JP2798204B2 - Instrument dial mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dial mounting structure for an instrument, and more particularly, to a dial for illuminating a dial from behind using a light guide plate, such as a speedometer provided in a combination meter of an automobile. It relates to a plate mounting structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an instrument for a vehicle called a combination meter includes a pointer-type instrument such as a speedometer, a tachometer, a fuel gauge, a water temperature gauge, a state where a parking brake is applied, a state of charge, or a temperature of a catalyst. There are provided a warning light that lights up and warns when there is an abnormality in the vehicle, and an odometer or a trip meter that indicates the traveling distance of the vehicle. In an analog instrument such as a speedometer or an engine tachometer provided in such an instrument for automobiles, a viewer such as a driver reads a scale on a dial plate located at a tip portion of a pointer of the instrument. Thus, the state quantity is determined.

Therefore, in a conventional pointer-type instrument, a scale design is formed on the dial, and a meter internal unit is attached to the back side of the scale design, and a pointer is attached to the front side to display the scale design by the pointer. I have.

[0004] On the other hand, in a vehicle instrument equipped with such a pointer-type instrument, a car may run at night,
It is necessary to illuminate the dial and hands to improve night visibility. The illumination includes illumination of the dial from the front side and illumination of the dial from the back side. In an instrument for illuminating a dial from the back side, a light guide plate for guiding light to the dial and a dial must be positioned and attached to the housing of the instrument.

FIG. 6 is an assembly perspective view showing a dial mounting structure of a speedometer in a combination meter which is an instrument for an automobile. In this figure, the pointers of the instrument and the inner machine are omitted. The dial 61 is attached together with the light guide plate 63 to the distal ends of two fixed bosses 62 protruding inside the case (case) of the speedometer. In this example, a case pin 64 for positioning is protruded from the distal end of the fixed boss 62, and the case pin 64 is inserted into positioning holes 65 provided at two places at the end of the light guide plate 63. You. Further, positioning pins 66 for attaching the dial 61 are provided at two positions on the light guide plate 63 at positions different from the positioning holes 65 so as to face each other across the center of the light guide plate 63. A positioning hole 67 is provided on the dial 61 at a position corresponding to the two positioning pins 66.

When assembling, the positioning pin 6 of the light guide plate 63 is inserted into the case pin 64 at the tip of the fixed boss 62.
5, the light guide plate 63 is attached first. Next, positioning pins 66 provided at two places of the light guide plate 63 are provided.
Through the positioning holes 67 of the dial 61,
Is mounted on the light guide plate 63.

[0007]

However, in the conventional positioning, positioning pins 64 and 66 are provided between the fixed boss 62 and the light guide plate 63 and between the light guide plate 63 and the dial plate 61, respectively. As a result, the amount of deviation due to the tolerance between the case and the dial 61 is increased, and there is a possibility that a deviation may occur between the hands and the dial, or that light leakage may occur, which may have an adverse effect. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when the center of the instrument is X, first, the fixed boss 62 is moved from the center X.
The distance A to the center of the pin 64 includes the tolerance ± a. Next, a distance B between the center of the positioning pin 66 provided on the light guide plate 63 attached to the pin 64 and the center of the pin 64 includes the tolerance ± b. Further, a distance C between the center Y of the dial 61 attached to the pin 66 and the center of the pin 66 includes the tolerance ± c. Therefore, there exists a tolerance of Z = ± a ± b ± c between the center X of the instrument and the center Y of the dial 61, and in the worst case, Z = | a | + | b | + | C |
, The center X of the meter and the center Y of the dial 61 are shifted.

In view of the above, the present invention relates to an instrument for an automobile which illuminates a dial from the back side, in mounting the light guide plate and the dial to the case, the center of the case and the center of the dial caused by dimensional tolerance of each member. It is an object of the present invention to provide an instrument dial mounting structure capable of minimizing the amount of deviation from the instrument.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a dial mounting structure for an instrument, wherein the dial of the meter is attached to a tip end of a column protruding inside a housing of the indicating instrument. It is a structure to be attached together with a light guide plate for plate lighting, wherein a first support and a second support are protruded at a predetermined distance inside the housing, and a case pin is provided at a tip portion of the two supports. The light guide plate is provided with a circular hole as a reference hole through which the case pin is inserted at a portion corresponding to the first support, and the character hole is formed around the light guide plate surface side of the circular hole. A first annular projection having a height about the thickness of the plate is provided, and a portion of the light guide plate corresponding to the second support is
Along with a long hole as a tolerance absorption hole through which the case pin is inserted, a second annular protrusion having a height of about the thickness of the dial is provided around the light guide plate surface side of the long hole,
A portion corresponding to the first strut of the dial is provided with a circular hole as a reference hole for inserting said first annular projection,
Wherein the portion corresponding to the second support column of the dial, it is provided a tolerance absorbing hole for inserting the second annular projection, before
Positioning of the recording hole plate and the dial attached thereto
A first support and a second support protruding from the housing.
It is characterized in that it is configured to be performed at the same position above .

In this structure, instead of the annular projection, two pins are protruded around an elongated hole provided at a portion of the light guide plate corresponding to the second support, and the two pins are provided. a linear edge pins facing the long hole may be provided, respectively.

[0011]

According to the dial mounting structure of the instrument of the present invention, the positioning of the light guide plate and the dial mounted thereon is performed at the same position on the fixed boss protruding from the case.
The difference between the center of the instrument and the center of the dial is only the sum of the tolerance from the center of the case to the fixed boss and the tolerance from the fixed boss to the center of the dial. Becomes smaller.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dial mounting structure of an instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is an assembled perspective view showing a dial mounting structure of a speedometer in a combination meter which is an automotive meter. In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a case of a meter, 10 denotes a dial, 20 denotes a light guide plate for illuminating the dial 10, and 30 denotes an inner machine.

A light guide plate 2 is provided on the bottom 1a inside the case 1.
0 and two fixed bosses 2 for attaching the dial 10
And three bosses 3 for attaching the inner unit 30. The fixed boss 2 is protruded at a predetermined distance, and a case pin 4 for positioning the light guide plate 20 and the dial 10 is provided at a tip portion thereof.

A reference hole 11, a tolerance absorption hole 12, a pointer hole 13, two mounting holes 14, a pointer stopper 15 and the like are provided on the surface of the dial 10, and a pointer 35 is provided on the surface thereof. The instrument design 16 to be indicated is formed. The reference hole 11 and the tolerance absorbing hole 12 are
The reference hole 11 is a circular hole, and the tolerance absorbing hole 12 is a long hole facing the reference hole 11. I have. The pointer hole 13 is for inserting a drive shaft of the pointer 35 of the meter. The dial 10 is made of a translucent member, and the surface thereof is printed with light-shielding ink except for the speed design 16.

The light guide plate 20 is made of a transparent resin, and has a reference hole 21, a tolerance absorption hole 22, a pointer hole 23, two mounting holes 24, and a periphery of the reference hole 21 on the plate surface. There are an annular projection 25, an annular projection 26 provided around the tolerance absorbing hole 22, and the like. Reference numeral 27 denotes a light introduction unit for introducing light from a light source (not shown) into the light guide plate 20. In this embodiment, the outer diameters of the annular projections 25 and 26 are circular,
Its height is almost the same as the thickness of the dial 10, and the reference hole 11 and the tolerance absorbing hole 12 of the dial 10 are inserted into the annular projections 25 and 26, respectively. In addition, the annular projections 25 and 2
6, a reference hole 21 and a tolerance absorbing hole 22 are provided at positions corresponding to the projecting positions of the case pins 4 of the fixed boss 2 projecting from the bottom 1a of the meter case 1. Is a circular hole, and the tolerance absorbing hole 22 is a long hole. The pointer hole 23 is for inserting the drive shaft of the pointer 35 of the meter, and the mounting hole 24 is the mounting hole 1 of the dial 10.
4 are provided correspondingly.

The inner machine 30 includes a substrate 31 and a pointer driving unit 32 mounted on the substrate 31. On the outer peripheral portion of the substrate 31, a projection 3 is provided at the bottom 1a of the meter case 1.
Three brackets 31a are provided corresponding to the positions of the three bosses 3. The pointer driving unit 32 has a pointer driving shaft 33, and its case 32a is provided with two brackets 32b at positions corresponding to the positions of the mounting holes 14, 24 of the dial 10 and the light guide plate 20. .

In the instrument dial mounting structure configured as described above, first, the screw 34 is screwed to the boss 3 through the bracket 31a of the board 31 of the inner machine 30, so that the inner machine 30 It is attached to the bottom 1a.

Next, while the pointer driving shaft 33 of the inner unit 30 is inserted through the pointer hole 23, the reference hole 21 of the light guide plate 20 is first aligned with the case pin 4 provided on the fixed boss 2. Then, insert the tolerance absorption hole 22 into the other case pin 4
And the case pin 4 is inserted through the reference hole 21 and the tolerance absorption hole 22. When the light guide plate 20 is placed on the fixed boss 2 in this manner, another portion of the lower surface of the light guide plate 20 is placed on the bracket 32 b of the inner machine 30 previously attached to the bottom 1 a of the meter case 1. It is placed, and the mounting holes 24 match the screw holes provided in the bracket 32b.

Finally, the reference hole 11 of the dial 10 is first aligned with the annular projection 25 provided on the light guide plate 20 while the pointer drive shaft 33 projecting from the light guide plate 20 is inserted through the pointer hole 13. Then, the tolerance absorbing hole 12 is aligned with the other annular projection 26, and the annular projections 25 and 2 are adjusted.
6 through the reference hole 11 and the tolerance absorbing hole 12,
0 is placed on the light guide plate 20. In this state, since the mounting hole 14 of the dial 10 coincides with the mounting hole 24 of the light guide plate 20, the screw 36 is inserted through the mounting hole 14 of the dial 10 and the mounting hole 24 of the light guide plate 20. The dial plate 10 and the light guide plate 20 are fixed on the inner unit 30 by screwing into the screw holes of the bracket 32 b of the unit 30.

FIG. 2A is a plan view of the light guide plate 20 shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the outer shape of the annular projection 26 provided around the tolerance absorption hole 22 is circular, but the outer shape of the annular projection 26 may be oval or elliptical as shown in FIG.

In the dial mounting structure of the instrument of the embodiment assembled as described above, as shown in FIG. 2 (c), the guide is mounted on the case pin 4 protruding from one of the fixed bosses 2. First, the light guide plate 2 is inserted through the reference hole 21 of the light plate 20.
Then, the reference hole 11 of the dial 10 is inserted into the annular projection 25 protruding around the reference hole 21, and the dial 10 is mounted on the light guide plate 20.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the center of the instrument 1 is X and the center of the dial 10 is Y, the distance A 'from this center X to the center of the case pin 4 of the fixed boss 2 is shown.
Includes a tolerance ± a ′, and
The distance B 'between the center Y of the dial 10 and the center of the pin 4 which is attached via the distance includes a tolerance ± b'. Therefore, instrument 1
Z = ± a ′ between the center X of the
Only the tolerance of ± b 'exists, and the conventional tolerance Z
= ± a ± b ± c, the center X of the instrument 1 and the dial 10
From the center Y can be reduced.

FIG. 3A shows an overlapping state of the case pin 4, the reference holes 11, 21 and the annular projection 25 in the assembled state, and FIG. 3B shows the case pin 4, the tolerance absorption in the assembled state. Holes 12, 22 and annular projection 26
FIG. After the light guide plate 20 and the dial 10 are inserted through the case pins 4, the ends of the case pins 4 are welded as shown in FIG.
0 may be fixed to the fixed boss 2.

In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the reference holes 11 and 21 regulate the upper, lower, left and right sides of the dial.
21 and the annular projection 25 are all concentric circles,
The diameter φ1 of the reference hole 11 on the dial 10 is not large. On the other hand, the tolerance absorbing hole side only regulates the upper and lower sides of the dial, and in the left-right direction, dimensions and play due to tolerance are absorbed, so that the tolerance absorbing holes 12 and 22 are elongated holes. The major axis φ2 of the hole 12 becomes considerably large.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show an embodiment in which the elongated hole 12 is made as small as possible. 4 and 5, the same components as those in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 differs from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 only in that the annular projection 26 provided around the tolerance absorbing hole 22 of the light guide plate 20 is changed to a pin 28. It is. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the annular projection 26 is provided around the tolerance absorbing hole 22. However, as described above, only the upper and lower sides of the dial need be restricted on the tolerance absorbing hole side. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is one in which the lateral direction of the dial 10 of the projection 26 is cut off and only the pin 28 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the protruding position of the pin 28 is determined by the long sides 22a and 22a of the tolerance absorbing hole 22 which face each other.
It may be provided so as to face b. Thus, the annular projection 2
If a pin 28 having a small length in the left-right direction of the dial 10 is provided instead of 6, the length in the left-right direction of the tolerance absorption hole 12 for absorbing the left-right tolerance of the dial 10 can be reduced. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5B, the major axis φ3 of the tolerance absorbing hole 12 can be reduced to about the diameter φ1 of the reference hole 11 shown in FIG. 3A.

The opposite long side 22 of the tolerance absorbing hole 22
a, if the pin 28 is provided to 22b, as shown in FIG. 5 (c), the tolerance absorbing holes 1 2 of the dial plate 10 side may be a square hole.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Displacement of the combination meter in the meter for an automobile for illuminating the dial from the back side, when Ru attaching a character plate light guide plate to the instrument case, the center of the case center and dial due to dimensional tolerances of the components The effect is that the amount can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view showing the configuration of an embodiment of a dial mounting structure for an instrument according to the present invention.

2A is a front view of the light guide plate of FIG. 1, FIG. 2B is a partial front view showing the configuration of another embodiment of the mounting hole of the light guide plate of FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a sectional side view explaining the attachment state of the dial attachment structure of the instrument of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a plan view showing a case pin, a reference hole, and an annular projection on the reference hole side in an assembled state in an overlapping state, and FIG. 3B is a plan view showing the case pin on the tolerance absorbing hole side in the assembled state; It is a top view which shows the state where the absorption hole and the annular projection overlap, and (c) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows an example of the fixing method of the dial mounting structure of the meter of this invention.

FIG. 4 is an assembled perspective view showing the configuration of another embodiment of the dial mounting structure of the instrument according to the present invention.

5 (a) is an assembled perspective view showing, on an enlarged scale, the structure on the side of the tolerance absorbing hole in FIG. 4, (b) is a partially enlarged plan view on the side of the tolerance absorbing hole in an assembled state, and (c) is an assembled state. It is the elements on larger scale which show another example of the tolerance absorption hole side of a state.

FIG. 6 is an assembled perspective view showing the configuration of a conventional dial mounting structure for an instrument.

7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating tolerances in the dial mounting structure of the instrument of FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Instrument case 2 Fixed boss 3 Boss 4 Case pin 10 Dial plate 11 Reference hole 12 Tolerance absorption hole 13 Pointer hole 14 Mounting hole 20 Light guide plate 21 Reference hole 22 Tolerance absorption hole 23 Pointer hole 24 Mounting holes 25, 26 Annular projection 28 Pin 30 Inner machine 31 Substrate 31a, 32b Bracket 32 Pointer drive unit 33 Pointer drive shaft 35 Pointer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G01D 13/02 101 G01D 11/24 G01D 11/28 G12B 11/02

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A structure for mounting a dial of an instrument together with a light guide plate for illuminating the dial on a tip end of a column protruding from the inside of a housing of the indicating instrument. A first support and a second support are protruded at a predetermined distance, and a case pin is protruded at a distal end of the two supports, and a portion of the light guide plate corresponding to the first support is provided at a position corresponding to the first support. A circular hole is provided as a reference hole through which the case pin is inserted, and a first annular protrusion having a height about the thickness of the dial is provided around the light guide plate surface side of the circular hole, A slot corresponding to the second support of the light guide plate is provided with a long hole as a tolerance absorption hole through which the case pin is inserted, and the thickness of the dial is set around the light guide plate surface side of the long hole. A second annular projection having a height of approximately The site of response, the first providing a circular hole as reference holes for inserting the annular projection, a portion corresponding to the second support column of the dial is tolerance for inserting the second annular projection An absorption hole is provided for positioning the guide plate and the dial attached thereon.
A first support and a second support protruding from the housing.
A dial mounting structure for an instrument, characterized in that it is configured to be operated at the same position above . 2. Two pins instead of the annular projection are protruded around an elongated hole provided at a portion of the light guide plate corresponding to the second support, and the two pins are connected to the two pins . 2. The dial mounting structure for an instrument according to claim 1, wherein said dials are provided at opposed linear edges of said elongated hole.