Lighting device for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a lighting device for a vehicle that can efficiently release heat generated by a substrate on which a light source is mounted to the outside.SOLUTION: A lighting device for a vehicle includes: a substrate on which a light source is mounted; and a resin cover covering the substrate. The resin cover is provided with a recessed portion formed in a shape recessed in a direction toward the substrate when viewed from the outside, and a heat conductive material is disposed between the recessed portion and the substrate. When the lighting device for the vehicle is installed in a vehicle, the direction toward the substrate as viewed from the outside is opposite to a travel direction of the vehicle. The recessed portion is defined by a wall portion extending in the direction and has a cutout portion where the wall portion is not formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle lighting device that includes a board on which a light source is mounted and a housing in which the board is attached. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-133496 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described vehicle lighting device, it is necessary to dissipate heat generated from the substrate on which the light source is mounted to the outside.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has an object to provide a vehicle lighting device that can efficiently release heat generated from a board on which a light source is mounted to the outside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention is to a substrate on which the light source is mounted; a resin cover that covers the substrate; Equipped with a recess formed in the resin cover that is recessed in a direction approaching the substrate when viewed from the outside; The present invention provides a vehicle lighting device, wherein a thermally conductive material is disposed between the recess and the substrate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this invention, heat generated from the substrate on which the light source is mounted can be efficiently released to the outside. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a top view showing a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the positional relationship between a groove, a substrate, and a thermally conductive material. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the vehicle lighting device of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a top view showing the vehicle lighting device of this embodiment, FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views showing the vehicle lighting device of this embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the groove, the substrate, and the thermally conductive material.

[0011] The following describes a vehicle lighting device used as the right lamp of a pair of left and right rear lamps of a motorcycle as an example of the vehicle lighting device of this embodiment, although the type and function of the vehicle lighting device of the present invention are arbitrary.

[0012] The vehicle lighting device of this embodiment includes a substrate 10 on which light sources 11A and 11B, each of which has a light-emitting diode element, are mounted, and a resin cover 20 that covers the substrate 10. The light sources 11A and 11B are mounted on a surface 10A side of the substrate 10. In this embodiment, the light source 11A functions as a light source for a turn signal, and the light source 11B functions as a light source for a tail lamp and a stop lamp. In addition, a lens member (not shown) is attached to the resin cover 20, which emits light from the light sources 11A and 11B in the Y direction (rearward of the vehicle body), which is the opposite direction to the traveling direction of the vehicle body. In this way, the substrate 10 is housed inside the resin cover 20 and the lens member.

[0013] The resin cover 20 is formed with a pair of grooves 21 (FIGS. 1, 3, and 5) as recesses recessed in the Y direction approaching the substrate 10 when viewed from the outside in the Y direction. The grooves 21 have a constant width in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and extend in a substantially horizontal direction of the vehicle body.

[0014] Furthermore, a thermally conductive material 30 (FIG. 5) is sandwiched between the groove 21 and the substrate 10. In FIG. 5, the positions of the groove 21, the substrate 10, and the thermally conductive material 30 are shown superimposed on the top view of the resin cover 20 (FIG. 2). Any material having a higher thermal conductivity than air can be used as the thermally conductive material 30, but for example, a gap filler that is filled between the substrate 10 and the resin cover 20 and hardened may also be used as the thermally conductive material 30.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 5, groove 21 faces rear surface 10B of substrate 10 in the Y-axis direction and has a bottom 22 formed in a flat shape along substrate 10. Groove 21 also has wall portions 23 that are continuous with the outer periphery of bottom portion 22 and extend in the Y direction. As shown in Fig. 1, wall portions 23 define the upper and lower ends and the X-side end of the outer periphery of groove 21 in the XZ plane. Meanwhile, groove 21 has a notch portion 24 at its -X-side end where wall portion 23 is not formed.

[0016] As described above, the resin cover 20 has a groove 21 formed therein that is recessed in a direction approaching the substrate 10. This allows the bottom 22 of the groove 21 to be brought close to the rear surface 10B of the substrate 10. In addition, in this embodiment, the thermally conductive material 30 is disposed between the rear surface 10B of the substrate 10 and the bottom 22. This allows the heat generated by the substrate 10, including the heat generated by the light source 11A and the light source 11B, to be efficiently released to the outside of the resin cover 20 via the thermally conductive material 30 and the bottom 22 (resin cover 20). This makes it possible to avoid, for example, using a metal cover, which has excellent thermal conductivity but increases costs, instead of the resin cover 20.

[0017] Furthermore, when the motorcycle is running, the resin cover 20 receives wind in the Y direction, causing outside air to enter the inside of the groove 21. Furthermore, the outside air flows along the bottom 22 and is discharged from the groove 21 through the cutout 24. Therefore, the outside air flows smoothly along the bottom 22, and the bottom 22 can be effectively cooled from the outside. Therefore, the heat generated by the substrate 10 can be effectively released to the outside.

[0018] In the vehicle lighting device of this embodiment, components are also mounted on the rear surface 10B of the substrate 10 in order to reduce the size of the device. However, a material that takes a shape corresponding to the uneven shape of the components, such as a gap filler, can be used as the thermally conductive material 30. In this case, the thermally conductive material 30 can be in contact with a wide area of ​​the rear surface 10B of the substrate 10, allowing the substrate 10 to be cooled efficiently.

[0019] A metal material may be used as at least a part of the thermally conductive material 30. Also, a heat dissipation member (such as a heat sink) made of metal may be used as at least a part of the thermally conductive material 30. For example, the heat sink may be disposed in contact with the bottom 22 (resin cover 20).

[0020] Furthermore, the shape of the bottom 22 may be formed to have an uneven shape that matches the shape of the components mounted on the rear surface 10B of the substrate 10. In this case, the gap between the substrate 10 including the components and the bottom 22 can be made small across the entire substrate 10. This allows the thickness of the thermally conductive material 30 to be reduced, thereby improving the cooling effect of the substrate 10. Note that in this case as well, a material that takes a shape that matches the uneven shape of the components can be used as the thermally conductive material 30.

[0021] Furthermore, in an area where the rear surface 10B of the substrate 10 is exposed without any components mounted thereon, the bottom 22 may be formed in a shape such that the inner surface of the resin cover 20 comes into contact with the rear surface 10B. The bottom 22 may also be formed in a shape such that the inner surface of the resin cover 20 comes into contact with the surface of a component mounted on the rear surface 10B. In these cases, the cooling effect of the substrate 10 can be further enhanced by heat conduction through the area where the inner surface of the resin cover 20 comes into direct contact with the rear surface 10B or the component. A predetermined thermally conductive material (e.g., silicone grease) may be disposed or applied to the area.

[0022] In the vehicle lighting device of this embodiment, grooves 21 with a relatively narrow width (vertical width) are formed as recesses in the resin cover 20. This makes it possible to prevent hands and fingers from coming into contact with the inside of the grooves 21, particularly the bottom portion 22 which becomes hot. Furthermore, by forming multiple (pairs of) grooves 21 in the resin cover 20, it is possible to increase the area of ​​the bottom portion 22 facing the substrate 10 while restricting the width of each groove 21. This makes it possible to ensure the required cooling effect.

[0023] As described above, according to this embodiment, the resin cover 20 is formed with the groove 21 recessed in a direction approaching the substrate 10. Therefore, the bottom 22 of the groove 21 can be brought close to the rear surface 10B of the substrate 10. Furthermore, the thermally conductive material 30 is disposed between the rear surface 10B of the substrate 10 and the bottom 22. Therefore, the heat generated by the substrate 10, including the heat generated by the light source 11A and the light source 11B, can be efficiently released to the outside of the resin cover 20 via the thermally conductive material 30 and the bottom 22 (resin cover 20).

[0024] The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiments of the present invention.

[0025] [Appendix 1] a substrate (10) on which light sources (11A, 11B) are mounted; a resin cover (20) that covers the substrate; Equipped with The resin cover has a recess (21) formed therein that is recessed in a direction approaching the substrate when viewed from the outside, A thermally conductive material (30) is disposed between the recess and the substrate.

[0026] According to the configuration described in Supplementary Note 1, the recess and the substrate can be brought close to each other. Furthermore, a thermally conductive material is disposed between the substrate and the recess. Therefore, heat generated by the substrate can be efficiently released to the outside via the thermally conductive material and the resin cover. In the present invention, the type of vehicle is arbitrary, and the vehicle is not limited to a two-wheeled vehicle. Furthermore, the shape of the recess is arbitrary, and is not limited to a groove shape. The number of recesses is also arbitrary. Furthermore, the type and number of light sources are also arbitrary.

[0027] [Appendix 2] 2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the direction is opposite to a traveling direction of the vehicle body.

[0028] According to the configuration described in Supplementary Note 2, when the vehicle is moving, the wind blows into the recessed portion, thereby improving the cooling effect of the substrate.

[0029] [Appendix 3] The vehicle lighting device according to claim 2, wherein the recess is defined by a wall portion (23) extending in the direction, and has a notch portion (24) where the wall portion is not formed.

[0030] According to the configuration described in Supplementary Note 3, the airflow blown into the recessed portion escapes through the notched portion, thereby further enhancing the cooling effect of the board.

[0031] [Appendix 4] 2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the recess has a bottom (22) facing the substrate and formed in a flat shape along the substrate.

[0032] According to the configuration described in Supplementary Note 4, heat generated by the substrate can be released to the outside through the bottom portion formed in a flat shape.

[0033] [Appendix 5] 2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the recessed portion faces the substrate and has a bottom portion formed in an uneven shape that conforms to a mounting state of the substrate.

[0034] According to the configuration described in Supplementary Note 5, the bottom of the entire substrate can be brought close to the substrate, thereby improving the cooling effect of the substrate.

[0035] [Appendix 6] 2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the recess has an area where the inner surface of the resin cover contacts the substrate.

[0036] According to the configuration described in Supplementary Note 6, heat generated by the board can be effectively released to the outside via the area where the inner surface of the resin cover comes into contact with the board.

[0037] [Appendix 7] 2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the recess is formed as a groove extending in a substantially horizontal direction of the vehicle body.

[0038] According to the configuration described in Supplementary Note 7, by setting the width of the groove small, it is possible to prevent hands or fingers from coming into contact with the inside of the recess. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 10 Substrate 11A, 11B light source 20 Resin cover 21 Groove (recess) 22 Bottom 23 Wall 30 Thermal Conductive Materials

Claims

1. a substrate on which a light source is mounted; a resin cover that covers the substrate; Equipped with a recess formed in the resin cover that is recessed in a direction approaching the substrate when viewed from the outside; A thermally conductive material is disposed between the recess and the substrate.

2. 2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the direction is opposite to a traveling direction of the vehicle body.

3. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 2 , wherein the recess is defined by a wall portion extending in the direction, and has a notch portion where the wall portion is not formed.

4. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein the recess has a bottom portion facing the substrate and formed in a flat shape along the substrate.

5. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein the recessed portion faces the substrate and has a bottom portion formed in an uneven shape in accordance with a mounting state of the substrate.

6. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein the recess has a region where an inner surface of the resin cover contacts the substrate.

7. 2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the recess is formed as a groove extending in a substantially horizontal direction of the vehicle body.

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