JP2593691Y2 - Variable color lighting system - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a variable illuminating device of an illumination color in a colored illuminating device such as a warning illuminating display using a translucent display panel and a meter dial.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a device for displaying an alarm by transmission illumination by disposing a light-emitting element such as a lamp or a light-emitting diode behind a translucent resin display panel, or behind a dial like a meter device. There is a device for illuminating a dial or a luminous pointer directly or through a light guide plate by arranging a light-emitting element, and by varying these illumination colors, it is possible to adjust the lighting effect, for example, the evocativeness or the color preference of the individual. There have been proposals for obtaining improved visibility.

[0003] In such a variable color lighting device,
A light-emitting element of two or more colors is provided, the light-emitting amount of each light-emitting element is controlled by changing the amount of current supplied to the light-emitting element, and the overall light-emitting color is adjusted by a change in the mixture of these light-emitting elements. The connection configuration shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is used.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, two illuminating lamps 2 and 3 having different emission colors are connected in parallel to a power supply 1 as a series circuit with variable resistors 4 and 5, respectively. , 3 to change the intensity of light emission by controlling the current supplied to the device, thereby changing the mixed color.

[0005] Alternatively, as shown in FIG.
A variable resistor 8 is connected between one ends of the two illumination lamps 6 and 7,
In some cases, the color of the mixture is changed by grounding the sliding contact 9 and controlling the amount of current to each of them, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 58-17514 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-17615.

[0006]

However, in the configuration shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, currents of different sizes are always supplied to the light emitting elements having different emission colors. There is a problem that lighting cannot be performed.

That is, even if the variable resistance is adjusted from the maximum to the minimum, even if one of the light emitting elements can obtain the maximum brightness without the resistance, the other light emitting element has the maximum resistance of the variable resistance remaining in series. Therefore, a very small light emission color with a light emission luminance close to the minimum remains, and illumination with a completely single light emission color cannot be obtained.

A variable resistor having a large resistance value can be prepared in consideration of the threshold level of the light emitting element, and a setting can be made such that light emission does not occur at the maximum resistance. However, a large variable resistor for obtaining the resistance value is required, which is expensive. And the size of the lighting device is increased.

In particular, when a variable resistor is used for each light emitting element as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of variable resistors are required, and an interlocking mechanism for simultaneous variable adjustment as operability is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a color variable lighting device which simplifies the configuration by using a single variable resistor, and in which one of the light emitting elements is completely in a non-light emitting state to enable illumination with a single emission color. .

[0011]

According to the present invention, a light emitting device having different emission colors is connected in series, a variable resistor is connected in parallel with the series circuit, and a variable resistor is connected to a connection point of the light emitting devices having different emission colors. It is formed by connecting resistance sliding contacts. Further, the light emitting element is connected and fixed on a printed board as a light emitting diode, housed in a case, and a display board is disposed on the front side thereof, and a sliding contact adjustment axis of a variable resistor is projected to the front face of the display board. It is characterized by the following.

[0012]

By changing the sliding contact of the variable resistor from the minimum value of zero resistance to the maximum resistance value, the divided voltage applied to each light emitting element at the middle point of connection with the sliding contact is minimized (maximum). ) To the maximum (minimum), and the respective light emission luminances change accordingly. As a result, it is possible to illuminate with a single light emission color by one light emitting element together with the change of the mixed color.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIG. 1, two groups of light-emitting diodes 11A, 11B, 12
A and 12B are connected in series, and a variable resistor 13 is connected in parallel with the series circuit. A sliding contact 14 of the variable resistor 13 is connected to a connection midpoint between the light emitting diodes 11 and 12 in each light emitting color group. ing.

By this connection, the sliding contact 14 of the variable resistor 13
The resistance value in parallel can be relatively changed from the minimum value to the maximum value for each of the groups of the light emitting diodes 11, 12 divided by the light emitting diodes 11, 12, so that the light emitting diodes 11, 12,
The energization amount to each group is relatively increased or decreased by the voltage division ratio applied to 12, and as a result, the emission luminance of each group is adjusted to be increased or decreased. , A continuous color change adjustment between a single luminescent color due to the short circuit and a mixed color between the luminescent colors can be performed.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the light emitting diode is selected as the light emitting element. However, the light emitting element may be a lamp. In this case, the color can be easily colored by covering the color cap. A light-emitting element can be obtained.

The light emission color in FIG. 1 is such that the light emitting diode 11 is red and the light emitting diode 12 is green.
Along with each single emission color, the adjustment of the mixed color can be arbitrarily selected by adjusting the light emission luminance by the amount of current supplied to each, and for example, by connecting a blue light emitting diode in parallel with the variable resistor 13, etc. And the range of color selection by mixing with the luminescent color can be expanded.

An illuminating device for obtaining an arbitrary illuminating color with the above-described color changing light emitting element connection configuration will be described with reference to FIG. For example, as an example of a case where the present invention is applied to an automotive instrument, a description will be given of a nighttime illumination color change and a warning display color change of a traveling speedometer.
In the figure, a case 15 is divided into a speedometer space 16 and an alarm display space 17, and printed boards 18 and 19 are provided at the bottom of each case, and two cases similar to those shown in FIG.
The light emitting diodes 11 and 12 of the group are connected and fixed.

A variable resistor 13 is connected on the printed board 18 in the connection configuration shown in FIG. 1, and an adjustment shaft 20 for adjusting a sliding contact protrudes from the front surface. The translucent display portion of the translucent dial 22 disposed on the front side can be illuminated with a mixed color of the light emitting diodes 11 and 12. Note that 23
Is a facing plate, 24 is a transparent protective plate, and 25 is a pointer.

Further, on the front of the warning display space 17, a smoke warning display board 26 of an uncolored pattern or an arbitrary color on which a picture is printed is arranged, and the light emitting diodes 11 and 12 on the printed board 19 are adjusted. The variable resistor 13 is provided outside the side wall of the case 15, and the alarm display color can be changed by adjusting the variable resistor 13.

Instead of the light emitting diodes 11 and 12 of different light emitting colors shown in FIG. 1, a lamp using a color filter may be used as a light emitting element. Instead of using a plurality of light-emitting elements having the same emission color for each group, a mixed color for each group is set as one single color using light-emitting elements of different emission colors in each group. You may. As a result, the width of the mixed color can be made extremely large, and the whole mixed color can be freely set in the case of using a light-emitting element whose emission color is limited.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, the change of the mixed color due to the adjustment of the energization amount to each of the light emitting elements having different emission colors divided into two groups can be easily connected to a single variable resistor. The configuration enables extremely simple and easy-to-operate color changes (mixed colors). Particularly, by adjusting the minimum and maximum positions of the variable resistance, one of the light emission groups emits no light,
This makes it possible to provide a lighting device of extremely high practical value, which is capable of emitting light of a single color in one of the light emitting groups and changing the color of colored illumination of a display panel or the like with a wide adjustment width.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of a variable color lighting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a structural view showing one embodiment of application of the circuit of FIG. 1 of the present invention to a lighting device.

FIG. 3 is a circuit configuration diagram showing a conventional color change adjustment circuit.

FIG. 4 is a circuit configuration diagram showing another conventional example of a color change adjustment circuit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B Light emitting diode 13 Variable resistor 14 Sliding contact 15 Case 18, 19 Printed board 20 Adjustment axis 21 Speedometer main body 22 Translucent dial 26 Alarm display

Claims (2)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] At least two or more light-emitting elements having different emission colors are connected in series, a variable resistor is connected in parallel with the series circuit, and the variable resistor is connected to a middle point between the light-emitting elements having different emission colors. A variable color lighting device, characterized in that the sliding contact terminals are connected. 2. A printed board is housed in a case, a display board is provided in front of the printed board, light emitting diodes of different emission colors are connected and fixed on the printed board, and a sliding contact adjustment axis is displayed on the display board. The variable color lighting device according to claim 1, wherein a variable resistor protruding from a front surface of the plate is provided.