JP5227618B2 - Ultrasonic motor driven vehicle pointer instrument - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic motor-driven vehicular pointer instrument used in a vehicle speedometer, engine tachometer, and the like.

As examples of a vehicle pointer instrument using an ultrasonic motor as a drive source, those described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are known. In these vehicle pointer instruments described in these patent documents, a stator portion such as a traveling wave type ultrasonic motor or a torsional connector type ultrasonic motor is fixed to a housing, and a pointer is attached to a rotor that rotates by vibration of the stator portion. Are concatenated.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-30995 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-200072

  By the way, when these ultrasonic motors are used as the driving source of the pointer, the vibrating body and rotor constituting the ultrasonic motor are usually made of metal that is resistant to wear. The problem is where the light source for illumination is provided and how light from the light source is guided to the pointer.

  In consideration of the above circumstances, the present invention is for an ultrasonic motor-driven vehicle that can illuminate a pointer with a simple configuration while arranging a light guide path so as not to obstruct the vibrator and rotor of the ultrasonic motor. The purpose is to provide a pointer instrument.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic motor driven vehicular pointer instrument in which a vibrating body which is a stator portion of the ultrasonic motor is fixed to a housing fixed to the dial side, and resonance vibration is caused in the vibrating body. In the ultrasonic motor drive type vehicle pointer instrument that rotates the rotor by transmitting the resonance vibration to the rotor and thereby turns the pointer connected to the rotor, a light guide path is provided at the rotation center position of the rotor. A light source is disposed so as to pass through and face one end of the light guide so that light enters the light guide from the one end, and the proximal end of the pointer is optically connected to the other end of the light guide. A light guide made of a transparent solid material is disposed as the light guide path, and the light guide is integrally formed as a shaft portion of the pointer at a proximal end portion of the pointer. .

A second aspect of the present invention, a vehicular indicating instrument of the ultrasonic motor driven according to claim 1, wherein the vibrator, via an annular body, the spring portion on the inner peripheral side of the annular body A plurality of vibrators projecting from each other and piezo elements provided on the vibrators, and the rotor is inserted into the body of the vibrator so that the vibration is provided on the outer periphery of the rotor. A child is in contact, and the light guide is press-fitted into a through hole formed in the center of the rotor.

A third aspect of the present invention, a vehicular indicating instrument of the ultrasonic motor driven according to claim 2, in the housing, a bearing hole in which the rotor is inserted into the interior of the vibrating body is penetrated rotatably is Provided, and both axial ends of the rotor are positioned in the axial direction by positioning means outside the bearing hole.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the ultrasonic motor-driven vehicular pointer instrument according to the third aspect , wherein the housing includes an upper case and a lower case in which the vibrating body is accommodated and fixed by being combined with each other. The bearing hole is provided in each of the upper case and the lower case.

The invention of claim 5 is a vehicle indicating instrument of the ultrasonic motor driven according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating body is an annular body, through the spring portion on the outer peripheral side of the annular body A plurality of projecting vibrators and piezo elements provided on the vibrators, and the ring-shaped rotor is fitted to the outer periphery of the main body of the vibrator so that the inner circumference of the rotor The vibrator is in contact with the light guide, and the light guide passes through the center of the main body of the vibrator.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the ultrasonic motor-driven vehicular pointer instrument according to the fifth aspect , wherein the housing is configured as a holder having a central through hole and fixing the vibrating body, The light body is rotatably inserted into the central through hole of the holder, and both axial ends of the light guide are positioned in the axial direction by positioning means on both outer sides of the central through hole of the holder. To do.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the light guide path is provided at the rotation center position of the rotor and the light from the light source is guided to the pointer through the light guide path, an ultrasonic motor is employed as the drive mechanism. However, the pointer can be illuminated efficiently. Further, since the light guide path is at the rotation center position of the rotor, the light source, the vibration body of the ultrasonic motor, and the rotor can be laid out without interfering with each other. In particular, a light guide made of a transparent solid material is disposed as a light guide, and the light guide is formed integrally with the base end of the pointer as a shaft portion of the pointer. The structure can be rotated while illuminating the pointer.

According to the invention of claim 2, the ultrasonic motor has an inner rotor structure in which a rotor is arranged on the inner peripheral side of the annular vibrating body, and a through hole is formed in the center of the rotor, Since the light guide configured as the shaft portion of the pointer is press-fitted, the pointer can be efficiently illuminated through the light guide while the rotor and the vibration body are made of metal that is resistant to wear.

According to the invention of claim 3 , since both ends in the axial direction of the rotor are positioned by the positioning means outside the bearing hole of the housing, it is possible to prevent the rotor from coming off and moving and to ensure smooth rotation of the rotor. . Further, since the positioning means is arranged outside the bearing hole of the housing, the assembly can be simplified.

According to the invention of claim 4 , since the rotor is rotatably supported by the bearing holes of the upper case and the lower case, the distance between the bearing holes of both cases can be increased to ensure stable rotation of the rotor. it can. Further, by combining the upper case and the lower case, the vibrating body is accommodated and the rotor is supported, so that the assembly can be simplified.

According to the invention of claim 5, the ultrasonic motor has an outer rotor structure in which a rotor is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the annular vibrating body, and the light guide is passed through the central portion of the main body of the vibrating body. In addition, the pointer can be efficiently illuminated through the light guide while the rotor and the vibrator are made of metal that is resistant to wear.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the light guide configured as the shaft portion of the pointer is rotatably inserted into the center through hole of the holder provided as the housing, and both ends in the axial direction of the light guide are connected to the holder. Positioning in the axial direction by the positioning means on both outer sides of the central through hole makes it possible to stably rotate the light guide without removing or moving the light guide. Moreover, since it is only necessary to arrange the positioning means outside the center through hole of the holder, the assembly can be simplified.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the ultrasonic motor-driven vehicular pointer instrument according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing further details, and FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the vibrator used in the pointer instrument FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part cut at the position of the vibrator, and FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the main part.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle pointer instrument includes a light guide plate 1, a wiring board 2 disposed on the back surface of the light guide plate 1, a dial 3 disposed on the surface of the light guide plate 1, and a dial 3 A pointer 4 that rotates in a plane parallel to the pointer, a pointer shaft portion 5 that is integrally formed at the base end portion of the pointer 4, a pointer cap 6 that covers a bent portion from the pointer shaft portion 5 to the pointer 4, and a pointer The LED 7 mounted on the wiring board 2 so as to face the base end surface 5c of the shaft portion 5 and illuminates the pointer 4 via the pointer shaft portion 5, the vibrating body 10 which is a stator portion of the ultrasonic motor, and the vibrating body 10 And a housing 20 sandwiched between the dial 3 and the light guide plate 1 and a pipe-like rotor 15 press-fitted into the through hole 15c of the pointer shaft portion 5. Here, the light guide plate 1 is for illuminating the characters and scales of the dial 3 from the back side.

  The pointer 4 and the pointer shaft portion 5 are integrally formed of a transparent hard resin material, and the pointer shaft portion 5 is configured as a light guide that guides the light of the LED 7 to the pointer 4, and the rotation center position of the rotor 15 (described later) The rotor 15 is disposed so as to penetrate through the central through hole 15c). Here, since the pointer shaft portion 5 is integrated with the proximal end portion of the pointer 4, the pointer shaft portion 5 as the light guide and the proximal end portion of the pointer 4 are optically connected. . Since the pointer 4 and the pointer shaft portion 5 are orthogonal to each other, the light reflected through the pointer shaft portion 5 is reflected toward the pointer 4 at the bent portion from the pointer shaft portion 5 to the pointer 4. A surface 5d is provided.

  In this pointer instrument for a vehicle, resonance vibration is caused in the vibrating body 10, and the rotor 15 is rotated by transmitting the resonance vibration to the rotor 15, whereby the pointer 4 connected to the tip side of the rotor 15. Turning the. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the vibrating body 10 includes an annular main body 11, a plurality of vibrators 13 projecting from the inner peripheral side of the annular main body 11 via a spring portion 12, and the respective vibrations. And a piezo element 14 provided in the child 13. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the base end side of the rotor 15 is inserted into the vibrating body 10, and the vibrator 13 is in pressure contact with the outer periphery of the rotor 15.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the housing 20 includes an upper case 21 and a lower case 22 that house and fix the vibrating body 10 by being combined with each other. A mounting protrusion 11a (see FIG. 3) formed in the annular main body 11 is fitted into a support protrusion 23 projecting from the upper surface of the member, and the support protrusion 23 is caulked so that it does not rattle on the lower case 22. It is fixed.

  The upper case 21 and the lower case 22 are respectively provided with bearing holes 27 and 26 through which the rotor 15 inserted into the vibrating body 10 passes, and the base end of the rotor 15 is a bearing hole 26 of the lower case 22. , The retaining ring (positioning means) 16 is fitted into the engaging groove 15b on the outer periphery of the base end portion of the rotor 15 to prevent the rotor 15 from coming off upward.

  The lower case 22 has a disc-like shape, and the upper case 21 that covers the lower case 22 includes a flange-shaped portion 24 that covers the upper side of the lower case 22, and a conical cylindrical portion 25 that protrudes above the center portion. As shown in FIG. 1, the conical cylindrical portion 25 is fitted into the center hole 3 a of the dial 3 and protrudes to the surface side of the dial 3. A bearing hole 27 is opened at the center of the conical cylindrical portion 25, and the rotor 15 passes through the bearing hole 27. As shown in FIG. 5, an outer flange 15 a (positioning means) is attached to the tip of the rotor 15, and when the outer flange 15 a hits the upper end of the conical cylindrical portion 25 of the upper case 21, the rotor 15 is Positioned downward.

  In this vehicular pointer instrument, when the piezo element 14 of the vibrating body 10 is driven, the vibrator 13 vibrates and the vibrating body 10 resonates, and the vibration is transmitted to the rotor 15 by friction. The pointer cap 6 and the pointer 4 are rotated. The light from the LED 7 passes through the pointer shaft portion 5 that is a light guide, reaches the pointer 4 while repeating reflection, and illuminates the pointer 4.

  According to the vehicular pointer instrument having the above-described configuration, the guide shaft portion 5 that is a light guide is provided through the through-hole 15c (rotation center position) of the pipe-shaped rotor 15, and the LED 7 is passed through the pointer shaft portion 5. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently illuminate the pointer 4 while adopting an ultrasonic motor as a drive mechanism. Further, since the pointer shaft portion 5 is located at the rotation center position of the rotor 15, the LED 7, the vibrating body 10, and the rotor 15 can be easily laid out without interfering with each other.

  Further, since the light guide for guiding the light of the LED 7 to the pointer 4 is constituted by the pointer shaft portion 5 formed integrally with the pointer 4, the pointer 4 is illuminated with a simple structure while reducing the number of parts. Can be rotated. Further, the ultrasonic motor has an inner rotor structure in which the rotor 15 is arranged on the inner peripheral side of the annular vibrating body 10, a through hole 15 c is formed at the center of the rotor 15, and light is guided to the through hole 15 c. Since the pointer shaft portion 5 made of a body is press-fitted, the pointer 4 can be efficiently illuminated through the pointer shaft portion 5 while the rotor 15 and the vibrating body 10 are made of a metal resistant to wear.

  Furthermore, in the vehicular pointer instrument of the present embodiment, both ends of the rotor 15 in the axial direction are outside the bearing holes 27 and 26 of the upper case 21 and the lower case 22 by the outer flange 15a and the retaining ring 16 (positioning means). Since the positioning is performed, it is possible to prevent the rotor 15 from coming off or moving, and to ensure smooth rotation of the rotor 15. In particular, since the distance between the bearing holes 27 and 26 of the upper case 21 and the lower case 22 is large, the rotor 15 can be stably rotated. In addition, by combining the upper case 21 and the lower case 22, the housing 20 that accommodates the vibrating body 10 and supports the rotor 15 is configured, so that assembly is easy.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an essential part of an ultrasonic motor-driven vehicular pointer instrument according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the details, and FIG. 8 is used in the pointer instrument. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the vibrating body, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part cut at the position of the vibrating body, and FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the main part.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the vehicle pointer instrument includes a light guide plate 1, a wiring board 2 disposed on the back surface of the light guide plate 1, a dial 3 disposed on the surface of the light guide plate 1, and a dial 3 A pointer 4 that rotates in a plane parallel to the pointer, a pointer shaft portion 5 that is integrally formed at the base end portion of the pointer 4, a pointer cap 6 that covers a bent portion from the pointer shaft portion 5 to the pointer 4, and a pointer The LED 7 mounted on the wiring board 2 so as to face the base end surface 5c of the shaft portion 5 and illuminates the pointer 4 via the pointer shaft portion 5, the vibrating body 30 which is a stator portion of the ultrasonic motor, and the vibrating body 30 And a vibrating body holder (housing) 40 sandwiched between the dial 3 and the light guide plate 1, and a ring-shaped rotor 35 press-fitted into the inner periphery of the skirt portion of the pointer cap 6.

  The pointer 4 and the pointer shaft portion 5 are integrally formed of a transparent hard resin material, and the pointer shaft portion 5 is configured as a light guide that guides the light of the LED 7 to the pointer 4 and is a vibrating body that is the rotation center of the rotor 35. The holder 40 is disposed through the center. Here, since the pointer shaft portion 5 is integrated with the proximal end portion of the pointer 4, the pointer shaft portion 5 as the light guide and the proximal end portion of the pointer 4 are optically connected. . Since the pointer 4 and the pointer shaft portion 5 are orthogonal to each other, the light reflected through the pointer shaft portion 5 is reflected toward the pointer 4 at the bent portion from the pointer shaft portion 5 to the pointer 4. A surface 5d is provided.

  In this pointer instrument for a vehicle, resonance vibration is caused in the vibrating body 30, and the rotor 35 is rotated by transmitting the resonance vibration to the rotor 35, so that the rotor 35 and the pointer cap 6 are integrally connected. Turn needle 4 Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the vibrating body 30 includes an annular main body 31, a plurality of vibrators 33 projecting from the outer peripheral side of the annular main body 31 via spring portions 32, and the vibrators. And a piezo element 34 provided at 33. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a ring-shaped rotor 35 is fitted on the outer periphery of the vibrating body 30, and the vibrator 33 is pressed against the inner periphery of the rotor 35.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, a central boss portion 42 projects from the center of the upper surface of the disc-shaped holder 40, and a central through hole 41 is formed at the center of the central boss portion 42. A support protrusion 43 is provided around the central boss portion 42, and the vibrating body 30 has an attachment hole formed in the annular main body 31 in the support protrusion 23 with the annular main body 31 fitted in the central boss portion 42. By fixing 31a (see FIG. 8) and caulking the support protrusion 23, the holder 40 is firmly fixed so as not to rattle. Further, on the upper surface of the holder 40, a fitting step portion 44 having a small step is provided concentrically with the central boss portion 42, and when this fitting step portion 44 is fitted into the center hole 3a of the dial 3, Positioned with the dial 3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the pointer shaft portion 5 configured as a light guide is rotatably inserted into the central through hole 41 of the holder 40, and a step portion 5 b (positioning means) on the tip side is provided on the holder 40. Positioned downward by hitting the upper end of the central boss portion 42, and when the base end side penetrates the central through hole 41 of the holder 40, a retaining ring (positioning means) 16 is placed in the engagement groove 35 a on the outer periphery of the base end. It is prevented from slipping upward by fitting.

  In this vehicular pointer instrument, when the piezo element 34 of the vibrating body 30 is driven, the vibrator 33 vibrates and the vibrating body 30 resonates, and the vibration is transmitted to the rotor 35 by friction. The pointer cap 6 and the pointer 4 are rotated. The light from the LED 7 passes through the pointer shaft portion 5 that is a light guide, reaches the pointer 4 while repeating reflection, and illuminates the pointer 4.

  According to the vehicular pointer instrument having the above-described configuration, the pointer shaft portion 5 that is a light guide is inserted into the center through hole 41 (rotation center position of the rotor 35) of the holder 40 to which the annular vibrating body 30 is fixed. Since the light from the LED 7 is guided to the pointer 4 through the pointer shaft portion 5, the pointer 4 can be efficiently illuminated while adopting an ultrasonic motor as a drive mechanism. Further, since the pointer shaft portion 5 is located at the rotation center position of the rotor 15, the LED 7, the vibrating body 10, and the rotor 15 can be easily laid out without interfering with each other.

  Further, since the light guide for guiding the light of the LED 7 to the pointer 4 is constituted by the pointer shaft portion 5 formed integrally with the pointer 4, the pointer 4 is illuminated with a simple structure while reducing the number of parts. Can be rotated. Further, the ultrasonic motor has an outer rotor structure in which a ring-shaped rotor 35 is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the annular vibrating body 30, and penetrates the pointer shaft portion 5 made of a light guide inside the annular vibrating body 30. Thus, the pointer 4 can be efficiently illuminated through the pointer shaft portion 5 while the rotor 35 and the vibrating body 30 are made of a metal resistant to wear.

  Further, in the vehicle pointer instrument of the present embodiment, the pointer shaft portion 5 is rotatably inserted into the center through hole 41 of the holder 40 provided as a housing, and both axial ends of the pointer shaft portion 5 are connected to the holder 40. Since the stepped portion 5b and the retaining ring 16 are positioned in the axial direction on both outer sides of the central through hole 41, the pointer shaft portion 5 can be stably rotated without the needle shaft portion 5 being detached or moved. Moreover, since it is only necessary to arrange the stepped portion 5b and the retaining ring 16 outside the center through hole 41 of the holder 40, the assembly can be simplified.

  In the first and second embodiments, the housings 20 and 40 to which the ultrasonic motor vibrating bodies 10 and 30 are fixed are disposed between the light guide plate 1 and the dial plate 3 and separated from the wiring board 2. Since the wiring board 2 and the vibrators 10 and 30 need to be electrically connected using a connector or the like, the housings 20 and 40 may be directly mounted on the wiring board 2. However, since various components may be mounted on the wiring board 2, the housings 20 and 40 to which the vibrating bodies 10 and 30 are fixed are not directly mounted on the wiring board 2 as in the above-described embodiment. However, it is preferable in securing the degree of freedom of layout on the wiring board 2. If it does so, since it becomes possible to attach the light source for illumination (for example, various types of light sources and a plurality of light sources) on the wiring board 2, it is possible to improve the illumination efficiency.

  Moreover, in the said 1st Embodiment, although the housing 20 is comprised by two components, the upper case 21 and the lower case 22, the bearing hole 26 of the lower case 22 is comprised as what is long in an axial direction, and the bearing If the rotor 15 can be stably supported only by the holes 26, the upper case 21 can be omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the pointer shaft portion 5 is provided as a light guide disposed at the rotation center position of the rotor 35. However, if the pointer cap 6 is directly fitted to the holder 40 so as to be freely rotatable. The pointer shaft portion 5 can be omitted. In such a case, the light guide body, which is a transparent solid part, is not provided through the rotation center position of the rotor 35, but a simple cavity is provided as a light guide path through the rotation center position of the rotor 35, and the LED 7 passes through the cavity. And the light incident surface of the base end portion of the pointer 4 may be made to face each other.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the principal part of the ultrasonic motor drive type pointer instrument for vehicles of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is an exploded view shown in more detail. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the vibrating body used for the pointer instrument. It is a cross-sectional view which cuts and shows the principal part at the position of a vibrating body. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the principal part of the pointer instrument for the vehicles. It is a disassembled perspective view of the principal part of the ultrasonic motor drive type pointer instrument for vehicles of a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view shown further finely. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the vibrating body used for the pointer instrument. It is a cross-sectional view which cuts and shows the principal part at the position of a vibrating body. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the principal part of the pointer instrument for the vehicles.

Explanation of symbols

3 Dial 4 Pointer 5 Pointer shaft (light guide)
5b Step (positioning means)
7 LED (light source)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vibrating body 11 Annular main body 12 Spring part 13 Vibrator 14 Piezo element 15 Rotor 15a Outer casing (positioning means)
15c Through hole 16 Retaining ring (positioning means)
20 Housing 21 Upper case 22 Lower case 26, 27 Bearing hole 30 Vibrating body 31 Annular body 32 Spring portion 33 Vibrator 34 Piezo element 35 Rotor 40 Holder (housing)
41 Center through hole

Claims (6)

A vibrating body, which is a stator part of an ultrasonic motor, is fixed to a housing fixed to the dial side, the resonant vibration is caused in the vibrating body, and the rotor is rotated by transmitting the resonant vibration to the rotor. In an ultrasonic motor-driven vehicular pointer instrument that rotates a pointer connected to the rotor by
A light source is provided at the rotational center position of the rotor so as to penetrate through the light guide, facing one end of the light guide, and a light source is disposed so that light enters the light guide from the one end, and the other end of the light guide the base end portion of the pointer is optically connected to,
An ultrasonic motor drive characterized in that a light guide body made of a transparent solid material is disposed as the light guide path, and the light guide body is formed integrally with a proximal end portion of the pointer as a shaft portion of the pointer. Type vehicle pointer instrument. An ultrasonic motor-driven vehicular pointer instrument according to claim 1,
The vibrator is composed of an annular main body, a plurality of vibrators protruding from the inner peripheral side of the annular main body via springs, and piezoelectric elements provided on the vibrators, By inserting the rotor inside the main body of the vibrator, the vibrator is in contact with the outer periphery of the rotor, and the light guide is press-fitted into a through hole formed at the center of the rotor . An ultrasonic motor drive type pointer instrument for vehicles. An ultrasonic motor-driven vehicular pointer instrument according to claim 2,
The housing is provided with a bearing hole through which a rotor inserted into the vibrating body is rotatably penetrated, and both axial ends of the rotor are positioned in the axial direction by positioning means outside the bearing hole . An ultrasonic motor drive type pointer instrument for vehicles. An ultrasonic motor-driven vehicular pointer instrument according to claim 3,
Ultrasonic said housing is composed of an upper case and lower case for accommodating fixing the vibrator by coalescing with each other, wherein the bearing hole each of these upper and lower cases are found provided Motor-driven vehicle pointer instrument. An ultrasonic motor-driven vehicular pointer instrument according to claim 1 ,
The vibrating body includes an annular main body, a plurality of vibrators projecting from the outer peripheral side of the annular main body via springs, and piezoelectric elements provided on the vibrators, and the vibration When the ring-shaped rotor is fitted to the outer periphery of the body body, the vibrator is in contact with the inner periphery of the rotor, and the light guide body passes through the center of the body of the vibration body . An ultrasonic motor drive type pointer instrument for vehicles. An ultrasonic motor-driven vehicular pointer instrument according to claim 5 ,
The housing is configured as a holder having a center through-hole and fixing the vibrating body, the light guide is rotatably inserted into the center through-hole of the holder, and both axial ends of the light guide are An ultrasonic motor-driven vehicular pointer instrument characterized by being positioned in the axial direction by positioning means on both outer sides of the center through hole of the holder .

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