Illumination device

Abstract

To provide an illumination device which can enhance design property in a vehicle.SOLUTION: An illumination device 9 which illuminates at least a front part of a cabin of a vehicle 1 is provided with a light source 10 which is stored in a concave part 13 within the vehicle so as not to be seen from a user seated on a seat. The light source 10 emits light of indirect illumination caused by irradiation light being reflected on a specified position in the vehicle as direct light going toward the user seated on the seat.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting device for illuminating the interior of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an overhead console attached to the ceiling of a vehicle is well known, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. In this type of overhead console, map lamps provided on the overhead console are turned on and off by operating a switch provided on the housing of the overhead console. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-70066 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the case of a vehicle with an overhead console on the roof, the large structure of the overhead console is placed on the ceiling, which hinders the improvement of the interior design of the vehicle. In particular, the overhead console is equipped with conspicuous switches, which detract from the interior design of the vehicle. In addition, the presence of an overhead console on the roof creates a dividing line between the ceiling and the overhead console, which also leaves room for improvement in the interior design of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The lighting device that solves the above problem is a device that illuminates at least the front of the interior of a vehicle, and is equipped with a light source that is housed in a recess inside the vehicle so that it is not visible to a user sitting in a seat, and the light source emits indirect lighting light that is generated when the emitted light is reflected at a specified position inside the vehicle, and then emits it as direct light toward the user sitting in the seat. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The present invention can improve the design of the interior of a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a front interior of a vehicle having a lighting device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the lighting operation of the lighting device. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing how light from a lighting device is reflected; [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an electrical configuration diagram of the lighting device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. (Vehicle 1 Overview) As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a vehicle 1 is equipped with a windshield 2 located at the front of the interior of the vehicle. In order to create a sense of openness inside the vehicle, the windshield 2 is preferably formed in a shape that extends so as to form at least a part of the roof 3 of the vehicle 1. The windshield 2 may be, for example, a light-control glass that switches between transparent and non-transparent states by turning on and off the power supply to a light-control film sandwiched between a pair of glass materials, or may be an ultraviolet-blocking glass that prevents ultraviolet rays contained in sunlight from entering the vehicle interior.

[0009] As shown in Fig. 2, when the vehicle 1 is equipped with an autonomous driving system that performs autonomous driving or driver assistance, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a detection unit 4 that detects the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1. Examples of the autonomous driving system include advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that achieve autonomous driving levels "1" to "2." Examples of the advanced driver assistance system include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, collision mitigation braking control, pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane departure prevention support system, visibility monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, driver monitoring, automatic headlamp beam adjustment, and advanced parking assist.

[0010] The detection unit 4 is disposed on the windshield 2 to monitor the situation ahead of the vehicle. Specifically, the detection unit 4 is disposed, for example, at the center of the windshield 2 in the vehicle width direction. The detection unit 4 has, for example, a camera, a sensor, a radar, etc. inside a housing 5. An inner mirror 6 is attached to the housing 5 of the detection unit 4 to enable the rear of the vehicle to be viewed from inside the vehicle.

[0011] (Lighting equipment 9) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a vehicle 1 is equipped with a lighting device 9 that illuminates at least the front part of the interior of the vehicle. The lighting device 9 includes a light source 10 that emits light for illumination. The lighting device 9 in this example is an indirect lighting type that illuminates the surroundings without shining light from the light source 10 directly on the user. In this example, the lighting device 9 performs front lighting that illuminates the front part of the interior of the vehicle. Specifically, the lighting device 9 mainly illuminates a user seated in a seat 11 in the front part of the vehicle. The seats 11 onto which the lighting device 9 mainly emits light are, for example, a driver's seat 11a and a passenger seat 11b.

[0012] (light source 10) As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the light source 10 is, for example, a light source assembly having a light source element and its peripheral circuitry. The light source element is, for example, an LED. The light source element may be a directional light-emitting element or a non-directional light-emitting element. The light source 10 is housed in a recess 13 inside the vehicle so as not to be visible to a user sitting in the seat 11. The light source 10 illuminates the user sitting in the seat 11 by emitting indirect light that is generated when light is reflected at a predetermined position inside the vehicle. The light source 10 includes, for example, a first light source 10a for the driver's seat and a second light source 10b for the passenger seat. The predetermined position inside the vehicle is, for example, the front end of the ceiling 14.

[0013] (recess 13) 2 and 3, the recess 13 is formed in a glass joint 15 where the upper end of the windshield 2 of the vehicle 1 is joined at the front end of the roof 3 of the vehicle 1. In this way, the recess 13 is arranged in the ceiling 14 of the vehicle 1. The glass joint 15 is, for example, a beam that supports the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction. The recess 13 is formed in the roof 3 of the vehicle 1 in a shape that opens forward.

[0014] (Reflector 18) 1 and 2, the lighting device 9 is provided with a reflector 18 that is disposed at a predetermined position on the vehicle 1 and reflects light from the light source 10. The reflector 18 is disposed facing the light source 10. The reflector 18 includes a first reflector 18a that faces the first light source 10a and a second reflector 18b that faces the second light source 10b. In this manner, a pair of the light source 10 and the reflector 18 is provided at each of the driver's seat 11a and the passenger's seat 11b of the vehicle 1.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 4, the reflector 18 has a main body 19 that constitutes the main body of the reflector 18, and a plate-shaped reflector 20 provided on the surface of the main body 19. The main body 19 is, for example, integrally formed with the housing 5 of the detection unit 4. The angle θ (see FIG. 5) of the reflector 20 is set, for example, to an angle at which the light emitted from the light source 10 is reflected so as to strike the user. The reflector 20 is, for example, a mirror. The reflector 20 reflects the light emitted from the light source 10 as indirect lighting and also irradiates the light as direct light that locally illuminates the user.

[0016] (Electrical configuration of lighting device 9) As shown in FIG. 5, the lighting device 9 includes a control unit 22 that controls the operation of the lighting device 9. The control unit 22 includes, for example, a processor, a memory, and a storage. Examples of the processor include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). An operation unit 23 for operating the lighting device 9 is connected to the control unit 22. The operation unit 23 may be a mechanical switch that detects operation by contact, or may be a sensor that detects operation by sensing without using contact. The operation unit 23 may be a shared type that switches between on and off each time it is operated, or may be provided separately for turning on and off the light.

[0017] The control unit 22 controls the turning on and off of the light source 10 based on an operation signal input from the operation unit 23. The operation unit 23 may be located anywhere in the vehicle. When the light source 10 includes a first light source 10a and a second light source 10b, it is preferable that the operation unit 23 is provided for each of the first light source 10a and the second light source 10b. The lighting device 9 may also be turned on and off by a high-performance mobile phone such as a smartphone. Furthermore, the lighting device 9 may also be turned on and off by voice recognition, for example.

[0018] (Operation of the embodiment) Next, the operation of the lighting device 9 of this embodiment will be described. (Operation of lighting device 9) 3 and 4, when an operation to turn on the light source 10 is executed using the operation unit 23, the light source 10 is turned on. When an operation to turn on the first light source 10a is executed using the operation unit 23, the first light source 10a is turned on, and when an operation to turn on the second light source 10b is executed using the operation unit 23, the second light source 10b is turned on. The light emitted from the light source 10 is reflected by a reflector 18 disposed opposite the light source 10, and is irradiated as direct light toward the user sitting in the seat 11. As a result, the light from the light source 10 illuminates the area around the user.

[0019] The lighting device 9 does not directly illuminate the user with light from the light source 10, but illuminates the area around the user with indirect light reflected by the reflector 18. This makes it possible to illuminate the area around the user with soft light using indirect lighting. Even if the lighting for the user is indirect lighting, the indirect light is reflected by the reflector 18 and is therefore illuminated as directional direct light at the user. This ensures sufficient brightness to illuminate the area around the user.

[0020] (Structural advantages of lighting device 9) Incidentally, in the past, a room lamp was attached to the ceiling 14 of the vehicle 1 as an interior accessory for illuminating the interior of the vehicle. This type of room lamp has a structure in which it is assembled as a single mechanical component in the ceiling 14 of the vehicle 1 at a position visible to the user of the seat 11. As a result, the room lamp structure, which is large and has a strong presence, is placed on the ceiling 14, leaving room for improvement in terms of the design of the ceiling 14. In addition, the ceiling 14 has a parting line for the room lamp product, leaving room for improvement in terms of the design in this respect as well.

[0021] On the other hand, in this example, the light source 10 is hidden in a recess 13 provided in the ceiling 14, and the light from the light source 10 is reflected by the reflector 18 toward the user, so that the indirect light is directed toward the user as direct light to illuminate the interior of the vehicle. As a result, the light source 10 is not visible from the seat 11, and it is possible to give the ceiling 14 a flat appearance. This makes it possible to improve the design of the ceiling 14. In addition, there is no parting line for the room lamp structure, which further contributes to improving the design.

[0022] Furthermore, the light from the light source 10 is reflected by the reflector 18 to illuminate the user's surroundings through indirect lighting, making it possible to illuminate the user's surroundings with soft light. Also, since the light source 10 is hidden in the recess 13 and does not directly hit the eyes, the eyes do not hurt even if the light is looked at directly. Furthermore, since there is no need to place an overhead console having lamp switches, etc., on the ceiling 14, it is possible to expand the windshield 2 toward the ceiling. Therefore, the larger glass area also makes it possible to improve the sense of openness inside the vehicle.

[0023] (Effects of the embodiment) According to the lighting device 9 of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The lighting device 9, which illuminates at least the front part of the interior of the vehicle 1, includes a light source 10 housed in a recess 13 inside the vehicle so as not to be visible to a user seated in a seat 11. The light source 10 emits indirect light, which is generated when the emitted light is reflected at a predetermined position inside the vehicle, and emits the light as direct light toward the user seated in the seat 11.

[0024] According to this configuration, the light source 10 that illuminates the interior of the vehicle is housed in a recess 13 inside the vehicle so that it is not visible to the user, and therefore does not affect the design of the interior of the vehicle. Furthermore, even if the light source 10 is arranged so as to be hidden in the recess 13 inside the vehicle, the indirect light emitted from the light source 10 is reflected as direct light toward the user, illuminating the user. This makes it possible to irradiate the user with light from the light source 10 with sufficient brightness. In this way, it is possible to hide the light source 10 from the user while emitting light from the light source 10 with sufficient brightness. This therefore improves the design of the interior of the vehicle.

[0025] (2) The lighting device 9 includes a reflecting portion 18 that is disposed at a predetermined position inside the vehicle and reflects the light from the light source 10. This configuration allows the reflecting portion 18 to efficiently irradiate the light from the light source 10 to the user, further contributing to ensuring illumination with sufficient brightness.

[0026] (3) The reflecting unit 18 has a plate-shaped reflecting plate 20 that reflects the light from the light source 10. The angle θ of the reflecting plate 20 is set to an angle at which the light emitted from the light source 10 is reflected so as to strike the user. This configuration makes it possible to optimize the orientation of the reflecting plate 20 of the reflecting unit 18, further contributing to ensuring illumination with sufficient brightness.

[0027] (4) A pair of the light source 10 and the reflector 18 is provided in each of the driver's seat 11a and the passenger's seat 11b of the vehicle 1. According to this configuration, both the driver's seat 11a and the passenger's seat 11b are illuminated, so that comfortable lighting can be provided for each user seated in the driver's seat 11a and the passenger's seat 11b.

[0028] (5) The recess 13 is formed in a shape that opens forward on the roof 3 of the vehicle 1. With this configuration, the light from the light source 10 housed in the recess 13 is drawn toward the front of the vehicle body, reflected at a predetermined position (in this example, the reflecting portion 18) at the destination, and irradiated toward the user. This makes it possible to irradiate the user with light from the front side, and thus the user can be illuminated with light irradiated from the optimal direction according to the user's posture.

[0029] (6) The recess 13 is formed in a glass joint 15 where the upper end of the windshield 2 of the vehicle 1 is joined at the front end of the roof 3 of the vehicle 1. According to this configuration, by utilizing the glass joint 15 of the vehicle body, the recess 13 for accommodating the light source 10 can be formed without requiring a major design change.

[0030] (Other embodiments) This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0031] The recess 13 may have a shape that opens to the side when viewed from the center of the vehicle 1. In this case, the light from the light source 10 housed in the recess 13 is reflected by the side of the vehicle body to illuminate the user. In this case, the indirect light from the light source 10 can also be extracted as direct light to illuminate the user.

[0032] The direction of light emitted from the light source 10 is not limited to the front of the vehicle 1, but may be, for example, a side of the vehicle 1 or diagonally forward of the vehicle 1. The specified position where the light from the light source 10 is reflected is not limited to the front of the vehicle interior, but may be, for example, a side position in the vehicle interior or a diagonally forward position in the vehicle interior.

[0033] The number of light sources 10 and reflectors 18 is not limited to multiple pairs, and may be only one pair. In this case, the configuration may be such that only one pair of light sources 10 and reflectors 18 illuminates both the driver's seat 11a and the passenger's seat 11b.

[0034] The light source 10 may be made of a material other than an LED. The recess 13 may be formed, for example, in a protruding portion that protrudes a predetermined amount from the ceiling 14 toward the interior of the vehicle.

[0035] The entire reflecting portion 18 may be made of a reflecting material (metal or the like). The reflecting portion 18 does not necessarily have to be formed integrally with the housing 5 of the detection unit 4, but may be an independent member.

[0036] The light from the light source 10 is not limited to being reflected by the reflector 18, but may also be reflected by, for example, a wall surface inside the vehicle. In this way, the light from the light source 10 may be reflected by any component present inside the vehicle. In this case, the reflector 18 can be omitted, thereby reducing the number of parts.

[0037] The control unit 22 may be configured as follows: [1] one or more processors operating according to a computer program (software), or [2] a combination of such a processor and one or more dedicated hardware circuits, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), that execute at least some of the various processes. The processor includes a CPU and memory, such as RAM and ROM, that stores program code or instructions configured to cause the CPU to execute the processes. The memory (computer-readable medium) includes any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or dedicated computer. Alternatively, instead of a computer including the processor, a processing circuit configured by one or more dedicated hardware circuits that execute all of the various processes may be used.

[0038] While the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to those embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and equivalent modifications. In addition, various combinations and forms, including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1...vehicle, 2...windshield, 3...roof, 9...lighting device, 10...light source, 11...seat, 11a...driver's seat, 11b...passenger seat, 13...recess, 15...glass joint, 18...reflector, 20...reflector, θ...arrangement angle

Claims

1. A lighting device that illuminates at least a front portion of a vehicle interior, a light source accommodated in a recess in the vehicle interior so as not to be visible to a user seated in a seat; The light source emits indirect lighting light, which is generated when the emitted light is reflected at a specified position inside the vehicle, and the indirect lighting light is then emitted as direct light toward the user seated in the seat.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1 , further comprising a reflecting portion disposed at the predetermined position and reflecting the light from the light source.

3. the reflecting portion has a plate-shaped reflecting plate that reflects light from the light source, The lighting device according to claim 2 , wherein the reflector is disposed at an angle such that the light emitted from the light source is reflected toward a user.

4. The lighting device according to claim 2 , wherein the pair of the light source and the reflector is provided at a driver's seat and a passenger's seat of the vehicle, respectively.

5. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein the recess is formed in a shape that opens forward on the roof of the vehicle.

6. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein the recess is formed at a glass joint where an upper end of a windshield of the vehicle is joined at a front end of the roof of the vehicle.

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