JPH0142139Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a method for disposing a light guide behind a liquid crystal display element, guiding the irradiated light from a light source to illuminate the liquid crystal display element, and The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device that displays a predetermined display area partially in bright light with a light guide interposed from a light source that lights up when a specific signal is input.

[Conventional Example] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate and explain a conventional liquid crystal display device used in a vehicle instrument.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a light guide plate 4 is disposed behind a liquid crystal display element 3 that optically displays vehicle measurement information by sealing liquid crystal between substrates 1 and 2 on which transparent electrodes of a predetermined shape are formed, A light receiving section 5 is formed on this one end surface, and a lamp 6 serving as a light source is placed close to the light receiving section 5 to constitute an illumination mechanism. A semi-transparent plate 7 is provided on the front side of the light guide plate 4.
and a reflective plate 8 on the back side to enable reflective and transmissive day/night display. When the liquid crystal display element 3 is used as a negative display type, a color display layer 7a in which desired colors are divided and arranged is printed on the surface of the semi-transparent plate 7 corresponding to the electrode formation position serving as the display part, and the liquid crystal display element A display board 9 is disposed on the front side of the display panel 3 and has a transparent portion formed therein corresponding to the display area.

In the liquid crystal display device configured in this way, a control signal from a drive circuit (not shown) is applied to a predetermined electrode of the liquid crystal display element 3 to turn the corresponding display area into a transparent state, and the color display layer 7a of the semi-transparent plate 7 is turned on. By looking through it, changes in measurement information can be visually recognized in an analog or digital manner.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] By the way, with the generation of specific signals such as vehicle speed warning,
Normally, when informing the driver of an abnormal condition, a specific signal is applied to a corresponding electrode formed on the liquid crystal display element 3, and a warning is given based on changes in this display part, but other general driving information Since the display format is almost the same as that of the above, it is not possible to obtain a sufficient effect to draw the driver's attention.

For this reason, one possible method is to place a warning light source at the rear and turn it on when an abnormality occurs to call attention to it.
Since the light guide plate 4 for illumination is provided, it is not possible to illuminate only the warning display area, and conventionally, such specific information is displayed by lighting up by disposing a display lens separately from the liquid crystal display element. The configuration was universal. Therefore, display means for general driving information and specific information must be provided separately, and as the display area increases, the device becomes larger and more complex, making assembly difficult and expensive. Put it away.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a light guide plate for illumination behind a liquid crystal display element, and to make a specific display area of this liquid crystal display element shine brightly independently of other display areas. , which provides an effective display structure to draw the attention of viewers, is characterized by a light-concentrating projection hanging from the bottom of the light guide plate corresponding to a specific display area, and a display light source placed opposite to this. That is.

[Embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described regarding a liquid crystal display device based on the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 3, a light guide plate 1 is placed behind a liquid crystal display element 10 on which electrodes of a predetermined shape are formed on opposing substrates.
1 is disposed, a light receiving section 12 is formed at one end thereof, and an illumination lamp 13 is disposed close to the light receiving section 12. The liquid crystal display element 10 is of a negative display type, and a vehicle speed warning display area is formed as specific information along with general driving information such as the vehicle speed, engine speed, or remaining fuel amount by signals from a drive circuit (not shown).
A semi-transparent plate 14 is arranged on the front side of the light guide plate 11,
A color display layer 15 is printed and formed corresponding to each display portion formed on the liquid crystal display element 10. On the front side of the liquid crystal display element 10, a display plate 16 having a transparent portion formed therein corresponding to the display area is disposed. In addition, the light guide plate 1 corresponding to the vehicle speed warning display part as specific information
1, a light introduction part 17 is integrally formed and has a light transmission area including at least the above-mentioned display area, and is integrally formed in a protruding manner.A display lamp 18, which is lit in response to a warning signal, is adjacent to the light introduction part 17. Opposite.
In this case, the vehicle speed warning display portion of the liquid crystal display element 10 is also energized by the warning signal at the same time as the lamp 18 is turned on, so that the color display layer 15 on the semi-transparent plate 14 can be seen through.

In addition, when a reflecting plate is disposed on the back side of the light guide plate 11, a through hole is formed at a position corresponding to the light introduction part 17, and the light introduction part 17 is configured to protrude downward through the through hole.

In the above configuration, in a normal measurement display state, a predetermined electrode portion of the liquid crystal display element 10 is energized by the application of a signal from a drive circuit (not shown) to display general driving information such as the driving speed or engine rotation speed. When driving at night, the illumination lamp 13 is turned on, and the irradiated light enters from the light receiving part 12 of the light guide plate 11 and is guided to the entire area of the liquid crystal display element 10, so that uniform illumination from behind is achieved. It will be done.

Assuming that the driving speed has now reached the warning range,
The indicator lamp 18 is activated by an abnormal signal from the drive circuit.
At the same time as the lamp 18 lights up, the vehicle speed warning display part of the liquid crystal display element 10 is energized and changes from an opaque state to a transparent state at once, and a color display is displayed on the semi-transparent plate 14 that is intensively illuminated by the lit display lamp 18. The color of the layer 15 is illuminated and displayed more clearly than the surrounding general driving information, making it possible to provide an extremely effective display for calling the driver's attention.

That is, the irradiated light beam from the display lamp 18 is focused in the light introduction part 17, and the light transmission path is determined, so that only the corresponding vehicle speed warning display area can be illuminated, for example, the illumination lamp 13 Even when the light is turned on and the light is transmitted through the light guide plate 11, the clearer illumination color provides a brightness that is not found in other driving information, and the warning can be quickly and reliably notified to the driver. . Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the liquid crystal display element 10 and the light guide plate 11 are arranged at a slight interval, and an irradiation protrusion closer to the liquid crystal display element 10 is provided on the upper part of the light guide plate 11 corresponding to the light introduction part 17. 19, the traveling direction of the light beam from the indicator lamp 18 can be determined more reliably,
To enable clear lighting display without exposing the surroundings. Furthermore, by providing a light-shielding layer 20 having a reflective function around the side of the light introduction part 17, the light beam incident from the display lamp 18 is focused on the alarm display area side without wastage, and its visibility can be further improved. .

[Effects] As detailed above, the liquid crystal display device of the present invention has a light guide plate for illumination disposed behind the liquid crystal display element, and a light guide plate that hangs integrally from the bottom of the light guide plate corresponding to a specific display area. By forming a light protrusion and arranging a light source close to it that lights up in response to a specific signal, we have provided a liquid crystal display device with an extremely simple structure that does not require separate dedicated parts and has excellent arousal performance. It's something you get.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the illumination structure of a conventional liquid crystal display device, FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of the display form of the device, and FIG. 3 is an example of the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing another embodiment. 10...Liquid crystal display element, 11...Light guide plate, 12
... Light receiving section, 13 ... Illumination lamp, 14 ... Semi-transparent plate, 16 ... Display board, 17 ... Light introducing section, 1
8...Display lamp.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In the liquid crystal display device, a light guide is disposed behind the liquid crystal display element, and a light beam from a light source placed close to the light guide is introduced to illuminate the liquid crystal display element from behind. A light introduction part is formed to protrude from the lower part of the light guide corresponding to a specific display part formed at a predetermined location of the display element and has a light transmitting area that includes at least the display part and hangs down integrally, and this light introduction part A liquid crystal display device characterized in that a display light source that is turned on in response to a specific signal to emit a light beam is disposed in the display device.