JPH0572554U - Automotive meter housing - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] While preventing dust from entering the case body 25, the heat generated from a valve (warning light) 29 housed inside is released to the outside to prevent thermal deformation of the case body 25. To prevent. [Constitution] A bulb 29 that lights up toward the passenger compartment is housed in a case body 25, and an FPC 31 electrically connected to the bulb 29 is bent from a rear surface 27 in the case body 25 and extends along a side surface 33. Located on this side F
The PC 31 is pressed by a tongue piece 37 provided on the case body 25, and a communication hole 41 that communicates the inside and the outside of the case body 25 is provided at a portion of the side surface 33 of the case body 25 facing the tongue piece 37.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a meter housing for an automobile in which an indicator lamp that lights up toward a vehicle compartment is housed in a case body.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 As shown in FIG. 6, on the meter panel 1 arranged in front of the driver's seat of the automobile, in addition to instruments such as a speedometer 3, a tachometer 5, a fuel gauge 7 and a thermometer 9, a blinking direction instruction is provided. Warning lamps for indicating various operating conditions, such as the signal lamp 11 of the instrument, the signal lamp 13 of the parking brake, the beam switching signal lamp 15 of the headlight, the battery charge / discharge signal lamp 17, etc., are provided around the instruments. It is arranged.

These warning lights are housed in a case body 19 which is mounted on the rear surface of the meter panel 1 and constitutes a meter housing as shown in FIG. The case body 19 has an opening 21 covered by the meter panel 1, and a plurality of compartments 23 are formed which communicate with each other from the opening 21 side to the rear surface and individually accommodate various warning lights. There is.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 By the way, the number of such indicator lights tends to increase as the functions of automobiles have improved in recent years, and in terms of design, there is a case where the space between the indicator lights needs to be narrowed. is there. In such a case, the case body may be deformed by the heat generated from the indicator light. In order to avoid this, for example, a slit may be provided on the side surface of the case body to release the heat inside.

However, simply providing a slit causes a problem that dust or the like enters the inside of the case main body through the slit.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to obtain a heat dissipation effect while preventing dust from entering the case body.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve this object, the present invention is directed to a case where a flexible electric circuit board, which is electrically connected to the indicator light, is housed in the case body. A meter housing for an automobile, which is bent from the rear surface of the inside and is arranged along the side surface, and the flexible electric circuit board of this side surface portion is held by the tongue provided on the case body while being held in the bent posture. In the above aspect, a communication hole that communicates the inside and the outside of the case body is provided in a portion of the side surface of the case body that faces at least one of the tongue piece and the flexible electric circuit board.

[0008]

[Action]

 According to the above configuration, the heat generated from the indicator lamp is radiated to the outside through the communication hole to suppress the temperature rise inside the case body. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the case body from being deformed.

Further, since the communication hole is formed at a position facing at least one of the flexible electric circuit board and the tongue piece for pressing the flexible electric circuit board, the flexible electric circuit is provided. The base plate or tongue prevents dust from entering the case.

[0010]

【Example】

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention viewed from the rear surface of the meter housing, that is, the side opposite to the meter panel located on the driver's seat side. As shown in FIG. 2, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, inside the case main body 25 that constitutes the meter housing, from the rear surface 27 side, it serves as an indicator light for indicating the operation of the turn signal indicator and the parking brake. A bulb 29 which constitutes a warning light is inserted. The terminal portion 29a at the rear end of the valve 29 is connected to a flexible printed wiring board (hereinafter referred to as FPC) 31 as a flexible electric circuit board. The FPC 31 needs a large wiring area because the number of warning lights (bulbs 29) has increased along with the improvement of the function of the automobile. Therefore, the FPC 31 is bent from the rear surface 27 and extended to the side surface 33. Has been done. The FPC 31 as described above is fitted into the plurality of protrusions 35 provided on the rear surface 27 and fixed to the case main body 25, but the side surface portion 31a remains linearly extended from the rear surface portion. Therefore, it is pressed by a predetermined number of tongue pieces 37 integrally formed on the side surface 33 to maintain the bent posture. In the tongue piece 37, the base portion 37a located on the meter panel side of the case body 25 is integrated with the side surface 33, and the tip portion 37b forms a slight gap 39 with respect to the side surface 33. On the side surface 33 facing the tongue piece 37, a slit 41 is formed as a communication hole for heat dissipation. The slit 41 is provided at a position not covered by the FPC 31 and within the width of the tongue piece 37 as shown in FIG. 3 which is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

According to the automobile meter housing having such a configuration, the heat generated when the many bulbs 29 are radiated is radiated into the case main body 25, but this heat does not stay inside and is emitted from the slit 41. As indicated by an arrow C in FIG. 3, it is discharged to the outside through the gap 39. Therefore, the temperature rise in the case body 25 is suppressed to a low level, deformation of the body case 25 due to heat is prevented, and the meter housing is highly reliable. Further, since the slit 41 for heat dissipation is covered with the tongue piece 37, invasion of dust and the like into the case body 25 due to the formation of the slit 41 is prevented.

4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the slit 41 is formed to extend from the side surface 33 to the rear surface 27 to increase the opening area, thereby enhancing the heat dissipation effect.

In each of the above embodiments, the FPC 31 may cover the slit 41 over its entire length. In this case, since the FPC 31 replaces the tongue piece 37 and covers the slit 41 to exert the dustproof function, the slit 41 may be formed at a position deviated from the tongue piece 37.

[0015]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, the side surface of the case body is provided with a communication hole for heat dissipation that communicates with the inside, and moreover, the communication hole is a flexible electric circuit board connected to the indicator lamp. Since it is covered at a position facing at least one of the tongue that presses the flexible electric circuit board, dust is prevented from entering the case body, and The heat generated can be released to the outside to prevent thermal deformation of the case body.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the rear surface of a meter housing showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view from the rear surface of the meter housing showing the second embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a meter panel.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a conventional meter housing.

[Explanation of symbols]

 25 Case Main Body 27 Rear Surface 29 Bulb (Indicator Light) 31 FPC (Flexible Electric Circuit Board) 33 Side Surface 37 Tongue 41 Slit (Communication Hole)

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An indicator lamp that lights up toward a passenger compartment is housed in a case body, and a flexible electric circuit board electrically connected to the indicator lamp is bent from a rear surface of the case body. In a meter housing for an automobile, which is arranged along a side surface and in which the flexible electric circuit board of the side surface portion is held by the tongue provided on the case body while being held in the bent posture, A meter housing for an automobile, characterized in that a communication hole for communicating the inside and the outside of the case body is provided in a portion facing at least one of the tongue piece and the flexible electric circuit board.