JP3140342B2 - Indicator lighting equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an indicator illuminating device which is a display device for a vehicle, and more particularly to an indicator illuminating device in which the illuminating light amount of a character display portion of the indicator illuminating device is made uniform. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle, particularly an automobile, is widely used as a vehicle display device for displaying an indicator, a warning, a shift position, or the like. These include vehicle speed, engine speed,
A meter that indicates the state of the water temperature, the amount of fuel, and the like, and an indicator lighting device for displaying a state of the vehicle or the engine, for example, a state of opening and closing the door, a state of the side brake, or a state of stopping the engine are integrally arranged. Including instruments
Alternatively, there is a type in which a meter and an indicator lighting device are arranged in parallel. In such an indicator illuminating device, a light source such as a lamp for illuminating or lighting a character display portion is arranged via a wiring board, and the character display portion is illuminated by the illumination light source. For this reason, it is configured such that an illumination light source such as a lamp can be attached to the back of the case of the indicator illumination device.

[0003] Such a conventional indicator lighting device has a cross section as shown in FIG. 5, for example. The upper surface has the configuration shown in FIG. As shown in both figures, a conventional indicator lighting device 101
The upper part of the rectangular box-shaped housing 102 is constituted by a character / symbol plate 103, and character / symbol portions 104a and 104b are formed on the surface of the character / symbol plate 103 so as to be visible. Here, the character symbol plate 103 and the character symbol part (104)
a or 104b) is configured as a light-transmitting type and the other is configured as a light-impermeable type, or configured so that there is a remarkable difference in the light transmittance between the two.

A plurality of LED light sources 5 sandwiched between rubber tubes 6 are provided in a plurality of through holes provided in a line at the center of the character / symbol plate 103.
However, they are arranged in a line so that their upper ends can be viewed. The tube 6 and the light source 5 for the indicator are connected to the substrate 1 fixed in the housing 102.
07 and supported by a circuit section (not shown) provided on the surface of the substrate 107.
A voltage is applied from the device to emit light.

On the substrate 107, an illumination light source 8 that emits light upward is disposed at a position distant from the indicator light source 5 arranged in a line, and a light beam emitted by the illumination light source 8 is provided. Is configured to reach the character symbol plate 103 and irradiate the character symbol plate 103 from the back surface.
Since the illumination light source 8 is mounted on the substrate 107, the light emitted from the illumination light source 8
07 in the space formed. On the other hand, the character / symbol plate 103 is formed with character / symbol portions 104a and 104b as shown in FIG. The portions 104a and 104b form an easily visible state due to the contrast between the adjacent portions or the striking luminance difference.

[0006]

Since the indicator lighting device 101 as described above has a configuration in which the indicator light source 5 and the illumination light source 8 are mounted on the substrate 107, each space is provided on the substrate 107. Is required, which causes a problem that the planar dimension of the substrate 107 increases. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the length L100 of the indicator lighting device 101 in the longitudinal direction becomes long, and therefore, there is an inconvenience that it does not meet the need for reducing the size and weight of the components.

Further, regarding the character / symbol portions 104a and 104b illuminated by the light from the illumination light source 8, since the character / symbol portion 104a is located farther from the illumination light source 8, the illuminance received by the character / symbol portion 104a is increased. Is lower than the illuminance received by the character / symbol portion 104b, so that the luminance of the character / symbol portion 104a emitted from the front side is lower than the luminance of the character / symbol portion 104b emitted from the front side. There was a disadvantage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems and disadvantages of the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide an indicator illuminating device which can be reduced in size, has a uniform display luminance, and has no luminance unevenness. Is to do.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided an indicator illuminating apparatus comprising: a illuminating light source disposed in a housing having a lid provided with a character / symbol plate on which a character / symbol portion is formed. An indicator lighting device for irradiating the character / symbol plate with light from the inside by the light source for illumination, wherein a light amount adjustment substrate is disposed between the character / symbol plate and the light source for illumination, and a peripheral portion of the light amount adjustment substrate and the housing Between the inner peripheral walls, a gap portion through which light rays emitted from the illumination light source can pass is provided, and the area of the gap portion increases as the distance from the illumination light source increases. .

Alternatively, a distance between at least a part of a peripheral portion of the light amount adjusting substrate and an inner peripheral wall of the housing is gradually increased or decreased along the inner peripheral wall. Alternatively, the distance between at least a part of the peripheral edge of the light amount adjustment substrate and the inner peripheral wall of the housing is configured to increase or decrease stepwise along the inner peripheral wall. Alternatively, the inner peripheral wall of the housing is provided with a position regulating rib which is in contact with a part of a peripheral portion of the light quantity adjusting substrate. Alternatively, the light quantity adjusting board is also characterized in that it also serves as a wiring board on which a circuit pattern of a light source for an indicator of the character / symbol portion is provided.

According to the indicator illuminating device of the present invention, the character symbol plate and the illuminating light source are disposed before and after the light amount adjusting substrate and are not disposed on the same layer. Is reduced in size and weight. Further, since the area of the gap between the peripheral edge of the light amount adjustment substrate and the inner peripheral wall of the housing increases as the distance from the illumination light source increases, the intensity of the light beam decreases at a distant position, but the amount of transmitted light Increases, the brightness is maintained, and a uniform and easy-to-view display is performed.

Further, the distance between the peripheral edge of the substrate and the inner peripheral wall of the housing, which forms the gap, is continuously increased or decreased gradually, so that the display luminance can be made uniform with higher accuracy. You. Alternatively, since the distance between the peripheral edge of the substrate and the inner peripheral wall of the housing, which forms the gap, is gradually increased or decreased, the processing cost of the light amount adjustment substrate can be reduced while maintaining uniform display luminance. Done. Alternatively, a position regulating rib that is in contact with the peripheral portion of the light amount adjustment substrate is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the housing, thereby preventing rotation of the light amount adjustment substrate caused when the light amount adjustment substrate is screwed to the housing. Thus, the area of the gap between the peripheral edge of the light amount adjustment substrate and the inner peripheral wall of the housing can be set and maintained at a specific size. Alternatively, the light amount adjustment substrate
The device can be miniaturized because it is also used as the wiring board of the light source for the indicator.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the indicator lighting device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded top view in a state where the character / symbol plate is removed, and FIG. 3 is a top view of the indicator lighting device. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the indicator lighting device.

As shown in these figures, the indicator lighting device 1 according to the present invention comprises a rectangular box-shaped housing 2 and a lid of the housing 2, and a character / symbol portion 4 is formed on the surface so as to be visible. Character board 3, a light amount adjustment board 7 fixed to the locking portion 2 </ b> B inside the housing 2 with screws 11, and mounted and supported on the light amount adjustment board 7 in a line.
A plurality of LED light sources 5 each of which has its upper end visibly exposed through a plurality of through holes provided in a line in the center of the character / symbol plate 3, a light amount adjusting board 7 and a character at both ends. A plurality of rubber tubes 6 that are in contact with the symbol plate 3 and hold the light source 5 for an indicator.
And a light source 8 for illuminating the light intensity adjustment board 7 from below to above, and a light source 5 for the indicator and a light source for illumination by attaching the socket portion 9 to the lower bottom portion of the housing 2. 8 comprises a harness 10 for applying a voltage.

Although not shown, a circuit pattern for driving and driving the light source 5 for the indicator is formed on the light quantity adjusting board 7, and the light quantity adjusting board 7 also serves as a wiring board. Also,
As shown in FIG. 2, the light amount adjustment substrate 7 has a peripheral portion L1.
~ L8. Between these peripheral edges L1 to L8 and the inner peripheral wall 2A of the housing 2, there are provided gaps V1 to V8 through which light rays emitted from the illumination light source 8 can pass. The light beam emitted from the illumination light source 8 passes through the gaps V1 to V8, reaches the character / symbol plate 3, and irradiates the character / symbol part 4 from the back surface. Further, the area of the gaps V1 to V8 is configured to increase as the distance from the illumination light source 8 increases. For example, as shown in the enlarged portion in FIG. 1, the peripheral edge portion L2 located at a distance close to the illumination light source 8 and the gap V2 formed between the inner peripheral wall 2A are narrow, and therefore, the illumination light source 8 located near
Is configured to suppress the amount of relatively intense light passing therethrough. On the other hand, the peripheral portion L7 at a distance far from the illumination light source 8 and the gap V7 formed between the inner peripheral wall 2A are relatively wide, and therefore pass a relatively large amount of relatively weak light rays from the illumination light source 8 at a distance. It is configured to be.

Further, as shown in the peripheral portion L1 of the light amount adjusting substrate 7, the distance between the peripheral portion L1 and the housing inner peripheral wall 2A gradually increases (or gradually decreases) along the inner peripheral wall 2A. You can also. Alternatively, as shown in the peripheral portions L3 to L6, the distance between the peripheral portions L3 to L6 and the housing inner peripheral wall 2A increases stepwise (or decreases stepwise) along the inner peripheral wall 2A. Can also.

On the inner peripheral wall 2A of the housing 2, there are provided a plurality of position regulating ribs 12 which are in contact with a part of the peripheral edges L2, L3, L7 of the light quantity adjusting substrate 7, and the position regulating ribs 12 are provided.
Is rotated by the screw 11 of the light amount adjustment substrate 7,
Each area of the gaps V1 to V8, or the periphery L1
The position is regulated so that the distance between L8 and the inner peripheral wall 2A of the housing 2 is not deviated.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the character / symbol portion 4 formed on the character / symbol plate 3. Either one of the character / symbol plate 3 and the character / symbol portion 4 is configured as a light transmitting type and the other is configured as a light opaque type, or the light transmitting characteristics of both the character / symbol plate 3 and the character / symbol plate 3 adjacent thereto. Are configured to have significant differences. As a result, the character / symbol portion 4 forms an extremely easy-to-view state due to the contrast ratio with the adjacent character / symbol plate 3 or the remarkable luminance difference.

As described above, the indicator lighting device 1
The indicator light source 5 is located above the light amount adjustment substrate 7.
In addition, since the illumination light source 8 is placed below the light amount adjustment substrate 7, the planar dimensions of the housing 2 including the light amount adjustment substrate 7 can be minimized. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the size L1 of the indicator lighting device 1 in the longitudinal direction can be shortened to reduce the size and weight.

Further, the brightness difference of the character / symbol portion 4 illuminated by the light from the illumination light source 8 will be described. The character / symbol portion 4 located farther from the illumination light source 8 has a larger area as described above. As a result of irradiation with a large amount of light passing through a gap portion, for example, V6 or V8 shown in FIG. 2, the luminance emitted from the front side of the character / symbol portion 4 corresponding to the gap portion V6 or V8 does not decrease. On the other hand, the character / symbol portion 4 located closer to the illumination light source 8 is irradiated with a smaller amount of light passing through a void having a smaller area, for example, V2, V3, or V4 shown in FIG. The luminance emitted from the front side of the character / symbol portion 4 at the positions corresponding to the gap portions V2, V3, and V4 is suppressed without protruding. Thus, each character / symbol portion 4 on the character / symbol plate 3
, The luminance emitted from the front side is uniformed, so that high-quality display without unevenness in luminance becomes possible.

As described above, according to the present invention, not only the size and weight can be reduced, but also a substrate which has conventionally been a passive (passive) component having only a circuit pattern can be replaced with an active (passive) component having a light quantity adjusting function. It can be used as an (active) part, and achieves uniform brightness only by simple processing without adding expensive parts, and thus has a great industrial effect.

[0022]

As described above, according to the indicator illuminating device of the present invention, the character / symbol plate and the illuminating light source are disposed on the same layer before and after the light amount adjusting substrate. Since they are not provided, the planar dimensions can be reduced and the weight can be reduced. In addition, since the area of the gap between the peripheral edge of the light intensity adjustment substrate and the inner peripheral wall of the housing increases as the distance from the illumination light source increases, the amount of light passing increases at a distant position where the intensity of the light beam decreases. This makes it possible to realize a display with uniform brightness and easy to see.

Further, the distance between the peripheral edge of the substrate and the inner peripheral wall of the housing, which forms the gap, is gradually increased or decreased continuously, so that the display luminance can be made uniform with higher accuracy. Becomes possible. Alternatively, by making the distance gradually increase or decrease,
The processing cost of the light amount adjustment substrate can be reduced while maintaining uniform display luminance. As described above, it is possible to realize an indicator illuminating device that is small in size and can be reduced in cost, and has uniform display luminance and no luminance unevenness.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of one embodiment of an indicator lighting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded top view of the indicator lighting device shown in FIG. 1 in a state where a character / symbol plate is removed.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the indicator lighting device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the indicator lighting device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional indicator lighting device.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a conventional indicator lighting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indicator illuminating device 2 Housing 3 Character symbol plate 4 Character symbol part 5 Light source for indicator 6 Tube 7 Light intensity adjustment board 8 Light source for illumination 9 Socket part 10 Harness 11 Screw 12 Position control rib V1-V8 Void L1-L8 Peripheral edge

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. An indicator illuminating device in which an illumination light source is disposed in a housing having a character / symbol plate on which a character / symbol portion is formed as a lid, and the character / symbol plate is illuminated from inside by the illumination light source. In the above, a light amount adjustment substrate is disposed between the character symbol plate and the illumination light source, and a gap portion through which light rays emitted by the illumination light source can pass is provided between a peripheral portion of the light amount adjustment substrate and an inner peripheral wall of the housing. Wherein the area of the gap increases as the distance from the illumination light source increases. 2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein a distance between at least a part of a peripheral portion of the light amount adjusting substrate and an inner peripheral wall of the housing gradually increases or decreases along the inner peripheral wall. 2. The indicator lighting device according to 1. 3. A structure in which a distance between at least a part of a peripheral portion of the light amount adjusting substrate and an inner peripheral wall of the housing increases or decreases stepwise along the inner peripheral wall. The indicator lighting device according to claim 1. 4. The indicator lighting device according to claim 1, wherein a position regulating rib is provided on an inner peripheral wall of said housing to abut on a part of a peripheral portion of said light amount adjusting substrate. 5. The indicator illuminating device according to claim 1, wherein the light amount adjusting substrate also serves as a wiring board on which a circuit pattern of an indicator light source in the character / symbol portion is provided.