Exterior unit

Abstract

To provide an exterior unit having an illumination that illuminates functional members with a simple structure and easy assembly.SOLUTION: An exterior unit 1 comprises a pair of support posts 2, a functional member 3, a top surface member 4, and an LED illumination 5. The top surface member 4 is made of aluminum and has a pair of illumination-holding ribs 45 extending in a longitudinal direction and aligned in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction on a bottom surface at one end in the width direction. A lower end of an outer rib 451 located outside in the width direction among the pair of illumination-holding ribs 45 is located lower than a lower end of an inner rib 452 located inside in the width direction among the pair of illumination-holding ribs 45, and has an inclined portion 4511 with its lower end 451a side inclined toward the inner rib 452. The LED illumination 5 is housed between the pair of illumination-holding ribs 45.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an exterior unit that is installed around a building such as a house, apartment complex, apartment building, or condominium. [Background technology]

[0002] Around buildings such as houses, apartment complexes, apartments, and condominiums, outdoor structures (exteriors) are installed, such as functional gateposts with additional functional components such as nameplates, mailboxes, and intercoms, and building nameplates that display the name of the building.

[0003] A configuration has been disclosed in which lighting is provided in the exterior of the functional gatepost or the like to improve the visibility of the functional components at night. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a gatepost with lighting attached to the upper end of the gatepost body. The lighting includes a base on which a lamp or the like is attached, a roughly downward-facing U-shaped cover, end caps attached to both end faces of the cover, a light-transmitting plate such as an acrylic panel, and a support material for the light-transmitting plate. The lighting is fixed to the gatepost body with screws.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a gatepost with a lighting device attached to the top of the gatepost body. The lighting device is attached via an attachment member to the inner surface of a cap member that closes the small opening at the top end of the gatepost body.

[0005] Patent Document 3 discloses a gatepost in which a linear light using an LED light source is provided in the gap between the gatepost body and the gatepost cover. The light is built into the internal space of the covering member that covers the front and side surfaces of the gatepost. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-262962 A [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2017-160755 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2020-94370 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, there are cases where it is desired to attach or remove lighting when an exterior unit, such as a functional gatepost equipped with lighting and a building nameplate, is installed in the installation location. In the configurations of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the lighting is attached to the gatepost body via an attachment member. In the configuration of Patent Document 3, the lighting is built into the gatepost body. Therefore, the configurations disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 require a complex lighting installation structure. As a result, it is not possible to easily attach or remove lighting when the exterior unit is installed in the installation location. Therefore, there is a demand for a simple and easy-to-assemble exterior unit equipped with lighting that illuminates functional components.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an exterior unit equipped with lighting for illuminating functional components, which has a simple structure and is easy to assemble. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] One embodiment of the present invention relates to an exterior unit comprising a pair of vertically extending support columns, a functional component mounted between the support columns, a horizontally extending plate-shaped top panel member with one longitudinal end and the other longitudinal end connected to the top of the support columns, and an LED light mounted on the top panel member to illuminate the functional component. The top panel member is made of aluminum and has a pair of light-retaining ribs extending longitudinally and aligned in the width direction on the underside of one end of the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The lower end of the outer rib of the pair of light-retaining ribs, located on the outer side in the width direction, is positioned lower than the lower end of the inner rib of the pair of light-retaining ribs, located on the inner side in the width direction, and has a sloped portion that slopes downward toward the inner rib. The LED light is housed between the pair of light-retaining ribs (first configuration).

[0010] This structure allows the LED lighting to be held by the inner rib and the outer rib, which has a sloped portion at its lower end that slopes toward the inner rib, making it possible to create an exterior unit with lighting using a simple structure.

[0011] Furthermore, with this configuration, the LED lighting can be attached to the top surface member by inserting it between the pair of lighting support ribs, making it easy to attach the lighting to the top surface member.

[0012] Therefore, it is possible to provide an exterior structure unit equipped with lighting that illuminates functional components, which has a simple structure and is easy to assemble.

[0013] In the first configuration, the outer rib has a protrusion protruding toward the inner rib on its surface facing the inner rib. The inner rib has a protrusion protruding toward the outer rib on its surface facing the outer rib (second configuration).

[0014] The protrusions form irregularities on the surface of the outer rib facing the inner rib and on the surface of the inner rib facing the outer rib. This allows the surface of the LED light housed between the pair of light-retaining ribs to deform so that it fits between the irregularities. Therefore, for example, if the exterior of the LED light is made of an elastically deformable resin material such as silicone rubber, the exterior deforms so that it fits between the irregularities, and the elastic restoring force of the resin material applies a pressing force to the pair of light-retaining ribs. This improves the holding force of the LED light by the pair of light-retaining ribs.

[0015] In the first or second configuration, the LED light is elastically deformable and is housed between the pair of light-retaining ribs in an elastically deformed state (third configuration).

[0016] This allows the LED lighting to be tightly attached to the pair of lighting-retaining ribs, thereby improving the holding force with which the LED lighting is held by the pair of lighting-retaining ribs.

[0017] In the first or second configuration, the top surface member has a positioning rib that positions the top surface member in the width direction relative to the pair of support columns (fourth configuration).

[0018] This allows the top surface member to be easily positioned relative to the pair of support columns when attaching the top surface member to the pair of support columns, thereby making it easy to attach the top surface member to the pair of support columns.

[0019] Furthermore, the positioning ribs can fix the position of the top panel relative to the pair of support columns, thereby preventing the position of the LED lights attached to the top panel from shifting relative to the functional components attached to the pair of support columns.

[0020] In the first or second configuration, the outer rib is located at the leading end of the top surface member in the width direction (fifth configuration).

[0021] This allows the exterior unit to be made more compact than in a configuration in which the widthwise tip of the top panel member protrudes widthwise beyond the outer rib.

[0022] In the first or second configuration, the lower end of the outer rib protrudes downward from the portion of the lower surface of the top surface member that is in contact with the pair of support columns (sixth configuration).

[0023] This allows the LED lighting housed between the pair of lighting support ribs to be positioned lower than the upper ends of the pair of support columns. This allows the LED lighting to be closer to the functional components attached to the pair of support columns. This allows for increased illuminance of the functional components with a simple structure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the LED lighting of the exterior unit is housed between the inner rib of the top surface member and the outer rib, whose lower end is located below the lower end of the inner rib and has a slope that slopes toward the inner rib as it approaches the lower end. Therefore, it is possible to provide an exterior unit with lighting that illuminates functional components, which has a simple structure and is easy to assemble. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a general configuration of an exterior unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a method for assembling the exterior unit. [Figure 4B]FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a method for assembling the exterior unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a top surface member in an exterior unit according to another embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a top surface member in an exterior unit according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding parts in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will not be repeated. Furthermore, the dimensions of the components in each drawing do not faithfully represent the actual dimensions of the components, the dimensional ratios of the components, etc.

[0027] Furthermore, in the following description, the expressions "fix," "connect," and "attach" (hereinafter referred to as "fixing") include not only cases where members are directly fixed to each other, but also cases where members are fixed via other members. In other words, in the following description, the expression "fixing" includes both direct and indirect fixing of members to each other.

[0028] In the following description, the direction in which the pair of support posts 2 are arranged will be referred to as the longitudinal direction of each component, and the direction perpendicular to the vertical and longitudinal directions will be referred to as the width direction of each component. In addition, in the first embodiment, the side of the width direction where the functional member 3 is illuminated by the LED lighting 5 will be referred to as one side, and the opposite side will be referred to as the other side. Note that this is not intended to limit the orientation when installing the exterior unit 1.

[0029] (Embodiment 1) (Exterior unit) An exterior structure unit 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The exterior structure unit 1 is an outdoor structure (exterior) installed around a building such as a house, an apartment building, or a condominium. The exterior structure unit 1 includes, for example, a functional gatepost equipped with a nameplate, a mailbox, an intercom, etc., and a building nameplate installed around the building. In other words, the exterior structure unit 1 is a structure equipped with functional components such as a nameplate, a mailbox, an intercom, and a nameplate, for example.

[0030] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the exterior unit 1. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a partially enlarged view of Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 1, the exterior unit 1 has a pair of support posts 2, a functional member 3, a top surface member 4, and an LED light 5.

[0031] The pair of support columns 2 extend in the vertical direction. A top surface member 4 is connected to the upper sides of the pair of support columns 2. Note that the exterior structure unit 1 may have other pairs of support columns in addition to the pair of support columns 2, or may have support columns that are not other pairs. Also, in FIG. 1, the pair of support columns 2 are each rectangular pillar-shaped, but the pair of support columns may also be cylindrical or have other shapes.

[0032] The functional member 3 is attached between the pair of support posts 2. The functional member may be attached to the pair of support posts with a fixing member such as a screw, or may be glued to the pair of support posts. The functional member may be attached to the pair of support posts by fitting the functional member having a fitting protrusion that fits into the fitting groove into the pair of support posts having a fitting groove.

[0033] The functional member 3 includes, for example, a nameplate, a mailbox, an intercom, a nameplate, etc. that are installed around a building. The functional member 3 may include one or more of these. The functional member may also be attached between a pair of posts via a case that houses the functional member or a support member that supports the functional member.

[0034] The top surface member 4 is a plate-like member extending horizontally. The top surface member 4 extends in the direction in which the pair of support columns 2 are aligned. One end and the other end of the top surface member 4 in the longitudinal direction are fixed to the upper sides of the pair of support columns 2 by fixing members such as screws.

[0035] An LED light 5 is attached to the top surface member 4. The detailed configuration of the top surface member 4 will be described later.

[0036] The LED lighting 5 is attached to the top surface member 4 so as to illuminate the functional member 3. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the LED lighting 5 is housed between a pair of lighting support ribs 45 provided on the underside of the top surface member 4. In this embodiment, the LED lighting 5 is a so-called LED tape light. An LED tape light is a light formed into a tape shape by laminating multiple LEDs aligned in one direction with resin.

[0037] In this embodiment, the exterior of the LED lighting 5 is made of a soft (deformable) resin, particularly a resin with elastic deformability. Therefore, the LED lighting 5 is elastically deformable. Examples of materials that can be used to make the exterior of the LED lighting 5 include silicone rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, and soft vinyl chloride. Among these, silicone rubber is preferred.

[0038] (Details of the top surface) Next, the top surface member 4 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 2 and 3. For the sake of explanation, the longitudinal direction of the top surface member 4 will be taken as the longitudinal direction of each part constituting the top surface member 4. The width direction of the top surface member 4 will be taken as the width direction of each part. In Figure 3, for the sake of explanation, the LED lighting 5 is indicated by a dashed line.

[0039] The top surface member 4 is made of aluminum. In this specification, "made of aluminum" includes "made of aluminum alloy," and the material is selected from the viewpoints of achieving both the strength and lightness required for the top surface member 4, and the ease of molding (extrusion molding) into hollow shapes and complex cross-sectional shapes. As shown in FIG. 2, the top surface member 4 has an upper plate portion 41, a lower plate portion 42, a side wall portion 43, multiple reinforcing ribs 44, a pair of illumination-holding ribs 45, and a positioning rib 46. The top surface member 4 is manufactured by, for example, extrusion molding.

[0040] In this embodiment, the lower plate portion 42 is plate-shaped. The lower surface of the lower plate portion 42 forms the lower surface of the top surface member 4.

[0041] The upper plate portion 41 is plate-shaped. The upper surface of the upper plate portion 41 forms the upper surface of the top panel member 4. The widthwise length of the upper plate portion 41 is longer than the widthwise length of the lower plate portion 42. One end of the widthwise direction of the upper plate portion 41 protrudes in the widthwise direction beyond one end of the lower plate portion 42. For ease of explanation, hereinafter, the portion of the upper plate portion 41 that overlaps with the lower plate portion 42 in the thickness direction will be referred to as the upper plate main body portion 411, and the portion that does not overlap with the lower plate portion 42 in the thickness direction will be referred to as the protruding portion 412. The lower surface of the protruding portion 412 of the upper plate portion 41 forms the lower surface of the top panel member 4.

[0042] The side wall portion 43 connects the outer periphery of the lower plate portion 42 and the upper plate main body portion 411 in the vertical direction. That is, the top surface member 4 is configured as a hollow plate by the upper plate main body portion 411, the lower plate portion 42, and the side wall portion 43.

[0043] The plurality of reinforcing ribs 44 vertically connect the upper plate main body 411 of the upper plate portion 41 and the lower plate portion 42. The reinforcing ribs 44 can improve the strength of the top surface member 4.

[0044] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the pair of lighting fixture holding ribs 45 extend downward from the lower surface of the protruding portion 412. The pair of lighting fixture holding ribs 45 are aligned in the width direction of the upper plate portion 41. The pair of lighting fixture holding ribs 45 each extend in the longitudinal direction of the upper plate portion 41. Therefore, a space extending in the longitudinal direction is formed between the pair of lighting fixture holding ribs 45. The LED lighting fixture 5 is housed between the pair of lighting fixture holding ribs 45.

[0045] The pair of illumination holding ribs 45 includes outer ribs 451 located on the outer side in the width direction and inner ribs 452 located on the inner side in the width direction. The outer rib 451 is located closer to the tip 412a of the upper plate portion 41 in the width direction than the inner rib 452.

[0046] The vertical length of the outer rib 451 is longer than the length between the upper plate main body 411 of the upper plate portion 41 and the lower plate portion 42. Therefore, the lower end 451a of the outer rib 451 is located below the lower plate portion 42.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 3, the outer rib 451 has a lower end portion 4511 at which the lower end 451 a is inclined toward the inner rib 452 .

[0048] The outer rib 451 has a plurality of protrusions 4512 on the surface facing the inner rib 452, protruding toward the inner rib 452. Each of the plurality of protrusions 4512 extends in the longitudinal direction.

[0049] The multiple protrusions 4512 form unevenness on the surface of the outer rib 451 facing the inner rib 452. This causes the resin constituting the exterior of the LED lamp 5 housed between the pair of lamp-holding ribs 45 to deform and enter between the unevenness. That is, the exterior of the LED lamp 5 deforms so as to enter between the unevenness, and the restoring force of the resin applies a pressing force to the pair of lamp-holding ribs. This improves the holding force of the LED lamp 5 by the pair of lamp-holding ribs 45.

[0050] In this embodiment, the upper end of the outer rib 451 is located near the tip 412a on one widthwise side of the protruding portion 412. In other words, the outer rib 451 extends downward from the tip 412a in the widthwise direction of the upper plate portion 41. This allows the exterior unit 1 to be made more compact than in a configuration in which the tip 412a in the widthwise direction of the upper plate portion 41 protrudes to one widthwise side relative to the outer rib 451.

[0051] The vertical length of the inner rib 452 is longer than the length between the upper plate main body 411 of the upper plate portion 41 and the lower plate portion 42. Therefore, the lower end of the inner rib 452 is located below the lower plate portion 42.

[0052] The vertical length of the inner rib 452 is shorter than the vertical length of the outer rib 451. Therefore, the lower end of the outer rib 451 is located lower than the lower end of the inner rib 452.

[0053] The inner rib 452 has, on its surface facing the outer rib 451, a plurality of protrusions 4521 that protrude toward the outer rib 451. Each of the plurality of protrusions 4521 extends in the longitudinal direction.

[0054] The multiple protrusions 4521 form unevenness on the surface of the inner rib 452 facing the outer rib 451. This causes the resin constituting the exterior of the LED lamp 5 housed between the pair of lamp-holding ribs 45 to deform and enter between the unevenness. That is, the exterior of the LED lamp 5 deforms so as to enter between the unevenness, and the restoring force of the resin applies a pressing force to the pair of lamp-holding ribs. This improves the holding force of the LED lamp 5 by the pair of lamp-holding ribs 45.

[0055] The outer rib 451 and inner rib 452 having the above-described configuration form a groove that extends in the longitudinal direction and accommodates the LED lamp 5. The lower end of the outer rib 451 is located lower than the lower end of the inner rib 452 and has an inclined portion 4511. Therefore, the opening direction of the groove, which is a direction perpendicular to an opening plane A of the groove that includes the lower end 451a of the outer rib 451 and the lower end of the inner rib 452, is downward and inward in the width direction. In Figure 3, the opening direction is indicated by an outline arrow.

[0056] In this way, the opening direction of the pair of lighting fixture holding ribs 45 is not directly downward. This prevents the LED lighting fixture 5 from slipping out of the groove. Also, the LED lighting fixture 5 can efficiently irradiate light onto the functional component 3 located below and inward in the width direction relative to the LED lighting fixture 5.

[0057] As shown in Figure 2, the positioning rib 46 is provided at the tip of one widthwise side of the lower plate portion 42. The lower end of the positioning rib 46 is located lower than the lower plate portion 42. The positioning rib 46 extends in the longitudinal direction of the lower plate portion 42. The inner widthwise surface of the positioning rib 46 is close to or in contact with the outer surfaces of the pair of support posts 2. This makes it easy to position the top surface member 4 widthwise relative to the pair of support posts 2 when assembling the exterior unit 1.

[0058] (How to assemble the exterior unit) 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a method for assembling the exterior unit 1 having the above-described configuration.

[0059] First, as shown in Fig. 4A, the functional member 3 is attached between a pair of support posts 2, and the top surface member 4 is attached to the upper side of the pair of support posts 2. The attachment of the functional member 3 and the top surface member 4 to the pair of support posts 2 may be performed at a location different from the installation location where the exterior unit 1 is installed, or may be performed at the installation location.

[0060] As shown in Figure 4B, a pair of support posts 2 to which a functional member 3 and a top surface member 4 are attached are installed at the installation location. Then, an LED light 5 is inserted between a pair of light-retaining ribs 45 on the top surface member 4. Note that Figure 4B omits the wiring for the LED light 5. As described above, the exterior unit 1 according to this embodiment can be easily assembled.

[0061] The exterior unit 1 having the above-described configuration includes a pair of vertically extending support columns 2, a functional component 3 attached between the support columns 2, a horizontally extending plate-like top panel 4 with one longitudinal end and the other longitudinal end connected to the top of the support columns 2, and an LED light 5 attached to the top panel 4 to illuminate the functional component 3. The top panel 4 is made of aluminum and has a pair of light-retaining ribs 45 extending longitudinally and aligned widthwise on the underside of one end of the widthwise end perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The lower end of the outer rib 451, located on the outer side of the pair of light-retaining ribs 45 in the widthwise direction, is located lower than the lower end of the inner rib 452, located on the inner side of the pair of light-retaining ribs 45 in the widthwise direction, and has an inclined portion 4511 whose lower end 451a slopes toward the inner rib 452. The LED light 5 is housed between the pair of light-retaining ribs 45.

[0062] With this configuration, the LED lighting 5 can be held by the inner rib 452 and the outer rib 451 having an inclined portion 4511 at its lower end, with the lower end 451a inclined toward the inner rib 452. This allows the exterior unit 1 equipped with lighting to be realized with a simple structure.

[0063] Furthermore, with this configuration, the LED lighting 5 can be inserted between the pair of lighting holding ribs 45, thereby attaching the lighting to the top surface member 4. Therefore, the lighting can be easily attached to the top surface member 4.

[0064] Therefore, it is possible to provide an exterior structure unit 1 equipped with lighting that illuminates the functional component 3, which has a simple structure and is easy to assemble.

[0065] In this embodiment, the outer rib 451 has, on its surface facing the inner rib 452, a plurality of protrusions 4512 that protrude toward the inner rib 452. The inner rib 452 has, on its surface facing the outer rib 451, a plurality of protrusions 4521 that protrude toward the outer rib 451.

[0066] The multiple protrusions 4512, 4521 form unevenness on the surface of the inner rib 452 facing the outer rib 451 and the surface of the outer rib 451 facing the inner rib 452. This causes the resin constituting the exterior part of the LED lamp 5 housed between the pair of lamp holding ribs 45 to deform and enter between the unevenness. That is, the exterior part of the LED lamp 5 deforms so as to enter between the unevenness, and the restoring force of the resin can apply a pressing force to the pair of lamp holding ribs. This improves the holding force of the LED lamp 5 by the pair of lamp holding ribs 45.

[0067] In this embodiment, the LED light 5 is elastically deformable and is housed between a pair of light-retaining ribs 45 in an elastically deformed state.

[0068] This allows the LED lamp 5 to be in close contact with the pair of lamp holding ribs 45. Therefore, the holding force with which the LED lamp 5 is held by the pair of lamp holding ribs 45 can be improved.

[0069] In this embodiment, the top surface member 4 has a positioning rib 46 that determines the position of the top surface member 4 relative to the pair of support columns 2 in the width direction.

[0070] This makes it possible to easily position the top surface member 4 relative to the pair of support columns 2 when attaching the top surface member 4 to the pair of support columns 2. Therefore, the top surface member 4 can be easily attached to the pair of support columns 2.

[0071] Furthermore, the positioning ribs 46 can fix the position of the top surface member 4 relative to the pair of support columns 2. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the position of the LED lights 5 attached to the top surface member 4 from shifting relative to the functional members 3 attached to the pair of support columns 2.

[0072] In this embodiment, the lower end of the outer rib 451 protrudes downward from the portion of the underside of the top surface member 4 that is in contact with the pair of support columns 2. This allows the LED lighting 5 housed between the pair of lighting support ribs 45 to be positioned below the upper ends of the pair of support columns 2. This allows the LED lighting 5 to be positioned closer to the functional member 3 attached to the pair of support columns 2. Therefore, the illuminance illuminating the functional member 3 can be increased with a simple structure.

[0073] (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments are merely examples for carrying out the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is possible to appropriately modify the above-described embodiments within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

[0074] In the first embodiment, the lower plate portion 42 is plate-shaped. However, as shown in Fig. 5, the lower plate portion 142 of the top panel member 104 may have a plurality of slits 142a penetrating the lower plate portion in the thickness direction. This allows the top panel member to be made lighter.

[0075] In the first embodiment, the upper plate portion 41 has a protruding portion 412 on one side in the width direction of the upper plate main body portion 411. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper plate portion 241 of the top surface member 204 may have protruding portions 2412 on one and the other sides in the width direction of the upper plate main body portion 2411. This makes it possible to configure an exterior unit that can illuminate both sides of the functional component, for example. This also makes it possible to assemble the exterior unit without considering the orientation of the top surface member relative to the functional component. This improves the ease of construction and workability of the assembly work.

[0076] In each of the above-described embodiments, the top surface member 4 has a positioning rib 46 that positions the top surface member 4 in the width direction relative to the pair of support columns 2. However, the top surface member 4 does not have to have a positioning rib. The top surface member may also have a positioning rib that positions the top surface member in the length direction relative to the pair of support columns.

[0077] In each of the above-described embodiments, the lower end 451a of the outer rib 451 is located below the lower plate portion 42. The lower end of the inner rib 452 is located below the lower plate portion 42. However, the lower end of the outer rib may be located at the same position as the lower plate portion in the up-down direction. The lower end of the outer rib may be located above the lower plate portion. The lower end of the inner rib may be located at the same position as the lower plate portion in the up-down direction, as long as it is located above the lower end of the outer rib. The lower end of the inner rib may be located above the lower plate portion.

[0078] In each of the above embodiments, the outer rib 451 has multiple protrusions 4512 on its surface facing the inner rib 452. The inner rib 452 has multiple protrusions 4521 on its surface facing the outer rib 451. However, the outer rib may have one protrusion on its surface facing the inner rib. The outer rib may not have any protrusions on its surface facing the inner rib. The inner rib may have one protrusion on its surface facing the outer rib. The inner rib may not have any protrusions on its surface facing the outer rib. Either the outer rib or the inner rib may have a protrusion.

[0079] In each of the above embodiments, the LED lighting 5 is an LED tape light. However, the LED lighting 5 may be a normal LED lighting. That is, a plurality of LEDs may be arranged in one direction and connected by wiring. In this case, for example, a part of the LED lighting may be fixed by a fixing member so as not to come off the top surface member.

[0080] In each of the above embodiments, the LED lighting 5 is elastically deformable. However, the LED lighting does not have to be elastically deformable. In order to improve the holding force of the LED lighting by the pair of lighting holding ribs, it is preferable that the LED lighting be elastically deformable. In other words, it is preferable that the exterior part of the LED lighting is made of a resin having elastic deformability. Examples of materials that make up the exterior part include silicone rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, and flame-retardant soft resin. Among these, it is more preferable that the material is silicone rubber. [Industrial Applicability]

[0081] The present invention can be used in exterior units that are equipped with lighting that illuminates functional components. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1 Exterior unit 2 pairs of supports 3 Functional components 4, 104, 204 Top surface parts 5. LED lighting 41, 241 Upper plate 42, 142 Lower plate part 43 Side wall 44 Reinforcing rib 45 Lighting support rib 46 Positioning rib 142a Slit 411, 2411 Upper plate body 412, 2412 overhang 412a Tip 451 outer rib 451a lower end 452 Inner rib 4511 Inclined section 4512, 4521 protrusion A Opening surface

Claims

1. A pair of support columns extending in the vertical direction; a functional member attached between the pair of support posts; a top surface member that is a plate-like member extending horizontally, and has one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction connected to the upper sides of the pair of columns; an LED light attached to the top surface member so as to illuminate the functional member; An exterior unit having The top surface member is It is made of aluminum, a pair of illumination holding ribs extending in the longitudinal direction and aligned in the width direction are provided on a lower surface at one end in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, The lower end of the outer rib of the pair of illumination holding ribs located on the outer side in the width direction is the pair of illumination-holding ribs are positioned below the lower end of the inner rib that is positioned on the inner side in the width direction, The lower end side has an inclined portion inclined toward the inner rib, The LED lighting is The light-retaining ribs are housed between the pair of light-retaining ribs. Exterior unit.

2. The exterior unit according to claim 1, The outer rib is a protrusion protruding toward the inner rib on a surface on the inner rib side; The inner rib is A protrusion protruding toward the outer rib is provided on the surface of the outer rib side. Exterior unit.

3. In the exterior unit according to claim 1 or 2, The LED lighting is It is elastically deformable, The light source is accommodated between the pair of light source holding ribs in an elastically deformed state. Exterior unit.

4. In the exterior unit according to claim 1 or 2, The top surface member is a positioning rib for positioning the top surface member relative to the pair of support columns in the width direction; Exterior unit.

5. In the exterior unit according to claim 1 or 2, The outer rib is Located at the leading end of the top surface member in the width direction, Exterior unit.

6. In the exterior unit according to claim 1 or 2, The lower end of the outer rib is The top surface member protrudes downward from a portion of the bottom surface thereof that is in contact with the pair of columns. Exterior unit.

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