Lighting device

Abstract

To provide a lighting device which easily sets a radiation area to a desired range.SOLUTION: A lighting device 1 includes: a substrate 10 mounted with a light source 11; a light transmissive case 50 which houses at least a part of the substrate 10; and a prism 41 which is disposed in the case 50 so as to cover a light emission surface 13 of the light source 11 and changes a travel direction of the light emitted from the light emission surface 13. The lighting device 1 may include a prism support part 42 which supports the prism 41 and holds a part of the substrate 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there are charging inlets that are installed in vehicles such as electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid vehicles to supply power to the onboard battery from outside the vehicle. A charging display device that displays the battery's charging status, etc., may also be installed near the charging port of the charging inlet. Patent Document 1 discloses technology related to a charging display device that uses a board mounted with multiple light sources and a light-shielding section on which the board is placed inside a light-transmitting case to prevent light leakage or color mixing from each light source. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-253843 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the charging display device disclosed in Patent Document 1, light from the light source passes through a lens that serves as a display provided on the case and is emitted outward, so the illuminated area is narrowed by the lens. As a result, for example, when charging at night, the light emitted from the charging display device near the charging inlet does not necessarily illuminate the entire charging port, and as a result, it may be difficult for the user to smoothly insert the charging gun into the charging port.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the problems inherent in the conventional techniques, and an object of the present invention is to provide an illumination device that allows an illumination area to be easily set to a desired range. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An illumination device according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a substrate on which a light source is mounted, a light-transmitting case that houses at least a portion of the substrate, and a prism that is arranged inside the case to cover the light exit surface of the light source and that changes the direction of travel of light emitted from the light exit surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lighting device that allows an illumination area to be easily set to a desired range. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a charging inlet to which an illumination device according to an embodiment is attached. [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illumination device according to an embodiment that allows a tip portion to be viewed. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illumination device according to an embodiment that allows a rear end portion to be viewed. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of an illumination device according to an embodiment with the case removed; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a lighting device according to an embodiment. [Figure 5A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prism unit that allows the front side of a prism to be viewed. [Figure 5B] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prism unit that allows the rear surface side of a prism to be viewed. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the lighting device according to the embodiment, corresponding to the line VI-VI in FIG. 2A. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view of the lighting device according to the embodiment, corresponding to the VII-VII portion of FIG. 2A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a lighting device according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional proportions in the drawings are exaggerated for the sake of convenience and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a charging inlet 100 to which an illumination device 1 according to one embodiment is attached. In Fig. 1, the illumination device 1 disposed inside the charging inlet 100 is schematically indicated by a dashed line.

[0011] As an example, the following describes the charging inlet 100 installed in a vehicle and the lighting device 1 attached to the charging inlet 100, and defines each direction as follows: First, the Z direction corresponds to the vertical direction. If the horizontal plane perpendicular to the Z direction is defined as the XY plane, the X direction corresponds to the direction in which the lighting device 1 is attached to the charging inlet 100. The Y direction is perpendicular to the X direction in the XY plane.

[0012] Charging inlet 100 is installed in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, and is a connector for supplying power to the vehicle's onboard battery by appropriately connecting a charging connector (not shown) from outside the vehicle. The external charging connector is sometimes called a "charging gun." Charging inlet 100 includes a terminal holder (not shown) that holds multiple terminals, and inlet housing 110.

[0013] Inlet housing 110 is made of synthetic resin, and the front side that is exposed to the outside when the charging connector is connected forms an exterior part, and the back side has a terminal holder attached. Inlet housing 110 has, for example, a cylindrical part 111, a fitting frame part 112, a flange part 113, and a lighting device holding part 114.

[0014] Cylindrical portion 111 has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 111a that individually accommodate and protect the connection portions of a plurality of terminals held in the terminal holder. Each terminal accommodating chamber 111a has a cylindrical shape that allows an external terminal to be inserted therein to be connected to the terminal. Note that inlet housing 110 may have a cylindrical portion other than cylindrical portion 111 in order to conform to the standards of various charging methods.

[0015] The fitting frame 112 is provided so as to follow the outer peripheral shape of the cylindrical portion 111, and fits into a part of a housing (hereinafter referred to as "external housing") provided in the charging connector. When the external housing is fitted into the fitting frame 112, power is supplied from an external power source or the like to the on-board battery, and the on-board battery is charged.

[0016] Flange portion 113 supports tubular portion 111 and fitting frame portion 112. Note that the shape of flange portion 113 shown in FIG. 1 is one example, and the specific shape of flange portion 113 is determined according to the specifications of the vehicle in which charging inlet 100 is installed. The surface of flange portion 113 that is exposed to the outside is exterior surface 113a. In this embodiment, exterior surface 113a is an inclined surface with an inclination angle θ of approximately 20° relative to a vertical plane. The openings of tubular portion 111 and fitting frame portion 112 that open to the outside from exterior surface 113a are charging port 120.

[0017] The lighting device holding portion 114 holds the lighting device 1 so that the lighting device 1 illuminates the charging port 120 of the charging inlet 100. The lighting device holding portion 114 is provided vertically above the charging port 120 of the charging inlet 100 and is a box-shaped portion that protrudes from the exterior surface 113a of the flange portion 113. The lighting device holding portion 114 has an accommodation portion 114a therein that accommodates at least the tip of the lighting device 1. The accommodation portion 114a is open at the back surface 113b of the flange portion 113 opposite the exterior surface 113a, and the lighting device 1 can be accommodated through the open opening.

[0018] The lighting device holder 114 also has an illumination port 114b that penetrates from the accommodation portion 114a toward the charging port 120. The illumination port 114b is formed at a position that allows light emitted from a first light source 11a, of the two light sources 11 provided in the lighting device 1, to pass toward the charging port 120. In FIG. 1, the illumination light La emitted from the lighting device 1 through the illumination port 114b and the illumination area IA by the illumination light La are respectively illustrated by dashed dotted lines. Note that, when a second light source 11b separate from the first light source 11a is provided as in the lighting device 1 according to the present embodiment, the lighting device holder 114 may have another illumination port other than the illumination port 114b that allows light emitted from the second light source 11b to pass toward the outside.

[0019] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the lighting device 1 from which the front end portion can be seen. FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the lighting device 1 from which the rear end portion can be seen. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the lighting device 1 from which the case 50 has been removed. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the lighting device 1. Here, the front end portion of the lighting device 1 refers to a part of the lighting device 1 that includes the front end wall 51a of the case 50. Also, the rear end portion of the lighting device 1 refers to a part of the lighting device 1 where the connector opening 22a of the connector portion 22 is open.

[0020] In this embodiment, as described above, the lighting device 1 is attached to the charging inlet 100 to illuminate the charging port 120 of the charging inlet 100 provided in a vehicle. The lighting device 1 includes a substrate 10, a housing 20, a plurality of bus bars 30, a prism unit 40, a case 50, and a packing 60.

[0021] The substrate 10 has at least one light source 11 and the like mounted thereon. The substrate 10 has a roughly rectangular shape with two main planes, a first substrate surface 10a and a second substrate surface 10b (see FIGS. 6 and 7), which are positioned opposite each other. The normal direction of the first substrate surface 10a is the Z direction. The normal direction of the second substrate surface 10b is the direction opposite to the Z direction. The substrate 10 also has two side edges along the X direction and a front edge 10d and a rear edge 10e along the Y direction.

[0022] For example, the front edge 10d may be formed with a tip groove 10c to which a prism support 42 included in the prism unit 40 is attached. When the prism support 42 is attached to the substrate 10 so as to fit into the tip groove 10c, a part of the prism support 42 fits into the tip groove 10c in the direction opposite to the X direction. Therefore, the tip groove 10c can prevent the prism unit 40 from shifting relative to the substrate 10 in the Y direction.

[0023] In this embodiment, the substrate 10 has two light sources 11: a first light source 11a and a second light source 11b. The first light source 11a includes a first light exit surface 13a and is disposed on the first substrate surface 10a. The light exit direction from the first light exit surface 13a is the Z direction. The second light source 11b includes a second light exit surface 13b and is disposed on the second substrate surface 10b. The light exit direction from the second light exit surface 13b is the X direction. Here, the light exit direction is synonymous with the normal direction of each light exit surface when the first light exit surface 13a and the second light exit surface 13b are assumed to be approximately flat. The light source 11 may be an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence), or the like.

[0024] The substrate 10 also has a plurality of conductors 12 exposed from at least the first substrate surface 10a. Each of the conductors 12 is in contact with one of the bus bars 30 to supply power to the light source 11. In this embodiment, there are four conductors 12.

[0025] The housing 20 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, and is an insulating member that holds the substrate 10. The housing 20 has a housing main body portion 21, a connector portion 22, and a plurality of engagement portions 23.

[0026] First, the substrate 10 is inserted into the housing main body 21 through the substrate insertion opening 21a, thereby accommodating a portion of the substrate 10 supporting the multiple bus bars 30. The housing main body 21 then enters the inside of the case main body 51 of the case 50, thereby attaching the case 50 to the housing 20. In this embodiment, the direction in which the substrate 10 is inserted through the substrate insertion opening 21a is opposite to the X direction. The direction in which the housing main body 21 enters the inside of the case main body 51 is the X direction.

[0027] The connector portion 22 is connected to an external connector (not shown) that constitutes part of the charging inlet 100. In this embodiment, the lighting device 1 is attached to the charging inlet 100 installed in a vehicle, and therefore the external connector referred to here is a vehicle-side connector. As shown in FIG. 2B , the connector portion 22 is configured in a cylindrical shape with its axial direction along the X direction and is continuous with the housing main body 21 in the X direction. The interior of the connector portion 22 communicates with the outside through a connector opening 22a and at least partially communicates with the interior of the housing main body 21. The terminal connection portion 32 of each bus bar 30 enters the connector portion 22 from the interior of the housing main body 21.

[0028] When the case body 51 is connected to the housing main body 21, the multiple engagement portions 23 engage with multiple locking claws 52 provided on the case 50, thereby preventing the case 50 from falling off the housing 20. Each of the multiple engagement portions 23 is a rectangular, annular elastic piece that is cantilevered along the X direction. Focusing on one engagement portion 23, the base end in the X direction is a fixed end that is continuous with the outer peripheral surface 21b of the housing main body 21, and the tip end in the X direction is a free end. In this embodiment, with respect to the substrate 10 held by the housing main body 21, there are two engagement portions 23: one that faces the first substrate surface 10a and one that faces the second substrate surface 10b. The shapes of the housing main body 21 and at least one engagement portion 23 are preset so as not to obstruct the travel of light emitted from the first light source 11a.

[0029] Each of the multiple bus bars 30 is formed, for example, by sheet metal processing, and is a conductive member that electrically connects the substrate 10 to multiple terminals (hereinafter referred to as "external terminals") provided on an external connector connected to the connector portion 22. In this embodiment, since the substrate 10 has four conductor portions 12 due to the presence of two light sources 11, there are four bus bars 30 corresponding to each conductor portion 12. All of the bus bars 30 have the same shape. Each bus bar 30 is connected to the substrate 10 in an orientation in which the main plane is parallel to the XZ plane.

[0030] The busbar 30 has a board connecting portion 31 and a terminal connection portion 32. The board connecting portion 31 is connected to the board 10 by sandwiching the board 10 while at least a portion of the board connecting portion 31 elastically deforms. In this embodiment, the board connecting portion 31 is assembled to the board 10 so that a portion of the board connecting portion 31 faces the rear end edge 10e in the X direction. When the busbar 30 is connected to the board 10, a portion of the board connecting portion 31 contacts one of the conductor portions 12 on the board 10. The terminal connection portion 32 is a rod-shaped portion with at least a tip portion exposed inside the connector portion 22. The terminal connection portion 32 connects to an external terminal when an external connector is connected to the connector portion 22. Note that, because the busbar 30 has the shape and function described above, it is sometimes referred to as a "terminal."

[0031] Fig. 5A is a perspective view of prism unit 40 that allows the front side of prism 41 to be viewed. Fig. 5B is a perspective view of prism unit 40 that allows the rear side of prism 41 to be viewed. Here, the front surface of prism 41 refers to the light exit surface. Also, the rear surface of prism 41 refers to a surface other than the exit surface, at least a portion of which can be used as a light entrance surface.

[0032] The prism unit 40 is installed inside a case body 51 that constitutes the case 50, in accordance with at least one light source 11. The prism unit 40 has a prism 41 and a prism support portion .

[0033] The prism 41 is an optical element made of, for example, optical glass and arranged to cover the light exit surface 13 of at least one light source 11. The prism 41 is formed of a polyhedron with at least one pair of non-parallel faces, and changes the traveling direction of light emitted from the light exit surface 13 by utilizing total internal reflection. In this embodiment, the prism unit 40 is installed in accordance with the first light source 11a of the two light sources 11. In other words, the prism 41 is arranged to cover the first light exit surface 13a of the first light source 11a.

[0034] In this embodiment, the schematic shape of the prism 41 is a lens shape that is an ellipse with a major axis along the Y direction and a minor axis along the X direction when viewed in the Z direction when the prism unit 40 is assembled in the lighting device 1. Specifically, the prism 41 has a first surface 41a, a second surface 41b, and a light receiving surface 41c.

[0035] The first surface 41a is a convex curved surface that faces the inner surface 51f of the case 50 when the prism unit 40 is assembled to the lighting device 1. The first surface 41a is the light exit surface of the prism 41.

[0036] The second surface 41b is a convex curved surface that faces the substrate 10 when the prism unit 40 is assembled in the lighting device 1. That is, the first surface 41a and the second surface 41b are opposite each other in the Z direction.

[0037] The light receiving surface 41c is formed on a part of the second surface 41b and is a concave curved surface with at least a portion facing the first light exit surface 13a of the first light source 11a. The outer shape of the light receiving surface 41c is an ellipse with a major axis along the X direction and a minor axis along the Y direction when viewed in the Z direction. The light receiving surface 41c is the light incident surface of the prism 41.

[0038] The prism support portion 42 supports the prism 41 and holds a part of the substrate 10. The prism support portion 42 has a pair of support walls 43 and a connecting wall portion 44.

[0039] The pair of support walls 43 each support the prism 41 at its tip edge in the Z direction. In this embodiment, the pair of support walls 43 have the same shape and face each other in the Y direction. The prism 41 and the prism support part 42 including the support wall parts 43 may be integrally molded in advance, or may be formed separately in advance and then combined. When the prism 41 and the prism support part 42 are formed separately in advance, the material of the prism support part 42 may be a material other than optical glass. The pair of support walls 43 also have gripping parts 43a that grip the substrate 10 by elastic force when the prism 41 is arranged so as to cover the first light exit surface 13a of the first light source 11a.

[0040] The connecting wall 44 is continuous with the leading edge of each support wall 43 in the X direction and connects the pair of support walls 43 together. Here, as described above, the prism support 42 is attached to the substrate 10 in alignment with the leading groove 10c formed in the front edge 10d of the substrate 10. Therefore, the width dimension in the Y direction of the prism support 42, which is expressed by the sum of the length of the connecting wall 44 along the Y direction and the thickness of each of the pair of support walls 43, is desirably set so that at least a portion of the prism support 42 can fit into the leading groove 10c. Note that, when the prism 41 and the prism support 42 are formed separately in advance, the connecting wall 44 may function as a light-shielding wall that prevents light emitted from the first light source 11a from entering the light emission space of the light emitted from the second light source 11b.

[0041] The case 50 is made of a light-transmitting material and houses and protects at least a portion of the substrate 10. The case 50 has a case body 51 and a plurality of locking claws 52.

[0042] The case body 51 has a tip wall 51a, a first side wall 51b, a second side wall 51c (see FIGS. 6 and 7), a third side wall 51d (see FIG. 6), and a fourth side wall 51e.

[0043] The tip wall 51a is located at the tip in the X direction. The side of the case body 51 facing the tip wall 51a becomes an opening through which the housing body 21 enters when the case body 51 is connected to the housing body 21. The tip wall 51a faces the second light exit surface 13b of the second light source 11b when the board 10 is placed inside the case body 51, and transmits light emitted from the second light exit surface 13b to the outside.

[0044] The first side wall 51b and the second side wall 51c face each other in the Z direction. When the substrate 10 is placed inside the case body 51, the first side wall 51b faces the first substrate surface 10a and the first light exit surface 13a of the first light source 11a, and transmits light emitted from the first light exit surface 13a to the outside. When the substrate 10 is placed inside the case body 51, the second side wall 51c faces the second substrate surface 10b.

[0045] The third side wall 51d and the fourth side wall 51e face each other in the Y direction. Regarding the dimensions of the case body 51, the dimension in the Y direction, which corresponds to the width direction of the substrate 10, is set wider than the dimension in the Z direction, which corresponds to the thickness direction of the substrate 10, in accordance with the arrangement of the substrate 10 inside the case body 51. In other words, the distance between the third side wall 51d and the fourth side wall 51e is wider than the distance between the first side wall 51b and the second side wall 51c.

[0046] As described above, when the case body 51 is connected to the housing main body 21, the multiple locking claws 52 engage with the multiple engaging portions 23 provided on the housing 20, thereby preventing the case 50 from falling off the housing 20. In this embodiment, there are two locking claws 52: one provided on the outer surface of the first side wall 51b and one provided on the outer surface of the second side wall 51c. The position or shape of at least one locking claw 52 is preset so as not to obstruct the progression of light emitted from the first light source 11a.

[0047] The packing 60 is a waterproof member that prevents moisture from entering the interior of the lighting device 1 from the outside. The packing 60 is an annular elastic member that is tightly attached to fit the outer peripheral surface 21b of the housing main body 21. When the case main body 51 is connected to the housing main body 21, the packing 60 seals the gap between the outer peripheral surface 21b of the housing main body 21 and the inner surface 51f of the case main body 51.

[0048] Next, the principle of light irradiation in the lighting device 1 will be described.

[0049] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the illumination device 1 corresponding to the section VI-VI in Fig. 2A. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the illumination device 1 corresponding to the section VII-VII in Fig. 2A. The cut surfaces in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 each include the optical axis AX of the prism 41.

[0050] After the lighting device 1 is held in the lighting device holding portion 114 of the charging inlet 100, the connector portion 22 is connected to an external connector on the vehicle side, thereby making the lighting device 1 capable of being energized, and the lighting device 1 can be switched on and off as appropriate.

[0051] First, when the first light source 11a is turned on, the irradiated light La from the lighting device 1 is emitted to the outside through the lighting port 114b of the lighting device holding part 114, and illuminates the charging port 120, as shown in FIG.

[0052] As a comparative example, let us consider a case where the prism unit 40 is not attached to the lighting device 1. The light emitted from the first light exit surface 13a of the first light source 11a illuminates the charging port 120 as illumination light La1 at an illumination angle that is a characteristic of the first light source 11a. FIG. 6 shows the illumination angle θa characteristic of the first light source 11a when viewed in the X direction and the illumination width Wa at an arbitrary distance L in the Z direction from the lighting device 1. FIG. 7 shows the illumination angle θb characteristic of the first light source 11a when viewed in the Y direction and the illumination width Wb at the distance L from the lighting device 1. The charging port 120 is illuminated by illumination light La1, the illumination area of ​​which is directly determined by this illumination angle. Therefore, depending on, for example, the shape or size of the charging port 120 based on the charging method or the arrangement of the lighting device 1 relative to the charging port 120, it may be difficult for the illumination light La1 to illuminate the entire charging port 120.

[0053] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, a prism unit 40 is assembled to the lighting device 1. Therefore, the prism 41 changes the traveling direction of the light emitted from the first light exit surface 13a, and the irradiation width of the irradiation light La also changes.

[0054] 6 and 7, light emitted from the first light-emitting surface 13a enters the light-receiving surface 41c and changes its direction of travel based on the shape of the light-receiving surface 41c. When the light subsequently reaches the first surface 41a, its direction of travel changes based on the shape of the first surface 41a. Finally, the light passes through the first side wall 51b of the case body 51 and is radiated to the outside as irradiated light La. The curvature of each of the first surface 41a or the light-receiving surface 41c is set in advance based on the desired irradiation area IA defined by the irradiated light La. As shown in FIG. 6, by appropriately setting the curvature, the irradiation width W1 of the irradiated light La at a distance L from the lighting device 1 becomes wider than the irradiation width Wa of the irradiated light La1 without passing through the prism 41. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7, by appropriately setting the curvature, the irradiation width W2 of the irradiated light La at a distance L from the lighting device 1 becomes wider than the irradiation width Wb of the irradiated light La1 without passing through the prism 41. In other words, the irradiation area IA defined by the irradiation light La is wider than the irradiation area defined by the irradiation light La.

[0055] 1, the illumination light La is irradiated onto charging port 120 from diagonally above. In this case, in illumination area IA, the illumination width in the X direction may be narrower than the illumination width in the Y direction. Therefore, as described above, prism 41 is formed into a lens shape whose shape when viewed in the Z direction is an ellipse with a major axis along the Y direction and a minor axis along the X direction, so that the spread shape of illumination light La becomes an ellipse that matches the shape of the desired illumination area IA.

[0056] On the other hand, when the second light source 11b is turned on, the lighting device holder 114 is provided with an illumination port that allows the light emitted from the second light emission surface 13b of the second light source 11b to pass outward, thereby allowing the user to recognize the emitted light. The second light source 11b can change its illumination state according to the battery charge state, for example, to allow the user to recognize the battery charge state. In other words, the lighting device 1 can also be said to be a charge display device with an indicator function.

[0057] Next, the effects of the lighting device 1 will be described.

[0058] The lighting device 1 includes a substrate 10 on which a light source 11 is mounted, and a light-transmitting case 50 that houses at least a portion of the substrate 10. The lighting device 1 also includes a prism 41 that is disposed inside the case 50 so as to cover the light exit surface 13 of the light source 11 and that changes the traveling direction of the light that is emitted from the light exit surface 13.

[0059] In the above example, the light source 11 whose light exit surface 13 is covered by the prism 41 corresponds to the first light source 11a.

[0060] According to the lighting device 1, light emitted from the light exit surface 13 is irradiated to the outside via the prism 41. Therefore, by appropriately setting the shape of the prism 41, it is possible to adjust the spread of the irradiated light La, and therefore it is possible to adjust the irradiated area IA to a desired range. Furthermore, since the adjustment of the irradiated area IA depends on the shape of the prism 41, it can be performed simply by changing the shape of the prism 41.

[0061] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide the lighting device 1 that allows the illumination area IA to be easily set to a desired range.

[0062] Furthermore, the lighting device 1 may include a prism support portion 42 that supports the prism 41 and grips a part of the substrate 10 .

[0063] According to the lighting device 1, the prism 41 can be freely attached to and detached from the substrate 10. This facilitates the assembly work during manufacturing of the lighting device 1, and also facilitates the replacement work of the prism 41. Furthermore, by preparing a plurality of prisms 41 each having a different shape in advance, the illumination area IA can be easily changed.

[0064] In the lighting device 1, the prism 41 may have a first surface 41a that is a convex curved surface facing the inner surface 51f of the case 50, and a second surface 41b that is a convex curved surface facing the substrate 10. The prism 41 may also have a light-receiving surface 41c that is formed on part of the second surface 41b and that is a concave curved surface with at least a part facing the light-emitting surface 13 of the light source 11.

[0065] 6 and 7, the illumination area IA defined by the illumination light La can be set wider than the illumination area defined by the illumination light La1 that does not pass through the prism 41. Furthermore, according to the illumination device 1, the prism 41 has a general lens-like shape, and therefore the prism 41 can be housed compactly inside the case body 51.

[0066] Furthermore, the lighting device 1 may include a housing 20 that holds the substrate 10. The housing 20 may have a connector portion 22 that is connected to an external connector that constitutes a part of the charging inlet 100. When the connector portion 22 is connected to the external connector, the irradiated light La emitted through the case 50 may be irradiated toward the charging port 120 of the charging inlet 100. The curvature of each of the first surface 41a, the second surface 41b, or the light-receiving surface 41c may be set based on the irradiation area IA of the irradiated light La.

[0067] When the lighting device 1 is installed in the charging inlet 100, the illumination light La can illuminate the entire charging port 120, thereby improving the efficiency of the user's work when supplying power. As illustrated above, the lighting device 1 is installed in the charging inlet 100 so that the illumination light La is irradiated onto the charging port 120 from diagonally above. In this case, the desired shape of the illumination area IA is elliptical; however, the curvature of each of the first surface 41a, the second surface 41b, or the light-receiving surface 41c can be set to match the shape of the illumination area IA, and as a result, the prism 41 can be formed into a lens shape that is elliptical when viewed in the Z direction.

[0068] In the above example, the specific shape of the prism 41 has been described as being lens-like, but this shape is merely an example. The shape of the prism 41 may be any shape other than lens-like as long as it can change the traveling direction of light emitted from the light exit surface 13 to a desired direction.

[0069] Furthermore, in the above example, lighting device 1 is described as being installed in charging inlet 100 of a vehicle and illuminating charging port 120, but this is not limited to this. In other words, lighting device 1 may be used to illuminate something other than charging port 120, or may be installed in various devices other than charging inlet 100 of a vehicle.

[0070] Although one embodiment has been described above, the embodiment is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1. Lighting equipment 10 Substrate 11 Light source 11a 1st light source 13 Light exit surface 13a First light exit surface 20. Housing 22 Connector part 41 Prism 41a 1st surface 41b 2nd surface 41c Photosensitive surface 42 Prism support 50 cases 51f Inside 100 Charging Inlet 120 charging port IA irradiation area La irradiation light

Claims

1. a substrate on which a light source is mounted; a light-transmitting case that accommodates at least a portion of the substrate; a prism disposed inside the case so as to cover the light exit surface of the light source and changing the traveling direction of the light exiting from the light exit surface; A lighting device comprising:

2. The illumination device according to claim 1 , further comprising a prism support portion that supports the prism and grips a portion of the substrate.

3. The prism is a first surface that is a convex curved surface facing the inner surface of the case; a second surface that is a convex curved surface facing the substrate; a light receiving surface formed on a part of the second surface, the light receiving surface being a concave curved surface at least a part of which faces the light emitting surface of the light source; 3. The lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

4. a housing for holding the substrate; the housing has a connector portion connected to an external connector that constitutes a part of the charging inlet; When the connector portion is connected to the external connector, the irradiated light emitted through the case is irradiated toward the charging port of the charging inlet, The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein the curvature of each of the first surface, the second surface, and the light-receiving surface is set based on an illumination area of ​​the illumination light.

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