JP7435424B2 - lighting equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lighting device.

Conventionally, an indoor lighting lamp has been known that includes a housing that is attached to the ceiling, a lens cover that is provided below the housing, a board that has a light source that is provided above the housing, and a board cover that covers the board. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

In the indoor lighting lamp described in Patent Document 1, the board cover is attached to the housing by fitting the claws of the housing into the holes in the board cover.

JP2018-192881A

When assembling a lighting device such as the indoor lighting lamp described in Patent Document 1 automatically by a robot, attaching the board cover to the housing involves temporarily placing the board cover on the housing, and removing the temporarily placed board. This is performed by a combination of pushing the cover in from above and fitting the claws of the housing into the fitting holes of the board cover.

However, if the position of the board cover shifts even slightly when temporarily placing it on the housing, the board cover may tilt, making it difficult to fit the claws on the housing and the fitting holes in the board cover by pushing them in. There is a possibility that it will not be possible.

An object of the present invention is to have a structure in which the board cover can be stably temporarily placed on the housing, and even when automatic assembly is performed by a robot, the occurrence of defective attachment of the board cover to the housing can be suppressed. The purpose of the present invention is to provide lighting devices.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides the following lighting devices [1] to [6].

[1] A substrate cover having a bottom wall, a first side wall continuous with the bottom wall and having a fitting hole, and a second side wall having an outwardly protruding claw that fits in the fitting hole. A light-emitting element and a switch for switching the operation of the light-emitting element are fixed by being sandwiched between the bottom wall of the board cover and the housing by fitting the claw into the fitting hole. A lighting device comprising: a substrate mounted on a plate; and a lens attached to the housing, serving as a light emitting surface, and wherein the claw is provided away from a tip of the second side wall.
[2] The lighting device according to [1] above, wherein the distance between the claw and the tip of the second side wall is 1 mm or more.
[3] The lighting device according to [1] or [2], wherein the claw is fitted into the fitting hole from inside the first side wall and exposed to the outside.
[4] A switch knob attached to the housing for operating the switch, the housing having a rail along the mounting direction of the switch knob in a portion where the switch knob is attached, and the switch knob The lighting device according to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein the lighting device has a linear groove corresponding to the rail, on which the rail slides during installation.
[5] The second sidewall includes two sidewalls that face each other with the substrate sandwiched therebetween, and the height of a portion of the area of the two sidewalls adjacent to the substrate is equal to or greater than the substrate. The lighting device according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the height of the housing side surface of the wiring board is 2 mm or more lower.
[6] According to any one of [1] to [5] above, the first side wall has slits continuous from the tip of the first side wall on both sides of at least some of the fitting holes. Lighting device as described.

According to the present invention, the circuit board cover can be stably temporarily placed on the housing, and even when automatic assembly is performed by a robot, the circuit board cover has a structure that prevents the occurrence of improper attachment to the housing. A lighting device can be provided.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lighting device according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the lighting device taken along section line AA in FIG. FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic cross-sectional views showing the board cover according to the embodiment of the present invention temporarily placed on the housing. FIG. 4(c) is a schematic cross-sectional view including a cross section of a claw provided without leaving the tip of the second side wall, as a comparative example. FIG. 5 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of the lighting device taken along section line BB in FIG. FIG. 6(a) is a perspective view of the switch knob seen from the back side, and FIG. 6(b) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the switch knob mounting portion of the housing. FIG. 7(a) is a perspective view of the housing viewed from the side on which the board cover is attached. FIG. 7(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state when the substrate is placed on the housing by the robot arm. FIG. 8(a) is a side view of the board cover according to the embodiment of the present invention, with the vicinity of the fitting hole enlarged. FIGS. 8(b) and 8(c) are side views of a substrate cover having a structure near the fitting hole that is different from that in FIG. 8(a) as a comparative example.

[Embodiment]
(Configuration of lighting device)
FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of a lighting device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view as seen from the lens 50 side, which will be described later, and FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view as seen from the substrate cover 10 side, which will be described later. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lighting device 1.

The lighting device 1 is a lighting device that is attached to the ceiling of a vehicle, and is typically a lighting device that is attached to the ceiling of the rear seat side of the automobile.

The lighting device 1 includes a substrate cover 10 having a bottom wall 11 and a first side wall 12 continuous with the bottom wall 11 and having a fitting hole 13 (13a to 13c), and an outer side wall that fits into the fitting hole 13. By fitting the housing 20 with the second side wall 21 having the claws 22 (22a to 22c) protruding into the fitting holes 13, the housing 20 is sandwiched between the bottom wall 11 of the board cover 10 and the housing 20. The housing 20 includes a substrate 30 on which a light emitting element 32 as a light source and a switch 33 for switching the operation of the light emitting element 32 are mounted, and a lens 50 as a light emitting surface attached to the housing 20.

The board 30 includes a wiring board 31 , a light emitting element 32 mounted on the wiring board 31 , a switch 33 , and a power connector 34 for connecting a cable for supplying power to the light emitting element 32 . The light emitting element 32 is, for example, a light emitting diode element. The number and arrangement of the light emitting elements 32 are not particularly limited. The switch 33 is a push button switch that turns on and off the current and turns the light emitting element 32 on and off by pressing the button.

The board cover 10 is a member that covers and protects the board 30, and by attaching the board cover 10 to the housing 20 while covering the board 30, the board 30 can be fixed. The board cover 10 is made of resin such as polypropylene, for example.

The second side wall 21 of the housing 20 having the claws 22 and the first side wall 12 of the board cover 10 having the fitting holes 13 are elastically deformed when the board cover 10 is attached to the housing 20, and the claws 22 are fitted. When reaching the hole 13, the claw 22 is fitted into the fitting hole 13 by its restoring force. The claws 22a, 22b, and 22c of the housing 20 fit into the fitting holes 13a, 13b, and 13c of the board cover 10, respectively.

The housing 20 has an opening 25 on the side where the substrate 30 is attached for taking in the light emitted from the light emitting element 32. Furthermore, the housing 20 has an opening 26 for emitting light emitted from the light emitting element 32 on the side opposite to the side to which the substrate 30 is attached. The housing 20 is made of, for example, a resin such as polypropylene, and has a property of not transmitting light emitted from the light emitting element 32.

Further, the housing 20 has a clip attachment part 24 for fixing the clip 60. The clip 60 is a component for attaching the lighting device 1 to the ceiling of the vehicle interior, and is elastically deformed when attached, and is fixed to the attachment portion of the ceiling by its restoring force.

Lens 50 is attached to housing 20 so as to cover opening 26 . The lens 50 is made of polycarbonate, for example, and has a property of transmitting light emitted from the light emitting element 32.

As shown in FIG. 2, the assembly direction of each component constituting the lighting device 1 is unified to one direction, and the lighting device 1 can be easily assembled even when automatic assembly is performed by a robot. .

It is preferable that each component constituting the lighting device 1 has two parallel planar regions at positions sandwiching the center of gravity, which serve as chuck portions (portions gripped by the claw of a robot arm during transportation). For example, in the housing 20, two side walls 21a of the second side wall 21 that oppose each other with the substrate 30 sandwiched therebetween include two parallel planar regions that sandwich the center of gravity of the housing 20. . In this case, even when automatic assembly is performed by a robot, the robot arm does not touch the designed surface of each component, thereby preventing damage to the components.

(Structure that prevents improper installation of the board cover)
FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the lighting device 1 taken along section line AA in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the claw 22a of the housing 20 is provided apart from the tip (edge) 21b of the second side wall 21. As shown in FIG.

As a result, in the process of attaching the board cover 10 to the housing 20, the board cover 10 can be stably temporarily placed on the housing 20, and by pushing the board cover 10 from above, the claws 20 of the housing 20 can be more securely placed. The fitting hole 13 of the substrate cover 10 can be fitted into the fitting hole 13 of the substrate cover 10. Therefore, even when automatic assembly is performed by a robot, the occurrence of a failure in attachment of the board cover 10 to the housing 20 can be suppressed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable that the first side wall 12 of the substrate cover 10 has a guiding shape with an inclined surface 12b provided inside the tip 12a. In this case, the board cover 10 can be temporarily placed on the housing 20 more stably.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic cross-sectional views showing the board cover 10 temporarily placed on the housing 20. FIG. The cross sections shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) include the cross section of the claw 22a provided apart from the tip 21b of the second side wall 21. The substrate cover 10 shown in FIG. 4(a) does not have a guiding shape by the inclined surface 12b, and the substrate cover 10 shown in FIG. 4(b) has a guiding shape by the inclined surface 12b. Note that illustration of the substrate 30 is omitted in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b).

As shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), when the board cover 10 is temporarily placed, the portion between the tip 21b of the second side wall 21 of the housing 20 and the claw 22a is Since it fits inside the first side wall 12, the posture of the board cover 10 is stabilized. Further, as shown in FIG. 4(b), when the substrate cover 10 has a guiding shape with the inclined surface 12b, the tip 12a of the first side wall 12 can be more stably placed on the claw 22a. In order to place the tip 12a of the first side wall 12 more stably on the claw 22a, as shown in FIG. It is preferable that the inclination angles of 220 are substantially the same.

On the other hand, FIG. 4(c) shows the board cover 10 temporarily placed on the housing 20, including a cross section of the claw 22 provided without leaving the tip 21b of the second side wall 21, as a comparative example. FIG. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the second side wall 21 of the housing 20 does not fit inside the first side wall 12 of the board cover 10, and the claws 22 are attached to the second side wall 21. It will ride on the tip 21b of. For this reason, when all the claws 22 are provided without leaving the tip 21b of the second side wall 21, if the temporary placement position of the board cover 10 shifts even slightly, the board cover 10 may be tilted or There is a possibility that the board cover 10 may slip down and become impossible to fit the claws 22 of the housing 20 and the fitting holes 13 of the board cover 10 by pushing the board cover 10 from above.

Here, in order to more stably temporarily place the board cover 10 on the housing 20, it is preferable that the distance L between the claw 22 and the tip 21b of the second side wall 21 is 1 mm or more.

Although at least some of the claws 22 of the claws 22 of the housing 20 may be provided apart from the tip 21b of the second side wall 21, it is possible to temporarily place the board cover 10 on the housing 20 more stably. In order to do this, at least, like the claws 22a shown in FIG. It is preferable that the two claws 22 provided are provided apart from the tip 21b.

In the above example, the claw 22 is fitted into the fitting hole 13 from the inside of the first side wall 12, but when the claw 22 is fitted into the fitting hole 13 from the outside of the first side wall 12. However, since the tip 12a of the first side wall 12 of the board cover 10 fits inside the part between the tip 21b of the second side wall 21 and the claw 22, the temporarily placed board cover 10 It can stabilize your posture.

(Claw fitting structure that allows image inspection)
In order to perform an image inspection (inspection using an image captured by a camera) to determine whether or not the claw 22 of the housing 20 is fitted into the fitting hole 13, the illumination device 1, as shown in FIG. 1(b), It is preferable to have a structure in which the fitting hole 13 penetrates from the inside to the outside of the first side wall 12, and the claw 22 fitted into the fitting hole 13 from the inside of the first side wall 12 is exposed to the outside. In this case, it is possible to confirm whether the claw 22 and the fitting hole 13 are fitted (half-fitted, etc.) by automatic inspection using an image inspection device.

(Switch knob mounting structure)
The lighting device 1 includes a switch knob 40 for operating a switch 33, which is attached to the housing 20, as shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 2. By pushing the switch knob 40 with a finger or the like, the button of the switch 33 can be pressed to turn the current on or off.

FIG. 5 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of the lighting device 1 taken along section line BB in FIG. When automatic assembly is performed by a robot, attaching the switch knob 40 to the housing 20 involves temporarily placing the switch knob 40 on the switch knob attachment part 23 of the housing 20, and pushing the temporarily placed switch knob 40 from above. This is performed by a combination of the operations of inserting the claw 41 of the switch knob 40 into the hole 23a of the switch knob mounting portion 23.

When the claw 41 is inserted into the hole 23a of the switch knob attachment part 23, the claw 41 catches on the edge of the hole 23a, so that the switch knob 41 can be inserted into the switch knob without interfering with the operation of pushing the switch knob 40 in order to operate the switch 33. 40 can be prevented from coming off from the housing 20.

6(a) is a perspective view of the switch knob 40 seen from the back side, and FIG. 6(b) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the switch knob mounting portion 23 of the housing 20.

The housing 20 has a rail 23b along the mounting direction of the switch knob 40 in the switch knob mounting portion 23, and a linear rail 23b corresponding to the rail 23b on which the switch knob 40 slides during mounting. Preferably, the groove 42 is provided.

In the process of attaching the switch knob 40 to the housing 20, when the switch knob 40 is temporarily placed on the switch knob attachment part 23, the lower end of the rail 23b fits into the groove 42, so that the posture of the switch knob 40 is stabilized, and When the temporarily placed switch knob 40 is pushed in from above, the rail 23b slides within the groove 42, so that the claw 41 of the switch knob 40 can be inserted into the hole 23a of the switch knob attachment part 23 more reliably. Therefore, even when automatic assembly is performed by a robot, the occurrence of a failure in attaching the switch knob 40 to the housing 20 can be suppressed.

Note that the rail 23b of the housing 20 and the groove 42 of the switch knob 40 can also be used as a guide for the pushing operation of the switch knob 40 in the assembled lighting device 1.

(Structure to avoid robot arm interference)
FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the housing 20 viewed from the side on which the board cover 10 is attached. As shown in FIG. 7A, the second side wall 21 of the housing 20 includes two side walls 21a opposing each other with the board 30 sandwiched therebetween, and the two side walls 21a are adjacent to the board 30. It is preferable that the height _H1 of the tip 21b in a part of the area (hereinafter referred to as the recess 21c) is lower than the height _H2 of the surface 31a of the wiring board 31 of the substrate 30 on the housing 20 side by 2 mm or more.

FIG. 7(b) is a schematic diagram of a vertical cross section cut along the cutting line CC in FIG. 7(a), showing the state when the substrate 30 is placed on the housing 20 by the robot arm. It is. The cross section shown in FIG. 7(b) includes the cross section of the recess 21c of the side wall 21a. As shown in FIG. 7(b), when the claw 70 of the robot arm holds the wiring board 31 of the board 30 from both sides and places it on the housing 20, the horizontal position of the tip of the claw 70 is By overlapping with the recess 21c, interference between the claw 70 and the second side wall 21 can be avoided.

(Claw fitting structure for easy fitting)
FIG. 8A is an enlarged side view of the board cover 10 in the vicinity of the fitting hole 13b. Like the fitting holes 13b shown in FIG. 8(a), the first side wall 12 of the board cover 10 is continuous from the tip 12a of the first side wall 12 on both sides of at least some of the fitting holes 13. It is preferable to have a slit 14. In particular, slits 14 are provided on both sides of the fitting hole 13, such as the fitting hole 13b, where there are no slits for attachment to the edge of the first side wall 12 or the housing 20 at positions close to both sides. is preferred.

FIGS. 8(b) and 8(c) are side views of a substrate cover 10 having a structure near the fitting hole 13 that is different from that in FIG. 8(a) as a comparative example. When the first side wall 12 has the slit 14, the first side wall 12 has more elasticity when attaching the board cover 10 to the housing 20, compared to the case where the first side wall 12 does not have the slit 14 as shown in FIG. 8(b). It becomes easier to deform, and the claw 22 can be easily fitted into the fitting hole 13 with a smaller force.

Further, when the first side wall 12 has the slit 14, the substrate cover 10 The thickness of the lighting device 1 can be suppressed and the size of the lighting device 1 can be reduced.

(Effects of embodiment)
According to the lighting device 1 according to the above embodiment, the board cover 10 can be stably temporarily placed on the housing 20, and even when automatically assembled by a robot, the board cover 10 can be temporarily placed on the housing 20. The occurrence of installation defects can be suppressed.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. Furthermore, the constituent elements of the embodiments described above can be arbitrarily combined without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Furthermore, the above embodiments do not limit the claimed invention. Furthermore, it should be noted that not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for solving the problems of the invention.

1 Lighting device 10 Board cover 11 Bottom wall 12 First side wall 12a Tip 12b Inclined surface 13 (13a to 13c) Fitting hole 14 Slit 20 Housing 21 Second side wall 21b Tip 22 (22a to 22c) Claw 23 Switch knob attachment Part 23b Rail 30 Board 31 Wiring board 32 Light emitting element 33 Switch 40 Switch knob 41 Claw 42 Groove 50 Lens

Claims (8)

a substrate cover having a bottom wall and a first side wall continuous with the bottom wall and having a fitting hole;
a housing having a second side wall having an outwardly protruding claw that fits into the fitting hole;
By fitting the claw into the fitting hole, a light emitting element and a switch for switching the operation of the light emitting element, which is sandwiched and fixed between the bottom wall of the board cover and the housing, are mounted on the wiring board. a printed circuit board,
a lens that is attached to the housing and serves as a light emitting surface;
a switch knob attached to the housing for operating the switch;
Equipped with
The housing has a rail along the mounting direction of the switch knob at a portion where the switch knob is mounted,
The switch knob has a linear groove corresponding to the rail that allows the rail to slide during installation,
the claw is provided away from the tip of the second side wall;
lighting equipment. The distance between the claw and the tip of the second side wall is 1 mm or more,
The lighting device according to claim 1. The claw is fitted into the fitting hole from inside the first side wall and exposed to the outside.
The lighting device according to claim 1 or 2. The first side wall has a slit continuous from a tip of the first side wall on both sides of at least some of the fitting holes.
The lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . a substrate cover having a bottom wall and a first side wall continuous with the bottom wall and having a fitting hole;
a housing having a second side wall having an outwardly protruding claw that fits into the fitting hole;
By fitting the claw into the fitting hole, a light emitting element and a switch for switching the operation of the light emitting element, which is sandwiched and fixed between the bottom wall of the board cover and the housing, are mounted on the wiring board. a printed circuit board,
a lens that is attached to the housing and serves as a light emitting surface;
Equipped with
The second side walls are arranged such that a height of a portion of a region adjacent to the substrate is 2 mm or more lower than a height of a surface of the wiring board on the housing side of the substrate, and the second side walls are mutually sandwiched from the sides with the substrate between them. including two opposing side walls,
the claw is provided away from the tip of the second side wall;
lighting equipment. The distance between the claw and the tip of the second side wall is 1 mm or more,
The lighting device according to claim 5. The claw is fitted into the fitting hole from inside the first side wall and exposed to the outside.
The lighting device according to claim 5 or 6. The first side wall has a slit continuous from a tip of the first side wall on both sides of at least some of the fitting holes.
The lighting device according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

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