JP5905143B2 - Lighting system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an illumination system that illuminates an object to be illuminated.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a light emitting device that is a light source device having a configuration capable of detecting disconnection with high accuracy. The light source device includes a light source having a semiconductor light emitting element that emits light (for example, excitation light), a lens that collects light emitted from the semiconductor light emitting element, a connector that collects light by the lens, and a connector And a light component disposed at the tip of the light guide member. The light guide member guides the light collected from the connector. The light guide member is, for example, an optical fiber. Light is guided to the optical component by the light guide member.

  In addition, the light source device is disposed between the lens and the connector, and branches the reflected light returned from the optical component, a light receiving element that receives the reflected light branched by the light branching member, have. The light receiving element is also a detection unit that detects the presence or absence of abnormality of the light source device, for example, the disconnection of the light guide member, by detecting the reflected light.

JP 2008-26698 A

  Patent document 1 mentioned above uses the structure which detects abnormalities, such as a disconnection of a light guide member, by detecting the reflected light branched by the light branching member. However, the number of detection items detected by such reflected light is limited, and increasing the number of measurement items in order to detect anomalies with high accuracy necessitates mounting a plurality of detectors on the light source device, which increases the size of the device. There was a problem of end.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an illumination system capable of detecting an abnormality of a light source device without increasing the size of the light source device.

One aspect of the illumination system of the present invention is:
An excitation light source that emits excitation light, a light guide member that guides the excitation light emitted from the excitation light source, and the excitation light guided by the light guide member is converted into illumination light having a desired wavelength. A light source device configured by sequentially connecting wavelength conversion units that emit the illumination light toward an object to be illuminated;
An operation confirmation device for confirming normal operation of the light source device;
In the lighting system consisting of
A connection unit for directly and physically connecting an optical signal emitting end provided with the wavelength conversion unit in the light source device and the operation checking device;
A detection unit that detects an optical signal emitted from the optical signal emission end in a state where the optical signal emission end and the operation check device are connected by the connection unit;
Based on the detection result in the detection unit, an operation determination unit that determines the operation of the excitation light source, the light guide member, and the wavelength conversion unit,
Comprising
The operation check device includes a light shielding unit that shields the optical signal emitted from the optical signal emitting end by connecting to the optical signal emitting end .

According to the present invention, there is provided an illumination system that can determine the operations of the excitation light source, the light guide member, and the wavelength conversion unit without increasing the size of the light source device, that is, that can detect abnormality of the light source device. be able to.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the illumination system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration example of a wavelength conversion unit and an operation check device in the illumination system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the wavelength conversion unit of FIG. 2A and the operation check device are connected. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another configuration example of the operation check device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a determination circuit in the illumination system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the determination circuit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the wavelength conversion unit and the operation check device in the illumination system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the operation check apparatus in the illumination system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the detected light amount distribution of the operation check apparatus of FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the wavelength conversion unit and the operation check device in the illumination system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the wavelength conversion unit and the operation check device in the illumination system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of an illumination system according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining another configuration example of the wavelength conversion unit and the operation check device in the illumination system according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of an illumination system according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 1, an illumination system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is connected to a light source device 12 that illuminates an object to be illuminated with illumination light generated based on excitation light, and the light source device 12. Alternatively, when the light source device 12 is connected to the light source device 12 and emits an optical signal, the state of the light source device 12, in other words, the light source device 12 is based on the state of the emitted optical signal. And an operation confirmation device 14 used for confirming whether there is any abnormality.

  The light source device 12 includes an excitation light source 16 that emits excitation light, an optical fiber 18 that is a light guide member that guides excitation light emitted from the excitation light source 16, and excitation that has been guided by the optical fiber 18. A wavelength conversion unit 20 that is a wavelength conversion unit that converts light into illumination light having a desired wavelength and emits the illumination light toward an object to be illuminated is sequentially connected. Further, the light source device 12 includes a light source controller 22 that controls the start / stop of the operation of the excitation light source 16 and the light output, and a display 24 that displays various information related to the light source device 12.

Here, the excitation light source 16 is, for example, a laser device.
The wavelength conversion unit 20 includes a wavelength conversion member that performs wavelength conversion, for example, a phosphor, and the excitation light emitted from the optical fiber 18 is applied to the phosphor. The phosphor converts the irradiated excitation light into fluorescence having a predetermined wavelength different from the excitation light. Fluorescence, which is light having a predetermined wavelength, is emitted from the wavelength conversion unit 20 as illumination light that illuminates an object to be illuminated. The phosphor does not actually convert all of the irradiated excitation light into fluorescence, but converts a part of the excitation light into fluorescence. Therefore, the wavelength conversion unit 20 emits not only fluorescence but also excitation light. Therefore, the wavelength conversion unit 20 actually emits an optical signal including fluorescence that is illumination light and excitation light that has not been converted into fluorescence by the phosphor.

  On the other hand, the operation check device 14 is detachable from the light signal emitting end of the light source device 12 in which the wavelength conversion unit 20 is disposed. The operation confirmation device 14 includes a connection detector 26 that detects whether or not the operation confirmation device 14 is connected in an appropriate positional relationship when the operation confirmation device 14 is connected to the optical signal emitting end, and the operation confirmation device 14 includes the optical signal. A light amount sensor 28 serving as a detection unit that detects an optical signal emitted from the wavelength conversion unit 20 in a state of being connected to the signal emission end.

  The light source controller 22 of the light source device 12 is configured to receive the connection detection signal from the connection detector 26 of the operation check device 14 and the detected light amount from the light amount sensor 28. The light source controller 22 is an operation determination unit that determines the presence or absence of abnormality of the light source device 12 based on the detected light amount from the light amount sensor 28, in other words, the operation of the excitation light source 16, the optical fiber 18, and the wavelength conversion unit 20. A determination circuit 30 is provided. The abnormality of the light source device 12 includes, for example, disconnection of the optical fiber 18, leakage of excitation light due to disconnection, a decrease in excitation light and fluorescence emission efficiency due to failure of the wavelength conversion unit 20, and unnecessary excitation light. Shows an increasing state. The determination of whether or not the light source device 12 is abnormal will be described later.

  In the illumination system 10 having such a configuration, the operation determination of the light source device 12 using the operation confirmation device 14 is performed prior to the illumination of the object to be illuminated by the light source device 12.

  For example, this operation determination is automatically performed at least one of when the light source device 12 is turned on and after the operation of the light source device 12 is initialized. First, before operating the excitation light source 16, the light source controller 22 operates the operation confirmation device 14 on the optical signal emission end of the wavelength conversion unit 20 of the light source device 12 based on the connection detection signal from the connection detector 26. After confirming that they are connected in an appropriate positional relationship, the excitation light source 16 is operated to emit an optical signal from the wavelength conversion unit 20. The determination circuit 30 determines the state of the light source device 12 using the detected light amount detected by the light amount sensor 28 of the operation check device 14, and the light source controller 22 based on the determination determines the optical signal. To control the light output. That is, when it is determined that the light source device 12 is dangerous or unsuitable for operation, the light emission of the excitation light source 16 is prohibited or restricted so that the amount of excitation light is reduced. Thereafter, if the operation confirmation device 14 is removed from the optical signal emission end, an optical signal whose optical output is controlled is emitted from the optical signal emission end. The determination result or the control result of the optical output of the optical signal may be displayed on the display 24.

  Next, specific configurations of the wavelength conversion unit 20 and the operation check device 14 of the light source device 12 will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the wavelength conversion unit 20 is disposed at the tip of the optical fiber 18 in the optical signal exit end 32 for holding the optical fiber 18 and the wavelength conversion unit 20. The wavelength conversion unit 20 includes a phosphor 34 that is a wavelength conversion member that performs wavelength conversion of the excitation light emitted from the optical fiber 18, and a tapered mirror 36 that is disposed on the back (on the optical fiber 18 side) of the phosphor 34. ,have. As described above, an optical signal including the fluorescence that is the illumination light converted by the phosphor 34 and the excitation light that has not been converted into fluorescence by the phosphor 34 is generated at the tip of the light signal emitting end 32. Injected from the provided injection port 38. The taper mirror 36 is arranged for emitting light traveling in a direction other than the direction of the exit port 38 from the exit port 38 out of the fluorescence converted by the phosphor 34. Of course, the wavelength conversion unit 20 is not limited to the structure described here, and may be a structure using the phosphor 34.

  The operation check device 14 is detachable from the optical signal emitting end 32 and includes the connection detector 26 and the light amount sensor 28. Further, the operation checking device 14 emits from the optical signal emitting end 32 in a state where the optical signal emitting end 32 and the operation checking device 14 are directly connected to the connecting portion 40 and connected. And a light shielding cover 42 which is a light shielding portion for shielding the optical signal to be transmitted.

  The light quantity sensor 28 is disposed on the inner surface of the concave portion of the light shielding cover 42 and is disposed in front of the emission port 38 of the wavelength conversion unit 20. Further, the connecting portion 40 is provided with a convex portion 44 for alignment so that the distance between the light quantity sensor 28 and the injection port 38 becomes an appropriate interval.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, when the operation checking device 14 is attached to the optical signal emission end 32 of the wavelength conversion unit 20, the emission port 38 is covered with a light-shielding cover 42, and the light emitted from the emission port 38 is external. No light leaks, and only the light emitted from the exit port 38 enters the light quantity sensor 28, so that the influence of external light can be eliminated. Further, when the operation of the light source device 12 is determined, since the light output is not yet controlled, there is a risk that a dangerous level of light may be emitted from the emission port 38, even if such light is emitted. Since the light is covered with the light shielding cover 42, the light does not cause harm to external persons or the like.

  The connection detector 26 detects whether or not the light shielding cover 42 and the light amount sensor 28 fixed thereto are installed at appropriate positions. The connection detector 26 may be configured to detect an approach optically or electromagnetically, or may be configured to detect electrical connection by contact between electrodes.

  A wavelength filter 46 through which excitation light is transmitted is disposed on the front surface (emission port 38 side) of the light quantity sensor 28. Therefore, the light quantity sensor 28 is connected to the optical signal emitting end 32 when the operation confirmation device 14 is connected, and when the wavelength conversion unit 20 emits fluorescence and excitation light when the excitation light source 16 emits excitation light, the light quantity sensor 28 emits excitation light. The state will be detected. When the wavelength conversion unit 20 breaks down, the excitation light converted into fluorescence by the wavelength conversion unit 20 decreases, and the excitation light exiting from the exit port 38 increases with the excitation light. Therefore, when the wavelength conversion unit 20 fails, the emission amount of fluorescence decreases and the emission amount of excitation light increases. Since this excitation light is likely to cause harm when directly irradiated to human eyes or skin, the light quantity of this excitation light is detected here. For example, when the optical fiber 18 is disconnected or deteriorated, the excitation light leaks from the disconnected portion or the deteriorated portion, the amount of excitation light incident on the wavelength conversion unit 20 decreases, and the amount of excitation light transmitted through the wavelength conversion unit 20 also increases. Decrease.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, two light quantity sensors 28 are provided, and wavelength filters 46E and 46F that transmit excitation light and fluorescence are respectively disposed, so that an excitation light quantity detector and a fluorescence quantity detector are provided. It is good also as a structure, and it is good also as the detection of the light quantity of excitation light and the light quantity of fluorescence each independently. That is, since there may be a case where a minute abnormality of the light source device 12 that does not appear in the change in the amount of excitation light can be detected as a change in the amount of fluorescence, it is meaningful to detect the amount of fluorescence.

  Alternatively, a spectral detector may be used instead of the wavelength filter 46 and the light amount sensor 28. When such a spectroscopic detector is used, the determination circuit 30 may determine based on only the light amount of the excitation light wavelength detected by the spectroscopic detector, or the light amount of the excitation light wavelength and the light amount of the fluorescence wavelength. The determination may be made on the basis of the relative intensity.

  The determination circuit 30 of the light source device 12 includes a comparator 48 that compares the detected light amount from the light amount sensor 28 of the operation confirmation device 14 with a reference voltage corresponding to a predetermined value, for example, as shown in FIG. be able to. Such a determination circuit 30 determines whether or not the light source device 12 is abnormal by determining whether or not the light amount of the excitation light is a predetermined value or less, in other words, the excitation light source 16, the optical fiber 18, and the wavelength conversion unit 20. Operation.

  Alternatively, the determination circuit 30 of the light source device 12, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, compares the detected light amount from the light amount sensor 28 of the operation check device 14 with a reference voltage 1 corresponding to the lower limit value of a predetermined range. 50 and a comparator 52 that compares the detected light amount from the light amount sensor 28 with the reference voltage 2 corresponding to the upper limit value of the predetermined range, and the logical product of the determination results of the comparators 50 and 52 is taken to obtain a final product. You may make it comprise from the AND operator 54 which obtains a determination result. Such a determination circuit 30 determines whether or not the light source device 12 is abnormal by determining whether or not the light amount of the excitation light is within a predetermined range, in other words, the excitation light source 16, the optical fiber 18, and the wavelength conversion unit. 20 operations are determined.

Here, the determination of the determination circuit 30 is performed by one of the following methods.
“Preferable” when the amount of excitation light transmitted through the wavelength conversion unit 20 and output to the outside is in the range of the amount of light determined in consideration of manufacturing variations of the excitation light source 16 and the wavelength conversion unit 20 When it is not, it is determined that the operation is “unsuitable”.
Considering deterioration of the wavelength conversion unit 20 and the like, if there is sufficient time until it will deteriorate in the future and reach a dangerous state, it is expected that the state expected from the amount of excitation light is “preferred”, and there is not enough time The state is determined as an operation “unsuitable”.
If the wavelength conversion unit 20 fails and the light amount of the excitation light output from the emission port 38 of the wavelength conversion unit 20 is a light amount that affects other devices or the human body, it is “dangerous” and has an effect. If the amount of light is not, it is determined as “safe”.

  For example, in the case where the excitation light source 16 is a laser device as described above, if an abnormality occurs in the light source device 12, the excitation light that is laser light may be emitted from the emission port 38 to a predetermined value or more. If the excitation light is emitted to a predetermined value or more, the user is affected, and there is a possibility that desired safety cannot be maintained, or that other devices may be affected. Therefore, it is determined as “safe” if the detected light intensity of the excitation light is not more than a predetermined value, and “dangerous” if it exceeds the predetermined value. The predetermined value which is the threshold value of this determination is detected by the light amount sensor 28 when the amount of emitted light is emitted based on, for example, the amount of emitted light that causes the excitation light to affect the user of another device or the light source device 12. The amount of light emitted may be used as a reference. The determination threshold may be based on a laser safety class defined by international standards or the like.

  The case where abnormality occurs in the light source device 12 described above indicates that, for example, the wavelength conversion unit 20 has failed. When the wavelength conversion unit 20 breaks down, the excitation light converted into fluorescence by the wavelength conversion unit 20 decreases, and the excitation light exiting from the exit port 38 increases with the excitation light. Therefore, when the wavelength conversion unit 20 fails, the amount of emitted fluorescence decreases and the amount of excitation light emitted increases.

  In addition, the operation “preferable” and the operation “inappropriate” are, for example, whether or not the excitation light source 16 and the wavelength conversion unit 20 can satisfy the specifications at the time of design, or the deterioration of the wavelength conversion unit 20 and the like. However, it depends on whether or not there is sufficient time until the wavelength conversion unit 20 or the like reaches a dangerous state due to the deterioration of the wavelength conversion unit 20 or the like. The predetermined value that is the determination threshold value may be obtained by considering, for example, the manufacturing variation of the excitation light source 16 and the wavelength conversion unit 20, for example, when the excitation light source 16 and the wavelength conversion unit 20 satisfy the design specifications. This predetermined value is smaller than the predetermined values in “safety” and “danger”.

  The determination circuit 30 presets in the comparator 48 or 52, 54 a reference voltage corresponding to a predetermined value for either “safety” and “danger” or “preferred” or “unsuitable”. Thus, a determination result is obtained. Of course, the “safety”, “danger” and the “preferable” and “unsuitable” are determined, and the light amount of the excitation light (light output of the excitation light source 16) is controlled according to the combination of the determinations. It doesn't matter.

  In addition, although the example which determines here based on the amount of excitation light was demonstrated, the method of determining using the light quantity of fluorescence or both light quantities is also considered. Alternatively, it is possible to use a spectroscopic detector to derive the excitation light amount and the fluorescence light amount from the spectrum and make a similar determination. Further, a method of determining using the ratio between the amount of excitation light and the amount of fluorescent light is also conceivable.

  After the operation check device 14 is removed from the light source device 12 by the user's work, the light source controller 22 controls the light output of the excitation light source 16 based on the previous determination result. When it is determined as “safe” or “preferable”, the illumination light can be output. When it is determined that it is “dangerous” or “unsuitable for operation”, the excitation light source 16 is stopped or the amount of excitation light is limited to be low.

  According to the illumination system 10 according to the first embodiment as described above, when the operation check device 14 is connected to the optical signal emitting end 32, the light quantity sensor disposed in the operation check device 14 receives the optical signal. The operations of the excitation light source 16, the optical fiber 18, and the wavelength conversion unit 20 can be determined based on the detected optical signal, that is, the abnormality of the light source device 12 can be detected. Therefore, in this embodiment, since the failure of the optical fiber 18 or the wavelength conversion unit 20 can be detected optically without adding a new configuration to the optical system of the light source device 12, an increase in the size of the light source device 12 is prevented. be able to.

  Further, in this embodiment, it is only necessary to connect the operation checking device 14 to the optical signal emitting end 32, and without adding a new configuration to the optical system of the light source device 12, the optical fiber 18 can be configured with a high degree of design freedom. In addition, it is possible to optically detect a failure of the wavelength conversion unit 20 and to suppress a dangerous operation of the light source device 12 when the failure is detected. And when a failure is not detected and the light source device 12 is operated, since the operation check device 14 is removed, the operation and ease of use of the light source device 12 are not affected.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the determination based on the optical detection result is performed, the time for determining the abnormality of the light source device 12 is short and the responsiveness is good. Furthermore, since the influence due to the occurrence of abnormality is directly detected, reliable detection is possible.

[Second Embodiment]
In the illumination system 10 according to the second embodiment, a plurality of wavelength conversion units 20 are arranged at the optical signal emission end 32 of the light source device 12.

  For example, FIG. 6A shows an example in which three wavelength conversion units 20 are arranged at the optical signal exit end 32, and the optical signal exit end 32 includes three exit ports 38. As for the light guide to each wavelength conversion unit 20, the excitation light emitted from the excitation light source 16 may be branched and guided to each wavelength conversion unit 20 by a plurality of optical fibers 18. The pumping light emitted from the pumping light source 16 may be guided into the optical signal emitting end 32 by the single optical fiber 18, and the light may be branched to each wavelength conversion unit 20 in the optical signal emitting end 32. .

  In the configuration in which the plurality of wavelength conversion units 20 are arranged at the optical signal emission end 32 of the light source device 12 in this way, as shown in FIGS. A notch 56 is provided, and a protrusion 58 is provided on the inner periphery of the light shielding cover 42 of the operation check device 14 so as to fit the notch 56, and the light quantity sensor 28 is disposed at a location facing each wavelength conversion unit 20. By doing so, the light quantity of each wavelength conversion unit 20 can be reliably detected. As described above, when a plurality of wavelength conversion units 20 are provided, it is preferable that the connection unit 40 has a connection structure in which the positional relationship between the temperature sensor 28 and the optical signal emission end 32 is uniquely determined.

[Third Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 7, the illumination system 10 according to the third embodiment is provided with a two-dimensional array light quantity sensor 60 capable of measuring the light quantity distribution instead of the light quantity sensor 28. As the two-dimensional array light quantity sensor 60, a two-dimensional PD or an imager element can be used.

  In this case, the determination circuit 30 is “safe” if the light distribution characteristic (light amount distribution) measured by the two-dimensional array light amount sensor 60 is between a predetermined upper limit value and a lower limit value with respect to the distribution obtained from the design value. Alternatively, it is determined that the operation is “preferred”. On the other hand, when the distribution obtained from the design value is spread as shown in FIG. 8A or the center of the distribution is shifted as shown in FIG. It is determined that the operation is “unsuitable”.

  In addition, by installing a color filter in place of the wavelength filter 46, it is possible to adopt a configuration for determining what distribution each wavelength (color) has. In this case, determination can be made based on the respective distributions of excitation light and fluorescence.

  Instead of comparing the detection value of the light quantity distribution measured by the two-dimensional array light quantity sensor 60 with the distribution obtained from the design value, the maximum light quantity is obtained from the detected value of the measured light quantity distribution, and the determination is made based on that value. By performing this, the determination time can be shortened.

[Fourth Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 9, the illumination system 10 according to the fourth embodiment has a scattering plate 62 installed inside the light shielding cover 42 of the operation check device 14, and the light quantity sensor 28 is an emission port of the wavelength conversion unit 20. The optical signal emitted from 38 is installed in a place where it does not directly enter.

  In such a configuration, the optical signal emitted from the exit port 38 is applied to the scattering plate 62, and is reflected and scattered in various directions by the scattering plate 62.

  Therefore, even if the optical signal has a light distribution, the light quantity sensor 28 can detect the averaged light, so that even if the light quantity sensor 28 is not arranged in front of the emission port 38 of the wavelength conversion unit 20, it is scattered. If the light signal scattered by the plate 62 is arranged at a position where the light amount can be measured, the state of the entire optical signal can be detected.

  Further, even in a configuration in which a plurality of wavelength conversion units 20 are disposed at the optical signal emission end 32 of the light source device 12, reflected and scattered light of the optical signals emitted from the respective wavelength conversion units 20 can be obtained by adopting the same configuration. Is incident on the light quantity sensor 28, so that the light quantity of each wavelength conversion unit 20 can be reliably detected.

  In FIG. 9, the connection detector 26 is arranged not on the operation check device 14 side but on the light signal emitting end 32 side of the light source device 12, but in terms of operation, it is arranged on the operation check device 14 side. It is the same. Of course, in the configurations of the first to third embodiments, the connection detector 26 may be disposed on the optical signal emitting end 32 side.

[Fifth Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 10, the illumination system 10 according to the fifth embodiment includes a light amount sensor 28 built in the light signal emission end 32 of the light source device 12 instead of the operation check device 14 side. In this case, the operation check apparatus 14 installs the scattering plate 62 inside the light shielding cover 42 as in the fourth embodiment.

  In such a configuration, the optical signal emitted from the emission port 38 of the wavelength conversion unit 20 is reflected and scattered by the scattering plate 62 in the light shielding cover 42 and is incident on the light quantity sensor 28 built in the optical signal emission end 32. .

  If the light source device 12 has an observation function, the light amount may be detected using an imager element that constitutes the observation function without providing the light amount sensor 28 separately. Further, in the case of an imager element with a color filter, excitation light and fluorescence can be detected separately, and light distribution can also be detected.

  In FIG. 10, the connection detector 26 is disposed on the optical signal emission end 32 side, but it is needless to say that the connection detector 26 may be disposed on the operation check device 14 side.

[Sixth Embodiment]
The illumination system 10 according to the sixth embodiment is a wireless transmission unit that transmits information from the operation check device 14 side to the light source device 12 side by infrared, electromagnetic coupling, or radio waves as shown in FIG. This is performed by wireless communication using the transmitter 64 and the receiver 66 which is a wireless receiving unit.
In this case, the determination circuit 30 installed in the light source controller 22 may be disposed between the light quantity sensor 28 of the operation check device 14 and the transmitter 64. With such an arrangement, it is only necessary to transmit the determination result as the contents of wireless communication, so that the communication mechanism can be simplified.

  Further, the connection detector 26 is also installed on the light signal emitting end 32 side of the light source device 12, so that the wired connection with the operation check device 14 can be eliminated.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the receiver 66 is arranged in the optical signal emitting end 32 such that the transmitter 64 and the receiver 66 face each other when the operation confirmation device 14 is connected to the optical signal emitting end 32. You may provide in the position. In this case, the transmitter 64 and the receiver 66 are made low-powered so that the transmitter 64 and the receiver 66 operate only at a short distance so as to operate only when the operation check device 14 is correctly connected. It is also possible to perform connection detection based on the above operation, whereby the connection detector 26 can be omitted.

  In addition, by making the transmitter 64 and the receiver 66 a transmitter / receiver capable of wireless transmission in both directions, the power transmitted from the light source device 12 side by the transmitter / receiver can be used instead of incorporating the battery in the operation check device 14. The operation check device 14 may be used for the operation.

  11 and 12, the connection detector 26 is disposed on the optical signal emission end 32 side. However, it is needless to say that the connection detector 26 may be disposed on the operation check device 14 side.

[Seventh Embodiment]
The illumination system 10 according to the seventh embodiment uses the light amount sensor 28 as a photovoltaic cell.

  Accordingly, an optical signal that is not used for actual illumination of an object to be illuminated and is used only for determination can be converted into electric power and used for the operation of the operation confirmation device 14.

[Eighth Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 13, the illumination system 10 according to the eighth embodiment incorporates the operation confirmation device 14 in a light source device main body 68 that incorporates an excitation light source 16 and a light source controller 22.

  Thereby, the trouble of connection with the operation check apparatus 14 and the light source controller 22 can be saved, and the possibility of the operation check apparatus 14 being lost can be eliminated.

  In FIG. 13, the connection detector 26 is disposed on the optical signal emitting end 32 side. However, it is needless to say that the connection detector 26 may be disposed on the operation confirmation device 14 side.

  Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are naturally possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in the first to fifth embodiments, the seventh and eighth embodiments, as in the sixth embodiment, the determination circuit 30 is not built in the light source controller 22 but on the operation check device 14 side. It may be provided.

    DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Illumination system, 12 ... Light source device, 14 ... Operation | movement confirmation apparatus, 16 ... Excitation light source, 18 ... Optical fiber, 20 ... Wavelength conversion unit, 22 ... Light source controller, 24 ... Display device, 26 ... Connection detector, 28 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Light quantity sensor, 30 ... Determination circuit, 32 ... Optical signal emission end, 34 ... Phosphor, 36 ... Tapered mirror, 38 ... Ejection port, 40 ... Connection part, 42 ... Light shielding cover, 44 ... Projection part, 46, 46E, 46F: Wavelength filter, 48, 50, 52 ... Comparator, 54 ... AND operator, 56 ... Notch, 58 ... Projection, 60 ... Dimensional array light quantity sensor, 62 ... Scattering plate, 64 ... Transmitter, 66 ... Receiver 68. Light source device main body.

Claims (16)

An excitation light source that emits excitation light, a light guide member that guides the excitation light emitted from the excitation light source, and the excitation light guided by the light guide member is converted into illumination light having a desired wavelength. A light source device configured by sequentially connecting wavelength conversion units that emit the illumination light toward an object to be illuminated;
An operation confirmation device for confirming normal operation of the light source device;
In the lighting system consisting of
A connection unit for directly and physically connecting an optical signal emitting end provided with the wavelength conversion unit in the light source device and the operation checking device;
A detection unit that detects an optical signal emitted from the optical signal emission end in a state where the optical signal emission end and the operation check device are connected by the connection unit;
Based on the detection result in the detection unit, an operation determination unit that determines the operation of the excitation light source, the light guide member, and the wavelength conversion unit,
Comprising
The said operation confirmation apparatus has a light-shielding part which shields the said optical signal inject | emitted from the said optical signal emission end by connecting to the said optical signal emission end. The wavelength conversion unit converts a part of the excitation light guided by the light guide member into illumination light having a desired wavelength, and emits the illumination light toward an object to be illuminated. The lighting system according to claim 1. The illumination system according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit is installed in the light shielding unit. The illumination system according to claim 3 , wherein the connection unit holds the optical signal emission end and the detection unit in a predetermined positional relationship. The detection unit is arranged in the operation check device,
The illumination system according to claim 4 , wherein the connection unit has a connection structure in which a positional relationship between the detection unit of the operation check device and the optical signal emission end is uniquely determined. The illumination system according to claim 4 , wherein the connection unit has a connection structure in which a distance between the detection unit and the optical signal emission end is constant. The detection unit is installed in the vicinity of the light signal emitting end of the light source device,
2. The illumination system according to claim 1 , wherein an optical scattering member is disposed on a surface of the light shielding unit irradiated with the optical signal emitted from the optical signal emitting end. The optical signal includes a wavelength of the excitation light and a wavelength of the illumination light,
The illumination system according to claim 3 , wherein the detection unit includes a spectral detector capable of separately detecting the wavelength of the excitation light and the wavelength of the illumination light. The spectroscopic detector comprises an excitation light amount detector that detects the amount of excitation light, and an illumination light amount detector that detects the amount of illumination light.
The operation determination unit determines operations of the excitation light source, the light guide member, and the wavelength conversion unit based on a ratio of an output of the excitation light amount detector and an output of the illumination light amount detector. The illumination system according to claim 8 , wherein The illumination system according to claim 3 , wherein the detection unit includes a light amount detector capable of measuring a light amount of the optical signal. The illumination system according to claim 10 , wherein the light quantity detector is disposed at a front position of the light signal emitting end of the light shielding unit. The illumination system according to claim 10 , wherein the light quantity detector is a sensor capable of measuring a light quantity distribution. The light-shielding part has a scattering plate at a front position of the light signal emitting end,
The light amount detector is disposed at a position where the light signal emitted from the light signal emitting end is not directly irradiated and at which the light amount of the light signal scattered by the scattering plate can be measured. The illumination system according to claim 10 , characterized in that: The operation determination unit is arranged in the operation check device,
The illumination system according to claim 8 or 10 , wherein the operation check device further includes a wireless transmission unit that wirelessly transmits a determination result of the operation determination unit to the outside of the operation check device. The connection unit further includes a connection detector that detects that the optical signal emitting end and the operation confirmation device are directly physically connected,
The illumination system according to claim 14 , wherein the connection detector detects the connection based on an electrode, light, or electromagnetic wave. The illumination system according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination system controls the light output of the excitation light source according to the determination of the operation determination unit.