Vehicle lighting structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lighting structure which makes light guide performance less likely to be impaired even when a transparent material is curved with a small curvature.SOLUTION: A vehicle lighting structure 1 includes: a vehicle interior material 10; and a lighting device 30 provided at the vehicle interior material 10. In the vehicle interior material 10, a long slit 23 is formed penetrating through the vehicle interior material 10. The lighting device 30 includes: a light source 31; and a long transparent material 40 which may guide light emitted from the light source 31 and is disposed at the passenger compartment outer surface side of the vehicle interior material 10. The light source 31 is disposed at a position deviated from an extending direction of the slit 23. The transparent material 40 includes: a flexible transparent part 41 disposed along the slit 23 and having flexibility; and a forming transparent part 43 which is disposed between the light source 31 and the flexible transparent part 41 and formed in a predetermined shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a vehicle lighting structure.

Background Art

[0002] For vehicle interior materials such as automobiles, lighting devices may be attached for the purpose of enhancing design, or for the purpose of enhancing visibility and convenience at night. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses attaching a lighting device that emits light linearly to a door trim that constitutes the inner side surface of a vehicle door. Specifically, such a lighting device includes a light source and a linear light guide that guides the light emitted from the light source, and a structure is disclosed in which the light guide is arranged along a slit provided in the door trim, and the interior of the vehicle compartment is irradiated through the slit by the light emitted from the light guide. Such a linear light guide is made of a flexible material so that it can be easily arranged along the slit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] For example, if you want to provide a linear lighting section to the edge of the interior material, you cannot secure space to place the light source at the end of the light guide. For this reason, one possible configuration is to curve the end of the light guide, which is arranged in a nearly straight line along the slit, and place the light source at a position offset from the extension of the slit. However, the light guiding performance of the aforementioned flexible linear light guide is designed on the premise that it will be used in a nearly straight state, and if the curvature of the curved portion that is bent towards the light source in order to position the light guide as close as possible to the end of the slit (the edge of the interior material) becomes too small, the light guiding performance may be impaired in the curved portion.

[0005] The technology disclosed herein has been achieved in view of the above circumstances and aims to provide a vehicle lighting structure that does not impair light guiding performance even when the light guide is curved with a small curvature. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A vehicle lighting structure disclosed herein comprises a vehicle interior material and a lighting device provided in the vehicle interior material, wherein the vehicle interior material has a longitudinal slit formed through it, and the lighting device comprises a light source and a longitudinal light guide capable of guiding light emitted from the light source, and is provided on the vehicle interior side of the vehicle interior material, the light source is positioned off-center from the extension direction of the slit, and the light guide comprises a flexible light guide portion having flexibility arranged along the slit and a shaped light guide portion interposed between the light source and the flexible light guide portion and shaped into a predetermined shape.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the light guide can be easily routed along the slit by the flexible light guide section. On the other hand, for light sources positioned off-center from the direction of extension of the slit, a shaped light guide section is interposed between the light source and the flexible light guide section. By setting the shaped light guide section to have light-guiding performance that matches its curvature, it becomes possible to guide light from the light source without impairing light-guiding performance even when the curvature is smaller than the lower limit of the specifications of the flexible light guide section.

[0008] The shaped light guide portion has a cylindrical connecting and holding portion at its end on the side of the flexible light guide portion that fits onto the end of the flexible light guide portion, and at least a portion of the connecting and holding portion facing the slit side may be provided with a notched window that exposes the outer circumference of the flexible light guide portion.

[0009] With the above configuration, the light emitted from the outer surface of the flexible light guide inside the connecting and holding part is emitted from the notched window toward the slit. Therefore, compared to a configuration without a notched window, stronger light can be irradiated toward the interior of the vehicle from the slit.

[0010] The interior material for the vehicle is a door trim that constitutes the interior surface of the vehicle door, the rear end of the door trim is inclined downward toward the front of the vehicle, the slit extends to the rear end of the door trim, the light source is provided below the slit at the rear end of the door trim, and the shaping light guide portion may be shaped to extend upward from the light source and curve forward.

[0011] In a vehicle door trim, when the rear end of the door trim is inclined downward toward the front of the vehicle, and the light source is located below the slit, the curvature of the light guide becomes smaller. The technology disclosed herein is particularly effective in such cases.

[0012] The slit is blocked by a light-transmitting member, and the light-transmitting member may have a retaining portion formed on the side of the light guide opposite to the light source to suppress the light guide from floating away from the light source.

[0013] According to the above configuration, the light guide can be stably held in a predetermined position even when it is used in a bent state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, even when the light guide is curved with a small curvature, a vehicle lighting structure that is difficult to impair the light guiding function can be provided.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0015] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram of a door trim equipped with a vehicle lighting structure of an embodiment [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view taken along line I-I of FIG. 1 [Figure 3] Partial enlarged perspective view of the lighting device [Figure 4] Partial enlarged front view of the lighting device [Figure 5] Partial enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the lighting device [Figure 6] Perspective view of the light source unit and the light guide [Figure 7] Exploded perspective view of the light guide [Figure 8] Partial enlarged perspective view of the light transmissive member [Figure 9] Partial enlarged perspective view of the state where the lighting device is attached to the door trim

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] A vehicle lighting structure (an example of a vehicle lighting structure) 1 of an embodiment will be described while referring to FIGS. 1 to 9. In this embodiment, a lighting structure by a lighting device 30 in a door trim 10 (an example of a vehicle interior material) for a vehicle such as an automobile will be exemplified. In each figure, the arrows FR and RR indicate the vehicle front and the vehicle rear, respectively, the arrows UP and DW indicate the vehicle upper and the vehicle lower, respectively, and the arrows IN and OUT indicate the vehicle interior (inside the vehicle) side and the vehicle exterior (outside the vehicle) side, respectively. Also, the interior surface of the door trim 10 is taken as the front.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the door trim 10 as viewed from the interior side of the vehicle. The door trim 10 mainly consists of a trim board 11 generally in a plate shape, and is attached to the metal door inner panel (not shown) on the interior side by clips or the like (not shown), thereby enhancing the design and habitability of the passenger compartment. The trim board 11 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material (thermoplastic resin material) such as polypropylene, and may also be made of, for example, a composite material in which plant fibers (for example, kenaf) and synthetic resin are mixed. The surface of the trim board 11 of the present embodiment is covered with a skin material 22 (see FIG. 2).

[0018] The door trim 10 is provided with an armrest 12, a door pocket 13, a speaker 14, an inside door handle 15, etc. shown in FIG. 1. The trim board 11 is generally composed of a plurality of trim board members assembled with each other in consideration of the mounting property and design of these parts. The trim board 11 of the present embodiment includes an upper board 16, an armrest board 17, a lower board 18, a pocket board 19, etc.

[0019] The upper board 16 constitutes the upper part of the trim board 11. Its lower end is arranged adjacent to the lower board 18 at the front part and adjacent to the armrest board 17 at the central part. The armrest board 17 protrudes into the passenger compartment, and its upper surface is the armrest 12 extending in a substantially horizontal direction. Also, a door grip that is recessed downward from the armrest 12 is provided between the rear part of the upper board 16 and the armrest board 17. That is, the upper board 16 is arranged adjacent to the door grip board 20 at the rear part (see FIG. 2).

[0020] In the interior design, longitudinal slits 23 are provided between the lower end of the upper board 16 and the upper end of the armrest board 17, and between the lower end of the upper board 16 and the upper end of the door grip board 20, extending generally in a continuous manner along the front-rear direction. The slits 23 extend in a nearly straight line to the rear end of the door trim 10 when viewed from both the inside and outside of the vehicle. Light is shone from these slits 23 toward the interior of the vehicle, so that the door trim 10 is decorated with linear light. The light is emitted from a lighting device 30 attached to the exterior side of the slits 23.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3, the lighting device 30 comprises a light source unit 31, a light guide 40, a connector 34, and a light-transmitting member 51.

[0022] The light source unit 31 includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 33 (see Figure 5) capable of emitting visible light as a light source, and a housing 32 that houses the LED 33. The LED 33 is a top-view type with its upper surface emitting light, and is positioned in a predetermined location within the housing 32. The connector section 34 is electrically connected to the LED 33 in the housing 32 via lead wires, and is configured to allow connection of a wire harness or the like (not shown). The lighting device 30 is electrically connected to a power supply device (not shown), such as a battery mounted on the vehicle, via a wire harness or the like, and is capable of emitting light from the LED 33 by utilizing the power supplied from the power supply device.

[0023] The light source unit 31 is configured to be located on the outside of the vehicle interior near the rear end of the trim board 11 when the lighting device 30 is installed on the trim board 11 (see Figure 9).

[0024] The light guide 40 is composed of a light-guiding material with a roughly circular cross-section and an overall elongated (rod-shaped) form. The light-guiding material is a material that transmits light and has a refractive index sufficiently higher than that of air, such as acrylic resin. The length of the light guide 40 is set to be larger than the length of the slit 23.

[0025] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the housing 32 is provided with a cylindrical light guide holder portion 35 extending upward, and the light guide 40 is attached to the housing 32 with one end in the longitudinal direction held within the light guide holder portion 35, so that its end face faces the light-emitting surface of the LED 33. As a result, the end face 44D of one end of the light guide 40 becomes the light incident surface to which the light emitted from the LED 33 enters.

[0026] Furthermore, the end portion of the light guide 40 that is attached to the housing 32 is provided with an insertion restricting portion 48 that extends radially outward in a flange shape at a position adjacent to the end portion. By inserting the light guide 40 from above until the insertion restricting portion 48 abuts against the end face of the light guide holding portion 35, the light incident surface (end face 44D) of the light guide 40 is held in an appropriate position relative to the light-emitting surface of the LED 33.

[0027] The light guide 40 is configured such that when light traveling through its interior is incident at an angle of incidence greater than the critical angle at the interface with the external air layer, it undergoes total internal reflection while propagating through its interior. In other words, it is configured to guide light to the other end within its interior.

[0028] The outer surface (side) of the light guide 40 is treated, for example, by coating it with a fluororesin, so that the light introduced into the light guide 40 is emitted outwards. In other words, light incident from one end (light incident surface) of the light guide 40 is guided by repeated total internal reflection inside the light guide 40, and a portion of it is emitted from the entire outer surface during the light guidance process. As a result, the entire light guide 40 becomes a linear light source, illuminating its surroundings. Thus, the outer surface of the light guide 40 is a light emission surface that emits light incident into the light guide 40 from one end (light incident surface) to the outside.

[0029] The light-transmitting member 51 has a lens function that causes the light emitted from the light guide 40 to be emitted from the slit 23 towards the interior of the vehicle, and also serves to hold the light guide 40 in an appropriate position relative to the slit 23 of the trim board 11. The light-transmitting member 51 is attached to the trim board 11 from the outside of the vehicle interior with the light guide 40 housed inside.

[0030] Specifically, the light-transmitting member 51 is a long, plate-like shape that extends generally in the front-to-back direction, and as shown in Figure 3, it is equipped with a housing section 52 for housing the elongated light guide 40. The housing section 52 has a roughly U-shaped groove in cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and is formed over almost the entire length in the front-to-back direction.

[0031] More specifically, as shown in Figures 2 and 8, the housing section 52 has a roughly U-shaped groove form, comprising a bottom wall 54 with a plate surface arranged in a roughly horizontal direction and extending in a roughly front-to-back direction, an outer wall section 55 rising upward from the side edge of the bottom wall 54 on the outside of the vehicle, and an inner wall section 56 rising upward from the side edge of the bottom wall 54 on the inside of the vehicle. The outer wall section 55 extends below the bottom wall 54. The housing section 52 is set to dimensions that allow the light guide 40 to be stably housed with appropriate clearance.

[0032] As shown in Figure 2, a plate-shaped support wall portion 57 is provided near the lower end of the inner wall portion 56, extending in a flange-like manner toward the interior of the vehicle. A lens portion 58 rises up from the tip of the support wall portion 57 (facing the interior of the vehicle) and is fitted into the slit 23 in a manner that closes the slit 23. In other words, the vertical dimension (thickness direction) of the lens portion 58 is designed to be approximately the same as the width dimension of the slit 23. The lens portion 58 has a semicircular cross-section that bulges toward the interior of the vehicle. The support wall portion 57 is supported from below by a vertical wall 21 that rises approximately vertically from the door grip board 20.

[0033] When the light-transmitting member 51 (lens portion 58) is blocking the slit 23, the lens portion 58 and the light guide 40 are arranged side by side, approximately horizontally aligned. In other words, the light guide 40 (the parallel arrangement portion 40A described later) is arranged side by side, approximately horizontally aligned with the slit 23.

[0034] With this configuration, the light emitted from the light guide 40 is irradiated into the vehicle interior through the slit 23 via the light-transmitting member 51, and more specifically, via at least the inner wall portion 56 and the lens portion 58, and partly via the support wall portion 57.

[0035] Furthermore, it is preferable that the light-transmitting member 51 described above, like the light guide 40, is mainly composed of a resin material with high light transmittance to the light emitted by the LED 33 (for example, a so-called optical resin such as acrylic resin), in order to keep light loss low.

[0036] In this embodiment, the slit 23 is provided in the upper part of the armrest 12, which is directly visible to the occupant, and its formation range extends from the front to the rear end of the door trim 10 (see Figure 1). The light guide 40 is positioned on the outside of the passenger compartment of the slit 23, generally along the slit 23, and is arranged side by side with the slit 23 in a nearly horizontal direction.

[0037] In this configuration, if it is desired to attach a light source unit 31 (LED 33) to the rear end of the door trim 10, space for attaching the light source unit 31 cannot be secured on the extension of the light guide 40, which is positioned along the slit 23. Specifically, if the distance from the rear end of the slit 23 to the rear end of the door trim 10 is smaller than the length of the light source unit 31, the light source unit 31 cannot be attached on the extension of the light guide 40. For this reason, it is necessary to bend the rear end of the light guide 40 upward or downward to secure space for attaching the light source unit 31. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, the rear end of the light guide 40 is curved downward in a roughly L-shape, and the light source unit 31 is attached to the trim board 11 below the slit 23.

[0038] The light guide 40 of this embodiment, in which the light source unit 31 is mounted below the slit 23, will be described in more detail below with reference to Figures 3 to 7. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the light guide 40 and light source unit 31 assembled to the light-transmitting member 51 shown in Figure 3, but without the light-transmitting member 51.

[0039] The light guide 40 is composed of a parallel section 40A arranged along the slit 23 and approximately parallel to the slit 23, an inclined section 40B that extends from the parallel section 40A and slopes downward so as to gradually move away from the direction of extension of the slit 23 near the rear end of the slit 23, and a curved downward section 40C that extends from the inclined section 40B and is further curved in an approximately L-shape near the rear end of the slit 23, and extends downward and diagonally forward, with the lower end of this curved downward section 40C connected to the light source unit 31.

[0040] However, the round rod-shaped light guide 40 was originally designed for use in a nearly straight state, and if the curvature of the curved portion that curves toward the light source unit 31 becomes too small in order to position the light guide 40 as close as possible to the rear end of the slit 23 (the rear end of the door trim 10), the light guide performance in the curved portion may be impaired.

[0041] Therefore, in this embodiment, the portion of the light guide 40 that constitutes the parallel arrangement portion 40A and the inclined portion 40B and the portion that constitutes the curved downward portion 40C are formed from different materials (see Figure 7). Hereinafter, the portion of the light guide 40 that constitutes the parallel arrangement portion 40A and the inclined portion 40B will be referred to as the flexible light guide portion 41, and the portion that constitutes the curved downward portion 40C will be referred to as the shaped light guide portion 43.

[0042] The flexible light guide portion 41 is a portion formed of a flexible light-transmitting material that can be easily deformed, and can be easily routed along the housing portion 52 of the light-transmitting member 51, and consequently along the slit 23. The light-guiding performance of the flexible light guide portion 41 is set so that it is used with a curvature R of 50 or more. In this embodiment, the parallel arrangement portion 40A of the light guide body 40 and the inclined portion 40B connected to this parallel arrangement portion 40A are partially curved, but the curved portion satisfies R≧50, and light incident from one end of the flexible light guide portion 41 can be guided to the other end while emitting light from the light-emitting surface which is the outer circumference of the flexible light guide portion 41.

[0043] On the other hand, the shaped light guide portion 43 is made of a light-transmitting material that is relatively harder than the flexible light guide portion 41, and is a portion that is shaped in a way that makes it difficult to deform into a predetermined shape. The shaped light guide portion 43 as a whole has a curved shape that is roughly L-shaped, and the curvature R of the curved portion is less than 50. The shaped light guide portion 43 is designed to have light-guiding performance such that light can be guided in the curved portion as in the roughly straight portion. This shaped light guide portion 43 makes it possible to position the light guide body 40 to a position adjacent to the end of the slit 23. The insertion restricting portion 48 described above is formed in the shaped light guide portion 43.

[0044] Of the shaped light guide portion 43, the end portion (upper end portion) that is located on the side of the flexible light guide portion 41 is provided with a connecting and holding portion 46 for connecting to the flexible light guide portion 41. The connecting and holding portion 46 is cylindrical in shape and fits onto the outer circumference of one end (inclined portion 40B) of the flexible light guide portion 41. In other words, the connecting and holding portion 46 fits onto the portion of the flexible light guide portion 41 that gradually moves away downward from the slit 23. Of the shaped light guide portion 43, the portion with a roughly L-shaped, roughly circular cross-section relative to the cylindrical connecting and holding portion 46 will hereafter be referred to as the main body portion 44.

[0045] The shaped light guide section 43 is configured such that the connecting and holding section 46 is fitted onto one end (inclined section 40B) of the flexible light guide section 41, and the end face 44F of the main body section 44 on the flexible light guide section 41 side is brought into close contact with the end face 41R of the flexible light guide section 41 (see Figures 5 and 7). This allows light incident from the light source unit 31 on the end face 44D of the main body section 44 (the end opposite to the flexible light guide section 41) to be emitted from the other end (the end on the flexible light guide section 41 side) and incident on the end face 41R of the flexible light guide section 41.

[0046] Furthermore, a rectangular notch window 47 is provided in a portion of the cylindrical connecting and holding portion 46 that faces the slit 23, i.e., the portion including the top surface, to expose a portion of the light-emitting surface (outer surface) of the flexible light guide portion 41 toward the slit 23. The notch window 47 is formed from a position in the connecting and holding portion 46 that is connected to the main body portion 44, and extends for approximately half the length of the axial length of the connecting and holding portion 46. It is also formed over approximately half of the circumferential length of the connecting and holding portion 46. Light incident from the shaped light guide portion 43 to the flexible light guide portion 41 is guided forward, and at this time, it is emitted toward the slit 23 from the notch window 47. Therefore, compared to a configuration without the notch window 47, stronger light can be irradiated toward the vehicle interior from the slit 23.

[0047] Furthermore, the portion of the housing 52 for the light-transmitting member 51 described above that is closest to the rear end of the vehicle is sloped to accommodate the inclined portion 40B of the light guide 40, gradually descending from the portion where the parallel portion 40A is located, and gradually moving away from the lens portion 58 towards the outside of the vehicle (see Figures 3, 5, and 8). In other words, the portion of the housing 52 closest to the rear end is sloped to gradually descend from the direction of extension of the slit 23 and move away from the outside of the vehicle when the light-transmitting member 51 is attached to the trim board 11. In this sloped portion, the portion where the connecting and holding portion 46 is located has multiple stepped steps 59 (see Figure 8).

[0048] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the bottom wall 54 of the housing section 52 is interrupted slightly in front of the rear end of the light-transmitting member 51, forming a second housing section 60 that can accommodate the main body 44 of the shaped light guide section 43 along the rear wall 61 that extends vertically at the rear end of the light-transmitting member 51.

[0049] Furthermore, a housing holding portion 62 for holding the light source unit 31 (housing 32) is integrally provided below the second housing portion 60 at the rear end of the light-transmitting member 51. This allows the light source unit 31, which is connected to the end of the light guide body 40, to be held in a position away from the extending direction of the lens portion 58 (slit 23).

[0050] Furthermore, a plate-shaped pressing portion 63 is formed on the rear wall 61 of the light-transmitting member 51 so as to cover and hold the connecting and holding portion 46 located in the housing portion 52 from above. This pressing portion 63 suppresses the upward lifting of the curved light guide body 40.

[0051] Furthermore, a mounting wall portion 64 is provided on the side edge of the bottom wall 54 of the housing portion 52 that is on the outside of the vehicle cabin, extending downward and connecting to the housing holding portion 62 described above. A fastening hole portion 65 is formed in this mounting wall portion 64 for inserting a mounting boss 25 (see Figure 9) that protrudes from the trim board 11 side.

[0052] Next, the effects will be described. The vehicle lighting structure 1 of this embodiment comprises a door trim 10 and a lighting device 30 provided on the door trim 10. The door trim 10 has a longitudinal slit 23 formed through it, and the lighting device 30 comprises a light source unit 31 (LED 33) and a longitudinal light guide 40 capable of guiding the light emitted from the LED 33, and is provided on the exterior side of the door trim 10. The light source unit 31 is positioned away from the extending direction of the slit 23, and the light guide 40 comprises a flexible light guide portion 41 having flexibility and arranged along the slit 23, and a shaped light guide portion 43 interposed between the light source unit 31 and the flexible light guide portion 41 and shaped into a predetermined shape.

[0053] According to the above configuration, the light guide 40 can be easily routed along the slit 23 by the flexible light guide portion 41. On the other hand, for a light source unit 31 positioned away from the direction of extension of the slit 23, the light guide 40 has a shaped light guide portion 43 interposed between the light source unit 31 and the flexible light guide portion 41, and the shaped light guide portion 43 is set to have light guiding performance that matches its curvature. This makes it possible to guide light from the light source unit 31 without impairing light guiding performance even when the curvature is smaller than the lower limit of the specifications of the flexible light guide portion 41.

[0054] The shaped light guide portion 43 has a cylindrical connecting and holding portion 46 at the end on the flexible light guide portion 41 side that fits onto the end of the flexible light guide portion 41, and a notched window 47 is provided in a part of the connecting and holding portion 46 that faces the slit 23 side, exposing the outer circumference of the flexible light guide portion 41.

[0055] With the above configuration, the light emitted from the outer surface of the flexible light guide 41 inside the connecting and holding portion 46 is emitted from the notched window 47 toward the slit 23. Therefore, compared to a configuration without a notched window 47, stronger light can be irradiated from the slit 23 toward the interior of the vehicle.

[0056] The rear end of the door trim 10 is inclined downward toward the front of the vehicle, the slit 23 extends to the rear end of the door trim 10, the light source unit 31 is located below the slit 23 at the rear end of the door trim 10, and the shaping light guide unit 43 extends upward from the light source unit 31 and has a curved shape toward the front.

[0057] In the case where the rear end of the door trim 10 of a vehicle is inclined downward toward the front of the vehicle, and the light source unit 31 is provided below the slit 23, the curvature of the light guide 40 becomes smaller, and the vehicle lighting structure 1 of this embodiment is particularly effective in such cases.

[0058] The slit 23 is blocked by a light-transmitting member 51, and the light-transmitting member 51 has a retaining portion 63 formed on the side opposite the light source unit 31 to the light guide 40, which suppresses the lifting of the light guide 40 away from the light source unit 31.

[0059] According to the above configuration, even if the light guide 40 is used in a bent state, the light guide 40 can be stably held in a predetermined position.

[0060] <Other Embodiments> The technologies disclosed herein are not limited to the embodiments described above in the description and drawings, but also include, for example, the following embodiments.

[0061] (1) In the above embodiment, the connecting and holding portion 46 is provided integrally with the shaping light guide portion 43, but the flexible light guide portion and the shaping light guide portion may be connected by a connecting and holding portion that is separate from the main body portion of the shaping light guide portion. Furthermore, the connecting structure is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0062] (2) The notched window 47 may be omitted.

[0063] (3) In the above embodiment, the light guide 40 is held by the light-transmitting member 51 and a pressing portion 63 is integrally provided on the light-transmitting member 51. However, the light guide can be held by a member other than the light-transmitting member, the pressing portion can be provided on a member other than the light-transmitting member, or the pressing portion can be omitted.

[0064] (4) In the above embodiment, a lighting structure for the door trim 10 of a vehicle has been described, but the vehicle lighting structures disclosed herein can also be applied to parts other than the door trim, such as the ceiling, side walls, and floor of a vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1: Vehicle lighting structure (lighting structure for vehicles), 10: Door trim, 23: Slit, 30: Lighting device, 31: Light source unit (light source), 32: Housing, 33: LED (light source), 34: Connector part, 40: Light guide, 41: Flexible light guide part, 43: Shaped light guide part, 44: Main body part, 46: Connecting and holding part, 47: Notched window, 51: Light-transmitting member, 52: Housing part, 63: Retaining part

Claims

1. The vehicle comprises interior materials and a lighting device provided on the vehicle interior materials, The aforementioned interior material for vehicles has a longitudinal slit formed through it, The lighting device comprises a light source and an elongated light guide capable of guiding the light emitted from the light source, and is provided on the exterior side of the vehicle interior material. The light source is positioned away from the direction of extension of the slit. The light guide comprises a flexible light guide portion having flexibility and arranged along the slit, and a shaped light guide portion interposed between the light source and the flexible light guide portion and shaped into a predetermined shape. The shaping light guide portion has a cylindrical connecting and holding portion at the end on the flexible light guide portion side that fits onto the end of the light guide portion. A vehicle lighting structure in which at least a portion of the connecting and holding part facing the slit side is provided with a notched window that exposes the outer circumference of the flexible light guide part.

2. The aforementioned interior material for the vehicle is a door trim that constitutes the interior surface of the vehicle door, and the rear end of the door trim is inclined downward toward the front of the vehicle. The slit extends to the rear end of the door trim, The light source is provided below the slit at the rear end of the door trim. The vehicle lighting structure according to claim 1, wherein the shaping light guide portion extends upward from the light source and is curved forward.

3. The aforementioned slit is blocked by a light-transmitting member. The vehicle lighting structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the light-transmitting member has a pressing portion formed on the side opposite to the light source with respect to the light guide, for suppressing the lifting of the light guide away from the light source.

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