JP7718291B2 - lighting fixtures - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lighting fixture.

A known fixture mounting structure for lighting fixtures with waterproof fixture bodies is one in which a sheet metal fixture is screwed to the fixture body using multiple screw members (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The fixture mounting structure in Patent Document 1 includes a flat packing that is sandwiched between a sheet metal mounting plate and the fixture body, with a tubular portion formed on its surface through which a screw member can be passed. When screwing the mounting plate to the fixture body, the tubular portion of the packing is fitted into the screw hole in the mounting plate, and with the packing and mounting plate in close contact, the screw member is passed through the screw hole in the mounting plate (i.e., the tubular portion of the packing) to secure it in place. With this fitting mounting structure, the packing provides waterproofing between the mounting plate and the fixture body, and the tubular portion of the packing is inserted into the screw hole in the mounting plate, preventing water from entering through the screw hole.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-163576

However, with conventional metal fitting mounting structures, there was a risk that the tubular portion of the gasket or the mounting plate itself would deform as the screws were tightened, resulting in a reduction in waterproof performance. Furthermore, if the screw members were not tightened tightly enough, the mounting plate and the appliance body would not adhere tightly to the gasket, resulting in a reduction in waterproof performance. In particular, with conventional metal fitting mounting structures, workers had to rely on the reaction force of the gasket to determine whether the screw members on the mounting plate were tightened sufficiently, which created the problem of them easily being tightened insufficiently.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a lighting fixture that can prevent a decrease in waterproof performance.

One aspect of the present invention is a lighting fixture comprising: a fixture body; a metal sheet metal fitting attached to the fixture body; and a plate-shaped gasket sandwiched between the fixture body and the metal sheet metal fitting; the metal sheet metal fitting has a first through hole formed therein; the gasket has a second through hole formed in a position corresponding to the first through hole and having a larger diameter than the first through hole; and the metal sheet metal fitting has a convex abutment stopper formed on the opening edge of the first through hole on the surface facing the gasket, the abutment stopper having a height smaller than the thickness of the gasket and fitting into the second through hole of the gasket to abut against the fixture body.

One aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned lighting fixture, the packing is formed with one or more annular protrusions surrounding the second through hole.

One aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-described lighting fixture, the bolts inserted into the first and second through holes to secure the metal sheet fittings include a head portion and a threaded portion extending from the bottom surface of the head portion, the metal sheet fittings have a step portion formed on the opening edge of the first through hole on the surface facing the bottom surface of the head portion of the bolt, and an O-ring is sandwiched between the step portion and the head portion of the bolt.

One aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned lighting fixture, the depth of the step portion and the height of the stopper portion are approximately equal.

One aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned lighting fixture, the outer peripheral surface of the stopper is tapered.

One aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-described lighting fixture, the packing has a recess formed on the surface facing the fixture body, excluding the opening edge of the second through hole.

One aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned lighting fixture, the recessed portion is formed in a position excluding the edge portion of the packing.

According to one aspect of the present invention, deterioration of waterproof performance can be prevented.

1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a lighting fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are exploded perspective views showing the metal fitting mounting structure of the wire fixing metal fitting, in which FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of the wire fixing metal fitting seen from the front side, and FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view of the wire fixing metal fitting seen from the back side. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the metal fitting mounting structure of the wire fixing metal fitting. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part C in FIG. 3 .

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an example of a lighting fixture will be described, which is a fixture used to illuminate tunnels and roads.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a lighting fixture 1 according to this embodiment.
The lighting fixture 1 of this embodiment is a fixture that is installed on the ceiling or wall of a tunnel through which a road runs, and illuminates the road surface inside the tunnel.The lighting fixture 1 has a fixture body 10, which is provided with a pair of end plates 12 and two wire fixing brackets 14.

The fixture body 10 is long in one direction and has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 20 with one open side (hereinafter referred to as the "front"), and a front cover 22 that covers the front opening 15. It emits illumination light from the opening 15 toward the road surface and has a waterproof structure that can withstand outdoor use.

The housing 20 is formed from a highly thermally conductive material such as aluminum, and inside the housing 20 are housed multiple (three in the illustrated example) light source units 24 arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction A of the housing 20, and a power supply unit 26 that supplies power to each light source unit 24.
The light source unit 24 includes a light source that emits illumination light and a light control member that controls the light distribution of the light source, and the light distribution is controlled so as to obtain illumination light that extends in the traffic direction of the road. In this embodiment, an LED (light emitting diode), which is an example of a light emitting element, is used as the light source, and a reflector, which is a reflective optical element, is used as the light control member. A linear light source section is formed by arranging multiple light source units 24 side by side in the longitudinal direction A. The number, arrangement, configuration, and type of light source of the light source units 24 are optional.

The power supply unit 26 houses various electrical circuits, such as a power supply circuit that generates power for lighting the light source and a lighting circuit that controls the lighting of the light source. A cable gland (not shown) is provided on the underside of the housing 20, and a power cable (not shown) that is electrically connected to an external commercial power source is connected to this cable gland. The cable gland is a component that forms an inlet that pulls the power cable into the housing 20 while ensuring waterproofing.

The end plates 12 on both the left and right sides are provided with multiple mounting sections 30 (two in the illustrated example), and fixing members (not shown) are attached to the mounting sections 30 for installation on tunnel walls or roadsides. The end plates 12 are waterproofed by being fixed to the sides of the housing 20 with bolts 32, with a plate-shaped gasket sandwiched between them (not shown).

The two wire fixing brackets 14 mentioned above are also screwed to the top surface of the housing 20. The wire fixing brackets 14 are metal fittings for attaching fall prevention wires 34, details of which will be described later. The fall prevention wires 34 are wires that prevent the housing 20 from falling if the fastening between the tunnel wall and the fixing member or the fastening between the end plate 12 and the fixing member comes loose, and are fixed so that they cannot fall off to appropriate members on the tunnel wall or roadside.

The opening 15 of the fixture body 10 is formed by the upper and lower edge portions 20A of the housing 20 and the cover receiving portions 12A integrally formed on the left and right end plates 12, and the opening 15 is covered by a translucent front cover 22 with a gasket sandwiched between them. The front cover 22 is supported so as to be able to open and close freely by multiple (three in the illustrated example) hinge fittings 45A screwed to the top surface of the housing 20, and is locked in the closed position by multiple (three in the illustrated example) latch fittings 45B screwed to the underside of the housing 20.

2A is an exploded perspective view showing the metal fitting mounting structure of the wire fixture 14, and FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view showing the metal fitting mounting structure of the wire fixture 14 from the back side. Also, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the metal fitting mounting structure of the wire fixture 14.
2(A) and 2(B), the wire fixing fixture 14 is a sheet metal fixture made of a substantially rectangular metal plate, and includes a fixture body 50 and a wire fixing portion 52 formed by bending one end of the fixture body 50 into a substantially L-shape. A plurality of first bolt holes 54 (two in the illustrated example) through which bolts 70, which are fastening members for installation, are passed, and one packing positioning hole 56 are formed in the surface of the fixture body 50, and a wire coupling hole 57 is formed in the wire fixing portion 52. The first bolt hole 54, packing positioning hole 56, and wire coupling hole 57 are all through holes.

The metal fitting mounting structure of the wire fixing fitting 14 in this embodiment comprises a gasket 60, the bolts 70 inserted into each first bolt hole 54 and screwing the wire fixing fitting 14 and the gasket 60 to the fixture body 10, and nuts 80 onto which the bolts 70 are threaded.
The gasket 60 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member made of an elastic material such as rubber (e.g., a rubber material such as silicone rubber or fluororubber), and as shown in Figure 3, is placed on the back side of the metal fitting body 50 and sandwiched between the metal fitting body 50 and the housing 20, thereby waterproofing the gap between the metal fitting body 50 (wire fixing metal fitting 14) and the housing 20 (apparatus body 10).
A plurality of second bolt holes 62, which are through holes for passing bolts 70, and convex positioning protrusions 64 are formed in the surface of the packing 60, and the positioning protrusions 64 are inserted into the packing positioning holes 56 and engage with each other, so that the second bolt holes 62 of the packing 60 are positioned so as to overlap the first bolt holes 54 of the metal fitting body 50, and the metal fitting body 50 and the packing 60 are accurately positioned. In addition, the diameter of the second bolt holes 62 is larger than the diameter of the first bolt holes 54, so that abutment stop portions 58 (described later) of the first bolt holes 54 fit into the second bolt holes 62.

The entire surface of the wire fixing bracket 14 is corrosion-resistant. This corrosion resistance can be achieved by surface treatments such as painting or plating the surface of the wire fixing bracket 14, or by forming the wire fixing bracket 14 from a corrosion-resistant metal material (e.g., stainless steel). Even if the wire fixing bracket 14 is made of a corrosion-resistant material, it may be painted to enhance durability. In this embodiment, the wire fixing bracket 14 is made corrosion-resistant by painting, and the packing positioning hole 56 is formed approximately in the center of the bracket body 50 in the longitudinal direction B (Figure 3). The above-mentioned painting is applied to the entire surface while the wire fixing bracket 14 is suspended from this packing positioning hole 56 via a hanging jig or the like. In this embodiment, the first bolt holes 54 are formed on both sides of the packing positioning hole 56 in the longitudinal direction B, at approximately the same distance from the packing positioning hole 56. However, the positions of the packing positioning holes 56 and first bolt holes 54 within the surface of the metal fitting body 50, and their numbers, are not limited to those in this embodiment.

As shown in Figure 3, the wire fixing bracket 14 has an opening edge portion of the first bolt hole 54 on the side facing the bottom surface of the head portion 70A of the bolt 70 expanded in diameter, thereby forming a recessed step portion 54A that is annular in plan view at the opening edge portion.
On the other hand, the bolt 70 comprises a head portion 70A, a threaded portion 70B extending rod-like from the bottom surface of the head portion 70A and having threads that thread into the nut 80, and an O-ring 72 attached to the threaded portion 70B.
By fixing the wire fixing bracket 14 with such a bolt 70, the O-ring 72 enters the step portion 54A of the first bolt hole 54 and is sandwiched between the step portion 54A and the head portion 70A of the bolt 70, thereby waterproofing the space between the head portion 70A of the bolt 70 and the first bolt hole 54.
In this embodiment, the bolt 70 is a flange bolt having a flange 73 that is circular in plan view formed on the bottom surface of the head portion 70A, thereby improving the waterproof performance between the head portion 70A of the bolt 70 and the first bolt hole 54.

As shown in Figures 2(B) and 3, the opening edge of the first bolt hole 54 of the wire fixing bracket 14 on the surface facing the packing 60 is convex in cross section, and this convex portion in cross section forms the abutment stopper 58. When the wire fixing bracket 14 is fixed with the bolt 70, the abutment stopper 58 enters the second bolt hole 62 of the packing 60 and abuts against the housing 20, as shown in Figure 3, thereby maintaining the distance between the bracket body 50 of the wire fixing bracket 14 and the housing 20 at the height Ha of the abutment stopper 58.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part C in FIG.
As shown in the figure, one or more (two in the illustrated example) beads 63 surrounding the second bolt hole 62 are formed on each of the front surface (the surface that abuts against the wire fixing metal fitting 14) and the back surface (the surface that abuts against the housing 20) of the packing 60. The beads 63 are convex portions that improve waterproofing by partially increasing the surface pressure around the second bolt hole 62, and are formed in the shape of an annulus that surrounds the second bolt hole 62, as shown in Figures 2(A) and 2(B) above.
In the packing 60 configured as described above, the thickness Tp in the vicinity of the second bolt hole 62 is the sum of the thickness Tpa of the base at a location where the positioning protrusion 64 and the recess 68 are not provided and the height Tpb of the beads 63 formed on the front and back surfaces. If the beads 63 were not provided, the thickness Tp of the packing 60 would be the thickness Tpa of the base.
In this embodiment, the thickness Tpa of the base is 1.7 mm, the height Tpb of the bead 63 is 0.15 mm, and the thickness Tp of the packing 60 is 2.0 mm (=1.7 mm+0.15 mm×2).
Meanwhile, in the wire fixing bracket 14, the height Ha of the stopper portion 58 is smaller than the thickness Tp of the packing 60. As a result, when fixing the wire fixing bracket 14, the worker can tighten the bolt 70 until the stopper portion 58 abuts against the housing 20, thereby crushing the packing 60 as designed and ensuring reliable waterproof performance. Therefore, the amount of tightening of the bolt 70 does not vary depending on the worker, and sufficient waterproof performance can be reliably obtained.

The stopper portion 58 of such a wire fixing bracket 14 is formed by press molding known as doweling or half-piercing, so that the stopper portion 58 can be formed together with the step portion 54A of the bracket body 50 in a single press process, thereby reducing costs.
In this embodiment, the wire fixture 14 has a plate thickness Tk ( FIG. 4 ) of approximately 4 mm, and is press-molded from the surface side relative to the first bolt hole 54 to simultaneously form a step 54A having a depth Hb ( FIG. 4 ) of 1.5 mm (design dimensions excluding tolerances) and a stopper portion 58 having a height Ha of 1.5 mm, equal to the depth Hb. The gasket 60 has a thickness Tp (in this embodiment, as described above, Tp = 2.0 mm) that is greater than the height Ha of the stopper portion 58. In this embodiment, the depth Hb of the step 54A is machined to a plus tolerance of 0.2 mm or less, and the height Ha of the stopper portion 58 is machined to a minus tolerance of 0.1 mm or less. In the machined wire fixture 14, the height Ha of the stopper portion 58 is slightly lower than the depth Hb of the step 54A.
The thickness Tk of the wire fixing bracket 14 is preferably 3 mm or more and 6 mm or less. That is, if the thickness Tk is greater than this, an extremely large pressing force is required during press molding, and if the thickness Tk is thinner than this, the rigidity of the wire fixing bracket 14 is weakened, causing deformation such as distortion when the bolt 70 is tightened, resulting in a decrease in waterproof performance.

In addition, as shown in Figure 4, the stopper portion 58 of this embodiment has a tapered outer surface 58S in cross section, which makes it easier to remove the mold during press molding and prevents stress from concentrating on the stopper portion 58.

As shown in Figure 2(B) above, the packing 60 of this embodiment has a recess 68 formed in the surface facing the housing 20 of the appliance body 10. The recess 68 is a portion that allows pressure from tightening the bolt 70 to be concentrated in areas other than the recess 68. In other words, the recess 68 is formed in an appropriate area excluding the opening edge of the second bolt hole 62 and the edge of the packing 60, and the opening edge of the second bolt hole 62 and the edge of the packing 60 are pressed firmly against the housing 20, improving adhesion. This more reliably prevents water from seeping into the surface of the packing 60 from the edge of the packing 60 and from seeping into the housing 20 from the second bolt hole 62.

As explained above, this embodiment provides the following advantages:

The lighting fixture 1 of this embodiment includes a fixture body 10, a wire fixing bracket 14 attached to the fixture body 10, and a plate-shaped packing 60 sandwiched between the fixture body 10 and the wire fixing bracket 14. The fixture body 50 of the wire fixing bracket 14 has a convex abutment stopper 58 formed at the opening edge of the first bolt hole 54 on the surface facing the packing 60, the abutment stopper 58 having a height Ha lower than the thickness Tp of the packing 60 and adapted to enter the second bolt hole 62 of the packing 60 and abut against the housing 20.
With this configuration, when fixing the wire fixing metal fitting, the worker can tighten the bolt 70 until the abutment stopper 58 abuts against the housing 20, thereby crushing the packing 60 as designed and ensuring reliable waterproof performance. Therefore, the amount of tightening of the bolt 70 does not vary depending on the worker, and sufficient waterproof performance can be reliably obtained.

In the lighting fixture 1 described above, the packing 60 is formed with one or more annular protrusions surrounding the second bolt hole 62 .
This configuration improves the waterproofing around the second bolt hole 62 .

In the above-described lighting fixture 1, the metal fitting body 50 has a step 54A formed at the opening edge of the first bolt hole 54 on the surface facing the bottom surface of the head portion 70A of the bolt 70, and an O-ring 72 is sandwiched between the step 54A and the head portion 70A of the bolt 70.
According to this configuration, the O-ring 72 can reliably waterproof the gap between the head portion 70A of the bolt 70 and the first bolt hole 54.

In the lighting fixture 1 described above, the depth Hb of the step portion 54A and the height Ha of the stopper portion 58 are substantially equal.
According to this configuration, the step portion 54A and the stopper portion 58 can be formed in one press process using a press molding technique called doweling or half-piercing, thereby reducing costs.

In the lighting fixture 1 described above, the outer peripheral surface 58S of the stopper portion 58 is tapered.
According to this configuration, the mold can be easily removed during press molding, and stress can be prevented from concentrating on the stopper portion 58 .

In the above-described lighting fixture 1 , the packing 60 has a recess 68 formed in the surface of the fixture body 10 facing the housing 20 , at a position excluding the opening edge of the second bolt hole 62 .
According to this configuration, the opening edge of the second bolt hole 62 is pressed more firmly against the housing 20, improving adhesion, and more reliably preventing water from entering the housing 20 through the second bolt hole 62.

In the lighting fixture 1 described above, the recessed portion 68 is formed at a position other than the edge portion of the packing 60 .
With this configuration, in addition to the opening edge of the second bolt hole 62, the edge of the gasket 60 is also pressed firmly against the housing 20, thereby increasing adhesion, thereby preventing water from seeping into the surface of the gasket 60 from the edge of the gasket 60.

The above-described embodiment is merely an example of one aspect of the present invention, and any modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the mounting structure of the wire fixing bracket 14 provided in the lighting fixture 1 can also be applied to the mounting structure of other metal fittings, such as the end plate 12, hinge bracket 45A, and latch bracket 45B.

In addition to lighting fixtures for illuminating tunnels and roads, the present invention can also be applied to various lighting fixtures that require waterproof performance.

Unless otherwise specified, the horizontal, vertical, and other directions, various numerical values, shapes, and materials in the above-described embodiments include a range that provides the same effect as those directions, numerical values, shapes, and materials (a so-called equivalent range).

1 Lighting fixture 10 Fixture body 14 Wire fixing bracket (metal fitting)
20 Housing 50 Metal fitting body 54 First bolt hole (first through hole)
54A: Step portion 56: Packing positioning hole 58: Stop portion 58S: Outer circumferential surface 60: Packing 62: Second bolt hole (second through hole)
63 Bead (convex part)
64 Positioning projection 68 Recessed portion 70 Bolt 70A Head portion 70B Threaded portion 72 O-ring 80 Nut A, B Longitudinal direction Ha Height of stopper portion Hb Depth of step portion Tp Thickness of packing

Claims (7)

The instrument body,
a metal plate attached to the fixture body;
a plate-shaped packing sandwiched between the appliance body and the metal plate;
Equipped with
a first through hole is formed in the sheet metal fitting,
The packing has a second through hole formed at a position corresponding to the first through hole, the second through hole having a larger diameter than the first through hole,
The sheet metal fitting is
An opening edge portion of the first through hole in a surface facing the packing,
A convex abutting stop portion having a height lower than the thickness of the packing is formed so as to enter the second through hole of the packing and abut against the appliance body.
A lighting fixture characterized by: The lighting fixture described in claim 1, characterized in that the packing has one or more annular protrusions formed thereon that surround the second through hole. the bolts that are inserted into the first through holes and the second through holes to fix the sheet metal fittings include a head portion and a threaded portion that extends from a bottom surface of the head portion,
The sheet metal fitting is
a step is formed on an opening edge of the first through hole in a surface facing a bottom surface of the head portion of the bolt,
An O-ring is sandwiched between the step portion and the head portion of the bolt.
3. The lighting fixture according to claim 1 or 2. The depth of the step portion and the height of the stopper portion are approximately equal.
4. The lighting fixture according to claim 3. The outer peripheral surface of the stopper is tapered.
5. The lighting fixture according to claim 4. The packing is
a recessed portion is formed in a surface facing the instrument body, at a position excluding an opening edge portion of the second through hole;
6. A lighting fixture according to claim 1. The recessed portion is formed at a position excluding an edge portion of the packing.
7. A lighting fixture according to claim 6.