JP7770208B2 - UV sterilization device for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles that sterilizes items stored in an item storage compartment installed in the vehicle cabin by irradiating them with deep ultraviolet rays.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for disinfecting items such as masks, smartphones, eyeglasses, sunglasses, and gloves to prevent infection with coronavirus, influenza, norovirus, and other viruses. There are various methods for disinfecting items, one of which is to irradiate the items with ultraviolet light of a specific wavelength to disinfect the items.

As an example of an ultraviolet irradiator, Patent Document 1 below describes an ultraviolet irradiator that sterilizes or disinfects the surface of an item by irradiating ultraviolet light inside a box. The box is integrally formed with an inner box section with an open top, an exterior section that cylindrically covers the inner box section, and a light source storage section that stores a light source that emits ultraviolet light. The inner box section has a mirror section that reflects ultraviolet light formed on its inner surface, and the exterior section has a lid section that can be opened and closed via a hinge to expose the inside of the inner box section. The light source storage section is located inside the lid section, facing the top surface of the inner box section when closed, and includes a light source that irradiates ultraviolet light, a circuit section that causes the light source to emit light, and a power cable that supplies power to the circuit section.

Utility Model Registration No. 3230607

When getting into a vehicle such as a car, people may remove their masks from their faces, or take out their smartphones from their pockets or bags and place them in the console box, instrument panel tray, or other places. If these items could be disinfected in this case, passenger convenience would be improved, but no technology has focused on this idea.

Furthermore, even if an attempt is made to install the ultraviolet irradiation device of Patent Document 1 inside the vehicle cabin, the light source, circuitry, and power cable are located inside the lid that can be opened and closed relative to the inner box, making the entire device bulky and making it difficult to install within the limited space inside the vehicle cabin.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles that can be made compact and can be installed even in limited installation space inside the vehicle.

To achieve the above object, the ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles of the present invention comprises an item storage section installed in an interior member inside the vehicle cabin; a light guide plate arranged so that one side is covered by one wall constituting the interior member; and a deep ultraviolet irradiator arranged with its light emission surface facing one end surface of the light guide plate, wherein the light guide plate has prism surfaces on which prismatic protrusions extending in a direction intersecting the light incident direction of the deep ultraviolet irradiator are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals in the light incident direction, and light from the deep ultraviolet irradiator enters the one end surface of the light guide plate, is reflected by the prism surface, and is irradiated onto items placed in the item storage section.

According to the present invention, the light guide plate is arranged with one side covered by one of the walls that make up the interior member of the vehicle cabin. This allows the wall that makes up the interior member to be used to cover the light guide plate, making it possible to make the sterilization device more compact and allowing the sterilization device to be installed even in relatively small installation spaces within the vehicle cabin.

1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of an ultraviolet sterilization device for a vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the mounting components that constitute the ultraviolet sterilization device for a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the attachment components that constitute the ultraviolet sterilization device for a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle ultraviolet sterilization device installed in the vehicle cabin. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the ultraviolet sterilization device for a vehicle. 1 shows a second embodiment of an ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles according to the present invention, where (a) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main parts when the lid is open, and (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main parts when the lid is closed. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of an ultraviolet sterilization device for a vehicle according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of an ultraviolet sterilization device for a vehicle according to the present invention.

(One embodiment of an ultraviolet sterilization device for a vehicle)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an ultraviolet sterilization device for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in Figure 5, this ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles irradiates deep ultraviolet rays, which have a well-known sterilizing effect, onto an item 3 stored in an item storage compartment installed in an interior member 20 inside the vehicle cabin 1, thereby sterilizing bacteria attached to the surface of the item 3 or bacteria that have penetrated into a predetermined location of the item 3. In this embodiment, the item 3 is a mask.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 together, the ultraviolet sterilization device 10 for vehicles in this embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as "sterilization device 10") includes an item storage section (in this embodiment, a drawer container 50, described below) installed in an interior member 20 inside the vehicle cabin 1, a light guide plate 60 arranged with one side (here, one side 63, see Figure 5) covered by one wall 23 that constitutes the interior member 20, and a deep ultraviolet irradiator arranged with its light emission surface 71 facing one end surface 61 of the light guide plate 60. Note that the deep ultraviolet irradiator in this embodiment is a light emitting diode capable of irradiating deep ultraviolet light (hereinafter, a "deep ultraviolet irradiating LED 70").

As shown in Figure 1, the interior member 20 in this embodiment is a console box installed between the driver's seat and the passenger seat at the front of the vehicle. The interior member 20 is generally box-shaped and extends longitudinally along the vehicle's longitudinal direction. It has a storage space 21 (see Figure 5) capable of storing various small items, and an opening/closing body 22 (known as an armrest) that is openably and closably attached to the storage space 21 via a hinge or the like (not shown).

The wall 23 (see Figure 5) located at the bottom of the storage space 21 constitutes "one wall constituting the interior member" in this invention.

As shown in Figure 1, below the wall 23 that constitutes the interior member 20, an attachment space 24 is formed that opens toward the vehicle interior 1 and extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. An attachment part 30 is inserted into the attachment space 24 so that the attachment part 30 can be attached to the interior member 20.

Next, we will explain the mounting part 30.

As shown in Figure 3, the mounting part 30 is fitted with a light guide plate 60 and a deep ultraviolet ray irradiator (here, deep ultraviolet ray irradiating LEDs 70) to form an integrated unit (assembly). A drawer container 50 that serves as an item storage section is provided inside the mounting part 30 (see Figure 5). When the mounting part 30 is attached to the interior member 20, the light guide plate 60 is configured to be positioned inside one of the walls 23 that make up the interior member 20, with one side (here, one side 63) covered (see Figure 5).

As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting part 30 has a frame-shaped part 40 that is attached to the interior member 20. A drawer container 50 with one open side is slidably inserted into the frame-shaped part 40. The drawer container 50 stores items 3 in the internal space 50a. In other words, the drawer container 50 constitutes the "item storage section" of the present invention. The light guide plate 60 is attached to the frame-shaped part 40 so as to form one wall (forming the ceiling wall, which will be described later) of the frame-shaped part 40 (see FIG. 3). When the drawer container 50 is inserted into the frame-shaped part 40, the surface of the light guide plate 60 that is covered by the wall 23 of the interior member 20 (one side 63) and the opposite side (other side 64) face the opening 54 of the drawer container 50 (see FIG. 5).

As shown in FIG. 2, the frame-shaped component 40 has a generally long, box-like shape with openings at the top and front. The box-like component 40 includes a generally long, plate-shaped bottom wall 41, a pair of side walls 42, 42 extending parallel to each other from the widthwise peripheral edges of the bottom wall 41, a rear wall 43 located on the rear side of the bottom wall 41 and the pair of side walls 42, 42, and a front flange 44 located on the front side (toward the vehicle interior 1) of the bottom wall 41 and the pair of side walls 42, 42 and extending from the outer periphery of the bottom wall 41 and the pair of side walls 42, 42. The front flange 44 engages with the front peripheral edge of the mounting space 24 provided in the interior member 20 (see FIG. 4).

In addition, a long hole 41a extending along the longitudinal direction of the bottom wall 41 is formed in the center of the width of the bottom wall 41.

Furthermore, a flexible locking claw 45 is formed on the front side of each side wall 42 via a U-shaped slit 45a. This locking claw 45 engages with a locking hole (not shown) provided in the mounting space 24 of the interior member 20, thereby attaching the frame-shaped component 40 to the interior member 20, and ultimately attaching the mounting component 30 as a unit to the interior member 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, a support step 42a is formed on the inner surface of each side wall 42 at the leading end in the erection direction, allowing support for both widthwise sides of the light guide plate 60. Furthermore, a support step 43a is formed on the inner surface of the rear wall 43 at the leading end in the erection direction, allowing support for the rear end (one longitudinal end) of the light guide plate 60.

The drawer container 50 has a generally long, plate-shaped bottom wall 51, a pair of side walls 52, 52 extending parallel to each other from both widthwise edges of the bottom wall 51, and a front wall 53 located in front of the bottom wall 51 and the pair of side walls 52, 52. It has a generally tray-like shape with openings on the top and back. In other words, one side (the upper side) of the drawer container 50 is open, and this opening 54 constitutes the "drawer container opening" of the present invention.

In addition, a handle 53a is provided on the front wall 53, allowing the drawer container 50 to be slid out or pushed into the frame-shaped part 40.

Furthermore, a flexible strip 54 is formed in the center of the width of the bottom wall 51, near the rear opening, via a U-shaped slit 54a. A locking portion 55 protrudes from the outer surface of the free end of this strip 54. This locking portion 55 is slidably inserted into the elongated hole 41a in the bottom wall 41 of the frame-shaped component 40, and when the drawer container 50 is fully extended from the frame-shaped component 40, it locks onto the inner peripheral edge of the front side of the elongated hole 41a, preventing the drawer container 50 from coming off the frame-shaped component 40.

Next, we will explain the light guide plate 60.

The light guide plate 60 is shaped like a long plate that extends in one direction. One longitudinal end surface 61 of the light guide plate 60 serves as a light entrance surface (the entrance surface for deep ultraviolet light) and is positioned opposite the light exit surface 71 of the deep ultraviolet light-emitting LED (see Figure 5).

The light guide plate 60 also has a prism surface 65 on which prismatic protrusions 66 extending in a direction intersecting the light incident direction of the deep ultraviolet irradiating LEDs 70 are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals in the light incident direction.

In this embodiment, prism surfaces 65 are formed on one surface 63 and the other surface 64 of the light guide plate 60 in the thickness direction. Furthermore, a plurality of prismatic protrusions 66 extend in a direction perpendicular to the direction of light incident from one end surface 61 of the light guide plate 60 (here, the direction along the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 60), and these multiple prismatic protrusions 66 are arranged in parallel to each other at predetermined intervals in the light incident direction, thereby forming the prism surface 65.

In this embodiment, each prismatic protrusion 66 has a tapered surface 66a that protrudes gradually higher in the direction of light incidence, and a reflective surface 66b that reflects light and slopes gradually lower from the apex 66c in the direction of light incidence. The reflective surface 66b has a more acute angle than the tapered surface 66a.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the inclination angle θ2 of the tapered surface 66a with respect to a line L perpendicular to the light incidence direction is preferably 80 to 88°, and more preferably 84 to 87°. Furthermore, the inclination angle θ1 of the reflective surface 66b with respect to a line L perpendicular to the light incidence direction is preferably 2 to 80°, and more preferably 3 to 45°. Furthermore, the inclination angle θ1 is preferably set smaller than the inclination angle θ2. Furthermore, the height H of the prismatic protrusion 66 (the shortest length from the bottom 66d to the top 66c) is preferably 0.05 to 0.3 mm, and more preferably 0.1 to 0.2 mm.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the light guide plate 60 is arranged so that the spacing between adjacent prismatic protrusions 66, 66 (the spacing between the apexes 66c, 66c of adjacent prismatic protrusions 66, 66) narrows from one longitudinal end face 61 to the other longitudinal end face 62.

Furthermore, the multiple prismatic ridges 66 forming the prism surface 65 on one surface 63 and the multiple prismatic ridges 66 forming the prism surface 65 on the other surface 64 are arranged so as to be misaligned in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 60. In other words, the apex 66c of the prismatic ridges 66 on the one surface 63 side and the apex 66c of the prismatic ridges 66 on the other surface 64 side are misaligned in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 60.

The light guide plate 60 having the above structure is positioned so that its longitudinal sides are supported by the support steps 42a, 42a of the pair of side walls 42, 42 that make up the frame component 40, one longitudinal end is supported by the support step 43a of the rear wall 43 of the frame component 40, and the other longitudinal end abuts against the inner surface of the front flange 44 of the frame component 40, thereby facing the bottom wall 41 of the frame component 40. Furthermore, both longitudinal sides of the light guide plate 60 are fixed with a plurality of screws 42b, integrating it into the frame component 40. As a result, the light guide plate 60 is attached to the frame component 40 so as to form one wall that makes up the frame component 40, i.e., the ceiling wall that faces the bottom wall 41.

As shown in FIG. 5, the light guide plate 60 configured as described above is positioned so that one surface 63 is disposed inside and covered by the wall 23 that constitutes the interior member 20, and the other surface 64 faces the bottom wall 51 of the drawer container 50. That is, in this embodiment, the one surface 63 of the light guide plate 60 constitutes "one side" of the light guide plate 60 in the present invention. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, when the drawer container 50 is pressed against the frame-shaped component 40 and inserted and positioned within the frame-shaped component 40, the other surface 64 of the light guide plate 60, opposite the one surface 63, faces the opening 54 of the drawer container 50.

Furthermore, the deep ultraviolet irradiating LED 70 in this embodiment has a light emitting surface 71 (see Figures 5 and 6). When electricity is supplied from an electrical supply means (not shown), the light emitting surface 71 emits deep ultraviolet (UV) rays of a predetermined wavelength that have a well-known sterilizing effect. The wavelength of the deep ultraviolet rays is preferably 190 to 300 nm, and more preferably 240 to 280 nm.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the deep ultraviolet ray irradiating LED 70 is disposed at the leading end in the erection direction of the rear wall 43 of the frame-shaped component 40 constituting the mounting component 30, at a position aligned with the stepped portion 43a, with the light emitting surface 71 facing one end face 61 that forms the light incident surface of the light guide plate 60. In this embodiment, multiple deep ultraviolet ray irradiating LEDs 70 are disposed at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the rear wall 43 or the light guide plate 60 (here, five deep ultraviolet ray irradiating LEDs 70 are disposed at equal intervals).

In this sterilization device 10, as shown in Figure 5, light from the deep ultraviolet irradiating LEDs 70 enters from one end surface 61 of the light guide plate 60, is reflected by the prism surface 65, and is irradiated onto the item 3 placed in the item storage section (in this case, the item 3 placed in the internal space 50a of the drawer container 50 of the mounting part 30 attached to the mounting space 24 of the interior member 20).

That is, light emitted from the light emission surface 71 of the deep ultraviolet irradiating LED 70 enters the light guide plate 60 from one end surface 61 of the light guide plate 60 and travels straight through the light guide plate 60 (see Figure 5). At this time, light emitted from above the deep ultraviolet irradiating LED 70 (see arrow F1) is reflected by hitting the reflecting surface 66b of the prismatic protrusions 66 of the prism surface 65 formed on one surface 63, and as shown by arrow F1', the light incident direction changes to a direction toward the thickness direction of the light guide plate 60 (a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 60), and is irradiated onto the item 3.

On the other hand, light emitted from below the deep ultraviolet irradiation LED 70 (see arrow F2) is reflected by hitting the reflecting surface 66b of the prismatic protrusions 66 on the prism surface 65 formed on the other surface 64, and as shown by arrow F2', the direction of light incidence changes to the thickness direction of the light guide plate 60, and the light is irradiated onto the item 3.

As described above, the multiple prismatic ridges 66 forming the prism surface 65 on one surface 63 and the multiple prismatic ridges 66 forming the prism surface 65 on the other surface 64 are misaligned in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 60. Therefore, the light reflected by the prism surface 65 on one surface 63, as indicated by arrow F1', and the light reflected by the prism surface 65 on the other surface 64, as indicated by arrow F2', are irradiated onto the item 3 so as not to overlap with each other in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 60.

In addition, although not specifically shown in the drawings, this embodiment also includes a control structure capable of controlling the ultraviolet irradiation time, which starts ultraviolet irradiation by the deep ultraviolet-irradiating LEDs 70 when the drawer container 50 is pulled out from the frame-shaped part 40, stores an item 3, and then closes the drawer container 50, and can complete ultraviolet irradiation after a predetermined time has elapsed. This structure is configured, for example, by providing a limit switch or proximity sensor in the drawer container 50 or the frame-shaped part 40 to provide a structure that can detect whether the drawer container 50 is pulled out or pushed in, and by providing a timer or the like that can control the timing of the power supply to the deep ultraviolet-irradiating LEDs 70 in conjunction with this. Furthermore, deep ultraviolet irradiation by the deep ultraviolet-irradiating LEDs 70 may be started in conjunction with starting the vehicle (engine ON or EV system startup), or may be started when the vehicle starts and an item 3 is stored in the item storage section.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inside of the wall 23 that constitutes the interior member 20 may be coated or plated, or a film may be attached, or a material that can increase the reflection efficiency of deep ultraviolet rays, such as a glitter material, may be attached.

In addition, in this embodiment, the frame-shaped component 40 and drawer container 50 that make up the mounting component 30 are formed from synthetic resins such as polypropylene, polyamide, and polyacetal, but the above components may also be formed from, for example, ultraviolet-transmitting resins or glass materials.

(Modification)
The shapes and structures of the item storage section, light guide plate, deep ultraviolet irradiating LED, prismatic protrusions and prism surfaces provided on the light guide plate, mounting parts, frame-shaped parts that constitute the mounting parts, drawer containers that form the item storage section, etc. that constitute the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments.

In addition, although the interior member 20 in this embodiment is a console box, the interior member may also be an upper instrument panel box, a door pocket, a seatback pocket behind the driver's seat or the passenger seat, a glove box, a cigar box, or other small storage compartment, and is not particularly limited (some of these will be described in the embodiments below).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, item 3 is a mask removed from the face, but the item may also be, for example, a smartphone, glasses, sunglasses, gloves, a wristwatch, various accessories (rings, necklaces, earrings, etc.) removed from a pocket or bag, etc., and is not particularly limited.

In addition, in this embodiment, the bottom wall 41 that constitutes the frame-shaped component 40, the bottom wall 51 that constitutes the drawer container 50, and the light guide plate 60 are all approximately rectangular, long plates. However, they may also be curved, for example, and can be modified as appropriate depending on the shape of the interior components, installation space, etc.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the light guide plate 60 and deep ultraviolet emitting LEDs 70 are attached to the mounting component 30 to form a unit, but although multiple components can be attached together, each component may also be attached to an interior component individually.

In addition, the mounting part 30 in this embodiment has a frame-shaped part 40, and the drawer container 50 forms the item storage section, but the mounting part may also be configured to consist only of a frame-shaped part.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the drawer container 50 that forms the item storage section has a bottom wall 51 on which the item 3 is placed that is generally plate-shaped, but this bottom wall may be made mesh- or lattice-shaped to reduce the contact area with the item 3 and make it easier to irradiate it with deep ultraviolet light.

In addition, although the light guide plate 60 in this embodiment has prism surfaces 65, 65 formed on both surfaces 63, 64, the prism surface 65 may be formed on only one surface.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the deep ultraviolet ray irradiating unit is a light-emitting diode (deep ultraviolet ray irradiating LED 70) capable of irradiating deep ultraviolet rays, but the deep ultraviolet ray irradiating unit may also be an optical fiber capable of transmitting (guiding) deep ultraviolet rays.

(Action and effect)
Next, the effects of the sterilization apparatus 10 having the above structure will be described.

When using the sterilization device 10, the drawer container 50 is pulled out from the frame-shaped part 40 of the mounting part 30 attached to the mounting space 24 of the interior member 20, the item 3 is placed in the drawer container 50, and then the drawer container 50 is pushed into the frame-shaped part 40 to insert and position the drawer container 50 inside the frame-shaped part 40.

As shown in FIG. 5, an item 3 is placed facing the other surface 64 of the light guide plate 60, and light is emitted from the light emission surface 71 of the deep ultraviolet ray irradiating LED 70 and enters one end surface 61 of the light guide plate 60. The light emitted from above the deep ultraviolet ray irradiating LED 70 is reflected by the prism surface 65 formed on one surface 63, and as shown by arrow F1', the light incident direction changes and is irradiated onto the item 3. The light emitted from below the deep ultraviolet ray irradiating LED 70 is reflected by the prism surface 65 formed on the other surface 64, and as shown by arrow F2', the light incident direction changes and is irradiated onto the item 3. As a result, bacteria attached to the surface of the item 3 or bacteria that have penetrated into specific locations on the item 3 can be sterilized.

In this sterilization device 10, the light guide plate 60 is arranged with one side (here, one side 63) covered by one of the walls 23 that constitute the interior member 20 installed in the vehicle cabin 1 (see Figure 5), so the wall 23 that constitutes the interior member 20, i.e., the existing wall 23 that is already installed in the vehicle cabin 1, can be used to cover the light guide plate 60. This allows the sterilization device 10 to be made more compact, and the sterilization device 10 can be easily installed even if the installation space for the sterilization device 10 in the vehicle cabin 1 is relatively small.

In addition, one side (one side 63) of the light guide plate 60 is covered by one wall 23 that constitutes the interior member 20 installed inside the vehicle cabin 1, thereby preventing light from the deep ultraviolet irradiating LEDs 70 from leaking into the vehicle cabin 1.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, prism surfaces 65 are formed on both surfaces 63 and 64 of the light guide plate 60.

According to the above-described embodiment, light from the deep ultraviolet emitting LEDs 70 incident on one end surface 61 of the light guide plate 60 is reflected by the prism surfaces 65, 65 formed on both surfaces 63, 64 of the light guide plate 60, and can be efficiently irradiated onto the items 3 placed in the interior member 20, thereby effectively sterilizing the items 3.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the multiple prismatic ridges 66 that form the prism surface 65 on one surface 63 and the multiple prismatic ridges 66 that form the prism surface 65 on the other surface 64 are positioned so as to be misaligned in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 60.

As a result, the light indicated by arrow F1' reflected by the prism surface 65 on one surface 63 and the light indicated by arrow F2' reflected by the prism surface 65 on the other surface 64 are irradiated onto the item 3 so as not to overlap with each other in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 60, thereby enabling the item 3 to be sterilized evenly.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the light guide plate 60 and deep ultraviolet ray irradiating unit (here, deep ultraviolet ray irradiating LEDs 70) are attached to the mounting part 30 to form an integrated unit, an item storage section is provided inside the mounting part 30, and when the mounting part 30 is attached to the interior member 20, the light guide plate 60 is configured to be positioned inside one of the walls 23 that make up the interior member 20, with one side (here, one side 63) covered (see FIG. 5).

In the above embodiment, the light guide plate 60 and deep ultraviolet ray irradiation unit are attached to the mounting part 30, which is attached to the interior member 20, to form a unit. Therefore, the light guide plate 60 and deep ultraviolet ray irradiation unit can be installed in the interior member 20 by the simple task of simply attaching the mounting part 30 to the interior member 20, thereby improving the ease of installation of the sterilization device 10.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the mounting part 30 has a frame-shaped part 40 that is attached to the interior member 20, the item storage section is a drawer container 50 with one open side that is slidably inserted into the frame-shaped part 40, and the light guide plate 60 is attached to the frame-shaped part 40 so as to form one wall (ceiling wall) of the frame-shaped part 40. When the drawer container 50 is inserted into the frame-shaped part 40, the side of the light guide plate 60 that is covered by the wall 23 of the interior member 20 (one side 63) and the opposite side (other side 64) are configured to face the opening 54 of the drawer container 50 (see Figure 5).

According to the above aspect, when the frame-shaped component 40 is attached to the interior member 20 and the drawer container 50 is inserted into the frame-shaped component 40, the other surface 64 of the light guide plate 60 attached to the frame-shaped component 40 faces the opening 54 of the drawer container 50, so that deep ultraviolet light emitted from the light guide plate 60 can be effectively irradiated onto the items 3 stored in the drawer container 50.

Furthermore, since the mounting part 30 has a frame-shaped part 40 and the dispensing container 50 forms the item storage section, it is only necessary to provide an interior member 20 on the vehicle interior 1 side that covers one side (here, one side 63) of the light guide plate 60 and on which the mounting part 30 can be installed (here, it is only necessary to provide an installation space 24 and a wall 23 in the interior member 20), which simplifies the structure of the interior member 20 on the vehicle interior 1 side and improves the ease of installation of the sterilization device 10.

As a result, the sterilization device 10 can be easily installed inside the vehicle interior 1 by effectively utilizing, for example, the space below the console box between the driver's seat and passenger seat at the front of the vehicle, or the empty space on the instrument panel at the front of the vehicle.

(Second embodiment of ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicle)
6 shows a second embodiment of the ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles according to the present invention. Note that parts that are essentially the same as those in the previous embodiment are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

In this embodiment of the ultraviolet sterilization device 10A for vehicles (hereinafter simply referred to as "sterilization device 10A"), the interior member 20A is a so-called instrument panel upper box.

The item storage section installed in this interior member 20A is composed of a storage recess 25 formed in the interior member 20A so as to open to the vehicle interior 1, and a lid 26 attached to the opening 25a of the storage recess 25 in an openable manner. One end of the lid 26 is attached to the inside part of the storage recess 25 near the opening 25a via a hinge 26a in an openable and closable manner.

The light guide plate 60 is attached to the inside of the lid portion 26, and one side of the light guide plate 60 is covered by the lid portion 26. In other words, in this embodiment, the lid portion 26 forms "one wall constituting the interior member" in the present invention, and also serves as a member constituting the item storage section.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6(b), the deep ultraviolet irradiating unit (here, the deep ultraviolet irradiating LED 70) is attached to the inside of the accommodating recess 25 so that the light exit surface 71 faces one end surface 61 of the light guide plate 60, with the opening 25a of the accommodating recess 25 closed by the lid portion 26.

In the above embodiment, the light guide plate 60 is attached to the inside of the lid portion 26 that constitutes the interior member 20A, and this lid portion 26 forms one of the walls that constitute the interior member 20A. Therefore, the existing wall (lid portion 26) in the vehicle interior 1 can be used to cover the light guide plate 60, thereby making the sterilization device 10A more compact.

(Third and fourth embodiments of ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicle)
7 and 8 show third and fourth embodiments of the ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles according to the present invention. The interior member in these embodiments comprises a pocket provided on the inner surface of a door disposed on the side of the vehicle or on the back of a vehicle seat, and the unit is configured to be attached to the inside of the wall constituting this pocket.

More specifically, Figure 7 shows a third embodiment of the ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles according to the present invention. Note that parts that are essentially the same as those in the previous embodiment are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the vehicle ultraviolet sterilization device is configured so that the interior member 20B is a so-called door pocket provided on the inner surface of the door 5 located on the side of the vehicle, and the unit 30B is attached to the inside of the wall 27 that forms this door pocket.

In this embodiment, a light guide plate and a deep ultraviolet ray irradiator (here, deep ultraviolet ray irradiating LEDs) are attached to a box-shaped mounting part that is open at the top to form unit 30B, and this unit 30B is attached to the inside of wall 27 that forms the door pocket that forms interior member 20B. Note that the door pocket described above forms the "pocket" in this invention.

According to the above-described embodiment, the ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles can be attached to the inside of the wall 27 of the door pocket that constitutes the interior member 20B, allowing the vehicle occupant to easily and quickly sterilize the item 3. In other words, because the sterilization device is placed in the door pocket located to the side of the occupant, after the occupant gets into the vehicle and closes the door 5, the item 3 can be sterilized simply by inserting the item 3 into the door pocket, allowing for easy and quick sterilization of the item 3.

Figure 8 shows a fourth embodiment of the ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles according to the present invention. Note that parts that are essentially the same as those in the previous embodiment are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

In this embodiment of the ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles, the interior member 20C is a so-called seatback pocket located on the back side of a seat 7, such as the driver's seat or passenger seat, and the unit 30C is configured to be attached to the inside of the wall 28 that constitutes this seatback pocket.

In this embodiment, a light guide plate and a deep ultraviolet ray irradiator (here, a deep ultraviolet ray irradiating LED) are attached to a box-shaped mounting part that is open at the top to form unit 30C, and this unit 30C is attached to the inside of wall 28 that constitutes the seatback pocket that forms interior member 20C. Note that the above-mentioned seatback pocket forms the "pocket" in this invention.

In this embodiment, the vehicle ultraviolet sterilization device can be attached to the inside of the wall 28 of the seatback pocket, which forms the interior member 20C, allowing the seatback pocket to be used effectively.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modified embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention, and such embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.

1 Vehicle interior 3 Item 5 Door 7 Seat 10, 10A Vehicle ultraviolet sterilization device (sterilization device)
20, 20A, 20B, 20C Interior member 23 Wall 30, 30B Mounting part 40 Frame-shaped part 50 Drawer container 60 Light guide plate 61 One end face 63 One face 64 Other face 65 Prism face 66 Prism-shaped protrusion 70 Deep ultraviolet ray emitting LED (deep ultraviolet ray emitting part)
71 Light exit surface

Claims (3)

an article storage unit installed in an interior member of a vehicle cabin;
a light guide plate disposed so as to cover one side of one wall constituting the interior member;
a deep ultraviolet irradiation unit disposed with a light exit surface facing one end surface of the light guide plate,
the light guide plate has a prism surface on which prismatic protrusions extending in a direction intersecting the light incident direction of the deep ultraviolet irradiation unit are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals in the light incident direction,
the prism surfaces are formed on both surfaces of the light guide plate, and the plurality of prismatic protrusions forming the prism surface provided on one surface and the plurality of prismatic protrusions forming the prism surface provided on the other surface are arranged so as to be misaligned in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate,
The light from the deep ultraviolet irradiation unit enters from one end surface of the light guide plate, is reflected by the prism surface, and is irradiated onto items placed in the item storage unit. An ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles. an article storage unit installed in an interior member of a vehicle cabin;
a light guide plate disposed so as to cover one side of one wall constituting the interior member;
a deep ultraviolet irradiation unit disposed with a light exit surface facing one end surface of the light guide plate,
the light guide plate has a prism surface on which prismatic protrusions extending in a direction intersecting the light incident direction of the deep ultraviolet irradiation unit are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals in the light incident direction,
The light guide plate and the deep ultraviolet ray irradiation unit are attached to an attachment part that is attached to the interior member to form a unit,
the attachment part has a frame-shaped part attached to the interior member, and the article storage part is a drawer container with one open surface that is slidably inserted into the frame-shaped part,
the light guide plate is attached to the frame-shaped part so as to form one wall of the frame-shaped part, and when the drawer container is inserted into the frame-shaped part, a surface of the light guide plate opposite to a surface covered by the wall of the interior member faces an opening of the drawer container,
The light from the deep ultraviolet irradiation unit enters from one end surface of the light guide plate, is reflected by the prism surface, and is irradiated onto items placed in the item storage unit. An ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles. The ultraviolet sterilization device for vehicles described in claim 2, wherein the interior member is a pocket provided on the inner surface of a door located on the side of the vehicle or on the back of a vehicle seat, and the unit is configured to be attached to the inside of the wall that forms this pocket.