Indicating-needle type meter device

An indicating-needle type meter device comprising:

• a controller;
• a stepping motor driven to rotate according to a phase of an excitation signal received from the controller;
• an indicating-needle that rotates in both forward and backward directions in response to rotation of the stepping motor;
• and
• a gear mechanism that transmits rotational driving force of the stepping motor to the indicating-needle, wherein
• the indicating-needle or the gear mechanism includes an abutting portion that abuts on a stopper when the indicating-needle is positioned at a predetermined rotational position,
• the controller performs, when starting excitation of the stepping motor, origin return processing of:
• setting the phase of the excitation signal to a predetermined excitation start position, returning the phase of the excitation signal by a predetermined reversal angle such that the indicating-needle rotates in the backward direction corresponding to a direction in which the abutting portion comes closer to the stopper, thereby positioning the indicating-needle at a stopper position at which the abutting portion abuts on the stopper, and advancing the phase of the excitation signal by an origin return angle set based on a backlash angle corresponding to a backlash amount in the gear mechanism, thereby rotating the indicating-needle in the forward direction to an origin position apart from the stopper position by a predetermined angle and thus positioning the indicating-needle at the origin position,
• the controller performs, when terminating excitation of the stepping motor, termination processing of returning the phase of the excitation signal such that the indicating-needle rotates in the backward direction to be positioned at the origin position, and
• the origin return angle is an angle obtained by adding the backlash angle, a predetermined positive pre-offset angle, and a positive or negative placing error correction angle set based on a placing error of the indicating-needle with respect to the stopper.