Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04C—BRAIDING OR MANUFACTURE OF LACE, INCLUDING BOBBIN-NET OR CARBONISED LACE; BRAIDING MACHINES; BRAID; LACE
  • D04C1/00—Braid or lace, e.g. pillow-lace; Processes for the manufacture thereof
  • D04C1/06—Braid or lace serving particular purposes
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04C—BRAIDING OR MANUFACTURE OF LACE, INCLUDING BOBBIN-NET OR CARBONISED LACE; BRAIDING MACHINES; BRAID; LACE
  • D04C1/00—Braid or lace, e.g. pillow-lace; Processes for the manufacture thereof
  • D04C1/02—Braid or lace, e.g. pillow-lace; Processes for the manufacture thereof made from particular materials
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/0001—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings specially adapted for lighting devices or systems
  • G02B6/0005—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings specially adapted for lighting devices or systems the light guides being of the fibre type
  • G02B6/001—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings specially adapted for lighting devices or systems the light guides being of the fibre type the light being emitted along at least a portion of the lateral surface of the fibre
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
  • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
  • G02B6/28—Optical coupling means having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals
  • G02B6/2804—Optical coupling means having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals forming multipart couplers without wavelength selective elements, e.g. "T" couplers, star couplers
  • G02B6/2852—Optical coupling means having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals forming multipart couplers without wavelength selective elements, e.g. "T" couplers, star couplers using tapping light guides arranged sidewardly, e.g. in a non-parallel relationship with respect to the bus light guides (light extraction or launching through cladding, with or without surface discontinuities, bent structures)
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D10—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
  • D10B—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
  • D10B2401/00—Physical properties
  • D10B2401/20—Physical properties optical
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/0001—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings specially adapted for lighting devices or systems
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/02—Optical fibres with cladding with or without a coating
  • G02B6/02033—Core or cladding made from organic material, e.g. polymeric material
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/04—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings formed by bundles of fibres
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
  • G02B6/4479—Manufacturing methods of optical cables
  • G02B6/449—Twisting

Definitions

• the present invention is intended to disclose fiber optic light conductors that allow a new and advantageous effect with respect to those currently known.
• the luminous conductors object of the present invention are specially designed to enable the control of the transverse loss of light, allowing the conductor to be transformed into an internally illuminated element throughout its length in a controlled manner, which allows to obtain a conductor with characteristics of brightness throughout it, allowing to solve signaling applications, formation of signs or indications, etc. very similar to what is currently achieved with the so-called "neon" tubes.
• the light conductors object of the present invention will be based on PMMA technology, that is polymethyl methacryl or methyl, which are composed of a PMMA core with a typical refractive index of 1,495 coated by a polymer film transparent fluorinated, with a typical refractive index of 1,402.
• PMMA technology that is polymethyl methacryl or methyl
• the PMMA core lining is not perfect, it constitutes microscopic fissures that allow light to escape from the interior of the core in a proportion determined.
• the amount of visible light inside the core is finite, since the allowable power density of the material is also limited, so that the homogeneity of the losses and the distance along which they can occur until they are produced use up the light inside, it will depend on the amount of microcracks in the driver.
• the present invention is based on the constitution of the optical conductor with a structure of twisted wires incorporating an architecture specially designed to enhance lateral light losses, obtaining the illumination of the conductor along its path.
• a predetermined twist and flexion of the conductor for each architecture will be carried out, by controlling the braiding of the cable to enable the braiding of the individual optical fibers without deterioration of the external film.
• a light conductor consisting of a series of braided optical conductors is achieved, which is illuminated along its path with a high level of homogeneity and in lengths that can reach 60 or more meters.
• the braiding of the light conductor is carried out by means of the application of concentric layers with control of the tension, torsion and lateral flexion of the individual optical conductors to optimize lateral losses.
• the resulting multiple architectures have unique properties with different characteristics for use in applications that require a large amount of light in short lengths or, on the contrary, a smaller amount of emission with greater length, with infinite variations of variants.
• Figures 1 and 2 show both exterior and sectional views of a light conductor made in accordance with the present invention, with solid inner core.
• Figures 3 and 4 show similar views to Figures 1 and 2, for a light conductor without a solid core, that is, hollow.
• Figures 5 and 6 show external views of the light conductors, respectively, with and without an inner core.
• Figure 7 shows a light conductor structure with two successive braid layers and core solid.
• Figure 8 schematically shows an external view of a luminous conductor of three successive layers and internal solid core.
• Figures 9 and 10 schematically show the possibilities of bending the light conductor to achieve certain optical effects.
• the light conductors, object of the present invention are based primarily on a set or layer -1- of individual elements -2-, -2 '-... in variable number, of light conductors according to PMMA technology, which will be twisted together, that is, constituting a woven cable that may be provided with a solid inner core -3- of a reflective, contrasting type, or that may be of a hollow structure, such as in the light conductor -4- represented in figures 3 and 4, which is constituted by different individual conductors -5-, -5 '-... twisted forming a luminous conductor of hollow core.
• the light conductors object of the present invention may be constituted by multiple successive layers, with or without internal core.
• a luminous conductor -6- according to the present invention, is shown in Figure 5, which has a braided outer layer formed by the individual conductors -7-, -7'-, -7 "- ... and a solid inner core -8-.
• Figure 6 shows a light conductor -9- formed by multiple twisted conductors -10-, -10'-, -10 "- without internal core.
• Figure 7 shows a light conductor formed by an external braided envelope -11- and an internal braided envelope -12- both constituted by individual bundles of individual conductors such as -13-, -13 '-... as well as -14-, -14 '-..., complementing with a solid core -15-.
• Figure 8 shows a version of three successive layers -16-, -17-, and -18- with internal solid core -19-, each of the successive layers being formed by multiple twisted individual conductors forming successive layers of woven cable that wrap each one to the next and all of them wrap the solid core -19-.
• FIGS. 9 and 10 two arrangements of light conductors according to the present invention are schematically represented, observing in FIG. 9 that the conductor -20- forms different successive curvatures such as -21-, -21 '-... that could represent a drawing, letters, numerical characters, etc.
• Figure 10 shows an example of a light conductor -22- in which in addition to zones -23- with preselected curvatures, intermediate zones -24- that have a widened shape can also be arranged to achieve the desired light effect.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Light Guides In General And Applications Therefor (AREA)
• Optical Couplings Of Light Guides (AREA)
• Communication Cables (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8495261

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (38)

Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 2000
  • 2000-10-16 ES ES200002470A patent/ES2166739B1/es not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2001
  • 2001-10-11 EP EP01974347A patent/EP1327896A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2001-10-11 US US10/398,495 patent/US20040013380A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-10-11 JP JP2002536584A patent/JP2004512550A/ja active Pending
  • 2001-10-11 AU AU2001293880A patent/AU2001293880A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-10-11 WO PCT/ES2001/000381 patent/WO2002033456A1/es not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (2)

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