JP2010025675A - Vehicle instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thin vehicle instrument illuminating a pointer uniformly by a small number of light sources. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicle instrument 1 is equipped with the pointer 3 having an indication part 3b, a movement 4 having a rotating shaft 4a for rotating the pointer 3, a light source 5 for illuminating the indication part 3b, a light guide 6 for guiding light from the light source 5 to the pointer 3, and a substrate 2 for loading the light source 5 thereon. The light guide 6 has a cylindrical part 6a having a through-hole corresponding to the rotating shaft 4a; an incidence part 6b projecting from the cylindrical part 6a for allowing the incidence of light from the light source 5; a circular outgoing part 6c for allowing the emission of light entering from the incidence part 6b; and a plurality of light reflection parts 6d provided in places facing the outgoing part 6c. A light reflection layer 7 is formed in a place facing the outgoing part 6c of the light guide 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular instrument mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile or a two-wheeled vehicle that includes a pointer rotated by a movement.

Conventionally, various pointer-type vehicular instruments have been proposed, and for example, disclosed in Patent Document 1. Such an instrument for a vehicle is mounted on a substrate by a light guide having a support portion supported by the rotation shaft of the movement, and an incident portion projecting in a radial direction from the rotation shaft and receiving light from a light source. The light emitted from the light source is guided to the pointer base. The light guide supports the pointer base and has an emitting portion that irradiates light near the rotation center of the pointer base. According to this vehicle instrument, since the incident portion of the light guide protrudes in the radial direction from the rotation shaft of the movement, a plurality of light sources can be mounted around the rotation shaft. Can be guided to the base of the pointer, and the pointer can emit light with high brightness.
JP 2008-76111 A

However, the light guide has not been devised to reduce the light emission unevenness at the emitting portion when it is desired to reduce the number of light sources in the position protruding in the radial direction from the rotation axis. There was a problem that the light emission luminance would change. Furthermore, since a height from the substrate to the pointer is required, it has been difficult to reduce the thickness of the vehicle instrument.
The present invention has been made in view of this problem, and provides a thin vehicle instrument that can uniformly illuminate a pointer with a small number of light sources.

  As described in claim 1, the present invention provides a pointer 3 having a pointing portion 3b, a movement 4 having a rotating shaft 4a for rotating the pointer 3, and a light source 5 for illuminating the pointing portion 3b. The vehicle instrument 1 includes a light guide 6 that guides light from the light source 5 to the pointer 3 and a substrate 2 on which the light source 5 is mounted. The light guide 6 includes the rotating shaft 4a. A cylindrical part 6a having a through-hole corresponding to the above, an incident part 6b projecting from the cylindrical part 6a and allowing the light from the light source 5 to enter, and an annular emitting part 6c for emitting the light incident from the incident part 6b And a plurality of light reflecting portions 6d provided at locations facing the emitting portion 6c.

  Further, according to the present invention, the light guide 6 includes a plurality of the incident portions 6b.

  In the present invention, as described in claim 3, the side surface of the light guide 6 is formed as a flat surface.

  In the present invention, as described in claim 4, the side surface of the light guide 6 is formed as a cylindrical surface.

  In the present invention, as described in claim 5, the light reflecting portion 6d has a dot shape.

  In the present invention, as described in claim 6, the light reflecting portion 6d has a groove shape.

  Further, according to the present invention, as described in claim 7, the light reflecting layer 7 is provided at a location facing the light emitting portion 6 c of the light guide 6.

  By using a light guide having an incident part protruding from the cylindrical part and an annular emitting part that emits light incident from the incident part, the vehicle instrument can be made thin and the light source is small. The pointer can be made to shine almost uniformly.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment.
The vehicle instrument 1 includes a substrate 2, a pointer 3, a movement 4, a light source 5, a light guide 6, a light reflection layer 7, a light reflection wall 8, a dial plate 9, and a light emitting element 10.

  The board | substrate 2 forms a predetermined wiring pattern in the base material which consists of an insulator, and the light emitting element 10, the light source 5, and the light guide 6 are arrange | positioned. The pointer 3 includes a base portion 3a supported by the rotation shaft 4a of the movement 4, an instruction portion 3b extending from the base portion 3a in the radial direction, and a cap 3c provided on the upper portion of the base portion 3a. The base 3a and the indicator 3b of the pointer 3 are made of a light-transmitting resin such as acrylic resin or polycarbonate. The base 3a of the pointer 3 has a reflecting surface 3d that reflects light from the light guide 6 and guides the light to the instruction unit 3b. The pointer 3 is rotationally driven by the movement 4 and indicates the scale formed on the dial 9 to display the traveling speed of the automobile, the number of engine rotations, and the like.

  The movement 4 is composed of a stepping motor, and is mounted on the back surface of the substrate 2. The movement 4 receives a signal corresponding to the vehicle speed and the number of engine rotations from a control device (not shown), and rotates the rotation shaft 4a by an angle corresponding to the signal. The light source 5 is made of a light emitting diode and is mounted on the substrate 2.

  The light guide body 6 is made of a light-transmitting resin such as acrylic or polycarbonate, and has a cylindrical portion 6a having a substantially square cylindrical shape whose side surface is a plane, and an incident projecting outward from the cylindrical portion 6a. Part 6b (see FIG. 2). The light from the light source 5 incident from the incident portion 6b is guided to the cylindrical portion 6a, and is irradiated from the annular emitting portion 6c to the base portion 3a of the pointer 3 by the reflecting portion 6d. The reflection part 6d of the light guide 6 is formed of a substantially quadrangular pyramid-shaped recess provided at a location facing the emission part 6c.

  The light reflecting layer 7 is a white resist formed on the surface of the substrate 2 and reflects light leaking from the back side of the light guide 6 into the light guide 6 again. The light reflecting wall 8 is made of a white resin such as polypropylene, and reflects light leaking from the side surface of the light guide body 6 into the light guide body 6 again, and also reflects oblique light emitted from the emitting section 6c. Reflected and guided to the base 3 a of the pointer 3. The dial 9 is formed with an opening through which the rotation shaft 4a of the movement 4 and the light reflecting wall 8 pass.

As in this embodiment, by using the light guide 6 having the incident portion 6b and the emitting portion 6b that emits the light incident from the incident portion 6b, the indication portion 3b of the pointer 3 is made to shine substantially uniformly. be able to.
In addition, you may provide the several incident part 6b in the light guide 6 like 2nd embodiment shown in FIG. Further, as in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the side surface of the cylindrical portion 6a of the light guide 6 may be a cylindrical surface, and the reflecting portion 6d may be formed in a radial groove shape. Further, as in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the side surface of the cylindrical portion 6 a of the light guide 6 is a cylindrical surface, and a plurality of incident portions 6 b may be provided on the light guide 6.

Sectional drawing which shows 1st embodiment of this invention. The principal part enlarged view which shows embodiment same as the above. The principal part enlarged view which shows 2nd embodiment of this invention. The principal part enlarged view which shows 3rd embodiment of this invention. The principal part enlarged view which shows 4th embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle instrument 2 Board | substrate 3 Pointer 3b Indication part 4 Movement 4a Rotating shaft 5 Light source 6 Light guide body 6a Cylindrical part 6b Incident part 6c Output part 6d Light reflection part 7 Light reflection layer

Claims (7)

A pointer having an indicator, a movement having a pivot shaft for rotating the indicator, a light source that shines the indicator, a light guide that guides light from the light source to the pointer, and a substrate on which the light source is mounted A vehicle instrument comprising:
The light guide body has a cylindrical portion having a through hole corresponding to the rotation shaft, an incident portion that protrudes from the cylindrical portion and allows light from the light source to enter, and emits light incident from the incident portion. An instrument for a vehicle, comprising: an annular emitting portion; and a plurality of light reflecting portions provided at locations facing the emitting portion.   2. The vehicular instrument according to claim 1, wherein the light guide includes a plurality of the incident portions.   The vehicle instrument according to claim 1, wherein a side surface of the light guide is formed as a flat surface.   The vehicle instrument according to claim 1, wherein a side surface of the light guide is formed as a cylindrical surface.   2. The vehicle instrument according to claim 1, wherein the light reflecting portion has a dot shape.   The vehicle instrument according to claim 1, wherein the light reflecting portion has a groove shape.   The vehicle instrument according to claim 1, wherein a light reflecting layer is provided at a location facing the emitting portion of the light guide.

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