JP2003016801A - Waterproof structure and waterproof member for small portable electric lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To impart three-dimensional waterproof structure to a body case and an emitter without requiring special technique, and to surely impart a waterproof function to a switching mechanism. SOLUTION: In this waterproof structure for a small portable electric lamp, provided with the body case 2 split into an upper member 3 and a lower member 4, and capable of storing a printed circuit board 8 and a battery 9 in its inside, and the emitter 5 for holding a light-emitting part to a holding hole 12, ranging over from the upper member and the lower member in the condition where it is exposed outsides, a seal groove 38 is formed to continue a main body side seal groove 32 formed at least along one edge part out of edges by which the upper member contacts facingly with the lower member, and an emitter side seal groove 34 formed in an inner circumference of the holding hole 12, and a sealing member 31 formed integrally with a main body side seal part 35 for sealing a space between the upper member and the lower member, and an emitter side seal part 36 for sealing the space between the emitter and the inner circumference of the holding hole is engaged with the seal groove.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof structure for a small portable electric lamp and a waterproof seal member used for the waterproof structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional flashlight requires a battery having a large size in order to secure brightness and lighting time. For this reason, the external dimensions are very large, and it is difficult to carry. In addition, it cannot be easily attached to other devices and used.

In recent years, very small and high-luminance LED light emitters have been developed and high performance plate batteries have been developed.
The inventor according to the present invention has developed a small portable electric lamp which is smaller than the conventional one and can be carried like a key holder or easily attached to various devices by using the light emitting body and the plate-shaped battery. We filed a patent application for Japanese Patent Application No. 2000 180891.

[0004]

The small portable electric lamp according to the above-mentioned patent application is remarkably small in size as compared with the conventional flashlight and can be used for various purposes. However, since the small portable electric lamps do not have a waterproof structure, their applications are often limited. For example, it could not be used on a bicycle etc. on a rainy day.

The small portable electric lamp is divided into an upper member and a lower member, and a main body case capable of accommodating a circuit board and a battery therein, a holding hole extending over the upper member and the lower member, and a light emitting portion to the outside. And a light emitting body held in an exposed state.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a seal structure at the joint portion formed between the upper member and the lower member and the joint portion between the upper member and the lower member and the luminous body. Moreover, in order to replace the battery, the upper member and the lower member must be easily separated.

Further, the above-mentioned two sealing structures must be formed continuously, and must be three-dimensionally formed along a plane intersecting at an angle of about 90 °. For this reason, it has been difficult to provide a waterproof structure for the above case.

Furthermore, it is necessary to provide a waterproof structure for the switch mechanism provided in the small portable electric lamp.

The invention of the present application was conceived under the above-mentioned circumstances, and provides a three-dimensional waterproof structure to the main body case and the light-emitting body without requiring a special technique and also to the switch mechanism. It is possible to add a reliable waterproof sealing function.

[0010]

The invention described in claim 1 of the present invention includes a main body case which can be divided into an upper member and a lower member and which can accommodate a circuit board and a battery therein.
A waterproof structure for a small portable electric lamp, comprising: a light-emitting body held in a state where a light-emitting portion is exposed to the outside in a holding hole extending over the upper member and the lower member, wherein an edge where the upper member and the lower member are in contact with each other. A seal groove formed by connecting a main body side seal groove formed along at least one edge of the portion and a luminous body side seal groove formed on the inner circumference of the holding hole, and the upper member and the lower member are formed. The main body side seal part that performs a seal between
A sealing member integrally formed with a light emitting body side sealing portion for sealing between the light emitting body and the inner circumference of the holding hole is fitted into the seal groove.

The material of the seal member is not particularly limited. For example, it can be formed of the same rubber material as the O-ring. The seal member includes a main body side seal groove and a main body side seal portion and a light emitter seal portion corresponding to the light emitter side seal groove.

The above-mentioned seal member has a form in which two annular structures constituting the main body side seal part and the light emitter side seal part are combined, and at the time of mounting, these annular structures must intersect at a predetermined angle. . The main body side seal portion and the light emitter side seal portion are integrally formed, and are continuously fitted into the main body side seal groove and the light emitter side seal groove to form a continuous waterproof structure.

The material and manufacturing method of the body case according to the present invention are not particularly limited. For example, it can be manufactured by injection-molding plastic, or a body case made of aluminum alloy by aluminum die casting can be adopted.

The form of the upper member and the lower member is not particularly limited as long as the seal groove can be formed. Further, the holding hole for holding the light emitting body is not limited to a circular shape, and if the sealing groove can be formed, the holding hole of various shapes can be formed according to the form of the light emitting body.

The seal grooves on the main body side and the light emitter side are
It is provided for positioning and holding the seal member. The main body side seal groove may be provided on one of the upper member and the lower member, or may be provided on both of them. The light emitter side seal groove is provided continuously to both the upper member and the lower member. Further, the main body side seal groove is formed so as to be continuous with the light emitter side seal groove. For example, in the assembled state, the tip end portion of the main body side seal groove can be formed so as to open to the inner surface of the light emitter side seal groove.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the seal member is formed by integrally molding the main body side seal portion and the light emitter side seal portion using an injection molding method or the like.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the seal member is formed by bonding the end portion of the annular main body side seal portion and the annular light emitter side seal portion by adhesion. A mold for forming a seal member having a three-dimensional structure is very expensive. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced by connecting the two annular structures by adhesion to form the seal member.

It is also possible that a part of the annular structure of the main body side seal portion is cut out and the side portion of the annular light emitter side seal portion is adhered to the notched end portion. Also,
It is also possible to form a part of the main body side seal part so as to overlap with a part of the annular structure of the light emitter side seal part, and bond these parts to be integrated.

In the invention according to claim 4 of the present application, the seal member is formed in an annular shape between a main body side seal portion which is partially cut away and a notched end portion of the main body side seal portion. The light emitting body side seal portion is integrally molded along one plane.

The waterproof structure according to the present invention is three-dimensional, and an O-ring or the like used for the waterproof structure along a plane cannot be basically used. However, the seal member is elastically deformed easily, and the seal member having a two-dimensional shape is
It is possible to use it by elastically deforming it three-dimensionally.

In the invention described in claim 4, paying attention to this point, the seal member is formed by a two-dimensional structure which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture, and when the waterproof structure is constructed, it is forcibly deformed to form a three-dimensional structure. Take structure.

That is, the seal member is mounted in each of the seal grooves in a state in which the light emitter side seal portion is rotationally displaced with respect to the main body side seal portion. Since the seal member is made of an elastic material such as rubber, it can be easily deformed and displaced. Of course, the seal member can be deformed and displaced within a range in which waterproof performance can be ensured.

The method for molding the above-mentioned seal member is not particularly limited, and it can be molded by various methods applicable to rubber materials such as injection molding.

The invention described in claims 5 to 8 of the present application relates to a waterproof structure of a switch for lighting a light-emitting body.

The invention according to claim 5 of the present application is a waterproof structure for a small portable electric lamp, comprising a main body case capable of accommodating a circuit board and a battery therein, and a light emitting body held by the main body case. A switch opening communicating with a switch contact provided on the circuit board is formed in the case, and a conductor to be brought into contact with the switch contact and the conductor are held, and the conductive material is provided through the switch opening. An operating body for bringing the body into contact with and separating from the switch contact is provided, and the operating body is an annular ring that is pressed between the inner edge of the switch opening and the circuit board to form a seal structure. Inside the skirt and the skirt, the conductor can be naturally held in a state of being separated from the circuit board, and the conductor is elastically deformed so that the conductor can be rotated. And an operating portion that is projected from the switch opening portion to the outside of the main body case and is operated from the outside to elastically deform the intermediate portion toward the circuit board. Composed.

In the waterproof structure according to the invention described in the claims, the conductor is brought into contact with and separated from the contact provided on the circuit board through the operating body to open and close the circuit to turn on the light emitting body. It is applied to the switch that turns off the light.

The operating body holds the conductor inside and is elastically deformed so as to bring the conductor into contact with and separate from the contact. In addition, a waterproof structure is formed by pressing the skirt between the circuit board and the edge of the switch opening. Therefore, it is preferable to form at least a part of the elastically deformable material such as a rubber material.

On the other hand, a part of the operating body is projected from the switch opening to the outside of the upper member to form an operating portion. The form of the operation part is not particularly limited, and it is not necessary to use an elastic material like other parts.

By constructing the waterproof structure of the switch using the operation body, the upper member and the circuit board, the switch mechanism can be made extremely small and simple. Further, since the number of parts is reduced, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the inner peripheral surface of the switch opening is formed into a conical inner surface, and the outer surface of the intermediate portion is formed into a conical outer surface corresponding to the inner cone surface. It is held in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the switch opening.

By forming the outer surface of the intermediate portion in the shape of a conical outer surface, the cone is crushed in the axial direction by the pressing force and elastically deformed to close the contact. On the other hand, when the pressing force is released, the intermediate portion easily returns to the original conical shape. Therefore, by releasing the pressing force, the conductor can be easily separated from the contact by utilizing the elastic recovery force of the conical shape. Further, since the inner space can be secured by forming the hollow conical shape, it is possible to securely hold the conductor.

According to the invention described in claim 7 of the present application, while an annular convex portion is formed on the inner edge of the switch opening,
An annular concave portion that fits into the annular convex portion is formed at the bottom of the operating body.

By fitting the annular concave portion into the annular concave portion, the operating body can be held in the switch opening even when the circuit board is removed. Therefore, the battery can be easily replaced. In addition, by fitting the annular concave portion and the annular convex portion together and sandwiching them, a reliable waterproof structure can be configured.

In the invention described in claim 8 of the present application, a main body case that can be divided into an upper member and a lower member, and a holding hole extending over the upper member and the lower member are held with the light emitting portion exposed to the outside. A waterproof seal member for forming a waterproof structure in a small portable electric lamp including a light-emitting body, which is formed in an annular shape with a part cut away, and which seals between the upper member and the lower member. And a light emitting body side sealing portion integrally formed in an annular shape between the notched ends of the main body side sealing portion to seal the light emitting body and the inner periphery of the holding hole, the main body side sealing portion and the light emitting body side. The seal portion and the seal portion are integrally molded along one plane.

The waterproof sealing member according to the present invention is used for the waterproof structure according to the fourth invention of the present application, in which the luminous body side seal portion is rotationally displaced with respect to the main body side seal portion. It is three-dimensionalized and used by mounting it in the seal groove.

[0036]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a small portable electric lamp according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view. As shown in these drawings, the small portable electric lamp 1 according to the present embodiment is configured to include a flattened, substantially oval, or egg-shaped main body case 2. The body case 2 includes an upper member 3 and a lower member 4.
And are assembled so that they can be disassembled at the intermediate portion in the vertical direction.

At the front end of the main body case 2, a light emitting body 5 is held with the light emitting portion protruding. On the other hand, a connection hole 6 is formed in the rear edge portion of the main body case 2 so as to penetrate therethrough in the vertical direction, and a metal ring 7 is connected thereto.

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the small portable electric lamp 1 shown in FIG. As shown in this figure, inside the main body case 2, a circuit board 8, two disk-shaped batteries 9 and 9, and a base portion of the light emitting body 5 are housed. Further, at the central portion of the upper member 3, an operation unit 10 for performing lighting and extinguishing operations of the light emitting body 5 is provided. The body case 2 according to the present embodiment has a thickness of about 10 mm and a vertical dimension of 26 m.
m, and the lateral dimension is 36 mm.

The upper member 3 and the lower member 4 are formed by resin injection molding, and the screws 13 which are inserted into the through holes 14 formed at four positions of the lower member 4 are not shown in the upper member. The upper member 3 and the lower member 4 are assembled by screwing into the screw holes.

In front of the upper member 3 and the lower member 4,
A holding hole 12 for exposing and holding the light emitting body 5 to the outside.
Are formed. The holding hole 12 is formed in a circular shape extending over the upper member 3 and the lower member 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the circuit board 8 is formed into a rectangular shape in plan view having a size substantially similar to that of the battery 9 by using a known substrate material, and a switching circuit 15 is formed on one surface. Has been done. The switching circuit 1
5 is a contact 16 which is opened and closed by the operation unit 10.
A contact portion 16 including a and 16b, and a control circuit 17 for turning on or off the light emitting body 5 by opening and closing the contact portion 16 are provided. The parts of the switching circuit 15 other than the contact part 16 are covered with an insulating material.

A copper wire 19 connected to a contact 18 on one surface of the circuit board 8 through a through hole is attached to the other surface of the circuit board 8. The copper wire 19 is provided as a battery contact and is in direct contact with one electrode 20a of the stacked batteries 9.

A contact arm 21 for connecting to the other electrode 20b of the stacked batteries 9 and 9 is connected to the front edge of the circuit board 8. Contact arm 2
Reference numeral 1 denotes an extension portion 22 that extends downward from the side portions of the batteries 9 and 9.
a and a battery contact 22b that is bent at the tip of the extending portion 22a and elastically contacts the other electrode 20. The two plate-shaped batteries 9, 9 are held in a stacked state between the circuit board 8 and the battery contact 22b. In the present embodiment, two disc-shaped batteries are connected in series to generate a high voltage, so that a high luminance of the light emitting body can be obtained.

The light emitting body 5 employs a white LED with high brightness. As shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting body 5 is arranged such that its central axis is located at the center in the height direction of the laminated portion in which the circuit board 8 and the batteries 9 and 9 are laminated.
The light-emitting body 5 is held with the tip end thereof exposed to the outside through the holding hole 12 formed at the joint between the upper member 3 and the lower member 4, and outside the side portion of the main body case 2. It is configured so that light can be emitted toward it.

The lead wire 23 extending from the rear end portion of the light emitting body 12 is bent upward in a substantially L shape and guided to one side of the circuit board 8 to be a contact point at the edge of the circuit board. Soldered. With the above-described configuration, the size in the height direction can be set to be substantially the same as the size of the laminated portion including the circuit board 8 and the batteries 9 and 9, and the portable electric lamp can be made smaller and thinner.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a waterproof seal structure is formed between the upper member 3 and the lower member 4 and between the upper member 3 and the lower member 4 and the light emitter 5. Has been done.

The waterproof seal structure is a seal member 31 having an integrally formed composite annular structure shown in FIG.
Is inserted between the above-mentioned members and is elastically pinched.

As shown in FIG. 6, the main body side seal groove 32 into which the seal member 31 is fitted is provided at the edge portion of the lower member 4.
Are formed. On the other hand, the upper member 3 and the lower member 4
In the inner peripheral portion of the holding hole 12 which is formed so as to straddle over, semicircular arc-shaped seal grooves 33 and 34 on the light emitter side are continuously formed so as to form an annular groove in the assembled state.

As shown in FIG. 7, the sealing member 31 includes a main body side sealing portion 35 for sealing between the upper member 3 and the lower member 4, an outer peripheral portion of the luminous body 5 and an inner surface of the holding hole 12. The light-emitting-element-side sealing portion 36 that seals the space between them is integrally formed along one plane. The luminous body side seal portion 36 is formed by cutting out a part of the annular structure of the body side seal portion 35, and integrally forming an annular structure corresponding to the outer circumference of the luminous body integrally at the notched end portion. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, in the seal member 31 having the above-mentioned structure, the luminous body side seal portion 36 is fitted onto the outer periphery of the tip end portion of the luminous body 5, and the main body side seal portion 35 is arranged above the luminous body side seal. Rotate about 90 degrees with respect to the part 36 to make it three-dimensional. Then, the upper main body side seal portion 35 is fitted into the main body side seal groove 32, and the light emitter side seal portion 3 is inserted.
By fitting 6 into the light emitter side seal groove 34, it is assembled to the lower member. After that, the upper and lower members 3, 4
In combination, the seal member 31 is pressed to form a waterproof seal structure.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 11, the operation section 10 uses an elastic operation body 41 and a conductive rubber 42.
Is held above the contact portion 16 of the circuit board 8 with a gap therebetween.

The operation body 41 is a cylindrical pressing operation portion 43.
And a conical outer surface-shaped intermediate portion 44 and an annular skirt portion 45, and is formed in a hollow shape that opens downward. The disk-shaped conductive rubber 42 is held inside the intermediate portion 44 with a gap from the contact portion 16. The pressing operation portion 43 is projected outward from a through hole 46 formed in the upper member 3. The through hole 46 is formed in a conical inner surface shape corresponding to the outer surface shape of the intermediate portion 44.

The skirt portion 45 is formed into a cylindrical outer surface extending radially outward from the lower edge portion of the intermediate portion, and has an annular groove 47 formed in the upper surface. On the other hand, the through hole 46
At the inner edge of the annular projection 4 which can be engaged with the annular groove 47.
8 is formed.

The operation body 41 having the above-mentioned shape is provided with a pressing operation portion 43.
The annular protrusion 48 is engaged with the annular groove 47 with the upper portion protruding from the through hole 46, and the skirt 45 is elastically sandwiched between the annular protrusion 48 and the surface of the substrate 8. Holds under pressure.

At the outer peripheral edge of the through hole 46, there is formed a concave portion 43 which is recessed in the shape of a spherical inner surface, and the pressing operation portion 43 is projected from the central portion of the concave portion 43. By pressing the pressing operation part 43 downward, the intermediate part 44 is deformed, the conductive rubber 42 is brought into contact with the contact part 16, and the contacts 16a and 16b are closed. As a result, a signal is output and the light emitting element 5
Is turned on.

When the pressing force is released, the intermediate portion 44
The conductive rubber 42 is lifted from the contact portion 16 by the elastic recovery force of. In the present embodiment, by providing the control circuit 17, the contact portion 16 is repeatedly opened and closed so as to be able to sequentially select constant lighting, intermittent lighting (flashing), and extinction.

In addition, at the hem portion 45, a waterproof seal can be reliably made between the surface of the substrate 8 and the upper member 3. In the present embodiment, the switch structure and the waterproof structure can be formed by one member, so that the cost and the manufacturing process can be significantly reduced.

Further, with the above-mentioned structure, the assembling work can be easily performed, and the operating body 41 does not come off from the upper member 3 even when the upper member 3 and the lower member 4 are separated. Batteries can be easily replaced.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Although the seal member is formed along the plane in the embodiment, it may be formed three-dimensionally from the beginning.

Further, the form of the operating body is not limited to the embodiment, and other forms such as a quadrangular pyramid can be adopted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a small portable electric lamp according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a small portable electric lamp according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the small portable electric lamp shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an assembled state of a light emitting body, a circuit board and a battery.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which each part shown in FIG. 3 is disassembled.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a lower member.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a seal member.

8 is a cross-sectional view of the seal member shown in FIG.

9 is a perspective view of the seal member shown in FIG. 7. FIG.

10 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional state of the seal member shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Small portable light 2 body case 3 Upper member 4 Lower member 5 luminous body 8 circuit board 9 batteries 12 openings 31 Seal member 32 Body side seal groove 34 Luminator side seal groove 35 Body side seal 36 Light emitter side seal 38 Seal groove

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A state in which a light emitting portion is exposed to the outside in a main body case that can be divided into an upper member and a lower member and can accommodate a circuit board and a battery inside, and a holding hole that extends over the upper member and the lower member. And a main body side seal groove formed along at least one of the edges of the upper member and the lower member facing each other, and the holding structure. A main body side seal portion that forms a seal groove that is continuous with the light emitter side seal groove formed on the inner circumference of the hole and seals between the upper member and the lower member, and the light emitter and the holding hole A waterproof structure for a small portable electric lamp, which is configured by fitting a sealing member integrally formed with a light emitting body side sealing portion that seals with the circumference into the sealing groove. 2. The seal member is formed by integrally molding the main body side seal portion and the light emitter side seal portion.
The waterproof structure for the small portable electric lamp according to claim 1. 3. The waterproof structure for a small portable electric lamp according to claim 1, wherein the seal member is formed by adhering an end portion of the annular main body side seal portion and the annular light emitter side seal portion by adhesion. . 4. The seal member comprises an annular main body side seal portion, which is partially cut away, and an annular light emitter side seal portion, which is formed between the notched end portions of the main body side seal portion. 3. The structure according to claim 2, wherein the light-emitter-side seal part can be mounted in the seal groove while being rotationally displaced with respect to the main body-side seal part while being integrally formed along a plane. Waterproof structure for small portable lights. 5. A waterproof structure for a small portable electric lamp, comprising: a main body case capable of accommodating a circuit board and a battery therein; and a light emitting body held by the main body case, wherein the main body case is provided on the circuit board. While forming a switch opening communicating with the switch contact, holding a conductor that contacts the switch contact and holding the conductor, and contacting the conductor with the switch contact through the switch opening. An operating body for separating the operating body is provided, and the operating body has an inner edge portion of the switch opening portion, an annular skirt portion that is pressed between the circuit board and a seal structure, and an inner portion of the skirt portion. In the above, in the natural state, the conductor can be held in a state of being separated from the circuit board, and the conductor can be elastically deformed to bring the conductor into contact with the circuit board. And an operating portion that is protruded from the switch opening to the outside of the main body case and is elastically deformed toward the circuit board by operating from the outside. 5. The waterproof structure for a small portable electric lamp according to claim 4. 6. The inner peripheral surface of the switch opening is formed in a conical inner surface shape, and the outer surface of the intermediate portion is formed in a conical outer surface shape corresponding to the inner cone surface. The waterproof structure for a small portable electric lamp according to claim 5, wherein the waterproof structure is configured by facing each other. 7. The method according to claim 5, wherein an annular convex portion is formed on an inner edge portion of the switch opening, and an annular concave portion that fits the annular convex portion is formed on the skirt portion. Waterproof structure of the small portable light described in. 8. A small portable electric lamp comprising a main body case that can be divided into an upper member and a lower member, and a light-emitting body that is held in a holding hole that straddles the upper member and the lower member with the light-emitting portion exposed to the outside. A waterproof seal member for forming a waterproof structure in, wherein a main body side seal portion that is formed in an annular shape with a part cut away and seals between the upper member and the lower member, and a main body side seal portion A light emitting body side sealing portion that is integrally formed in an annular shape between the notched end portions and seals the light emitting body and the inner periphery of the holding hole, and includes the main body side sealing portion and the light emitting body side sealing portion along one plane. A waterproof seal member that is integrally molded.