JP2009128242A - Pointer meter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily recognize which information is displayed in a pointer meter for switching two pieces of information to display. <P>SOLUTION: A pointer meter 1 includes: a dial 2 formed with a first index part 21 for displaying first information and a second index part 22 for displaying second information; pointers 3 rotated along the visual side front face of the dial 2; and a control means 6 for switching between the first information and the second information and for controlling rotation of the pointers 3 based on the switched information. The first index part 21 and the second index part 22 are formed along a rotation trace of the pointers 3, and formed in mutually separated angle ranges R1, R2 in a rotation angle range R0 of the pointers 3. The control means 6 controls rotation of the pointers 3 in the angle range R1 of the first index part 21 based on the switched first information and controls rotation of the pointers 3 in the angle range R2 of the second index part 22 based on the switched second information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointer instrument that switches and displays two pieces of information.

  As a pointer instrument that switches and displays two pieces of information, a pointer instrument that switches between a fuel consumption meter and a tachometer is disclosed (see Patent Document 1). This is because the indicator part for displaying the fuel consumption is formed on the inner peripheral side of the indicator part for displaying the engine speed, and the pointer that rotates the front face of the dial along both indicator parts And a changeover switch for switching between the fuel consumption meter and the tachometer, and an identification lamp for identifying and displaying the changeover.

In this pointer meter, by switching to the fuel consumption meter, the rotation of the pointer is controlled so as to indicate an indicator for displaying the fuel consumption, the fuel consumption is displayed, and the engine speed is displayed by switching to the tachometer. The engine speed is displayed by controlling the rotation of the pointer so as to indicate the indicator section.
JP 2000-1331098 A

  In Patent Document 1, an attempt is made to recognize whether the indicator indicates the indicator portion of the fuel consumption meter or the tachometer by turning on or off the identification lamp. Since the instruction is given, it is difficult to recognize which index part is designated.

  Such a problem is not limited to the pointer instrument that switches and displays the fuel consumption and the engine speed, but is common to the pointer instrument that switches and displays two pieces of information.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to make it easier to recognize which information is being displayed in a pointer instrument that switches and displays two pieces of information.

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

  A pointer instrument according to claim 1 is a dial having a first indicator portion for displaying first information and a second indicator portion for displaying second information, and a front side of the dial on the viewing side. And a control means for switching the information between the first information and the second information and controlling the rotation of the pointer based on the switched information. And the second indicator portion are formed along the turning trajectory of the pointer and are formed in angular ranges separated from each other in the turning angle range of the pointer, and the control means performs the first based on the switched first information. The rotation of the pointer is controlled in the angle range of the indicator portion, and the rotation of the pointer is controlled in the angle range of the second indicator portion based on the switched second information.

  In this configuration, the first indicator portion and the second indicator portion are formed along the turning trajectory of the pointer and are formed in an angular range separated from each other in the turning angle range of the pointer. Thereby, since the pointer does not indicate both indicator portions at the same time, it is easy to recognize which indicator portion is indicated by the pointer, that is, which information is displayed.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 2, wherein a dial having a first indicator portion representing the first information and having light transmittance, and a second indicator portion representing the second information and having light transmittance, and a character A pointer that rotates along the front side of the dial on the viewing side, a first light source that is disposed behind the dial and transmits the first indicator portion, and a second indicator portion that is disposed behind the dial and transmits the second indicator portion. Between the first information and the second information, the second light source, the light shielding member that shields light between the first light source and the second indicator portion, and the light shield between the second light source and the first indicator portion. Control for switching information, controlling turning of the pointer based on the switched information, and controlling turning on / off of the first light source and turning on / off of the second light source based on the switching And a first indicator portion and a second indicator portion are formed along the turning trajectory of the pointer, and when the control means switches to the first information, The first light source is turned on, the second light source is turned off, and the rotation of the pointer is controlled in the range where the first indicator portion is formed based on the switched first information, and the second When the information is switched, the second light source is turned on, the first light source is turned off, and the pointer is rotated within a range where the second indicator portion is formed based on the switched second information. It is characterized by controlling.

  In this configuration, the light shielding member shields light between the first light source and the second index part and between the second light source and the first index part, and turns on the first light source when switching to the first information. To turn off the second light source. For this reason, since the second indicator portion is not transmitted and the first indicator portion is transmitted and illuminated, when switching to the first information, the pointer indicates the transmitted first indicator portion, and the transmitted illumination is transmitted. It can be recognized that the pointer does not indicate the second indicator portion that has not been set.

  On the other hand, when the second information is switched, the second light source is turned on and the first light source is turned off. Therefore, the first index portion is not transmitted and the second index portion is transmitted and illuminated. Accordingly, when switching to the second information, it can be recognized that the pointer indicates the second indicator portion that is illuminated and the pointer does not indicate the first indicator portion that is not illuminated. Therefore, it is possible to easily recognize which indicator portion is indicated by the pointer, that is, which information is displayed.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 3 is characterized in that the control means performs switching based on the third information. Thereby, this switching can be performed automatically.

  Hereinafter, an example in which the pointer instrument according to the present invention is applied to a pointer instrument mounted on an automatic transmission (AT) vehicle will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
A pointer instrument 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a pointer instrument that is arranged in front of the driver's seat and switches between the instantaneous fuel consumption of the host vehicle as the first information and the engine speed of the host vehicle as the second information. The dial 3 includes a dial 2 on which a first indicator portion 21 for displaying instantaneous fuel consumption and a second indicator portion 22 for displaying engine speed are formed. The instantaneous fuel consumption (km / L) is a value calculated based on the travel distance (km / km, km) of the host vehicle and the fuel consumption (liter, L), and is a value related to the engine speed. It can be said. Whether or not the vehicle is traveling on an economy / ecology (eco) with high instantaneous fuel consumption can be determined from the instantaneous fuel consumption.

  The pointer 3 rotates along the front side of the dial 2 on the viewing side, the first indicator portion 21 and the second indicator portion 22 are formed along the turning locus of the pointer 3, and the pointer 3 rotates. The angle ranges R1 and R2 are separated from each other in the angle range R0. That is, the first index portion 21 is formed in the angle range R1, and the second index portion 22 is formed in the angle range R2 separated from the angle range R1.

  In FIG. 2, the dial 2 is configured by forming a light-shielding, for example, black background layer 23 on a light-transmitting substrate 20 such as a polycarbonate resin, and the first indicator portion 21 and the second indicator portion 22 include a background layer. 23 openings are formed. Thereby, the 1st parameter | index part 21 which has a light transmittance, and the 2nd parameter | index part 22 which has a light transmittance are formed. A movement 31, light emitting diodes (LEDs) 41 and 42, a case 51 and a printed board 52 are arranged behind the dial 2, and the movement 31 and the light emitting diodes 41 and 42 are mounted on the printed board 52. The light emitting diode 41 is a light source that causes the pointer 3 to emit light, and the light emitting diode 42 is a light source that transmits and illuminates the first indicator portion 21 and the second indicator portion 22.

  The movement 31 is composed of an electric actuator such as a stepping motor or a cross coil type rotating machine, and rotates the shaft 32 at an angle corresponding to an external electric signal (in this embodiment, an instantaneous fuel consumption signal or an engine speed signal). It is something to move. The shaft 32 of the movement 31 extends to the viewing side, and the pointer 3 is fixed to the tip thereof. The pointer 3 is formed of a translucent material, such as acrylic resin, and is formed so that the tip portion of the pointer 3 is lit and displayed by the light emitted from the light emitting diode 41. The case 51 is molded from a resin material, and has a function of guiding light from the light emitting diode 41 to the pointer 3 and a function of guiding light from the light emitting diode 42 to the first indicator portion 21 and the second indicator portion 22.

  The meter control device 6 which is a control means is composed of a microcomputer or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the meter control device 6 is connected to an engine control device 71 which controls the engine of the host vehicle. Outputs an instantaneous fuel consumption signal and an engine speed signal. The meter control device 6 is connected to a speed sensor 72 that detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle, which is the third information, so that a vehicle speed signal can be input.

  The meter control device 6 is configured to switch information between the instantaneous fuel consumption and the engine speed, and to control the rotation of the pointer 3, that is, the operation of the movement 31 based on the switched information. Specifically, when the meter control device 6 switches to the instantaneous fuel consumption and displays the instantaneous fuel consumption, the meter control device 6 controls the rotation of the pointer 3 in the angle range R1 of the first indicator unit 21 based on the switched instantaneous fuel consumption signal, That is, the operation of the movement 31 is controlled so that the pointer 3 is rotated to an angle corresponding to the instantaneous fuel consumption signal in the angle range R1 of the first indicator portion 21. Also, when the meter control device 6 displays the engine speed by switching to the engine speed, the meter control device 6 controls the rotation of the pointer 3 in the angle range R2 of the second index portion 22 based on the signal of the switched engine speed. That is, the operation of the movement 31 is controlled so that the pointer 3 is rotated to an angle corresponding to the signal of the engine speed in the angle range R2 of the second indicator portion 22.

  The meter control device 6 is configured to perform the above-described switching based on a vehicle speed signal. Specifically, when the vehicle speed is zero, the engine speed is switched to display the engine speed, and when the vehicle speed is not zero, that is, when the host vehicle starts running, the instantaneous fuel consumption is switched to the instantaneous fuel consumption. .

  Here, in an automatic transmission (AT) car, it is not necessary to run while checking the engine speed during running, and the engine is used to check the idling state (idling stability) when the vehicle stops during daily inspection. It is considered sufficient to be able to check the rotation speed. On the other hand, with the recent increase in environmental problems, eco-driving is required, and the necessity of traveling while checking the instantaneous fuel consumption is increasing in order to check whether eco-driving is being performed. However, when stopping, there is no need to check the instantaneous fuel consumption.

  Based on these ideas, when the vehicle speed is zero, the engine speed is switched to display the engine speed, and when the vehicle speed is not zero, that is, when the host vehicle starts running, the instantaneous fuel consumption is switched to the instantaneous fuel consumption. Is displayed.

  Also, since it is considered sufficient to be able to check the engine speed for checking the idling state, the second index portion 22 is limited to a narrow range of 0 to 2000 rpm (rotation speed / minute) as shown in FIG. It becomes possible to do. Therefore, it is not necessary to make the first indicator portion 21 and the second indicator portion 22 formed in the angular ranges R1 and R2 separated from each other small, and the visibility of the first indicator portion 21 and the second indicator portion 22 is impaired. There is nothing.

  The operation of the pointer instrument 1 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

  When an ignition switch (not shown) is turned on, in FIG. 3, the meter control device 6 detects that and starts operation, calculates the vehicle speed based on the signal from the speed sensor 72, and based on this, calculates the instantaneous fuel consumption And the engine speed are switched, and the switched information is displayed. At this time, the light emitting diodes 41 and 42 are turned on, the pointer 3 is displayed in a light emission manner, and the first indicator portion 21 and the second indicator portion 22 are transmitted and illuminated.

  When the vehicle speed is zero, the engine speed is displayed. Specifically, the meter control device 6 controls the rotation of the pointer 3 in the angle range R2 of the second indicator portion 22 based on the signal of the engine speed, that is, the engine in the angle range R2 of the second indicator portion 22. The operation of the movement 31 is controlled so that the pointer 3 is rotated to an angle corresponding to the signal of the rotational speed. Thereby, the engine speed is displayed, and the driver checks the idling state by this display.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle speed is not zero, that is, when the host vehicle starts running, the instantaneous fuel consumption is displayed by switching to the instantaneous fuel consumption. Specifically, the meter control device 6 controls the rotation of the pointer 3 in the angle range R1 of the first indicator portion 21 based on the switched instantaneous fuel consumption signal, that is, in the angle range R1 of the first indicator portion 21. The operation of the movement 31 is controlled so that the pointer 3 is rotated to an angle corresponding to the instantaneous fuel consumption signal. Thereby, the instantaneous fuel consumption is displayed, and by this display, the driver travels while checking the instantaneous fuel consumption.

  As described above, the first indicator portion 21 and the second indicator portion 22 are formed in the angular ranges R1 and R2 formed along the turning locus of the pointer 3 and separated from each other in the turning angle range R0 of the pointer 3. Is formed. As a result, the indicator 3 does not indicate both the indicator portions 21 and 22 at the same time. Therefore, which of the indicator portions 21 and 22 is indicated by the indicator 3, that is, which of instantaneous fuel consumption and engine speed is indicated by the indicator instrument 1 can be easily recognized. Therefore, it is possible to reliably perform the above-described idling state check and traveling while checking the instantaneous fuel consumption.

  In addition, since this switching can be automatically performed based on the vehicle speed signal, the driver can automatically switch between checking the idling state and driving while checking the instantaneous fuel consumption. Can do.

  The pointer instrument 1 according to the present embodiment described above includes the first indicator portion 21 for displaying the instantaneous fuel consumption as the first information and the second indicator portion 22 for displaying the engine speed as the second information. Information is switched between the formed dial 2, the pointer 3 that rotates along the front side of the dial 2 on the viewing side, the instantaneous fuel consumption and the engine speed, and the pointer 3 A meter control device 6 that is a control means for controlling the rotation, the first indicator portion 21 and the second indicator portion 22 are formed along the turning locus of the pointer 3, and the turning of the pointer 3 The meter control device 6 is formed in angle ranges R1 and R2 separated from each other in the angle range R0, and the meter control device 6 controls the rotation of the pointer 3 in the angle range R1 of the first indicator portion 21 based on the switched instantaneous fuel consumption. Based on the switched engine speed Controlling the rotation of the pointer 3 in the angular range R2 of the indicator portion 22.

  This makes it easier to recognize which information is being displayed in the pointer instrument that switches between two pieces of information for display.

(Second Embodiment)
In 1st Embodiment, although the 1st parameter | index part 21 and the 2nd parameter | index part 22 were formed in angle range R1, R2 mutually isolate | separated in rotation angle range R0 of the pointer | guide 3, it is not restricted to this. Instead of the first index part 21 and the second index part 22, as shown in FIG. 4, the first index part 121 for displaying the instantaneous fuel consumption as the first information and the engine speed as the second information are displayed. The second indicator 122 for this purpose can be the pointer instrument 10 having the dial 12 formed in the same angular range in the rotational angle range of the pointer 3. In the pointer instrument 10, the second indicator portion 122 is formed inside the first indicator portion 121, and the first indicator portion 121 and the second indicator portion 122 are formed along the turning locus of the indicator 3.

  In FIG. 5, the dial 12 is configured by forming a light-shielding, for example, black background layer 123 on a light-transmitting substrate 120 such as a polycarbonate resin, and the first indicator portion 121 and the second indicator portion 122 include a background layer. 123 is formed as an opening. Thereby, the 1st parameter | index part 121 which has a light transmittance, and the 2nd parameter | index part 122 which has a light transmittance are formed.

  A light emitting diode 43 as a first light source and a light emitting diode 44 as a second light source are provided instead of the light emitting diode 42 on the back side of the dial 12, and a case 510 which is a light shielding member instead of the case 51. Is provided. The light emitting diode 43 transmits and illuminates the first indicator portion 121, and the light emitting diode 44 transmits and illuminates the second indicator portion 122, which are mounted on the printed circuit board 52. The case 510 is molded from a resin material, shields light between the light emitting diode 43 and the second indicator part 122, and shields light between the light emitting diode 44 and the first indicator part 121. That is, the case 510 guides the light from the light emitting diode 43 to the first indicator portion 121 and not to the second indicator portion 122, and guides the light from the light emitting diode 44 to the second indicator portion 122 and the first indicator portion 122. It has a function that does not lead to the index unit 121.

  The meter control device 6 as a control means switches information between the instantaneous fuel consumption and the engine speed, and controls the rotation of the pointer 3 based on the switched information, and also emits light based on this switching. The diodes 43 and 44 are configured to control turning on and off. Specifically, when the meter control device 6 switches to the instantaneous fuel consumption and displays the instantaneous fuel consumption, the meter control device 6 turns on the light emitting diode 43, turns off the light emitting diode 44, and uses the switched instantaneous fuel consumption signal as a signal. Based on this, the rotation of the pointer 3 is controlled in the range where the first indicator 121 is formed. When the meter control device 6 switches to the engine speed and displays the engine speed, the meter control device 6 turns on the light emitting diode 44, turns off the light emitting diode 43, and based on the signal of the switched engine speed. Thus, the rotation of the pointer 3 is controlled within the range where the second indicator portion 122 is formed.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the case 510 shields light between the light emitting diode 43 and the second indicator portion 122 and between the light emitting diode 44 and the first indicator portion 121, and switches to instantaneous fuel consumption to reduce the instantaneous fuel consumption. When displaying, the light emitting diode 43 is turned on and the light emitting diode 44 is turned off. For this reason, since the second indicator portion 122 is not transmitted and the first indicator portion 121 is transmitted and illuminated, when the instantaneous fuel consumption is displayed by switching to the instantaneous fuel efficiency, the transmitted first illuminated indicator portion 121 is used. It can be recognized that the pointer 3 indicates that the pointer 3 does not indicate the second indicator portion 122 that is not illuminated.

  On the other hand, when the engine speed is switched to display the engine speed, the light emitting diode 44 is turned on and the light emitting diode 43 is extinguished. Therefore, the first index section 121 is not transmitted and the second index section 122 is not transmitted. Is transmitted and illuminated. Thus, when the engine speed is displayed by switching to the engine speed, the pointer 3 indicates the second indicator portion 122 that is transmissively illuminated, and the pointer 3 indicates the first indicator portion 121 that is not transmissively illuminated. It can be recognized that there is no instruction.

  Therefore, it is easy to recognize which of the indicator sections 121 and 122 is indicated by the pointer 3, that is, which of the instantaneous fuel consumption and the engine speed is indicated by the pointer meter 1.

  In the above-described example, the instantaneous fuel consumption display and the engine speed display are automatically switched based on the vehicle speed signal. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, this display switching can be automatically performed based on a signal from a shift position sensor that detects an AT shift position or a signal from a sensor that detects whether or not a parking brake is applied. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which this display switching is performed by a changeover switch.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to switching between instantaneous fuel consumption display and engine speed display. For example, in a hybrid vehicle that travels using both an electric motor that generates a driving force by electric power and an engine that generates a driving force by an internal combustion engine, a power meter that displays the total power of the engine power from the engine and the electric power from the motor However, the present invention can be applied to switching between the display of the total power and the display of the engine speed and the switching between the display of the total power and the display of the instantaneous fuel consumption.

  Moreover, not only the above-mentioned example but various modifications can be considered.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a pointer instrument 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a circuit configuration diagram of the pointer meter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view of the pointer instrument 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1, 10 Pointer instrument, 2, 12 Dial, 20, 120 Light transmissive substrate 21, 121 First indicator portion, 22, 122 Second indicator portion, 23, 123 Background layer 3 Pointer, 31 Movement, 32 Shaft 41, 42 light emitting diode (LED), 43 light emitting diode (first light source)
44 Light-emitting diode (second light source), 51 case, 510 case (light-shielding member)
52 Printed circuit board, 6 Meter control device (control means), 71 Engine control device 72 Speed sensor

Claims (3)

A dial formed with a first indicator portion for displaying first information and a second indicator portion for displaying second information;
A pointer that rotates along the front side of the dial on the viewing side;
Control means for switching information between the first information and the second information, and controlling the rotation of the pointer based on the switched information,
The first indicator portion and the second indicator portion are formed along a turning locus of the pointer, and are formed in an angular range separated from each other in a turning angle range of the pointer,
The control means controls the rotation of the pointer in the angle range of the first indicator portion based on the switched first information, and the second indicator portion based on the switched second information. A pointer instrument for controlling the rotation of the pointer within the angular range of the pointer. A dial formed with a first indicator portion representing first information and having light transparency; and a second indicator portion representing second information and having light transmittance;
A pointer that rotates along the front side of the dial on the viewing side;
A first light source disposed behind the dial and transmissively illuminating the first indicator portion;
A second light source disposed behind the dial and transmitting and illuminating the second indicator portion;
A light shielding member that shields light between the first light source and the second indicator portion and shields light between the second light source and the first indicator portion;
The information is switched between the first information and the second information, the turning of the pointer is controlled based on the switched information, and the first light source is turned on and off based on the switching. Control means for controlling extinction and turning on / off of the second light source,
The first indicator portion and the second indicator portion are formed along a turning locus of the pointer,
When the control means switches to the first information, the first indicator is turned on, the second light source is turned off, and the first index is based on the switched first information. Controlling the rotation of the pointer in a range where a portion is formed, and turning on the second light source when switching to the second information, and turning off the first light source, The pointer instrument controls the rotation of the pointer in a range where the second indicator portion is formed based on the switched second information.   The pointer instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means performs the switching based on third information.

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