Lighting device

Abstract

A lighting device includes a housing made of a material that allows light to pass through and having a cylindrical shape with a closed bottom, a substrate including a light emitter configured to emit light, and a cover made of a rigid material that is press-fitted and mounted to the substrate to cover the light emitter and is mounted together with the substrate inside the housing.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Patent Document JP 2013-200365 A proposes a display device including a housing and a substrate. The housing is made of a transparent or translucent member, has an opening, and is formed as a rectangular cylinder with a closed bottom. The substrate is inserted through the opening and installed in the housing.

[0003] In the above-described display device (lighting device), an LED (light emitter) and a light-shielding wall made of a sponge material (sponge) are provided to the substrate. The sponge is fixed to a front surface of the substrate to at least partially surround an outer peripheral side surface of at least one of the LEDs. SUMMARY

[0004] Since the sponge surrounds the LED in the above-described lighting device, when the substrate on which the LED is installed is installed in the housing, it is possible to prevent the LED from being damaged due to contact with the housing.

[0005] In the above-described lighting device, when the sponge is installed to the substrate, the release paper of the double-sided tape is peeled off from the sponge, the sponge is positioned on the substrate by hand, and the sponge is attached to the substrate. Therefore, it takes time to install the sponge to the substrate.

[0006] Further, in the above-described lighting device, since the sponge absorbs light emitted from the LED depending on the color of the sponge, the sponge has a good light-shielding function, but can cause a decrease in lighting intensity. Further, in the above-described lighting device, since the sponge is vulcanized, long-term use can cause corrosion of a chip of the LED, thereby causing a decrease in lighting intensity and brightness of the LED.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a lighting device that can prevent a light emitter from being damaged due to contact with a housing when a substrate is installed inside the housing, and can reduce time taken to install a cover to the substrate.

[0008] A lighting device according to the present invention includes a housing made of a material that allows light to pass therethrough and is a cylindrical shape with a closed bottom, a substrate including a light emitter configured to emit light, and a cover made of a rigid material, press-fitted and installed to the substrate to cover the light emitter, and installed to the inside of the housing together with the substrate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an accessory for a vehicle charging port illumination using a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 is a perspective view of an accessory for a vehicle charging port illumination using a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1Different directions observed Figure 1 Perspective view of the vehicle charging port illumination accessory.

[0011] Figure 3 Perspective view of the illumination device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 4 Exploded perspective view of the illumination device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 5 Perspective view of the substrate of the illumination device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 6 View of the cover of the illumination device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as seen from the lateral direction.

[0015] Figure 7 Arrow view of the direction VII in Figure 6

[0016] Arrow view of the direction VIII in Figure 8 Figure 6 Arrow view of the direction IX in

[0017] Figure 9 Figure 6 Arrow view of the direction XIII in

[0018] Figure 10 View of the illumination device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, with the vehicle side connector just before being connected to the illumination device.

[0019] Figure 11 Cross-sectional view taken along the line XI-XI of Figure 3 and representing the direction of travel of the light emitted by the light emitter.

[0020] Figure 12 Cross-sectional view taken along the line XII-XII of Figure 3 .

[0021] Figure 13 Arrow view of the direction XIII of Figure 3 .

[0022] Figure 14 View of the illumination device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, with the substrate and the cover just before being mounted in the housing.

[0023] Figure 15 View of the back surface of the substrate of the illumination device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 16 ​​This is a view of a lighting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which the substrate and cover have been installed in the housing.

[0025] Figure 17 It is Figure 16 The diagram shows a view of a lighting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, with the housing or the like installed inside the outer casing.

[0026] Figure 18 It is Figure 16 The diagram shows a view of a lighting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, with the housing or the like installed inside the outer casing.

[0027] Figure 19 This is a perspective view of a lighting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 20 yes Figure 19 The arrow view in the XX direction.

[0029] Figure 21 This is a view of the lighting device based on the comparative example.

[0030] Figure 22 This is a view of the lighting device based on the comparative example.

[0031] Figure 23 This is a view of the lighting device based on the comparative example.

[0032] Figure 24 This is a view of the lighting device based on the comparative example. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Various embodiments will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the lighting device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is used for, for example, lighting a vehicle's charging port (vehicle charging port) 3. Figure 3 and 4 As shown, the lighting device 1 includes a housing 5, a substrate (circuit board) 7, and a cover 9.

[0035] For ease of explanation, in lighting device 1, a specific direction is referred to as the front-back direction, the direction perpendicular to the front-back direction is referred to as the length direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the front-back and length directions is referred to as the transverse direction. Figures 1 to 20 In this system, the length direction, the lateral direction, the front direction, the rear direction, and the front-rear direction are represented by LD, TD, FR, RR, and FRD, respectively.

[0036] The housing 5 is made of a rigid material that allows light (e.g., visible light) to pass therethrough, and is cylindrical with a closed bottom. That is, the housing 5 is made of a material such as transparent or translucent synthetic resin, and is, for example, a square cylindrical shape (rectangular box shape) with a closed bottom. An opening 11 is formed in the rear end of the housing 5.

[0037] The substrate 7 is made of a rigid material that does not allow light to pass therethrough, and is, for example, a rectangular flat plate. The substrate 7 includes a light emitter (e.g., an LED) 13 configured to emit light (e.g., visible light).

[0038] The cover 9 is made of a rigid material such as synthetic resin. The cover 9 is inserted and pressed into the end portion (front end portion) of the substrate 7 and is integrally mounted in the substrate 7 to cover the light emitter 13. The cover 9 is provided in the substrate 7 to prevent the light emitter 13 from hitting the inner surface of the housing 5 when the substrate 7 is mounted inside the housing 5. The cover 9 is mounted inside the housing 5 together with the substrate 7 (including the light emitter 13).

[0039] The lighting device 1 further includes a case 15, a seal 17, and a terminal 19.

[0040] The case 15 is made of a rigid material such as synthetic resin. The seal 17 is made of an elastic material such as synthetic rubber. The terminal 19 is made of an electrically conductive material such as metal. The term "rigid" herein refers to a rigidity that produces only a slight elastic deformation that is almost invisible to the naked eye by the force applied by a human finger.

[0041] The case 15 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. As shown in Figure 10 , a connector interface (connector engaging portion) 23 connected to a vehicle-side connector 21 is formed in the rear end portion of the case 15. As shown in Figure 4 , an engaging portion 27 that engages with an engaged portion 25 of the housing 5 is formed in the front end portion of the case 15.

[0042] The housing 5 is mounted in the case 15 in a state in which the engaged portion 25 of the housing 5 engages with the engaging portion 27 of the case 15. Thereby, the opening 11 of the housing 5 is closed, and a closed space 29 (as shown in Figure 3 , Figure 11 and Figure 12 ) is formed in the inside of the housing 5. As shown in Figure 4 , the seal 17 is in the shape of a rectangular ring. The seal 17 is provided to make the closed space 29 inside the housing 5 airtight and to prevent water and the like from entering the closed space 29 from the outside of the lighting device 1. The seal 17 is provided at a position (between) the engaged portion 25 of the housing 5 and the engaging portion 27 of the case 15 (see Figure 12 ).

[0043] The terminal 19 is locked to the case 15. The terminal 19 is provided for electric conduction between a conductive portion of the case 15 (a power supply portion electrically connected to the connector joint portion 23) and the electronic circuit module of the substrate 7. This electric conduction causes the light emitter 13 to emit light. The substrate 7 is fixed to the terminal 19 in a state in which a rear end portion of the substrate 7 is sandwiched by the terminal 19.

[0044] In the illumination device 1, the substrate 7, the light emitter 13, the terminal 19, and the cover 9 are present in the enclosed space 29 formed by the housing 5 and the case 15. Therefore, the substrate 7, the light emitter 13, the terminal 19, and the cover 9 are shut off from the outside by the housing 5 and the case 15 and are protected.

[0045] In the illumination device 1, the housing 5, the case 15, the terminal 19, the substrate 7, and the cover 9 are integrally connected to each other. In the illumination device 1, the vehicle-side connector 21 (see Figure 10 ) is connected to the connector joint portion 23 of the case 15, the light emitter 13 appropriately emits light, the light emitted by the light emitter 13 passes through the housing 5, and then at least a portion of the housing 5 emits light.

[0046] The positional relationship between the housing 5 and the case 15 is set to an appropriate prescribed relationship. The case 15 is installed in the housing 5 by moving the case 15 forward to the housing 5 from a state in which the housing 5 and the case 15 are apart from each other.

[0047] In the illumination device 1, the irradiated surface 31 (see Figures 6 to 9 and Figure 11 ) of the cover 9 is configured to, for example, reflect and diffuse a portion or all of the light emitted from the light emitter 13 and irradiating the irradiated surface 31. The irradiated surface 31 is a surface irradiated with the light emitted by the light emitter 13. The irradiated surface 31 includes at least a portion of the cover 9.

[0048] For example, the entire cover 9 is made of a lightproof white opaque synthetic resin. Therefore, a portion of the light emitted by the light emitter 13 and irradiating the irradiated surface 31 is reflected by the irradiated surface 31.

[0049] As shown in Figure 4 , 11 to 13, 17, and 18, the housing 5 includes a housing body 33 and a locked portion 35. The housing body 33 has a rectangular box shape.

[0050] As shown in Figure 4 and Figures 16 to 18 , the case 15 includes a case body 37 and a locked portion 39. As shown in Figure 13 , a dimension value LI in a lateral direction of the housing body 33 is larger than a dimension value L2 of the housing body 33 in a length direction. Similarly, as shown in Figure 3As shown, the lateral dimension L3 of the housing body 37 is greater than the longitudinal dimension L4 of the housing body 37.

[0051] like Figure 13 As shown, the locking portion 35 of the outer casing 5 protrudes from both ends of the outer casing body 33 along its length. Figure 14 As shown, the locking part 39 of the housing 15 protrudes from both ends of the housing body 37 in the longitudinal direction.

[0052] In the lighting device 1, by engaging the engaged portion 25 of the housing 5 with the engaged portion 27 of the housing 15 and locking the locked portion 35 to the locking portion 39, the housing 5 is locked to the housing 15 and integrally installed in the housing 15.

[0053] In the lighting device 1, the lateral dimension L5 of the outer casing 5 and the lateral dimension L7 of the housing 15 are respectively greater than the longitudinal dimension L6 of the outer casing 5 and the longitudinal dimension L8 of the housing 15 (see...). Figure 4 and 13 ).

[0054] like Figure 12 As shown, the pressing and holding rib 41 of the retaining substrate 7 is disposed inside the housing 5 (housing body 33). The housing body 33 has a rectangular box shape, and the opening 11 is located at the rear end of the housing body 33, as described above. Specifically, the housing body 33 includes a side wall 43 and a bottom wall 45. The side wall 43 has a rectangular cylindrical shape with its central axis extending in the front-rear direction. The bottom wall 45 has a rectangular flat plate shape that closes the front end of the side wall 43.

[0055] At least one press-holding rib 41 is provided in the bottom wall 45. The press-holding rib 41 is located inside the outer casing 33 along the length direction (within the same direction as the outer casing body 33). Figure 12 The portion 47 extends in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface and protrudes slightly rearward from the bottom wall 45. A recess 47 is provided in a portion (the middle portion in the length direction) of the press-holding rib 41. The recess 47 is recessed forward from the rear end surface of the press-holding rib 41.

[0056] The end portion of the substrate 7 is fitted into the pressing and holding rib 41, and the substrate 7 is held by the pressing and holding rib 41 by a biasing force in the length direction. Note that the pressing and holding rib 41 can extend integrally from the bottom wall 45, and can also protrude from the wall surface of the inner wall of the side wall 43 separately from the bottom wall 45.

[0057] In the lighting device 1, a first light-emitting element 13A and a second light-emitting element 13B are provided as light-emitting elements 13. The thickness direction of the substrate 7 is the length direction.

[0058] The first light emitter 13A is disposed on a front surface (front mounting surface) of the substrate 7, which is one of the surfaces of the substrate 7 in the thickness direction. The first light emitter 13A is configured to emit light from the front surface of the substrate 7 toward a direction away from the substrate 7 in the length direction with a first solid angle (see arrow A1 of FIG. 13). Figure 11

[0059] The second light emitter 13B is disposed on a back surface (rear mounting surface) of the substrate 7, which is the other of the surfaces of the substrate 7 in the thickness direction. The second light emitter 13B is configured to emit light from the back surface of the substrate 7 toward the front direction with a second solid angle (see arrow B1 of FIG. 13). The value of the first solid angle is greater than the value of the second solid angle. Figure 11

[0060] A portion of the light emitted by the first light emitter 13A is reflected by the cover 9 and then illuminates the housing 5 with reflected light (see arrow A1a of FIG. 13). The remaining light emitted by the first light emitter 13A directly illuminates the housing 5 (see arrow A1 of FIG. 13). The light emitted by the second light emitter 13B directly illuminates the housing 5 (see arrow B1 of FIG. 13). Figure 11 Figure 11 Figure 11

[0061] As shown in FIG. 13, the first light emitter 13A is located at a central portion in the lateral direction of the substrate 7 and at a front end portion in the front-rear direction of the substrate 7. As shown in FIG. 13, the second light emitter 13B is located at a central portion in the lateral direction of the substrate 7 and at a front end portion in the front-rear direction of the substrate 7. Figure 5 Figure 15

[0062] The first light emitter 13A is disposed so as to illuminate the vehicle charging port 3 as an illumination target. The second light emitter 13B serves as an indicator (for example, an indicator indicating the amount of charge). The light emitted by the first light emitter 13A is emitted from a portion identified by a reference numeral 73 in FIGS. 14 and 15. The light emitted by the second light emitter 13B is emitted from a portion identified by a reference numeral 75 in FIGS. 14 and 15. Figure 1 2 Figure 1 2

[0063] As shown in FIG. 13, the cover 9 includes a cover body 49, a pair of cover side walls 51, and a pair of arms (arm bodies) 53. Figures 6 to 9

[0064] ​​​​​​​​​​​​The lid body 49 has a rectangular flat shape with the thickness direction being the front-rear direction. The recess 55 is formed at the central portion in the lateral direction of the lid body 49 and at the first end being one end in the length direction of the lid body 49. The recess 55 is recessed toward the second end being the other end in the length direction of the lid body 49. The recess 55 penetrates the lid body 49 in the front-rear direction. The tip end of the lid body 49 has a chamfer 69 and is sharp in Figure 11 , Figure 17 and Figure 18 . However, the tip end of the lid body 49 can not be as sharp as shown in Figure 5 and other drawings.

[0065] The pair of lid side walls 51 each has a rectangular flat shape with the thickness direction being the lateral direction. The pair of lid side walls 51 protrude rearward from both ends in the lateral direction of the lid body 49 at the second end side in the length direction of the lid body 49. The recess 55 of the lid body 49 is away from the pair of lid side walls 51 in the length direction.

[0066] The pair of arms 53 each has a flat shape with the thickness direction being the lateral direction. The pair of arms 53 is away from the pair of lid side walls 51 in the length direction. The pair of arms 53 protrude rearward from both ends in the lateral direction of the lid body 49 at the first end side in the length direction. The pair of arms 53 having a cantilever structure is elastically deformable and can be bent more than the pair of lid side walls 51.

[0067] The pair of arms 53 each has a protrusion 57. The protrusion 57 is provided to the rear end portion in the front-rear direction of the pair of arms 53. The protrusion 57 is located forward of the rear end of the pair of lid side walls 51 in the front-rear direction. The protrusion 57 is positioned at a position toward (closer to) the pair of lid side walls 51 (the second end) in the length direction. The protrusion 57 each has a triangular shape as viewed in the lateral direction. The protrusion 57 each has a chamfer 59 at the rear end thereof. The chamfer 59 serves as a guide surface when the lid 9 is installed in the substrate 7.

[0068] The central portion in the lateral direction of the substrate 7 at the front end of the substrate 7 is clamped therebetween by the pair of lid side walls 51 and the pair of arms 53 (specifically, the protrusions 57) with a biasing force. Thus, the lid 9 is press-fitted and integrally installed in the substrate 7.

[0069] In a state where the lid 9 is installed on the substrate 7, the first light emitter 13A is located rearward of the portion of the lid body 49 where the recess 55 is not formed and is slightly away from the lid body 49 in the front-rear direction (see Figure 11 , Figure 16 , Figure 17 and other drawings). In a state where the lid 9 is installed in the substrate 7, the first light emitter 13A is located between the pair of lid side walls 51 and is slightly away from the pair of lid side walls 51 in the lateral direction both.

[0070] A portion of the light emitted by the first light emitter 13A is reflected by the cover body 49 and the pair of cover side walls 51, and then illuminates the housing 5 with the reflected light. The remaining light emitted by the first light emitter 13A is not reflected by the cover body 49 and the pair of cover side walls 51, and the first light emitter 13A emits the remaining light directly to illuminate the housing 5 through the space surrounded by the cover body 49 and the pair of cover side walls 51.

[0071] In a state where the cover 9 is installed in the substrate 7, the second light emitter 13B is located behind the recessed portion 55 of the cover body 49 and slightly away from the recessed portion 55 of the cover body 49 in the front-rear direction. In a state where the cover 9 is installed in the substrate 7, the second light emitter 13B is located between the pair of arms 53 and slightly away from the pair of arms 53 in the lateral direction (see Figure 11 ).

[0072] The second light emitter 13B emits almost all of the light that passes through the recessed portion 55 of the cover body 49 directly to illuminate the housing 5 without illuminating the cover 9.

[0073] The light emitted by the first light emitter 13A is blocked by the substrate 7, the cover body 49 of the cover 9, and the pair of cover side walls 51 of the cover 9, and thus does not reach the back side of the substrate 7. The light emitted by the second light emitter 13B is blocked by the substrate 7 and the pair of arms 53 of the cover 9, and thus does not reach the front side of the substrate 7.

[0074] The lighting device 1 will be described in more detail.

[0075] As shown in FIGS. Figure 4 , the engaged portion 25 of the housing 5 is the inner surface of the side wall 43 of the housing body 33 located on the rear side. The locked portion 35 of the housing 5 is a pair of protrusions 61. As shown in FIGS. Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 13 , Figure 17 and Figure 18 , the pair of protrusions 61 protrude in the length direction from the side wall 43 of the housing body 33 (the portions 43A and 43B that face each other and whose thickness direction is the length direction) respectively. The pair of protrusions 61 are longer in the lateral direction, are located on the rear side of the side wall 43 of the housing body 33 in the front-rear direction, and are located in the central portion of the side wall 43 in the lateral direction. The protrusions 61 are provided in pairs.

[0076] Protective walls 63 are provided in the portions 43A and 43B of the side wall 43 of the housing body 33 respectively. The protective walls 63 are located on the rear side of the portions 43A and 43B in the front-rear direction respectively, and are provided at the both end portions in the lateral direction of the portions 43A and 43B respectively.

[0077] As shown in FIGS. Figure 4As shown in the drawings, the engaging portion 27 of the housing 15 is the outer surface of the rectangular tube portion 67 of the housing body 37. The locking portion 39 of the housing 15 is a U-shaped elastic arm (locking claw) 65 having a cantilever structure. The elastic arm 65 is also provided in pairs like the protrusions 61.

[0078] In a state in which the housing 15 is installed in the case 5, the protrusions 61 are locked by the elastic arms 65, and the protection wall 63 surrounds and protects the elastic arms 65 that are the locking portions 39 of the housing 15 (see Figure 3 ).

[0079] The substrate 7 has a recess (cover recess) 71 (see Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 15 ) that is long in the lateral direction. The recess 71 is formed at the front end portion in the front-rear direction of the substrate 7 and is disposed at the central portion in the lateral direction of the substrate 7. The cover 9 is joined to the substrate 7 along the recess 71 provided in the substrate 7. That is, when the cover 9 is installed in the substrate 7, the cover 9 is guided by the recess 71.

[0080] Next, the assembly of the lighting device 1 will be described.

[0081] As an initial state, it is assumed that the seal 17 and the terminal 19 are installed in the housing 15, while the case 5, the substrate 7, and the cover 9 are not installed in the housing 15.

[0082] In the initial state, the cover 9 is installed in the substrate 7 (see Figure 14 ). Next, the substrate 7 and the cover 9 are installed in the housing 15 (see Figure 16 ). Next, as shown in Figure 17 and Figure 18 , the housing 15, the substrate 7, and the cover 9 are installed in the case 5.

[0083] In the lighting device 1, the cover 9 is made of a rigid material such as synthetic resin and is installed in the substrate 7 by press fitting to cover the light emitter 13. Therefore, when the substrate 7 is installed inside the case 5, even if the cover 9 can come into contact with the case 5, the light emitter 13 does not come into contact with the case 5, and thus it is possible to prevent the light emitter 13 from being damaged due to contact with the case 5.

[0084] Specifically, even if the housing 15 and the other components are inclined with respect to the case 5 as shown in Figure 17 , the light emitter 13 does not come into contact with the case 5. Even if the housing 15 and the other components are inclined with respect to the case 5 as shown in Figure 18 , the light emitter 13 does not come into contact with the case 5.

[0085] Installing the cover 9 in the substrate 7 by press fitting reduces the time required to assemble the cover 9 to the substrate 7.

[0086] As Figure 21 and 22 shown, the illumination device 301 according to the comparative example includes a housing 303 including a rectangular cylinder having a closed bottom, and a substrate 305 inserted through an opening of the housing 303 and mounted inside the housing 303.

[0087] In the illumination device 301 according to the comparative example, a light emitting body 307 and a light shielding wall 309 made of a sponge material (sponge) are disposed on the substrate 305. The sponge 309 is fixed to a front surface of the substrate 305 to surround the light emitting body 307. Since the sponge 309 surrounds the light emitting body 307, when the substrate 305 on which the light emitting body 307 is mounted is mounted inside the housing 303, it is possible to prevent the light emitting body 307 from being damaged due to contact with the housing 303 (see Figure 23 and 24 ).

[0088] However, in the illumination device 301 according to the comparative example, the release paper of the double-sided tape is peeled from the sponge 309, and the attachment of the sponge 309 to the substrate 305 is performed by manually positioning the sponge 309 on the substrate 305 when the sponge 309 is mounted on the substrate 305. Thus, it takes time to mount the sponge 309 on the substrate 305.

[0089] Further, in the illumination device 301 according to the comparative example, since the sponge 309 absorbs light according to the color of the sponge 309, the sponge 309 has a good light shielding function, but causes the illumination intensity to decrease. Further, in the illumination device 301 according to the comparative example, since the sponge 309 is vulcanized, long-term use can cause the chip of the light emitting body 307 to corrode, thereby causing the illumination intensity and brightness of the light emitting body 307 to decrease.

[0090] In the illumination device 1, the irradiated surface 31 of the cover 9 is configured to reflect part or all of the light emitted by the light emitting body 13 and irradiating the irradiated surface 31. Thus, it is possible to prevent the light emitted by the light emitting body 13 from being absorbed by the cover 9 as much as possible, and to prevent the illumination intensity from decreasing due to the mounting of the cover 9. Further, the cover 9 allows light shielding in a direction in which illumination is not required.

[0091] The illumination device 1 does not use a vulcanized sponge, and thus it is possible to prevent the illumination intensity and brightness of the light emitting body 13 from decreasing due to long-term use as much as possible.

[0092] In the illumination device 1, the thickness direction of the substrate 7 on which the light emitting body 13 is mounted and which has a thin flat plate shape is the length direction, and the size value L2 in the length direction of the housing body 33 is smaller than the size value L1 in the lateral direction of the housing body 33.

[0093] In the illumination device 1, the locked portion 35 of the housing 5 protrudes from both ends in the length direction of the housing body 33, and the locked portion 39 of the case 15 protrudes from both ends in the length direction of the case body 37. The housing 5 is mounted in the case 15 by locking the locked portion 35 to the locked portion 39.

[0094] According to the above structure, it is possible to easily reduce the size of the illumination device 1 (particularly in the lateral direction).

[0095] In the illumination device 1, the press holding rib 41 for holding the substrate 7 is provided inside the housing 5 (the housing body 33). Therefore, it is possible to improve the rigidity of the housing 5 while preventing the substrate 7 from falling out of the housing 5. It is also possible to improve the integrity of the substrate 7 and the housing 5 and prevent the substrate 7 from swinging inside the housing 5. In particular, although the provision of the cover 9 increases the mass of the portion at the front side of the substrate 7, the end portion of the substrate 7 is held by the press holding rib 41, and therefore it is possible to prevent the end portion of the substrate 7 from becoming unstable due to the increase in mass.

[0096] In the illumination device 1, the first light emitter 13A and the second light emitter 13B are provided as the light emitter 13. The first light emitter 13A is provided to the front surface of the substrate 7 and is configured to emit light in a direction away from the substrate 7 in the length direction. In the illumination device 1, the second light emitter 13B is provided to the back surface of the substrate 7 as the other surface in the thickness direction of the substrate 7 and is configured to emit light in the front direction.

[0097] In the illumination device 1, a portion of the light emitted by the first light emitter 13A is reflected by the cover 9 and the reflected light then illuminates the housing 5, while the remaining light emitted by the first light emitter 13A directly illuminates the housing 5. The light emitted by the second light emitter 13B directly illuminates the housing 5.

[0098] According to the above structure, it is possible to prevent as much as possible the reduction in the illumination intensity of the housing 5 resulting from the emission of light from the first light emitter 13A and the reduction in the illumination intensity of the housing 5 resulting from the emission of light from the second light emitter 13B.

[0099] In the illumination device 1, the first light emitter 13A is provided to illuminate the vehicle charging port 3 as the illumination object, and the second light emitter 13B is used as an indicator. Therefore, the illumination device 1 can be appropriately used as an illumination device for illuminating the vehicle charging port 3 and a device for indicating the battery charge level of the vehicle.

[0100] In the illumination device 1, the cover 9 includes a cover body 49 formed with a recess 55, a pair of cover side walls 51, and a pair of arms 53. The cover 9 is mounted to the substrate 7 in a state in which the front end of the substrate 7 is clamped between the pair of cover side walls 51 and the pair of arms 53 with a biasing force. Thereby, it is possible to mount the cover 9 to the substrate 7 by press fitting with a simple structure.

[0101] In the lighting device 1, the first light emitter 13A is positioned rearward in the front-rear direction of the cover body 49 and between the pair of cover side walls 51 in the lateral direction. A portion of the light emitted by the first light emitter 13A is reflected by the cover body 49 and the pair of cover side walls 51, and the subsequently reflected light irradiates the housing 5. Therefore, by a simple structure, it is possible to prevent the first light emitter 13A from coming into contact with the housing 5 when the substrate 7 is installed in the housing 5, and to prevent a reduction in the illumination intensity of the housing 5 resulting from the light emission by the first light emitter 13A.

[0102] In the lighting device 1, the second light emitter 13B is positioned rearward in the front-rear direction of the recessed portion 55 of the cover body 49 and between the pair of arms 53 in the lateral direction. Almost all of the light emitted by the second light emitter 13B and passing through the recessed portion 55 of the cover body 49 directly irradiates the housing 5. Therefore, by a simple structure, it is possible to prevent the second light emitter 13B from coming into contact with the housing 5 when the substrate 7 is installed in the housing 5, and to prevent a reduction in the illumination intensity of the housing 5 resulting from the light emission by the second light emitter 13B.

[0103] In the lighting device 1, the light emitted by the first light emitter 13A is blocked by the substrate 7, the cover body 49 of the cover 9, and the pair of cover side walls 51 of the cover 9, and thus does not reach the back surface side of the substrate 7. The light emitted by the second light emitter 13B is blocked by the substrate 7 and the pair of arms 53 of the cover 9, and thus does not reach the front surface side of the substrate 7.

[0104] According to the above-described structure, it is possible to prevent mixing (color mixing) of the light emitted by the first light emitter 13A and the light emitted by the second light emitter 13B, and in particular, the function as an indicator is ensured. That is, it is possible to prevent erroneous indication of the indicator using the light emitted by the first light emitter 13A.

[0105] Next, the lighting device la according to the second embodiment of the present application will be described with reference to Figure 19 and Figure 20 The lighting device la according to the second embodiment of the present application has the same structure as the lighting device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present application, except for the positions of the locked portion 35 of the housing 5 and the locked portion 39 of the case 15.

[0106] In the lighting device la according to the second embodiment, the locked portion 35 of the housing 5 protrudes from both ends in the lateral direction of the housing body 33, and the locked portion 39 of the case 15 protrudes from both ends in the lateral direction of the case body 37.

[0107] The housing 5 is installed in the case 15 by locking the locked portion 35 to the locked portion 39.

[0108] While specific embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the application. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein can be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the spirit of the application. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the application.

Claims

1. A lighting device, the lighting device having a front-back direction, comprising: The outer casing is made of a material that allows light to pass through and has a cylindrical shape with a bottom at the front and an opening at the rear, and a closed bottom. A substrate, the substrate including a light-emitting element configured to emit light; as well as A cover, made of a rigid material, includes a cover body, a pair of cover sidewalls, and a pair of arms. The cover is press-fitted and mounted to the end portion of the substrate located at the front end of the housing to cover the light emitter. The cover and the substrate are mounted together inside the housing. The central portion of the substrate at the front end of the substrate in a transverse direction is held between the pair of cover sidewalls and the pair of arms by a biasing force. Wherein, the direction perpendicular to the front-back direction of the lighting device is called the length direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the front-back direction and the length direction is called the transverse direction. Furthermore, the thickness direction of the thin, flat substrate on which the light-emitting element is mounted is the length direction.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein, The cover has an irradiated surface, which is the surface illuminated by the light emitted by the light-emitting body, and The irradiated surface is configured to reflect part or all of the light emitted by the light source and irradiating the irradiated surface.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a housing, the housing including a housing body and a locking part, wherein, The outer casing includes an outer casing body and a locking part. The outer casing has a rectangular box shape. The lateral dimension of the outer casing is greater than the longitudinal dimension of the outer casing. The lateral dimension of the housing body is greater than the longitudinal dimension of the housing body. The locked portions protrude from both ends of the outer casing body along its length. The locking portions protrude from both ends of the housing body along its length, and The outer casing is mounted on the housing by locking the locked part using the locking part.

4. The lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, A press-holding rib, configured to press and hold the substrate, is disposed inside the housing.

5. The lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The light-emitting body includes a first light-emitting body and a second light-emitting body. The first light-emitting element is disposed on the front surface of the substrate. The first light emitter is configured to emit light from the front surface of the substrate in a direction away from the substrate along its length. The second light emitter is disposed on the back surface of the substrate. The second light emitter is configured to emit light from the back surface of the substrate in a forward direction. A portion of the light emitted by the first light-emitting element is reflected by the cover and illuminates the outer casing, while the remaining portion of the light emitted by the first light-emitting element directly illuminates the outer casing. The light emitted by the second light-emitting body directly illuminates the outer shell.

6. The lighting device according to claim 5, wherein, The first light-emitting element is configured to illuminate the vehicle charging port, which is the object of illumination, and The second light-emitting element serves as an indicator.

7. The lighting device according to claim 5, wherein, The cover body has a flat plate shape with the thickness direction being the front-back direction. The cover body has a recess at the center of the cover body in the transverse direction and at the first end, which is one end of the cover body in the length direction. The recess is recessed toward the second end, which is the other end of the cover body in the length direction. The pair of cover sidewalls each have a flat plate shape with the thickness direction transverse, and the pair of cover sidewalls protrude rearward from both ends of the cover body in the transverse direction at the second end in the length direction. as well as The pair of arms each has a flat plate shape with its thickness direction transverse. The pair of arms are located away from the pair of cover sidewalls in the length direction and protrude rearward from both ends of the cover body in the transverse direction at the first end in the length direction. With the front end of the substrate held between the pair of cover sidewalls and the pair of arms, the cover is mounted on the substrate. The first light-emitting element is located at the rear in the front-rear direction of the cover body. The first light-emitting element is located laterally between the pair of cover sidewalls. A portion of the light emitted by the first light-emitting element is reflected by the cover body and the pair of cover sidewalls, thus illuminating the outer casing. The second light-emitting element is located behind the recess of the cover body in the front-back direction. The second light-emitting element is located laterally between the pair of arms, and The light emitted by the second light-emitting body passes through the recess of the cover body and illuminates the outer shell.

8. The lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The lighting device is used to illuminate the vehicle's charging port.

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