JPS61214000A - Omnidirectional signal lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a visible or infrared light emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as LIED).
This relates to an omnidirectional traffic or communication signal light that uses a light source (referred to as a "light source") as a light source.

[Conventional technology]

When an LED is used as a light source in this type of signal light, a structure shown in FIG. 8, for example, can be considered. The configuration of this signal light is that a board 2 is mounted on a heat sink 1, and a large number of LEDs 3 are mounted adjacently and densely on the board.
A front lens 4 is attached which has a lens cut for protecting these LEDs 3 and for making the luminous flux emitted from the =qLED into a predetermined light distribution pattern.

2 In a signal light with such a configuration, L E - D
3. There is a problem in that the luminous flux emitted from 3. is not effectively utilized. That is, as shown in FIG.
The luminous flux a on the front side emitted from the light emitting element 5 of the LED
From the top 3a of the lens 3, almost parallel light rays are directed toward the front lens 4, but most of the light beam radiated toward the side surface 3b does not go toward the front side, so it is a light beam that is not used. In addition, in order to obtain appropriate illuminance as a signal light, the used luminous flux a must be emitted in an adjacent state, so a large number of LEDs are also arranged in an adjacent state,
Not only does power consumption increase, but LEDs are also crowded together.
Since a lot of heat is emitted from the heat dissipation plate 1, the heat dissipation plate 1 must also be made highly efficient, which leads to an overall cost increase.

Furthermore, as is clear from FIG. 9, the emission diameter X of the effective luminous flux a emitted from the LED 3 is the outer diameter Y of the LED 3, that is, the lamp.
Even if the LEDs 3 are arranged adjacent to each other, the interval between the effective light beams a emitted from each LED is relatively wide, and there is also the problem that brightness unevenness in the forward-facing lens 4 increases. .

In particular, in the case of traffic signals, although the light distribution pattern required for signal lights differs depending on factors such as the width of the road, the condition of the curve, and the difference in height of the road, there is generally a uniform light distribution. The reality is that patterned signal lights are installed. In order to satisfy the above requirements, the lens cut of the front lens must be formed to match the situation of the mounting position in order to create a light distribution pattern that matches the situation, which is an extremely difficult task. In addition, even if such a lens cut could be made, the cost would be extremely high, and it would not be put to practical use due to workability and economical reasons.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The present invention solves the problem of not being able to effectively utilize the luminous flux emitted from LEDs in this type of signal lamp, and the problem of not being able to effectively utilize the luminous flux emitted from LEDs.
This is intended to solve the problems of high cost and heat radiation caused by using EDs in a crowded state, and the problem of not being able to obtain a light distribution pattern that matches the mounting position and situation.

[Means for solving problems]

As a specific means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides a signal lamp in which a substrate is attached to a heat sink, a large number of LEDs are arranged on the substrate, and a front lens is arranged.
EDs are arranged at appropriate intervals, and each of the above-mentioned LEDs is
111 where the LED fits into the substantially parabolic curved surface that totally reflects the luminous flux emitted in the side direction of D toward the front side! The total reflection lens has a structure in which the front surface is flat and emits straight parallel light rays, and a structure in which the front surface is cut by a prism and emits polarized light rays. The present invention provides a signal lamp characterized in that a signal lamp having a curved front surface and a structure for emitting condensed and diffused light is combined in an appropriate arrangement, and each of the above-mentioned L E D has a total Due to the installation of the reflective lens, the number of LEDs used will be approximately 1.
/3, but the luminous flux emitted from each LED in the side direction is effectively reflected to the front side by the total reflection lens, so there is no reduction in illuminance, and the number of LEDs used is significantly reduced, which reduces costs and costs. This is extremely advantageous in terms of heat dissipation, and since the total reflection lenses used have different light distribution characteristics, it is possible to match the mounting position or situation by changing the light distribution characteristics as necessary. In addition, a cut part is provided so that the total reflection lens has a polygonal shape when viewed from the front, and since the total reflection lens is placed in contact with each other at the cut part, the distance between the total reflection lenses is There are no gaps between the two, making the installation stable.

〔Example〕

Next, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the illustrated embodiment. In the first embodiment □ shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, 11 is a heat sink, a substrate 12 is attached to the heat sink, and A large number of LEDs 13 are mounted at intervals of , and a front lens 14 without a cut is mounted to protect these LEDs. The LED 13 includes a light emitting element 15 therein, and the top portion 13a is a rounded lens portion, which is the same as in the conventional example.

A total reflection lens 16 is attached to each of the LEDs 13 arranged at appropriate intervals. This total reflection lens 1
6, as shown in FIG. 3, three types of total reflection lenses with partially different configurations are used, and common parts will be described with common reference numerals. The total reflection lens has a bowl-shaped overall shape from the side to the back, and is made of light-transmitting resin or rubber. That is, a through hole or a fitting hole 17 into which the L E D 13 fits is provided approximately at the center of the total reflection lens 16.
A substantially parabolic curved surface 18 is formed from the side surface to the back surface, and the light flux emitted from the LED 13 toward the side surface is reflected toward the front surface. Such a configuration is common to the three types of total reflection lenses. 3
The difference in No. 1 is the shape of the front surface. One total reflection lens has a flat front surface and has a light distribution characteristic in which the light flux emitted from the front surface goes straight as parallel rays, while the other total reflection lens has a flat front surface. A prism 19 is applied to the front surface, and the light beam emitted from the front surface has a light distribution characteristic that is polarized in a certain direction.Furthermore, another total reflection lens has a front surface formed into a curved surface 20, and the light beam emitted from the front surface is polarized in a certain direction. It has a light distribution characteristic in which the emitted light flux is condensed and diffused. Therefore, by using a combination of total reflection lenses with different light distribution characteristics, the emitted light beam can be directed in all directions as shown in Figure 4, and visibility can be improved in any direction. Any combination can be selected depending on the situation.

The second embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is a modified example in which the total reflection lens 16 is formed into a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and other components are the same as those of the first embodiment. Since they are the same, the same reference numerals are used and the explanation thereof will be omitted. That is, in this embodiment, the total reflection lens 16 is made by cutting the substantially parabolic curved surface 18 perpendicularly so that the joining edge between the substantially parabolic curved surface 18 and the front surface has a substantially hexagonal shape when viewed from the front. are provided, respectively, and these cut portions 21 have a substantially half-moon shape when viewed from the side. Each total reflection lens 16 having such a configuration
When attached to each LED 13 with a predetermined cap fit, the total reflection lenses 16 are arranged so that their peripheral edges are adjacent to each other without any gaps, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. . Also in this embodiment, the characteristics of the radiation light emitted from each reflecting lens [j.

It is approximately the same as FIG. 4. In the figure, the portion treated as 0 represents straight light, the shaded portion represents polarized light, and the dotted portion represents condensed or diffused light.

An LED covered with a total reflection lens 16 having such a configuration
The state of the luminous flux emitted from l3 is approximately as shown in FIG. 7 in all embodiments.

This example is about one total internal reflection lens, and the LED l
A luminous flux a emitted from the light emitting element 15 of No. 3 to the front side (upper side in the figure) is extracted from the top part 13a of the LED l3 as a substantially parallel line, passes through the through hole 17, and reaches the front lens 14. The light beam emitted from the light emitting element 15 in the side direction is totally reflected toward the front side by the substantially parabolic curved surface 18 of the total reflection lens 16, and is reflected as substantially parallel light beams into the front lens 14.
leading to. Therefore, almost all of the light beam in the side direction, which was not used in the past, is reflected to the front side and is used as an effective light beam.

Furthermore, as is clear from FIG. 7, a total reflection lens 16 having a larger diameter than the LED l3 is attached, and the front side of the total reflection lens 16 is illuminated almost entirely by the light beams a and b, so that the LED l Effective luminous flux a, b emitted from 3
The luminous diameter of , Y are substantially the same, and even if the total reflection lenses 16 are arranged adjacent to each other, the substrate 12 of the LED l3
The installation distance between the two is wide, making the installation process easier and generating less heat.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, in the signal light according to the invention, each LED is connected to a large number of LIE +
It has a configuration in which a total reflection lens is attached, which has a substantially parabolic curved surface that totally reflects the light beam emitted in the side direction toward the front side, and a through hole or fitting hole into which the LED fits, so it has not been used in the past. It is possible to increase the illumination by reflecting almost all of the light flux in the side direction to the front side, and it is also possible to arbitrarily combine total reflection lenses with different light distribution characteristics, so the number of LEDs used can be greatly reduced. loss by reducing it to 1
- Not only can it be used as a signal light, but it can also be used in any installation position and situation to improve visibility.

In addition, since there are fewer LEDs to be mounted on the board, the installation work becomes easier, and the power consumption is halved. At the same time, the amount of heat generated from the LEDs is also reduced, so the heat sink can be made smaller, which is also economical. This results in superior performance.

Furthermore, the emission diameter of the effective luminous flux emitted from the front surface of the total reflection lens is approximately the same as the diameter of the lamp, and a cut part is provided on the side surface, and the total reflection lens is arranged with the cut part abutting. Therefore, the total reflection lens can be installed without any gaps between the lenses, and has the excellent effect of providing stable mounting.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of a signal light according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line -■ in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an LED of the signal light. 1 to 1! ! ! Expanded perspective view of the total reflection lens showing different light distribution characteristics, No. 4
The figure is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the light distribution characteristics of the full-length sword lens, Figure 5 is a partially cutaway front view of a signal light according to the second embodiment, and Figure 6 is the same embodiment. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a total reflection lens having light distribution characteristics that differ from <-. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the reflection state of the total reflection lens in the same example. FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a possible signal light when used, and is a schematic diagram showing the light emitting state of the ICLED used in the signal light. 11... Heat sink 12... Board 13... L
E D 1 /I...Curved lens 15...
・Light emitting element 16... Total reflection lens 17...0
Through hole or fitting hole

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Attach a board to the heat sink and install multiple LEDs on the board.
In a signal light in which a front lens is arranged and a front lens is arranged, each of the above-mentioned LEDs is arranged at an appropriate interval, and each of the above-mentioned L
A total reflection lens having a substantially parabolic curved surface that totally reflects the light beam emitted in the side direction of the LED toward the front side and a fitting hole into which the LED is fitted is attached to the ED, and the total reflection lens has a flat front surface. There are three types of structures: those with a structure that emits straight parallel light rays, those with a prism-cut front surface that emits polarized light, and those with a curved front surface that emits condensed and diffused light. Omnidirectional signal lights characterized by being combined in an array. (2) A cut portion is formed so that the joining edge of the substantially parabolic curved surface of the total reflection lens and the front surface has a polygonal shape when viewed from the front, and the total reflection lens is arranged adjacently with the cut portion abutting. 1. The omnidirectional signal lamp according to item 1 above.