JP3746959B2 - On-vehicle meter and on-vehicle meter manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an on-vehicle meter having a dial illuminating device and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly to an on-vehicle meter that efficiently illuminates the dial by disposing a diffusion plate on the back side of the dial.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, many vehicles are equipped with a combination meter in which a direction indicating unit, various warning display units and the like are integrated in addition to a speedometer unit and a tachometer unit. Each unit has a thin dial plate corresponding to each display content and a light source arranged separately on the back side thereof. However, since these light sources are arranged in consideration of space restrictions and the position of the display design formed on the dial, variations in illumination of the dial may occur. This problem will be described below with reference to FIGS.
[0003]
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for illustrating variations in illumination in the speedometer unit. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the principle of the variation in illumination shown in FIG.
In the explanatory view shown in FIG. 5, the speedometer unit is included in the combination meter. The dial plate 601 is, for example, a transparent sheet-like sheet plate made of a polycarbonate sheet. The dial plate 601 is coated with, for example, black color ink, with the display design in the middle. This display design is a plurality of numbers, 20, 40,... Indicating a plurality of different traveling speeds formed near the outer periphery of the disk-shaped dial 601. Any one of these numbers is indicated by a guideline not shown in the figure. Light sources 91 to 94 are arranged on the back surface of the dial plate 601 corresponding to the slightly outside of the numbers. Of these, the pair of light sources 91 and 92 are disposed at positions corresponding to substantially the center line of the dial 601. Further, the other pair of light sources 93 and 94 are disposed substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the line connecting the pair of light sources 91 and 92.
In such a configuration, since each of the light sources 91 to 94 is arranged to be biased toward the upper half of the dial plate 601 in correspondence with the numbers indicating the traveling speed, the illumination of the dial plate 601 includes S1. The bright part shown and the dark part shown by W1 generate | occur | produce.
[0004]
The reason for this will be described with reference to FIG. For example, if only one light source 91 is considered, the illumination from the light source 91 becomes weaker as the distance from the light source 91 increases. That is, it becomes weaker in the order of R1, R2, and R3 in the figure. The same can be said for the light sources 92, 93, and 94, so that illumination in the vicinity of the light sources 91 to 94 and in the direction is relatively strong. For example, in the drawing, the position of “km / h” is far from the light sources 91 to 94, but the light from each of the light sources 91 to 94 is added. The position lighting is brighter. On the other hand, the position “0” is distant from each of the light sources 91 to 94, and the amount of light added from each of the light sources 91 to 94 is small.
[0005]
In addition, illumination variation also occurs in a horizontally long dial such as an odometer section included in the combination meter. This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for illustrating variations in illumination in the odometer unit.
The dial plate 701 has a rectangular plate shape, and displays the cumulative travel distance that is instructed by a microcomputer mounted on the vehicle and integrated in a predetermined storage means by means of numbers. A light source 95 that emits light to the back surface is disposed on the back surface of the dial plate 701 at a substantially central portion where the cumulative travel distance is displayed.
In such a configuration, the light source 95 is disposed on the back surface of the central portion of the dial 701 so as to correspond to the display position of the cumulative travel distance, so that the dial 701 is illuminated with S2 in the vicinity of the light source 95. And a dark part indicated by W2 at a location away from the light source 95 are generated.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, since each light source is arranged in consideration of space restrictions and the position of a display design formed on the dial, variation in illumination of the dial tends to occur. For this reason, there existed a problem that visibility fell or it looked bad. In order to illuminate the dial in a well-balanced manner, it is conceivable to disperse many light sources in a distributed manner. However, in this case, it may be difficult to increase power consumption or to limit space.
[0007]
Therefore, in view of the present situation described above, the present invention has an object to provide an on-vehicle meter that improves the illumination balance of the dial without increasing the number of light sources and a method for manufacturing the on-vehicle meter.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The in-vehicle meter according to claim 1, which has been made to solve the above-described problem, includes a dial 601 on which a predetermined display design is formed and a dial plate near the outer edge of the dial 601 as shown in FIG. 2. A pair of light sources 91 and 92 that are arranged in a direction perpendicular to 601 and spaced from the back surface of the dial 601 and emit light to the back surface, design designating mechanisms 603 to 607 that designate a predetermined display design, and constant Between the back surface of the dial 601 and the light sources 91 and 92 so that the extrusion direction is parallel to a line connecting the pair of light sources 91 and 92. And a diffusing plate 602 disposed on the surface.
[0009]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the pair of light sources 91 and 92 are arranged from the vicinity of the outer edge of the dial plate 601 in a direction perpendicular to the dial plate 601, spaced from the back surface of the dial plate 601, and light is applied to the back surface. Radiate. A diffusion plate 602 is disposed between the back surface of the dial 601 and the light sources 91 and 92. The diffusion plate 602 is manufactured by extrusion molding in a certain extrusion direction, and is arranged so that the extrusion direction is parallel to a line connecting the pair of light sources 91 and 92. In this manner, the pair of light sources 91 and 92 are arranged from the vicinity of the outer edge of the dial plate 601 in the direction perpendicular to the dial plate 601, spaced from the back surface of the dial plate 601, and the direction in which the diffusion plate 602 is pushed out is a pair. By disposing the diffusion plate 602 so as to be parallel to the line connecting the light sources 91 and 92, the light from the light sources 91 and 92 is effectively diffused. That is, since the diffusion plate 602 has a property of diffusing light perpendicular to the extrusion direction, the light from the pair of light sources 91 and 92 disposed on the back surface near the outer edge of the dial plate 601 is a line connecting them. As a result, the dial 601 is illuminated with good balance.
[0010]
The in-vehicle meter according to claim 2, which has been made to solve the above problem, is the in-vehicle meter according to claim 1, in which the dial 601 and the diffusion plate 602 are both disk-shaped, as shown in FIG. 2. The pair of light sources 91 and 92 is disposed in the vicinity of the outer edge substantially on the center line of the dial plate 601, and another pair disposed substantially parallel to and spaced from the line connecting the pair of light sources 91 and 92. The light sources 93 and 94 are further included.
[0011]
According to invention of Claim 2, both the dial 601 and the diffuser plate 602 are disk-shaped. The pair of light sources 91 and 92 are disposed in the vicinity of the outer edge of the dial 601 substantially on the center line of the dial 601. Further, another pair of light sources 93 and 94 is arranged substantially parallel to and spaced from a line connecting the pair of light sources 91 and 92. With such an arrangement, the light from each of the light sources 91 to 94 is diffused to a portion where the light sources 91 to 94 are not arranged (the lower half of the dial plate 601 of FIG. 2) as indicated by A1 in FIG. The
[0012]
The in-vehicle meter according to claim 3, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the in-vehicle meter according to claim 2, the display design of the dial-shaped dial 601. It is a plurality of numbers indicating a plurality of different traveling speeds formed on the inner side in the vicinity of the outer edge, and the design indicating mechanism is configured by the pointer shaft 606 and the pointer 604 penetrating through the central portions of the dial plate 601 and the diffusion plate 602. A pair of light sources 91 and 92 and another pair of light sources 93 and 94 are arranged at positions corresponding to the outside of the plurality of numbers. It is characterized by being a speedometer.
[0013]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the in-vehicle meter is a speedometer, and the display design is a plurality of numbers indicating a plurality of different traveling speeds formed inside the vicinity of the outer edge of the dial plate 601, and a design indicating mechanism. Includes a pointer driving mechanism 605 that indicates any one of a plurality of numbers by a pointer shaft 606 and a pointer 604 that pass through the central portions of the dial plate 601 and the diffusion plate 602. The pair of light sources 91 and 92 and the other pair of light sources 93 and 94 are both arranged at positions corresponding to the slightly outside of the plurality of numbers. Thus, by arranging each of the light sources 91 to 94 at a position corresponding to a slightly outside of the plurality of numbers, the number 601 indicating the traveling speed is more clearly illuminated while the dial 601 is illuminated in a balanced manner. Is done.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, an in-vehicle meter according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an in-vehicle meter according to the present invention.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 1, the on-vehicle meter according to the present invention is, for example, a combination meter 1. The combination meter 1 includes a fuel gauge section 2, a tachometer section 3, a warning display section 4, a direction instruction section 5, a speedometer section 6, an odometer section 7, a water temperature gauge section 8, and the like. Each part 2-8 has the dial which has the translucency which displays the display design corresponding to each display content, and a predetermined design pattern. Furthermore, a translucent surface glass covering these is attached.
[0022]
On the back side of each dial is a pointer including a motor device for instructing the pointers of the fuel gauge unit 2, the tachometer unit 3, the speedometer unit 6 and the water temperature gauge unit 8 to rotate by a predetermined angle in response to a control mechanism (not shown). A drive mechanism 605 is provided. In addition, a display device such as an LCD which is instructed by the control mechanism and displays a predetermined cumulative travel distance on the odometer unit 7 is also provided. Further, on the back side, a plurality of light sources for supplying light to each of the dial plates, and a diffusion plate are disposed between the dial plates and the light sources. These diffusion plates are formed by extrusion molding, and are arranged so that the extrusion direction and the light source have a predetermined positional relationship in order to efficiently illuminate the dial. The relationship between the diffusion plate, each dial plate, and the light source will be described again in FIGS.
[0023]
The fuel meter 2 instructs the remaining amount of fuel. The tachometer unit 3 displays the engine speed. The warning display unit 4 displays warnings such as oil shortage and seat belt non-wearing. The direction instruction unit 5 changes the traveling direction.
[0024]
The speedometer unit 6 displays the traveling speed. The drive mechanism related to this will be briefly described. The speedometer pointer indicates the corresponding travel speed on the dial, and the travel speed is displayed. The pointer is controlled to rotate by a predetermined angle by the control mechanism and the pointer drive mechanism 605 based on a value corresponding to the traveling speed detected by a speed sensor (not shown). The odometer unit 7 displays the cumulative travel distance. The odometer unit 7 is instructed by a microcomputer mounted on the vehicle, and displays the accumulated travel distance accumulated in a predetermined storage unit. The water temperature gauge unit 8 displays the temperature of the engine cooling water. The driving mechanisms of these units 2 to 8 are known, and are not necessary to understand the gist of the present invention, so the description thereof is omitted here.
[0025]
Each dial of each of the above-mentioned parts 2 to 8 is illuminated by light supplied from a light source corresponding to each dial, triggered by the switching timing of the ignition switch or the switching timing of the headlight switch.
[0026]
Next, a first embodiment of the in-vehicle meter according to the present invention will be described by taking a speedometer unit as an example in FIGS. 2 and 3.
2 and 3 are a plan view and a cross-sectional view of relevant parts of a speedometer for explaining the first embodiment of the in-vehicle meter of the present invention.
[0027]
In the main part plan view shown in FIG. 2, the dial plate 601 is, for example, a transparent disc-like sheet plate made of a polycarbonate sheet. The dial plate 601 is coated with, for example, black color ink, with the display design in the middle. This display design is a plurality of numbers, 20, 40,... Indicating a plurality of different traveling speeds formed near the outer periphery of the disk-shaped dial 601. Any one of these numbers is indicated by a guideline not shown in the figure.
Light sources 91 to 94 are arranged on the back surface of the dial plate 601 corresponding to the slightly outside of the numbers. Of these, the pair of light sources 91 and 92 are disposed at positions corresponding to substantially the center line of the dial 601. Further, the other pair of light sources 93 and 94 are disposed substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the line connecting the pair of light sources 91 and 92.
A diffusion plate 602 is attached to the back surface of the dial 601. The diffusion plate 602 is a single sheet plate made of, for example, a polycarbonate sheet having a disk shape slightly larger than the dial plate 601. Its thickness is about 0.5 mm. The diffusion plate 602 has a predetermined light transmittance and light diffusion rate. Further, the diffusion plate 602 is manufactured by extrusion molding in a certain extrusion direction (indicated by an arrow X) shown in the figure, and this extrusion direction is a line connecting a pair of light sources 91 and 92 and another pair of light sources 93, The dial 601 is overlapped with the dial 601 so as to be parallel to the line connecting the four lines 94.
[0028]
The positional relationship among the dial plate 601, the diffusion plate 602, and the light sources 91 to 94 as described above becomes clearer with reference to FIG. 3.
As shown in the main part sectional view of FIG. 3, the diffusion plate 602 is overlaid on the back surface of the dial 601. The light sources 91 to 94 are pre-made bulbs, which are fixed to the base plate 603. These light sources 91 to 94 and the diffusion plate 602 are separated by a predetermined distance. A motor device as a pointer driving mechanism 605 for rotating the pointer 604 is also fixed to the base plate 603. The pointer shaft 606 of the motor device passes through the center of the dial plate 601 and the diffusing plate 602 and is attached to the pointer rod of the pointer 604. A needle cap 607 is put on the needle 604. Note that the pointer 604 is made of a transparent material having a light guide property, and the back surface is colored by hot stamping or the like, and here, light is supplied from a predetermined light source (not shown) to shine.
The pointer driving mechanism 605 controls the rotation of the pointer 604 by a predetermined angle by the control mechanism based on a value corresponding to the traveling speed detected by the speed sensor (not shown) and the control of the pointer driving mechanism 605, thereby the dial 601. The number indicating the traveling speed formed in is indicated to inform the traveling speed.
Here, other circuits and structures arranged on the base plate 603 which are not necessary for understanding the gist of the present invention are omitted.
[0029]
In such a configuration, when each of the light sources 91 to 94 is turned on by a predetermined trigger, the light from the light sources 91 to 94 diffuses light in a direction perpendicular to the pushing direction of the diffusion plate 602, and each of the light sources 91 to 94. By combining light from 94, the entire dial 601 is illuminated with a uniform brightness in a balanced manner, including the lower portion of the dial 601 where no corresponding light source is arranged, as shown by A1 in FIG. .
That is, the pair of light sources 91 and 92 are arranged from the vicinity of the outer edge of the dial plate 601 in the direction perpendicular to the dial plate 601, spaced from the back surface of the dial plate 601, and the direction in which the diffusion plate 602 is pushed out is the pair of light sources 91. , 92 is disposed so as to be parallel to the line connecting the light sources 92, 92, the light from the light sources 91, 92 is diffused in the direction perpendicular to the line connecting the light sources 91, 92. Further, since the other pair of light sources 93 and 94 are arranged substantially parallel to and spaced from the line connecting these light sources 91 and 92, the light from these light sources 93 and 94 also connects the light sources 93 and 94. Diffused in the direction perpendicular to the line. Then, the combined light is diffused to a portion where the light sources 91 to 94 are not disposed (the lower half of the dial plate 601 in FIG. 2) as indicated by A1 in FIG. As a result, the entire dial 601 is illuminated with a uniform brightness and a good balance. Since the dial 601 is illuminated in a very balanced manner by a small number of light sources 91 to 94 without arranging many light sources so that light is evenly distributed over the entire dial plate, there is an effect of saving pace and energy. It can also be said.
[0030]
In addition to the well-balanced dial illumination effect as described above, each of the light sources 91 to 94 is arranged at a position slightly corresponding to the outside of a plurality of numbers indicating the traveling speed, so that the plurality of light sources 91 to 94 indicate the traveling speed. The effect of more clearly illuminating the numbers is obtained. Further, the light sources 91 and 92 close to the lower half of the dial plate 601 to which no light source is assigned are arranged slightly apart from the outer edge of the dial plate 601, and the light sources 93 and 94 far from this are placed on the outer edge of the dial plate 601. The illumination balance is further improved.
The present embodiment as described above is also effective for the tachometer unit 3, the fuel meter unit 2, and the water temperature meter unit 8 having a disk-shaped dial in addition to the speedometer unit 6. In addition, when the diffusion plate 602 is attached to the dial plate 601, it is advantageous in terms of ease of manufacturing and a diffusion effect, but the effect of the present invention can be obtained even if the diffusion plate 602 is not necessarily attached.
[0031]
Further, a second embodiment of the in-vehicle meter according to the present invention will be described by taking an odometer unit as an example in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of an essential part of the odometer unit 7 for explaining a second embodiment of the on-vehicle meter of the present invention. The dial plate 701 has a rectangular plate shape, and displays the cumulative travel distance, which is instructed by a microcomputer mounted on the vehicle and integrated in a predetermined storage unit, with numerals. A light source 95 that emits light to the back surface is disposed on the back surface of the dial 701 at a substantially central portion, spaced from the back surface.
A diffusion plate 702 is attached to the back surface of the dial 701. The diffusion plate 702 is a single sheet plate made of, for example, a polycarbonate sheet having a rectangular plate shape slightly larger than the dial plate 701. Its thickness is about 0.5 mm. The diffusion plate 702 has a predetermined light transmittance and light diffusion rate. Further, the diffusion plate 702 is manufactured by being extruded in a certain extrusion direction (indicated by an arrow Y) shown in the drawing, and the extrusion direction is substantially perpendicular to the long side of the dial plate 701 so that the dial plate 701 is attached.
[0032]
In such a configuration, when the light source 95 is turned on by a predetermined trigger, the light from the light source 95 is diffused in a direction perpendicular to the pushing direction of the diffusion plate 702, as shown in A2 of FIG. The entire dial 701 is illuminated with a uniform brightness in a well-balanced manner, including the left and right ends of the dial 701 where no light source is arranged.
That is, when the dial 701 has a horizontally long shape, the diffuser plate 702 is arranged so that the extrusion direction is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the dial 701, so that the light from the light source 95 is A light source parallel to the longitudinal direction of 701 is diffused in the left-right direction, which is not assigned, and as a result, the dial 701 is illuminated with a good balance.
The present embodiment as described above can be applied to any display unit having a similar dial shape and light source arrangement in addition to the odometer unit 7.
[0033]
In addition, for an in-vehicle meter having a plurality of light sources arranged so as to illuminate the dial with a predetermined balance, the in-vehicle meter is set so that the pushing direction and the arrangement of the light sources are always in a fixed positional relationship. If it manufactures, the difference in the illumination balance for every vehicle-mounted meter will decrease. That is, the difference in illumination balance between products can be reduced by utilizing the light diffusion characteristics with respect to the extrusion direction.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the pair of light sources 91 and 92 are arranged apart from the back surface of the dial 601 in the direction perpendicular to the dial 601 from the vicinity of the outer edge of the dial 601. In addition, by arranging the diffusion plate 602 so that the direction in which the diffusion plate 602 is pushed out is parallel to the line connecting the pair of light sources 91 and 92, the light from the light sources 91 and 92 is effectively It becomes diffused. That is, since the diffusion plate 602 has a property of diffusing light perpendicular to the extrusion direction, the light from the pair of light sources 91 and 92 disposed on the back surface near the outer edge of the dial plate 601 is a line connecting them. As a result, the dial 601 is illuminated with good balance.
[0035]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the pair of light sources 91 and 92 is disposed in the vicinity of the outer edge of the dial plate 601 on the center line of the dial plate 601, and is further substantially parallel to the line connecting the pair of light sources 91 and 92. By arranging the other pair of light sources 93 and 94 apart from each other, the light from each of the light sources 91 to 94 is a portion where the light sources 91 to 94 are not disposed as shown by A1 in FIG. 2 (FIG. 2). The lower half of the dial 601 is also diffused. As a result, the dial 601 is illuminated in a very balanced manner by a small number of light sources 91 to 94 without arranging many light sources for illumination balance.
[0036]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the light sources 91 to 94 are arranged at positions corresponding to the outer sides of a plurality of numbers, respectively, thereby providing a well-balanced dial illumination obtained by the first and second aspects of the present invention. In addition to the effect, an in-vehicle meter, particularly a speedometer, having an effect that a plurality of numbers indicating the traveling speed are more clearly illuminated can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an on-vehicle meter according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part of a speedometer portion for explaining a first embodiment of the on-vehicle meter of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a speedometer portion for explaining a first embodiment of the on-vehicle meter of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of an essential part of an odometer unit for explaining a second embodiment of the on-vehicle meter of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for illustrating variations in illumination in a speedometer unit.
6 is an explanatory view showing the principle of variation in illumination shown in FIG. 5. FIG.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for illustrating variations in illumination in an odometer unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Combination meter 2 Fuel gauge part 3 Tachometer part 4 Warning display part 5 Direction indication part 6 Speedometer part 7 Odometer part 8 Water temperature gauge part 91-95 Light source 601,701 Dial 602,702 Diffuser 603 Base plate (design indication mechanism)
604 Guideline (Design indication mechanism)
605 Pointer drive mechanism (design indication mechanism)
606 Pointer shaft (design indicating mechanism)
607 Pointer cap (design indication mechanism)

Claims (3)

A dial on which a predetermined display design is formed;
Near the outer edge of the dial, in a direction perpendicular to the dial, spaced from the back of the dial, a pair of light sources that emit light to the back,
A design instruction mechanism for indicating the predetermined display design;
A diffusion plate that is manufactured by extrusion molding in a certain extrusion direction, and is arranged between the back surface of the dial and the light source so that the extrusion direction is parallel to a line connecting the pair of light sources. When,
An on-vehicle meter characterized by comprising: In-vehicle meter according to claim 1,
Both the dial and the diffusion plate are disk-shaped,
The pair of light sources is disposed in the vicinity of the outer edge substantially on the center line of the dial,
An on-vehicle meter, further comprising: another pair of light sources disposed substantially parallel to and spaced apart from a line connecting the pair of light sources. The on-vehicle meter according to claim 2,
The display design is a plurality of numbers indicating a plurality of different traveling speeds formed inside the vicinity of the outer edge of the disk-shaped dial, and the design indicating mechanism passes through the center of the dial and the diffusion plate. A pointer driving mechanism that indicates any one of the plurality of numbers by a pointer shaft and a pointer, and the pair of light sources and the other pair of light sources are both disposed at positions corresponding to slightly outside the plurality of numbers. An in-vehicle meter characterized by being a speedometer.

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