JP4175321B2 - Pointer instrument - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointer instrument that rotates a pointer in accordance with a measured amount, and is suitable for use in, for example, an automobile.

As a conventional pointer instrument, for example, a shaft of a movement arranged behind the dial is extended to the surface side through a through hole of the dial, and a pointer fixed to the tip of the shaft is extended along the dial surface. There is a configuration in which the dial is fixed to the case by rotating and holding the periphery of the through hole of the dial by a partition member (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent No. 3211229

  In the above-described conventional pointer instrument, the dial is formed in a single plane, and there is a problem that the appearance of the dial is monotonous and is not interesting.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a pointer instrument with a novel appearance by devising the structure of the dial.

  The present invention employs the following technical means to achieve the above object.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 1 of the present invention is fixed to the dial, a movement arranged on the back side of the dial to drive the pointer shaft, a case for accommodating the dial, etc., and a tip of the pointer shaft. A pointer that rotates the front side of the dial, an opening hole provided in the dial, a decorative plate disposed so as to close the opening hole while contacting the front side surface of the dial at the periphery of the opening hole, and a makeup A pointer instrument having a through hole provided so as to allow the pointer shaft to be inserted into the surface side of the dial plate on the plate, and the decorative plate is fixed to the case so that the viewer in the axial direction of the pointer shaft of the decorative plate The decorative board is characterized by having a step with respect to the dial surface in the driver's visual recognition range.

  According to such a configuration, when the viewer looks at the pointer instrument, the decorative plate has a step with respect to the dial surface, so that the dial and the decorative plate are visually recognized in three dimensions. In other words, the decorative board has a function of fixing the dial to the case, and at the same time has a function of making the appearance of the pointer instrument a novel three-dimensional appearance.

  As described above, a pointer instrument with a novel appearance can be provided.

  In the pointer instrument according to claim 2 of the present invention, the pointer is illuminated through the through hole of the decorative plate by the light from the light source provided behind the decorative plate, and the case is illuminated. It has a partition portion that blocks irradiation of the dial side, and the decorative plate is fixed to the partition portion.

  In such a configuration, the partition portion is formed on the outer peripheral side of the through hole of the decorative plate and in the vicinity of the opening hole of the dial. For this reason, the decorative board can suppress the movement of a dial more effectively by fixing a decorative board to a partition part.

  The pointer instrument according to claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that the step is formed by an inclined surface provided on the decorative plate so as to be inclined with respect to the dial.

  Thereby, the dial plate and the decorative plate can be surely viewed three-dimensionally to provide a pointer instrument with a three-dimensional and novel appearance.

  In this case, as in the pointer instrument according to claim 4 of the present invention, if the inclined surface is a conical surface substantially concentric with the pointer shaft, the portion behind the pointer is a conical surface concentric with the pointer shaft. Therefore, the appearance of the pointer instrument can be surely made novel and three-dimensional.

  In the pointer instrument according to claim 5 of the present invention, the decorative plate includes a cylindrical portion formed coaxially with the pointer shaft at the peripheral portion of the through-hole, and light from the light source passes through the inner space of the cylindrical portion. It is characterized by irradiating.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the light from the light source from irradiating the surfaces of the decorative plate and the dial plate, so that a part of the light from the light source leaks and the decorative plate and the dial plate are irradiated. It is possible to prevent a problem that the appearance of the image is deteriorated.

  In this case, as in the pointer instrument according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a bottomed cylindrical cover that is coaxial with the pointer shaft attached to the pointer so as to cover the center of rotation and opens to the movement side is provided. If the inner diameter of the cover is formed larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion and the pointer side end portion of the cylindrical portion is positioned closer to the pointer side than the opening end portion of the cover, the light from the light source is applied to the decorative plate and the character. Irradiating the surface of the plate can be more reliably suppressed.

  Thereby, a part of the light from the light source leaks and the decorative plate and the dial plate are irradiated, so that it is possible to reliably prevent a problem that the appearance of the pointer instrument is deteriorated.

  Hereinafter, a case where the pointer instrument according to the present invention is applied to an automobile combination meter will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a partial front view of a combination meter 1 which is a pointer meter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the combination meter 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. In FIG. 2, the left side is the driver's seat side, and the combination meter 1 is visually recognized by the driver from the left side of FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating an electric circuit of the combination meter 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

  The combination meter 1 is disposed at a position visible from the driver in front of the driver's seat of the automobile, and displays various information related to the automobile.

  The combination meter 1 includes various pointer instruments, indicators, warning lights, and the like (not shown). In the present embodiment, a speedometer A that is a pointer instrument will be described as an example.

  The dial 2 is formed of a thin plate such as a transparent polycarbonate resin. As shown in FIG. 1, the dial 2 is formed with a scale 21, numerals 22, and letters 23 that constitute a speedometer A for displaying the traveling speed of the automobile. The scale 21, the numbers 22 and the characters 23 are formed by printing or hot stamping the front surface 2a (the left surface in FIG. 2) or the back surface 2b (the right surface in FIG. 2) of the dial plate 2. That is, a colored layer having an opaqueness is provided in a portion other than the scale 21, the number 22 and the character 23, and the scale 21, the number 22 and the character 23 are kept transparent, or a translucent colored layer is provided. It has been processed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a through hole 2 c that is an opening hole is provided in a substantially central portion of the dial 2. The through hole 2c is circular and formed concentrically with a pointer shaft of a movement described later.

  On the back side (right side in FIG. 2) of the dial plate 2 is a light guide plate 10 that guides light emitted from a light emitting diode 5 to be described later to the scales 21, numerals 22, and characters 23 of the dial plate 2 and transmits and illuminates the dial plate 2. The dial 2 is disposed in close contact with the back surface 2b. The light guide plate 10 is made of, for example, a transparent polycarbonate resin. The light guide plate 10 is arranged so as not to move to a recess (not shown) of the case 11.

  A printed circuit board 4 is arranged on the back side (right side in FIG. 2) of the dial plate 2. The printed circuit board 4 is made of, for example, a glass epoxy board or the like, and forms an electric circuit portion of the combination meter 1. On the printed circuit board 4, as shown in FIG. 2, the light emitting diode 5 which is a light source for transmitting and illuminating the dial 2 is mounted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printed circuit board 4 is mounted with a controller 14 for controlling the turning on / off of the light emitting diode 5 and the light emitting diode 8 and the driving control of the movement 6 for rotating the pointer 7. Yes. The controller 14 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer.

A movement 6 that drives a shaft 61 that is a pointer shaft is mounted and fixed on the printed circuit board 4.
The movement 6 includes a cross coil actuator, a stepping motor, or the like, and rotates a shaft 61 that is a pointer shaft by an angle corresponding to an external electric signal (a vehicle speed signal in one embodiment of the present invention). Yes. A pointer 7 is fixed to the tip of the shaft 61.

  The pointer 7 is formed of a translucent material, for example, a transparent acrylic resin, and as shown in FIG. 2, the pointer 7 emits light when light emitted from the light emitting diode 8 mounted on the printed circuit board 4 enters.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pointer 7 is provided with a light shielding cap 9 that is a cover. The light shielding cap 9 is made of a resin material or a metal material, and is formed in a shade shape of a bottomed cylinder. The light shielding cap 9 has a light shielding property, and prevents light from the light-emitting diode 8 from directly traveling toward the driver's eyes and prevents the driver from being dazzled by this light.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a center plate 3 that is a decorative plate is disposed at a substantially central portion of the dial 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the center plate 3 is disposed at the peripheral edge of the through hole 2 c of the dial 2 so as to close the through hole 2 c while contacting the through hole 2 c portion of the dial 2. In the combination meter 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the center plate 3 is formed of a resin material and colored black. The center plate 3 is formed so as to have a step with respect to the surface 2a of the dial 2 in the driver's visual recognition range. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, a conical surface 31 concentric with the shaft 61 of the movement 6 is formed as a slope inclined with respect to the surface 2 a of the dial 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the conical surface 31 forms a recess from the surface 2a of the dial plate 2 to the back side (right side in FIG. 2) of the dial plate 2 through the through hole 2c. A step is formed with respect to the surface 2a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the center plate 3 is provided with a locking claw 32 for fixing the center plate 3 to a case 11 described later on the back side (right side in FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the center plate 3 is integrally formed with a cylindrical portion 34, and has a through hole 33 for inserting a shaft 61 inside the cylindrical portion 34. The cylindrical portion 34 is located on the same axis as the shaft 61.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a through-hole 33 for inserting the shaft 61 into the surface 2 a side of the dial 2 is provided at the center of the center plate 3. Further, a cylindrical portion 34 is provided coaxially with the shaft 61 at the periphery of the through hole 33. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the cylindrical portion 34 becomes the through hole 33, and the shaft 61 is inserted therethrough.

  The cylindrical portion 34 has an outer diameter dimension set to be smaller than an inner diameter dimension of the light shielding cap 9, and an end 34 a (a left end portion in FIG. 2) on the viewer side of the cylindrical portion 34 in the completed state of the combination meter 1. It is located closer to the pointer 7 than the opening end 9 a of the light shielding cap 9. Thereby, the light from the light emitting diode 8 for illuminating the pointer 7 is prevented from leaking from the end portion 34 a in the radial direction of the cylindrical portion 34. Therefore, the light leakage irradiates the conical surface 31 of the center plate 3 and the surface 2a of the dial plate 2 to cause unevenness in the brightness of the surface of the dial plate 2 or the conical surface 31, or the scale 21, the number 22 and the character 23 It is possible to reliably prevent the appearance of the combination meter 1 from being deteriorated due to non-uniform emission luminance.

  The dial 2, the printed board 4 and the like described above are accommodated and fixed in the case 11. The case 11 is formed of a resin material in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The case 11 is formed in a substantially frame shape, and the dial 2 is placed on the surface end side as shown in FIG.

  The case 11 includes a light shielding portion 11a that is a partitioning portion for blocking light emitted from the light emitting diode 8 that is a light source for illuminating the pointer 7 from the dial 2 side (vertical direction in FIG. 2), a locking hole. 11b, the step part 11c, and the recess 11d inside the step part 11c are integrally formed by resin molding.

  An end portion of the cylindrical portion 34 of the center plate 3 is inserted into a through hole 11e inside the cylindrical light shielding portion 11a of the case 11, and a connecting portion with the cylindrical portion 34 of the center plate 3 is a step portion 11c of the case 11. The engaging claw 32 of the center plate 3 penetrates and is engaged with the engaging hole 11 b of the case 11. With such an arrangement configuration, the center plate 3 has a conical surface 31 disposed in the recess 11d of the case 11, and the conical surface 31 of the center plate 3 is combined with the dial 2 without a sense of incongruity. It will be a thing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a rear cover 18 is attached to the case 11 on the printed board 4 side so as to sandwich the printed board 4 with the case 11. The rear cover 18 is made of, for example, a resin material. The rear cover 18 covers the back surface of the printed circuit board 4 and the movement 6 and protects the interior of the combination meter 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a transparent cover 13 is attached to the surface 2 a side of the dial 2 via a substantially frame-shaped facing plate 12. The transparent cover 13 is formed of a transparent resin thin plate or glass, and prevents dust and the like from entering the interior of the combination meter 1.

  Next, the electric circuit configuration of the combination meter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, power is constantly supplied from the battery 16 to the controller 14. Further, the controller 14 is connected to the ignition switch 15 so as to be able to detect its operating state (ON or OFF).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the controller 14 is connected with a speed sensor 17 for detecting the traveling speed of the automobile. As the speed sensor 17, for example, a sensor that detects the rotational speed of a propeller shaft that transmits torque to a driving wheel of an automobile is used.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting diode 5, the light emitting diode 8, and the movement 6 are connected to the controller 14.

  The controller 14 detects the operating state of the ignition switch 15. When the ignition switch 15 is in the ON state, the controller 14 turns on the light-emitting diodes 5 and 8 and determines the traveling speed of the vehicle based on the detection signal from the speed sensor 17. The movement 6 is driven so that the pointer 7 indicates the calculated traveling speed on the dial 2. On the other hand, when the ignition switch 15 is in the OFF state, the light emitting diodes 5 and 8 are turned off, and the movement 6 is driven so that the pointer 7 indicates a travel speed of 0 km / h on the dial 2. Alternatively, the power supply to the movement 6 is stopped. When energization of the movement 6 is stopped, the shaft 61 of the movement 6 rotates to a position where the pointer 7 indicates a travel speed of 0 km / h on the dial 2 by the elastic force of a return spring (not shown). .

  Here, the process of attaching the center plate 3 to the case 11 will be briefly described.

  First, the cylindrical portion 34 of the center plate 3 is inserted and fitted into the through hole 11e of the light shielding portion 11a of the case 11 to which the dial 2 is already attached.

  Subsequently, the center plate 3 is pushed toward the case 11 while the locking claw 32 of the center plate 3 is inserted into the locking hole 11b of the case 11, and the locking claw 32 is locked to the locking hole 11b. That is, it will be in the state shown in FIG. 2, and the attachment to the case 11 of the center plate 3 will be completed. At this time, the dial plate 2 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral edge of the center plate 3 and the outer peripheral edge of the recess 11d of the case 11 in the opening hole 2c, so that the axial direction of the shaft 61 of the dial 2 Movement in the left-right direction in FIG. 2 is prevented. Thereby, the dial 2 is reliably fixed to the case 11 both in the peripheral portion and in the vicinity of the pointer 7.

  Next, the effect of the center plate 3, which is the feature of the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, in particular, the appearance of the speedometer A will be described.

  In the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the center plate 3 has a step with respect to the surface 2a of the dial plate 2 in the driver's viewing range, that is, as shown in FIG. It is formed as a conical surface 31 concentric with the shaft 61. The conical surface 31 forms a recess from the surface 2a of the dial 2 toward the back side (right side in FIG. 2) of the dial 2, and a step is formed with respect to the surface 2a of the dial 2 by the recess. ing. Thereby, the dial plate 2 and the center plate 3 are visually recognized with a rich stereoscopic effect. Therefore, the combination meter 1 having a three-dimensional and novel appearance can be realized.

  As a result, by adopting an easy means of forming the conical surface 31 on the center plate 3 which is a member for fixing the dial 2, the combination meter 1 having a three-dimensional and novel appearance is suppressed while suppressing an increase in cost. Can be provided.

  In FIG. 4, the fragmentary sectional view in the modification of the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention is shown.

  In the modification of the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the shape of the center plate 3 is changed with respect to the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. That is, the conical surface 31 is formed as a convex portion from the surface 2a of the dial plate 2 toward the front side (left side in FIG. 2) of the dial plate 2 as shown in FIG. A step is formed.

  Also in this modified example, the dial plate 2 and the center plate 3 can be viewed three-dimensionally, so that the combination meter 1 having a three-dimensional and novel appearance can be realized.

  In FIG. 5, the fragmentary sectional view in the other modification of the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention is shown.

  In another modification of the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the shape of the center plate 3 is changed with respect to the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. That is, instead of the conical surface 31, a stepped terrace surface 35 is formed as shown in FIG. The terrace surface 35 is formed by overlapping a plurality of (in this case, two) cylindrical surfaces with different diameters concentrically with the shaft 61 of the movement 6, and from the surface 2a of the dial 2 to the back side of the dial 2 (FIG. 5). In FIG. 2, a step is formed with respect to the surface 2a of the dial 2.

  Also in the other modified examples described above, the dial 2 and the center plate 3 can be viewed three-dimensionally, so that the combination meter 1 having a three-dimensional and novel appearance can be realized.

  In the other modified example described above, the terrace surface 35 may be formed as a convex portion from the surface 2a of the dial plate 2 toward the front side of the dial plate 2 (left side in FIG. 5).

  In FIG. 6, the fragmentary sectional view in the other modification of the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention is shown.

  In another modification of the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the method of fixing the center plate 3 and the case 11 is changed with respect to the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. That is, instead of the engagement of the locking claw 32 and the locking hole 11b in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, the convex portion formed on the cylindrical portion 34 of the center plate 3 34 b is engaged with a recess 11 d formed in the step portion 11 c of the case 11.

  Also by this method, the center plate 3 can be fixed to the case 11 easily and reliably as in the case of the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  In addition, in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the modified example thereof, and the other modified examples, the speedometer mounted on the combination meter 1 installed in the passenger compartment of the automobile is used. Although the case where A is applied is described as an example, it is not necessary to be limited to the speedometer A, and other types of instruments, for example, a tachometer that indicates the engine rotational speed of the automobile, and a water temperature meter that indicates the engine coolant temperature You may apply to. A single combination meter 1 may include a plurality of pointer instruments according to the present invention.

  Further, in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, its modified examples, and other modified examples, the light emitting diode 5 is used as the dial 2 illumination light source, and the light emitting diode 8 is used as the pointer 7 illumination light source. However, at least one of the two may be replaced with another type of light source such as a light bulb, a discharge, an EL panel, or the like.

  In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the pointer instrument according to the present invention is applied to the speedometer A of the automobile combination meter 1 as an example. May be. That is, the present invention may be applied to a pointer instrument mounted on various consumer devices other than automobiles and vehicles.

It is a partial front view of the combination meter 1 which is a pointer meter by one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention, and is the II-II sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a block diagram explaining the electric circuit of the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view in the modification of the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention, and is equivalent to FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view in other modifications of combination meter 1 by one embodiment of the present invention, and is equivalent to Drawing 2. It is a fragmentary sectional view in other modifications of combination meter 1 by one embodiment of the present invention, and is equivalent to Drawing 2.

Explanation of symbols

1 Combination meter 2 Dial 2a Front surface 2b Back surface 2c Through hole (opening)
21 Scale 22 Number 23 Character 3 Center plate (decorative plate)
31 Conical surface (slope, step)
32 Claw 33 33 Through-hole 34 Cylindrical part 34a End part 34b Convex part 35 Terrace surface (step)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 Printed circuit board 5 Light emitting diode 6 Movement 61 Shaft 7 Pointer 8 Light emitting diode 9 Light-shielding cap 9a Open end 10 Light guide plate 11 Case 11a Light-shielding part (partition part)
11b Locking hole 11c Step portion 11d Recess 11e Through hole 12 Turn plate 13 Transparent cover 14 Controller 15 Ignition switch 16 Battery 17 Speed sensor 18 Rear cover A Speedometer (pointer instrument)

Claims (6)

Dial,
A movement that is arranged on the back side of the dial and drives the pointer shaft;
A case for accommodating the dial and the like;
A pointer that is fixed to the tip of the pointer shaft and rotates on the front side of the dial;
An opening provided in the dial,
A decorative board disposed so as to block the opening hole while contacting the front surface of the dial at the peripheral edge of the opening hole;
A pointer instrument comprising a through-hole provided in the decorative plate so as to allow the pointer shaft to be inserted into the surface side of the dial,
The decorative plate is fixed to the case to suppress movement of the decorative plate toward the viewer side in the axial direction of the pointer shaft,
The pointer instrument according to claim 1, wherein the decorative plate has a step with respect to a dial surface in a driver's visual recognition range. The pointer is irradiated with light from a light source provided behind the decorative board through the through-hole of the decorative board and is displayed in a luminous manner.
The case includes a partition portion that blocks light from the light source from irradiating the dial side,
The pointer instrument according to claim 1, wherein the decorative plate is fixed to the partition portion.   The pointer instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the step is formed by an inclined surface provided on the decorative plate so as to be inclined with respect to the dial.   4. The pointer instrument according to claim 3, wherein the inclined surface is a conical surface substantially concentric with the pointer shaft. The decorative plate includes a cylindrical portion formed coaxially with the pointer shaft at a peripheral portion of the through hole,
5. The pointer instrument according to claim 1, wherein light from the light source irradiates the pointer through an inner space of the cylindrical portion. A bottomed cylindrical cover that is coaxial with the pointer shaft and is attached to the pointer so as to cover the center of rotation thereof and that opens to the movement side,
The inner diameter of the cover is formed larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion, and the pointer side end portion of the cylindrical portion is located closer to the pointer side than the opening end portion of the cover. The indicated pointer instrument.

Images