JP2010143246A - Meter for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a meter for a vehicle which is unlikely to exert an adverse effect upon operability of an operation shaft even though an outside shape of a switch body part is rectangular. <P>SOLUTION: The meter for the vehicle is equipped with: a circuit board 5 disposed at the back of a display element D3; and an operating mechanism S for changing display information of the display element D3. The operating mechanism S includes: a switch element 11; an operating shaft 12 for operating the switch element 11; and an elastic member 13 for returning the operating shaft 12 in an anti-pushing direction. The operating shaft 12 is provided with a pushing part 161 for operating the switch element 11, and hook parts 171, 172 which are engaged with the peripheral edge of a through hole 52 on a rear surface of the circuit board 5. When the outside shape of the switch body part 11b is rectangular, and an angle θ formed by a longitudinal axis line H and a virtual horizontal line Y of the switch body part 11b is an acute angle, the switch element 11 is tilted to be mounted on the circuit board 5 so that the switch body part 11b and the elastic member 13 have no contact. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle meter mounted on various vehicles including, for example, automobiles, and in particular, a display element that displays information such as a travel distance and fuel consumption, and a reset of display information displayed on the display element. The present invention relates to a vehicle meter in which an operation mechanism for switching is incorporated.

  Conventionally, as this type of vehicle meter, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 below is known. The vehicle meter described in Patent Document 1 displays a vehicle speed display section that displays a vehicle speed, a rotation speed display section that displays an engine speed, and information such as a travel distance of the vehicle that is located below the vehicle speed display section. A liquid crystal display element (display element), a vehicle speed display section, a rotation speed display section, a hard circuit board disposed behind the liquid crystal display element, and a vehicle speed display section and a rotation speed display section, for example, liquid crystal And an operation mechanism for resetting display information of the liquid crystal display element displayed on the display element or switching to different types of information.

  In this case, the operation mechanism includes a switch element formed by a tact switch mounted (mounted) on the circuit board, an operation shaft having a substantially elongated cylindrical shape that operates the switch element by a pushing operation, and an axial direction of the operation shaft Is positioned between a flange portion (a flange portion) extending in a direction orthogonal to the circuit board portion opposite to the flange portion and a counter-pushing direction that is opposite to the direction in which the operation shaft is pushed. And an elastic member made of a coil spring to be returned.

  In addition, the operation shaft includes the flange portion that faces the circuit board, a push portion that extends around the flange portion and that is suspended toward the switch element to operate the switch element, and a circuit. A pair of hook portions that are inserted into substantially circular through holes provided in the substrate and engage with the periphery of the through hole on the back surface of the circuit board are provided.

Then, a driver who drives the vehicle pushes the operation shaft to switch the display information, so that the push portion integrally formed with the flange portion operates the switch element, for example, the display information travels. When the driver switches the operation shaft from the distance information to the fuel consumption information and the driver releases the operation shaft, the elastic member formed of a coil spring positioned between the flange portion and the circuit board is caused to return to the pair of hook portions. Is biased in the contact direction with the circuit board (in other words, the operation shaft is returned to the original position).
JP 2003-200756 A

  By the way, when the tact switch (switch element) is mounted on the circuit board, as shown in FIG. 7, the outer shape of the switch main body 220 serving as the outer case of the tact switch 210 mounted on the circuit board 200 is rectangular. In addition, a virtual horizontal line K1 passing through the center point P of the through hole 230 provided for the purpose of engaging the hook portion of the operation shaft described above, and a virtual vertical line K2 passing through the center point P and orthogonal to the virtual horizontal line K1. If another electronic component different from the tact switch 210 needs to be mounted on the circuit board 200, the tact switch 210 must be mounted on the circuit board 200 while avoiding the other electronic component.

  For example, in the case of a watch, when the center point P of the through hole 230 is the rotation center of the watch hand in FIG. 7, the tact switch 210 is in the direction of 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 9 o'clock of the watch. This means that it is necessary to mount on the circuit board 200.

Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a circuit in which the tact switch 210 is set to the 10 o'clock direction of the watch so that the longitudinal axis M of the rectangular switch body 220 is substantially parallel to the virtual horizontal line K1. When mounted on 200 places on the substrate, the push button portion 211 of the tact switch 210 that normally receives a pressing force from the pressing portion and is turned on when the switch main body portion 220 is pressed is provided. The coil spring (elastic member) in which the lower right corner portion 221 and the vicinity thereof in the switch main body 220 are located around the through hole 230 in FIG. ) 240, which may adversely affect the operability of the operation shaft.
Accordingly, in order to address the above-described problems, the present invention provides a vehicle that does not adversely affect the operability of the operation shaft even when the external shape of the switch main body of the switch element is rectangular. The purpose is to provide an industrial meter.

  The present invention includes a display element that displays predetermined information, a circuit board disposed behind the display element, and an operation mechanism that switches display information of the display element, and the operation mechanism is mounted on the circuit board. A switch element to be operated, an operation shaft for operating the switch element by a pushing operation, and an elastic member for returning the operation shaft in a counter-pushing direction, the operation shaft having a flange facing the circuit board And a pushing portion extended around the flange portion for operating the switch element, and inserted into a through hole provided in the circuit board and engaged with a peripheral edge of the through hole on the back surface of the circuit board And the elastic member is positioned between the flange portion and the circuit board and urges the hook portion in a contact direction with the circuit board by its return force. In the vehicular meter, the switch body portion that is an exterior case of the switch element has a rectangular shape when the circuit board is viewed from the front, and the longitudinal axis of the switch body portion and the virtual horizontal line The switch element is mounted on the circuit board so that the switch body and the elastic member are not in contact with each other under the condition that the angle between the switch body and the elastic member does not contact each other.

  Further, the invention is characterized in that the flange portion is formed with a protruding wall portion for press-fitting and holding the elastic member.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if it is a case where the initial objective can be achieved and the external shape of the switch main-body part in a switch element is a rectangular shape, there is no possibility of having a bad influence on the operativity of an operation shaft. Can provide.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle meter according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a front view of a vehicle meter according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an arrow X region in FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view of the main part of the circuit board on which the switch element according to the embodiment is mounted, and FIG. 6 is a CC cross-sectional view of FIG.

  In FIG. 1, the vehicle meter according to the present embodiment includes, as predetermined information, for example, a pointer type display unit (display unit) D1 including a speedometer that displays a vehicle speed, and a pointer type display unit including a tachometer that displays an engine speed. (Display unit) D2, a display element D3 which is located between these pointer type display units D1 and D2 and displays information such as travel distance, fuel consumption, outside air temperature, time, and the like. And an operation mechanism S that performs a switching operation in accordance with an operation of a driver (that is, a driver driving the vehicle).

  As shown in FIG. 2, each of the pointer-type display units D1 and D2 includes a pointer 1 that is rotated by the instrument movement M, and an index portion D11 such as a scale, a character, or a mark that is indicated by the pointer 1 (see FIG. 1). ), And a plurality of light sources 3 corresponding to the pointer 1 and the display plate 2 are arranged behind the pointer 1 and the display plate 2, respectively.

  In this case, the pointer 1 is formed of a light transmissive material that can receive and emit light when the light source 3 is turned on, and the indicator portion D11 of the display panel 2 emits light when the light source 3 is turned on and receives the irradiation light. It is made of a light transmissive material. Moreover, the opening part 21 which exposes the display surface of the display element D3 is formed in two places of the display boards corresponding to the display element D3.

  The display element D3 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display element that displays information such as the travel distance and fuel consumption described above based on detection signals from various sensors (not shown), and a light source for backlighting the display element D3 behind the display element D3. 4 is arranged.

  Each of the light sources 3 and 4 is formed of, for example, a light emitting diode that emits light of a predetermined color, and is mounted on the front side of the rigid circuit board 5 located behind the display board 2 (display element D3). Electric power is supplied. An instrument movement M is mounted on the back side of the circuit board 5 so that driving power is supplied through the circuit board 5.

  Further, on the front side of the circuit board 5, there is provided a case body 6 made of, for example, a white light-shielding synthetic resin and having a reflector and frame body function. A plurality of illumination chambers for guiding the light to the display plate 2 and the pointer 1 side are formed.

  A space is formed in and around the case body 6 corresponding to the display element D3, a holder 7 for holding the display element D3 is disposed in the space, and a light source 4 is disposed on the bottom side of the holder 7. ing.

  A facing member 8 is disposed in front of the case body 6 with the display plate 2 interposed therebetween. The facing member 8 is formed with a window portion 81 that exposes the pointer type display portions D1 and D2. A transparent or translucent transparent panel 9 is disposed in front of the member 8.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the operation mechanism S includes a switch element 11 mounted (mounted) on the circuit board 5, an operation shaft 12 that operates the switch element 11 by a push operation, and a reverse push of the operation shaft 12. It is comprised from the elastic member 13 which returns to a direction (direction opposite to a pushing operation direction).

  The switch element 11 is formed of a known tact switch, and includes a push button part (actuating part) 11a positioned at the center thereof and a switch body part 11b.

  The push button portion 11a receives a pressing force from a later-described push portion of the operation shaft 12, and is turned on when the switch body portion 11b is depressed. The display element D3 performs display control according to the on state. A switching signal is output to a control / drive circuit (not shown).

  When the switching signal generated through the push button portion 11a is input to the control / drive circuit, the control / drive circuit outputs an output signal for display switching to the display element D3, thereby displaying on the display element D3. It is configured to switch or reset the information that is being processed.

  The signal transmission from the switch element 11 to the control / drive circuit → the display element D3 is performed through a circuit pattern (not shown) formed on the circuit board 5. At this time, the push button portion 11a is turned on by pushing the operation shaft 12 in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 4 to output a switching signal, and the push of the operation shaft 12 is released. It returns to the position of (turns off).

  The switch body 11b is an outer case of the switch element 11, and the outer shape thereof is rectangular when the circuit board 5 is viewed from the front (see FIG. 5).

  In the case of the present embodiment, the switch element 11 including the push button portion 11a and the switch main body portion 11b is, for example, a timepiece, with a center point F of a through-hole described later of the circuit board 5 as the rotation center of the timepiece hands. When mounted on the circuit board at 5 o'clock in the 10 o'clock direction.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, an angle θ formed between the longitudinal axis H of the switch body portion 11 b having a rectangular shape passing through the center point G of the push button portion 11 a and the virtual horizontal line Y when the circuit board 5 is viewed from the front. The switch element 11 is connected to the circuit board 5 so that the four outer peripheral surfaces constituting the outer shape of the switch main body portion 11b do not come into contact with the elastic member 13 under the condition of an acute angle (about 60 degrees in the example of FIG. 5). It is configured to be tilted upward. Note that the above-described virtual horizontal line Y in this example is a horizontal line when the driver looks directly at the vehicle meter when the vehicle meter is mounted on the vehicle.

  The operation shaft 12 is made of, for example, black synthetic resin, and extends to the outside through the case body 6, the display plate 2, the facing member 8, and the see-through panel 9, and the shaft from the first shaft portion 15. The flange portion 16 that extends in the outer peripheral direction orthogonal to the direction and faces the circuit board 5, and the second shaft portion 17 that extends continuously from the flange portion 16 in the coaxial direction with the first shaft portion 15. ing. Note that the axis line (axial direction) L of each of the shaft portions 15 and 17 is indicated by a one-dot chain line.

  The flange portion 16 has a push portion 161 for actuating a push button portion (actuation portion) 11a of the switch element 11 in response to a push operation of the operation shaft 12, and a first and a second in order to press-fit and hold the elastic member 13. The projecting wall portion 162 is a projecting wall portion 162 projecting toward the circuit board 5 along the axis L of the shaft portions 15, 17, and the projecting wall portion 162 and the second shaft portion 17 are different from the position of the axis L The rotation prevention portion 163 (see FIG. 6) for preventing the rotation of the operation shaft 12 is integrally formed by being inserted into the hole 51 formed in the circuit substrate 5 and extending to the circuit board 5 side. It becomes.

  The pushing portion 161 is formed to extend around the flange portion 16 so as to face the switch element 11, and a part of the pushing portion 161 protrudes behind the flange portion 16. In addition, the thickness dimension (height dimension) of the pushing portion 161 may be appropriately set according to the height dimension of the coil spring (elastic member) 13. Further, the protruding wall portion 162 surrounds the outer periphery of the second shaft portion 17 and has a substantially annular shape into which the elastic member 13 can be inserted along the axial direction of the operation shaft 12.

  The second shaft portion 17 has a pair of hook portions 171 and 172 formed on the tip side thereof, and a slit 173 extending toward the first shaft portion 15 along the axis L between the hook portions 171 and 172. Is formed. The hook portions 171 and 172 are inserted into the through holes 52 formed in the corresponding positions of the circuit board 5 and penetrate the circuit board 5, and their engagement surfaces 171 a and 172 a are through holes on the back surface of the circuit board 5. 52 is engaged with the outer peripheral edge.

  The elastic member 13 is a metal coil spring that is inserted into the outer wall portion of the protruding wall portion 162 of the operation shaft 12 in a press-fitted state and expands and contracts along the axis L, and between the flange portion 16 and the circuit board 5. Will be located at. The elastic member 13 is interposed between the through hole 52 and the switch element 11 when the circuit board 5 is viewed from the front (see FIG. 5).

  Further, the elastic member 13 always urges the operation shaft 12 in the counter-pushing operation direction (the direction of arrow E in FIG. 4) by its elastic restoring force, whereby the pushing portion 161 of the operation shaft 12 is switched. After the push button portion 11a of the element 11 is pushed, the operation shaft 12 can be returned to the original position, and after the operation shaft 12 is returned, the hooks 171 and 172 are engaged by the elastic return force. The mating surfaces 171a and 172a are urged in the contact direction with the circuit board 5 to hold the operation shaft 12 on the circuit board 5.

  Note that the first shaft portion 15 of the operation shaft 12 has an axis collapse at the time of the push operation / return by at least one of the plurality of holes formed in the display plate 2, the look-back member 8, and the see-through panel 9. It is guided to such an extent that it can be prevented, so that the operation shaft 12 can be stably operated.

  Next, assembly of the operation shaft 12 and the elastic member 13 will be described. First, the elastic member 13 is inserted into the protruding wall portion 162 of the operation shaft 12 from the second shaft portion 17 side, and the elastic member 13 is assembled to the operation shaft 12. At this time, the elastic member 13 is positioned so that the central axis of the elastic member 13 substantially coincides with the axis L because the elastic member 13 is along the outer wall portion of the protruding wall portion 162, and the elastic member 13 is press-fitted into the outer wall portion of the protruding wall portion 162. The elastic member 13 is prevented from falling off by being held.

  Next, the second shaft of the operation shaft 12 in which the elastic member 13 is press-fitted and fixed in a state where the pushing portion 161 of the operation shaft 12 corresponds to the switch element 11 and the rotation prevention portion 163 corresponds to the hole portion 51, respectively. The part 17 is inserted into the through hole 52 in the direction of arrow D.

  At this time, the inclined surfaces of the hook portions 171 and 172 are brought into contact with the front side corner portion of the through hole 52, so that the pair of hook portions 171 and 172 are narrowed to the axis L side so that the slits 173 The total outer diameter width of each hook portion 171, 172 becomes smaller than the inner diameter width of the through hole 52, and the hook portions 171, 172 pass through the through hole 52.

  The hook portions 171 and 172 that have passed through the through hole 52 are restored to their original positions by the expansion (expansion) force of the width direction of the hook portion 171 and the total outer diameter of each hook portion 171 and 172 is the inner diameter of the through hole 52. The operation shaft 12 is located with respect to the circuit board 5 so that the outer peripheral surface of the switch body 11b of the switch element 11 mounted in a tilted state on the circuit board 5 does not come into contact with the elastic member 13 due to the larger width. It is prevented from coming off.

  On the other hand, when the hook portions 171 and 172 are inserted, the elastic member 13 comes into contact with the circuit board 5, and when the hook portions 171 and 172 are prevented from being detached from the circuit board 5, the elastic member 13 passes through the flange portion 16. The compressed state toward the circuit board 5 side causes the push-up force by the elastic member 13 (to the front side) to act on the operation shaft 12, and the engagement surfaces 171 a and 172 a of the hook portions 171 and 172 become the circuit board. The operation shaft 12 is held on the circuit board 5 so that the switch element 11 is not brought into contact with the elastic member 13. Then, by assembling the display plate 2, the turning member 8 and the see-through panel 9, the operation shaft 12 is supported by at least one hole (may be formed in the case body 6) formed in these components so as to prevent the shaft from collapsing. The

  As described above, the present embodiment includes the display element D3 that displays predetermined information, the circuit board 5 disposed behind the display element D3, and the operation mechanism S that switches display information on the display element D3. S is a switch element 11 mounted on the circuit board 5, an operation shaft 12 for operating the switch element 11 by a pushing operation, an elastic member 13 for returning the operation shaft in a reverse pushing direction (arrow E direction), and The operation shaft 12 includes a flange portion 16 facing the circuit board 5, a pushing portion 161 extended around the flange portion 16 to operate the switch element 11, and a through hole provided in the circuit board 5. Hooks 171 and 172 inserted into the circuit board 5 and engaged with the periphery of the through hole 52 are provided on the back surface of the circuit board 5, and the elastic member 13 is positioned between the flange part 16 and the circuit board 5. In a vehicle meter configured to urge the hook portions 171 and 172 in a contact direction (arrow E direction) with the circuit board 5 by a restoring force, the outer shape of the switch main body portion 11b of the switch element 11 is the circuit board 5. The switch main body portion 11b and the elastic member 13 are in a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and the angle θ formed by the longitudinal axis H of the switch main body portion 11b and the virtual horizontal line Y is an acute angle. The switch element 11 is mounted on the circuit board 5 so as not to contact.

  Accordingly, the switch element 11 has a configuration in which the switch main body 11b is inclinedly mounted on the circuit board 5 around the elastic member 13 so as to avoid the position where the coil spring (elastic member) 13 is disposed. According to the configuration, even when the outer shape of the switch main body is rectangular, contact between the switch main body (that is, the outer peripheral surface of the switch main body) and the elastic member is prevented. It is possible to provide a vehicle meter that does not adversely affect operability.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the protruding wall portion 162 for press-fitting and holding the elastic member 13 is formed on the flange portion 16, when the operation shaft 12 is inserted into the circuit board 5, the coil spring 13 is attached to the operation shaft 12 in advance. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the coil spring 13 from falling off and to improve the assembly workability.

  In this embodiment, an example in which the display element D3 is formed of a liquid crystal display element has been described. However, any type of display element can be used as long as it is a fluorescent display tube, an organic EL, an inorganic EL, or other electronic display element. .

  In the present embodiment, the operation shaft 12 is formed by a single shaft having the first and second shaft portions 15 and 17, but the shaft portion may be divided into a plurality of portions.

  The merit of forming the elastic member 13 from the metal coil spring 13 is that the operation shaft 12 has a good pushing / returning feeling compared to other elastic members and is preferred by the user.

It is a front view of the meter for vehicles by the embodiment of the present invention. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an arrow X region in FIG. 2. It is BB sectional drawing of FIG. It is a principal part front view of the circuit board by which the switch element by the same embodiment was mounted. It is CC sectional drawing of FIG. It is a principal part front view of the circuit board by which the switch element by a prior art is mounted.

Explanation of symbols

5 Circuit board 11 Switch element 11a Push button part (actuation part)
11b Switch body portion 12 Operation shaft 13 Elastic member 15 First shaft portion 16 Flange portion 17 Second shaft portion 52 Through hole 161 Pushing portion 162 Projecting wall portions 171 and 172 Hook portions 171a and 172a Engagement surface 173 Slit D3 Display element H Longitudinal axis S Operation mechanism Y Virtual horizontal line

Claims (2)

A display element for displaying predetermined information; a circuit board disposed behind the display element; and an operation mechanism for switching display information of the display element.
The operation mechanism includes a switch element mounted on the circuit board, an operation shaft that operates the switch element by a pushing operation, and an elastic member that returns the operation shaft in a reverse pushing direction.
The operation shaft is inserted into a flange portion facing the circuit board, a pushing portion extended around the flange portion to operate the switch element, and a through hole provided in the circuit board. A hook portion that engages with the periphery of the through hole on the back surface of the circuit board;
In the vehicle meter, wherein the elastic member is positioned between the flange portion and the circuit board and urges the hook portion in a contact direction with the circuit board by a return force thereof.
The switch body portion that is an exterior case of the switch element has a rectangular shape when the circuit board is viewed from the front, and an angle formed between the longitudinal axis of the switch body portion and a virtual horizontal line is an acute angle. The vehicle meter, wherein the switch element is mounted on the circuit board so that the switch body portion and the elastic member do not come into contact with each other under the above conditions. The vehicle meter according to claim 1, wherein the flange portion is formed with a protruding wall portion for press-fitting and holding the elastic member.

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