JP5594823B2 - Pointer unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a meter device in various fields such as an automobile instrument, a ship instrument, and an aircraft instrument, and particularly relates to a pointer unit in which a driving body that rotationally drives a rotating shaft to which a pointer is attached is unitized with a pointer. is there.

Conventionally, various meter devices including an instrument unit used for pointer-type instruments have been proposed and developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). An example of such a meter device will now be described.
That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the meter device 100 includes a motor move 102 disposed on one surface side (lower surface side in FIG. 4) of the substrate 101 and the other surface side (upper surface side in FIG. 4). The illuminating plate 103 is laminated, and the illuminating plate 103 is further laminated with a dial plate 104 on which letters and numbers are drawn. A meter device 100 composed of these components is accommodated in the case 105.

  Further, in this meter device 100, the rotating shaft 106 that rotates by the driving force of the motor move 102 passes through the substrate 101 and the illumination plate 103, and the tip portion of the rotating shaft 106 further protrudes through the dial plate 104. A pointer 107 for pointing a character, a number, or the like written on the dial plate 104 is attached to the tip portion of the rotating shaft 106.

2009-216573

  By the way, in such a meter device, the motor move and the pointer are respectively on the front side of the dial plate (one side on which letters and numbers to be indicated by the pointer are drawn), and on the back side (characters and numbers to be indicated by the pointers). It is located on the side opposite to the one on which is drawn. For this reason, even if an attempt is made to take out the motor move when the meter device is not driven normally, the motor device cannot be touched by being blocked by the lighting plate and dial, and the meter device is installed in the reverse order of assembly. Had to be disassembled. For this reason, the replacement work when replacing the failed part is very complicated.

  In addition, in the configuration in which the motor move is mounted on the substrate, a space for arranging the motor move on the substrate, or a light source for illuminating the rotation shaft when the rotation shaft is illuminated is provided. Since it is necessary to design the circuit of the board in consideration of space, it becomes a restriction in designing the design of the meter device, and the degree of design freedom is narrowed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pointer unit that can be easily replaced or repaired and can improve the design flexibility of the meter device design. It is in.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the pointer unit according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1) .
(1) Guidelines and
A light guide rotating shaft to which the pointer is attached to the tip ;
A magnet rotor formed in a columnar shape integral with the light guide rotation shaft in a state where the light guide rotation shaft passes through a central portion ;
A cylindrical stator having a rotor hole in the center, and arranging the magnet rotor in an inserted state in the rotor hole;
A motor case that fixes the stator and rotatably accommodates the magnet rotor;
A housing case for housing the motor case therein;
A pointer unit with
A curved surface recessed in a shape close to the upper shape of the light source is formed on the end surface on the lower end side of the light guide rotating shaft.
The housing case is disposed opposite to the light source in a state close to the end surface, and a lock piece is formed on the outer peripheral surface on the lower side,
The upper part of the pointer unit from the motor case is exposed to the surface side of the dial plate by locking the lock piece of the housing case in a lock hole provided on the inner peripheral surface of the center hole of the dial plate. And the illumination light radiate | emitted from the said light source can be taken in efficiently from the end surface of the said lower end side .

According to the pointer unit having the configuration (1), since the pointer unit can be easily removed from the surface side of the dial plate, it is possible to easily replace parts that may cause a failure of the meter device.
In addition, since it is not necessary to design the circuit of the board in consideration of the space for arranging the motor move on the board, the degree of freedom in designing the design of the meter device can be increased.
Moreover, the pointer unit can be easily mounted on the dial.
Furthermore, the visibility of the pointer can be improved by illuminating the pointer.
And the light-guided rotation axis | shaft in which the curved surface dented in the shape close | similar to the upper shape of a light source can take in efficiently the illumination light radiate | emitted from a light source from the end surface of a lower end side .

  According to the present invention, since the instrument unit can be easily removed from the surface side of the dial, it is possible to easily replace parts that may cause a failure of the meter device. In addition, since it is not necessary to design the circuit of the board in consideration of the space for arranging the motor move on the board, the degree of freedom in designing the design of the meter device can be increased.

  The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through the modes for carrying out the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(A) is a perspective view which shows the state before attaching the pointer unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention to the dial plate of a meter apparatus, (B) is an expansion perspective view of the pointer unit. (A) is an exploded perspective view of the pointer unit according to the embodiment of the present invention, (B) is a cross-sectional view thereof. It is a disassembled perspective view of the motor which comprises the pointer unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the conventional meter apparatus.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a state before the pointer unit 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is attached to the dial 2 of the meter device, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged perspective view of the pointer unit 1. In FIG. 1B, reference numeral 3 denotes a connector viewed from the center hole 2A of the dial, and this connector 3 is attached to a substrate installed on the back surface (lower surface in FIG. 1). Has been implemented.

  In the pointer unit 1, the motor 20, the rotary shaft 30, and the light source 40, and the cap 11, the pointer 12, and the case 50 that cover these from above and below are integrally assembled. The pointer unit 1 is attached so that the motor 20 is positioned on the surface side of the dial 2. In the present embodiment, when the case 50 is attached so as to be positioned on the surface side of the dial 2, the motor 20 accommodated in the case 50 is also positioned on the surface side of the dial 2. The pointer unit 1 has drive terminals 222A and 232A (described later) protruding from the case 50 and a light source terminal 41 connected to the connector 3 viewed through the center hole 2A of the dial plate 2, and a lock piece 50B (described later) of the center hole 4A. It can be attached to the surface side of the dial 2 by engaging with a lock hole 4B provided on the inner peripheral surface.

  The cap 11 is assembled integrally with the pointer 12 so as to be covered from above the pointer 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the cap 11 has a configuration in which a substantially bowl-shaped one is reversely arranged, and has an opening 11 </ b> A that expands toward the lower side where the dial 2 is located. Inside thereof, there is a space (hereinafter referred to as “inside space S”) for accommodating the motor 20 and the like. That is, the inner space S accommodates the motor 20 and the rotary shaft 30 between the case 50 and a case 50 described later.

  The pointer 12 displays the speed when the tip portion indicates the numbers and scales described on the dial 2, and the base end side is press-fitted to the tip end of the rotating shaft 30 (hereinafter referred to as "upper end 32"). Are fixed together. The pointer 12 is made of a translucent material or the like, and emits light by illumination light guided from the light source 40. That is, illumination light from the light source 40 enters from the proximal end (hereinafter referred to as “lower end 31”) of the rotation shaft 30 and propagates to the distal end 32, and illuminates the pointer 12 fixed to the distal end of the rotation shaft 30. .

  The dial plate 2 displays necessary information regarding the car itself or the environment around the car, such as numbers, letters, symbols, and the like, and is used as an instrument panel for displaying speed in this embodiment.

  The motor 20 is a driving body that rotates the rotary shaft 30 to which the pointer 12 is attached, and is accommodated on the inner surface side of the case 50 facing the inner space S of the cap 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the motor 20 of the present embodiment includes a pair of upper and lower stators 22 and 23 and a central portion of the stators 22 and 23 in a motor case 21 including a lower case 21 </ b> A and an upper case 21 </ b> B. A magnet rotor 24 arranged in a state of being inserted through the opened rotor holes 22A and 23A is accommodated.

  Each of the lower case 21A and the upper case 21B is formed of a substantially cylindrical shape that opens toward the other side. By joining them together and fixing them together, the stators 22 and 23 and these stators A motor space is formed in which the magnet rotor 24 provided in the rotor holes 22A and 23A opened in the central portions of 22 and 23 and the main part of the rotating shaft 30 excluding the upper end 32 side are accommodated.

  As shown in FIGS. 2B and 3, the lower case 21 </ b> A has a bearing hole 212 opened through the lower case 21 </ b> A at the center portion on the floor surface 211 side. The lower end 31 side of the rotating shaft 30 penetrates from the lower case 21A so as to protrude to the outside (lower part in FIG. 3). Thus, the bearing hole 212 functions as a part of the bearing on the lower end 31 side of the rotary shaft 30. Further, on the floor surface 211 side of the lower case 21A, drive terminals 222A and 232A connected to the end of a winding 222 forming a coil provided on the lower stator 22 described later are pulled out of the lower case 21A. Therefore, the winding hole 213 is also drilled. A driving voltage for driving the motor 20 is supplied to the driving terminals 222A and 232A.

  A bearing hole 214 is opened at the center of the upper case 21B through the ceiling surface of the upper case 21B, and the tip end side of the rotary shaft 30 protrudes from the outside (upper part in FIG. 3). Thus, the bearing hole 214 functions as a bearing on the upper end 32 side of the rotary shaft 30.

  The stator 22 includes a winding 222 wound around a bobbin 221 and a substantially disc-shaped upper yoke plate 223 and lower yoke plate 224 formed of an appropriate material for sandwiching the bobbin 221 from above and below. .

  The upper yoke plate 223 and the lower yoke plate 224 constitute an annular yoke by assembling and integrating them on the upper surface and the lower surface of the bobbin 221 respectively. In addition, the yoke in which each yoke plate is assembled and integrated with the bobbin in this way has a claw-like guide arranged at equal intervals toward each other on the inner peripheral surface facing the rotor hole 22A. The children (claw poles) 223A and 224A are alternately formed at equal intervals in the vertical direction. Similarly, the upper stator 23 includes a winding wound around a bobbin, and a substantially disc-shaped upper yoke plate and lower yoke plate formed of an appropriate material for sandwiching the bobbin from above and below, On the inner peripheral surface facing the rotor hole 23A, claw-shaped inductors (claw poles) 233A and 234A arranged at equal intervals in the opposite direction are formed at equal intervals in the vertical direction.

  The lower stator 22 and the upper stator 23 are accommodated in the motor case 21 in two upper and lower layers in close contact with each other. Further, the upper and lower two-layer stators 22 and 23 accommodated in the motor case 21 are integrally opened with rotor holes 22A and 23A having the same inner diameter at the center, and the rotor holes 22A and 23A. In addition, the magnet rotor 24 is housed in a rotatable state with a slight gap.

  A drive voltage for driving the motor 20 is supplied to the drive terminals 222A and 232A connected to the terminal end of the winding 222 forming the coil. The drive terminals 222A and 232A are electrically connected to a substrate located on the back side of the dial plate 2 by contacting the terminal of the connector 3 viewed through the central hole 2A of the dial plate 2, and drive voltage is supplied from the substrate. Supplied.

  The magnet rotor 24 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with an appropriate magnetic material, and is disposed through the rotor holes 22A and 23A opened in the stators 22 and 23 as described above. The magnet rotor 24 has a light-guiding rotating shaft 30 that is integrally attached through the central portion, and rotates in the rotor holes 22A and 23A with the rotating shaft 30 as a rotating shaft. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (B), the magnet rotor 24 has a through-hole 241 at the center so that the rotary shaft 30 can be assembled and fixed in a state of being integrally penetrated. Although the rotary shaft 30 is integrally fixed to the through hole 241, the illumination light from the light source 40 that propagates in the rotary shaft 30 in the axial direction is prevented from leaking to the outer magnet rotor 24 side. Therefore, an appropriate light shielding member 24A or the like is interposed. In addition, you may comprise this light-shielding member 24A with an adhesive agent.

  Although not shown, the magnet rotor 24 has an arrangement interval corresponding to the pitch of the inductors 223A, 224A and 233A, 234A on the stators 22 and 23 side, and adjacent poles are different from each other. A plurality of magnets are arranged along the outer peripheral surface.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the rotary shaft 30 is formed of a substantially cylindrical shape that can be assembled integrally by press-fitting the pointer 12 at the tip, and a space between the cap 11 and the case 50. That is, the inner space S formed inside the cap 11 and the inner surface side of the case 50 facing the inner space S are arranged. As described above, the rotary shaft 30 is rotated by the driving force of the motor 20 to rotate the pointer 12 and is integrally assembled with the magnet rotor 24 as described above.

  The rotating shaft 30 is a means for rotating the pointer 12 and also serves as a light guiding means for guiding the illumination light from the light source 40 to the pointer 12. For this reason, the rotating shaft 30 is formed of an appropriate translucent resin material having excellent light guide properties, and is opposed to the light source 40 with its end face close to the light source 40.

  Further, the rotating shaft 30 follows the upper shape of the LED that is the light source 40 on the end surface on the lower end 31 side in order to capture as much illumination light emitted from the light source 40 as possible from the end surface on the lower end 31 side. A curved surface recessed into a semi-spherical shape or a shape close thereto is formed.

  As described above, the rotary shaft 30 faces the lower end 31 side in the state of being installed in the proximity state immediately above the light source 40. Therefore, when the illumination light from the light source 40 is incident on this end face, most of the illumination light is reflected at the interface with the outer peripheral surface inside the rotation shaft 30 (for example, total reflection or regular reflection) even when the rotation shaft 30 is rotating. ) Can be propagated toward the end surface of the rotating shaft 30 on the upper end 32 side.

  The light source 40 is composed of, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) that emits visible light having a predetermined wavelength (λ), and is assembled to the central hole 52 of the case 50 in a detachable state. Further, in order to electrically connect the LED as the light source 40 to a substrate not shown, two light source terminals 41 are drawn from the bottom surface side. The light source terminal 41 is electrically connected to a substrate located on the back side of the dial plate 2 by contacting the terminal of the connector 3 viewed through the central hole 2A of the dial plate 2, and voltage is supplied from this substrate.

  The LED, which is the light source 40 of the present embodiment, is installed with the optical axis directed in the Z direction perpendicular to the upper surface, which is the floor surface of the case 50, and light from this LED (hereinafter referred to as “illumination light”). Is emitted toward the end surface on the lower end 31 side of the rotary shaft 30 directly above. The illumination light incident from the end surface on the lower end 31 side of the rotary shaft 30 propagates to the upper end 32 of the rotary shaft 30 and enters the inside of the pointer 12 press-fitted into the upper end 32 portion. Illuminated.

  The case 50 is installed so as to close the inner space S of the cap 11. As shown in FIG. 2A, the case 50 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having an opening on one side facing the cap 11 (upper side in the figure).

  The case 50 is fixedly assembled in a state in which substantially the entire lower case 21A is fitted inside a wall surface 50A (see FIG. 2A) that surrounds the opened one surface side.

  Further, the case 50 is formed with a central hole 52 formed in a circular shape in the center portion on the floor 51 side, and the LED which is the light source 40 is installed in the central hole 52. Further, a slight step 53 (see FIG. 5B) is formed in the center hole 52 on the inner peripheral surface near the opening exit near the floor surface 51, and this step 53 is the lower end of the rotating shaft 30. A part of the bearing which rotatably supports the 31 side is constituted.

  Further, in the center hole 52, a terminal for pulling out two light source terminals 41 projecting from the lower surface of the LED, which is the light source 40, to the outside side of the case 50 (lower side in the present embodiment) on the bottom surface side. A hole 54 (see FIG. 5B) is formed so as to penetrate the case 50 vertically. Further, in this case 50, lock pieces 50B are formed at a plurality of locations on the outer peripheral surface on the lower side. The lock piece 50 </ b> B is engaged with a lock hole 4 </ b> B provided on the inner peripheral surface of the center hole 4 </ b> A formed in a layer (for example, a substrate) located on the back surface of the dial 2. The central hole 4A is opened at the same position as the central hole 2A of the dial 2 with the same inner diameter.

  Next, the operation of the pointer unit 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the description of the pointer unit 1 here, a speedometer is taken as an example of each instrument, and the operation thereof is described. However, the operation is not particularly limited thereto. This operation is the same in the case of other analog type pointer units.

  A motor 20 provided in the meter case 21 of the pointer unit 1 is driven to rotate based on a sensor signal corresponding to a current speed detected by a sensor (not shown), and the pointer 12 is rotated by a predetermined angle. Indicates the specific scale or number formed on the dial 2.

  That is, the pointer unit 1 of the present embodiment is configured so that the sensor signal corresponding to the speed detected by a sensor (not shown) flows from the drive terminals 222A and 232A to the windings 222 of the stators 22 and 23, thereby Magnetic fields are generated in the inductors (claw poles) 223A and 224A, and the magnet rotor 24 is rotated by this magnetic field.

  As a result, the rotating shaft 30 integral with the magnet rotor 24 rotates at a predetermined angle, so that the pointer 12 attached to the upper end 32 of the rotating shaft 30 is rotated by the same angle, and the tip of the pointer 12 is placed on the dial 2. Point to the specific number or scale above. As a result, the current speed can be notified to the driver by analog display.

  In the pointer unit 1 that performs such speed display, at the same time, the illumination light emitted from the LED that is the light source 40 in almost all 360 degrees in the XY plane direction is shown in FIG. As shown, the light enters from the end surface constituting the incident surface on the lower end 31 side of the rotary shaft 30 disposed immediately above the light source 40. And most of the illumination light incident on the inside of the rotary shaft 30 from this end face is incident at an incident angle θ exceeding the critical angle at the interface portion with the outer peripheral surface inside the rotary shaft 30, and the total reflection phenomenon It progresses toward the upper part inside the rotating shaft 30 while raising.

  In this way, the illumination light is incident on the interface with the outer peripheral surface at an incident angle larger than the critical angle inside the rotating shaft 30 and repeats the propagation phenomenon that proceeds upward while causing the same total reflection. Finally, the pointer 12 can be illuminated by being incident on the pointer 12 from the upper end 32 of the rotary shaft 30. Of course, the propagation action of the illumination light inside the rotating shaft 30 is performed in exactly the same manner as in the stationary state even when the rotating shaft 30 is rotating.

  Further, the illumination light traveling in the middle of the rotating shaft 30 is prevented from leaking from the light shielding member 24A to the magnet rotor 24 side by providing the light shielding member 24A at the interface portion with the magnet rotor 24. Therefore, the propagation efficiency of illumination light is improved.

  As described above, according to the pointer unit 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the motor 20, the rotating shaft 30, the light source 40, the case 50, and the cap 11 that covers them are integrated into a unit. ing.

  Here, for example, when the LED or the motor 20 that is the light source 40 breaks down, the lock piece 50B of the case 50 is pulled up while being pushed inward while being gripped. Accordingly, the pointer unit 1 can be detached from the dial plate 2 by releasing the lock piece 50 </ b> B retained in the lock hole 4 </ b> B from the locked state.

  In this manner, the cap 11 and the pointer 12 can be removed by pulling out the cap 11 and the pointer 12 integral therewith from the case 50 in the pulled out pointer unit 1. Thereby, the internal motor 20 covered with the cap 11 can be exposed. Further, by pulling out the motor 20 from the case 50, the light source 40 accommodated in the lower part of the case 50 can also be exposed, so that the motor 20 and the light source 40 can be easily replaced. In this way, it is possible to easily remove only the portion that may cause a failure without disassembling the meter device in the reverse order of assembly. As a result, the meter device can be easily replaced or repaired. Furthermore, it is not necessary to design the circuit of the board in consideration of the space for arranging the motor move on the board and the space for arranging the light source that illuminates the rotating axis when the rotating axis is illuminated. The degree of freedom in designing the meter device design can be increased.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. The pointer unit to which the pointer unit structure of the present invention is applied can be applied to various instruments such as a fuel meter unit, a tachometer unit, a speed meter unit, and a water temperature meter.

1 Pointer unit 2 Dial 2A Center hole 3 Connector 4A Center hole 4B Lock hole 11 Cap 11A Opening portion 12 Pointer 20 Motor 21 Motor case 21A Lower case 21B Upper case 22, 23 Stator 22A, 23A Rotor hole 222 Winding 222A, 232A Drive terminals 223, 224 Upper yoke plate, lower yoke plate 223A, 224A, 233A, 234A Inductor 24 Magnet rotor 30 Rotating shaft 40 Light source 41 Light source terminal 50 Case 50B Lock piece 52 Center hole 53 Step 54 Terminal hole S Inner space

Claims (1)

Guidelines,
A light guide rotating shaft to which the pointer is attached to the tip ;
A magnet rotor formed in a columnar shape integral with the light guide rotation shaft in a state where the light guide rotation shaft passes through a central portion ;
A cylindrical stator having a rotor hole in the center, and arranging the magnet rotor in an inserted state in the rotor hole;
A motor case that fixes the stator and rotatably accommodates the magnet rotor;
A housing case for housing the motor case therein;
A pointer unit with
A curved surface recessed in a shape close to the upper shape of the light source is formed on the end surface on the lower end side of the light guide rotating shaft.
The housing case is disposed opposite to the light source in a state close to the end surface, and a lock piece is formed on the outer peripheral surface on the lower side,
The upper part of the pointer unit from the motor case is exposed to the surface side of the dial plate by locking the lock piece of the housing case in a lock hole provided on the inner peripheral surface of the center hole of the dial plate. And the pointer unit characterized by being able to take in efficiently the illumination light radiate | emitted from the said light source from the end surface of the said lower end side .

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