Denso Corporation

Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Hideyuki Nakane

Tatsuya Sasaki

Minoru Sumiya

Kazuhide Ohta

Tatsuya Seto

Masaaki Niwa

Takashi Mizutani

Teruyuki Anjima

Norio Fujimori

Hironori Watarai

A resin portion of an output shaft has a large diameter section, from which one end portion of a rod outwardly projects, and an intermediate diameter section, which extends from the large diameter section in an axial direction and is rotatably supported by a housing. A gear portion is formed in an outer peripheral surface of the large diameter section and is meshed with a final gear. A recess is recessed in the axial direction in the large diameter section and extends in the circumferential direction along an entire circumferential extent of the rod. The intermediate diameter section is continuously filled with resin in a region, which extends from an outer peripheral surface of the rod to an outer peripheral surface of the intermediate diameter section in the radial direction, along the entire circumferential extent of the rod.

Stepper motor

A vehicular head-up display device is provided. The vehicular head-up display device includes: a reflector for reflecting display light, which is emitted from a display, to a windshield to display a virtual image; a stepper motor for rotating the reflector and a controller for controlling the stepper motor to control a rotation position of the reflector. When a driver changes a request position of the virtual image to a new position in a direction toward a reset position and the ignition switch is turned off, the controller rotates the stepper motor to change the position of the virtual image to the reset position and thereafter instructs the stepper motor to rotate by a specified angle corresponds to a hysteresis generated at a time of a change in the rotation direction of the reflector between a forward rotation direction and backward rotation direction.

Vehicular head-up display device

A HUD device includes a stepper motor, which rotates a reflection mirror for adjusting a display position of a virtual image. The stepper motor has an electric stabilization point and a mechanical stabilization point. A control system controls a drive signal for the stepper motor in response to an adjustment instruction. Pole teeth of a specified phase, which provides a greater magnetic attraction force with the rotor when not powered than by pole teeth of other phase, is set as stabilization pole teeth. The control system continues to apply the drive signal until the target stabilization point is attained even after the adjustment instruction is stopped. The target stabilization point is set to the electric stabilization point, at which the holding torque is provided by the stabilization pole teeth of the specified phase.

Head-up display device for vehicle

A HUD device includes a stepper motor, which rotates a reflection mirror for adjusting a display position of a virtual image. The stepper motor has an electric stabilization point and a mechanical stabilization point. A control system controls a drive signal for the stepper motor to change by a step angle at every predetermined period Ts in response to an adjustment instruction inputted from an adjustment switch. The control system continues to apply the drive signal until the electric stabilization point is attained even after the adjustment instruction is stopped to operate the stepper motor in a powered rotation mode. The stepper motor then operates in an inertia rotation mode toward the mechanical stabilization point is attained.

A meter system includes: an indicator including a pointer, a step motor, a stopper mechanism and a driving controller; and a flasher function unit including a flasher switch, a flasher and a flasher controller. The driving controller has: a stopper position detection operation executing element for executing a pointer moving away operation when a stopper position detection operation executing condition is satisfied and for executing a voltage detection type zero point stopper position detection operation when the executing condition is satisfied, and the flasher switch does not turn on and off, and a zero point return enforcement type zero point stopper position detection operation when the executing condition is satisfied, and the flasher switch turns on and off; a zero point setting element; and an applying element for applying the driving signal having the zero point.

Meter system with indicator for vehicle

A head up display device for a vehicle includes a display; an optical system having a reflecting mirror; a stepping motor; and a control system having a determining device, a micro-step control device, and a forcible control device. The determining device determines whether an adjustment command for micro-step control is given. The micro-step control device performs the micro-step control as long as the determining device determines that the command for the micro-step control is given. The forcible control device forcibly controls a drive signal such that an electrical angle changes to a stabilizing point. When determination made by the determining device switches from determination that the command is given to determination that the command is not given, the forcible control device forcibly controls the drive signal, provided that the electrical angle as of the time of the determination that the command is not given is shifted from the stabilizing point.

Head up display device for vehicle

According to a method for initializing an indicating instrument for a vehicle, zero-reset processing is performed. In the zero-reset processing, a control device is made to control a drive signal to rotate a pointer in a zero-reset direction in order to force a step motor to lose synchronization. Furthermore, synchronization loss detection processing is performed. In the detection processing, a physical phenomenon generated in a rotary drive system due to forcible synchronization loss of the motor during the zero-reset processing, is detected. Then, an electrical angle of the drive signal at a time of detection of the phenomenon is selected as a synchronization loss electrical angle. Finally, zero point setting processing is performed. In the setting processing, the electrical angle phase-shifted from the synchronization loss electrical angle in an indication value increasing direction by 180 degrees or less, is set as a zero point stored in the control device.

Method for initializing indicating instrument for vehicle

An indicating instrument for a vehicle includes a step motor including a field winding, a pointer, a stopper device for stopping the pointer, which is rotating in a zero-reset direction, at a stopper position, a detecting device for detecting induced voltage of the field winding at each of detecting points, a control device for performing zero-reset control, whereby a drive signal is controlled to rotate the pointer in the zero-reset direction. In a state of abnormal detection in which the induced voltage larger than a predetermined set value is detected at a zero point; and the induced voltage equal to or smaller than the set value is detected at a next detecting point to the zero point, the control device assumes synchronization loss of the step motor and continues the zero-reset control until an assumptive electrical angle corresponding to a rotational position of the pointer reaches the zero point.

Indicating instrument for vehicle

A head up display device includes a display, an optical system having a reflecting mirror, a motor, and a reduction gear mechanism having gears in engagement with each other. A stopper gear is further on a preceding side than the last gear in the mechanism. The stopper gear includes a partial gear portion having teeth arranged in a region of the stopper gear in a range of less than 360 degrees in its rotational direction. Rotation of the stopper gear is stopped by engagement of both-end teeth of the partial gear portion with a stopper-adjacent gear, so a range of a rotation angle of the mirror is limited to a predetermined adjustable range, which includes a displayable range. The angle between an adjustable range lower limit and displayable range lower limit, and the angle between an adjustable range upper limit and displayable range upper limit are larger than 0 degree.

An indicating instrument includes a step motor having a field winding, a pointer, a reduction gear mechanism having gears, a stopper device for stopping the pointer at a stopper position, a detecting device for detecting induced voltage of the winding at each of detecting points that include a zero point corresponding to the stopper position, a control device for controlling a drive signal, and an updating device for updating the zero point based on the induced voltage during zero-reset control performed by the control device. The control device performs return control, whereby the pointer rotates to a return point in an indication value increasing direction and then returns to a waiting point in a zero-reset direction to stand by at the waiting point, prior to zero-reset control, whereby the pointer rotates from the waiting point in the zero-reset direction.

A stepping motor includes a housing, a supporting shaft, a rotor, and a stator. The housing includes a first wall and a second wall facing each other. The supporting shaft is inserted into a through hole of the rotor and is held by the first wall and the second wall. The rotor has a first end face and a second end face in an axial direction of the rotor. The first end face and the second end face are separated from the first wall and the second wall, respectively. A lubricant fills between the through hole and the supporting shaft, and an oil repellent agent is applied at a predetermined first area of the first wall around the supporting shaft and a predetermined second area of the second wall around the supporting shaft.

Stepping motor and method of manufacturing the same

A stepping motor includes a housing a supporting shaft a rotor, and a stator. The housing includes a first wall and a second wall facing each other. The supporting shaft is inserted into a through hole of the rotor and is held by the first wall and the second wall. The rotor has a first end face and a second end face in an axial direction of the rotor. The first end face and the second end face are separated from the first wall and the second wall, respectively. A lubricant fills between the through hole and the supporting shaft, and an oil repellent agent is applied at a predetermined first area of the first wall around the supporting shaft and a predetermined second area of the second wall around the supporting shaft.

A stator is press fitted into a recess of a casing. The recess has a chamfered portion. The chamfered portion is arranged between an inlet opening end of the recess and a bottom of the recess in such a manner that a width of the recess is progressively increased along the chamfered portion from a bottom side toward an inlet opening end side of the recess. The chamfered portion has a plurality of slant surfaces, which are arranged one after another in the press fitting direction of the stator. Angles of the plurality of slant surfaces with respect to the press fitting direction of the stator decrease from the inlet opening end side of the recess toward the bottom side of the recess.

Stepping motor

A circuit board is divided into two portions: a flexible printed circuit board; and a printed circuit board. On the flexible circuit board, movements whose layouts on the flexible circuit board are changed based on a design change in a dial plate due to a model change in a vehicle, light emitting diodes, a connector, a buzzer, and a changing-over switch are mounted. On the printed circuit board, a controller that radiates electrical noise during its operation is mounted. This enables a countermeasure for radiating of the electrical noise from the controller to be completed within the printed circuit board. This also enables a circuit design of the flexible printed circuit board to be easily performed. Man power for designing a combination meter can be thereby decreased; further, the combination meter capable of restricting generation of the electrical noise is achieved.

A pointer of a meter is driven by a driving unit disposed behind a scale plate. A wiring board for supplying electric current to a stepping motor included in the driving unit is placed between the scale plate and the driving unit. Plural light sources for illuminating the pointer are placed on the wiring board around a pointer shaft in the vicinity thereof. Terminal pins for supplying electric current to the stepping motor are positioned on the wiring board apart form the light sources to avoid wiring congestion around the pointer shaft. Since the light sources are freely placed around the pointer shaft, the light from the light sources can be uniformly distributed around the pointer shaft with high luminance.

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Nishio, Japan

Hideyuki Nakane