JPH04309818A - Level meter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a level meter having excellent visibility from either direction. CONSTITUTION:A cylindrical glove 29 is covered over plural number of light sources aligned/supported in a row along a prescribed axial line, and thereby, plural number of emission sections 41-50 are formed so as to emit light to its surroundings. A printed wiring board 35 forming a lighting control circuit 36 is housed in a cylindrical base part 23 supporting the plural number of light sources and the glove 29. Data corresponding to an output from a liquid volume sensor 13 is given to the lighting control circuit 36 from a programmable controller 14, and the light sources corresponding to the respective emission sections 41-50 are lit up or put out according to this data.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a level meter for visually displaying the magnitude of a predetermined quantity such as a physical quantity given as the output of various sensors.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art The structure of a conventionally used level meter is shown in FIG. This level meter 1 is attached to various panels 2 and is used to visually display, for example, the magnitude of the output of a liquid level sensor (not shown) that detects the level of liquid in a water tank. Level meter 1
has a plurality of light emitting sections 3 arranged in a fixed direction, and for example, a light source (not shown) such as a light emitting diode is provided for each light emitting section 3. Near luminescent section 3,
A scale 4 is formed to indicate the amount of liquid and the like.

Each light source such as a light emitting diode corresponding to the light emitting section 3 is driven in accordance with the output of the liquid level sensor. That is, each light source is turned on or off so that a band of light emitting sections 3 in a light emitting state is formed extending from the scale "0" in the direction of the arrow 5. As a result, the larger the amount of liquid detected, the longer a band will be formed, and depending on the length of this band,
You can know the amount of liquid.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, since the level meter 1 described above is a flat type that is attached to one side of the panel 2, the display by the level meter 1 can only be viewed from the direction facing the panel 2. It cannot be seen from the back side or side of the panel 2. For this reason,
For example, in the fields of automatic machinery, industrial machinery, audio-visual equipment, etc., the above-mentioned level meters are not necessarily suitable when it is desired to display a predetermined physical quantity in a horizontally visible manner over a wide angle range. .

[0005] Furthermore, with the level meter described above, the displayed content cannot be recognized unless the user visually inspects it with clear intention, and information cannot be reliably transmitted to the user. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problems and provide a level meter with good visibility from any direction.

[0006]

[Means and operations for solving the problems] The level meter of the present invention for achieving the above object is a level meter that visually displays the magnitude of a predetermined amount, and is arranged in a line along a predetermined axis. multiple light sources aligned and held;
A cylindrical globe that covers the light source and transmits light from each light source, a cylindrical base that supports the plurality of light sources and the globe, and an input signal that corresponds to the magnitude of the predetermined amount. The invention is characterized in that it includes a lighting control means for turning on or off each light source.

According to the above configuration, a plurality of light sources are held in line along a predetermined axis, and light from the light sources is transmitted through the cylindrical globe and led out to the surroundings. The light emitted from this cylindrical globe can be visually recognized from any direction around the level meter. On the other hand, the lighting control means turns on or off each light source in response to an input signal representing the magnitude of a predetermined amount. Therefore, if you visually recognize the light emitted from the globe,
It is possible to know the magnitude of the predetermined amount.

As mentioned above, while conventional level meters lack reliability in transmitting information to the user, the level meter of the present invention generates strong signal light in the surroundings and transmits information to the user. Since the information is transmitted, it is possible to force the user to recognize the necessary information even if the user does not have a clear intention. Further, the level meter according to claim 2 is provided with:
The cylindrical globe is divided into sections corresponding to each light source, and has a color that allows the light from each light source to be colored and transmitted, and the desired color can be appropriately displayed in a predetermined amount of size. It is characterized by being configured so that it can be added.

[0009] If this is done, colored light for each light source will be transmitted through the globe and emitted to the surrounding area, so in addition to displaying the predetermined amount of size, some information may also be added. can be notified.

0010

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples will be explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing examples. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of a level meter according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view. The level meter 10 is used, for example, to visually display the amount of liquid 12 such as water in the water tank 11 detected by the amount of liquid 13 . The output signal of the liquid level sensor 13 is sent to the programmable controller 1.
4 and is converted into data expressed in BCD (binary coded decimal). This data is input to the level meter 10.

The level meter 10 has a basic structure as a signal indicator lamp for notifying various signals by emitting light to the surrounding area, and for example, has a horizontal mounting panel 15.
A tubular support pole 21 is fixed vertically upward with a nut 16, and a pole boss 2 is attached to this support pole 21.
a substantially cylindrical base portion 23 supported through the base portion 2; and a pair of shafts 2 inserted and held in the base portion 23.
4, etc., are provided with a plurality of light sources 26 aligned and held in a line along an axis 25. The light source 26 is housed and held in a socket housing 28 attached to a socket plate 27.
are secured to the shaft 24 at a predetermined interval.

[0012] The light sources 2 connected in multiple stages in this way
6 are each covered with a colored transparent cylindrical globe 29, and the globe 29 is fixed by attaching the mounting top plate 30 to the top plate 32 fixed to the tip of the shaft 24 with bolts 31. is achieved. A light-shielding portion 33 is formed at the lower end of each globe 29 by applying a light-shielding paint, etc., so that each globe 29 can separate and transmit the light from the light sources 26 at each stage.

[0013] If some meaning is to be added to the displayed level, the globe 29 may be made of a colored translucent plastic material or the like. In this case, a colored translucent material of a single color may be used for the plurality of globes 29, but each globe 29 or a plurality of If colored transparent materials of different colors are applied to each group of globes 29,
In addition to the level display, information such as a warning display can also be added and notified.

A printed wiring board 35 is accommodated in the base portion 23 which holds the light source 26, the globe 29, etc. via the shaft 24 and the like. A lighting control circuit 36 that turns on or off each light source 26 based on data from the programmable controller 14 is formed on the printed wiring board 35 . This lighting control circuit 3
6 and the programmable controller 14 are connected by a signal line 38 passing through the support pole 21. A power line 39 also passes through the support pole 21, and the lighting control circuit 36 controls turning on/off each light source 26 by connecting/cutting off the connection between the power line 39 and each light source 26.

The lighting control circuit 36 controls each glove 29 based on data from the programmable controller 14.
A plurality of light emitting sections 41 to 5 separated by a light shielding section 33
0, the lowest light emitting section 41 adjacent to the base section 23
The light emitting sections 42, 43, . . . continue in the direction of the arrow 51 from
The light source 26 corresponding to . . . is turned on. For example, if the data from the programmable controller 14 is "0110
” (“6” in decimal notation), the light sources 26 corresponding to the six light emitting sections 41 to 46 are turned on. In this way, the amount of liquid can be determined based on which light-emitting section from the lowest light-emitting section 41 is emitting light.

Note that, for example, the globe 29 constituting the light emitting sections 41 to 44 is colored green, the globe 29 constituting the light emitting sections 45 to 47 is yellow, and the globe 29 constituting the light emitting sections 48 to 50 is colored red. You can. In this way, by appropriately combining colored gloves, it is possible to add and notify information such as a warning display. As described above, the level meter 10 of this embodiment has the basic configuration as a signal indicator light for notifying various signals by generating light in the surrounding area, so the display of this level meter 10 is as follows. The level meter 10 can be clearly viewed from any horizontal direction over 360 degrees. Also,
It is fully visible not only from the horizontal direction but also from an angle range of about 45 degrees up and down. Furthermore, a light source 26 is provided on the base 23 of the level meter 10 in response to data input from the programmable controller 14.
Since a lighting control circuit 36 for turning on/off the liquid is housed, simply by connecting the programmable controller 14 to the signal line 38, the level corresponding to the output of the liquid level sensor 13 can be displayed satisfactorily.

Furthermore, in contrast to the conventional level meter, in which the displayed content could not be recognized unless the user visually recognized it with clear intention, in the configuration of this embodiment, a strong signal light is generated in the surrounding area. Since the information is transmitted by the user, even if the user does not have a clear intention, it is possible to force the user to recognize the necessary information. Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiments, a light bulb is used as the light source, but various types of light sources such as light emitting diodes, fluorescent tubes, discharge tubes, etc. can be used as the light source. Further, in the above embodiment, the printed wiring board 35 on which the lighting control circuit 36 is formed is housed within the base portion 23, but the lighting control circuit may be externally attached. Furthermore, although the cylindrical globe 29 is used in the above embodiment, the globe may be formed of a cylinder other than a cylindrical body. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the light sources 2 corresponding to a plurality of consecutive light emitting sections starting from the lowest light emitting section 41
The size of the input data is displayed by lighting up 6, but for example, 1 corresponding to the input data
Only the light sources 26 of each light emitting section may be turned on. Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the programmable controller 14 is connected has been described, but an arithmetic device other than the programmable controller may be connected. Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the liquid level is displayed on the level meter 10 has been described, but the level meter 10 can be used to display the magnitude of various physical quantities or other arbitrary predetermined quantities. be. In addition, various design changes can be made without changing the gist of the present invention.

[0018]

As described above, according to the level meter of the present invention, light from the light sources aligned in a line is transmitted through the cylindrical globe and led out to the surroundings. The light emitted from this cylindrical globe can be visually recognized from any direction around the level meter. In this way, a level meter with good visibility from any direction is provided.

Furthermore, in the level meter of the present invention, strong signal light is generated in the surrounding area to transmit information to the user, so that necessary information can be transmitted to the user even if the user does not have a clear intention. can be forced to be recognized. In addition, if the above-mentioned cylindrical globe is divided corresponding to each light source and has a color that allows the light from each light source to be colored and transmitted, the colored light of each light source can be transmitted through the globe. Since the information is transmitted to the surrounding area, in addition to displaying a predetermined amount of size, it is also possible to add some information to the notification.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a level meter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a level meter.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a simplified configuration of a conventional level meter.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Level meter 23 Base part 24 Shaft 26 Light source 29 Gloves 35 Printed wiring board 36　Lighting control circuit 38 Signal line 39 Power line 41-50 Luminescence classification

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claim 1: A level meter that visually displays the magnitude of a predetermined quantity, comprising a plurality of light sources arranged and held in a line along a predetermined axis; a cylindrical globe that transmits light; a cylindrical base that supports the plurality of light sources and the globe; and each light source is turned on or off in response to an input signal representing the magnitude of the predetermined amount. A level meter comprising a lighting control means. 2. The cylindrical globe is divided into sections corresponding to each light source, and has a color that allows the light from each light source to be colored and transmitted, and is suitably colored with a desired color in a predetermined amount. 2. The level meter according to claim 1, wherein the level meter is configured to be added to the display of the magnitude of the level.