JP2007106303A - Vehicular lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular lighting system which is high in mounting adaptability on an instrument panel of a vehicle, and capable of performing the harmonization with the light emitted from meters provided on the instrument panel, and illuminating the inside of a cabin in an effectively decorative manner. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicular lighting system 1 comprises a bar-shaped light guide body 4 consisting of a core 2 and a clad 3, a supporting member 7 for fixing and supporting the bar-shaped light guide body 4 by a cutout 5 formed along the longitudinal direction so as to expose a light emitting surface 6 of the light guide body, and a light emitting member 8 provided on at least one end of the bar-shaped light guide body 4. The bar-shaped light guide body 4 and the supporting member 7 are formed of a flexible material, and arranged below an instrument panel 11 of the vehicle so that its longitudinal direction is almost horizontal in the vehicular lighting system 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular lighting device suitable for decorative lighting in a passenger compartment of a vehicle such as a passenger car.

Conventionally, a ceiling illumination lamp is provided in a passenger compartment of a vehicle such as a passenger car, and the passenger compartment is illuminated when the door is opened. In addition to the ceiling illumination lamp, a foot lamp that illuminates the feet of the occupant has also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, when a footlight is provided, the foot part will be brightly lit, but there is insufficient harmony with the light emitted from the meters arranged on the instrument panel, especially the instrument panel. There is a problem that the lighting of the lower part of the vehicle is insufficient and the decorative effect in the passenger compartment is lacking. Moreover, from the viewpoint of ensuring safety during night driving, the ceiling lighting is turned off during driving, and the passenger compartment during night driving is dark. The vicinity of the meters arranged on the instrument panel is only slightly brighter. Therefore, the interior of the vehicle during night driving, especially the vicinity of the lower half of the instrument panel, felt darker than the surroundings, and it was inevitable that the interior of the vehicle was felt dead. Therefore, in order to enhance the decorative effect in the passenger compartment, there has been proposed an illumination device mainly intended for illumination using a light emitting diode (LED) as a linear light source. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).
JP-A-3-28035 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-66928

  However, when the illumination device as an illumination in the vehicle interior is realized by a linear light source, a portion to which the linear light source is to be attached is rarely configured by a straight line. In many cases, an illumination device as an illumination is attached to an instrument panel of a vehicle, and the instrument panel is configured by a two-dimensional or three-dimensional curved surface. Therefore, if the linear light source as the lighting device does not have flexibility or flexibility, it cannot be successfully attached to the surface of the instrument panel formed of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional curved surface. In such a case, there is a problem that the lighting device arranged to enhance the decorative effect in the vehicle interior may adversely affect the decorative effect in the vehicle interior.

  In addition, if the linear light source as the lighting device is not flexible or flexible, when the occupant gets on and off the vehicle, the leg collides with the light emitter, and the illuminating device is damaged or the occupant is injured. There was a problem. Therefore, in the lighting device as illumination in the passenger compartment, it is important to set the size, shape, and arrangement of the lighting device in consideration of the relationship with the passenger getting on and off the vehicle. Otherwise, if the lighting device is attached to the instrument panel, the protrusion from the instrument panel surface will be large, causing the legs to collide with the light emitter when the passenger gets on or off the vehicle, damaging the lighting device Or the crew will be injured.

  Furthermore, in the case of a lighting device for the purpose of illumination in the passenger compartment, it is not of a character that it is only necessary to illuminate the passenger compartment, and the shape of the lighting device itself is in harmony with the instrument panel of the vehicle and integrated in harmony. Having the value increases the value of the product. In addition, for the illumination effect, it is extremely important to harmonize with light emitted from meters provided as standard equipment on the instrument panel of the vehicle. That is, since a clock, a car navigation display, or the like is generally provided at the center of the instrument panel, the vicinity of the center of the instrument panel is brighter than other parts. Therefore, in order to improve the decorative effect in the vehicle interior by illumination illumination, it is not necessary to simply arrange a linear light source in a dark part. It is necessary to arrange the linear light source in consideration of the interaction with the light emitted by the meters on the instrument panel of the vehicle.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, is highly compatible with mounting on an instrument panel of a vehicle, and is harmonized with light emitted from meters provided on the instrument panel. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular lighting device that can effectively illuminate a vehicle.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a rod-shaped light guide composed of a core and a clad, and a support member fixedly supported so as to expose a light emitting surface of the rod-shaped light guide in a notch provided along the longitudinal direction; A lighting device for a vehicle including a light emitting member at least at one end of the rod-shaped light guide, wherein the rod-shaped light guide and the support member are made of a flexible material, and are elongated at a lower portion of a vehicle instrument panel. It is arranged so that the direction is substantially horizontal.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle lighting device according to the first aspect, the support member has a vertically long cross-sectional shape, and the rod-shaped light guide is disposed in an upper half portion of the support member. It is what.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle lighting device according to the first aspect, the light emitting member is disposed at one end of the rod-shaped light guide, and the one end of the rod-shaped light guide is near the center of the instrument panel. The other end of the rod-shaped light guide is disposed near the door of the vehicle.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle lighting device according to the first aspect, the light emitting member is not disposed in front of the narrowest portion of the rising line between the side supports provided on both sides of the seat cushion of the vehicle. It is what.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle lighting device according to the first aspect, the lighting device is provided at an opening edge portion of a storage pocket formed in a lower portion of the instrument panel. is there.

  The invention according to claim 6 is a rod-shaped light guide composed of a core and a clad, and a support member fixedly supported so as to expose the light emitting surface of the rod-shaped light guide in a notch provided along the longitudinal direction; A lighting device for a vehicle including a light emitting member at least at one end of the rod-shaped light guide, wherein the rod-shaped light guide and the support member are made of a flexible material and formed on an instrument panel of the vehicle. It is arranged so that the longitudinal direction is substantially horizontal at the opening edge of the storage pocket.

  According to the vehicle lighting device of claim 1, since both the rod-shaped light guide and the support member are made of a flexible material, even if the surface shape of the instrument panel has various curvatures, it easily follows. it can. Accordingly, the instrument panel having various surface shapes can be mounted with a good fit, so that versatility as a vehicular illumination device is enhanced. Further, even when the occupant gets on and off the vehicle, even if the occupant's legs come into contact with the vehicle lighting device, the rod-shaped light guide and the support member are both made of a flexible material, so that the impact caused by the contact can be reduced. As a result, the durability risk is improved by reducing the risk of damage to the lighting device.

  According to the vehicle lighting device of the second aspect, since the rod-shaped light guide is disposed in the upper half of the support member having a vertically long cross section, the passenger's legs are rod-shaped even when the passenger gets on and off the vehicle. Direct contact with the light guide can be avoided. Further, when the vehicular illumination device is mounted on the instrument panel, the projecting dimension of the vehicular illumination device from the instrument panel surface can be minimized. Therefore, the frequency with which the occupant's legs come into contact with the vehicle illumination device when the occupant gets in and out of the vehicle is reduced, and the vehicle illumination device can be prevented from falling off the instrument panel.

  According to the vehicle lighting device of the third aspect, it is possible to suppress a sense of discomfort in brightness felt by the occupant in the passenger compartment. That is, in the vehicular lighting device provided with the light emitting member at one end of the rod-shaped light guide, the light attenuates as the distance from the light emitting member increases, and the luminance of the rod-shaped light guide decreases. By arranging one end of the light guide with the light emitting member closer to the center of the instrument panel, and arranging the other end of the light guide with no light emitting member closer to the vehicle door, It is possible to suppress a sense of discomfort in brightness felt by the occupant in the passenger compartment due to a compensation effect with light emitted from meters that brighten the part. Moreover, since the power supply terminal which supplies electric power to an illuminating device is arrange | positioned near the center of an instrument panel, it arrange | positions the one end part provided with the light emission member of the rod-shaped light guide near the center of an instrument panel. Connection of the wire harness becomes easy.

  According to the vehicle lighting device of the fourth aspect, when the occupant gets on and off the vehicle, the light emitting member is not disposed at a portion where the occupant's leg easily comes into contact with the vehicle illuminating device. This makes it difficult to damage the vehicle lighting device.

  According to the vehicle lighting device of claim 5, the position of the storage pocket can be easily visually recognized even at night by attaching the vehicle lighting device to the opening edge of the storage pocket formed at the lower part of the instrument panel. be able to. Therefore, it is easy to put in and out small items in the storage pocket.

  According to the vehicle lighting device of the sixth aspect, the effect of the vehicle lighting device according to the fifth aspect can be exhibited together with the effect of the vehicle lighting device according to the first aspect.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a vehicle lighting device according to the present invention. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a central portion of the vehicle lighting device, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a light source portion of the vehicle lighting device, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the central portion of the vehicle lighting device. .

  First, the configuration of the vehicle lighting device 1 of the present invention will be described. The vehicular lighting device 1 of the present invention exposes the light emitting surface 6 of the rod-shaped light guide 4 to the rod-shaped light guide 4 including the core 2 and the clad 3 and the notch 5 provided along the longitudinal direction. A light-emitting member 8 is provided at at least one end portion 4a of the rod-shaped light guide 4 and a support member 7 fixedly supported by the light guide. The rod-shaped light guide 4 is configured by inserting a core 2 having a circular cross section adapted to the cylindrical inner diameter dimension in a clad 3 having a cylindrical cross section.

  The clad 3 is formed into a tube shape using a fluororesin. The clad 3 formed in this way has flexibility or softness and can be deformed into a three-dimensional shape relatively easily. The core 2 is also made of a material having flexibility or flexibility, and is specifically made of a polymer of polyoxypropylene triol and hexamethylene diisocyanate. The diameter of the core 2 is not particularly limited, but usually 2 to 30 mm, particularly 5 to 15 mm is preferable.

  As the material of the support member 7, like the clad 3, a flexible or flexible fluororesin or EPDM is used.

  The core 2 formed in a columnar shape is inserted into a clad 3 formed in a cylindrical shape to form a rod-shaped light guide 4. This rod-shaped light guide 4 is fixedly supported by a support member 7 having a notch 5 provided along the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the support member 7 has a substantially flat vertical cross-sectional shape, and one vertical surface is formed as a concave surface 7 a that is slightly depressed. The concave surface 7a is fixed to the surface of the instrument panel 11 via the adhesive material 9. On the other hand, the convex surface 7b is provided with a notch portion 5 at an upper portion when attached to the instrument panel 11, and the rod-shaped light guide 4 is fitted into the notch portion 5. After the rod-shaped light guide 4 is fitted, a part of the periphery of the rod-shaped light guide 4 is exposed, and light is emitted from the light emitting surface 6 of the exposed portion. The light-emitting surface 6 of the rod-shaped light guide 4 after being fitted into the notch 5 of the support member 7 and the surface of the convex surface 7b of the support member 7 are made to be smoothly continuous so that the limbs of the passenger are directly The rod-shaped light guide 4 is shaped so as not to collide. Further, since the support member 7 is also made of a flexible material like the rod-shaped light guide 4, the rod-shaped light guide 4 is fixed to the notch portion 5 provided in the support member 7. It can be ensured sufficiently only by the elasticity of the.

  A double-sided adhesive tape can be used as the adhesive 9 for fixing the concave surface 7a of the support member 7 to the surface of the instrument panel 11. Since the support member 7 has a substantially flat vertically long cross-sectional shape, a wide bonding area can be ensured with respect to the mass of the lighting device 1. Therefore, sufficient adhesive strength can be obtained only with the double-sided adhesive tape.

  Terminal fixtures 13 are attached to both ends 1a, 1b of the lighting device 1. The terminal fixtures 13 attached to both ends 1a and 1b of the lighting device 1 can be mechanically fixed to the instrument panel 11 with screws 14 or the like. This makes it possible to securely fix the entire illumination device 1 to the instrument panel 11 together with the fixing by the double-sided adhesive tape 9 that is an adhesive disposed on the concave surface 7a of the support member 7.

  At least one of the terminal fixtures 13 at both ends 1a and 1b of the lighting device 1 is provided with a light emitting member 8 serving as a light source. Specifically, the light emitting diode 8 is used as a light emitting member. The light emitting diode 8 can be driven with a low voltage and low power, has a long life, and is inexpensive because it is mass-produced. Furthermore, there is an advantage that various emission colors are commercially available as standard products.

  An appropriate number of light emitting diodes 8 mounted on the terminal fixture 13 can be used depending on the size of the rod-shaped light guide 4, but one light emitting diode 8 is usually sufficient. Also, various emission colors such as red, yellow, and green are commercially available, but considering the illumination effect in the passenger compartment, it is better to match the illumination color of the vehicle, and if the vehicle illumination is amber, the amber color Is preferred. The light emitting diode 8 is mounted on a printed circuit board 15, and a wire harness 16 for supplying electric power from a battery is connected to the printed circuit board 15. The terminal fixture 13 is covered with a rounded terminal cover 17 in consideration of the decorative effect of the appearance.

  Of the both ends 1a and 1b of the lighting device 1, one end 1a where the light emitting member 8 is provided is disposed near the center of the instrument panel 11, and the other end 1b where the light emitting member 8 is not provided is close to the vehicle door. Be placed. As a result, the brightness of the illumination in the passenger compartment can be harmonized. That is, the rod-shaped light guide 4 emits linear light, but the amount of light emitted from the rod-shaped light guide 4 decreases as the distance from the light source increases. Therefore, one end 1a side including the light emitting member 8 on the light source side of the rod-shaped light guide 4 is bright, and the other end 1b side not including the light emitting member 8 is relatively dark. On the other hand, the instrument panel 11 of the vehicle is provided with various types of meters 18, and the display 19 for the car navigation is also generally attached to the center of the instrument panel 11. As a result, the vicinity of the center portion of the instrument panel 11 is bright, and both doors are dark. In such an ambient environment, the illumination in the vehicle interior space as a whole cannot be harmonized unless the illumination area is brightened in areas where the surroundings are relatively bright and the illumination illumination is not dimmed in areas where the surroundings are relatively dark. Become. Therefore, one end 1a with the light emitting portion 8 is arranged near the center of the instrument panel 11 where the surrounding environment is bright, and the other end 1b is arranged near the door where the surrounding environment is relatively dark so Harmony is being sought. Further, since the power supply harness 20 for supplying power to the lighting device 1 is disposed near the center of the instrument panel 11, the one end 1 a provided with the light emitting member 8 of the lighting device 1 is disposed near the center of the instrument panel 11. The wiring harness 16 can be easily connected by arranging the wiring harness 16 in the position.

  By the way, the lower part of the instrument panel 11 of the vehicle is a part where the occupant easily comes into contact with the leg when getting on and off the vehicle, and even if the occupant's leg collides with the lighting device 1, the occupant is injured. In addition, the lighting device 1 is not easy to drop off or break. Therefore, in the present invention, even when the occupant gets on and off the vehicle, the rod-shaped light guide 4 made of a soft material or a flexible material is disposed at a portion where the occupant's leg is likely to collide, and the occupant's leg is Both end portions 1a and 1b of the lighting device 1 are arranged at a site that is difficult to collide.

  FIG. 5 shows this state. In front of the narrowest portion W of the rising line between the side supports 22 and 22 provided on both sides of the seat cushion 21 in the front seat of the vehicle, both end portions 1a and 1b of the lighting device 1 are disposed. Is not placed. Many vehicle seat cushions 21 are provided with side supports 22 on both sides of the seat cushion 21 to hold the occupant's buttocks from both sides. The portion of the instrument panel 11 in the front where the side support 22 is provided is less frequently in contact with the occupant's legs. On the other hand, it is empirically known that the portion of the instrument panel 11 in front of the narrowest portion W of the rising line between the side supports 22 and 22 is frequently in contact with the occupant's legs. Therefore, in the present invention, the flexible rod-shaped light guide 4 is arranged in the instrument panel 11 portion in front of the narrowest portion W of the rising line between the side supports 22 and 22 where the occupant's legs are easily in contact. The both ends 1a and 1b on which the light emitting member 8 is mounted are not arranged. As a result, only the rod-shaped light guide 4 is present on the instrument panel 11 in front of the narrowest portion W of the rising line between the side supports 22 and 22, where the occupant's legs contact frequently when the occupant gets on and off the vehicle. Since the rod-shaped light guide 4 is made of a soft material, the occupant is not injured even if the occupant's legs come into contact with the illuminating device 1, and the lighting device 1 is not dropped or damaged.

  Some vehicles have a storage pocket 23 for storing small items at the bottom of the instrument panel 11. In such a vehicle, it is advantageous if not only illumination as illumination but also the position of the storage pocket 23 which is a recess can be clearly determined. In order to meet such a demand, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle lighting device 1 is provided at the opening edge 24 of the storage pocket 23 formed at the lower part of the instrument panel 11. With such an arrangement, the position of the opening edge 24 of the storage pocket 23 can be clearly determined, and an accessory can be easily put in and out of the storage pocket 23.

  In some vehicles, the storage pocket 23 is provided at a portion other than the lower portion of the instrument panel 11. Even in such a case, the vehicle lighting device 1 is arranged at the opening edge 24 of the storage pocket 23 formed in the instrument panel 11 of the vehicle so that the longitudinal direction is substantially horizontal, so that the vehicle can be operated at night. In addition, the position of the opening edge portion 24 of the storage pocket 23 can be clearly recognized, so that small items can be easily taken into and out of the storage pocket 23. Further, the illumination effect can be enhanced by decoratively lighting the entire vehicle interior.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the Example, this invention can carry out various deformation | transformation implementation. For example, in the above embodiment, the rod-shaped light guide 4 has been described as having a circular cross section. However, the cross-sectional shape of the rod-shaped light guide 4 is not limited to the circular cross section, and may be an elliptical shape or a polygonal shape. May be. Further, a plurality of notches 5 may be provided on one support member 7 along the longitudinal direction so that the plurality of rod-shaped light guides 4 are fixedly supported.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the illuminating device for vehicles which concerns on this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the center part of the illuminating device for vehicles which concerns on this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the light source part of the illuminating device for vehicles which concerns on this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the center part of the illuminating device for vehicles which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows the front seat part of the vehicle which attached the illuminating device for vehicles which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the instrument panel of the vehicle which attached the illuminating device for vehicles which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Vehicle lighting device (lighting device)
2 Core 3 Clad 4 Bar-shaped light guide 5 Notch 6 Light emitting surface 7 Support member 8 Light emitting member (light emitting diode)
11 Instrument panel
21 Seat cushion
22 Side support
23 Storage pocket
24 Opening edge W Narrowest part

Claims (6)

A rod-shaped light guide composed of a core and a clad; a support member fixedly supported so as to expose a light emitting surface of the rod-shaped light guide in a notch provided along the longitudinal direction; and at least one end of the rod-shaped light guide A lighting device for a vehicle having a light emitting member at a portion thereof, wherein the rod-shaped light guide and the support member are made of a flexible material, and a longitudinal direction thereof is substantially horizontal at a lower portion of a vehicle instrument panel. An illumination device for a vehicle, which is arranged. The vehicular lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the support member has a vertically long cross-sectional shape, and the bar light guide is disposed in an upper half portion of the support member. The light emitting member is disposed at one end of the rod-shaped light guide, one end of the rod-shaped light guide is disposed near the center of the instrument panel, and the other end of the rod-shaped light guide is disposed near the vehicle door. The vehicular illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicular illumination device is arranged. 2. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting member is not disposed in front of a narrowest portion of a rising line between side supports provided on both sides of a vehicle seat cushion. The vehicle lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle lighting device is provided at an opening edge of a storage pocket formed at a lower portion of the instrument panel. A rod-shaped light guide composed of a core and a clad; a support member fixedly supported so as to expose a light emitting surface of the rod-shaped light guide in a notch provided along the longitudinal direction; and at least one end of the rod-shaped light guide A lighting device for a vehicle having a light emitting member at a portion thereof, wherein the rod-shaped light guide and the support member are made of a flexible material, and are long on an opening edge of a storage pocket formed on an instrument panel of the vehicle. A vehicular lighting device, characterized in that the direction is substantially horizontal.

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