JP4655876B2 - Vehicle indicator instrument - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular pointer instrument installed in a driver's seat of a vehicle such as an automobile, for example, and particularly relates to a vehicular pointer instrument provided with a light emitting pointer on which a pointer is displayed.

  As a conventional indicating instrument for a vehicle, the placed light-guiding pointer on the surface side of the dial, those with light from a light source incident light from the end portion on the face of the structure to be illuminated through the dial Yes (see Patent Document 1).

In this pointer instrument for a vehicle, a groove portion having a length in the longitudinal direction of the light guide pointer is provided on the bottom surface of the light guide pointer, and the groove portion is visually recognized by reflecting light from the light source. In particular, the linear portion corresponding to the bottom portion of the groove portion looks brighter than the other portions of the groove portion. That is, a bright line is visually recognized as a pointer.
JP-A-12-097733

  In the above-described conventional pointer instrument for a vehicle, the cross-sectional shape in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the light guide pointer is substantially rectangular. Depending on the rotation angle position of the light guide pointer, the side of the light guide pointer can be seen by the viewer. At this time, if the wall surface of the groove provided on the bottom surface of the light guide pointer is seen through the side surface of the light guide pointer, in addition to the bright line visible as the pointer, a bright line that is slightly wider in parallel with it As a result, the appearance of the pointer instrument for the vehicle is degraded.

  By the way, in order to widen the width of the brightly shining portion and increase the visibility as a pointer, it is necessary to increase the width of the groove provided on the bottom surface of the light guide pointer. In this case, the edge of the groove portion approaches the side surface of the light guide pointer, and the wall surface of the groove portion becomes easier to see through the side surface of the light guide pointer, and thus the appearance of the vehicle pointer instrument is further improved. May be reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has been devised for the configuration of a pointer instrument for a vehicle, and an object thereof is to provide a pointer instrument for a vehicle with good visibility of the pointer and a novel appearance. And

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

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular pointer instrument including a dial, a light source, and a pointer made of a light guide material that is rotatably supported on the surface side along the dial. A pointer instrument for a pointer, a light reflecting portion formed along a longitudinal direction of the pointer on a bottom surface thereof, and a convex lens portion provided on a front surface which is a surface opposite to the bottom surface, facing the light reflecting portion; A light-shielding portion provided on both sides of the convex lens portion in the width direction of the front surface, and the light from the light source is directed to the side surface of the dial along the dial from the front side of the dial and outside the rotation range of the dial of the dial A light guide plate that emits light toward the front surface of the dial face outside the turning range of the pointer, and has a cylindrical surface to emit light from the entire surface of the light exit surface. A guide that exits along the surface of the dial toward the center of the dial and enters the side of the pointer. Plates, is characterized in that it is provided.

  According to such a configuration, the light reflecting portion is reduced in width to prevent the light reflecting portion from seeing through the side surface of the pointer, and an enlarged virtual image of the light reflecting portion is formed on the convex lens portion to be visually recognized. Thus, the width of the light emission pointer can be widened to improve the visibility as a pointer. Further, it is possible to highlight To clear the contours of the light emitting portion of the pointer by the light shielding portion provided on both sides of the convex lens portion, the appearance of the vehicle indicating instrument to those novel.

In the vehicular pointer instrument according to claim 2 of the present invention, the width dimension at the front surface of the pointer is larger than the width dimension at the bottom surface, and the contour line in the width direction of the bottom surface as viewed from the viewing direction is the contour line in the width direction of the front surface. It is characterized by being located inside.

  According to such a configuration, the cross-sectional shape in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the pointer is a trapezoid having a long side on the viewer side and a short side on the dial side. Therefore, the side surface of the guide is not a plane perpendicular to the face, such as a conventional vehicle indicating instrument, a surface inclined inward in the width direction taken to toward the bottom surface from the front of the pointer. Therefore, the side surface of the pointer is hardly visible to the viewer regardless of the rotation angle of the pointer. That is, it is possible to reliably prevent the light reflecting portion from being seen through the side surface of the pointer.

  In the vehicular pointer instrument according to claim 3 of the present invention, the light reflecting portion is a recess provided on the bottom surface.

  According to such a configuration, the light incident on the pointer is reflected by the wall surface of the recess, and the reflected light is visually recognized as the pointer. Therefore, the pointer instrument for the vehicle can be seen as if the appearance of the pointer shines brightly. The appearance of can be made novel.

  The pointer instrument for a vehicle according to claim 4 of the present invention is characterized in that the light reflection portion is a diffuse reflection layer provided on the bottom surface.

  According to such a configuration, the light incident on the pointer is reflected by the diffuse reflection layer, and the reflected light is visually recognized as the pointer, so that the appearance of the pointer is a soft appearance with uniform brightness as a whole, Appearance of the pointer instrument for vehicles can be made novel.

  The pointer instrument for a vehicle according to claim 5 of the present invention is characterized in that a light source is disposed behind the dial and a part of light emitted from the light source is used for transmitted illumination of the dial.

  According to such a configuration, the number of parts and the cost of the pointer instrument for a vehicle can be reduced by illuminating the pointer and the dial with light from a common light source.

  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.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a partial front view of a combination meter 1 according to a first 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.

  4 is a view taken along arrow IV in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an electric circuit configuration of the combination meter 1 according to the first 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.

  Tachometer T is large, dial 2, light emitting diodes guiding light from 4 dial 3 and pointer 7 the light guide plate 3 for illuminating the, and a 6, etc. Movement of rotating the pointer 7.

  The dial 2 is formed in a circular shape as shown in FIG. 1 from a light-transmitting material, for example, a thin plate made of a colorless and transparent polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin. The dial 2 includes numbers 2a such as “1” and “2” and a scale 2b as display designs representing the engine rotation speed. The numbers 2a and scales 2b are formed by printing or hot stamping the surface 2c (the left side 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 number 2a and the scale 2b, and the number 2a and the scale 2b are kept transparent, or a semi-transparent colored layer is provided. Has been processed. Thus, the light emitting diode 4 to be described later is arranged on the back side of the dial 2 is illuminated, the dial 2 by light which it emits is transmitted illumination, numbers 2a and graduations 2b are light emitting display. A through hole 2d is provided at the center of the dial 2 for inserting a shaft 6a of a movement 6 (described later) or a boss of a pointer 7. While turning range of the pointer 7 is circular on substantially coaxial with the through hole 2d (precisely fan type), the outer circumference of the dial plate 2 is positioned outside the rotation range of the pointer 7 described above .

  As shown in FIG. 2, a light emitting diode 4 as a light source is disposed behind the dial 2. As the light emitting diode 4, for example, a white light emitting diode whose emission color is white is used.

  Behind the dial 2, as shown in FIG. 2, the surface 2c of the light emitting diode 4 is guided to the turning range of the pointer 7 of the front side and the dial 2 of the dial 2 light emitted by the dial 2 A light guide plate 3 that irradiates light toward the side surface 7e of the pointer 7 along with the light emitted from the light emitting diode 4 to the back surface of the dial 2 and transmits and illuminates the dial 2 is disposed. The light guide plate 3 is formed in a disk shape concentric with the dial 2 from, for example, colorless and transparent polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer peripheral side of the light guide plate 3 protrudes in a ring shape from the front surface side of the dial 2, and an exit surface 3b is formed at the protruding portion as shown in FIG. . The emission surface 3b is formed in a cylindrical surface shape, and the diameter thereof is substantially equal to the diameter of the dial 2. That is, the outer peripheral edge of the dial 2 is fitted to the cylindrical emission surface 3b. As shown in FIG. 2, a light receiving portion 3 a for introducing light emitted from the light emitting diode 4 into the light guide plate 3 is provided near the back surface of the light guide plate 3, that is, near the center of the surface opposite to the dial 2. Yes. In the combination meter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the light receiving portion 3a is formed in a substantially spherical shape. Thereby, most of the light emitted from the light emitting diode 4 can be guided to the reflecting surface 3 c of the light guide 3. The light receiving unit 3 a is provided to face the light emitting diode 4. The light emitted from the light emitting diode 4 travels as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2, passes through the light guide 3, a part of the light is emitted from the light exit surface 3 b, and the characters along the surface 2 c of the dial 2. Proceed toward the center of the board 2. Some of the light is repeatedly reflected in the light guide 3 and emitted from the characters 2a and scales 2b of the dial 2 to transmit and illuminate them. The number of the light receiving portions 3a, that is, the number of the light emitting diodes 4 is such that all the characters 2a and scales 2b of the dial 2 are displayed with light emission with uniform brightness and emitted from the emission surface 3b toward the center of the dial 2. The amount of light is set so as to be uniform over the entire area of the cylindrical emission surface 3b.

  That is, in the combination meter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting diode 4 is used for both the illumination of the pointer 7 and the illumination of the dial 2.

  A movement 6 for rotating the pointer 7 is arranged behind the dial 2 as shown in FIG. The movement 6 is composed of an electric actuator such as a stepping motor or a cross coil type rotating machine, and rotates the shaft 6a by an angle corresponding to an external electric signal (in the case of the tachometer T, the engine rotational speed signal). It is. As shown in FIG. 2, a pointer 7 is fixed to the tip of the shaft 6a of the movement 6.

  The pointer 7 is made of a translucent material such as an acrylic resin. As shown in FIG. 2, the pointer 7 is fixed to the shaft 6a of the movement 6 via a boss portion 7h.

  The bottom 7a is a surface of the dial plate 2 side of the pointer 7, as shown in FIG. 3, (vertical direction in FIG. 1, direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3) the longitudinal direction of the pointer 7 light formed along the A reflecting surface 7b is provided as a reflecting portion. As shown in FIG. 3, two reflecting surfaces 7b are provided. That is, a concave portion having a V-shaped cross section is provided on the bottom surface 7a, and the two wall surfaces serve as the reflecting surface 7b. When light that has been emitted from the exit surface 3b of the light guide plate 3 and traveled along the surface 2c of the dial 2 enters the pointer 7 from the side surface 7e of the pointer 7, as shown by the arrow in FIG. The light is reflected by the reflecting surface 7b and travels upward in FIG. As a result, the reflecting surface 7b is visually recognized with bright emission.

  The front 7c is a surface opposite to the dial 2 of the pointer 7, as shown in FIG. 3, a convex lens surface 7d is provided a convex portion provided so as to face the reflective surface 7b. The reflecting surface 7b is disposed between the focal point F of the convex lens surface 7d and the convex lens surface 7d in the driver's visual recognition direction, that is, the vertical direction in FIG. Thereby, when the driver looks at the pointer 7, that is, when the pointer 7 is viewed from above the pointer 7 in FIG. 3, an enlarged virtual image of the reflecting surface 7b formed behind the pointer 7 is visually recognized. .

  On the front surface 7c of the pointer 7, both sides of the convex lens surface 7d are provided with a light shielding layer 8 as a light shielding portion as shown in FIG. The light shielding layer 8 is formed, for example, by applying a light shielding paint by hot stamping or printing. In the combination meter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a matte black layer is provided. As a result, the contour of the pointer 7, that is, the enlarged virtual image of the reflecting surface 7b can be clearly highlighted, so that the appearance of the vehicle pointer instrument can be made novel.

In the pointer 7, as shown in FIG. 3, the width dimension W2 of the front surface 7c is formed larger than the width dimension W1 of the bottom surface 7a. At the same time, the contour line 7g in the width direction of the bottom surface 7a when viewed from the viewing direction (as viewed from above in FIG. 3) is located inside the contour line 7f of the front surface 7c, as shown in FIG. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, the cross-sectional shape of the pointer 7 is a trapezoid having a long side on the viewer side and a short side on the dial 2 side. Therefore, the side surface 7e of the pointer 7 is not a vertical surface with respect to the dial as in a conventional vehicle pointer instrument, but is a slope that inclines inward in the width direction from the front surface 7c of the pointer 7 toward the bottom surface 7a. Yes. By making the cross-sectional shape of the pointer 7 as described above, the side surface 7e of the pointer 7 becomes almost invisible to the viewer regardless of the rotation angle of the pointer 7.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light emitting diode 4 and the movement 6 are mounted on a printed circuit board 5 arranged on the back side (right side in FIG. 2) of the dial 2. The printed board 5 is made of, for example, a glass epoxy board, and forms an electric circuit portion of the combination meter 1 including the tachometer T.

  On the printed circuit board 5, a controller 10 is mounted that controls the turning on / off of the light emitting diode 4 and the driving control of the movement 6. The controller 10 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer.

  Described above, the dial 2, the outer periphery ring 3, the light guide plate 3, the printed circuit board 5, the movement 6 and the like, as shown in FIG. 2, which is accommodated and held in a casing 11 which is molded from a resin material.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a substantially frame-shaped facing plate 12 is mounted on the front side of the dial 2, and a transparent cover 13 is mounted on the tip of the facing plate 12. The facing plate 12 is made of, for example, a resin material. The transparent cover 13 is formed of a transparent resin thin plate or glass. The facing plate 12 and the transparent cover 13 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 14 is mounted behind the casing 11 as shown in FIG. The lower cover 14 is made of, for example, a resin material.

  Next, the electrical circuit configuration and operation 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 the electric circuit configuration diagram of FIG. 4, power is constantly supplied from the battery 17 to the controller 10. Moreover, the controller 10 is connected so that the ignition switch 16 can detect the operation state (ON or OFF).

  An engine rotation sensor 15 that detects the engine rotation speed of the automobile is connected to the controller 10 so that a detection signal can be input.

  On the other hand, the controller 10 is connected to the light emitting diode 4 and the movement 6 which are the control targets.

  (1) When the ignition switch 16 is turned on.

  When the ignition switch 16 is turned on by the driver, the controller 10 detects that the ignition switch 16 is turned on and starts the display control operation of the combination meter 1.

  The controller 10, the light emitting diode 4 is turned to rotate simultaneously, a predetermined angle of the shaft 6a drives the movement 6 based on the detection signal from the engine rotation sensor 15, i.e. the angle corresponding to the engine rotational speed of the motor vehicle . Thereby, the character 2a and the scale 2b of the dial 2 are transmitted and illuminated by the light from the light emitting diode 4, and are displayed in a light emission manner. At the same time, the engine speed is indicated by the pointer 7, the numeral 2a, and the scale 2b.

  (2) When the ignition switch 16 is turned off.

  When the ignition switch 16 is turned off by the driver, the controller 10 detects this and turns off the light emitting diode 4. At the same time, the controller 10 stops driving the movement 6.

  Next, the operation and effect of the shape of the pointer 7 which is a feature of the combination meter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention on the visibility will be described.

  In the pointer 7 of the combination meter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the reflecting surface 7b provided on the bottom surface 7a is viewed through the convex lens surface 7d provided on the front surface 7c. That is, the driver visually recognizes an enlarged virtual image of the reflecting surface 7b that is formed behind the convex lens surface 7d. Thus, good visibility of the secured while the magnitude of the reflecting surface 7d of the guide 7, since in particular can be reduced to the minimum necessary dimension in the width direction of the pointer 7, a side guidance in the conventional indicating instrument for a vehicle It is possible to prevent a problem that the reflection part is seen through and the appearance of the pointer instrument for the vehicle is deteriorated.

In the pointer 7 of the combination meter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the width dimension W2 of the front surface 7c is formed larger than the width dimension W1 of the bottom surface 7a, and the contour line in the width direction of the bottom surface 7a when viewed from the viewing direction. 7g is positioned inside the outline 7f of the front surface 7c. That is, the cross-sectional shape of the pointer 7 is a trapezoid having a long side on the viewer side and a short side on the dial 2 side. For this reason, the side surface 7e of the pointer 7 is not a vertical surface with respect to the dial as in a conventional vehicle pointer instrument, but is a slope that inclines inward in the width direction from the front surface 7c of the pointer 7 toward the bottom surface 7a. Therefore, it is almost invisible to the viewer regardless of the rotation angle of the pointer 7. In other words, when the driver looks at the pointer 7, the reflecting surface 7d is not seen through the side surface 7e. Thereby, in the conventional vehicular pointer instrument, the reflection part can be seen through the side surface of the pointer, and the problem that the appearance of the vehicular pointer instrument is deteriorated can be reliably prevented.

  In the pointer 7 of the combination meter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the light shielding layers 8 are provided on both sides of the convex lens surface 7d of the front surface 7c. Thus, pointer 7, that is, the contour of the enlarged virtual image of the reflection surface 7b can accentuate To clear, possible appearance of the combination meter 1 to those novel.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of the combination meter 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

  The combination meter 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is different from the combination meter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention in the configuration of the light reflecting portion provided in the pointer 7. In the combination meter 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, a reflective layer 7j is provided on the bottom surface 7a as a light reflecting portion as shown in FIG. The reflective layer 7j is formed in a band shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the pointer 7 by applying a white paint by hot stamping or printing.

  When light that has exited from the exit surface 3b of the light guide plate 3 and traveled along the surface 2c of the dial 2 is incident on the pointer 7 from the side surface 7e of the pointer 7, this light is reflected by the reflective layer 7j and shown in FIG. It progresses upward, that is, toward the viewer. Therefore, also in the combination meter 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the driver visually recognizes an enlarged virtual image of the reflective layer 7j formed behind the pointer 7.

  Also in the combination meter 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the same effect as the case of the combination meter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, that is, the reflection surface 7d is not seen through the side surface 7e, In the conventional vehicular pointer instrument, there is an effect that it is possible to surely prevent a problem that the reflection part is seen through the side face of the pointer and the appearance of the vehicular pointer instrument is deteriorated.

  In the combination meter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the two reflecting surfaces 7b are provided on the bottom surface 7a as the light reflecting portion. However, the number of the reflecting surfaces 7b is not necessarily limited to two. Three or more may be sufficient. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the recess provided on the bottom surface 7a may be U-shaped, and the three wall surfaces of the recess may be the reflecting surface 7b. Furthermore, the shape of the reflecting surface 7b need not be a flat surface. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the recess provided in the bottom surface 7a may be a semicircular shape, and the reflecting surface 7b may be a single cylindrical surface.

  Moreover, in the combination meter 1 by 2nd Embodiment of this invention demonstrated above, although the reflection layer 7j is made into the white coating layer, it does not need to be restricted to white, For example, silver, yellow, or vermilion may be sufficient. Further, the reflective layer 7j need not be limited to the paint layer, and may be formed as a textured surface, or another material such as a metal thin plate may be attached.

  Moreover, in the combination meter 1 by 1st, 2nd embodiment of this invention demonstrated above, although the light shielding layer 8 of the front surface 7c of the pointer | guide 7 is made into a black layer, it is not necessary to restrict to black and it is another color. Also good. Furthermore, another material such as a thin metal plate may be attached.

  In the above first aspect of the present invention described, in the combination meter 1 according to the second embodiment, characters 2b, but using the light-emitting diodes 4 serving as a light source of the scale 3a and guidance 7 for lighting, other types of light sources, For example, a light bulb, a discharge tube, an EL panel, or the like may be used.

  The first of the present invention described above, in the combination meter 1 according to the second embodiment, the light emitting diode 4, character 2b, is used as a common source of scale 3a and guidance 7 for lighting, light guide 3, and the light emitting diode 4 may be used only for the illumination of the pointer 7, and a new light source may be installed for the illumination of the dial 2.

  Further, in the combination meter 1 according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention described above, the pointer instrument is a tachometer T, but other instruments, for example, a speedometer indicating a running speed or a remaining fuel amount is displayed. A fuel gauge or the like may be used.

It is a partial front view of the combination meter 1 by 1st 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 IV arrow line view in FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining the electric circuit structure of the combination meter 1 by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the pointer 7 of the combination meter 1 by 1st Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Combination meter (vehicle pointer instrument)
2 Dial 2a Number 2b Scale 2c Surface 2d Through-hole 3 Light guide plate 3a Light receiving part 3b Outgoing surface 3c Reflecting surface 4 Light emitting diode (light source)
5 Printed circuit board 6 Movement 6a Shaft 7 Pointer 7a Bottom surface 7b Reflecting surface (light reflecting portion, concave portion)
7c Front surface 7d Convex lens portion 7e Side surface 7f Contour line 7g Contour line 7h Boss portion 7j Reflective layer (light reflecting portion)
8 Shading layer (shading part)
9 Shading Cap 10 Controller 11 Casing 12 Turn Plate 13 Transparent Cover 14 Lower Cover 15 Engine Rotation Sensor 16 Ignition Switch 17 Battery F Focus T Tachometer W1 Width W1 Width W2

Claims (5)

Dial,
A light source;
A pointer instrument for a vehicle comprising a pointer made of a light guide material supported rotatably on the surface side along the dial,
The pointer is a light reflecting portion formed along the longitudinal direction of the pointer on the bottom surface thereof, and a convex lens portion provided on the front surface which is a surface opposite to the bottom surface, facing the light reflecting portion;
A light shielding portion provided on both sides of the convex lens portion in the width direction of the front surface,
A light guide plate that irradiates light from the light source toward the side of the pointer along the dial from the front side of the dial and out of the range of rotation of the pointer of the dial. Outside the range, the dial has a cylindrical exit surface that protrudes in a ring shape toward the front side of the dial, and light from the light source extends from the entire exit surface along the surface of the dial. A guide instrument for a vehicle, characterized in that a light guide plate that emits toward the center of the guide and enters the side face of the pointer is provided . The width dimension of the pointer on the front surface is larger than the width dimension on the bottom surface, and the contour line in the width direction of the bottom surface is located inside the contour line in the width direction of the front surface when viewed from the viewing direction. The pointer instrument for a vehicle according to claim 1.   The vehicular pointer instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light reflecting portion is a concave portion provided on the bottom surface.   The pointer instrument for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the light reflection portion is a diffuse reflection layer provided on the bottom surface.   The vehicle pointer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light source is disposed behind the dial, and a part of light emitted from the light source is used for transmitted illumination of the dial. Instrument.

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