JP2006085057A - Line-type light guide and method for using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a line-type light guide in which a light emitting end face is made a straight line or made an arbitrary curve to facilitate the inspection of a surface, such as as damage to the surface, and to provide a method for using the light guide. <P>SOLUTION: The line-type light guide is provided with a plurality of optical fibers which form the light emitting end faces by aligning the end faces on one side in a line, and a fixing part which fixes the light emitting end faces so that they can be bent. Further, the fixing part can be made of a resin, rubber and/or an elastomer formed at least on the side face of the light emitting end face sides of the optical fibers. Further, the fixing part can be formed by knitting at least the side face of the light emitting end face sides of the optical fibers. Further, a magnet can be provided at least to one face of the fixing part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a line light guide whose light emitting end face is linear and a method of using the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a line light guide that can easily perform surface inspection such as damage by making a light emitting end face an arbitrary curve in addition to a straight line, and a method of using the same. The present line light guide can be used for various types of illumination, particularly illumination of an irradiation object having a curved surface. In particular, it can be suitably used as illumination for surface inspection for examining damage to an irradiation object having a curved surface and the presence or absence of deposits.

2. Description of the Related Art A line light guide is known that can emit band-like light by forming light emitting end faces by arranging end faces emitting light such as optical fibers in a line (line) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Also, a line light guide has been proposed in which a bar-shaped core is provided on the light emitting end face and the irradiation angle can be changed in the vertical direction (see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-80242 (page 7) JP 2002-196157 (2nd page, FIG. 2)

However, the light emitting end faces of these line light guides are linear, and the demand for a curved shape cannot be met. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, even when a line light guide with a light emitting end surface 111 having a straight line is used for the irradiation object 2 composed of a curved surface, only a part of the curved surface is irradiated with the light beam 3 and emitted from the light emitting end surface 111. All light is not irradiated to the irradiation object 2.
For this reason, a wide range of inspections could not be performed at a time in the surface inspection for examining the presence of damage and deposits identified by applying strong light from one direction of the irradiation object.
In addition, the curved surface shape of an irradiation object having a curved surface is not limited to one shape in many cases, and a line light guide that can cope with curved surfaces of various shapes is desired. Furthermore, it is desirable that the shape of the light beam, that is, the shape of the light emitting end face does not change during use.
The present invention solves such problems, and provides a line light guide capable of easily performing surface inspections such as damage by making the light emitting end face an arbitrary curve in addition to a straight line. With the goal.

The present invention is as follows.
1. A line light guide, comprising: a plurality of optical fibers that form a light emitting end face by aligning one end face in a line, and a fixing portion that fixes the light emitting end face so as to be bendable.
2. The fixing portion is formed of resin, rubber and / or elastomer on at least a side surface of the optical fiber on the light emitting end surface side. The line light guide described.
3. The fixing portion is formed by knitting at least a side surface on the light emitting end surface side of the optical fiber. The line light guide described.
4). 1. A magnet further provided on at least one surface of the fixed part. To 3. A line light guide according to any of the above.
5. The above 1. performing surface inspection for the presence or absence of damage and deposits on an irradiation object having a curved surface. To 4. The line light guide as described in any one of.
6). Above 1. To 5. A method for using the line light guide according to any one of the above, wherein the light emitting end face is bent so as to be the same shape as the surface shape of the irradiation surface of the irradiation object having a curved surface, and then the optical fiber A method of using a line light guide, characterized in that the light incident from the other end of the light is irradiated from the light emitting end surface onto the irradiated surface, and surface inspection is performed for the presence of damage and deposits.
7). 6. The irradiation object described above is an automobile exterior. How to use the described line light guide.

According to the line light guide of the present invention, since the light emitting end face can be an arbitrary curve in addition to a straight line, a light beam matched to the shape of the irradiation object can be emitted from the light emitting end face, eliminating irradiation leakage and the like. be able to.
When the fixing portion for forming the light emitting end face of the optical fiber is formed of resin or the like, the light emitting end face can be fixed so as to be bent so as to cover the light emitting end face side.
When the fixing portion forming the light emitting end face of the optical fiber is knitted so that the light emitting end faces are aligned, the optical fibers constituting the light emitting end face can be connected to each other and the light emitting end face can be fixed so as to be bent.
Moreover, when fixing with a magnet, it can fix easily to irradiation objects made from ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and can perform irradiation, maintaining the shape of a light emission end surface.
Furthermore, when the light emitting end face is bent to irradiate the surface with light having the same shape as that of the surface of the irradiation object, even if the irradiation object has a curved surface, the surface of the irradiation object is controlled over a wide range. Thus, the surface inspection can be easily performed.
According to the method of using the line light guide of the present invention, it is possible to irradiate the surface with light having the same shape as the surface of the irradiation object by bending the light emitting end surface. Even if it exists, the surface of an irradiation target object can be irradiated uniformly in a wide range, and surface inspection can be performed easily.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a line light guide and a method of using the same according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The present line light guide is a light guide having a linear (line) light emitting end face including straight lines and curved lines.
The “light emitting end face” is a face that emits light to irradiate an object to be irradiated, and is formed by aligning one end face of the optical fiber in a line. Moreover, although the one side end surface of the optical fiber is aligned so that it may become a plane normally, it can also be used without aligning.
In addition, the “alignment” may be arranged in a linear row and can be an arbitrary arrangement. For example, optical fibers can be arranged in a row. Moreover, it can arrange in two or more rows. Furthermore, you may arrange in arbitrary arrangement | sequences, such as a zigzag form. Of these, an array arranged in one column is usually selected. Adjacent optical fibers may be aligned at positions where they are in contact with each other, or may be aligned at positions spaced apart from each other. Further, the interval can be set arbitrarily, and for example, a wide light beam with little unevenness in brightness can be cited as an interval equal to or less than the diameter of the optical fiber. Moreover, it can also be illustrated as a slit-shaped light beam as an interval exceeding the diameter of the optical fiber.
The above “bendable” means that the light emitting end face can be bent into an arbitrary curved shape with respect to the surface direction as shown in FIGS. Further, it may be bent so that corners are formed.
As the “optical fiber”, resin and glass optical fibers generally used for line lights can be used. The optical fibers can be bundled using means such as storing them in a tubular cable guide.

The “fixing portion” is provided at an end portion on the light emitting end face side of the optical fiber, and is fixed so as to maintain the aligned end face of the optical fiber. The means for fixing the optical fiber may be any means that can be bent by hand and can be arbitrarily selected.
As an example of this, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, a soft material such as resin, rubber, and elastomer is used to form the side surface of the optical fiber on the light emitting end surface side, thereby fixing it in a linearly aligned state. Can be mentioned. In addition, various formation methods can be selected. For example, a method in which one side or both sides of a surface formed by aligning optical fibers 11 is covered with the soft material 12 to form a fixing portion (see, for example, FIG. 6). ).
In addition, a thin plate 121 made of the soft material is provided on one side of the optical fiber 11 that is aligned, and the thin plate 121 and the one side of the optical fiber 11 are bonded and / or filled with the soft material 122 and fixed ( For example, see FIG.
Furthermore, the optical fiber 11 is sandwiched between the two thin plates 121 made of the soft material, and the thin plate 121 and the side surface of the optical fiber 11 are bonded and / or filled with the soft material 122 and fixed (for example, see FIG. 7). Can be mentioned. The part to be bonded can be arbitrarily selected, and the entire circumference of the side surface of the optical fiber may be bonded, or only a part may be bonded. In the case of bonding only to a part, examples include bonding between an optical fiber and a thin plate, bonding between adjacent optical fibers, bonding between an optical fiber and a thin plate, and bonding between adjacent optical fibers, and the like.
Further, it can be sandwiched between a thin metal plate such as aluminum and steel, and a thin plate such as a shape memory resin, and the side surfaces of the thin plate and the optical fiber can be bonded and / or filled with the soft material to be fixed. Furthermore, not only a thin plate but also a tube-shaped member can be fixed through an optical fiber.

Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the fixing portion is a portion that is fixed by knitting the side surface on the light emitting end face side so that the light emitting end faces of the optical fibers are aligned. The member used for the weaving can be arbitrarily selected, and a thread using a fiber, a wire, or the like can be used. In addition, for the yarn and the like, any material such as resin, metal, and glass can be used. Further, the diameter of the yarn or the like can be arbitrarily selected. For example, when a wide luminous flux with little unevenness of brightness is used, it is preferable that the diameter of the yarn or the like is equal to or less than the diameter of the optical fiber.
Furthermore, the optical fiber is not limited to being covered or knitted and fixed, and a flexible member provided with a large number of holes through which the optical fiber passes so as to have the shape of the light emitting end face is used. It can be fixed using any means such as fixing.

The “magnet” may be any kind of permanent magnet such as a rubber magnet or a ferrite magnet. Among these, a rubber magnet is preferable in that it hardly damages the contact surface and can be bent freely. Moreover, even if it is a magnet which is not easy to bend, such as a ferrite magnet, it is possible to bend the light emitting end face by sticking a plurality of magnet pieces of a size that does not hinder the bending to the fixing portion 12. .
Furthermore, the magnet may be provided on one surface of the fixed portion 12 or may be provided on both surfaces. Moreover, a magnet may be provided on the entire surface of the fixing portion 12 or may be provided in a part.

The present line light guide can be used for various types of illumination, particularly illumination of an irradiation object having a curved surface. In particular, it can be suitably used as illumination for surface inspection for examining damage to an irradiation object having a curved surface and the presence or absence of deposits.
In this surface inspection, the light emitting end face of the line light guide is bent so as to have the same shape as the surface of the irradiated surface of the irradiation object, and then light incident from the other end of the optical fiber is emitted from the light emitting end face to the irradiated surface. It is done by irradiating. By performing such irradiation, even an irradiation surface having a curved surface can be irradiated over a wide range, and a wide range of damage and the presence or absence of deposits can be visually observed.
In addition, a magnet is provided for an irradiation object having a surface that can be fixed to the surface with a magnet, such as an exterior of a car, an appliance for home appliances (for example, a washing machine and a refrigerator), a steel display shelf, and steel furniture. When performing a surface inspection using this line light guide, the line light guide is fixed to the surface of the irradiation object by a magnet, and the light emitting end face is bent to a shape along the surface shape of the fixing position. The work of fixing the guide and matching the shape of the light emitting end face with the object to be irradiated can be summarized, and the work of surface inspection can be made easier.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the line light guide 1 of the first embodiment has an optical fiber 11 in which the light emitting end faces 111 on one end side are aligned in a row, and a fixing formed so as to cover 30 mm from the light emitting end faces 111. Part 12, magnet 13 provided on the bottom surface of fixed part 12, and connector 14 provided on the other end side of the optical fiber.
The optical fiber 11 is 160 resin optical fibers.
The fixing portion 12 has a width of 30 mm, and is formed by filling a thin plate 121 made of shape memory resin provided on one side of the aligned optical fibers 11 and an epoxy resin 122 between the thin plate and the optical fiber 11. The covering portion 122 is formed. Such a fixing portion 12 can easily bend the light emitting end face into an arbitrary curve as shown in FIG. 4 and can prevent the optical fiber 11 from being unraveled. Furthermore, the bent shape can be maintained by the thin plate 121 made of shape memory resin.
The magnet 13 is a rubber magnet and is used to fix the line light guide 1 to an irradiation object, a fixing member for fixing the line light guide, or the like.
The connector 14 bundles the other end side of the optical fiber 11 and connects it to a connector provided in a light source (not shown).

Such a line light guide 1 is, for example, fixed with a magnet 13 on the surface of an irradiation object 2 having a curved surface as shown in FIG. 5 and a light beam 3 from a light source (not shown) connected via a connector 14. The light can be emitted from the light emitting end face 111. Further, since the fixing portion 12 is bent into the same shape as the curved surface of the irradiation object 2, the light emitting end surface 11 is also bent into the same shape, and the light flux 3 along the surface shape of the irradiation object 2 is emitted from the light emitting end surface 11. The irradiation object 2 can be illuminated.
For this reason, the conventional line light guide that outputs a linear light beam is limited to illuminating a part of the irradiation object 2 as shown in FIG. 8, but the line light guide 1 of the first embodiment is shown in FIG. As shown, it is particularly suitable for surface inspection in which a curved surface is uniformly illuminated over a wide area from one direction and the surface is visually inspected for damage and the presence or absence of deposits.

Moreover, since the rubber magnet 13 is provided on the bottom surface of the fixed portion 12, a light emitting end surface similar to the shape of the fixed object can be easily maintained. In particular, when performing surface inspection using this line light guide equipped with a magnet on an irradiation object having a surface that can be fixed to the surface with a magnet, such as an automobile exterior (for example, a bonnet), the object to be irradiated with the magnet Fix the line light guide on the surface of the object, and the light emitting end face bends along the surface shape of the fixed position. The surface inspection work can be made easier.
Further, since the fixing portion 12 includes the thin plate 121 made of shape memory resin, the shape of the light beam 3 emitted from the light emitting end surface 111 is maintained by the thin plate 121 without fixing the bent shape of the fixing portion 12. Can be.

As shown in FIG. 6, the line light guide of the second embodiment has an optical fiber 11 in which light emitting end faces 111 on one end side are aligned in a row, and an end portion on the light emitting end face side of the optical fiber 11 is covered in a row. The fixing part 12 which consists of resin, the magnet 13 provided in the bottom face of the fixing part 12, and the connector 14 provided in the other end side of an optical fiber are provided.
In the line light guide of Example 2 like the line light guide of Example 1, since the fixing portion 12 bends in the same shape as the curved surface of the irradiation object 2, the light emitting end surface 11 is also bent in the same shape. Then, the light beam 3 along the surface shape of the irradiation object 2 can be emitted from the light emitting end face 11 to illuminate the irradiation object 2.

As shown in FIG. 7, the line light guide of the third embodiment has an optical fiber 11 in which light emitting end faces 111 on one end side are aligned in a row, and a fixing portion formed so as to sandwich a portion from the light emitting end face 111 to 30 mm with a thin plate. 12, a magnet 13 provided on the bottom surface of the fixing portion 12, and a connector 14 provided on the other end side of the optical fiber.
The fixing part 12 includes two thin plates 121 made of shape memory resin provided so as to sandwich the optical fiber 11, and a covering portion 122 made of an epoxy resin filled between the thin plate 121 and the optical fiber 11. Similar to the fixing portion 12 of the first and second embodiments, such a fixing portion 12 can bend the light emitting end surface into an arbitrary curve and can prevent the optical fiber from being loosened.
In the line light guide of Example 3 like the line light guides of Examples 1 and 2, since the fixing portion 12 bends to the same shape as the curved surface of the irradiation object 2, the light emitting end surface 11 has the same shape. The light beam 3 along the surface shape of the irradiation object 2 can be emitted from the light emitting end face 11 to illuminate the irradiation object 2.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the line light guide 1 ′ of the fourth embodiment includes an optical fiber 11 in which the light emitting end faces 111 on one end side are aligned in one row, and a fixing portion 12 ′ that fixes the light emitting end face side by knitting. And a connector 14 (not shown) provided on the other end side of the optical fiber. Among these, since the optical fiber 11 and the connector 14 are the same as those of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.
The fixing portion 12 'is a member in which the optical fiber 11 is knitted with a wire and is fixed to bend freely.
Since such a line light guide 1 ′ can bend the light emitting end face into an arbitrary shape similarly to the first embodiment, it can temporarily irradiate an irradiation object having an arbitrary curved surface.

It is a schematic plan view for demonstrating the structure of the line light guide of the present Example 1. FIG. It is a model rear view for demonstrating the structure of the line light guide of the present Example 1. FIG. It is a front view for demonstrating the structure of the line light guide of the present Example 1. FIG. It is a front view for demonstrating the state which bent the end surface of the line light guide of the present Example 1. FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the state which irradiated the wall surface of the irradiation target object of the cylindrical object using this line light guide. It is a front view for demonstrating the structure of the line light guide of the present Example 2. FIG. It is a front view for demonstrating the structure of the line light guide of the present Example 3. FIG. It is the model top view to which the fixing | fixed part for demonstrating the structure of the line light guide of Example 4 was expanded. It is the front view to which the fixing | fixed part for demonstrating the structure of the line light guide of Example 4 was expanded. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the state which irradiated the wall surface of the irradiation target object of the cylindrical object using the conventional line light guide.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1; Line light guide, 11; Optical fiber, 111; Light emission end surface, 12; Fixed part, 121; Thin plate, 122; Cover part, 13: Magnet, 14;

Claims (7)

A line light guide, comprising: a plurality of optical fibers that form a light emitting end face by aligning one end face linearly; and a fixing portion that fixes the light emitting end face in a bendable manner. The line light guide according to claim 1, wherein the fixing portion is formed of resin, rubber and / or elastomer on at least a side surface of the optical fiber on the light emitting end surface side. The line light guide according to claim 1, wherein the fixing portion is formed by knitting at least a side surface of the optical fiber on the light emitting end surface side. The line light guide according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a magnet on at least one surface of the fixed portion. The line light guide as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4 which performs the surface test | inspection of the presence or absence of damage and a deposit | attachment with respect to the irradiation target object provided with the surface which has a curved surface. 6. The method of using the line light guide according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting end surface is bent so as to have the same shape as the surface shape of the irradiation surface of the irradiation object having a curved surface. Then, a method for using a line light guide, wherein the surface of the light emitting end face is irradiated with light incident from the other end of the optical fiber to check the presence or absence of damage and deposits. The method for using a line light guide according to claim 6, wherein the irradiation object is an exterior of an automobile.

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