JP2009180656A - Pointer instrument device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pointer instrument device capable of reducing cost by reducing the number of components for illumination, and illuminating excellently a plurality of illumination objects. <P>SOLUTION: The pointer instrument device 1 includes a light source 2, a light guide 5 for guiding light from the light source 2, a display element 12 illuminated by the light source 2, case bodies 9, 11 with at least the display element 12 and the light guide 5, a dial plate 13 with an index part 13b positioned on the periphery of the display element, and a pointer 14 for indicating the index part 13b. In the device 1, a transmission panel 10 comprising a translucent material and with a plurality of irradiation parts 10a-10c is provided on the back of the display element 12, and optical members 6-8 for changing a directional characteristic of light from the light guide 5 are provided between the transmission panel 10 and the light guide 5 on a position corresponding to at least one of the plurality of irradiation parts 10a-10c of the transmission panel 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a pointer-type instrument device having a pointer and a dial, and more particularly to a pointer-type instrument device having a display element at the center of rotation of the pointer.

The thing of the following patent document 1 is known as a conventional pointer type instrument apparatus. A conventional pointer-type instrument device includes a display element, a dial plate provided with an indicator portion positioned around the display element, a pointer indicating the indicator portion, and a light source that illuminates the display element and the pointer, respectively. And a light guide that guides the light from each light source to the display element and the pointer, respectively, and a drive device that is disposed on the back side of the display element and rotates the pointer.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-118892

  However, in such a pointer-type instrument device, a light source and a light guide have to be provided exclusively for the display element illumination and the pointer illumination, respectively. In addition, a separate light source must be provided for dial illumination. Therefore, the conventional pointer-type instrument device has a problem that the number of parts is large and the cost cannot be reduced.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to reduce the cost by sharing the light source for display element illumination, the light source for pointer illumination, and the light source for dial illumination, but the display element, the pointer, and the dial have different required brightness. Since the display element and the pointer are required to have high luminance, there is a problem that it is difficult to satisfactorily illuminate a plurality of illumination objects with a common light source.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these problems, and a pointer-type instrument device capable of reducing the number of parts for illumination to reduce costs and illuminating a plurality of illumination objects satisfactorily. It is to provide.

  The present invention provides a light source, a light guide for guiding light from the light source, a display element illuminated by the light source, a case body including at least the display element and the light guide, and the display element In a pointer-type instrument device comprising a dial plate having an indicator portion located around and a pointer indicating the indicator portion, the display includes a transmissive panel made of a translucent material and having a plurality of irradiation portions. A directional characteristic of light from the light guide is provided on the back surface of the element, at a position corresponding to at least one of the plurality of irradiation portions of the transmission panel, and between the transmission panel and the light guide. An optical member to be changed is provided.

  In the present invention, one of the plurality of irradiation units is a first irradiation unit that irradiates the display element with light from the light guide.

  In the present invention, one of the plurality of irradiation units is a second irradiation unit that irradiates the dial with light from the light guide.

  In the present invention, one of the plurality of irradiation units is a third irradiation unit that irradiates the pointer with light from the light guide.

  According to the present invention, the light guide is provided with a positioning portion for determining the arrangement position of the optical member.

  In the present invention, a support portion for fixing the display element is provided on the transmissive panel.

  Further, the present invention provides a concavo-convex group for changing the directional characteristics of light from the light guide at a position corresponding to at least one of the plurality of irradiation portions of the transmissive panel and on the front side and / or the back side. It is provided.

  Moreover, this invention provides the said uneven | corrugated group in the position corresponding to a said 1st irradiation part.

  Moreover, this invention provides the said uneven | corrugated group in the position corresponding to a said 2nd irradiation part.

  Moreover, this invention provides the said uneven | corrugated group in the position corresponding to a said 3rd irradiation part.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a pointer-type instrument device that can achieve the intended purpose, reduce the number of parts for illumination, reduce costs, and can illuminate a plurality of illumination objects satisfactorily. Can do.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 1, the pointer-type instrument device 1 according to the present embodiment is mainly composed of a display element 12, a dial plate 13, a pointer 14, and an illumination device 16. In addition, 15 is a turn made of synthetic resin, and visually recognizes the pointer-type instrument device 1 through the opening 15a. In FIG. 1, the payback 15 is not shown.

  The display element 12 is a liquid crystal display element and can be transmitted and illuminated from behind. In addition, information about the vehicle is displayed.

  The dial plate 13 is made of a synthetic resin that can transmit light, and is disposed in the lighting device 16. The dial plate 13 has a through hole 13a in the center of which the display area of the display element 12 is exposed, and an index composed of scales and characters positioned around the display area of the display element 12 (through hole 13a). A portion 13b is provided. In this embodiment, the indicator portion 13b is formed of a light-transmitting paint, and the ground portion is formed of a light-shielding paint.

  The pointer 14 is made of a synthetic resin that can transmit light, is connected to a driving device (not shown), and rotates on the dial 13 on which the indicator portion 13b is formed.

  The illumination device 16 is mainly composed of a lower case 9, an upper case 11, a light source 2, and a light guide 5. In addition, 4 is a thin plate-shaped reflection sheet, and reflects the light which passes the inside of the light guide 5 favorably. Reference numeral 6 denotes a thin plate-like diffusion sheet, and 7 and 8 denote thin plate-like prism sheets, which are arranged so that groove-like prism rows aligned in one direction are substantially orthogonal to each other. The diffusion sheet 6 and the prism sheets 7 and 8 are optical members that change the directivity characteristics of the light from the light guide 5. In this embodiment, the light directivity characteristics are adjusted to collect light. The brightness for illuminating the display element 12 is improved.

  The light source 2 is, for example, a light emitting diode. The display element 12, the dial plate 13, and the pointer 14 are illuminated. Reference numeral 3 denotes a substrate that is electrically connected to the light source 1. The base material of the substrate 3 is made of a flexible insulating material such as polyimide and is provided with a wiring pattern (not shown). Further, when the base material of the substrate 3 is a material in which an insulating material is laminated on a metal, an effect of diffusing heat generated by the light source 1 can be expected.

  The light guide 5 is made of a synthetic resin that can transmit light, and guides light from the light source 1. The light guide 5 has an arc shape with a plane that is one string in a front view, and this single plane constitutes a light receiving surface 5b that receives light from the light source 1, and the light receiving surface 5b. A luminance adjustment portion 5c made of fine irregularities is formed on the back side substantially perpendicular to the surface. In the present embodiment, the light guide 5 has an arc shape with a single plane when viewed from the front. However, the light guide body 5 is not limited to the present embodiment. For example, the light guide 5 has a substantially circular shape. 5 may constitute a light-receiving surface 5b that receives light from the light source 1. Further, the light guide 5 is formed with a positioning portion 5a on the front side for determining the arrangement positions of the diffusion sheet 6 and the prism sheets 7 and 8. The positioning part 5a is a pin protruding to the display element 12 side.

  The lower case 9 and the upper case 11 are made of white synthetic resin, constitute a case body, and include a light source 1 and a light guide body 5. Further, the upper case 11 is formed in a window shape so as to transmit light from the light guide 5, and the transmission panel 10 is appropriately integrated by means of this window-shaped portion. In this embodiment, the lower case 9 and the upper case 11 are provided with the light source 1, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the light source 1 is placed outside the lower case 9 and the upper case 11. The light guide 5 may be extended toward the light source 1 so that light can be guided well from the light source 1 provided on the circuit board.

  The transmissive panel 10 is made of a synthetic resin that can transmit light, and transmits light from the light guide 5. The transmissive panel 10 includes first to third irradiation units 10a, 10b, and 10c. The first irradiation unit 10a irradiates the display element 12 with the light from the light guide 5 and the second irradiation unit 10a. The irradiation unit 10 b irradiates the dial 13 with light from the light guide 5, and the third irradiation unit 10 c irradiates the pointer 14 with light from the light guide 5. In the present embodiment, optical members of the diffusion sheet 6 and the prism sheets 7 and 8 are provided corresponding to the first irradiation unit 10a. Further, a recess 10 d is provided on the back side of the transmissive panel 10. The concave portion 10 d corresponds to the positioning portion 5 a formed on the front side of the light guide 5. Further, a support portion 10 e for fixing the display element 12 is formed on the front side of the transmissive panel 10 so as to fix the display element 12. The support portion 10e also determines the position where the display element 12 is disposed. The display element 12 corresponds to the diffusion sheet 6 and the prism sheets 7 and 8. The optical members 6 to 8 are fixed between the light guide 5 and the transmissive panel 10.

  By configuring as described above, the display element 12, the dial plate 13, and the pointer 14 can also serve as an illumination light source, parts related to dedicated illumination can be reduced, and assembly can be facilitated, resulting in cost reduction. Can be achieved.

  Further, by providing the optical members 6 to 8 that change the directivity characteristics of the light from the light guide 5, it is possible to improve the luminance by collecting the light.

  In this embodiment, the optical member is provided only in the first irradiation unit 10a. However, the optical member is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be provided in the second and third irradiation units 10b and 10c. . Further, the change in the light directivity characteristic of the optical member need not be used only for light collection, but may be used for diffusion. For example, when used for the dial 13, the directivity may be changed so that the light is diffused, and the luminance may be suppressed as compared with other irradiation units.

  Further, the transmittance of the display element 12, the transmittance of the dial plate 13 (indicator portion 13b), and the transmittance of the pointer 14 are different from each other, but by changing the luminance of the corresponding illumination by the luminance adjusting portion 5c, It is possible to optimize the brightness balance.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same location as the said embodiment, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the transmissive panel 10 includes an uneven group 10 f on the front side of the first irradiation unit 10 a that irradiates the display element 12. The irregularity group 10f is a group of fine linear grooves having a substantially V-shaped cross section. In the present embodiment, the projections and depressions 10f are formed so as to be substantially orthogonal to the prism rows of the prism sheet 7, and by changing the directivity characteristics of the light applied to the display element 12, the light is collected and the luminance is improved. Suitable lighting is provided. According to this embodiment, the prism sheet 8 which is one of the optical members can be reduced, and the number of parts can be reduced.

  Moreover, the uneven | corrugated group 10g is provided in the front side of the 3rd irradiation part 10c which irradiates the pointer | guide 14. The uneven portion 10g is a group of fine concentric grooves having a substantially V-shaped cross section. Luminance is improved by collecting light by changing the directivity characteristics of the light applied to the pointer 14, and suitable illumination is performed.

  In the present embodiment, the concave and convex groups are provided in the first and third irradiation units 10a and 10c. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and may be provided in the second irradiation unit 10b. Further, the change in the light directivity characteristic of the optical member need not be used only for light collection, but may be used for diffusion. For example, when used for the second irradiating unit 10b that irradiates the dial plate 13, the directivity may be changed so that light is diffused, and the luminance may be suppressed as compared with other irradiating units.

  In the present embodiment, the concave and convex groups 10f and 10g are a group of fine grooves having a substantially V-shaped cross section. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. It may be a group of fine dots.

  By configuring as described above, the display element 12, the dial plate 13, and the pointer 14 can also serve as an illumination light source, parts related to dedicated illumination can be reduced, and assembly can be facilitated, resulting in cost reduction. Can be achieved.

  Further, by providing the projections and depressions 10f and 10g that change the directivity of light from the light guide 5, the brightness can be improved by adjusting the directivity of light.

  Moreover, in each said embodiment, although the optical member was positioned by the pin-shaped 1st positioning part 5a, it is not limited to the said embodiment, A recessed part is formed in the light guide 5, You may position the optical members 6-8 in this recessed part.

The front view of the pointer type instrument apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the AA line in FIG. Sectional drawing of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The front view of the illuminating device of the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pointer-type instrument apparatus 2 Light source 3 Board | substrate 4 Reflective sheet 5 Light guide 5a Positioning part 5b Light-receiving part 5c Brightness adjustment part 6 Diffusion sheet (optical member)
7 First prism sheet (optical member)
8 Second prism sheet (optical member)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Lower case 10 Transmission panel 10a 1st irradiation part 10b 2nd irradiation part 10c 3rd irradiation part 10d Concave part 10e Support part 10f, 10g Concavity and convexity 11 Upper case 12 Display element 13 Dial 13a Through-hole 13b Indicator part 14 Pointer 15 Turning 15a Opening 16 Illumination device

Claims (10)

A light source, a light guide that guides light from the light source, a display element that is illuminated by the light source, a case body that includes at least the display element and the light guide, and a position around the display element In a pointer-type instrument device having a dial plate having an indicator portion and a pointer indicating the indicator portion, a transmission panel made of a light-transmitting material and having a plurality of irradiation portions is provided on the back surface of the display element. An optical member that changes a directivity characteristic of light from the light guide at a position corresponding to at least one of the plurality of irradiation portions of the transmission panel and between the transmission panel and the light guide A pointer-type instrument device characterized by the provision of 2. The pointer-type instrument device according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of irradiation units is a first irradiation unit that irradiates the display element with light from the light guide. 2. The pointer-type instrument device according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of irradiation units is a second irradiation unit that irradiates the dial with light from the light guide. 2. The pointer-type instrument device according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of irradiation units is a third irradiation unit that irradiates the pointer with light from the light guide. The pointer-type instrument device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide is provided with a positioning portion for determining an arrangement position of the optical member. The pointer-type instrument device according to claim 1, wherein a support portion for fixing the display element is provided on the transmission panel. An uneven group for changing the directivity characteristic of light from the light guide is provided at a position corresponding to at least one of the plurality of irradiation portions of the transmissive panel and on the front side and / or the back side. The pointer-type instrument device according to claim 1. The pointer-type instrument device according to claim 7, wherein the uneven group is provided at a position corresponding to the first irradiation unit. The pointer-type instrument device according to claim 7, wherein the uneven group is provided at a position corresponding to the second irradiation unit. The pointer-type instrument device according to claim 7, wherein the uneven group is provided at a position corresponding to the third irradiation unit.

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