JP6915199B2 - Luminous display device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a light emitting display device using an LED. More specifically, the present invention relates to a light emitting display device capable of dynamically expressing by emitting light from a light guide.

An elongated line-shaped light emitting device that expresses the flow of light by moving points or areas that emit light on the line is a guide light, a production device such as a game machine or a vending machine, or an advertising signboard. , Store displays, vehicle illumination, etc. Generally used is a method in which a large number of LEDs are arranged and blinked in sequence, but in such a display device, the light emission of each LED appears to shine like a whelk. be.

In recent years, there has been an increasing need for a light emitting display device that expresses the flow of light in various fields such as home appliances and illuminations for vehicles. The purpose is to display the display so that the traveling direction of an object moving by the flow of light can be intuitively grasped, or to give a high-class feeling by performing a dynamic effect as an illumination. Here, the conventional display device in which a large number of LEDs are arranged is excessively stimulating because each LED appears to shine in a whelk shape, and although it has a high effect of attracting attention, it is a daily life. It was unsuitable for displays that required a sense of luxury and comfort in the environment. In indoors and vehicle interiors, it is often desired to have an effect display in which a band-shaped light emission with gradation moves so as to flow smoothly.

By providing a diffuser plate in front of the LED, it is possible to reduce the bumpy feeling of the LED. However, in order to make the elongated area emit light with the diffuser plate without the sensation of the LED, (1) use a diffuser plate with strong backscattering property, (2) increase the distance between the diffuser plate and the LED, and (3). It is necessary to take either method such as increasing the thickness of the diffuser plate. In the case of (1), since the light transmittance is low, there arises a problem that the light utilization efficiency deteriorates and the light becomes dark. In the case of (2), there is a problem that the depth of the display device becomes extremely thick. In the case of (3), the situation is intermediate between (1) and (2), and there arises a problem that the depth of the device becomes thicker and the light utilization efficiency deteriorates.

In order to avoid such a problem, there is a method of arranging a large number of LEDs at a narrow pitch. In this case, since the number of LEDs used is large and it is necessary to drive a large number of LEDs to light up, there arises a problem that the device cost increases.

On the other hand, a light emitting display unit that emits light in an elongated line-shaped region by arranging an LED on the end face of a rod-shaped light guide has been put into practical use (Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 proposes a light emitting display device (illumination device) in which a plurality of such light guide units are arranged in a row to express the flow of light. In this display device, a light emitting method is devised so that the band-shaped light emission flows smoothly, but there is a region in which the LED substrate is arranged at the connecting portion of each unit, and this region does not emit light. Therefore, there is a problem for the effect of continuously and smoothly moving the band-shaped light emission.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-143252

In view of the above situation, the present invention provides an inexpensive light emission display device capable of expressing a band-shaped light emission that continuously and smoothly flows, is thin, and has high light utilization efficiency.

The present invention has been made to solve the problem of a conventional light emitting display device on a line expressing the flow of light.
In a long light guide body, one or more LEDs that incident light on the light guide body are arranged at at least one end, and the incident light on the light guide body is directed to the observer on the back surface in the longitudinal direction. A leading light unit consisting of an array of reflection patterns that reflect and emit to a certain front,
In a long light guide body, a certain range in the longitudinal direction is arranged along the leading light portion, and one or more LEDs that incident light on the light guide body are arranged at one end thereof, and the other. The end portion of the light portion is composed of one or more sub light guide portions connected by an elongated connecting surface on the side surface side of the leading light portion, and the connecting surface reflects the incident light from the LED to the sub light guide portion on the inner surface. The incident light beam has a shape that gradually widens in the longitudinal direction of the connecting surface when the light is guided along with the light and is incident on the leading light portion from the connecting surface.
The synchrotron radiation from the LED of the leading light unit and the LED of the sub light guide unit is emitted and displayed in a band shape from the front of the leading light unit.
By changing the LED emission order, emission intensity, and emission color, the brightness gradation and emission color gradation in the band-shaped display area of the leading light unit are changed to perform dynamic effect display. It is a display device.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a typical configuration of an LED and a light guide body, which are components of the display device of the present invention. The upper view is a view seen from the front side (observer side), and the lower view is a view. It is the side sectional view. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the display device of the present invention. In FIGS. 1 and 2, one leading light unit composed of the light guide body 5 and LED 1, the light guide body 6 and the light guide body 7, and two sub light guide units composed of LEDs 2 and LED 3 arranged on the light guide body 6 and the light guide body 7, respectively. This is the basic configuration. A reflection pattern is formed on the back surface side (opposite side of the observer) of the light guide body 5 of the main light guide unit to reflect or diffuse light and emit it to the outside of the light guide body.

The light from the LED 1 is radiated toward the longitudinal direction of the light guide body 5, propagates inside the light guide body, and is transmitted from the exit surface (observer side) of the light guide body 5 of the leading light portion to the outside of the light guide body by the reflection pattern. The leading light unit emits light with an appropriate brightness distribution. The light guide body 6 and the light guide body 7 of the sub light guide unit are connected by a connecting surface on the side surface side of the leading light unit. In the lower view of FIG. 1, 8 and 9 shown by the hatched portions indicate connecting surfaces in which the light guide bodies 6 and 7 are connected to the side surfaces of the leading light portion, respectively.

In FIG. 1, the light emitted from the LED 2 is incident on the inside from the end of the light guide body 6. Most of the light transmitted inside the light guide body 6 is not emitted to the outside but is repeatedly reflected on the inner surface to reach the connecting surface 8 and is incident on the light guide body 5 from the connecting surface. The light incident on the light guide body 5 of the main light guide and transmitted inside in the direction away from the LED 1 (terminal side) is emitted to the outside from the light emitting surface of the light guide 5 by the reflection pattern formed on the back side thereof. NS.

In the same manner as described above, the light from the LED 3 guides the light guide body 7 and is incident on the leading light unit light guide body 5 from the connecting surface 9 and is emitted from the exit surface thereof.

The principle of changing the emission intensity of each of LED1, LED2, and LED3 so that light emission from the front side (observer side) of the leading light unit flows will be described.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the emission luminance distribution from the leading light unit in the longitudinal direction when the LEDs 1, 2 and 3 emit light, respectively. The horizontal axis shows the longitudinal distance of the light emitting display from the LED side, and the vertical axis shows the relative value of the brightness. In this example, the length of the light emitting display unit in the longitudinal direction is 300 mm. The brightness distribution when LED1 emits 100% is 12, the brightness distribution when LED2 emits 100% is 17, and the brightness distribution when LED3 emits 100% is 22.

FIG. 4 shows a change in the brightness distribution of the leading light unit when the three LEDs are turned on at the same time and their emission intensities are changed by 20%. Since the light from each LED shows independent behavior without interfering with each other, the brightness distribution when a plurality of LEDs are turned on at the same time is simply the sum of the brightness distributions when the individual LEDs are turned on. Become.

Here, the emission intensity ratios of LEDs 1, 2, and 3 and the numbers in the graph are as follows.
12: LED1-100%
13: LED1-80% LED2-20%
14: LED1-60% LED2-40%
15: LED1-40% LED2-60%
16: LED1-20% LED2-80%
17: LED2-100%
18: LED2-80% LED3-20%
19: LED2-60% LED3-40%
20: LED2-40% LED3-60%
21: LED2-20% LED3-80%
22: LED 3-100%

The peak value of the brightness distribution in each state is indicated by an arrow in the graph, but as the state changes from 12 to 22, the position of the brightness peak changes from left to right (from LED1 side to end side). And) you can see that it is moving. That is, by changing the light emission intensity of the LED from the state of 12 to the state of 22, the brightness distribution moves from the LED1 side to the terminal side. Here, for the sake of explanation, a graph in which the emission intensity of the LED is changed by 20% is typically shown, but in reality, the brightness distribution is smoothly changed from 12 to 22 by continuously changing it more finely. It changes to the state of, and the effect that the light flows smoothly from left to right can be obtained. Further, if the light emission intensity of the LED is continuously changed so as to change from the above 22 to 12 in the opposite direction, an effect that the light flows smoothly from right to left can be obtained. become.

In the present invention, in order to achieve a dynamic effect that flows smoothly, it is essential that the light emitted from the leading light portion has an appropriate luminance distribution as shown in FIG. Next, in the light emission display device of the present invention, the principle that light can be emitted from the leading light unit with an appropriate luminance distribution will be described.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view schematically showing the behavior of light inside the light guide body 5 from the side surface direction. The light emitted from the LED 1 is incident on the inside from the end of the light guide body 5, and guides the inside of the light guide body while repeating internal reflection at the interface between the light guide body and air. A part of the light that has reached the reflection pattern 11 is emitted to the front side (observer side), and a part of the light is emitted to the back side (opposite side of the observer). By controlling the region (light emitting region) to which the reflection pattern is applied and the pitch and height within the region, it is possible to control the area and brightness distribution of light emitted by the emitted light.

In FIG. 1, the light from the LEDs 2 and 3 is incident on the light guide bodies 6 and 7, guides the inside thereof, and is incident on the light guide body 5 from the connecting surfaces 8 and 9 to guide the inside of the light guide body. Then, it reaches the light emitting region and emits light from the exit surface of the light guide body 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the connecting surfaces 8 and 9 have a shape in which the width gradually becomes wider (H becomes higher) from the LED1 side (starting end side) toward the ending direction, respectively. Due to this shape, the incident light flux to the light guide body 5 becomes uniform in the longitudinal direction of the connecting surface, and the light emitted from the emission surface of the light guide body 5 has an appropriate brightness distribution as shown in FIG.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the connecting surfaces of the sub-light guide portions 6 and 7 to the leading light portion light guide body 5 are in the longitudinal direction of the light guide body 5 as in the connecting surfaces 26 and 27. When H is constant, the brightness distribution of the light guide body 5 due to the light incident on the leading light unit from the sub light guide unit is biased to one location as shown in 28 and 29 of FIG. On the other hand, in the connecting surface of the present invention, H is low on the starting end side and high on the ending side, so that the brightness distribution of the light guide body 5 due to the incident light from the connecting surface is as shown in 17 and 22 of FIG. , It is possible to have a uniform distribution over the entire exit surface.

The higher the height H of the connecting surface, the larger the incident luminous flux to the leading light portion, and the lower the H, the smaller the incident luminous flux. The light incident on the light guide body 5 of the main light guide unit is emitted to the outside by the reflection pattern on the back surface thereof, and the emitted light flux is proportional to the incident light flux on the light guide body. Here, in FIG. 1, the luminous flux densities reaching each of the connecting surfaces 8 and 9 are high on the start end side and decrease toward the end end side. Therefore, by lowering H on the starting end side having a high luminous flux density and increasing H on the ending side having a low luminous flux density, the incident light flux from the connecting surface to the leading light portion becomes uniform in the longitudinal direction.

As described above, the brightness distribution of the emitted light from the emitting surface of the leading light unit light guide 5 is determined by appropriately designing the pitch and height of the reflection pattern, and determining the length and H of the connecting surface in the longitudinal direction. With proper design, it is possible to obtain a distribution as shown by curve 22 in FIG.

Further, a reflective member may be provided on the end surface 10 in FIG. 1 to change the brightness distribution.

In the light emitting display device of the present invention, in addition to the effect display by the brightness change as described above, the effect display that dynamically changes the color gradation by using a package containing three RGB chips or the like. It is also possible to do. In FIG. 1, if LED1 is lit in blue (B), LED2 is lit in green (G), and LED3 is lit in red (R) at the same time, the color changes in gradation from blue-light blue-green-yellow-red. Become. By changing the emission color and emission intensity of each LED, a dynamic effect display can be performed in various variations. As an example, when all of LEDs 1, 2 and 3 are first lit in blue, then red light is emitted, and as described above, the light emission intensities of LEDs 1, 2 and 3 are sequentially and continuously changed. The band-shaped light emission with a magenta gradation on the blue background smoothly moves from the LED1 side to the terminal side.

In this embodiment, one leading light unit and two sub light guide units are connected, and LEDs are arranged at one end of the leading light unit and each sub light guide unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The number of sub light guide units can be increased or decreased, or the number of LEDs can be increased according to the desired effect.

In the present invention, the light emitting region can be formed by a free design on the back surface of the leading light body. For example, in FIG. 8, the hatched portion is a light emitting region, but it can be variously shaped according to the application, such as a wavy shape such as A, a edamame shape such as B, and an arrow shape such as C. A design can be given.

Further, in the present invention, the leading light body does not have to be linear. As long as it does not interfere with the light guidance in the light guide body, it may be curved, for example. An example thereof is shown in FIG. 9, but various shapes can be obtained according to the application, such as a shape that is entirely curved as shown in A and a shape that is deformed in a wavy shape as shown in B.

Further, in the light emitting display device of the present invention, the configuration shown in FIG. 1 can be regarded as one structural unit, and a plurality of light guide bodies can be integrated by connecting a plurality of structural units. As a specific example, as shown in FIG. 10, a structure in which light is introduced from both ends to form a continuous long leading light portion, or as shown in FIG. 11, light is entered from four directions to cross the leading light portion. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, a structure in which light is introduced from six directions to form a radial star shape in which the leading light portion extends in six directions can be mentioned.

As described above, the light emitting display device of the present invention has various variations such as the shape of the light emitting region, the shape of the leading light body, and the method of combining the constituent units, and various usage methods are possible.

In the display device of the present invention, in particular, by mounting a plurality of LEDs on the same substrate, the cost of electronic parts and harnesses can be suppressed, which is a great advantage. Some electronic products have a removable structure, such as the front structure of a home air conditioner indoor unit. When it is desired to display and light such a member, it is necessary to route the harness using a connector or the like in order to directly attach the electronic component to the removable structure. Since the structure is complicated in this way, it causes an increase in cost, and also causes troublesome maintenance and susceptibility to failure. On the other hand, according to the present invention, the LED board can be installed on the structure side fixed to the main body (not detachable), and the light guide body can be installed on the detachable structure side. It is possible to create a light emitting display device that is simple and has no troubles.

In the light emitting display device of the present invention, it is the light emitting region of the leading light unit that is directly related to the display, and the sub light guide unit and the installation part of the LED board that are not related to the display are covered with an opaque member and exposed. It is preferable not to be done. The first reason is aesthetic. Next, when the LED substrate portion is exposed, the light that leaks out without being incident on the light guide directly enters the field of view of the observer, which causes deterioration of the display quality due to the extra light. Further, in the light emission display device of the present invention, dynamic light emission display is possible as it is, but a diffuser plate or the like for diffusing light is provided in front of the display area to diffuse the light emission from the light guide body. It is also possible to make the entire surface of the diffusion plate emit light, which can give a new design. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, the light emission display device itself is arranged in a place that cannot be directly seen, and the light emitted from the leading light body is irradiated to the irradiated object 23, and the illuminated light is indirectly observed. It is also possible to use it in such a way.

As the material of the light guide body of the present invention, a highly transparent thermoplastic resin is preferably used, and specific examples thereof include polymethyl (meth) acrylate, polycarbonate, and polyolefin-based resin. The light guide body can be mass-produced at low cost by injection molding using a corresponding mold.

In the light guide member including the leading light portion and the sub light guide portion of the present invention, the sub light guide portion is connected to the leading light portion by an elongated connecting surface in order to guide the controlled light to the leading light portion. However, in order to facilitate the molding of the light guide member, to provide mechanical strength, and to facilitate incorporation into electronic parts, a leading light unit, a sub light guide unit, and / or It is preferable that the sub-light guide portions are partially connected to each other at a location other than the connecting surface. In FIG. 14, the connecting portion 24 is provided for the above purpose. Since light leaks into the connecting portion from the leading light body and the sub light guide body, the connecting portion may be made as small as possible. Desirably, this makes it possible to suppress unnecessary light emission and increase the efficiency of light utilization.

As described above, in FIG. 5, a part of the light that has reached the reflection pattern 11 is emitted not to the observer side but to the back side. By arranging a material (diffuse reflective or specular reflective) that reflects light behind this back side (back side), the light emitted to the back side is reflected to the observer side, and the reflected light is also displayed. Since it can be used for, such a configuration may be used depending on the purpose.

One of the features of the display device of the present invention is that the light guide body is transparent so that the back side can be seen through. Therefore, when the display device of the present invention is arranged in front of some structure or in front of a display object such as another display panel, the structure or the like on the rear side can be seen through when the display device does not emit light. It can be used so that the light emitting display of the display device of the present invention can be seen when it is visible and emits light. Specifically, by arranging the display device of the present invention in front of a liquid crystal panel or the like, a multi-layered display can be performed.

Further, one or more LEDs can be additionally arranged behind the leading light unit so as to emit light toward the observer side. For example, by controlling the light emission of the rear LED so that the light emission can be seen through the display device of the present invention, the point-shaped light of the LED and the band-shaped light of the display device of the present invention can be seen. It is possible to provide a display device that displays in multiple layers.

Effect of the invention

According to the light emission display device of the present invention, the light emitted from the LEDs of the leading light body and the sub light guide body emits light in a gentle mountain-like distribution with peaks at different positions of the leading light unit, and the distribution is as follows. Since they overlap each other, by continuously changing the emission intensity of the LED, the band-shaped emission from the leading light portion becomes the emission that continuously and smoothly moves. This makes it possible to create an effect in which light flows smoothly.

The present invention can be used as a light emitting display device that emits light on a line. In particular, it can be suitably used as an illumination for vehicles and gaming machines.

本発明の発光表示装置を間接照明として使用する使用形態を示す図 導光体の構造を示す斜視図 The figure which shows the basic structure of the light emission display device of this invention. Perspective view showing the basic configuration of the light emission display device of the present invention. Luminance distribution of the leading light body when each of LEDs 1, 2 and 3 is made to emit light The figure explaining the change of the luminance distribution when the emission intensity of LEDs 1, 2 and 3 is changed. Side sectional view explaining the behavior of light transmitted inside the main light guide body. The figure which shows the comparative example which the connection surface is inappropriate The figure explaining the difference of the luminance distribution between an Example and a comparative example The figure which shows the design example of the light emitting area The figure which shows the shape example of the main light guide body

The figure which shows the usage form which uses the light emission display device of this invention as indirect lighting. Perspective view showing the structure of the light guide body

1 LED placed at the end of the main light guide
A few LEDs located at the end of the sub light guide
4 Light emission display device 5 Main light guide unit 6, 7 Sub light guide unit 8, 9, 26, 27 Connecting surface 10 Terminal surface 11 Reflection pattern 12 to 22, 28, 29 Curve 23 showing brightness distribution 23 Irradiated object 24 Additional connecting unit 25 Luminous area

Claims (1)

A long light guide body, one or more LEDs that incident light on the light guide body are arranged at at least one end, and the incident light is reflected to the front surface in the observer direction on the back surface in the longitudinal direction. The leading light part, which consists of the reflection patterns formed in an array,
In a long light guide body, a certain range in the longitudinal direction is arranged along the leading light portion, and one or more LEDs that incident light on the light guide body are arranged at one end thereof, and the other. A shape in which an end portion is composed of one or more sub-light guide portions connected by an elongated connecting surface on the side surface side of the leading light portion, and the connecting surface gradually widens as the distance from the LED side increases. the has the light emitted from LED of the LED and the auxiliary light guide section of the main light portion causes the light displayed on the strip from the front of the main light unit,
By changing the light emission order, light emission intensity, and light emission color of the LED, the brightness gradation and the light emission color gradation in the lead light portion band-shaped display area are changed to perform a dynamic effect display. Display device.

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