JPS60107604A - Optical branching device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To branch effectively an optical energy and to adjust the quantity of taken-out light by providing a through hole in one of two photoconductor rods orthogonal to each other and inserting two photoconductors from both ends of the through hole. CONSTITUTION:Photoconductor rods 1 and 3 are provided orthogonally to each other, and a through hole 2 having a slope 5a is provided in the rod 1. Photoconductors 6a and 6b having the same angle as the slope 5a are inserted from both end parts of the through hole 2. In this case, the light in the direction of an arrow A is propagated in the direction of an arrow B when they are inserted till inserted surfaces 6a' and 6b' coincide with each other; but if a gap (l) is provided between end faces, a part of the light is reflected and is taken out in the direction of an arrow C through the rod 3. The quantity of this taken-out light is adjusted by the length of the gap (l). Thus, the optical energy is branched effectively, and the quantity of taken-out light is adjusted.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Extractable light! TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an optical branching device that branches part of the optical energy propagated within a light guide and extracts it from the guide body.

PRIOR ART The present applicant first focused sunlight or artificial light with a lens or the like, introduced it into a light guide, and transmitted it to any desired location through the guide for use as illumination. Various proposals were made. In this case, if the light energy propagating within the light guide can be branched out from the light guide during its propagation, the utilization efficiency of light energy can be further improved.
Conventionally, such a light branching means did not exist, and it was extremely inconvenient.

Purpose The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances.
In particular, the purpose of this invention is to provide an optical branching device that can branch and extract a part of the optical energy propagated within the optical guide rod from the guide rod.

Figure 1 is a front view for explaining one embodiment of the optical branching device according to the present invention, and Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in Figure 1, where l indicates the 1 light guide rondo, the light guide lot 1
A through hole 2 is provided in the radial direction, and one surface 5q of the through hole 2 has a certain inclination with respect to the axial direction of the light guide rod 1 as shown. Reference numeral 3 denotes a second light guide rod, and the light guide rod 3 is fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the first light guide rod 1 at a position facing the inclined surface 5q of the through hole 2. However, since it is difficult to make a hole with an inclined surface 5o in the light guide rod 1, in reality, the same light guide rod as the light guide rod 1 is cut into rounds to the desired thickness. A light guide cut into rings is divided into two parts, for example through the center, and one light guide is left as it is, for example, as a light guide 4, and the cut surface of the other light guide is processed into an inclined surface 5o to become a light guide 5. For example, a through hole 2 as shown in the figure is provided between the light guide rods 1 by adhering them with optical glue or the like.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a light guide fitted into the through hole 2, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is a side view, in which at least two such light guides 6 are fitted. These are fully prepared and inserted into the through hole 2 from both sides of the through hole 2, as shown at 60 and 6b in FIG. In this case, when the light guides 6a and 6b are inserted into the through hole 5 until the insertion sides 6a' and 6b' of the light guides 6a and 6b are aligned, the inside of the light guide lot 1 is moved in the direction of arrow A. All the propagated light propagates in the direction of arrow B, but the insertion side end faces 6a', 6
When a gap Q is provided between the light guide rod 3 and the light guide rod 3, a part of the light propagating from the direction of the arrow is reflected and propagated in the direction of the arrow C in the part corresponding to the gap.
taken out through. The amount of light extracted from the light guide rod 3 can be adjusted by changing the length of the gap Q, that is, the amount of insertion of the light guides 6a+6b. In addition, at this time, unless the air in the gap Q is released to the outside, the end surfaces 60' and 6b of the light guides 6q and 6b
In order to avoid such a problem, it is preferable to make a narrow through hole in the axial direction in one or both of the light guides 6a, 6b, for example.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
As shown in the figure, the through hole 2 is formed in the shape of a parallelogram,
In this parallelogram through hole 2', light guides 7a and 7b having parallelogram surfaces 2'' aligned with the through hole 2' as shown in FIG. , 6b
It will be easily understood that it can be inserted into and removed from the through hole 2' in the same manner as described above. Further, in the above embodiment, the case where one pair of light guides 6a, 6b or 7a, 7b is used was explained, but the light guides 6a, 6b or 7
Further divide a and 7b, for example, as shown in FIG.
The light guide 7a (and 7b) is further divided into two parts (light guide 7b).
are exactly the same as the light guide 7q, so they are omitted in FIG. 7) 7al, 7a2, and these 7al
It is also possible to have the same effect as the light guide 7q with 7a2 and 7a2, and in this way, the gap between each sealed can can be adjusted, so the amount of branched light can be adjusted more finely. I can do it.

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the light propagating inside the optical waveguide 1 can be branched and extracted with a simple and inexpensive configuration, and the A light branching device that can adjust the amount of light can be provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a side view for explaining an embodiment of the optical branching device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-■ in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a side view for explaining an embodiment of the optical branching device according to the present invention FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing one state of use of the optical branching device according to the present invention, FIG. 5 is a side view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 and 7 are diagrams each showing an example of a light guide suitable for use in the optical branching device of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. l...Light guide rod, 2,2'...Through hole, 3...Light guide Rondo, 4.5+ 6a+ 7a, 7tz 701
. 7a2...Light guide. Figure 1 Figure 3 (a) Figure 2 Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] a first light guide rond having a through hole extending in the radial direction and having a surface inclined with respect to the axial direction; a second light guide rond, and at least one pair of third and fourth light guides having surfaces that engage with the inclined surface and being removably inserted into the through hole; An optical branching device characterized in that the third and fourth light guides are inserted into the through hole from both ends of the through hole.