JP2002196108A - Lens and safety lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lens which can emit light in various forms, while using one light source. SOLUTION: The lens 11 of this invention is provided at a position which is in contact with the light source (LED12) and is constituted of a projection- shaped absorbing plane 11A, having a horizontally viewing area covering the horizontally viewing area of the light source and curvature with which light emitted from the light source converging to a light source optical axis, a first reflecting plane 11B which is provided at the rear surface side of the absorbing plane 11A and the upper end of which is inclined outside toward the light source optical axis, in order to bend the light converged to the light source optical axis outside toward the light source optical axis and a second reflection plane 11c which is provided outside the first reflecting plane 11B with a prescribed distance and the upper end of which is inclined outside, in order to make the light reflected by the first reflecting plane 11B to be in parallel with the light source optical axis or to be diffused therefrom or to be converged thereto.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lens capable of emitting light in various shapes using a single light source and a security light using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a security light that emits light in a ring shape to notify an approaching car or the like that the site is a construction site at night at a construction site, for example, is provided in a ring-shaped case. A plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) are arranged on the top, and these LEDs are connected to a base.

[0003]

However, the conventional security light has a high cost because a plurality of LEDs are arranged in a ring as described above. In addition, as the diameter of the ring-shaped light-emitting element is increased, more LEDs are used, so that the cost naturally increases.
In addition, there is a problem that a large amount of electric power is required.

It is well known that a lens is used in order to efficiently emit light from a lamp such as a car, for example. However, these techniques efficiently collect light emitted from a light source to form an angle. Although this is a technique for irradiating almost the front surface, as described above, there is no lens that emits light in a predetermined shape, for example, a ring shape, and does not emit light at an unnecessary portion on the inner peripheral side of the ring shape. . Usually, when the light source is moved away from the lens, it is possible to irradiate the entire target surface with the directivity of light. However, it is possible to irradiate the entire target surface while the lens and the light source are in contact with each other. Did not.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lens capable of emitting light in various shapes using one light source and a security light using the same.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a lens according to the present invention collects light emitted from a light source without leaving it, and once converges on the optical axis of the light source. The bent light is bent outward with respect to the optical axis of the light source, and the bent light is again made parallel to, diffused, or converged with the optical axis of the light emitted from the light source. In this way, the light of the light source can be emitted in a ring shape outside the optical axis, for example. If the lens of the present invention is used as a security light, it can be emitted in a ring shape by one light source. Become.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A lens according to the present invention is provided at a position in contact with a light source, has an area in plan view covering the area in plan view of the light source, and has a curvature for converging light emitted from the light source to the optical axis of the light source. Convex absorption surface, and provided on the back side of the absorption surface, the light converged on the light source optical axis is bent outward with respect to the light source optical axis so as to bend outward with respect to the light source optical axis. A first reflecting surface having an upper end inclined, and a predetermined distance provided outside the first reflecting surface, and the light reflected by the first reflecting surface is further parallel or diffused or converged with the light source optical axis. And a second reflecting surface whose upper end is inclined outward.

In the above configuration, conventionally, when a light source is brought into contact with a lens, it is not possible to irradiate a target predetermined range. However, the lens of the present invention has a predetermined range in a state where the light source is in contact with the absorbing surface. It is possible to illuminate the area.
In the lens of the present invention, the absorption surface is provided at a position in contact with the light source, has an area in plan view that covers the area in plan view of the optical axis, and has a convexity of curvature that converges light emitted from the light source to the light source optical axis. Since it is a mold, diffusion of light emitted from the light source can be suppressed. That is, since light has the property of diffusing as it is farther away from the target object, the light leaking from the absorbing surface is reduced by providing the absorbing surface in contact with the light source, and thus the light of the light source is efficiently absorbed. You can do it.

The absorbing surface may have a concave shape so as to absorb the light of the light source without leaving it. However, in the present invention, since the object of the present invention is also to converge the light of the light source on the optical axis, a convex shape is used. Was adopted. As a result, light can be efficiently guided to the subsequent second reflection surface, and the amount of diffused light is small, so that the overall size can be reduced.

The first reflection surface is provided on the back surface side of the absorption surface, and is, for example, 45 degrees with respect to the light source optical axis in order to bend the light converged on the light source optical axis outward with respect to the light source optical axis. ±
It is desirable to incline its upper end outward by 5 °. Here, the reason why the upper end of the first reflection surface is inclined with respect to the light source optical axis in order to bend the light once converged on the absorption surface outward with respect to the light source optical axis will be described.

When light is bent by 90 ° by the first reflecting surface whose upper end is inclined outward by 45 ° with respect to the optical axis of the light source and is guided to a second reflecting surface, which will be described later, a second light is reflected from the first reflecting surface. The distance to the reflecting surface is the shortest. And the second reflecting surface is
Since the light emitted from the light source is finally guided out of the lens,
If the shape of the second reflection surface is, for example, a circle, that is, the light of the light source viewed from the outside of the lens is also a circle.

As described above, when light is bent at 90 ° on the first reflecting surface, the light is the shortest distance to the second reflecting surface. Therefore, diffusion is naturally suppressed due to the characteristics of light. . However, when the upper end of the first reflecting surface is inclined outwardly outside the angle range of 45 ± 5 °, the bending angle of the light reflected by the first reflecting surface is naturally larger than 90 ° with respect to the optical axis of the light source. In the case of a circular second reflecting surface given as an example, while having the same diameter, the second reflecting surface moves back and forth with respect to a surface orthogonal to the light source optical axis, and accordingly, the first reflecting surface The distance to the second reflecting surface is longer than the shortest distance.

At this time, due to the characteristics of the light, the light is diffused by an amount corresponding to a longer distance than that of the shortest distance, and there is a possibility that the light is deviated from the second reflecting surface. Therefore, it is desirable that the upper end of the first reflecting surface be inclined 45 ° outward with respect to the light source optical axis. However, if the angle is only 45 °, when various light sources are used, the light from the light source is not limited to those having strong straightness, and the light that is not straight and is diffusing deviates from the second reflection surface. Sometimes. Therefore, a width is provided to make the angle adjustable according to the light source.

The second reflecting surface is provided at a predetermined distance outside the first reflecting surface, and further makes the light reflected by the first reflecting surface parallel or diffuses or converges with the optical axis of the light source. For example, it is desirable that the upper end be inclined at an angle of, for example, 45 ± 5 °. The reason for inclining the upper end of the second reflecting surface outward is that, for example, when the angle is greater than 45 + 5 °, light reflected by the second reflecting surface is diffused outside the optical axis of the light source, so that a wide area can be irradiated. When the distance at which the light can be viewed becomes shorter, and when the angle is smaller than 45-5 °, the light reflected at the second reflecting surface is converged on the optical axis of the light source, and the distance at which the light can be viewed becomes longer. It cannot irradiate a wide area.

Accordingly, an angle range suitable for practical use and capable of reliably irradiating a distance at which the shape (for example, a ring shape) of the second reflection surface can be visually recognized is selected. In addition, the distance from the first reflecting surface to the second reflecting surface is desirably 3 to 10 times the height from the upper end to the lower end of the first reflecting surface,
The reason for this is that if the distance is closer to three times, that is, for example, if the second reflecting surface is formed in a ring shape, the diameter of the ring becomes smaller, so that the ring is visually recognized as a point from a distance instead of a ring shape. This is because, in the case of the above example, the ring is visually recognized in a ring shape, but is dark and can be visually recognized only at a very short distance.

As described above, in the lens of the present invention, the light from the light source is once converged on the optical axis and then reflected, so that the light from the light source is not unnecessarily diffused and the loss can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to illuminate an arbitrary shape with one light source.

A security light according to the present invention includes the lens and the light source according to the first aspect of the present invention. The security light having the above-described lens as a main component provides a plurality of security lights in a desired shape. As compared with a conventional security light in which a light source is arranged, only by using lenses having different shapes, it is possible to arbitrarily change the shape to be illuminated by one light source, thereby reducing costs.

Further, the security light of the present invention, in the above configuration, includes a light-shielding cover covering a part of the light source, and a drive mechanism for rotating the light-shielding cover. In this configuration, the drive mechanism is realized by including, for example, a motor and a gear that rotate the light shielding cover around the light source. With this configuration, the security light can be illuminated in an arbitrary shape, and in addition to the light shielding cover, a part of the light of the light source appears to be continuously illuminated. It is possible to make it look as if it is rotating.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the lens and the security light of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are views showing a security light of the present invention using the lens of the present invention. FIG.
Shows the progress of light through the lens of the present invention in the security light of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the security light of the present invention. 5 to 9 are diagrams showing other examples of the shape of the lens of the present invention.

The security light 1 of the present invention, as shown in FIG.
The camera includes a lens 11 of the present invention and an LED 12 as a light source. Since the light source is not particularly limited, the light source can be implemented without using the LED 12.

The lens 11 condenses the light emitted from the LED 12 and, in FIGS. 1 to 4, uses the condensed light as a security light 1 in a ring shape having an outer peripheral shape (a second reflecting surface 11 to be described later).
C).

The lens 11 is configured as follows. 11A is provided at a position in contact with the LED 12,
The surface area of the LED 12 is set to cover the area of the LED 12 when viewed from above.
2 is a convex absorbing surface having a curvature converging on the optical axis of the light emitted from the light emitting element 2).

Reference numeral 11B is provided on the back side of the absorbing surface 11A, and in this embodiment, the light converged on the optical axis of the light source is bent to the outer side with respect to the optical axis of the light source.
It is a first reflecting surface whose upper end is inclined 7 ° outward.

The first reflection surface 11C is provided outside the first reflection surface 11B, for example, in this embodiment, at a distance of six times the height from the upper end to the lower end of the first reflection surface 11B. 1
In the present embodiment, the second reflection surface has its upper end inclined 49.4 ° outward in order to slightly converge the light reflected by 1B with respect to the optical axis of the light source.

11D is constituted by a second reflecting surface 11C,
It is a light emitting surface that looks shiny when viewed from outside the lens 11. In the security light 1 shown in FIG. 1, the second reflecting surface 11C has a ring shape, that is, the ring-shaped light emitting surface 11D appears to shine.

The lens 11 is, as shown in FIG.
The light emitted from 12 is all absorbed by the absorbing surface 11A and converged on the optical axis of the light source by the absorbing surface 11A. At this time, the light is bent in the direction of the second reflecting surface 11C by the first reflecting surface 11B. Then, on the second reflection surface 11 </ b> C, the light is again bent from a direction parallel to the light source optical axis, for example, slightly parallel to the light source optical axis in this embodiment, and is emitted to the outside of the lens 11.

Here, the result of comparison between the conventional security light and the security light 1 of the present invention using the lens 11 of the present invention having the above configuration will be described. The conventional security light to be compared has six LEDs arranged at intervals of 60 ° in a ring shape, and has a ring-shaped diameter, that is, a light emitting surface 11 of the security light 1 of the present invention.
The visual recognition condition was confirmed assuming that the diameter of D was the same and the luminance of the LED was the same.

From a position 10 to 30 m away, it was visible that both the conventional security light and the security light 1 of the present invention clearly emitted light in a ring shape. From a position 50 m away, the conventional security light is visible in a ring shape, but individual LEDs begin to be indistinguishable. Since the security light 1 of the present invention uses only one LED 12, the individual LEDs It was not indistinguishable and could be visually recognized in a ring shape.

At a distance of 100 m, both the conventional security light and the security light 1 of the present invention were visually recognized with the ring-shaped outer diameter contour being slightly blurred. From a position 200 m to 300 m away, both the conventional security light and the security light 1 of the present invention are 1
From the position of 00m, it began to feel gradually darker, and at the same time, the ring-shaped inner peripheral contour became blurred.

At a distance of 400 to 500 m, both the conventional security light and the security light 1 of the present invention were darkened, and it was difficult to visually recognize the shining light. . Also, when approaching while moving toward each of the conventional security light and the security light 1 of the present invention, the conventional security light cannot be recognized as a security light unless it approaches 150 m. Invention security light 1 is 20
It could be recognized as a security light from a distance of 0m.

From the above, the security light 1 of the present invention is
In spite of using only one ED 12, it is possible to obtain a result comparable to or higher than that of a security light using six conventional LEDs, that is, it is possible to suppress the use of the LED 12 by that much. So for conventional security lights,
It can be said that it is very advantageous in terms of cost.

Further, the security light 1 of the present invention can make it appear as if the light is rotating on the light emitting surface 11D as a modification. In that case, as shown in FIG.
A light-shielding cover 2 that covers a part of the outer surface of the LED 12 is provided, a ring-shaped gear 3 that is integrally rotatable is provided at a lower end of the light-shielding cover 2, and the gear 3 is supported by a gear 5 described later. And a gear 5 integrated with the output shaft of the motor S, and by driving the motor S, the gear 3 is rotated to rotate the light shielding cover 2 around the LED 12.

With the above configuration, since the security light 1 is formed inside the lens 11, the security light 1 is not affected by rain or the like. Further, the present invention is not limited to the above configuration, and is not particularly limited as long as the configuration is such that the light shielding cover 2 is rotated by the driving mechanism.

As described above, conventionally, the on / off of a plurality of LEDs is controlled by a program to rotate the light, whereas the security light 1 of the present invention shown in FIG. And without using any circuit or program for LED on / off control,
Light can be rotated equally.

On the other hand, FIGS. 5 to 9 show other shapes of the lens 11 used for the security light 1. In FIG. 5, the ring-shaped light emitting surface 11D is made double visible inside and outside. Show. That is, the lens 11 shown in FIG. 5 has a step in the lens material portion that covers the second reflection surface 11C.

In FIG. 6, the light emitting surface 11D can be viewed as a square, in FIG. 7, the light emitting surface 11D can be viewed as a triangle, and in FIG. 8, the light emitting surface 11D can be viewed as a pentagon. FIG. 9 shows the light emitting surface 11.
D is shown in an octagonal view.
In these cases, the first reflecting surface 11B and the second reflecting surface 11C
Both have the same (similar) shape as the outer shape, so that the outer shape can be illuminated so as to be clearly visible.

[0037] Such a thing also, in the conventional security light LED
However, the security lamp 1 using the lens 11 of the present invention using one LED 12 can be similarly implemented.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, the material of the lens 11 is
In order to bring the absorption surface 11A into contact with the light source, for example, a heat-resistant material is used according to the light source when it generates heat, and a resin is used when the LED 12 that does not generate heat as in the above embodiment is used as the light source.
What is necessary is just to select suitably. Further, the outer shape of the lens 11 can be arbitrarily designed as shown in FIGS. Further, the first reflecting surface 11B, the second reflecting surface 11C
The angle at which the upper end of the lens is inclined outward with respect to the optical axis of the light source is preferably 45 ± 5 °, but there is no problem if it is changed according to the shape of the product.

[0039]

As described above, the lens according to the present invention comprises the absorbing surface, the first reflecting surface, and the second reflecting surface, so that the light of the light source is once converged on the optical axis and then reflected. In addition to this, the light from the light source is not unnecessarily diffused, and the loss can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to illuminate an arbitrary shape with one light source.

Further, the security light of the present invention has the above-mentioned lens and light source, so that the shape of the second reflecting surface is changed from that of the conventional security light in which a plurality of light sources are arranged in a desired shape. By simply adopting such a lens, the shape desired to be illuminated by one light source can be changed arbitrarily, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, the security light of the present invention, in the above configuration, includes a light-shielding cover that covers a part of the light source, and a drive mechanism for rotating the light-shielding cover, so that the security light can irradiate an arbitrary shape. In addition to this, a part of the light of the light source appears to be continuously and not illuminated by the light shielding cover, so that it is possible to make it appear as if the light is rotating.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a security light of the present invention using a lens of the present invention, wherein (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a plan view, and (c) is (b).
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a side view of a security light of the present invention using the lens of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the progress of light in the security light of the present invention using the lens of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows another configuration of the security light of the present invention using the lens of the present invention, which is provided with a light-shielding cover and a drive mechanism;
(A) is a partial plan view of a light shielding cover and a driving mechanism,
(B) is a side view of (a).

5A and 5B show deformation of the shape of the lens of the present invention, wherein FIG. 5A is a perspective view, FIG. 5B is a plan view, and FIG. 5C is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

6A and 6B show deformation of the shape of the lens of the present invention, wherein FIG. 6A is a perspective view, FIG. 6B is a plan view, and FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG.

7A and 7B show deformation of the shape of the lens of the present invention, wherein FIG. 7A is a perspective view, FIG. 7B is a plan view, and FIG. 7C is a sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG.

8 (a) is a perspective view, FIG. 8 (b) is a plan view, and FIG. 8 (c) is a sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. 8 (b).

9A and 9B show a deformation of the shape of the lens of the present invention, wherein FIG. 9A is a perspective view, FIG. 9B is a plan view, and FIG. 9C is a sectional view taken along line FF of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Security light 2 Light shielding cover 3 Gear 4 Gear 5 Gear S Motor 11 Lens 11A Absorption surface 11B 1st reflection surface 11C 2nd reflection surface 11D Light emitting surface 12 LED (light source)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A lens for condensing light from a light source and emitting the condensed light in a predetermined direction, the lens being provided at a position in contact with the light source, having a plan view area covering the plan view area of the light source, and A convex absorbing surface having a curvature for converging light emitted from the light source to the light source optical axis, and a light converging on the light source optical axis provided on the back surface side of the absorbing surface, and A first reflecting surface whose upper end is inclined outward with respect to the optical axis of the light source so as to be bent, and a predetermined distance is provided outside the first reflecting surface, and the light is reflected by the first reflecting surface. A second reflecting surface having an upper end inclined outward so as to further parallel or diffuse or converge the applied light with the optical axis of the light source. 2. A security light comprising the lens according to claim 1 and a light source. 3. The security light according to claim 2, further comprising: a light-shielding cover that covers a part of the light source; and a drive mechanism for rotating the light-shielding cover.