JP7533476B2 - Display device - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to display devices for vehicles, etc.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a display device having a conductive member for discharging static electricity charged on the display plate to the ground of the circuit board in order to prevent erroneous display on the liquid crystal display. The conductive member makes contact with the display plate under tension to ensure that the conductive member makes contact. The display device also has a flyleaf member that covers the non-display area of the display plate. The flyleaf member holds down the display plate to prevent it from lifting up due to tension from the conductive member.

JP 2010-127800 A

It is preferable that a member for pressing down the display board, such as the above-mentioned end cover member, is positioned as close as possible to the position where tension is applied from the conductive member. However, due to the design of the display device and design constraints, it may not be possible to position the member for pressing down the display board in a suitable position. In this case, the display device may not be able to prevent the display board from floating up, which may damage the appearance of the display device.

This disclosure has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a display device that can prevent poor appearance.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the display device of the present disclosure includes a dial having a surface direction facing in the front-to-rear direction and having a see-through portion, a display element arranged behind the see-through portion so as to be visible from the front, a circuit board arranged behind the display element and electrically connected to the display element and having an earth, a conductive member that flows static electricity charged on the dial to the earth, and a case that supports the dial and the display element on the front side and has a support portion that supports the conductive member between the circuit board and the dial, and the conductive member is a first connection portion that is electrically connected to the dial. , a second connection portion electrically connected to the earth, an intermediate portion arranged between the first connection portion and the second connection portion, a first connecting portion connecting the first connection portion and the intermediate portion, and a second connecting portion connecting the intermediate portion and the second connection portion, and the support portion is supported in the front-to-rear direction by sandwiching the support portion between the first connection portion and the intermediate portion , and at least one of the first connection portion and the intermediate portion has a convex portion protruding in a direction toward the support portion, and the support portion has a concave portion in which the convex portion is accommodated, and a regulating portion that regulates movement of the convex portion from the concave portion.

1 is a front view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an earth terminal and a conductive member in a particularly enlarged manner. FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the front-rear direction of the conductive member of FIG. 5 . FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram particularly showing the conductive member support portion before the conductive member is attached. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7 after the conductive member is attached.

An embodiment of the display device of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings. The display device of the present disclosure can be applied to a display device mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile or motorcycle, a ship, an agricultural machine, or a construction machine, for example.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a display device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view mainly showing the circuit board 50, the inner case 15, and the dial 30. As shown in FIG.

In the following description, "front," "rear," "up," "down," "right," and "left" follow the definitions of "Fr.", "Re.", "To.", "Bo.", "R," and "L" in Figures 1 to 8. Note that the side of the display device 1 that is visible to the user is defined as "front."

The display device 1 has a speedometer (hereinafter referred to as "SP") 2 and an engine tachometer (hereinafter referred to as "TA") 3. The SP2 is located on the right side as viewed from the front, and is a pointer-type (mechanical) instrument that displays the vehicle speed. The TA3 is located on the left side as viewed from the front, and is a pointer-type instrument that displays the vehicle engine speed. In this embodiment, the configuration of the TA3 side related to the display device 1 will be mainly described, and a detailed description of the configuration of the SP2 side will be omitted.

The display device 1 mainly comprises a case 10, a faceplate 20, a dial 30, a ring 40, a circuit board 50, a display panel 60, a light guide 70, and a conductive member 80.

The case 10 has an outer case 11 and an inner case 15.

The outer case 11 (not shown in FIG. 2) is made of synthetic resin (e.g., polypropylene) in black or the like. The outer case 11 accommodates various components including the dial 30 and the circuit board 50 in its internal space.

The middle case 15 is a member that is substantially circular in shape when viewed from the front, and is made of a white synthetic resin (e.g., polypropylene). The middle case 15 fixes (places) the dial 30 in the internal space of the outer case 11, and acts as a light-shielding wall for the light source 52. The middle case 15 mainly has a transparent opening 16 (Fig. 7), a panel support portion 17 (Fig. 7), a ring receiving portion 18, and a conductive member support portion 90.

The transparent opening 16 transmits light from the light source 52 in a position corresponding to the position of the symbol 33 formed on the dial 30. The panel support portion 17 is a recess provided on the front surface 19 (Figure 7) and supports the display panel 60 on the front side.

The ring receiving portion 18 secures the ring 40 to the outer edge 14 facing forward of the middle case 15 by hooking the ring hook 44. The required number of ring receiving portions 18 are arranged at required locations on the outer edge 14.

The conductive member support portion 90 (support portion) supports the conductive member 80 between the circuit board 50 and the dial 30. Details of the conductive member support portion 90 will be described later.

The end cover 20 is made of a light-blocking synthetic resin (e.g., polypropylene) such as black. The end cover 20 covers the front side of the outer case 11, shielding unnecessary areas inside the case 10 from the user. Specifically, the end cover 20 shields areas other than the dial 30 when viewed from the front. The end cover 20 does not overlap the dial 30 in the front-to-back direction. The end cover 20 has an opening 12 at the front, which is covered by a light-transmitting plate 13.

The dial 30 is a thin, approximately circular member with a surface facing in the front-to-rear direction. The dial 30 has a base material and a light-shielding layer. The base material is, for example, a thin plate made of transparent polycarbonate resin. The light-shielding layer is a printed layer printed with black light-shielding ink formed on the front (or back) of the base material. The light-shielding layer has cut-out character portions that correspond to the shape of the design 31. The design 31 includes numbers 32, symbols 33, and scales 34. The design 31 is illuminated by transmitting light from the light source 52.

The dial 30 has a see-through portion 35 for visually viewing the display panel 60. The see-through portion 35 is formed by an opening formed in a portion of the dial 30 corresponding to the display panel 60, or by an area where no light-shielding layer is formed.

The ring 40 is made of a synthetic resin (e.g., polypropylene) having a circular ring shape and is colored black. The ring 40 has a front support portion 41, a rear support portion 42, and a ring hook 44 (Figure 2). The front support portion 41 and the rear support portion 42 are provided forward of the ring hook 44.

The front support portion 41 is a convex portion that protrudes radially inward from the inner peripheral surface 45 of the ring 40. The front support portion 41 is formed around the circumference of the ring 40. The front support portion 41 restricts the forward movement of the dial 30 on the outer edge 37 side of the dial 30.

The rear support portion 42 is a convex portion that protrudes radially inward from the inner peripheral surface 45 of the ring 40. The required number of rear support portions 42 are arranged at required locations in the circumferential direction of the ring 40. The rear support portions 42 restrict the rearward movement of the dial 30 on the outer edge 37 side of the dial 30. As a result, the front support portion 41 and the rear support portion 42 fix and hold the dial 30.

The ring hooks 44 secure the ring 40 to the middle case 15. The ring hooks 44 are formed to protrude radially inward from the inner circumferential surface 45, and secure the ring 40 in the front-to-rear direction by engaging with the ring receiving portion 18. The required number of ring hooks 44 are arranged at required locations in the circumferential direction of the ring 40.

The circuit board 50 is disposed rearward relative to the dial 30 and the inner case 15. The circuit board 50 is also disposed rearward of the display panel 60 and is electrically connected to the display panel 60. The circuit board 50 mainly has a hand drive unit (not shown), a light source 52, and a control unit including drivers for the hand drive unit and the light source 52, etc.

The control unit has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and executes predetermined calculation processing according to a program written in the ROM, for example. The control unit acquires various vehicle information from the vehicle's ECU (Electronic Control Unit), for example. Based on the acquired information, the control unit drives the needle drive unit and also turns on the light source 52.

The pointer drive unit rotates the pointer shaft according to the input vehicle speed and engine RPM. The pointer shaft is made of a metal rod-shaped member that extends (stretches) forward perpendicularly to the circuit board 50. The pointer shaft is connected to the pointer 55 at its tip. The pointer 55 points to the scale 34 by rotating on the front surface of the dial 30.

The light sources 52 are provided on the front surface 51 of the circuit board 50 and are, for example, top-view type (upper surface emitting type) LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). The required number of light sources 52 are provided behind the dial 30.

The circuit board 50 also has an earth pattern (earth) and an earth terminal 56. Here, Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram particularly enlarging the earth terminal 56 and the conductive member 80.

The earth pattern is electrically connected to the dial 30 via the earth terminal 56 and the conductive member 80, and discharges the electricity charged in the dial 30. The earth terminal 56 is fixed to the circuit board 50 (earth pattern) by soldering. The earth terminal 56 is, for example, a conductive metal plate bent into a Z-shape, and has spring properties in the front-to-rear direction.

The display panel 60 (display element) is disposed on the panel support portion 17 of the middle case 15. The display panel 60 is fixed to the middle case 15, for example, by a hook (not shown). The display panel 60 is also disposed behind the see-through portion 35 so that the display screen can be viewed from the front.

The display panel 60 is a segmented liquid crystal display panel formed in a rectangular shape. The display panel 60 has a pair of glass substrates that encapsulate a liquid crystal layer. The pair of glass substrates have transparent electrodes made of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or the like. The display panel 60 also has a pair of polarizing plates (polarizing filters) that sandwich the pair of glass substrates. The display panel 60 is connected to and controlled by the circuit board 50 via a flexible substrate 61 such as an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits). This allows the display panel 60 to display predetermined information.

The light guide 70 is made of a transparent synthetic resin (for example, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)). The light guide 70 is fixed to, for example, the inner case 15 at the outer periphery of the pointer shaft. The light guide 70 guides the light from the light source 52 to the design 31. A transparent diffusion plate 71 made of, for example, polycarbonate resin is arranged in front of the light guide 70. The light from the light source 52 is further diffused by the diffusion plate 71, illuminating the design 31 without unevenness in brightness.

The conductive member 80 is a conductive member made of, for example, metal, and discharges static electricity charged on the dial 30 to the earth pattern. Here, Fig. 5 is a perspective view explaining the conductive member 80. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view along the front-rear direction of the conductive member 80 in Fig. 5.

The conductive member 80 has a dial connection surface 81, an earth connection surface 82, an intermediate surface 83, a front connecting surface 84, and a rear connecting surface 85.

The dial connection surface 81 (first connection portion) is a surface that is electrically connected to the dial 30. The dial connection surface 81 has a front convex portion 86 that protrudes rearward toward the conductive member support portion 90. The front convex portion 86 has a curved (spherical) shape.

The earth connection surface 82 (second connection portion) is a surface that electrically connects to the earth pattern by contacting the front surface 57 (Figure 4) of the earth terminal 56.

The intermediate surface 83 (middle portion) is disposed between the dial connection surface 81 and the earth connection surface 82. The intermediate surface 83 has a rear convex portion 87 that protrudes forward toward the conductive member support portion 90. The rear convex portion 87 has a curved (spherical) shape and is formed to face the front convex portion 86.

The front connecting surface 84 (first connecting portion) is a surface that connects the dial connecting surface 81 and the intermediate surface 83 in the front-to-rear direction. The rear connecting surface 85 (second connecting portion) is a surface that connects the intermediate surface 83 and the earth connecting surface 82 in the front-to-rear direction.

Each of the surfaces 81 to 85 of the conductive member 80 is formed by successively bending a rectangular plate-like member whose length is longer than its width at approximately right angles, with the creases serving as boundaries. Specifically, the conductive member 80 is a plate-like member that is bent at the boundary 88a between the dial connection surface 81 and the front connecting surface 84, the boundary 88b between the front connecting surface 84 and the intermediate surface 83, the boundary 88c between the intermediate surface 83 and the rear connecting surface 85, and the boundary 88d between the rear connecting surface 85 and the earth connection surface 82.

The conductive member 80 is bent at approximately right angles at each boundary 88a, 88b, 88c, 88d so as to form an approximately S-shape toward the rear when the dial connection surface 81 is taken as the starting point. The conductive member 80 is bent so that the dial connection surface 81, the intermediate surface 83, and the earth connection surface 82 have approximately the same dimensions. Therefore, the dial connection surface 81, the intermediate surface 83, and the earth connection surface 82 are arranged parallel to each other and overlap when viewed in the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, as a result of the bending, the rear connection surface 85 is located on the side of the intermediate surface 83 opposite the side on which the front connection surface 84 is formed, and the front connection surface 84 and the rear connection surface 85 have parallel surface directions.

The conductive member 80 is bent so that the front connecting surface 84 and the rear connecting surface 85 have different lengths in the front-to-rear direction. As a result, the distance between the dial connecting surface 81 and the intermediate surface 83 is different from the distance between the earth connecting surface 82 and the intermediate surface 83.

Next, the conductive member support portion 90 of the middle case 15 will be described in detail. Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram particularly showing the conductive member support portion 90 before the conductive member 80 is attached. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in Figure 7 after the conductive member 80 has been attached.

The conductive member support portion 90 is formed near the panel support portion 17 (display panel 60) on the outer edge 14 side. The conductive member support portion 90 has a clamped portion 91 and upper and lower support portions 99.

The clamped portion 91 has upper and lower walls 92 and a retaining wall (regulating portion) 94. The upper and lower walls 92 are a pair of walls that face each other in the vertical direction. The outer shape of the clamped portion 91 is determined by the dimensions and spacing of the upper and lower walls 92, and is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape. This roughly rectangular outer shape has roughly the same shape as the clamping space 89 formed by the dial connection surface 81, the front connecting surface 84, and the intermediate surface 83 of the conductive member 80. A convex portion accommodating space 93 is formed between the upper and lower walls 92. This convex portion accommodating space 93 is a recess that accommodates the front convex portion 86 and the rear convex portion 87.

The retaining wall 94 is disposed in the space between the upper and lower walls 92 so that the clamped portion 91 is generally H-shaped when viewed from the front. The retaining wall 94 is formed from the front end to the rear end of the clamped portion 91. The retaining wall 94 restricts the movement (left-right movement) of the front convex portion 86 and the rear convex portion 87 accommodated in the convex portion accommodating space 93 from the convex portion accommodating space 93.

The upper and lower walls 92 have outer edges 95 and corners 96 that contact the conductive member 80. The retaining wall 94 also has an outer edge 97 that contacts the conductive member 80 (front convex portion 86, rear convex portion 87). These outer edges 95, 97 and corners 96 have an R shape (are chamfered).

The upper and lower support parts 99 are arranged parallel to the downward-facing surface 98 of the clamped part 91 at a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is a length that allows the front connecting surface 84 of the conductive member 80 to be inserted between the upper and lower support parts 99 and the surface 98 and restricts movement in the vertical direction.

Next, we will explain the function of the conductive member 80 when it is installed in the display device 1, and its function in the installed state.

7, the conductive member 80 is attached to the conductive member support part 90 while sliding from right to left. Specifically, the conductive member 80 is attached to the conductive member support part 90 such that the front connecting surface 84 is inserted between the clamped part 91 and the upper and lower support parts 99, and the clamped part 91 is accommodated in the clamping space 89.

At this time, there is a risk that the worker will install the conductive member 80 with the front-to-rear direction reversed. However, in the conductive member 80, the distance between the dial connection surface 81 and the intermediate surface 83 is different from the distance between the earth connection surface 82 and the intermediate surface 83. Therefore, the display device 1 can reduce incorrect installation by the worker. In addition, the outer edge 95 and corners 96 of the upper and lower walls 92 that contact the conductive member 80 have an R-shape. Therefore, the conductive member 80 slides smoothly without getting caught on the clamped portion 91. In addition, when the conductive member 80 is slid further, the front convex portion 86 and the rear convex portion 87 climb over the R-shaped outer edge 97 of the retaining wall 94 and are accommodated in the convex portion accommodation space 93.

As a result, the conductive member 80 is supported in the front-to-rear direction by the clamped portion 91, with the clamped portion 91 being sandwiched between the dial connection surface 81 and the intermediate surface 83. In addition, the anti-slip wall 94 acts on the front convex portion 86 and the rear convex portion 87, and the conductive member 80 is supported in the removal direction (left-right direction) of the conductive member 80. Furthermore, the upper and lower support portions 99 also support the conductive member 80 in the up-down direction. This makes it possible to restrict movement of the conductive member 80 even if vibrations act on the conductive member 80 while driving, etc.

The earth connection surface 82 of the conductive member 80 comes into contact with the earth terminal 56, which has spring properties, in a state where the earth terminal 56 is lightly compressed. This causes the conductive member 80 to receive a slight force in the forward direction. However, because the conductive member support portion 90 restricts the conductive member 80 from moving forward and backward, the conductive member 80 is prevented from being lifted forward, and the dial connection surface 81 is prevented from pushing up the dial 30 and causing it to float up. This makes it possible to prevent poor appearance of the display device 1.

In addition, because the dial 30 does not float, there is no need to place a member to press the dial 30 backward near the point of contact with the conductive member 80. This allows the display device 1 to have greater design freedom.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

For example, the shapes of the inner case 15, the dial 30, and the arrangement of the display panel 60 are merely examples and are not limited to these.

Although the conductive member support part 90 having the clamped part 91 and the upper and lower support parts 99 has been shown as an example of the support part, the shape of the support part is not limited to this. For example, the clamped part 91 may be a solid rectangular parallelepiped corresponding to the dimensions of the clamping space 89, and the space for accommodating the protrusion may be formed as a recess in the rectangular parallelepiped.

A convex portion may be formed on at least one of the dial connection surface 81 (first connection portion) and the intermediate surface 83 (intermediate portion). The relationship between the convex portion and the concave portion may be reversed. For example, the conductive member 80 may have a notch formed by pressing as the concave portion, and the support portion of the case 10 may have a bent and raised cut shape as the convex portion.

The earth connection surface 82 was bent in a direction facing the intermediate surface 83, but it may be bent in the opposite direction to the intermediate surface 83. The earth terminal 56 was in contact with the earth connection surface 82, but it may be in contact with the rear coupling surface 85 without the earth connection surface 82. The earth terminal 56 may be absent, and the earth connection surface 82 may be in contact with the circuit board 50.

1 Display device 2 Speedometer (SP)
3 Engine Tachometer (TA)
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Case 11 Outer case 12 Opening 13 Light-transmitting plate 14 Outer edge 15 Inner case 16 Transparent opening 17 Panel support portion 18 Ring receiving portion 19 Front surface 20 Inside cover 30 Dial plate 31 Design 32 Numbers 33 Symbols 34 Scale 35 See-through portion 37 Outer edge 40 Ring 41 Front support part 42 Rear support part 44 Ring hook 45 Inner peripheral surface 50 Circuit board 51 Front surface 52 Light source 55 Pointer 56 Ground terminal 57 Front surface 60 Display panel (display element)
61 Flexible substrate 70 Light guide 71 Diffuser 80 Conductive member 81 Dial connection surface (first connection portion)
82 Earth connection surface (second connection part)
83 Middle surface (middle part)
84 Front connection surface (first connection part)
85 Rear connection surface (second connection part)
86 Front convex part 87 Rear convex part 88a, 88b, 88c, 88d Boundary 89 Clamping space 90 Conductive member support part (support part)
91: Clamped portion 92: Upper and lower walls 93: Convex portion accommodation space (concave portion)
94 Anti-slip wall (regulating part)
95, 97 Outer edge 96 Corner 98 Surface 99 Upper and lower support parts

Claims (4)

A dial having a surface facing in the front-rear direction and a see-through portion;
A display element arranged behind the see-through portion so as to be visible from the front;
a circuit board disposed behind the display element and electrically connected to the display element, the circuit board having a ground;
a conductive member for discharging static electricity charged on the dial to the ground;
a case having a support portion that supports the dial and the display element at a front side and supports the conductive member between the circuit board and the dial,
The conductive member is
A first connection portion electrically connected to the dial;
a second connection portion electrically connected to the ground;
an intermediate portion disposed between the first connection portion and the second connection portion;
A first connecting portion connecting the first connection portion and the intermediate portion;
a second connecting portion connecting the intermediate portion and the second connecting portion,
The support portion is supported in the front-rear direction by sandwiching the support portion between the first connection portion and the intermediate portion ,
At least one of the first connection portion and the intermediate portion has a protrusion protruding in a direction toward the support portion,
The support portion has a recess in which the protrusion is accommodated, and a restricting portion that restricts movement of the protrusion from the recess.
Display device. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the first connection part and the intermediate part is different from the distance between the second connection part and the intermediate part. The support portion has an outer edge or a corner that contacts the conductive member,
The display device according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the outer edges or corners have an R shape. 2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the conductive member is a single plate-like member that is folded at the boundary between the first connection portion and the first connecting portion, the boundary between the first connecting portion and the intermediate portion, the boundary between the intermediate portion and the second connecting portion, and the boundary between the second connecting portion and the second connecting portion.

Images