JP2009248960A - Informing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an informing device providing a high degree of safety to an eye. <P>SOLUTION: A light emitting display part 4 consists of a reflector 21, a wavelength conversion element 22, and a light guide body 23. The reflector 21 reflects laser light L1 (wavelength of 1.5 μm in the present embodiment) having a wavelength region (wavelength of 0.4 μm or less or of 1.2 μm or more) providing a high degree of safety to an eye toward the wavelength conversion element 22. The wavelength conversion element 22 is formed of a material having a nonlinear optical effect, and converts the laser light L1 into visible light having a wavelength of 0.5 μm. The light guide body 23 diffuses the ligh traveling therein in various directions by scatterers provided dispersively inside (refer to arrows SL) while introducing from one end 23a and transmitting to the other end 23b the light wavelength-converted by the wavelength conversion element 22 (refer to arrows IL). The light emitting display part 4 is thereby made to emit the visible light through the employment of the laser light having a high degree of safety to an eye. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a notification device that notifies information by generating visible light.

Conventionally, by irradiating a visible light laser from the vehicle on the road surface in the traveling direction of the vehicle, it is possible to allow the occupant of the vehicle to recognize the route information such as the route direction and the route change point without moving the line of sight. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-9-210716

Based on the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is considered that information can be notified to the passenger of the vehicle by irradiating the vehicle with a visible light laser instead of outside the vehicle.
However, in general, the vehicle interior is not made of a material having a high reflectance with respect to a visible light laser. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the intensity of the visible light laser in order to realize a display with good visibility even in the daytime by irradiating the vehicle with the visible light laser.

  This allows the vehicle occupant to look directly into the visible light laser with increased intensity, or the visible light laser reflected by a hand mirror used in the vehicle enters the eye of the vehicle occupant, thereby causing the retina of the eye. There was a possibility that the situation of damaging would occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object thereof is to provide a notification device that is highly safe for eyes.

  In the notification device according to claim 1, which is made to achieve the above object, the laser irradiation means emits laser light having a wavelength of 0.4 μm or less or 1.2 μm or more, more preferably 1.5 μm to 1.8 μm. Further, the wavelength conversion means converts the wavelength of the laser light irradiated by the laser irradiation means into the wavelength of visible light.

  According to the notification device configured as described above, the wavelength of the laser beam emitted by the laser irradiation unit is 0.4 μm or less or 1.2 μm or more, and thus the safety to the eyes is high. Even if it is incident on the eyes, damage to the retina of the eyes can be suppressed.

  The fact that laser light with a wavelength of 0.4 μm or less or 1.2 μm or more is highly safe for eyes means that the maximum allowable exposure amount of “JIS C6802-1997”, which is a JIS standard relating to the safety standards of laser products. In the wavelength dependence of MPE (Maximum Permissible Exposure) (see FIG. 15), the wavelength of the laser light is 0.4 μm or less (see wavelength region R1 in FIG. 15) and 1.2 μm or more (wavelength region R2 in FIG. 15). The maximum allowable exposure amount (MPE) in the case of (see FIG. 15) is larger than the other wavelength regions (see the wavelength region R4 in FIG. 15).

  Further, the maximum allowable exposure (MPE) is maximized when the wavelength of the laser light is 1.5 μm to 1.8 μm (see the wavelength region R3 in FIG. 15). For this reason, in order to improve safety for eyes, it is preferable to set the wavelength of the laser light from 1.5 μm to 1.8 μm.

  By the way, since the vehicle interior is small, when laser light is irradiated in the vehicle interior, compared with the case where laser light is irradiated in a place having a large space, the possibility that the irradiated laser light may enter the human eye Is expensive. For this reason, the notification device according to claim 1 is particularly effective when the laser irradiation means irradiates the laser beam in the passenger compartment as described in claim 2.

  Further, in the notification device according to claim 1 or 2, in order to shorten the wavelength of the laser beam irradiated by the laser irradiation unit, the wavelength conversion unit includes a nonlinear optical unit as described in claim 3. It is advisable to make the material effective. The material exhibiting the nonlinear optical effect is to generate the second harmonic, the third harmonic, the fourth harmonic, the sum frequency, the difference frequency, etc. of the incident light. This is because it can be converted into a third, a quarter, or the like.

  According to the notification device configured as described above, the wavelength can be converted by a simple method in which the laser beam irradiated by the laser irradiation unit is incident on the material exhibiting the nonlinear optical effect.

  In the notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, as described in claim 4, the wavelength conversion unit directly converts the wavelength of the laser beam irradiated by the laser irradiation unit to the wavelength of visible light. Or converting the wavelength of the laser light irradiated by the laser irradiation means into the wavelength of the ultraviolet light, and the ultraviolet light conversion means. You may make it comprise the visible light conversion means which converts the wavelength of the ultraviolet light in which the wavelength was converted into the wavelength of visible light.

  Here, for example, the size of a material exhibiting a nonlinear optical effect (BIBO (BiB3O6) crystal, LBO crystal (LiB3O5), KTP crystal (KTiOPO4) crystal, etc.)) is about 1 mm to 10 mm, and is visible over a wide range. Cannot emit light.

  Therefore, in the notification device according to claim 4, as described in claim 5, the visible light converted by the wavelength converting means can travel inside, and the visible light traveling inside is externally exposed. A first light guide configured to be capable of scattering may be provided.

  According to the notification device configured as described above, the visible light converted by the wavelength conversion unit is introduced into the first light guide by introducing the visible light converted by the wavelength conversion unit into the first light guide. Further, the visible light traveling inside the first light guide is scattered outside the first light guide. Thereby, the 1st light guide can be light-emitted using the visible light converted by the wavelength conversion means.

For this reason, even when the wavelength conversion means is small, visible light can be emitted over a wide range by arranging the first light guide over a wide range.
Further, the intensity of the visible light converted by the wavelength conversion means decreases as the visible light travels inside the first light guide, and the amount of light emitted from the first light guide away from the wavelength conversion means is reduced. It is possible that it will become smaller.

  Then, in order to make the 1st light guide light-emit uniformly over the whole with the visible light which has progressed the inside of the 1st light guide, in the alarm device according to claim 5, in claim 6, As described, the first light guide has a scatterer inside the first light guide for scattering the visible light traveling inside the first light guide, and the scatterer. Is preferably distributed such that the concentration increases as the distance from the wavelength converting means increases.

  Further, in the notification device according to claim 7, as described in claim 8, the visible light conversion means is configured such that the ultraviolet light whose wavelength is converted by the ultraviolet light conversion means can travel inside, and the ultraviolet light. A wavelength conversion material that converts ultraviolet light whose wavelength has been converted by the conversion means into visible light is provided inside, and further, visible light converted by the wavelength conversion material can travel inside and travel inside. It is good to make it the 2nd light guide comprised so that the visible light which is scattered can be scattered outside.

  According to the notification device configured as described above, the ultraviolet light whose wavelength is converted by the ultraviolet light converting means is introduced into the second light guide so that the ultraviolet light whose wavelength is converted by the ultraviolet light converting means is the first. The ultraviolet light traveling inside the second light guide and further traveling inside the second light guide is converted into visible light by the wavelength conversion material provided inside the second light guide. The visible light converted by the wavelength conversion material travels inside the second light guide, and the visible light traveling inside the second light guide is scattered outside the second light guide. To do. Thereby, the 2nd light guide can be light-emitted using the ultraviolet light by which the wavelength was converted by the ultraviolet light conversion means.

For this reason, even when the ultraviolet light conversion means is small, visible light can be emitted over a wide range by arranging the second light guide over a wide range.
Moreover, in order to make the 2nd light guide light-emit uniformly over the whole with the ultraviolet light which has propagated the inside of a 2nd light guide, in the alerting device of Claim 8, in the alerting device of Claim 9, As described, the wavelength conversion material is preferably distributed so that the concentration increases as the distance from the ultraviolet light conversion means increases.

  Further, in the notification device according to claim 4 or claim 7, as described in claim 10, the wavelength converting means is made of a material capable of converting the wavelength of the laser light irradiated by the laser irradiating means, It is preferable that the point irradiated with the laser light is processed into a shape having a surface that can move (hereinafter also referred to as a planar wavelength conversion material).

  According to the notification device configured as described above, when irradiating the laser light toward the planar wavelength conversion material, the planar wavelength conversion material is changed by changing the irradiation direction of the laser light with the passage of time. The visible light emission point can be arbitrarily moved above. For this reason, it becomes possible to move the light emission point of visible light with various movement patterns (for example, spiral motion, rotational motion, and reciprocating motion). Accordingly, by associating the movement pattern of the light emitting point with the content of the information to be notified, the content of the information to be notified can be recognized by the movement pattern of the light emitting point. In addition, as a planar wavelength conversion material, the material currently disclosed by Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 5-142601 can be utilized, for example.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a laser irradiation notification device 1 according to a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an arrangement of components of the laser irradiation notification device 1 in a vehicle.

  The laser irradiation notification device 1 is mounted on a vehicle and, as shown in FIG. 1, laser irradiation units 2 and 3 that respectively irradiate laser beams L1 and L2 and light emission that emits light by entering the laser beams L1 and L2, respectively. Display units 4 and 5 and a laser control ECU 9 for controlling the laser irradiation units 2 and 3 are provided.

  Among these, as shown in FIG. 2, the laser irradiation units 2 and 3 are mounted in the vicinity of the front end of the ceiling portion 51 of the passenger compartment 50 and have a wavelength region (0.4 μm or less or 1.. Laser light (wavelength of 1.5 μm or more in this embodiment) is irradiated. The laser irradiation units 2 and 3 are configured to change the presence / absence of laser irradiation and the laser irradiation direction in accordance with instructions from the laser control ECU 9.

The light-emitting display unit 4 is mounted on the car navigation device 61 (see FIG. 2), and includes a reflector 21, a wavelength conversion element 22, and a light guide 23 as shown in FIG.
Among these, the reflector 21 reflects the laser light L <b> 1 emitted from the laser irradiation unit 2 toward the wavelength conversion element 22.

  The wavelength conversion element 22 is made of a material exhibiting a nonlinear optical effect that generates second harmonic, third harmonic, fourth harmonic, etc. of incident light (for example, BIBO (BiB3O6) crystal, LBO crystal (LiB3O5), KTP). Crystal (KTiOPO4) crystal, or PPKPT in which the polarization structure of KTP is periodically inverted. In the present embodiment, the wavelength conversion element 22 is made of a material having an effect of generating the third harmonic. For this reason, the laser light L1 (wavelength 1.5 μm) irradiated from the laser irradiation unit 2 and incident on the wavelength conversion element 22 is converted into visible light having a wavelength of 0.5 μm by the wavelength conversion element 22.

  The light guide 23 is installed along the outer periphery of the display screen 61a of the car navigation device 61 so as to surround the display screen 61a. The light guide 23 introduces light converted in wavelength by the wavelength conversion element 22 from one end 23a and transmits it to the other end 23b (see arrow IL), and transmits light traveling in the light guide 23 to the inside. The light is scattered in various directions by a scatterer (not shown) provided in a dispersed manner (see arrow SL).

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the laser light L1 (wavelength 1.5 μm) is emitted from the laser irradiation unit 2 toward the light emission display unit 4, thereby causing the light emission display unit 4 to emit green visible light (wavelength 0. 5 μm).

Next, the light-emitting display unit 5 is attached to the meter panel 62 (see FIG. 2), and includes a reflector 26, a wavelength conversion element 27, and a light guide 28 as shown in FIG.
Among these, the reflector 26 reflects the laser light L <b> 2 emitted from the laser irradiation unit 3 toward the wavelength conversion element 27.

  Similarly to the wavelength conversion element 22, the wavelength conversion element 27 is made of a material having an effect of generating a third harmonic. Therefore, the laser light L2 (wavelength 1.5 μm) irradiated from the laser irradiation unit 3 and incident on the wavelength conversion element 27 is converted by the wavelength conversion element 27 into visible light having a wavelength of 0.5 μm.

  The light guide 28 is installed so as to surround the display screen 62 a along the outer periphery of the display screen 62 a of the meter panel 62. The light guide 28 is provided with light converted in wavelength by the wavelength conversion element 27 from one end 28a and transmitted to the other end 28b, and light traveling in the light guide 28 is dispersed inside. The light is scattered in various directions by a scattered scatterer (not shown).

  As a result, the light emitting display unit 5 can emit light with green visible light (wavelength 0.5 μm) by irradiating the light emitting display unit 5 with laser light L2 (wavelength 1.5 μm) from the laser irradiation unit 3. it can.

  Further, the laser control ECU 9 is configured to be able to acquire signals from various sensors (not shown) and various devices (not shown) installed in the vehicle. The laser control ECU 9 stores an irradiation point determination table 9a for determining a target point for laser irradiation (see FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIG. 6, the irradiation point determination table 9 a stores a correspondence relationship between a situation where light emission display on the light emission display units 4 and 5 is required and a target point of laser irradiation. Specifically, the car navigation device 61 displays a route guidance display, a rear clearance sonar display, a rear view display, an indication that an in-vehicle telephone (not shown) has received an incoming call, and an ETC on-board device (not shown). When displaying that processing has been performed and displaying various maintenance information (for example, oil change, filter change), the target point of laser irradiation is the car navigation device 61, that is, the light emission display unit 4 (column). see r1). When the meter panel 62 performs some warning display (for example, a door open display, an indication that the engine cooling water temperature has exceeded a predetermined temperature, an indication that the gasoline remaining amount has fallen below a predetermined amount), and any indicator display. The target point of laser irradiation is the meter panel 62, that is, the light emission display unit 5 (see column r2).

The laser control ECU 9 executes a laser irradiation process for driving the laser irradiation units 2 and 3.
Here, the procedure of the laser irradiation process executed by the laser control ECU 9 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the laser irradiation process.

This laser irradiation process is a process repeatedly executed while the laser control ECU 9 is activated (powered on).
When this laser irradiation process is executed, the laser control ECU 9 first obtains signals (hereinafter referred to as sensors / device signals) from various sensors and various devices installed in the vehicle in S10, and this signal and irradiation. Based on the point determination table 9a, it is determined whether or not the laser irradiation units 2 and 3 are to perform laser irradiation.

  Specifically, based on the sensor / device signal, when it is determined that the car navigation device 61 has performed route guidance, when the car navigation device 61 determines that the rear clearance sonar display has been performed, When it is determined that the display has been performed, when it is determined that the car navigation device 61 has displayed that there is an incoming call to the in-vehicle telephone, it is determined that the car navigation device 61 has displayed that the billing process has been performed in the ETC on-board unit. When it is determined that the car navigation device 61 has displayed various maintenance information, the irradiation point determination table 9a is referred to (see column r1 in FIG. 6), and “laser irradiation is performed on the laser irradiation unit 2”. To do. "

  Further, when it is determined that the meter panel 62 has performed some warning display based on the sensor / device signal, and when it is determined that the meter panel 62 has performed some indicator display, the irradiation point determination table 9a is referred to ( 7 (see column r2 in FIG. 7), and “determine that the laser irradiation unit 3 performs laser irradiation”.

  Thereafter, in S20, it is determined whether or not it is determined in S10 that “laser irradiation unit 2 or laser irradiation unit 3 performs laser irradiation”. Here, when it is not determined that “the laser irradiation unit 2 or the laser irradiation unit 3 performs laser irradiation” (S20: NO), the laser irradiation process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that “laser irradiation unit 2 or laser irradiation unit 3 performs laser irradiation” (S20: YES), in S30, the laser irradiation unit determined to “perform laser irradiation” in S10 2 or laser irradiation by the laser irradiation unit 3 is started. That is, when it is determined in S10 that “laser irradiation unit 2 performs laser irradiation”, laser irradiation by laser irradiation unit 2 is started, and in S10, “laser irradiation unit 3 performs laser irradiation” is determined. In this case, laser irradiation by the laser irradiation unit 3 is started.

  In S40, it is determined whether or not a predetermined irradiation time (for example, 5 seconds) set in advance has elapsed since the start of laser irradiation. If it is determined that the predetermined irradiation time has not elapsed (S40: NO), the process of S40 is repeated until the predetermined irradiation time elapses. On the other hand, when it is determined that the predetermined irradiation time has elapsed (S40: YES), in S50, the laser irradiation started in S30 is stopped, and the laser irradiation process is ended.

  In the laser irradiation notification device 1 configured as described above, the laser irradiation units 2 and 3 irradiate the laser beams L1 and L2 having a wavelength of 0.4 μm or less or 1.2 μm or more, and the light emission display units 4 and 5 further. The wavelengths of the laser beams L1 and L2 irradiated by the laser irradiation units 2 and 3 are converted into visible light wavelengths.

  That is, since the wavelength of the laser light emitted by the laser irradiation units 2 and 3 is 0.4 μm or less or 1.2 μm or more, it is highly safe for the eyes, and even if this laser light enters the human eye. Can suppress eye retinal damage.

  The laser irradiation units 2 and 3 irradiate laser beams L1 and L2 (wavelength 1.5 μm) in a wavelength region (1.5 μm to 1.8 μm (see FIG. 15)) where the maximum allowable exposure amount is maximum. Therefore, it is safest for eyes.

  The wavelength conversion elements 22 and 27 of the light emitting display portions 4 and 5 are made of a material that exhibits a nonlinear optical effect. Therefore, the wavelength can be converted by a simple method in which the laser beams irradiated by the laser irradiation units 2 and 3 are incident on the wavelength conversion elements 22 and 27.

  Further, by introducing the visible light converted by the wavelength conversion elements 22 and 27 into the light guides 23 and 28, the visible light converted by the wavelength conversion elements 22 and 27 travels inside the light guides 23 and 28. Furthermore, the visible light traveling inside the light guides 23 and 28 is scattered outside the light guides 23 and 28. Thereby, the light guides 23 and 28 can be made to emit light using the visible light converted by the wavelength conversion elements 22 and 27.

For this reason, even when the wavelength conversion elements 22 and 27 are small, visible light can be emitted over a wide range by arranging the light guides 23 and 28 over a wide range.
In the embodiment described above, the laser irradiation notification device 1 is a notification device according to the present invention, the laser irradiation units 2 and 3 are laser irradiation means according to the present invention, and the wavelength conversion elements 22 and 27 are wavelength conversion means and light guides according to the present invention. Reference numerals 23 and 28 denote first light guides in the present invention.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the second embodiment, only parts different from the first embodiment will be described.

The laser irradiation notification device 1 of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except that a part of the configuration of the laser irradiation notification device 1 and the laser irradiation process are changed.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the laser irradiation notification device 1 of the second embodiment.

First, as shown in FIG. 8, the laser irradiation notification device 1 of the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a wavelength conversion material 6 is provided instead of the light emitting display portions 4 and 5.
The wavelength converting material 6 is a nonlinear optical material in which a dye having a large secondary or tertiary molecular susceptibility is chemically bonded to a transparent polymer. The wavelength converting material 6 is processed into a sheet shape and is affixed to the upper surface 63a of the instrument panel 63, the display screen 62a of the meter panel 62, and the right front pillar 64 (in FIG. 9, hatching with a straight line rising to the right). See the part that is). The wavelength converting material 6 converts the laser beams L1 and L2 (wavelength 1.5 μm) irradiated from the laser irradiation units 2 and 3 into visible light having a wavelength of 0.5 μm.

  Moreover, the laser irradiation alerting | reporting apparatus 1 of 2nd Embodiment differs in the structure of the irradiation point determination table 9a from 1st Embodiment. That is, the irradiation point determination table 9a of the second embodiment stores a correspondence relationship between a situation where laser irradiation from the laser irradiation units 2 and 3 is required and a target point of laser irradiation.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, when the meter panel 62 performs some warning display and some indicator display, and the face of the driver DR (see FIG. 9) photographed by an indoor camera (not shown) When it is detected that the driver DR is asleep based on the image, the laser irradiation target point is set as the upper surface 63a of the instrument panel 63 (see row r3). In addition, the car navigation device 61 displays a route guidance display, a clearance sonar display on the back, a display indicating that there is an incoming call on the in-vehicle telephone, a display indicating that the ETC on-board device has been charged, and various maintenance information displays. If so, the laser irradiation target point is the right front pillar 64 (see column r4).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the laser irradiation notification device 1 of the second embodiment has a point that the laser control ECU 9 stores a locus determination table 9b for determining a laser locus when irradiating the laser. Different from the first embodiment.

The trajectory determination table 9b stores a correspondence relationship between a situation in which laser irradiation from the laser irradiation units 2 and 3 is required and a laser irradiation trajectory.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, when the meter panel 62 performs some warning display and some indicator display, the car navigation device 61 displays that the ETC on-board device has been charged, and various When the maintenance information is displayed, laser irradiation is performed so that a spiral locus leading to a certain point is obtained (see column r5). Further, when the car navigation device 61 displays that there is an incoming call on the telephone in the vehicle, the laser irradiation is performed so as to follow a trajectory around a certain point (see column r6). In addition, when the car navigation device 61 performs route guidance display, rear clearance sonar display, and rear view display, and when it is detected that the driver DR is asleep, a round trip is made between two points. Laser irradiation is performed so that the trajectory moves (see column r7).

  Note that the classification based on the laser trajectory is based on the difference in operation required from the driver. Specifically, when the locus is “spiral”, it indicates that the driver is requested to view the display. Further, when the locus is “rotation”, it indicates that the driver is requested to perform the switch operation. Further, when the trajectory is “reciprocating”, it indicates that the driver is requested to operate the steering wheel, the accelerator, the brake, and the like.

Next, the procedure of the laser irradiation process of 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the laser irradiation process of the second embodiment.
When this laser irradiation process is executed, the laser control ECU 9 first obtains signals (sensor / device signals) from various sensors and various devices installed in the vehicle in S110, and this signal and irradiation point determination table. Based on 9a and the trajectory determination table 9b, it is determined whether or not the laser irradiation units 2 and 3 are to perform laser irradiation. When laser irradiation is to be performed, the target point and trajectory of laser irradiation are determined. If the target point of laser irradiation is the upper surface 63a of the instrument panel 63 based on the irradiation point determination table 9a, it is determined that “the laser irradiation unit 2 performs laser irradiation”, and the target of laser irradiation is determined. When the point is the right front pillar 64, it is determined that “the laser irradiation unit 3 performs laser irradiation”.

  Then, in S110, it is determined whether or not it is determined that “laser irradiation unit 2 or laser irradiation unit 3 performs laser irradiation”. Here, when it is not determined that “the laser irradiation unit 2 or the laser irradiation unit 3 performs laser irradiation” (S120: NO), the laser irradiation process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that “laser irradiation unit 2 or laser irradiation unit 3 performs laser irradiation” (S120: YES), in S130, the laser irradiation unit determined to “perform laser irradiation” in S110 2 or the laser irradiation unit 3 is caused to perform laser irradiation at the target point and locus determined in S110. For example, if laser irradiation is performed on the upper surface 63a of the instrument panel 63 in a spiral locus, it is determined in S10 that the start point 80a and the meter panel 62 are displayed on the upper surface 63a of the instrument panel 63 as shown in FIG. Laser irradiation is performed so that a spiral locus 80 having an end point 80b is set on the screen 62a.

Then, when the laser irradiation of S130 is completed, the laser irradiation process is ended.
In the laser irradiation notification device 1 configured in this way, when irradiating the laser beam toward the wavelength conversion material 6 processed into a sheet shape, the irradiation direction of the laser beam is changed with the passage of time. The visible light emission point is arbitrarily moved by the wavelength conversion material 6. Thereby, the light emission point of visible light can be moved with various trajectories (for example, spiral, rotation, reciprocation). Since the locus determination table 9b associates the locus of the light emitting point with the content of the information to be notified, the content of the information to be notified can be recognized from the locus of the light emitting point.

In the embodiment described above, the wavelength conversion material 6 is a wavelength conversion means in the present invention.
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, As long as it belongs to the technical scope of this invention, a various form can be taken.

  For example, in the first embodiment, the light-emitting display unit 4 that converts laser light having a wavelength of 1.5 μm into visible light having a wavelength of 0.5 μm by the wavelength conversion element 22 is shown. However, as shown in FIG. 14A, instead of the wavelength conversion element 22, a wavelength conversion element 31 made of a material exhibiting a nonlinear optical effect that generates fourth-order harmonics may be used. In this case, the wavelength conversion element 31 converts the laser light having a wavelength of 1.5 μm into ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 0.375 μm. For this reason, instead of the light guide 23, a light guide 32 provided with phosphors or phosphors dispersed therein may be installed. Thereby, the ultraviolet light introduced into the light guide 32 is converted into visible light by the phosphor or phosphor in the light guide 32 to emit light.

Thereby, even when the wavelength conversion element 31 is small, visible light can be emitted over a wide range by arranging the light guide 32 over a wide range.
Here, the wavelength conversion element 31 is the ultraviolet light conversion means in the present invention, and the phosphor or phosphor in the light guide 32 is the visible light conversion means in the present invention.

  Instead of using the wavelength conversion element 31 composed of a material that exhibits a nonlinear optical effect that generates a fourth harmonic, a material that exhibits a nonlinear optical effect that generates a second harmonic is used to change to the second harmonic. The laser beam having a wavelength of 1.5 μm may be converted into ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 0.375 μm by repeating this conversion twice.

  Further, when the laser light emitted from the light emitting display unit 4 is ultraviolet light having a wavelength region of 0.4 μm or less which is highly safe for the eyes, as shown in FIG. 14B, wavelength conversion is performed. The element 31 may be omitted, and the ultraviolet light reflected by the reflector 21 may be directly introduced into the light guide 32.

  In addition, by changing the distribution of the scatterers provided in the light guide, the brightness distribution of the light guide is changed, such as making the light guide uniform or making certain parts brighter. You may do it. For example, as shown in FIG. 14C, the light guide 32 is divided into a plurality of continuous regions 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d... And the regions 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d. Alternatively, the concentration distribution may be changed. Specifically, the brightness distribution of the light guide 32 can be made uniform by increasing the concentration of the scatterer (phosphor, phosphor) as the distance from the wavelength conversion element 31 increases. Further, by increasing or decreasing the concentration of the scatterer in a certain region of the light guide 32, the luminance of this region can be increased or decreased.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14D, a light guide 34 in which a transparent electrode 34b is installed around a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal 34a may be used instead of the light guide 32. In this case, the scattering state of the polymer dispersed liquid crystal 34a can be electrically controlled by the transparent electrode 34b. For this reason, the luminance distribution of the light guide 34 can be changed with time.

Note that the configuration shown in FIGS. 14A to 14D can also be applied to the light-emitting display unit 5.
Moreover, in the said 1st Embodiment, although the light emission display parts 4 and 5 showed what was installed in the car navigation apparatus 61 and the meter panel 62, it is not restricted to this, For example, an instrument panel, a pillar, etc. It may be installed on an operation switch or the like.

In the first embodiment, the light guides 23 and 28 of the light emitting display portions 4 and 5 are formed in a shape surrounding the periphery of the display screen. However, the shape is not limited to such a shape. For example, it may be linear, curved, etc.
Further, as a material for converting the wavelength of laser light, as disclosed in JP-A-2-104547, JP-A-1-132612, and JP-A-5-142601, a large secondary or tertiary molecular susceptibility is obtained. A material obtained by chemically bonding a pigment having a transparent polymer to a transparent polymer can be used.

  In the first embodiment, the wavelength conversion material 6 is processed into a sheet shape. However, if the shape has a surface that can move the point irradiated with the laser light, it is like this. It is not limited to a simple shape, and may be a rod shape, for example.

  Moreover, in the said 2nd Embodiment, although the sheet-like wavelength conversion material 6 showed what was affixed on the upper surface 63a of the instrument panel 63, the display screen 62a of the meter panel 62, and the right front pillar 64, these are shown. It is not restricted to the part of.

  Moreover, in the said 2nd Embodiment, the sheet-like wavelength conversion material 6 showed what converts the wavelength of laser beam L1, L2 irradiated from the laser irradiation parts 2 and 3 directly into the wavelength of visible light. However, when the sheet-like wavelength conversion material 6 converts the wavelengths of the laser beams L1 and L2 into ultraviolet light, the ultraviolet light is converted by dispersing phosphors and phosphors inside the wavelength conversion material 6. You may make it convert into visible light.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the laser irradiation alerting | reporting apparatus 1 of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning in the vehicle of the component of the laser irradiation alerting | reporting apparatus 1 of 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the light emission display part 4 of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the path | route of the laser beam L1 irradiated from the laser irradiation part 2. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a configuration of a light emitting display unit 5. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the irradiation point determination table 9a of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the laser irradiation process of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the laser irradiation alerting | reporting apparatus 1 of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning in the vehicle of the component of the laser irradiation alerting | reporting apparatus 1 of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the irradiation point determination table 9a of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the locus | trajectory determination table 9b. It is a flowchart which shows the laser irradiation process of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the spiral locus | trajectory 80. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the light emission display part 4 of other embodiment. It is a graph which shows the wavelength dependence of the maximum permissible exposure amount.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Laser irradiation alerting device, 2, 3 ... Laser irradiation part, 4, 5 ... Light emission display part, 6 ... Wavelength conversion material, 9 ... Laser control ECU, 9a ... Irradiation point determination table, 9b ... Trajectory determination table, 21, 26 ... Reflector, 22, 27, 31 ... Wavelength conversion element, 23, 28, 32, 34 ... Light guide, 34a ... Polymer dispersed liquid crystal, 34b ... Transparent electrode, 61 ... Car navigation device, 62 ... Meter panel, 63 ... Instrument panel, 64 ... Right front pillar, 80 ... Spiral trajectory

Claims (10)

An informing device for informing information by generating visible light,
Laser irradiation means for irradiating laser light having a wavelength of 0.4 μm or less or 1.2 μm or more, more preferably 1.5 μm to 1.8 μm;
An informing device comprising: wavelength converting means for converting the wavelength of the laser light emitted by the laser irradiating means into a wavelength of visible light. The notification device according to claim 1, wherein the laser irradiation unit irradiates a laser beam in a passenger compartment. The wavelength converting means is
The notification device according to claim 1, wherein the notification device is a material that exhibits a nonlinear optical effect. The notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the wavelength conversion unit directly converts the wavelength of the laser beam irradiated by the laser irradiation unit into a wavelength of visible light. The visible light converted by the wavelength conversion means can travel inside, and includes a first light guide configured to be able to scatter visible light traveling inside. 4. The notification device according to 4. The first light guide is
A scatterer for scattering visible light traveling inside the first light guide to the outside, and having inside the first light guide,
The scatterer is
The first light guide is distributed so that the concentration increases as the distance from the wavelength converting means increases, so that the first light guide emits light uniformly throughout the visible light traveling inside the first light guide. The notification device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The wavelength converting means is
Ultraviolet light converting means for converting the wavelength of the laser light irradiated by the laser irradiation means into the wavelength of ultraviolet light;
The visible light converting means for converting the wavelength of the ultraviolet light whose wavelength has been converted by the ultraviolet light converting means into the wavelength of visible light. 4. Notification device. The visible light converting means includes
The ultraviolet light whose wavelength is converted by the ultraviolet light conversion means can travel inside, and a wavelength conversion material for converting the ultraviolet light whose wavelength is converted by the ultraviolet light conversion means into visible light is provided inside, Further, the second light guide is configured such that visible light converted by the wavelength conversion material can travel inside, and visible light traveling inside can be scattered outside. The notification device according to claim 7. The wavelength conversion material is
It is distributed so that a density | concentration becomes so high that it distances from the said ultraviolet light conversion means so that the said 2nd light guide may light-emit uniformly over the whole with the visible light converted with the said wavelength conversion material. Item 9. The notification device according to item 8. The wavelength converting means is
The material capable of converting the wavelength of the laser beam irradiated by the laser irradiation unit is processed into a shape having a surface capable of moving a point irradiated with the laser beam. The notification device according to claim 4 or claim 7.