JP2003072424A - Instrumentation for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify the instrument and harness installation process by sharing parts through the use of a centralized control of instruments and other electrical units, reducing the number of wires through the use of a junction box, and isolating a heavy current driving part. SOLUTION: The display unit 110 presents a visual display reflecting the various states of the vehicle, and the control unit 140 controls a display unit 110 and electrical units positioned at various parts of the vehicle. Driving sections 151a, 151b for supplying power to the electrical units are provided in a junction box 150 for the control unit 140 to exercise a centralized control over the electrical units including the driving sections 151a, 151b.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle instrument device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the progress of computerization of vehicles, there is a tendency that not only vehicle instrument devices but also various electric component units are arranged on an instrument panel (instrument panel).

In response to such a change, JP-A-7-478
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 69 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-276764 disclose a technique intended to simplify electric wiring around a vehicle instrument panel and facilitate assembly.

That is, in the former case, in addition to the centralized control circuit board and the electric connection box (hereinafter referred to as a junction box), the meter module is integrally connected to the instrument panel through the module case. However, it is disclosed that the electrical connection between them is achieved by the fitting of so-called female and male connectors, so that the assembly is easy.

In the latter case, the control circuit, which is required for the operation and safety of the vehicle, such as the door lock timer, the wiper amplifier, and the sound source unit, and which is highly common among the vehicle types, is used as the basic electrical equipment unit, which is used for the meter print. It is centrally arranged on the board, and the option unit control circuit, which has low commonality among vehicle models such as keyless door locks and auto lights other than the basic electrical equipment unit, is used as an option unit on the back side of the meter printed circuit board. It is disclosed that, by collectively arranging them on an attached sub-board, the installation area of the control circuit and the display drive section is shared and orderly circuit connection is possible.

As in the former case, a meter / indicator lamp and an instrument panel on which these drive circuits are mounted, a centralized control circuit board provided with a control circuit for in-vehicle electrical components, a power supply, input / output signal distribution, and a ground wire. The junction box that integrates the components is integrated and integrally connected by using the module case. However, due to the improvement of the meter module (combination meter), the control of electrical components arranged in each part of the vehicle Is not taken into consideration. Even if the control circuit is narrowed down as the basic electrical component unit like the latter, the option unit control circuit is centrally placed on the meter printed circuit board as an optional unit, which complicates the work due to the concentration of electrical components on the meter printed circuit board. Inevitability is inevitable.

[0007] Therefore, the applicant of the present invention has a vehicle unit arranged in an instrument panel of a vehicle, which has a display unit, a sound source unit, a receiving unit, and a control unit as a basic structure, each of which is detachably attached to a junction box. An instrument device is proposed, and such an instrument device for a vehicle is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 200-187
No. 0-38058 is disclosed.

[0008]

However, there is room for improvement in the integration of the junction box into the instrument device in terms of size increase (layout constraint), assemblability, and maintainability (fuse replacement, etc.). The present invention is
By further improving the vehicle instrument device, common control of instruments and other electrical units to share parts, connection with a junction box to save wiring, and separation of large current drive parts to simplify instrument and harness routing It is intended.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a display unit for performing visual display according to various states of a vehicle, and an electrical component arranged on the display unit and each part of the vehicle. In a vehicle instrument device having a control unit for controlling an electric component unit, a drive unit for supplying electric power to the electric component unit is provided in the junction box, and the electric component unit including the drive unit is centralized in the control unit. To control.

Further, according to the present invention, the connection between the control unit and the junction box or the drive unit is performed through communication.

The present invention also provides a display unit for performing visual display according to various states of the vehicle, a sound source unit for performing auditory display according to the various states, and wireless information from the outside. At least the control unit in a vehicle instrument device, comprising: a receiving unit that receives and outputs a signal for controlling the vehicle; and a control unit that controls each unit and an electrical component unit installed in each unit of the vehicle. Is provided in the junction box, and at least one of the sound source unit and the receiving unit is separated from the junction box.

Further, according to the present invention, the display unit and the sound source unit or the receiving unit are connected to the junction box through communication.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 and 2 show the first embodiment.

Reference numeral 100 is a vehicle instrument device (combination meter) installed in front of the driver of the instrument panel, 110 is a display unit for performing visual display according to various states of the vehicle, and 120 is the various states described above. Is a sound source unit for performing an aural display according to, and a receiving unit 130 for receiving a wireless information from the outside and outputting a signal for controlling or communicating the vehicle.

The display unit 110, as shown in FIG. 2, displays various kinds of information about the vehicle.
One or more cross-coil type or stepping motor type instrument main body 111 for displaying the traveling speed, engine speed, remaining fuel amount, etc. by the rotation angle of the pointer, and this instrument main body 11
1, a drive circuit 112 provided corresponding to the instrument main body 111 that supplies a signal for driving 1, an LCD that displays the traveling distance and section distance by digital numbers or analog bars,
A display element 113 such as EL or EC, a drive circuit 114 provided corresponding to the display element 113 which supplies a signal for driving the display element 113, a direction instruction, a light lighting,
Lamps that display various indications such as seat belt wearing, LE
It has a display element 115 such as D and a drive circuit 116 provided corresponding to the display element 115 which supplies a signal for driving the display element 115.

As shown in FIG. 2, the sound source unit 120 appropriately issues a predetermined warning to the driver or the like according to the state of the vehicle. For example, the sound source unit 120 is appropriately operated by the driver or the sensor output installed at an appropriate place. It has a sounding element 121 such as a buzzer that emits an alarm sound, and a drive circuit 122 provided corresponding to the sounding element 121 that supplies a signal for driving the sounding element 121. The sounding element 121 can be used alone or in cooperation with a speaker (not shown) provided in another part of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 2, the receiving unit 130 receives wireless information from the outside and causes a control unit, which will be described later, to perform a predetermined process. For example, a radio signal from the remote controller 202 for keyless entry is received. An antenna for receiving, or an input element 131 such as a microphone,
A receiving unit 132 connected to the input element 131 and performing appropriate processing such as noise removal and waveform shaping on the signal and outputting the signal.
Have and. The input element 131 is a microphone that receives a signal from the keyless entry remote controller 202, a position signal from GPS, or captures a voice.

Reference numeral 140 denotes a control unit for controlling each of the units 110 to 130 and an electric component unit, which will be described later, installed in each portion of the vehicle. The control unit 141 includes a control unit 141 such as a microcomputer and control information from the control unit 141. It has an interface 142 for exchanging data and for taking in sensor output installed at an appropriate place of the vehicle.

The units 110 to 140 are provided with connecting means 117, 123, 133, 143, 1 such as connectors.
It is detachably connected by 44 and 145. Also,
The control unit 140 has connecting means 146 such as a connector connected to the multiplex communication line, and connecting means 147 and 148 connected to a junction box described later.

Reference numeral 150 denotes a junction box connected to the control unit 140, which includes a drive section 151a composed of a door lock relay for driving a door lock motor 200 for locking / unlocking a vehicle door lock, and a turn signal lamp 201. It has a drive unit 151b which is a flasher relay for driving. The junction box 150 is connected to the control unit 140 via connecting means 154 and 155.

The junction box 150 is connected to the connecting means 154 and is connected to an electric equipment unit such as a parking brake, and the door lock motor 20.
0 and the turn signal lamp 201, and a connecting means 157 and a connecting means 158 connecting to a power supply section for supplying electric power to the driving sections 151a and 151b.

The door lock motor 20 having such a structure
The driving of 0 is as follows. That is, the receiving unit 130 in the vehicle instrument device 100 receives the door opening / closing information from the remote controller 202. This is the control unit 14
When the control unit 141 of 0 decrypts the result and compares the result with the stored registration ID, and the two match, the connection unit 148,
The door lock motor 200 is driven by the drive unit 151 a of the junction box 150 via 155.
At this time, a large current for driving the door lock motor 200 is generated by the connecting means 158 → driving section 151a → connecting means 15
7 → door lock motor 200 → connecting means 157 → driving section 151a → connecting means 158. The door lock can be locked or unlocked individually by a switch (not shown) attached to each door.

The drive of the turn signal lamp 201 in such a configuration is as follows. That is, the instruction from the turn signal switch or the hazard switch is decoded by the control unit 141 of the control unit 140 in the meter driving device 100, the result is transmitted to the junction box 150 via the connecting means 148, 155, and the driving unit 151b. Thus, the turn signal lamp 201 is driven. At this time, a large current for driving the turn signal lamp 201 flows through the route of connecting means 158 → driving unit 151b → connecting means 157 → turn signal lamp 201 → ground (ground). Turn signal lamp 2
01 is also used as an answerback of the door opening / closing information from the remote controller 202.

FIG. 3 shows the second embodiment, and the same or corresponding parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals. The characteristic of this second embodiment is that the vehicle instrument device 1
No. 00 control unit 140 and the junction box 150 are provided separately, and the control unit 140 and the junction box 150 are connected via a communication line 360. The control signal 152 of the drive units 151a and 151b and the interface signal 153 between the vehicular instrument device 100 and the junction box 150 do not need to be separately provided, and are performed via the communication line 360. A communication interface 149 is provided in the control unit, and the junction box 150 has
A control unit 159 and a communication interface 160 are provided.

FIG. 4 shows the third embodiment, and the same or corresponding parts as those in the first or second embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals. A sub-unit 400 is composed of a display unit 110 and a receiving unit 130 separated from the junction box 150. The connection between the subunit 400 and the junction box 150 is made via the connection means 448 and 155.

FIG. 5 shows a fourth embodiment, in which the same or corresponding parts as those in the first, second or third embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals. This fifth embodiment is characterized in that the subunit 400 and the junction box 150 are provided separately, and the subunit 40
0 and the junction box 150 are connected via a communication line 560. The drive signal of the display unit 110 and the reception signal from the reception unit 130 do not need to be separately provided and are performed via the communication line 560. The subunit 400 is provided with a control unit 441 and a communication interface 443.

[0027]

According to the present invention, parts are shared by centralized control of instruments and other electrical equipment units, wiring is reduced by connecting to a junction box, and wiring of instruments and harnesses is simplified by separating large-current drive units. Can be achieved. In addition, by separating the drive unit that requires a large current and providing it in the junction box, it is not necessary to make the connecting means of the control unit compatible with a large current, and it is possible to reduce the possibility that noise will enter the control unit. Further, according to the second and fourth embodiments, it is possible to perform the optimal arrangement via the communication line, and the layout flexibility is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle instrument device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of various units according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a vehicle instrument device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a vehicle instrument device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a vehicle instrument device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 Vehicle instrumentation 110 display unit 120 sound source unit 140 control unit 150 junction box 151a drive unit 151b drive unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle instrument device comprising: a display unit for performing a visual display according to various states of the vehicle; and a control unit for controlling the display unit and an electrical component unit arranged in each part of the vehicle. The vehicle instrument device according to claim 1, wherein a drive unit that supplies electric power to the electric component unit is provided in the junction box, and the control unit centrally controls the electric component unit including the drive unit. 2. The vehicle instrument device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit and the junction box or the drive unit are connected via communication. 3. A display unit for performing a visual display according to various states of the vehicle, a sound source unit for providing an auditory display according to the various states, and a vehicle unit receiving radio information from the outside. In a vehicle instrument device having a receiving unit that outputs a signal for performing control, and a control unit that controls each unit and an electrical component unit installed in each part of the vehicle, at least the control unit is a junction box. A vehicle instrument device, wherein at least one of the sound source unit and the receiving unit is provided separately from the junction box. 4. The vehicle instrument device according to claim 3, wherein the display unit and the sound source unit or the receiving unit are connected to the junction box through communication. Instrumentation device.