JP7625870B2 - Instrumentation - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an instrument device, and in particular to an instrument device mounted on a vehicle.

Instrument devices including a speedometer, tachometer, etc. are arranged on the instrument panel of a vehicle. The illumination light from these instruments may be reflected on the windshield or side windows, interfering with the driver's visibility from the vehicle window, especially at night. For this reason, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, conventional instrument devices have a film structured with a row of fine louver-shaped light-shielding members called a light control film attached to the front of the display panel of the instrument device in order to provide visibility to the illumination light from the instrument device.

JP 2009-008592 A

However, when a light control film is placed on the front of a display board, there is a problem in that the light-blocking louvers appear as black streaks (so-called louver visibility).

Therefore, this disclosure has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to reduce the visibility of louvers in instrument devices equipped with light control films.

The instrument device of the present invention comprises light sources 42, 43, a transparent display panel 1 arranged in front of the light sources 42, 43, and light control films 61, 62 arranged between the light sources 42, 43 and the display panel 1 and configured with light-shielding members 611b, 621b arranged in a louver shape, and has semi-transparent layers 713, 723 between the light sources 42, 43 and the light control films 61, 62, and the semi-transparent layers 713, 723 are the same color as the light-shielding layer 13 formed on the display panel 1.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an instrument device illustrating an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. 2 . 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the display panel and the louvers of the LCF as viewed from the arrow C in FIG. 2 . FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part D in FIG. 2 . FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part E in FIG. 2 . 3 is a diagram showing the relationship of the louvers of the LCF of the pointer as viewed from the arrow F in FIG. 2 .

This disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7, taking as an example a case where the present disclosure is applied to a vehicle instrument (so-called meter) mounted on a vehicle instrument device. The vehicle instrument device can be applied to a vehicle instrument device mounted on a moving object such as an automobile or motorcycle, or an agricultural or construction machine.

In the following explanation, the direction in which the driver seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle is viewed from the instrument device 100 (the display panel 1 side) is referred to as the "front" and the opposite side (the circuit board 4 side) is referred to as the "rear", and these are indicated by the arrows "Fr." and "Re." in the figure. In addition, "up," "down," "left," and "right" are appropriately explained as the arrows "To.", "Bo.", "L," and "R" in the figure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the instrument device 100 has a speedometer SP that indicates the vehicle's traveling speed by pointing the indicator portion 14 of the display panel 1 with a needle 2, and a tachometer TA that indicates the engine RPMs. Between the speedometer SP and the tachometer TA, the instrument device 100 has an image display portion DP that displays various vehicle information such as mileage, fuel consumption, and time on a liquid crystal display panel (display) 5. The instrument device 100 has multiple warning lights WA such as turn signals.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the instrument device 100 is composed of at least a display panel 1, a pointer 2, a case 3, a circuit board 4, a liquid crystal display panel 5, a first LCF (light control film) 61, a second LCF (light control film) 62, a first transparent plate (separate member) 71, a second transparent plate (separate member) 72, and a diffusion plate 8.

The circuit board 4 is a flat rigid wiring board formed by applying a wiring pattern (not shown) to a flat glass epoxy base material such as FR-4 (Flame Retardant-4). The circuit board 4 has a first light source (light source) 41, a second light source 42, a third light source 43, and a pointer drive unit 44.

The first light source 41, the second light source 42, and the third light source 43 are chip-type, top-view LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) that emit appropriate colors and are mounted on the front surface of the circuit board 4. The pointer drive unit 44 is made up of a movable magnet drive device, a stepping motor, etc., and its main part is attached to the back surface of the circuit board 4, with the rotating shaft 441 protruding toward the display panel 1. The pointer drive unit 44 is electrically connected to the wiring pattern of the circuit board 4 by appropriate conductive means such as soldering. The circuit board 4 has a control means (not shown) that outputs command signals for turning on the first light source 41, the second light source 42, and the third light source 43 and for driving and controlling the pointer drive unit 44 and the liquid crystal display panel 5, and various circuit components (not shown) such as resistors and capacitors are conductively connected to the wiring pattern.

The display panel 1 is a thin plate-like member disposed in front of the circuit board 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the display panel 1 has a base material 11, a transmissive layer 12, and a light-shielding layer 13.

The substrate 11 is a thin plate-like substrate made of, for example, transparent or translucent light-transmitting polycarbonate resin, and the translucent layer 12 is made by printing a colorless light-transmitting ink containing colorless, light-transmitting fine resin beads on the surface of the substrate 11. The light-shielding layer 13 is made by printing a black light-shielding ink on the back surface of the substrate 11.

The display panel 1 has an indicator section (transparent section) 14 in which the light-shielding layer 13 is cut out and printed with a design that represents the letters, numbers, and scales of the speedometer SP and tachometer TA, and an image opening section (transparent section) 15 in which the light-shielding layer 13 is cut out and printed with a rectangular design.

The display plate 1 has a through hole 16 at a position corresponding to the rotation axis 441. The indicator portion 14 is arranged in an arc shape around the pointer 2 (around the through hole 16). The indicator portion 14 emits light by the light of the second light source 42 and is visible to the driver. The image opening portion 15 is arranged at a position facing the liquid crystal display panel 5. The image opening portion 15 is visible to the driver as it transmits image light from the liquid crystal display panel 5.

The case 3 is made of a light-blocking white synthetic resin (e.g., polypropylene) and is placed between the display board 1 and the circuit board 4. The display board 1 is placed on the front of the case 3, and the circuit board 4 is fixed on the rear with a hook or other engaging piece.

Case 3 has a first lighting chamber 31, a second lighting chamber 32, and a third lighting chamber 33.

The first lighting chamber 31 is formed in a cylindrical shape surrounding the rotating shaft 441, and houses the rotating shaft 441 and the first light source 41 inside. The second lighting chamber 32 is formed in a bowl-shaped recessed shape that functions as a light reflector at a position facing the indicator portion 14 and at a position surrounding the first lighting chamber 31, and houses the second light source 42, the first LCF 61, and the first transmission plate 71 inside. The third lighting chamber 33 is formed at a position between the two second lighting chambers 32, and houses the third light source 43, the liquid crystal display panel 5, the second LCF 62, and the second transmission plate 72 inside. The second lighting chamber 32 is formed so that the light of the first light source 41 and the light of the third light source 43 are not exposed.

The pointer 2 has a light-transmitting portion 21, a pointer cap portion 22, and a pointer LCF (light control film) 23. The light-transmitting portion 21 is made of light-transmitting resin, and a base portion 211 facing the rotation axis 441 is formed in a boss shape, and this boss is inserted through the through hole 16 of the display plate 1 and attached to the rotation axis 441. The light-transmitting portion 21 is formed to extend in a rectangular cross section from the base portion 211 in the planar direction of the display plate 1 in the direction from the rotation axis 441 toward the indicator portion 14 (extension direction).

The pointer cap portion 22 is made of opaque resin, is circular when viewed from the front, and covers the base portion 211. The pointer cap portion 22 has a sheath portion 221 that covers the side of the indicator portion 212. The pointer LCF 23 is sandwiched between the light-transmitting portion 21 and the sheath portion 221, and is positioned in front of the indicator portion 212.

The pointer LCF 23 is a light control element, and as shown in FIG. 6, is an LCF (light control film: light emission direction limiting layer) in which an upper louver layer 231, a lower louver layer 232, and front and rear PC layers (resin layers) 233 are laminated. The upper louver layer 231 has louvers (light-shielding members) 231b made of light-shielding rod-shaped polymer resin arranged at equal intervals in a transparent portion 231a made of transparent polymer resin. The lower louver layer 232 has louvers (light-shielding members) 232b made of light-shielding rod-shaped polymer resin arranged at equal intervals in a transparent portion 232a made of transparent polymer resin.

The front and rear PC layers 233 are made of PC (polycarbonate) and sandwich the front and rear surfaces formed by the upper louver layer 231 and the lower louver layer 232. As shown in FIG. 7, the directions in which the louvers 231b and 232b are arranged are perpendicular to each other. The louvers 231b are arranged in a direction that is approximately parallel to the extension direction.

The pointer 2 rotates around the rotation axis 441 by the pointer drive unit 44, and points to the indicator unit 14. The pointer 2 emits light at the indicator unit 212 by the light of the first light source 41. The light of the first light source 41 enters the light-transmitting unit 21 from the base 211 and is guided to the indicator unit 212. The light guided to the indicator unit 212 is reflected forward by the back surface 212a of the indicator unit 212, passes through the pointer LCF 23, and is visible to the driver. The light passing through the pointer LCF 23 is blocked by the louvers 231b and 232b in the extension direction and in a direction perpendicular to this direction, and becomes light with directionality in the normal direction of the pointer LCF 23. This directional light is visible to the driver.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the first LCF 61, the first transparent plate 71, and the diffusion plate 8 are disposed between the display plate 1 and the second light source 42, and are stacked with a small gap between them in the order of the first LCF 61, the first transparent plate 71, and the diffusion plate 8 from the side closest to the display plate 1.

The diffusion plate 8 is a thin plate-like member made of, for example, semi-transparent PC resin containing a diffusion material. The diffusion plate 8 diffuses the light of the second light source 42 and irradiates this light to the first transparent plate 71.

The first transparent plate 71 has a base material 711, a transparent layer 712, and a smoke layer (colored transparent layer) 713. The base material 711 is a thin plate-shaped base material made of, for example, transparent or translucent light-transmitting polycarbonate resin.

The transmissive layer 712 is made by printing a colorless transmissive ink containing colorless, translucent fine resin beads or the like on the surface of the substrate 711. The smoke layer 713 is made by printing a black ink (black smoke ink) of a similar color to the light-shielding layer 13 of the display panel 1, which has a relatively low transmittance (e.g., 30 to 50% transmittance) on the back surface of the substrate 711. The first transmissive plate 71 transmits light from the diffusion plate 8 and irradiates this light to the first LCF 61.

The first LCF 61 is a light control element, and is an LCF (light control film: light emission direction limiting layer) in which a louver layer 611 and front and rear PC layers (resin layers) 612 are laminated. The louver layer 611 has louvers (light blocking members) 611b made of light blocking rod-shaped polymer resin arranged at equal intervals in a transmitting portion 611a made of transparent polymer resin.

The front and rear PC layers 612 are made of PC (polycarbonate) and sandwich the front and rear surfaces formed by the louver layer 611. As shown in FIG. 4, the louvers 611b are arranged in a direction that is approximately parallel to the up-down direction. The first LCF 61 transmits light from the first transparent plate 71 and irradiates this light to the indicator portion 14 of the display panel 1. The light that transmits through the first LCF 61 becomes directional light with the light in the left-right direction blocked by the louvers 611b. This directional light transmits through the indicator portion 14 and is visible to the driver. The front surface of the first LCF 61 facing the indicator portion 14 does not have a colored layer formed of a colored transparent ink.

As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the second LCF 62, the second transmissive plate 72, and the liquid crystal display panel 51 are disposed between the display panel 1 and the third light source 43, and are stacked with a small gap between them in the order of the second LCF 62, the second transmissive plate 72, and the liquid crystal display panel 51 from the side closest to the display panel 1.

The liquid crystal display panel 5 is a flat TFT-type color LCD cell with polarizing members attached to the front and rear surfaces, and displays vehicle information such as mileage, fuel consumption, time, and cumulative mileage as an image. The liquid crystal display panel 5 irradiates the light of the third light source 43 onto the second transparent plate 72 as image light.

The second transparent plate 72 has a base material 721, a transparent layer 722, and a smoke layer (semi-transparent layer) 723. The base material 721 is a thin plate-shaped base material made of, for example, transparent or semi-transparent translucent polycarbonate resin.

The transmissive layer 722 is made by printing a colorless transmissive ink containing colorless, translucent fine resin beads or the like on the surface of the substrate 721. The smoke layer 723 is made by printing a black ink (black smoke ink) of a similar color to the light-shielding layer 13 of the display plate 1, which has a relatively low transmittance (e.g., 30 to 50% transmittance) on the back surface of the substrate 721. The second transmissive plate 72 transmits the image light from the liquid crystal display panel 5 and irradiates this image light to the second LCF 62.

The second LCF 62 is a light control element, and is an LCF (light control film: light emission direction limiting layer) in which a louver layer 621 and front and rear PC layers (resin layers) 622 are laminated. The louver layer 621 has louvers (light blocking members) 621b made of light blocking rod-shaped polymer resin arranged at equal intervals in a transmitting portion 621a made of transparent polymer resin.

The front and rear PC layers 622 are made of PC (polycarbonate) and sandwich the front and rear surfaces formed by the louver layer 621. The louvers 621b are arranged in a direction that is approximately parallel to the up-down direction. The second LCF 62 transmits the image light from the second transparent plate 72 and irradiates this image light to the image opening 15 of the display board 1. The light that transmits through the second LCF 62 becomes directional light with light in the left-right direction blocked by the louvers 621b. This directional light transmits through the image opening 15 and is visible to the driver.

In this disclosure, by forming a smoke layer 713 behind the first LCF 61, it is possible to provide an instrument device 100 that reduces the visibility of the louvers 611b in the indicator parts 14 of the speedometer SP and tachometer TA by reducing the color difference between the transparent parts 611a and the louvers 611b.

In this disclosure, by forming a smoke layer 723 behind the second LCF 62, it is possible to provide an instrument device 100 that reduces the visibility of the louver 621b in the image opening 15 of the image display unit DP by reducing the color difference between the transmission portion 621a and the louver 621b.

In this disclosure, the louver layer of the pointer LCF 23 is made up of two layers, an upper louver layer 231 and a lower louver layer 232, in which the louvers are arranged in mutually perpendicular directions, making it possible to provide an instrument device 100 in which the pointer 2 is thinner and lighter than when two conventional LCFs are stacked together, each of which has a single layer.

Note that while the instrumentation device of this disclosure has been described using the configuration of the above embodiment as an example, this disclosure is not limited to this, and various improvements and design changes are of course possible in other configurations without departing from the gist of this disclosure.

For example, the smoke layer 713 was formed on the back surface of the first transmitting plate 71, but it may be formed on the front surface of the first transmitting plate 71. Also, the smoke layer 713 may be formed on the back surface of the first LCF 61.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Instrument device 1 Display panel 11 Base material 12 Transmissive layer 13 Light-shielding layer 14 Indicator portion (transmissive portion)
15 Image opening (transparent part)
16 Through hole 2 Pointer 21 Light transmitting portion 211 Base portion 212 Pointing portion 22 Pointer cap portion 221 Sheath portion 23 Pointer LCF (Light Control Film)
231 Upper louver layer 231a Transmitting portion 231b Louver (light blocking member)
232 Lower louver layer 232a Transmitting portion 232b Louver (light blocking member)
233 Front and rear PC layers (resin layers)
3 Case 31 First lighting chamber 32 Second lighting chamber 33 Third lighting chamber 4 Circuit board 41 First light source (light source)
42 Second light source 43 Third light source 44 Needle drive unit 441 Rotation axis 5 Liquid crystal display panel (display)
61 First LCF (Light Control Film)
611 Louver layer 611a Transmitting portion 611b Louver (light blocking member)
612 Front and rear PC layer (resin layer)
62 Second LCF (Light Control Film)
621 Louver layer 621a Transmitting portion 621b Louver (light blocking member)
622 Front and rear PC layers (resin layers)
71 First transmitting plate (separate member)
711 Base material 712 Transparent layer 713 Smoke layer (colored transparent layer)
72 Second transmission plate (separate member)
721 Base material 722 Transparent layer 723 Smoke layer (semi-transparent layer)
8 Diffusion plate SP Speedometer TA Tachometer DP Image display unit WA Warning light

Claims (7)

A light source;
a transparent display panel disposed in front of the light source;
a light control element having a light blocking member arranged in a louver shape and disposed between the light source and the display panel;
a semi-transmissive layer between the light source and the light control element ;
The instrument device , wherein the semi-transmissive layer is of a similar color to the light-shielding layer formed on the display panel . The instrument device according to claim 1, characterized in that the semi-transparent layer is formed in a separate member disposed between the light source and the light control element. The instrument device according to claim 1, characterized in that the semi-transparent layer is formed on the rear side of the light control element. 2. The instrument device according to claim 1, wherein said light control element has no colored layer on a front surface thereof at a portion facing the indicator portion of said display plate . the display panel has an indicator portion formed by the light -shielding layer,
A pointer that rotates around a rotation axis and points to the indicator portion,
2. The instrument device according to claim 1, wherein the pointer has a light control element having two louver layers. The instrument device according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a display that displays an image between the semi-transparent layer and the light source. The instrument device according to claim 1, characterized in that the light control element is formed by applying a light control film in which a louver layer that limits the direction of light emission and resin layers are laminated in front of and behind the louver layer.

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