JP2018129194A - Flashlight - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To change an irradiation range of a flashlight whose irradiation range can be changed without changing the overall shape such as length. SOLUTION: A flashlight has a light source, a tubular frame having an opening for emitting light from the light source to the outside, a holder for holding the light source, and an accommodating member for accommodating the holder inside the frame. And. The accommodating member is configured to move the holder in the direction of the central axis of the frame by an external operation. [Selection diagram] Fig. 5

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a flashlight capable of changing an irradiation range.

  As a flashlight, a switch with a cylindrical frame with a lens in the opening and a light source (LED) fixed to the opening on the opening side of the frame. The thing provided with the housing is known (for example, refer patent document 1).

  According to this type of flashlight, the irradiation range by the light emitted from the opening of the frame is adjusted by changing the distance between the LED and the lens by sliding the switch housing within the frame. be able to.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,147,343

However, in Patent Document 1, the switch housing is fixed to a rear housing that is inserted into the frame body and protrudes from an opening on the side opposite to the lens of the frame body.
For this reason, in order to adjust the irradiation range by the light emitted from the opening of the frame body, it is necessary to change the protrusion length of the rear housing from the frame body. There was a problem that changed.

  Further, when this type of flashlight is used in a narrow place and the entire length of the flashlight is extended to adjust the irradiation range, there is a problem that the flashlight hits the surroundings, resulting in poor usability.

  In one aspect of the present disclosure, in a flashlight capable of changing an irradiation range, it is desirable that the irradiation range can be changed without changing the overall shape such as the length.

  A flashlight according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a light source, a cylindrical frame including an opening that emits light from the light source to the outside, a holder that holds the light source, and a holder that includes the frame inside the frame. And a housing member that is movably housed in the direction of the central axis. The housing member is configured to move the holder in the central axis direction by an external operation.

  For this reason, according to the flashlight of the present disclosure, the holder of the light source can be moved in the direction of the central axis of the frame inside the frame by an external operation. If the holder is thus moved inside the frame, the position of the light source with respect to the opening of the frame changes, and the irradiation range of the light emitted from the opening also changes.

  Therefore, according to the flashlight of the present disclosure, in order to adjust the irradiation range of the light emitted from the opening, the support member of the holder is protruded from the frame body as in the conventional device described above, and the protrusion amount is set. There is no need to change.

  Therefore, according to the flashlight of the present disclosure, the light irradiation range can be adjusted without changing the shape (specifically, the length) of the entire flashlight. For this reason, the irradiation range can be easily adjusted even in a narrow place, and the usability of the flashlight can be improved.

  Here, the holder is circular and is configured to hold the light source at the center of the circle, and the housing member includes a cylindrical rotating member and a cylindrical holding member, and is rotated via the operation unit. You may be comprised so that a holder may be moved to the center axis direction of a frame by rotating a moving member.

  In this case, the rotating member is disposed between the frame body and the holder so as to be rotatable around the central axis of the frame body, and the inner wall surface engages with the outer peripheral surface of the holder. The holder is configured to move in the direction of the central axis of the frame.

  The holding member is arranged inside the rotating member, is configured to restrict the holder from rotating together with the rotating member, and to hold the holder so as to be movable in the central axis direction of the frame body. The rotating member is provided with an operating portion for rotating operation exposed to the outside from the frame.

  Therefore, when the holder and the housing member are configured in this way, if the operation portion is rotated, the rotation member rotates around the central axis of the frame body, and the light source moves in the central axis direction of the frame body. It will be. For this reason, as described above, the light irradiation range can be adjusted without changing the overall shape of the flashlight, and the usability of the flashlight can be improved.

  On the other hand, the holder may be provided with a reflector that reflects light from the light source toward the opening of the frame. Moreover, the lens for irradiating the external irradiation target object with the light from a light source may be provided in the opening part of the frame.

In this way, the light from the light source can be efficiently and uniformly irradiated to the external irradiation object.
Further, in this case, if the lens is constituted by a dome-shaped lens whose lens surface protrudes in the light emission direction from the opening, the light from the light source can be diffused more uniformly, and the irradiation range Can be illuminated uniformly.

  Next, the battery pack for the electric tool, which is attached to the main body case having a grip portion for the user to grip, and the light source is detachably attached to the main body case, the side opposite to the opening of the frame body It may be configured to be lit by receiving power supply from.

  In this way, the flashlight of the present disclosure can be turned on using the battery pack for the electric tool. For example, the battery pack is shared with other electric tools in a work area where the electric tool is used. It becomes possible.

  Moreover, the light source may be comprised by LED. In this case, when the LED is caused to emit light, heat is generated. Therefore, in order to dissipate the heat, at least one of the holder, the rotating member, and the holding member around the LED may be made of metal that can dissipate heat.

In addition, the lead wire for power supply drawn from the light source may be protected by a tube.
In other words, when adjusting the irradiation range, the light source moves along with the holder in the direction of the central axis of the frame, so it is necessary to loosen the lead wires so as not to obstruct the movement. is there. However, if the lead wire is loosened, it is considered that the lead wire is displaced due to vibration accompanying the movement of the flashlight and the like, and as a result, a failure such as disconnection or short circuit occurs due to contact with the inner wall or the like.

  On the other hand, if the lead wire is protected by the tube, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of failure such as disconnection or short circuit when the lead wire contacts the inner wall or the like due to vibration or the like.

It is a perspective view showing the structure of the whole flashlight of embodiment. It is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the main body case from which the light emission part was removed. It is a perspective view showing the structure of the battery pack attached to a main body case. It is sectional drawing showing the internal structure of a flashlight. It is a disassembled perspective view showing the structure of the light emission part of a flashlight. It is a disassembled perspective view showing the modification of the light emission part of a flashlight. It is sectional drawing showing the internal structure of the flashlight provided with the light emission part of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the flashlight 1 according to the present embodiment includes a light emitting unit 10 incorporating an LED 3 as a light source, and a main body case 40 to which the light emitting unit 10 is attached.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main body case 40 has an elongated shape and a grip portion 42 that can be gripped by a user. A fixing portion 44 for rotatably fixing the light emitting unit 10 is provided on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the grip portion 42 (upward in FIGS. 1 and 2). 1, a lower portion in FIG. 2 is provided with a mounting portion 46 for mounting the battery pack 50.

  The battery pack 50 is for an electric tool that incorporates a rechargeable battery such as a lithium ion battery. From the front side (the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the main body case 40 with respect to the lower surface of the mounting portion 46. It can be installed by sliding it backwards.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of rails 52 that can be engaged from the front side of the main body case 40 are provided on the upper surface of the battery pack 50 on the rails provided on the lower surface of the mounting portion 46 of the main body case 40. It has been.

  For this reason, the battery pack 50 can be slid in the mounting direction to the mounting portion 46 or in the detaching direction from the mounting portion 46 with the upper surface thereof being in contact with the lower surface of the mounting portion 46 of the main body case 40. it can.

  Further, on the rear end side of the rail 52, an engagement protrusion 54 is provided for engaging with an engagement hole provided in the mounting portion 46 of the main body case 40 and positioning and fixing the battery pack 50 to the mounting portion 46. It has been.

  This engagement protrusion 54 protrudes from the battery pack 50 by the biasing force of the spring, and can be displaced toward the battery pack 50 side by depressing the operation portion 56 shown in FIGS.

  For this reason, when the operation part 56 is pressed in a state where the battery pack 50 is attached to the attachment part 46 of the main body case 40, the engagement between the engagement protrusion 54 and the engagement hole on the attachment part 46 side is released. Thus, the battery pack 50 can be removed from the main body case 40.

  Further, in the battery pack 50, a power supply terminal portion connected to a power supply terminal or a connector provided on the back surface of the mounting portion 46 in a state of being mounted on the mounting portion 46 of the main body case 40 inside the pair of rails 52. 58 and a connection terminal portion 59 are provided.

  For this reason, if the battery pack 50 is attached to the main body case 40, power supply from the battery pack 50 to the main body case 40 and communication between the main body case 40 and the battery pack 50 are automatically performed.

  Next, the grip 42 of the main body case 40 is provided with an operation switch 48 for switching on / off of the LED 3. The operation switch 48 is disposed at a position where the user can turn on / off with a finger while the user holds the grip portion 42.

  As shown in FIG. 4, inside the grip portion 42, the LED 3 is turned on / off and the lighting state (the brightness at the time of lighting) is switched according to the operation of the operation switch 48. A circuit board 49 on which a control circuit is assembled is provided.

  Note that the control circuit is activated when the battery pack 50 is mounted and power is supplied from the power supply terminal portion 58. And after starting, based on the input signal from the connection terminal part 59 of the battery pack 50, a battery state is monitored and lighting of LED3 is prohibited when the battery voltage falls.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fixing portion 44 of the main body case 40 sandwiches the rear case 7 arranged on the side opposite to the opening 5 that emits light from the LED 3 in the light emitting portion 10. Thus, it is comprised with a pair of right and left clamping pieces.

  Then, the left and right holding pieces constituting the fixing portion 44 are inserted into the mounting holes 9 provided in the rear case 7 of the light emitting portion 10 as shown in FIGS. A support protrusion 45 is provided around the center axis of the mounting hole 9 so as to be rotatable.

  For this reason, in a state where the light emitting unit 10 is attached to the fixing unit 44 of the main body case 40, the direction of the opening 5 can be changed radially as indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. become.

  Then, the rear case 7 of the light emitting unit 10 is engaged with the concavo-convex portion 45a provided around the support protrusion 45 in the sandwiching piece constituting the fixing portion 44, so that the orientation of the opening 5 is as shown in FIG. Are provided with engaging projections 8 which are positioned by switching to twelve stages indicated by a one-dot chain line.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the engaging protrusion 8 has a spring 8 </ b> B housed in a through hole 7 </ b> A provided in the rear case 7 so as to be parallel to the mounting hole 9, and is biased outward by the spring 8 </ b> B. And a protruding portion 8 </ b> A protruding from the left and right of the rear case 7.

  The engaging protrusion 8 is engaged with the supporting protrusion 45 of the fixing portion 44 by the protruding portion 8A by the urging force of the spring 8B, so that the opening portion 5 of the light emitting portion 10 is shown in FIG. Position the direction.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the light emitting unit 10 has a cylindrical frame 12 having an opening 5 for emitting light from the LED 3 to the outside, and holds the LED 3 in the frame 12. A circular holder 14 for fixing is provided.

  The holder 14 has an annular shape, and a disk-shaped LED substrate 15 (see FIG. 4) in which the LED 3 is provided at the center portion is fixed inside the annular shape. In addition, the holder 14 is provided with a reflector 16 that reflects light from the LED 3 toward the opening 5 of the frame 12.

  A plurality of (three in this embodiment) protrusions 18 are provided on the outer periphery of the holder 14 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and a thread is formed on the outer peripheral edge of each protrusion 18 along the outer periphery of the holder 14. Is formed.

The holder 14 is housed in the frame body 12 through the rotating member 20 by each protrusion 18 being screwed into a screw thread 20 </ b> A formed on the inner wall surface of the cylindrical rotating member 20. Is done.
The rotating member 20 has a cylindrical shape that can rotate around the central axis inside the frame body 12, and is fixed to the frame body 12 via a holding member 24 that is inserted from the opposite side of the frame body 12. .

  The holding member 24 is inserted between the protrusions 18 of the holder 14 screwed into the thread 20A of the rotating member 20, and prevents the holder 14 from rotating around the central axis. The light emitting unit 10 projects from the rear case 7 disposed behind the frame 12 to the frame 12 side.

  That is, the holding member 24 has an arc shape in which a circle smaller than the inner diameter of the rotating member 20 is divided into a plurality according to the number of protrusions 18 of the holder 14, and an outer periphery facing the frame body 12 in the rear case 7. It protrudes from the edge with a gap.

Further, on the outer periphery of the front end portion of the holding member 24 on the frame body 12 side, a screw thread 24 </ b> A is formed for screwing into the female screw portion 12 </ b> A provided inside the opening 5 of the frame body 12.
For this reason, the rotating member 20 is fixed in the frame body 12 via the holding member 24 in a state where the holder 14 is held inside, and in this state, the rotating member 20 is rotated around the central axis. When moved, the holder 14 (and thus the LED 3) moves in the direction of the central axis of the frame 12.

The rear case 7 has a cylindrical shape, and is closed on the side opposite to the opening end on the frame body 12 side from which the holding member 24 protrudes.
Further, on the side opposite to the frame body 12 of the rotating member 20, an operation unit 22 for a user to rotate the rotating member 20 so as to cover the outer peripheral end of the rear case 7 on the frame body 12 side. Is provided.

  Further, when the rotating member 20 is housed in the frame body 12, the lens 30 is disposed between the inside of the opening 5 of the frame body 12 and the distal end portion of the holding member 24. The opening 5 is closed.

  The lens 30 is constituted by a dome-shaped lens whose lens surface protrudes in the light emitting direction from the opening 5, and when the holding member 24 is fixed to the frame body 12, the lens 30 around the lens 30 The part 32 is fixed to the opening 5 of the frame body 12 by being sandwiched between the frame body 12 side end surface of the holding member 24 and the frame body 12.

  Therefore, the user turns the operation portion 22 of the turning member 20 to move the holder 14 (and thus the LED 3) in the direction of the central axis of the frame 12 as indicated by a dotted line and an arrow in FIG. The distance between the LED 3 and the lens 30 can be adjusted.

  If the distance between the LED 3 and the lens 30 is adjusted in this way, the light emitted from the LED 3 or the light reflected by the reflector 16 is emitted to the outside through the lens 30. The light irradiation range can be changed.

  Further, at the time of adjusting the irradiation range, the holder 14 only moves in the direction of the central axis in the frame 12, and the rotating member 20 and the holding member 24 as a housing member for housing the holder 14 in the frame 12 are provided. It does not move in the direction of the central axis of the frame 12.

  For this reason, according to the flashlight 1 of the present embodiment, by adjusting the irradiation range, the entire length of the light emitting unit 10 does not change, and the irradiation range can be easily adjusted even in a narrow place.

  In addition, since the lens 30 is constituted by a dome-shaped lens, light can be uniformly diffused within the irradiation range. For this reason, according to the flashlight 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to uniformly irradiate the object to be irradiated, thereby improving the usability of the flashlight 1.

  By the way, the LED 3 is housed in the frame body 12 through the rear case 7 from which the LED substrate 15, the holder 14, the rotating member 20, and the holding member 24 are projected, but the LED 3 is lit (in other words, Generates heat when energized.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, the rear case 7 including the holder 14, the rotation member 20, and the holding member 24 used for housing the LED 3 in the frame body 12 is a metal (for example, aluminum) that easily radiates heat. It is composed of.

The frame 12 is made of synthetic resin. And it is not necessary to make all the above parts made of metal, and some of them may be made of the same synthetic resin as the frame body 12.
In addition, a lead wire 15A for energizing the LED 3 is drawn out from the LED board 15 on which the LED 3 is mounted. There are things to do.

  For this reason, in the present embodiment, the lead wire 15A drawn out from the LED substrate 15 is inserted into a protective tube 17 (for example, a heat shrinkable tube). The lead wire 15 </ b> A is pulled out from the mounting hole 9 of the rear case 7 toward the main body case 40 in a state where the lead wire 15 </ b> A is passed through, and is connected to the circuit board 49 in the main body case 40.

Therefore, the lead wire 15A drawn out from the LED board 15 is protected by the tube 17, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of failure such as disconnection or short circuit due to vibration or the like.
Note that the overall size of the lead wire 15A protected by the tube 17 (specifically, the diameter including the tube 17) may be larger than the gap in which the lead wire 15A is easily bitten by vibration or the like.

  That is, for example, when the lead wire 15 </ b> A enters the gap between the holder 14 and the rotation member 20 or the gap between the holder 14 and the holding member 24, the lead wire 15 </ b> A moves the rotation member 20 through the operation unit 22. When it is rotated, it may be caught in these gaps.

  When the lead wire 15A is bitten in this way, the lead wire 15A may be disconnected or short-circuited. However, as described above, the lead wire 15A is protected by the tube 17, and its size is easy to bite. If it is larger than the gap, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of disconnection, short circuit, etc. due to biting.

Although one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the flashlight of the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications.
For example, in the above embodiment, the holding member 24 has been described as protruding from the end of the rear case 7 on the frame body 12 side. However, as in the modification shown in FIGS. May be provided on the annular member 26 that can be attached to the rear case 7.

  That is, the annular member 26 is provided with a screw portion 26A that can be screwed into a female screw portion 7B provided on the inner peripheral surface of the opening of the rear case 7, and this screw portion 26A is connected to the female screw portion of the rear case 7. It can be fixed to the rear case 7 by being screwed into the portion 7B.

  A holding member 24 protrudes from the annular member 26 on the side opposite to the rear case 7. Accordingly, the holding member 24 is protruded from the rear case 7 toward the frame body 12 by being fixed to the rear case 7 via the annular member 26, as in the above embodiment.

  Further, in the light emitting unit 10 of the modified example shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the screw thread 24 </ b> A formed at the front end portion of the holding member 24 on the frame body 12 is replaced with the female screw formed inside the annular fixing member 28. The rotating member 20 including the holder 14 is sandwiched between the fixing member 28 and the holding member 24 by being screwed to the portion 28A.

  The fixing member 28 can be non-rotatably fitted inside the frame body 12, and the holding member that is screwed to the inside of the opening 5 of the frame body 12 and the fixing member 28 at the time of fitting. The lens 30 can be fixed to the opening 5 by disposing the lens 30 between the front end portions of 24.

  Therefore, according to the light emitting unit 10 of the modification shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the main body portion of the light emitting unit 10 is configured by holding the rotating member 20 including the holder 14 between the fixing member 28 and the holding member 24. In addition, by covering the main body portion with the frame body 12, the light emitting unit 10 including the lens 30 in the opening 5 can be configured.

  Therefore, lens replacement or the like can be easily performed by removing the frame body 12 serving as a protective cover from the main body portion. Further, since the main body portion can be integrally removed from the rear case 7, the main body portion can be easily repaired and replaced.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, in order to move the holder 14 holding LED3 which is a light source in the center axis direction of the frame 12 within the frame 12, the protrusion 18 which comprises a screw is provided in the outer periphery of the holder 14, The protrusion 18 is screwed to the thread 20 </ b> A on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating member 20.

  For this reason, according to the above-described embodiment, the position of the LED 3 with respect to the lens 30 can be adjusted by rotating the rotating member 20 via the operation unit 22, but such position adjustment does not necessarily use the rotating member 20. do not have to.

  That is, for example, the holder 14 is accommodated in the frame 12 so as to be movable in the central axis direction via a cylindrical accommodating member such as the rotating member 20, and the accommodated holder 14 is externally operated. Even if the holder 14 is moved directly in the central axis direction, the position of the holder 14 can be adjusted.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the back case 7 is provided in the light emission part 10 on the opposite side to the opening part 5 of the frame 12, and the back case 7 is a main body case which can mount | wear with the battery pack 50 for electric tools. It has been described as being attached to 40 so as to be rotatable.

On the other hand, the rear case 7 may be long enough to be gripped by the user so that the battery pack 50 for the electric tool can be attached to the rear case 7.
In addition, it is not always necessary to use the battery pack 50 for the electric tool as a power source, and a dry battery, a secondary battery used in another electronic device, or the like may be used.

  In addition, a plurality of functions of one constituent element in the above embodiment may be realized by a plurality of constituent elements, or a single function of one constituent element may be realized by a plurality of constituent elements. Further, a plurality of functions possessed by a plurality of constituent elements may be realized by one constituent element, or one function realized by a plurality of constituent elements may be realized by one constituent element. Moreover, you may abbreviate | omit a part of structure of the said embodiment. In addition, at least a part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be added to or replaced with the configuration of the other embodiment. In addition, all the aspects included in the technical idea specified only by the wording described in the claim are embodiment of this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Flash light, 3 ... LED, 5 ... Opening part, 7 ... Back case, 8 ... Engagement protrusion, 9 ... Mounting hole, 10 ... Light emission part, 12 ... Frame, 14 ... Holder, 15 ... LED board, 15A DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Lead wire, 16 ... Reflector, 17 ... Tube, 18 ... Protrusion, 20 ... Turning member, 22 ... Operation part, 24 ... Holding member, 26 ... Ring member, 28 ... Fixing member, 30 ... Lens, 40 ... Body case , 42 ... gripping part, 44 ... fixing part, 45 ... support protrusion, 46 ... mounting part, 48 ... operation switch, 50 ... battery pack, 52 ... rail, 54 ... engagement protrusion, 56 ... operation part, 58 ... power supply Terminal portion, 59... Connection terminal portion.

Claims (8)

A light source;
A cylindrical frame provided with an opening for emitting light from the light source to the outside;
A holder for holding the light source;
An accommodating member for accommodating the holder in the frame so as to be movable in the direction of the central axis of the frame;
The flashlight is configured to move the holder in the central axis direction by an external operation. The holder is circular and is configured to hold the light source in a central portion of a circle;
The housing member is
Between the frame body and the holder, it is disposed so as to be rotatable around the central axis of the frame body, and the inner wall surface engages with the outer peripheral surface of the holder, so that the holder is rotated by its own rotation. A cylindrical rotating member that moves in the direction of the central axis of the frame;
A cylindrical holding member that is disposed inside the rotating member, restricts the holder from rotating together with the rotating member, and holds the holder movably in the central axis direction of the frame;
The flashlight according to claim 1, wherein the rotation member has an operation portion for a rotation operation exposed to the outside from the frame body.   The flashlight according to claim 1, wherein the holder is provided with a reflector that reflects light from the light source toward the opening of the frame.   4. The flashlight according to claim 1, wherein a lens for irradiating an external irradiation object with light from the light source is provided in the opening of the frame. 5. .   The flashlight according to claim 4, wherein the lens is configured by a dome-shaped lens having a lens surface protruding in a light emitting direction from the opening. The side opposite to the opening of the frame is attached to a body case having a grip part for a user to grip,
The flash according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the light source is configured to be lit by receiving power supply from a battery pack for an electric tool that is detachably attached to the main body case. Light.   The light source includes an LED, and at least one of the holder, the rotating member, and the holding member is made of a metal that can dissipate heat generated by the lighting of the LED. The flashlight according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   The flashlight according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a lead wire for power supply drawn from the light source is protected by a tube.