Vehicle lighting structure

Abstract

To provide an illumination structure with which a cargo chamber of a vehicle rear part can be illuminated from near a lower edge of a rear opening part.SOLUTION: A vehicular illumination structure includes a finish plate extended on a lower part of an inlet of a cargo chamber of a vehicle rear part. The finish plate includes a first light guide body therein. The interior of the cargo chamber is illuminated by light emitted from the light guide body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting structure for a vehicle, and more specifically to a lighting structure that can effectively illuminate a space at the rear of a vehicle, such as a luggage compartment, from a position different from conventional lighting with a high level of design. [Background technology]

[0002] Automobiles are usually provided with a space for storing luggage (luggage compartment) behind the passenger seats, and when luggage such as a trunk is stored in the luggage compartment, the back door is opened to load and unload the luggage. For this reason, various mechanisms for illuminating the luggage compartment have been studied. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a structure that illuminates the interior of the luggage compartment using incident light from a lamp installed above the luggage compartment.

[0003] Lighting of the trunk using a light guide is also being considered. Patent Document 2 describes a structure that illuminates the interior of the trunk by light leaking from the side of a light guide arranged along the side edge of the trunk cover (tonneau cover) and light emitted from the end face. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-193804 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6751813 specification Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The lighting structure described in Patent Document 1 utilizes incident light from the roof, while the lighting structure described in Patent Document 2 also illuminates the lower level of the luggage compartment from above at an angle. Therefore, while the top surfaces of luggage stacked in the luggage compartment are visible, it is difficult to recognize the height from the floor or observe the status of luggage placed near the floor. Furthermore, in recent years, wheelchairs are often mounted and secured in the luggage compartment of nursing care vehicles, and providing lighting from near the floor would be convenient for checking the secured position at night or in dark places. Furthermore, in recent years, attempts have been made to use indirect light for interior lighting to create interior spaces with excellent design. Therefore, it is preferable to consider design even in luggage compartment lighting to create a unified aesthetic.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a lighting structure for a vehicle that can provide lighting from the vicinity of the floor of the luggage compartment, where lighting has not been provided in the past, and that can also contribute to creating an aesthetic appearance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first configuration of the present invention is a lighting structure for a vehicle, which includes a finish plate extending from the bottom of the entrance to the luggage compartment at the rear of the vehicle, the finish plate incorporating a first light guide, and illuminating the interior of the luggage compartment with light emitted from the light guide.

[0008] With the lighting structure configured as above, lighting is provided from the position of the finish plate, making it easier to visually check the height of luggage stacked in the luggage compartment, and it is also easier to grasp the floor position when loading unstable luggage. Furthermore, indirect lighting is provided by the light emitted from the light guide, creating a highly aesthetically pleasing lighting effect.

[0009] The above-mentioned vehicle lighting structure may be configured to illuminate the space above the floorboard that forms the floor surface of the luggage compartment, and also to illuminate the space below the floorboard when the floorboard is removed.

[0010] When using incident light, the raised floorboards act as an obstacle, making it inefficient to illuminate the space below the floorboards. However, with the lighting structure described above, the space below the floorboards can also be effectively illuminated by illuminating from the position of the finish plate at the bottom of the luggage compartment entrance.

[0011] In the vehicle lighting structure described above, the finish plate may include a second light guide that illuminates the approach area to the luggage compartment. This lighting structure allows the boundary between the luggage compartment floor and the exterior space to be clearly recognized, and also illuminates the feet of people approaching the vehicle, allowing for efficient loading and unloading of luggage, especially at night.

[0012] The vehicle lighting structure may further include a housing in which the finish plate holds the light guide, and a light-transmitting member covering the light-transmitting portion provided in the housing. By covering the light-transmitting portion with the light-transmitting member, a decrease in lighting efficiency can be prevented even in a finish plate that is prone to rainwater or mud. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the lighting structure of the present invention, by illuminating the luggage compartment from the lower edge of the opening at the rear of the vehicle, it is possible to easily see the area near the floor and the height of luggage. In addition, a lighting structure with high design quality can be provided by using indirect lighting. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle equipped with a lighting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a finish plate installed on the vehicle shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a main part of an illumination structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the lighting structure shown in FIG. [Figure 5]FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another modified example of the lighting structure shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a vehicle lighting structure 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and shows a schematic diagram of the rear of an automobile 100 as an example of a vehicle. Typically, automobile 100 has a certain amount of space 2 behind rear seats 1, and this space (hereinafter referred to as luggage compartment 2) is used to store passenger luggage (not shown), etc. When handling relatively large luggage, a back door (door at the rear of the vehicle) 3 is opened to load and unload the luggage. Depending on the design of automobile 100, a floorboard 2a is installed at the bottom of luggage compartment 2, separating space 2A above floorboard 2a from space 2B below. Lower space 2B is used to store, for example, a spare tire (not shown).

[0016] A plate commonly referred to as a finish plate 5 is provided at the bottom of the entrance 2b of the luggage compartment 2, at the lower edge 4b ​​of the opening 4a of the panel 4 that constitutes the frame of the tailgate 3, for both decoration and anti-slip purposes. As shown in the figure, if the tailgate 3 is a flip-up type, a lidded opening 5a is provided near the center of the finish plate 5 to accommodate an engaging member (striker: not shown) on the panel 4 that engages with the locking mechanism 3a of the tailgate 3. In the lighting structure 20 of the present invention, this finish plate 5 also functions as a lighting device, and the interior of the luggage compartment 2 is illuminated by light L emitted from a light guide (not shown) built into the finish plate 5.

[0017] 2 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the finish plate 5 used in the present invention. The finish plate 5 has a length approximately equal to the lowest side of the panel opening 4 at the rear of the automobile 10.

[0018] The lower edge 4b ​​of the panel opening 4a at the rear of the automobile 100 is used as a step or to temporarily store luggage when loading and unloading luggage into the luggage compartment 2, and by placing a finish plate 5 in this part, it is possible to provide an anti-slip function and protect the panel 4.

[0019] The finish plate 5 includes a main body 5b and a decorative plate 5c attached to the upper surface of the main body 5b. In this embodiment, the finish plate main body 5b includes a trunk-side wall surface (side surface) 5d, an exterior-side wall surface 5e, and an upper wall surface 5f, and a housing 5g that holds the light guide is formed on the trunk-side wall surface 5d. The housing 5g is provided with a light-emitting portion 5h that emits light from the light guide 6. In this embodiment, an opening 5a is provided in the center of the finish plate 5, through which the lock mechanism 3a of the tailgate 3 is inserted. A lid 5i of a known configuration that opens and closes in response to the opening and closing of the tailgate may be provided in the opening 5a.

[0020] A pair of left and right light guides (first light guides) 6 are inserted from both sides into the housing 5g of the finish plate 5. A light source 7 is connected to the base end of the light guide 6, and is connected to a power source (not shown) via a harness 8. The light source 7 may be configured to be turned on and off by a sensor (not shown) in response to the opening and closing of the back door 3.

[0021] 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the rear opening lower portion 4b cut along line III-III in FIG. 1, illustrating the basic configuration of the lighting structure 20 of the present invention. The finish plate main body 5b is attached to the panel 4 with fasteners 5j so as to cover the panel 4, and a decorative plate 5c is attached to the upper wall surface 5f of the main body 5b. A housing 5g with a generally U-shaped cross section is provided on the trunk-side wall surface of the main body 5b, and a first light guide 6 is attached to it. The housing 5g has an opening 5h on the trunk-side, and light is guided through the first light guide 6 while being reflected between the trunk-side side surface 6a and its back surface 6b. Light L emitted from the trunk-side side surface 6a illuminates the floorboard (deck board) 2a of the trunk 2, and the indirect light reflected from the floorboard 2a illuminates the interior of the trunk 2. In this embodiment, there is a space 2B below the floorboard 2a that is covered with a trim member 9. When the floorboard 2a is lifted as shown in the following Figure 4, this space 2B is also illuminated by the first light guide 6.

[0022] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a modified example of the lighting structure 20 shown in Figure 3. In this configuration, a housing 5k is also formed on the outer wall surface (wall surface outside the vehicle) 5e of the finish plate main body 5b, and a second light guide 10 is inserted into it. This makes it possible to illuminate the ground below the luggage compartment at the approach area 200 to the luggage compartment, the feet of people approaching the luggage compartment, luggage placed outside the luggage compartment, etc.

[0023] Fig. 5 shows another modified example of the lighting structure 20 shown in Fig. 3. In this configuration, the housing 5g of the light guide 6 has a substantially rectangular cross section, and the side facing the luggage compartment is closed by a wall 5d, with a transparent member constituting a part of the wall 5d forming the light-transmitting portion 5l. This prevents the housing 5g from becoming dirty even when rainwater or muddy water splashes on the finish plate 5.

[0024] The finish plate body 5b may be made of engineering plastic such as polypropylene or polycarbonate, or may be made of light metal such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The decorative plate 5c may also be made of engineering plastic, light metal, or the like.

[0025] The light guides 6, 8 may be transparent acrylic rods or may have light-diffusing particles such as silicone dispersed therein. Furthermore, the surface (back surface) 6b facing the light-emitting portion 6a may be provided with an optical pattern such as a groove or recess. An LED or the like can be used as the light source for inputting light into the light guide.

[0026] While the above description has been given using an example of a lighting structure for a standard passenger vehicle, the lighting structure of the present invention can also be used to illuminate the trunk of a station wagon, for example. In the above example, the finish plate is installed in a vehicle with a flip-up tailgate, but it may also be installed in a vehicle with a side-opening tailgate, in which case the first light guide and the second light guide may each be a single light guide. A lighting structure using a finish plate may also be combined with lighting from the roof or side trim. Furthermore, in recent years, in vehicles for caregivers and the like, a folded wheelchair is sometimes secured in the trunk, or a person may board the rear space while seated in a wheelchair. The lighting structure of the present invention can also be applied when using the rear space of a vehicle for such purposes. [Industrial Applicability]

[0027] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can improve the convenience of loading and unloading luggage onto and from a vehicle, and therefore has high industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 1. Back seat 2 luggage compartment 2a Floorboard 2A Space above the floorboard 2B Space under the floorboard 3. Backdoor 4 Panels 5 Finish Plate 5g,5k housing 5l transparent part 6 First light guide 10 Second light guide 20 Lighting structure 100 vehicles (automobiles) 200 Approach area to the luggage compartment

Claims

1. A finish plate is provided extending from the bottom of the entrance to the luggage compartment at the rear of the vehicle, The finish plate incorporates a first light guide, The light emitted from the light guide illuminates the interior of the luggage compartment. A vehicle lighting structure, comprising: The finish plate is disposed at a lower edge of an opening of a panel constituting a frame of a vehicle back door, and includes a main body having a housing for holding the first light guide, and a decorative plate attached to an upper surface of the main body, The rod-shaped first light guide is attached to the housing, and a light source is connected to the base end of the first light guide. The first light guide and the light source The lamp illuminates the space above the floorboard that forms the floor surface of the luggage compartment, When the floorboard is removed, configured to illuminate the space below the floorboard; Lighting structure for vehicle.

2. The vehicle lighting structure according to claim 1, the finish plate comprises a second light guide; The second light guide illuminates an approach area to a luggage compartment.

3. A finish plate is provided extending from the bottom of the entrance to the luggage compartment at the rear of the vehicle, The finish plate incorporates a first light guide, The light emitted from the light guide illuminates the interior of the luggage compartment. A vehicle lighting structure, comprising: The finish plate is disposed at a lower edge of an opening of a panel constituting a frame of a vehicle back door, and includes a main body having a housing for holding the first light guide, and a decorative plate attached to an upper surface of the main body, The housing has the rod-shaped first light guide attached thereto, and a light source connected to a base end of the first light guide. the finish plate comprises a second light guide; The second light guide illuminates an approach area to a luggage compartment.

4. The vehicle lighting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The finish plate includes a light-transmitting member that covers a light-transmitting portion provided on the housing. Lighting structure for vehicle.

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