Number Base

Abstract

To provide a number base that allows attachment of an illuminating number plate with lighting to a vehicle body.SOLUTION: A number base 1 of the present invention allows attachment of an illuminating number plate 2 with lighting to a vehicle body 3. The illuminating number plate 2 with lighting includes: a plate-shaped illuminating number plate 21 including a transparent letter part; and a lighting device 22 that is arranged on a back side of the illuminating number plate 21 and emits light toward a back surface so that the letter part lights up when the illuminating number plate 21 is seen from a front side. The number base 1 includes: a plate-shaped bottom part 11 on which the back side of the illuminating number plate 21 with lighting is placed; and an internal peripheral wall 12 erecting from a peripheral edge of the bottom part 11 so as to surround the illuminating number plate 2 with lighting. The number base 1 also comprises: an accommodation part 13 for accommodating the illuminating number plate 2 with lighting; and an external peripheral wall 14 in a frame shape that surrounds a periphery of the accommodation part 13, one end 14a of the external peripheral wall 14 being arranged on the vehicle body 3 side, the other end 14b being connected to a tip 12a of the internal peripheral wall part 12, which surrounds the periphery of the illuminating number plate 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a number base. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a number base used when attaching a number plate to the body of a car. Like a similar number frame, this type of number base has the function of surrounding the number plate and attaching the number plate to the body of the car. However, unlike a number frame, it has a structure in which the number plate is attached and supported on a raised bottom, so it has a three-dimensional decorative function (decoration function) that number plates do not have, such as giving a three-dimensional appearance to the attachment point of the number plate. Such number bases are widely distributed, for example, as parts (aftermarket parts, etc.) for dressing up cars. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-73834 A [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3122462 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional number plates were designed for non-illuminated number plates (so-called painted number plates) whose characters do not light up. Therefore, there were no number plates that were designed for illuminated number plates whose characters light up.

[0005] In addition, the illuminated number plate is usually used in the form of an illuminated number plate that is composed of an illumination device arranged on the back side of the illuminated number plate. For example, there are known types of illuminated number plates that have an illumination device on the back side of the illuminated number plate that is one size smaller than the illuminated number plate (see Patent Document 1), and types that have an illumination device on the back side of the illuminated number plate that is approximately the same size as the illuminated number plate (see Patent Document 2).

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a number base capable of mounting an illuminated number plate to a vehicle body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] <1> A number base capable of mounting an illuminated number plate to a vehicle body, the number base comprising: a plate-shaped illuminated number plate including a translucent character portion; and a lighting device arranged on the rear side of the illuminated number plate and emitting light toward the rear side so that the character portion is illuminated when the illuminated number plate is viewed from the front side, the number base having a plate-shaped bottom portion on which the rear side of the illuminated number plate is placed; and an inner wall portion rising from the periphery of the bottom portion so as to surround the illuminated number plate, a storage portion for storing the illuminated number plate; and an outer wall portion having a frame shape that surrounds the storage portion, one end of which is arranged on the vehicle body side and the other end of which is connected to the tip of the inner wall portion that surrounds the illuminated number plate.

[0008] <2> When the illuminated license plate is viewed from the front side, the peripheral portion of the illuminated license plate protrudes outward beyond the lighting device, and the storage section includes a frame-shaped plate mounting section formed of a part of the inner peripheral wall section and on which the back side of the peripheral portion of the illuminated license plate is placed, and a plate peripheral wall section formed of a part of the inner peripheral wall section and rising from the peripheral portion of the plate mounting section to the tip of the inner peripheral wall section so as to surround the illuminated license plate, and a plate storage section that stores the illuminated license plate, and a lighting device storage section that includes the bottom and a lighting device peripheral wall section formed of a part of the inner peripheral wall section and rising from the peripheral portion of the bottom to the plate mounting section side so as to surround the lighting device placed on the bottom as the back side of the illuminated license plate, and stores the lighting device. <1> Number base as stated in.

[0009] <3> When a non-illuminated license plate is used instead of the illuminated license plate, the non-illuminated license plate is accommodated in the plate accommodating portion, and the plate accommodating portion has a spacer accommodated in a part of the illumination device accommodating portion so as to be sandwiched between the bottom and the non-illuminated license plate. <2> Number base as stated in.

[0010] <4> The non-illuminated license plate has a plate bolt insertion hole penetrating in a thickness direction and through which a bolt is inserted, the spacer has a spacer bolt insertion hole on the inside through which the bolt is inserted, the bottom has a bottom bolt insertion hole penetrating in a thickness direction and through which the bolt is inserted, and when the non-illuminated license plate is attached to the vehicle body in a state in which it is accommodated in the plate accommodation portion, the bolt is inserted into the plate bolt insertion hole, the spacer bolt insertion hole, and the bottom bolt insertion hole, and the tip side of the bolt is inserted into a vehicle body side bolt hole provided in the vehicle body. <3> Number base as stated in.

[0011] <5> The illuminated number plate has a general bolt insertion hole penetrating in a thickness direction and through which a bolt is inserted, the bottom portion has a bottom bolt insertion hole penetrating in a thickness direction and through which the bolt is inserted, and when the illuminated number plate is attached to the vehicle body in a state in which it is accommodated in the accommodation portion, the bolt is inserted into the general bolt insertion hole and the bottom bolt insertion hole, and the tip side of the bolt is inserted into a vehicle body side bolt hole provided in the vehicle body. <1> or <2> Number base as stated in. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a number base capable of mounting an illuminated number plate to a vehicle body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a method for attaching an illuminated license plate to a vehicle body using the license plate base according to the first embodiment; [Diagram 2] An explanatory diagram showing the state in which the number plate base housing the illuminated number plate is fixed to the vehicle body with bolts. [Diagram 3] Cross section of line AA in Figure 2 [Figure 4] Number base front view [Diagram 5] Perspective view of the number base from the rear [Figure 6] Cross section of line BB in Figure 4 [Figure 7] A perspective view showing a method of attaching a non-illuminated license plate to a vehicle body using a license plate base. [Figure 8] A cross-sectional view showing the number plate base housing the non-illuminated number plate being fixed to the vehicle body with bolts. [Figure 9] A front view of the number base with the spacer integrally formed therewith. [Figure 10]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the number plate base according to the second embodiment is fixed to a vehicle body with an illuminated number plate accommodated therein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] <Embodiment 1> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 9. The number plate base 1 according to this embodiment is used when attaching an illuminated illuminated number plate 2 to a vehicle body 3. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a method of attaching an illuminated illuminated number plate 2 to a vehicle body 3 using the number plate base 1 according to the first embodiment, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the number plate base 1 accommodating the illuminated illuminated number plate 2 is fixed to the vehicle body 3 with a bolt 4, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2.

[0015] In this specification, the front side and the back side of the paper in Fig. 2 are the "front side" and the "back side" of the illuminated illuminated license plate 2, etc., respectively. The upper and lower sides of Fig. 2 are the "upper side" and the "lower side" of the illuminated illuminated license plate 2, etc., respectively. The left and right sides of Fig. 2 are the "left side" and the "right side" of the illuminated illuminated license plate 2, etc., respectively.

[0016] The illuminated number plate 2 includes an illuminated number plate 21 and an illumination device 22. The illuminated number plate 21 includes a light-shielding plate 211 and a plurality of light-transmitting character portions 212. The plate 211 has a horizontally elongated, substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The plate 211 may be made of metal (for example, aluminum) or resin (for example, ABS resin). Such a plate 211 has a plurality of through holes penetrating in the thickness direction, and the light-transmitting character portions 212 are provided in a manner that blocks the through holes. The character portions 212 are made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin (for example, acrylic resin) or the like. As is well known, the character portions 212 represent place names, classification numbers, kana characters, and registration numbers (individual numbers). In addition, two plate bolt insertion holes 213 through which bolts 4 are inserted are provided on the upper side of the plate 211 in a manner that they are separated to the left and right.

[0017] The illumination device 22 is disposed on the rear side of the illuminated license plate 21, and is a device that irradiates light toward the rear side of the illuminated license plate 21 so that the character portion 212 shines when the illuminated license plate 21 is viewed from the front side. The illumination device 22 includes a plurality of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) as a light source. The illumination device 22 of this embodiment is of an edge light type, and mainly includes a plurality of LEDs, a circuit board, a control device, a light guide plate 221, a diffusion plate 222, a case 223, and the like. In other embodiments, a direct type illumination device may be used.

[0018] The lighting device 22 is slightly smaller in size than the illuminated license plate 21. Therefore, the lighting device 22 arranged on the back side of the illuminated license plate 21 is completely covered by the illuminated license plate 21 when viewed from the front side. In other words, when the illuminated license plate 21 is viewed from the front side, the peripheral portion 21a of the illuminated license plate 21 protrudes outward from the lighting device 22. The exterior shape of the lighting device 22 is generally composed of a case 223. The case 223 is a shallow container that opens to the front side. When viewed from the front side, the case 223 has a horizontally elongated, approximately rectangular shape that is slightly smaller than the illuminated license plate 21. The case 223 includes a plate-shaped case bottom 223a that is approximately rectangular in plan view, and a case peripheral wall portion 223b that is erected on the periphery of the case bottom 223a and is formed to surround the case bottom 223a. The case 223 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin molded product. The case 223 is made of a white material so as to easily reflect light. The case 223 contains the light guide plate 221, the diffusion plate 222, a plurality of LEDs, a circuit board, a control device, and the like.

[0019] As described above, the case 223 of the lighting device 22 is slightly smaller than the illuminated license plate 21, so the vertical length of the case 223 is shorter than the vertical length of the illuminated license plate 21, and the horizontal length of the case 223 is also set shorter than the horizontal length of the illuminated license plate 21. As shown in Fig. 3, the case 223 has a curved surface shape such that both end sides in the vertical direction (i.e., the upper end side and the lower end side) are gradually warped upward toward the front side more than the center side.

[0020] 3, the tip of the case peripheral wall portion 223b of the case 223 abuts against the back side of the illuminated license plate 21. The peripheral portion 21a of the illuminated license plate 21 is disposed outside the portion where the tip of the case peripheral wall portion 223b abuts. The peripheral portion 21a has a frame shape when viewed in a plan view.

[0021] In addition, the tip of the case peripheral wall portion 223b protrudes toward the surface (front side) further than the diffusion plate 222 etc. contained within the case 223, forming a gap between the illuminated license plate 21 and the diffusion plate 222.

[0022] The light guide plate 221 is made of a transparent synthetic resin such as acrylic resin, polycarbonate resin, etc. When light emitted from the LED is incident on an end face of such a light guide plate 221, the light is emitted from the plate surface on the front side of the light guide plate 221. The emitted light passes through the diffusion plate 222 and illuminates the back surface of the illuminated number plate 21.

[0023] In addition, the lighting device 22 has a lighting device bolt insertion hole 224 through which the bolt 4 is inserted, formed at a position corresponding to the plate bolt insertion hole 213 of the illuminated license plate 21. The lighting device bolt insertion hole 224 is formed in the case bottom 223a of the case 223 and is a cylindrical portion including a through hole therein.

[0024] The illuminated number plate 2 is housed in a storage section (described later) of the number plate base 1 and is attached to a predetermined location on the vehicle body 3 together with the number plate base 1 using two bolts 4.

[0025] The illuminated license plate 2 has two overall bolt insertion holes 23 that penetrate in the thickness direction and through which the bolts 4 are inserted. The overall bolt insertion holes 23 consist of a plate bolt insertion hole 213 and a lighting device bolt insertion hole 224.

[0026] The lighting device 22 includes a cable (not shown) for supplying power to the LEDs. One end of the cable is electrically connected to an external power source (vehicle battery: DC 12V or DC 24V). The control device is, for example, a microcontroller, and executes processes for controlling the turning on and off of each LED. Each LED is mounted on a circuit board.

[0027] Next, the number plate base 1 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 4 to 6. Fig. 4 is a front view of the number plate base 1, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the number plate base 1 from the rear side, and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 4. The number plate base 1 is generally frame-shaped in plan view, and is like a container with a bottom. The number plate base 1 is made of a molded product of synthetic resin (thermoplastic resin, thermosetting resin). The surface of the number plate base 1 may be painted, if necessary.

[0028] The number base 1 has a plate-shaped bottom 11 on which the back side of the illuminated number plate 2 is placed, and an inner wall portion 12 rising from the periphery of the bottom portion 11 so as to surround the illuminated number plate 2, and is equipped with a storage section 13 that stores the illuminated number plate 2, and an outer wall portion 14 that is frame-shaped and surrounds the storage section 13, with one end 14a arranged on the vehicle body 3 side and the other end 14b connected to the tip 12a of the inner wall portion 12 that surrounds the illuminated number plate 21.

[0029] The storage section 13 is a portion of the number base 1 that stores the illuminated character number plate 2. The storage section 13 stores the illuminated character number plate 2 in a manner that the front side (i.e., the front side of the illuminated character number plate 21) is exposed to the outside. The storage section 13 of this embodiment mainly includes a plate storage section 15 that stores the illuminated character number plate 21, and a lighting device storage section 16 that mainly stores the lighting device 22.

[0030] The plate storage section 15 comprises a part of the inner wall section 12 and a frame-shaped plate mounting section 151 on which the back side of the peripheral section 21a of the illuminated license plate 21 is placed, and a plate peripheral wall section 152 comprises a part of the inner wall section 12 and rises from the peripheral section of the plate mounting section 151 to the tip 12a of the inner wall section 12 (the other end 14b of the outer wall section 14) so ​​as to surround the illuminated license plate 21.

[0031] The lighting device storage section 16 is disposed in the storage section 13 at the rear side (the rear side of the number plate base 1) of the plate storage section 15. The lighting device storage section 16 is made up of the bottom 11 and a part of the inner peripheral wall section 12, and includes a lighting device peripheral wall section 162 rising from the periphery of the bottom 11 toward the plate mounting section 151 so as to surround the lighting device 22 mounted on the bottom 11 as the rear side of the illuminated character license plate 2.

[0032] The bottom 11 of the storage section 13 (i.e., the bottom 11 of the lighting device storage section 16) is generally made of a plate-like member having a predetermined thickness. Moreover, when viewed in plan from the front side, the bottom 11 generally has a horizontally elongated rectangular frame shape. An opening 111 including a hole 111a is provided at the center of the bottom 11. The opening 111 has a roughly horizontally elongated rectangular shape, and the above-mentioned cable or the like that supplies power to the lighting device 22 is passed through the hole 111a inside the opening 111.

[0033] At the upper side of the frame-shaped bottom 11, an upper bottom portion 112 consisting of a band-shaped portion extending in the left-right direction is provided with two bottom bolt insertion holes 113 that penetrate in the thickness direction, each of which can receive a bolt 4.

[0034] 5, when the bottom 11 is viewed from the rear side, the remaining part of the frame-shaped bottom 11, excluding the upper bottom 112, is provided with a convex portion 117 that protrudes from the front side toward the rear side. When the bottom 11 is viewed from the rear side, the convex portion 117 is generally U-shaped, and a double-sided adhesive tape (not shown) may be attached to an end face 117a on the rear side, if necessary. When the number plate base 1 is attached to the car body 3, the positioning of the number plate base 1 relative to the car body 3 may be performed using the double-sided adhesive tape on the convex portion 117 (end face 117a).

[0035] The remaining portion excluding the upper bottom portion 112 comprises a left bottom portion 114 arranged on the left side and consisting of a strip-shaped portion extending in the vertical direction when the bottom portion 11 is viewed from the front side, a right bottom portion 115 arranged on the right side and consisting of a strip-shaped portion extending in the vertical direction, and a lower bottom portion 116 arranged on the lower side and consisting of a strip-shaped portion extending in the horizontal direction (see FIG. 4, etc.). In addition, when the bottom portion 11 is viewed from the front side, a concave portion 118 consisting of a groove recessed in a concave shape is provided at a location corresponding to the convex portion 117.

[0036] The inner peripheral wall 12 of the storage section 13 is generally annular so as to surround the illuminated license plate 2. The annular inner peripheral wall 12 is generally shaped to gradually widen from the bottom 11 side toward the tip 12a side. The tip 12a of the inner peripheral wall 12 is generally shaped like a rectangular frame (annular) that is generally horizontally elongated, and this frame-shaped portion constitutes the entrance 13a of the storage section 13.

[0037] The inner peripheral wall portion 12 of the present embodiment includes a peripheral wall portion 162 for an illumination device, a mounting portion 151 for a plate, and a peripheral wall portion 152 for a plate.

[0038] The lighting device peripheral wall portion 162 is a plate-like portion having a predetermined thickness, and is generally annular in shape so as to surround the lighting device 22. The height of the lighting device peripheral wall portion 162 is set to be substantially the same as the height (thickness) of the lighting device 22. The lighting device accommodating portion 16, which is slightly smaller than the plate accommodating portion 15 in a plan view, is formed by the lighting device peripheral wall portion 162 and the bottom portion 11.

[0039] When the lighting device 22 of the illuminated illuminated license plate 2 is stored in the lighting device storage section 16, the rear side of the lighting device 22 (the rear side of the case bottom 223a), which is the rear side of the illuminated illuminated license plate 2, is placed on the bottom 11 of the lighting device storage section 16, as shown in Figure 3, etc.

[0040] The plate placement portion 151, together with the plate peripheral wall portion 152, constitutes the plate storage portion 15. The plate placement portion 151 is a plate-like portion having a predetermined thickness, and as shown in FIG. 4 and the like, when viewed from the front side in a plan view, has an overall horizontally elongated rectangular frame shape. Of such a frame-like plate placement portion 151, the left placement portion 151a arranged on the left side and the right placement portion 151b arranged on the right side are set to be wider than the upper placement portion 151c arranged on the upper side and the lower placement portion 151d arranged on the lower side. The left placement portion 151a and the right placement portion 151b each have a strip shape extending in the vertical direction. The upper placement portion 151c and the lower placement portion 151d each have a long and narrow strip shape extending in the horizontal direction.

[0041] The back side of the peripheral portion 21a of the illuminated license plate 21 is placed on such a frame-shaped plate mounting portion 151. The peripheral portion 21a of the illuminated license plate 21 is generally in the shape of a horizontally elongated rectangular frame, and such peripheral portion 21a, when viewed in plan from the front side, is made up of a left peripheral portion 21a1 disposed on the left side, a right peripheral portion 21a2 disposed on the right side, an upper peripheral portion 21a3 disposed on the upper side, and a lower peripheral portion 21a4 disposed on the lower side. When the peripheral portion 21a of the illuminated number plate 21 is placed on the plate placing portion 151, the left peripheral portion 21a1 of the illuminated number plate 21 is placed on the left placing portion 151a of the plate placing portion 151, and the right peripheral portion 21a2 of the illuminated number plate 21 is placed on the right placing portion 151b of the plate placing portion 151. At that time, the upper peripheral portion 21a3 of the illuminated number plate 21 is placed on the upper placing portion 151c of the plate placing portion 151, and the lower peripheral portion 21a4 of the illuminated number plate 21 is placed on the lower placing portion 151d of the plate placing portion 151.

[0042] The plate peripheral wall portion 152 is a plate-like portion having a predetermined thickness, and overall has a ring shape that surrounds the illuminated license plate 21 (periphery 21a) placed on the plate mounting portion 151.

[0043] In this way, the storage section 13 of this embodiment is formed in a stepped shape so that the portion that stores the lighting device 22 (storage section 16 for lighting device) and the portion that stores the illuminated license plate 21 (storage section 15 for plate) follow the shape of the back side of the illuminated illuminated license plate 2.

[0044] A frame-shaped outer peripheral wall portion 14 is provided so as to surround the periphery of the above-described storage portion 13. The outer peripheral wall portion 14 is a plate-like portion having a predetermined thickness, and as shown in Fig. 2 etc., is a frame-shaped portion that, when viewed in plan from the front side, frames the periphery of the illuminated character license plate 21 of the illuminated character license plate 2 stored in the storage portion 13 by a predetermined width.

[0045] In this embodiment, the outer peripheral wall portion 14, when viewed from the front side, is made up of a left outer peripheral wall portion 141 disposed on the left side, a right outer peripheral wall portion 142 disposed on the right side, an upper outer peripheral wall portion 143 disposed on the upper side, and a lower outer peripheral wall portion 144 disposed on the lower side. When viewed from the front side, the left outer peripheral wall portion 141 and the right outer peripheral wall portion 142 are elongated in the vertical direction, and are set to be wider than the upper outer peripheral wall portion 143 and the lower outer peripheral wall portion 144.

[0046] As shown in Figures 3, 6, etc., the outer peripheral wall portion 14 has a curved portion that is inclined so as to gradually approach the inside (the storage portion 13 side) from one end 14a arranged on the vehicle body 3 side toward the other end 14b.

[0047] Although the other end 14b of the outer peripheral wall portion 14 and the inlet 13a of the storage section 13 (the tip 12a of the inner peripheral wall portion 12) are connected to each other and integrated, the outer peripheral wall portion 14 and the inner peripheral wall portion 12 (other than the inlet 13a) and bottom 11 of the storage section 13 are separated from each other, and an annular gap (space) is formed between the outer peripheral wall portion 14 and the storage section 13, surrounding the storage section 13.

[0048] Furthermore, the height of the outer peripheral wall 14 (the length from one end 14a to the other end 14b) is set to be longer than the height from the bottom 11 to the tip 12a of the storage section 13. When the height of the outer peripheral wall 14 is set in this manner, the outer peripheral wall 14 (the other end 14b) of the number plate base 1 can be reliably abutted against the vehicle body 3 when the number plate base 1 is attached.

[0049] The outer peripheral wall portion 14 is the portion that is exposed to the outside even after it is attached to the vehicle body 3, and can be said to be the portion of the number plate base 1 that has the highest decorativeness (decoration).

[0050] When the number base 1 is attached to the vehicle body 3 with the illuminated character license plate 2 accommodated in the accommodation section 13 (i.e., with the lighting device 22 accommodated in the lighting device accommodation section 16 and the illuminated character license plate 21 accommodated in the plate accommodation section 15), as shown in Figure 3, the bolt 4 is inserted into the general bolt insertion hole 23 and the bottom bolt insertion hole 113, and the tip side of the bolt 4 is inserted and screwed into the vehicle body side bolt hole 31 provided in the vehicle body 3, thereby fixing the illuminated character license plate 2 accommodated in the number base 1 to the vehicle body 3.

[0051] As described above, the number base 1 of this embodiment allows the illuminated illuminated number plate 2, which is equipped with the lighting device 22 that is one size smaller than the illuminated number plate 21, to be attached to the vehicle body 3. The number base 1 can give a three-dimensional feel to the attachment location of the illuminated number plate 21 on the vehicle body 3. The number base 1 can also be made to have a sense of unity with the design of the vehicle body 3.

[0052] In particular, the number base 1 of this embodiment is adapted to accommodate an illuminated number plate 2 in which the peripheral portion 21a of the illuminated number plate 21 protrudes outward beyond the lighting device 22, and the accommodation portion 13 for accommodating the illuminated number plate 2 is divided into an illumination device accommodation portion 16 for accommodating the illumination device 22 and a plate accommodation portion 15 for accommodating the illuminated number plate 21. Therefore, as will be described later, even when a non-illuminated number plate (painted number plate) 21P in which the characters do not light up is used instead of the illuminated number plate 2, the number base 1 can be used to attach the non-illuminated number plate 21P to the vehicle body 3.

[0053] Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a method of attaching a non-illuminated license plate 21P to a vehicle body 3 using the license plate base 1, and Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the license plate base 1 housing the non-illuminated license plate 21P fixed to the vehicle body 3 with a bolt 4. Fig. 8 shows the parts corresponding to the cross-sectional view of Fig. 3. When attaching the non-illuminated license plate 21P to a predetermined part of the vehicle body 3 using the license plate base 1, a cylindrical spacer (collar) 5 is used.

[0054] When the non-illuminated license plate 21P is stored in the storage section 13 of the number base 1, the non-illuminated license plate 21P is stored only in the plate storage section 15 of the storage section 13. The non-illuminated license plate 21P is stored in the plate storage section 15 with the back side of its peripheral portion 21Pa placed on the plate placement section 151 and surrounded by the plate peripheral wall section 152. In such a storage section 13, a space corresponding to the lighting device storage section 16 is formed. This space is formed between the non-illuminated license plate 21P and the bottom 11.

[0055] In this space, a spacer 5 is provided to fill the gap between the vicinity of the plate bolt insertion hole 213P provided in the non-illuminated license plate 21P and the vicinity of the bottom bolt insertion hole 113 provided in the bottom 11, while connecting the plate bolt insertion hole 213P and the bottom bolt insertion hole 113. In the case of this embodiment, one spacer 5 is used for each bolt 4 (i.e., two spacers are used).

[0056] The spacer 5 is generally cylindrical. The spacer 5 has a spacer bolt insertion hole 51 through which the bolt 4 is inserted inside. The spacer 5 is accommodated in a part of the lighting device accommodation portion 16 so as to be sandwiched between the bottom portion 11 and the non-illuminated license plate 21P. The spacer 5 is made of, for example, a molded product of synthetic resin (thermoplastic resin, thermosetting resin).

[0057] When the spacer 5 is sandwiched between the non-illuminated license plate 21P and the bottom 11, one end 5a of the spacer 5 abuts against the opening edge on the rear side of the plate bolt insertion hole 213P of the non-illuminated license plate 21P, and the other end 5b of the spacer 5 abuts against the opening edge on the front side of the bottom bolt insertion hole 113 of the bottom 11.

[0058] When the number base 1 is attached to the vehicle body 3 with the non-illuminated number plate 21P accommodated in the plate accommodation section 15, the bolt 4 is inserted through the plate bolt insertion hole 213P, the spacer bolt insertion hole 51 and the bottom bolt insertion hole 113, and the tip side of the bolt 4 is inserted and screwed into the vehicle body side bolt hole 31 provided in the vehicle body 3, thereby fixing the non-illuminated number plate 21P accommodated in the number base 1 to the vehicle body 3.

[0059] In this way, when the number base 1 housing the non-illuminated license plate 21P is attached to the vehicle body 3 by tightening the bolt 4 while the spacer 5 is interposed between the non-illuminated license plate 21P and the bottom 11, the tip side of the bolt 4 is prevented from excessively entering the vehicle body side bolt hole 31, thereby preventing defects such as bending of the area near the plate bolt insertion hole 213P of the non-illuminated license plate 21P.

[0060] In addition, by interposing the spacer 5 between the non-illuminated license plate 21P and the bottom 11, the non-illuminated license plate 21P is prevented from becoming misaligned within the plate storage section 15 of the number base 1.

[0061] As described above, the number plate base 1 of this embodiment can be used to attach the non-illuminated number plate 21P in addition to the illuminated number plate 2. Even in this case, it is possible to give a three-dimensional feel to the attachment location of the non-illuminated number plate 21P and to create a sense of unity with the design of the vehicle body 3.

[0062] Fig. 9 is a front view of the number plate base 1 with the spacer 5 integrally formed. As shown in Fig. 9, the spacer 5 and the number plate base 1 may be integrally molded in the same mold. In Fig. 9, the two spacers 5 are integrally connected to the number plate base 1 via the runners 6. In Fig. 9, the spacer 5 is connected to the upper bottom 112 (bottom 11) of the number plate base 1 via the runners 6. The number plate base 1 and the spacer 5 may be sold in this integrated state.

[0063] <Embodiment 2> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a number base 1A according to the second embodiment is fixed to a vehicle body 3 while accommodating an illuminated character number plate 2A. The number base 1A of this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that it is fixed to a vehicle body 3 while accommodating an illuminated character number plate 2A of a type equipped with an illumination device 22A of approximately the same size as the illuminated character number plate 21 on the back side of the illuminated character number plate 21. The configuration of the illuminated character number plate 21 is the same as that of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 also shows a portion corresponding to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 of the first embodiment.

[0064] The lighting device 22A of this embodiment includes a case 223A that is approximately the same size as the illuminated license plate 21 in plan view. The case 223A is generally in the shape of a shallow container. Such a case 223A includes a plate-like case bottom 223Aa that is approximately rectangular in plan view, and a case peripheral wall 223Ab that is erected on the periphery of the case bottom 223Aa and is formed so as to surround the case bottom 223Aa. A lighting device bolt insertion hole 224A is provided at a predetermined location of the case bottom 223Aa. This lighting device bolt insertion hole 224A is formed of a cylindrical portion that includes a through hole inside and is formed in the case bottom 223Aa. The lighting device bolt insertion hole 224A and the plate bolt insertion hole 213 form the overall bolt insertion hole 23A of the lighting device 22A.

[0065] A light guide plate 221A, a plurality of LEDs 225A mounted on a circuit board 226A, a diffusion plate (not shown), and the like are provided inside the case 223A.

[0066] The lighting device 22A also includes a frame-shaped bezel 227A that borders the opening edge of the case 223A (the tip of the case peripheral wall 223Ab). The bezel 227A is sandwiched between the opening edge of the case 223A and the peripheral edge of the illuminated license plate 21, and holds the case 223A and the illuminated license plate 21.

[0067] The number base 1A of this embodiment includes a storage section 13A for storing the illuminated character license plate 2A as a whole (i.e., the illuminated character license plate 21 and the lighting device 22A together). The storage section 13A includes a plate-shaped bottom 11A on which the back side of the illuminated character license plate 2A (the back side of the case bottom 223Aa of the lighting device 22A) is placed, and an inner peripheral wall section 12A rising from the periphery of the bottom 11A so as to surround the illuminated character license plate 2A. The storage section 13A stores the illuminated character license plate 2A in such a way that the front side (i.e., the front side of the illuminated character license plate 21) is exposed to the outside.

[0068] As in the first embodiment, a bottom bolt insertion hole 113A through which the bolt 4A is inserted is provided at a predetermined position on the bottom 11A of the accommodation section 13A so as to penetrate therethrough in the thickness direction.

[0069] In addition, the number base 1A of this embodiment is frame-shaped and surrounds the storage section 13A, and has an outer wall section 14A whose one end 14Aa is arranged on the vehicle body 3 side and whose other end 14Ab is connected to the tip 12a of the inner wall section 12A that surrounds the illuminated number plate 21.

[0070] When the number base 1A is attached to the vehicle body 3 with the illuminated-character license plate 2A accommodated in the accommodation section 13A, as shown in FIG. 10, the bolt 4A is inserted into the general bolt insertion hole 23A and the bottom bolt insertion hole 113A, and the tip side of the bolt 4A is screwed into and inserted into the vehicle body side bolt hole 31 provided in the vehicle body 3, thereby fixing the illuminated-character license plate 2A accommodated in the number base 1A to the vehicle body 3.

[0071] As described above, the number base 1A of this embodiment allows an illuminated illuminated number plate 2A, which is equipped with an illumination device 22A of approximately the same size as the illuminated number plate 21, to be attached to the vehicle body 3. The number base 1A can give a three-dimensional feel to the attachment location of the illuminated number plate 21 on the vehicle body 3. The number base 1A can also be made to have a sense of unity with the design of the vehicle body 3.

[0072] <Other embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following embodiments, for example, are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0073] (1) The number plate base in the first and second embodiments may be attached to the front or rear of the vehicle body.

[0074] (2) As the light source used in the lighting device, other light sources such as cold cathode fluorescent lamps may be used in addition to LEDs, as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1…Number base, 11…Bottom, 12…Inner peripheral wall portion, 13…Accommodating portion, 14…Outer peripheral wall portion, 14a…One end of the outer peripheral wall portion, 14b…The other end of the outer peripheral wall portion, 15…Plate accommodating portion, 151…Plate placing portion, 152…Plate peripheral wall portion, 16…Illumination device accommodating portion, 162…Illumination device peripheral wall portion, 2…Illuminated letter light type number plate, 3…Vehicle body, 4…Bolt, 5…Spacer, 21…Letter light type number plate, 21P…Non-letter light type number plate, 21a…Peripheral edge portion, 22…Illumination device

Claims

1. A number base capable of mounting an illuminated number plate to a vehicle body, the number base comprising: a plate-shaped illuminated number plate including a translucent character portion; and a lighting device disposed on the back side of the illuminated number plate and irradiating light toward the back side so that the character portion is illuminated when the illuminated number plate is viewed from the front side; A storage section for storing the illuminated license plate, the storage section having a plate-shaped bottom portion on which the back side of the illuminated license plate is placed and an inner peripheral wall portion rising from the periphery of the bottom portion so as to surround the illuminated license plate; The number base is frame-shaped so as to surround the storage section, with one end disposed on the vehicle body side and the other end having an outer wall portion connected to the tip of the inner wall portion surrounding the illuminated number plate.

2. When the illuminated license plate is viewed from the front side, a peripheral portion of the illuminated license plate protrudes outward beyond the lighting device, The storage section includes: a plate storage section that includes a frame-shaped plate storage section that is made up of a part of the inner peripheral wall section and on which the back side of the peripheral portion of the illuminated license plate is placed, and a plate peripheral wall section that is made up of a part of the inner peripheral wall section and that rises from the peripheral portion of the plate storage section to the tip of the inner peripheral wall section so as to surround the illuminated license plate, and that stores the illuminated license plate; The number base as described in claim 1 includes: the bottom; a lighting device peripheral wall portion consisting of a part of the inner wall portion, which rises from the periphery of the bottom portion toward the plate mounting portion so as to surround the lighting device placed on the bottom as the back side of the illuminated number plate; and a lighting device storage portion for accommodating the lighting device.

3. When a non-illuminated license plate is used instead of the illuminated license plate, The non-illuminated license plate is accommodated in the plate accommodation section, The number base according to claim 2 , further comprising a spacer accommodated in a portion of the lighting device accommodation portion so as to be sandwiched between the bottom portion and the non-illuminated license plate.

4. The non-illuminated license plate has a plate bolt insertion hole penetrating in a thickness direction and through which a bolt is inserted, the spacer has a spacer bolt insertion hole through which the bolt is inserted on the inside, The bottom portion has a bottom bolt insertion hole penetrating in a thickness direction and through which the bolt is inserted, The number base according to claim 3, wherein when the non-illuminated license plate is accommodated in the plate accommodating section and attached to the vehicle body, the bolt is inserted into the plate bolt insertion hole, the spacer bolt insertion hole and the bottom bolt insertion hole, and the tip side of the bolt is inserted into a vehicle body side bolt hole provided on the vehicle body.

5. The illuminated license plate has a bolt insertion hole penetrating in a thickness direction and through which a bolt is inserted, The bottom portion has a bottom bolt insertion hole penetrating in a thickness direction and through which the bolt is inserted, 3. The number base according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the illuminated number plate is accommodated in the accommodation portion and attached to the vehicle body, the bolt is inserted into the overall bolt insertion hole and the bottom bolt insertion hole, and the tip side of the bolt is inserted into a vehicle body side bolt hole provided on the vehicle body.

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