JP2016001150A - Device for lighting pointer of meter for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make brightness uniform irrespective of the angle of rotation of a pointer.SOLUTION: When light emitted from a plurality of light sources for pointer lighting 30 (30a, 30b, and 30c) and has entered the inside of a pointer 10 from a light receiving part 15 (light incident part) lights the pointer 10, on the basis of the angle of rotation θ of the pointer 10 on a dial 20 calculated by a pointer rotation angle calculation part 40, a light source emission control part 60 controls the light emission state of the plurality of light sources for pointer lighting 30 (30a, 30b, and 30c) so that the intensity of the light entering the inside of the pointer 10 becomes constant irrespective of the angle of rotation θ of the pointer 10.

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointer illumination device for a vehicular instrument having an illumination function for illuminating its own pointer.

  Conventionally, for example, an instrument illumination device described in Patent Document 1 is known as an instrument illumination device having a pointer illumination function.

Japanese Patent No. 3211229

  However, according to the instrument illumination device described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of light sources for emitting the pointer are installed near the root of the pointer, these light sources are always turned on, and the light emitted from each light source is When the light enters the pointer from the light incident portion of the pointer and advances to the tip of the pointer while repeatedly reflecting on the inner surface of the pointer, the pointer is caused to emit light by leaking light leaking from the surface of the pointer to the outside. Yes. Therefore, depending on the rotation angle of the pointer, the position of the pointer coincides with the position of the light source, and a lot of light enters the pointer. On the other hand, when the position of the pointer is shifted from the position of the light source, the amount of light incident on the inside of the pointer is reduced. As described above, since the amount of light incident on the inside of the pointer changes depending on the rotation angle of the pointer, there is a problem that the brightness of the pointer may be uneven.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a pointer illumination device for a vehicle instrument according to the present invention is provided with a dial having a display of characters, symbols, scales, and the like, and is provided so as to rotate on the dial. A transparent pointer indicating an instruction value indicated according to the state of the vehicle on the board, a plurality of pointer illumination light sources for emitting light for emitting the pointer, and the plurality of pointer illumination light sources Based on the light incident portion that enters the light emitted from the pointer, the pointer rotation angle calculation portion that calculates the rotation angle of the pointer based on the instruction value, and the rotation angle of the pointer, A light source emission control unit for controlling the light emission states of the plurality of pointer illumination light sources so that the amount of light incident on the pointer is constant regardless of the rotation angle. To do.

  The pointer illuminating device for a vehicle meter according to the present invention is calculated by the pointer rotation angle calculation unit when light emitted from a plurality of pointer illumination light sources and incident on the pointer from the light incident unit illuminates the pointer. Based on the rotation angle of the pointer on the dial, the light source emission control unit determines the light emission state of the plurality of pointer illumination light sources and the amount of light incident on the inside of the pointer regardless of the rotation angle of the pointer. Therefore, the pointer can emit light with uniform brightness regardless of the rotation angle of the pointer.

It is a top view which shows the external appearance of the vehicle speedometer which is an example of the meter for vehicles which concerns on this invention. It is a disassembled block diagram which shows the structure of the pointer | guide which comprises the vehicle speedometer which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the vehicle speedometer which concerns on this invention, (a) is a top view which shows a part of vehicle speedometer in the state of FIG. (B) is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected Fig.3 (a) by cutting line AA. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the pointer | light indicator illuminating device which concerns on Example 1 which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the pointer | light indicator illuminating device which concerns on Example 1 which is one Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a figure which shows the lighting state of the light source for pointer | light sources illumination when a pointer | hook is in the diagonally downward left direction. is there. (B) is a figure which shows the lighting state of the light source for pointer illumination when a pointer is in the diagonally upper left direction. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the pointer illuminating device which concerns on Example 1 which is one Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a figure explaining the rotation angle of a pointer and the layout of the light source for pointer illumination. (B) is a figure which shows the memory content of the light source drive state storage table. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the pointer illuminating device which concerns on Example 2 which is another embodiment of this invention, (a) is a figure which shows the lighting state of the light source for pointer illumination when a pointer exists in the diagonally downward left direction It is. (B) is a figure which shows the lighting state of the light source for pointer illumination when a pointer is in the diagonally upper left direction. It is a figure which shows the memory content of the light source drive state storage table in the pointer | light indicator illuminating device which concerns on Example 2 which is another embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of the present invention described above will be described by taking as an example a vehicle speedometer 100 that is a vehicle instrument equipped with a pointer illumination device.

  A speedometer 100, which is an example of a vehicle instrument in the present embodiment, includes a dial 20 and a pointer 10, as shown in FIG.

A plurality of scales 12 representing the vehicle speed and a plurality of characters 14 representing the positions of the scales are drawn on the dial surface of the dial 20, and the pointer 10 is installed to rotate on the dial surface of the dial 20. ing.
[Description of guideline structure]

  Next, the structure of the pointer 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The pointer 10 constituting the vehicle speed meter 100 which is the vehicle instrument according to the first embodiment has a structure shown in FIG. That is, the pointer 10 includes a pointer pointer member 2, a pointer cap 3, a spacer 4, and a balance weight 5.

  The pointer pointer member 2 is a rotation mechanism for rotating the pointer 10 by a desired angle, which is a rotation mechanism of a step motor type or cross coil type movement 8 (FIG. 3B), which is a rotation axis of a pointer rotation shaft portion 7 ( It is attached to the tip of FIG. 3B and rotates on the dial surface of the dial 20 (FIG. 1). Details of the movement 8 and the pointer rotation shaft 7 will be described later.

  The pointer pointer member 2 is made of a material such as polycarbonate that is transparent and can transmit light. The pointer pointer member 2 includes an elongated pointer pointer body 2a, a cylindrical shaft attaching portion 2b attached to the tip of a pointer turning shaft portion 7 (FIG. 3B), which will be described later, and a pointer pointer. A mounting opening 2c for assembling the member 2 and the pointer cap 3 and an instruction portion 2d which is a tip portion of the pointer pointer main body 2a for instructing the vehicle speed according to the rotation of the pointer 10 are configured.

  The attachment opening portion 2c is provided above the shaft attachment portion 2b so as to open to the left side surface side and the right side surface side in the direction orthogonal to the shaft extending direction and in the longitudinal direction of the pointer pointer body 2a. . Using the surface constituting the mounting opening 2c, light emitted from a pointer illumination light source 30 (FIG. 3A), which will be described later, is incident on the inside of the pointer pointer body 2a.

  A flat spacer 4 is incorporated in the attachment opening 2c. The spacer 4 is formed of a material such as polycarbonate, and is provided with several attachment holes 4a (four in this embodiment) for attaching the pointer pointer member 2 and the pointer cap 3.

  The pointer cap 3 is assembled to the pointer pointer member 2 at a position of an attachment hole 4a provided in the spacer 4 by an attachment pin 3d (FIG. 3B) described later.

  The pointer cap 3 accommodates a balance weight 5 formed of a heavy metal material such as brass, which is an alloy of copper and zinc. By installing the balance weight 5, the position of the center of gravity of the pointer 10 can be made coincident with the position of the shaft mounting portion 2b that is the rotation shaft of the pointer 10, thereby stabilizing the pointer 10 around the shaft mounting portion 2b. Can be rotated.

Furthermore, the pointer cap 3 is formed with a notch-shaped slit 3a from the central portion toward the distal end, and the pointer pointer body 2a is exposed from the area where the slit 3a is formed, so that the pointer is guided to the occupant. The pointer main body 2a is shown sharply. Further, the slit 3a illuminates the pointer by emitting the light incident on the pointer pointer body 2a to the outside.
[Description of the structure of the speedometer]

  Next, the detailed structure of the vehicle speedometer 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3A is a plan view in which the peripheral portion of the pointer 10 is enlarged and displayed when the pointer 10 of the speedometer 100 is in the position of FIG. And FIG.3 (b) is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected Fig.3 (a) by the cutting line AA.

  On the surface side of the substrate 6a shown in FIG. 3B, the dial 20 is arranged in parallel with a predetermined gap. A movement 8 that drives and rotates the pointer 10 is attached to the substrate 6a. The movement 8 has a pointer turning shaft portion 7 extending straight toward the dial 20.

  On the other hand, the pointer 10 is disposed on the surface side of the dial 20 so as to be rotatable along the surface (board surface) of the dial 20. A shaft attachment portion 2b that can be attached to the pointer rotation shaft portion 7 is integrally formed on the back surface portion on the rear end side of the pointer pointer main body 2a constituting the pointer 10.

  A dial shaft insertion opening 16 is formed in the central portion of the dial 20, and the shaft mounting portion 2 b is attached to the pointer rotation shaft portion 7 through the needle shaft insertion opening 16. ing.

  Further, as a light source for illuminating the pointer pointer main body 2a, an LED (light emission) is provided on the surface side of the substrate 6a shown in FIG. 3B so as to surround the pointer turning shaft portion 7 shown in FIG. Three pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) made up of diodes) are attached at regular intervals along the circumferential direction of the pointer rotation shaft portion 7. As shown in FIG. 3B, the pointer pointer main body 2a receives light emitted from the pointer illumination light sources 30a, 30b, 30c into the pointer pointer main body 2a (light incident portion). Is provided.

  These pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) are arranged so that the light emitting surface faces the direction of the pointer shaft insertion opening 16 of the dial 20 and the light receiving portion 15 (light incident portion) of the pointer pointer body 2a. It is attached to the substrate 6a. 3 (a) and 3 (b) show an example in which three pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) are installed as an example. As shown in FIG. You may install more light sources as needed.

  A dial illumination light source 32 for illuminating the dial 20 from the back side is provided on the surface of the substrate 6a. The light emitted from the dial illumination light source 32 illuminates and transmits the scale 12 and the character 14 drawn on the dial 20 from the back side of the dial 20. Then, the reflector 6b is provided on the back side of the dial 20 and the peripheral portion of the dial illumination light source 32 so that the light emitted from the dial illumination light source 32 efficiently transmits and illuminates the scale 12 and the character 14. Is installed.

  Next, the illumination structure of the pointer 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The light receiving unit 15 (light incident unit) has a plurality of pointer illuminations at a position inside the pointer shaft insertion opening 16 on the back surface portion on the rear end side of the pointer pointer main body 2a according to the rotation angle of the pointer 10. Among the light sources 30 for use (30a, 30b, 30c (30c is not shown)), the light emitted from any one of the light sources 30 is provided in parallel with the dial 20 so as to enter the inside of the pointer 10.

  In addition, the code | symbol 6c in a figure is provided between the board | substrate 6a and the dial 20 concentrically with the opening part 16 for pointer axis | shaft insertion, and light sources 30a, 30b, 30c for pointer illumination (30c is not shown) The cylindrical surrounding wall which forms the space for illuminating the pointer pointer main body 2a on the inner side by encircling and preventing light leakage.

According to such a configuration, when the movement 8 is driven, the pointer 10 is connected to the pointer rotating shaft portion via the pointer rotating shaft portion 7 and the shaft attaching portion 2b attached to the pointer rotating shaft portion 7. 7 is appropriately rotated along the dial 20 surface. Thereby, the vehicle speed can be displayed by the position indicated by the instruction portion 2d (tip portion) of the pointer 10. For example, light emitted from the pointer illuminating light source 30a is, in along the optical path L ₁ travels through space in the tubular enclosure 6c, in accordance with the rotation angle of the pointer 10, the light receiving portion 15 (light incident portion) The light enters the pointer pointer main body 2a. The light incident on the guidance pointer body 2a along the optical path L _2, travels toward the inside of the pointer pointer body 2a to the instruction unit 2d of the tip repeatedly reflected inside the guidance pointer body 2a.

  The light transmitted through the pointer pointer body 2a is totally reflected at the bottom surface 2e of the pointer pointer body 2a. For example, a white layer having a high reflectance is printed on the bottom surface 2e by a printing processing method called a hot stamp. Therefore, the light that has reached the bottom surface 2e out of the light traveling inside the pointer pointer body 2a is reflected toward the inside of the pointer pointer body 2a.

Then, the front side of the pointer a pointer main body 2a, a portion of the light is diffused in all directions is emitted to the outside of the pointer pointer body 2a as shown by optical paths L _3. At this time, when the pointer 10 is viewed from the outside, it appears that the entire pointer 10 is illuminated.

On the front side of the pointer pointer main body 2a, a part of the light that has not diffused to the outside is reflected toward the inside of the pointer pointer main body 2a and is transmitted through the pointer pointer main body 2a toward the instruction section 2d.
[Description of Configuration of Embodiment 1]

As shown in FIG. 4, a vehicle speedometer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured so that the dial 20 and the surface of the dial 20 are indicated by an arrow P according to the speed (vehicle speed) of a vehicle (not shown). 2 is provided below the pointer cap 3 holding the pointer 10 and indicating the value corresponding to the vehicle speed displayed on the dial 20 and indicating the value corresponding to the vehicle speed. Based on three pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) composed of LEDs arranged in the vicinity of the pointer rotating shaft portion 7) and a vehicle speed (not shown) detected by a vehicle speed sensor 80 described later. The pointer rotation angle calculation unit 40 that calculates the rotation angle of the pointer 10, the pointer rotation unit 50 that rotates the pointer 10 to the rotation angle calculated by the pointer rotation angle calculation unit 40, and for pointer illumination Control the lighting state of the light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) The source light emission control unit 60, the light source driving state storage table 70 storing the lighting state of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) corresponding to the turning angle of the pointer 10, and the vehicle speed meter 100 are mounted on the vehicle. And a vehicle speed sensor 80 that detects a vehicle speed of a vehicle (not shown).
[Description of Operation of Example 1]

  Next, the effect | action of a present Example is demonstrated using Fig.5 (a), (b) and FIG.

  FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a lighting state of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) when the rotation angle of the pointer 10 is directly above the installation position of the pointer illumination light source 30b. .

  When in the state of FIG. 5A, as shown in the graph of FIG. 5A, the pointer illumination light source 30b is dc lit (duty ratio 100%) and the pointer illumination light sources 30a and 30c are turned off. doing. At this time, since the pointer illumination light source 30b is directly below the pointer 10, more light emitted from the pointer illumination light source 30b is incident on the inside of the pointer 10.

  FIG. 5B shows the lighting state of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) when the turning angle of the pointer 10 is between the installation positions of the pointer illumination light source 30a and the pointer illumination light source 30b. FIG.

  In the state of FIG. 5B, as shown in the graph of FIG. 5B, both the pointer illumination light sources 30a and 30b are dc-lit (duty ratio 100%), and the pointer illumination light source 30c is Off. At this time, since the pointer illumination light source 30 does not exist directly under the pointer 10, the amount of light incident on the pointer 10 is increased as much as possible, and the brightness of the pointer 10 when in the state of FIG. So that the pointer illumination light sources 30a and 30b are both turned on, and a part of the light emitted from the pointer illumination light source 30a and a part of the light emitted from the pointer illumination light source 30b are obtained. Both are incident on the inside of the pointer 10.

  The lighting state of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) can be determined based on the rotation angle θ of the pointer 10.

  FIG. 6A shows that the pointer 10 rotates within the range of the rotation angle θ = 0 to θ6, and the rotation area of the pointer 10 is equal to 6 according to the rotation angle θ of the pointer 10. It shows a state of being divided into individual partial areas (10a to 10f). Further, the pointer illumination light source 30b is installed so as to overlap the position of the pointer rotation angle θ = θ1 / 2, and the pointer illumination light source 30a overlaps the position of the pointer rotation angle θ = θ3. It is shown that the pointer illumination light source 30c is installed so as to overlap the position of the pointer rotation angle θ = (θ5 + θ6) / 2. The pointer 10 represents that it rotates within the range of the rotation angle θ = 0 to θ6.

  Since it is inefficient to calculate the lighting state of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) each time according to the turning angle θ of the pointer, in the first embodiment, FIG. As shown, each pointer illumination light source according to the rotation angle θ of the pointer 10 calculated by the pointer rotation angle calculation unit 40 (FIG. 4) based on the vehicle speed output from the vehicle speed sensor 80 (FIG. 4). 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) lighting states are stored as the light source driving state storage table 70.

  In the first embodiment, the rotation range (θ = 1 to θ6) of the pointer 10 is divided into six equal partial areas (10a to 10f), and each partial area (10a to 10f) The lighting state of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) is defined.

  Specifically, when the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) is located directly below the pointer 10, only the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) directly below is dc-lit, Other than the pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) are turned off.

  For example, when the pointer 10 is near the pointer illumination light source 30b, that is, when the pointer 10 is in the partial area 10a, the pointer illumination light source 30b is dc-lit and the pointer illumination light sources 30a and 30c are turned off. To do.

  Further, when the pointer 10 is near the pointer illumination light source 30a, that is, when the pointer 10 is in the partial areas 10c and 10d, the pointer illumination light source 30a is turned on by direct current to emit the pointer illumination light sources 30b and 30c. Turn off the light.

  Furthermore, when the pointer 10 is near the pointer illumination light source 30c, that is, when the pointer 10 is in the partial region 10f, the pointer illumination light source 30c is turned on by direct current and the pointer illumination light sources 30a and 30b are turned off. To do.

  When the pointer 10 is not directly above the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c), a plurality of adjacent pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) are turned on and the amount of light incident on the pointer 10 To compensate for the decrease.

  That is, when the pointer 10 is between the pointer illumination light source 30a and the pointer illumination light source 30b, that is, when the pointer 10 is in the partial area 10b, the pointer illumination light source 30a and the pointer illumination light source 30b are lit in DC. The pointer illumination light source 30c is turned off.

  Further, when the pointer 10 is between the pointer illumination light source 30a and the pointer illumination light source 30c, that is, when the pointer 10 is in the partial area 10e, the pointer illumination light source 30a and the pointer illumination light source 30c are lit in DC. The pointer illumination light source 30b is turned off.

  In practice, a hysteresis Δθ is provided so that the luminance change of the pointer 10 at the boundary position of each partial region (10a to 10f) is further reduced, and before Δθ entering the adjacent partial region, The illumination state of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) is changed.

  Next, a method of determining the lighting state of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) with reference to the light source driving state storage table 70 when the turning angle θ of the pointer 10 is given will be described with reference to FIG. Will be described.

  Based on the value of the vehicle speed output from the vehicle speed sensor 80, the pointer rotation angle calculation unit 40 calculates the rotation angle θ of the pointer 10. The calculated rotation angle θ is sent to the light source emission control unit 60 and also sent to the pointer rotation unit 50 to rotate the pointer 10 to the position of the rotation angle θ. On the other hand, after receiving the rotation angle θ, the light source emission control unit 60 refers to the position of the light source drive state storage table 70 corresponding to the rotation angle θ. Then, the lighting state of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) corresponding to the referenced rotation angle θ is read from the light source emission control unit 60, and the light source emission control unit 60 reads the read pointer illumination light source. The lighting state of the light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) is realized.

  FIG. 6B shows the light source driving state storage table 70 when the pointer 10 is rotated clockwise. When the pointer 10 is rotated counterclockwise, the hysteresis Δθ can be provided in the same way, but the way of giving it is different from that in FIG. That is, when the current rotation angle θ of the pointer 10 is within Δθ until it reaches a partial area adjacent in the counterclockwise direction, the illumination control in the adjacent partial area is performed first (illustration is shown). (Omitted). Therefore, in practice, the turning direction is detected together with the turning angle θ of the pointer 10 to determine the lighting state of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c).

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In the second embodiment, the present invention is applied to a vehicle speedometer 102 (not shown). The lighting control method of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) is different from that of the first embodiment. That is, in Example 1, each pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) is switched on / off, but in Example 2, the duty of each pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) is switched. By switching the ratio, the lighting state of each pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) is controlled.

  That is, the configuration of the second embodiment is almost the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, and the light source driving state storage table 72 (FIG. 8) is used instead of the light source driving state storage table 70. Since only the difference is made, description of the configuration diagram is omitted.

  Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a lighting state of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) when the rotation angle of the pointer 10 is directly above the installation position of the pointer illumination light source 30b. .

  When in the state of FIG. 7A, as shown in the graph of FIG. 7A, the pointer illumination light source 30b is turned on at the duty ratio D1, and the pointer illumination light sources 30a and 30c are turned off. . At this time, since the pointer illumination light source 30b is directly below the pointer 10, more light emitted from the pointer illumination light source 30b is incident on the inside of the pointer 10. In order to turn on the pointer illumination light source 30b with the duty ratio D1, the light source emission controller 60 outputs a drive signal with the duty ratio D1 to the pointer illumination light source 30b.

  FIG. 7B shows the lighting state of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) when the turning angle of the pointer 10 is between the installation positions of the pointer illumination light source 30a and the pointer illumination light source 30b. FIG.

  In the state of FIG. 7B, as shown in the graph of FIG. 7B, both the pointer illumination light sources 30a and 30b are turned on at the duty ratio D2, and the pointer illumination light source 30c is turned off. Yes. At this time, since the pointer illumination light source 30 does not exist directly under the pointer 10, the amount of light incident on the pointer 10 is increased as much as possible, and the brightness of the pointer 10 when in the state of FIG. Of the pointer illumination light sources 30a and 30b is adjusted so that a part of the light emitted from the pointer illumination light source 30a and the light emitted from the pointer illumination light source 30b can be obtained. Some of them are incident on the inside of the pointer 10. Specifically, in the state shown in FIG. 7B, the duty ratio D2 is set to be higher than the duty ratio D1 in order to increase the amount of light incident on the pointer 10. In order to turn on the pointer illumination light sources 30a and 30b with the duty ratio D2, the light source emission control unit 60 outputs a drive signal with the duty ratio D2 to the pointer illumination light sources 30a and 30b.

  Here, specific values of the duty ratios D1 and D2 are determined in advance based on the necessary brightness of the pointer 10 or the like.

  The lighting state of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) can be determined based on the rotation angle θ of the pointer 10.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the contents of the light source drive state storage table 72 used for determining the lighting state of the pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) in the second embodiment. The configuration of the light source drive state storage table 72 is the same as the configuration of the light source drive state storage table 70 described above, and only the specific lighting state of the pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) is different.

  Then, in the same manner as the method for referring to the light source driving state storage table 70 described above, the contents of the light source driving state storage table 72 are referred to according to the rotation angle θ of the pointer 10, and each pointer illumination light source 30 ( 30a, 30b, 30c) are controlled to a predetermined lighting state. FIG. 8 shows the light source driving state storage table 72 when the pointer 10 is rotated clockwise. Even when the pointer 10 is rotated counterclockwise, the hysteresis Δθ can be provided in the same way, but the way of giving it is different as described in the first embodiment (illustration is omitted).

  As described above, according to the vehicle speedometer 100 according to the first embodiment, the light emitted from the plurality of pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) is emitted from the light receiving unit 15 (light incident unit) to the inside of the pointer 10. When the incident light illuminates the pointer 10, the light source light emission control unit 60 performs a plurality of pointer illuminations based on the rotation angle θ of the pointer 10 on the dial 20 calculated by the pointer rotation angle calculation unit 40. In order to control the light emission state of the light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) so that the amount of light entering the pointer 10 is constant regardless of the rotation angle θ of the pointer 10, the rotation of the pointer 10 Regardless of the moving angle θ, the pointer 10 can emit light with uniform brightness.

  Further, according to the vehicle speedometer 102 according to the second embodiment, the light source emission control unit 60 turns on and off each of the plurality of pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c), and the drive output by the light source emission control unit 60 Since the signal duty ratios D1 and D2 are controlled independently for each pointer illumination light source (30a, 30b, 30c), the luminance unevenness of the pointer can be further reduced.

  And according to the speedometer 100 which concerns on Example 1, the light source light emission control part 60 is a part of pointer illumination light source (30a, 30b, 30c) among several light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) for pointer illumination. Since any one of 30c) is turned off, the brightness unevenness of the pointer can be reduced, and power can be saved by partially turning off the pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c).

  Furthermore, according to the vehicle speedometer 100 according to the first embodiment and the vehicle speedometer 102 according to the second embodiment, a plurality of pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) corresponding to the rotation angle θ of the pointer 10 are provided. Light source drive state storage tables 70 and 72 representing drive states are provided, and the light source emission control unit 60 corresponds to the light source drive state storage table 70 corresponding to the rotation angle θ of the pointer 10 calculated by the pointer rotation angle calculation unit 40. , 72 based on the contents of the pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c), so that the pointer illumination light sources 30 (30a, 30b, 30c, 30b, 30c, 30c, 30c, 30c, 30c) 30c) can be determined immediately, and the response speed of the pointer illumination light source 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) can be improved.

  In Example 1 and Example 2, six partial regions (10a to 10f) are set, but this is not limited to six. That is, the number of partial areas is appropriately determined according to the number of pointer illumination light sources 30 and the target luminance uniformity of the pointer 10.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the embodiments are only examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments. Needless to say, design changes and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the invention are included in the present invention.

10 Pointer 15 Light receiving part (light incident part)
20 Dial 30 (30a, 30b, 30c) Pointer illumination light source 40 Pointer rotation angle calculation unit 50 Pointer rotation unit 60 Light source light emission control unit 70 Light source driving state storage table 80 Vehicle speed sensor

Claims (4)

A dial having a display of characters, symbols, scales, etc .;
A pointer that is provided so as to rotate on the dial, and has a translucency that indicates an instruction value indicated according to a state of the vehicle on the dial;
A plurality of pointer illumination light sources for emitting light for causing the pointer to emit light;
A light incident part for entering the light emitted from the plurality of pointer illumination light sources into the pointer;
A pointer rotation angle calculator that calculates a rotation angle of the pointer based on the instruction value;
Light source light emission for controlling the light emission states of the plurality of pointer illumination light sources based on the rotation angle of the pointer so that the amount of light incident on the pointer is constant regardless of the rotation angle. A pointer illumination control device for a vehicle instrument, comprising: a controller;   2. The vehicle instrument according to claim 1, wherein the light source emission control unit independently controls a duty ratio of a drive signal for turning on and off the plurality of pointer illumination light sources for each of the light sources. Pointer illumination control device.   2. The pointer illumination control device for a vehicle instrument according to claim 1, wherein the light source emission control unit turns off some of the plurality of pointer illumination light sources.   A light source driving state storage table representing driving states of the plurality of pointer illumination light sources according to the turning angle of the pointer, wherein the light source emission control unit is calculated by the pointer turning angle calculation unit; 4. The light emission for each of the plurality of pointer illuminations is caused to emit light based on the content of the light source driving state storage table corresponding to the rotation angle of the light source. 5. Indicator lighting control device for vehicle meters.