JP7491177B2 - Mounting structure for lighting device to vehicle interior material - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed herein relates to a mounting structure for a lighting device to vehicle interior materials.

A lighting device that emits light in a linear manner may be attached to the interior material of a vehicle such as an automobile. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an interior lighting device that includes a light source and a linear light guide that guides the light emitted from the light source. By attaching such a lighting device to the back side of a vehicle interior material that includes an irradiation window and irradiating light from the irradiation window toward the inside of the vehicle cabin, it is possible to improve visibility and convenience in the vehicle cabin at night, etc., and to improve the design of the vehicle cabin. Note that in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to fix the light guide to the interior material at low cost, no fixing means is used and the mounting part is formed integrally with the light guide.

JP 2014-181006 A

The inventors are considering using a lighting device with a longer light guide than conventional lighting devices, guiding light emitted from a single light source to multiple locations using this long light guide, and illuminating the interior of a vehicle at multiple locations on the interior material. In this case, the light guide is curved and arranged on the back side of the interior material, but if an attachment portion is formed on the periphery of the light guide, there is a drawback in that the periphery of the light guide has directionality, making it difficult to handle. In addition, if the light guide is attached directly to the irradiation window without a transparent lens member, the amount of light irradiated to the interior side is reduced at the location where the light guide is floating from the interior material, and there is a problem in that uneven illumination on the interior side is likely to occur.

The technology disclosed here has been developed in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a mounting structure for a lighting device on vehicle interior material that can be easily mounted on the vehicle interior material while suppressing floating of a long light guide.

The technology disclosed herein is a mounting structure for a lighting device to a vehicle interior material, the lighting device comprising a light source and an elongated light guide capable of guiding light generated from the light source, the vehicle interior material being plate-shaped and comprising an elongated hole connecting the front and back surfaces and a wall portion rising beside the hole, the light guide being attached to the back surface of the vehicle interior material along the hole by a clip capable of engaging with the wall portion, and configured to emit light emitted by the light source through the hole to the front surface side of the vehicle interior material. The clip has a beam portion that extends from the wall portion in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the long hole when engaged with the wall portion, a covering portion that covers the light guide from the side opposite the long hole, and a connecting portion that connects the beam portion and the covering portion, and the beam portion and the connecting portion are configured to position the covering portion relative to the vehicle interior material so that the covering portion abuts the light guide against the periphery of the long hole.

According to the above configuration, the light guide of the lighting device is attached to the back side of the vehicle interior material by a clip, and the covering part of the clip abuts the light guide against the periphery of the long hole. This makes it possible to position the light guide of the lighting device in an appropriate position relative to the long hole and easily attach the light guide to the vehicle interior material, for example, by the simple task of engaging the clip with the wall of the vehicle interior material. It is also possible to prevent the light guide from floating relative to the vehicle interior material, thereby suppressing the occurrence of uneven illumination.

In a preferred embodiment of the mounting structure disclosed herein, at least the beam portion of the clip is made of an elastic material that can bend elastically, and the beam portion and the connecting portion are configured to arrange the covering portion on the vehicle interior material so that the covering portion presses the light guide against the periphery of the long hole. According to the above configuration, since the beam portion of the clip can bend elastically, the light guide can be easily attached to the vehicle interior material, and the mounting workability is improved. At the same time, the light guide can be attached to the vehicle interior material in a state where it is pressed against the periphery of the long hole without applying excessive load to the light guide. This makes it possible to suppress the displacement of the light guide relative to the long hole, for example, even if the vehicle vibrates while traveling. As a result, the amount of light emitted from the lighting device to the surface side of the vehicle interior material can be stably maintained.

In one preferred embodiment of the mounting structure disclosed herein, the clip is an extrusion molded product of synthetic resin. This configuration allows clips with complex shapes to be manufactured easily and at low cost. In addition, because the clip is made of synthetic resin, it is also preferred in that it can be easily provided as a product with appropriate bending characteristics.

In a preferred embodiment of the mounting structure disclosed herein, an elastic member capable of elastic deformation is interposed between the covering portion and the light guide. According to the above configuration, the elastic member elastically deforms between the clip and the light guide, and the light guide can be mounted on the rear side of the interior material for the vehicle by pressing the light guide against the periphery of the long hole with the clip. This makes it possible to suppress displacement of the light guide relative to the long hole caused by vibrations, etc. In addition, since the clip holds the light guide via the elastic member capable of elastic deformation, the elastic member can absorb (eliminate) dimensional variations and positional variations of the clip and the light guide, and the light guide can be mounted on the interior material for the vehicle more stably.

In a preferred embodiment of the mounting structure disclosed herein, the elastic member has a light-shielding property against the light emitted by the light source. Vehicle interior materials are often made up of a combination of multiple components to form one larger interior material. In such cases, slight gaps may be formed at the joints (connecting parts) between the components, but such gaps are usually designed to be invisible. However, if light is generated in all directions from the periphery of the light guide, light will leak out from unintended joints of the vehicle interior material to the surface side, making the joints stand out as defective parts and impairing the overall optical design of the vehicle interior material. In contrast, according to the above configuration, the light generated from the periphery of the light guide is blocked by the elastic member on the side opposite the long hole. This makes it possible to prevent light from leaking out to the side opposite the long hole with respect to the light guide. In the end, a high-quality vehicle interior material is realized in which light is emitted only from intended parts such as long holes.

In a preferred embodiment of the mounting structure disclosed herein, the elastic member is elongated and longer than the longitudinal dimension of the long hole, covers the light guide along the longitudinal direction and in a portion of the circumferential direction, and the light guide is fixed to the vehicle interior material at a position spaced apart from the longitudinal direction by two or more clips from the outside of the elastic member. According to the above configuration, the light guide can be mounted to the vehicle interior material in a state in which the elastic member prevents light emission in an unintended direction. Furthermore, the light guide can be fixed to the vehicle interior material at a position spaced apart by the clip. Therefore, when mounting the light guide to the vehicle interior material, for example, the light guide and the elastic member can be supported by hand at a predetermined mounting position, and the light guide and the elastic member can be fixed to the vehicle interior material by clips on both sides. Furthermore, when the long light guide is arranged along the long hole, the light guide can be easily arranged along the long hole without causing slack. This realizes an installation structure for a lighting device to a vehicle interior material with good installation workability.

In a preferred embodiment of the mounting structure disclosed herein, the wall portion has an engagement hole, and the beam portion has an engagement claw at the end opposite the connecting portion. The clip is engaged with the wall portion by inserting the engagement claw into the engagement hole. With the above configuration, the clip can be easily engaged with the wall portion, and the light guide can be easily attached to the vehicle interior material.

In a preferred embodiment of the mounting structure disclosed herein, the vehicle interior material has a pair of clamping parts that are erected facing each other on the back side and whose tip sides extend toward each other, and the light guide is attached to the vehicle interior material by being clamped by the clamping parts with a part of it covered by a light-shielding cover. The light-shielding cover has a cylindrical shape with a slit in the cylindrical axis direction, and includes a main body part that covers the light guide in the circumferential direction, and a pair of flange parts that are formed on both sides of the slit and protrude along the slit, and is arranged between the pair of clamping parts with a part of the light guide housed in the main body part, and is configured to be clamped by the tip sides of the pair of clamping parts with the pair of flange parts overlapping each other. With the above configuration, the light guide can be easily attached to the vehicle interior material with a part of it being shielded from light by the light-shielding cover. This prevents the light from the lighting device from leaking out of the interior of the vehicle from unintended locations such as joints when the light guide is arranged near the joints of multiple components in the interior material for the vehicle. In addition, by covering the light guide with a light-shielding cover, the side emission of the light guide is suppressed, and more light from the light source can be transmitted to the tip side of the light guide.

In a preferred embodiment of the mounting structure disclosed herein, the vehicle interior material has, in addition to the long hole, a communication hole that communicates the front and back surfaces and emits the light of the light guide to the interior of the vehicle, and the light guide is arranged to connect the long hole and the communication hole on the back surface of the vehicle interior material. According to the above configuration, it is possible to light up multiple locations of the vehicle interior material with one lighting device without increasing the number of light sources and light guides. In addition, the lighting device can illuminate distant locations of the vehicle interior material at low cost by using one relatively expensive light source and a relatively inexpensive light guide that is long. In addition, a long light guide can be easily attached to an appropriate location of the vehicle interior material without misalignment by using the clip, and is therefore preferably used in this technology.

In a preferred embodiment of the mounting structure disclosed herein, the vehicle interior material is a door trim, which is constructed by assembling at least two plate-like members and includes a door inside handle bezel, an armrest, and a door pocket, and the light guide is arranged at the door inside handle bezel, the armrest, the door pocket, and the boundary between the two assembled plate-like members. The technology disclosed herein can be applied to a door trim having the above configuration to fully demonstrate its effects. With this configuration, the door trim can be suitably illuminated at multiple locations, including the door inside handle bezel, the armrest, the door pocket, and the boundary between the two plate-like members, by a lighting device having one light source and one light guide. This provides a low-cost and simple lighting mounting structure.

The technology disclosed herein can provide a mounting structure for a lighting device on vehicle interior materials that can be easily mounted on the vehicle interior materials while suppressing floating of a long light guide.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a door trim that employs a mounting structure for a lighting device for a vehicle interior material according to an embodiment, as viewed from the inside of a vehicle interior; Rear view of the door trim in FIG. FIG. 1 is a front view of a lighting device installed in a door trim FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the main part around the door inside handle bezel of the door panel as viewed from the rear FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting structure of a light guide to a door trim according to an embodiment (cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2 ). FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the clip, the elastic member, and the light guide in the mounting structure of FIG. 5 . FIG. 6 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the clip, the elastic member, and the light guide in the mounting structure of FIG. 5 . FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing another mounting structure of the light guide body to the door trim according to the embodiment; FIG. 13 is another perspective view of the main part of the door panel around the door inside handle bezel as viewed from the rear. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing another mounting structure of the light guide body to the door trim according to the embodiment (cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 9 ).

<Embodiment>
The mounting structure of the lighting device to the vehicle interior material disclosed herein will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10 as appropriate. The symbols F, Rr, U, D, IN, and OUT shown in each figure respectively indicate the front and rear in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle as an example of a vehicle, the upper and lower in the vertical direction, and the inside and outside of the vehicle compartment in the interior and exterior directions. However, the above directions are merely defined for convenience and should not be interpreted in a restrictive manner.

<Door trim>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a door trim 1 (an example of a vehicle interior material) viewed from the interior side of a vehicle. The door trim 1 is mainly composed of a trim board 2 that is generally plate-shaped, and is fastened to the interior side of a metal door inner panel (not shown) by fastening members such as clips (not shown), thereby improving the design and livability of the vehicle interior. The trim board 2 may be made of, for example, a synthetic resin (thermoplastic resin) such as polypropylene, or a composite material such as a mixture of a plant fiber (e.g., kenaf) and a synthetic resin. In the following description, the interior side of the trim board 2 may be referred to as the "front side," and the exterior side may be referred to as the "back side."

<Trim board>
1, the door trim 1 is provided with components such as a door inside handle bezel 3, an armrest 4, a door pocket 5, a speaker grill 8, etc., and the trim board 2 is generally formed by assembling a plurality of trim board members together, taking into consideration the mountability of these components, design, etc. The trim board 2 of this embodiment is mainly formed of an upper board 12, a lower board 13, an armrest board 14, and a pocket board 15. The front surface (surface) of the trim board 2 may be covered with a skin material made of natural leather, synthetic leather, cloth, etc.

The upper board 12 constitutes the upper part of the trim board 2, and is rounded and protrudes toward the interior of the vehicle relative to the door inner panel. A handle opening 12A is provided in a portion corresponding to a door inside handle (not shown) at a lower portion in the approximate center in the front-rear direction. The handle opening 12A is opened wide so that the handle portion of the door inside handle attached to the door inner panel can be easily inserted into the interior of the vehicle when the trim board 2 is attached to the door inner panel. Therefore, the door inside handle bezel 3 is fitted into the handle opening 12A of the upper board 12 from the interior side, so that the door inner panel is not exposed to the interior of the vehicle. The door inside handle bezel 3 is an example of a vehicle interior material in this technology. A lower board 13 is attached below the upper board 12.

An armrest board 14 is fastened to the upper part of the front side of the lower board 13 from the approximate center part in the front-rear direction to the rear. This armrest board 14 is shaped to protrude into the interior of the vehicle and constitutes an armrest 4 used as an armrest for the occupant. In the armrest board 14, the upper surface 14A facing upward extends approximately horizontally from the surface of the trim board 2 (the surface facing the interior of the vehicle; the same applies below) toward the interior of the vehicle, and openings are provided in the front and rear parts of this upper surface 14A. The openings in the front and rear parts are each equipped with a switch operation unit (not shown) for operating the opening and closing of the door window, and an armrest pocket member (not shown) for storing small items nearby. In addition, the armrest board 14 is designed so that the front part rises (tilts backward) as it moves forward and the rear part rises (tilts forward) gradually as it moves backward, allowing the occupant to smoothly reach for the door inside handle from a state in which the arm is resting on the armrest 4.

A door grip 7 is provided at the front end of the armrest 4. The door grip 7 is a part that the occupant grasps when opening or closing the door or when resting their arm on the armrest 4, and is formed with a curved surface that bulges upward or toward the inside of the vehicle compared to the upper surface 14A of the armrest 4, which is roughly horizontal toward the inside of the vehicle.

The lower board 13 bulges downward toward the interior of the room, and a pocket opening 5A is provided above the bulge. A pocket board 15 is fastened to the back side (outside the room) of this bulge, and a door pocket 5 that opens upward is constructed between the lower board 13 and the pocket board 15.

<Lighting equipment>
In such a door trim 1, it may be desirable to provide lighting for, for example, the door inside handle bezel 3, the boundary line between the upper board 12 and the lower board 13, the front portion of the armrest 4, and the door pocket 5 in order to increase the visibility of these locations for passengers in the vehicle and to enhance the optical decorativeness of the vehicle interior. Therefore, the door trim 1 of this embodiment is provided with one lighting device 30 that can illuminate the above-mentioned multiple locations on the trim board 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lighting device 30 is configured to include an LED 31 as a light source and a light guide 33 capable of guiding the light emitted from the LED 31. The LED 31 is mounted on an LED board and housed in an LED housing case 32. The LED 31 is also connected to a power source device such as a battery mounted on the vehicle via a control device (not shown).

The light guide 33 is flexible and has an elongated (rod-like) shape with a roughly circular cross section. As described above, the light guide 33 is arranged in a zigzag shape on the back surface (outside surface of the vehicle) of the trim board 2 so as to connect the door inside handle bezel 3, the boundary between the upper board 12 and the lower board 13, the front part of the armrest 4, and the door pocket 5. The end face of one end of the light guide 33 along the longitudinal direction is fixed to the LED housing case 32 in a state where it faces the light-emitting surface of the LED 31. The light guide 33 in this embodiment is composed of a fiber-like core with high optical transparency that serves as a light path, and a clad layer that covers the core on the circumferential surface. The clad layer is made of a material with a relatively low refractive index relative to the core, so that the light introduced into the core is almost totally reflected at the interface with the clad layer and propagated in the longitudinal direction. In addition, the clad layer of the light guide 33 is optically transparent, and the core and clad layer contain a diffusing material, so that the light guide 33 is a so-called side-emitting light guide that has a configuration in which light leaks from the periphery. There are no particular limitations on the material that constitutes the light guide 33, and for example, the material that constitutes the core may be an acrylic resin, polycarbonate, silicone resin, etc., and the material that constitutes the clad layer may be a fluorine-containing resin.

<Installation of lighting equipment>
The trim board 2 is provided with an irradiation window that communicates between the front and back surfaces of the trim board 2 at a location where light emitted from the light guide 33 arranged on the back surface is radiated toward the interior of the vehicle. In the trim board 2 of this embodiment, long slits S (e.g., see FIG. 5 ) serving as irradiation windows are independently provided in the door inside handle bezel 3, the boundary line between the upper board 12 and the lower board 13, and the front portion of the armrest 4, and a round hole 13A (an example of a communication hole) serving as an irradiation window is formed above the door pocket 5. Hereinafter, a mounting structure of the lighting device 30 (light guide 33) to the door trim 1 will be described using as an example a case where the light guide 33 is fixed to the door inside handle bezel 3 and its periphery.

First, the door inside handle bezel 3 and its surrounding structure will be described. The door inside handle bezel 3 is set back from the surface of the upper board 12 toward the outside of the vehicle as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 so that the occupant can easily grip the handle of the door inside handle. That is, the door inside handle bezel 3 has a front portion 3A that is roughly flush with the surface of the upper board 12, a back wall 3C that is set back toward the outside of the vehicle from the front portion 3A, and a standing wall 3B that rises from the peripheral portion of the back wall 3C and continues to the front portion 3A. The standing wall 3B arranged above the door inside handle bezel 3 has a slit S (an example of a long hole) that extends in the front-rear direction as shown in Fig. 5. The standing walls 3B arranged in the front and rear of the door inside handle bezel 3 are provided with locking claws (not shown) that protrude forward and backward from the standing wall 3B, respectively. The vertical wall 3B disposed below is provided with a locking claw 3E (see FIG. 4) that protrudes downward from the vertical wall 3B.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, a rib wall 12B extending toward the outside of the room is provided along the periphery of the handle opening 12A of the upper board 12. In the upper board 12 of this example, a pair of opposing rib walls 12B is provided above the handle opening 12A at the opening end and slightly above it. These rib walls 12B are connected by a connecting wall 12C arranged in the vertical direction on the outside of the room, and as a whole form a hollow box-shaped reinforcing structure 12D.

Below the handle opening 12A of the upper board 12, a locking receiving portion 12F that receives the locking claw 3E of the door inside handle bezel 3 is formed to rise upward from the rib wall 12B. These rib wall 12B, connecting wall 12C, and locking receiving portion 12F are integrally formed with synthetic resin on the peripheral portion of the handle opening 12A. Then, by fitting the door inside handle bezel 3 into the handle opening 12A of the upper board 12 from the inside of the room, the locking claw (not shown) and locking claw 3E of the door inside handle bezel 3 are respectively locked to the rib wall 12B and locking receiving portion 12F of the upper board 12, and the door inside handle bezel 3 is fixed to the upper board 12. As a result, on the peripheral portion of the door inside handle bezel 3, the connecting wall 12C of the upper board 12 is arranged along the slit S and rising against the standing wall 3B. That is, the connecting wall 12C is an example of a wall portion in the present invention. The connecting wall 12C has engagement holes 12E for engaging the clips 40, which will be described later, formed at positions corresponding to the front and rear of the slit S, respectively.

<Near the irradiation window>
When the light guide 33 is disposed along the slit S, it is attached to the rear surface side of the door trim 1 by using a clip 40 and an elastic member 45, as shown in Figs.

The elastic member 45 is a long member having a substantially partial cylindrical shape that covers a part of the circumferential surface of the light guide 33 along the longitudinal direction. More specifically, the elastic member 45 has, for example, an arc surface portion 46 with a curvature corresponding to the circumferential surface of the light guide 33, and is provided with a folded portion 47 that protrudes so as to bend outward in the direction of the radius of curvature at both ends of the circumferential direction of the arc surface portion 46. The longitudinal dimension of the elastic member 45 (dimension along the cylindrical axis direction) is larger than the longitudinal dimension of the slit S. In addition, in the elastic member 45 of this example, the curvature of the arc surface portion 46 is slightly smaller than the curvature of the circumferential surface of the light guide 33, and when the elastic member 45 is placed over the light guide 33, the elastic member 45 is configured to be able to cover the light guide 33 in a range exceeding 180 degrees in the circumferential direction (for example, about 225 degrees) with the curvature of the arc surface portion 46 expanded. The elastic member 45 is made of a flexible and elastically deformable material such as synthetic resin (including elastomer and rubber), and is formed, for example, by extrusion molding. Although not limited to this, it is preferable that the elastic member 45 has a color that has high light blocking properties (including light reflectivity) against the light emitted by the LED 31. Examples of such colors include black, white, gray, and metallic colors. In this case, the elastic member 45 functions as a light blocking cover for the light guide 33.

The clip 40 is a member for pressing the light guide 33 against the slit S formed in the vertical wall 3B of the door inside handle bezel 3, and has a covering portion 41, a connecting portion 42, and a beam portion 43. The covering portion 41 is a portion that covers the light guide 33 in the circumferential direction from the opposite side to the slit S, and the covering portion 41 in this example is formed so as to cover the light guide 33 in a state in which the above-mentioned elastic member 45 is interposed. The covering portion 41 has an approximately partially cylindrical shape having an arc surface with a curvature corresponding to the circumferential surface of the elastic member 45 in a state in which the elastic member 45 is covered on the light guide 33. The dimension of the covering portion 41 along the cylindrical axis direction is sufficiently shorter than the longitudinal dimension of the slit S. The connecting portion 42 is a plate-shaped portion that connects the covering portion 41 and the beam portion 43, and is erected so that the plate surface is along the cylindrical axis of the covering portion 41 and faces outward in the curvature radius direction relative to the covering portion 41. The beam portion 43 is provided so as to extend from the connecting portion 42 in a direction intersecting the cylindrical axis of the covering portion 41. In this example, the beam portion 43 includes two plate pieces 43A, 43B, and each plate piece 43A, 43B is arranged so as to be perpendicular to the plate surface of the connecting portion 42 and spaced apart in the direction of the radius of curvature of the covering portion 41. At the tip end of the pair of plate pieces 43A, 43B in the extension direction, engagement claws 43a, 43b having a cross-sectional shape of a substantially triangle are provided on the surface opposite to the opposing surface. In this clip 40, at least the beam portion 43 is configured to be elastically deformable, and is formed, for example, by extrusion molding of a synthetic resin (including elastomer and rubber).

In the clip 40, the curvature of the covering portion 41 in this example is slightly smaller than the curvature of the circumferential surface of the elastic member 45 when the elastic member 45 is placed on the light guide 33, and when the covering portion 41 is placed on the light guide 33 and the elastic member 45, the covering portion 41 is configured to be able to cover the light guide 33 and the elastic member 45 in a range exceeding 180 degrees in the circumferential direction with its curvature expanded. In addition, the circumferential dimension of the covering portion 41 is designed to be the same as or slightly smaller than the circumferential dimension of the arc surface portion 46 of the elastic member 45, and when the covering portion 41 is placed on the elastic member 45, the covering portion 41 is fitted between the folded portions 47 at both ends of the elastic member 45 in the circumferential direction.

When attaching the light guide 33 to the back side of the door inside handle bezel 3, first, the light guide 33 is covered with the elastic member 45, and the exposed portion between the folded portions 47 of the elastic member 45 of the light guide 33 is abutted against the slit S of the vertical wall 3B (more specifically, against the peripheral portions on both sides of the slit S). At this time, the longitudinal arrangement of the elastic member 45 is adjusted so that the elastic member 45 covers the slit S from above in the longitudinal direction. Then, beside the engagement hole 12E of the upper board 12, the covering portion 41 of the clip 40 is covered on the elastic member 45 from the radially outer side, and the tip of the beam portion 43 of the clip 40 is inserted into the engagement hole 12E. As a result, the engagement claws 43a and 43b at the tip of the beam portion 43 engage with the peripheral portion of the engagement hole 12E, and the clip 40 is fixed to the upper board 12 with the light guide 33 abutting against the slit S of the vertical wall 3B. As a result, when the LED 31 of the lighting device 30 emits light, the light is emitted from the side of the light guide 33 and radiated into the vehicle interior through the slit S. The dimension between the covering portion 41 and the beam portion 43 in the connecting portion 42 is designed so that the light guide 33 is pressed against the vertical wall 3B when the clip 40 is fixed to the upper board 12. As a result, the light guide 33 is prevented from floating against the slit S (vertical wall 3B), and uneven illumination from the slit S when the door trim 1 is viewed from the vehicle interior is suppressed. In this example, the light guide 33 is fixed to the door inside handle bezel 3 at two locations with two clips 40.

<Shading part>
On the other hand, when one long light guide 33 is arranged at multiple locations on the door trim 1, it is undesirable that the emitted light from the light guide 33 leaks into the interior of the vehicle at unintended portions of the door trim 1. Therefore, in locations where the emitted light from the light guide 33 may leak into the interior of the vehicle, the light guide 33 is attached to the rear surface of the trim board 2 while being covered with a light-shielding cover 50, as shown in FIG.

The light shielding cover 50 is made of a material such as a flexible synthetic resin (including elastomer and rubber), and includes a main body 51 and a pair of flanges 52, as shown in FIG. 10. The main body 51 is substantially cylindrical with a slit 51A along the axial direction of the cylindrical member, and is configured to cover the entire circumference of the light guide 33 in a part of the longitudinal direction of the light guide 33. The pair of flanges 52 are formed to protrude radially outward along the slit 51A at both ends of the circumferential direction of the main body 51, in other words, on both sides of the slit 51A. Note that the pair of flanges 52 in this example are arranged slightly apart in the circumferential direction of the main body 51. One flange 52 is arranged at a position spaced a predetermined distance t from one end of the circumferential direction of the main body 51, and the other flange 52 is arranged at one end of the circumferential direction of the main body 51 and includes an extension 53 extending toward one flange 52 at its protruding end. Since this light-shielding cover 50 is made of a flexible material, the pair of flanges 52 can be opened in a direction away from each other at the slit 51A position, but in a free state, the main body 51 closes into a cylindrical shape and the extension 53 abuts against the tip of one of the flanges 52. This makes it easy to insert the light guide 33 into the cylindrical light-shielding cover 50 and reliably prevents light leakage from the slit 51A. Such a light-shielding cover 50 is formed, for example, by extrusion molding, and the longitudinal dimension can be adjusted appropriately to match the desired dimension for blocking the light guide 33.

9, the rear surface of the trim board 2 is provided with a pair of clamping parts 18 for receiving and fixing the light shielding cover 50 therebetween. The clamping parts 18 are provided with wall parts 18A that are erected facing each other, and hook parts 18B that extend toward each other at the tip side of the wall parts 18A. The pair of wall parts 18A are spaced apart by a dimension larger than the diameter of the main body part 51 of the light shielding cover 50 at the joint part with the trim board 2 (base end), but are inclined so that the distance between them becomes smaller toward the tip side. The hook part 18B is arranged so that the angle it forms with the wall part 18A is an acute angle. Such clamping parts 18 are made of synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, and are formed integrally with the trim board 2 by injection molding or the like.

When attaching the light guide 33 to the rear side of the trim board 2, first, the light shielding cover 50 is opened at the position of the slit 51A, and the light guide 33 is housed in the main body 51. Then, in the free state, the main body 51 closes (abuts) cylindrically, so that the entire circumference of the light guide 33 is covered by the light shielding cover 50. In addition, in the free state, the pair of flanges 52 abut against the tip side of the flanges 52 with the extensions 53 facing each other radially outward from the main body 51. As a result, the radial outer side of the slit 51A is covered by the extensions 53, and light is prevented from leaking from the light guide 33 to the outside through the slit 51A.

The light guide 33 covered with the light-shielding cover 50 in this manner is inserted between the pair of clamping parts 18 from the tip side of the clamping parts 18 from the side of the main body 51 (the side opposite the flange parts 52). Then, the main body 51 is accommodated between the clamping parts 18, so that the pair of flange parts 52 are clamped by the pair of clamping parts 18. At this time, the shape of the hook part 18B is designed so that it abuts near the boundary between the main body 51 and the flange parts 52. This prevents the light guide 33 covered with the light-shielding cover 50 from being displaced in a direction away from the rear surface of the trim board 2.

In the mounting structure of the lighting device 30 to the door trim 1 of the above embodiment, the lighting device 30 includes an LED 31 and a long light guide 33 capable of guiding light generated from the LED 31. The door trim 1 (trim board 2) is plate-shaped and includes a long slit S that connects the front and back sides of the standing wall 3B of the door inside handle bezel 3, and a connecting wall 12C of the upper board 12 that rises beside the slit S. The light guide 33 is attached to the back side of the standing wall 3B along the slit S by a clip 40 that can be engaged with the connecting wall 12C, so that the light emitted by the LED 31 is emitted to the front side of the door trim 1 through the slit S. The clip 40 has a beam portion 43 that extends from the connecting wall 12C in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the slit S when engaged with the connecting wall 12C, a covering portion 41 that covers the light guide 33 from the side opposite the slit S, and a connecting portion 42 that connects the beam portion 43 and the covering portion 41, and the beam portion 43 and the connecting portion 42 are configured to position the covering portion 41 against the vertical wall 3B so that the covering portion 41 abuts the light guide 33 against the periphery of the slit S.

According to the above configuration, the light guide 33 of the lighting device 30 is attached to the back side of the door trim 1 by the clip 40, and the covering portion 41 of the clip 40 abuts the light guide 33 against the periphery of the slit S. As a result, by a simple operation of, for example, engaging the clip 40 with the connecting wall 12C of the upper board 12, the light guide 33 of the lighting device 30 can be positioned at an appropriate position relative to the slit S, and the light guide 33 can be easily attached to the door trim 1. In addition, at this time, the floating of the light guide 33 relative to the door trim 1 is suppressed, so that the occurrence of uneven illumination of the light radiated into the room through the slit S can be suppressed.

In the above embodiment, at least the beam portion 43 of the clip 40 is made of an elastic material that can be elastically bent, and the beam portion 43 and the connecting portion 42 are configured to arrange the covering portion 41 against the vertical wall 3B so that the covering portion 41 presses the light guide 33 against the periphery of the slit S. With this configuration, since the beam portion 43 of the clip 40 can be elastically bent, when attaching the light guide 33, the light guide 33 can be attached to the back side of the vertical wall 3B while pressing the light guide 33 against the periphery of the slit S. This makes it possible to suppress the displacement of the light guide 33 relative to the slit S even when the vehicle vibrates while traveling. As a result, the amount of light emitted from the lighting device 30 to the front side of the door trim 1 can be stably maintained. In addition, the bending of the beam portion 43 makes it easier to attach the light guide 33 to the door trim 1, which is also advantageous in terms of improving the ease of installation.

In the above embodiment, the clip 40 is an extrusion molded product of synthetic resin. With this configuration, clips 40 having complex shapes can be manufactured easily and at low cost. In addition, because the clip 40 is made of synthetic resin, it is also preferable in that it can be easily provided as a product with appropriate bending characteristics.

In the above embodiment, an elastically deformable elastic member 45 is interposed between the covering portion 41 and the light guide 33. According to the above configuration, the elastic member 45 elastically deforms between the clip 40 and the light guide 33, so that the light guide 33 is pressed against the periphery of the slit S by the clip 40, in other words, the light guide 33 can be attached to the back side of the door trim 1 with an elastic reaction force built in. This makes it possible to suitably suppress the displacement of the light guide 33 in the direction away from the slit S due to vibration or the like. In addition, since the clip 40 holds the light guide 33 via the elastically deformable elastic member 45, the variation in size and position of the clip 40 and the light guide 33 can be absorbed (eliminated) by the deformation of the elastic member 45. This makes it possible to more stably attach the light guide 33 to the door trim 1.

In the above embodiment, the elastic member 45 has a light-shielding property against the light emitted by the LED 31. In the door trim 1, a plurality of trim boards are often combined to form one larger trim board 2. In such a case, slight gaps may occur at the joints (connecting parts) between the members or at the through holes for fastening, but such gaps are usually designed to be invisible. However, if light is generated in all directions from the periphery of the light guide 33 on the back side of the trim board 2, light will leak from unintended joints of the trim board 2 to the front side, making the joints conspicuous as defective parts and impairing the overall optical design of the door trim 1. In contrast, according to the above configuration, the light generated from the periphery of the light guide 33 is blocked on the side opposite the slit S by the elastic member 45. This makes it possible to suppress the situation in which light leaks to the side opposite the slit S with respect to the light guide 33. In the end, a high-quality door trim 1 is realized in which light is emitted to the front side only from intended parts such as the slit S.

In the above embodiment, the elastic member 45 is elongated and longer than the longitudinal dimension of the slit S, covers the light guide 33 along the longitudinal direction and in part of the circumferential direction, and the light guide 33 is fixed to the door trim 1 at a position spaced apart from the outer side of the elastic member 45 by two or more clips 40 along the longitudinal direction. According to the above configuration, the light guide 33 is attached to the door trim 1 in a state in which the elastic member 45 prevents light emission in an unintended direction. Furthermore, the light guide 33 can be fixed to the door trim 1 at a position spaced apart by the clip 40. Therefore, when attaching the light guide 33 to the door trim 1, for example, the light guide 33 and the elastic member 45 can be supported by hand at a predetermined mounting position, and the light guide 33 and the elastic member 45 can be fixed to the door trim 1 by the clip 40 on both sides. In addition, when the long light guide 33 is arranged along the slit S, the light guide 33 can be easily arranged along the slit S without causing slack. This allows for a structure for mounting lighting devices to vehicle interior materials with good installation workability.

In the above embodiment, the connecting wall 12C (wall portion) of the upper board 12 has an engagement hole 12E, the beam portion 43 has engagement claws 43a, 43b at the end opposite the connecting portion 42, and the clip 40 is configured to engage with the connecting wall 12C by inserting the engagement claws 43a, 43b into the engagement hole 12E. With the above configuration, the clip 40 can be easily engaged with the connecting wall 12C of the upper board 12, and the light guide 33 can be easily attached to the door trim 1.

In the above embodiment, the door trim 1 has a pair of clamping parts 18 that are erected facing each other on the back side and whose tip sides extend toward each other, and the light guide 33 is attached to the door trim 1 by being clamped by the clamping parts 18 with a part of it covered by the light-shielding cover 50, and the light-shielding cover 50 has a cylindrical shape with a slit 51A in the cylindrical axis direction, a main body part 51 that covers the light guide 33 in the circumferential direction, and a pair of flange parts 52 that are formed on both sides of the slit 51A and protrude along the slit 51A. Then, with a part of the light guide 33 housed in the main body part 51, it is arranged between the pair of clamping parts 18, and is configured so that the pair of flange parts 52 are overlapped and clamped by the tip sides of the pair of clamping parts 18. According to the above configuration, the light guide 33 can be easily attached to the door trim 1 with a part of it being shielded by the light-shielding cover 50. This prevents the light from the lighting device 30 from leaking into the interior from unintended locations such as joints when the light guide 33 is arranged near the joints of the components of the door trim 1, which is made up of multiple components. Also, by covering the light guide 33 with the light-shielding cover 50, side emission of the light guide 33 is suppressed, and more light from the LED 31 can be propagated toward the tip of the light guide 33.

In the above embodiment, the door trim 1 has a round hole 13A that connects the front and back sides in addition to the slit S, and the lighting device 30 has one LED 31 and one light guide 33, and the light guide 33 is arranged to connect the slit S and the round hole 13A on the back side of the door trim 1. With this configuration, it is possible to light up multiple locations on the door trim 1 with one lighting device 30 without increasing the number of LEDs 31 and light guides 33. In addition, the lighting device 30 has one relatively expensive LED 31 and a relatively inexpensive light guide 33 that is long, making it possible to illuminate distant locations on the door trim 1 at low cost. In addition, the long light guide 33 can be easily attached to an appropriate position on the door trim 1 without misalignment by using the clip 40, and is therefore preferably used in this technology.

In the above embodiment, the door trim 1 is formed by assembling at least the upper board 12 and the lower board 13, and includes the door inside handle bezel 3, the armrest 4, and the door pocket 5. One light guide 33 is arranged at the door inside handle bezel 3, the armrest 4, the door pocket 5, and the boundary between the assembled upper board 12 and the lower board 13. The technology disclosed herein can be fully effective when applied to the door trim 1 having such a configuration. With such a configuration, the door trim 1 can preferably illuminate the above-mentioned multiple locations with the lighting device 30 having one LED 31 and one light guide 33. This provides a low-cost lighting installation structure.

<Other embodiments>
The technology disclosed herein is not limited to those disclosed in the above embodiments, and for example, the following aspects are also included in the scope of the technology disclosed herein. Furthermore, the technology disclosed herein can be embodied in various modified aspects without departing from its essence.

(1) In the lighting device of the above embodiment, the shape, arrangement, and configuration of the light guide and the light source may be appropriately changed. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the light guide is not limited to a circle, but may be a polygon or an ellipse, and the light guide mechanism of the light guide may be configured differently. In addition, the arrangement of the light guide is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be arranged at other locations, such as the periphery of the speaker grill 8.
(2) In the above embodiment, an example was given of an irradiation window provided at the boundary between the upper board 12 and the lower board 13. However, for example, a long slit-shaped irradiation window may be formed near the lower end of the upper board 12 along the boundary with the lower board 13.

(3) In the above embodiment, the upper board 12 includes the reinforcing structure 12D, the connecting wall 12C of the reinforcing structure 12D is plate-shaped, and the connecting wall 12C (wall portion) stands upright relative to the standing wall 3B. However, the configuration of the wall portion provided in the trim board 2 is not limited to this. For example, the wall portion in the present technology may be provided directly on the standing wall 3B disposed above the door inside handle bezel 3.
(4) In the above embodiment, the method of arranging the light guide 33 covered with the elastic member 45 along the slit S is not mentioned in detail. Although not specifically shown here, for example, a fixing piece (not shown) for inserting and fixing the folded portion 47 of the elastic member 45 arranged on the connecting wall 12C (wall portion) on the back surface of the standing wall 3B of the door inside handle bezel 3 may be provided between the connecting wall 12C (wall portion) and the slit S. This makes it even easier to clip the light guide 33 and the elastic member 45.
(5) In the above embodiment, the clip 40 is attached to the light guide 33 via the elastic member 45. However, the use of the elastic member 45 is not essential, and the clip 40 may be attached directly to the light guide 33. In this case, the curvature of the covering portion 41 of the clip 40 is preferably designed to be approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the curvature of the light guide 33 so that the covering portion 41 is in close contact with the circumferential surface of the light guide 33.

(6) In the above embodiment, one door trim 1 is provided with only one lighting device 30. However, as long as the lighting device 30 provided in the door trim 1 can provide lighting functions in multiple locations, the door trim 1 may be provided with another lighting device other than the lighting device 30.
(7) In the above embodiment, the door trim 1, which is an interior material for a vehicle door, is exemplified as an interior material for a vehicle, but the interior material to which the lighting device 30 is attached is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle may be a train or amusement vehicle as a ground vehicle, an airplane or a helicopter as a flying vehicle, or a ship or a submarine as a marine or underwater vehicle. In addition, the interior material may be one or more of a roof lining, a side trim, an instrument panel, a pillar garnish, etc.

1: Door trim (vehicle interior material), 2... Trim board, 3... Door inside handle bezel, 3B... Standing wall, 12... Upper board, 12A... Handle opening, 12B... Rib wall, 12C... Connecting wall (wall section), 12E... Engagement hole, 18... Clamping section, 18A... Wall section, 18B... Hook section, 30... Lighting device, 31... LED (light source), 33... Light guide, 40... Clip, 41... Covering section, 42... Connecting section, 43... Beam section, 45... Elastic member, 50... Light shielding cover

Claims (8)

A mounting structure for a lighting device to an interior material for a vehicle, comprising:
The lighting device includes a light source and an elongated light guide capable of guiding light generated from the light source,
The vehicle interior material is plate-shaped and has a long hole communicating a front surface with a back surface, and a wall portion rising up beside the long hole,
the light guide is attached to the back side of the vehicle interior material along the long hole by a clip that can be engaged with the wall portion, and the light emitted by the light source is emitted to the front side of the vehicle interior material through the long hole,
The clip comprises:
a beam portion extending from the wall portion in a direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the long hole while being engaged with the wall portion;
a covering portion covering the light guide from a side opposite to the long hole;
a connecting portion that connects the beam portion and the covering portion,
The beam portion and the connecting portion are configured to dispose the covering portion relative to the vehicle interior material such that the covering portion abuts the light guide against a peripheral edge of the long hole ,
At least the beam portion of the clip is made of an elastic material that can be elastically bent,
the beam portion and the connecting portion are configured to dispose the covering portion relative to the vehicle interior material such that the covering portion presses the light guide against a periphery of the long hole ,
the coupling portion extends from a position of the covering portion opposite to the long hole with the light guide therebetween along an arrangement direction of the long hole, the light guide, and the covering portion,
the beam portion extends from the connecting portion in a direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the long hole, the light guide, and the covering portion, and is engaged with the wall portion . an elastic member that is elastically deformable is interposed between the cover and the light guide;
2. The mounting structure for a lighting device to a vehicle interior material according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member covers the light guide from the side opposite the long hole with the light guide abutting against the periphery of the long hole, and faces the vehicle interior material on both sides of the long hole and the light guide. The mounting structure for a lighting device to a vehicle interior material according to claim 2, wherein the elastic member has a light-blocking property against the light emitted by the light source. The elastic member has an elongated shape longer than a longitudinal dimension of the long hole, and covers the light guide along the longitudinal direction and a part of the circumferential direction.
4. The mounting structure for a lighting device to a vehicle interior material as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the light guide is fixed to the vehicle interior material at positions spaced apart along the longitudinal direction from the outside of the elastic member by two or more of the clips. The wall portion includes an engagement hole,
The beam portion includes an engagement claw at an end portion opposite to the connecting portion,
5. The structure for mounting a lighting device to an interior material for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the clip is engaged with the wall portion by inserting the engaging claw into the engaging hole. A mounting structure for a lighting device to an interior material for a vehicle, comprising:
The lighting device includes a light source and an elongated light guide capable of guiding light generated from the light source,
The vehicle interior material is plate-shaped and has a long hole communicating a front surface with a back surface, and a wall portion rising up beside the long hole,
the light guide is attached to the back side of the vehicle interior material along the long hole by a clip that can be engaged with the wall portion, and the light emitted by the light source is emitted to the front side of the vehicle interior material through the long hole,
The clip comprises:
a beam portion extending from the wall portion in a direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the long hole while being engaged with the wall portion;
a covering portion covering the light guide from a side opposite to the long hole;
a connecting portion that connects the beam portion and the covering portion,
the beam portion and the connecting portion are configured to dispose the covering portion relative to the vehicle interior material such that the covering portion abuts the light guide against a periphery of the long hole ,
The vehicle interior material includes a pair of clamping portions on the back surface side, the clamping portions being opposed to each other and having tip sides extending toward each other,
the light guide is attached to the vehicle interior material by being clamped by the clamping portion in a state where a part of the light guide is covered by a light-shielding cover,
The light-shielding cover is
A main body portion having a cylindrical shape with a slit in a cylindrical axis direction and covering the light guide body in a circumferential direction;
A pair of flange portions formed on both sides of the slit and protruding along the slit,
A mounting structure for a lighting device to a vehicle interior material, in which a portion of the light guide is accommodated in the main body portion and disposed between the pair of clamping portions, and the pair of flange portions are overlapped and clamped by the tip sides of the pair of clamping portions. the vehicle interior material includes, in addition to the long hole, a communication hole that communicates between the front surface and the back surface and emits light from the light guide to the interior of the vehicle;
The mounting structure for a lighting device to a vehicle interior material according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the light guide is arranged so as to connect the long hole and the communication hole on the back side of the vehicle interior material. The vehicle interior material is a door trim, which is formed by assembling at least two plate-like members, and includes a door inside handle bezel, an armrest, and a door pocket,
The mounting structure for a lighting device to a vehicle interior material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the light guide is arranged at the door inside handle bezel, the armrest, the door pocket, and the boundary between the two assembled plate-like members.

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