JP2000322901A - Signal indicating lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a signal indicating lamp reduced in the number of component items and easy to assemble. SOLUTION: This signal indicating lamp 1 has a plurality of luminous indicating parts 50 coupled together, In each indicating part 50, the number of component items is reduced by integrally forming a light guide body 41 internally reflecting the light from light sources 2 and a globe 42 transmitting the reflected light, into a translucent unit 4 made up of a synthetic resin molding, The unit 4 is easy to handle because the globe 42 prevents the light guide body 41 from being directly touched, This makes it easy to assemble the indicating part 50, The unit 4 has a diffusion lens 45 of an axisymmetrical shape facing an annular groove 4c and axially extending, A shading film is formed on a second end on the bottom side of the annular groove 4c, thereby preventing light from leaking between the units 4 coupled to each other, Thus, the shading film can prevent false lighting.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is installed in an automatic machine, a production line, a parking lot, a dangerous place, and the like, and is used to signal various states such as a shortage of materials, a jammed work, a full load, a danger, and the like. It relates to a signal indicator light.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A signal indicating lamp has, for example, a light source such as an LED, a reflecting surface for reflecting light from the light source, and a glove for covering the reflecting surface and the light source and transmitting light to the outside. I have. The light source, the reflecting surface, the globe, and the like constitute an assembly, and a plurality of the assemblies are stacked to constitute one signal indicator lamp. In such a signal indicator lamp, the color of the globe may be different in each assembly, and a signal may be displayed with light of a different color such as red or green.

[0003] As described above, the color of the glove may be different, whereas the reflective surface does not need to be so. Therefore, the glove and the reflective surface are usually formed separately.

[0004]

However, if they are separate, assembly takes time. Also, the reflective surface is difficult to handle during assembly. This is because even if the reflective surface is touched directly by hand, there is a possibility that the visibility of light may be reduced due to dirt. Therefore, strict attention is required when handling reflective surfaces.

In addition, if the parts are separate, the number of parts is large, and it takes time to manage the parts. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problems and to provide a signal indicator light having a small number of parts and easy to assemble.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a signal indicating lamp, wherein a light-transmitting light guide for internally reflecting light from a light source and a light reflected by the light guide are transmitted to the outside. The light-transmitting glove to be formed is formed in a unit made of an integral synthetic resin molded product. According to this configuration, since the globe and the light guide are formed integrally,
No need for assembling. Also, if the glove is handled during assembly, it is not necessary to directly touch the light guide, and it is easy to hold the light guide. As a result, the light guide can be easily handled and assembled. Therefore, assembly costs can be reduced.

Further, since both the globe and the light guide are formed of synthetic resin, they can be easily formed integrally. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the signal indicator light according to the first aspect, the light guide is formed in a ring shape, and the globe is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to concentrically surround the light guide. An annular groove having a predetermined depth and having an opening at a first axial end of the unit is formed between the globe and the light guide, and an annular groove is formed at a second axial end of the unit. The light guide and the globe are connected to each other via a connection portion serving as the bottom of the light guide, and the surface of the diffusion lens extending in the axial direction is provided on at least one of the inner peripheral surface of the globe and the outer peripheral surface of the light guide that define the annular groove. Is formed.

According to this structure, the unit is formed in an axially symmetrical shape, and the connecting portion is provided at the end in the axial direction. Therefore, the mold for integrally forming the unit can be simplified. In addition, since the diffusion lens extending in the axial direction faces the annular groove, the above-mentioned mold that enters the annular groove can be used for forming the diffusion lens. Can be formed.

The signal indicating lamp according to the third aspect is the second aspect.
In the signal indicator lamp according to the above, a plurality of the units are provided, the first end of one unit is fitted to the second end of the adjacent unit, and the units are stacked, and the second unit of the unit is stacked. A light-shielding film is formed on the surface of the end. By the way, when light enters the above-mentioned annular groove,
Depending on the incident angle of the light, it is assumed that the light travels in the groove in the axial direction while being reflected at the boundary surface between the groove and the unit, and easily leaks to the adjacent unit through the end of the unit. .

[0010] On the other hand, according to the configuration of the third aspect, since light does not pass through the second end which is a boundary with the adjacent unit, light is prevented from leaking to the adjacent unit. False lighting caused by light leakage can be prevented. In particular, it is significant in effectively preventing light leakage. Further, since the end portions are fitted with each other, light shielding is reliable and easy.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a signal indicating lamp.
Or the signal indicator lamp according to 3, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the light guide includes an inclined reflective surface for internally reflecting light from the light source, and a reflective coating is formed on at least the rear surface of the reflective surface. It is characterized by. According to this configuration, the light transmitted through the reflective surface of the light guide can be reflected by the reflective coating,
The visibility of the signal indicator can be improved as compared with the case where only the internal reflection of the light guide is used.

Further, since the light guide reflects the light in the axial direction in the radial direction, the light source and the light guide can be arranged in the axial direction, so that the light source can be easily assembled. In addition, when the units are stacked, leakage of light from the back surface can be prevented, so that the above-described pseudo lighting can be more reliably prevented.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a signal indicator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a signal indicator light showing a first embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. The signal indicator lamp 1 includes a plurality of display units 50 that are stacked vertically and emit light to display a signal, a cover 51 that is mounted on the top of the display unit 50, and a blinking device that is provided below the display unit 50 and is connected to the display unit 50. 52 for accommodating a circuit board and the like for supporting the same, a support 53 extending downward from the lower surface of the case 52, and a support 53
And a mounting member 54 for mounting the lower end of the device to a device or the like. The cover 51 and the display unit 50 are, for example,
The case 5 is formed by long screws (not shown) penetrating them.
It is fixed to 2.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the schematic configuration of the display unit, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the display unit. Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. The display unit 50 includes a plurality of light sources 2 and a translucent light guide 41 that internally reflects light from these light sources 2.
And a translucent globe 42 for transmitting the light reflected by the light guide 41 to the outside. Display unit 50
Is formed in a substantially columnar shape, and has a signal display surface on almost the entire outer peripheral surface of the globe 42.

The light source 2 extends in the axial direction of the display unit 50 (arrow X).
Is fixed to the upper end. The light source 2 is formed of a light emitting diode (LED) and is arranged in a plurality of concentric circles. Each LED is mounted on the board 3 such that the light emitting axis of the LED is along the axial direction of the display unit 50. Substrate 3
Are provided with connection terminals 3a and 3b. These terminals 3a and 3b are for connecting the substrates of the adjacent display units 50 in a state where the display units 50 are connected to each other, and are connected to the case 5 through these terminals 3a and 3b.
2 and the substrate 3 of each display unit 50 are electrically connected to form a circuit. The configuration including the connection terminals described above is the same as the configuration described in JP-A-7-282605. Instead of this configuration, a lead wire or the like may be used for power supply and signal transmission to each substrate 3.

In each of the display sections 50, the emission color of the light source 2 is different from each other. When the light source 2 of the desired display unit 50 emits light, signal light of a different color can be emitted according to the color of the light source 2. The light from the light source 2 travels in the axial direction, enters the light guide 41, is reflected therein, travels in the radial direction, and radiates from the outer peripheral surface 42d through the globe 42 (see the arrow in FIG. 2). ).

In the present invention, the globe 42 of the display unit 50 and the light guide 41 constitute the unit 4 made of an integrated light-transmitting synthetic resin molded product. Thus, the display unit 50 is easily assembled. The details will be described below. The unit 4 is made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin such as methacrylic resin,
It is colorless and transparent.

The unit 4 has an axially symmetric shape. The unit 4 is formed of the above-described light guide 41 formed in a thick annular shape.
And the above-described globe 42 formed concentrically around the light guide 41 and formed in a thin cylindrical shape. An annular groove 4 having a predetermined depth is provided between the globe 42 and the light guide 41.
c is formed. The annular groove 4c has an opening 4d at an axial first end 4a which is the upper end of the unit 4. Further, at a second end 4b in the axial direction which is a lower end of the unit 4, a connecting portion 43 which is a bottom of the annular groove 4c is provided.
The light guide 41 and the globe 42 are connected to each other via. Further, a central hole penetrating in the axial direction is formed inside the light guide 41, and a thin cylindrical support portion 44 is provided on the upper surface of the light guide 41 which is a peripheral portion of the central hole. , And the substrate 3.

The inner peripheral surface 42c of the globe 42 has a large number of vertical rib-shaped diffusing lenses 45 all around. That is, the inner peripheral surface 42c is formed by arranging, in the circumferential direction, concave portions having a shape extending in the axial direction (only some concave portions are shown in FIG. 3), and the glove 42 corresponding to each concave surface portion. Regions constitute the diffusion lens 45, respectively. Each diffusing lens 45 diffuses and projects in the circumferential direction light that advances in the radial direction from inside the unit 4. Diffusion lens 45
Are formed facing the annular groove 4c.

The outer peripheral surface 42d of the globe 42 has a large number of lateral rib-shaped diffusing lenses 46 extending in the circumferential direction over the entire peripheral surface. That is, the outer peripheral surface 42d is
Concave portions extending in the circumferential direction are formed so as to be arranged in the axial direction, and the region of the globe 42 corresponding to each concave portion constitutes a diffusion lens 46. The diffusion lens 46 diffuses and transmits the light transmitted through the globe 42 in the axial direction. Known shapes for diffusing light can be used as the shapes of the diffusion lenses 45 and 46.

The globe 42 has an annular fitting projection 42k at the first end 4a and a fitting recess 42j at the second end 4b. First end 4 of one unit 4
a is fitted to the second end 4b of another unit 4 adjacent to the other unit, and the outer peripheral surface of the fitting projection 42k is formed on the inner periphery of the fitting recess 42j so that the plurality of units 4 can be stacked. It fits on the surface.

The connecting portion 43 is made of the same translucent material as the globe 42 and the light guide 41, and is formed integrally therewith by resin molding using a mold. The connection unit 43
At the bottom of the annular groove 4c, the globe 42 and the light guide 41 are connected seamlessly over the entire circumference. Light guide 41
Is a planar upper end surface 41a on which light from the light source 2 is incident.
, An inner peripheral surface 41d, and an outer peripheral surface 41 composed of a smooth circumferential surface.
c. The inner peripheral surface 41d has a pair of conical reflecting surfaces 41b arranged vertically in the axial direction, and a circumferential surface 41e connecting the pair of reflecting surfaces 41b. The reflection surface 41b is a surface that internally reflects light traveling in the light guide body, is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the axial direction, internally reflects light from above in the axial direction, and reflects reflected light in the radial direction. It is turned outward. The pair of reflection surfaces 41b respectively correspond to two groups of LEDs arranged concentrically. The above-mentioned predetermined angle is set to be larger than the critical angle for reflection according to the material of the light guide 41.

Further, a reflective coating may be formed on the inner peripheral surface 41d of the light guide 41, particularly on the back surface of the reflective surface 41b. The reflection film is made of, for example, an aluminum vapor-deposited film, totally reflects light transmitted through the back surface into the light guide 41, and also functions as a light-shielding film. Further, the above-mentioned coating functioning as the light-shielding coating is applied to the surface of the second end 4b of the unit 4, for example, the inner peripheral surface of the fitting concave portion 42j, the lower surface 43 of the connecting portion 43.
j, the lower end surface 4j of the globe 41, or the like. The above-described coating is formed in a region indicated by a dashed line M in FIG. 2, and the region M includes a region M1 corresponding to the reflection coating formed on the inner peripheral surface 41 d of the light guide 41 and a second End 4b
Region M2 corresponding to the light-shielding film formed on the surface of
It is continuously formed while overlapping at the boundary.

In assembling the display unit 50, the unit 4 is molded in advance with a resin, and an aluminum vapor-deposited film is formed as necessary. In addition, an assembly in which the LED is attached to the substrate 3 is prepared, and this assembly may be attached to a predetermined position of the unit 4. Thus, according to the present embodiment,
Since the globe 42 and the light guide 41 are formed as an integrated unit 4, the assembling of the display unit 50 and thus the signal display lamp 1 is not required.

Further, if the glove 42 is handled during assembly, the light guide 41 does not need to be directly touched.
Easy to hold 1. As a result, the light guide 41 can be easily handled,
The display unit 50 can be more easily assembled, and the assembly cost can be reduced. In addition, since the globe 42 and the light guide 41 can be easily formed from an integrated synthetic resin molded product, the cost of parts of the unit 4 can be reduced.

Further, since the unit 4 has an axially symmetric shape and the connecting portion 43 is provided at the end in the axial direction, the mold for integrally forming the unit can be simplified. Further, since the surface of the diffusion lens 45 extending in the axial direction faces the annular groove 4c, the above-described mold that enters the annular groove 4c can be used for forming the diffusion lens 45. The diffusion lens 45 can be formed accurately and at low cost. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the unit 4 can be reduced. Here, the surface of the diffusion lens 45 is connected to the outer peripheral surface 41 c of the light guide 41.
The same operation and effect can be obtained even when formed in an axial direction. The point is that at least one of the inner peripheral surface 42c of the globe 42 and the outer peripheral surface 41c of the light guide 41 that defines the annular groove 4c is provided in the axial direction. It is only necessary that a surface of the diffusion lens 45 extending, for example, a concave surface be formed. The shape of the diffusion lens 45 is not limited to a concave surface, but may be a convex surface.

Further, since the reflection coating on the back surface of the reflection surface 41b can reflect the light transmitted through the reflection surface 41b, it is possible to obtain a reflectance higher than a high reflectance due to the internal reflection of the light guide 41. As a result, the visibility of the signal indicator lamp 1 can be further improved. Further, since the light guide 41 including the inclined reflecting surface 41b reflects the light in the axial direction in the radial direction, the light source 2 and the light guide 41 can be arranged in the axial direction. Can be easily done.

When the globe 42, the light guide 41 and the support 44 are integrated, the number of components can be further reduced. By the way, when the ends of the glove 41 are directly fitted to each other to connect the display units 50, when one display unit 50 emits light, the light is transmitted through the end into another adjacent display unit 50. It is feared that a phenomenon may occur as if the other display unit 50 emits light (this phenomenon is called pseudo lighting). In particular, since the annular groove 4c easily transmits light in the axial direction depending on the incident angle, it is assumed that light easily leaks through the end of the annular groove 4c.

According to the present embodiment, the light shielding film
Since light can be prevented from transmitting at the second end 4b, which is a boundary with the adjacent unit 4, light can be prevented from leaking to the adjacent unit 4. As a result, it is possible to prevent both pseudo lighting that occurs in the adjacent unit 4 due to light from the main unit 4 and pseudo lighting that occurs in the main unit 4 due to light from the adjacent unit 4.

In particular, it is significant in that the light passing through the annular groove 4c can be effectively prevented from leaking to an adjacent unit. Further, since the light is only shielded by fitting the ends of the unit 4 together, the assembly work is easier and more reliably shielded than when a light shield plate or the like for preventing false lighting is attached. it can.

When the film on the back surface of the reflection surface 41b also functions as a light-shielding film, light leakage from the back surface of the reflection surface 41b can be prevented. Can be. Furthermore, the second end 4
b, there is a connecting portion 43 which is a member integrally formed and covers the annular groove 4c. Therefore, when a coating is formed here, the member on which the coating is formed is not provided separately from the unit 4. Only As a result, the number of parts can be reduced, and the increase in manufacturing cost can be prevented.

When the unit 4 is colorless,
Since the attenuation of light in the member can be suppressed, it is preferable to obtain high visibility when the light guide 41 and the globe 42 are integrated and the distance that light travels through the member tends to be long. In order to display signals of different colors, the colors of the light sources 2 may be made different, and the unit 4 may be one type of colorless and transparent. Note that the unit 4 may be colored and transparent. In this case, even when the emission color of the LED is fixed, a signal can be displayed in a color corresponding to the color of the unit 4.

Also, as an effect peculiar to the first embodiment, since the back surface of the reflecting surface 41b faces the second end 4b in the axial direction, the reflecting film on the back surface of the reflecting surface 41b and the second And the light-shielding film at the end 4b can be simultaneously obtained by a film forming method utilizing vapor deposition. In addition, the connecting portion 43 can save time and labor such as masking for preventing a film from being formed on the annular groove 4c. As a result, a film is easily formed.

In the above embodiment, the connecting portion 43
Is provided at the lower end of the unit 4, but may be provided at the upper end as in the second embodiment shown in FIG. In this case, the first axial end 4a with the opening 4d of the annular groove 4c is the lower end, and the second axial end 4b with the connecting portion 43 is the upper end. Further, the reflection coating on the back surface of the reflection surface 41b and the light-shielding coating on the second end 4b are formed separately. Also,
The connecting portion 43 shown in FIG.
A portion 43a extending inward in the radial direction from
and a portion 43b extending downward in the axial direction from the inner peripheral edge portion a. In the second embodiment, the above-described functions and effects can be obtained in the same manner, except for the ease of forming a film, which is an effect unique to the first embodiment. In addition, since the connection portion 43 also serves as a support portion, the structure can be further simplified.

In addition, various design changes can be made without changing the gist of the present invention.

[0036]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the unit is easy to assemble and the assembly cost can be reduced by integrating the globe and the light guide. Parts cost can also be reduced. Claim 2
According to the invention described in (1), a simple mold is sufficient, and the diffusion lens can be formed at a low cost by using the mold. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the pseudo light can be effectively prevented by the light shielding film formed on the second end. In addition, light can be reliably and easily shielded.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the visibility can be enhanced by forming the reflective coating on the back surface of the reflective surface. In addition, the light source can be easily assembled. In addition, when the units are stacked, false lighting can be reliably prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a signal indicating lamp according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of a schematic configuration of a display unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a main part of a display unit illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of a display unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Signal indicator lamp 2 Light source 4 Unit 4a 1st end 4b 2nd end 4c Annular groove 4d Opening 4j Lower end surface (surface of 2nd end) 41 Light guide 41c Outer peripheral surface 41b Reflecting surface 41d Peripheral surface 42 Globe 42c Inner peripheral surface 42j Fitting concave part (surface of second end) 43 Connection part 43j Lower surface (surface of second end) 45 Diffusion lens M1 Reflective coating M2 Light-shielding coating X-axis direction

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A synthetic resin molded product comprising a light-transmitting light guide that internally reflects light from a light source and a light-transmitting globe that transmits light reflected by the light guide to the outside. A signal indicator lamp formed in a unit consisting of: 2. The signal indicator lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light guide is formed in an annular shape, and the globe is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to concentrically surround the periphery of the light guide. An annular groove having a predetermined depth having an opening at an axial first end of the unit is formed between the bodies, and a connection portion serving as a bottom of the annular groove at an axial second end of the unit. That the light guide and the globe are connected to each other through at least one of the inner surface of the glove and the outer surface of the light guide that define the annular groove, and that the surface of the diffusion lens extending in the axial direction is formed. Characteristic signal indicator light. 3. The signal indicator lamp according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the units are provided, and a first end of one unit is fitted to a second end of an adjacent unit, and the units are stacked. A signal indicating lamp, wherein a light-shielding film is formed on a surface of a second end of the unit. 4. The signal indicating lamp according to claim 2, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the light guide includes an inclined reflecting surface for internally reflecting light from a light source, and at least a rear surface of the reflecting surface. A signal indicating lamp having a reflective coating formed thereon.