JP2023153522A - Vehicular interior lighting device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicular interior lighting device which improves a degree of freedom in design.SOLUTION: A vehicular interior lighting device 1 includes: a light source 20; a bus bar 14 which has a plate-like electrode section 14a; a lens 13 which has a light transmission section 13a and a holding structure section 13b; conductive films 30 which are formed in a part of the lens 13; and a control section 22 which switches on/off of the light source 20 according to a change of electrostatic capacitance between a finger tip F touching a light irradiation surface 13c and the electrode section 14a. The holding structure section 13b has a first side wall section 13f as a wall section with which a second main plane 14d of the electrode 14a is brought into contact and is positioned outside a light receiving surface 13d in an irradiation direction view of light. The conductive films 30 are formed on the light receiving surface 13d and a first outer wall surface 13h on an opposite side of a first inner wall surface 13i as a surface with which the second main plane 14d of the electrode section 14a is brought into contact in the first side wall section 13f. The conductive film 30 formed on the light receiving surface 13d and the conductive film 30 formed on the first outer wall surface 13h are continued to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle interior lighting device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a device that is installed in a vehicle cabin to illuminate the interior of the vehicle. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to a vehicle interior lighting device in which lighting is switched on and off when a part of the human body touches the light irradiation surface of a lens facing the interior of the vehicle. In this technique, a part of the light transmitting part of the lens and the annular electrode part of the bus bar are in contact with each other through part of the housing (inner cover). The bus bar is also in contact with an electrode pad on the substrate that is electrically connected to the control unit, so when a part of the human body touches the light irradiation surface of the lens, the control unit detects the electrostatic charge between the annular electrode part and the human body. It can detect changes in capacitance and turn the light source on and off.

JP 2022-12257 Publication

In the vehicle interior lighting device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the annular electrode portion of the bus bar is arranged parallel to the light irradiation surface in accordance with the outer peripheral portion of the light transmitting portion of the lens. Here, the housing is made of opaque resin. Therefore, the fact that the part of the housing that holds the bus bar in close contact with the back side is located on the back side of the light-transmitting part of the lens has the advantage that the bus bar is not visible from the passenger compartment side, but it also has the advantage of not being visible from the passenger compartment side. It can be said that this reduces the degree of freedom in design.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle interior lighting device that improves the degree of freedom in design.

A vehicle interior lighting device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a light source, a conductive bus bar having a flat electrode portion, and a light transmitting portion that transmits light emitted from the light source toward the interior of the vehicle. A lens that has a holding structure that holds an electrode part, a conductive film that is formed on a part of the lens and has light transmittance, and a part of a human body that touches the light irradiation surface of the light transmitting part and the electrode part. a control section that turns on/off the light source according to a change in capacitance between the holding structure section, the holding structure section having a wall section that brings the main planes of the electrode section into contact with each other; The conductive film is located outside the light-receiving surface on the back side of the light irradiation surface, and the conductive film is located between the light-receiving surface and the outer wall surface of the holding structure wall opposite to the surface where the main plane of the electrode part contacts. The conductive film formed on the light-receiving surface and the conductive film formed on the outer wall surface are continuous with each other.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a vehicle interior lighting device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle interior lighting device according to the present embodiment. It is a perspective view of the lens which makes a light-receiving surface and a 2nd outer wall surface visible. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lens that allows visual recognition of a light receiving surface and a first outer wall surface. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bus bar that allows the first principal plane of the electrode section to be viewed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bus bar that allows the second principal plane of the electrode section to be viewed. 2 is a partial sectional view of the vehicle interior lighting device corresponding to the VV section in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the vehicle interior lighting device corresponding to the VI-VI cross section in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the vehicle interior lighting device illustrating another shape of the housing.

Hereinafter, a vehicle interior lighting device according to this embodiment will be described in detail using the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the exterior of a vehicle interior lighting device 1 according to this embodiment. The vehicle interior lighting device 1 is installed inside a vehicle such as an automobile, and illuminates the interior of the vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle interior lighting device 1 has a capacitive touch switch structure that allows the occupant to switch the light on and off by touching the light irradiation surface 13c of the lens 13, which is a part of the vehicle interior lighting device 1. have

In addition, in each of the following figures, each direction based on XYZ coordinates is illustrated. The Z direction corresponds to the light irradiation direction that is perpendicular to the light irradiation surface 13c of the lens 13, and, referring to FIG. 2, also follows the assembly direction of each element that constitutes the vehicle interior lighting device 1. The X direction and the Y direction are perpendicular to each other, and each is perpendicular to the Z direction. Among these, the X direction corresponds to the parallel direction of the two light sources 20.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle interior lighting device 1. The vehicle interior lighting device 1 includes a substrate 10, a prism 11, a housing 12, a lens 13, a bus bar 14, a console 15, and a bezel 16.

The substrate 10 includes a light source 20, an electrode pad 21, a control section 22, and a connector section 23. The light source 20 is, for example, an LED (light emitting diode) that emits light for illumination. In this embodiment, there are two light sources 20, as an example. The electrode pad 21 makes contact with a portion of the substrate connecting portion 14b of the bus bar 14. In this embodiment, since the bus bar 14 is provided for each light source 20, two electrode pads 21 are provided on the same surface side of the substrate 10 on which the light source 20 is installed. The control unit 22 controls the overall functions of the vehicle interior lighting device 1, and includes at least a microcomputer that performs control during electrostatic touch. The control part 22 is electrically connected to the electrode pad 21, and when a part of the human body such as a fingertip F (see FIG. 5, etc.) touches the light irradiation surface 13c of the lens 13, the contact between the electrode part 14a of the bus bar 14 and the human body is caused. The light source 20 is turned on/off by detecting a change in capacitance between the two. The connector portion 23 connects a connector on a wire harness wired inside the vehicle in which the vehicle interior lighting device 1 is installed.

The prisms 11 are optical elements that are provided directly above the light sources 20 and bend the light emitted from the light sources 20 in any direction. The prism 11 is integrally molded from a synthetic resin or the like that is insulating and optically transparent.

The housing 12 is a structure disposed opposite to the surface of the substrate 10 on the side where the light source 20 is provided. The housing 12 is integrally molded from synthetic resin or the like that has insulating properties and does not transmit light. Note that the housing 12 is sometimes called an inner cover. The housing 12 has two reflector parts 12a spaced apart from each other in accordance with the positions of the two light sources 20 on the substrate 10. The two reflector parts 12a have a mutually symmetrical shape, and each has a reflection part 12b, a support frame part 12c, and a lens facing part 12j (see FIG. 5 or 6).

The reflecting portion 12b is a wall portion that reflects the light emitted from the light source 20 and transmitted through the prism 11 and guides it to the light transmitting portion 13a of the lens 13. The reflecting portion 12b has, for example, a truncated quadrangular pyramid shape that expands from the first opening toward the second opening along the Z direction. In this case, the first opening in the portion corresponding to the apex of the square pyramid of the reflecting portion 12b connects the light emitting portion of the prism 11. On the other hand, a second opening located at a portion corresponding to the bottom surface of the square pyramid of the reflecting section 12b is opened toward the light transmitting section 13a.

The support frame portion 12c is an assembly of walls surrounding the first space S1 including an optical path through which light emitted from the light source 20 passes before reaching the light transmitting portion 13a of the lens 13. That is, the support frame portion 12c is configured by a combination of two wall portions that are approximately parallel to the XZ plane and two wall portions that are approximately parallel to the YZ plane. The support frame portion 12c supports the reflective portion 12b via the lens facing portion 12j on the side closer to the light transmitting portion 13a in the Z direction. Here, in the housing 12, since the two reflector parts 12a are provided spaced apart from each other in the X direction, a second space S2 is provided between the two reflector parts 12a. In the second space S2, at least the side of the housing 12 on which the bezel 16 is attached is open.

The lens opposing portion 12j is a wall portion located at the top of the housing 12 in the Z direction and parallel to the light transmitting portion 13a of the lens 13. The shape of the lens facing portion 12j is annular when viewed in the Z direction, and is set in accordance with the shape of the outer peripheral portion of the light transmitting portion 13a. A surface of the lens opposing portion 12j that faces the light transmitting portion 13a is a lens contact surface 12d. However, in this embodiment, the lens contact surface 12d does not come into direct contact with the light receiving surface 13d of the light transmitting section 13a, but rather indirectly through the conductive film 30 formed in advance on the light receiving surface 13d. come into contact with.

Further, the housing 12 has, for example, first protrusions 12g, which function as a locking mechanism when attaching the lens 13 to the housing 12, at a plurality of locations on the wall portion constituting the support frame portion 12c. Further, the housing 12 protrudes toward the console 15 along the Z direction at a plurality of locations on the wall that constitutes the support frame portion 12c, and functions as a locking mechanism when the housing 12 is attached to the console 15, for example. It has a first protruding piece 12f. The first protrusion piece 12f is formed with a first engagement hole 12h into which a second protrusion 15b previously provided on the console 15 engages.

3A and 3B are perspective views of the lens 13. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing the light receiving surface 13d and the second outer wall surface 13k located on the side opposite to the reflector section 12a in the holding structure section 13b when the lens 13 is attached to the housing 12. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the light-receiving surface 13d and the first outer wall surface 13h located on the side facing the reflector section 12a in the holding structure section 13b when the lens 13 is attached to the housing 12. A lens 13 is provided for each reflector portion 12a provided in the housing 12, that is, for each light source 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, there are two lenses 13 so as to be spaced apart from each other in accordance with the positions of the two reflector parts 12a. The two lenses 13 are symmetrical to each other.

The lens 13 is an optical component that transmits at least a portion of the light emitted from the light source 20 and guides it into the vehicle interior. The lens 13 is integrally molded from a synthetic resin or the like that has insulating properties and light transmittance. However, the lens 13 is not limited to a transparent member, and may be a so-called semi-transparent member. The lens 13 has a light transmitting section 13a and a holding structure section 13b.

The light transmitting portion 13a is a flat plate-like portion that transmits light emitted from the reflector portion 12a toward the interior of the vehicle. One main plane of the light transmitting portion 13a is a light irradiation surface 13c facing into the vehicle interior. The light irradiation surface 13c is a design surface because it faces the interior of the vehicle, and is also a touch surface that the passenger touches with his or her fingertip F when switching between lighting and extinguishing. The other main plane of the light transmitting section 13a is a light receiving surface 13d that is opposite to the light irradiating surface 13c and receives the light irradiated from the reflector section 12a side. Moreover, the light transmitting part 13a has a frame part 13e continuous with the outer periphery of the light irradiation surface 13c and the light receiving surface 13d.

In this embodiment, the planar shapes of the light irradiation surface 13c and the light receiving surface 13d are approximately rectangular, with the two sides along the X direction being the short sides, and the two sides along the Y direction being the long sides. be. Furthermore, when the lens 13 is attached to the housing 12, the outer peripheral portion of the light-receiving surface 13d faces the lens contact surface 12d of the housing 12, so the outer peripheral shape of the lens contact surface 12d also matches the planar shape of the light-receiving surface 13d. It is approximately rectangular.

The holding structure section 13b is a structure section for holding the bus bar 14. The holding structure portion 13b is an assembly of wall portions surrounding the third space S3, which is a space for accommodating the electrode portion 14a of the bus bar 14. The holding structure portion 13b has at least two walls facing each other in the X direction, that is, a first side wall portion 13f and a second side wall portion 13g. In addition, in this embodiment, the holding structure part 13b includes, in addition to the first side wall part 13f and the second side wall part 13g, two side wall parts facing each other in the Y direction, and a third side wall part as a whole along the Z direction. It has a rectangular cylindrical shape through which the space S3 passes.

Further, the holding structure section 13b has one end in the Z direction continuous with a part of the frame section 13e of the light transmitting section 13a, and extending from the light transmitting section 13a side toward the substrate 10 side along the Z direction. It is supported by the light transmitting part 13a so as to be stretched. That is, when viewed in the Z direction, the holding structure portion 13b is located outside the light irradiation surface 13c and the light receiving surface 13d. In this embodiment, the holding structure part 13b is supported by the light transmitting part 13a so as to be located in the second space S2 in the housing 12 when the lens 13 is attached to the housing 12.

The first side wall portion 13f is a wall portion that directly faces one wall portion that constitutes the support frame portion 12c of the reflector portion 12a when the lens 13 is attached to the housing 12. The first side wall portion 13f may be approximately parallel to the XZ plane, but the first side wall portion 13f may be inclined so as to gradually move away from the reflector portion 12a side along the X direction as it moves away from the light transmitting portion 13a side along the Z direction. You can leave it there. The first side wall portion 13f includes a first outer wall surface 13h on the side facing the support frame portion 12c, and a first inner wall surface 13i on the side facing the third space S3. Further, the first inner wall surface 13i becomes a surface that comes into contact with the second main plane 14d of the electrode section 14a when the electrode section 14a of the bus bar 14 is accommodated in the third space S3.

The second side wall portion 13g is a wall portion that faces the first side wall portion 13f via the third space S3. The second side wall portion 13g is approximately parallel to the XZ plane. The second side wall portion 13g includes a second inner wall surface 13j facing the third space S3, and a second outer wall surface 13k on the opposite side to the second inner wall surface 13j. Further, the second side wall portion 13g has two protrusions 13m that protrude from the second inner wall surface 13j toward the first side wall portion 13f. When the electrode portion 14a of the bus bar 14 is accommodated in the third space S3, the spring portion 14e provided on the electrode portion 14a engages with the protrusion 13m.

Furthermore, a thin conductive film 30 is formed on the light receiving surface 13d of the light transmitting section 13a and the first outer wall surface 13h of the holding structure section 13b (see FIG. 5, etc.). It is desirable that the conductive film 30 be formed on the entire surface of the light receiving surface 13d and the first outer wall surface 13h. The conductive film 30 formed on the light receiving surface 13d and the conductive film 30 formed on the first outer wall surface 13h are continuous with each other. The conductive film 30 may be formed by coating a conductive substance such as ITO (indium tin oxide) or silver nanoparticles on the light receiving surface 13d and the first outer wall surface 13h. Further, the conductive film 30 is not limited to a transparent material, and may be made of a so-called semi-transparent material.

Moreover, the holding structure part 13b has a locking part 13n that locks a part of the board connection part 14b of the busbar 14 when the electrode part 14a of the busbar 14 is accommodated in the third space S3. The locking part 13n has a flat plate part parallel to the substrate 10, and contacts a part of the board connecting part 14b on the surface facing the board 10, thereby fixing a part of the board connecting part 14b to the board 10 side. Lock it by pressing it against it. In order to ensure rigidity, the locking portion 13n may be reinforced by a reinforcing plate 13p provided on the side opposite to the side facing the substrate 10.

Further, the lens 13 has second portions at a plurality of locations on the frame portion 13e of the light transmitting portion 13a that protrude toward the console 15 along the Z direction and function as a locking mechanism when the lens 13 is attached to the housing 12. It has a protruding piece 13r. The second protruding piece 13r is formed with a second engagement hole 13s into which a first protrusion 12g provided in the housing 12 is engaged.

4A and 4B are perspective views of the bus bar 14. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the first principal plane 14c of the electrode portion 14a. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the second main plane 14d of the electrode section 14a. A bus bar 14 is provided for each reflector portion 12a provided in the housing 12, that is, for each light source 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, there are two bus bars 14 so as to be spaced apart from each other in accordance with the positions of the two reflector parts 12a. The two bus bars 14 have a mutually symmetrical shape.

The bus bar 14 is a conductive metal member that contacts both the lens 13 and the electrode pad 21 on the substrate 10 . The bus bar 14 may be formed by appropriately processing a thin metal plate, such as pressing, cutting, drilling, or bending. The bus bar 14 includes an electrode portion 14a and a substrate connection portion 14b that are integrated with each other.

The electrode part 14a is a flat plate-shaped part accommodated in the third space S3 provided in the holding structure part 13b of the lens 13. The planar shape of the electrode portion 14a is a substantially rectangular shape in which the two sides along the Z direction are short sides, and the two sides along the Y direction are long sides. The electrode portion 14a has a first principal plane 14c which is one principal plane, and a second principal plane 14d which is the other principal plane opposite to the first principal plane 14c. As described above, the second main plane 14d comes into contact with the first inner wall surface 13i of the holding structure section 13b when the electrode section 14a is accommodated in the third space S3.

Moreover, the electrode part 14a has a plurality of spring parts 14e. In this embodiment, there are two spring parts 14e lined up along the Y direction. The spring portion 14e is an elastic piece formed by processing a part of the thin metal plate that constitutes the electrode portion 14a so as to be able to apply force outward from the first principal plane 14c side. The spring portion 14e engages with the projection portion 13m of the holding structure portion 13b while applying a biasing force when the electrode portion 14a is accommodated in the third space S3.

Here, the distance between the first side wall part 13f and the second side wall part 13g in the holding structure part 13b of the lens 13 is determined by the above-mentioned distance related to the contact or engagement of each part when the electrode part 14a is housed in the third space S3. It is sufficient if the dimensions are set to a degree that satisfies the following conditions. Regarding the planar dimensions of the electrode section 14a, the second main plane 14d is as wide as possible, sandwiching the conductive film 30 formed on the first outer wall surface 13h of the holding structure section 13b and the first side wall section 13f. It is desirable that they be set so that they face each other in range.

The substrate connecting portion 14b is a so-called leg portion in which a portion is continuous with the electrode portion 14a and the other portion is in contact with the electrode pad 21 on the substrate 10. The board connecting portion 14b is formed by bending an elongated flat plate portion, and includes a base portion 14g and a contact portion 14h. The base portion 14g is a flat plate portion whose one end is continuous with the electrode portion 14a and the other end is continuous with the contact portion 14h, and is maintained in a position approximately parallel to the substrate 10. The contact portion 14h is a curved plate portion whose end opposite to the side continuous with the base 14g is a free end, and is bent so as to be convex from the base 14g side toward the substrate 10 side. A hemispherical indent 14i that directly contacts the electrode pad 21 may be formed at the top of the contact portion 14h. The indent 14i contacts the electrode pad 21 at a point and allows the contact portion 14h to slide on the electrode pad 21 when pressed against the electrode pad 21, which is advantageous in ensuring contact reliability. obtain.

The console 15 is, for example, a housing having an accommodation opening 15d open in the Z direction, and housing the substrate 10, prism 11, housing 12, lens 13, and bus bar 14 from the accommodation opening 15d. By attaching the console 15 to the inner wall or the like of the vehicle interior, the vehicle interior lighting device 1 is installed in the vehicle interior. The console 15 is integrally molded with a synthetic resin or the like that has insulating properties and does not transmit light.

Furthermore, the console 15 has a pedestal structure 15a that includes a pedestal on which the board 10 is placed, or pins for positioning the board 10 on the pedestal. Furthermore, the console 15 has second protrusions 15b at a plurality of internal locations that function as a locking mechanism when the housing 12 is attached to the console 15. Furthermore, the console 15 has third protrusions 15c at a plurality of locations on the wall portion, which function as a locking mechanism when the bezel 16 is attached to the console 15.

The bezel 16 is a flat lid that is attached to the console 15 housing each component so as to close the housing opening 15d of the console 15. In other words, the bezel 16 is also a design component facing into the vehicle interior. The bezel 16 is integrally molded with a synthetic resin or the like that has insulating properties and does not transmit light.

Furthermore, the bezel 16 has a plurality of openings 16a that expose the light irradiation surface 13c of the lens 13 toward the interior of the vehicle. In this embodiment, since there are two lenses 13, there are also two openings 16a. Further, the bezel 16 has third protruding pieces 16b at multiple locations on the frame end that protrude toward the console 15 along the Z direction and function as a locking mechanism when the housing 12 is attached to the console 15. A third engagement hole 16c is formed in the third protruding piece 16b, into which a third protrusion 15c previously provided on the console 15 engages.

5 and 6 are partial cross-sectional views of the vehicle interior lighting device 1. FIG. FIG. 5 corresponds to the VV cross section in FIG. 1, and shows the spring portion 14e of the bus bar 14 and the protrusion 13m of the holding structure portion 13b with which the spring portion 14e engages with respect to one lens 13 side. It is a diagram cut along an XZ plane so as to pass through the image. FIG. 6 corresponds to the VI-VI cross section in FIG. 1, and is a view taken along the XZ plane so as to pass through the electrode portion 14a and the substrate connection portion 14b in the bus bar 14 with respect to one lens 13 side.

In this embodiment, the bus bar 14 is attached to the holding structure 13b of the lens 13. At this time, the electrode portion 14a of the bus bar 14 is inserted into the third space S3 between the first side wall portion 13f and the second side wall portion 13g. As shown in FIG. 5, the spring portion 14e provided in advance on the electrode portion 14a engages with the protrusion 13m protruding from the second side wall portion 13g, and applies a biasing force to the protrusion 13m. As a result, the second main plane 14d of the electrode portion 14a is pressed against and in close contact with the first inner wall surface 13i of the first side wall portion 13f. On the other hand, in the first side wall portion 13f, a conductive film 30 forming a capacitance is formed on the first outer wall surface 13h opposite to the first inner wall surface 13i. That is, the second main plane 14d of the electrode portion 14a and the conductive film 30 on the first outer wall surface 13h face each other and communicate with each other via the first side wall portion 13f.

Furthermore, when the busbar 14 is attached to the holding structure 13b, the locking part 13n provided in advance on the holding structure 13b is attached to the busbar in the vicinity of the electrode pad 21 on the substrate 10, as shown in FIG. The base portion 14g at the board connection portion 14b of No. 14 comes into contact with the base portion 14g. Here, the housing 12 is pre-formed with a through portion 12e that penetrates the second space S2 and the back surface side where the substrate 10 is disposed. As a result, when the lens 13 with the bus bar 14 attached to the holding structure 13b is attached to the housing 12, a part of the substrate connecting portion 14b is exposed from the second space S2 side to the substrate 10 side. In this state, the housing 12 to which the lens 13 is attached is assembled into the console 15, so that the contact portion 14h on the board connecting portion 14b comes into contact with the electrode pad 21 on the board 10. Since the contact portion 14h is bent in advance so as to be convex from the base 14g side to the substrate 10 side and is continuous with the substrate connection portion 14b, it is always pressed onto the electrode pad 21 by elastic force.

Further, the electrode portion 14a is inserted into the third space S3 from the tip side opposite to the side where the holding structure portion 13b is continuous with the light transmitting portion 13a in the Z direction. In this case, after the electrode part 14a is inserted into the third space S3, the spring part 14e has a shape that applies a biasing force to the protrusion part 13m from a direction approximately opposite to the insertion direction. As a result, the spring portion 14e and the base portion 14g sandwich a portion of the holding structure portion 13b, so that the bus bar 14 is stably supported with respect to the holding structure portion 13b.

In the lens 13, a conductive film 30 that is continuous with that formed on the first outer wall surface 13h of the holding structure section 13b is also formed on the light receiving surface 13d of the light transmitting section 13a. As a result, the light irradiation surface 13c of the lens 13 becomes a touch surface, and a capacitive touch switch structure is configured in which lighting and extinguishing are switched by the passenger touching the light irradiation surface 13c.

In such a capacitive touch switch structure, first, as an initial state, the light source 20 is off and the vehicle interior lighting device 1 is turned off, but the control unit 22 continues to monitor the capacitance. . When an occupant inside the vehicle touches the light irradiation surface 13c of the lens 13 from this state, the capacitance generated between the occupant's fingertip F and the electrode portion 14a of the bus bar 14 changes. Then, the control section 22 detects a change in capacitance via the substrate connection section 14b of the bus bar 14 and the electrode pad 21, and turns on the light source 20 based on the detection. As a result, the vehicle interior lighting device 1 lights up.

Subsequently, when the occupant touches the light irradiation surface 13c, the capacitance generated between the fingertip F and the electrode section 14a changes again, so the control section 22 controls the change in capacitance in the same manner as described above. is detected, and the light source 20 is switched off based on the detection. As a result, the vehicle interior lighting device 1 is turned off.

Next, the effects of the vehicle interior lighting device 1 will be explained.

The vehicle interior lighting device 1 includes a light source 20, a conductive bus bar 14 having a flat electrode portion 14a, and a light transmitting portion 13a that transmits light emitted from the light source 20 toward the vehicle interior. The lens 13 includes a holding structure part 13b that holds the electrode part 14a. In addition, the vehicle interior lighting device 1 includes a conductive film 30 that is formed on a part of the lens 13 and has light transmittance, and a part of the human body that touches the light irradiation surface 13c of the light transmitting part 13a and the electrode part 14a. and a control unit 22 that switches the light source 20 on and off according to changes in capacitance between the light sources 20 and 20. The holding structure part 13b has a wall part that makes contact with the second main plane 14d that is the main plane of the electrode part 14a, and also has a wall part that contacts the second main plane 14d that is the main plane of the electrode part 14a, and also has a wall part that contacts the light receiving surface 13d that is on the back side of the light irradiation surface 13c when viewed in the light irradiation direction. located on the outside. The conductive film 30 is formed on the light-receiving surface 13d and on the first outer wall surface 13h on the opposite side to the first inner wall surface 13i, which is the surface in contact with the second main plane 14d of the electrode section 14a on the wall of the holding structure section 13b. It is formed. The conductive film 30 formed on the light receiving surface 13d and the conductive film 30 formed on the first outer wall surface 13h are continuous with each other.

In this vehicle interior lighting device 1, as a part of the lens 13, for example, the first side wall portion 13f, which is the wall portion included in the holding structure portion 13b, has a first inner wall surface 13i. On the other hand, as a part of the bus bar 14, the flat electrode portion 14a has a second main plane 14d. Since the first inner wall surface 13i and the second principal plane 14d are in contact with each other, the lens 13 and the bus bar 14 are physically continuous with each other. As shown in FIG. 6, the holding structure portion 13b including the portion where the first inner wall surface 13i and the second principal plane 14d are in contact is located at the light transmitting portion 13a when viewed in the direction of light irradiation corresponding to the Z direction. It is located outside the light receiving surface 13d. That is, the bus bar 14 is not located on the side facing the light receiving surface 13d in the Z direction, that is, on the light receiving surface 13d.

Here, in the vehicle interior lighting device 1, the conductive film 30 is formed on the light receiving surface 13d of the light transmitting section 13a and the first outer wall surface 13h of the holding structure section 13b on the opposite side to the first inner wall surface 13i. Ru. Further, the conductive film 30 formed on the light receiving surface 13d and the conductive film 30 formed on the first outer wall surface 13h are continuous with each other. In this case, the first inner wall surface 13i and the first outer wall surface 13h are in a front-back relationship in the first side wall portion 13f, and are therefore close to each other. In other words, the electrode portion 14a of the bus bar 14 that contacts the first inner wall surface 13i and the conductive film 30 formed on the first outer wall surface 13h are close to each other surface-to-plane via the first side wall portion 13f. . Therefore, even if a part of the bus bar 14 is not located on the light receiving surface 13d, the light irradiation surface 13c can be used as a touch surface that is touched by a fingertip F as a part of the human body, while maintaining capacitance detection accuracy. A functional capacitive touch switch structure can be realized.

In the vehicle interior lighting device 1, since the bus bar 14 is not located on the side facing the light receiving surface 13d of the light transmitting section 13a in the Z direction, the degree of freedom in the layout regarding the first space S1 or its vicinity in the above example is reduced. can be improved.

Here, as a comparative example, when the light irradiation surface 13c is used as a touch surface, in order to reduce the distance between a part of the human body and the bus bar, a part of the bus bar is arranged on the side facing the light receiving surface 13d in the Z direction. Consider the case. In this case, a part of the bus bar is provided, for example, on the back surface 12i of the lens facing portion 12j of the housing 12 on the opposite side to the lens contact surface 12d. Therefore, the lens contact surface 12d is required to have a width sufficient to accommodate a portion of the bus bar, and as a result, there may be significant restrictions on the shape or structure of the reflector portion 12a including the reflective portion 12b.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the vehicle interior lighting device 1 illustrating another shape of the housing 12 corresponding to the drawing in FIG. 6 . In contrast to the above comparative example, in the vehicle interior lighting device 1, there is no need to arrange the bus bar 14 on the back surface 12i of the lens facing portion 12j. Therefore, for example, the shape of the lens facing portion 12j in the housing 12 can be made compact as shown in FIG. will improve. Alternatively, in the vehicle interior lighting device 1, since there is no need to arrange the bus bar 14 on the back surface 12i of the lens facing portion 12j, the reflector portion 12a may adopt a structure in which the lens facing portion 12j itself is not provided.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the vehicle interior lighting device 1 that improves the degree of freedom in design.

Further, in the vehicle interior lighting device 1, the holding structure section 13b includes a first side wall section 13f that faces the optical path through which the light emitted from the light source 20 passes before reaching the light transmitting section 13a, and a first side wall section 13f. may have a second side wall portion 13g facing the side opposite to the side facing the optical path. The electrode portion 14a is held between the first side wall portion 13f and the second side wall portion 13g. The wall portion with which the second main plane 14d of the electrode portion 14a comes into contact is the first side wall portion 13f.

The first side wall portion 13f has a first inner wall surface 13i with which the second main plane 14d of the electrode portion 14a of the bus bar 14 comes into contact. According to this vehicle interior lighting device 1, since the first side wall portion 13f is provided so as to face the optical path through which the light emitted from the light source 20 passes before reaching the light transmitting portion 13a, the first inner wall surface 13i, and by extension the second principal plane 14d, similarly oppose the optical path. Therefore, the holding structure part 13b can hold the electrode part 14a so as to extend into the space on the optical path side, that is, the first space S1 in the above example. Therefore, the holding structure part 13b can also hold the electrode part 14a between the first side wall part 13f and the second side wall part 13g, and can be used stably and compactly in the vehicle interior lighting device 1. A bus bar 14 can be arranged.

Further, in the vehicle interior lighting device 1, the second side wall portion 13g may have a projection portion 13m that projects toward the first side wall portion 13f. The electrode part 14a may include a spring part 14e that applies an outward biasing force from the first main plane 14c on the opposite side to the second main plane 14d that contacts the first side wall part 13f. The spring portion 14e engages with the projection portion 13m while applying a biasing force when the electrode portion 14a is inserted between the first side wall portion 13f and the second side wall portion 13g.

According to this vehicle interior lighting device 1, when the electrode portion 14a is held by the holding structure portion 13b, the spring portion 14e applies a biasing force to the second side wall portion 13g, so that the entire electrode portion 14a is , and is pressed against the first side wall portion 13f. In other words, the second main plane 14d of the electrode section 14a comes into close contact with the first inner wall surface 13i of the first side wall section 13f, which may be more advantageous in terms of maintaining capacitance detection accuracy, for example. .

Further, the vehicle interior lighting device 1 may include a substrate 10 on which an electrode pad 21 electrically connected to the control section 22 is mounted. The bus bar 14 may have a substrate connecting portion 14b formed in such a shape that a portion thereof is continuous with the electrode portion 14a and the other portion is in contact with the electrode pad 21.

According to this vehicle interior lighting device 1, the board connecting portion 14b can be formed as illustrated above, and the shape or structure of the bus bar 14 and, ultimately, each part related to the connection with the bus bar 14 can be simplified, or the This can be advantageous in reducing the number of parts constituting the indoor lighting device 1.

In the above description, regarding the light transmitting portion 13a of the lens 13, it is assumed that approximately the entire surface of the light irradiation surface 13c, which is a touch surface, irradiates light into the vehicle interior. However, this embodiment is not limited to such a configuration of the light transmitting section 13a. For example, the light transmitting portion 13a may have a transmitting portion consisting of only characters or symbols, and may have a configuration in which light is not transmitted from surfaces other than the characters or symbols.

Although this embodiment has been described above, this embodiment is not limited to these, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of this embodiment.

1 Vehicle interior lighting device 10 Substrate 13 Lens 13a Light transmitting part 13b Holding structure part 13c Light irradiation surface 13d Light receiving surface 13f First side wall part 13g Second side wall part 13h First outer wall surface 13m Projection part 14 Bus bar 14a Electrode part 14b Board connection Part 14c First main plane 14d Second main plane 14e Spring part 20 Light source 21 Electrode pad 22 Control part 30 Conductive film

Claims (4)

a light source and
A bus bar having a flat electrode part and having conductivity;
a lens having a light transmitting part that transmits light emitted from the light source toward a vehicle interior; and a holding structure part that holds the electrode part;
a conductive film that is formed on a part of the lens and has optical transparency;
a control unit that turns on/off the light source in accordance with a change in capacitance between a part of the human body touching the light irradiation surface of the light transmitting unit and the electrode unit;
The holding structure portion has a wall portion that contacts the main plane of the electrode portion, and is located outside the light receiving surface on the back side of the light irradiation surface when viewed in the direction of irradiation of the light,
The conductive film is formed on the light-receiving surface and an outer wall surface of the wall portion of the holding structure portion that is opposite to the surface that is in contact with the main plane of the electrode portion,
In the vehicle interior lighting device, the conductive film formed on the light receiving surface and the conductive film formed on the outer wall surface are continuous with each other. The holding structure portion includes a first side wall portion facing an optical path through which the light emitted from the light source passes before reaching the light transmitting portion, and a side where the first side wall portion faces the optical path. and a second side wall portion facing each other on the opposite side,
The electrode part is held between the first side wall part and the second side wall part,
The vehicle interior lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the wall portion with which the main plane of the electrode portion comes into contact is the first side wall portion. The second side wall has a protrusion that protrudes toward the first side wall,
The electrode part has a spring part that applies an outward biasing force from a main plane opposite to the main plane that contacts the first side wall part,
According to claim 2, the spring portion engages with the protrusion while applying the biasing force when the electrode portion is inserted between the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion. The vehicle interior lighting system described. comprising a substrate mounted with an electrode pad that is electrically connected to the control unit;
4 . The bus bar has a substrate connecting portion formed in such a shape that a part of the bus bar is continuous with the electrode part and another part of the bus bar is in contact with the electrode pad. 4 . car interior lighting system.

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