Light-driven display device

• US 5,949,346 A
• Filed: 06/07/1996
• Issued: 09/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yasukawa, Takemasa, Sakai, Kazuhiro, Misawa, Akihiro, Yamaguchi, Hisao, Suzuki, Akihiko, Sugihara, Hiroshi, Tamaki, Makoto, Iwasa, Tadanobu, Yamanaka, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US08/660,711
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 340/815.42, 340/815.45, 340/815.47, 340/815.78, 340/815.75, 340/525, 340/461, 340/462, 340/466, 362/23, 362/26, 362/29, 362/30, 362/31, 362/32, 362/800, 116/284, 116/290, 116/286, 116/287, 116/288, 345/35, 345/39, 345/46
• US Class Current: 340/815.45
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/33 Illumination features
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/28 Structurally-combined illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/08 Arrangements of scales, pointers, lamps or acoustic indicators, e.g. in automobile speedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/0472 Traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes

Abstract

An LED display device has an indicator having a housing. The housing has at least one incident portion which receives light from at least one LED. The incident portion has a reflection surface at its inside surface. LEDs emit light from one side or one longitudinal end of the incident portion. A refraction plate may be provided to direct emission of the incident light for viewing by a user.

Claims

1. An LED display device comprising:

a meter having a plurality of photoconductor elements each having a longitudinal direction, a first longitudinal end and first and second opposing sides facing a substantially perpendicular direction to said longitudinal direction, each photoconductor element being of an elongated shape, and being disposed side by side in a fixed direction;

an emitting element having a plurality of LEDs respectively arranged at said first longitudinal end of each photoconductor element, so as so emit light in said longitudinal direction; and

a reflection element provided on said first opposing side of each photoconductor element for reflecting the light emitted in said longitudinal direction in a direction substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal direction;

an emission control element for driving each said LED at a time of a fixed warning so as to communicate an emission control warning, said emission control element including a sensing circuit for detecting a quantity of light entering the meter and an luminance control circuit for changing a quantity of light of each said LED to change a luminance of the meter according to the quantity of light detected by said sensing circuit, wherein

two or more colors of LEDs are provided for the meter, and wherein

said emission control element selectively combines the LEDs to be lit so as to illuminate the meter with a desired color, and wherein

said sensing circuit comprises a photo detecting sensor comprising an LED not being operated to emit light into the meter.

2. An LED display device according to claim 1,

wherein said LEDs includes at least a red LED and a blue LED, and

wherein said omission control element further includes an omission control circuit for setting an illumination color of said meter to a bluish color when a quantity of light is not more than a predetermined value and for setting said illumination color of said meter to a reddish color when said quantity of light is more than said predetermined value.

3. An LED display device according to claim 1,

each of said photoconductor elements having an elongated main portion having a substantially quadrilateral cross section, said main portion having an emitting surface at said second opposing side;

said reflection element having a substantially saw-shaped cross-section formed by a plurality of teeth successively arranged in said longitudinal direction, each of said teeth having a reflection surface generally facing said first longitudinal end, said reflection surface being slanted at such an inclination as to reflect the light advancing substantially in said longitudinal direction in a direction toward said emitting surface, thereby emitting most of the light; and

said LED device further comprising a light reflection element arranged at said first longitudinal end of said main portion to reflect the light emitted from each said LED into substantially parallel rays and to radiate said parallel rays in said main portion from said longitudinal end in said longitudinal direction.

4. An LED display device according to claim 3, wherein said main portion of said photoconductor piece has a substantially sector shape of a predetermined angle, in a plan view, with the one longitudinal end wider than the other end, a number of said photoconductor pieces being closely arranged with the one longitudinal end of said main portion placed at an outer circumference and the other end at an inner circumference so as to define said indicator in a substantially sector shape of a predetermined angle, in a plan view.

5. An LED display device according to claim 4, wherein said indicator is a meter for a vehicle;

and

said device further comprising control means for lighting said LED corresponding to said photoconductor piece at a predetermined angular position in accordance with a vehicle speed.

6. An LED display device according to claim 4, wherein two or more colors of LEDs are provided for each photoconductor piece.

8. An LED display device according to claim 1,

wherein each of said photoconductor elements further comprises:

an incident portion having a periphery defining an opening communicating with said first longitudinal end and a reflection surface at on an inner surface opposite said first longitudinal end, said incident portion permitting the light emitted from each said LED to enter at said longitudinal end in substantially said longitudinal direction; and

wherein said reflection element comprises a generally flat refraction plate having a saw-shape cross section defined by teeth successively formed at a rear surface of said refraction plate in said longitudinal direction, each of said teeth refracting the light advancing substantially in said longitudinal direction in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto so as to emit the light through said refraction plate.

9. An LED display device according to claim 8, wherein said indicator has a housing integrally formed of incident portions as said photoconductor successively arranged in a width direction;

and

wherein said refraction plate of a flat plate shape covers the whole openings of all said incident portions and has teeth successively formed at a rear surface in the longitudinal direction of each of said incident portions.

10. An LED display device according to claim 9, wherein each of the incident portions is made into a substantially trapezoidal shape, in a plan view, with one longitudinal end wider than the other longitudinal end, and a number of said incident portions are closely arranged with the one longitudinal end placed at an outer circumference and the other end at an inner circumference so as to make said housing in a substantially sector shape, in a plan view.

11. An LED display device according to claim 9, wherein each of said incident portions comprises a substantially rectangulars shape, in a plan view, and a number of said incident portions are closely arranged in a width direction so as to form said housing in a substantially bar graph shape, in a plan view.

12. An LED display device according to claim 8, wherein said refraction plate is made of a transparent resin material of a refraction index of about 1.4 to 1.6, and wherein the tooth angle between said teeth of said refraction plate is set at an angle in a range between about 60 to 80 degrees.

13. An LED display device according to claim 8, further comprising a parabolic mirror arranged opposite to said LED so as to deflect the light from said LED to produce parallel rays radiated in the longitudinal direction of said incident portion.

14. An LED display device according to claim 8, wherein two or more colors of LEDs are provided for said incident portion.

7. An LED display device comprising:

an indicator having a plurality of photoconductor pieces each having a longitudinal direction, first and second longitudinal ends and first and second opposing sides facing a substantially perpendicular direction to said longitudinal direction, each photoconductor piece being of an elongated shape, and being disposed side by side in a fixed direction;

an emitting element having a plurality of LEDs respectively arranged at said first longitudinal end of each said photoconductor piece, so as to emit light into each said photoconductor piece in said longitudinal direction;

a reflection element provided on said first opposing side of each photoconductor piece for reflecting the light emitted in said longitudinal direction in a direction substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal direction; and

a printed board on which each said LED is arranged in a predetermined line shape according to a variable so as to define an LED array,

wherein said indicator includes a lens array formed in a line shape corresponding to said LED array, said lens array having diffuse radiation lens elements arranged corresponding to each said LED of said LED array, respectively,

wherein each of the diffuse radiation lens elements is shaped into a substantially square column and comprises an incident side having a fitting recess for fitting each said LED therein at a first side facing each said LED, a first reflection surface at a second side facing said incident side, a second reflection surface at said first side facing said first reflection surface and an emitting side at said second side facing said second reflection surface, each said LED emitting light into said incident side so that said first and second reflection surfaces reflect the light to said emitting side and said emitting side diffuses and radiates the light.