JP2018181737A - Display device and rotary switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device and a rotary switch aimed at downsizing along the horizontal direction.SOLUTION: A display device includes a light source 2 that emits light, a first display portion 3 illuminated by light from the light source 2, a second display portion 4 illuminated by light from the light source 2, and a light guide portion 5 that guides light from the light source 2 to the first display section 3 and the second display section 4, and the light guide portion 5 includes a first light guide portion 51 that forms a path of light from the light source 2 to the first display portion 3 and a second light guide portion 52 that reflects the light from the light source 2 at the boundary surface with the first light guide portion 51 and guides the light to the second display portion 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device and a rotary switch.

  Conventionally, there has been known a display device which illuminates a pointer display portion disposed on the operation surface of the operation knob and an illumination target portion disposed around the operation knob using a light guide (for example, Patent Document 1) reference).

  In the display device of Patent Document 1, the light guide includes two members of an outer member and an inner member, and the illumination on the illumination target portion is realized by the outer member which transmits and guides the light from the light source. The illumination of the pointer display unit is realized by the inner member that guides the light while reflecting internally.

JP, 2008-311056, A

  In the display device of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to arrange two members of an outer member and an inner member as a light guide along a horizontal surface, and there is a problem that the size in the horizontal direction is increased.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the display apparatus and rotation switch which aimed at size reduction of the size along the horizontal direction.

  The present invention aims at solving the above-mentioned problems, a light source emitting light, a first display unit illuminated by the light from the light source, and a second display unit illuminated by the light from the light source. And a light guiding unit for guiding light from the light source to the first display unit and the second display unit, wherein the light guiding unit forms a path of light from the light source to the first display unit. A display device is provided, comprising: a first light guiding portion; and a second light guiding portion that reflects light from the light source at an interface between the first light guiding portion and guides the light to the second display portion. .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a display device and a rotary switch which are reduced in size along the horizontal direction.

It is sectional drawing of the rotation switch provided with the display apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the rotation switch of FIG.

Embodiment
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rotary switch 10 incorporates a display device 1. The rotation switch 10 includes a rotatable operation knob 11 and a case 12 supporting the operation knob 11. The rotation switch 10 detects an on / off switch state accompanying the rotation operation of the operation knob 11 or a rotation operation amount thereof. The rotation switch 10 is provided, for example, on an instrumental panel of a vehicle, and is used for air conditioning control, audio control, and the like.

  The case 12 has a substantially square cylindrical frame body 121 and a plate-like top plate 122 provided to close one opening of the frame body 121. At a central portion of the top plate 122, a through hole 122a for passing a light guide 5 described later is formed. In FIG. 1, the frame 121 is omitted.

  The display device 1 includes a light source 2 that emits light, a first display unit 3 illuminated by light from the light source 2, a second display unit 4 illuminated by light from the light source 2, and light from the light source 2. A light guide (light guide) 5 leading to the first display unit 3 and the second display unit 4 is provided.

  In the rotary switch 10, the first display unit 3 is provided on the operation knob 11, and the second display unit 4 is provided on the periphery of the operation knob 11. In the present embodiment, the first display unit 3 is formed at the center of the operation knob 11. The first display unit 3 displays, for example, characters, symbols, pointers or the like, and the light from the light source 2 is displayed by covering portions other than the display portions such as characters with a mask (black paint etc.) having a light shielding property. When it irradiates, it is comprised so that a character etc. may be displayed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the second display unit 4 is provided on the surface of the case 12 at the periphery of the operation knob 11, that is, the surface of the top plate 122. The second display unit 4 may illuminate characters, scales and the like provided on the surface of the top plate 122 at the peripheral edge of the operation knob 11, or simply illuminate the top plate 122 at the peripheral edge of the operation knob 11. The effect of indirect lighting may be obtained by

  The light source 2 is mounted on the substrate 6 and emits light in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 6. A light emitting diode can be used as the light source 2. Here, the four light sources 2 are arranged in a matrix, but the number and arrangement of the light sources 2 are not limited to this. The substrate 6 may be accommodated in the case 12 or may be attached to the frame 121 so as to close the opening of the frame 121.

  Although not shown, the substrate 6 is provided with a fixed contact for detecting the rotation (or rotation angle) of the operation knob 11. The rotation switch 10 includes a cylindrical body 7 and a guide member 8 assembled so as to rotate with respect to the substrate 6 (fixed contacts provided on the substrate 6) in conjunction with the rotation of the operation knob 11. The cylindrical body 7 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and each light source 2 is disposed in the hollow portion of the cylindrical body 7. The guide member 8 is fixed to the end of the cylindrical body 7 opposite to the substrate 6 so as to cover the outer periphery of the cylindrical body 7. The cylindrical body 7 and the guide member 8 consist of a member which does not have translucency. A movable contact (not shown) is provided on the bottom surface of the cylindrical body 7 or the guide member 8 (surface on the substrate 6 side), and the contact between the movable contact and the fixed contact provided on the substrate 6 or the contact position thereof The rotational operation of the operation knob 11 can be detected by detecting in a known manner.

  The configuration for detecting the rotation operation of the operation knob is not limited to the above-described one, and the attachment of the cylindrical body 7 and the guide member 8 to the substrate 6 can detect the rotation (or rotation angle) of the operation knob For example, it may be done in any way. For example, at least one of the cylindrical body 7 and the guide member 8 may not be included in the member that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the operation knob 11.

  The light guiding unit 5 is disposed on the outer periphery of the first light guiding unit 51 and the first light guiding unit 51 that forms a path of light from the light source 2 to the first display unit 3. And a second light guide unit 52 that reflects light from the light source 2 at the boundary surface 55 and guides the light to the second display unit 4. In the present embodiment, the light guiding portion 5 is further disposed on the outer periphery of the second light guiding portion 52, and the third light guiding portion 53 which rotates with the operation knob 11, and the light emission side of the first light guiding portion 51. And a fourth light guide 54 provided at the end of the light guide.

  The first light guide 51, the second light guide 52, the third light guide 53, and the fourth light guide 54 are made of an acrylic resin such as polymethyl methacrylate resin (PMMA).

  The first light guiding portion 51 includes a solid cylindrical small diameter portion 51a from the light source 2 side to the operation knob 11 side, a tapered portion 51b gradually expanding in diameter as it is separated from the small diameter portion 51a, and a tapered portion 51b. A flange portion 51c that protrudes radially outward at an end portion and a hollow cylindrical large diameter portion 51d having an outer diameter larger than that of the small diameter portion are sequentially and integrally formed.

  The first light guide 51 is arranged such that its central axis coincides with the rotation axis of the operation knob 11. The flange portion 51 c of the first light guide 51 abuts against the inner surface of the operation knob 11 and plays a role of positioning the first light guide 51 with respect to the operation knob 11. The fourth light guide portion 54 is fitted in the hollow portion of the large diameter portion 51 d. Here, the outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion 51b is formed to be inclined 45 degrees with respect to the central axis (the rotation axis of the operation knob 11 or the optical axis of the light source 2).

  The fourth light guiding portion 54 has a solid cylindrical small diameter portion 54a, and a large diameter portion 54b formed integrally on the operation knob 11 side of the small diameter portion 54a and having an outer diameter larger than that of the small diameter portion 54a. ing.

  The second light guiding portion 52 has an inner diameter substantially the same as the small diameter portion 51a of the first light guiding portion 51, and a hollow cylindrical small diameter portion 52a having the same axial length as the small diameter portion 51a and a small diameter portion 52a. Also, it has a large outer diameter portion 52b integrally formed with a tapered shape whose diameter is gradually increased as the inner circumferential surface is separated from the small diameter portion 52a. The inclination angle of the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 52 b is substantially the same as the inclination angle of the outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion 51 b of the first light guide portion 51. Further, the outer diameter of the large diameter portion 52 b of the second light guide portion 52 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the flange portion 51 c of the first light guide portion 51.

  The small diameter portion 51a of the first light guiding portion 51 is inserted (press-fit) into the hollow portion of the small diameter portion 52a of the second light guiding portion 52, and the hollow portion of the large diameter portion 52b of the second light guiding portion 52 is By inserting (press-fitting) the tapered portion 51 b of the light guide 51, the first light guide 51 and the second light guide 52 are combined and fixed to each other. The outer diameter of the small diameter portion 52a of the second light guiding portion 52 is formed to be substantially the same as the inner diameter of the cylindrical body 7, and the ends of the small diameter portions 51a and 52a of both light guiding portions 51 and 52 are of the cylindrical body 7. It is inserted and fixed in the hollow part. That is, the first light guide 51, the second light guide 52, and the fourth light guide 54 do not rotate as the operation knob 11 rotates. The large diameter portion 52 b of the second light guide 52 is in contact with the surface of the guide member 8 on the operation knob 11 side, and is supported by the guide member 8.

  In the display device 1, when the first light guiding portion 51 and the second light guiding portion 52 are combined, the portion where the outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion 51 b contacts the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 52 b is the light source 2. The boundary surface 55 reflects part of the light and guides it to the second display unit 4. The boundary surface 55 is inclined with respect to a direction parallel to the optical axis of the light source 2 (in the present embodiment, it is a direction along the rotation axis of the operation knob 11). In the boundary surface 55, the outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion 51b and the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 52b are polished so that the outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion 51b is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 52b. It is desirable to be applied. The path of light from the light source 2 to the first display unit 3 and the second display unit 4 will be described later.

  The third light guiding portion 53 is formed in an annular shape having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the large diameter portion 52 b of the second light guiding portion 52. The surface of the third light guide 53 on the operation knob 11 side has a shape along the inner peripheral surface of the operation knob 11 and is fixed to the operation knob 11 by adhesion or the like. The surface of the third light guide 53 on the substrate 6 side is a flat surface perpendicular to the rotation axis of the operation knob 11 and is in contact with the surface of the guide member 8 on the operation knob 11 side.

  The third light guide 53 integrally has a protrusion 53 a that protrudes toward the substrate 6 from the surface on the substrate 6 side. On the surface of the guide member 8 opposite to the substrate 6, a recessed groove 8a for locking the protrusion 53a is formed. The guide portion 8 and the cylindrical body 7 are configured to be rotated with the rotation of the operation knob 11 and the third light guiding portion 53 by locking the projection 53 a in the recessed groove 8 a.

  In addition, an emission portion of the light to the second display portion 4 of the third light guide portion 53 is formed on an inclined surface 53b which is separated from the surface of the case 12 (the surface of the top plate 122) as it goes outward. In the present embodiment, the third light guiding portion 53 is accommodated in the through hole 122 a and disposed over the top and bottom of the top plate 122, so the outer edge of the third light guiding portion 5 closer to the operation knob 11 than the top plate 122 The inclined surface 53b is formed in the portion. The inclined surface 53 b is for refracting the light emitted from the third light guide 53 and emitting the light to the top plate 122 side.

  Here, the path of light from the light source 2 to the first display unit 3 and the second display unit 4 will be described. As shown by the broken line arrow a in FIG. 1, a part of the light from the light source 2 is disposed in the hollow portion of the small diameter portion 51a, the tapered portion 51b, the flange portion 51c, and the large diameter portion 51d of the first light guiding portion 51. The light is guided to the first display unit 3 sequentially through the fourth light guiding unit 54.

  Further, as shown by the broken line arrow b in FIG. 1, part of the light from the light source 2 sequentially passes through the small diameter portion 52a and the large diameter portion 52b of the second light guide 52 to reach the boundary surface 55, A portion of the light is reflected at the interface 55. The reflection on the boundary surface 55 is an internal reflection on the surface of the second light guide 52 (the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 52b) and an external surface reflection on the surface of the first light guide 51 (the outer peripheral surface of the taper 51c). And.

  The light reflected by the boundary surface 55 is directed radially outward, passes through the third light guiding portion 53, and is emitted from the inclined surface 53b, as shown by a broken arrow c in FIG. Here, when emitted from the inclined surface 53b, the light is refracted toward the top plate 122 side. As a result, as shown by the broken line arrow d in FIG. 1, the light emitted from the third light guide 53 is irradiated to the top plate 122 at the periphery of the operation knob 11, that is, the second display 4. Become.

  The light transmitted through the boundary surface 55 without being reflected by the boundary surface 55 passes through the first light guiding portion 51 (and the fourth light guiding portion 54) as shown by the broken line arrow e in FIG. 1 will be led to the display unit 3.

  In the present embodiment, the rotary switch 10 includes an illumination tube (scattering tube) 13 for illuminating the peripheral edge of the operation knob 11, and a support member 14 having an accommodation groove 14a for accommodating the illumination tube 13 and supporting the illumination tube 13. And the light source 15 for tubes which irradiates light to the illumination tube 13 further. In addition, in FIG. 1, these illumination tubes 13, the supporting member 14, and the light source 15 for tubes are abbreviate | omitted and shown.

  In the present embodiment, the illumination tube 13 and the support member 14 are accommodated in the case 12, and the illumination tube 13 illuminates the periphery of the operation knob 11 from the inside of the case 12. The top plate 122 may be configured to transmit at least a part of the light from the illumination tube 13.

  The tube light source 15 is mounted on the same substrate 6 as the light source 2. Here, two tube light sources 15 are used so that light is emitted from both ends of the illumination tube 13 respectively.

  The support member 14 is fixed to the substrate 6 and is attached to the main body portion 141 having the accommodation groove 14a formed on the surface opposite to the substrate 6 and the body portion 141 so as to close the accommodation groove 14a. And a lid portion 142 for suppressing detachment from the groove 14a. The lid portion 142 is made of a transparent member such as acrylic resin that transmits the light from the illumination tube 13.

  Further, the main body portion 141 is provided with a fixing portion 14 b which fixes the both ends of the light-emitting tube 13 in a state of facing the substrate 6 side. Although not shown, a concave portion for accommodating the tube light source 15 when the main body portion 141 is attached to the substrate 6 is formed on the surface on the substrate 6 side of the fixed portion 14b, and the tube accommodated in this concave portion The light source 15 and the end of the light-emitting tube 13 are configured to face each other.

  In the present embodiment, the guide member 8 has a ring-shaped flange portion 16 which does not have translucency, and the flange portion 16 is an upper portion of the support member 14 (the operation knob 11 side of the lid portion 142). Is covered. The flange portion 16 is formed with a through hole 16a which penetrates the flange portion 16 in the axial direction, and the light from the light emitting tube 13 which has passed through the through hole 16a illuminates the peripheral edge of the operation knob 11. The circumferential direction position of the through hole 16a changes with the rotation of the operation knob 11, and the object illuminated by the light from the light-emitting tube 13 changes accordingly. In the present embodiment, the light from the light-emitting tube 13 serves as an indicator that indicates the target selected by the rotary switch 10.

  Not limited to this, the collar portion 16 may be omitted, and the entire peripheral edge of the operation knob 11 may be illuminated with the light from the illumination tube 13. In addition to the illumination by the light emitted from the inclined surface 53b of the third light guide 53, by using the illumination by the illumination tube 13 in combination, the peripheral edge of the operation knob 11, that is, the second display unit 4 has a more uniform brightness It becomes possible to illuminate with

(Operation and effect of the embodiment)
As described above, in the display device 1 according to the present embodiment, the light guiding unit 5 includes the first light guiding unit 51 forming the light path from the light source 2 to the first display unit 3, and the first light guiding unit 51. And a second light guide unit 52 that reflects the light from the light source 2 on the boundary surface 55 with the light unit 51 and guides the light to the second display unit 4.

  By using the reflection at the boundary surface 55 between the first light guide 51 and the second light guide 52 to guide light to the second display 4, the first light guide 51 and the second light It becomes possible to overlap and arrange the light guide 52 in the axial direction parallel to the rotation axis of the operation knob 11 (or the direction parallel to the optical axis of the light source 2), which is a direction perpendicular to this axial direction It becomes possible to achieve size reduction along the horizontal direction. In addition, since both the first display unit 3 and the second display unit 4 can be illuminated using the common light source 2, the number of light sources 2 used can be reduced, and the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Can be

  Although the case where display device 1 is applied to rotation switch 10 was explained by the above-mentioned embodiment, the use of display device 1 is not limited to this, for example, display device 1 can also be applied to a push switch. It is. In this case, the third light guide 53 can be omitted, and the influence of the reflection at the interface between the second light guide 52 and the third light guide 53 is eliminated. It is possible to further increase the strength.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment and the modification of this invention were described, these embodiment and the modification are only an example, and do not limit the invention which concerns on a claim. These novel embodiments and modifications can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, replacements, changes and the like can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Further, all combinations of the features described in the embodiments and the modifications are not necessarily essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. Furthermore, these embodiments and modifications are included in the scope and the gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... display apparatus, 2 ... light source, 3 ... 1st display part, 4 ... 2nd display part, 5 ... light guide part, 51 ... 1st light guide part, 52 ... 2nd light guide part, 53 ... 3rd guide Light portion 54: fourth light guide portion 55: interface surface 6: substrate 10: rotation switch 11: operation knob 12: case

Claims (4)

A light source that emits light,
A first display illuminated by light from the light source;
A second display illuminated by light from the light source;
A light guide unit for guiding light from the light source to the first display unit and the second display unit;
The light guide unit
A first light guide forming a path of light from the light source to the first display;
And a second light guide portion that reflects light from the light source at the interface with the first light guide portion and guides the light to the second display portion.
Display device. The boundary surface is inclined with respect to a direction parallel to the optical axis of the light source.
The display device according to claim 1. A rotatable operation knob,
A display device according to claim 1 or 2;
The first display unit is provided on the operation knob,
The second display unit is provided on the periphery of the operation knob.
Rotation switch. The lighting device further comprises an illumination tube for illuminating the periphery of the operation knob.
The rotary switch according to claim 3.

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