JPWO2019225402A1 - Instrument device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an instrument device capable of improving usability when operating a knob. A substrate 30 having a switch, a shaft 71, a switch operation unit that operates a switch by being pushed perpendicular to the substrate 30, and elasticity in a direction opposite to the direction in which one end is pushed from an elastic body 100 facing the substrate 30. A knob 70 having a collar 80 extending outward from a shaft 71 that receives a force, and a case 41 that supports the substrate 30 on the front surface 30a side of the substrate 30 and penetrates the shaft 71 perpendicularly to the back surface 41b and the back surface 41b. A case 41 is provided with a through hole 45 for making the through hole 45, and a collar receiving surface 90 for receiving the elastic force of the collar 80 facing the collar 80 on the back surface 41b side of the peripheral edge 45a of the through hole 45 by point contact.

Description

The present invention relates to an instrument device mounted on a vehicle or the like.

Vehicles such as automobiles and motorcycles are equipped with a pointer-type speedometer, a tachometer, and an instrument having a liquid crystal display device that digitally displays necessary information. The instrument has a rod-shaped knob, and receives user (driver) instructions such as display switching and reset via the knob. For example, the knob is rotated to activate a switch on a circuit board to convey a user's instruction to the switch.

The knob is rotatably supported by the case and circuit board. For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the knob has a flange. This flange is pressed against the case by receiving the elastic force of an elastic member provided between the flange and the circuit board.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-297186

As described above, in the normal state (during non-operation), the flange is in contact with the case due to the elastic force of the elastic body. When the knob is pushed by the user with a force greater than the elastic force, the flange separates from the case. Further, when the user's pushing is completed, the flange receives the elastic force of the elastic member again and returns to the normal position. At this time, the flange comes into contact with the case, but there is a problem that an abnormal noise is generated due to the impact at the time of contact, which impairs the usability of the user.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an instrument device capable of improving usability when operating a knob.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the instrument according to the present invention includes a substrate having a switch, a shaft, a switch operation unit that operates the switch by being pushed perpendicular to the substrate, and one end of the substrate. A knob having an elastic force extending outward from the shaft that receives an elastic force in the direction opposite to the direction of being pushed from the elastic body facing the substrate, and a case for supporting the substrate on the front side of the substrate, the back surface and the back surface. A case having a through hole through which the shaft penetrates perpendicularly to the back surface, and a flange receiving surface that faces the collar on the back surface side of the peripheral edge of the through hole and receives the elastic force by point contact. And.

In the instrument device according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the usability when operating the knob.

The front view which shows the instrument which is embodiment of the instrument device which concerns on this invention. A cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. The perspective view which specifically describes a knob and a circuit board. A plan view of the brim receiving surface of the middle case as viewed from the front side (Z direction in the middle arrow view of FIG. 2). A perspective view of the brim receiving surface of the middle case as viewed from the back side (in the Y direction of the middle arrow in FIG. 2). FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG.

An embodiment of the instrument device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The instrument device according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile or a motorcycle, a ship, or an agricultural machine. In the present embodiment, an example in which the instrument device according to the present invention is mounted on an automobile will be described.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an instrument 1 which is an embodiment of the instrument device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view particularly explaining the knob 70 and the circuit board 30.

In the following description, the "front side" means the front side in FIG. 1 and the upper side in FIG. “Back side” means the back side in FIG. 1 and the lower side in FIG.

The instrument 1 is mounted in the instrument panel of the vehicle. The instrument 1 displays various information to the driver (viewer) via a speedometer 2, an engine speedometer 3, a display panel made of a liquid crystal (not shown), and the like (not shown).

The instrument 1 mainly includes a pointer 10, a dial 20, a circuit board 30, a case 40, a dial 50, a cover 60, and a knob 70.

The pointer 10 is connected to a pointer shaft of a pointer drive unit provided on the circuit board 30, and rotates on a surface parallel to the surface of the dial 20. The pointer 10 points to a scale or a number (design 21) formed on the dial 20 according to the speed of the vehicle or the engine speed.

The dial 20 has a base material and a design layer. The base material is, for example, a plate-like member of a transparent (translucent) synthetic resin (for example, polycarbonate). The design layer is a printing layer printed with a black light-shielding ink formed on the front side or the back side of the base material. The design layer has a design 21 such as a scale, a number, a character, and a symbol formed in a punched character shape. The design 21 is lit and displayed by transmitting the light of the light source for the design emitted from the back side of the dial 20.

The circuit board 30 is housed in a case 40, and mainly includes a control unit, a light source, a pointer drive unit, a front switch 31, and a rear switch 32.

The control unit has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like, and executes a predetermined arithmetic process according to a program written in the ROM, for example. For example, the control unit acquires vehicle speed, various vehicle information, and the like from the vehicle's ECU (Electronic Control Unit) via various sensors and the like. The control unit drives and controls a light source for design, a pointer driving unit, and the like based on the acquired information. The light source for the design is an LED (Light Emitting Diode), which illuminates the dial 20 from the back side.

The front switch 31 is a push switch provided on the front surface 30a of the circuit board 30 for the front-rear direction (direction connecting the front surface and the back surface). As shown in FIG. 3, the rear switch 32 is a push switch for the rotation direction provided on the rear surface 30b of the circuit board 30. By pressing the front switch 31 and the rear switch 32 with the knob 70, for example, the clock function displayed on the display panel can be adjusted, the display contents can be switched, and the brightness of the display on the instrument 1 can be adjusted. Accept instructions to do. The control unit executes various processes based on the instructions.

The case 40 accommodates a display panel, a dial 20, and a circuit board 30 in an internal space. The case 40 has an inner case 41 and an outer case 42.

The inner case 41 is made of a light-shielding synthetic resin (for example, polypropylene) such as white. The middle case 41 fixes the dial 20 and the circuit board 30. In the present embodiment, the middle case 41 is a case in which the circuit board 30 is fixed (supported) by a hook or the like on the front surface 30a side of the circuit board 30. The middle case 41 has a through hole 45 and a flange receiving surface 90. Details of the through hole 45 and the flange receiving surface 90 will be described later.

The outer case 42 is made of a light-shielding synthetic resin (for example, polypropylene) having a cloudy color or the like. The outer case 42 accommodates the dial 20 and the circuit board 30 fixed to the inner case 41.

The facing 50 is made of a light-shielding synthetic resin (for example, polypropylene) such as black. The facing 50 is attached to the front side of the outer case 42. The dial 50 also functions as a case on the front side of the instrument 1 and has an eaves shape 51 (FIG. 2) on the upper side (upper side in FIG. 1 and right side in FIG. 2). Further, the dial 50 covers an unnecessary area on the dial 20 and partitions the dial 20.

The cover 60 is made of, for example, a translucent synthetic resin (for example, acrylic). The cover 60 is attached to the front side of the facing 50. The cover 60 covers the opening formed by the peripheral edge 50a of the facing 50 so that dust and the like do not enter the circuit board 30 and the like.

The knob 70 is made of a rod-shaped, eg, opaque synthetic resin (eg, polyacetal). The knob 70 penetrates the through hole 35 of the circuit board 30, the through hole 45 of the inner case 41, the through hole 22 of the dial 20, and the through hole 61 of the cover 60, and rotates with respect to the circuit board 30. And it is attached so that it can be pressed perpendicularly to the circuit board 30. The knob 70 has a shaft 71, a push switch operation unit 72, a rotation switch operation unit 73, and a collar 80.

The shaft 71 is a cylindrical and rod-shaped member, and has a barb-shaped hook 76 that engages with the back surface 30b of the circuit board 30 at one end. The knob 70 is a stopper for the knob 70 from being pulled out from the circuit board 30. Further, the hook 76 is used to temporarily fix the knob 70 to the circuit board 30 at the time of assembling the knob 70. Further, the shaft 71 has a knob 77 operated by the user at the other end.

The pressing switch operation unit 72 operates the front switch 31 by being pushed perpendicularly to the circuit board 30. The rotation switch operation unit 73 operates the rear switch 32 by rotating around the shaft 71.

The collar 80 is provided on the front surface 30a side of the circuit board 30 and on the back surface 41b side of the inner case 41. The collar 80 is formed so that the outer circumference is larger than the through hole 45 of the inner case 41, so that the knob 70 is prevented from coming off from the through hole 45. The collar 80 has a spring receiving surface 81 and a side surface 82. The spring receiving surface 81 is a disk extending outward (vertically from the shaft 71) from the shaft 71. The side surface 82 is a surface extending from the outer edge 81c of the spring receiving surface 81 toward the circuit board 30 along the axial direction. The pressing switch operating unit 72 and the rotating switch operating unit 73 are provided on the side surface 82.

The back surface 81b of the spring receiving surface 81 (flange 80) receives the elastic force of the coiled spring 100 as an elastic body. That is, one end side of the spring 100 is in contact with the front surface 30a of the circuit board 30, and the other end side is in contact with the back surface 81b of the spring receiving surface 81.

In the normal state (when the knob 70 is not operated), the spring 100 exerts an elastic force on the spring receiving surface 81 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the knob 70 is pushed from the spring 100 (direction from front to back) (direction from back to front). It is arranged so as to give to the spring receiving surface 81. Normally, the collar 80 is designed to be pushed back from the flange receiving surface 90 of the inner case 41 so that the hook 76 has a gap with respect to the back surface 30b of the circuit board 30. As a result, the rotation of the knob 70 is hindered by the friction between the back surface 30b of the circuit board 30 and the hook 76, and the knob 70 is affected by burrs unintentionally formed in the through hole 35 of the circuit board 30. Can be suppressed. Further, the elastic force of the spring 100 allows the knob 70 to return to its original position after the pushing is completed.

Next, the details of the through hole 45 and the flange receiving surface 90 provided in the middle case 41 will be described.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the flange receiving surface 90 of the middle case 41 as viewed from the front side (Z direction in the middle of FIG. 2).

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the flange receiving surface 90 of the middle case 41 as viewed from the back side (Y direction in FIG. 2).

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG.

The through hole 45 penetrates the shaft 71 of the knob 70 perpendicularly to the back surface 41b (front surface 41a) of the inner case 41.

The collar receiving surface 90 is a surface on the back surface side of the peripheral edge 45a of the through hole 45, and faces the front surface 81a of the spring receiving surface 81 of the collar 80. The collar receiving surface 90 receives the elastic force of the spring 100 and receives the collar 80 pushed upward. The collar receiving surface 90 has a plurality of protrusions 91 protruding toward the collar 80. As a result, the flange receiving surface 90 receives the front surface 81a of the spring receiving surface 81 by point contact.

The collar receiving surface 90 has a cantilever shape 98 having a base 94 and an arm 95 so as to elastically receive the collar 80. The base portion 94 is a portion extending from the peripheral edge 45a toward the inside (center) of the through hole 45. The arm 95 is a portion having a plate thickness thinner than the plate thickness of each base portion 94 and extending from each base portion 94 along the peripheral edge 45a of the through hole 45. The protrusion 91 is provided at the tip 95c of the back surface 95b of the arm 95. In the present embodiment, the flange receiving surface 90 has six cantilever shapes 98, but the number of cantilever shapes 98 does not matter as long as the collar 80 can be supported by point contact.

Here, the knob 70 normally receives the elastic force of the spring 100, and the front surface 80a of the collar 80 is in contact with the collar receiving surface 90 of the middle case 41. When the knob 70 is pushed by the user with a force stronger than the elastic force of the spring 100, the collar 80 is separated from the flange receiving surface 90, and the pressing switch operation unit 72 operates (presses) the front switch 31. Further, when the pushing of the user is completed, the collar 80 receives the elastic force of the spring 100 again and returns to the normal position.

At this time, the collar receiving surface 90 has a protrusion 91 so as to make point contact with the collar 80. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the abnormal noise generated by the impact as compared with the case where the flange receiving surface 90 and the flange 80 are in surface contact with each other. Further, the flange receiving surface 90 has a cantilever shape 98. Therefore, the flange receiving surface 90 can elastically receive the impact at the time of contact between the flange receiving surface 90 and the collar 80, and can absorb the impact more.

Further, when the knob 70 is pulled from the back surface toward the front surface, the arm 95 bends in a state where the protrusion 91 is in contact with the collar 80, but finally the base 94 acts as a stopper and at the same time, the arm 95 is plastically deformed. Can be prevented.

The instrument 1 having such a flange receiving surface 90 can improve the usability when operating the knob 70.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

1 Instrument 2 Speedometer 3 Engine speedometer 10 Pointer 20 Dial 21 Design 22 Through hole 30 Circuit board 30a Front 30b Back 31 Front switch 32 Back switch 35 Through hole 40 Case 41 Middle case 41a Front 41b Back 42 Outer case 45 Penetration Hole 45a Periphery 50 Facing 50a Periphery 51 Eaves shape 60 Cover 61 Through hole 70 Knob 71 Shaft 72 Pushing switch operation part 73 Rotating switch operation part 76 Hook 77 Knob 80 Kum 80a Front 81 Spring receiving surface 81a Front 81b Back 81c Outer edge 82 Side 90 Eaves receiving surface 91 Protrusion 94 Base 95 Arm 95b Back 95c Tip 98 Cantilever shape 100 Spring

Claims (4)

A board with a switch and
A shaft, a switch operation unit that operates the switch by being pushed perpendicular to the substrate, and an elastic force at one end opposite to the direction in which the elastic body faces the substrate is pushed outward from the shaft. With an extending brim, a knob with,
A case in which the substrate is supported on the front surface side of the substrate, the back surface, a through hole through which the shaft penetrates perpendicularly to the back surface, and the elasticity of the back surface side facing the collar on the peripheral edge of the through hole. An instrument device including a case having a collar receiving surface for receiving the force-bearing collar by point contact. The instrument device according to claim 1, wherein the collar receiving surface has a plurality of protrusions protruding toward the collar. The instrument device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the collar receiving surface elastically receives the collar. The flange receiving surface has a cantilever shape having a plurality of bases extending from the peripheral edge toward the inside of the through hole, and a plurality of arms extending from each of the base portions along the peripheral edge.
The instrument device according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion is provided at the tip of the arm.

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