JP2012224118A - Instrument for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an instrument for a vehicle for allowing a vehicle user to easily recognize the operating state of an idle reduction function.SOLUTION: The instrument for a vehicle mounted on a vehicle having the idle reduction function is power-supplied from a battery which is charged by a power generator driven by an engine. The indicating instrument for a vehicle includes: a display means consisting of a pointer instrument 1 and a liquid crystal display section 2 for displaying a measured value; light sources 14, 22 for lighting the display by the display means; an indicator light source 31 for lighting and thereby actuating an indicator 3 showing that an engine is being stopped by the idle reduction function; and a control means 41 for controlling the indicator 3 to be lit by the indicator light source 31 and the light sources 14, 22 to emit less light than when the engine is operated, when the engine is being stopped by the idle reduction function.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle instrument that is mounted on a vehicle that performs idle stop and receives power supply from a battery mounted on the vehicle, and more particularly, to a vehicle instrument that performs display illumination.

  Conventionally, there is a vehicle equipped with an idle stop function for the purpose of saving energy or protecting the global environment. For example, the engine is stopped while the ignition switch is kept on for a relatively long time such as a relatively short stop time such as waiting for a signal, a person getting on and off, and loading or unloading a load.

  An instrument for vehicles such as an instrument mounted on a vehicle that performs this kind of idle stop can be driven by power supply from a battery, and is in an idle stop state as described in Patent Document 1, for example. Sometimes it is desirable to diminish the illumination brightness in order to reduce the burden on the battery.

JP 2006-256397 A

  However, the above-mentioned vehicular instrument makes a sense of incongruity to the vehicle user because the vehicle suddenly shifts to the idle stop state after a predetermined time has elapsed and the illumination is turned off or dimmed. There was a case. In addition, when the lighting changes suddenly at a timing not intended by the user, there is a possibility of making the vehicle anxious about whether the vehicle is abnormal, so there is room for improvement.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle instrument that makes it easy for the vehicle user to recognize the operating state of the idle stop function.

  The vehicle instrument of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle having an idle stop function for automatically stopping / restarting the engine when stopped, and receives power supply from a battery charged by a generator driven by the engine. An instrument for vehicles, a display means for displaying a measured value, an illumination means for illuminating the display by the display means, and an indicator light source for operating an indicator indicating that the engine is stopped by an idle stop function by illumination And a control means for controlling the illumination means to be dimmed as compared to when the engine is operating while the indicator light source illuminates the indicator when the engine is stopped by the idle stop function. It is characterized by that.

  Further, a colored light transmission panel is provided on the display surface side of the display means, and the display means displays and outputs the information through the transmission panel so as to be visible by illumination by the illumination means.

  The control means adjusts the light emission luminance of the illumination means so that the display luminance of the indicator is larger than the display luminance of the display means by the illumination means when the indicator is operated. And

  Further, the control means is characterized in that after the vehicle shifts to the operation of the idle stop function, the indicator is operated and the illumination means is controlled so as to gradually lower the illumination luminance.

  The present invention relates to a vehicle instrument that is mounted on a vehicle that performs idle stop and receives power supply from a battery mounted on the vehicle, and makes it easy for a vehicle user to recognize the operating state of the idle stop function.

The top view which shows the meter for vehicles in embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of embodiment same as the above. The block diagram which shows the electrical structure in embodiment same as the above. The figure which shows the example of a timing in each state of embodiment same as the above.

  Hereinafter, as an embodiment of the present invention, an example in which the vehicle instrument of the present invention is applied to a vehicle instrument including a vehicle speed meter will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 and 2 are diagrams showing the configuration of a vehicle instrument, which is a pointer-type instrument (display means) 1, a liquid crystal display section (display means) 2, an indicator 3, a circuit board 4, a case 5, It has.

  In this case, the pointer-type measuring instrument 1 uses a vehicle speedometer, a dial 12 having a rotating indicator 11, a dial 12 having an indicator 12 a such as a scale or a numerical value to be indicated by the indicator 11, and a driving source of the indicator 11 A motor 13 is provided. The pointer-type meter 1 rotates the pointer 11 so that the motor 13 is controlled by a control means to be described later so that a desired indication angle is obtained. The vehicle user can recognize the vehicle speed value by comparatively reading the pointer 11 and the indicator portion 12a.

  The pointer-type meter 1 has a light-transmitting portion on the pointer 11 and the dial 12 and is transmitted and illuminated by a light source (illuminating means) 14 provided on the side opposite to the display surface.

  The liquid crystal display unit 2 displays vehicle information other than the vehicle information (in this case, vehicle speed) by the pointer-type meter 1 on the liquid crystal panel 21, and includes remaining fuel amount, travel fuel consumption, integrated travel distance, outside air temperature, and the like. The screen can be switched and displayed. The liquid crystal display unit 2 is provided with a light source (illuminating means) 22 for backlight on the side opposite to the display surface, and causes the display image of the liquid crystal panel 21 to shine by transmitted illumination by the light source 22.

  The indicator 3 displays an operating state of an idle stop function for restarting the engine when the vehicle is stopped and the engine is automatically stopped and the braking operation is released or the acceleration operation is started. In this case, when the engine is stopped by the idle stop function, the indicator 3 indicated as “Standby” emits transmitted light by the illumination of the light source 31 dedicated to the indicator, so that the indicator is turned on and the above-described operation state is maintained. Can show.

  The light source 31 for the indicator 3 is surrounded by a peripheral wall of a spacer 32 provided between the dial 12 and the circuit board 4 and is not exposed to the pointer 11 relating to the vehicle speedometer, the indicator portion 12a, and the liquid crystal display portion 2 side. I am doing so.

  The circuit board 4 is provided so as to be hidden on the opposite side of the dial 12 and the display surface of the liquid crystal display unit 2, and mounted with electronic components such as the light sources 14, 22, 31, the control means 41, and the motor 13 described above. In addition to supplying battery power via an external connector (not shown), the electronic components are wired in a predetermined pattern.

  The case 5 is formed by assembling synthetic resin parts divided into a plurality of members, and includes a smoke panel (light transmissive panel) 51 having a predetermined light transmittance (for example, 70%) including colored pigments, and the like. A storage portion 52 made of a light-shielding synthetic resin material is provided for storing components.

  The smoke panel 51 is provided on the display surface side of the pointer-type meter 1 and the liquid crystal display unit 2 to protect the pointer 11 from being touched and to make the display output visible only when illuminated by each light source. Yes. Therefore, when the light source 31 is turned off, the display of the indicator 3 can be hidden. The storage unit 52 serves as a visor that covers at least the upper side of the liquid crystal display unit 2 in order to prevent the display from being difficult to see due to direct sunlight from outside the vehicle. Further, in this case, the storage portion 52 is formed in a cylindrical shape having one opening, and holds components such as the pointer-type meter 1, the liquid crystal display portion 2, the indicator 3, and the circuit board 4.

  Next, an electrical configuration in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The control means 41 can be a microcomputer mounted on the circuit board 4, inputs information from various sensors mounted on the vehicle via a communication cable, and is based on these various information from the vehicle side and a predetermined program. And the electronic components mounted on the communication cable and the circuit board 4 so as to output control signals for controlling the various light sources 14, 22, 31 and the motor 13, and the drive driver 42 for driving the liquid crystal panel 21. Connected.

  As the control means 41, for example, a microcomputer can be applied, and various vehicles such as an arithmetic unit that executes various processes including control according to the present embodiment in accordance with a control program stored in a storage unit, and other devices such as an ECU of the vehicle. In addition to inputting information, a drive driver 42 for driving the motor 13 and the liquid crystal panel 21 and an input / output interface for connection to the light sources 14, 22, 31 are provided. The control means 41 inputs various vehicle information including a signal indicating the operation state of the idle stop function, an ignition switch state signal, wheel rotation information, and the like. Are generated, and control signals for prompting display of measured values and the like, and control signals whose light emission luminances are adjusted to the light sources 14, 22, and 31 are generated and emitted to the respective signals. In this case, the control means 41 can control the light sources 14, 22, and 31 using the light emitting diodes to shine with a desired light emission luminance by performing pulse width modulation control.

  Next, processing of the control means 41 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The control means 41 uses various vehicle information input via the communication cable to determine whether or not the engine is stopped by the idle stop function. When the determination is made and the engine is stopped, the light source 31 is turned on. By illuminating the indicator 3 by emitting light from the extinguished state, the operating state of the idle stop function is notified to the vehicle user, and the light source 14, so that the illumination luminance is gradually reduced from the normal luminance in the engine operating state. 22 is controlled.

  In this case, the control means 41 adjusts the light sources 14 and 22 by dimming them so that the display brightness of the indicator 3 is higher than the display brightness of the pointer-type meter 1 and the liquid crystal display unit 2 by the light sources 14 and 22. Therefore, the indicator 3 can be made more conspicuous than the display of various other vehicle information due to the luminance difference due to the illumination, and the vehicle user can easily recognize that the engine is stopped by the idle stop function. In addition, since the power consumed by the vehicle meter can be reduced by dimming the large number of light sources 14 and 22, it is possible to suppress the load on the battery that is in a discharge-only state while the engine is stopped.

  In addition, after the vehicle shifts to the operation of the idle stop function, the indicator 3 is operated, and the light sources 14 and 22 are controlled so as to gradually decrease the illumination brightness, thereby suppressing a rapid change in the illumination brightness. It is possible to reduce the uncomfortable feeling given to the vehicle user.

  Next, in the case where the engine is automatically restarted by the release operation of the idle stop function set by the vehicle, the control means 41 inputs vehicle information for discriminating these to obtain the light source 31 is turned off to stop the display of the indicator 3, and the light emission luminance of the light sources 14 and 22 is controlled to return to normal. As a result, it is possible to automatically return to the normal vehicle information display.

  Such a vehicle instrument is mounted on a vehicle that performs an idle stop function that automatically stops / restarts the engine when stopped, and receives a power supply from a battery that is charged by a generator driven by the engine. The measuring instrument is a display unit comprising a pointer-type meter 1 and a liquid crystal display unit 2 for displaying a measured value, light sources 14 and 22 for illuminating the display by the display unit, and the engine is stopped by an idle stop function. When the engine is stopped by the idle stop function, the indicator 3 is illuminated by the indicator light source 31 that operates the indicator 3 by illumination, and the light sources 14 and 22 are turned on when the engine is in operation. And a control means 41 for controlling the light so as to be further dimmed. Therefore, the vehicle instrument is easy for the vehicle user to recognize the operating state of the idle stop function.

  Although the vehicular instrument of the present invention has been described as an example in the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and other configurations depart from the gist of the present invention. It goes without saying that various improvements and design changes can be made without departing from the scope. For example, after returning from the idle stop state, a delay time of several seconds is provided, and then the light sources 14 and 22 can be controlled so as to gradually increase the illumination brightness in accordance with the traveling speed or traveling distance of the vehicle. In this case, an unstable power supply state at the time of starting the engine can be avoided, and a stable change in illumination brightness without a sense of incongruity can be provided.

  In the present invention, when the light emission luminance of the light sources 14 and 22 is changed, the illumination luminance can be changed instantaneously without changing gradually. In this case, the vehicle user can more quickly change the light emission luminance. It is advantageous for judging the state. It is also conceivable that the speed of brightness change can be selected in advance by the vehicle user.

  In addition, when the engine is stopped by the idle stop function, the light sources 14 and 22 are not dimmed but can be turned off except for some light sources related to alarm display. Moreover, although the indicator 3 gave the example which shows an operation state by lighting of the light source 31, it can also be blinked and becomes a more power-saving display.

  The present invention can be applied as, for example, a vehicle instrument mounted on a moving body including an automobile, a motorcycle, an agricultural machine, or a construction machine.

1 Pointer-type instrument (display means)
14 Light source (illumination means)
2 Liquid crystal display (display means)
22 Light source (illumination means)
3 Indicator 31 Light source (Light source for indicator)
41 Control means

Claims (4)

It is installed in a vehicle that performs an idle stop function that automatically stops and restarts the engine when it stops.
A vehicle instrument that receives power supply from a battery charged by a generator driven by the engine,
Display means for displaying measured values;
Illumination means for illuminating the display by the display means;
A light source for an indicator that is operated by lighting an indicator that indicates that the engine is stopped by an idle stop function;
Control means for illuminating the indicator with the indicator light source when the engine is stopped by the idle stop function, and controlling the illumination means to be less dimmed than during operation of the engine;
A vehicle instrument characterized by comprising:
A colored light transmission panel is provided on the display surface side of the display means,
The vehicle instrument according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays and outputs the information through the transmissive panel so as to be visible through illumination by the illumination unit.
The control means adjusts the light emission brightness of the illumination means so that the display brightness of the indicator is larger than the display brightness of the display means by the illumination means when the indicator is operated. The vehicle instrument according to claim 1 or 2.
  2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to operate the indicator and control the illumination unit so as to gradually lower the illumination luminance after the vehicle shifts to an idle stop function. Item 3. The vehicle instrument according to Item 2.

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