JP4448744B2 - Lighting device in the passenger compartment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an illuminating device that illuminates a vehicle interior in a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly to an illuminating device in a vehicle interior in which an illumination member having a light guide property is arranged on an instrument panel at the front of the vehicle interior.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in vehicles such as automobiles, a lighting device that illuminates the interior of a vehicle at night or the like has been generally used for the purpose of improving the interior of the vehicle interior and creating a more calm atmosphere when illuminated. It is considered that indirect lighting is adopted instead of so-called direct lighting. In this indirect illumination, the direct illumination from the illumination member that emits illumination light is not performed as in direct illumination, but the illumination light from the illumination member is reflected by a nearby wall surface and the like, and the reflected light is used. Since the illumination is performed, it is possible to suppress the entire vehicle interior, the illumination target, and the vicinity thereof from becoming excessively bright as in the case of direct illumination, and a more calm and calm atmosphere can be created.

Further, conventionally, as a lighting device in a vehicle interior of a vehicle such as an automobile, a lighting member having a light guide property is disposed in a vehicle interior member, and the lighting member is irradiated with light from a light source provided inside or outside the lighting member. Is known, and the interior of the vehicle is illuminated with the light.
For example, in Patent Document 1, a light guide plate is provided inside a light transmissive panel, a light source (for example, a light-emitting diode) is disposed on the side of the light guide plate, and light from the light source is transmitted from the side of the light guide plate to the inside. An article that enters and exits from the surface of the light guide plate is disclosed.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle illumination device in which the illumination member as described above is arranged on the ceiling portion above the center console box and the rearview mirror, and further on the instrument panel and the door panel. ing.
JP 2004-90897 A

By the way, the instrument panel provided in the front part of the passenger compartment of the automobile is provided with various equipment and equipment such as switches, which is convenient when using or operating them at night. Lighting is required to ensure
However, conventionally, when an illumination member is provided on the instrument panel, the illumination light from the illumination member easily enters the field of view of the driver seated on the front seat in the passenger compartment, which may be annoying. . When the illumination light directly enters the driver's field of vision in this way, the driving at the time of illumination, particularly at night, becomes difficult and gives an impediment.
Even when the illumination provided on the instrument panel is indirect illumination, the illumination light may directly enter the driver's field of view depending on the position of the illumination member and the direction of the illumination light.

  The instrument panel usually has a front edge located in the vicinity of the lower edge of the front (window) glass. Further, depending on the type of vehicle, there is also a case where the front side edge is positioned near the lower edge of the front side (window) glass. Therefore, the reflection of the equipment arranged on the instrument panel on the windshield and the side window glass enters the occupant's field of view, so-called reflection is likely to occur. There is also the problem that it becomes annoying.

  Therefore, the present invention suppresses the illuminating light from becoming an obstacle to the driver seated on the front seat when the light-guiding lighting member is disposed on the instrument panel disposed in the front part of the passenger compartment. In addition, it is possible to suppress the equipment portion arranged on the instrument panel from being reflected on the windshield and the side glass, and to more effectively illuminate the equipment portion with illumination light from the illumination member. It was made as a basic purpose.

For this reason, the lighting device for the vehicle interior according to the invention of claim 1 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as the first invention) is disposed in the front portion of the vehicle compartment, and at least the front edge thereof is in the vicinity of the lower edge of the windshield A lighting device in a vehicle interior in which a lighting member having a light guide property is arranged on a positioned instrument panel, wherein the instrument panel extends in a vehicle width direction and includes at least a part of the instrument panel. A stepped portion is provided that is divided into upper and lower portions, where the rear end portion of the upper surface of the step that is located above the stepped portion and inclined obliquely downward is located below the stepped portion and obliquely below the rear. It is set so as to protrude to the vehicle rear side from the front end of the inclined lower surface of the step, and the upper surface of the step is behind the horizontal surface of the upper portion of the step that is substantially horizontal and forward of the inclined upper surface of the step in a side view. At the end, its front is connected The lower surface of the step is formed so as to be inclined obliquely rearward and downwardly lower than the vicinity of the step portion of the upper surface of the step in a side view. Near the rear end of the upper surface of the step, the lower operation portion is disposed behind the rear end of the upper surface of the step near the front end of the lower surface , and has a protruding portion protruding from the lower surface of the step toward the vehicle interior. A display unit or a plurality of upper operation units disposed on the surface facing the upper side of the step, near the front end of the step lower surface of the step, and between the front end of the step lower surface and the step upper surface Irradiate the position near the front end portion of the lower surface of the step and the lower operation portion to a position directly above the step lower surface that is located in front of the lower operation portion and visually recognized by the driver between the rear end, And the illumination light from the said illuminating member is the front seat of the passenger compartment It is set not directly enter the view of the driver sitting in the over bets are disposed illumination member extending in the vehicle width direction, driver seated on SL previously seat took reflected on the windshield upon viewing the stepped bottom surface and the stepped portion and the stepped upper surface so that the irradiation part by the illumination light of the protrusion of the lower operating portion is hidden on SL stepped upper surface, each part of the size, shape and positional relationship Is set .
The “display unit or upper operation unit (s)” includes, for example, a display unit or operation member (buttons, dials, switches, etc.) such as an audio device or an air conditioner, or an instrument. An operation member of equipment such as a cup holder provided on the panel may be used. Examples of the “lower operation unit” include operation members such as buttons, dials, and switches.

The invention of claim 2 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as the second invention) is characterized in that, in the first invention, the lower operation part is set to a lighter color tone than the color tone of the upper surface of the step. It is what .

Further, the invention of claim 3 (hereinafter, a third of the invention), in the first or second aspect of the invention, the step portion includes a characterized and Turkey have been formed in the center console of the instrument panel It is a thing .

Furthermore, in the invention of claim 4 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as the fourth invention), in the first invention, the lower operation portion is disposed on the step lower surface behind the step from the step upper surface. , Is characterized by that.

According to the first invention of the present application, the instrument panel extends in the vehicle width direction and divides at least a part of the instrument panel vertically, and the rear end portion of the upper surface of the step located on the upper side is on the lower side. A stepped portion is provided so as to project to the vehicle rear side from the front end portion of the stepped lower surface, and the illumination member having light guiding properties is disposed in the vicinity of the front end portion of the stepped lower surface. Therefore, for example, when traveling in a tunnel or at night, when lighting in the vehicle interior is required, it is possible to illuminate the instrument panel with illumination light from the illumination member, so that the entire vehicle interior is not brightened. The driver can easily recognize the position of the instrument panel.
In this case, the illumination member is disposed in the vicinity of the front end portion of the lower step surface, and the rear end portion of the upper step surface located on the upper side is lower than the front end portion of the lower step surface located on the lower side. It is set to project to the rear side of the vehicle, and the illumination light from the illumination member is emitted from the deep part of the step part, so mainly reflected light from the lower surface of the step and / or the folded surface of the upper part of the step Lighting will be performed. That is, since it becomes indirect illumination, it can suppress that an illumination part and its vicinity area become bright too much like the case of direct illumination, and can make the vehicle interior more calm and soothing. Moreover, since the illumination light from the illumination member is set so as not to directly enter the field of view of the driver seated on the front seat of the passenger compartment, it is more effective that the illumination is obstructive for the driver. To be suppressed. That is, it can be more effectively avoided for the driver that the lighting is in his / her eyes and difficult to drive.
Furthermore, by arranging the illumination member in the vicinity of the front end portion of the lower surface of the step, it is possible to more effectively illuminate the lower operation portion, the display portion, or the upper operation portion disposed in the vicinity of the step portion of the instrument panel. .
In particular, when the driver seated in the front seat visually recognizes the lower operation part reflected on the windshield, the lower operation part is hidden by the upper surface of the step, so that, for example, when traveling in a tunnel or at night The lower operation unit illuminated by the illumination member is also reflected on the windshield and the side glass so that it is conspicuously reflected in a bright color tone, and it can be suppressed that the reflection is annoying for the driver. .
In particular, in the case where a substantially horizontal step upper horizontal surface is provided on the vehicle front side from the front end of the step upper surface that is located on the upper side of the step portion and inclined obliquely downward and rearward , more particularly, In the case where the lower operation portion has a protruding portion that protrudes toward the vehicle interior from the lower surface of the step, the above-described effects can be achieved.

In addition, according to the second invention of the present application, basically, the same operational effects as the first invention can be obtained. In particular, since the lower operation unit is easily reflected in indirect illumination by the illumination member, the visibility of the lower operation unit can be improved.

Furthermore, according to the third invention of the present application, particularly in the case where the step portion is formed in the center console of the instrument panel, the same operational effects as those of the first or second invention can be achieved .

Still further, according to the fourth invention of the present application, the same effect as that of the first invention can be achieved when the lower operation portion is installed on the lower step surface behind the step from the upper surface of the step. it can.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a front part of a passenger compartment of an automobile according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, an instrument panel 10 is disposed at the front of the passenger compartment of the automobile so as to cover the lower part of the front side of the passenger compartment. A front (window) glass 20 that covers the front upper portion is disposed. The front edge portion of the instrument panel 10 is located near the lower edge portion of the windshield 20. Depending on the type of vehicle, a side (window) glass is disposed on the front side, and the front side edge of the instrument panel is located near the lower edge of the side glass.

  A center console portion 16 extends in the vehicle vertical direction at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction of the instrument panel 10, and an inclined surface portion 16f at the front portion of the center console portion 16 is described later. As shown in detail in FIG. 3, a lever guide groove 16 g through which the shift shift lever 31 is inserted is formed. Further, a cup holder 32 is disposed below the lever guide groove 16g and an air conditioner setting dial 41 (41A, 41B, 41C: see FIG. 3) is disposed above the front side. These setting dials 41 (41A, 41B, 41C) have protruding portions that protrude toward the vehicle interior side. The instrument panel 10 above the air conditioning setting dial 41 is provided with various operation buttons 42 (42A, 42B, 42C, 42D: see FIG. 3) of the audio apparatus. Furthermore, air-conditioning air outlets 43B and 43C are positioned above these operation buttons 42.

  The right side portion of the center console portion 16 of the instrument panel 10 is located in front of a driver seat (not shown), and the instrument panel portion in front of the steering wheel 35 includes a vehicle speed meter 44, an engine speed meter 45, and the like. Meters are arranged, and further to the right is a conditioned air outlet 43D. Further, in the instrument panel portion below the air-conditioning outlet 43D, switches 46 having a protruding portion protruding toward the vehicle interior side including, for example, a fog lamp and a switch are disposed.

On the other hand, the left side portion of the center console portion 16 of the instrument panel 10 is positioned in front of a passenger seat (not shown) and includes a glove box 17 as an accessory case. An air-conditioning air outlet 43 </ b> A is located above the left end portion of the glove box 17. A cup holder 36 is provided so as to be able to be pulled out immediately below the air conditioning outlet 43A at the left end of the passenger compartment and the air conditioning outlet 43D at the right end of the passenger compartment.
Further, door mirrors 23 and 24 as side mirrors for mainly viewing the rear side of the vehicle are provided at the front end portions of the left and right front doors 21 and 22, respectively.

  The air conditioning setting dial 41 (41A, 41B, 41C), the audio operation button 42 (42A, 42B, 42C, 42D) and the air conditioning outlet 43 (43A, 43B, 43C, 43D) are specific to them. Except for the case where it is necessary to distinguish and describe, the alphabetical code is appropriately removed and the air conditioning setting dial 41, the audio operation button 42, and the air conditioning outlet 43 are displayed in a simplified manner.

In the present embodiment, the instrument panel 10 is preferably composed of an upper part 11 constituting the upper part and a lower part 12 constituting the lower part. The center console portion 16 is configured by assembling another member to the instrument panel 10. In the assembled state, the inclined portion of the center console portion 16 corresponds to the lower portion 12 of the instrument panel 10. Is. The center console portion 16 can be integrally formed with the lower portion 12 of the instrument panel 10.
A stepped portion S that extends in the vehicle width direction and divides the instrument panel 10 into upper and lower portions is formed at a boundary portion between the upper portion 11 and the lower portion 12, and the stepped portion S has a light guide property. Member 2 is arranged. More preferably, the stepped portion S and the illumination member 2 are extended over substantially the entire width of the instrument panel 10.

Hereinafter, the stepped portion S and the illumination member 2 will be described.
2 is a perspective view showing the basic structure of the stepped portion S of the instrument panel 10, and FIGS. 3 and 4 show the stepped portion S on the upper side of the center console portion 16 and the stepped portion S on the upper side of the glove box. It is a perspective view which shows a structure, respectively.
As shown in FIG. 2, the stepped portion S has an upper surface 11f (stepped upper surface) located on the upper side folded back obliquely forward and downward, and a front end portion of the folded portion 11b (also a lower end portion of the stepped upper surface). And the lower end surface 12f (step lower surface) located on the lower side is engaged with the front end portion (which is also the upper end portion of the step lower portion surface), and the rear end portion 11p of the step upper surface 11f is formed. It is set to project to the vehicle rear side from the front end 12p of the step lower surface 12f.

  And the illumination member 2 is arrange | positioned so that it may extend in the vehicle width direction in the deepest part in this level | step-difference part S, ie, the vicinity of the front-end part 12p of the level | step difference lower surface 12f. As schematically shown in FIG. 6, the lighting member 2 is formed in, for example, a long rod shape or a column shape using a light-guiding material such as an acrylic resin or a polycarbonate resin. A light source 4 (for example, a light emitting diode, a halogen lamp, an incandescent lamp, etc.) is disposed on the side of one end face in the direction.

The light from the light source 4 enters the inside from the end face of the illumination member 2 and exits from the surface of the illumination member 2 to perform illumination, which is conventionally known.
Instead of separately providing the light source 2 as described above, it is also possible to perform illumination by arranging a linear or dot light source inside the illumination member. Moreover, since the above-mentioned material has flexibility, even a curved portion that bends with a certain degree of curvature can be laid without hindrance.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a groove portion 11g having a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens downward is formed in the vicinity of the front end portion of the folded portion 11b of the upper portion 11 so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. The lighting member is accommodated in the groove 11g. The groove 11g that accommodates the illumination member 2 is opened so as to face the step lower surface 12f, and the opening is closed with a transparent or translucent glass or resin cover body 13 having light transmissivity. Thereby, the illumination member 2 accommodated in the inside is protected.

Thus, since the groove 11g that accommodates the illumination member 2 is opened so as to face the step lower surface 12f, the light emitted from the surface of the illumination member 2 is indicated by a one-dot chain arrow in FIG. The light passes through the cover body 13 and first enters the step lower surface 12f. Then, illumination is performed with the reflected light. That is, the interior of the vehicle is illuminated by so-called indirect illumination.
Therefore, for example, when the interior of the vehicle interior needs to be illuminated, such as when traveling in a tunnel or at night, the entire interior of the vehicle interior is not brightened by illuminating the instrument panel 10 with illumination light from the illumination member 2. However, the driver seated on the front seat can easily recognize the position of the instrument panel 10.

  In this case, when a driver who is seated in a front seat (driver's seat) (not shown) and seated at a position where normal driving operation is facilitated visually recognizes this illumination area in the seating posture, FIG. Since the line of sight is blocked by the step upper surface 11f as indicated by a two-dot chain line arrow e, the illumination member 2 itself never enters the field of view. In addition, each part of the illumination light directly emitted from the illumination member 2 is substantially prevented from entering the driver's field of view by being blocked by the step upper surface 11f. The dimensions and positional relationship are set.

  As described above, since indirect illumination can be performed, it is possible to prevent the illumination portion and its vicinity from becoming excessively bright as in the case of direct illumination, and the interior of the vehicle can be made more calm and relaxed. . Moreover, since the illumination light from the illumination member 2 is set so as not to directly enter the field of view of the driver seated on the front seat of the passenger compartment, it is more certain that the illumination will be obstructive for the driver. Can be suppressed. In particular, it is possible to more reliably prevent the driver from getting into the eyes and making it difficult to drive, reducing the feeling of hindrance when driving in situations that require lighting in the passenger compartment, such as when driving in a tunnel or at night. be able to.

Furthermore, since the illumination member 2 that performs the indirect illumination as described above is extended over substantially the entire width of the instrument panel 10, a portion above the illumination area of the instrument panel 10 is illuminated at night or the like. By giving the impression that almost the entire bag is also raised, the interior of the passenger compartment can be enhanced and a sense of luxury can be created.
In the present embodiment, the stepped portion S and the lighting member 2 extend over substantially the entire width of the instrument panel 10, but the stepped portion S and the lighting member 2 are limited to a specific range in the vehicle width direction as necessary. The illumination member 2 may be provided.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the illumination light from the illumination member 2 disposed in the deep part of the stepped portion S is configured to be reflected by the stepped lower surface 12f, but the stepped lower surface 12f. Instead of or in addition to this surface 12f, it may be reflected by the folded portion 11b of the step upper surface 11f.

  In the present embodiment, more preferably, a line-shaped decorative board with a relatively conspicuous color is formed in the vicinity of the stepped portion S (specifically, the rear end portion 11p) of the stepped upper surface 11f of the instrument panel 10. 30 is affixed. By providing such decoration in the vicinity of the stepped portion S, the upper portion 11 itself including the stepped upper surface 11f of the instrument panel 10 is prevented from being reflected on the windshield. Even when the upper portion 11 including the surface 11f is set to a relatively dark color tone, for example, black, gray, dark blue, brown or the like, or a color tone based on these colors, the upper surface portion 11f reaches the vicinity of the step portion S. It can suppress that the distance from a driver becomes difficult to recognize. In particular, when the stepped upper surface 11f and the stepped lower surface 12f are provided with inclined surface portions 11h and 12h in the vicinity of the stepped portion S, and the inclined surface portions 11h and 12h are set to have different inclinations, Although it is disadvantageous, even in such a case, it is possible to effectively suppress the difficulty in recognizing the distance from the driver to the vicinity of the stepped portion S in the stepped upper surface portion 11f.

  In the present embodiment, the inclined surface portion 16f at the front portion of the center console portion 16 is located below the stepped portion S and corresponds to the lower surface of the stepped portion at this portion. In other words, as described above, the setting dial 41 (41A, 41B, 41C) of the air conditioner is disposed in the vicinity of the stepped portion S). The inclination of the inclined surface portion 16f is set to be substantially the same as that of the inclined surface portion 12h (see FIG. 5). These air conditioning setting dials 41 are illuminated by the illumination member 2 arranged in the vicinity of the front end portion of the step lower surface (inclined surface portion) 16f of the step portion S.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 3, these setting dials 41 are formed in a disc shape having a predetermined thickness (or a cylindrical shape having a predetermined height). As can be seen from FIG. The projection protrudes from the inclined surface portion 16f toward the vehicle interior by a predetermined height. The protrusion height of each dial 41 from the inclined surface portion 16f is such that the driver sitting on the front seat reflects the front inclined surface portion 16f, the step portion S, and the upper portion of the center console portion 16 reflected on the windshield 20. When the surface 11f is visually recognized, the dimensions, shapes, and positional relationships of the respective parts are set so that the setting dials 41 (41A, 41B, 41C) protruding from the inclined surface portion 16f are hidden by the stepped upper surface 11f. . That is, the setting dials 41 (41A, 41B, 41C) are hidden by the step upper surface 11f with respect to the driver's line of sight e 'reflected on the windshield 20 (see FIG. 5).

  Therefore, for example, when traveling in a tunnel or at night, the surface of the side wall located above each setting dial 41 (41A, 41B, 41C) illuminated by the illumination member 2 is reflected on the windshield 20. Thus, it is possible to suppress the reflection in a bright color so as to be conspicuous, and it is possible to suppress the reflection from being annoying for the driver.

  In this case, in the present embodiment, more preferably, the color tone of each setting dial 41 (41A, 41B, 41C) is set to a lighter tone than the color tone of the step upper surface 11f, such as a metallic tone. Therefore, it is easy to be reflected in the indirect illumination by the illumination member 2 and the visibility is sufficiently high. Such a configuration is similarly set for the switches 46.

Further, as described above, the glove box 17 as an accessory case is provided on the left side of the center console portion 16 of the instrument panel 10. As shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 7, the glove box 17 is provided with a pocket portion 17 a recessed in a concave shape toward the front of the vehicle at a portion below the stepped portion S of the instrument panel 10. The portion 17a is configured to be opened and closed by a lid portion 18 (lid portion).
That is, the rear side of the glove box 17 is covered with the lid portion 18, and the pocket portion 17 a is rotated to the rear side as a whole around the lower end portion of the glove box 18 by opening the lid portion 18. Will be. The lid portion 18 is provided with an operation lever 18a for opening and closing the lid portion 18.

The pocket portion 17a is set so that the inside thereof can be irradiated with illumination light from the illumination member 2 disposed in the vicinity of the front end portion of the step lower surface 12f.
Therefore, the illumination light from the irradiation member 2 can be effectively used to illuminate the interior of the pocket portion 17a of the glove box 17 opened by rotating backward, without providing a separate illumination member. The convenience at the time of using the pocket part 17a by opening the lid part 18 of the glove box 17 can be improved.

Further, for example, an open / close detection switch 19 for detecting the open / closed state of the lid portion 18 is disposed in the vicinity of the opening of the pocket portion 17a, and the illumination member according to a detection signal of the detection switch 19 is provided. The amount of illumination light from 2 is adjusted. That is, in the state where the lid portion 18 is opened, the amount of illumination light from the illumination member 2 is set to be larger than that in the state where the lid portion 18 is closed.
The adjustment of the amount of light is performed by adjusting the irradiation intensity of the light source 4, for example. In addition, it is preferable to provide the illumination member 2 arrange | positioned in the area | region corresponding to this glove box 17 independently from the illumination member 2 arrange | positioned in another area | region.

  Thus, in the open state of the lid part 18 which covers the said pocket part 17a so that opening and closing is possible, it set so that the light quantity of the illumination light from the illumination member 2 might be increased compared with the closed state of the said lid part 18 part. Thereby, in the open state of the lid part 18 which requires the illumination inside the pocket part 17a, more sufficient illumination can be performed. On the other hand, in the closed state of the lid portion 18 that does not require illumination inside the pocket portion 17a, since the amount of illumination light is relatively small, it is more effective that the illumination is obstructive for the driver seated on the front seat. It is suppressed. That is, it can be more effectively avoided for the driver that the lighting is in his / her eyes and difficult to drive.

  In addition, if the illumination member 2 disposed in the stepped portion S on the upper side of the lid portion 18 of the glove box 17 facing the passenger seat (not shown) is direct illumination, the driver can go outside the passenger seat. When the door mirror 23 is visually recognized, the illumination area by the illumination member is more easily visible than the door mirror 23. However, in this embodiment, since the illumination member 2 performs illumination by indirect illumination, the illumination light from the illumination member 2 does not directly enter the field of view of the driver seated on the front seat. It is set and it is suppressed more effectively that a driver | operator does not obstruct illumination. In other words, it is possible to more effectively avoid the driver from getting into the eyes and having difficulty driving. Note that the same can be said for the case where the right door mirror 24 closer to the driver's seat is viewed.

In the above embodiment, the glove box 17 is provided below the stepped portion S of the instrument panel 10. However, the glovebox can be provided above the stepped portion of the instrument panel.
Next, a glove box according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and further description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, in this other embodiment, a pocket portion 51 that is recessed toward the front of the vehicle is formed in a portion above the stepped portion S of the instrument panel 10. And the glove box 50 is provided in the upper part rather than the said level | step-difference part S by covering this pocket part 51 with the lid part 55 (lid part) so that opening and closing is possible.
The pocket portion 51 is composed of, for example, another member 52 (pocket member) made of synthetic resin and having a substantially U-shaped cross section. The upper end portion and the left and right side end portions of the pocket member 52 are It is integrally joined to the step upper surface 11f of the ment panel 10.

  And the groove part 53 which accommodates the illuminating member 2 is formed in the vehicle width direction under the opening part of the said pocket part 51 so that it may extend. The groove portion 53 has a substantially rectangular peripheral shape in cross section, and the upper surface wall portion 53a and the lower surface wall portion 53b are made of transparent or semi-transparent glass or synthetic resin. The size, shape, and positional relationship of each part are set so that the upper surface wall 53a of the groove 53 faces the inside of the pocket 51 and the lower wall 53b faces the step lower surface 12f in the vicinity of the step S. .

  Thus, since the groove part 53 which accommodated the illumination member 2 is located so that the lower surface wall part 53b which has a light transmittance may face the level | step difference lower surface 12f, the light radiate | emitted from the surface of the illumination member 2 is a lower surface. The light passes through the wall 53b, enters the step lower surface 12f, and is illuminated with the reflected light. That is, the lower part of the glove box 50 is illuminated by so-called indirect illumination.

Therefore, since the upper surface wall portion 53a having light transmittance of the groove portion 53 is positioned so as to face the inside of the pocket portion 51, the light emitted from the surface of the illumination member 2 is transmitted through the upper surface wall portion 53a. The interior of the pocket 51 is illuminated.
In this way, the illumination light from the illumination member 2 can be effectively used to illuminate the inside of the pocket portion 51 of the glove box 50, and the lid portion 55 of the glove box 50 can be opened without providing a separate illumination member. Convenience at the time of using the pocket part 51 can be improved.
The present embodiment can also be applied to the case where the lid portion 55 is not provided and the pocket portion 51 is always open, so that, for example, when the interior of the vehicle needs to be illuminated, for example, when traveling in a tunnel or traveling at night. By illuminating the lower part of the glove box 50 with the illumination light from the illumination member 2, the driver can easily recognize the position of the glove box 50 without making the entire vehicle interior bright.

  Also in this case, as in the case of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, a detection switch for detecting the open / closed state of the lid portion 55 is provided, and the illumination member 2 is provided in accordance with the detection signal of the detection switch. When the lid portion 55 is opened, the amount of illumination light from the illuminating member 2 is larger than when the lid portion 55 is closed. By setting as described above, the same operational effects as those in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 can be obtained.

  The present invention relates to a lighting device in a vehicle interior in which an illumination member having a light guide property is arranged on an instrument panel in the front part of the vehicle interior, and when the illumination member is arranged on the instrument panel, the illumination light is a driver It is also possible to prevent the instrument panel itself or the operation part of the equipment arranged on the instrument panel itself from being reflected on the windshield or side glass. The present invention can be effectively applied to a lighting device that illuminates the interior of a vehicle.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is a perspective view showing roughly a compartment front part of a car concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the basic structure of the level | step-difference part of the instrument panel arrange | positioned in the compartment front part of the said motor vehicle. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the level | step-difference part above the center console part of the said instrument panel. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the lid part of the glove box provided below the level | step-difference part of the said instrument panel was closed. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the instrument panel along the line Y5-Y5 in FIG. 2. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the illumination member arrange | positioned in the level | step-difference part of the said instrument panel. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the lid part of the said glove box was opened. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the glove box which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Illuminating member 4 Light source 10 Instrument panel 11 Upper part 11f Step upper surface 11p Rear end part 12f (lower step upper part) 12 Lower part 12f Step lower part 12p Front end part (step lower part) 16 Center console part 16f Center console part Inclined surface portion 17, 50 Glove box 17a, 51 Pocket portion 18, 55 (Glove box) lid portion 19 Open / close detection switch 20 Windshield 41 (41A, 41B, 41C) Air conditioning setting dial 42 (42A, 42B, 42C, 42D) ) Operation buttons (of the audio device) 43 (43A, 43B, 43C, 43D) Air-conditioning outlet S Stepped portion

Claims (4)

A lighting device for a vehicle interior in which an illumination member having a light guiding property is disposed on an instrument panel disposed at a front portion of a vehicle compartment, at least a front edge portion of which is located in the vicinity of a lower edge portion of a windshield. ,
The instrument panel is provided with a step portion that extends in the vehicle width direction and divides at least a part of the instrument panel vertically.
In the stepped portion, the rear end portion of the stepped upper surface located above the stepped portion and inclined obliquely downward is lower than the front end portion of the stepped lower surface located below the stepped portion and inclined obliquely downward and rearward. Set to project to the rear of the vehicle,
The upper surface of the step is connected to the rear end of the horizontal surface of the upper portion of the step which is substantially horizontal and forward of the inclination of the upper surface of the step in a side view,
The step lower surface is formed so as to be inclined obliquely downward and rearward lower than the vicinity of the step portion of the step upper surface in a side view,
In the vicinity of the stepped portion, a lower operation portion having a protruding portion that is disposed behind the rear end portion of the stepped upper surface near the front end portion of the stepped lower surface and protrudes toward the vehicle interior from the stepped lower surface , And a display unit or a plurality of upper operation units arranged on the surface facing the vicinity of the rear end portion of the stepped upper surface.
Near the front end portion of the step lower surface of the step portion, between the front end of the step lower surface and the rear end of the step upper surface, located in front of the lower operation portion and visually recognized by the driver The driver who has irradiated the light near the front end of the step lower surface and the lower operation unit to the position directly above the step lower surface and the illumination light from the lighting member seated on the front seat of the passenger compartment A lighting member extending in the vehicle width direction, which is set so as not to enter the field of view directly, is disposed,
When the driver seated on SL front seat has visually the front but reflected on the glass above the stepped bottom surface and the stepped portion and the stepped upper surface is irradiated portion with illumination light of the protrusion of the lower operating section as hidden above Symbol stepped upper surface, the size of each part, the shape and the positional relationship is set,
A lighting device for a vehicle interior. In the vehicle interior lighting device according to claim 1,
The vehicle interior lighting device, wherein the lower operation unit is set to a color tone brighter than a color tone of the step upper surface. In the vehicle interior lighting device according to claim 1 or 2,
The stepped portion is formed in the center console of the instrument panel. In the vehicle interior lighting device according to claim 1,
The lower operating unit is installed on the lower step surface behind the step from the upper surface of the step.

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