Vehicular display apparatus

• US 9,522,630 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2014
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Yasuhiro, Kunitachi, Ryo, Kamon, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Anh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fallahkhair, Arman B
• Application Number:
  US14/294,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20140355236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 362/23.01, 362/23.15, 362/23.02, 362/23.16, 362/489, 362/511, 362/23.18, 362/23.19, 362/23.09, 362/482, 362/245, 362/332, 362/334, 362/459
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/10 for dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/28 Structurally-combined illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G12B 11/04 Pointers; Setting-mechanisms therefor

Abstract

A vehicular display apparatus is provided with an ambient-light luminous region that surrounds an outer periphery of a display region. An ambient light source emits light, which is then guided by an ambient-light guide body into an acrylic cylindrical body. The guided light is then outputted from a light output end face of the acrylic cylindrical body towards a light output direction. The light output end face forms the ambient-light luminous region. The vehicular display apparatus includes a light collection structure that collects an output light, which is outputted from the light output end face, towards the light output direction. Collecting the output light towards the light output direction enables the reduction of a light leakage to a direction different from the light output direction, improving an outputted luminance of the ambient-light luminous region.

Claims

1. A vehicular display apparatus in a vehicle, the vehicular display apparatus providing a luminous region that outputs luminance, the luminous region surrounding a display region that displays vehicular information,

the vehicular display apparatus comprising:

a light source to emit light;

a transmissive member made of a light transmissive material and receiving the light emitted from the light source, the transmissive member having a light output face that outputs the light received from the light source as an output light to form the luminous region surrounding the display region; and

a light collection device that is integrated with the transmissive member to be adjacently surrounding the light output face so as to collect the light outputted by the light output face towards a light output direction in which the light output face faces,

the light collection device including

a refractive face providing refraction to collect the output light towards the light output direction, the refractive face being formed to be integrated with the light output face, and

a light shielding wall that is integrated with the transmissive member and connected with the light output face, the light shielding wall standing towards the light output direction by protruding from a boundary portion where the light output face is connected with the light shielding wall as providing a light shielding effect to the light outputted in the light output direction by the light output face in the transmissive member.

2. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the refractive face forms a convex lens portion providing a convex projecting towards the light output direction.

3. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the refractive face is divided into a plurality of sub-faces that are aligned in a direction orthogonal to the light output direction.

4. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the refractive face is integrated into the light output face, forming the light luminous region.

5. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the light output face is provided along an outer periphery of the display region; and

the light shielding wall includes an inner peripheral wall portion and an outer peripheral wall portion opposite to the inner peripheral wall portion such that the light output face intervenes between the inner peripheral wall portion and the outer peripheral wall portion,

the inner peripheral wall portion standing closer to the display region than the light output face,

the outer peripheral wall portion standing farther from the display region than the light output face.

6. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light shielding wall includes a back-extension wall portion that extends from the light output face in a direction opposite to the light output direction.

7. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a light-dark acquisition section to acquire light-dark information on lightness and darkness, the light-dark information indicating a luminance in vicinity of the vehicle; and

a light source control section to reduce a light amount emitted from the light source as the luminance in vicinity of the vehicle becomes darker based on the light-dark information acquired by the light-dark acquisition section.

8. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light shielding wall is standing towards the light output direction from the boundary portion adjoining the refractive face formed in the light output face in the transmissive member, suppressing the light outputted from the light output face from leaking to a direction that is different from the light output direction.

9. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light output face defines a full circular light output face.

10. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding wall is a resin wall providing a light shielding effect.

11. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding wall is made of a light non-transmissive material.

12. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light output face is an annular face.

13. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the light output face is formed in a first ring shape along an outer periphery of the display region; and

the light shielding wall is formed in a second ring shape along the first ring shape of the light output face, the light shielding wall including an inner peripheral wall portion and an outer peripheral wall portion opposite to the inner peripheral wall portion such that the light output face in the first ring shape intervenes between the inner peripheral wall portion of the second ring shape and the outer peripheral wall portion of the second ring shape,

the inner peripheral wall portion standing closer to the display region than the light output face,

the outer peripheral wall portion standing farther from the display region than the light output face.

14. A vehicle display apparatus in a vehicle, the vehicle display apparatus comprising:

a display region that displays vehicular information to a driver of the vehicle;

a luminous region that outputs luminous, the luminous region surrounding the display region;

a light source emitting light;

a transmissive member made of a light transmissive material, the transmissive member receiving the light emitted from the light source, the transmissive member having a light output face outputting the light received from the light source to form the luminous region;

a refractive face integrated with the light output face, the refractive face refracting the light outputted from the light output face in a light output direction toward the driver of the vehicle; and

a light shielding wall providing a light shielding effect, the light shielding wall integrated with the transmissive member and connected with the light output face with which the refractive face is integrated, the light shielding wall extending directly from the light output face with which the refractive face is integrated in the light output direction toward the driver of the vehicle.

15. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the luminous region is an annular region fully encircling the display region.

16. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the light shielding wall is made of a light non-transmissive material.

17. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the light shielding wall defines an open annular space between the refractive face and the driver of the vehicle.

18. A vehicular display apparatus in a vehicle, the vehicular display apparatus providing on a front side facing a driver seat of the vehicle (i) a display region that displays vehicular information and (ii) a luminous region that outputs luminance, the luminous region surrounding the display region, both the display region and the luminous region being viewed from the driver seat,

the vehicular display apparatus comprising:

a light source arranged on a side opposite to the driver seat with respect to the front side to emit light for the luminous region;

a transmissive member made of light transmissive material and arranged in front of the light source to receive the light emitted from the light source, the transmissive member having a light output face that outputs the light received from the light source in a light output direction toward the driver seat as an output light so that the luminous region is viewed from the driver seat as surrounding the vehicular information displayed on the display region;

a refractive face integrated with the light output face, the refractive face refracting the light outputted from the light output face in the light output direction; and

a light shielding wall that is integrated with the transmissive member and connected to the light output face with which the refractive face is integrated, the light shielding wall protruding towards the light output direction from a boundary portion where the light output face is connected to the light shielding wall as suppressing the light outputted by the light output face from leaking to a direction different from the light output direction by providing a light shielding effect to the light outputted by the light output face in the light output direction.

19. The vehicular display apparatus according to claim 18, wherein:

the light output face is formed in a first ring shape along an outer periphery of the display region; and

the light shielding wall is formed in a second ring shape along the first ring shape of the light output face, the light shielding wall including an inner peripheral wall portion and an outer peripheral wall portion opposite to the inner peripheral wall portion such that the light output face in the first ring shape intervenes between the inner peripheral wall portion of the second ring shape and the outer peripheral wall portion of the second ring shape,

the inner peripheral wall portion standing closer to the display region than the light output face,

the outer peripheral wall portion standing farther from the display region than the light output face.