JP7828038B2 - Spring device and lighting device - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a spring device and a lighting device.

Conventionally, there is a lighting device that includes a fixture body and a light source unit that can be detachably attached to the fixture body, and the light source unit is provided with a spring device for detachably attaching the light source unit to the fixture body.

The spring device comprises a mounting member that is attached to the light source unit, and a wire spring that is attached to the mounting member. The wire spring has a pair of coils, a pair of end portions that extend from one end of each of the pair of coil portions, and arm portions that extend from the other end of each of the pair of coil portions and are connected at their tip ends. The pair of coil portions are engaged with one end of the mounting member, the pair of end portions face the other end of the mounting member and are attached to the mounting member, and the arm portions protrude from one end of the mounting member.

When the spring device is attached to the light source unit, a spring force acts on the arm portion toward the light source unit. Therefore, when attaching the spring device to the light source unit, the tip of the arm portion must first abut against the light source unit, and then the mounting member must be attached to the light source unit against the spring force, which makes assembly difficult. After assembly, a reaction force is constantly applied to the mounting member via the arm portion, making the mounting member less stable, such as making it more likely to come off the light source unit. Furthermore, because the spring device has a large external size, there are concerns that it may interfere with components mounted on the fixture body or with the mounting structure that attaches the fixture body to the installation surface.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-74349

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a spring device and lighting device that are small, easy to assemble, and have a stable mounting state.

The spring device of the embodiment includes a mounting member and a wire spring. The wire spring has a pair of coil portions, a pair of end portions extending from one end of each of the pair of coil portions, and an arm portion extending from the other end of each of the pair of coil portions. The pair of coil portions and the pair of end portions are each attached to the mounting member, and the arm portions are arranged so as to overlap on the mounting member. When the arm portions are in contact with the mounting member, the tip sides of the arm portions are positioned at approximately the same height as a plane parallel to the underside of the mounting member.

The spring device of this embodiment is expected to be compact, easy to assemble, and have a stable mounting state.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the same lighting device, in which the spring device is separated from the light source unit. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the spring device separated from the light source unit. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the spring device attached to the light source unit. FIG. FIG. FIG.

One embodiment is described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lighting device 10 is a surface-mounted lighting device that is installed on an installation surface, such as a ceiling. The lighting device 10 is an elongated base light whose light-emitting area is a continuous line along the longitudinal direction.

The lighting device 10 comprises a main unit 11 and a light source unit (light source bar) 12 that is detachably attached to the main unit 11.

The main unit 11 includes a fixture body 20, a pair of spring receiving members 21 (sprung receiving metal fittings) arranged on the fixture body 20, a terminal block 22, and a power supply unit 23.

The fixture body 20 is made of metal and is long. It has a long top plate 26 on the upper surface, side plate portions 27 on both sides in the width direction (the short direction that intersects the longitudinal direction), and end plate portions 28 on both longitudinal ends, and an opening 29 is formed on the underside. The top plate 26 and both side plate portions 27 are formed integrally, and the end plate portions 28 are attached to both longitudinal ends of the top plate 26 and both side plate portions 27.

A plurality of mounting holes 30 are provided near both longitudinal ends of the top plate 26 of the fixture body 20 for inserting suspension bolts from the ceiling structure or for mounting to the ceiling surface with screws. A wiring hole 31 is provided in the longitudinal center region of the top plate 26 for pulling the power cable from the ceiling into the fixture body 20.

The spring receiving member 21 is a mounting portion for mounting the light source unit 12, and is attached, for example, by screws, near both longitudinal ends of the top plate portion 26 of the fixture body 20. The spring receiving member 21 has a support portion 34 that protrudes downward from the top plate portion 26, a hook hole 35 provided in this support portion 34, and a hook protrusion 36 provided in the center of the lower edge of this hook hole 35.

The terminal block 22 is attached near the wiring hole 31 on the top plate 26 of the fixture body 20. The power cable inserted through the wiring hole 31 is electrically connected to the terminal block 22.

The power supply unit 23 is attached near the wiring hole 31 on the top panel 26 of the fixture body 20, on the opposite side from the terminal block 22. The power supply unit 23 converts external power from an external power source into a specified lighting power and supplies it to the light source unit 12. The external power input portion of the power supply unit 23 is connected to internal wiring that is routed between it and the terminal block 22, and the lighting power output portion is connected to a connector cable (not shown) for connection to the light source unit 12. The power supply unit 23 may also be located in the light source unit 12.

Figures 1 to 3 also show the light source unit 12. The light source unit 12 includes a chassis 40, which is the main body of the light source unit, a light source module 41 attached to the underside of the chassis 40, a cover 42 that houses the light source module 41 between the chassis 40 and the cover, and a pair of spring devices 43 that detachably attach the light source unit 12 to the fixture body 20.

The chassis 40 is made of metal and is long. It has a long light source mounting section 45 and side sections 46 that extend up on both sides of the light source mounting section 45 in the width direction. The upper side of the side section 46 has a bent section 47 that bends outward in an arc shape.

Mounting holes 48 are provided in the side surfaces 46 on both sides of the chassis 40, corresponding to the mounting positions of each spring device 43. The mounting holes 48 are positioned below the bent portions 47 and are formed in a long rectangular shape along the longitudinal direction of the chassis 40, as shown in Figures 4 to 6.

The light source module 41 comprises a long substrate 50 and a plurality of light-emitting elements (semiconductor light-emitting elements) 51 mounted on the substrate 50. The light-emitting elements 51 are, for example, surface-mounted LEDs, and the plurality of light-emitting elements 51 are mounted in one or more rows along the longitudinal direction of the substrate 50. The light-emitting elements 51 are not limited to LEDs, and may be other semiconductor light-emitting elements such as organic EL. A connector cable (not shown) electrically connected to the light source module 41 extends from the top surface of the chassis 40. This connector cable is connected to a connector cable of the power supply unit 23.

The cover 42 comprises a long, translucent cover 53 and a pair of end covers 54 attached to both ends of the translucent cover 53. The translucent cover 53 is configured as a light-emitting area that emits light in a line along the longitudinal direction.

The translucent cover 53 is made of, for example, resin and has translucent and light-diffusing properties. The translucent cover 53 is long and is formed to be approximately the same length as the chassis 40, and is formed to have the same shape along the longitudinal direction. The underside of the translucent cover 53 has a cross section intersecting the longitudinal direction that is formed to be approximately convexly curved. The upper surface of the translucent cover 53 has a cover opening 55 formed along the longitudinal direction in the central region in the width direction, in which the light source module 41 is disposed.

On the upper surface of the translucent cover 53, on both sides of the cover opening 55 in the width direction, there are contact portions 56 that can contact the lower sides of the side plate portions 27 on both sides of the fixture body 20 in the width direction, and positioning portions 57 that protrude upward from these contact portions 56 and are inserted into the inside of the opening 29 of the fixture body 20 in the width direction to position it, along the longitudinal direction.

On the upper surface of the translucent cover 53, at a position closer to the center in the width direction than the abutment portion 56 and positioning portion 57, there are provided, along the longitudinal direction, a lower engagement portion 58 that engages with the underside of the chassis 40, and an upper holding portion 59 with a generally L-shaped cross section that holds the bent portion 47 of the side portion 46 of the chassis 40.

The upper holding portion 59 has a rising portion 60 that rises upward from the lower engaging portion 58; an inclined portion 61 that slopes outward in the width direction from the top of the rising portion 60; an outer pressing portion 62 provided above the inclined portion 61; and an upper pressing portion 63 provided from the upper end of the outer pressing portion 62 so as to face the lower engaging portion 58 and be approximately parallel to it. The outer pressing portion 62 and the upper pressing portion 63 engage with and hold the outer and upper sides of the bent portion 47, respectively. The rising portion 60 is positioned so as to be spaced apart from the outer surface of the side portion 46 of the chassis 40. The inclined portion 61 slopes outward in the width direction from a height region facing the mounting hole 48 of the side portion 46. A space 64 is formed below the bent portion 47 between the upper holding portion 59 and the side portion 46 of the chassis 40.

The translucent cover 53 and chassis 40 are assembled by inserting both sides of the chassis 40 between the lower engagement portions 58 and upper holding portions 59 on both sides from the end of the translucent cover 53.

The pair of end covers 54 are made of, for example, resin, but may be either non-translucent or translucent. The pair of end covers 54 are formed in a shape that corresponds to the shape of the light-transmitting cover 53 below the abutment portion 56. The pair of end covers 54 are attached to both ends of the light-transmitting cover 53 on which the chassis 40 and light source module 41 are assembled, and hold the chassis 40 and light source module 41 within the light-transmitting cover 53.

The spring device 43 is shown in Figures 3 to 9. The spring device 43 has a mounting member 70 that is attached to the chassis 40 and a wire spring 71 attached to this mounting member 70.

The mounting member 70 is formed, for example, from a metal plate, and includes an appliance mounting portion 72 that is attached to the chassis 40 of the light source unit 12. The appliance mounting portion 72 includes a mounting plate portion 73 that is placed on the light source mounting portion 45 of the chassis 40, side plate portions 74 that are bent upward from both sides of the mounting plate portion 73 in the width direction and are placed on the inner surfaces of the side portions 46 on both sides of the chassis 40, and a surrounding portion 75 that is bent outward in the width direction from the upper end of the side plate portion 74 in a roughly inverted U shape and surrounds the upper holding portion 59 of the cover 42 that holds the bent portion 47 of the chassis 40.

A pair of coil mounting portions 76, cut and raised in a roughly L-shape to hold the wire spring 71, are provided side by side in the width direction at one end of the mounting plate portion 73 in a direction intersecting the width direction.

The side plate 74 is provided with multiple hooks 77 and an end mounting portion 78. The hooks 77, for example, are provided in two, spaced a predetermined distance apart in a direction parallel to the upper surface of the mounting plate 73. When the mounting member 70 is attached to the chassis 40, the hooks 77 fit into the mounting holes 48 in the side surface 46 and hook onto the upper edge of the mounting holes 48, attaching the mounting member 70 to the chassis 40. The hooks 77 are protruding from the outer surface of the side plate 74, for example, by cutting and raising them. Their lower surfaces form an inclined or convex guide surface, and their upper surfaces form a hook surface that is approximately perpendicular to the outer surface of the side plate 74. The end mounting portion 78 is also formed with an insertion hole 79 located between the pair of hooks 77. The insertion hole 79 is elongated in the vertical direction, allowing a portion of the wire spring 71 to be inserted therethrough. When the mounting member 70 is attached to the chassis 40, the insertion hole 79 faces and communicates with the mounting hole 48 in the side surface portion 46.

The wire spring 71 is formed from a single wire spring material and has a pair of coil sections 80 formed by winding the ends of the wire spring into a coil shape, a pair of end sections 81 extending from one end of each of the pair of coil sections 80, and a roughly U-shaped arm section 82 extending from the other end of each of the pair of coil sections 80 and connected at the tip end.

The wire spring 71 is attached by inserting a pair of coil portions 80 into a pair of coil portion attachment portions 76 of the attachment member 70.

The pair of end portions 81 protrude from one end of the mounting plate portion 73, where the pair of coil portions 80 are arranged, toward the other end, and the tip side is bent into a roughly L shape via a bent portion 83, with a detachment prevention portion 84 formed on the tip side. The detachment prevention portions 84 of the pair of end portions 81 are inserted into the insertion holes 79 and protrude from the outer surface of the side plate portion 74.

The arm portion 82 protrudes from one end of the mounting plate portion 73, on which the pair of coil portions 80 are arranged, toward the other end, and is positioned so as to overlap the upper surface of the mounting plate portion 73. The tip side of the arm portion 82 protrudes further than the other end of the mounting plate portion 73.

When the pair of coil portions 80 and the pair of end portions 81 of the spring device 43 are attached to the mounting member 70, a spring force acts in the direction in which the arm portion 82 approaches and overlaps the upper surface of the mounting plate portion 73. The arm portion 82 abuts against the edge portion 73a on one end of the mounting plate portion 73 while overlapping the upper surface of the mounting plate portion 73, and a spring force acts in this abutting state.

When the arm portion 82 is in contact with the edge portion 73a of the mounting plate portion 73, as shown in FIG. 9, the lower surface of the mounting plate portion 73 and the tip of the arm portion 82 are positioned at approximately the same height. In other words, the plane parallel to the lower surface of the mounting plate portion 73 (the surface attached to the chassis 40) and the tip of the arm portion 82 are positioned at approximately the same height.

When attaching the spring device 43 to the chassis 40, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the mounting member 70 is inserted from above the chassis 40. That is, the mounting plate portion 73 and the lower sides of the side plate portions 74 on both sides of the mounting member 70 are fitted and pressed between the side surface portions 46 on both sides of the chassis 40.

This pushing action of the mounting member 70 causes the inclined or convex guide surfaces of the hook portions 77 protruding from the outer surfaces of the side plate portions 74 on both sides to abut inside the top of the bent portion 47 of the chassis 40, pushing the side plate portions 74 apart while the hook portions 77 on both sides are pushed into the inner surfaces of the side plate portions 74 on both sides.

When the mounting member 70 is pushed in, the anti-detachment portions 84 on both ends of the wire spring 71 protruding from the outer surfaces of the side plate portions 74 on both sides come into contact with the bent portions 47 of the chassis 40. If the wire spring 71 protruding from the outer surfaces of the side plate portions 74 is small, or if the side plate portions 74 on both sides are pushed open by the hook portions 77, the tip side of the anti-detachment portion 84 will come into contact with a position inside the top of the bent portion 47 of the chassis 40, causing the anti-detachment portion 84 to be elastically pushed in a direction retracting from the outer surfaces of the side plate portions 74 of the mounting member 70, and the mounting members 70 on both ends will be pushed into the inner surfaces of the side plate portions 74 on both sides. Furthermore, if the tip of the removal prevention portion 84 abuts against the top of the bent portion 47 of the chassis 40 and the mounting member 70 is difficult to push in, the end 81 of the wire spring 71 can be operated to elastically move the removal prevention portion 84 in a direction retracting from the outer surface of the side plate portion 74, thereby pushing the mounting member 70 into the inner surface of the side plate portion 74. Furthermore, because the removal prevention portion 84 rises diagonally from the bent portion 83 toward the insertion hole 79 of the mounting member 70, that is, because it is diagonal to the insertion direction into the chassis 40, it can be easily pushed into the inner surface of the chassis 40.

When the mounting member 70 is pushed in, the hook portion 77 faces the mounting hole 48 in the side portion 46 of the chassis 40, and the hook portion 77 fits into the mounting hole 48. The hook surface on the top side of the hook portion 77 hooks onto the upper edge of the mounting hole 48, and the mounting member 70 is attached to the chassis 40.

When the mounting member 70 is pushed in, the tip of the removal prevention portion 84 faces the mounting hole 48 in the side surface 46 of the chassis 40. The elastic force of the removal prevention portion 84 causes it to protrude from the outer surface of the side plate portion 74 of the mounting member 70, enter the mounting hole 48, and penetrate through the mounting hole 48 to protrude toward the outer surface of the side surface 46 of the chassis 40.

When attaching the mounting member 70 to the chassis 40, the tip of the arm portion 82 of the wire spring 71 protruding from the mounting member 70 is positioned at approximately the same height as a surface parallel to the underside of the mounting plate portion 73 of the mounting member 70. Therefore, when the tip of this arm portion 82 abuts against the chassis 40, the load required to attach the mounting member 70 to the chassis 40 against the spring force is eliminated or reduced, resulting in easy assembly.

Furthermore, assembling the light source unit 12 combines the chassis 40 and cover 42, and the upper holding portion 59 of the cover 42 engages with the bent portion 47 of the side portion 46 of the chassis 40. A space 64 is formed below the bent portion 47 of the chassis 40 between the side portion 46 and the upper holding portion 59 of the cover 42, and the hook portion 77 and the tip side of the anti-detachment portion 84 that protrude from the outer surface of the chassis 40 are positioned in this space 64. In addition, the surrounding portion 75 of the mounting member 70 covers the upper holding portion 59 of the cover 42 that engages with the bent portion 47 of the chassis 40, preventing the bent portion 47 of the chassis 40 and the upper holding portion 59 of the cover 42 from coming off.

To install the lighting device 10, the power cable from the ceiling surface is pulled into the fixture body 20 through the wiring hole 31, and the fixture body 20 is fixed to the ceiling surface using the multiple mounting holes 30. The power cable is electrically connected to the terminal block 22.

The arm portions 82 of the pair of wire springs 71 of the light source unit 12 are raised upward from the chassis 40 and mounting member 70 against the spring force and hooked onto the pair of spring receiving members 21 of the fixture body 20. That is, the arm portions 82 are inserted into the hook holes 35 of the spring receiving members 21 and hooked onto the hook protrusions 36. This causes the light source unit 12 to be temporarily suspended from the fixture body 20 via the pair of wire springs 71, allowing the connector cable from the light source module 41 of the light source unit 12 to be connected to the connector cable from the power supply unit 23.

After the electrical connection is made, the light source unit 12 is pushed upward toward the fixture body 20, causing the arm portion 82 to be inserted into the hook hole 35 of the spring receiving member 21, and the spring force of the arm portion 82 causes the light source unit 12 to be pulled up and attached to the fixture body 20.

When removing the light source unit 12 from the fixture body 20, the light source unit 12 is pulled down against the spring force of the pair of wire springs 71. This temporarily suspends the light source unit 12 from the fixture body 20 via the pair of wire springs 71, and the connector cable from the light source module 41 of the light source unit 12 is disconnected from the connector cable from the power supply unit 23. The pair of wire springs 71 of the light source unit 12 are then removed from the pair of spring receiving members 21 of the fixture body 20, thereby removing the light source unit 12 from the fixture body 20. To remove the wire spring 71 from the spring receiving member 21, the arm portion 82 is released from the hooking protrusions 36 of the spring receiving member 21 and pulled out from the hooking hole 35.

However, when the light source unit 12 is pulled down against the spring force of the pair of wire springs 71 in order to remove it from the fixture body 20, if the light source unit 12 is pulled down forcefully and a load is applied to the spring receiving member 21 and the spring device 43, there is a risk that the mounting member 70 of the spring device 43 may come off the chassis 40.

In other words, the spring receiving member 21 is screwed to the fixture body 20, the arm portion 82 of the wire spring 71 is caught on the hook protrusion 36 of this spring receiving member 21, and the coil portion 80 of this wire spring 71 is held by the mounting member 70 and cannot be removed. However, there is a risk that the force applied to the attachment portion between the mounting member 70 and the chassis 40 will cause the hook portion 77 to come off the mounting hole 48 of the chassis 40, causing the mounting member 70 to come off the chassis 40.

In this embodiment, the anti-detachment portion 84 of the wire spring 71 is inserted through the insertion hole 79 of the mounting member 70 and passes through the mounting hole 48 of the chassis 40. Therefore, even if the hook portion 77 comes off the mounting hole 48 of the chassis 40, the anti-detachment portion 84 of the wire spring 71 catches on the mounting hole 48 of the chassis 40, preventing the mounting member 70 from coming off the chassis 40. This prevents the light source unit 12 from being dropped.

In this way, in the spring device 43 of this embodiment, the pair of coil portions 80 and the pair of end portions 81 of the wire spring 43 are each attached to the mounting member 70, and the arm portion 82 is positioned so that it overlaps on the mounting member 70. This prevents the tip side of the arm portion 82 from protruding significantly from the mounting member 70, allowing for a compact design.

The small external dimensions of the spring device 43 make it easy to position the spring device 43 so that when the light source unit 12 equipped with the spring device 43 is combined with the fixture body 20, there is no interference between the spring device 43 and the components mounted on the fixture body 20 or the mounting structure that attaches the fixture body 20 to the installation surface.

The arm portion 82 is positioned so that it overlaps the mounting member 70, and the rotation of the arm portion 82 due to the spring force is restricted by the mounting member 70. Therefore, even if the spring force of the arm portion 82 is set strong, the tip side of the arm portion 82 does not protrude significantly beyond the underside of the mounting member 70. This reduces the load of resisting the spring force of the arm portion 82 when attaching the spring device 43 to the light source unit 12, improving assembly.

In other words, the wire spring 71 of the spring device 43 has a spring force in the direction in which the arm portion 82 overlaps the mounting member 70, and the arm portion 82 abuts against the mounting member 70 with this spring force acting on it. Therefore, even if the spring force of the arm portion 82 is set strong, the tip side of the arm portion 82 does not protrude significantly beyond the underside of the mounting member 70. This reduces the load of resisting the spring force of the arm portion 82 when attaching the spring device 43 to the light source unit 12, improving assembly ease.

Furthermore, when the spring device 43 is attached to the light source unit 12, the spring force of the arm portion 82 can be reduced to prevent the mounting member 70 from coming off the light source unit 12, thereby stabilizing the attached state of the spring device 43.

By positioning the tip of the arm portion 82 at approximately the same height as a surface parallel to the underside of the mounting member 70 (the mounting surface to the light source unit 12), assembly is easy and the mounting state is stable.

In addition, the end 81 of the wire spring 71 passes through the mounting member 70 and the fixture body 20, preventing the mounting member 70 from coming off the light source unit 12.

While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments may be embodied in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Lighting device 12 Light source unit 20 Fixture body 21 Spring receiving member 43 Spring device 70 Mounting member 71 Wire spring 72 Fixture mounting portion 76 Coil portion mounting portion 78 End portion mounting portion 80 Coil portion 81 End portion 82 Arm portion

Claims (5)

a mounting member;
a wire spring having a pair of coil portions, a pair of end portions respectively extending from one end sides of the pair of coil portions, and arm portions respectively extending from the other end sides of the pair of coil portions, the pair of coil portions and the pair of end portions being attached to the mounting member, and the arm portions being arranged so as to overlap on the mounting member;
Equipped with
A spring device characterized in that, when the arm portion is abutted on the mounting member, the tip side of the arm portion is positioned at approximately the same height as a plane parallel to the lower surface side of the mounting member . The spring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mounting member has an appliance mounting portion, a coil portion mounting portion provided on one end side of the appliance mounting portion and to which the pair of coil portions are attached, and an end portion provided on the appliance mounting portion and to which the pair of end portions are attached, and the wire spring is attached so that the arm portion protrudes toward the other end side of the appliance mounting portion and overlaps on the appliance mounting portion. 2. The spring device according to claim 1, wherein the wire spring has a spring force in a direction in which the arm portion overlaps the mounting member, and the spring force acts when the arm portion is in contact with the mounting member. an instrument body;
a light source unit detachably attached to the fixture body;
a spring receiving member attached to the tool body;
a spring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , which is attached to the light source unit by the attachment member, and the arm portion is detachably attached to the fixture body by the wire spring which engages with the spring receiving member;
A lighting device comprising: The lighting device according to claim 4 , wherein the pair of ends of the wire spring are passed through the mounting member and the light source unit.