Illumination device for vehicle

Abstract

To provide an illumination device for vehicle capable of reducing luminance unevenness.SOLUTION: An illumination device 20 comprises a housing 21 and a light emitting part 40. The housing 21 includes: a bottom wall part 23; a main body part 22 which is formed in a box shape having a side wall part 24 erected from the bottom wall part 23 toward an inside of a vehicle cabin and is non-translucent and capable of reflecting light emitted from the light emitting part 40; and a plate-shaped translucent panel 31 which is disposed so as to cover an opening of the main body 22, has translucency, and constitutes an in-cabin design surface. The side wall part 24 has: a light emitting part accommodating wall part 30 on which the light emitting part 40 is disposed; and a non-translucent protruded wall part 26 which protrudes toward an inside of the housing 21 in a part close to the translucent panel 31 of the light emitting part accommodating wall part 30. The light emitting part 40 is hidden by the protruded wall part 26 in a view from the design surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a vehicle lighting device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 below describes an interior material for a vehicle equipped with a lighting device. The interior material includes a light-emitting ornament as a decorative lighting device. This light-emitting ornament has a light source unit on the back side (the outside of the vehicle compartment) of a translucent plate-shaped panel member that constitutes the interior design surface on the vehicle compartment side. The light source unit emits light emitted from a light source in a surface-emitting manner, and the light emitted from the planar light guide is transmitted through the panel member and emitted into the vehicle compartment. Thereby, the design property of the vehicle interior material is enhanced.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in a lighting device configured to use a linear light guide as a light-emitting part (light source unit) or to perform direct irradiation with an LED, the luminance of a portion adjacent to the light-emitting part tends to be higher than that of other portions, and luminance unevenness is likely to occur in the light emitted from the panel member.

[0005] The technology disclosed in this specification has been completed in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle lighting device capable of reducing luminance unevenness.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The technology disclosed in this specification, which was completed in view of the above problems, is a vehicle lighting device provided in an interior material for a vehicle, comprising a housing having a space inside, and a light emitting part capable of irradiating the inside of the housing. The housing has a box shape having a bottom wall part and a side wall part rising from the bottom wall part toward the inside of the vehicle compartment. The housing includes a main body part that is non-translucent and capable of reflecting the light emitted from the light emitting part, and a plate-shaped translucent panel that is disposed so as to cover the opening of the main body part and has translucency and constitutes the interior design surface of the vehicle. The side wall part includes a light emitting part arrangement wall part on which the light emitting part is disposed, and a non-translucent protruding wall part that protrudes toward the inside of the housing on the translucent panel side of the light emitting part arrangement wall part. The light emitting part is in a state of being hidden by the protruding wall part when viewed from the design surface side.

[0007] According to the above configuration, since the light emitted from the light emitting part is prevented from directly irradiating the translucent panel by the protruding wall part, and the reflected light reflected by the main body part is irradiated onto the translucent panel, compared with a configuration in which the protruding wall part is not provided on the side wall part, it is possible to reduce the unevenness in the luminance of the light irradiated from the translucent panel toward the inside of the vehicle compartment.

[0008] The protruding wall part is formed by providing a recessed part recessed toward the inside of the housing in the side wall part, and a claw part capable of locking a board member constituting a part of the interior material for the vehicle may be provided inside the recessed part.

[0009] According to the above configuration, the positioning of the housing with respect to the board member can be performed using the recessed part.

[0010] An attachment part for attaching the main body part to a board member constituting a part of the interior material for the vehicle may be provided on the outer surface of the vehicle compartment of the bottom wall part.

[0011] As described above, when the positioning of the main body (housing) with respect to the board member is performed using the claw portion provided in the recessed portion, the mounting portion provided on the outside of the vehicle compartment of the main body is also arranged at a predetermined position. Therefore, it is possible to easily attach the mounting portion to a predetermined position of the board member.

[0012] The bottom wall portion may be inclined in a direction approaching the light-transmitting panel as it moves away from the light-emitting portion.

[0013] According to the above configuration, as the distance from the light-emitting portion increases and the reflected light weakens, the distance between the bottom wall portion, that is, the reflecting surface, and the light-transmitting panel decreases, and the intensity of the light irradiated from the light-transmitting panel can be increased. Therefore, the luminance unevenness can be further reduced.

Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, it is possible to provide a vehicle lighting device capable of reducing luminance unevenness.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] An embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In this embodiment, a light-emitting ornament (an example of a vehicle irradiation device) 20 provided on a door trim (an example of a vehicle interior material), which constitutes the interior surface of a side door of a vehicle, will be exemplified. In each of the figures, the directions of the arrows FR and RR indicate the front (vehicle traveling direction) and the rear, respectively, the directions of the arrows IN and OUT indicate the interior side and the exterior side, respectively, and the directions of the arrows UP and DW indicate the upward and downward directions, respectively.

[0017] The door trim 10 is mainly composed of a trim board 11 having a plate shape. The trim board 11 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin material such as polypropylene, and various functional components such as an armrest 16, an inside handle 17, a door pocket 18, and a speaker grill 19 are provided to constitute the door trim 10.

[0018] A light-emitting ornament 20 is provided between an upper board 12 constituting the upper end of the trim board 11 and a middle board 14 constituting the upper part of the armrest 16. The light-emitting ornament 20 decorates the door trim 10 with light to improve the design. This light-emitting ornament 20 has an elongated shape in the vehicle front-rear direction.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the light-emitting ornament 20 includes a housing 21 having a space S formed therein and a light-emitting part 40. The housing 21 has a box shape that opens toward the vehicle interior side, and includes a main body part 22 that constitutes the exterior side portion of the housing 21 itself, and a plate-shaped light-transmitting panel 31 that is disposed so as to close the opening of the main body part 22 and constitutes a part of the interior surface of the door trim 10 on the vehicle interior side of the housing 21. The space S is formed in the portion surrounded by the main body part 22 and the light-transmitting panel 31.

[0020] More specifically, the main body portion 22 is a generally box-shaped member with one side open, having a bottom wall portion 23 (the portion on the outside of the vehicle cabin) arranged to face the light-transmitting panel 31, and a side wall portion 24 rising from the periphery of the bottom wall portion 23 toward the inside of the vehicle cabin. As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom wall portion 23 is curved (inclined) so as to face the inside of the vehicle cabin more as it goes downward. It can also be said that the bottom wall portion 23 is curved (inclined) in a direction approaching the light-transmitting panel 31 as it goes downward.

[0021] An attachment seat (an example of an attachment portion) 29 rising from the plate surface is provided on the outer surface of the vehicle cabin of the bottom wall portion 23. The main body portion 22 (housing 21) can be fixed to a vertical wall 15 extending from a middle board 14 disposed below the light-emitting ornament 20 by the attachment seat 29, for example, by screw fastening.

[0022] Also, among the side wall portions 24, a ridge portion (an example of a protruding wall portion) 26 protruding downward (inside the housing 21) from its lower surface (the inner surface of the housing 21) is provided on the upper wall portion 25 disposed above. The ridge portion 26 is provided in a U-shaped bent form so as to protrude the upper wall portion 25 toward the inside of the housing 21, and extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction along the plate surface of the light-transmitting panel 31. The outer surface of the portion of the upper wall portion 25 where the ridge portion 26 is provided is a recessed portion 27 recessed in a groove shape.

[0023] Hereinafter, the portion of the upper wall portion 25 that constitutes the ridge portion 26 and is disposed on the inside of the vehicle cabin will be referred to as the first wall portion 26A, the portion disposed on the outside of the vehicle cabin will be referred to as the third wall portion 26C, and the portion disposed in a form connecting the first wall portion 26A and the third wall portion 26C will be referred to as the second wall portion 26B.

[0024] Of the third wall portion 26C, on the surface disposed on the vehicle interior side in the vehicle interior and exterior direction (the inner side of the recessed portion 27, the outer surface of the upper wall portion 25), a locking claw (an example of a claw portion) 28 protruding from the plate surface is provided. This locking claw 28 enables locking of the locking portion 13 of the upper board 12 disposed above the light-emitting ornament 20. Specifically, the upper board 12 is disposed in an inclined posture extending upward and toward the vehicle exterior side with respect to the floor surface of the vehicle, and the locking portion 13 forms an L-shaped cross section that stands down from the plate surface of the upper board 12 at the lower end portion (the interior side end portion) of the upper board 12. By inserting the tip portion of this locking portion 13 into the recessed portion 27 and locking it to the locking claw 28, the light-emitting ornament 20 can be locked to the upper board 12. Note that the recessed portion 27 is set to a dimension capable of accommodating at least the tip side of the locking portion 13 inside, and in a state where the tip portion of the locking portion 13 is locked to the locking claw 28, the outer surface of the locking portion 13 abuts against the inner surface of the recessed portion 27 so that their postures are stably held.

[0025] On the other hand, the translucent panel 31 is a thick plate-shaped member that is gently curved and is fitted into the opening of the main body portion 22 described above. Specifically, the translucent panel 31 has the same outer shape as the main body portion 22 from the viewpoint in the vehicle interior and exterior direction, and at its periphery, it is fitted and joined inside the opening of the main body portion 22.

[0026] The translucent panel 31 is made of a highly translucent synthetic resin such as acrylic, PET, or polycarbonate, for example. A color film or the like may be attached to the translucent panel 31, or a plurality of uneven portions or patterns may be provided on its surface (plate surface). With such a configuration, it can function as a design panel that constitutes the interior design surface of the vehicle.

[0027] On one hand, the main body 22 is made of a non-translucent material containing a reflective material in, for example, an ABS resin which is a thermoplastic resin, and is a glossy white member. This main body 22 can reflect the light irradiated into the housing 21, that is, it is arranged on the outdoor side of the translucent panel 31 as a design panel and functions as a light reflecting member that reflects light toward the translucent panel 31. Note that the protruding strip 26 is formed by integrally molding with the same material as the main body 22.

[0028] The light emitting unit 40 includes a longitudinally extending substrate 41 in the vehicle front-rear direction and a plurality of LEDs 42 arranged along the longitudinal direction on the substrate 41 (the lower surface in FIG. 2), and can control the lighting state. Specifically, the LED 42 can change the illuminance within a certain range, can switch between lighting and extinguishing, and when lit, can change the illuminance step by step within the range from relatively bright high illuminance to dark low illuminance.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, this light emitting unit 40 is attached to the upper end of the housing 21 in a form accommodated inside the housing 21. More specifically, the substrate 41 of the light emitting unit 40 is attached in a form extending in the vehicle front-rear direction between the protruding strip 26 and the end on the bottom wall portion 23 side (hereinafter referred to as the light emitting unit arrangement wall portion 30) of the lower surface of the upper wall portion 25 of the main body 22 (the inner surface of the housing 21). That is, the substrate 41 of the light emitting unit 40 is accommodated in the housing 21 with its plate surface facing in the vertical direction, and the plurality of LEDs 42 are arranged to emit light downward. Also, the plurality of LEDs 42 are mounted at positions adjacent to the protruding strip 26 and slightly biased toward the protruding strip 26 side (the vehicle interior side) rather than the central portion in the width direction of the substrate 41.

[0030] Incidentally, the lower surface of the rib portion 26 described above is disposed below the top (the lower end in FIG. 2) of the LED 42 in a state where the light emitting portion 40 is attached to the housing 21. It can also be said that the protruding dimension of the rib portion 26 from the upper wall portion 25 is larger than the height dimension of the LED 42 from the upper wall portion 25. Thereby, the light emitting portion 40 (LED 42) is hidden by the rib portion 26 when viewed from the vehicle interior side (the design surface side).

[0031] When attaching such a light emitting ornament 20 to the trim board 11, the light emitting ornament 20 is brought closer from the design surface side of the trim board 11 with its upper end slightly inclined toward the outdoor side, and the locking portion 13 of the upper board 12 is inserted into the recessed portion 27 of the housing 21 from the tip side and returned to the normal posture, and a temporarily fixed state is set in which the tip of the locking portion 13 and the locking claw 28 are locked. When the light emitting ornament 20 is in the normal posture with respect to the trim board 11, the screw hole 29A provided in the mounting seat 29 coincides with the screw hole 15A provided in the vertical wall 15 of the middle board (an example of a board member) 14. Therefore, the light emitting ornament 20 (housing 21) can be easily fastened to the trim board 11 (vertical wall 15) by passing a screw from the outside of the vehicle compartment. That is, it can be fixed.

[0032] Further, when the light emitting portion 40 of the light emitting ornament 20 is lit in the completed door trim 10, the light emitted from the light emitting portion 40 is reflected with the bottom wall portion 23 of the curved main body portion 22 as a reflecting surface, and irradiates and transmits through the translucent panel 31. That is, the translucent panel 31 can be indirectly illuminated by the reflected light.

[0033] At this time, the light emitting portion 40 is disposed on the outside of the vehicle compartment of the rib portion 26 and is shielded by the rib portion 26, making it difficult to be directly visually recognized by the occupant. Therefore, when the occupant views the light emitting ornament 20, compared with the light emitting ornament 50 (see FIG. 4) without the rib portion 26, light unevenness is reduced. In FIG. 4, the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 2.

[0034] Next, the operation and effect will be described. The light-emitting ornament 20 of the present embodiment is provided on the door trim 10 of a vehicle, and includes a housing 21 having a space S inside and a light-emitting unit 40 capable of irradiating the inside of the housing 21. The housing 21 has a box shape having a bottom wall portion 23 and a side wall portion 24 rising from the bottom wall portion 23 toward the vehicle interior side, and includes a main body portion 22 that is non-translucent and can reflect light emitted from the light-emitting unit 40, and a plate-shaped translucent panel 31 that is arranged so as to cover the opening of the main body portion 22 and has translucency and constitutes the interior design surface of the vehicle. The side wall portion 24 includes a light-emitting unit arrangement wall portion 30 where the light-emitting unit 40 is arranged, and a non-translucent protruding strip portion 26 that protrudes toward the inside of the housing 21 on the translucent panel 31 side of the light-emitting unit arrangement wall portion 30. The light-emitting unit 40 is in a state of being hidden by the protruding strip portion 26 when viewed from the design surface side.

[0035] According to the above configuration, the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 40 is prevented from directly irradiating the translucent panel 31 by the protruding strip portion 26, and the reflected light reflected by the main body portion 22 is irradiated onto the translucent panel 31. Therefore, compared with a configuration in which the protruding strip portion 26 is not provided on the side wall portion 24, unevenness in the luminance of the light irradiated from the translucent panel 31 toward the vehicle interior can be reduced.

[0036] Further, the protruding strip portion 26 is formed by providing a recessed portion 27 recessed toward the inside of the housing 21 in the side wall portion 24, and a locking claw 28 capable of locking an upper board 12 constituting a part of the trim board 11 is provided inside the recessed portion 27.

[0037] According to the above configuration, the housing 21 can be positioned with respect to the trim board 11 by using the recessed portion 27.

[0038] In addition, an attachment seat 29 for attaching the main body portion 22 to a vertical wall 15 of a middle board 14 constituting a part of the door trim is provided on the vehicle interior outer surface of the bottom wall portion 23.

[0039] As described above, when the positioning of the main body portion 22 (housing 21) with respect to the trim board 11 is performed using the locking claw 28 provided in the recessed portion 27, the mounting seat 29 provided on the outside of the vehicle compartment of the main body portion 22 is also arranged at a predetermined position. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily attach the mounting seat 29 to a predetermined position on the trim board 11.

[0040] Further, the bottom wall portion 23 is inclined in a direction approaching the translucent panel 31 as it moves away from the light emitting portion 40. According to such a configuration, as the distance from the light emitting portion 40 increases and the reflected light weakens, the distance between the bottom wall portion 23, that is, the reflecting surface, and the translucent panel 31 decreases, and the intensity of the light irradiated from the translucent panel 31 can be increased. Therefore, the luminance unevenness can be further reduced.

[0041] <Other Embodiments> The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described by the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope.

[0042] (1) In the above embodiment, the outer surface of the portion of the upper wall portion 25 where the ridge portion 26 is provided is shown as the recessed portion 27. However, a solid ridge portion without a recessed portion is also included in the technical scope.

[0043] (2) Further, instead of the ridge portion 26 illustrated in the above embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, by providing a stepped protruding wall portion 126, it is also possible to prevent the light emitted from the light emitting portion 40 from directly irradiating the translucent panel 31.

[0044] (3) The locking claw 28 and the mounting seat 29 may be omitted.

[0045] (4) In the above-described embodiment, the light-emitting ornament 20 provided on the door trim 10 of the vehicle is exemplified as the vehicle lighting device. However, the technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the door trim, and can be variously modified and applied not only to other vehicle interior materials such as pillar garnishes, ceiling materials, console boxes, dashboards, various instrument panels, deck trims, etc., but also to vehicle interior materials for vehicles such as railways, airplanes, ships, etc.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0046] 10, 70: Door trim (vehicle interior material) 11: Trim board (board member) 12: Upper board (board member) 13: Locking portion 14: Middle board (board member) 20, 50, 60: Light-emitting ornament (vehicle irradiation device) 21: Housing 22: Main body portion 23: Bottom wall portion 24: Side wall portion 25: Upper wall portion 26: Ridge portion (projecting wall portion) 27: Recessed portion 28: Locking claw (an example of a claw portion) 29: Mounting seat (an example of a mounting portion) 30: Light-emitting portion arrangement wall portion 31: Translucent panel 40: Light-emitting portion 50: Light-emitting ornament 126: Projecting wall portion

Claims

1. A vehicle lighting device provided in an interior material for a vehicle, comprising: a housing having a space inside, and a light emitting part capable of irradiating the inside of the housing; The housing forms a box shape having a bottom wall part and a side wall part rising from the bottom wall part toward the inside of the vehicle compartment, and is made of non-translucent material and can reflect the light emitted from the light emitting part, and a main body part; a plate-shaped translucent panel that is arranged so as to cover the opening of the main body part and has translucency and constitutes the interior design surface of the vehicle; The side wall part includes a light emitting part arrangement wall part where the light emitting part is arranged, and a non-translucent protruding wall part that protrudes toward the inside of the housing on the translucent panel side of the light emitting part arrangement wall part; The vehicle lighting device, wherein the light emitting part is in a state of being hidden by the protruding wall part when viewed from the design surface side.

2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the protruding wall part is formed by providing a recess recessed toward the inside of the housing in the side wall part, and a claw part capable of locking a board member constituting a part of the interior material for the vehicle is provided inside the recess.

3. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a mounting part for mounting the main body part to a board member constituting a part of the interior material for the vehicle is provided on the outer surface of the vehicle compartment of the bottom wall part.

4. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the bottom wall part is inclined in a direction approaching the translucent panel as it moves away from the light emitting part.

Images