JP3341489B2 - Self-luminous pointer type instrument - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an instrument used for an automobile speedometer and the like, and more particularly, to a light emitting diode (hereinafter, referred to as an LLED) or the like provided in a pointer to emit an LED to indicate an instruction. The present invention relates to a luminous indicator type instrument.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The present inventors have disclosed Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-204323.
As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H10-209, a self-luminous pointer-type instrument in which LEDs are arranged in a pointer and the LEDs emit light to improve visibility is proposed. In this self-luminous pointer type instrument, a pointer is formed as shown in FIG. That is, the pointer 12 includes a lead house 22 having a groove formed therein, an LED element (indicating a light emitting diode) 21 disposed on the upper surface, and a lead frame 20 disposed in the groove, and a lead frame 20 extending through the groove. And a pointer case 24 having an opening 24a above the LED element 21 and formed of a non-translucent material. In the pointer case 24, the opening 24a serves as a pointer light emitting portion, and the pointer case 24 is provided with a lens 25 having the opening 24a. The lens 25 is formed in a trapezoidal shape extending inward from the outer surface of the pointer case 24. In the pointer 12 thus formed, L
Light emitted from the ED element 21 passes through the resin, passes through the lens 25, and is emitted to the outside through the opening 24a. At this time, a part of the light emitted in the lens 25 is reflected on the side surface of the trapezoid and travels through the lens 25.

[0003]

In this type of self-luminous pointer type instrument, an LED is provided in the pointer, and the pointer is visually recognized by the emission of the LED. However, LE
Since the light emitting ability of D is limited, it is necessary to efficiently diffuse the light emitted from the LED and irradiate the light to the outside to improve the brightness of the self light emitting pointer.

However, the pointer 12 has a lens 2
5 is formed in a trapezoidal shape, the light reflected on the side surface of this trapezoid
The incidence angle when entering a becomes large, and the rate of total internal reflection in the lens 25 is high. That is, the lens 2
Most of the light emitted from the LED element 21 reflected on the five side faces was not irradiated to the outside from the opening 24a, and the light emitting ability of the LED element 21 was not fully utilized.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a self-luminous pointer-type instrument with good visibility by increasing the luminance of the self-luminous pointer by efficiently guiding the light emitted from the self-luminous element to outside the pointer. .

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a self-luminous pointer type instrument according to the present invention comprises a self-luminous pointer having a self-luminous element disposed in a pointer fixed to the tip of a pointer shaft. In the instrument, the pointer may include a housing having a groove, a self-luminous element disposed in the groove of the housing, and a translucent portion that covers the housing and diffuses light emitted from the self-luminous element to the outside. A cover formed at a position facing the self-luminous element, and the upper end width of a pair of side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the pointer in the translucent portion has a width equal to or larger than the lower end width of the side surface. It is characterized by doing.

Further, in a self-luminous pointer type instrument in which a self-luminous element is disposed within a pointer fixed to the tip of a pointer shaft,
The pointer has a housing having a groove, a self-luminous element disposed at the bottom of the groove of the housing, and a translucent portion that covers the housing and diffuses light emitted from the self-luminous element to the outside. A cover formed at a position facing the element, and a triangular prism-shaped unevenness disposed on the self-luminous element between the housing and the cover, facing the self-luminous element, and facing the cover. And a phototropic lens having a surface, and the upper end width of a pair of side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the pointer in the translucent portion,
You may make it employ | adopt the self-luminous pointer type | mold meter characterized by having a width | variety more than the lower end width of this side surface.

[0008] Further, the phototropic lens is fixed at least partially in the groove of the housing or the groove formed in the cover above the self-luminous element. A light emitting pointer type instrument may be adopted. Further, a pair of side surfaces of the translucent portion may be substantially flat, and a self-luminous indicator-type instrument may be employed.

The self-luminous pointer-type instrument is characterized in that the upper end width and the lower end width are formed substantially the same, and the side surface is provided substantially perpendicular to the housing. You may make it employ | adopt. The width of the opening of the groove may be substantially the same as the width of the lower end of the translucent portion.

[0010] A pair of side planes of the groove may be formed substantially parallel to each other, and a self-luminous pointer type instrument may be employed. In addition, a pair of side surfaces of the groove is formed in a substantially flat surface, and the opening width of the groove has a width equal to or greater than the width of the bottom of the groove. You may.

Further, a plurality of self-luminous elements may be provided along the longitudinal direction of the groove of the housing, and a self-luminous indicator-type instrument may be employed. Further, in a self-luminous pointer type instrument which is fixed to a tip of a pointer shaft and performs a predetermined display by a pointer in which a self-luminous element is disposed, the pointer comprises a housing having a two-step groove portion, and the housing comprising: A cover, a phototropic lens disposed in the first groove of the housing, the opposing surface facing the bottom side of the first groove, and a triangular prism-shaped uneven surface facing the cover; A self-luminous element disposed at the bottom of the second groove formed at the bottom of the first groove; and the cover emits light from the self-luminous element passing through the phototropic lens. A translucent portion that diffuses to the outside is provided at a position facing the self-luminous element, and the upper end width of a pair of side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the pointer in the translucent portion has a width equal to or larger than the lower end width of the side surface. Self-luminous characterized by It is also possible to adopt a needle-type meter.

Further, a pair of side surfaces of the translucent portion may be substantially self-luminous pointer-type instruments. The self-luminous pointer type wherein the upper end width and the lower end width of the pair of side surfaces of the translucent portion are formed substantially the same, and the side surfaces are provided perpendicular to the housing. An instrument may be employed.

Further, a pair of side surfaces of the second groove portion are formed substantially flat, and an opening width of the second groove portion is substantially the same as a lower end width of the translucent portion. May be adopted. Further, a pair of side surfaces of the second groove portion are formed substantially in a plane, and an opening width of the second groove portion is equal to or larger than a bottom width of the second groove portion. A light emitting pointer type instrument may be adopted.

The bottom of the first groove regulates the vertical operation of the photorefractive lens, and the pair of side surfaces of the first groove regulates the horizontal operation of the photorefractive lens. A self-luminous indicator type instrument described as a feature may be adopted. A plurality of the self-luminous elements may be provided along the longitudinal direction of the second groove of the housing.

[0015] The self-luminous pointer-type instrument according to the above description, wherein the portion other than the translucent portion of the cover is formed of a non-translucent material, may be employed.
Further, the housing may be formed of a non-light-transmitting material, and a self-luminous pointer-type instrument described in the above description may be adopted.

[0016]

The operation of the self-luminous pointer type meter constructed as described above will be described below. The self-luminous pointer type meter described in claim 1 is formed such that the upper end width is equal to or larger than the lower end width in the translucent portion of the cover of the pointer. Therefore, the incident angle when the light emitted from the self-luminous element and reflected on the side surface of the translucent part enters the upper end surface of the translucent part which is the bright part of the pointer, becomes smaller than the critical angle with a high probability. .
Therefore, light emitted from the self-luminous element and reflected on the side surface of the translucent portion is almost completely reflected on the upper end surface of the translucent portion, and is efficiently radiated to the outside of the translucent portion. Become.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the self-luminous element is disposed at the bottom of the groove of the housing, and has a light bending lens between the housing and the cover. This refractive lens can diffuse the light emitted from the self-luminous element in the longitudinal direction of the pointer. Even if the self-luminous element and the photorefractive lens are arranged at the respective positions in this way, the light emitted from the self-luminous element and reflected on the side surface of the translucent portion does not totally reflect on the upper end surface. Is efficiently radiated from the translucent portion configured as described above.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the position of the phototropic lens can be determined by fitting at least a part of the phototropic lens into the groove of the housing or the groove formed in the cover. it can. Further, when the side surface of the translucent portion is substantially flat as described in claim 4, the light reflected on the side surface is more efficiently irradiated to the outside of the translucent portion.

According to the fifth aspect, the pair of side surfaces of the translucent portion are formed substantially parallel, and the side surfaces are substantially perpendicular to the housing. Also at this time, the light emitted from the self-luminous element and reflected on the side surface of the translucent portion is efficiently emitted from the translucent portion configured as described above without being totally reflected on the upper end surface. Further, in this case, since the light emission from the self-light-emitting element sufficiently reaches the vicinity of the side surface on the upper end surface, the brightness of the hands can be made uniform.

According to the sixth aspect, the width of the bottom and the width of the opening in the groove of the housing are formed to be the same. Thereby, light emitted from the self-light emitting element disposed in the groove is efficiently radiated from inside the groove to the translucent portion or the photorefractive lens without being obstructed by the opening of the groove. According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the pair of side surfaces of the groove of the housing is formed in a plane and substantially parallel, light reflected in the groove in light emission from the self-light emitting element is further reduced. Efficiently irradiating the translucent portion or the phototropic lens efficiently.

According to the eighth aspect, the groove of the housing is formed in an inverted trapezoidal shape. In this case, light emitted in the lateral direction from the self-luminous element is also reflected on the side surface of the groove and proceeds toward the opening of the groove, and further efficiently proceeds to the translucent portion or the phototropic lens. I do.
According to the ninth aspect, a plurality of self-luminous elements are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the groove of the housing, whereby the brightness of the self-luminous pointer can be improved.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the housing is provided with first and second grooves in two stages, a phototropic lens is provided in the first groove, and a self-luminous element is provided in the bottom of the second groove. May be provided. Also in this case, when the translucent portion of the cover is formed so that the upper end width has the lower end width or more,
As described above, the light emitted from the self-luminous element and reflected on the side surface of the translucent portion is efficiently radiated to the outside of the translucent portion with almost no total reflection at the upper end surface of the translucent portion. It will be. At this time, the phototropic lens plays a role of diffusing the light emitted from the self-light emitting element in the longitudinal direction of the pointer, and making the luminance of the pointer uniform.

Further, since the opening width of the second groove is formed to be the same as the width of the lower end of the translucent portion as described in claim 13, light emission from the self-light-emitting element is generated in the second groove. Irradiation is efficiently performed on the phototropic lens disposed above the self-luminous element without being blocked by the opening. According to claim 14, the second groove has an inverted trapezoidal shape, and light emitted in the lateral direction from the self-luminous element is also reflected by the side surface of the second groove, so that the light is emitted upward.
That is, the light can be advanced to the phototropic lens.

Further, as described in claim 15, the operation of the phototropic lens in the vertical and horizontal directions is restricted by the first groove portion, whereby the phototropic lens can be positioned and the phototropic lens can be positioned. Works advantageously when assembled to the housing. According to the seventeenth aspect, since a non-light-transmitting material is used in the cover other than the translucent portion, only the upper end of the translucent portion of the pointer can be a bright portion, and the self-luminous light is excellent in visibility and beautiful. Can have guidance.

Further, by forming the housing from a non-translucent material, the light emitted from the self-luminous element does not leak to the outside of the pointer from a portion other than the translucent portion. Can be efficiently radiated from the upper end of the translucent portion.

[0026]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view with a partial cross section of a self-luminous pointer type instrument, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view thereof. This self-luminous pointer-type instrument is basically fixed to a movement (pointer driving device) 2 fixed to a meter case (not shown), a pointer shaft 3 specially provided above the movement 2, and fixed on the pointer shaft 3. A spiral F wound spirally around the outer periphery of the pointer shaft 3 in order to energize the self-luminous hands 1 and the LED (light-emitting diode) as a self-luminous element in the self-luminous hands 12.
It comprises a PC 5 and a dial 4 fixed on the meter case.

As the movement 2, for example, a cross coil type is adopted, and a rotational torque is applied to the pointer shaft 3 according to an input signal. A hairspring 6 is provided inside with one end fixed to the pointer shaft, and stops the pointer shaft 3 at a balance point between the rotational torque and the elastic force of the hairspring 6 and the spiral FPC 5. The self-luminous indicator 1 is, as shown in FIGS.
FPC (flexible printed wiring board) in housing 11
12 are arranged along the longitudinal direction, a plurality of LEDs 13 are mounted at each point on the FPC 12, the shape of the FPC 12 is covered with a transparent synthetic resin 16, and a phototropic lens 14 is mounted thereon,
The cover 15 is configured to cover the upper part of the housing 11.

As shown in FIG. 4, a first groove 11A is formed in the housing 11 along the longitudinal direction inside a rod-shaped main body, and a second groove 11B is formed at the bottom of the first groove 11A. Is formed. Naturally, the opening width L1 of the second groove 11B is equal to the opening width L4 of the first groove 11A.
Is smaller than. The side surfaces 11 b of the second groove 11 along the longitudinal direction of the pointer 1 are parallel to each other and are formed substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the housing 11. Therefore, the width of the bottom of the second groove is also L2. The LED 13 is provided in the second groove 11.
B is located at the bottom.

The housing 11 is provided with a boss 11a at the base of the first and second grooves vertically downward, and is integrally formed of synthetic resin. A hole for inserting the pointer shaft is formed in the boss 11a from below. The FPC 12 is provided in the groove of the housing 11, and the FPC 12 can be inserted into a molding die of the housing and insert-molded.

The cover 15 is formed of a black synthetic resin and has a translucent portion 15 having a light diffusion effect in the longitudinal direction of the central portion.
a is integrally formed, and locking projections 15b are formed at lower portions on both sides of the cover 15. The cover 15 is attached to the housing 11 while being locked. The translucent portion 15a is formed so as to face the LED 13 when the cover 15 is locked on the housing. The upper end width of the upper end 15d of the translucent portion 15a is formed to be L1, and the side surfaces 15b are formed to be substantially parallel to each other. This side surface is substantially perpendicular to the housing 11. That is, the translucent portion 15a has a substantially rectangular cross section. Therefore, the translucent portion 11
The lower end width of the lower end surface 15c where a is placed is also L1. The lower end width L1 of the translucent portion 15a and the opening width L1 of the second groove portion 11B are formed substantially in the same manner.

Here, when the cover 15 is formed, first, the translucent portion 15a is stamped and formed, and the translucent portion 15a is inserted and arranged in a mold of the cover 15, and insert molding is performed. There is. However, when the translucent portion 15a is stamped and formed, the side surface 1
Even when the 5b is parallel to each other, there is a possibility that the semi-transparent portion 15a will not come out of the mold smoothly unless a fine taper is provided. That is, when the translucent portion 15a is die-cut, the shape of the end may be lost. However, it is assumed that the subtle taper provided in the formation of the translucent portion 15 is within an error range, and that the side surfaces of the translucent portion 15a thus formed are substantially parallel to each other. In addition, when adopting the translucent portion 15a formed by the die cutting molding,
The narrow end of the delicate taper is set to the lower end of the cover 15.

In the housing 11, similarly,
The first and second grooves 11A and 11B may be stamped and formed. At this time, even if an attempt is made to form the side surface 11b in parallel in the second groove portion 11B, the shape of the groove portion may be lost unless a fine taper is provided. However, such a taper is an error in the formation, and the side surfaces are assumed to be substantially parallel to each other.

FPC 12 disposed in housing 11
A conductive pattern is formed such that a plurality of LEDs 13 are mounted at a certain interval on each point of the two conductive portions,
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, it is formed so as to be integrally and continuously connected to the spiral FPC 5 via a connection FPC 12a arranged along the boss portion 11a. The FPCs 5, 12, and 12a are formed by forming a conductive pattern such as a copper foil on a base film made of a polyimide resin or the like, covering an insulating film thereon except for connection terminal portions, and integrally forming the same as shown in FIG. Is done.

As shown in FIG. 5, the conductive pattern of the FPC 12 is formed by connecting a large number of LEDs 13 in series or in parallel, and a connecting FPC 12a connected to an end of the FPC 12.
On one surface of the spiral FPC 5, two linear conductive patterns 5a and 5b are formed along the longitudinal direction. The phototropic lens 14 fitted and fixed in the first groove portion 11a on the transparent synthetic resin 16 is provided with an LE
The light emitted from D13 is transmitted to the translucent portion 1
5a so as to emit uniformly along the longitudinal direction from FIG.
As shown in the figure, it is formed in a bar shape having a triangular prism-shaped uneven surface 14a on the upper surface. The triangular prism-shaped uneven surface 14a is formed in a sawtooth shape so that both the tip of the convex portion and the bottom of the concave portion are at 90 °, and has a structure in which light emitted from the LED 13 is uniformly emitted to the surface. . Each triangular prism on the triangular prism-shaped uneven surface 14a is formed in the width direction. The opposite surface of the triangular prism-shaped uneven surface 14a is a flat surface,
It may be formed on a curved surface or the like. Such a phototropic lens 14 is disposed in the first groove 11A of the housing 11 as described above, and the bottom 1 of the first groove 11A is provided.
The movement in the vertical direction is regulated by 1d, and the movement in the left-right direction is regulated by the side surface 11e of the first groove 11A.

Next, the operation and effects of the self-luminous pointer type instrument having the above-described configuration will be described. When an input signal is applied to the cross coil in the movement 2, the pointer shaft 3 is moved in accordance with the input signal.
Is driven to rotate, and the self-luminous indicator 1 rotates to the designated angle. At this time, the driving torque of the movement 2 and the spiral F
The angle at which the braking torque of the PC 5 and the braking torque of the hair spring 6 in the movement 2 are balanced is the designated angle. However, since the Young's modulus of the spiral FPC 5 for energization is much smaller than that of the hairspring 6, it is necessary to rotate the pointer with the same driving torque as before without affecting the indication system of the self-luminous pointer 1. Can be.

On the other hand, a spiral FP is supplied from a power supply circuit (not shown).
Through the C5 and the connection FPC 12a and the FPC 12, power is supplied to each LED 13 in the self-luminous indicator 1,
The LED 13 lights up. By the lighting of these LEDs 13, light diffused from the translucent portion 15a at the center of the cover 15 of the self-luminous indicator 1 is emitted to the front. At this time, each LED 13
The light emitted from the first enters into the transparent synthetic resin 16 covering the upper portion of the FPC 12 in the second groove 11B of the housing 11. Here, the light emitted in the lateral direction of the LED 13 is reflected by the side surface 11b of the first groove 11B, and most of the light enters the phototropic lens 14. In the photorefractive lens 14, the light emission is diffused in the longitudinal direction of the self-luminous indicator 1 on the upper triangular prism-shaped uneven surface 14a. The light thus diffused enters the translucent portion 15a of the cover 15. The light that has entered the translucent portion 15a is radiated from the upper end surface 15d to the outside of the self-luminous indicator 1. Further, a part of the light emitted into the translucent portion 15 is reflected on the side surface 15b of the translucent portion 15a. However, since the side surface 15b is substantially vertical, the angle of incidence when the light reflected here enters the upper end surface 15d becomes smaller. Therefore, this incident angle is smaller than the critical angle, which is the boundary at which the light emission is totally reflected in the translucent portion 15a at the upper end face 15d, and this translucent portion 15a
Will be radiated outside. Therefore, the light emitted from the LED 13 can be efficiently emitted from the upper end surface 15c of the translucent portion 15a, and the luminance of the self-luminous indicator 1 can be sufficiently ensured. Further, since the side surfaces 15b of the translucent portion 15a are formed parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the housing 11, the corners of the upper end surface 15c, that is, the vicinity of the side surfaces 15b on the upper end surface 15c of the translucent portion 15a. In this case, the light emission from the LED 13 is sufficiently attained. Since the upper end width (the width of the lower end surface 15d is also L1) and the opening width of the second groove portion are also L1, light emitted through the opening of the second groove portion 11B is translucent. This is because the light is not diffused in the width direction in the portion 15a, and the luminance does not weaken.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the LED 1
3 can be efficiently guided to the outside of the translucent portion 15a, and the brightness of the self-luminous indicator 1 can be sufficiently ensured. Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The description of the same contents as in the first embodiment will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, the second groove 11B in the housing 11 is formed in an inverted trapezoidal shape. That is, the width of the bottom 11 of the second groove 11B is formed at L2, and the width of the opening of the second groove 11B is L2.
1 is formed. Here, L1 is a value larger than L2. Note that the width of the lower end surface 15c and the upper end surface 15d of the translucent portion 15a is formed at L1, that is, the width of the translucent portion 15a is substantially the same as the width of the opening of the second groove 11B. I have.

When the self-luminous indicator 1 is thus formed, the light emission from the LED 13 performs the following operation in the second groove 11B. In other words, of the light emitted from the LED 13, the light that has proceeded to the side surface 11b of the second groove 11b is reflected upward. Therefore, the light emission that stays in the second groove 11B is eliminated, and the light emission from the LED 13 is efficiently guided to the phototropic lens 14 and the translucent portion 15a located at the upper part. Therefore, it is possible to more efficiently secure the brightness of the self-luminous indicator.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be variously modified as follows. That is, the self-luminous indicator 1 may be formed as shown in FIG. Here, the second groove 11 in the housing 11 is used.
B has an inverted trapezoidal shape, and the translucent portion 15a also has an inverted trapezoidal shape. That is, the width of the lower end surface 15c of the translucent portion 15a and the second groove portion 11B of the housing 11
, The width of the upper end surface 15d of the translucent portion 15a is L3 larger than L1, and the width of the bottom portion 11c in the second groove portion 11B is L2 smaller than L1.
It is said. When configured in this manner, the second groove 1
The light that has passed through the inside 1B and the phototropic lens 14 and has proceeded to the side surface 15b of the inner translucent portion 15a is reflected upward. At this time, the translucent portion 15a
Since the incident angle is equal to or less than the critical angle at the upper end face 15d of
The light emitted from the ED 13 is emitted outside the self-luminous indicator 1. When the side surface 15b of the translucent portion 15a is formed in such a state as to open upward, the light reflected on the side surface 15b can be efficiently emitted to the outside of the self-luminous indicator 1. Also here, the width of the lower end surface 15c of the translucent portion 15a and the second groove portion 11B
And the opening width of the LED 1 is substantially the same.
Light emission from 3 is efficiently guided to the translucent portion 15a.

Further, the self-luminous indicator 1 may be formed as shown in FIG. That is, in the above-described embodiments, the housing 11 is provided with the first and second grooves, and the phototropic lens 1 is provided in the first groove wider than the second groove.
4, the LED 13, the transparent synthetic resin 16, and the phototropic lens 14 may be provided in one groove 11C. At this time, as can be seen from FIG. 9, the side surfaces 11b of the groove 11C are formed parallel to each other and perpendicular to the housing 11, and the width L1 of the groove 11C is further reduced.
And the width of the lower end face 15c of the translucent portion 15a is substantially the same. The translucent portion 15 a has side surfaces 15 b parallel to each other and perpendicular to the housing 11 so that the cross section has a rectangular shape. The translucent portion 15a is formed to have a concave portion on the inner surface of the cover 15, and the upper portion of the phototropic lens 14 is fitted into the concave portion. Further, when assembling the self-luminous hands 1, the cover 15 can be positioned by the concave portions.

As described above, if the width of the groove 11C and the width of the translucent portion 15a of the housing are substantially the same, LE
The light emission from D13 does not stay in the phototropic lens 13, and the light emission can be emitted very efficiently from the upper end surface 15d of the translucent portion 15a. Further, the self-luminous indicator 1 can be formed as shown in FIG. That is, here, the groove 11C in the housing 11 is formed in an inverted trapezoidal shape, and the translucent portion 15a is formed in accordance with the taper. At this time, the translucent portion 15a is made to protrude from the inner surface of the cover 15 to form a convex portion, and the convex portion is formed into a groove 11C of the housing.
Fit on top. By doing so, the cover 15 can be positioned. At this time, the LED 13
Do not adopt a light-curing lens at the top. As described above, when it is not necessary to diffuse light emission in the longitudinal direction, a phototropic lens may not be used.

As described above, even if the taper of the groove 11C and the taper of the side surface 15b of the translucent portion 15a are made equal,
The light emitted from the LED 13 can be efficiently guided to the outside of the self-luminous indicator 1. In the case of using a phototropic lens, if the photorefractive lens 14 is arranged such that the triangular prism-shaped uneven surface 14a of the photorefractive lens 14 is buried in the groove 11C of the housing, the positioning of the cover 15 can be performed by the translucent portion 15a. Can be performed by the convex portion of

When the translucent portion 15a and the groove portion 11B or 11C are each formed into an inverted trapezoidal shape, the taper of the side surface 15b of the translucent portion 15a and the taper of the side surface of the groove portions 11B and 11C may be different. , And substantially the same effects as above can be obtained. In this case, the width of the opening of the groove of the housing and the width of the lower end surface of the translucent portion 15a are made substantially the same.

In the above embodiments, the translucent portion 15
The side surface 15b of a is a flat surface. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the light reflected on the side surface 15b can be efficiently radiated from the upper end surface 15d even if the side surface 15b has a minute concave or convex shape. Similarly, the same effect can be obtained by forming a minute concave or convex surface on the side surface of the second groove 11B or the groove 11C.

In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the light bending lens 14 can be omitted if it is not necessary. At this time, other effects can be obtained in the same manner as in the above-described embodiments, only by reducing the diffusion effect in the longitudinal direction of light emission. Further, in the above-described embodiments, at least a part of the photorefractive lens 14 is fitted in the groove 11A or 11C formed in the housing 11, but is not limited thereto. The same effect as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained by providing a groove on the cover and fitting it only on the cover side. At this time, the lower end surface of the translucent portion 15a becomes a part of the bottom of the groove formed in the cover 15.

[0047]

As described above, according to the present invention, the brightness of the self-luminous pointer can be increased by efficiently guiding the light emitted from the self-luminous element to outside the pointer, and the self-luminous light with good visibility can be obtained. It becomes possible to provide a pointer-type instrument.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view with a partial cross section showing an example of the configuration of a self-luminous pointer type meter according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the self-luminous pointer type instrument of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a conductive structure of a self-luminous indicator.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a self-luminous indicator which is a feature of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an electrical connection diagram of a self-luminous element.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a refraction path of light emitted from a self-luminous element that is refracted by a phototropic lens.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of a self-luminous pointer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a self-luminous pointer in another embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a self-luminous pointer in another embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a self-luminous pointer in another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 self-luminous pointer 3 pointer shaft 11 housing 11A first groove 11B second groove 11C groove 11b side in second groove 11c bottom of second groove 11d bottom of first groove 11e side of first groove 13 Self-luminous element 14 Phototropic lens 15 Cover 15a Translucent portion 15b Side surface 15c Lower surface 15d Upper surface

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-6-281476 (JP, A) JP-A-6-50776 (JP, A) JP-A-6-66601 (JP, A) 49817 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01D 13/28 G01D 11/28 G12B 11/04

Claims (18)

(57) [Claims] 1. A self-luminous pointer type instrument in which a self-luminous element is provided in a pointer fixed to the tip of a pointer shaft, the pointer is provided in a housing having a groove, and in a groove of the housing. A self-luminous element, and a cover that covers the housing and has a translucent portion formed at a position facing the self-luminous element to diffuse light emitted from the self-luminous element to the outside. A self-luminous pointer-type instrument, wherein the upper end width of a pair of side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the pointer in the transparent portion is equal to or greater than the lower end width of the side surface. 2. A self-luminous pointer type instrument in which a self-luminous element is disposed within a pointer fixed to the tip of a pointer shaft, the pointer comprises a housing having a groove, and a pointer disposed at a bottom of the groove of the housing. A self-luminous element to be provided; a cover that covers the housing, and a translucent portion that diffuses light emitted from the self-luminous element to the outside is formed at a position facing the self-luminous element; and the housing and the cover. And a phototropic lens having an opposing surface facing the self-luminous element and a triangular prism-shaped uneven surface facing the cover. A self-luminous pointer-type instrument, wherein the upper end width of a pair of side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the pointer in the portion has a width equal to or larger than the lower end width of the side surface. 3. The light bending lens, wherein at least a part of the light bending lens is fitted and fixed in a groove of the housing or a groove formed in the cover, above the self-luminous element. Item 2. A self-luminous indicator type meter according to item 2. 4. The self-luminous pointer-type instrument according to claim 1, wherein a pair of side surfaces of the translucent portion are substantially flat. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the upper end width and the lower end width are formed substantially the same, and the side surface is provided substantially perpendicular to the housing. Self-luminous pointer type instrument. 6. The self-luminous indicator according to claim 1, wherein the width of the opening of the groove is substantially the same as the width of the lower end of the translucent portion. Instrument. 7. The self-luminous pointer type instrument according to claim 1, wherein a pair of side planes of said groove portion are formed substantially in parallel. 8. The groove according to claim 1, wherein a pair of side surfaces of the groove are formed substantially flat, and an opening width of the groove is formed larger than a width of a bottom of the groove. 5. The self-luminous pointer type meter according to any one of 5. 9. The self-luminous pointer type instrument according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said self-luminous elements are arranged along a longitudinal direction of a groove of said housing. . 10. A self-luminous pointer type instrument which is fixed to a tip of a pointer shaft and performs a predetermined display by a pointer having a self-luminous element disposed therein, wherein the pointer has a housing having a two-step groove, A cover for covering the housing; a cover disposed in a first groove of the housing;
A phototropic lens having an opposing surface opposing the bottom side of the groove and a triangular prism-shaped uneven surface opposing the cover; and disposing at the bottom of a second groove formed at the bottom of the first groove of the housing. The cover has a translucent portion at a position facing the self-luminous element for diffusing light emitted from the self-luminous element passing through the phototropic lens to the outside. The upper end width of a pair of side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the pointer in the translucent portion has a width equal to or greater than the lower end width of the side surface. 11. A pair of side surfaces in the translucent portion,
11. The self-luminous pointer-type instrument of claim 10, wherein each of said instruments is substantially planar. 12. The method according to claim 1, wherein upper and lower widths of a pair of side surfaces of the translucent portion are substantially the same, and the side surfaces are provided perpendicular to the housing. Item 12. A self-luminous indicator type meter according to Item 11. 13. A pair of side surfaces of the second groove portion are formed substantially flat, and an opening width of the second groove portion is substantially the same as a lower end width of the translucent portion. The self-luminous indicator type instrument according to any one of claims 10 to 12. 14. A method according to claim 1, wherein a pair of side surfaces of said second groove is formed substantially flat, and an opening width of said second groove is not smaller than a width of a bottom of said second groove. A self-luminous pointer type instrument according to any one of claims 10 to 13. 15. The method according to claim 15, wherein the bottom of the first groove regulates the vertical operation of the phototropic lens, and the pair of side surfaces of the first groove regulates the horizontal operation of the photorefractive lens. The self-luminous pointer-type instrument according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that: 16. The device according to claim 11, wherein a plurality of the self-luminous elements are provided along a longitudinal direction of the second groove of the housing. Self-luminous pointer type instrument. 17. The self-luminous pointer-type instrument according to claim 1, wherein portions other than the translucent portion of the cover are formed of a non-translucent material. 18. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the housing is formed of a non-light-transmitting material.
The self-luminous pointer type meter according to any one of the above.