JP7413737B2 - Vehicle lights - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp.

Conventionally, a vehicle lamp that emits light from an organic EL panel has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). Such a vehicle lamp includes, for example, a flexible printed circuit board, and the organic EL panel is electrically connected to the flexible printed circuit board, so that power is supplied from the flexible printed circuit board to the organic EL panel.

JP2017-27661A

However, in the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1, the flexible printed circuit board and the electrode part of the organic EL panel must be connected one by one, for example, via lands, and when there are multiple connection points, it is necessary to connect the flexible printed circuit board and the electrode part of the organic EL panel one by one. This could have resulted in a large increase in man-hours.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle that can prevent a large increase in the number of work steps when making electrical connections with a plurality of electrode parts. The aim is to provide lighting equipment for

A vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a light emitting part that emits light and a blank space provided adjacent to the light emitting part and in which a plurality of electrode parts for supplying power to the light emitting part are formed. and first and second brackets that maintain the posture of the organic EL panel by sandwiching and holding the margin portion of the organic EL panel, the first and second brackets at least one of which integrally includes a bus bar having a plurality of contact portions having spring properties, and with the margin portion disposed between the first and second brackets, the first and second brackets are connected to each other. By assembling, the plurality of contact portions are electrically connected to the plurality of electrode portions, and the organic EL panel has an opening formed in a portion of the margin portion where the plurality of electrode portions are not provided, and The first and second brackets each have a rib inserted into the opening, one of the ribs of the first and second brackets is cylindrical, and the other is inserted into one cylinder.

According to the present invention, at least one of the first and second brackets integrally includes a bus bar having a plurality of contact portions having spring properties, and a blank portion is disposed between the first and second brackets. By assembling the first and second brackets, the plurality of contact portions are electrically connected to the plurality of electrode portions. Therefore, electrical connections can be made all at once using the first and second brackets required to maintain the posture of the organic EL panel, and there is no need to make electrical connections one by one. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a large increase in the number of man-hours required for electrical connection with a plurality of electrode parts.

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a vehicle lamp according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a first perspective view showing details of the surface light emitter shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a second perspective view showing details of the surface light emitter shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing details of the surface light emitter shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the organic EL panel shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the vicinity of the fixed portion shown in FIG. 3; 5 is a perspective view conceptually showing the second bracket shown in FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing how a contact part and an electrode part are connected. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views of a surface light emitter, in which (a) shows a cross section taken along the line AA in FIG. 2, and (b) shows a partially enlarged cross section of (a). FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the back side of the surface light emitter shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained along with preferred embodiments. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, in the embodiments described below, illustrations and explanations of some components are omitted, but the details of the omitted techniques will be described within the scope of not contradicting the content described below. It goes without saying that publicly known or well-known techniques are applied as appropriate.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a vehicle lamp according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle lamp 1 is a lamp installed in a vehicle as a brake lamp, a direction indicator, or the like, and includes a surface light emitter 10, a housing 20, and a transparent member 30.

The surface light emitting body 10 includes an organic EL panel 11 (see FIG. 2 described later) that functions as a surface light emitting element, and emits light from the organic EL panel 11. The housing 20 is a member that houses the surface light emitter 10 together with the transparent member 30, and in this embodiment is made of, for example, a resin material that does not transmit light. The transmitting member 30 is a light-transmissive member provided in front of the surface light emitter 10 and allows light from the surface light emitter 10 to pass through to the outside.

In FIG. 1, the transparent member 30 is formed to have a flat plate shape in cross section, but it is not limited to this, and may have other shapes such as a plano-convex shape or a biconvex shape depending on the purpose. Further, the housing 20 is not limited to a resin material, but may be made of metal in consideration of heat dissipation, and may be formed with an opening for heat dissipation as appropriate. Further, the vehicle lamp 1 may include other members such as a heat sink.

FIG. 2 is a first perspective view showing details of the surface light emitter 10 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a second perspective view showing details of the surface light emitter 10 shown in FIG. Moreover, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing details of the surface light emitter 10 shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the surface light emitter 10 is an organic EL panel that is approximately rectangular in plan view (including not only a perfect rectangle but also a roughly rectangular shape with rounded corners, for example). 11, a first bracket 12, and a second bracket 13, which are stacked.

As shown in FIG. 4, the organic EL panel 11 includes a light emitting section 11a and a margin section 11b. The light emitting part 11a is a part that emits light by receiving power supply. In this embodiment, the light emitting section 11a is formed in a rectangular shape and is biased towards one corner 11c of the organic EL panel 11.

The margin portion 11b is a portion provided adjacent to the light emitting portion 11a, and in this embodiment is formed into a rectangular shape so as to cover the periphery of the rectangular light emitting portion 11a. The light emitting section 11a according to this embodiment is biased towards one corner 11c of the organic EL panel 11. Therefore, the margin portion 11b has a larger area on the opposite corner 11d side, and a smaller area on the corner 11c side.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the organic EL panel 11 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of electrode parts 11e for supplying power to the light emitting part 11a are formed in the margin part 11b of the organic EL panel 11. The plurality of electrode portions 11e are formed on the back surface of the margin portion 11b on the corner portion 11d side. The electrode parts 11e are formed in five groups (total 10 pieces) of two electrode parts in the margin part 11b, three groups are formed on the long side 11f side, and two groups are formed on the short side 11g side. There is.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a plurality of openings 11h are formed in the margin 11b of the organic EL panel 11. The plurality of openings 11h are formed in the margin portion 11b at locations where the plurality of electrode portions 11e are not provided (so as to avoid the plurality of electrode portions 11e). Specifically, a total of seven openings 11h are formed so as to be arranged on both sides of the five groups of electrode sections 11e.

Although the organic EL panel 11 has a rectangular shape in this embodiment, it is not limited to a rectangular shape, and may have a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a triangular shape, a polygonal shape with five or more sides, etc. good. Further, in this embodiment, the organic EL panel 11 is assumed to have a bendable flexible structure, but is not particularly limited to a flexible structure.

The first and second brackets 12 and 13 are resin parts that sandwich and hold the margin portion 11b of the organic EL panel 11. In the first and second brackets 12 and 13, the first bracket 12 is located on the light output side of the organic EL panel 11, and the second bracket 13 is located on the back side of the organic EL panel 11.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the first and second brackets 12 and 13 are approximately L-shaped in plan view, and are configured to sandwich two sides of the corner portion 11d, which is the wide side of the margin portion 11b. It has become. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the first and second brackets 12 and 13 have a curved structure in which one side of the L shape is convex toward the light output side, and hold the organic EL panel 11 in a curved state. It is configured to do this.

The first and second brackets 12 and 13 are provided with a plurality of fixing parts 12a and 13a. Two fixing portions 12a and 13a are formed on each side of the first and second brackets 12 and 13 that are L-shaped. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the vicinity of the fixing parts 12a and 13a shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the first fixing portion 12a is formed on the first bracket 12. As shown in FIGS. This first fixing portion 12a is constituted by a plate-like member having an opening. In the first fixing part 12a, only the side part 12b on the light output side is integrated with the main body side of the first bracket 12 so that it can be bent, and a groove is formed in the side part 12c so that the first bracket 12 can be bent. It is separated from the main body side.

As shown in FIG. 6, the second fixing portion 13a is formed on the second bracket 13. This second fixing portion 13a is constituted by a protrusion 13c having an inclined surface 13b. The inclined surface 13b is formed facing the light exit side. Therefore, when assembling the first bracket 12 to the second bracket 13, the free end side of the first fixing part 12a bends along the inclined surface 13b and climbs over the protrusion 13c, so that the protrusion 13c is attached to the first fixing part 13c. It will fit into the opening of the portion 12a. As a result, the first and second brackets 12 and 13 are assembled, and the organic EL panel 11 disposed therebetween is clamped and fixed.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the second bracket 13 has a plurality of attachment parts 13m. The plurality of attachment portions 13m are portions that protrude outward from the L-shaped main body portion of the second bracket 13. The plurality of mounting portions 13m have an opening formed at a substantially central position, and the second bracket 13 is fixed to the housing 20 (see FIG. 1) by screwing or the like through the openings of the plurality of mounting portions 13m. be able to. Thereby, the second bracket 13 (that is, the organic EL panel 11) can maintain a predetermined posture within the housing 20.

Further, the second bracket 13 according to the present embodiment integrally includes a bus bar B having a plurality of contact portions B1 having spring properties. FIG. 7 is a perspective view conceptually showing the second bracket 13 shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the second bracket 13 integrally has a bus bar B made of metal by insert molding. As shown in FIG. 4, in this bus bar B, a contact portion B1 having spring properties is exposed from the light exit side of the second bracket 13 made of resin. Note that the bus bar B is not limited to being insert molded, and may be integrated with the second bracket 13 by crimping or the like.

Furthermore, when the bus bar B is integrated with the second bracket 13, the position of the contact portion B1 matches the position of the electrode portion 11e of the organic EL panel 11 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, when the organic EL panel 11 according to the present embodiment is sandwiched between the first and second brackets 12 and 13, the contact portion B1 comes into contact with the electrode portion 11e and is electrically connected.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing how the contact portion B1 and the electrode portion 11e are connected. As shown in FIG. 8, the contact portion B1 having spring properties is in contact with the electrode portion 11e when the first and second brackets 12 and 13 are assembled. In particular, the contact portion B1 is in a state where it is urged toward the electrode portion 11e in the contact state, and is in a pressed state.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the surface light emitter 10 has the first and second brackets 12, 13 with the margin portion 11b of the organic EL panel 11 disposed between the first and second brackets 12, 13. 13, the plurality of contact portions B1 can be electrically connected to the plurality of electrode portions 11e.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the surface light emitter 10 includes first and second packings 14 and 15, as shown in FIG. The first packing 14 is an elastic member interposed between the first bracket 12 and the organic EL panel 11. The second packing 15 is an elastic member interposed between the organic EL panel 11 and the second bracket 13. The first and second packings 14 and 15 are made of, for example, a rubber member. By utilizing the elasticity of the first and second packings 14 and 15, it is possible to press and hold the organic EL panel 11 and easily fix the position.

In addition, openings 14a and 15a are formed in the first and second packings 14 and 15, respectively, corresponding to ribs (see symbols 12l and 13l), which will be described later. Further, a part of the opening 15a of the second packing 15 is a large opening 15b with a large opening area, into which ribs 12l and 13l, which will be described later, are inserted, as well as the plurality of contact parts B1 and the plurality of electrode parts described above. It is formed so as not to impede the electrical connection with 11e.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the surface light emitter 10, in which (a) shows the AA cross section in FIG. 2, and (b) shows a partially enlarged cross section of (a). As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the second bracket 13 has a plurality of ribs 13l that are inserted into the plurality of openings 11h of the organic EL panel 11. The plurality of ribs 13l have a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the first bracket 12 has a plurality of ribs 12l that protrude toward the back side thereof. The plurality of ribs 12l are also positioned so as to be inserted into the opening 11h formed in the organic EL panel 11 (particularly inside the cylindrical rib 13l).

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b), when the first and second brackets 12, 13 are assembled, the ribs 12l, 13l of both the first and second brackets 12, 13 are The organic EL panel 11 is inserted into the opening 11h of the organic EL panel 11, and the organic EL panel 11 is positioned.

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the back side of the surface light emitter 10 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the second bracket 13 further includes a connector portion 13i. The connector portion 13i is a fitting portion that is fitted with a mating connector. This connector portion 13i uses a part of the bus bar B as a terminal. Therefore, when the mating connector is fitted to the connector portion 13i, power is supplied to the bus bar B, and power is also supplied to the plurality of electrode portions 11e through the bus bar B.

Next, the operation of the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment will be explained together with the manufacturing process.

First, the first bracket 12, first packing 14, organic EL panel 11, second packing 15, and second bracket 13 described above are prepared and stacked in this order. Then, the first fixing part 12a of the first bracket 12 and the second fixing part 13a of the second bracket 13 are assembled. Thereby, the surface light emitter 10 according to this embodiment is manufactured.

At this time, the rib 13l of the second bracket 13 is inserted into the opening 11h of the organic EL panel 11 and the openings 14a and 15a of the first and second packings 14 and 15. Further, the rib 12l of the first bracket 12 is inserted into the cylindrical rib 13l. This results in a positioning effect.

Further, during this assembly, the contact portion B1 of the bus bar B integrated with the second bracket 13 is pressed into contact with the electrode portion 11e of the organic EL panel 11. In particular, there is no need to connect the plurality of electrode parts 11e one by one, and a large increase in the number of work steps can be prevented.

Next, the surface light emitter 10 is housed in the housing 20, and is attached to the housing 20 through the attachment portion 13m. By this attachment, the organic EL panel 11 of the surface light emitter 10 is attached to the housing 20 in a predetermined posture.

Thereafter, the mating connector is fitted into the connector portion 13i of the surface light emitter 10. Through this fitting operation, power can be supplied to the bus bar B. Therefore, the electrical connection work to the bus bar B can be simplified by simply fitting the connector. Thereafter, the transparent member 30 is attached to the housing 20, and the vehicle lamp 1 according to this embodiment is manufactured.

In this manner, according to the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment, the second bracket 13 integrally includes the bus bar B having a plurality of contact portions B1 having spring properties, and the first and second brackets 12, By assembling the first and second brackets 12 and 13 with the blank space 11b arranged between the contact portions B1 and the electrode portions 11e, the plurality of contact portions B1 are electrically connected to the plurality of electrode portions 11e. Therefore, electrical connections can be made all at once using the first and second brackets 12 and 13 necessary for maintaining the posture of the organic EL panel 11, and there is no need to make electrical connections one by one. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a large increase in the number of man-hours required for electrically connecting the plurality of electrode sections 11e.

In addition, since the second bracket 13 has a connector part 13i that uses a part of the bus bar B as a terminal, it is possible to supply power to the bus bar B by simply connecting the connector, which also simplifies the electrical connection work to the bus bar B. I will do it.

Further, the organic EL panel 11 has an opening 11h formed in the margin 11b, and the first and second brackets 12 and 13 have ribs 12l and 13l that are inserted into the opening 11h. When assembling the first and second brackets 12 and 13 with the blank space 11b arranged between the second brackets 12 and 13, the opening 11h and the ribs 12l and 13l exert a positioning effect. , it is possible to appropriately electrically connect the plurality of electrode parts 11e and the plurality of contact parts B1.

In addition, the first and second brackets 12 and 13 sandwich and hold the organic EL panel 11 across two sides of the substantially rectangular organic EL panel 11, so for example, the flexible organic EL panel 11 is held in a curved manner. If desired, it becomes easier to hold the curved surface by holding the two sides. Therefore, the organic EL panel 11 can be held suitably.

Moreover, since the first and second packings 14 and 15 are compressed and pressed when the first bracket 12 and the second bracket 13 are assembled, there is a gap between the first bracket 12 and the second bracket 13 in the assembly direction. The position of the organic EL panel 11 along the line can be easily fixed.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Known/well-known techniques may be combined.

For example, in the above embodiment, the bus bar B is integrated with the second bracket 13, but the first bracket 12 is not limited to the second bracket 13, and the first bracket 12 may be integrated with the bus bar B. Further, in the above embodiment, both the first and second brackets 12 and 13 have the ribs 12l and 13l, but the present invention is not limited to this, and only one of them may have the ribs. Further, if other positioning means are provided, the ribs 12l and 13l may not be provided.

Further, in this embodiment, the second bracket 13 has the connector portion 13i, but the first bracket 12 may have the connector portion 13i. Further, the first and second brackets 12 and 13 sandwich and hold the organic EL panel 11 over two sides of the substantially rectangular organic EL panel, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the organic EL panel 11 is held over three or more sides. 11 may be held in a pinched manner. In addition, the organic EL panel 11 is not limited to a rectangular shape, and may have various shapes. In particular, when the organic EL panel 11 has a circular shape or the like, it is preferable that the first and second brackets 12 and 13 sandwich and hold it over at least half the circumference.

1: Vehicle lamp 10: Surface light emitter 11: Organic EL panel 11a: Light emitting section 11b: Margin section 11e: Electrode section 11h: Opening section 12: First bracket 12l: Rib 13: Second bracket 13i: Connector section 13l: Rib 14: 1st packing (packing)
15: 2nd packing (packing)
B: Bus bar B1: Contact part

Claims (4)

an organic EL panel having a light emitting part that emits light and a blank space in which a plurality of electrode parts provided adjacent to the light emitting part for supplying power to the light emitting part are formed;
comprising first and second brackets that maintain the posture of the organic EL panel by sandwiching and holding the margin portion of the organic EL panel;
At least one of the first and second brackets integrally includes a bus bar having a plurality of contact portions having spring properties;
The plurality of contact portions are electrically connected to the plurality of electrode portions by assembling the first and second brackets with the margin portion disposed between the first and second brackets ,
In the organic EL panel, an opening is formed in a portion of the margin where the plurality of electrode portions are not provided,
The first and second brackets each have a rib inserted into the opening,
One of the ribs of the first and second brackets is cylindrical, and the other is inserted into one of the cylinders.
A vehicle lamp characterized by: The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second brackets has a connector portion using a part of the bus bar as a terminal. The organic EL panel has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above,
3. The first and second brackets sandwich and hold the organic EL panel over two or more sides of the substantially rectangular organic EL panel. Vehicle lights listed. Further comprising elastic packing between at least one of the first bracket and the organic EL panel and between the second bracket and the organic EL panel,
The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the packing is compressed when the first bracket and the second bracket are assembled.

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