JP4282362B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic device including a front panel.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, electronic devices that play a compact disc (CD) or a mini disc (MD) or play music information or image information (such as a map) downloaded via a communication network are known.
[0003]
In this type of electronic device, a part of the front panel or an operation switch provided on the front panel is made of transparent resin, and a light emitting diode (LED) is arranged on the back side of the transparent resin member. Some or operation switches are illuminated (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-132955
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional configuration, there is a problem that a large number of light sources are required because it is necessary to arrange a light source (such as an LED) for each illumination region. In particular, in an in-vehicle electronic device used in a dark environment, since it is necessary to illuminate all operation switches, more light sources are required, which is disadvantageous for downsizing and cost reduction of the device.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electronic device that can reduce the number of light sources that illuminate a front panel.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention according to claim 1 is provided such that a substrate, a resin panel, and a front panel each having the opening for insertion are provided in order on an apparatus body having an opening for inserting a recording medium, The panel is formed of a light guide, the LED is provided on the substrate, the resin panel and the front panel are provided with an opening through which the emitted light of the LED passes, and the emitted light of the LED is supplied to the opening of the front panel. A light guide member that is incident on the front panel is provided, and a reflection surface that propagates light incident on the front panel to the back side of the insertion opening of the front panel is provided on the light guide member, and the insertion opening in the front panel is provided. The operation buttons and the pattern part around the insertion opening including the back side of the part can be illuminated by the LED . According to this configuration, since light can be propagated substantially evenly to the plurality of light emitting portions provided on the light guide that is the front panel, light is evenly emitted from each light emitting portion with a small number of light sources. be able to.
[0008]
The invention according to claim 2 is the configuration according to claim 1, wherein the LED is incident on the front panel in a direction from the upper side to the lower side when the electronic device is installed. It is characterized by making it.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to the first or second aspect, the light guide member is disposed on a fastener for fixing the front panel to the device main body. To do.
[0010]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to any one of the first to third aspects , a light emitting portion is provided at a peripheral edge portion of the insertion opening of the front panel. And
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
The embodiment described below shows one aspect of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention, and can be arbitrarily changed within the scope of the present invention.
[0018]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an in-vehicle electronic device 10 according to the present embodiment. The electronic device 10 includes a printed circuit board 12 and a resin in a device main body 11 incorporating various components for realizing a playback function and a tuner function of a disc-shaped recording medium such as a CD (including a CD-R / RW), a DVD, and an MD. The panel 13, the decorating part 14, the spacer 15, and the front panel 16 are attached in order.
[0019]
The printed circuit board 12 is provided with light emitting diodes (LEDs) 20 and 21 at positions corresponding to the upper corners of the electronic device 10 and a liquid crystal display unit (not shown) for displaying various information. The The printed circuit board 12 is provided with drive circuits such as LEDs 20 and 21 and detection circuits for detecting operations of knobs 25 and 26 described later and various operation switches (not shown). The operation detection results of the knobs 25 and 26 and the operation switches are output to a control unit (not shown) provided in the device main body 11, and the control unit controls the light emission control of the LEDs 20 and 21 and the CD based on the detection results. Perform playback control. In the electronic device 10 of the present embodiment, as the LEDs 20 and 21, variable color LEDs capable of emitting light of a plurality of colors (for example, three colors of R (red) / G (green) / B (blue)) are used. The emission color can be changed according to the user's preference.
[0020]
The resin panel 13 has openings 27, 28, and 29 at positions corresponding to the CD and DVD insertion openings, the MD insertion opening, and the liquid crystal display section provided on the printed circuit board 12 provided in the apparatus main body 11, respectively. Provided. The resin panel 13 has openings 30 and 31 through which light emitted from the LEDs 20 and 21 passes, and screw holes for fixing fasteners 32 and 33 (to be described later) of the front panel 16 at the upper corners. And an opening through which various operation switches are inserted is formed.
[0021]
In the present embodiment, the decorating part 14 is a plated part and constitutes a part of the design of the front design of the electronic device 10.
[0022]
The front panel 16 is a member made of a transparent material, and is formed of a transparent resin such as acrylic, polycarbonate, ABS, or glass. In the front panel 16, openings 34 and 35 into which the fasteners 32 and 33 are inserted are formed at both upper corners, and the fasteners 32 and 33 inserted into the openings 34 and 35 are resin panels. By fixing with screws 36 and 37 respectively from the back side of 13, it is fixed to the resin panel 13 together with the decorating part 14.
[0023]
Further, the front panel 16 is provided with similar insertion openings 38 and 39 at positions corresponding to the CD, DVD and MD insertion openings 27 and 29 formed in the resin panel 13. As a result, an optical disk such as a CD can be easily loaded into the device main body 11 from the front surface of the electronic device 10.
[0024]
The front panel 16 is formed with relatively large diameter openings 40 and 41 at both lower corners, and knobs 25 and 26 are rotatably disposed in the openings 40 and 41, respectively. More specifically, a ring holder 42 is inserted into the opening 40, and a knob 25 for turning the power on and off and switching various functions (functions) is disposed in the ring holder 42. In addition, a ring holder 44 is inserted into the other opening 41, and a knob 26 for adjusting volume or the like is disposed in the ring holder 44. Further, as in the case of the resin panel 13, the front panel 16 is formed with an opening through which various operation switches are inserted. Thereby, it is comprised so that various operation switches, such as the knobs 25 and 26, can be operated from this front panel 16 side.
[0025]
In addition, the front panel 16 is provided with a pattern such as a character or a symbol indicating the function of the operation switch or a pattern such as a logo (a pattern portion 45 described later) near each operation switch. The function of the operation switch is visible.
[0026]
FIG. 2 is a front view of the electronic apparatus 10, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.
[0027]
As described above, in the electronic device 10, only two LEDs 20 and 21 are arranged. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the LEDs 20 and 21 are located on the back side of the openings 34 and 35 of the front panel 16, and the emitted light L0 of the LEDs 20 and 21 is emitted toward the openings 34 and 35. Are arranged to be. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the emitted light L0 of the LEDs 20 and 21 is placed inside the fasteners 32 and 33 inserted into the openings 34 and 35 in a direction substantially parallel to the surface of the front panel 16. A light guide member (light guide means) 51 that has a reflection surface 50 to be reflected and makes the emitted light L0 incident on the front panel 16 is provided. In addition, the light guide member 51 is formed with a lens for condensing the emitted light L0 of the LEDs 20 and 21 at one end, thereby efficiently guiding the emitted light L0 of the LEDs 20 and 21 into the front panel 16. The light L1 incident on the front panel 16 is substantially totally reflected on the front and back surfaces of the front panel 16 and propagates in the front panel 16. That is, by forming the front panel 16 with a transparent member, it can function as a light guide that propagates the light L1.
[0028]
When the light L1 is propagated into the front panel 16 in this way, the light reaching the opening portions (40, 41, etc.) of the operation switches such as the knobs 25, 26 and the insertion openings 38, 39 are not shown. Although the back surface of the peripheral edge portion of each opening is chamfered, the light is reflected by the back surface and emitted from the front surface of the front panel 16. Thereby, the periphery (light emission part) of the operation switch and the insertion openings 38 and 39 can be illuminated.
[0029]
Further, in the present embodiment, a pattern portion (light emitting portion) 45 (see FIG. 2) describing characters indicating functions or logos of each operation switch is printed in white on the back side of the front panel 16. take. Thereby, the pattern unit 45 reflects the light L1 incident on the front panel 16 and emits it from the front surface of the front panel 16. Therefore, since the illumination light of each picture part 45 is emitted from the front panel 16, the picture of the picture part 45 can be visually recognized from the outside even in a dark place. Furthermore, in this case, each pattern can be visually recognized with a lighting effect that appears on the surface of the front panel 16, and a lighting effect excellent in aesthetics can be produced. Note that the pattern unit 45 is not limited to white printing, and may be at least an image having a high reflectance. Further, the pattern unit 45 is not limited to a print image, but may be provided with pattern irregularities on the back side of the front panel 16 so that light is reflected by the irregularities and emitted from the front panel 16.
[0030]
By the way, in this electronic device 10, as shown in FIG. 2, since there is an MD insertion opening (inhibition portion) 39 at the approximate center of the front panel 16, the light L <b> 1 incident from each LED 20, 21 is As it is, it hardly propagates to the back side of the insertion opening 39, and the operation switch on the back side of the insertion opening 39 cannot illuminate the pattern portion 45. In FIG. 2, the fasteners 32 and 33 are omitted in order to illustrate the LEDs 20 and 21.
[0031]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the reflecting surface 50 of the light guide member 51 disposed in the fasteners 32 and 33 indicates the main incident direction of the emitted light L0 of the LEDs 20 and 21 with the knob 25, 26 in a direction toward the openings 40 and 41 of the operation button and in a direction that does not cross the openings of the other operation buttons and the pattern portion 45, and the incident light L 1 is transmitted to the back side of the insertion opening 39. Reflective surfaces (reflecting portions) 40A and 41A that are reflected on the openings 40 and 41 are formed.
[0032]
Thereby, most of the emitted light L0 of the LEDs 20 and 21 can be reflected by the reflecting surfaces 40A and 41A and propagated to the back side of the insertion opening 39, and the operation button on the back side of the insertion opening 39 can be transmitted. And the pattern part 45 can be illuminated brightly.
[0033]
As described above, the electronic apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment has a small amount of light by transmitting the light L1 incident from the two LEDs 20 and 21 to the light guide, using the front panel 16 as a transparent light guide. All the operation switches, the insertion openings 38 and 39, and the picture part 45 can be illuminated with the number of light sources.
[0034]
In addition, since the pattern portion 45 is formed by printing on the back side of the front panel 16 made of a light guide, it is possible to easily illuminate a pattern such as a character or a logo with an excellent lighting effect. Furthermore, since the light guide member 51 that determines the incident direction of the emitted light L0 from the LEDs 20 and 21 is arranged in the fasteners 32 and 33 that fasten the front panel 16, it is necessary to provide a space for arranging the light guide member 51 in particular. In addition, the light guide member 51 can easily set the incident direction and the incident angle of the emitted light L0 to a desired one. It should be noted that light is not limited to being incident from the openings 34 and 35 of the fasteners 32 and 33, and light may be incident from other existing openings, and a light incident opening is provided separately. Also good. In order to prevent dust from entering, the opening through which light is incident is preferably provided with a lid such as the fasteners 32 and 33, or formed in a hole that does not penetrate the opening.
[0035]
In addition, light is incident by the light guide member 51 so as not to traverse the operation button and the pattern part 45, and the incident light L1 is reflected by the reflection surfaces 40A and 41A formed in the existing openings 40 and 41, and is incident. By propagating the light to the region where the light L1 does not propagate (below the insertion opening 39), it is possible to illuminate each operation button, the pattern unit 45, and the like evenly.
[0036]
In the present embodiment, the light L0 from the LEDs 20 and 21 is incident on the front panel 16 in a direction from the upper side to the lower side when the electronic device 10 is installed. There is also an effect that it is possible to avoid the case where the light L1 directly enters the eyes of the user. In other words, since this type of electronic device is disposed below the user's eyes, light propagates directly from the upper side of the front panel 16 toward the lower side, so that light directly enters the user's eyes. The case is avoided.
[0037]
Therefore, the electronic device 10 of the present embodiment can reduce the number of light sources that illuminate the front panel, as compared with a conventional arrangement in which a light source is provided for each illumination part or a transparent member is provided for each illumination part, and Many images can be easily seen in a dark place, and the apparatus can be reduced in size and cost.
[0038]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the two LEDs 20 and 21 are used has been described. However, the number is not necessarily limited to two, and may be three or more or one. The light source is not limited to a point light source such as an LED, and a linear light source or a surface light source using a fluorescent lamp or the like may be used.
[0039]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, a part of the openings 40 and 41 for inserting the knobs 25 and 26 is formed in a reflective shape for reflecting the incident light L1 to the back side of the insertion opening 39, so that the reflecting surface ( Although the case where the reflecting portions 40A and 41A are formed has been described, the reflecting surfaces (reflecting portions) 40A and 41A may be formed in other portions.
[0040]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the vehicle-mounted electronic device 10 that reproduces a CD, MD, or the like has been described. However, a navigation device, a video recorder, or the like may be used. Can be widely applied.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention can reduce the number of light sources that illuminate the front panel.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an in-vehicle electronic device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the electronic apparatus.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electronic device 11 Device main body 12 Printed circuit board 13 Resin panel 14 Decorating part 15 Spacer 16 Front panel 20, 21 LED
32, 33 Fasteners 38, 39 Insert openings 40A, 41A, 50 Reflecting surface 45 Picture portion 51 Light guide member

Claims (4)

A device body having an insertion opening for a recording medium is provided with a substrate, a resin panel and a front panel, each having the insertion opening, in order, the front panel is formed of a light guide, and an LED is provided on the substrate. The resin panel and the front panel are provided with an opening through which the emitted light of the LED is passed, and a light guide member for allowing the emitted light of the LED to enter the front panel is provided at the opening of the front panel. An operation button around the insertion opening including a reflection surface for propagating light incident on the front panel to the back side of the insertion opening of the front panel and including the back side of the insertion opening in the front panel And an electronic device characterized in that the pattern portion can be illuminated by the LED . The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the LED makes light incident on the front panel in a direction from an upper side to a lower side when the electronic device is installed. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light guide member is disposed on a fastener for fixing the front panel to the apparatus main body. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a light emitting portion is provided at a peripheral edge portion of the insertion opening portion of the front panel.

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