Lighting device

• US 20100165661A1
• Filed: 10/29/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Inagaki, Satoshi, Kino, Norihito
• Granted Patent: US 8,403,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/612
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/64 for a single lighting device
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/74 for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/82 Switches specially adapted for vehicle interior lighting, e.g. switching by tilting the lens
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/002 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide, e.g. with collimating, focussing or diverging surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0046 Tapered light guide, e.g. wedge-shaped light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0083 Details of electrical connections of light sources to drivers, circuit boards, or the like

Abstract

A lighting device includes: a light guide plate having a light incident part in an end face and a light radiation part in a flat plate surface; a light source part opposed to the light incident part; a light shield member with which an area near the light incident part on the flat plate surface of the light guide plate is covered; and a switch part including a switch main body, a switch knob and a pressing member connected to the switch knob to press the switch main body by pressing down the switch knob. An end part of the switch knob opposed to a center of the flat plate surface of the light guide plate is located on the light shield member, and the end face of the light guide plate is located between a first virtual line passing the end part of the switch knob and perpendicular to the flat plate surface of the light guide plate and a second virtual line passing the center of the switch main body and perpendicular to the flat plate surface of the light guide plate.

Claims

1. A lighting device comprising:

a light guide plate having a light incident part in an end face and a light radiation part in a flat plate surface;

a light source part opposed to the light incident part;

a light shield member covering an area near the light incident part on the flat plate surface of the light guide plate; and

a switch part including a switch main body, a switch knob and a pressing member connected to the switch knob to press the switch main body by pressing down the switch knob;

wherein an end part of the switch knob opposed to a center of the flat plate surface of the light guide plate is located on the light shield member; and

the end face of the light guide plate is located between a first virtual line passing the end part of the switch knob and perpendicular to the flat plate surface of the light guide plate and a second virtual line passing the center of the switch main body and perpendicular to the flat plate surface of the light guide plate.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is connected to the center of the switch knob and provided in parallel with a pressing down direction of the switch.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the switch part includes a switch holder having a guide rail that holds the switch knob so as to slide in the pressing down direction.

4. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light source part includes a plurality of LED lamps arranged to be opposed to the light incident part and a light source base plate on which the plurality of LED lamps are arranged, and the light source base plate is located between the end face of the light guide plate and the second virtual line.