JP2548854Y2 - Lighting structure of instrument pointer - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an illumination structure of an instrument pointer which makes the pointer shine with high luminance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An instrument such as an automobile speedometer is provided with an illuminating means in order to secure visibility in a dark place such as at night. In an instrument having a pointer and a dial, in order to illuminate both, a light guide plate provided behind the dial and a light source for illuminating the light guide plate are used as illumination means. In this case, the dial is illuminated by the transmission of light emitted from behind by the entire surface of the light guide plate, and the hands are illuminated by guiding light into the main body of the hands via the light guide plate.

However, in the above-described illumination structure, since the luminance of light emitted from the light source is not sufficient, the luminance of the pointer that introduces the light guided by the light guide plate is limited, and surrounding lights such as at twilight or at the time of backlight are used. In some cases, the visibility of the pointer became insufficient depending on changes in the environment.

[0004] Therefore, a device has been devised in which the above-mentioned difficulties are solved by using the discharge tube itself as a pointer. FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are a front view and an exploded perspective view showing an example of this type of instrument pointer illumination structure. In FIG. 1, an internal unit 1 to which an input signal of an instrument is supplied has a pointer shaft 2 which is driven to rotate in accordance with the input signal, and the pointer shaft 2 is balanced by a pair of hair springs 3 and 4. It is rotated by a predetermined angle according to the input signal.

A pointer 6 formed of a discharge tube is fixed to the tip of the pointer shaft 2 via a pointer holding member 5. A dial 7 is provided behind the hands 6, and a character display corresponding to the type of instrument is formed on the dial 7 by means such as printing. The hands 6 have power receiving parts 8 and 9 at their center and base end.
And the pointer receiving members 5 and 9
Elastic pieces 10 of a pair of power supply plates 10 and 11 arranged along
a and 11a are in pressure contact with each other.

The lower ends of the power supply plates 10 and 11 are fixed to one ends of a pair of hair springs 12 and 13, respectively, and the other ends of the hair springs 12 and 13 are connected to terminal plates 14 and 15 respectively. A power supply for the pointer (discharge tube) 6 is connected to the terminal plates 14 and 15. Therefore, power is supplied to the pointer 5 via the terminal plates 14 and 15, the hair springs 12 and 13, and the power supply plates 10 and 11. In the drawing, reference numeral 16 denotes an insulator for the pointer shaft 2, and 17, 18, and 19 denote covers.

[0007]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional example described above,
Since the hands 5 emit light, sufficient brightness of the hands can be obtained. However, since the rotating hands 5 must be supplied from the fixed inner unit 1 side, the power supply structure is a hair spring 12, 13 and so on. Therefore, there has been a problem that the cost is increased due to complicated assembling work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an illumination structure for an instrument pointer with a simple configuration and good assembling workability while sufficiently obtaining the brightness of the pointer in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the illumination structure of the instrument pointer made according to the present invention comprises a pointer made of a light guide material attached to an end of a shaft connected to the instrument inner machine. A dial disposed behind the pointer, a light guide disposed behind the dial, and a light source for illuminating the dial and the pointer via the light guide plate; Wherein the light source comprises a circular discharge tube along the outer shape of the dial and the light guide plate, and is disposed so as to surround the outer peripheral end surface of the light guide plate, and the phosphor layer applied to the inner wall of the discharge tube is A portion facing the outer peripheral end surface of the light guide plate is removed in a slit shape.

[0010]

According to the above arrangement, the direct light of the discharge tube is guided to the pointer via the light guide plate without passing through the fluorescent layer to the pointer. In addition, there is no power supply structure for the pointers, and the lighting structure is a conventional light guide plate, and the assembling work is easy.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of an illumination structure of an instrument pointer according to the present invention, but the description of the same parts as those of the conventional instrument such as the internal instrument described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 will be omitted.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 21 denotes an internal instrument, reference numeral 22 denotes a pointer shaft, reference numeral 23 denotes a pointer, reference numeral 24 denotes a dial, reference numeral 25 denotes a light guide plate, and reference numeral 26 denotes a light guide plate.
Is a light source.

The pointer 23 is made of a light guide material attached to the tip of the pointer shaft 22, and a dial 24 is provided behind the pointer 23.
Are arranged. The dial 24 is printed on the translucent base material with the graduations 24a and the characters 24b without characters, that is, the portions of the graduations 24a and the characters 24b are made translucent, and the other portions are made opaque. Printing.

A light guide plate 25 made of a transparent resin material such as acryl is disposed behind the dial 24, and the light guide plate 25 is a plate-like member having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the dial 24. . In the center of the light guide plate 25, a hole 25a through which the pointer shaft 22 is inserted and a reflection surface 25b formed as a peripheral wall of the hole 25a are formed.
Are formed as incident surfaces for introducing light.

A circular light source 26 is arranged so as to face the outer peripheral end face 25c of the light guide plate 25, that is, along the outer diameters of the light guide plate 25 and the dial 24. The light source 26 is formed of a so-called discharge tube in which a fluorescent layer is applied to the inner wall of the light source 26. Of the inner wall portion, the facing portion 26a facing the outer peripheral end surface 25c of the light guide plate 25 has the fluorescent layer removed in the form of a slit. Light is leaking. Power is supplied to the light source 26 through a lead 27 from a terminal provided at a predetermined position of the inner machine 21.

In the instrument pointer of this structure, since the scale 24a and the character 24b of the dial 24 are located directly above the light source 26, the scale 24a and the character 24b indicate the fluorescent layer on the inner wall surface of the discharge tube 26. The light emitted by the fluorescent light leaks,
It is visually recognized as a scale display. Other portions of the dial 24 are illuminated from behind by light that enters the light guide plate 25 from the facing portion 26a from which the fluorescent layer has been removed and leaks light from the light guide plate surface. Further, the direct light of the discharge tube guided from the facing portion 26a into the light guide plate 25 is guided into the upper pointer 23 by the reflection surface 25b at the center of the light guide plate 25.
The whole is brilliant.

Generally, there is a brightness difference of about three times between the direct light of the discharge tube and the indirect light passing through the fluorescent layer. The brightness of the pointer illuminated by direct light being guided is extremely high.

As described above, according to the illumination structure of the present invention, the hands can be made to shine with high luminance, so that even if the lights are slightly dimmed, the visibility of the hands is not impaired.
The present invention can be preferably applied to a black-face instrument, that is, an instrument in which a smoke plate is arranged on the front of the instrument so that the display of the dial and the pointer cannot be seen when the discharge tube as the light source is not turned on.

[0019]

According to the present invention, as described above, according to the present invention, the pointer is not self-luminous, but direct light in the discharge tube without passing through the fluorescent layer is introduced into the pointer through the light guide plate so that the pointer shines. Because of this, the brightness of the finger tilt increases, the visibility is extremely good, and a power supply path to the pointer is not required, and only the light guide plate used conventionally as an illumination path is used, so the configuration is Simple and easy to assemble. Therefore, production at low cost is possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a lighting structure of an instrument pointer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a conventional instrument pointer illumination structure.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an assembly structure of the instrument pointer of FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 21 Inner instrument 22 Pointer shaft 23 Pointer 24 Dial plate 25 Light guide plate 25c Outer peripheral end surface of light guide plate 26 Light source (discharge tube) 26a Face to face of light source

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A pointer made of a light-guiding material attached to an end of a shaft connected to an internal instrument, a dial disposed behind the pointer, and a guide disposed behind the dial. Light board,
An illumination structure for an instrument pointer having a light source for illuminating the dial and the pointer via the light guide plate, wherein the light source comprises a circular discharge tube along the outer shape of the dial and the light guide plate; The instrument pointer is disposed so as to surround the outer peripheral end surface of the light guide plate, and a portion of the phosphor layer applied to the inner wall of the discharge tube facing the outer peripheral end surface of the light guide plate is removed in a slit shape. Lighting structure.