connector on the vehicle side Thus, there is known a technique (see, for example, Patent Document 2) in which only the correct combination fits and the connector on the board side and the vehicle body does not fit in the wrong combination.
JP 2005-37238 A JP 7-201418 A

  However, when different shapes are used depending on the combination of the above-mentioned connectors, it is necessary to make the connector shapes different on the board side and the vehicle equipment side, resulting in an increase in cost due to an increase in mold costs. In addition, the manufacture of the meter device and the manufacture of the vehicle equipment may be performed by different companies. In this case, it is necessary to adjust the shape of the connector across different companies, which takes time.

On the other hand, when identifying by the color of the connector, there is no increase in mold cost as in the case of changing the shape, and even if the manufacture of the meter device and the manufacture of the vehicle equipment are different, only the color is changed. Therefore, it is advantageous in terms of cost and labor.
However, when a plurality of connectors having different colors are used, the number of connectors used for each color is reduced, leading to an increase in cost compared to the case where all the colors are the same.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular meter device that can achieve prevention of erroneous connector connection at low cost.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides a substrate provided on the back surface of a meter housing, a back cover covering the back surface side of the substrate, and protruding through the back cover on the back surface side of the substrate. A first board-side connector and a second board-side connector, wherein the first board-side connector and the second board-side connector are formed in different colors on the first board-side connector and the second board-side connector, respectively. 2. A vehicle meter device in which a vehicle-side connector is connected to electrically connect the meter side and the vehicle side, wherein the first board-side connector and the second board-side connector are connected to the back cover. And at least one of the back cover and the two board-side connectors is formed in the same color as one of the two vehicle-side connectors, and the back cover has the first board-side connector. A first connector cover having a peripheral wall surrounding the outer periphery and a second connector cover having a peripheral wall surrounding the outer periphery of the second board-side connector are integrally formed, and when the connector is connected to the peripheral wall of the first connector cover The vehicular meter device is characterized in that a connector peeping portion that exposes a side surface of the first board-side connector is formed on the operator's line-of-sight direction side.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle meter device according to the first aspect, the two board-side connectors are formed in the same color as the first vehicle-side connector, and the back cover includes the The vehicle meter device is characterized by being formed in the same color as the second vehicle-side connector.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicular meter device according to the first or second aspect, the second connector cover has an outer peripheral shape of a peripheral wall of the first connector cover as viewed from the back direction. Unlike the above, the vehicular meter device is characterized in that a convex portion protruding in the outer peripheral direction is formed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicular meter device according to the third aspect of the present invention, a working notch is formed at the end on the front end side of the peripheral wall of the convex portion protruding in the outer peripheral direction of the second connector cover. This is a vehicle meter device.

  In the present invention, the first board side connector and the second board side connector are covered with the first connector cover and the second connector cover formed on the back cover, respectively, so that the working direction at the time of connector connection is As seen, the side surface of the first board side connector is exposed from the connector peeping portion formed on the peripheral wall of the first connector cover.

Therefore, the operator can see the side of the first board side connector from the connector peeping portion, and can recognize the color of the first board side connector.
On the other hand, since the outer periphery of the second board side connector is covered with the second connector cover, the color of the second connector cover, that is, the color of the back cover is different from the color of the second board side connector. Can be recognized. In this case, the second connector cover does not need to surround the entire surface of the peripheral wall of the second board-side connector, and the area of the second connector cover appears larger than the area of the second board-side connector. It is sufficient if the color of the connector cover can be strongly impressed.
And one of both the vehicle side connectors of the same color is connected to the both board side connectors recognized as the different colors. For example, when the first vehicle side connector and the both board side connectors have the same color, the color of the first board side connector that can be seen from the connector peeping portion of the first connector cover, and the first vehicle side connector that matches this color Is connected to prevent the erroneous connection, and the remaining second vehicle side connector and the second board side connector are connected. On the contrary, when the second vehicle side connector and the back cover are the same color, it is possible to prevent erroneous connection by connecting the color of the second connector cover and the second vehicle side connector that matches this color. The remaining first vehicle side connector and the first board side connector are connected.

  As described above, in the present invention, even if the same color and the same shape are used as the first board side connector and the second board side connector provided in the vehicle meter device, both connectors are made different colors to the operator. It is possible to prevent erroneous connection by recognizing, and it is possible to reduce the cost as compared to using different color connectors for each board side connector.

  Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 2, since both the board side connectors are formed in the same color as the first vehicle side connector and the back cover is formed in the same color as the second vehicle side connector, By connecting the first board side connector color visible from the part and the first vehicle side connector matching this color, erroneous connection is prevented, and the second board side connector surrounds the outer periphery of the second connector cover. By connecting the second vehicle side connector of the same color as the color, erroneous connection is prevented. In this way, by connecting the connectors recognized as the same color, it is possible to prevent erroneous connection.

  In addition, in the invention described in claim 3, since the convex portion is formed on the second connector cover, in identifying both the board-side connectors, in addition to the identification based on the color described above, it is based on the shape depending on the presence or absence of the convex portion. Identification is also possible, and it is possible to prevent erroneous connection. Further, the operator can identify the connectors on both board sides only by touching, and workability is improved.

  Further, in the invention according to claim 4, in the convex portion protruding in the outer peripheral direction of the second connector cover, the work cutout portion is formed at the end portion on the peripheral wall front end side. Therefore, when removing the second vehicle side connector, It is possible to insert the fingertip up to the work notch, and compared with the case where the work notch is not provided, interference between the fingertip that performs the work and the peripheral wall of the second connector cover is prevented, and workability is improved. improves.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The vehicle meter device of this embodiment includes a substrate (5) provided on the back surface of the meter housing (2, 4), a back cover (6) covering the back surface side of the substrate (5), and the substrate ( 5), a first board side connector (51) and a second board side connector (52) protruding through the back cover (6) are provided on the back side of the first board side connector (51). ) And the second board side connector (52) are connected to the vehicle side first vehicle side connector (71) and the second vehicle side connector (72) formed in different colors, respectively, A vehicle meter device that is electrically connected to a vehicle side, wherein the first board side connector (51) and the second board side connector (52) are different colors from the back cover (6). And the back cover (6) and both groups At least one of the side connectors (51, 52) is formed in the same color as one of the two vehicle side connectors (71, 72), and the back cover (6) surrounds the outer periphery of the first board side connector (51). A first connector cover (63) having peripheral walls (63, 63b, 63c) and a second connector cover (64) having peripheral walls (64a, 64b, 64c) surrounding the outer periphery of the second board side connector (52) Are formed integrally, and on the peripheral wall of the first connector cover (63), a connector peek is exposed to expose the side surface (51a) of the first board side connector (51) toward the line of sight of the operator when connecting the connector. A viewing meter (65) is formed, which is a vehicle meter device.

  Below, based on FIGS. 1-5, the meter apparatus A for vehicles of Example 1 of the best embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  First, in terms of configuration, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 4, the vehicle meter device A according to the first embodiment includes a front cover 1, an upper housing 2, a scale board 3, a lower housing 4, a substrate 5, and a back cover 6. The scale plate 3 is supported between an upper housing 2 serving as a meter housing and a lower housing 4, and the substrate 5 is mounted on the rear surface of the lower housing 4 (the side facing the occupant when the vehicle is installed, as shown in FIG. 4). As shown in the side view of FIG. 5, the back surface of the substrate 5 is covered with the back cover 6 while the back surface of the substrate 5 is covered with the back cover 6. It is done.

  The scale plate 3 is provided with a non-transparent colored layer and a translucent part having translucency on a transparent thin plate such as polycarbonate resin, for example, as shown in FIG. A scale 3a for the meter, a scale 3b for the tachometer, a scale 3c for the fuel meter, a scale 3d for the cooling water temperature, and other indicators 3e are displayed.

  The upper housing 2 is made of resin, and in the first embodiment, a black one is used. The lower housing 4 is made of resin, and in the first embodiment, a white one is used.

In the assembled state of the vehicle meter device A, a plurality of engaging claws 1a, 2a, 6a integrally formed on the front cover 1, the upper housing 2, and the back cover 6 are formed on the lower housing 4. By engaging with the engagement holes 4a, these are integrally coupled.
The substrate 5 is a thin plate formed of a resin such as glass epoxy, for example, and mounted with a movement (not shown) for driving the pointers a and b, a controller (not shown) for driving a light emitting diode for dial illumination, etc. In addition, a circuit is printed, and a plurality of points are fixed to the lower housing 4 with screws (not shown).

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the first board side connector 51 and the second board side connector 52 are mounted on the board 5 in a state of protruding from the back side of the board 5. The first board-side connector 51 and the second board-side connector 52 are connected to the first vehicle-side connector 71 and the second vehicle-side connector 72 that are connected to electrical equipment (not shown) on the vehicle side, so that the vehicle side The electrical device is electrically connected to the movement or controller provided on the substrate 5.

  The first board-side connector 51 and the second board-side connector 52 are pin connection holes 511 for inserting pins (not shown) provided on the vehicle-side connectors 71 and 72 into a resin molded product formed in a box shape. A plurality of 512 (see FIG. 3) are provided, which have the same shape and the same color. In the first embodiment, white connectors are used as the board-side connectors 51 and 52.

  The first vehicle-side connector 71 and the second vehicle-side connector 72 are also formed by projecting a plurality of pins to be inserted into the above-described pin connection holes 511, 512 inside a box-shaped resin molded product. Are formed in the same shape, but are formed in different colors. In the first embodiment, the first vehicle-side connector 71 is white and the second vehicle-side connector 72 is black. Yes. Lock operation parts 711 and 721 are provided on the side surfaces of both the vehicle side connectors 71 and 72. When the connector lock parts 711 and 721 are pressed from the outside, the board side connectors 51 and 52 are connected. It is a known structure that can be unlocked.

  The back cover 6 is made of resin. In the first embodiment, the back cover 6 has a color different from that of the board-side connectors 51 and 52 and the same black color as that of the second vehicle-side connector 72 is used. . As shown in FIG. 2, the back cover 6 is provided with receiving recesses 6b, 6b, 6b, 6b for receiving a movement, a controller, etc. (not shown) provided on the substrate 5 protruding in the back direction. Yes.

Further, the back cover 6 is provided with a first connector through hole 61 and a second connector through hole 62 through which the first board side connector 51 and the second board side connector 52 respectively penetrate.
A first connector cover 63 that surrounds the outer periphery of the first board-side connector 51 in an assembled state is integrally formed around the first connector through hole 61. The first connector cover 63 is formed in a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape by an upper side wall 63a, lateral side walls 63b and 63b, and a lower side wall 63c as peripheral walls.
A second connector cover 64 is integrally formed around the second connector through hole 62 so as to surround the outer periphery of the second board side connector 52 in an assembled state. The second connector cover 64 is formed in a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape by an upper side wall 64a, lateral side walls 64b and 64b, and a lower side wall 64c as peripheral walls.

  In the first connector cover 63, a connector peeping portion 65 is formed on the upper side wall 63a on the arrow UP direction side. The connector peeping portion 65 is formed over the entire length in the height direction from the distal end to the proximal end of the upper side wall 63a at the intermediate portion in the width direction of the upper side wall 63a.

On the other hand, on the upper wall 64a of the second connector cover 64 in the direction of the arrow UP, bosses 52b and 52b shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 that receive screws (not shown) for fixing the second board side connector 52 to the board 5 and In order to avoid the interference, a convex portion 66 protruding in the outer peripheral direction is formed, and in this convex portion 66, a work window (work notch portion) 66a is opened at the tip of the upper side wall 64a. .
The work window 66a includes a fingertip that grips the second vehicle-side connector 72 when the second board-side connector 52 and the second vehicle-side connector 72 are connected, and a fingertip that presses the lock operation portion 721 when the connection is released. Is dimensioned to avoid interference with the second connector cover 64.

  Further, in the first connector cover 63, the connector peeping portion 65 is opened to prevent interference between the upper side wall 63a and the boss portions 51b and 51b, and the fingertip that presses the lock operation portion 711 is the first one. Interference with the 1 connector cover 63 can be avoided. As shown in FIG. 3, arc-shaped notches 61b and 61b that prevent interference with the bosses 51b and 51b are formed on the periphery of the first connector through hole 61.

Next, the operation of the vehicle meter device according to the first embodiment will be described.
When the operator looks down on the vehicle meter device A from above in the assembled state of the vehicle meter device A, it looks as shown in FIG.
In this case, the side surface 51a of the first board side connector 51 looks large over the substantially entire length of the upper side wall 63a through the connector peeping portion 65 formed on the upper side wall 63a of the first connector cover 63 of the back cover 6. ing. That is, on the upper side wall 63a of the black first connector cover 63, the white side surface 51a of the first board-side connector 51 is visible, and the operator can recognize this as a “white connector”.
Therefore, the worker connects the first first vehicle-side connector 71 having the same color as the first board-side connector 51 recognized as the “white connector”.

On the other hand, the side surface of the second board side connector 52 is almost surrounded by the second connector cover 64 of the black back cover 6, and the operator can connect the second board side connector 52 with the second connector cover 64. It can be recognized as an enclosed “black connector”.
Therefore, the operator connects the black second vehicle-side connector 72 having the same color as the second board-side connector 52 recognized as the “black connector”.

Thus, in the first embodiment, the white first vehicle-side connector 71 is connected to the first board-side connector 51 that is recognized as the “white connector” of the same color, and the black second vehicle-side connector is connected. In connecting 72 to the second board side connector 52 that is recognized as a “black connector”, the connectors that are recognized as the same color are connected to each other, so that erroneous connection can be prevented.
Moreover, a white connector is used in common as the first board side connector 51 and the second board side connector 52, and the first connector cover 63 and the second connector cover 64 formed integrally with the existing back cover 6 are formed. Because both board-side connectors 51 and 52 are recognized as “white” and “black” due to the difference in appearance of both board-side connectors 51 and 52 based on the Compared to using two types of different colors, the cost can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced compared to adding a new accessory and recognizing a color different from the actual color. Is possible.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the convex portion 66 is formed on the second connector cover 64 so that both the connector covers 63 and 64, that is, the both board-side connectors 51 and 52 inside thereof can be identified. While the erroneous connection prevention performance is further enhanced, the difference in the shape enables the operator to identify both the board-side connectors 51 and 52 not only by visual observation but also by touching, thereby improving workability.
Further, since the convex portion 66 is formed using a shape that prevents interference with the boss portions 52b, 52b used to fix the second board side connector 52 to the board 5, the second connector cover 64 is provided. The above-described shape difference can be set while miniaturizing as much as possible.

  Further, in the first embodiment, when the second board-side connector 52 is enclosed by the second connector cover 64, a working window 66a is provided on the upper side wall 64a, instead of obscuring the entire area of the upper side wall 64a. Since the fingertip that grips the second vehicle side connector 72 and the fingertip that presses the lock operation portion 721 are prevented from interfering with the second connector cover 64 during the connection work and the connection release work of both the connectors 52, 72. Good workability can be ensured.

  As mentioned above, although Embodiment and Example 1 of this invention were explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the concrete structure is not restricted to this Embodiment and Example 1, and does not deviate from the summary of this invention. A degree of design change is included in the present invention.

For example, in the first embodiment, the color of the first vehicle-side connector 71 (white) matches the color of both the board-side connectors 51 and 52, and the color of the second vehicle-side connector 72 (black) and the back cover 6 Although an example in which the colors are matched is shown, at least the color of the first vehicle-side connector 71 and the colors of the two board-side connectors 51 and 52, the color of the second vehicle-side connector 72, and the color of the back cover 6 are shown. Can be prevented by connecting the matching colors to each other, and the other color does not necessarily have to be the same color.
Also, when matching the above colors, the colors used are not limited to “white” and “black” shown in the embodiment, and other colors may be used.
In the present invention, “first” and “second” of the first board side connector and the second board side connector are for distinguishing between the two connectors, and any of the two connectors is designated as the first. In short, it suffices that one of the two board-side connectors has the same color as the vehicle-side connector and one or the back cover.

  Moreover, in Example 1, when forming the connector peeping part 65 in the 1st connector cover 63, although the example formed over the protrusion direction full length of the base end from the front-end | tip of the upper side wall 63a was shown, it is limited to this. In short, if the opening in which the side of the first board side connector 51 arranged on the inside of the wall in the viewing direction of the operator can be seen, the shape is round, square, triangular, It may be formed in any way such as a semicircle, and the size thereof is shown in Example 1 such as making a hole in the middle part of the wall or forming it in the middle part from the base end side of the wall. As shown in the first embodiment, the number is not limited to the one, and not only one connector peeping portion 65 is formed on one upper side wall 63a but also one wall (for example, the upper side wall). 63a) or a plurality of walls (eg upper side) Across 63a and lateral sidewalls 63 b), or it may be formed on each of the walls.

It is the top view which looked at the meter apparatus A for vehicles of Example 1 of the best embodiment of this invention from the upper direction. It is the perspective view which looked at the back cover 6 of the meter apparatus A for vehicles of Example 1 from the back side. It is a rear view which shows the vehicle meter apparatus A of Example 1. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a vehicle meter device A according to a first embodiment. 1 is a side view illustrating a vehicle meter device A according to a first embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

2 Upper housing (meter housing)
3 Scale plate 4 Lower housing (meter housing)
5 Substrate 6 Back cover 51 First substrate side connector 51a Side surface 52 Second substrate side connector 63 First connector cover 63a Upper side wall (peripheral wall)
63b Side wall (peripheral wall)
63c Lower side wall (peripheral wall)
64 Second connector cover 64a Upper side wall (peripheral wall)
64b Side wall (peripheral wall)
64c Lower side wall (peripheral wall)
65 Connector peeking part 66 Convex part 71 1st vehicle side connector 72 2nd vehicle side connector A Vehicle meter apparatus

Claims (4)

A substrate provided on the back of the meter housing;
A back cover covering the back side of the substrate;
A first board-side connector and a second board-side connector protruding through the back cover on the back side of the board;
A vehicle-side first vehicle-side connector and a second vehicle-side connector formed in different colors are connected to the first board-side connector and the second board-side connector, respectively. A vehicle meter device in which electrical connection is made,
The first board side connector and the second board side connector are formed in the same color with a different color from the back cover, and at least one of the back cover and the both board side connectors is one of the two vehicle side connectors. Is formed in the same color as
The back cover is integrally formed with a first connector cover having a peripheral wall surrounding the outer periphery of the first board-side connector and a second connector cover having a peripheral wall surrounding the outer periphery of the second board-side connector,
A vehicular meter device, wherein a connector peeping portion for exposing a side surface of the first board side connector is formed on the peripheral wall of the first connector cover on the side of the operator's line of sight when the connector is connected.   2. The board-side connector is formed in the same color as the first vehicle-side connector, and the back cover is formed in the same color as the second vehicle-side connector. Vehicle meter device.   3. The second connector cover is formed with a convex portion protruding in the outer peripheral direction, unlike the outer peripheral shape of the peripheral wall of the first connector cover when viewed from the back direction. The vehicle meter device described in 1.   4. The vehicular meter device according to claim 3, wherein a working notch portion is formed at an end portion on a distal end side of the peripheral wall of the convex portion protruding in the outer peripheral direction of the second connector cover.

Images