JP6897346B2 - Display device - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a display device including a light emitting unit.

Patent Document 1 discloses an instrument in which a light emitting portion is arranged on the outer periphery of a dial as a kind of display device. The light emitting unit emits light by supplying illumination light from the light source. In the display device provided with such a light emitting unit, a light guide path from the back side to the front direction is provided in order to guide the illumination light from the light source.

Japanese Patent No. 5816042

By providing the light emitting portion as described in Patent Document 1 between the two display regions, it is possible to form a light emitting edge portion that separates the two display regions. In a display device provided with such a light emitting edge portion, an outlet opening of a light guide path is formed between two display regions. The outlet opening is formed in an opening area that can guide the illumination light to the light emitting edge. Therefore, the apparent distance between the two display areas may need to be separated so that an aperture area capable of guiding the illumination light is secured.

The present disclosure has been made based on this circumstance, and the purpose of the present disclosure is to look at the user even if the first display area and the second display area are separated by the light emitting edge portion. An object of the present invention is to provide a display device capable of arranging two display areas close to each other.

The above object is achieved by a combination of the features described in the independent claims, and the sub-claims provide for further advantageous embodiments of the present disclosure. The reference numerals in parentheses described in the claims indicate, as one embodiment, the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. ..

The present disclosure for achieving the above object is a display device in which a first display area and a second display area for displaying information are formed, and is located between the first display area and the second display area adjacent to each other. A light emitting member provided with a light emitting edge portion that separates the first display area and the second display area, a light source that emits illumination light that emits the light emitting edge portion, and the back surface of the first display area and the second display area. It includes a path forming body that is located in the direction and forms a light guide path that guides the illumination light emitted from the light source toward the back surface of the light emitting edge portion, and the path forming body is larger than the second display area. A stepped surface portion is formed between the first display area and the second display area so that the first display area is arranged at a position protruding in the front direction, and an outlet opening of the light guide path is formed on the stepped surface portion. cage, the light emitting member includes a contact portion in contact with the second display region, channel formation member, compared second display region protruding in the front direction, that form a shielding portion for shielding the illumination light toward the contact portion.

According to the above configuration, the path forming body arranges the first display area at a position protruding in the front direction from the second display area. Therefore, the outlet opening of the light guide path that guides the illumination light to the light emitting edge portion can be formed in the stepped surface portion between the first display region and the second display region. In this way, if the exit opening is formed in the stepped surface portion that is inclined with respect to the first display area and the second display area, the first display area and the second display area that are visually adjacent to each other from the user's point of view. The opening area of the outlet opening can be secured even if the distance between the two is not large. Therefore, even in a display device in which the first display area and the second display area are separated by the light emitting edge portion, the two display areas can be arranged close to each other in terms of appearance from the user.

It is a figure which shows a part of the appearance of the display device 1. It is a figure which cut out and showed the member which forms the display surface 100 about the range II part of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III cut surface of FIG. It is a figure which shows the appearance of the display device 1 which removed the 2nd display board 121. It is a figure which shows the appearance of the display device 1 which removed the 2nd display board 121 and the light emitting member 130. It is a figure which shows the structure of the light emitting edge portion 131 in the back direction. This is another example of a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III cut surface of FIG.

Hereinafter, the display device 1 as the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The appearance of the display device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The display device 1 is a so-called combination meter. The display device 1 displays vehicle information to the user seated in the driver's seat, that is, the driver. The display device 1 is provided at a position facing the driver's seat of the instrument panel with the display surface 100 facing the driver's seat. A first display area 110, a second display area 120, and a light emitting edge portion 131 are formed on the display surface 100.

Hereinafter, the direction perpendicular to the display surface 100 and toward the driver from the display surface 100 is expressed as the front direction. Further, the direction perpendicular to the display surface 100 and opposite to the front direction is expressed as the back direction.

The first display area 110 is a circular area surrounded by the light emitting edge 131. In the first display area 110, a meter display is formed by the first display board 111 and the pointer 112. The first display plate 111 is a disk-shaped member formed of a translucent resin. The translucent resin is, for example, a polycarbonate resin or an acrylic resin. The front surface of the first display plate 111 forms the appearance of the first display region 110. The first display plate 111 is partially printed with a light-shielding property or a semipermeable membrane. The illumination light supplied from the back direction of the first display board 111 is partially shaded or dimmed by the printing applied to the first display board 111 and emitted in the front direction. As a result, the first display board 111 displays a numerical value or a scale visually recognized by the driver as a so-called dial.

The pointer 112 is a member that indicates a numerical value or a scale displayed on the first display plate 111 by being driven by a motor. By indicating the numerical value or scale displayed on the first display board 111 by the pointer 112, for example, the vehicle speed is displayed to the driver as a meter display.

The second display area 120 is an area outside the light emitting edge portion 131 in terms of appearance from the driver. An image display unit 122 and a warning display unit 123 are formed in the second display area 120. The appearance of the second display area 120 is formed by the second display plate 121. The second display plate 121 is a plate-shaped member formed of a translucent resin like the first display plate 111. The front surface of the second display board 121 forms the appearance of the second display area 120. The area of the second display board 121 excluding the image display unit 122 and the warning display unit 123 is printed with a light-shielding property.

The image display unit 122 is a display unit that displays an image for presenting various information to the driver. The image display unit 122 is realized by the display 124 described later. The warning display unit 123 is a display unit that gives various warnings to the driver. The warning display unit 123 is formed by light-shielding printing on the second display plate 121. Specifically, it is formed by being printed so that the unprinted portion can be visually recognized as a mark indicating the content to be warned. The warning display unit 123 is illuminated by a light source provided in the back direction of the second display board 121, so that the warning display unit 123 lights up as a mark indicating the content of the warning. As a result, the warning display unit 123 gives various warnings by the lit mark. The light emitting edge 131 emits light in an annular shape on the display surface 100. The light emitting edge portion 131 separates the first display area 110 and the second display area 120 from the appearance of the driver.

Next, the details of the mechanical configuration of the display device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. In addition to the above-mentioned first display plate 111 and second display plate 121, the display device 1 includes a light emitting member 130, a diffuser plate 113, a display 124, a front case 140, a bulb cover 114, a light guide ring 115, and a circuit board 116. It has a back case 160.

The first display board 111 is arranged in the front direction with respect to the second display board 121. The second display board 121 is formed with a meter opening 125 at a position corresponding to the first display area 110. A plurality of members forming the first display area 110 are arranged inside the meter opening 125.

The light emitting member 130 is an annular member that straddles the gap between the first display plate 111 and the second display plate 121. The light emitting member 130 is arranged so as to be in contact with both the front surface of the first display plate 111 and the front surface of the second display plate 121. The light emitting member 130 is composed of a translucent base material 132 and a light shielding layer 133. The light emitting member 130 is formed in a ring-shaped external shape including a front surface portion 136, an inner peripheral side wall 137, and an outer peripheral side wall 138. The light emitting member 130 is formed with a light emitting edge portion 131, an introduction portion 135, a contact portion 134, and the like. The translucent base material 132 is an annular member formed of a translucent resin. The external shape of the light emitting member 130 is formed by the translucent base material 132.

The light-shielding layer 133 blocks light. The light-shielding layer 133 is provided on the surface of the translucent base material 132 in a region that limits the emission of illumination light. The light-shielding layer 133 is a metal film provided on the surface of the translucent base material 132 by, for example, plating or thin-film deposition. The vapor-deposited surface of the light-shielding layer 133 in contact with the translucent base material 132 reflects the illumination light to shield the illumination light toward the outside of the translucent base material 132.

The front surface portion 136 is an annular surface portion arranged in the front direction of the gap between the first display plate 111 and the second display plate 121 with one surface of the surface facing the front direction. The inner peripheral side wall 137 is an annular wall portion that extends in the rearward direction from the inner circumference of the front portion 136 and is in contact with the front surface of the first display plate 111. The outer peripheral side wall 138 is an annular wall portion that extends from the outer periphery of the front surface portion 136 in the rearward direction and is in contact with the front surface of the second display plate 121. Since the first display plate 111 is arranged in the front direction with respect to the second display plate 121, the outer peripheral side wall 138 has a shape extending longer in the back direction than the inner peripheral side wall 137.

The light emitting edge portion 131 is a portion of the portion of the surface of the translucent base material 132 that is not provided with the light-shielding layer 133, which is formed on the surface of the front portion 136 facing the front direction and is visible from the front direction. The light emitting edge portion 131 emits light by emitting illumination light.

The introduction portion 135 is a portion of the surface of the translucent base material 132 that is not provided with the light-shielding layer 133 and that faces the outlet opening 152, which will be described later. The introduction unit 135 introduces the illumination light from the outlet opening 152 into the translucent base material 132. The contact portion 134 is a portion of the light emitting member 130 that comes into contact with the second display plate 121 of the outer peripheral side wall 138.

The diffuser plate 113 is a plate-shaped member that diffuses the illumination light supplied to the first display plate 111. Therefore, the thickness Th of the diffuser plate 113 is determined so that the illumination light supplied to the first display plate 111 is sufficiently diffused and the unevenness of light emission of the first display plate 111 is suppressed. The thickness Th may be, for example, 1.5 mm. The diffuser plate 113 is realized by a translucent resin to which a function of diffusing light is added, for example, by forming minute irregularities on the surface.

The display 124 is a device that forms the image display unit 122. The display 124 is realized by, for example, a TFT liquid crystal panel made of a thin film transistor (TFT).

The front case 140 is a member located in the back direction of the second display plate 121. The front case 140 together with the second display plate 121 form the appearance shape of the second display area 120. The front case 140 is formed of, for example, a white ABS resin or a polypropylene resin. A meter arrangement hole 141 is formed in a portion of the front case 140 corresponding to the first display area 110. The meter arrangement hole 141 is arranged so as to extend in the rearward direction from the meter opening 125. A plurality of members forming the first display area 110 are arranged in the meter arrangement hole 141.

The front case 140 forms a shielding portion 142 projecting in the front direction with respect to the second display plate 121 forming the second display area 120. The length of the shielding portion 142 protruding from the second display plate 121 is a length that leaves room for forming an outlet opening 152, which will be described later, in the front direction of the shielding portion 142. The shielding portion 142 is formed so as to surround the meter arrangement hole 141 over the entire circumference of the meter arrangement hole 141. Since the shielding portion 142 projects in the front direction with respect to the second display region 120, the shielding portion 142 shields the illumination light traveling to the contact portion 134 along the second display region 120.

The bulb cover 114 is a member that surrounds a light source for causing the first display plate 111 to emit light. The bulb cover 114 suppresses mixing of the illumination light for causing the first display plate 111 to emit light and the illumination light for causing the light emitting edge portion 131 to emit light. Therefore, the valve cover 114 is made of a light-shielding material. The valve cover 114 is made of white ABS resin, polypropylene resin, or the like, like the front case 140, for example. The bulb cover 114 is provided so as to extend in the rearward direction from between the first display plate 111 and the light emitting edge portion 131.

The valve cover 114 and the front case 140 correspond to the path forming body of the claim. Therefore, the valve cover 114 and the front case 140 form the stepped surface portion 151, the light guide path 150, and the outlet opening 152.

First, the configuration forming the stepped surface portion 151 will be described. The valve cover 114 is formed so as to arrange the first display plate 111 at a position protruding in the front direction from the second display plate 121. As a result, the first display area 110 is arranged at a position protruding in the front direction from the second display area 120. The distance protruding from the second display plate 121 is determined so that the stepped surface portion 151 that can secure the opening area of the outlet opening 152, which will be described later, is formed. As an example, the valve cover 114 is arranged so that the first display plate 111 projects 5 mm from the second display plate 121.

The stepped surface portion 151 is formed between the first display area 110 and the second display area 120 due to the configuration in which the first display plate 111 is arranged at a position protruding in the front direction from the second display plate 121. It is the side that is. The stepped surface portion 151 is a surface extending in the front direction from the inner circumference of the meter opening 125 and reaching the outer periphery of the first display plate 111. Therefore, the stepped surface portion 151 is formed along the front direction.

The configuration for forming the light guide path 150 and the outlet opening 152 will be described. The valve cover 114 has a shape in which a conical base surface portion 114a and a cylindrical portion 114b are combined. The truncated cone surface portion 114a has a shape that forms the peripheral surface of the truncated cone that extends toward the back surface and gradually decreases in diameter with the first display plate 111 as the bottom surface. The cylindrical portion 114b has a cylindrical shape extending from the end portion of the conical base surface portion 114a in the back surface direction toward the back surface direction.

Therefore, the outer surface of the conical base surface portion 114a is formed so as to be separated from the inner surface of the stepped surface portion 151 and the meter arrangement hole 141 toward the back surface direction. Further, the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 114b is formed away from the inner surface of the meter arrangement hole 141.

The light guide path 150 is a space between the inner surface of the meter arrangement hole 141 and the outer surface of the conical base surface portion 114a and the cylindrical portion 114b. The outlet opening 152 is a region of the stepped surface portion 151 between the outer surface of the conical base surface portion 114a and the inner surface of the meter arrangement hole 141.

The light guide ring 115 is arranged in the back direction of the light guide path 150. The light guide ring 115 is a member that supplies illumination light over the entire circumference of the light emitting member 130 via the light guide path 150. The light guide ring 115 is formed in an annular shape by a translucent resin. The light guide ring 115 introduces illumination light from the rear direction. The light guide ring 115 emits the illumination light introduced at least toward the front direction.

The circuit board 116 is a member in which a circuit is formed by providing a conductor pattern made of copper or the like and an electronic component on an insulating base material such as resin or ceramics formed in a plate shape. The electronic components provided on the circuit board 116 include a light source 118 that supplies illumination light to the light guide ring 115. The light source 118 emits illumination light by receiving electric power through a conductor pattern. As the light source 118, for example, a light emitting diode is used.

The back case 160 is a member that covers the circuit board 116 from the back direction and forms the appearance shape of the display device 1 in the back direction. The back case 160 is made of white ABS resin, polypropylene resin, or the like, like the front case, for example.

[Summary of Embodiment]
According to the above-described embodiment, the light guide ring 115 emits the illumination light supplied from the light source 118 in the front direction over the entire circumference. The illumination light emitted from the light guide ring 115 is guided by a light guide path 150 formed in the front direction of the light guide ring 115. The illumination light is guided directly toward the outlet opening 152 or reflected by the inner wall of the light guide path 150, and is emitted from the outlet opening 152.

The illumination light emitted from the outlet opening 152 is introduced into the translucent base material 132 from the introduction unit 135. The introduced illumination light is directly reflected by the light-shielding layer 133 or directed toward the light emitting edge 131, and is emitted from the light emitting edge 131. The illumination light is guided to the light emitting edge portion 131 by the above path, and causes the light emitting edge portion 131 to emit light. As a result, the display device 1 has a configuration in which the first display area 110 and the second display area 120 are divided by a light emitting edge portion 131 that emits light by illumination light.

On the other hand, the valve cover 114 and the front case 140 arrange the first display area 110 at a position protruding in the front direction from the second display area 120. As a result, the outlet opening of the light guide path 150 that guides the illumination light to the light emitting edge portion 131 can be formed in the stepped surface portion 151 formed between the first display region and the second display region. At this time, the stepped surface portion 151 is in an inclined posture with respect to the first display area 110 and the second display area 120. By forming the outlet opening 152 on such a stepped surface portion 151, the opening area of the exit opening 152 is not significantly separated from the first display area 110 and the second display area 120 which are apparently adjacent to each other from the user's point of view. Can be secured. As a result, the display device 1 has a configuration in which two display areas are brought close to each other.

Therefore, the display device 1 has a configuration in which the first display area 110 and the second display area 120 are separated by the light emitting edge portion 131, and the two display areas are brought close to each other in terms of appearance from the driver.

Further, the valve cover 114 and the front case 140 form a stepped surface portion 151 along the front direction. This makes it possible to reduce the apparent area of the outlet opening 152 formed on the outside of the stepped surface portion 151. Therefore, it is possible to make the distance between the two display areas closer in appearance from the driver.

The apparent distance between the first display area 110 and the second display area 120 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. On the display surface 100 with the second display board 121 removed, the display 124 forming the image display unit 122 and the first display board 111 are close to each other as shown in FIG. Further, the light emitting member 130 is arranged so as to partially cover the front direction of the display 124.

On the display surface 100 in a state where the light emitting member 130 is removed in addition to the second display plate 121, the first display plate 111 and the front case 140 are apparently adjacent to each other as shown in FIG. As a result, the display surface 100 has a configuration in which the apparent distance between the first display area 110 and the second display area 120 is shortened.

In the present embodiment, the front case 140 forms a shielding portion 142 projecting from the second display area 120 in the viewing direction. The shielding portion 142 shields the illumination light toward the contact portion 134 along the second display area 120. Therefore, the shielding portion 142 can suppress light leakage from between the contact portion 134 and the second display area 120.

In the present embodiment, the light-shielding layer 133 blocks the illumination light toward the outside of the translucent base material 132 by reflecting the illumination light. Therefore, the light-shielding layer suppresses the attenuation of the illumination light inside the light emitting member 130 due to the light-shielding. Therefore, the light emitting member 130 can suppress a decrease in the amount of light emitted from the light emitting edge 131 even when the amount of illumination light introduced into the translucent base material 132 is large. is there. That is, the light emitting member 130 can suppress a decrease in the amount of emitted light even when the amount of light introduced in the front direction is small.

In the present embodiment, the display device 1 is configured to emit light from the light emitting edge portion 131 formed in the front direction of the second display plate 121 by the light guide path 150. The light guide path 150 is formed as a space between the inner surface of the meter arrangement hole 141 and the outer surface of the conical base surface portion 114a and the cylindrical portion 114b. Therefore, the display device 1 can make the light emitting edge 131 emit light without arranging a special light guide member having a shape extending to the light emitting edge 131 in the back direction of the second display area 120. Therefore, the display device 1 can suppress the limitation of the design of the display surface 100 due to the arrangement of the light guide member located in the back direction of the display surface 100.

The arrangement of the constituent members with respect to the display surface 100 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The light guide ring 115 is arranged so as to be located inside the meter arrangement hole 141 when viewed from the front direction. Further, the light guide path 150 is formed inside the meter arrangement hole 141. As described above, the configuration for causing the light emitting edge portion 131 to emit light is not arranged in the back direction of the second display plate 121, but is arranged in the back direction of the first display plate 111.

When the valve cover 114 and the front case 140 forming the light guide path 150 are made of white resin, the inner wall of the light guide path 150 is also white. Therefore, the illumination light guided by the light guide path 150 is diffusely reflected by the inner wall of the light guide path 150 and heads toward the outlet opening 152. As a result, the attenuation of the illumination light to be guided is suppressed. Further, the illumination light is diffused, and the light emission unevenness of the light emitting edge portion 131 is suppressed.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the following modifications are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. Various changes can be made within the range that does not deviate. In the following description, the elements having the same number as the codes used so far are the same as the elements having the same code in the previous embodiments, unless otherwise specified. Further, when only a part of the configuration is described, the embodiment described above can be applied to the other parts of the configuration.

<Modification example 1>
In the embodiment, the valve cover 114 has an external shape that is a combination of a truncated cone shape and a cylindrical shape. Further, the front case 140 formed a shielding portion 142. However, the external shape of the valve cover 114 and the shape of the front case 140 are not limited to this as long as the light guide path 150 that forms the stepped surface portion 151 and the outlet opening 152 can be formed in the stepped surface portion 151.

Another example of the external shape of the valve cover 114 and the shape of the front case 140 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the external shape of the valve cover 114 may be a shape that gradually separates from the front case 140 toward the rear surface. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the front case 140 may have a shape that does not have a portion protruding in the front direction from the second display area 120, that is, does not form a shielding portion 142.

Further, in the embodiment, the light-shielding layer 133 is a metal film, but the configuration of the light-shielding layer 133 is not limited to this as long as the illumination light can be blocked. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the light-shielding layer 133 may be composed of the paint layer 133a and the metal layer 133b. The paint layer 133a is a black paint arranged on the surface of the translucent base material 132. The metal layer 133b is a metal film similar to the light-shielding layer 133 in the embodiment, which is provided on the surface of the paint layer 133a by plating, vapor deposition, or the like. That is, the coating layer 133a is additionally provided between the translucent base material 132 and the metal film. The paint layer 133a can suppress light leakage from the light-shielding layer 133.

Further, a diffusion layer 139 that diffuses illumination light may be provided on the surface of the translucent base material 132. The diffusion layer 139 is formed, for example, by subjecting a so-called graining process to provide fine irregularities on the surface. The diffusion layer 139 is provided, for example, in the introduction portion 135, which is located in the back surface direction of the light emitting edge portion 131. The diffusion layer 139 can suppress light emission unevenness of the light emitting edge portion 131.

1: Display device 100: Display surface 110: First display area 111: First display plate 112: Pointer 113: Diffuse plate 114: Valve cover 114a: Conical base surface portion 114b: Cylindrical portion 115: Light guide ring 116: Circuit board 118 : Light source 120: Second display area 121: Second display board 122: Image display unit 123: Warning display unit 124: Display 130: Light emitting member 131: Light emitting edge portion 132: Translucent base material 133: Light shielding layer 134: Contact portion 135: Introductory part 140: Front case 141: Meter placement hole 142: Shielding part 150: Light guide path 151: Stepped surface part 152: Exit opening 160: Rear case

Claims (3)

A display device (1) in which a first display area (110) and a second display area (120) for displaying information are formed.
A light emitting member (130) located between the first display area and the second display area adjacent to each other and provided with a light emitting edge portion (131) that separates the first display area and the second display area. ,
A light source (118) that emits illumination light that emits light at the light emitting edge, and
It is located in the back direction of the first display area and the second display area, and forms a light guide path (150) that guides the illumination light emitted from the light source toward the back side of the light emitting edge portion. With path forming bodies (114, 140),
The path forming body has a stepped surface portion (151) between the first display area and the second display area so that the first display area is arranged at a position protruding in the front direction from the second display area. Is forming
The outlet opening (152) of the light guide path is formed on the stepped surface portion .
The light emitting member includes a contact portion (134) in contact with the second display region.
The channel formation member is protruded to the front direction relative to the second display region, the display that form a shield portion (142) for shielding the illumination light toward the contact portion device. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the path forming body forms the stepped surface portion along the front direction. The light emitting member is
A translucent base material (132) that has translucency and that introduces the illumination light and emits it in the front direction.
A light-shielding layer (133) provided in a region of the surface of the translucent base material that restricts the emission of the illumination light, and shields the illumination light toward the outside of the translucent base material by reflection of the illumination light. The display device according to claim 1 or 2.

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