JP4319050B2 - Instrument lighting structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure for illuminating an instrument mounted on a vehicle or the like, and more particularly to an instrument illumination structure for guiding light from a light source to the front surface of a turn-back plate.

  In recent years, various improvements have been made to, for example, vehicle meters for the purpose of increasing the sense of quality and high quality. The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is known as one of them. In FIG. 5, the meter device disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 is such that when the light source 101 is turned on by a predetermined trigger, light upward from the light source 101 passes through the opening 103 of the dial plate 102, It enters the inside of the pointer 104 from the part. The incident light is guided in the tip direction of the pointer 104 via a reflection surface formed inside the pointer 104, and the hot stamp layer 105 shines. As a result, the pointer 104 is visually recognized with the color tone of the hot stamp layer 105 and the color tone depending on the light source 101.

  On the other hand, the light traveling upward from the light source 101 leaks from the opening 103 of the dial plate 102 and travels in the direction of the ring member 106, as indicated by light R1, R2, and R3 in the drawing. Then, for example, when the light R1 and R2 are reflected by the curved inner wall 107 having a curved cross section of the ring member 106 and travel upward, they reach the driver's eye points EP1 and EP2. Although not shown, the light R3 is also reflected by the inner wall 107 and travels upward to reach the driver's eye point.

  In the figure, reference numeral 108 is a pointer main body, 109 is a pointer cap, 110 is a pointer shaft portion, 111 is a rotating shaft, 112 is a motor, 113 is a base plate, 114 is a balancer, 115 is a display design, 116 is a locking piece, 117 , An edge member, 118 a locking hole, 119 a facing plate, 120 a front glass, and 121 a small hole.

Patent Document 1 listed below also describes a technology that includes a ring member formed of a light guide member and a light source for the ring member, and directly emits light from the ring member itself.
JP 2003-222539 A (Page 6, FIG. 3)

  By the way, in the said prior art, since it has comprised so that the ring member 106 may be brilliant using the leak light R1, R2, R3 from the opening part 103, it becomes an illumination structure with a visual effect. ing. However, in recent years, there has been a need to further enhance the visual effect.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the situation mentioned above, and makes it a subject to provide the instrument illumination structure which can improve a visual effect.

The instrument illumination structure of the present invention according to claim 1, which has been made to solve the above problems, includes a dial plate made of a sheet member and having a display design formed on an upper surface thereof ,
A light guide formed by a synthetic resin material having light permeability, a colored layer for shining a predetermined color on the lower surface is formed, and a pointer that indicates a display design on the front side of the dial,
A ring member provided on the front surface of the dial along the peripheral edge of the dial so as to surround the pointer;
Forms the front side of a combination meter having a plurality of meters, has a display window corresponding to each meter, and is integrated with a case constituting the side surface and the rear surface side to form the external shape of the combination meter. A facing plate provided so that the side is lower than the outer peripheral edge of the ring member;
A light source disposed on the rear side of the dial,
A ring-shaped member having a light guide property, which is molded from a synthetic resin material having a light transmittance, and an incident surface on which light is incident is formed in a portion close to the light source, and is incident and guided through the incident surface. A first reflection surface that reflects the reflected light toward the ring member, a second reflection surface that reflects the light reflected by the first reflection surface toward the facing plate, and a reflection by the second reflection surface An exit surface for emitting the emitted light, and between the dial plate, the ring member, the facing plate, and the case, the exit surface is between the outer peripheral edge of the ring member and the facing plate. A light guide member provided to be positioned at
It is characterized by having.
According to the present invention having such characteristics, light from the light source is guided by the light guide member, and is guided to the front surface of the flip plate through the outer peripheral edge of the ring member. Thereby, the front surface of the facing plate is illuminated.

  The instrument illumination structure of the present invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the instrument illumination structure according to claim 1, the emission surface is arranged at a position that does not protrude from the outer peripheral edge in a front view of the ring member. Yes. According to the present invention having such a feature, the exit surface of the light guide member is disposed at a position that cannot be seen from the front of the instrument. The front surface of the facing plate is illuminated in a state where light leaks from the outer peripheral edge of the ring member.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since it is a structure for forcibly guiding the light from the light source to the front surface of the turn-back plate, an instrument illumination structure capable of obtaining a new visual effect that has not been provided in the past is provided. There is an effect that can be done.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the light guide member for guiding light to the front surface of the facing plate is hidden from the front of the instrument, the appearance can be improved. .

  Hereinafter, description will be given with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a meter illumination structure according to the present invention, and is a front view showing a state when applied to a combination meter.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a combination meter as an example to which the instrument illumination structure of the present invention is applied. The combination meter 1 is mounted on an automobile, and includes a fuel meter unit 2, a tachometer unit 3, a warning display unit 4, a direction indicating unit 5, a speedometer unit 6, an odometer unit 7, a water temperature meter unit 8, and the like. It is comprised including. Each of the above-described units 2 to 8 has a dial for displaying a display design or design pattern such as numbers, characters, and characters described later.

  The facing plate 9 that forms the front side of the combination meter 1 has display windows corresponding to the above-described parts 2 to 8, and is integrated with the meter case 10 that constitutes the side surface and the rear surface side of the combination meter 1. The outer shape is configured. In order to enhance the visual effect, light from the light source is guided to the front surface of the facing plate 9 (described later), and gradation printing, metallic finish, and the like are performed. . The front of each of the parts 2 to 8 is covered with a transparent front glass 11.

  On the rear surface side of each dial, a motor that rotates the pointers of the fuel gauge section 2, the tachometer section 3, the speedometer section 6, and the water temperature gauge section 8 by a predetermined angle is disposed. The motor is configured to operate in response to a command from a control mechanism (not shown). The odometer unit 7 is provided with a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) that displays a predetermined cumulative travel distance in response to a command from the control mechanism. On the rear side of each dial, a light source for illuminating the dial by supplying light to the dial, the pointer, and the like is disposed.

  The fuel meter unit 2 is configured so that the pointer 12 indicates a remaining fuel amount that is a display design formed on the dial 13. Further, the tachometer unit 3 is configured so that the pointer 14 indicates an engine speed which is a display design formed on the dial 15. Here, the drive mechanism of the tachometer unit 3 will be briefly described. When the pointer 14 indicates a character or a scale corresponding to the corresponding engine speed on the dial plate 15, the engine speed is displayed. ing. The pointer 14 is controlled to rotate by a predetermined angle by a pointer driving mechanism including the control mechanism and the motor based on a value corresponding to an engine speed detected by a sensor that measures an engine speed (not shown). It is configured.

  The warning display unit 4 is configured to display an alarm by illuminating each alarm such as an oil shortage, a brake warning, and a charging warning using a character corresponding to the warning. The direction instructing unit 5 is configured to instruct a change in the vehicle traveling direction. The speedometer unit 6 is configured such that the pointer 16 indicates the traveling speed on the dial plate 17. The odometer unit 7 is configured to display the accumulated travel distance. The water temperature gauge unit 8 is configured such that the pointer 18 displays the water temperature on the dial 19. The driving mechanisms of these units 2 to 8 are known and need not be understood in order to understand the gist of the present invention, so the description thereof will be omitted here. Each of the dial plates 13, 15, 17, and 19 may be formed in a single plate shape, or may be formed in a single plate shape for each adjacent portion. Here, it is assumed that each dial is independent.

  Each dial 13, 15, 17, and 19 is illuminated from the rear by light supplied from a dial light source for each dial in response to a predetermined trigger signal. In addition, the pointers 12, 14, 16, and 18 corresponding to the dial plates 13, 15, 17, and 19 also shine by the light supplied from the pointer light source in response to a predetermined trigger signal. Yes.

  The fuel gauge unit 2, the tachometer unit 3, the speedometer unit 6, and the water temperature meter unit 8 are provided with ring members 20, 21, 22, and 23 that circulate circular analog type display designs, respectively. . Each of the ring members 20, 21, 22, and 23 is finished in a metallic tone by, for example, vapor deposition or printing.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, the configuration and operation effects related to the illumination of the ring member 21 will be described in order using the tachometer unit 3 as a representative example. 2 is a front view of the tachometer unit 3 of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tachometer unit 3 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the dial plate 15 is made of a thin disk member having a light transmitting property made of, for example, a polycarbonate sheet. The dial plate 15 has a numeral “0” indicating the engine speed. , “1”, “2”... And a character “× 1000 rpm” are formed. The display design is formed by applying, for example, black-colored ink to the front surface of the dial plate 15 with the numbers and characters outlined. Numbers “0”, “1”, “2”... Indicating the engine speed are indicated by the tip of the pointer 14 that rotates on the dial 15 about the pointer shaft 24 (see FIG. 3). Arrangement is formed. A ring member 21 is provided on the dial 15 so as to go around numbers “0”, “1”, “2”.

  In FIG. 3, the pointer 14 has a long and narrow pointer main body 25 having a light guide property, which is formed of a light-transmitting synthetic resin material. On the lower surface of the pointer main body 25, a colored layer for making the pointer 14 shine in a predetermined color is formed. Such a pointer main body 25 includes a pointer main body base portion 26 and a pointer main body instruction portion 27 coupled to the pointer main body base portion 26.

  The pointer main body instruction portion 27 is formed as a portion that becomes the tip portion of the pointer 14. A pointer rod 28 into which the tip end of the pointer shaft 24 is inserted is attached to the lower surface of the pointer main body base portion 26. The pointer main body 25 is attached so as to rotate on the front side of the dial plate 15 around the pointer shaft 24 and the pointer rod 28. A pointer cap 29 is attached to the upper surface side of the pointer main body base 26 which is the opposite side of the pointer rod 28. The pointer cap 29 is formed in a shape that can cover the pointer main body base portion 26.

  The pointer main body base 26 is formed with an incident surface 31 on which a light from the light source 30 is incident and a reflecting surface 32 that is inclined at a predetermined angle and reflects the light incident from the incident surface 31. ing. The reflection surface 32 is formed to reflect the light toward the pointer main body instruction unit 27. The incident surface 31 and the reflecting surface 32 are disposed and formed in the longitudinal direction of the pointer main body 25 so as to be behind the position of the pointer shaft 24, that is, on the opposite side of the portion where the pointer main body instruction unit 27 is coupled. .

  The dial plate 15 is disposed so as to have a predetermined distance from the wiring board 33. A case 34 is provided between the dial plate 15 and the wiring board 33. The case 34 has a mounting surface 35 on which the facing plate 9 is mounted. The facing plate 9 is attached so as to be placed on the placement surface 35. The ring member 21 is attached along the peripheral edge of the dial 15. A light guide member 36 which is the gist of the present invention is attached between the dial plate 15, the ring member 21, the facing plate 9, and the case 34. The light guide member 36 will be described later.

  On the upper surface of the wiring board 33, a plurality of light sources 30 for pointers and a plurality of light sources 37 for dials and facing plates are provided. The light sources 30 and 37 are arranged so as to be separated from the rear surface of the dial 15 by a predetermined distance. As the light sources 30 and 37, for example, LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) can be used. A motor 38 constituting the pointer driving mechanism is fixed to the lower surface of the wiring board 33 with the pointer shaft 24 penetrating.

  In the dial plate 15, a pointer rod 28 is inserted, and a circular opening 39 through which the light from the plurality of light sources 30 for the pointer passes is formed. The opening 39 is formed so as to open above the plurality of light sources 30 of the wiring board 33 and below the pointer main body base 26.

  3 and 4, the light guide member 36 is a member for guiding the light 40 from the light source 37 and guiding the light 40 to the front surface of the turn-back plate 9. And the ring member 21, the facing plate 9, and the case 34. The light guide member 36 has a cross-sectional shape as shown in the figure, and is formed in an annular shape.

  More specifically, the light guide member 36 is an annular member having a light guide property formed by a light-transmitting synthetic resin material, and an incident surface on which light 40 is incident on a portion close to the light source 37. 41 is formed. The light guide member 36 is incident on the incident surface 41 and is reflected by the first reflective surface 41 and the first reflective surface 42 that reflects the guided light 40 toward the ring member 21. The second reflection surface 43 that reflects the reflected light 40 toward the turning plate 9 and the emission surface 44 that emits the light 40 reflected by the second reflection surface 43 are formed.

  The emission surface 44 is disposed and formed so as to be positioned in a gap between the outer peripheral edge 45 of the ring member 21 and the facing plate 9. The gap portion is set here as a portion having a gap indicated by a reference sign d. The light guide member 36 is disposed so that the light guide member 36 is not visible in the front view of the tachometer unit 3 (the appearance is improved).

  In the above-described configuration, when the light source 30 is turned on by a predetermined trigger, light traveling upward from the light source 30 enters the incident surface 31 of the pointer main body base 26. Then, the light incident on the incident surface 31 is guided to the pointer main body instruction unit 27 via the reflection surface 32 of the pointer main body base 26 and the colored layer shines accordingly. At this time, the pointer main body 25 is visually recognized by the driver with the color tone of the colored layer and the color tone depending on the light source 30.

  On the other hand, when the light source 37 is turned on by a predetermined trigger, the light traveling upward from the light source 37 illuminates the rear surface of the dial 15. The light 40 traveling in the lateral direction from the light source 37 enters the light guide member 36 via the incident surface 41 and is guided through the first reflecting surface 42 and the second reflecting surface 43. Then, the light 40 emitted from the emission surface 44 travels along the front surface of the facing plate 9 and illuminates the front surface. The front surface of the facing plate 9 is visually recognized by the driver with a color tone depending on the color tone of the front surface and the light source 37.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, in the present invention, the light 40 from the light source 37 is forcibly guided to the front surface of the turn-back plate 9. Therefore, the instrument illumination structure can provide a new visual effect that has never existed before.

  In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  Note that the above-described instrument illumination structure can be applied to other than the tachometer unit 3. In addition, it is possible to apply not only to the general meter illumination structure of a meter device but also to a black face type or time difference lighting type meter device using a colored surface glass such as black smoke. Furthermore, the shape of the ring member 21 and the light guide member 36 is not limited to a complete circular ring shape, but may be an elliptical ring shape or a ring shape with a part cut away.

It is one Embodiment of the instrument illumination structure by this invention, and is a front view which shows the state at the time of applying to a combination meter. It is a front view of the tachometer part of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the tachometer part of FIG. It is the figure which expanded the principal part of FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing of the meter apparatus of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Combination meter 3 Tachometer part 9 Counterplate 14 Pointer 15 Dial 36 Light guide member 37 Light source 40 Light 41 Incident surface 42 First reflective surface 43 Second reflective surface 44 Output surface 45 Outer peripheral edge

Claims (2)

A dial plate made of a sheet member and having a display design formed on the upper surface ;
A light guide formed by a synthetic resin material having light permeability, a colored layer for shining a predetermined color on the lower surface is formed, and a pointer that indicates a display design on the front side of the dial,
A ring member provided on the front surface of the dial along the peripheral edge of the dial so as to surround the pointer;
Forms the front side of a combination meter having a plurality of meters, has a display window corresponding to each meter, and is integrated with a case constituting the side surface and the rear surface side to form the external shape of the combination meter. A facing plate provided so that the side is lower than the outer peripheral edge of the ring member;
A light source disposed on the rear side of the dial,
A ring-shaped member having a light guide property, which is molded from a synthetic resin material having a light transmittance, and an incident surface on which light is incident is formed in a portion close to the light source, and is incident and guided through the incident surface. A first reflection surface that reflects the reflected light toward the ring member, a second reflection surface that reflects the light reflected by the first reflection surface toward the facing plate, and a reflection by the second reflection surface An exit surface for emitting the emitted light, and between the dial plate, the ring member, the facing plate, and the case, the exit surface is between the outer peripheral edge of the ring member and the facing plate. A light guide member provided to be positioned at
An instrument illumination structure characterized by comprising: The instrument illumination structure according to claim 1,
The instrument illumination structure, wherein the emission surface is arranged at a position that does not protrude from the outer peripheral edge in a front view of the ring member.

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