Lighting device with elongated light guide, housing and attachments thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12109944-B2
Application number	US-202318449284-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2023
Priority date	Sep 27, 2022
Publication date	Oct 8, 2024
Grant date	Oct 8, 2024

Abstract

A lighting device includes a light source unit that outputs light, an elongated light guide including a first end surface on which the light is incident, a second end surface located opposite to the first end surface, an emitting surface, and at least one held portion provided on at least one of the longitudinal side surfaces different from the emitting surface, the light guide guiding the light from the first end surface to the second end surface, and a housing including an attachment portion to which the light source unit is attached, a housing portion that is open at an end portion on the attachment portion side and includes a housing recess to house the light guide and an exposure opening exposing the emitting surface, and a holding portion that holds the light guide in the housing recess by sandwiching the at least one held portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lighting device, comprising:
a light source unit that outputs light;
an elongated light guide comprising a first end surface on which the light is incident, a second end surface located opposite to the first end surface, an emitting surface which comprises one of longitudinal side surfaces intersecting the first and second end surfaces and from which the light is emitted, and at least one held portion provided on at least one of the longitudinal side surfaces different from the emitting surface, the light guide guiding the light from the first end surface to the second end surface; and
a housing comprising an attachment portion to which the light source unit is attached, a housing portion that is open at an end portion on the attachment portion side and comprises a housing recess to house the light guide and an exposure opening exposing the emitting surface, and a holding portion that holds the light guide in the housing recess by sandwiching the at least one held portion,
wherein the attachment portion and the housing portion are integrally formed, and
wherein the holding portion is disposed between the attachment portion and the housing portion.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the held portion is provided on the first end surface side of the light guide, and
wherein the holding portion is provided on the housing recess on the attachment portion side of the housing and comprises a holding recess to which the held portion is fitted, and a claw portion comprising a wall of the holding recess on the attachment portion side, guiding an insertion of the light guide into the housing recess, and further suppressing coming out of the light guide from the housing recess.

3. The lighting device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the held portion comprises a first held portion protruding from a first side surface adjacent to the emitting surface, and a second held portion protruding from a second side surface located opposite to the first side surface, and
wherein the holding portion comprises a first holding portion to hold the first held portion and a second holding portion to hold the second held portion.

4. The lighting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a length of the emitting surface in a lateral direction is longer than a length of an opposite surface of the light guide that is located opposite to the emitting surface.

5. A lighting device, comprising:
a light source unit that outputs light;
an elongated light guide comprising a first end surface on which the light is incident, a second end surface located opposite to the first end surface, an emitting surface which comprises one of longitudinal side surfaces intersecting the first and second end surfaces and from which the light is emitted, and at least one held portion provided on at least one of the longitudinal side surfaces different from the emitting surface, the light guide guiding the light from the first end surface to the second end surface; and
a housing comprising an attachment portion to which the light source unit is attached, a housing portion that is open at an end portion on the attachment portion side and comprises a housing recess to house the light guide and an exposure opening exposing the emitting surface, and a holding portion that holds the light guide in the housing recess by sandwiching the at least one held portion,
wherein the held portion comprises a bottom portion of a recessed portion comprising an indentation provided on at least one of a first side surface adjacent to the emitting surface and a second side surface located opposite to the first side surface, and
wherein the holding portion comprises a raised portion provided so as to correspond to the held portion and protruding toward inside of the housing recess from at least one of first and second wall portions forming the housing recess, and holds the light guide in the housing recess by sandwiching the held portion as the bottom portion of the recessed portion between a bottom surface portion of the housing recess and a lower surface of the raised portion.

6. The lighting device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the held portion comprises a first held portion that comprises a bottom portion of a first recessed portion comprising an indentation provided on the first side surface, and a second held portion that is located opposite to the first held portion and comprises a bottom portion of a second recessed portion comprising an indentation provided on the second side surface, and
wherein the holding portion comprises a first holding portion provided so as to correspond to the first held portion and a second holding portion located opposite to the first holding portion and provided so as to correspond to the second held portion.

7. The lighting device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the housing recess comprises a through-hole comprising a hole formed at least either between the first wall portion and the bottom surface portion or between the second wall portion and the bottom surface portion, so as to correspond to the position of the held portion.

8. The lighting device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the housing recess comprises at least one notched recess having a shape formed by partially cutting out at least one of the first and second wall portions,
wherein the light guide comprises at least one protruding portion provided so as to correspond to the notched recess, and
wherein the protruding portion is inserted into the notched recess, comes into contact with a notch surface of the notched recess on the housing portion side, and is thereby positioned with respect to the housing recess.

9. The lighting device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the housing recess comprises a plurality of ribs on the bottom surface portion, the ribs being in contact with the opposite surface located opposite to the emitting surface.

Assignees

• Toyoda Gosei Kk

Inventors

• Mori Toshiaki
• Matsuoka Yoichi
• Endo Koichiro
• Umeda Yukihiko
• Katsuno Shota
• Asano Hiroyuki

Classifications

• B60Q3/12

  lighting onto the surface to be illuminated · CPC title

• B60Q3/64 Primary

  for a single lighting device · CPC title

• B60Q3/51

  for mounting lighting devices onto vehicle interior, e.g. onto ceiling or floor · CPC title

• B60Q3/78

  for generating luminous strips, e.g. for marking trim component edges · CPC title

• B60Q3/54 Primary

  Lighting devices embedded in interior trim, e.g. in roof liners · CPC title