JP2001281008A - Lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lighting system with which light from a light source can be guided to a display member with efficiency and which can perform illuminating operation satisfactorily. SOLUTION: The lighting system is provided with a dial 2, as the display member equipped with an index part 23 to be transmissively illuminated in its periphery. The lighting system is provided with a pointer 1, which is situated in the front of the dial 2. The lighting system is provided with LEDs 7 as light sources, which are situated in parts corresponding to parts near the center on the rear side of the dial 2 and which illuminate the pointer 1 and the index part 23. The lighting system is provided with a light guide body 3, which is situated on the rear side of the dial 2 and which guides beams of light from the LEDs 7 to the rear side of the dial 2. A first reflection face 33, which is tilted so as to be separated from the dial 2 as it moves away from the LEDs 7, is formed on a face on the side of the dial 2 of the light guide body 3. A second reflection face 34 which is nearly in parallel with the dial 2, is formed on a face located opposite to the face on the side of the dial 2 of the light guide body 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lighting device for transmitting light from a light source through a light-transmitting light guide to transmit and illuminate a display member such as a dial.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional illuminating device, for example, employed in a vehicle instrument or the like is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-21655.

A conventional illuminating device is provided with a flat light-transmitting light guide on the back of a display member such as a dial of an instrument, and guides light from a light source provided near a pointer shaft. The dial was guided through the body to illuminate the dial.

[0004]

However, in the conventional structure, an index portion such as a character or a scale provided around the dial is illuminated by a light source provided at a position corresponding to the vicinity of the center of the dial. Was to do. In the conventional structure,
If the number of light sources is reduced due to cost reduction, etc., there is room for improvement in terms of lighting efficiency in order to illuminate the indicator of the dial with a limited number of light sources. A lighting device for guiding was desired.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a lighting device capable of efficiently guiding light from a light source to a display member and performing good lighting.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a display member to be illuminated by transmission, a light source for illuminating the display member, a light source located on the back side of the display member and transmitting light from the light source to the back surface of the display member. A light guide that guides the light guide to the display member, and a first reflecting surface that is inclined away from the display member as the distance from the light source increases, on a surface of the light guide on the display member side, A second reflection surface substantially parallel to the display member is provided on a surface opposite to the surface on the display member side.

A display member having an indicator portion which is illuminated and transmitted, a pointer located in front of the display member, and a light source located on the back side of the display member and illuminating the indicator and the indicator portion. A light guide that is located on the back side of the display member and guides light from the light source to the back side of the display member, wherein the light guide is further away from the light source on the display member side surface. A first reflecting surface which is inclined away from the display member, and a second reflecting surface substantially parallel to the display member is provided on a surface of the light guide opposite to the surface on the display member side. is there.

Further, the display member has a reflection layer on a surface facing the light guide.

Further, a reflection film is formed on the second reflection surface.

Further, a rough surface is formed on the second reflecting surface.

Further, a frame is provided on the back surface of the light guide, and a part of the frame is close to the second reflection surface.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A lighting device according to the present invention has a dial 2 as a display member having an index portion 23 which is illuminated by transmission.
A pointer 1 located in front of the dial 2 and a dial 2
LED7 which is a light source for illuminating the pointer 1 and the indicator 23 and located at a portion corresponding to the vicinity of the center on the back side of
A light guide 3 that is located on the back side of the dial 2 and guides light from the LED 7 to the back side of the dial, and separates from the dial 2 as the distance from the LED 7 increases toward the dial 7 side of the light guide 3 The first reflecting surface 33 inclined as follows,
A second reflection surface 34 substantially parallel to the dial 2 is provided on the surface of the light guide 3 opposite to the surface on the dial 2 side. With such a configuration, the light of the LED 7 can be efficiently guided to the dial 2 and good illumination can be performed. In addition, even if the indicator 23 is provided on the dial 2 such as a character or a scale, the light of the LED 7 is transmitted to the indicator 2 on the dial 2.
3 can be efficiently conducted, and good illumination can be performed. Further, by arranging the LED 7 at a portion corresponding to the vicinity of the pointer 1 on the back side of the dial 2, the pointer 1 and the indicator 23 can be simultaneously illuminated, and the LED 7 can be made common and compact. A lighting device can be provided.

Further, a reflective layer 25 is provided on the surface of the dial 2 facing the light guide 3. With such a configuration, the light of the LED 7 can be more efficiently guided to the dial 2 and good illumination can be performed.

Further, a reflection film 36 is formed on the second reflection surface 34. With this configuration, L
The light of the ED 7 can be efficiently guided to the dial 2 and good illumination can be performed. In addition, since the second reflection surface 34 of the light guide 3 is a flat surface, the reflection film 36 can be easily formed, and a lighting device with high working efficiency can be provided.

The second reflecting surface 34 is formed with a rough surface. With this configuration, the LED 7
Can be efficiently guided to the dial 2 and good illumination can be performed. Further, since the rough surface can be formed at the same time when the light guide 3 is formed, the working steps can be simplified, and an inexpensive lighting device can be provided.

A frame 4 is provided on the back surface of the light guide 3, and a part of the frame 4 is close to the second reflecting surface 34. With such a configuration, the light of the LED 7 can be efficiently guided to the dial 2 and good illumination can be performed. In addition, since it is not necessary to perform special treatment on the light guide 3, an inexpensive lighting device can be provided.

[0017]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a main part of a light guide of the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the embodiment. .

An instrument employing the lighting device of the present invention comprises a hand 1, a dial 2, a light guide 3, a frame 4, a circuit board 5, an instrument body 6, and a light source 7.

The pointer 1 comprises a pointer main body 13 in which a pointer 11 and a pointer base 12 are integrally formed of a light-transmitting synthetic resin, and a light-shielding pointer cap 14 that covers the pointer base 12. The pointer base 12 includes a light receiving unit 15 that receives light from a light source, which will be described later, and a reflecting surface 16 that reflects the light received by the light receiving unit 15 in the direction of the pointing unit 11. With this configuration, the indicator 11 is illuminated with the light from the light source.

The dial 2 as a display member is located on the back of the hands 1 (the lower side in FIG. 1) and has a plate-shaped base plate 21 made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin. A predetermined portion of the base plate 21 is provided with a through hole 22 through which a pointer shaft 61 extending from the instrument main body 6 is exposed. On the front side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the dial 2, a dark (black in the case of the present embodiment) light-shielding layer 24 is formed of a light-shielding ink except for an indicator 23 such as a character or a scale.
Are formed, and light is not transmitted except for the index portion 23. On the back side (lower side in FIG. 1) of the dial 2 opposite to the light guide 3, a reflective layer 25 is formed of white ink except for the indicator 23 such as characters and scales. ing. Although the reflective layer 25 is white in this embodiment, the reflective layer 25 is not limited to white, and may be any layer that is convenient for reflecting light. It may be metallic.

The light guide 3 is located on the back of the dial 2 (lower side in FIG. 1).
, Made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin such as polycarbonate or acryl, and a central portion of the light guide 3 is provided with a through hole 35 from which a pointer shaft 61 extending from the instrument main body 6 is exposed. The light guide 3 includes a light receiving portion 31 that receives light from the light source, a reflection surface 32, a first reflection surface 33, and a second reflection surface. The light receiving section 31 has a convex sectional shape so that the light from the light source can be efficiently received. The reflecting surface 32 is formed on the dial 2 side of the light guide 3, is an inclined surface approaching the dial 2 as the distance from the light source increases, and is formed in a mortar shape with the through hole 35 as a center. First
The reflection surface 33 is formed on the dial 2 side of the light guide 3, and is inclined so as to be away from the dial 2 as the distance from the light source increases. It is shaped like a cut-out. The second reflecting surface 34 is formed on the opposite side of the light guide 3 from the dial 2 side, and is a plane substantially parallel to the dial 2. The reflection film 36 is formed of white ink so that the light is reflected and diffused on the second reflection surface 34 more efficiently. Reference numeral 37 denotes a wall for reinforcing the light guide 3, which is formed around the light guide 3.

The frame 4 is located on the back (lower side in FIG. 1) of the dial 2 and the light guide 3, and is made of white synthetic resin. At the center of the frame 4, a pointer shaft 61 extending from the instrument body 6 and a through hole 41 from which the light source is exposed are provided. The frame 4 has a storage recess 42 for storing the light guide 3.

The circuit board 5 is a hard circuit board made of a glass epoxy resin or the like, which is located on the back surface (lower side in FIG. 1) of the frame 4. It has. The front (Fig. 1
A light source 7 for illuminating the hands 1 and the dial 2 is provided on the middle upper side. The light source 7 is a light emitting diode (hereinafter, referred to as LE
D) and is surface-mounted on the circuit board 7.

The instrument main body 6 is located on the back surface (lower side in FIG. 1) of the circuit board 5 and drives the pointer 1 via the pointer shaft 61. It is an instrument main unit or a stepping motor.

Next, the illumination of this embodiment will be described. A part of light L1 emitted from the LED 7 shown in FIGS. Part of the light L2 emitted from the LED 7 enters the light guide 3 from the light receiving portion 31 of the light guide 3 and transmits and illuminates the index portion 23 of the dial 2.

The light L2 that has entered the light guide 3 is reflected by the reflection surface 3
2, reflected by the first reflecting surface 33 and the second reflecting surface 34,
It is guided to a portion corresponding to the index portion 23 on the back side of the dial 2 to transmit and illuminate the index portion 23. To be more specific, the light L2 entering from the light receiving portion 31 is reflected from the LED 7 by the reflection surface 32. The light is reflected in a direction away from the light guide 3, that is, in a peripheral direction of the light guide 3. Next, the reflected light L <b> 2 passing through the light guide 3 is reflected by the first reflecting surface 33 in the direction of the second reflecting surface 34. Then, the reflected light L2 is
The light is again reflected in the direction of the first reflection surface 33 by the second reflection surface 34. Then, a part L21 of the light L2 reflected in the direction of the first reflection surface 33 exits the light guide 3 and illuminates the indicator 23 with transmitted light. Further, a part L22 of the light L2 reflected in the direction of the first reflection surface 33 is again changed to the second reflection surface 34.
Reflected in the direction. The light L21 emitted from the light guide 3
When the light does not pass through the index portion 23, the light is reflected again by the reflection layer 25 in the direction of the light guide 3, and further reflected by the second reflection surface 34 of the light guide 3 in the direction of the dial 2 again. You. By repeating this reflection, a part of the light L21 illuminates the indicator 23 by transmission.

The light L3 reflected at the peripheral portion such as the wall 37 of the light guide 3 is trapped between the reflection layer 25 and the second reflection surface 34 of the light guide 3, and is reflected. Layer 25
And reflection by the second reflection surface 34, and the index portion 2
3, the amount of light for transmitting illumination increases, and good illumination can be performed.

As described above, the first reflecting surface 33 is formed by the light guide 3
Is formed on the side of the dial 2 and is inclined so as to move away from the LED 7 and away from the dial 2, and the second reflecting surface 34 is different from the dial 2 side of the light guide 3. The light L2 passing through the light guide 3 is directed in the peripheral direction of the light guide 3 (a part of the light guide 3 away from the LED 7) by being formed on the opposite side and being a plane substantially parallel to the dial 2. Guided efficiently, the indicator 23 can be efficiently illuminated. Further, a reflection layer 25 is formed on the back side of the dial 2,
The light L21 emitted from the light guide 3 is reflected by the reflection layer 25 and the second reflection surface 34 by making the second reflection surface 34 a plane substantially parallel to the dial 2, and the light guide 3 And the indicator 23 can be efficiently illuminated. Similarly, the light L3 returning in the LED 7 direction at the peripheral portion of the light guide 3 also has the reflection layer 25 and the second reflection surface 34.
And the light is efficiently guided toward the center of the light guide 3 (toward the LED 7), and the indicator 23 can be efficiently illuminated.

Also, when this embodiment is adopted for an instrument,
The indicator 23 such as a character or a scale is provided around the dial 2, but even with such a configuration, the light of the LED 7 can be efficiently guided to the dial 2 by employing the present invention. , Good lighting can be performed. Also, LE
By providing D7 near the center on the back side of the dial 2, that is, near the pointer shaft 61, the pointer 1 and the indicator 23 can be illuminated simultaneously, and the LED 7 can be shared. Thus, a compact lighting device can be provided.

Since the second reflecting surface 34 is a plane substantially parallel to the dial 2, the reflecting film 36 can be easily formed on the second reflecting surface 34, and the light guide is easy to manufacture. Body 3 can be obtained. The reflection film 36 is not limited to printing, and may be formed by hot stamping or the like.

Although not shown, the second reflecting surface 3
A structure in which a rough surface is formed on the second reflection surface 34 without providing the reflection film 36 on 4 may be used. With this configuration, the rough surface of the second reflection surface 34 that reflects and diffuses light can be formed at the same time as the light guide 3 is formed, so that the working process can be simplified and an inexpensive lighting device is provided. be able to.

Although not shown, the second reflecting surface 3
4, a portion close to the second reflection surface 34 of the frame 4 accommodating the light guide 3 is provided without providing the reflection film 36 or the rough surface. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to perform special processing on the light guide 3, so that an inexpensive lighting device can be provided. Note that the color of the frame 4 is not limited to white, and any color may be adopted as long as the color is high in brightness. The expression that the second reflection surface 34 and a part of the frame 4 are close to each other includes a case where the second reflection surface 34 and a part of the frame 4 are in close contact with each other. Second
When the reflection surface 34 of the frame 4 and a part of the frame 4 are in close contact with each other, the second
The reflection efficiency at the reflection surface 34 is increased, and a more efficient lighting device can be provided.

In the above embodiment, the reflecting layer 25 is provided on the back of the dial 2, but it is not shown.
For example, when a white print layer is formed as a base under the light-shielding layer 24 provided on the front side of the dial 2, that is, between the light-shielding layer 24 and the base plate 21. Since the print layer functions as a substitute for the reflective layer 25, the reflective layer 25 may be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to an instrument. However, the present invention is not limited to an instrument. The present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to any device. For example, the present invention may be applied to a lighting device such as a liquid crystal display element or a transmission lighting display member.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an illuminating device which can achieve an initial object, can efficiently guide light from a light source to a display member, and can perform good illumination. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a sectional perspective view of a main part of the light guide of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of the embodiment.

[Explanation of Signs] 1 pointer 2 display member 23 indicator 25 reflection layer 3 light guide 33 first reflection surface 34 second reflection surface 36 reflection film 4 frame 5 circuit board 6 instrument body 7 light source (light emitting diode)

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A display member which is transmitted and illuminated, a light source which illuminates the display member, and a light guide which is located on the back side of the display member and guides light from the light source to the back side of the display member. A first reflection surface that is inclined on the display member side surface of the light guide so as to be separated from the display member as the distance from the light source increases, and that the light guide has a display member side surface. An illuminating device comprising a second reflecting surface substantially parallel to the display member on an opposite surface. 2. A display member having an indicator portion which is transmitted and illuminated, a pointer located in front of the display member, and a light source located on the back side of the display member and illuminating the indicator and the indicator portion. A light guide that is located on the back side of the display member and guides light from the light source to the back side of the display member, wherein the light guide is further away from the light source on the display member side surface. A first reflecting surface that is inclined away from the display member, and a second reflecting surface substantially parallel to the display member is provided on a surface of the light guide opposite to the surface on the display member side. Lighting device characterized by the following. 3. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein a reflection layer is provided on a surface of the display member facing the light guide. 4. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein a reflection film is formed on the second reflection surface. 5. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein a rough surface is formed on the second reflection surface. 6. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein a frame is provided on a back surface of the light guide, and a part of the frame is close to the second reflection surface. .