JPH01236501A - Angled illumination tube and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To protect electric insulation of internal wirings without impairing light penetrating property by cutting a tubing in desired position, covering with a thermocontractive tube, folding in a certain angle, applying heat, and putting it in close contact with the tubing. CONSTITUTION:Only the tubing 2 in desired position of an illumination bulb 1 is cut by a cutter etc., and a thermocontractive tube 10 which is heat resistant, translucent, and soft for example of fluoric resin series is fitted on one end of the tubing 2 and is fined so as to stride over the two tubings at the cut part 2a. In the middle of this tube 10, the cut part 2a of tubing 2 is folded in a certain angle, and thereby the outside of the tube 10 is pulled and elongated to a certain degree. Then, or simultaneously thereto, the tube 10 is put in close contact with the tubing 2 while hot wind is blasted to the tube 10 to cause its thermal contraction, This yields an illumination bulb with a certain position folded into the desired angle without impairing translucentness, while it remains to be a single bulb.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is applicable to front desks and reception rooms of general homes and offices, etc.
Or the floor of a desired place such as a hotel, restaurant, theater, etc.
The present invention relates to lighting tubes that are installed in arbitrary locations such as walls and ceilings for the purpose of creating decorativeness and mood with light, and more specifically relates to bent corner lighting tubes with a desired angle that can be formed during installation and their manufacturing method.

(Prior art) Conventionally, a lighting tube with a flexible tube body for the purpose of creating decorativeness and a mood has been published as Utility Model Publication No. 4386 (1986), and a long lighting tube for the purpose of bending has been published. No. 55-97903 is disclosed.

In the former method, a plurality of electrically connected small light bulbs are inserted into a translucent chinibe, electrical connectors are provided at both ends of the chime, and a roughly socket-shaped base is attached to the base of each small light bulb. By covering the base with a lead wire connected to the small light bulb and fixing the lead wire connected to the small light bulb, breakage of the lead wire at the lead wire extraction portion is prevented.

The latter is made up of a plurality of flat illumination bodies each having a plurality of small light bulbs arranged inside a tube body, which are stacked at their ends and rotatably attached to each other.

Further, there is also provided a device in which the lead wire is formed into a strip shape, and illumination tubes are exposed and disposed at appropriate intervals along the lead wire.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, the lighting tube shown in Utility Model Publication No. 54-4386 has a large arc when the tube body is made of a hard material that can retain its shape even though it has flexibility. Although it is possible to draw a corner and bend it, it is not possible to make a corner bend at an arbitrary part, so there is no freedom to arrange it according to the shape at the corner or step of the structure, and it is difficult to There was an inconvenience. Another problem is that a large number of tubes of varying quality must be prepared in advance in order to avoid parts that cannot be attached due to dimensions during construction.

In addition, the illumination body shown in Utility Model Application Publication No. 55-97903 is
Although it is rotatable in one plane direction at the connecting shaft, it cannot be bent at any other angle, and there is a problem in that it cannot be bent at any angle other than the shaft.

Even if the above-mentioned lead wire is in the shape of a strip, even if the corner can be bent at the strip, the small light bulb is exposed, so it does not form a single, neat tube, and it is difficult to transmit light. Some lighting tubes lack the decorative feel of a lighting tube, such as the transparency and three-dimensional effect of the tube, which are characteristics of lighting tubes in which a small light bulb is placed inside the tube.

In order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention provides a lighting tube in which the tube body is bent at an arbitrary midpoint, and the bent corner is closely covered with a heat-shrinkable tube. The purpose is to provide a manufacturing method.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a connecting member having an electrical connector at the end of a translucent tube, and a pair of conducting wires inside the tube. In a lighting tube in which a light emitting body is connected in parallel between the conducting wires, only the tube body is cut at the middle part of the illumination tube, and a translucent heat source is placed across both tube body portions at the cut portion. A corner-folded tube having a structure in which a shrinkable tube is attached, the tube body is bent at a corner at the cut portion, and at the same time, the tube is flexed along the corner-fold and is tightly bonded to both tube body portions by heat shrinkage. It is characterized by being a lighting tube.

In addition, in a lighting tube similar to the above, only the tube body is cut at the middle part of the light tube, and a translucent heat shrinkable tube is inserted from one end of the tube body so as to straddle both tube body portions of the cut portion. A method for producing a corner-bent lighting tube is characterized in that the cut part of the tube body is bent at a predetermined angle at the middle part of the tube, and at the same time, the tube is heat-shrinked so as to be brought into close contact with the tube body. It is something to do.

(Example) Hereinafter, the structure of the lighting tube according to the present invention and its manufacturing method will be explained with reference to the drawings.

1 is a lighting tube in which various internal devices described below are housed in a tube body 2 made of a hard but flexible material with high heat resistance and transparency, such as polycarbonate resin, and has a diameter of 10 mm and a length of 1 m, for example. It is formed in the shape of a straight tube.

As shown in detail in FIG. 7.8, a receptacle 3 made of the same material as the tube body 2 and having two socket contacts 4.4 fitted therein is fitted into one end of the tube body 2. A plug 5 with two protruding pins 6.6 that can be electrically and mechanically fitted to the receptacle 3 is fitted to the other end, and the outside of the plug 5 surrounds the pins 6. In this way, the guide cover 7 for fitting the receptacle 3 is fixedly integrated. The receptacle 3 has a fitting portion 3a that fits into the tube body 2.
, a connecting part 3C that protrudes from the end of the tubular body 2 and has a hole 3b into which the pin 6 of the plug is inserted, and a locking arm 3d that projects outward from the connecting part 3C. The plug 5 integrally includes a fitting part 5a that fits into the tube body 2 and a body part 5b that fixes the guide cover 7, and has pins 6 embedded therein so as to protrude from both ends.

Inside the tube body 2, a pair of conductive wires 8. are insulated once between the socket contacts 4.4 and the pins 6.6 at both ends.
A small light bulb 9 is connected in parallel between both conductive wires 8.8 at a constant interval by an insulated lead wire. Although not shown, a coil spring conductor may be interposed in the middle or at one end of the conductor 8.8.

Therefore, when installing the lighting tube 1, if it is necessary to take a bent corner form at a desired location during construction, as shown in FIGS. Cut only the two parts with a cutter or the like, and then insert a heat-resistant and transparent soft heat-shrinkable tube 10 made of, for example, fluororesin (for example, Teflon (trade name)) from one end of the tube body 2.
The tube 10 is fitted so as to straddle the tube portions on both sides of the cut portion 2a, and then the tube 1
The cut portion 2a of the tubular body 2 is bent at a predetermined angle (90° in the figure) at the middle portion of the tube 10, and in this case, the outside of the tube 10 is pulled and slightly stretched. The heat shrink tube 10 has a diameter of 11-12 when the tube body 2 has the above dimensions.
11 ml and a length of about 5 to 5 cm.

Then or simultaneously, hot air is blown to heat-shrink the tube 10 and bring it into close contact with the tube body 2.

In this way, it is possible to obtain a lighting tube that is bent at a desired angle at any point without impairing its transparency, even though it is a single lighting tube. Furthermore, even at the bent corners, the internal conducting wire 8 and the small light bulb 9 are reliably insulated.

Note that it is preferable to set the length of the conductive wire 8 to have some allowance in advance in order to prevent the conductive wire from being stretched when the corner is bent.

In addition, the lighting tube l according to the present invention is produced by covering the corner bent portion of the tube body 2 with a heat-shrinkable chicove 10 and causing the heat-shrinking.
At the same time, the heat-resistance of the heat-shrinkable tube 10 allows the temperature inside the lighting tube to be reduced by the heat generated by the small bulb 9 when the light bulb 9 is lit. It will not melt even if the temperature rises to around 150 degrees Celsius, and will not cause any abnormality even if it is turned on continuously day and night.

In this way, there is no need to separately prepare bent lighting tubes with different bending positions, and it is only necessary to prepare -1 straight lighting tubes, and it is possible to obtain lighting tubes with sharp bending angles, making it easy to use. It can improve the decorative mood.

3 to 6, the lighting tube 1 is cut at an arbitrary point in the middle,
An example is shown in which the end of the lighting tube 1 is processed at the cutting position.

FIG. 3 shows that the tube body 2 of the lighting tube 1 is cut at a desired point, the conductor 8 is cut so as to slightly protrude from the cut tube end, and the receptacle 3 is fitted to the tube end, and the conductor wire end is cut at the same time. If it is placed inside the receptacle 3, the two conductors will not short-circuit, and the receptacle 3 will close the tube end.
Tube end treatment is performed as is. Alternatively, insulate the end of the conductor, for example, cover the end with a thin tube (not shown) made of the same material as the heat shrink tube 1O, heat shrink it tightly, insulate it, and fold it into the tube end. , the receptacle 3 may be fitted into this tube end. Note that a plug 5 without pins may be used instead of the receptacle 3.

FIG. 4 shows the lighting tubes 1, 1 with the conducting wire 8 in a non-conducting state.
In this example, a mechanical connecting member 12 of the same shape except that the hole 3b of the receptacle 3 is not formed is fitted to the end of the pipe and connected to this connecting member 12. The plug 5 of the lighting tube 1 is fitted. Note that a plug 5 without pins may be used based on the same idea.

In FIG. 5, a cap 12 is fitted on the outside of the receptacle 3 in the example shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows that a conductor 8.8 is cut in a state that protrudes slightly longer than the cut tube 2, each end of the conductor is insulated, folded into the tube end, and a flat cap 13 is attached to the tube end. It is attached with adhesive.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, one end of the tubular body is cut at a desired location, the core portion is covered with a heat-shrinkable tube, the tube is bent at a desired angle, and the tube is heat-shrinked. By attaching it closely to the pipe body part, it is possible to obtain a corner-bent lighting tube that is suitable for the installation conditions at the site.Moreover, the lighting tube is a light-transmitting pipe body and can be made of a hard or flexible material. ,
Just by preparing one type of straight type, bent corner lighting tubes of various lengths and corner bend angles can be obtained immediately at the time of on-site construction, and the interior can be improved without compromising translucency. It is possible to obtain lighting tubes with insulated protection for wiring, which simplifies manufacturing, reduces manufacturing costs, and improves the efficiency of on-site construction, while at the same time realizing flexibility that can be immediately adapted to any installation @ environment. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a lighting tube according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view schematically showing a state in which the lighting tube of Fig. 1 is installed, and Figs. FIG. 7 is a partially omitted perspective view showing the external structure of the illumination tube, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing various parts of the illumination tube. 1...Lighting tube, 2...Tube body, 7...Heat shrink tube, 2...Conducting wire, 9...Small light bulb. Applicant: NBC Shokai Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A lighting tube in which a connecting member having an electrical connector is disposed at the end of a translucent tube, a pair of conductive wires are stretched inside the tube, and a light emitting body is connected in parallel between the conductive wires. In the middle part of the lighting tube, only the tube body is cut, a translucent heat-shrinkable tube is applied across both tube body portions of the cut portion, and the tube body is bent at an angle at the cut portion. A corner-folded lighting tube having a structure in which the tube is simultaneously bent along the corner-fold and heat-shrinked tightly to both tube body portions. (2) A lighting tube in which a connecting member having an electrical connector is disposed at the end of a translucent tube, a pair of conductive wires are stretched inside the tube, and a light emitting body is connected in parallel between the conductive wires. At the same time, only the tube body is cut at the middle part of the lighting tube, and a translucent heat-shrinkable tube is applied from one end of the tube body so as to straddle both tube body parts at the cut part, and then A method for producing a corner-bent lighting tube, comprising: bending a cut portion of the tube body at a predetermined angle in the middle portion of the tube, and simultaneously heat-shrinking the tube to bring it into close contact with the tube body.