JP7290468B2 - panel instrument - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a panel instrument installed on a panel.

A panel instrument such as a temperature controller installed on a panel is provided with a function indicator lamp so that measurement results, warnings, etc. can be confirmed from the front side of the panel, as described in Patent Document 1, for example. There is Many of this type of function indicator lamps display functions using granular LEDs or liquid crystal displays.

JP-A-9-304124

When a granular LED is used for the function indicator lamp of the panel instrument, there is a problem that the lighting area becomes small and the visibility becomes low. Also, when a liquid crystal display is used, function indicator lamps must be provided to avoid many character display portions. Therefore, there is a limit to how large the function indicator lamp can be formed in order to improve its visibility. In order to improve the visibility of the function indicator, it is conceivable to place the function indicator on the outer edge of the panel instrument. Indicator lights cannot be placed. The reason for this is that if the board on which the LED or liquid crystal display is mounted is placed outside the panel, the panel instrument will protrude greatly forward from the panel. Panel instruments should be formed so that they protrude from the panel as little as possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to increase the visibility of the function indicator lamp by providing the function indicator lamp on the outer edge of the panel instrument while adopting a configuration that reduces the amount of protrusion from the panel.

To achieve this object, a panel instrument according to the present invention has a front opening and a flange provided on the outer circumference near the front opening, and is inserted into an instrument mounting hole provided in a predetermined panel. an instrument housing mounted by locking the flange to the panel; a front lid member fitted inside a front opening of the instrument housing to close the front opening of the instrument housing; and at least the front lid. a front panel formed of a translucent body that covers the front surface of the member and is attached to the front lid member to seal the front opening of the instrument housing; A panel instrument comprising: a circuit board to be accommodated; and a display unit electrically connected to the circuit board and fixed between the circuit board and the front cover member so as to face the rear surface of the front panel. a light emitting element provided on the circuit board so that light is emitted to the front panel without being blocked by the display unit and the front cover member; a first reflecting surface formed inside the front panel for receiving light emitted by the light emitting element and changing the direction of the light so that the light travels straight through the front panel; A second reflection that receives light traveling straight inside the front panel by the first reflecting surface and changes the direction of the light so that the light travels straight from the outer edge of the front panel toward the front of the front panel. and a surface.

In the panel instrument of the present invention, a light guide tube through which light passes may be provided between the light emitting element and the first reflecting surface.

In the panel instrument according to the present invention, the front panel may be provided with a key operation section on a front surface thereof, and the first reflecting surface may be provided on a rear surface side of the key operation section.

In the panel instrument according to the present invention, the light-emitting elements are provided at a plurality of positions aligned in a direction parallel to the front surface of the front panel, and the first reflecting surface has a plurality of light-emitting elements facing the plurality of light-emitting elements. and configured to reflect light in a fan shape, and the second reflecting surface may be formed in a band shape extending along the outer edge of the front panel.

According to the present invention, the light from the light-emitting element is transmitted through the front panel, guided to the outer edge of the front panel, and emitted forward from the outer edge. Therefore, the function indicator can be provided on the outer edge of the front panel without arranging the light emitting element outside the panel. Therefore, it is possible to increase the visibility of the function indicator lamp by providing the function indicator lamp on the outer edge of the panel instrument while adopting a configuration in which the amount of protrusion with respect to the panel is small.

1 is a front view of a panel instrument according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a plan view of a panel instrument according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1; It is a front view of a front panel. FIG. 4 is a rear view showing a printing range of the front panel; FIG. 5 is a sectional view along line IV-IV in FIG. 4; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a frame; It is a front view of a board|substrate. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows a part of panel instrument. It is a rear view which expands and shows the principal part of a front panel. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows a part of panel instrument. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a main part according to a second embodiment;

(First embodiment)
An embodiment of a panel instrument according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11. FIG. A panel instrument 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be used, for example, as a temperature controller, and has a front panel 3 directed forward of a panel 2 . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front panel 3 is attached via a frame 5 to one end (front end) of an instrument housing 4 which will be described later. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the up-down direction in FIG. do. In the following description, the direction in which the panel 2 faces is defined as the front, and the rear side of the panel 2 is defined as the rear.

The front panel 3 is formed in a plate-like shape by a translucent body through which light can pass. As a material for forming the front panel 3, polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin, or the like can be used, for example. As shown in FIG. 3, a key operation section 11 and a first reflecting section 12 are provided on the front surface of the front panel 3 at its lower end. The key operation unit 11 is made of an elastic material that does not transmit light, and includes a plurality of keys 11a arranged in the left-right direction, as shown in FIG. The key operating portion 11 according to this embodiment is formed integrally with the front panel 3 by integral molding in a state of being inserted into the front side concave portion 13 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) of the front panel 3 .

As shown in FIG. 4, through holes 14 are formed in the front concave portion 13 for each key arranged in the horizontal direction at predetermined intervals. These through holes 14 penetrate the front panel 3 in the thickness direction. The first reflecting portion 12 is provided between these through holes 14 . The description of the first reflecting section 12 will be given later. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a second reflecting portion 15 extending in the left-right direction is formed on the back surface of the front panel 3 at the upper end. A description of the second reflecting portion 15 will also be given later.

The front surface of the front panel 3 facing the second reflecting section 15 is textured to diffuse the light. The embossing process referred to here is a process for forming minute unevenness on the entire predetermined range of the front surface of the front panel 3 . The texturing range is a band-shaped range extending in the left-right direction at the upper end of the front surface of the front panel 3, as indicated by hatching in FIG. In this panel instrument 1 , the texturing portion substantially functions as the function indicator lamp 16 .

The rear surface of the front panel 3 is printed in a hatched area in FIG. Printing is done using inks that are opaque to light. The hatched printing range is the entire rear surface of the front panel 3 excluding the functional sections of the front panel 3 . The functional parts of the front panel 3 are a display part 3a located in the center, a light receiving part 3b including a first reflecting part 12 to be described later, and a second reflecting part 15 to be described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, the instrument housing 4 is formed in the shape of a bottomed square tube having a front opening 4a that opens forward. A flange 4b is provided on the outer circumference of the instrument housing 4 near the front opening 4a. The instrument housing 4 according to this embodiment is formed in a rectangular tubular shape on the front side from the flange 4b. The front opening 4a is formed at the front end portion of the instrument housing 4 having a rectangular tubular shape. The rear side of the housing from the flange 4 b is inserted into a meter mounting hole 17 provided in the panel 2 . The instrument housing 4 is attached to the panel 2 in a state where the flange 4b abuts against the panel 2 from the front and is locked.

A front opening 4 a of the instrument housing 4 is closed by a frame 5 . In this embodiment, the frame 5 corresponds to the "front cover member" of the present invention. The front panel 3 is sized to cover the entire front surface of the frame 5 and is adhered to the front surface of the frame 5 with adhesive tape (not shown) or adhesive (not shown). The front panel 3 can be formed larger than the front surface of the frame 5, although not shown.

The frame 5 includes a frame 21 (see FIG. 3) that fits into the front opening 4a of the instrument housing 4, and a pair of arms 22 and 23 (see FIG. 3, see FIGS. 7A and 7C). 7A is a plan view of the frame 5, FIG. 7B is a front view of the frame 5, and FIG. 7C is a side view of the frame 5. FIG. The material forming the frame 5 is a plastic material that is opaque to light. The frame 21 has a rectangular opening 21a (see FIG. 6) at a position facing the display portion 3a of the front panel 3. As shown in FIG.

The opening 21a is closed by the front panel 3 adhered to the front surface of the frame 5 (frame body 21). The front opening 4 a is sealed by the front panel 3 by attaching the frame 5 to which the front panel 3 is adhered to the front opening 4 a of the instrument housing 4 .
As shown in FIG. 3, the front end of the frame 21 of the frame 5 is provided with an inner flange 21b extending inward from the rectangular opening 21a.

A plurality of locking claws 24 are protruded from the upper end and the lower end of the frame 21, respectively. The frame 21 is locked to the instrument housing 4 by these locking claws 24 . A plurality of key operation holes 25 are formed at a lower end portion of the frame 21 at a position facing the key operation portion 11 of the front panel 3, as shown in FIG. 7B. At the lower end of the frame 21 and facing the first reflecting portion 12 of the front panel 3, there is provided, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. A hole 26 of is formed.
As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of arms 22 and 23 of the frame 5 support a display substrate 27 at their front ends while extending vertically and horizontally, and support a power supply substrate 28 at their rear ends. It is supported so as to extend in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 8, the display substrate 27 has a display unit 31 such as a liquid crystal display mounted in the central portion, and a plurality of switches 32 and a plurality of LEDs 33 mounted at the lower end. It is held by arms 22 and 23 and housed in instrument housing 4 . In this embodiment, the display board 27 corresponds to the "circuit board" of the present invention. A plurality of projections 34 are provided at the upper end and the lower end of the display substrate 27, respectively. These protrusions 34 are engaged with grooves 35 formed in the arms 22 and 23 of the frame 5 {see FIG. 7(A)}. It should be noted that only the groove 35 of the upper arm 22 is shown in FIG. 7(A). The display substrate 27 is held by the arms 22 and 23 by engaging these projections 34 with the arms 22 and 23 .

The display unit 31 is electrically connected to the display substrate 27 although not shown in detail. 3, the display unit 31 is inserted into the opening 21a of the frame 5 so as to face the rear surface of the front panel 3 in a state where the display substrate 27 is attached to the frame 5, and is connected to the display substrate 27. It is fixed between the frame 5 and the inner flange 21b.
The plurality of switches 32 are provided at positions corresponding to the plurality of key operation holes 25 of the frame 5, respectively. These switches 32 are inserted into the key operation holes 25 of the frame 5 while the display substrate 27 is attached to the frame 5, and are connected to the key operation section 11 of the front panel 3, respectively.

The plurality of LEDs 33 are provided at positions corresponding to the light transmission holes 26 of the frame 5 (a plurality of positions aligned in a direction parallel to the front surface of the front panel 3). In this embodiment, these LEDs 33 correspond to the "light emitting elements" of the present invention. Light from the LEDs 33 passes through the light transmitting holes 26 of the frame 5 and is irradiated to the rear surface of the front panel 3 . That is, the light is irradiated onto the front panel 3 without being blocked by the display unit 31 and the frame 5 .
The power board 28 is engaged with a plurality of grooves 36 (see FIG. 7A) formed in the arms 22 and 23 of the frame 5, and is held by the frame 5 via these engaging portions. . It should be noted that only the groove 36 of the upper arm 22 is shown in FIG. 7(A).

The first reflecting portion 12 of the front panel 3 has a first reflecting surface 41 formed inside the front panel 3 so as to face the LED 33, as shown in FIG. The first reflecting surfaces 41 are provided at a plurality of positions facing the plurality of LEDs 33 respectively. These first reflecting surfaces 41 receive the light emitted by the LEDs 33 and change the direction of the light so that the light travels straight inside the front panel 3 . The first reflecting surface 41 according to this embodiment is formed by a flat inclined surface that is inclined at approximately 45 degrees with respect to the front surface of the front panel 3, and the direction of the light from the LEDs 33 irradiated from the rear is oriented in the direction of the light. It changes about 90 degrees and is reflected so that it may go upwards.

The first reflecting portion 12 according to this embodiment is composed of a concave portion 42 that opens to the front surface of the front panel 3 . The first reflecting surface 41 constitutes the side surface of the recess 42 . Also, the first reflecting surface 41 is formed on the back side of the key operation portion 11 of the front panel 3 . Therefore, the recess 42 according to this embodiment is filled with a part of the key operation portion 11 integrally formed with the front panel 3 . As shown in FIG. 10, the first reflecting surface 41 according to this embodiment is formed in a trapezoidal shape such that the upper portion is longer than the lower portion in the horizontal direction when viewed from the front. Since the first reflecting surface 41 is formed in this way, as indicated by the two-dot chain line arrow in FIG. spreads out in a fan shape.

The second reflecting portion 15 has a second reflecting surface 43 formed inside the front panel 3 near the rear upper end of the front panel 3, as shown in FIG. The second reflecting surface 43 receives the light that is reflected by the first reflecting surface 41 and travels straight through the front panel 3 , and directs the light from the outer edge of the front panel 3 to the front of the front panel 3 . change the direction of the light so that it goes straight The second reflecting surface 43 according to this embodiment is formed by a flat inclined surface that is inclined at about 45 degrees with respect to the front surface of the front panel 3, and the light is reflected by the first reflecting surface 41 and irradiated from below. The direction of the light from the LED 33 is changed by about 90 degrees and reflected forward. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the second reflecting surface 43 is formed in a belt-like shape extending a predetermined length along the outer edge that is the rear upper end of the front panel 3 .

In the panel instrument 1 configured as described above, the LED 33 emits light, and the light passes through the light transmission hole 26 of the frame 5 and is irradiated to the rear surface of the front panel 3 . This light travels through the front panel 3 from the rear to the front as indicated by arrow A in FIGS. 3 and 9 and is reflected upward by the first reflecting surface 41 . This reflected light travels straight upward in the front panel 3 so as to spread like a fan when viewed from the front. 3 and 11, the light is applied to substantially the entire area of the second reflecting surface 43 and reflected forward by the second reflecting surface 43. As shown in FIG. In this way, the light is reflected by the second reflecting surface 43 and passes through the texturing portion on the front surface of the front panel 3, so that the function indicator lamp 16 positioned on the upper end of the front surface of the front panel 3 lights up. When the LED 33 emits red light, the function indicator light 16 glows red.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the light from the LEDs 33 is transmitted through the front panel 3, guided to the outer edge of the upper end of the front panel 3, and emitted forward from the outer edge. Therefore, the function indicator lamp 16 can be provided on the outer edge of the front panel 3 (outside the projected area of the display substrate 27) without arranging the LED 33 outside the panel 2. FIG. Therefore, it is possible to improve the visibility of the function indicator light 16 by providing the function indicator light 16 on the outer edge of the panel instrument 1 while adopting a configuration in which the amount of protrusion with respect to the panel 2 is small.

The front panel 3 according to this embodiment is provided with a key operation section 11 on the front surface. A first reflecting surface 41 is provided on the back side of the key operation unit 11 . Therefore, the key operation part 11 blocks the light transmitted forward through the first reflection part 12 . Therefore, forward leakage of light from the first reflecting portion 12 can be reliably prevented.

The LEDs 33 according to this embodiment are provided at a plurality of positions aligned in a direction parallel to the front surface of the front panel 3 . The first reflecting surfaces 41 are provided at a plurality of positions facing the plurality of LEDs 33 and are configured to reflect light in a fan shape. The second reflecting surface 43 is formed in a belt shape extending along the outer edge of the front panel 3 . As a result, the light from the plurality of LEDs 33 is dispersed and reaches the second reflecting surface 43, and the function indicator lamp 16 on the front panel 3 shines like a band. Therefore, the function indicator lamp 16 with even higher visibility can be realized.

A function indicator lamp 16 according to this embodiment is provided at the upper end of the front panel 3 . Therefore, the visibility is high because the portion of the front panel 3 other than the display portion 3a is illuminated. This means that the display portion of the display unit 31 can be effectively used. Moreover, since the display is performed on the outer edge of the front panel 3, the appearance (overall design) of the panel instrument 1 is not affected, and the design is improved.

Moreover, since the function of the function indicator lamp 16 is added to the front panel 3, which is a part that is always used, the increase in cost can be kept to a minimum.
In this embodiment, a light pipe (not shown) is not used to change the direction in which the light from the LED 33 travels. When using a light pipe, it is necessary to make the light pipe penetration part waterproof and dustproof. However, by adopting the configuration using the front panel 3 as a light guide path as in this embodiment, the waterproof and dustproof structure of the instrument housing 4 can be simplified compared to the case of using a light pipe.

(Second embodiment)
Between the LED 33 and the first reflector 12, a light guide tube can be provided as shown in FIG. In FIG. 12, the same or similar members as those explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted as appropriate.
The panel instrument 1 shown in FIG. 12 has a light guide tube 51 between the front panel 3 and the display substrate 27 . The light guide tube 51 is a tube made of a plastic material that does not transmit light, and is supported by the frame body 21 of the frame 5 in a state of penetrating the frame body 21 in the front-rear direction. The front end of the light guide tube 51 is in close contact with the rear surface of the front panel 3 facing the first reflecting surface 41 . The rear end of the light guide tube 51 is in close contact with the display substrate 27 so that the LED 33 is housed inside the light guide tube 51 .
By providing the light guide tube 51 as shown in this embodiment, the light of the LED 33 can be efficiently guided to the first reflecting surface 41, so that the light quantity of the function indicator lamp 16 can be increased.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Panel instrument, 2... Panel, 3... Front panel, 4... Instrument housing, 4a... Front opening, 4b... Flange, 5... Frame (front cover member), 11... Key operation part, 17... Instrument mounting hole, 27... Display board (circuit board), 31... Display unit, 33... LED (light emitting element), 41... First reflecting surface, 43... Second reflecting surface, 51... Light guide tube.

Claims (4)

An instrument housing which has a front opening and a flange provided on the outer circumference near the front opening, is inserted into an instrument mounting hole provided in a predetermined panel, and is attached by locking the flange to the panel. and,
a front lid member that is fitted inside the front opening of the instrument housing and closes the front opening of the instrument housing;
a front panel formed of a translucent body that covers at least the front surface of the front lid member, is attached to the front lid member, and seals the front opening of the instrument housing;
a circuit board held by the front lid member and housed in the instrument housing;
a display unit electrically connected to the circuit board and fixed between the circuit board and the front cover member so as to face the rear surface of the front panel ;
a key operation unit made of an elastic material that does not transmit light, integrally formed on the front surface of the front panel by integral molding, and connected to a switch provided on the circuit board;
A panel instrument comprising
a light-emitting element provided on the circuit board so that light is emitted to the front panel without being blocked by the display unit and the front cover member;
It is formed inside the front panel on the back side of the key operation part on the front panel so as to face the light emitting element, and receives light emitted by the light emitting element, and the light is transmitted to the front panel. a first reflective surface that changes the direction of light so as to go straight through the interior;
It is formed inside the front panel and receives light traveling straight through the inside of the front panel by the first reflecting surface so that the light travels straight from the outer edge of the front panel toward the front of the front panel. a second reflective surface that redirects light to
The first reflecting surface constitutes a side surface of a recess opening to the front surface of the front panel,
A panel instrument , wherein the concave portion is filled with a part of the key operating portion . The panel instrument of claim 1, wherein
A panel instrument, wherein a light guide tube through which light passes is provided between the light emitting element and the first reflecting surface. A panel instrument according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,
The light emitting elements are provided at a plurality of positions aligned in a direction parallel to the front surface of the front panel,
The first reflecting surface is provided at a plurality of positions facing the plurality of light emitting elements, and is configured to reflect light in a fan shape,
A panel instrument according to claim 1, wherein said second reflecting surface is formed in a belt-like shape extending along said outer edge of said front panel. In the panel instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
the second reflective surface is formed by an inclined surface of the outer edge of the front panel;
A panel instrument, wherein an inclined surface parallel to the second reflecting surface is formed in the front opening of the instrument housing so as to face and be close to the second reflecting surface.

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