JP4650210B2 - Vehicle indicator instrument - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular pointer instrument that is installed in a driver's seat of a vehicle and displays various information to an occupant, and is suitable for use in, for example, an automobile.

  As a conventional vehicle pointer instrument, for example, there is one having a structure in which a support point of a pointer is located on the outer periphery of a dial (see Patent Document 1).

  In this conventional vehicular pointer instrument, the pointer is formed in a substantially U shape, and a dial is sandwiched between two upper and lower horizontal bars.

With such a configuration, the central portion of the dial, that is, the region including the center of rotation of the pointer can be used as a display space.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-118916

  In the above-described conventional pointer instrument for a vehicle, the dial is transmitted and illuminated by light from a light source disposed behind the dial, and the light source is disposed behind the rotation range of the pointer on the back side of the dial of the pointer. Yes. For this reason, a part of the light from the light source toward the dial is blocked by the pointer, and a shadow of the pointer is formed on the back side of the dial, but when this shadow is seen through the front side of the dial, the pointer instrument for the vehicle There is a possibility that the appearance of will deteriorate. Since the shadow caused by the pointer moves in conjunction with the movement of the pointer, the visibility as a pointer instrument may be reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has been devised in the configuration of a pointer instrument for a vehicle so that the shadow of the pointer generated on the back of the dial is not visually recognized. An object is to provide a brilliant vehicle pointer instrument.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following technical means.

A pointer instrument for a vehicle according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a dial having a display design, a pointer made of a translucent material disposed on the front side of the dial and indicating the display design of the dial, and the pointer. The pointer has a boss portion fixed to the shaft of the movement, a support arm portion extending from the boss portion toward the outer peripheral side of the dial, and a surface of the dial from the tip of the support arm. And a pointer portion extending toward the inner peripheral side of the dial, and the supporting arm portion and the pointer portion form a substantially U-shaped cross section, and the dial is on the back side of the pointer portion of the pointer A pointer instrument for a vehicle arranged between the front side of the support arm and the front side of the support arm substantially parallel to the plane of rotation of the support arm, the first light source being arranged behind the dial and irradiating the support arm of the pointer A light guide made of a translucent material disposed on the back of the dial, and the dial Bei a light shielding member that prevents the second light source is incident can position the light to the light guide member, the first light source emits light provided on the back surface side of the light guide is incident on the light guide after The supporting arm portion is characterized in that the shadow of the supporting arm portion is not seen through the front side of the dial .

  According to the configuration described above, the pointer is emitted and displayed by the light from the first light source incident on the support arm portion to the pointer portion, and the dial 2 is received by the light from the second light source guided by the light guide. Transmitted illumination. Here, since the light shielding member is disposed between the support arm portion of the pointer and the light guide on the back side of the dial, the light emitted from the first light source enters the light guide, in other words, the light guide. The shadow of the supporting arm portion of the pointer is prevented from being reflected on the screen. Therefore, the shadow of the support arm portion caused by the light from the first light source does not see through the front side of the dial. As a result, it is possible to prevent inconvenience that the shadow of the pointer generated on the back side of the dial is visible through the front side of the dial in a conventional vehicular pointer instrument. A vehicle pointer instrument can be provided.

  The pointer instrument for a vehicle according to claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that the light shielding member is formed integrally with a casing of the pointer instrument for the vehicle.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the number of component parts and assembly man-hours of the pointer instrument for a vehicle.

  Hereinafter, an example in which the pointer instrument for a vehicle according to the present invention is applied to a combination meter mounted on an automobile will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a partial front view of a combination meter 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a tachometer T section is shown.

  2 is a cross-sectional view taken along 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 from the left side.

  3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electric circuit configuration of the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The combination meter 1 is installed at a position where it can be seen from the driver in front of the driver's seat of the automobile. The tachometer T is formed in the combination meter 1 and indicates the engine rotation speed of the automobile by the rotation angle of the pointer.

  Below, the structure of the combination meter 1, ie, the structure of the tachometer T, is demonstrated.

  The tachometer T is broadly transmitted through a dial 2 having a character 2b, a scale ring 3 having a scale 3a, and a pointer 11, which is rotated by a movement 10 to indicate the character 2b and the scale 3a, the pointer 11 and the scale 3a. The light-emitting diode 6 that illuminates, the light-emitting diode 7 that illuminates and transmits the dial 2, etc.

  The dial 2 is formed in a circular shape from a light-transmitting material, for example, a thin plate such as a colorless and transparent polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin. The dial 2 includes numerals such as “1” and “2” representing the engine rotation speed and letters 2b such as alphabets as display designs. The character 2b is formed by printing or hot stamping the surface 2a (the left surface in FIG. 2) of the dial 2 or the like. That is, a non-transparent colored layer or a semi-transparent colored layer is provided in a portion other than the character 2b, and a process such as leaving the character 2b transparent or providing a semi-transparent colored layer is performed. . As a result, when a light emitting diode 5 which is a second light source, which will be described later, disposed on the back side of the dial 2 is turned on, the dial 2 is transmitted and illuminated by the light emitted from the light emitting diode 5 so that the character 2b is emitted and displayed. As shown in FIG. 2, the dial 2 is provided with a circular opening window 2c at the center thereof. The driver can view the liquid crystal display 12 provided behind the dial 2 through the opening window 2c.

  A light guide plate 5 that is a light guide is disposed in close contact with the back surface of the dial 2 (the surface on the right side of the dial 2 in FIG. 2). The light guide plate 5 is formed in an annular shape, that is, a C-shape, which is partially opened from a translucent material such as a colorless and transparent polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin. As shown in FIG. 1, the light guide plate 5 has a shape that covers all the characters 2b on the dial 2, and light receiving portions 5a are provided at both ends of the C-shape as shown in FIG. . Opposing each light receiving part 5a, a light emitting diode 7 as a second light source is arranged so that light can enter the light receiving part 5a.

  On the back side of the light guide 5 (on the right side in FIG. 2), a light shielding wall 8 is disposed as a light shielding member. The light shielding wall 8 is made of a resin material or the like having a light shielding property, and prevents light emitted from the light emitting diode 6 as a first light source for illuminating a pointer 11 described later from entering the light guide 5. Is. The light shielding wall 8 is formed integrally with the casing 14 of the combination meter 1. That is, it is made by resin molding as an integral part of the casing 14.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a movement 10 that rotates the pointer 11 is disposed behind the dial 2. The movement 10 includes an electric actuator such as a stepping motor or a cross coil type rotating machine, and rotates the shaft 10a by an angle corresponding to an external electric signal (in the tachometer T, an engine rotation speed signal). . As shown in FIG. 2, the movement 10 is disposed behind the liquid crystal display 12 disposed facing the opening window 2 c at the center of the dial 2. As shown in FIG. 2, a pointer 11 is fixed to the tip of the shaft 10a of the movement 10.

  The pointer 11 is made of a translucent material such as a colorless and transparent polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin. As shown in FIG. 2, the pointer 11 includes a boss portion 11a fixed to the shaft 10a of the movement 10, a support arm portion 11b extending from the boss portion 11a toward the outer peripheral side of the dial 2, and a distal end of the support arm portion 11b. And a pointer portion 11c extending toward the inner peripheral side of the dial 2 along the surface 2a of the dial 2. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the pointer 11 is formed so that the support arm portion 11 b and the pointer portion 11 c are substantially U-shaped, and the support arm portion 11 b and the pointer portion 11 c sandwich the dial 2. ing. In other words, the dial 2 is disposed between the back side of the pointer portion 11c of the pointer 11 and the front side of the support arm portion 11b in parallel with the rotation plane of the support arm portion 11b (that is, the pointer portion 11c). A red colored layer R is applied to the back surface of the pointer portion 11c (the right surface of the pointer 11c in FIG. 2). Thus, when light from the light emitting diode 6 described later is guided to the pointer portion 11c via the support arm portion 11b, the red colored layer R diffuses and reflects this light, and the pointer portion 11c is lit and displayed in red.

  By forming the pointer 11 in the shape as described above, the shaft 10a of the movement 10 does not need to pass through the dial 2. Therefore, the area around the center of rotation of the pointer 11 on the dial 2 can be used as a display area. For example, the liquid crystal display 12 can be arranged like the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  In addition, in the pointer 11, as shown in FIG. 2, a counterweight part 11d is provided on the opposite side of the support arm part 11b of the boss part 11a. The counterweight part 11d is for reducing the magnitude of the unbalanced moment around the central axis of the shaft 11a of the pointer 11 as much as possible and smoothing the rotational movement of the pointer 11. A weight made of a material having a large specific weight, such as a metal material, may be added to the counterweight portion 11d.

  A light emitting diode 6 as a first light source for irradiating the support arm portion 11b is disposed behind the support arm portion 11b of the pointer 11 (right side in FIG. 2). A light guide plate 4 is arranged between the light emitting diode 6 and the support arm portion 11b as shown in FIG. The light guide plate 4 is made of a translucent material such as a colorless and transparent polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin. The light guide plate 4 guides the light from the light emitting diode 6 to the inside thereof, and emits the light from the light emitting surface 4a toward the support arm portion 11b. Furthermore, the light guide plate 4 emits light from the light emitting diode 6 toward the scale ring 3 described later from the light emitting surface 4b, and the scale 3a formed on the scale ring 3 is transmitted and illuminated by this light. That is, the light emitting diode 6 is a light source for emitting and displaying the pointer 11 and also serves as a light source for transmitting and illuminating the scale 3a. Here, the number of the light emitting diodes 6 is appropriately set so that the light emission luminance of the pointer 11 is uniform within the rotation angle range of the pointer 11 and the light emission luminance of all the scales 3a is uniform. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, a scale ring 3 is arranged on the front side (left side in FIG. 2) and the outer peripheral side of the dial 2 from the pointer portion 11 c of the pointer 11. The scale ring 3 is formed in a ring shape from a translucent material such as a colorless and transparent polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin. As shown in FIG. 2, the scale ring 3 includes a scale 3a formed as a convex portion protruding from the surface 3b to the front side. A non-transparent colored layer is applied to the surface 3b of the scale ring 3 excluding the scale 3a by printing or hot stamping. Thereby, when the scale ring 3 is irradiated with the light from the light emitting diode 6 arranged on the back side of the dial 2, only the scale 3a is lit and displayed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a liquid crystal display 12 is arranged on the back side of the dial 2 so as to face the opening window 2c. As the liquid crystal display 12, for example, a dot matrix type liquid crystal display is used. As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display 12 is formed with an od trip meter S as an image (character). The odo trip meter S is lit and illuminated by a backlight (not shown) built in the liquid crystal display 12 to display light.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light emitting diodes 6 and 7 and the movement 10 are mounted on a printed circuit board 9 arranged on the back side (left side in FIG. 2) of the dial 2. The printed circuit board 9 is made of, for example, a glass epoxy board or the like, and forms an electric circuit portion of the combination meter 1 including the tachometer T. The above-described liquid crystal display 12 is also electrically connected to the printed circuit board 9 by a flexible printed circuit board (not shown) or the like.

  On the printed circuit board 9, a controller 13 is mounted that controls turning on / off the light-emitting diode 5, driving control of the movement 10, and display driving control of the liquid crystal display 12. The controller 13 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer.

  As described above, the dial 2, the scale ring 3, the light guide plate 4, the printed board 9, the movement 10, and the like described above are accommodated and held in a casing 14 formed from a resin material.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially frame-shaped facing plate 15 is mounted on the front side of the scale ring 3, and a transparent cover 16 is mounted on the tip of the facing plate 15. The facing plate 15 is made of, for example, a resin material. The transparent cover 16 is made of a transparent resin thin plate or glass. The facing plate 15 and the transparent cover 16 improve the appearance of the combination meter 1 and at the same time prevent entry of dust, moisture and the like into the combination meter 1.

  On the other hand, a lower cover 17 is mounted behind the casing 14 as shown in FIG. The lower cover 17 is made of, for example, a resin material.

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

  As shown in the electric circuit configuration diagram of FIG. 4, electric power is constantly supplied from the battery 20 to the controller 13. Further, the controller 13 is connected to an ignition switch 19 so as to detect its operating state (ON or OFF).

  The controller 13 is connected to an engine rotation sensor 18 that detects the engine rotation speed of the vehicle and a distance sensor 21 that detects the travel distance of the vehicle so that a detection signal can be input. As the distance sensor 21, for example, a sensor that detects the rotational speed of a propeller shaft (not shown) that is an output shaft of a transmission is used.

  On the other hand, the controller 13 is connected to the light-emitting diodes 6 and 7, the movement 10, and the liquid crystal display 12 that are the control targets.

  (1) When the ignition switch 19 is turned on.

  When the ignition switch 19 is turned on by the driver, the controller 13 detects it and starts the display control operation of the combination meter 1.

  The controller 13 turns on the light emitting diodes 6 and 7. Thereby, the character 2b of the dial 2 is transmitted and illuminated by the light from the light emitting diode 7, and the scale 3a and the pointer 11 of the scale ring 3 are transmitted and illuminated by the light from the light emitting diode 6, respectively.

  At the same time, the controller 13 drives the movement 10 based on the detection signal from the engine rotation sensor 18 to rotate the shaft 10a to a predetermined angle, that is, an angle corresponding to the engine rotation speed of the automobile. Thereby, in the tachometer T portion, the pointer 11, specifically the pointer portion 11 c, indicates the predetermined character 2 b on the dial 2 and the scale 3 a of the scale ring 3, and the engine rotation speed is displayed.

  Subsequently, the controller 13 calculates the mileage of the vehicle based on the signal from the distance sensor 21, drives the liquid crystal display 12, and displays the mileage of the vehicle on the screen, that is, as shown in FIG. The cumulative travel distance (ODO) and the section travel distance (TRIP) are displayed.

  (2) When the ignition switch 19 is turned off.

  When the ignition switch 19 is turned off by the driver, the controller 13 detects this and turns off the light emitting diodes 6 and 7. Further, the controller 13 stops driving the movement 10 and the liquid crystal display 12.

  Next, the effect by the illumination structure of the character 2b of the dial 2 which is the characteristic of the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  The conventional vehicle pointer instrument does not include the light shielding wall 8 in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. For this reason, a part of the light from the light source toward the dial is blocked by the pointer, and a shadow of the pointer is formed on the back of the dial, but this shadow can be seen through the front side of the dial, so that the pointer instrument for vehicles is seen. There is a possibility that the image quality will deteriorate. Since the shadow of the pointer moves in conjunction with the movement of the pointer, the visibility as a pointer instrument may be reduced.

  On the other hand, in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the light guide plate 5 is closely fixed to the back surface of the dial 2 and the light emitting diode 7 for illuminating the dial 2 from the light receiving portion 5a of the light guide plate 5 is used. Light is incident and a light shielding wall 8 is disposed on the back surface of the light guide plate 5 so that light from the light emitting diode 6 for illuminating the pointer 11 enters the light guide plate 5, in other words, the guide 11 is supported by the light guide plate 5. It is set as the structure which prevents that the shadow of the arm part 11b is reflected.

  As a result, the shadow of the support arm caused by the light from the light emitting diode 6 can be prevented from being seen through to the front side of the dial, so that the shadow of the pointer generated on the back side of the dial in the conventional vehicle pointer instrument can be prevented. It is possible to provide the combination meter 1 with excellent appearance and excellent appearance by preventing the problem of being seen through and visible through the front side of the dial.

  Moreover, in the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention, since the light-shielding wall 8 was integrally formed with the casing 14, the number of components and assembly man-hours of the combination meter 1 can be reduced.

  In addition, in the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention demonstrated above, although the light emitting diode 7 is each used as the light source for the illumination of the character 2b, and the light emitting diode 6 is used as the light source for the scale 3a and the pointer 11 respectively, At least one of the light emitting diodes may be replaced with another type of light source such as a light bulb, a discharge tube, an EL panel, or the like.

  Further, in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the pointer instrument is the tachometer T, but other instruments, for example, a speedometer that indicates the traveling speed or a fuel gauge that displays the remaining fuel amount can be used. Good.

  Further, in the combination meter 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the od trip meter S of the liquid crystal display 12 is formed. However, the od trip meter S is not necessarily limited to other types. An instrument or various warning displays may be displayed.

  Moreover, in the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention demonstrated above, although the liquid crystal display 12 is arrange | positioned in the center part of the dial 2, this may be abbreviate | omitted. Alternatively, a general indicator or various warning displays may be provided instead of the liquid crystal display 12.

It is a partial front view of the combination meter 1 by one Embodiment of this invention. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is a mimetic diagram explaining the electric circuit composition of combination meter 1 by one embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Combination meter (vehicle pointer instrument)
2 Dial 2a Surface 2b Character 2c Opening window 3 Scale ring 3a Scale 3b Surface 3c Back 4 Light guide plate 4a Light emitting surface 4b Light emitting surface 5 Light guide plate (light guide)
5a Light-receiving part 6 Light-emitting diode (first light source)
7 Light-emitting diode (second light source)
8 Shading wall (shading member)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Printed circuit board 10 Movement 10a Shaft 11 Pointer 11a Boss part 11b Support arm part 11c Pointer part 11d Counterweight part 12 Liquid crystal display 13 Controller 14 Casing 15 Turn-back plate 16 Transparent cover 17 Lower cover 18 Engine rotation sensor 19 Ignition switch 20 Battery 21 Distance sensor S Odo trip meter T Tachometer

Claims (2)

Dial with display design,
A pointer made of a translucent material that is arranged on the front side of the dial and indicates the display design of the dial;
A movement for rotating the pointer,
The pointer includes a boss portion fixed to the shaft of the movement, a support arm portion extending from the boss portion toward the outer peripheral side of the dial, and a surface of the dial from the tip of the support arm portion. A pointer portion extending toward the inner peripheral side of the dial, and the support arm portion and the pointer portion form a substantially U-shaped cross section,
The dial is a vehicular pointer instrument arranged between the back side of the pointer portion of the pointer and the front side of the support arm portion, substantially parallel to a rotation plane of the support arm portion,
A first light source disposed behind the dial and illuminating the support arm of the pointer;
A light guide made of a translucent material disposed on the back surface of the dial;
A second light source disposed behind the dial so that light can enter the light guide;
Bei Eteori a light shielding member that prevents the light emitted from the first light source provided on the back surface side of the light guide is incident on the light guide,
The pointer instrument for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a shadow of the support arm portion is not seen through the front side of the dial .   2. The vehicular pointer instrument according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding member is formed integrally with a casing of the vehicular pointer instrument.

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