JP4560767B2 - Illuminated control knob device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation knob device used as a vehicle heater control device, an audio operation device, or the like.

  As is widely known, an operation knob device such as a heater control device or an audio operation device is provided on a display panel in front of a driver's seat of an automobile.

FIG. 7 shows a heater control device for an automobile. An operation knob 11 for adjusting the wind direction, an operation knob 12 for adjusting the air volume, and an operation knob 13 for adjusting the temperature are rotatably provided on the display panel 14. ing.
In addition, the display panel 14 is provided with an operation knob 15 for switching between the inside and outside air and an air conditioner switch button 16.

  Further, the operation portions of the operation knobs 11, 12, and 13 are provided with light-transmitting instruction portions 11 a, 12 a, and 13 a, respectively, and a display panel surface that is a peripheral portion of the operation knobs 11, 12, and 13 Are provided with translucent position display portions (display marks) 14a, 14b, and 14c that indicate the adjustment positions by the turning operation of the operation knob.

  The instruction units 11a, 12a, and 13a and the position display units 14a, 14b, and 14c are generally formed as colored light-transmitting units, and the mark 15a and the switch mark 16a that indicate switching between the inside and outside air. Are also formed as colored light-transmitting portions.

  The operation knob device configured as described above illuminates the indication portions 11a, 12a, and 13a of the operation knobs 11, 12, and 13 and the surrounding position display portions 14a, 14b, and 14c with a light source, and in a dark environment. The illumination unit such as the pointing unit and the position display unit is displayed as an optical image.

On the other hand, the above-described display panel 14 is attached to a box-shaped base 17 by locking the upper two places and the lower two places.
FIG. 8 is a view showing the inside of the base 17 with the display panel 14 removed. As shown in the figure, the base 17 has interlocking shafts 18, 19 for connecting the operation knobs 11, 12, 13. , 20 protrudes, and a circuit board 21 on which electronic components are mounted is disposed by screwing, and two bulbs 22 and 23 are mounted on the light source mounting portion of the circuit board 21 as light sources.

  The two bulbs 22 and 23 illuminate the display portions 11a, 12a and 13a of the operation knobs 11, 12 and 13, the position display portions 14a, 14b and 14c of the display panel 14, and the marks 15a and 16a by their lighting lights. As already mentioned, these are optically displayed.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the interlocking mechanism provided in the operation knob device.
As shown in the figure, a bevel gear 24 provided on the interlocking shaft 18 of the operation knob 11 for adjusting the wind direction meshes with an arc-shaped gear 25a of a gear lever 25.
Accordingly, when the operation knob 11 is rotated, the gear lever 25 is rotated via the bevel gear 24 and the arc-shaped gear 25a, so that the control cable 26 connected to the gear lever 25 is advanced and retracted. Switch the wind direction of the heater control unit.

The temperature adjusting operation knob 13 has a similar interlocking mechanism. By rotating the operation knob 13, a gear lever is provided via a bevel gear 27 and an arc-shaped gear 28a provided on the interlocking shaft 20. -28 rotates.
Therefore, the control cable 29 connected to the gear lever 28 advances and retreats, and the temperature of the heater control unit is adjusted.

  The operation knob 12 for adjusting the air volume has an interlocking shaft 19 connected to the rotary switch 30, and the switch signal of the rotary switch 30 when the operation knob 12 is turned is heated. It can be sent to the control unit and the air volume can be adjusted.

  The above-described heater control device is a triple dial type equipped with three operation knobs 11, 12, and 13. Recently, a heater control device equipped in an inexpensive automobile is used. There is a double dial type device having two operation knobs as a control device.

For example, there is a heater control device in which the operation knob 11 for adjusting the wind direction is not provided.
An automobile equipped with such a heater control device is designed to generate a certain amount of air from a predetermined air vent disposed in the vehicle interior.

  In such a double-dial type heater control device, an air volume adjustment operation knob 12 and a temperature adjustment operation knob 13 can be rotatably arranged. In many cases, the display panel is attached to the base 17 described above.

  In other words, the operation knobs 12, 13 and the interlocking mechanism of these knobs and the base 17 can be used both as a triple dial type and a double dial type, and only a display panel is newly prepared as a dual dial type. This is a heater control device.

  Therefore, since such a double-dial type heater control device can be used in addition to the display panel, a triple-dial type heater control device can be used. Very advantageous.

  However, since the mounting hole of the rotary shaft 18 of the operation knob 11 that is no longer disposed in the base 17 remains open, the illumination light of the bulbs 22 and 23 leaks from the mounting hole, or There is a problem that dust, dust, and the like enter the apparatus through the mounting hole.

JP 2002-123197 A

  According to the present invention, when the double dial type heater control device is configured by changing the display panel of the triple dial type heater control device, it is unnecessary to turn the operation knob. An object of the present invention is to provide an operation knob device that is effective as a heater control device and the like that can prevent adverse effects caused by the opening of the mounting hole because the moving shaft cannot be mounted on the base. To do.

In order to achieve the above-described object, in the present invention, as a first invention, a plurality of operation knobs are rotatably disposed on a display panel provided on the front surface of the base, and an operation device is provided according to the rotation operation of the operation knobs. An operation knob device to be controlled, wherein the operation knob is provided with a light-transmitting instruction portion, and the display panel is provided with a lighting portion such as a light-transmitting position display portion indicating a position indicated by the operation knob. In the operation knob device with illumination that illuminates with a light source provided on the base of the instruction section and the illumination section, the number of operation knobs is reduced, and among the plurality of operation knobs, only specific operation knobs that are required corresponding to operating devices the provided provided a display panel having a structure which is not provided for the operating knob becomes unnecessary, attached to the display panel on the front of the base, further base mounting holes opening for operation knob not provided With shielding the light of the light source towards said specific operation knob of the the instruction section and a light shielding plate for reflecting towards the lighting portion equipped with lighting, characterized in that provided in the base operating knob device that light Propose.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the operation knob device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the mounting holes for electronic parts and the like generated in the base by disposing unnecessary operation knobs are provided in the light shielding plate. We propose an illuminated control knob device that is characterized in that it is configured to be closed by a gutter.

  As a third invention, in the operation knob device according to the first or second invention described above, a light source holding portion for attaching the light source to the base is formed on the light shielding plate. Proposed operating knob device.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the operation knob device according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the light shielding plate has a configuration in which circuit wiring is provided in a part thereof to mount an electronic component or the like. The operation knob device with illumination characterized by the above is proposed.

According to the operation knob device of the first aspect of the invention, the light of the light source directed to the disposition of the operation knob that has become unnecessary is shielded by the light shielding plate.
Specifically, since the rotation shaft of the operation knob that is no longer necessary is not attached to the base, the attachment hole is opened, but the light of the light source toward the attachment hole is shielded by the light shielding plate. The
As a result, the illumination light does not leak out from the mounting hole described above.

  In addition, the light from the light source toward the operation knob installation portion that has become unnecessary is reflected by the light shielding plate, and illumination of the indication unit of the operation knob and the position display unit of the display panel provided on the display panel is performed. In order to irradiate a part, it is efficiently illuminated with a light source with few illumination parts.

  According to the operation knob device of the second invention, the mounting holes for electronic parts and the like that are generated when the unnecessary operation knob is not mounted are blocked by the light shielding plate, so that the illumination light is transmitted from the mounting holes. There is no leakage.

  In the operation knob device according to the third aspect of the invention, since the light source can be mounted on the light source holding portion of the light shielding plate, it is not necessary to provide a circuit board or the like on which the light source is mounted on the base, and the space for incorporating components is free. The degree increases.

In the operation knob device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the circuit wiring is provided in a part of the light shielding plate, so that it is not necessary to separately provide a circuit board.
In addition, the base can be shared for the types of operation knob devices having different numbers of operation knobs by providing the base so that the light shielding plate and the circuit board can be exchanged.

Next, an embodiment in which the present invention is implemented as a vehicle heater control device will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is a front view of a dual-dial type heater control device, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the inside of the base with the display panel removed. FIG. 4 is an internal configuration diagram similar to FIG. 3 showing the inside of the base with the light shielding plate removed.

In the heater control device 40 of this embodiment, the display panel 41 is configured to rotatably support the operation knob 12 for adjusting the air volume and the operation knob 13 for adjusting the temperature. The main feature is that the plate 50 is provided on the base 17, and the rest of the configuration is almost the same as that of the triple dial type heater control device shown in FIGS. ing.
1 to 3, the interlocking mechanism shown in FIG. 9 is omitted.

As shown in the figure, this dual-dial type heater control device 40 has a structure of a display panel 41 in which two operation knobs 12 and 13 are rotatably supported. The operation knob 11 for adjusting the wind direction, the operation knob 15 for switching the inside / outside air, and the air conditioner switch button 16 shown in FIG. 9 are not provided.
However, in the heater control device 40, the air conditioner switch is turned off when the operation knob 12 is at the air flow stop position, and the air conditioner switch is turned on when the operation knob 12 is rotated from the air flow stop position. ing.
That is, the rotary switch 30 performs the operation of the air conditioner switch.

Further, the display panel 41 shows a colored translucent position display portion (display mark) 41 a indicating the indication position of the indication portion 12 a of the operation knob 12 and the indication position of the indication portion 13 a of the operation knob 13. A colored and translucent position display section (display mark) 41b is provided, and the instruction sections 12a and 13a and the position display sections 41a and 41b are illuminated by a light source provided in the base. Yes.
The display panel 41 is attached to the front surface of the base 17 so that the upper and lower portions are locked to the base 17 in the same manner as the display panel 14 of the conventional example.

On the other hand, the heater control device 40 is provided with a light shielding plate 50 in the base 17.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the light shielding plate 50 is fixed to the middle of the base 17 by two screws 51, and a light source holding portion 50a formed at one end portion thereof. A bulb 23 is mounted as a light source.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the light shielding plate 50 described above, and FIG. 6 is a detailed view of the light shielding plate 50.
6A is a front view of the light shielding plate 50, FIG. 6B is a side view of the light shielding plate 50, and FIG. 6C is a bottom view of the light shielding plate 50. FIG. 6 (D) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 6 (A).

As can be seen from these drawings, the light-shielding plate 50 includes a first reflecting surface portion 50b having an arcuate cross-section formed upright by approaching a light source holding portion 50a provided at one end, and a slope in the middle. The formed second reflecting surface portion 50c and the third reflecting surface portion 50d formed as an upright plate portion at the other side end portion are configured as a frame-shaped plate body integrally formed.
The illustrated hole 50e is a screwing hole, and the hole 50f is a positioning hole.

  The light shielding plate 50 is colored white as a whole, but may be colored white with only the first to third reflective surface portions 50b to 50d as reflective surfaces, or the whole is a white resin material or the like. It can also be formed.

  Further, the light shielding plate 50 is assembled to the base 17 in place of the circuit board 21 shown as the conventional example in FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the base 17 is formed with two mounting screw holes 17a and two positioning projections 17b of the circuit board 21 (see FIG. 8). In this case, after the circuit board 21 is positioned by the positioning protrusion 17b, the circuit board 21 is mounted by screwing a screw from the mounting hole of the circuit board 21 toward the mounting screw hole 17a.
The circuit board 21 is electrically connected by a connector inserted from the window hole 17 c of the base 17, and the valves 22 and 23 are inserted from the holes 17 d and 17 e of the base 17 to be mounted on the circuit board 21. It has become.

  When the double dial type heater control device 40 is used as in this embodiment, the circuit board 21 is removed, and the positioning projections 17b are formed in the positioning holes 50f of the light shielding plate 50. After positioning, the screw 51 is inserted from the screw hole 50e and screwed into the mounting screw hole 17a, and the light shielding plate 50 is attached to the base 17 integrally.

Further, the bulb 23 is inserted and attached to the light source holding part 50a of the light shielding plate 50 through the hole 17e of the base 17.
The valve 23 draws a power supply cord in the direction behind the base 17 and supplies power by the power supply code.

Thus, the display panel 41 is attached to the front surface of the base 17 to which the light shielding plate 50 and the valve 23 are assembled.
After the display panel 41 is attached, the operation knobs 12 and 13 are connected to the rotary shafts 19 and 20, respectively. This connection is performed by pushing the operation knobs 12 and 13 to engage the locking claws. Locks to the catch and becomes an integral connection.

  In the double dial type heater control device 40 configured as described above, since the operation knob 11 is not disposed, the base 17 for supporting the interlocking shaft 18 of the operation knob 11 is attached. Although the hole 17f is in an open state, the light from the bulb 23 toward the mounting hole 17f is shielded by the second reflecting surface portion 50c and the third reflecting surface portion 50d of the light shielding plate 50.

Therefore, the light of the bulb 23 does not leak from the mounting hole 17f of the base 17.
Since the window hole 17c of the base 17 and the valve mounting hole 17d are closed by the light shielding plate 50, no light leaks out.
Further, even if dust or dirt enters from the mounting hole 17f of the base 17, the light shielding plate 50 prevents the operation knobs 12 and 13 from entering the installation portion. There is no risk of dust or dust adhering to 41a, 41b, etc.

Further, the light reflected by the first, second, and third reflecting surface portions 50b, 50c, and 50d of the light shielding plate 50 is directed to the indication portions 12a and 13a and the position display portions 41a and 41b of the operation knobs 12 and 13. Therefore, the indication unit and the position display unit of each of the operation knobs 12 and 13 are illuminated by the reflected light and the direct light of the bulb 23.
As a result, it is possible to obtain sufficient illumination light by providing the bulb 23 as one light source.

  As described above, by providing the light-shielding plate 50, a dual-dial heater control device can be configured simply by changing the display panel of the triple-dial heater control device. be able to.

Further, since the present invention can be implemented in the same manner even if the number of operation knobs is increased or decreased, it can be implemented as another operation knob device such as an audio operation device.
The light shielding plate 50 may be provided with a circuit wiring portion on which an air conditioner switch and electronic components are mounted, and a switch button for operating the air conditioner switch may be provided on the display panel 41.

  The present invention can be applied to an operation knob device having a plurality of operation knobs on a display panel, such as a vehicle heater control device and an audio operation device.

1 is a front view of a dual-dial heater control device showing an example in which the present invention is implemented as a vehicle heater control device. FIG. It is the sectional view on the AA line on FIG. It is the internal block diagram which removed the display panel of the said heater control apparatus, and looked at the inside of a base from the front direction. FIG. 4 is a base internal configuration diagram similar to FIG. 3 showing a state in which a light shielding plate provided in the heater control device is removed. It is a perspective view of an above-described light-shielding plate. 6A is a front view of the perspective view plate, FIG. 6B is a side view of the light shielding plate, FIG. 6C is a bottom view of the light shielding plate, and FIG. 6D. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. It is a front view of a triple dial type heater control device of an automobile shown as a conventional example. FIG. 8 is an internal configuration diagram in which the display panel is removed from the conventional heater control device shown in FIG. 7 and the inside of the base is viewed from the front. It is a top view of the above-mentioned conventional heater control apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

12, 13 Operation knobs 12a, 13a Indicator 17 Base 17a Mounting screw hole 17f Mounting holes 19, 20 Interlocking shaft 23 Valve 40 Heater control device 41 Display panel 41a, 41b Position display unit 50 G 50a Light source holding portion 50b First reflection surface portion 50c Second reflection surface portion 50d Third reflection surface portion 50e Screw hole 51 Screw

Claims (4)

An operation knob device in which a plurality of operation knobs are rotatably disposed on a display panel provided on a front surface of a base, and the operation knob is controlled according to the rotation operation of the operation knob . The display panel is provided with an illumination unit such as a translucent position display unit indicating the indication position of the operation knob on the display panel, and is illuminated with a light source provided on the basis of the instruction unit and the illumination unit. In the operation knob device,
Reduce the number of operation knobs, and provide a display panel that is configured to provide only the specific operation knobs that are required for the operating equipment among the plurality of operation knobs, and not to provide unnecessary operation knobs. , Attach this display panel to the front of the base,
Further, the light shielding plate shields the light of the light source toward the mounting hole of the base that opens for the operation knob that is not disposed, and reflects the light toward the indication unit and the illumination unit of the specific operation knob. An operating knob device with illumination, characterized in that the base is provided on the base. The operation knob device according to claim 1,
An illumination-equipped operation knob device characterized in that a mounting hole for an electronic component or the like generated in the base is closed by the light shielding plate by not providing an unnecessary operation knob. In the operation knob device according to claim 1 or 2,
An operation knob device with illumination, wherein the light-shielding plate is formed with a light source holding portion for attaching the light source to a base. In the operation knob device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An operation knob device with illumination, wherein the light shielding plate has a structure in which circuit wiring is provided in a part thereof to mount an electronic component or the like.

Images