Indicator member, indicator unit and indicator instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9995606-B2
Application number	US-201615349366-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2016
Priority date	Jan 26, 2011
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

To provide an inexpensive indicator member which can prevent a dark area from being formed at a location above a reflection part, an indicator unit having the indicator member and an indicator instrument having the indicator unit. A hollow reflection part provided to an indicator part of an indicator main body of a light-emitting indicator includes a plurality of partial reflection parts having at least an pointing direction reflection face, a rear end direction reflection face and a corner formed at an intersection of the pointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face and arranged at a location opposed to the base part. The corners of the respective partial reflection parts adjacent to each other are displaced in a pointing direction or in a rear end direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An indicator member made of translucent material and having
a base part arranged to receive light from a light source,
an indicator part extending from one end of the base part to each of a pointing direction and a rear end direction opposite of the pointing direction, and
a hollow reflection part provided in the indicator part and arranged at a location opposed to the base part so as to reflect the light received at the base part toward the pointing direction and the rear end direction,
wherein the hollow reflection part includes
a pointing direction reflection face arranged to reflect a part of the light received at the base part toward the pointing direction and transmit another part of the light,
a rear end direction reflection face connected to the pointing direction reflection face in an intersecting fashion and arranged to reflect a part of the light received at the base part toward the rear end direction and transmit another part of the light, and
a transmission face connected to each of the pointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face in an intersecting fashion and arranged to face an upper face of the indicator part, and

wherein the transmission face is formed into a convexly curved surface which is convex toward the upper face of the indicator part from one end connected to the pointing direction reflection face to another end connected to the rear end direction reflection face.

2. An indicator unit comprising,
the indicator member described in claim 1 , and
a cover member arranged to cover the indicator part of the indicator member and having
a slit through which the light from an upper face of the indicator part facing an opposite direction of the base part is passed.

3. An indicator instrument comprising,
the indicator unit described in claim 2 ,
a drive device arranged to rotate an indicator shaft to which the indicator unit is attached in accordance with measured quantity, and
a light source which emits light to be received at an indicator member of the indicator unit.

Assignees

• Yazaki Corp

Inventors

• Miyazawa Tomohiro
• Ogawa Masayuki

Classifications

• G01D13/265 Primary

  Pointers which conduct light · CPC title

• B60Q3/62

  using light guides · CPC title

• B60K2350/2095

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60K2350/203

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• G02B6/0055

  Reflecting element, sheet or layer · CPC title