Holder for lighting fixture

Abstract

To provide a holder for lighting fixture which has both a rotation prevention function of a lighting fixture and a change function of an irradiation angle.SOLUTION: At a predetermined place in an inner peripheral surface of a segmentally cylindrical holder body 51 capable of elastically deforming in an enlarged diameter direction having an opening 50 at a part in the circumferential direction, resistance imparting means 6 is provided protrusively coming into contact with a part of an outer peripheral surface of a straight tube type lighting fixture 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a holder for a lighting fixture for holding a straight tube type lighting fixture. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in an open showcase installed in a supermarket, a convenience store, etc., a straight tube type LED lighting fixture is attached by being held by a plurality of holders (holding means) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This holder is a notched cylinder that can be elastically deformed in the radial direction with an opening in a part of the circumferential direction, and the opening is expanded to accommodate and hold the lighting fixture inside the holder. Therefore, there is a risk that the lighting fixture will rotate if an external force in the rotation direction is momentarily applied to the lighting fixture when the showcase is transported or installed. If this happens, since the LED lighting fixture has directionality in the irradiation direction, the irradiation angle (irradiation direction) will deviate from the preset direction, and the product cannot be effectively illuminated.

[0003] To address this problem, as described in Patent Document 2, for example, a pair of protruding pieces protruding from the outer periphery of the lighting fixture can be engaged with the concave mounting portion of the holder or the tip of the opening of the holder, thereby preventing rotation of the lighting fixture, which has directionality in the illumination direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7088883 (page 5, figure 3) [Patent Document 2] JP 2013-232286 A (page 5, figure 7) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the device described in Patent Document 2, the rotation of the lighting fixture is completely restricted by the holder, which means that it is not possible to change the lighting fixture's illumination direction in accordance with, for example, the type of merchandise in the showcase or its display position.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and has an object to provide a holder for a lighting fixture that has both a function of preventing the lighting fixture from rotating and a function of changing the illumination angle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a holder for a lighting fixture, A lighting fixture holder comprising a partially cut cylindrical holder body having an opening in a circumferential direction and elastically deformable in a radially expanding direction, The holder body is characterized in that a resistance applying means is protrudingly provided at a predetermined location on the inner circumferential surface of the holder body, the resistance applying means being adapted to come into contact with a portion of the outer circumferential surface of a straight tube type lighting fixture. According to this feature, when an external force is applied to the lighting fixture instantaneously, the external force is concentrated on the resistance applying means, so that the lighting fixture is prevented from rotating. Also, when the lighting fixture is gripped and rotated slowly, a slip occurs between the outer peripheral surface of the lighting fixture and the resistance applying means, so that the illumination angle of the lighting fixture, which has a directivity in the illumination direction, can be changed.

[0008] The resistance applying means is characterized in that it is provided in a plurality of protruding positions spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction. According to this feature, when an external force is momentarily applied to the lighting fixture, the external force is concentrated on one or two resistance applying means depending on the direction of the external force, so that the lighting fixture can be effectively prevented from rotating. Also, when the lighting fixture is gripped and rotated gently, the rotational force is distributed and acts on all of the resistance applying means, for example, three or more places, so that the illumination angle of the lighting fixture can be changed without any hindrance.

[0009] Two of the resistance applying means protruding from a plurality of locations are characterized in that they are protruding from the inner circumferential surface near the opening. According to this feature, when the holder body is elastically deformed in the radial direction to accommodate the lighting fixture through the opening, the elastic restoring force in the radial direction of the opening becomes large, so that the holding force of the opening also becomes large. As a result, the two resistance applying means protruding from the inner peripheral surface near the opening come into strong contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lighting fixture, which increases the effect of preventing the lighting fixture from rotating.

[0010] The resistance applying means is also provided in a protruding manner at a position substantially opposite to the two resistance applying means provided in a protruding manner near the opening. According to this feature, the four mutually opposing resistance applying means can stably hold the lighting fixture, and the effect of preventing the lighting fixture from rotating is enhanced.

[0011] The two resistance applying means protruding near the opening and the adjacent resistance applying means are characterized in that they are arranged symmetrically with respect to each other with respect to a center line passing through the center of the opening and the center of the holder body. According to this feature, the opposing outer peripheral surfaces of the lighting fixture can be held in a well-balanced manner.

[0012] The resistance applying means is characterized by being made of an elastic material. According to this feature, when an external force is applied to the lighting fixture, the elastic material is compressed and the frictional resistance increases, further improving the effect of preventing the lighting fixture from rotating. Also, because the lighting fixture is held elastically, there is a small risk of it being damaged even if an external force is applied to it.

[0013] The resistance applying means is characterized in that one side on the inner peripheral surface side rises gradually in the inner diameter direction toward the circumferential direction, and two sides continuing from the tip of the protrusion face substantially toward the center. According to this feature, when an instantaneous external force is applied to the lighting fixture and the lighting fixture tries to rotate in one direction from the direction with a large rise angle, the tip of the projection acts to bite into the outer peripheral surface of the lighting fixture, preventing the lighting fixture from rotating. Also, when the lighting fixture is grasped and rotated gently, a slip occurs between the tip of the projection and the outer peripheral surface of the lighting fixture, so the illumination angle of the lighting fixture can be changed without hindrance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of an open showcase to which a lighting fixture holder according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the lighting fixture holder according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional plan view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a side view of a lighting fixture holder according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a side view of a lighting fixture holder according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A lighting fixture holder according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example 1

[0016] A lighting fixture holder according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 4. Fig. 1 shows a side view of an open showcase 1 to which a lighting fixture holder (hereinafter abbreviated as holder) 5 according to the first embodiment is attached, and a plurality of holders 5 for holding straight tube type LED lighting fixtures 4 for illuminating products on the lower shelf board 2 are attached in the width direction to the lower surface of a holder attachment member 3 fixed to the lower surface of the front end portion of multiple upper and lower shelf boards 2.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the LED lighting device 4 is a well-known device that includes a cylindrical straight tube 4a made of transparent glass, acrylic, or the like, a substrate 4b facing the longitudinal direction housed within the straight tube 4a, and a number of LED elements 4c mounted in the longitudinal direction on the surface of the substrate 4b. The LED elements 4c are directional and their irradiation angle is set to 180 degrees or less, for example, around 150 degrees.

[0018] 2 and 3, the holder 5 includes a notched cylindrical holder body 51 having an opening 50 in a portion of the circumferential direction, and an attachment portion 52 provided on the outer circumferential surface of the holder body 51 near the opening 50. Outward protruding pieces 50a, 50a are integrally provided on the opposing ends of the holder body 51 to the opening 50. The holder body 51 is integrally formed from a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate, and can be elastically deformed in the radial expansion direction by pushing and expanding the opening 50.

[0019] The mounting portion 52 is composed of a shaft portion 52a protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the holder body 51, a pair of flat flexible holding portions 52b extending from both side surfaces of the shaft portion 52a in the diameter direction of the holder body 51 and having their tips bent upward, and a locking portion 52c connected to the upper surface of the shaft portion 52a and extending in a direction perpendicular to the flexible holding portion 52b. To mount the holder 5 to the holder mounting member 3 of the open showcase 1, the locking portion 52c is inserted into and penetrates an elongated hole (not shown) formed in the holder mounting member 3 while elastically deforming the flexible holding portions 52b, 52b downward, and the entire holder 5 is rotated 90 degrees to mount it without coming off.

[0020] At a plurality of locations (five locations) on the inner peripheral surface of the holder body 51, protrusions 51a that are long in the axial direction and protrude inwardly are integrally provided at predetermined angles in the circumferential direction. Specifically, the protrusions 51a are provided on the inner peripheral surfaces that are circumferentially spaced apart by 90 degrees from each other near both ends of the opening 50, on the inner peripheral surface in the extension direction of a center line L that passes through the center of the opening 50 and the center O of the holder body 51, and on the inner peripheral surface that is substantially opposed to the protrusions 51a, 51a of the opening 50 with respect to the center O, that is, on the inner peripheral surfaces that are circumferentially spaced apart by 55 degrees on both sides from the protrusions 51a in the extension direction of the center line L (at positions 80 degrees apart from the protrusions of the opening).

[0021] In this embodiment, the protrusions 51a, 51a on the rear side that are substantially opposed to the protrusions 51a, 51a of the opening are provided at positions shifted by 10 degrees toward the opening 50 so that they are not point-symmetrical with the protrusions 51a, 51a of the opening. Also, the protrusion 51a near the opening 50 and the adjacent protrusion 51a on the rear side are disposed in line-symmetrical positions with the center line L as the boundary.

[0022] A belt-shaped elastic material 6 made of an elastomer such as natural rubber or synthetic rubber as a resistance applying means is fitted to the holder body 51 at the portion where each protrusion 51a is formed so as to surround the tip of the protrusion 51a. The holder 5 is formed by two-color molding of the holder body 51 and the elastic material 6 made of different synthetic resins. As shown in Fig. 4, a groove 7 is formed on the outer surface of the holder body 51 including the protrusion 51a to prevent the elastic material 6 from moving in the circumferential direction.

[0023] Instead of two-color molding, the elastic material 6 formed in a loop shape may be moved from the opening 50 of the holder body 51 to each protrusion 51a while being stretched, and then fitted. In this way, when the elastic material 6 is attached to the holder body 51 in the portion where the protrusion 51a is formed, the multiple elastic materials 6 are inevitably arranged at the same positions as the positions of the protrusions 51a, and the two elastic materials 6 near the opening 50 and the elastic materials 6 adjacent to them are also arranged line-symmetrically with respect to the center line L.

[0024] When the holder body 51 is elastically deformed in the radial expansion direction and the LED lighting device 4 is inserted inside through the opening 50, the straight tube 4a is held in place by being abutted at multiple points on its outer surface against the inner surface of each elastic material 6 protruding in the inward diameter direction.

[0025] As described above, in the holder 5 according to the first embodiment, the outer circumferential surface of the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4 is held in contact with the inner surface of the five elastic members 6 that are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction on the inner circumferential surface of the holder body 51. When an external force is applied to the LED lighting device 4 instantaneously, the external force is concentrated on one or two elastic members 6 depending on the direction of the external force, and the elastic members 6 are compressed, increasing the frictional force. As a result, the frictional resistance with the straight tube 4a increases, preventing the LED lighting device 4 from rotating, and preventing the irradiation angle (irradiation direction) from deviating from the preset direction. In addition, the outer circumferential surface of the LED lighting device 4 is stably held by the multiple elastic members 6 and is held elastically, so that the LED lighting device 4 is less likely to be damaged even if an external force is applied to the LED lighting device 4.

[0026] On the other hand, if the LED lighting device 4 is grasped and rotated gently, the rotational force acts in a distributed manner on all of the elastic materials 6, and the frictional resistance becomes uniform, so that the illumination angle of the LED lighting device 4 can be easily changed without any trouble.

[0027] In addition, by providing two of the elastic members 6 at multiple locations on the inner circumferential surface near the opening 50, when the holder body 51 is elastically deformed in the radial expansion direction to accommodate the LED lighting device 4 through the opening 50, the elastic restoring force in the radial contraction direction of the opening 50 becomes large, and the holding force of the elastic member 6 at the opening 50 becomes large. As a result, the elastic member 6 at the opening 50 strongly abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the LED lighting device 4, and the effect of preventing the LED lighting device 4 from rotating is enhanced. Moreover, the positions of the elastic member 6 near the opening 50 and the opposing elastic member 6 are slightly shifted toward the opening 50 so as not to be point symmetrical with each other, so that the elastic restoring force in the radial contraction direction of the opening 50 does not directly act on the opposing elastic member 6. As a result, not only is it easy to rotate the LED lighting device 4 when changing its angle, but the LED lighting device 4 is also prevented from moving toward the opening 50 (diagonally up and down).

[0028] Furthermore, the elastic materials 6, 6 near the opening 50 and the adjacent elastic materials 6 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line L that passes through the center of the opening 50 and the center O of the holder body 51, so that the opposing outer peripheral surfaces of the LED lighting device 4 can be held in a balanced manner.

[0029] Furthermore, multiple elastic materials 6 are protruded from the inner surface of the holder body 51, and a gap is formed between the outer surface of the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting fixture 4 and the inner surface of the holder body 51, allowing cool air inside the open showcase 1 to pass through the gap, and the heat of the substrate 4b of the LED lighting fixture 4 can be diffused without being retained inside the holder body 51. Example 2

[0030] A holder according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the duplicated description will be omitted.

[0031] The holder 5' of the second embodiment has protrusions 8 instead of the elastic material 6 of the first embodiment integrally protruding from a plurality of positions on the inner peripheral surface of the holder body 51. Each protrusion 8 is disposed at the same position as the protrusion 51a and the elastic material 6 of the first embodiment. The shape of the protrusions 8 protruding from the inner peripheral surface in the extension direction of the center line L passing through the center of the opening 50 and the center O of the holder body 51 is an isosceles triangle. In addition, the protrusions 8, 8 protruding from the inner peripheral surface near the opening 50 and the adjacent protrusions 8 are formed in a right-angled triangle such that one side 8a on the inner peripheral surface side gradually rises in the inner diameter direction in the circumferential direction in the opposite directions to each other, and two sides 8b continuing from the tip of the protrusion are oriented substantially toward the center.

[0032] The holder 5' of Example 2 can achieve substantially the same effect as that of Example 1. That is, when an external force is momentarily applied to the LED lighting device 4, the external force is concentrated on one of the protrusions 8, increasing the contact resistance with the straight tube 4a, and thus preventing the LED lighting device 4 from rotating.

[0033] In particular, the protrusions 8, 8 protruding from the inner peripheral surface near the opening 50 and one side 8a of the adjacent protrusions 8 are formed to rise in the opposite direction to the inner diameter direction toward the circumferential direction, so that when an instantaneous external force is applied to the LED lighting device 4 and the LED lighting device 4 tries to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise from a direction with a large rise angle, the tip of the protrusion 8 acts to bite into the outer peripheral surface of the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4. As a result, the LED lighting device 4 is prevented from rotating in either direction. In addition, when the LED lighting device 4 is rotated slowly, the rotational force acts in a distributed manner on all the protrusions 8, the frictional resistance becomes uniform, and slippage occurs between the outer peripheral surface of the LED lighting device 4, so that the irradiation angle of the LED lighting device 4 can be changed without any trouble. Example 3

[0034] A holder according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Note that the same components as those in the second embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the duplicated description will be omitted.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 6, holder 5" of Example 3 is configured by fixing a partially cut-out cylindrical elastic material 60 to the inner surface of holder body 51, which is partially cut away and has an opening 50 in a portion of its circumference. The inner surface of holder body 51 forms a curved surface with a uniform radius of curvature, and opening 50 bulges out a predetermined dimension toward the inner diameter side. Holder body 51 and mounting portion 52 are integrally formed from a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate.

[0036] The elastic material 60 is made of an elastomer such as natural rubber or synthetic rubber, and is fixed to the holder body 51 by two-color molding. The elastic material 60 has protrusions 80 integrally protruding from a plurality of positions on the inner peripheral surface. Each protrusion 80 is disposed at approximately the same position as the elastic material 6 of Example 1 and the protrusion 8 of Example 2. The shape of the protrusion 80 protruding from the inner peripheral surface in the extension direction of the center line L passing through the center O of the holder body 51 and the center of the opening 50, that is, the inner peripheral surface of the elastic material 60 at the innermost side, forms a line-symmetrical mountain shape. In addition, the protrusions 80, 80 protruding from the inner peripheral surface near the opening 50 and the protrusions 80 adjacent thereto are formed into a mountain shape with their tips facing toward the inner peripheral surface of the elastic material 60.

[0037] The holder 5" of Example 3 can achieve substantially the same effects as those of Example 1. That is, when an external force is applied to the LED lighting device 4, the external force is concentrated on one of the protrusions 80, increasing the contact resistance with the straight tube 4a, thereby preventing the LED lighting device 4 from rotating. When an external force is applied to the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4, the protrusions 80 deform and the contact area increases, thereby increasing the friction coefficient and more effectively preventing the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4 from rotating. Furthermore, when the protrusions 80 deform and the outer peripheral surface of the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4 comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the elastic material 60 between adjacent protrusions 80, the contact area further increases.

[0038] Then, when the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4 is grasped and gently rotated, the external force is distributed to all of the protrusions 80 and slippage occurs between the outer surface of the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4 and the protrusions 80, making it possible to change the irradiation angle of the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4, which has directionality in the irradiation direction.

[0039] Moreover, the holder 5" of the third embodiment can achieve substantially the same effects as those of the second embodiment. That is, the tips of the protrusions 80, 80 protruding from the inner circumferential surface near the opening 50 and the adjacent protrusions 80 are formed so as to rise in opposite directions in the inner diameter direction toward the circumferential direction, so that when an instantaneous external force is applied to the LED lighting device 4 and the LED lighting device 4 tries to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise from the direction with a large rise angle, the tips of the protrusions 80 act to bite into the outer circumferential surface of the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4. As a result, the LED lighting device 4 is prevented from rotating in either direction.

[0040] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and additions and modifications that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

[0041] For example, in the above embodiment, the elastic material 6 or the protrusion 8 is provided at five points on the inner peripheral surface of the holder body 51, but it may be provided at three points on the inner peripheral surface near the opening 50 and on the inner peripheral surface on the center line L, so that the outer peripheral surface of the LED lighting device 4 is held at three points. Also, when an instantaneous external force is applied to the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4, the elastic material 6 is crushed and the contact area increases, increasing the friction coefficient and preventing the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4 from rotating. When the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4 is gripped and slowly rotated, slip occurs between the outer peripheral surface of the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4 and the elastic material 6, so that the irradiation angle of the straight tube 4a of the LED lighting device 4, which has directivity in the irradiation direction, can be changed. Therefore, in the above embodiment 1, the elastic material 6 may be provided in a configuration in which, for example, one is dotted on the inner peripheral surface of the opening 50 or only one is provided in a line along the inner peripheral surface.

[0042] In addition, in the above-mentioned Example 1, the elastic material 6 is fixed to the protrusion 51a of the holder main body 51, but this is not limited to this, and the protrusion may be formed by the fixed elastic material without providing the protrusion 51a on the holder main body 51.

[0043] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned Example 2, the protrusion 8 is formed integrally with the holder body 51, but the holder body 51 and the protrusion 8 may be two-color molded from an elastic material made of a synthetic resin and an elastomer, respectively, and the protrusion 8 made of the elastic material may be formed integrally with the holder body 51.

[0044] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the holder 5 is attached to the open showcase 1, but it goes without saying that the holder 5 can be attached to any article that requires a lighting fixture. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Open showcase 2 Shelves 3 Holder mounting parts 4. LED lighting fixtures 4a straight pipe 4b Substrate 4c LED element 5 Lighting fixture holder 6 Elastic material (resistance imparting means) 7 Groove 8 Protrusion (resistance imparting means) 8a 1 side 8b 2 sides 50 Opening 51 Holder body 51a Protrusion 52 Mounting part 52a Shaft 52b Flexible retainer 52c Locking part L center line O center

Claims

1. A lighting fixture holder comprising a partially cut cylindrical holder body having an opening in a circumferential direction and elastically deformable in a radially expanding direction, A holder for a lighting fixture, wherein a resistance applying means is protrudingly provided at a predetermined location on an inner circumferential surface of the holder body, the resistance applying means being adapted to abut against a part of an outer circumferential surface of a straight tube type lighting fixture.

2. 2. The lighting fixture holder according to claim 1, wherein the resistance applying means is provided at a plurality of protruding positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction.

3. 3. The lighting fixture holder according to claim 2, wherein two of the resistance applying means protruding from a plurality of positions are protruding from an inner circumferential surface near the opening.

4. 4. The lighting fixture holder according to claim 3, further comprising a resistance applying means protruding at a position substantially opposite to the two resistance applying means protruding in the vicinity of the opening.

5. A holder for a lighting fixture as described in claim 4, characterized in that the two resistance providing means protruding near the opening and the adjacent resistance providing means are arranged symmetrically with respect to each other with respect to a center line passing through the center of the opening and the center of the holder body.

6. 6. The lighting fixture holder according to claim 1, wherein the resistance applying means is an elastic material.

7. A holder for a lighting fixture as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the resistance providing means is a protrusion having one side on the inner surface side gradually rising in the inward diameter direction toward the circumferential direction, and two sides continuing from the tip of the protrusion facing approximately toward the center.

Images