JPH0659128A - Light emitting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate plural pieces of concentrated lighting, to enhance power saving effect and to increase vibration resistance by leaking out an illuminating beam out of an optical transmission hose through a light leakage part and a light emitting member, and emitting light locally. CONSTITUTION:A light emitting device is constituted of a light source l, the optical transmission hose 2 and the light emitting member 3. Then, the light source 1 is provided proximately on both ends of the optical transmission hose 2 through a converging means of a condenser lens, etc., and is constituted so as to emit the light into a core through a window on the optical transmission hose 2. That is, in such a case, this device is constituted so that a required position in the optical transmission hose is crushed by the light emitting member 3, and by that a beam from the light source light guided while totally reflecting inside the optical transmission hose 2 is made to enter a crushed part at a critical angle or below, a total reflection condition is destroyed. Then, only a deformed part intensely emits the light, and that is, the beam is taken out of the crushed light leakage part.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a light emitting device capable of emitting light from a plurality of places for illumination of instruments provided on an instrument panel of a vehicle or illumination of audio products.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, on an instrument panel provided on a dashboard of an automobile or an operation panel of an audio device, the visibility of various instruments provided there is ensured and the operation of switches is confirmed. , Light sources such as incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, LEDs (light emitting diodes), and EL (electroluminescence) are collectively provided.

[0003]

By the way, in such a light source, if the light sources are concentrated and arranged in a relatively narrow and limited area, a large amount of heat is generated and the room temperature in the vicinity thereof rises. Since it is necessary to wire between the power source and the power source, if a large number of light sources are used in a narrow area, the wiring work is troublesome, the wiring occupancy volume increases correspondingly, and it is easy to disconnect due to vibration, etc. The use of a light source has disadvantages such as high power consumption and uneconomical. Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and provides a light-emitting device that can easily perform concentrated illumination at a plurality of places, has a high power saving effect, and has a large vibration resistance. That is the purpose.

[0004]

That is, this light emitting device is
A viscous liquid-like, solid-like, or gel-like core having a constant refractive index is filled in a pipe-shaped clad having a lower refractive index and elasticity than this core, and one end or An optical transmission hose having transparent windows provided at both ends of the sealed portion, a light source for introducing illumination light into the core through the windows, and a light emitting member for partially crushing the optical transmission hose to form a light leak portion. And illuminating the illumination light to the outside of the light transmission hose through the light leaking portion and the light emitting member to locally emit light.

[0005]

In the present invention, the desired portion of the light transmission hose is crushed by the light emitting member, and the light from the light source guided while totally reflecting inside the light transmission hose is below the critical angle at the crushed portion. The condition of total reflection is broken by
As a result, only the deformed portion emits strong light, that is, light can be freely extracted from the crushed light leak portion to the outside.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a light emitting device according to the present invention, which is composed of a light source 1, a light transmission hose 2 and a light emitting member 3. Light source 1
Are provided in close proximity to both ends of the light transmission hose 2 via a light collecting means such as a condenser lens (not shown), and are emitted into the core through the window of the light transmission hose 2 described later. It has become. The light source 1 includes an incandescent lamp, a fluorescent tube, a halogen lamp, a metal high-ride lamp, a light emitting diode (LED), and a semiconductor laser (L) that are generally used.
D), gas laser, electroluminescence (E
L), artificial light sources such as plasma arc tubes, and natural light such as sunlight can also be used. Further, the light emitted from this light source can be light of each color having a specific wavelength as long as it is visible light, and can be changed to another color by interposing a color filter, or can be changed to a different color by a color filter changer. You may make it select and change it appropriately. Further, as the light emitted from this light source, pulsed light emission or flash light emission can be performed intermittently. In this embodiment, the optical transmission hose 2
Although the light sources 1 are provided on both ends of the above, they may be provided on only one side.

In the optical transmission hose 2, as shown in FIG. 2, a core 21 made of a viscous liquid is filled in a polymer clad 22 processed into a flexible pipe, and the clad 22 is filled with the polymer clad 22.
Both ends of are sealed with transparent windows 23. By using the clad 22 having a refractive index lower than that of the core 21, total reflection of light occurs at the interface between the two, and as shown in FIG. 3, the light incident from one end to the other end is repeated by repeating this total reflection. I'm supposed to tell you. Examples of the core 23 include polyols such as polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide and glycerin, polyol esters, polyol ethers, phosphoric acid esters such as chloroethyl phosphate and dichloropropyl phosphate, liquid paraffin, fluorine oil, silicone oil, polyisobutylene, A polysiloxane-modified polyether, an aqueous solution of an inorganic salt, a polymer solution obtained by diluting a polymer with an appropriate solvent, or the like is used. Here, as the material for forming the hollow tubular clad 22, it is preferable to use a flexible material such as plastic or elastomer that can be molded into a tube and has a low refractive index. Specific examples thereof include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polystyrene, ABS, polymethylmethacrylate, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene-polyvinyl alcohol copolymer. Polymer, fluororesin, silicone resin, natural rubber, polyisoprene rubber, polybutadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene copolymer, butyl rubber, halogenated butyl rubber, chloroprene rubber, acrylic rubber, EPDM, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer, fluororubber, Silicon rubber etc. are mentioned. Of these, silicone polymers and fluoropolymers having a low refractive index are particularly preferable,
Specifically, silicone-based polymers such as polydimethyl siloxane polymer, polymethylphenyl siloxane polymer, fluorosilicone polymer, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer (FEP), tetrafluoride. Ethylene-perfluoroalkoxyethylene copolymer (PFE), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer (ETFE), polyvinylidene fluoride, polyvinyl fluoride, vinylidene fluoride-3 Fluorochloroethylene copolymer, vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene copolymer, vinylidene fluoride-
Hexafluoropropylene-tetrafluoroethylene terpolymer,
Examples thereof include tetrafluoroethylene propylene rubber and fluorine-based thermoplastic elastomer. These materials may be used alone or as a mixture of two or more kinds, and may be used as a single tube or a multiple tube. Furthermore, only the inner surface in contact with the core liquid can be subjected to a treatment such as a smoothing treatment by a method such as coating or double extrusion. As the clad 22, a transparent or opaque inorganic or organic material having a lower refractive index than the core 21 is used. When the clad 22 is formed of a transparent inorganic or organic material, light is emitted only in a necessary part of the outer circumference of the clad 22, so it is effective to cover the unnecessary part with an opaque outer cover. In addition, a transparent outer cover can be coated to protect the optical transmission hose and prevent damage due to external forces such as chemical resistance and impact. As the transparent window 23, crown glass, quartz, flint glass, chalcogenite glass, sapphire, crystal, polycarbonate, methacrylic resin, polystyrene resin or the like can be used. The core 21 is not limited to the viscous liquid type, but a solid or gel type may be used. For example, a solid material such as plastic or thermoelastomer or a curable liquid material such as epoxy resin, liquid silicon, polyurethane, or liquid polybutadiene is used for the clad 2.
It may be in the form of gel filled with 2 and cured.

The optical transmission hose 2 of this embodiment is
As shown in FIG. 4, a transparent portion 41 serving as a light emitting portion is pattern-printed on a predetermined portion, and is supported by a support member 42 with respect to a panel 4. In addition, in order to prevent the light from the light transmission hose 2 from leaking, a portion other than the transparent portion 41 of the panel 4 is formed with an opaque portion 43 having a predetermined color by itself. May be applied. The light emitting member 3 is for deforming the clad 22 and partially extracting the light traveling while repeating total reflection in the core 21, that is, for partially crushing a desired portion in the light transmission hose 2. Thus, the condition of total reflection is broken by making the light incident on the cladding 22 at a critical angle or less. The light emitting member 3 of this embodiment uses an O-ring 31 having an outer diameter smaller than that of the clad 22 as shown in FIG. 5 and formed of a transparent material, as shown in FIG. As described above, light is emitted by the leaking portion 22A in which the clad 22 is crushed. The light emitting member is not particularly limited to that of this embodiment, and may be the ring 32 having a flat plate cross section shown in FIG. 7, and in this case, the light emitting region is enlarged as shown in FIG. .

Further, as this light emitting member, as shown in FIGS.
2, a ring 33 having an inverted triangular cross section, a ring 34 having a rectangular cross section, a ring 35 having a rounded inner peripheral surface,
A ring 36 having a substantially E-shaped cross section is also possible. Furthermore, the light emitting member 37 having a shape as shown in FIG. 13 may be used. In this case, the light leaking portion 22A is formed by the ring portion 37A as shown in FIG. Note that these light emitting members do not necessarily have to be formed of a transparent material. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, in the light emitting member 37 as shown in FIG. 13, the ring portion 37′A reflects light. The flat plate portion 37 'is formed of the material
B may be a transparent portion. In this case the clad 22
Of the light leaking from the concave portion 22B, the light is reflected by the ring portion 37'A and transmitted through the clad 22 and the core 21 again.
Light can be emitted through the clad 22C and the flat plate portion 37'B on the opposite surface side. It should be noted that such a light emitting operation is not particularly limited to the light emitting member 37. For example, one of the facing surfaces is a reflecting portion formed of a metal material or coated with a reflecting film, and the other is a light transmissive member. As long as the transparent portion is made of a good material, it can have the shape as shown in FIGS. In addition, in addition to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the light output member 38 is not necessarily ring-shaped and may be held by some means and crush the light transmission hose 2. Further, in the light emitting member 38, for example, the concave surface portion 38A is used as a reflecting mirror and the transparent crushed portion 3 is used.
8B may be provided, and the light leaked by the crushed portion 38B may be reflected / condensed by the concave surface portion 38A and then transmitted through the inside of the optical transmission hose 2 to leak / emit light from the opposite surface side.

In the light emitting device described above, in order to freely change the light emitting portion,
The cladding itself of the light transmission hose or the outer peripheral surface thereof and the contact portion of the outer peripheral surface of the cladding of the light output member may be formed of a material having a good slidability. In addition, in this embodiment, the instrument panel of an automobile or the operation panel of an audio device is applied and mounted, but other than this, for example, a room lamp for a vehicle, a lighting lamp for a curtain, a lamp for a cigarette lighter, etc. It can be used as a centralized light source system such as for example, as a display for a stereo or Christmas tree, as a game device, as lighting in a store, or as other lighting. is there. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the optical transmission hose 2
Since it is not necessary to use expensive quartz or the like as a material for forming, it is possible to significantly reduce the cost, but if flexibility can be provided, use quartz or various kinds of glass for the core and the clad. Good.

[0011]

As described above, according to the present invention, since a single optical transmission hose can simultaneously emit a large number of light at arbitrary places, space saving can be achieved, and therefore, a small automobile can be installed. It is suitable for lighting instrument panels, can be made lighter in weight, requires only one or two light sources to achieve highly efficient lighting, and also saves energy. The temperature inside the room can be kept constant without being accompanied by it, it can be flexibly placed in any place, the degree of freedom in design is increased, wiring is not required, installation work is extremely easy, vibration is strong, and reliability is high. It is possible to obtain many excellent effects such as a remarkable improvement.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a light emitting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an optical transmission hose according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the optical transmission hose shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cutaway perspective view showing a state in which the light emitting device according to the present invention is attached to a panel.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a light emitting member according to the present invention.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of the light emitting member shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the light emitting member.

8 is a sectional view showing the operation of the light emitting member shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another modification of the light emitting member.

FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another modification of the light emitting member.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another modification of the light emitting member.

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another modification of the light emitting member.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing another modification of the light emitting member.

14 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of the light emitting member of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view showing the operation of another modification of the light emitting member.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing the operation of another modification of the light emitting member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Light Source 2 Optical Transmission Hose 3, 31-38 Light Emitting Member 21 Core 22 Cladding 23 Window

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Takao Aoki 42-2 Inuyama-cho, Sakae-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa (72) Inventor Kiyoshi Koyama 729 Yamanouchi, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A core having a constant refractive index, such as a viscous liquid, a solid or a gel, is filled in a pipe-shaped clad having a refractive index lower than that of the core and having elasticity, which is required. According to the above, a light transmission hose provided with a transparent window at one end or both ends of the sealed portion, a light source for introducing illumination light into the core through the window, and a light leakage part for partially crushing the light transmission hose. A light-emitting device comprising a light-emitting member to be formed, the light-emitting device being configured to leak the illumination light to the outside of the light transmission hose through the light- leaking portion and the light-emitting member to partially emit light.