Storage box

The present invention relates to a storage box embedded in an instrument panel or the like in a vehicle interior, and more particularly to an illuminated storage box.

In recent years, an illuminated storage box may be embedded in an instrument panel or the like in front of the vehicle interior. 6 and 7 are a front view showing a panel closed state and a plan view showing a panel open state of a conventional storage box of this type, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the conventional storage box is embedded in the instrument panel in the vehicle interior, and opens and closes in the box-shaped storage portion 91 having an opening in the front and the opening of the storage portion 91, for example. It is composed of a semi-transparent plate-shaped panel portion 92 that is freely covered. Specifically, the panel portion 92 has arm portions 922a and 922b and rotating shaft portions 925a and 925b attached to the arm portions 922a and 922b. Further, light sources 931a and 931b are arranged downward on the inner upper wall of the storage portion 91.

In such a configuration, the light sources 931a and 931b are turned on in conjunction with, for example, turning on the light switch. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, in the panel closed state in which the panel portion 92 is closed, the panel portion 92 is illuminated from the inside by using the sunlight through the light R3 directly from the light sources 931a and 931b. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, in the panel open state in which the panel portion 92 is open, the inside of the panel portion 92 is illuminated by using the direct light R3 from the light sources 931a and 931b.

Such a storage box is also disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.<patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-341407</text></patcit>

<p> However, in the conventional storage box, when the panel is closed as shown in FIG. 6, the panel portion 92 is only illuminated by using the sunlight through the trees of the direct light R3 from the light sources 931a and 931b. That is, the conventional storage box does not have good lighting efficiency. Further, also in the closed state, the direct light R3 from the light sources 931a and 931b given from the back side of the panel portion 92 may appear to have emerged on the panel portion 92. That is, in the conventional storage box, the lighting tends to be uneven.</p><p> Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned current situation, it is an object of the present invention to provide a storage box which is excellent in lighting efficiency and can uniformly perform panel illumination.</p>

<p> The storage box according to claim 1, which has been made to solve the above problems, includes a box-shaped storage portion having an opening at the front, a panel portion that can be opened and closed by the opening, the storage portion, and the storage box. The panel portion includes a light source support portion that supports a light source for giving illumination light to the panel portion, the panel portion is a translucent light guide member, and the light source support portion is interlocked with the opening and closing of the panel portion. In the closed state of the panel portion, the light source faces the light receiving portion provided in the panel portion, and in the open state of the panel portion, the light source faces the inner wall of the storage portion. It is characterized by being intervened between.</p><p> According to the invention according to claim 1, the panel portion is a translucent light guide member, and the light source support portion is interlocked with the opening and closing of the panel portion, and the light source is provided on the panel portion in the closed state. It faces the portion and is interposed between the panel portion so that the light source faces the inner wall of the storage portion when the panel is open. Therefore, in the panel closed state, the light given from the light source is guided through the panel portion, thereby illuminating the entire panel portion. Further, when the panel is open, the inside of the storage portion is illuminated by direct light from the same light source.</p><p> The storage box according to claim 2 is the storage box according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of light receiving portions are projected from the upper end portion of the panel portion, and the light source is closed. It is characterized in that a plurality of light source support portions are arranged so as to correspond to the light receiving portion in the state.</p><p> According to the invention of claim 2, a plurality of light receiving portions are projected from the upper end portion of the panel portion, and a plurality of light sources are arranged on the light source support portion so as to correspond to the light receiving portions in the closed state. , The lighting efficiency is high and the panel lighting is uniform.</p><p> The storage box according to claim 3 is the storage box according to claim 2, wherein the light source support portion is pivotally supported by the storage portion and guides the opening and closing of the storage box. The accommodating portion includes a guide pin, and the accommodating portion includes a guide slit that slides the panel portion between the closed state and the open state according to the opening and closing of the guide pin.</p><p> According to the invention of claim 3, the light source support portion is pivotally supported by the storage portion and includes a guide pin for guiding the opening and closing of the storage portion, and the storage portion closes the panel portion according to the opening and closing of the guide pin. And because it includes a guide slit that slides between the open states, the opening and closing of the panel portion becomes smooth.</p><p> The storage box according to claim 4, which is made to solve the above problems, is the storage box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is embedded in an instrument panel in the vehicle interior. To do.</p><p> According to the invention of claim 4, since it is embedded in the instrument panel in the vehicle interior, the inside of the storage box and the front of the vehicle interior are efficiently illuminated.</p>

<p> According to the invention according to claim 1, the panel portion is a translucent light guide member, and the light source support portion is interlocked with the opening and closing of the panel portion, and the light source is provided on the panel portion in the closed state. It faces the portion and is interposed between the panel portion so that the light source faces the inner wall of the storage portion when the panel is open. Therefore, in the panel closed state, the light given from the light source is guided through the panel portion, thereby illuminating the entire panel portion. Further, when the panel is open, the inside of the storage portion is illuminated by direct light from the same light source. Therefore, panel lighting having excellent lighting efficiency and being uniform is provided.</p><p> According to the invention of claim 2, a plurality of light receiving portions are projected from the upper end portion of the panel portion, and a plurality of light sources are arranged on the light source support portion so as to correspond to the light receiving portions in the closed state. Therefore, more efficient and uniform panel lighting is provided.</p><p> According to the invention of claim 3, the light source support portion is pivotally supported by the storage portion and includes a guide pin for guiding the opening and closing of the storage portion, and the storage portion closes the panel portion according to the opening and closing of the guide pin. And includes a guide slit that slides between open states. Therefore, the panel portion can be opened and closed stably and smoothly.</p><p> According to the invention of claim 4, since it is embedded in the instrument panel in the vehicle interior, the inside of the storage box and the front of the vehicle interior are efficiently illuminated. It can also be used as a high-class illumination.</p>

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are a front view and a side view showing a panel closed state of the storage box according to the embodiment of the present invention, respectively. 3 and 4 are a front view and a side view showing a panel open state of the storage box according to the embodiment of the present invention, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, this storage box is embedded in an instrument panel in the vehicle interior, and can be opened and closed in a box-shaped storage portion 1 having an opening in the front and an opening in the storage portion 1. It is configured to include a panel portion 2 which is covered with a panel portion 2 and a light source support portion 3 which supports light sources 31a to 31c for giving illumination light to the accommodating portion 1 and the panel portion 2.

The storage portion 1 is made of black resin and has a wall plate 11 constituting the upper wall and guide slits 12a and 12b provided on both inner wall surfaces, respectively. The guide slits 12a and 12b are formed by hollowing out the guide pins 32a and 32b, which will be described later, in an arc shape so as to slide the panel portion 2 between the closed state and the open state according to the opening and closing of the panel. Holes 11a to 11c corresponding to light sources 31a to 31c are bored in the wall plate 11 (holes 11a and 11b are not shown).

The main part of the panel part 2 is composed of a translucent resin light guide plate. When viewed from the front, the panel portion 2 is formed to have substantially the same shape as the opening of the storage portion 1 or slightly larger. A plurality of trapezoidal light receiving portions 21a to 21c are projected from the upper end portion of the panel portion 2 at equal intervals. The upper arm portions 22a and 22b and the rear piece portions 26a and 26b are connected to the main portion of the panel portion 2. Rotating shafts 23a and 23b are projected from the upper arm portions 22a and 22b, and guide pins 24a and 24b and rotating shafts 25a and 25b are projected from the rear piece portions 26a and 26b. The guide pin 24a and the rotating shaft 25a are paired with the guide pin 24b and the rotating shaft 25b here, but are not shown here.

The light source support portion 3 is made of a plate-shaped resin having a predetermined black color and a predetermined thickness, and a plurality of light sources 31a to 31c are arranged. Specifically, the plurality of light sources 31a, 31b, and 31c are arranged on the light source support portion 3 so as to face the light receiving portions 21a, 21b, and 21c in the panel closed state, respectively. As the light sources 31a to 31c, for example, well-known LEDs are used. The rotating shafts 23a and 23b are inserted into the light source support portion 3, and guide pins 32a and 32b guided by the guide slits 12a and 12b are provided at the other ends of the rotating shafts 23a and 23b. Note that n1 to n4 are screws for fixing members and the like related to the light sources 31a to 31c.

The operation of the storage box having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view for explaining the opening / closing operation of the panel portion. Note that FIG. 5 is a side view corresponding to FIG.

First, the light sources 31a to 31c are turned on in conjunction with, for example, turning on the light switch. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the panel closed state in which the panel portion 2 is closed, the guide pins 32a and 32b of the light source support portion 3 are maintained at the upper ends of the guide slits 12a and 12b. As a result, the light sources 31a to 31c face downward and face the light receiving portions 21a to 21c. Then, the light from the light sources 31a to 31c is received by the light receiving portions 21a to 21c, respectively, and then travels in the panel portion 2 which is also a light guide plate as shown by the dotted arrow R1.

In this way, in the panel closed state, the light from the light sources 31a to 31c is received by the light receiving units 21a to 21c and then travels in the panel unit 2, so that the entire panel unit 2 is evenly distributed. Be illuminated. Since the light from the light sources 31a to 31c is received by the projecting light receiving units 21a to 21c, the light is not wasted. That is, the lighting efficiency becomes very high.

From this state, when the panel unit 2 is opened, as shown in FIG. 5, the panel unit 2 rotates about the rotation axes 25a and 25b, and is in the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Head. As the panel portion 2 rotates, the guide pins 32a and 32b of the light source support portion 3 slide along the guide slits 12a and 12b as shown in FIG. Along with this, the guide pins 24a and 24b also slide along the guide slits 14a and 14b.

In this way, according to the rotational operation of the panel portion 2, the guide pins 32a and 32b of the light source support portion 3 slide along the guide slits 12a and 12b as shown in FIG. Therefore, the panel portion 2 can be opened and closed stably and smoothly.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the panel open state in which the panel portion 2 is open, the guide pins 32a and 32b of the light source support portion 3 are maintained at the lower ends of the guide slits 12a and 12b. .. At this time, the light sources 31a to 31c move downward from the panel closed state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but still face downward. In particular, the light sources 31a to 31c face the lower inner wall of the storage portion 1 through the holes 11a to 11c of the wall plate 11. Then, the direct light R2 from the light sources 31a to 31c travels laterally and downwardly inside the storage unit 1 to illuminate the inside of the storage unit 1, respectively.

As described above, in the panel open state, the light sources 31a to 31c approach the lower inner wall of the storage portion 1 and face the lower inner wall, so that the inside of the storage portion 1 can be illuminated very brightly. That is, the lighting efficiency is very high even when the panel is open.

Contrary to the above example, when the panel is displaced from the panel open state to the panel closed state, the guide pin only moves the guide slit in the opposite direction, and the basic operation is the same as in the above example.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a storage box having excellent lighting efficiency and capable of uniform panel illumination. In addition, since the common light source is also used when opening and closing the panel, the number of parts can be reduced.

The storage box of the present invention can be applied not only to vehicles but also indoors. For example, it can also be used as a storage box that doubles as a regular light in the bedroom. However, by embedding it in the instrument panel in the passenger compartment, it becomes possible to efficiently illuminate the inside of the storage box and the front of the passenger compartment, and it can also be used as a high-class illumination.

Further, for example, a translucent wood grain decorative board or the like may be attached to the panel portion of the storage box of the present invention. This makes it possible to use it as a more luxurious illumination. Further, the light source may be appropriately dimmed. This makes it possible to use it as a more luxurious illumination. Further, the storage portion of the storage box of the present invention may have, for example, a cylindrical box shape as well as the illustrated shape. The present invention includes those modified within the scope of the gist thereof.

<figref num="1">It is a front view which shows the panel closed state of the storage box of one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="2">It is a side view which shows the panel closed state of the storage box of one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="3">It is a front view which shows the panel open state of the storage box of one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="4">It is a side view which shows the panel open state of the storage box of one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="5">It is a side view for demonstrating the opening / closing operation of a panel part.</figref><figref num="6">It is a front view which shows the panel closed state of the conventional storage box of this kind.</figref><figref num="7">It is a top view which shows the panel open state of the conventional storage box of this kind.</figref>

Code description

1 Storage part 2 Panel part 3 Light source support part 31a ~ 31c Light source 21a ~ 21c Light receiving part