JP3775910B2 - Instrument dial - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a dial plate of a meter installed in an automobile, for example, and more particularly to a dial plate structure of a meter that can transmit and illuminate the entire surface of a transflective dial plate with a uniform luminance with a small number of light sources.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a means for illuminating the dial of the instrument installed in front of the driver's seat of an automobile, for example, a dial illumination structure as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is known. In the conventional example shown in FIG. A light source 2 is disposed at the front upper part of the dial 1, and the direct illumination means of the dial for reflecting and illuminating the front of the dial with the light from the light source, and in the conventional example shown in FIG. A light source 2 is disposed on the back side, and a reflecting surface 3 of the light guide is disposed on the front upper portion of the instrument dial plate 1 so that light from the light source 2 is reflected to the front surface of the instrument dial plate 1 through the reflecting surface 3. It has a structure.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In such direct illumination means of the instrument dial 1, since the light source 2 or the reflecting surface 3 of the light guide must be arranged in front of the instrument dial 1, the depth dimension of the instrument becomes large, It is difficult to downsize, and in order to illuminate the surface of the instrument dial plate 1 with uniform brightness, a plurality of light sources or light guides are required, which causes a complicated electrical connection structure inside the instrument case. Problems have arisen in terms of assembly workability and economy.
[0004]
In addition, in the past, there has been known an illumination structure of an instrument dial plate that adopts the EL method in addition to the direct illumination means for the purpose of downsizing the instrument. It was high and lacked practicality, and in addition, durability (life) was poor. In addition, it is lacking in economic efficiency and practicality even if an expensive inverter must be provided.
[0005]
The present invention has been made by paying attention to such conventional drawbacks, and can provide an instrument dial plate that can uniformly illuminate the entire surface of the instrument dial plate with illumination means having a simple structure, and that can simplify the illumination configuration and is inexpensive. It is intended. In particular, in the present invention, in order to reduce the depth dimension of the instrument and make the instrument thinner (compact), the instrument dial is transmitted and illuminated by a light source disposed on the back side of the instrument dial. However, an object is to provide an instrument dial that can illuminate the entire surface of the instrument dial with uniform brightness.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to claim 1 of the present invention, a translucent layer (14) is formed on the entire surface of the transparent resin plate (13), and characters are further formed on the surface of the translucent layer (14). The first area (A) is provided with a semi-transparent colored layer (16) except for the transmissive display part (15) such as a scale, and the back surface of the transparent resin plate (13) easily receives light illuminated from a light source. And the second area (B) that receives the light halfway and the third area (C) that hardly receives the light, and the first area (A) excluding the third area (C) And the second area (B) are provided with a first light control layer (17), and further, the first light control layer (17) is coated with a halftone dot on the first area (A). The second light control layer (18) according to the above is layered, and further from the first area (A) to the third area (C), A light guide plate (19) is superimposed on the second light control layer (18) and the first light control layer (17), and the light guide plate (19) is applied to the back side of the instrument dial. The dial of the instrument is provided with dimming means (20) for reducing and adjusting the luminance corresponding to the boundary position between the first area ( A) and the second area (B). It is characterized by that.
[0007]
Further, in the second aspect of the present invention, the instrument dial according to claim 1, characterized in that the dial of the instrument described above light control means (20) to the satin.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0009]
Reference numeral 11 denotes a dial plate of the instrument to be transmissively illuminated. The dial plate 11 receives light from the light source 12 provided on the back side of the dial plate 11 and the entire dial plate is uniformly illuminated with luminance. It is configured to be transmitted (illuminated). In other words, as shown in FIG. 2, the dial 11 has a semi-transparent layer 14 made of, for example, white paint, which is semi-permeable, on the entire surface of the transparent resin plate 13 which is the substrate of the dial 11. Yes.
[0010]
On the surface of the semi-transmissive layer 14, a semi-transmissive colored layer 16 made of, for example, a blue color is formed on other portions of the surface other than the transmissive display portion 15 such as characters and scales for forming a dial.
[0011]
Further, a first light control layer 17 made of, for example, a blue translucent paint is formed on the back surface of the transparent resin plate 13 by, for example, a printing means. For example, the first light control layer is formed. Has the following features. That is, since the light source 12 which is the transmission illumination means of the dial plate 11 illuminates the dial plate with a small number of light sources, the illumination range of the dial plate which one light source has is wide, and the light source received on the back surface of the dial plate 11. The amount of light received from 12 has a large difference in illumination intensity between a portion close to the light source 12 and a portion far from the light source 12.
[0012]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, a portion where the amount of light received from the light source 12 on the back surface of the dial 11 is relatively strong is defined as the first area (A), and a portion where the amount of light received is normal is defined as the second area (B). ) And a portion where the amount of received light is relatively weak is assumed to be the third area (C). It should be noted that the form (shape) of these areas is of course an irregular shape in view of the light-shielding situation of the instrument movement arranged on the back side of the dial or the light-shielding device such as the light-shielding wall of the warning lamp. That is.
[0013]
The first light control layer 17 is formed by using a translucent paint for the first and second areas (A) and (B) excluding the third area (C). For the portion close to the third area (C) of the area (B), for example, as a light control layer that increases the amount of transmitted light by, for example, halftone dot printing means that changes the amount of transmitted light according to the light intensity, The boundary between the area (B) and the third area (C) may be devised so as not to cause luminance unevenness. Moreover, the said light control layer is not limited to the boundary part of a 2nd area and a 3rd area, You may perform halftone dot printing over the whole 2nd range, and may adjust light.
[0014]
After the first light control layer 17 is formed, the first area (A) on the back surface of the first light control layer 17 has, for example, a blue dot similar to the first light control layer. A second light control layer 18 is formed by printing.
[0015]
As described above, an area with a large amount of received light and an area with a small amount of light received on the back surface of the dial plate 11 are determined, and the areas with the largest amount of received light among these areas are the first dimming layer 17 and the second dimming layer. The entire brightness of the dial plate 11 that is transmitted and illuminated by the light from the light source is provided for the area with the smallest amount of light received by applying the double light control layer by the above, and by not providing any light control layer. Can be made substantially uniform.
[0016]
In another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, light from the light source 12 is guided toward the back surface of the dial plate 11 on the back surface of the same dial plate 11 as that described in the first embodiment. When the light guide plate 19 to be used is overlapped, dimming by, for example, satin, corresponding to the position (D) of the boundary between the first area (A) and the second area (B) in the light guide plate 19 The means 20 is formed.
[0017]
Accordingly, by using the light guide plate 19 provided with the light control means 20 on the back surface of the dial plate 11, the dial plate 11 at the boundary between the first area (A) and the second area (B) is used. The uneven transmission luminance can be effectively eliminated.
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
As described above , according to the dial of the instrument described in claims 1 and 2, even if there are very few light sources, the transmitted illumination of the dial is made uniform brightness over the entire surface of the dial. Therefore, the use of a relatively small number of incandescent lamps, which enables uniform transmitted illumination over the entire dial face, provides an inexpensive and economical instrument, and further reduces the light source installation space. Thus, an instrument that can be made compact can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory front view showing an embodiment of an instrument dial plate according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of an embodiment of an instrument dial according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of an instrument equipped with a conventional instrument dial.
FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of another instrument equipped with a conventional instrument dial.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Dial 12 ... Light source 13 ... Transparent resin plate 14 ... Semi-transmissive layer 15 ... Transmission display part 16 ... Semi-transmissive colored layer 17 ... 1st light control layer 18 ... 2nd light control layer 19 ... Light guide plate 20 ... Light control means

Claims (2)

The translucent layer (14) is formed on the entire surface of the transparent resin plate (13), and the translucent layer (14) is further translucently colored except for the translucent display portion (15) such as characters and scales. A first area (A) that is provided with a layer (16), and the back surface of the transparent resin plate (13) is easy to receive light illuminated from a light source; and a second area (B) that receives half of the light; It divides into the said 3rd area (C) which is hard to receive the light, and it is the 1st light control layer about the 1st area (A) and the 2nd area (B) except the 3rd area (C). (17) is applied, and the second light control layer (18) by halftone dot coating is layered on the first area (A) from above the first light control layer (17). further over the third area (C) from said first area (a), said second dimmer layer (18) and the first dimmer layer (17 With superimposed light guide plate (19) to, in the light guide plate (19), the boundary position between the meter character first being applied to the back side of the plate area (A) and the second area (B) Corresponding to the above, the dial of the instrument is provided with a dimming means (20) for reducing and adjusting the luminance.   2. The dial of the instrument according to claim 1, wherein the light control means (20) is satin.

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