Vehicle lighting equipment

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting device which can cope with a space constraint in a vehicle width direction.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting device 3 with a light guide body 51 forming a rod-shape in a longer direction and emitting light while guiding light from a light source 52 comprises: a diffusion member 6 having an incident part 65 where light emitted from the light guide body is incident and a radiation part 67 which emits the incident light; and a decorative member 2 constituting a surface of a cabin indoor side in a member 1 constituting a lateral part in a vehicle width direction in a vehicle. The decorative member, the light guide body, and the diffusion member are arranged in this neighboring order from the cabin indoor side to the outside in the vehicle width direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicular lighting device, and particularly to a lighting device provided with a light guide body that emits light while guiding light from a light source.

Background Art

[0002] Interior and exterior trims of vehicles such as automobiles are provided with lighting devices for use by occupants, such as for illumination and decoration. The lighting device is fitted into, for example, a door trim that is a member constituting a side portion of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction, a garnish that is a decorative article including a side molding and a wood grain panel, or an ornament that is a decorative article for automotive parts including a vehicle name, a specification name, a symbol mark, and the like, and irradiates light from a light source toward the vehicle interior or the like via, for example, a rod-shaped light guide body.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which, in a line-shaped illumination (which may also be abbreviated as line illumination) disposed behind a decorative member of a door trim, the light guide body is supported inside a U-shaped lens (corresponding to a diffusion member described later) that is adjacent to the decorative member in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle, has no housing, and is open downward in the vertical direction (particularly in Fig. 10).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] From the perspective of securing ample interior space in a vehicle's passenger compartment, there are limitations on the space available for each component installed within the passenger compartment. This is especially true for components installed within thin doors, and among these, sliding doors require space for mechanisms for sliding operation and reinforcing mechanisms, further limiting the space available for these components. Consequently, dimensional constraints in the vehicle's width direction become severe. Patent Document 1 describes a technology that aims to save space in lighting devices by eliminating the housing that was previously required, but it does not disclose or suggest anything regarding the space issues in the vehicle width direction or means of solving them, such as using a U-shaped lens with an open bottom adjacent to the decorative component in the vehicle width direction as in the conventional method.

[0006] Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle lighting device equipped with a light guide that can accommodate space constraints in the vehicle width direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vehicle lighting device of the present invention is A vehicle lighting device comprising a longitudinally rod-shaped light guide that guides light from a light source and emits light, A diffusion member having an incident portion into which light emitted from the light guide enters and an outgoing portion into which the incident light exits, The vehicle comprises a decorative member that forms the interior side surface of a member that forms the side in the width direction of the vehicle, In the vehicle width direction, the decorative member, the light guide, and the diffusion member are arranged adjacent to each other in the order of the interior side to the exterior side. Here, "arranged adjacently" means that there are no other members between the decorative member and the light guide, and / or between the light guide and the diffusion member. However, some gaps may exist between them. The possibility of other members existing between them is not ruled out if their thickness has little or no effect. Members that constitute the side in the width direction of the vehicle are, for example, door trims that constitute doors such as sliding doors. The diffusion member is transparent in whole or in part and includes a configuration such as a lens portion.

[0008] According to the above-described configuration of the vehicle lighting device of the present invention, the decorative member, the light guide, and the diffuser are arranged adjacent to each other in the vehicle width direction, from the inside of the vehicle interior to the outside. Here, the light guide can be held by the decorative member and the diffuser (lens), eliminating the need for separate components such as a housing. In other words, unlike conventional designs where a U-shaped lens or the like is used that includes the light guide inside the decorative member in the vehicle width direction, the above configuration does not require a diffuser (lens) between the decorative member and the light guide. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the dimensions in the vehicle width direction, accommodate space constraints in the vehicle width direction, and enable the installation of line illumination even in narrow spaces.

[0009] In the above configuration, for example, the upper and lower portions of the light guide in the vertical direction perpendicular to the vehicle width direction do not necessarily have to be covered by the diffusion member or the decorative member. Also, the diffusion member (which may be the portion of the incident and the portion of the emission, or it may be the portion of the support part that has a support function for the light guide, rather than the portion of the incident and the portion of the emission) may be arranged on at least one of the upper and lower directions of the light guide. As a result, both the upper and lower directions or either the upper or lower or one of them may be covered by the diffusion member. Note that the portion of the diffusion member in which the incident and the emission portion are arranged may be continuous in the longitudinal direction, or it may be partially present with the support part etc. in between. The cross-section of the light guide perpendicular to the longitudinal direction may be circular (perfect circle, ellipse, etc.), rectangular, rhombus, parallelogram, or polygonal.

[0010] In the above configuration, the diffusion member may be arranged in one of the vertical directions perpendicular to the vehicle width direction of the light guide. In this configuration, the decorative member, the light guide, and the diffusion member are adjacent to each other in that order, and the diffusion member is positioned on either the top or bottom of the light guide, rather than on both sides. The other side of the light guide may be left open and uncovered, or the decorative member may be positioned to support the light guide. In this case, for example, a configuration in which the cross-sections of the decorative member and the diffusion member perpendicular to the longitudinal direction are each L-shaped may be included, as described later. With this configuration, the light guide can be held by the decorative member and the diffusion member (lens) as described above, without requiring a separate member such as a housing, and there is no diffusion member (lens) between the decorative member and the light guide in the above configuration. Therefore, it can contribute to reducing the dimensions in the vehicle width direction and accommodate space constraints in the vehicle width direction.

[0011] In the above configuration, the cross-sections of the decorative member and the diffusion member perpendicular to the longitudinal direction are each L-shaped, The light guide may be positioned inside the area surrounded by two elongated members included in the decorative member that form the L-shape of the cross-section of the decorative member, and two elongated members included in the diffusion member that form the L-shape of the cross-section of the diffusion member. This configuration ensures that the light guide is securely held in place and prevented from falling off, as the L-shaped portions of the decorative member and the diffusion member surround the light guide on all four sides. Furthermore, in the event of a side collision with a vehicle (which may also be abbreviated as a side impact), the L-shaped portions open up, allowing both the decorative member and the diffusion member to deform easily, thus absorbing the impact more effectively than conventional U-shaped cross-sections. Note that the L-shapes are not limited to having right angles between them. In addition, the L-shaped portions of the decorative member and the diffusion member may be continuous in the longitudinal direction or may be partially present. Moreover, in the cross-section, the two L-shaped portions do not necessarily have to completely surround the light guide.

[0012] At least one of the four elongated members has a projection-shaped portion facing inward, surrounded by the four elongated members, and this projection-shaped portion may support the light guide. From the standpoint of stable support, it is desirable that the projection-shaped portion be located on, for example, two of the elongated members and face each other with the light guide in between. Typically, the projection-shaped portion is located on, for example, all four of the elongated members. Here, if it were to be a surface contact, as in the case of a conventional, for example, U-shaped cross-section, the longer the light guide, the more it would bend, causing stress to be generated in a specific area, which could result in abnormal light emission. However, with this configuration, especially when the projection-shaped portion is located on two of the elongated members or on all four of the elongated members, the decorative member and the diffusion member can contact the projection-shaped portion with the light guide, thereby releasing the stress and preventing abnormal light emission. Furthermore, for example, the protruding portion allows the light-emitting end face of the light guide to be set back from the gap between the diffusion member and the decorative member, thereby preventing light leakage and contributing to uniform light emission. Note that there may be multiple protruding portions, and they may be located at regular intervals on the elongated member. Also, if the protruding portions are located on multiple different elongated members, the protruding portion on one elongated member and the protruding portions on other elongated members adjacent to or facing it may be located at approximately the same position in the elongated direction, or at different positions. In this case, by providing each protruding portion at a different position in the longitudinal direction of the light guide, stress on the light guide can be distributed to prevent abnormal light emission, and dimensional errors of each member can be absorbed. Furthermore, the shape of the protruding portion on one long member may be made different from the shape of the protruding portions on other long members. For example, the shape of the protruding portion on this one long member can be gradually changed to a ramp-like or slope-like shape to serve as a guide shape when assembling the light guide.

[0013] One of the decorative member and the diffusion member has a rectangular hole, The other of the decorative member and the diffusion member has a protruding portion, The protrusion may engage with the rectangular hole. This configuration allows one of the components to be attached to the other by the above-described engagement. Furthermore, by providing an additional engagement of a different configuration, a configuration can be added to make the attachment less likely to come loose. For example, the protruding portion may be fitted into the rectangular hole, and it may be fitted in the form of a claw fit and a bolt insert, for example. In conventional cases where the light guide is held by a housing or a diffuser with a U-shaped cross section, these and the decorative member were screw-fixed to the base of the door trim, respectively, from the viewpoint of ensuring mounting strength. However, in the above configuration, since the decorative member is used as part of the housing, only the decorative member needs to be screw-fixed. In the above configuration, the diffuser and the decorative member are fitted and fixed together, for example, in the form of a claw fit and a bolt insert, and are not screw-fixed to each other. The decorative member to which the diffuser is attached may be screw-fixed to the base of the door trim, for example. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, a vehicle lighting device equipped with a light guide can be provided that can accommodate space constraints in the vehicle width direction. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a schematic front view of the door trim of a vehicle door, on which a vehicle lighting device according to one embodiment of the present invention is installed, as seen from the inside of the vehicle. [Figure 2] This is a front view showing a decorative member to which a diffusion member is attached, according to the same embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along line AA, showing one configuration near the light guide. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view showing other components near the light guide. [Figure 5A] This is a perspective view of a decorative member having a protruding portion according to the same embodiment. [Figure 5B] This is a perspective view of a diffusion member having a rectangular hole according to the same embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view showing the operation of attaching the diffusion member shown in FIG. 5B to the decorative member shown in FIG. 5A. [Figure 7] It is a perspective view showing a state in which the protruding portion of the decorative member is engaged with the rectangular hole of the diffusion member according to the same embodiment. [Figure 8A] It is a perspective view of a decorative member having a protruding shape portion according to the same embodiment. [Figure 8B] It is a perspective view of a diffusion member having a protruding shape portion according to the same embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a side view seen from the longitudinal direction of the light guide, showing the positional relationship between the light guide and the protruding shape portion. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view as seen from the vehicle interior side (viewed in the W-axis direction in the same figure), showing a door trim 1 of a vehicle door such as a slide door provided with a lighting device 3 as an example of line illumination, as one embodiment of the use of the vehicle lighting device of the present invention (hereinafter also simply referred to as the lighting device). A door handle DH, a decorative member 2, and the like appear on the upper portion (in the H-axis direction in the same figure) of the door trim 1, which is a member constituting the side portion in the vehicle width direction of a vehicle (not shown), and a speaker and the like are provided on the lower portion of the door trim 1. The same figure is an exploded view in which a part of the interior of the vehicle door, such as the periphery of the lighting device 3 of the present embodiment including the base body 1a of the door trim 1 and the decorative member 2, is exposed. In general, the light emitted from a lighting device may be used as direct light that directly enters the eyes of a vehicle occupant, or may be used as indirect light that is reflected at the illuminated portion of an interior member in the vehicle interior and indirectly enters the eyes of the occupant. Indirect light produces a soft light effect, while direct light produces a highly visible light effect, and they are used properly according to the irradiation target and the purpose of illumination. Although the lighting device 3 of the present embodiment performs illumination using indirect light, it may perform illumination using direct light.

[0017] Figure 2 is a front view showing the decorative member 2 to which the diffusion member 6 according to this embodiment is attached. As described later, the light emitter 5 (light guide 51) is located between the decorative member 2, which constitutes the interior side of the door trim 1, and the diffusion member 6, to which light emitted from the light guide 51 is incident and, in this embodiment, the incident light is emitted into the interior of the vehicle. The decorative member 2 in the figure has a shape that is bent at a right angle, and the diffusion member 6 is attached to the straight portion below it in the figure. The diffusion member 6 is mostly elongated in the longitudinal direction parallel to the L-axis in the figure, and is located on the back side of the decorative member 2 in the direction of the paper (W-axis) in the figure. The diffusion member 6 is shown in perspective in the figure.

[0018] The light-emitting body 5 of this embodiment consists of a light source 52 and a light guide 51 that guides and emits light from the light source 52. In the figure, it is positioned on the back side of the decorative member 2 in the plane of the paper, similar to the decorative member 2. In the figure, the light guide 51 is also shown in perspective. The light source 52 is connected to one end of the light guide 51, which is mostly a long, roughly rod-shaped structure in the longitudinal direction parallel to the L-axis in the figure. The light source 52 may also be connected to both ends of the light guide 51 (not shown). The cross-section of the light guide 51 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction may be circular (perfect circle, ellipse, etc.), rectangular, rhombus, parallelogram, or polygonal, but in this embodiment it is rectangular. The light guide 51 may also have a tapered shape, where the cross-sectional area of ​​the cross-section (cross-section by the H-axis-W-axis plane) decreases as it moves away from the light source 52. This increases the number of light reflections within the light guide 51, thereby increasing the amount of light emitted and preventing the tip of the light guide 51 from becoming dark. As a result, only one light source unit needs to be placed on one side of the light guide, which is cost-effective due to the reduction in the number of parts and assembly time, and also provides greater flexibility in terms of placement space.

[0019] The light source 52 includes a light source body such as an incandescent bulb, halogen lamp, or LED, a case, a wiring harness, and other components not shown, and is assembled to the diffuser member 6 or door trim base 1a by an engaging portion formed on the case. The light source 52 may consist of only a monochromatic light source body, or a combination of multiple light source bodies with different emission colors. The harness is connected via a connector to a power supply for electronic components (not shown) located inside the vehicle.

[0020] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a portion of the cross-section along line AA in Figure 2 (the portion near the lighting device 3). The lighting device 3 comprises a light guide 51 and, in this embodiment, a decorative member 2 and a diffusion member 6 that support the light guide 51. In this embodiment, the diffusion member 6 is attached to the decorative member 2 by a method described later. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the decorative member 2, the light guide 51, and the diffusion member 6 are arranged adjacent to each other in the order of the decorative member 2, the light guide 51, and the diffusion member 6, from the inside to the outside of the vehicle interior (the W axis direction in the figure) in roughly the vehicle width direction. Specifically, the decorative member 2 and the light guide 51 are directly adjacent to each other, and there are no members such as the diffusion member 6 between them. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the dimensions in the vehicle width direction and to accommodate space constraints in the vehicle width direction. In this case, the presence of small gaps, etc., is permissible as long as it does not significantly reduce the above effect.

[0021] In this embodiment, the diffuser member 6 may be positioned on one of the vertical directions (H-axis direction) perpendicular to the vehicle width direction (W-axis direction) of the light guide 51, i.e., on the upper or lower surface. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the decorative member 2 and the diffuser member 6 may have an L-shaped cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Specifically, as shown in the figure, the two elongated members 21 and 23 that form the L-shape of the cross-section of the decorative member 2 are integrally included in the decorative member 2 in this embodiment. Similarly, the two elongated members 61 and 63 that form the L-shape of the cross-section of the diffuser member 6 are integrally included in the diffuser member 6 in this embodiment. The light guide 51 is sandwiched between the decorative member 2 and the diffuser member 6. Specifically, in this embodiment, the elongated members 21 and 61 face each other with the light guide 51 in between, and the elongated members 23 and 63 face each other with the light guide 51 in between.

[0022] As described above, the light guide 51 is located in the housing section 62 (Figure 3), which is the interior surrounded by these four elongated members 21, 23, 61, and 63. In this case as well, the decorative member 2, the light guide 51, and the diffusion member 6 are arranged adjacent to each other in the vehicle width direction, from the inside of the vehicle interior to the outside (W-axis direction in the figure). Specifically, the decorative member 2 and the light guide 51 are directly adjacent to each other, and there is no diffusion member 6 between them, for example. The diffusion member 6 in the figure is transparent in whole or in part, and includes a configuration such as a lens section, and has an incident section (surface) 65 into which light emitted from the light guide 51 enters, and an outgoing section (surface) 67 into which the incident light exits.

[0023] With the above configuration having an L-shaped cross-section, in the event of a collision from the side of a vehicle (which may also be abbreviated as a side impact), the L-shaped portion opens up, making it easier for both the decorative member 2 and the diffusion member 6 to deform, and thus absorbing the impact better than conventional, for example, U-shaped cross-sections. Note that the L-shape is not limited to cases where the angle it forms is a right angle. Also, in the decorative member 2 and the diffusion member 6, each L-shaped portion may be continuous in the longitudinal direction, or may be partially present. Furthermore, in the above cross-section, the two L-shaped portions do not have to completely surround the light guide 51.

[0024] According to the figure, the decorative member 2 and the diffusion member 6, along with the ornament Or provided on the upper part of the decorative member 2, are fixed to a base 1a adjacent to the door panel (vehicle body, so-called sheet metal) Do provided below the diffusion member 6. The decorative member 2 in the figure is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use, for example, a metal molding that has been sputtered. The material of the diffusion member 6 is preferably light-transmitting polypropylene (PP), which can be formed, for example, by injection molding. In this embodiment, polypropylene is used for the diffusion member 6 instead of the commonly used polycarbonate, from the standpoint of noise reduction. The diffusion member 6 may be colored, for example, in the incident part 65 and the outgoing part 67 (lens part), to the extent that it does not hinder the visibility of the light emission from the perspective of color balance with the surrounding design, for example, it may be milky white, or light-diffusing silicone resin particles may be dispersed therein. In this embodiment, the diffusion member 6 may have a support portion (not shown) that has a support function for the light guide, other than the incident portion 65 and the outgoing portion 67. The material of the light guide 51 is not particularly limited, but may be an acrylic resin, and for example, PMMA (Polymethyl Methacrylate) is preferred. The light guide 51 is held and fixed by the contact shape formed on the decorative member 2 and the diffusion member 6, which will be described later.

[0025] Here, unlike in Figure 3, the upper and lower portions of the light guide 51 in the vertical direction (parallel to the H-axis) perpendicular to the vehicle width direction (parallel to the W-axis in the figure) do not necessarily have to be covered by the diffusion member 6 or the decorative member 2, and the light guide 51 may have the diffusion member 6 on both of the above upper and lower portions. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration near the light guide that differs from Figure 3. That is, the diffusion member 6 is U-shaped with the left side open in the figure, and both the above upper and lower portions of the light guide 51 are covered by the diffusion member 6, and there are emission portions 67 at the top and bottom, which differs from Figure 3. Even in this case, the decorative member 2, the light guide 51, and the diffusion member 6 are arranged adjacent to each other in the vehicle width direction from the inside to the outside (W-axis direction in the figure), and specifically the decorative member 2 and the light guide 51 are directly adjacent to each other, and there is no diffusion member 6 between them, for example. Therefore, it can contribute to reducing the dimensions in the vehicle width direction and can accommodate space constraints in the vehicle width direction, similar to the case of Figure 3.

[0026] Next, as an example of a decorative member 2 and a diffusion member 6, Figure 5A shows a perspective view of a decorative member 2 having a protrusion 23a projecting in the W-axis direction in the figure. Figure 5B is a perspective view of a diffusion member 6 having a rectangular hole 61a on the H-axis-L-axis plane. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the decorative member 2 also has a rectangular hole 23b on the W-axis-L-axis plane (Figure 5A), and the diffusion member 6 also has a protrusion 61b projecting in the H-axis direction in the figure (Figure 5B). As shown in Figure 6, the diffusion member 6 shown in Figure 5B is moved parallel to the W-axis direction in the figure toward the decorative member 2 shown in Figure 5A. As a result, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, the protrusion 23a of the decorative member 2 and the rectangular hole 61a of the diffusion member 6 engage (specifically, fit together in this embodiment). For example, the dimensions of the protrusion 23a may be such that it can be inserted into the rectangular hole 61a, and the fitting may occur by mechanical friction. This allows the diffusion member 6 to be fixed and attached to the decorative member 2 in a manner that it is suspended from it.

[0027] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, the rectangular hole 23b of the decorative member 2 and the protruding portion 61b of the diffusion member 6 engage (specifically, fit together in this embodiment). In this case, for example, the protruding portion 61b may have a claw-shaped tip, and when the diffusion member 6 is moved parallel to the W-axis direction toward the decorative member 2, the claw shape guides the rectangular hole 23b and then catches on the rectangular hole 23b to fit together. This makes it difficult to detach the diffusion member 6 from the decorative member 2 during the above-mentioned installation. The diffusion member 6 and the decorative member 2 can be fixed together, for example, not by screw fixing, but by a claw fit such as the relationship between the protruding portion 61b and the rectangular hole 23b, or by a bolt-in type such as the relationship between the rectangular hole 61a and the protruding portion 23a.

[0028] In conventional designs where the light guide is held by a housing or a U-shaped diffusing member, these and the decorative member were screw-fixed to the base of the door trim to ensure mounting strength. However, in the above configuration, since the decorative member 2 is used as part of the housing, only the decorative member 2 needs to be screw-fixed. In the above configuration, the diffuser 6 and the decorative member 2 are fitted and fixed together, for example, by a claw-fit and bolt-insert type, and are not screw-fixed to each other. The decorative member 2 to which the diffuser 6 is attached can be screw-fixed to the base 1a of the door trim, for example.

[0029] Furthermore, as an example of the decorative member 2 and the diffusion member 6, as shown in Figure 8A, the decorative member 2 has protruding parts 21c and 23c. Also, as shown in Figure 8B, the diffusion member 6 has protruding parts 61c and 63c. The protruding part 21c is a projection on the order of several hundred micrometers to several millimeters that is provided vertically on the long member 21 and protrudes toward the housing part 62. The protruding part 23c is a projection on the order of several hundred micrometers to several millimeters that is provided horizontally on the long member 23 and protrudes toward the housing part 62. The protruding part 61c is a projection on the order of several hundred micrometers to several millimeters that is provided vertically on the long member 61 and protrudes toward the housing part 62. The protruding part 63c is a projection on the order of several hundred micrometers to several millimeters that is provided horizontally on the long member 63 and protrudes toward the housing part 62.

[0030] In this embodiment, when the decorative member 2 shown in Figure 8A and the diffusion member 6 shown in Figure 8B are used to support the light guide 51 in the housing section 62 located inside them, the light guide 51 is supported by all four protruding sections 21c, 23c, 61c, and 63c in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, which is a side view of the light guide 51 taken from the longitudinal direction (parallel to the L-axis direction). (This support shape is also called the contact shape.) The shape of the protruding section located on one long member may be different from the shape of the protruding sections located on other long members. In this embodiment, for example, in order to serve as a guide shape when assembling the light guide 51, only the shape of the protruding section 63c located at the bottom in the vertical direction has a surface (slope) ST facing the housing section 62 that gradually changes in a ramp-like or slope-like shape, with the length of the protrusion increasing as it goes inward (in the W-axis direction), as shown in the figure.

[0031] In conventional designs, such as those with a U-shaped cross-section, if the light guide is made to make contact with the surface, the longer the light guide, the more it will bend, causing stress to be generated in specific areas, which can result in abnormal light emission. However, with the configuration of this embodiment described above, the protruding parts 21c, 23c, 61c, and 63c from the decorative member 2 and the diffusion member 6 make contact with the light guide 51, allowing the stress to be released and preventing abnormal light emission. Furthermore, for example, the protruding parts 21c, 23c, 61c, and 63c allow the light-emitting end face of the light guide to be set back from the gap Δ between the diffusion member 6 and the decorative member 2, preventing light leakage and contributing to uniform light emission. Here, setting back the light-emitting end face means that, due to the presence of the protruding parts (typically the protruding part 21c), the end face of the light guide 51 (shown by the dotted line L2 in the figure) is located inward (towards the diffusion member 6) than the end face (shown by the dashed line L1) of the longer member 63 on the side where the gap Δ exists.

[0032] Furthermore, there may be multiple protruding portions 21c, 23c, 61c, and 63c, and they may be located at regular intervals on the elongated members. Also, when the protruding portions 21c, 23c, 61c, and 63c exist on multiple different elongated members 21, 23, 61, and 63 as described above, the protruding portions on one elongated member and the protruding portions on other elongated members adjacent to or facing it may be located at approximately the same position in the longitudinal direction, or they may be located at different positions, for example (in a staggered pattern) (i.e., different protruding portions do not have to be located on the same cross-section). In this case, since each protruding portion is provided at a different position in the longitudinal direction of the light guide 51, the stress on the light guide 51 can be distributed to prevent abnormal light emission (especially in the case of opposing elongated members), and dimensional errors of each member can be absorbed.

[0033] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and modifications and changes are possible without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, although the above embodiments were described using a door trim, the vehicle lighting device of the present invention is not limited to the door trim, but may be installed on the instrument panel, ceiling, center console, etc. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 1. Door trim 2. Decorative members 21 Long components 21c Projection shape part 23 Long components 23a Projection 23b rectangular hole 23c Projection shape part 3. Lighting equipment 51 Light guide 52 Light source 6 Diffusion member 61 Long components 61a rectangular hole 61b Protrusion 61c Projection shape part 62 Storage Unit 63 Long components 63c Projection shape part 65. Entrance section 67 exit part

Claims

1. A vehicle lighting device comprising a longitudinally rod-shaped light guide that guides light from a light source and emits light, A diffusion member having an incident portion into which light emitted from the light guide enters and an outgoing portion into which the incident light exits, The vehicle comprises a decorative member that forms the interior side surface of a member that forms the side in the width direction of the vehicle, In the vehicle width direction, the decorative member, the light guide, and the diffusion member are arranged adjacent to each other in the order of: Vehicle lighting device.

2. In claim 1, The light guide body is positioned in one of the vertical directions perpendicular to the vehicle width direction, the diffusing member is arranged in the light guide body. Vehicle lighting device.

3. In claim 2, The decorative member and the diffusion member each have an L-shaped cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The light guide is positioned inside the area enclosed by two elongated members included in the decorative member that form the L-shape of the cross-section of the decorative member, and two elongated members included in the diffusion member that form the L-shape of the cross-section of the diffusion member. Vehicle lighting device.

4. In claim 3, At least one of the four elongated members has a projection-shaped portion facing inward, surrounded by the four elongated members, and the projection-shaped portion supports the light guide. Vehicle lighting device.

5. In any one of claims 1 to 4, One of the decorative member and the diffusion member has a rectangular hole, The other of the decorative member and the diffusion member has a protruding portion, The protrusion engages with the rectangular hole. Vehicle lighting device.

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