Abstract:
An illumination apparatus ( 13 ) is configured so that the position of a pair of power supply terminals can be arbitrarily adjusted in the rightward/leftward direction corresponding to the interval between posts, and the position of the illumination apparatus can be arbitrarily adjusted in the forward/backward direction corresponding to the length of shelf supports. The illumination apparatus ( 13 ) includes a pair of power supply terminals ( 14, 15 ). The power supply terminal ( 14 ) (positive power supply terminal) comes in contact with a shelf support ( 6 ), and the power supply terminal ( 15 ) (negative power supply terminal) comes in contact with a shelf support ( 7 ) to supply power to the illumination apparatus ( 13 ). The illumination apparatus ( 13 ) is positioned between a shelf board ( 8 ) and the shelf supports ( 6, 7 ) via the power supply terminals ( 14, 15 ).

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates to an illumination apparatus for a display shelf (display rack or showcase) that is used to display goods. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Patent Document 1 discloses an illumination apparatus that illuminates a display shelf by causing electricity to flow directly through posts and shelf supports. Patent Document 2 discloses technology that utilizes a tape-shaped LED substrate as an illumination apparatus for a display shelf. 
     RELATED-ART DOCUMENT 
     Patent Document 
     
         
         Patent Document 1: JP-A-2004-344507 
         Patent Document 2: JP-A-2010-170970 
       
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     According to the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, since low-voltage electricity (e.g., 12 V) is caused to flow directly through the posts and the insulated clawed shelf supports of the display shelf to emit light from a spotlight, the entire shelf cannot be illuminated brightly. The entire shelf may be illuminated using an illumination apparatus such as a fluorescent lamp that is driven at a low voltage instead of using a spotlight. In this case, however, since it is necessary to use a large illumination apparatus, the display range decreases. In particular, such an illumination apparatus is not suitable for a display shelf (e.g., glass showcase) for which an excellent appearance is desired. 
     Patent Document 2 discloses an illumination apparatus that is provided under a shelf board of a showcase, a display shelf, or the like, and includes a main body that is formed of an aluminum profile and is provided with a tape-shaped substrate on which a plurality of LED are linearly disposed, and a transparent resin cover that covers the entire main body in the widthwise direction, wherein the side of the main body on which the LED substrate is mounted is formed in the shape of the letter “V”, and the transparent resin cover has a flat bottom, and is approximately formed in the shape of the letter “U”. However, since the illumination apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a constant length, the length of the illumination apparatus cannot be appropriately adjusted corresponding to the width of the display shelf. 
     Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-199339 that was applied for by the applicant of the present application discloses a display shelf that is configured so that low-voltage electricity is applied to posts and shelf supports, wherein the shelf support made of a metal is fitted into a hole formed in each post, the shelf board is placed on the shelf support to determine the vertical position of the shelf board, an LED tape on which a plurality of high-brightness LED are arranged in a row is bonded to the lower side of each shelf board, and each terminal of the LED tape comes in contact with the shelf support to form an illumination apparatus integrally with the shelf board. The technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-199339 can solve the problem that occurs when using the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1. The technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-199339 poses no problem when producing a new display shelf. However, since existing shelves may differ in the width of the shelf board, the interval between the posts, and the shape of the shelf support, it is troublesome to deal with such a difference when using the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-199339. 
     The invention was conceived in view of the above problems. An object of the invention is to make it possible to easily mount an illumination apparatus on a display shelf by providing an illumination apparatus that is mounted on a display shelf configured so that low-voltage power is applied to posts and shelf supports, and includes a tape-shaped substrate on which a plurality of LED are linearly disposed, wherein the position of a pair of power supply terminals can be arbitrarily adjusted in the rightward/leftward direction corresponding to the interval between the posts, and the position of the pair of power supply terminals can be arbitrarily adjusted in the forward/backward direction corresponding to the length of the shelf supports by positioning the illumination apparatus and the pair of power supply terminals between a shelf board and the shelf supports. 
     Solution to Problem 
     According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an illumination apparatus that is mounted on a display shelf that is configured so that low-voltage power is applied to posts and shelf supports, and includes a tape-shaped substrate on which a plurality of LED are linearly disposed, the illumination apparatus including: 
     a tape-shaped LED substrate, a plurality of LED being disposed in a center area of the LED substrate in a shape of a band, and a positive terminal band and a negative terminal band being disposed on the LED substrate on either side of the plurality of LED; 
     a main body that is formed in a shape of a band, and has U-shaped slide grooves on either side, the LED substrate being bonded to the main body in an area between the slide grooves; and 
     a pair of power supply terminals that are fitted into the slide grooves of the main body, and electrically connected to the shelf support and the positive terminal band or the negative terminal band of the LED substrate, 
     the illumination apparatus being configured so that a position of the pair of power supply terminals can be arbitrarily adjusted in a rightward/leftward direction corresponding to an interval between the posts, and a position of the pair of power supply terminals can be arbitrarily adjusted in a forward/backward direction corresponding to a length of the shelf supports by positioning the illumination apparatus and the pair of power supply terminals between a shelf board and the shelf supports. 
     Advantageous Effects of the Invention 
     Since the illumination apparatus according to one aspect of the invention is configured so that the pair of power supply terminals can be fitted into the slide grooves of the main body, and can be arbitrarily slid along the slide grooves, the position of the pair of power supply terminals can be adjusted corresponding to the position of the posts. Moreover, since the main body is positioned between the shelf board and the shelf supports via the pair of power supply terminals, the position of the pair of power supply terminals can be arbitrarily adjusted in the forward/backward direction corresponding to the length of the shelf supports or the width of the shelf board. This makes it possible to easily mount the illumination apparatus on the existing display shelf. 
     Since the illumination apparatus is positioned between the shelf board and the shelf supports, a plurality of illumination apparatuses can be easily mounted on a single shelf board. Therefore, it is possible to increase the illumination intensity, as required. 
     Since the plurality of LED are disposed in the center area of the LED substrate, and the positive terminal band and the negative terminal band are disposed on the LED substrate on either side of the plurality of LED, the LED substrate can be arbitrarily cut in an area (several centimeters) between the LED to have a dimension corresponding to the width of the shelf board. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view illustrating an outline of one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view illustrating an outline of one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIGS.  3 ( 1 )- 3 ( 3 ) are detailed views illustrating the entire illumination apparatus; wherein FIG.  3 ( 1 ) is a front view thereof; FIG.  3 ( 2 ) is a bottom view thereof; and FIG.  3 ( 3 ) is a right side view thereof. 
       FIGS.  4 ( 1 ),  4 ( 2 ) are detailed views illustrating an installation state of an illumination apparatus; wherein FIG.  4 ( 1 ) is a right side view illustrating a state in which the illumination apparatus is placed between a shelf board and a shelf support; and FIG.  4 ( 2 ) is a right side view illustrating an embodiment in which the illumination apparatus is fitted into a recess formed in the shelf board. 
       FIGS.  5 ( 1 )- 5 ( 3 ) are detailed views illustrating an LED substrate; wherein FIG.  5 ( 1 ) is a front view thereof; FIG.  5 ( 2 ) is a bottom view thereof; and FIG.  5 ( 3 ) is a right side view thereof. 
       FIGS.  6 ( 1 )- 6 ( 3 ) are detailed views illustrating a main body; wherein FIG.  6 ( 1 ) is a front view thereof; FIG.  6 ( 2 ) is a bottom view thereof; and FIG.  6 ( 3 ) is a right side view thereof. 
       FIGS.  7 ( 1 )- 7 ( 5 ) are detailed views illustrating a power supply terminal; wherein FIG.  7 ( 1 ) is a front view thereof; FIG.  7 ( 2 ) is a bottom view thereof; FIG.  7 ( 3 ) is a right side view thereof; FIG.  7 ( 4 ) is a cross-sectional view thereof on the left side in FIG.  7 ( 2 ); and FIG.  7 ( 5 ) is a cross-sectional view thereof on the right side in FIG.  7 ( 2 ). 
       FIGS.  8 ( 1 ),  8 ( 2 ) are schematic views illustrating a state in which a shelf support comes in contact with a power supply terminal; wherein FIG.  8 ( 1 ) illustrates the shelf support having an L-shaped cross-sectional shape; and FIG.  8 ( 2 ) illustrates the shelf support having an I-shaped cross-sectional shape. 
       FIGS.  9 ( 1 ),  9 ( 2 ) are schematic views illustrating a state in which a shelf support comes in contact with a power supply terminal. 
       FIGS.  10 ( 1 )- 10 ( 4 ) are configuration diagrams illustrating a second embodiment; wherein FIG.  10 ( 1 ) is a front view thereof; FIG.  10 ( 2 ) is a bottom view thereof; FIG.  10 ( 3 ) is a front view of a connection adaptor; and FIG.  10 ( 4 ) is a right side view of the connection adaptor. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     A first embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 9 .  FIG. 1  is a schematic view illustrating an outline of the invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-199339. 
     Reference sign  1  indicates a left post made of a metal, and reference sign  2  indicates a right post made of a metal. The left post  1  and the right post  2  are respectively connected to a positive terminal and a negative terminal of a power supply adaptor  3 . The power supply adaptor  3  is connected to an AC power supply through a switch  4  and an AC power supply plug  5 , and supplies a DC voltage of 12 V to the posts  1  and  2 . 
     Reference signs  6  and  7  indicate shelf supports made of a metal. The shelf support  6  is fitted into a hole formed in the left post  1 , and the shelf support  7  is fitted into a hole formed in the right post  2 . A shelf board  8  is placed on the shelf supports  6  and  7  to position the shelf in the vertical direction. The upper shelf board  8  is made of glass, for example. An LED tape  9  on which a plurality of high-brightness LED are arranged in a row is attached to the lower side of the shelf board  8 , and a positive terminal  10  and a negative terminal  11  of the LED tape  9  respectively come in contact with the shelf supports  6  and  7 . Note that reference sign  12  indicates a lower shelf board. Goods are placed on the lower shelf board  12 , and illuminated by light emitted from the LED tape  9  (see the broken arrows in  FIG. 1 ). 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic view illustrating an outline of the invention. A pair of power supply terminals  14  and  15  is attached to an illumination apparatus  13 . The power supply terminal  14  (positive power supply terminal) comes in contact with a shelf support  6 , and the power supply terminal  15  (negative power supply terminal) comes in contact with a shelf support  7  to supply power to the illumination apparatus  13 . The illumination apparatus  13  is positioned between a shelf board  8  and the shelf supports  6  and  7  via the power supply terminals  14  and  15 . When the post  2  is positioned on the inner side, the power supply terminal  15  can be slid inward so that the power supply terminal  15  is positioned corresponding to the post  2  (see the arrow  16  in  FIG. 2 ). The illumination apparatus  13  can also be moved forward and backward (see the arrow  17  in  FIG. 2 ). 
     FIGS.  3 ( 1 )- 3 ( 3 ) are detailed views illustrating the entire illumination apparatus  13 , wherein FIG.  3 ( 1 ) is a front view, FIG.  3 ( 2 ) is a bottom view, FIG.  3 ( 3 ) is a right side view). The illumination apparatus  13  is positioned between the shelf board  8  and the shelf support  6  ( 7 ) via the power supply terminal  14  ( 15 ), and supplies power to an LED substrate  19  attached to a main body  18 . Note that the main body  18  may be secured using a double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape  20  or the like. 
     FIG.  4 ( 1 ) is a right side view further illustrating a state in which the illumination apparatus  13  is placed between the shelf board  8  and the shelf support  7 . FIG.  4 ( 2 ) also illustrates an embodiment in which the illumination apparatus  13  is fitted into a recess formed in the shelf board  8 . In this case, the position of the illumination apparatus  13  in the forward/backward direction is fixed. However, since the illumination apparatus  13  is embedded in the shelf board  8 , it is possible to obtain a sophisticated display shelf having excellent appearance. 
     FIGS.  5 ( 1 )- 5 ( 3 ) illustrate the details of the LED substrate  19 , wherein FIG.  5 ( 1 ) is a front view, FIG.  5 ( 2 ) is a bottom view, FIG.  5 ( 3 ) is a right side view). The LED substrate  19  is a tape-shaped substrate on which a plurality of LED  20  are linearly disposed. The plurality of LED  20  are connected in parallel in the center area of the LED substrate  19 , and a positive terminal band  21  and a negative terminal band  22  are provided on either side of the plurality of LED  20 . Therefore, light is emitted from each LED  20  emit light by supplying power from an arbitrary position of the positive terminal band  21  and the negative terminal band  22 . Note that reference sign  23  indicates a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape for bonding the tape-shaped substrate to the main body  18 . 
     FIGS.  6 ( 1 )- 6 ( 3 ) illustrate the details of the main body  18 , wherein FIG.  6 ( 1 ) is a front view, FIG.  6 ( 2 ) is a bottom view, FIG.  6 ( 3 ) is a right side view). The main body  18  is formed of a plastic that exhibits high transparency, for example. The main body  18  is formed in the shape of a band, and has U-shaped slide grooves  24  and  25  on either side. The main body  18  can be easily cut to have appropriate dimensions corresponding to the width of the shelf board. Note that reference sign  26  indicates a double-sided tape or the like that is provided so that the main body  18  can optionally be bonded to the shelf board or the like. 
     FIGS.  7 ( 1 )- 7 ( 5 ) illustrate the details of the power supply terminal  14  ( 15 ), wherein FIG.  7 ( 1 ) is a front view, FIG.  7 ( 2 ) is a bottom view, FIG.  7 ( 3 ) is a right side view, FIG.  7 ( 4 ) is a cross-sectional view on the left side in FIG.  7 ( 2 ), FIG.  7 ( 5 ) is a cross-sectional view on the right side in FIG.  7 ( 2 )). A main body  26  of the power supply terminal  14  is formed of an insulator (e.g., reinforced plastic). A conductive leaf spring contact  29  is attached to the upper side of a left arm section  27 , and a conductive leaf spring contact  30  is attached to the upper side of a right arm section  28 . The contact  29  is electrically connected to the positive terminal band  21  of the LED substrate  19 . The arm sections  27  and  28  are respectively fitted into the slide grooves  24  and  25  of the main body  18  so that the power supply terminal  14  can be slid along the slide grooves  24  and  25 . Reference signs  31  and  32  indicate leaf spring contacts. The leaf spring contacts  31  and  32  come in electrical contact with the shelf support  6  ( 7 ). Note that a wire  33  is provided so that one of the contacts  29  and  30  respectively attached to the arm sections  27  and  28  can be electrically connected to the contacts  31  and  32 . 
     FIGS.  8 ( 1 ),  8 ( 2 ) are schematic views illustrating a state in which the shelf support comes in contact with the power supply terminal. As illustrated in FIG.  8 ( 1 ), when the shelf support is a shelf support  34  that has an L-shaped cross-sectional shape, the shelf support  34  comes in surface contact with the contact  31  of the power supply terminal  14 . When the shelf support is a shelf support  35  that has an I-shaped cross-sectional shape (see FIG.  8 ( 2 )), the shelf support  35  comes in contact with the contact  32 . FIGS.  9 ( 1 ),  9 ( 2 ) illustrate an example in which the shelf board  8  is placed on a dowel  38  that is fitted into one of a plurality of dowel holes  37  formed in a shelf side surface  36  (e.g., showcase). In this case, the dowel  38  is secured by a U-shaped dowel guide plate  39  provided to the power supply terminal  14  ( 15 ) (see FIGS.  7 ( 1 )- 7 ( 5 )), and electrically connected to the contact  32 . 
     Therefore, the above configuration can be applied to various display shelves (showcases) since the power supply terminal can absorb the difference in shape (e.g., L shape, I shape, or dowel type) of the shelf support. 
     FIGS.  10 ( 1 )- 10 ( 4 ) illustrate a second embodiment of the invention, wherein FIG.  10 ( 1 ) is a front view, FIG.  10 ( 2 ) is a bottom view, FIG.  10 ( 3 ) is a front view of connection adaptor, FIG.  10 ( 4 ) is a right side view of connection adaptor). As illustrated in FIGS.  10 ( 1 )- 10 ( 4 ), an illumination apparatus  40  (length: 90 cm, for example) and an illumination apparatus  41  (length: 30 cm, for example) are connected via a connection adaptor  42 . An insertion hole is formed in each end of the illumination apparatuses  40  and  41 . An insertion section  43  that is in the shape of a leaf spring and is provided on each end of the connection adaptor  42  is inserted into the insertion hole, so that the illumination apparatuses  40  and  41  are connected to each other, and the positive terminal band and the negative terminal band of each LED substrate are respectively connected to each other. 
     The illumination apparatus according to the second embodiment can be easily applied to a long shelf by connecting a plurality of the illumination apparatuses having a predetermined length (e.g., 90 cm, 60, cm, or 30 cm) via the connection adaptor. 
     Although only some embodiments of the invention have been described in detail above, the invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the invention. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
     
         
           1 ,  2  Post 
           3  Power supply adapter 
           6 ,  7  Shelf support 
           8  Shelf board 
           13  Illumination apparatus 
           14 ,  15  Power supply terminal 
           18  Main body