Indication device

Abstract

To provide a display device that can reduce design constraints. [Solution] The display device 1 in this embodiment has a front surface 11 which is a display surface and a back surface 10 opposite to the front surface 11, and is attached to a vehicle structure 2 and connected to the vehicle side by a harness 40, and comprises a circuit board 31, a connector 32 mounted on the circuit board 31 and connected to the harness 40 on the back surface 10, a case that houses the circuit board 31 and the connector 32 inside and forms the back surface 10, having a shielding region 12 on the back surface 10 that is covered and shielded by the structure 2 and an exposed region 13 that is not covered and exposed by the structure 2, and having an opening 25 in the exposed region 13 that exposes the connector 32, and a harness cover 50 that shields the connector 32 and the harness 40 at least in the exposed region 13 and is fixed to the case.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a display device for vehicles and the like.

Background Art

[0002] A display device mounted on a vehicle displays information necessary for driving, such as the vehicle speed and engine speed. The display device is connected by a harness to acquire these information from the vehicle side. The harness is connected to a connector provided on the back side of the display device, for example.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As described above, the display device is connected to the vehicle side and the like by a harness, but depending on the installation location, the connector and the harness may be exposed. If the connector and the harness are visible, it may damage the appearance of the display device, or the harness may be accidentally pulled out from the connector. Therefore, it is preferable that the connector and the harness are arranged so as to be shielded, but if the design of the display device is carried out in consideration of the installation location of the display device, there is a risk of increasing the size or the number of parts. On the other hand, if the design of the display device is prioritized, there is a risk of being restricted by the installation location.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a display device capable of reducing design constraints.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present disclosure is a display device having a front surface which is a display surface and a back surface opposite to the front surface, and is mounted on a vehicle structure and connected to the vehicle side by a harness, comprising: a substrate; a connector mounted on the substrate and connected to a harness on the back surface; a case that houses the substrate and the connector inside and forms the back surface, having a shielded area on the back surface that is covered and shielded by the structure and an exposed area that is not covered and exposed by the structure, and having an opening in the exposed area that exposes the connector; and a harness cover that shields the connector and harness at least in the exposed area and is fixed to the case. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The display device of this disclosure can reduce design constraints. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a display device in a vehicle as an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a view of the display device shown in Figure 1, with the harness cover removed, from the rear. [Figure 3] A perspective view of the display device from the rear. [Figure 4] Rear view of the case. [Figure 5] A longitudinal cross-sectional view of the display device. [Figure 6] A cross-sectional view along the line VI-VI in Figure 5. [Figure 7] A cross-sectional view along a line parallel to the VI-VI line in Figure 5, which includes the retaining structure in the display device of Figure 5. [Figure 8] Installation procedure diagram. [Figure 9] Installation procedure diagram. [Figure 10] A perspective view of the display device from the rear, as an example of a modified design. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] An embodiment of the display device of the present disclosure will be described based on the accompanying drawings. The display device of the present disclosure can be applied to display devices mounted on vehicles such as automobiles and motorcycles, ships, agricultural machinery, and construction machinery.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an arrangement example of the display device 1 in a vehicle as an embodiment of the present disclosure, and is a view seen from the front 11 side of the display device 1.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a view of the display device 1 in FIG. 1, showing a state where the harness cover 50 is removed, seen from the back 10 side.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view seen from the back 10 side of the display device 1.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the rear case 24.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the display device 1.

[0015] In the following description, "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "right", and "left" follow the definitions "Fr.", "Re.", "To.", "Bo.", "R", and "L" in FIGS. 1 to 10. Note that the side on which the display device 1 is visible to the user is defined as "front (front 11)".

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the display device 1 is attached in front of the driver and other passengers (users) of the instrument panel 2 as an example of a vehicle structure. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the display device 1 is arranged such that the back surface 10 (the surface opposite to the front surface 11 which is the display surface) is along the surface along the vertical direction of the instrument panel 2. The display device 1 has a shielding area 12 below the back surface 10, and has an exposed area 13 other than that. The shielding area 12 is an area covered and shielded by the instrument panel 2 and not visible to the user. The exposed area 13 is located above the instrument panel 2 and is an area that is exposed without being covered by the instrument panel 2. Here, the front surface 11 of the display device 1 is visible to the user, and the back surface 10 is an area not visible to the user.

[0017] The display device 1 mainly includes a case 20, a display unit 30, a harness 40, and a harness cover 50.

[0018] The case 20 includes a front case 21, a front cover 23, and a rear case 24. The front case 21 and the rear case 24 are combined front and back to form the outer contour of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped display device 1 and accommodate the display unit 30 (substrate 31 and connector 32) in the internal space.

[0019] The front case 21 is made of, for example, synthetic resin and forms the front surface 11 (display surface) and the front side surfaces of the display device 1. The front case 21 has a front opening 22 on the front surface 11 so as to allow the information displayed by the display unit 30 to be visually recognized. The front cover 23 is disposed at the front opening 22 to prevent the intrusion of moisture, dust, etc. into the interior.

[0020] The rear case 24 is made of, for example, synthetic resin and forms the rear surface 10 and the rear side surfaces of the display device 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the rear case 24 has a rear opening 25 (opening), a housing groove 26, a mounting stay 27, and a screw hole 28.

[0021] The rear opening 25 is an exposed area 13 above the rear surface 10 and is formed at a position corresponding to the position of the connector 32. The rear opening 25 exposes the connector 32 protruding from the substrate 31 to the rear.

[0022] The housing groove 26 is a groove recessed with respect to the rear surface 10 for housing a part of the harness 40. The housing groove 26 is formed at a substantially central position in the left-right direction along the vertical direction in which the harness 40 is wired. Here, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line parallel to line VI-VI of FIG. 5 and along a line including the retaining structure 26a in the display device 1 of FIG. 5.

[0023] As shown in Figure 6, the housing groove 26 has a slope such that the opening widens outward to facilitate the insertion of the harness 40 into the housing groove 26. The housing groove 26 also has two retaining structures 26a in the longitudinal direction, as shown in Figure 4. The retaining structures 26a are provided to prevent the harness 40, once fitted into the housing groove 26, from coming loose unintentionally, and have a slope such that the opening is narrower than the diameter of the harness 40. The rear case 24 has a step 29 in the area around the rear opening 25 and the housing groove 26, corresponding to the outer edge of the harness cover 50. The step 29 is recessed relative to the rear surface 10 to guide the position where the harness cover 50 will be placed during assembly.

[0024] The mounting brackets 27 are a pair of left and right plate-shaped members positioned in the shielding area 12 below the rear surface 10. The mounting brackets 27 are inserted into the instrument panel 2 and secured to the instrument panel 2 with screws at predetermined locations, thereby fixing the display device 1 to the instrument panel 2.

[0025] The screw holes 28 are for two screws 55 (fixing means) that secure the harness cover 50, and are located on the lower end side of the rear case 24, on the left and right outer sides of the step 29, respectively.

[0026] The display unit 30 displays necessary vehicle information to the user, such as vehicle speed, engine RPM, and warnings. As shown in Figure 5, the display unit 30 has the necessary components, including a circuit board 31, a connector 32, a light source, and a dial. The circuit board 31 is arranged substantially parallel to the front 11 and rear 10 and controls the necessary electronic components such as the light source. The connector 32 is mounted on the rear side of the circuit board 31, slightly to the left of the center in the left-right direction. The connector 32 allows the connection terminals of the harness 40 to be inserted from rear to front on the rear 10 side.

[0027] The required configuration of the light source and dial is necessary for displaying the required information. The information displayed by the light source and dial is visible through the front opening 22 of the front case 21 via the front cover 23.

[0028] The harness 40 consists of cables that connect, for example, the vehicle's ECU (Electronic Control Unit) to the display device 1. The harness 40 is arranged along the back surface 10, extending from the exposed area 13 to the shielded area 12, with one end connected to the connector 32 located in the exposed area 13 and the other end extending into the instrument panel 2.

[0029] The harness cover 50 is housed inside the rear case 24 so as to cover the connector 32 and harness 40, and is a cover that shields the connector 32 and harness 40 on the rear surface 10 of the rear case 24 (at least in the exposed area 13). From the viewpoint of appearance, it is preferable that the harness cover 50 is made of the same material as the rear case 24 or has a surface treatment that makes it appear as if it is made of the same material.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5, the harness cover 50 has an exposed area portion 50a and a shielded area portion 50b, which are positioned in the exposed area 13 and shielded area 12 of the case 20, respectively. The exposed area portion 50a is the upper part of the harness cover 50 that covers the connector 32 and the harness 40 located in the exposed area 13. The shielded area portion 50b is located in the shielded area 12 and is the part that covers the harness 40 which is mainly housed in the housing groove 26. Since the connector 32 is positioned slightly to the left of the center in the left-right direction and the harness 40 is positioned in the center in the left-right direction, the exposed area portion 50a is eccentrically positioned to the left of the shielded area portion 50b.

[0031] The shielded area 50b has a smaller rise than the exposed area 50a's rise relative to the back surface 10 of the case 20. Furthermore, the rise of the shielded area 50b is constant. That is, the harness cover 50 is formed such that at the edge of the exposed area 50a near the upper connector 32, the rise from the back surface 10 is larger due to the bending of the harness 40 attached to the connector 32. Also, as the harness cover 50 moves towards the lower edge of the shielded area 50b, the amount of protrusion from the back surface 10 of the harness 40 routed along the back surface 10 decreases, so the rise becomes closer. In addition, in the shielded area 50b, the amount of protrusion from the back surface 10 of the harness 40 is constant, so the rise of the harness cover 50 is also constant.

[0032] The harness cover 50 further includes a claw portion 51, screw holes 52, and a retaining portion 53. The claw portion 51 is positioned along the edge on the exposed area portion 50a side. When attaching the harness cover 50 to the rear case 24, the claw portion 51 engages with the rear opening 25 of the rear case 24, guiding the assembly of the harness cover 50. The screw holes 52 are positioned along the edge on the shielded area portion 50b side and are holes for fixing the harness cover 50 to the screw holes 28 of the rear case 24 with two screws 55.

[0033] The retaining portion 53 prevents the harness 40, which is housed in the housing groove 26, from coming out of the housing groove 26 by holding it in the housing direction. Two retaining portions 53 are provided on the side of the shielding area portion 50b that faces the rear case 24.

[0034] The retaining portion 53 is positioned at a location other than where the retaining structure 26a of the housing groove 26 is located. The lower retaining portion 53 is preferably positioned near the end on the shielding area 50b side in order to prevent the harness 40 extending from the housing groove 26 toward the vehicle side from flapping during assembly or due to vehicle vibrations. The upper retaining portion 53 is preferably positioned between the two retaining structures 26a where the harness 40 is likely to be positioned appropriately.

[0035] Next, the procedure for assembling the display device 1, harness 40, and harness cover 50 will be described.

[0036] First, as shown in Figure 8, the harness 40 is inserted into the connector 32 and housed in the housing groove 26. Next, as shown in Figure 9, the claw portion 51 of the harness cover 50 is inserted into the rear opening 25 of the rear case 24 and engages, and after the harness cover 50 is temporarily fixed, the edge side of the shielding area portion 50b is also positioned on the rear case 24 so as to fit into the step 29. After that, the harness cover 50 is screwed (fixed) to the rear case 24 using two screws 55. As a result, the harness cover 50 becomes one with the case 20.

[0037] Even if a portion of the back surface 10 of such a display device 1 is exposed and the connector 32 must be placed in the exposed area 13, the harness cover 50 allows for suitable shielding of the connector 32 and harness 40. Therefore, the display device 1 can eliminate the deterioration in appearance that would occur if the connector 32 and harness 40 were exposed. In addition, the display device 1 can prevent the harness 40 from being unintentionally pulled out of the connector 32 due to the exposure of the harness 40.

[0038] Therefore, because the display device 1 has a harness cover 50, even if an exposed area 13 is formed on the back surface 10, design constraints such as having to place the connector 32 in the shielded area 12 can be eliminated, and the degree of design freedom regarding the placement of the connector 32 can be improved. At the same time, since the entire area of ​​the back surface 10 does not need to be the shielded area 12, the installation location on the vehicle side is not restricted, and the degree of placement freedom can be improved.

[0039] Furthermore, the harness cover 50 has a smaller rise in the shielded area 50b compared to the exposed area 50a. As a result, the display device 1 can position the shielded area 12 closer to the instrument panel 2 than the exposed area 13, and consequently, the thickness of the display device 1, including the harness cover 50, can be reduced. In particular, the display device 1 has a housing groove 26, which reduces the amount of the harness 40 protruding from the back surface 10, and as a result, the rise of the shielded area 50b of the harness cover 50 can also be reduced, further reducing the thickness.

[0040] Furthermore, the harness cover 50 is temporarily fixed to the rear case 24 on the exposed area 50a side via the claw portion 51, and then fixed with screws on the shielded area 50b side. As a result, the display device 1 can prevent the harness cover 50 from being removed by vandalism or other means, because the screws 55 are hidden by the instrument panel 2 and are not visible to the user.

[0041] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents.

[0042] For example, although an example was described in which the exposed area 50a of the harness cover 50 is eccentric with respect to the shielded area 50b and is not symmetrical, the shape of the harness cover is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 10, the harness cover 50 may be symmetrical from the viewpoint of appearance, regardless of the position and shape of the connector 32 and harness 40. That is, even if the position of the rear opening 25 is located at an eccentric position from the left-right center position of the rear surface 10, the external shape of the harness cover 50 may be formed to be symmetrical with respect to the said center position. Furthermore, as long as the harness can be shielded in at least the exposed area, the length of the shielded area side of the harness cover may be shorter than the length of the shielded area side of the harness cover 50. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 1 Display device 2. Instrument Panel (Structure) 10 Back 11 Front 12 Shield area 13 Exposure area 20 cases 21 Previous Case 22 Front opening 23 Front cover 24 Rear case 25 Posterior opening 25 Aperture 26 Storage grooves 26a Retaining structure 27 Mounting bracket 28 screw holes 29 steps 30 display units 31 circuit boards 32 connectors 40 Harness 50 Harness Cover 50a Exposed area 50b Shield area part 51 Nail part 52 screw holes 53 Pressing part 55 Bis

Claims

1. A display device having a front surface which is a display surface and a back surface opposite to the front surface, which is attached to the structure of a vehicle and connected to the vehicle side by a harness, circuit board and A connector mounted on the aforementioned circuit board and connected to the aforementioned harness on the rear surface, A case that houses the substrate and the connector inside and forms the back surface, having a shielded area on the back surface that is covered and shielded by the structure and an exposed area that is not covered and exposed by the structure, and having an opening in the exposed area that exposes the connector, A display device comprising: a harness cover that shields the connector and the harness at least in the exposed area and is fixed to the case.

2. The harness is arranged along the back surface from the exposed area to the shielded area, The harness cover has an exposed area portion that covers the connector and the harness arranged in the shielding area, and a shielding area portion that covers the harness arranged in the exposed area, The display device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding region has a rise amount smaller than the rise amount of the exposed region relative to the back surface.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the shielding region has a constant rise amount.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the case has a recessed housing groove on the front side for housing the harness.

5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the harness cover has an edge on the exposed area side and an edge on the shielded area side, and is fixed to the case by engaging with the opening of the case at the edge on the exposed area side and then being fixed to the case using fixing means at the end on the shielded area side.

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