Automobile instrument panel cover panel

There is provided a cover panel including a lighting device which is attachable without a mounting seat. A cover panel 1 includes a panel main body 5 fixed on an instrument panel 3 in an interior of an automobile and a lighting device 6 provided inside the panel main body 5. The panel main body 5 comprises an opening 7 which forms a gap between itself and the instrument panel 3, and light emitted through the opening 7 from the lighting device 6 illuminates the interior of the automobile. The panel main body 5 and the lighting device 6 are integrated and are fixed on the instrument panel 3, so that the cover panel 1 including the lighting device 6 can be fixed on the instrument panel 3 without utilizing the mounting seat as was conventionally done.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an ornamental cover panel provided in an interior of a vehicle such as that of an automobile, particularly to a cover panel having a lighting device thereinside for illuminating the vehicle interior.

2. Description of the Related Art

Heretofore, as this type of a cover panel provided in a vehicle interior, there has been proposed a cover panel fixed on an instrument panel. The instrument panel makes up a front of the vehicle interior, i.e., a front of a driver's seat, a center console and a front of a passenger's seat. Also the instrument panel holds various meters such as a speed meter or the like, and an air outlet for an air-conditioner and a globe box or the like are installed in the instrument panel.

Color tone and texture of the instrument panel are coordinated according to types of automobiles and users' preferences. For example, using the instrument panel made of black hard-synthetic resin may create a relaxed atmosphere in the vehicle interior. Moreover, in order to add an accent to a thus coordinated atmosphere, an ornamental panel may be integrated with a part of the instrument panel. The ornamental panel can give an accent to an aspect of the instrumental panel by employing an aluminum tone or a woody tone therein to enable a different atmosphere to be created in the vehicle interior.

With respect to the vehicle interior in the atmosphere thus coordinated, some users desire to differentiate their vehicles from others' ones and to go for their originalities. It is, however, difficult to meet this kind of user's desire by modifying the ornamental panel due to the integral formation of the ornamental panel with the instrument panel.

Therefore, a cover panel is further used which is fixed on the surface of the instrumental panel or ornamental panel by a double-stick tape or the like. By fixing this cover panel on the surface of a part of the instrument panel, the preliminarily coordinated vehicle interior atmosphere as the aforementioned can be changed, so that the users can readily change an atmosphere of the vehicle interior to suit their tastes.

Additionally, in late years, an instrument panel is desired to make a vehicle interior more distinctive not only by changing the color tone and the texture on the surface of the panel but also by providing a lighting device, the lighting device being used not only as a vehicle interior lighting but also as illuminations.

As a conventional art in which a lighting device is used as illuminations, one disclosure (e.g., Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 2006-76557) can be found where a lighting device with a light guiding capability is arranged in a vehicle interior front section formed by a front glass and a side glass behind the front glass and is disposed in an instrument panel located at a lower side of the front glass.

According to the above conventional art, a step acting as a mounting seat is provided in the instrument panel and then the lighting device is disposed inside the step, so that such an effect can be exerted that lighting does not directly come into the view of a driver sitting in a front seat of the vehicle interior.

However, the conventional art has the problem of lack of versatility because as being disposed on the step preliminarily formed on the instrument panel, the lighting device cannot be disposed on an instrument panel without a step.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, in view of the above problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cover panel including a lighting device which can be attached to an instrument panel even if the cover panel has no mounting seat.

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a cover panel which includes a panel main body fixed on an instrument panel in a vehicle interior and a lighting device provided inside the panel main body in which said panel main body has an opening forming a gap between itself and the instrument panel so that the lighting device emits light from the opening to the vehicle interior.

A second aspect of the present invention is a cover panel of the first aspect in which the lighting device includes a light guide body and a light emitter provided in one end of the light guide body, said light guide body being disposed along the opening.

A third aspect of the present invention is a cover panel of the first or second aspect in which the lighting device is held inside the panel main body by a supporting member, and the supporting member is made of a soft material.

According to the cover panel in the first aspect of the present invention, the panel main body and the lighting device are integrated and are fixed on an instrument panel, so that the cover panel including a lighting device can be fixed on the instrument panel without utilizing the mounting seat as was conventionally done. Therefore, a degree of freedom of mounting the cover panel increases, making it possible to add a lighting function to the instrument panel without spoiling design of the cover panel.

Further, according to the cover panel in the second aspect of the present invention, the light guide body is disposed along the opening of the panel main body, so that a light emitter can efficiently emit light outward. Thus, the power consumption can be decreased.

Furthermore, according to the cover panel in the third aspect of the present invention, vehicle vibrations transmitted to the lighting device can be reduced, and even if a load is applied to the cover panel, the cover panel prevents the load and vibrations from being transmitted directly to the lighting device by absorbing the load and vibrations. Thus, durability of the lighting device can be increased.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A cover panel1shown inFIG. 1is fixed on a front surface of a front passenger seat portion3dof an instrument panel3provided in an interior of an automobile2. The cover panel1is formed in a band form, and its longitudinal direction is disposed so as to align with a horizontal direction of the automobile. A lighting device described later is provided inside the cover panel1. In this way, the cover panel1gives an accent to the instrument panel3the color tone and texture of which are already coordinated, while allowing the lighting device to provide light inside the vehicle interior.

As shown inFIG. 2, the cover panel1comprises a panel main body5made of a horizontally-elongated tabular member formed from a hard-synthetic resin; and the lighting device6provided inside the panel main body5. Ornamentation such as aluminum-like metal coloring or wood graining is applied on a first surface5aof the panel main body5. An opening7acting as a window through which the light from the lighting device6passes is formed on one side. A side5cof the panel main body5which is located at an upside with respect to the vehicle when fixed on the instrument panel3is concavely cut out, thus forming the opening7. Further, the first surface5aof the panel main body5is formed so as to gently slope in a manner gradually curved as it approaches an opposite edge thereof. The lighting device6comprises a light guide body10and a light emitter11, and is fixed on the panel main body5through a supporting member12.

As shown inFIGS. 3 and 4, the lighting device6is provided on a second surface5b, i.e., an inside surface of the panel main body5. The light guide body10is made of a linear member and includes a core15and a clad16. In the meantime, two or more light guide bodies10may be provided althoughFIG. 3illustrates one light guide body only.

The clad16is formed from fluororesin into a tubular form. The clad16thus formed has flexibility or ductility, so that three-dimensional deformation of the clad16can be relatively easily achieved. Furthermore, the core15is also formed from a material having flexibility or ductility into a cylindrical form. Specifically, the core15may be made of polymer such as copolymer of polyoxypropylenetriol and hexamethylenediisocyanate. For a material of the supporting member12, a fluororesin or EPDM having flexibility and ductility is used in the same way as the clad16.

The core15cylindrically shaped is inserted into the clad16cylindrically formed to thereby form the light guide body10. The light guide body10is fixed on and supported by the supporting member12having a cutout18provided along its longitudinal direction.

The supporting member12is provided with the cutout18on a portion corresponding to the aforesaid first surface5awhich is located at the upside when the supporting member12is fixed to the instrument panel3. The light guide body10is fitted into the cutout18. After fitting the light guide body10thereinto, a part of a circumference of the light guide body10is exposed from the cutout18, and thus light is allowed to be emitted from a light-emitting face of the cutout18. Moreover, since the supporting member12is also made of the material having flexibility and ductility as is done the light guide body10, the fixing of the light guide body10to the cutout18provided in the supporting member12can be ensured to a sufficient extent by its own elasticity of the flexible material.

As shown inFIG. 4, a light source which utilizes, e.g., an LED as the light emitter11is provided on one end of the supporting member12. Although one or more light emitters11can be used according to a diameter of the light guide body10, one light emitter will normally suffice. The light emitter11is attached onto a printed-circuit board (not shown), and a wire harness20which feeds an electrical power from a battery is coupled to the printed-circuit board. The light emitter11is fixed on a mounting recess19formed on the supporting member12using a double-stick tape21a, while it is connected to one end10aof the light guide body10, to thereby emit light from one end10aof the light guide body10to the other end10bthereof.

With the light guide body10set in conformity to the opening7of the panel main body5, the supporting member12with the lighting device6fixed thereon allows a first surface12athereof to be adjoined to the second surface5bof the panel main body5, and then fixed there using the double-stick tape21b. In this way, the lighting device6and the panel main body5are integrated with each other, thus obtaining the cover panel1.

The cover panel1is fixed using a double-stick tape21con a place where a second surface12bof the supporting member12abuts on the surface3pof the instrument panel3opposite to the front passenger seat so that one end1aon which the light emitter11is provided may be located on a side of a center console3cof the instrument panel3while the other end1bon which the light emitter11is not provided may be located on a side near a vehicle door. In addition, the wire harness20is electrically coupled to a battery (not shown) mounted on the automobile2through cables (not shown).

As described above, according to the cover panel1of the present embodiment, the lighting device6is fixed on the second surface5bof the panel main body5using the double-stick tape so that the panel main body5and the lighting device6are integrated with each other, and then the body thus integrated is fixed on the instrument panel3using the double-stick tape21c. This enables the cover panel1including the lighting device6to be fixedly mounted on the instrument panel3without utilizing the conventional mounting seat. Therefore, the cover panel1can be easily fixed on the instrument panel3, thus enabling its versatility to be improved.

Further, according to the cover panel1of the present embodiment, the lighting device6is fixed on the second surface5bof the panel main body5using the double-stick tape so as to be integrated therewith, so that the light of the light guide body10is allowed to be emitted from the opening7provided on the panel main body5. Thus, the light can be used for indirect lighting, enabling the lighting device6to be provided as a one emitting soft light.

Furthermore, according to the cover panel1of the present embodiment, the light guide body10is disposed near the outer edge of the panel main body5. Thus, the light of the light emitter11can be efficiently emitted outward, enabling its power consumption to be decreased.

Moreover, according to the cover panel1of the present embodiment, the light guide body10is disposed near the outer edge of the panel main body5, and thus, rigidity of the panel main body5can be improved.

Further, since the supporting member12is formed from the material having flexibility and ductility, the vibrations of the automobile2transmitted to the lighting device6can be decreased; and even when a load is applied to the cover panel1, the supporting member12is allowed to absorb the load to thereby prevent the vibrations and load from transmitting directly to the lighting device6. Thus, the durability of the lighting device6can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiment, and, various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, whilst an LED is used as the light emitter11in the foregoing embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto, and other light sources such as an electrical bulb may be used. Further, whilst the light guide body10is described as having a circular section in the foregoing embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto, but the light guide body10may have an oval or polygonal section. Furthermore, whilst the panel main body is made of hard-synthetic resin in the foregoing embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto, but it may be made of a metal such as aluminum or the like, or made of wood.

In the foregoing embodiment, the opening7is provided on the upper side5cof the panel main body5which is located on the upper side of the automobile2when the panel main body5is fixed on the instrument panel3so that light is emitted from the upper edge of the panel main body5. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, the opening7may be provided on a lower side5dof the panel main body5which is located on the lower side of the automobile2when the panel main body5is fixed on the instrument panel3so that light may be emitted from the lower edge of the panel main body5. In this way, the light guide body10is allowed not to come in view of a user sitting on the driver's or passenger's seat, thus enabling it to be used as an indirect lighting even more reliably.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the opening is formed by cutting out one side of the panel main body in the concave shape. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, but various other configurations may be employed as long as they can provide an aperture for allowing light from the light guide body to pass therefrom between the second surface of the panel main body and the surface of the instrument panel.