JPH11249599A - Light emitting display - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve a bar-like light emitting display mixing various colors by using a small number of light emitting diodes. SOLUTION: When an optical fiber material is made up by fitting cap materials for a light source on both ends of the optical fiber material, a printed board 3 is attached to the cap material so as to be opposed to the fiber end face 1a and slightly tilted thereto, and the surface 3a of the printed board 3 is treated with pattern-plating so as to be a light reflecting surface. And, light emitting diodes 4 of three primary colors, red, blue, and green, in the neighborhood of the axial center are arranged almost parallel to the axial center, and those around the fiber material are arranged to be slightly inclined.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention belongs to the technical field of a light-emitting display device using an optical fiber material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a neon tube as such an indicator. However, since the neon tube is formed of a glass tube, there is a problem that the tube cannot be broken and the ball is cut. In addition, there is also a problem that since a member formed in a predetermined shape is attached, on-site transportation or the like is troublesome and complicated, and the shape cannot be changed afterwards at the site. On the other hand, there is a light emitting device using a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode which can be used semi-permanently without fear of the ball breaking. In some of such devices, a plurality of light-emitting diodes are formed into a long shape in which a plurality of light-emitting diodes are sealed in a flexible resin tube material, and the light-emitting diodes can be used for decorative arrangement.

[0003]

However, since the light emitting diode using the light emitting diode emits light in a state where the light emitting diode is scattered, the light emitting device is not only a long light emitting device but also a dotted linear light emitting device with a long interval. It is necessary to arrange the light emitting diodes continuously without any gap in order to perform a continuous rod-shaped light emitting display like this.However, there is a problem that a large number of light emitting diodes are required and the feasibility is poor. is there. Furthermore, the color emitted is a color emitted by the light emitting diode, and there is a problem that it is not possible to emit light in which various colors are mixed, and there is a problem that the present invention does not solve.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve these problems in view of the above situation, and has a light transmitting cylindrical optical fiber and an optical fiber. And a pair of light sources for irradiating light at an irradiation angle at which light leaks from the peripheral surface of the optical fiber to the outside. Is made. In this device, each light source includes a light-emitting diode, a substrate in which the plurality of light-emitting diodes are incorporated, and a substrate that is externally attached to an end of the optical fiber, and that a light-emitting direction of the light-emitting diode is opposed to an end surface of the optical fiber. It is made of a cap material. In this case, the light emitting diode mounting surface of the substrate is a light reflecting surface. The inner surface of the cap material is a light reflecting surface. Further, the light reflecting surface is adapted to diffusely reflect light. Furthermore, the light emitting diodes attached to each light source are a plurality of light emitting diodes having different color tones. According to the present invention, a continuous rod-shaped light can be emitted from the peripheral surface of the optical fiber material using a small number of light sources, and light can be easily synthesized, thereby providing an unprecedented light emitting display device. Now you can.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In practicing the present invention, an optical fiber material needs to pass a part of light through the fiber while leaking to the outside. It is preferable to use a material with a low refractive index rather than a material with a high refractive index, but if the irradiation direction of the light source can be arranged so as to exceed the critical refractive angle of the optical fiber material, a material having a high refractive index is used. Anything can be adopted. As the optical fiber material, it is preferable to use a translucent and bendable flexible resin material. By doing so, it is possible to freely bend and attach the work according to the site of the work. There is an advantage that the degree can be secured. Further, as the light source, a light emitting diode, a substrate on which the plurality of light emitting diodes are incorporated, and a cap material which is attached to the end of the optical fiber so as to be fitted externally, and incorporates the substrate such that the light emitting direction of the light emitting diode faces the end face of the optical fiber. Will be composed of

In this case, as the substrate, for example, a generally known printed circuit board or the like can be used.
If this substrate surface is made to face the end surface of the optical fiber material, and the opposing substrate surface is made a light reflecting surface by performing pattern plating or the like, the optical fiber material does not leak from the peripheral surface of the optical fiber material. The light emitted from the opposite end face can be returned into the optical fiber material. In the case where the substrate surface is used as a light reflecting surface as described above, if the reflected light passes through the optical fiber again and exits from the other end surface of the fiber, the light simply passes through the optical fiber material, which is not very meaningful. Therefore, the light reflection surface exceeds the critical angle of refraction by making the light reflection surface irregular or reflective by making the light reflection surface uneven or spherical, or by mounting the substrate surface so that it is not parallel to the fiber end surface but inclined. There is an advantage that it can be returned to the optical fiber material in a state. Such a measure can be taken not only on the substrate side but also on the end face side of the optical fiber material. That is, the end face of the optical fiber material may be a convex spherical surface, a concave spherical surface, an inclined surface, or the like instead of a flat end surface. Further, it is preferable that the inner surface of the cap material is also a reflection surface, and there is an advantage that light hitting the inner surface of the cap material can be reflected and sent to the optical fiber material. In this case, the inner surface of the cap surface does not directly face the end surface of the optical fiber material like the surface of the substrate, and since it is an inner cylindrical surface, it is not always necessary to provide a diffuse reflection surface or the like as the surface of the substrate. But,
Of course, a diffuse reflection surface or the like may be used. By reflecting the light leaking from the end face of the optical fiber material and returning it to the optical fiber material again, it is necessary for the light-emitting diodes attached to each light source that the optical axis direction exceeds the critical angle of refraction. Not possible to install. That is, the light emitting diode may be mounted so that the optical axis direction is parallel to the axial center direction of the optical fiber material.
There is an advantage in that a large number of light emitting diodes can be mounted with a small mounting area to achieve high brightness. Various types of light-emitting diodes such as red, green, yellow, blue, and white can be used. The three primary colors of light, red (R), blue (B), and green (G), can be used. By controlling these luminances, it is possible to control the emission of almost infinite colors, and the emission colors are not defined as in a conventional neon tube.

Next, an embodiment in which the present invention is actually embodied will be specifically described. 1 and 2, 1
Is an optical fiber material having a cylindrical shape, and the optical fiber material 1 is made of a flexible transparent resin material having a diameter of 18.4 mm. Reference numeral 2 denotes a light source cap material attached to both ends of the optical fiber material 1. The cap material 2 has a cylindrical shape, and one half of the cap material 2 is externally fitted to the end of the fiber material 1. A printed board 3 is attached to the cap member 2 so as to face the end face of the optical fiber member 1. On the surface 3a of the substrate 3 facing the fiber end surface 1a, red, which is the three primary colors of light,
The light-emitting diodes 4 that emit blue and green light are mounted in a standing manner. In the present embodiment, six red light-emitting diodes 4 are used, and three blue light-emitting diodes 4 and three green light-emitting diodes are used.
Twelve are conveniently attached to each. Six of the optical fiber materials 1 that are close to the optical axis (illustrated by only arcs in FIG. 3) have their optical axes mounted substantially parallel to the optical fiber material 1 axis, and Pieces (illustrated in the shape of a slanted cylinder in FIG. 3)
Are mounted in an inclined manner. The light emitting diodes 4 are arranged so that all light emitting surfaces are located within the diameter of the optical fiber material 1. In the present embodiment, the substrate surface 3a is set to be a light reflecting surface by pattern plating, and the fiber end surface 1a and the substrate surface 3a.
It is set to be opposed to a in a state of not being parallel but being slightly inclined (for example, about 1 °). Furthermore, cap material 2
The inner peripheral surface 2a is also a reflection surface that has been mirror-finished by a descending means such as vacuum evaporation. By the way, the light emitting diode 4
Is controlled so that various controls such as continuous lighting, blinking lighting, brightness adjustment, and the like can be performed at each end for each color, but details thereof are omitted here.

As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the light rays emitted from the light emitting diodes 4 attached to both ends of the optical fiber material 1 and passing through the optical fiber material 1 are reflected on the peripheral surface of the optical fiber material 1. Each time the light is reflected, a part of the light leaks from the peripheral surface of the optical fiber material 1 to the outside, whereby the surface of the optical fiber material 1 becomes a colored rod-like body and is visually observed from the outside. As a result, while the light emitting diode 4 is used as a light source, the entire surface of the optical fiber material 1 emits light, and emits light not in a dotted line but in a rod-like state. Moreover, the light emitted from the peripheral surface of the optical fiber material 1 is dimmed as a composite color of the three colors of light, so that various emission colors can be obtained as needed.

Further, in this device, since the substrate surface 3a and the inner peripheral surface 2a of the cap material are reflection surfaces, light leaked from the end surface 1a of the optical fiber material 1 can be returned to the optical fiber material 1 again. Therefore, it is possible to prevent light from being wastefully emitted from the end face 1a, and to provide an efficient light emitting display. Furthermore, since the substrate surface 3a and the fiber material end surface 1a face each other with a slight inclination, it is assumed that light parallel to the axis of the optical fiber material 1 leaks from the end surface 1a and is reflected by the substrate surface 3a. When the light enters the end face 1a of the fiber material, it is not a parallel light beam anymore, and eventually leaks from the peripheral surface of the optical fiber material 1, and the light efficiency is also improved here.

By the way, the light leaked from the fiber end face 1a is not reflected only on the substrate surface 3a and the cap inner peripheral surface 2a. In the present embodiment, the light emitting diodes 4 are collectively arranged so as to be arranged within the end face diameter of the fiber material 1a, and the substrate surface 1 is
When the area directly facing the fiber material end face 1a is small, the light emitting diode 4 has a large area directly facing the fiber material end face 1a. Therefore, most of the light leaked from the fiber material end face 1a is reflected by the light emitting diode 4 ( The light that has once entered the light emitting diode and the light that has come out again is included). The light reflected by the light emitting diode 4 is the light emitting diode 4
Has a cylindrical shape, and its tip is spherically processed, so that most of the light is reflected in an irregularly-reflected state. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, the substrate 3 is inclined or the substrate surface 3a is irregularly reflected. Although it is not always necessary to form the surface, it is effective when the number of light emitting diodes 4 is small or when the area where the substrate surface 3a directly faces the fiber material end surface 1a is large. In addition, some of the light reflected by the light emitting diode 4 impinges on the cap inner peripheral surface 2a, and such light is reflected by the cap inner peripheral surface 2a and effectively used as a light source.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a light emitting display device.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a light source unit.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement state of a light source.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 optical fiber material 2 cap material 3 printed circuit board 4 light emitting diode

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A translucent cylindrical optical fiber,
A pair of light sources are provided at both ends of the optical fiber and irradiate at an irradiation angle at which light leaks from the peripheral surface of the optical fiber to the outside. Each of the light sources is simultaneously controlled by a command from a control unit, and separately controlled. A light-emitting display device in which switching is performed. 2. The light-emitting diode according to claim 1, wherein the light-emitting diode, a substrate on which the plurality of light-emitting diodes are incorporated, and a light-emitting diode are attached to an end of the optical fiber so that a light-emitting direction of the light-emitting diode is on an end face of the optical fiber. A light-emitting display device comprising a cap material in which a substrate is incorporated so as to face the same. 3. The light emitting display according to claim 2, wherein the light emitting diode mounting surface of the substrate is a light reflecting surface. 4. The light emitting display according to claim 2, wherein the inner surface of the cap member is a light reflecting surface. 5. The light-emitting display device according to claim 3, wherein the light reflecting surface is configured to diffusely reflect light. 6. The light emitting display according to claim 2, wherein the light emitting diodes attached to each light source are a plurality of light emitting diodes having different color tones.