JP5169953B2 - Pointer instrument - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointer instrument that includes a display member that displays a design portion, and a pointer that rotates along the front side in the display direction of the display member and forms an indicator together with the design portion.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a pointer instrument that includes a light source unit that emits a light beam, illuminates a design portion with the light beam, and emits a pointer light emitting unit of a pointer. As a kind of such a pointer instrument, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which illumination of a design portion of a display member and light emission of a pointer light emitting portion are realized by a light beam emitted from a common light source portion. .

  Specifically, in the pointer instrument described in Patent Document 1, the pointer has a fixed portion for fixing to the pointer shaft of the internal unit, a pointer incident portion for making the light beam incident, and a light beam incident from the pointer incident portion at the tip. A pointer reflecting portion that reflects to the side is provided on the base end side. The luminous flux emitted from the light source unit is reflected toward the pointer incident unit side by the reflecting unit provided around the pointer shaft of the internal unit, and causes the pointer light emitting unit to emit light. In addition, the luminous flux emitted from the light source unit illuminates the design unit from the rear side in the display direction.

  According to the illumination of the design portion and the light emission of the pointer having the above-described configuration, the cost of the pointer instrument can be reduced.

JP 2002-323352 A

  Now, in the pointer instrument disclosed in Patent Document 1, the light beam once radiated and diffused from the light source part is reflected toward the pointer incident part by the reflection part provided around the pointer shaft. Will increase in size. In addition, a fixed portion and a pointer reflecting portion are provided on the proximal end side of the pointer. Therefore, the increase in the size of the proximal end side of the pointer causes a problem that the appearance of the pointer instrument deteriorates.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the object thereof is to realize cost reduction by performing illumination of the design portion and light emission of the pointer with a common light source portion, and an excellent appearance. Is to provide a pointer instrument that is realized.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the invention described in claim 1, the display member for displaying the design portion, the internal unit having the pointer shaft, and the fixing portion fixed to the pointer shaft on the base end side, The pointer is driven by the internal unit and rotates along the front side of the display direction of the display member to form an indicator together with the design portion. The pointer is incident on the tip side and incident from the pointer incident portion. A pointer reflecting portion that reflects the reflected light beam toward the proximal end, a pointer having a pointer light emitting portion that emits light by the light beam, a light source portion that emits the light beam, a light guide incident portion that receives the light beam emitted from the light source portion, and a light beam And a light guide having a light guide emitting portion that is formed to face the pointer incident portion that moves by rotation of the pointer and emits a light beam. Use a pointer instrument.

  According to this invention, the light beam emitted from the light source unit enters the light guide from the light guide incident unit. By the incidence of this light beam, the light guide illuminates the design portion of the display member with the design illumination unit and emits the light beam from the light guide emitting unit toward the pointer incident unit. According to this light guide emitting portion formed to face the pointer incident portion that moves by the rotation of the pointer, regardless of the position of the pointer that rotates along the display direction front side of the display member, the pointer incident surface is Opposite any region of the light guide emitter. Therefore, the luminous flux always enters the pointer from the pointer incident portion. This light beam is reflected by the reflecting portion toward the proximal end side, and causes the pointer light emitting portion to emit light.

  According to the configuration as described above, both the light emission of the pointer light emitting unit of the rotating pointer and the illumination of the design unit are realized even when the common light source unit is used. In addition, by providing the pointer incident portion on the distal end side, the proximal end side of the pointer is reduced in size, so that the appearance of the pointer instrument is hardly deteriorated. Therefore, by using a common light source unit, it is possible to reduce the cost and to provide a pointer instrument that is excellent in appearance.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that a diffusion portion that guides the light flux to the light guide emitting portion while diffusing the light beam is provided between the light guide emitting portion and the light guide incident portion. According to this invention, the light guide diffuser is imparted to the light guide by the diffuser provided between the light guide emitter and the light guide entrance. It is possible to reduce the variation in the density of the emitted light beam depending on the position. Therefore, increase / decrease in the amount of the light beam incident on the pointer incident portion whose position is changed by the rotation of the pointer is suppressed, and the variation in the luminance of the pointer light emitting portion is reduced. According to the above, it is possible to provide a pointer instrument that realizes cost reduction and excellent appearance.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the design illumination section is provided in the diffusion section of the light guide. According to this invention, the design illumination part illuminates the design part of the display member with the light beam diffused by the diffusion part. Thus, according to the design part illuminated by the design illumination part without any spots, the appearance of the pointer instrument is improved.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the light source unit has a plurality of light source bodies that emit light beams. According to the present invention, an increase in the amount of light emitted from the light source unit can be easily achieved by having a plurality of light source bodies. Therefore, even when a common light source unit is used, the light emission of the pointer light emitting unit and the illumination of the design unit can be performed with higher luminance. With such an improvement in brightness, the pointer instrument can obtain an excellent appearance.

  Here, when the design portion is illuminated by the design illumination portion provided in the diffusing portion, or when the light beam emitted from the plurality of light source bodies is incident from the light guide entrance portion, the light guide exit portion is reached. The density of the light flux easily varies depending on the region of the light guide emitting portion. Due to this variation, there is a concern that the amount of luminous flux incident on the pointer incident portion whose position changes with the rotation of the pointer increases or decreases. Accordingly, in the invention described in claim 5, the light guide has a light beam amount adjustment unit that suppresses increase / decrease in the amount of light beam incident on the pointer incident unit due to rotation of the pointer in the light guide output unit. . According to the present invention, by providing the light beam amount adjusting unit in the light guide emitting unit and suppressing increase / decrease in the amount of light beam incident on the pointer incident unit, the luminance variation of the pointer light emitting unit due to the rotation of the pointer is It will be reduced. Therefore, the pointer instrument can obtain an excellent appearance.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the light guide, the light guide emitting portion in which the angle facing the pointer incident portion increases in accordance with the density of the reaching light flux is set as the light flux adjusting unit. According to the present invention, in the light guide emitting portion, the light guide emitting portion in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is high is more incident on the pointer than the light guide output portion in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is low. The angle facing the part is formed large. Therefore, the incident angle at which the light beam emitted from the light guide emitting part in the high density area enters the pointer incident part is such that the light beam emitted from the light guide emitting part in the low density area enters the pointer incident part. It becomes shallower than the incident angle. According to the luminous flux amount adjusting unit as described above, since the increase and decrease in the density of the luminous flux incident on the pointer incident unit is suppressed, the variation in the luminance of the pointer light emitting unit accompanying the rotation of the pointer is reliably reduced. .

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in the light guide, the light guide body emitting portion in which the transmittance of the light beam is reduced according to the density of the reaching light beam is a light beam amount adjusting unit. And According to the present invention, in the light guide emitting portion, the light guide emitting portion in the area where the density of the reaching light beam is high transmits the light flux more than the area light guide emitting portion in which the density of the reaching light beam is low. The rate is lowered. Therefore, the light guide emitting unit can emit a light beam having a uniform density in any region regardless of the density of the light beam reaching the light guide emitting unit. According to the light flux adjusting unit as described above, since the increase and decrease in the density of the light beam incident on the pointer incident portion is suppressed, the variation in the luminance of the pointer light emitting portion accompanying the rotation of the pointer is reliably reduced.

  In the invention according to claim 8, in the light guide, the light guide emitting portion whose gap with the pointer incident portion is enlarged according to the density of the reaching light flux is defined as the light flux amount adjusting section. According to the present invention, in the light guide emitting portion, the light guide emitting portion in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is high is more incident on the pointer than the light guide output portion in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is low. Widen the gap with the part. Therefore, the light beam emitted from the light guide emitting portion in the high density region is diffused and attenuated in the gap with the pointer incident portion, compared to the light beam emitted from the light guide emitting portion in the low density region, This causes a decrease in density. According to such a light beam amount adjusting unit, a light beam having a uniform density is incident on the pointer incident unit regardless of the region of the opposing light guide emitting unit. Therefore, fluctuations in the luminance of the pointer light emitting portion accompanying the rotation of the pointer are reliably reduced.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the light guide, the light guide body emitting portion whose area facing the pointer incident portion is reduced according to the density of the reaching light flux is the light flux amount adjusting portion. It is characterized by. According to the present invention, in the light guide emitting portion, the light guide emitting portion in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is high is also used as the guide light emitting portion in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is low. The area facing the part is formed small. Therefore, a constant light flux amount reaches the pointer incident portion regardless of the region of the opposing light guide emitting portion. According to such a luminous flux amount adjusting unit, the variation in the luminance of the pointer light emitting unit accompanying the rotation of the pointer is reliably reduced.

  In the invention according to claim 10, the design illuminating unit includes a design emitting unit that emits a light beam toward the design unit, and a design reflecting unit that reflects the light beam toward the design emitting unit. According to the present invention, the light flux in the light guide is reflected toward the design emitting portion by the design reflecting portion, and then emitted from the design emitting portion toward the design portion. Can be reached. Thereby, the design part illuminated with high brightness can contribute to the improvement of the appearance of the pointer instrument.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the pointer light emitting portion is provided to be spaced apart from the fixed portion to the distal end side in the pointer. In the pointer, by separating the pointer light emitting portion from the fixed portion to the distal end side, the pointer light emitting portion can be reduced in size and cost by omitting the proximal end side while maintaining the function of forming the indicator together with the design portion. . Therefore, the tip side of the pointer that effectively contributes to the improvement of the appearance of the pointer meter can be made to emit light with high luminance.

  The pointer according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the pointer has a penetrating portion penetrating along the display direction between the pointer light emitting portion and the fixed portion. According to the present invention, since the pointer has a pointer incident part on the tip side for allowing the light beam to enter, even if a penetrating part penetrating along the display direction is provided between the pointer light emitting part and the fixed part, the pointer light emission The part can display light. Therefore, the penetrating portion between the pointer light emitting portion and the fixed portion gives a novel appearance to the pointer instrument and can significantly contribute to the improvement of the appearance of the pointer instrument.

  In a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, a shielding member having a shielding portion that opposes the light guide emitting portion and shields the light beam emitted from the light guide emitting portion is provided on the front side in the display direction of the pointer incident portion. Features. According to the present invention, the light beam emitted from the light guide emitter that does not overlap the pointer incident portion and the display direction is shielded by the shielding portion facing the light guide emitter on the display direction front side of the pointer incident portion, There is no radiation to the front side in the display direction. According to the above, the pointer instrument emphasizes the luminance difference between the pointer light emitting portion that emits light and the illuminated design portion, and the surroundings thereof, so that a more excellent appearance can be obtained.

  In a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the shielding portion reflects the light beam emitted from the light guide emitting portion to the pointer incident portion side. According to this invention, the light flux emitted from the light guide emitting portion is reflected by the shielding portion toward the pointer incident portion, so that the amount of light incident on the pointer incident portion can be increased. According to this increase in the amount of luminous flux, the pointer light emitting part can emit light with higher luminance, which can contribute to the improvement of the appearance of the pointer instrument.

It is a front view of the combination meter by a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the mechanical structure of the combination meter by 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the combination meter by 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the characterizing part of the pointer by 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the light beam quantity adjustment part which is the characteristic part of the combination meter by 1st embodiment of this invention, Comprising: (a) The enlarged view which shows the output surface of the area | region where the density of the light beam to reach | attain is low, b) is an enlarged view showing an exit surface in a region where the density of the reaching light beam is high. It is a figure which shows the modification of FIG.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol to the corresponding component in each embodiment.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a front view of a speedometer 20 constituting a combination meter 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The combination meter 100 is a meter that is accommodated in an instrument panel provided in a vehicle cabin of the vehicle and is arranged with the front side shown in FIG. 1 facing the driver's seat side.

(Basic configuration)
Hereinafter, the basic configuration of the combination meter 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The combination meter 100 is an instrument that displays various information related to the vehicle. The combination meter 100 includes a speedometer 20 and instruments (not shown) such as a tachometer, a water temperature gauge, an oil temperature gauge, a fuel gauge, and a voltmeter.

  The display of the speedometer 20 includes a display plate 30 that displays the design portion 32, a pointer 40 that forms an indicator together with the design portion 32 by rotating along the front side in the display direction of the display plate 30, and the display plate 30. The decorative ring 36 is provided on the outer edge. The design portion 32 displayed by the display board 30 includes a scale design 32a, a numerical design 32b, and a character design 32c. The scale design 32 a is arranged on the display plate 30 radially and at equal intervals with the rotation center of the pointer 40 as a base point. The scale design 32a displays a rectangular design whose longitudinal direction is the direction in which the pointer 40 extends. The number design 32 b displays a design imitating a number, and is arranged on the rotation center side of the pointer 40 with respect to the scale design 32 a on the display board 30. The character design 32 c displays a design imitating a character representing a unit of speed, and is arranged on the display board 30 above the center of rotation of the pointer 40. The speedometer 20 can display information related to the traveling speed of the vehicle by pointing the design portion 32 displayed on the display board 30 on the tip side of the rotating pointer 40 in this way. In addition, the decorative ring 36 shows the boundary between the speedometer 20 and other instruments in the combination meter 100 on the display. In an environment with little extraneous light, the combination meter 100 illuminates the design portion 32 and causes the pointer 40 to display by itself.

  Next, the mechanical configuration of the combination meter 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The combination meter 100 includes a circuit board 80, the display board 30, the decorative ring 36, the pointer 40, the light guide 70, and the reflector 60 described above. The configuration of the combination meter 100 is housed in a casing (not shown) formed by assembling a plurality of case members and a transparent front panel, and is protected from dust and dirt in the atmosphere. Yes.

  The circuit board 80 is made of, for example, a paper phenolic or glass epoxy hard substrate. On both surfaces of the circuit board 80, wiring patterns (not shown) made of a predetermined copper foil material are formed, and pointer openings 81 penetrating along the display direction are provided. A plurality of electronic components 82 connected to the wiring pattern, specifically, a stepper motor 87, a light source unit 83, a meter control unit 85, and the like are mounted on the circuit board 80.

  The stepper motor 87 has a rotor that rotates in synchronization with the input pulse power, a pointer shaft 88 that is integral with the rotor, and a motor housing (not shown) that houses a mechanism such as a rotor and a magnet. ing. The pointer shaft 88 of the stepper motor 87 rotates to a desired angle in the direction to rotate in accordance with the input pulse power. The stepper motor 87 is disposed on the rear surface in the display direction of the pointer opening 81 provided on the circuit board 80, and the tip end portion 88 a of the pointer shaft 88 protrudes forward in the display direction through the pointer opening 81.

  The light source unit 83 includes a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) LEDs 83a. The LED 83a is a semiconductor element that converts electrical energy into light energy, and emits a light beam having, for example, a white light source color when a voltage is applied. The LEDs 83 a are arranged at equal intervals around the pointer opening 81 at the front of the display direction of the circuit board 80 with the pointer shaft 88 as the center. Note that a hue other than white, such as blue or green, may be selected as appropriate as the hue of the light beam emitted by the LED 83a.

  The display board 30 is made of, for example, a transparent resin material such as colorless and transparent acrylic or polycarbonate, and is formed by printing on the surface of a sheet material molded to a thickness of about 0.5 millimeters. . In the display board 30, for example, a black paint having a high light-shielding property is printed at a place other than the design portion 32. Moreover, the paint which has white translucency is printed in the location corresponded to the design part 32, for example. In addition, the display board 30 is sandwiched between the front surface of the reflector 60 in the display direction and the decorative ring 36. In this state, the display board 30 has a pointer opening 31 that overlaps the pointer opening 81 of the circuit board 80 in the display direction. By passing through the pointer opening 31, the pointer shaft 88 protrudes to the front side in the display direction of the display plate 30.

  The pointer 40 is a combination of a pointer light emitting member 41 formed of a light-transmitting material such as a colorless and transparent acrylic resin, and a pointer member 46 formed of a light-shielding resin material such as a polyacetal resin. It is configured. The pointer light emitting member 41 has a pointer incident surface 43 on which a light beam is incident and a pointer reflection surface 42 that reflects the light beam incident from the pointer incident surface 43. In addition, the rear surface in the display direction of the pointer light emitting member 41 is painted with a hot stamp or the like to diffuse the light flux. According to the above configuration, the pointer light emitting member 41 can emit light by the incident light beam. The pointer member 46 has a fixed portion 48 and a cap portion 47. The fixing portion 48 is located on the proximal end side of the pointer 40 and is fixed by being externally fitted to the pointer shaft 88 of the stepper motor 87. When the fixing portion 48 is fixed, the pointer 40 is driven by the stepper motor 87 to rotate. The cap 47 is formed so that the outer diameter thereof is larger than the inner diameter of the pointer opening 31 of the display plate 30 and shields the fixed portion 48 and the pointer opening 31 from the front side in the display direction. .

  The decoration ring 36 is an annular member formed of, for example, a resin material. An area that is visible from the front side in the display direction of the decorative ring 36 is plated with a metal material for the purpose of improving the appearance of the combination meter 100.

  The light guide 70 is formed of a light-transmitting material such as a colorless and transparent acrylic resin, and is provided on the rear side of the display plate 30 in the display direction. The light guide 70 is opposed to the plurality of LEDs 83a and has an incident surface 71 on which a light beam emitted from the LEDs 83a is incident. A reflector 60 is provided on the rear side in the display direction of the light guide 70 so as to cover the light guide 70. The reflector 60 is configured to prevent the light beam incident on the light guide 70 from leaking to the outside, and is formed by applying a white coating on the outer surface of the molded resin member.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the combination meter 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The combination meter 100 is electrically configured by a meter control unit 85, a stepper motor 87, an LED 83a, and the like. The combination meter 100 is connected to an external battery 95, an ignition relay 94, a vehicle-mounted local area network (in-vehicle LAN) 91, and a grounded ground wiring 98.

  The meter control unit 85 is composed of a microcomputer that operates according to a program. The meter control unit 85 has a power supply system that is always in conduction with the battery 95 and a power supply system via an ignition relay 94, and is supplied with power from the battery 95. In addition, the meter control unit 85 is connected to the in-vehicle LAN 91 mounted on the vehicle, and information related to the vehicle output to the in-vehicle LAN 91, for example, the traveling speed of the vehicle, the ON / OFF state of the ignition switch 93, and the like. get. The meter control unit 85 is connected to the LED 83a, applies a voltage to the LED 83a, and causes the luminous flux to be emitted. Further, the meter control unit 85 is connected to the stepper motor 87, and based on the acquired information on the traveling speed of the vehicle, the rotation direction, the rotation angle, and the rotation speed of the pointer shaft 88 (see FIG. 2) to be rotated are determined. calculate. Then, the meter control unit 85 outputs pulse power corresponding to the calculation result to the stepper motor 87 and drives the pointer shaft 88.

  A power supply control circuit 92 is provided on the in-vehicle LAN 91 connected to the combination meter 100. The power supply control circuit 92 is connected to a battery 95, an ignition switch 93, an ignition relay 94, an engine control circuit (not shown), and the like. The power supply control circuit 92 is supplied with power from the battery 95, detects a pressing operation of the ignition switch 93 by the driver, applies a voltage to the ignition relay 94, and puts the relay 94 in an energized state. . In addition, the power supply control circuit 92 outputs information related to the ON / OFF state of the ignition of the vehicle on the in-vehicle LAN 91 based on the detected pressing operation of the ignition switch 93 by the driver.

  According to the operation of the combination meter 100 described above, the light emission display of the pointer 40 and the transmitted illumination of the design portion 32 shown in FIG. 1 are performed. Further, by rotation of the pointer shaft 88 to an angle corresponding to the vehicle speed, the tip end side of the pointer 40 indicates one of the plurality of scale designs 32a, and an index is formed. Thus, a pointer display corresponding to the traveling speed of the vehicle is formed on the speedometer 20 of the combination meter 100.

  Further, when the operation of the ignition switch 93 shown in FIG. 3 is performed again by the driver, the power supply control circuit 92 turns off the ignition state of the vehicle. At this time, the power supply control circuit 92 stops the application of the voltage to the ignition relay 94 and stops the conduction between the battery 95 and the meter control unit 85. At the same time, information indicating that the vehicle ignition state is OFF is output on the in-vehicle LAN 91. After acquiring the information that the ignition state of the vehicle is OFF, the meter control unit 85 stops applying the voltage to the LED 83a and outputs pulse power that causes the pointer shaft 88 to return to the stepper motor 87. To do. By the operation of the meter control unit 85, the LED 83a stops emitting the light beam, and the pointer shaft 88 of the stepper motor 87 returns to zero.

  According to the operation of the combination meter 100 described above, the pointer 40 and the design portion 32 shown in FIG. 1 are turned off, and the pointer 40 returns to zero. Therefore, the speedometer 20 of the combination meter 100 stops displaying the traveling speed of the vehicle.

(Characteristic part)
Hereinafter, the characteristic part of the combination meter 100 by 1st embodiment of this invention is demonstrated in detail based on FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 first.

  The pointer member 46 of the pointer 40 has a pair of light emitting member clamping portions 49 that extend from the proximal end side toward the distal end side. The pointer light emitting member 41 is fitted and held on the tip side of the light emitting member holding portion 49. According to this configuration, the pointer light emitting member 41 is disposed away from the fixed portion 48 toward the distal end side of the pointer 40. Therefore, the pointer 40 forms a penetrating portion 45 penetrating along the display direction between the pointer 40 and the fixed portion 48. In addition, the pointer light emitting member 41 has a pointer incident surface 43 and a pointer reflecting surface 42 on the tip side of the pointer 40. The light beam incident from the pointer incident surface 43 formed along the front surface in the display direction of the display member is reflected toward the proximal end side of the pointer 40 by the pointer reflecting surface 42 formed on the front side in the display direction of the pointer incident surface 43. Is done. The light beam reflected by the pointer reflecting surface 42 is diffusely reflected by a hot stamp applied to the rear surface in the display direction of the pointer light emitting member 41 while being prevented from leaking to the outside by the light emitting member clamping portion 49. By making the viewer visually recognize the irregularly reflected light flux from the front side in the display direction, a display of the pointer light emitting member 41 that emits light is formed.

  The decorative ring 36 has a shielding portion 37 that faces an emission surface 79 of a light guide 70 described later and shields a light beam emitted from the emission surface 79 on the front side in the display direction of the pointer incident surface 43. The surface of the shielding part 37 is painted, for example, in white or silver, and the light beam emitted from the emission surface 79 of the light guide 70 to the front side in the display direction is used as a pointer incidence surface on the rear side in the display direction. Reflects to the 43 side.

  The light guide 70 is a disk-shaped member in which a pointer opening 70 a through which the pointer shaft 88 passes is formed. The light guide 70 includes an exit surface 79, a diffusion portion 73, a reflection surface 77, and a design illumination portion 75 in addition to the entrance surface 71 described above. The exit surface 79 is formed on the outer side in the radial direction of the light guide 70 so as to always face the pointer incident surface 43 that is moved by the rotation of the pointer 40, and is in any region regardless of the position of the rotating pointer 40. Is always opposed to the pointer incident surface 43. A light beam is emitted toward the pointer incident surface 43. According to the emission surface 79, the light beam enters the pointer 40 from the pointer incident surface 43 regardless of the position of the rotating pointer. The diffusion part 73 is located between the incident surface 71 and the emission surface 79 and is formed along the rear surface in the display direction of the display panel 30. The diffusing unit 73 guides the light beam incident on the light guide 70 from the light incident surface 71 on the radially inner side of the light guide 70 to the light emitting surface 79 on the radially outer side while diffusing. The reflecting surface 77 is arranged on the radially outer side of the diffusing portion 73 and on the rear side in the display direction of the emitting surface 79, and the light beam guided by the diffusing portion 73 along the rear surface in the displaying direction of the display plate 30 is emitted. Reflect to the side. The design illumination unit 75 includes a design reflection unit 75b and a design emission unit 75a, and is provided in the diffusion unit 73 to transmit and illuminate the design unit 32 of the display panel 30 from the rear side in the display direction. The design reflecting portion 75b is provided at a location overlapping the design portion 32 on the rear surface in the display direction of the light guide 70 in the display direction, and the design emitting portion 75a is provided in the display direction with the design portion 32 on the front surface in the display direction of the light guide 70. It is provided in the overlapping part. The design reflecting portion 75 b is, for example, fine irregularities formed on the surface of the light guide 70, so-called wrinkles, and irregularly reflects a part of the light beam in the diffusing portion 73. A part of the light beam irregularly reflected by the design reflecting portion 75b is reflected toward the design emitting portion 75a and emitted from the design emitting portion 75a. By making the viewer visually recognize a part of the light flux diffused in this way from the front side in the display direction, the display of the design portion 32 that is transmitted and illuminated is formed.

  Here, when the design part 32 is illuminated by the design illumination part 75 provided in the diffusion part 73, a light beam is used for illumination of the design part 32. Therefore, the density of the light flux reaching the exit surface 79 in the region located on the radially outer side of the design illumination unit 75 is reduced. Further, in the light guide 70 in which the light beams emitted from the plurality of LEDs 83a are incident from the incident surface 71, the density of the light beams reaching the output surface 79 varies depending on the arrangement of the LEDs 83a. Due to this variation, there is a concern that the amount of luminous flux incident on the pointer incident surface 43 whose position changes with the rotation of the pointer 40 increases or decreases.

  Therefore, the light guide 70 has a light beam amount adjusting unit 97 on the emission surface 79 that suppresses increase / decrease of the light beam amount incident on the pointer incident surface 43 due to rotation of the pointer. FIG. 5A showing the exit surface 79 in a region where the density of the reaching light beam is low, and FIG. 5B showing the exit surface 79 in a region where the density of the reaching light beam is high. Based on

  The exit surface 79 in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is low is formed along the pointer entrance surface 43. On the other hand, the exit surface 79 in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is high is formed so that the gap with the pointer entrance surface 43 gradually increases toward the outside in the radial direction. According to the shape as described above, the opposing angle θ1 between the exit surface 79 and the pointer entrance surface 43 in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is high in the exit surface 79 of the light guide 70 (FIG. 5B )) Is set to be larger than the facing angle θ2 (see FIG. 5A; almost 0 degrees) between the exit surface 79 and the pointer entrance surface 43 in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is low. Furthermore, a gap D1 (see FIG. 5B) between the exit surface 79 and the pointer incident surface 43 in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is high is an exit surface 79 and the pointer entrance surface 43 in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is low. And wider than the gap D2 (see FIG. 5A).

  As described above, according to the exit surface 79 whose angle facing the pointer incident surface 43 is increased according to the density of the light beam reaching the exit surface 79, the incident light beam is incident on the pointer entrance surface 43. The angle changes. The incident angle α1 at which the light beam emitted from the exit surface 79 in the high density region enters the pointer entrance surface 43 is the incident angle α2 at which the light beam emitted from the exit surface 79 in the low density region enters the pointer entrance surface 43. Becomes shallower. Therefore, increase / decrease in the density of the light beam incident on the pointer incident surface 43 is suppressed.

  In addition, according to the emission surface 79 in which the gap with the pointer incident surface 43 is enlarged according to the density of the light beam reaching the emission surface 79, the light beam emitted from the emission surface 79 in the high density region. Is diffused and attenuated to the pointer incident surface 43 rather than the light beam emitted from the exit surface 79 in the low density region, resulting in a decrease in density. By adjusting the density of the light beam in this way, the light beam having a uniform density is incident on the pointer incident surface 43 regardless of the region of the exit surface 79 of the opposing light guide 70. is there.

  In the first embodiment described so far, light emission by the pointer light emitting member 41 of the rotating pointer 40 and display on the display board 30 even when the common light source unit 83 including the plurality of LEDs 83a illustrated in FIG. And the transmitted illumination of the design part 32 to be realized. In addition, by providing the pointer incident surface 43 on the distal end side of the pointer 40, the cap portion 47 serving as the proximal end side of the pointer 40 can be reduced in size. Therefore, the appearance of the combination meter 100 is not deteriorated due to the enlargement of the cap portion 47. Therefore, by using the common light source unit 83 for the light emission of the pointer 40 and the transmitted illumination of the design unit 32, it is possible to reduce the cost and to provide the combination meter 100 with excellent appearance.

  In addition, in the first embodiment, when the light diffusing action is imparted to the light guide 70 by the diffusing unit 73, the density of the light emitted from the exit surface 79 of the light guide 70 varies depending on the position. Can be reduced. Therefore, increase / decrease in the amount of the light beam incident on the pointer incident surface 43 whose position is changed by the rotation of the pointer 40 is suppressed, and the luminance variation of the pointer light emitting member 41 is reduced. Moreover, the design illumination part 75 provided in the spreading | diffusion part 73 can make the design light part 32 reach | attain the design part 32 reliably by the design reflection part 75b and the design emission part 75a. Therefore, the design illumination unit 75 can reliably transmit and illuminate the design unit 32 without any spots. Furthermore, by increasing the amount of light emitted from the light source unit 83 using the plurality of LEDs 83a, it is possible to implement the light emission of the pointer 40 by the pointer light emitting member 41 and the transmitted illumination of the design portion 32 with higher luminance. it can. According to the pointer light emitting member 41 and the design portion 32 as described above, it is possible to provide a combination meter that achieves cost reduction and is further excellent in appearance.

  Further, in the first embodiment, in the light guide 70, the emission surface 79 whose shape is changed according to the density of the reaching light beam is used to adjust the amount of light beam for suppressing increase / decrease in the amount of light beam incident on the pointer incident surface 43. By setting it as the part 97, the fluctuation | variation of the brightness | luminance of the pointer light emission member 41 by rotation of the pointer 40 is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to provide a combination meter that is more excellent in appearance.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, since the pointer light emitting member 41 is separated from the fixed portion 48 toward the distal end side, the pointer light emitting member 41 is omitted on the proximal end side while maintaining the function of forming the index of the pointer 40. Therefore, the size and cost can be reduced. Therefore, the tip side of the pointer 40 that effectively contributes to improving the appearance of the combination meter 100 can emit light with high luminance. In addition, since the pointer 40 has the pointer incident surface 43 on the distal end side, the pointer light emitting member 41 can emit light even if the penetrating portion 45 is provided. Therefore, this penetration part 45 can give the novel appearance to the combination meter 100, and can contribute notably to the improvement of the appearance.

  In addition, in the first embodiment, the light beam emitted from the emission surface 79 that does not overlap with the pointer incidence surface 43 in the display direction is shielded by the shielding portion 37 of the decoration ring 36 and reflected backward in the display direction. . Therefore, of the light beam emitted from the emission surface 79, one that has not entered the pointer 40 is not radiated to the front side in the display direction. In addition, the amount of light incident on the pointer incident surface 43 is increased by reflecting the light beam emitted from the emission surface 79 toward the pointer incident surface 43, which is the rear side in the display direction, and the luminance of the pointer light emitting member 41 is increased. Enhanced. According to the above, the combination meter 100 further emphasizes the difference in luminance between the pointer 40 emitted by the pointer light emitting member 41 and the design portion 32 that is transmitted and illuminated, and the surroundings thereof. You can win the glare.

  In the present embodiment, the display plate 30 is the “display member” described in the claims, the decorative ring 36 is the “shielding member” described in the claims, and the pointer light emitting member 41 is the “pointer light emission” described in the claims. The pointer reflecting surface 42 is the “pointer reflecting portion” described in the claims, the pointer incident surface 43 is the “pointer incident portion” described in the claims, and the incident surface 71 is the “light guide” described in the claims. The output surface 79 is in the “light guide output portion” described in the claims, the LED 83a is in the “light source body” in the claims, and the stepper motor 87 is “internal unit” in the claims. In addition, the combination meter 100 corresponds to a “pointer instrument” described in the claims.

(Second embodiment)
The second embodiment of the present invention is a modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 6A shows the exit surface 279 of the region where the density of the reaching light beam is low, and the exit of the region where the density of the reaching light beam is high. This will be described with reference to FIG. 6B showing the surface 279.

  In the light guide 270, the exit surface 279 in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is low has substantially the same radial width W2 as the pointer incident surface 43 so as to face the entire area of the pointer incident surface 43. ing. On the other hand, the radial width W1 of the exit surface 279 in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is high is narrower than the width W2 of the exit surface 279 in the region where the pointer incidence surface 43 and the density of the light beam are low. According to the shape as described above, it is possible to obtain the emission surface 279 in which the area facing the pointer incident surface 43 is reduced in accordance with the density of the reaching light beam. In addition, for example, embossing or printing is performed on the emission surface 279 in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is high. As a result, the exit surface 279 in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is high has a lower light beam transmittance than the exit surface 279 in the region where the density of the reaching light beam is low.

  As described above, according to the exit surface 279 whose area facing the pointer incident surface 43 is reduced according to the high density of the light beam reaching the exit surface 279, a constant amount of light is incident on the pointer entrance surface 43. It is easy to make adjustments. Furthermore, the exit surface 279 having a reduced transmittance of the light beam according to the high density of the light beam reaching the exit surface 279 has a uniform density regardless of the density of the light beam reaching the exit surface 279. Can be emitted in any region. When the increase and decrease in the density of the light beam incident on the pointer incident surface 43 is suppressed by the light beam amount adjusting unit 297 described so far, the luminance variation of the pointer light emitting member 41 with the rotation of the pointer 40 is ensured. It will be reduced. Therefore, the combination meter can be further improved in appearance.

(Other embodiments)
As mentioned above, although several embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is limited to the said embodiment and is not interpreted and can be applied to various embodiment in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

  In the above embodiment, the light source unit 83 is configured by the plurality of LEDs 83 a installed around the pointer shaft 88. However, the position and configuration of the light source unit 83 are not limited. For example, instead of the LED 83a, a “light source unit” or “light source body” using a light bulb or electroluminescence (EL) may be used. In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the light guides 70 and 270 have the diffusion part 73 along the rear surface in the display direction of the display plate 30 corresponding to the arrangement of the LEDs 83 a, and the design illumination part 75 is formed in the diffusion part 73. Was. However, for example, it may be used in the combination meter 100 in which the LEDs 83a are arranged on the rear side in the display direction of the scale design 32a or the numerical design 32b, and may be a light guide having a diffusion portion formed along the display direction. Or the light guide which does not have a spreading | diffusion part may be sufficient.

  In the above-described embodiment, the design reflecting portion 75b included in the design illumination portion 75 is provided by forming a texture or the like that diffusely reflects the light flux in the diffusion portion 73 of the light guides 70 and 270. However, the position and direction in which the design illumination unit is formed are not limited. For example, the design illumination part provided in parts other than the spreading | diffusion part of a light guide may be sufficient. Alternatively, a groove portion having a wedge-shaped step surface along the radial direction may be provided on the rear surface in the display direction of the light guide, and the bottom surface of the groove portion may be a design reflection surface corresponding to the “design reflection portion” described in the claims. With this design reflecting surface, a part of the light flux in the diffusing part is reflected to the design emitting part side, and the design illumination part that transmits and illuminates the design part 32, the appearance of displaying the design part 32 with higher brightness. It is possible to provide an excellent pointer instrument.

  In the above-described embodiment, the light guides 70 and 270 are the light beam amount adjusting units 97 and 297 that suppress the increase and decrease of the light beam amount incident on the pointer incident surface 43 by devising the shape of the emission surfaces 79 and 279. Specifically, the exit surface 79 in the first embodiment obtains the function as the light flux amount adjusting unit 97 by adjusting the facing angle and the gap with respect to the pointer entrance surface 43, and the exit surface in the second embodiment. 279 has acquired the effect | action as the light beam quantity adjustment part 297 by adjusting the area | region with respect to the pointer | guide incident surface 43, and the transmittance | permeability of a light beam. The idea of the shape of the exit surface for adjusting the amount of light flux is not limited to the combination described above, and may be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, it may be a light guide body in which a light flux amount adjusting unit for adjusting the light flux amount is formed by a shape or processing other than those described above. Alternatively, it may be a light guide that does not use the light emission amount adjustment unit by adjusting the amount of light incident on the pointer incidence surface by arranging the LEDs 83a or by devising the shape other than the light emission part of the light guide. .

  In the above embodiment, the pointer 40 including the pointer light emitting member 41 and the pointer member 46 has been described as an example. However, if the “pointer incident portion” and the “pointer reflecting portion” are formed on the distal end side of the pointer, the shape of the pointer It is not intended to limit. For example, it may be a pointer having a pointer light emitting member extending from the cap portion along the front surface of the display plate 30 in the display direction. Alternatively, even a pointer instrument that displays the design of a pointer that emits light similar to the above-described embodiment by performing light-shielding printing on the outer surface of the proximal end side of the pointer light-emitting member that extends from the cap portion in this way. Good.

  In the above embodiment, the decorative ring 36 is provided as the “shielding member” that shields the light beam emitted from the emission surfaces 79 and 279 of the light guides 70 and 270 to the front side in the display direction, but corresponds to the “shielding member”. It may be a pointer instrument that does not have a configuration to do so. Or it is good also as a shielding member which prevents reflection of a light beam by giving black coating to a shielding part. Furthermore, by using a shielding member that reflects the light beam emitted from the exit surface of the light guide toward the display direction front surface of the radially inner display plate, a novel appearance can be given to the pointer instrument. Good.

  And in the said embodiment, this invention was demonstrated based on the example applied to the speedometer 20 which comprises the combination meter 100. FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to the speedometer 20 and can be applied to various instruments constituting the combination meter, specifically, a tachometer, a water temperature gauge, an oil temperature gauge, a fuel gauge, a voltmeter, and the like. . Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to various “pointer meters” other than a combination meter installed in a vehicle.

20 Speedometer, 30 Display board (display member), 31 Pointer opening, 32 Design portion, 32a Scale design, 32b Numerical design, 32c Character design, 36 Decorative ring (shielding member), 37 Shielding portion, 40 Pointer, 41 Pointer Light emitting member (pointer light emitting portion), 42 Pointer reflecting surface (pointer reflecting portion), 43 Pointer incident surface (pointer incident portion), 45 Through portion, 46 Pointer member, 47 Cap portion, 48 Fixing portion, 49 Light emitting member clamping portion, 60 reflector, 70, 270 light guide, 70a pointer opening, 71 entrance surface (light guide entrance portion), 73 diffusion portion, 75 design illumination portion, 75a design exit portion, 75b design reflection portion, 77 reflection surface, 79 , 279 exit surface (light guide emitter), 80 circuit board, 81 pointer opening, 82 electronic component, 83 light source, 83a LED (light source), 85 meter controller, 87 Stepper motor (internal unit), 88 Pointer shaft, 88a Tip, 91 In-vehicle LAN, 92 Power supply control circuit, 93 Ignition switch, 94 Ignition relay, 96 Battery, 97, 297 Luminous flux adjustment unit, 98 Ground wiring , 100 Combination meter (pointer instrument)

Claims (14)

A display member for displaying the design part;
An internal unit having a pointer shaft;
A pointer that has a fixed portion fixed to the pointer shaft on the base end side, and that is driven by the internal unit and rotates along the front side in the display direction of the display member, thereby forming an indicator together with the design portion. A pointer incident part that makes a light beam incident on the distal end side, a pointer reflection part that reflects the light beam incident from the pointer incident part to a base end side, a pointer that has a pointer light emitting part that emits light by the light beam;
A light source that emits the luminous flux;
A light guide body incident portion that receives the light beam emitted from the light source portion, a design illumination portion that illuminates the design portion with the light beam, and a pointer incident portion that moves by rotation of the pointer are formed. And a light guide having a light guide emitting portion for emitting the light flux.   The light guide has a diffusing portion for diffusing the light flux to the light guide emitting portion between the light guide emitting portion and the light guide incident portion. Item 1. The pointer instrument according to item 1.   The pointer instrument according to claim 2, wherein the design illumination part is provided in the diffusion part of the light guide.   The pointer instrument according to claim 1, wherein the light source unit includes a plurality of light source bodies that emit the light flux.   5. The light guide body according to claim 3, wherein the light guide body includes a light beam amount adjustment unit that suppresses increase / decrease of a light beam amount incident on the pointer incident unit due to rotation of the pointer in the light guide body emission unit. The indicated pointer instrument.   In the light guide body, the light guide body emitting section whose angle facing the pointer incident section increases according to the density of the reaching light beam is the light beam amount adjusting section. The pointer instrument according to claim 5.   The light guide body is characterized in that the light guide body output section that reduces the transmittance of the light beam according to the density of the light beam reaching the light guide body is the light beam amount adjusting section. The pointer instrument according to 5 or 6.   In the light guide, the light guide emitting portion, in which a gap with the pointer incident portion is enlarged according to the density of the reaching light flux, is the light flux adjusting unit. Item 8. The pointer instrument according to any one of Items 5 to 7.   In the light guide body, the light guide body emission section whose area facing the pointer incidence section is reduced according to the density of the reaching light flux is the light flux amount adjustment section. The pointer instrument according to any one of claims 5 to 8.   The said design illumination part comprises the design emission part which radiate | emits the said light beam toward the said design part, and the design reflection part which reflects the said light beam toward the said design emission part, The 1-9 characterized by the above-mentioned. The pointer instrument according to any one of the above.   The pointer instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the pointer light-emitting portion is provided in the pointer so as to be spaced from the fixed portion toward the distal end side.   The pointer instrument according to claim 11, wherein the pointer has a penetrating portion penetrating along a display direction between the pointer light emitting portion and the fixed portion.   2. A shielding member having a shielding portion that opposes the light guide emitting portion and shields a light beam emitted from the light guide emitting portion on the front side in the display direction of the pointer incident portion. The pointer instrument according to any one of -12.   The pointer instrument according to claim 13, wherein the shielding part reflects the light beam emitted from the light guide emitting part to the pointer incident part side.

Images