JP3241305B2 - Illuminated license plate - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a character-type license plate, and more particularly, to a license plate using an EL luminous body so as to emit a number or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a number plate is a metal plate on which predetermined characters (including numbers) are written. The number plate is attached to the front and rear portions of a vehicle, and at the same time, it is mounted on a vehicle at night. It is illuminated by a number light.

In order to improve the visibility at night,
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an opening / closing frame 2 attached to the entire surface of the flat case 1 is punched with a predetermined ground color and three characters, and a transparent synthetic resin plate is applied to the three characters. In addition to fixing the attached license plate plate 4 and providing an illumination lamp 5 inside the case 1, there is also a character-type number in which characters on the license plate plate 4 are illuminated by the illumination lamp 5 at night or the like. Plates are also known.

As a light source of such a license plate, a light bulb is currently used. However, such a light bulb has a drawback that the character 3 cannot be uniformly illuminated unless a light dispersion plate or the like is used. E that emits light on the surface
A character-type license plate using an L illuminant has also been developed (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 58-41642, Japanese Utility Model Publication 7-5).
No. 2766). As shown in FIG. 5, such an EL luminous body 6 has a luminous body 61 formed of a transparent waterproof resin sheet 62.
The electrode terminals 63 for connecting to a power source extend from the luminous body 61 and project from the resin sheet 62. The conducting wire 7 is connected to the electrode terminal 63, and the conducting wire 7 is configured to be connected to the DC / AC converter 8. The DC / AC converter 8 is connected to a battery (not shown) of the vehicle, and converts the DC of the battery into AC to make the EL luminous body 6 emit light.

The illuminated license plate of a car is a typhoon,
It must be able to exhibit light even under severe weather conditions such as thunderstorms, climatic conditions such as use in coastal areas, and conditions where vibrations are constantly applied, so rust is generated by water, salt, etc. It is assumed that the luminous body itself is destroyed. It is known that when the DC / AC converter 8 fails, an overcurrent flows toward the battery. When the overcurrent flows in the direction of the battery in this way, electric equipment connected between the battery and the DC / AC converter 8, for example, a fuse of an automobile may be blown and a vehicle side light may be broken. Further, according to the conventional character-type license plate, when a failure occurs such that the EL illuminator 6 does not emit light, it is detected whether the DC / AC converter 8 or the EL illuminator 6 has a defect. There was also a disadvantage that it could not be done.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and in a light-emitting license plate using an EL illuminator, even if the light-operated license plate fails, electric equipment in a vehicle body is affected. It is another object of the present invention to provide a light-emitting license plate that can easily specify a failure location when a failure occurs.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above-mentioned problems, a character-type license plate according to the present invention is provided with an opening / closing frame attached to the entire surface of a case, which is colored in a prescribed ground color and has a character. A part is punched out, a number plate plate having a transparent synthetic resin plate adhered to the character part is fixed, and an EL luminous body connected to the battery of the automobile via a DC / AC converter is provided inside the case to form the character. In a character-type license plate in which a part is made to shine, the EL luminous body is a supporting part comprising an upper member and a lower member.
Is sealed supported by being sandwiched timber, said supporting member is freely together adapted to be supported in a suspended state attached to and detached from the open end of the case, the fuse is provided between the battery and the DC / AC converter It is characterized by having.

According to the present invention, since a fuse is provided between the DC / AC converter and the battery, when an overcurrent flows in a reverse direction, the fuse causes an overcurrent to the vehicle body.
Inflow of current can be prevented, and furthermore, when the illuminated license plate fails, there is an advantage that the location of the failure can be easily specified depending on whether or not the fuse is disconnected. The end of the EL luminous body was covered with a support member.
As a result, water does not enter the luminous body from the end,
In addition, instead of being on the bottom of the case, in the case
I supported it in a state. Water that has entered the case
It tends to flow along the inside or bottom of the case
By supporting in the suspended state, the EL luminous body surface
It is difficult for water or the like to come into contact with the surface, and durability is improved. further
The frame is supported by a support member, and the frame body
(E.g., flange)
Another advantage is that it can be easily replaced just by opening it.
You.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a light-emitting license plate according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the light-emitting license plate according to the present invention when an open / close frame is opened, and FIG. FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a main part.

As is apparent from these figures, the character-type license plate according to the present invention is provided with an opening / closing frame 2 attached to the entire surface of a flat case 1 and is colored in a prescribed ground color, and punches out three characters. A number plate 4 in which a transparent synthetic resin plate is adhered to the character 3 is fixed (see FIGS. 3 and 5), and an EL luminous body 6 is provided inside the case 1. The EL luminous body 6 is a luminous body 61
Is covered with a transparent waterproof resin sheet 62, and an electrode terminal 63 for connecting to a DC power supply (battery; not shown) is extended from the luminous body 61, and the resin sheet 62 is extended. It has a structure that protrudes from the cover. A conductor 7 is connected to the electrode terminal, and the conductor 7 is detachably connected to a DC / AC converter 8 via a watertight outlet 9 (see FIG. 2).

In the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the EL luminous body 6 is supported by a support member 9.
In this embodiment, the support member 9 is basically plate-shaped, has the same shape as the lower member 91 for fixing the EL luminous body 6 with an adhesive or the like, and protrudes in the circumferential direction. Flange 921 and fitting projection 92 hanging downward
The EL luminous body 6 is sandwiched and fixed by fitting the lower member 91 to the fitting protrusion 922 of the upper member 92. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the EL luminous body 6 is sandwiched between the lower member 91 and the upper member 92, and has a structure sealed with the support member 9. Therefore, the upper member 92 is made of a transparent or translucent resin or the like, so that the light of the EL luminous body 6 is transmitted upward.

The portion connected to the conductor connected to the electrode terminal 63 of the EL luminous body 6 extends below the gap between the upper member 92 and the lower member 91 and is connected to the DC / DC connector via the watertight outlet C1. It is detachably connected to the AC converter 8 (connectable-disconnectable). At this time, the DC / AC converter 8 is preferably stored in a watertight container. Similarly, the DC / AC converter 8 is detachably connected (connectable / disconnectable) to the fuse 10 via a watertight outlet C2, and the fuse 10 is configured to be connected to a DC power supply outside the case 1. .

On the other hand, a flange 11 is formed at the peripheral end of the case 1 over the entire circumference.
The sealing material 1 which is also elastic over substantially the entire circumference
2 are formed. When the opening and closing frame 2 is closed, the sealing material 12 comes into contact with the convex portion 41 of the license plate 4 attached to the opening and closing frame, and acts so as to prevent water or the like from entering the case 1. Has become.

As described above, the upper member 92 is formed with the flange 921 protruding all around in the circumferential direction. This flange 921 protrudes in the circumferential direction from the upper end of the upper member. The EL luminous body 6 supported by the support member 9 is supported by placing the flange 921 on the flange 11 of the case 1. For this reason, the EL luminous body 6 is provided in the case 1 in a so-called suspended state. Further, the flange 921 is provided so as not to be in contact with the sealing material 12, and even when water invades beyond the sealing material 12, most of the water is removed from the wall surface of the case 1 or the flange 11. It moves downward along.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the DC / AC converter 8 fails and an overcurrent flows, the fuse 10 provided between the DC / AC converter 8 and the power supply is provided.
The disconnection does not affect the electric equipment of the vehicle body. On the other hand, when the EL luminous body 6 fails, no overcurrent flows, so that the fuse 10
No disconnection occurs. For this reason, when the light-emitting license plate stops emitting light, it is possible to identify the failure location by checking whether the fuse 10 is disconnected. Therefore, the faulty part may be replaced. At this time, since the EL light emitter 6 and the DC / AC converter 8 and the DC / AC converter 8 and the fuse are detachably connected by watertight outlets C1 and C2, both parts can be easily replaced.

Further, in the above embodiment, the EL luminous body 6 is supported by being sandwiched between the upper member 92 and the lower member 91, and the EL luminous body 6 can be supported in a suspended state in the case 1. Since the risk of exposure to water, salt, and the like entering along the surface of the case 1 is reduced, and the EL luminous body 6 is sealed with the support member, it is possible to prevent water, salt, and the like from entering. Can be. Further, when the EL luminous body 6 is transported as a part or stored, there is no possibility that the EL luminous body 6 is bent, and when the EL luminous body 6 is replaced, the converter 8 and the EL luminous body 6 are connected as described above. Connection is watertight outlet C1
Therefore, when the EL luminous body 6 breaks down, it can be easily replaced simply by disconnecting the outlet C1, which is extremely practical. Further, even when vibration is applied, there is also an advantage that vibration is absorptive due to the suspended state. In addition, since the light emitting portion is limited to the character portion, there is an advantage that the manufacturing cost is reduced.

[0017]

As described above , according to the present invention,
Since a fuse is provided between the DC / AC converter and the battery, if an overcurrent flows backward, the fuse can prevent the overcurrent from flowing into the vehicle body, and furthermore, the light-emitting license plate may fail. In this case, there is an advantage that it is easy to specify a failed portion depending on whether or not the fuse is disconnected. Also, the end of the EL luminous body
Because the part was covered with a support member, water from the end into the luminous body
No intrusion, and no
So that it was suspended in the air, so to speak. K
Water that has penetrated into the case along the inside or bottom of the case
To be supported in a suspended state.
This makes it difficult for water or the like to come into contact with the EL luminous body surface, making it durable.
The performance is improved. Further supported by a support member, and the frame
Place body on top of case (eg flange)
Easy replacement by simply opening the open / close frame
There is also an advantage that it is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an essential part when an open / close frame of an embodiment of a license plate according to the present invention is opened.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a conventional light-emitting license plate.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which an open / close frame of a conventional light-emitting license plate is opened.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which an open / close frame of a license plate using a conventional EL luminous body is opened.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case 2 Opening / closing frame 3 Character part 4 License plate 5 Illumination light 6 EL luminous body 61 EL luminous body 62 Resin sheet 63 Electrode terminal 7 Conducting wire 9 Supporting member 91 Lower member 92 Upper member 10 Fuse C1 Watertight outlet C2 Watertight outlet

Continued on the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60R 13/10 B60Q 1/56 G09F 7/00 G09F 13/22 G09F 21/04

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An opening / closing frame attached to the entire surface of a case,
An EL that is colored in a prescribed ground color and punches out a character portion, fixes a license plate plate having a transparent synthetic resin plate adhered to the character portion, and is connected to a vehicle battery via a DC / AC converter. In a character-type license plate in which a luminous body is provided inside a case so as to illuminate the character portion, the EL luminous body includes an upper member and a lower member.
It is sandwiched between support members made of material and hermetically supported,
The support member is detachably suspended from the open end of the case.
In conjunction adapted to be supported, shaped light-number plate, characterized in that a fuse between the battery and the DC / AC converter. 2. The illuminable license plate according to claim 1, wherein said fuse and said DC / AC converter are connected by a connectable and disconnectable watertight connector. 3. The illuminated license plate according to claim 1, wherein the EL luminous body and the DC / AC converter are connected by a connectable and disconnectable watertight connector.