JP2001183181A - Illumination device for measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an illumination device, for a measuring instrument, in which the illumination part of a display plate of good visibility is provided. SOLUTION: A pointer 2 which is moved at a deflection angle according to a measuring amount is provided. The display plate 2 which comprises a prescribed arrangement pattern corresponding to the pointer 2 and in which a plurality of translucent index parts 3A to 3S are arranged is provided. A plurality of light sources 4A to 4S which are arranged on the rear side of the display plate 3 according to the index parts 3A to 3S and which illuminate the index parts 3A to 3S are provided. A control means B which controls the turning-on state of the light sources 4A to 4S according to the deflection angle of the pointer 2 is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an instrument illuminating device mounted on, for example, an instrument for a vehicle, and more particularly, to an illumination of a display panel used for a pointer-type instrument.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, vehicles such as automobiles and motorcycles are equipped with instruments such as a speedometer, a tachometer, a fuel level gauge, a water temperature gauge, and the like. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known an LED provided with a light source such as an LED (light emitting diode), a fluorescent lamp, and an incandescent lamp for illuminating an instrument so that a driver can visually recognize a measured value even in a dark place.
In addition, in the indicating instrument which displays by the pointer, the light source such as the light emitting element illuminates the pointer and the characters and the scale of the display board through the light guide, and the emitting pointer, the character and the scale cooperate. There is an apparatus in which a measurement value can be determined even in a dark place (for example, JP-A-11-223534).

[0003] Among the above-mentioned instruments, particularly when driving on a road without any external light, if the brightness of the light source of the instrument illumination is too high, the driver's eyes will adapt to light and the situation outside the vehicle will be recognized. It is difficult, and it is known that the brightness of an illumination light source of an instrument can be adjusted in accordance with a traveling environment state.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned method is to adjust the brightness of the illumination light source of the entire instrument, and there is a problem that the instrument is difficult to see when the instrument is dark, and too bright to cause dazzling and eyes fatigue. Was. In addition, adjustment for setting an appropriate luminance was troublesome.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and has as its object to provide an instrument lighting device with good visibility.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a pointer which moves in a deflection angle in accordance with a measured amount, and a plurality of light sources having a predetermined arrangement pattern corresponding to the pointer. A display plate having a transmissive indicator, a plurality of light sources arranged on the back side of the display plate according to the indicator to illuminate the indicator, and the light source according to a swing angle of the pointer And a control means for controlling the lighting state of the instrument.

Further, the control means turns on the light source corresponding to the predetermined index portion corresponding to the swing angle position of the pointer, and turns off the other light sources. .

The control means continuously controls the light sources from the light source corresponding to the predetermined index portion serving as a reference to the light source corresponding to the index portion corresponding to the swing angle position of the pointer. An instrument lighting device characterized by turning on and turning off the other light sources.

Further, there is provided an instrument illuminating device provided with operation means for manually adjusting the brightness of the light source.

[0010] Further, in the instrument lighting device, the light source is provided on a wiring board, and a light-shielding wall for partitioning the light sources is provided between the wiring board and the display panel.

[0011]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an instrument lighting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of a speedometer employing the instrument lighting device of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a front surface of the speedometer, and FIG. 2 shows a dashed line Z--
It shows a cross section passing through Z, and the main body of the instrument 1, a pointer 2, a display panel 3, a wiring board 4, and a support 5 are main components.

The instrument body 1 is composed of a so-called cross-coil type instrument which drives a pointer shaft 11 projecting forward by a plurality of coils and permanent magnets (not shown), and rotates the pointer shaft 11 according to a change in voltage flowing through the coil. To move.

The pointer 2 is made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin material, is provided at the tip of the pointer shaft 11, and performs a swing angle motion by the rotation of the pointer shaft 11. The pointer 2 is provided so as to be illuminated by a pointer light source 4U described later.

The display panel 3 is composed of a transparent substrate 31 provided with a light-transmitting printed layer, and an indicator portion 3 indicating "km / h" as a unit.
T and an indicator 3 such as a character or a scale to be indicated by the pointer 2
A to 3S are formed by printing, and these index portions 3A to 3T
Except for the above, a ground color portion 32 serving as a background is formed by printing using a black print layer 32. The indicator portions 3A to 3S are arranged in an array pattern corresponding to the rotation trajectory of the hands 2 performing the swing angular movement, in this case, a plurality of indices are arranged on concentric circles around the pointer shaft 11.

The wiring board 4 includes a plurality of light sources 4A to 4U composed of light emitting diodes and a driver I for driving the instrument body 1.
Electronic components such as C (not shown) are mounted, and in the case of the present embodiment, a light source 4U for pointer illumination is provided separately from the light sources 4A to 4T for indicator illumination. As shown in FIG. 3, the light sources 4A to 4T for illuminating the index portions are provided corresponding to the positions of the index portions 3A to 3T of the display panel 3, and each of them is connected to a light source driving unit described later. ing.

The support 5 is provided as a spacer between the wiring board 4 and the display panel 3 and is formed so that the light sources 4A to 4T for illuminating the indicator and the light source 4U for illuminating the pointer are separated. ing. In addition, the minimum speed value (0 km /
h) between the light source 4A that mainly illuminates the index portion 3A indicating the maximum speed value (180 km / h) and the light source 4S that illuminates the index portion 3S indicating the maximum speed value (180 km / h). ) 5
1 to prevent light interference from the illumination light sources 4A and 4S.

Next, the electrical configuration of the instrument lighting device will be described. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the light sources 4A to 4S for illuminating the index portion are controlled in accordance with a rotation pulse signal (electric circuit signal) described later.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electric configuration of the present apparatus. The apparatus comprises a sensor section B1, a microcomputer B2, an instrument main body driving section B3, and a light source driving section B4.
It includes a microcomputer B1, an instrument main body driving section B3, and a light source driving section B4.

The sensor section B1 converts the rotation of the transmission or the like into a rotation pulse signal,
2 is output.

The microcomputer B2 comprises a CPU for executing a predetermined processing program, a ROM for storing the control program, various set values and the like, and a RAM for temporarily storing rotation pulse signals and the like from a sensor unit. . The microcomputer B2 calculates a measurement value based on the rotation pulse signal output from the sensor unit B1, and controls an instrument main body driving unit B3 and a light source driving unit B4, which will be described later, according to the measurement value as the calculation result. Is output.

The instrument main body driving section B3 receives a control signal from the microcomputer B2, and supplies a predetermined voltage corresponding to the control signal to each coil (not shown) of the instrument main body 1 so that the pointer shaft 11
Is driven, thereby causing the pointer 2 to make a swing angular movement.

The light source driving section B4 includes at least the index section 3A.
3S, which is electrically connected to the plurality of light sources 4A to 4S corresponding to 3S, receives a control signal from the microcomputer B2, and switches the on / off state of each of the light sources 4A to 4S according to the control signal. is there.

Next, the processing procedure of the microcomputer B2 according to the change of the measured value will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the microcomputer B2 inputs the rotation pulse signal converted by the sensor unit B1 (step S1).
1) Next, a measurement value corresponding to the vehicle speed is calculated based on the rotation pulse signal (step S2).

The swing angle (rotation angle) of the pointer 2 is determined according to the measurement value calculated in step S2 (step S2).
3) A control signal for causing the pointer 2 to perform the swing angle operation is output to the instrument main body driving unit B3 (step S4). For example,
If the measured value corresponds to 50 km / h,
The rotation angle is determined so that the pointer 2 points to the indicator 3F (shown in FIG. 1) indicating “50 km / h”, and the rotation of the pointer 2 is controlled.

Also, based on the measurement values obtained in step S2, the index units 3A to 3S corresponding to the deflection angle positions of the hands 2 are set.
Are determined, and the light sources 3A to 3S corresponding to the index unit indicated by the pointer 2 or the index unit closest to the indicated position of the pointer 2 among the index units 3A to 3S, and the light sources 4A to 4S adjacent to the light sources 4A to 4S are determined. 4S is selected (step S5), and a control signal for turning on these light sources 4A to 4S and turning off the other light sources 4A to 4S is output to the light source driving unit B4 (step S6). For example, when the measured value corresponds to 50 km / h, the index unit 3 indicating “50 km / h”
The light source 4F corresponding to F and the light sources (4E, 4E,
G) is turned on, and other light sources 4A to 4D for illuminating the index portion,
4H to 4S are turned off.

Further, by executing the above-described series of processing from step S1 to step S5 in, for example, an arbitrary cycle unit, the hands 2 and the light sources 4A to 4S are changed in accordance with changes in the rotation pulse signal from the sensor section B1. Can be controlled.

In this embodiment, three light sources 4A to 4S to be turned on are selected in step S5. However, any number of light sources corresponding to the swing angle position of the pointer 2 may be selected. Good.

In the case of this embodiment, each of the light sources 4A to 4S
Is not partitioned by the support 5 or other members, when one of the light sources 4A to 4S is turned on, not only the indicator corresponding to the light source but also the indicator near the indicator shines. Will do. At that time, the index portion closest to the light source to be turned on is brightest, and shines darker as it goes away. In addition, if each of the light sources 4A to 4S is partitioned, a predetermined light source to be turned on and a shining indicator can be in one-to-one correspondence.

By adopting the above configuration, the light sources 4A other than the index portions 4A to 4S corresponding to the rotating hands 2
4S can be turned off, not only can the luminous intensity of the entire instrument diverge be suppressed, but also by selectively turning on the indicator portions 3A to 3S corresponding to the turning position (shake angle position) of the pointer 2. Indicator portions 4A to 4S that selectively shine
Can be illuminated with emphasis, and visibility can be improved.

Further, the instrument lighting device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes other display forms, which will be described below as a second embodiment.

In the first embodiment described above, the light sources 4A to 4S to be turned on are selected according to the swing angle position of the pointer 2, but in the present embodiment, the indicator 3A indicating "0 km / h". The light source 4A corresponding to the indicator 3A
Thus, the light sources 4A to 4S corresponding to the indicator portions 3A to 3S corresponding to the swing angle positions of the hands 2 are turned on, and the other light sources 4A to 4S are turned off. For example, when the measured value corresponds to 50 km / h, the light sources (4A to 4F) between the light source 4A and the light source 4F corresponding to the index unit 3F indicating “50 km / h”
Is turned on, and the light sources 4G to 4S thereafter are turned off.

This embodiment can be realized with a configuration substantially similar to that of the first embodiment. In the processing of step S5 shown in FIG.
The microcomputer B2 determines the light sources 4A to 4S corresponding to the deflection angle positions of the hands 2 based on the measured values, and determines “0k” as a reference.
By replacing the light source 4A corresponding to the index unit 3A indicating “m / h” with the light sources 4A to 4S corresponding to the index units 3A to 3S corresponding to the swing angle position of the pointer 2, so as to be selected as the light source to be turned on. realizable.

In this embodiment, the index unit 3A indicating "0 km / h" is used as a reference. However, the index unit used as a reference can be set arbitrarily. For example, the index unit 3S indicating "180 km / h" is used. As a reference, the light sources 4A to 4S corresponding to the deflection angle position from the light source 4S corresponding to this may be turned on.

In the above-described first and second embodiments, since the deflection angle of the pointer 2 can be roughly recognized by the illumination of the indicator 3, the measured value can be easily determined. In addition, since the illumination changes according to the deflection angle of the pointer, the instrument illumination device is excellent in design.

The lighting pattern of the light source according to the measured value is stored in the control means in advance as a set value.
By providing a changeover switch (not shown), it is possible to switch between the case where the light source to be turned on is selected as in the embodiment and the second embodiment and the case where all the light sources are turned on as in the related art. Further, operating means such as a rotor switch (not shown) may be provided so that the brightness of each light source can be manually adjusted. Therefore, by switching the illumination mode of the light source and adjusting the brightness of the light source, it is possible to appropriately select the instrument illumination according to the visibility state of the instrument due to the brightness of the external light or the like, thereby contributing to the improvement of visibility. Will be.

In the above embodiment, the light source is LE.
D is used to control one LED at a time. However, a plurality of (for example, three) LEDs can be controlled as a block, and other than LEDs, such as incandescent lamps, can be used. A light source can be used.

It should be noted that the control means is not limited to the control means shown in the above-described embodiment, but may be any electric structure or processing procedure as long as it selects a light source to be turned on in accordance with the swing angle of the pointer. Can be arbitrarily selected.

Further, a dark-colored cover glass is provided in front of the display panel so that it can be used not only at night but also in a bright place such as daytime.
The present invention can also be applied to an instrument of a type that visually recognizes an indicator part that shines by illumination, and the visibility is good as in each embodiment.

In each of the embodiments described above, the instrument lighting device of the present invention is applied to a vehicle speedometer.
The invention can be applied to instruments such as a tachometer, a fuel gauge, a water temperature gauge, and a clock.

[0042]

According to the present invention, there is provided a display panel provided with a pointer which moves in a deflection angle in accordance with a measured amount, and a plurality of light-transmitting indicators arranged in a predetermined arrangement pattern corresponding to the pointer. A plurality of light sources disposed on the back side of the display panel in accordance with the indicator section to illuminate the indicator section, and control means for controlling a lighting state of the light source in accordance with a swing angle of the pointer. This makes it possible to provide an instrument lighting device with good visibility.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an instrument employing an illumination light source device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a cross-sectional shape passing through line XX of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a processing flowchart of a control unit in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 pointer 3 display plate 3A-3T indicator 4 wiring board 4A-4U light source 5 support 51 wall (light shielding wall) B control means

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A display panel comprising: a pointer that moves in a deflection angle in accordance with a measured amount; a display plate having a plurality of light-transmitting indicators arranged in a predetermined arrangement pattern corresponding to the indicators; A plurality of light sources arranged on the back side of the display panel to illuminate the indicator portion, and control means for controlling a lighting state of the light source according to a swing angle of the pointer. Instrument lighting device. 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit turns on the light source corresponding to the predetermined index portion corresponding to the swing angle position of the pointer, and turns off the other light sources. Instrument lighting equipment. 3. The controller according to claim 1, wherein each of the light sources from the light source corresponding to the predetermined indicator serving as a reference to the light source corresponding to the indicator corresponding to the swing angle position of the pointer is continuously transmitted. The instrument lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light source is turned on and the other light sources are turned off. 4. The instrument lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising an operating means for manually adjusting the brightness of said light source. 5. The light source according to claim 1, wherein the light source is provided on a wiring board, and a light-shielding wall is provided between the wiring board and the display panel to partition the light sources. An instrument lighting device according to claim 1.