JP2001103010A - Optical communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To reduce the area of an optical signal transmission window for transmitting an optical signal and reduce the influence of disturbance light entering the optical communication unit from outside the optical communication angle range. An optical signal transmission window that transmits a wavelength of an optical signal and an optical signal element that can transmit or receive an optical signal within a predetermined optical communication angle range around an optical axis through the optical signal transmission window. An optical communication unit having a two-dimensionally arranged substrate and a housing for installing the optical communication unit are provided, and the plurality of optical signal elements are arranged such that each optical axis substantially intersects at one place on the substrate. The optical signal transmission window is arranged in a concave shape, and is arranged near the intersection of each optical axis and in front of the substrate.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical communication device which is applied to an infrared remote control device, an IrDA infrared communication device, or the like, and uses an optical signal element for transmitting or receiving an optical signal such as an infrared signal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In optical communication (for example, IrDA), the communication distance is determined by the S / N ratio of an optical signal and disturbance light (noise). Therefore, when performing optical communication in a place such as outdoors where disturbance light is large, it is necessary to perform directional optical communication by narrowing the communication angle (incident angle of light signal / radiation angle) as much as possible. Examples of a method of narrowing the communication angle include a method of providing a light-shielding plate that shields disturbance light in an optical signal transmission window (optical communication window) that transmits an optical signal, and a method in which an optical signal element is separated from the optical signal transmission window by a predetermined distance. There is a method of arranging it inside the housing.

The effective communication angle of an infrared LED used for a light emitting element or a photodiode used for a light receiving element is generally about ± 15 °. As a method for widening the communication angle, a plurality of optical signal elements are used. There is a method of arranging in consideration of the communication angle.

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 10-93145 discloses an IrDA infrared light emitting diode module in which a plurality of IrDA infrared light emitting element diodes are radially arranged and an interference prevention shield member is provided between each IrDA infrared light emitting element diode. The structure and its control method have been proposed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a component arrangement of an optical communication unit according to the prior art. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 41 denotes an optical signal element;
Reference numeral 2 denotes a substrate on which the optical signal element 41 is mounted; 43, an optical signal transmission window that transmits the wavelength of the optical signal; 44, a housing; and 45, a light shielding unit that shields disturbance light. In the conventional optical communication unit shown in FIG. 4, the effective communication angles of the optical signal elements 41 are each ± 1.
5, and the entire effective communication angle is 90 ° by arranging the optical signal elements 41 radially on the substrate 42 so that the optical axis is 30 °. In addition, in order to reduce the influence of disturbance light incident from angles other than the communication angle, the size of the optical signal transmission window 43 is minimized, and a light shielding plate 48 is provided outside the optical signal transmission window 45. ing.

[0006]

However, when a plurality of optical signal elements are radially arranged on a substrate as in the prior art optical communication section shown in FIG. 4, the aperture area of the optical signal transmission window is large. Become. In addition, when the optical signal element is arranged slightly away from the optical communication transmission window in the inner direction in order to make the optical signal element less susceptible to disturbance light, the opening area of the optical signal transmission window increases as the distance increases. This becomes more conspicuous as the communication angle is increased, and there is a problem that the entire optical communication device becomes large. In other words, a structure that is less susceptible to disturbance light and an increase in the communication angle are contradictory.

The module structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-93145 also has a problem that it has a wide communication angle but is easily affected by disturbance light.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. For example, the area of an optical signal transmission window through which an optical signal is transmitted is reduced so that the optical communication unit receives disturbance from outside the optical communication angle range. An optical communication device capable of reducing the influence of light is provided.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided an optical signal transmitting window for transmitting a wavelength of an optical signal, and an optical signal is transmitted or received within a predetermined optical communication angle range around an optical axis through the optical signal transmitting window. An optical communication unit having a substrate on which a plurality of optical signal elements capable of being arranged are two-dimensionally arranged, and a housing for installing the optical communication unit, wherein the plurality of optical signal elements have respective optical axes on the substrate. The optical communication apparatus is characterized in that the optical signal transmission window is arranged in a concave shape so as to substantially intersect at one location in front, and the optical signal transmission window is arranged near the intersection of each optical axis and in front of the substrate.

According to the present invention, the area (communication opening area) of the optical signal transmission window through which the optical signal is transmitted is reduced, and the influence of disturbance light entering the optical communication section from outside the optical communication angle range is reduced. can do. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the optical communication unit and achieve highly reliable optical communication while having a wide optical communication angle range.

[0011] A light-shielding portion for shielding ambient ambient light is further provided, wherein the light-shielding portion is provided outside the optical signal transmission window and along the optical communication angle range in which the optical signal element transmits or receives an optical signal. May be provided. According to this configuration, since the disturbance light incident from outside the optical communication angle range is directly shielded, the influence of the disturbance light on the optical communication unit can be reduced more effectively while having a wide optical communication angle range. Can be.

[0012] The light-shielding portion may be configured such that a surface along an optical communication angle range in which the optical signal element transmits or receives an optical signal is formed in a state of preventing reflection of disturbance light. According to this configuration, since the reflection of disturbance light can be prevented, the influence of the disturbance light on the optical communication unit can be reduced more effectively while having a wide optical communication angle range.

[0013] The optical communication section may have a configuration in which a plurality of substrates on which a plurality of optical signal elements are arranged are arranged in a concave shape such that the respective optical axes substantially intersect at one location in front. According to this configuration, it is possible to increase the intensity of the optical signal for transmission without increasing the area of the optical signal transmission window, and it is possible to increase the reception sensitivity of the optical signal.

The optical signal element may be configured as a module in which a light emitting element and a light receiving element are integrally formed. According to this configuration, the size of the optical communication unit can be reduced.

An optical communication control unit for controlling each optical signal element of the optical communication unit, an input / output unit for inputting / outputting various instructions and communication data for executing optical communication, and an input / output unit for inputting / outputting communication data. A configuration may further be provided that further includes a data processing unit that converts communication data from optical signals to communication data or communication data to optical signals based on a predetermined procedure. According to this configuration, highly reliable optical communication can be performed by converting communication data into an optical signal.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. The present invention is not limited by this.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an optical communication apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes an optical communication device, and the optical communication device 1 is applied to an infrared remote control device, an IrDA infrared communication device, or the like. Reference numeral 2 denotes an optical communication unit including a substrate on which an optical signal element for transmitting or receiving optical communication is mounted.
The detailed configuration of the optical communication unit 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

Reference numeral 3 denotes an optical communication control section for controlling each optical signal element of the optical communication section 2. The optical communication control section 3 includes a light emission drive circuit for driving light emission using the optical signal element as a light emitting element, and a light receiving element for receiving light. The device is configured by an amplifier circuit that amplifies and drives an optical signal received by removing noise from the received optical signal. Reference numeral 4 denotes a data processing unit for processing communication data, which includes a CPU, various storage media, and the like, and converts the communication data into an optical signal or an optical signal into communication data. Reference numeral 5 denotes an input / output unit for inputting / outputting various instructions and communication data for executing optical communication. The input / output unit includes a small key switch and a touch panel as an input unit, and an LCD (liquid crystal display) and an EL display as an output unit. .

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a component arrangement of an optical communication unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 denotes an optical signal element capable of transmitting or receiving an optical signal within a predetermined optical communication angle range around an optical axis, and is configured as a module in which a light emitting element and a light receiving element are integrally molded. Have been. An IrDA infrared LED is used as the light emitting element, and a PIN photodiode is used as the light receiving element.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a board on which the optical communication element 21 is mounted, which is made of a glass epoxy board or the like. Reference numeral 23 denotes an optical signal transmission window (optical communication window) formed of a resin or a glass filter that transmits the wavelength of infrared light that is an optical signal. The optical signal transmission window 23 is designed to be small enough not to narrow the communication angle. By doing so, it also has a role of suppressing the influence of disturbance light.

In this embodiment, the number of the optical signal elements 21 is three, and each communication angle is ± 15 in accordance with the IrDA standard.
°. Each optical signal element 21 is arranged in a concave shape with respect to the optical signal transmission window 23 at an angle of 30 °. In other words, the three optical signal elements 21 are sequentially shifted on the substrate 22 by the communication angle, and are arranged in a concave shape so that the respective optical axes substantially intersect at one location in front. In this embodiment, the communication angle of the optical communication element is ± 15 °, but another communication angle may be used.

The optical signal transmission window 23 is arranged near the intersection of each optical axis and in front of the optical communication unit 2. As a result,
Since the viewing angle outside the communication angle range has as little as possible, it is less susceptible to disturbance light.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a housing in which the substrate 22 and the optical signal transmitting portion 23 are arranged, and is made of aluminum die-cast, resin or the like. Reference numeral 25 denotes a light-shielding portion for shielding ambient disturbance light. The light-shielding portion 25 is provided on the housing 24 outside the optical signal transmission window 23 and along the optical communication angle range in which the optical signal element 21 transmits or receives an optical signal. Is done.

In this embodiment, the light-shielding portion 25 is formed of a plate-like material such as a metal or resin that does not transmit infrared light. Preferably, as it is difficult to reflect the infrared light of the disturbance light,
It is preferable to perform an anti-reflection treatment using an anti-reflection multilayer film or matte coating. Further, the light shielding portion 25 is not limited to a plate shape, and may be a cylindrical shape or a structure in which the housing 24 is deformed.

As shown in FIG. 2, by arranging the substrate 22 inside the optical signal transmission window 23 by a distance α, the optical signal element 21 has a structure that is hardly affected by disturbance light. As shown in FIG. 4, when the optical signal element 21 is arranged in a convex shape, as the distance α increases, the optical signal transmitting window 23 increases.
Or the communication opening area of the light shielding portion 25 is increased, but can be reduced by arranging it in a concave shape.

By providing the light shielding portion 25 while disposing the substrate 22 inside by the distance α, the optical signal element can be made less susceptible to disturbance light. This is particularly effective for an optical signal element near the center among the optical signal elements 21 arranged on the substrate 22.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a component arrangement of an optical communication unit according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the optical communication unit 2 includes a plurality of substrates 22 on which a plurality of optical signal elements 21 are arranged in a concave shape such that each optical axis of the substrates 22 substantially intersects at one location in front. In FIG. 3, (1) If a plurality of optical signal elements are arranged on a substrate so that their optical axes are parallel to each other, the light emission intensity and the receiving sensitivity of the optical communication unit 2 are improved. (2) If a plurality of substrates on which a plurality of optical signal elements are arranged are arranged in a concave shape so that the optical axes of the optical signal elements on each substrate intersect at the front, the size of the optical signal transmission window 23 disposed at the front of the substrates can be increased. Can be reduced. As a result, the optical communication unit 2 can be reduced three-dimensionally. Also, by making the arrangement of the optical signal elements and the arrangement of the substrate thereof concave,
The size of the optical signal transmission window can be minimized.

That is, three substrates 22 on which the optical signal elements 21 are two-dimensionally arranged are arranged in a concave shape outwardly with respect to the optical signal transmission window 23. The communication angle of the optical signal element is ±
In the case of 15 °, the substrate 22 sets the optical axis to 3 according to the communication angle.
It is arranged shifted by 0 °. With such an arrangement, the optical signal element can be three-dimensionally arranged in a concave shape, and the size of the optical signal transmission window 23 and the communication opening area of the light shielding unit 25 can be reduced. With this configuration, the optical signal element can transmit the optical signal with increased intensity while avoiding the influence of disturbance light, and can increase the receiving sensitivity of the optical signal.

[0029]

According to the present invention, the area (communication opening area) of an optical signal transmission window through which an optical signal is transmitted is reduced, and the influence of disturbance light entering the optical communication section from outside the optical communication angle range. Can be reduced. For this reason, downsizing of the optical communication unit and highly reliable optical communication are possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an optical communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a component arrangement of an optical communication unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a component arrangement of an optical communication unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a component arrangement of an optical communication unit according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Optical communication apparatus 2 Optical communication part 21 Optical signal element 22 Substrate 23 Optical signal transmission window 24 Housing 25 Light shielding part 3 Optical communication control part 4 Data processing part 5 Input / output part

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5F041 AA11 AA38 AA47 CB32 DC07 EE24 FF14 5F088 AA03 BA03 BB01 EA09 JA16 JA20 5K002 AA07 BA02 BA12 CA02 FA03

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An optical signal transmitting window that transmits a wavelength of an optical signal, and an optical signal element capable of transmitting or receiving an optical signal within a predetermined optical communication angle range around an optical axis through the optical signal transmitting window. An optical communication unit having a substrate on which a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged optical communication units are provided, and a housing for installing the optical communication unit, wherein the plurality of optical signal elements are such that each optical axis substantially intersects at one location in front of the substrate. An optical communication device, wherein the optical signal transmission window is disposed near the intersection of each optical axis and in front of the substrate. 2. A light shielding unit for shielding ambient ambient light, wherein the light shielding unit is provided outside the optical signal transmission window and along an optical communication angle range in which the optical signal element transmits or receives an optical signal. The optical communication device according to claim 1, wherein the optical communication device is installed in the housing. 3. The light shielding unit according to claim 2, wherein a surface along an optical communication angle range in which the optical signal element transmits or receives an optical signal is formed in an antireflection state of disturbance light. Optical communication device. 4. The optical communication unit according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of substrates on which a plurality of optical signal elements are arranged are arranged in a concave shape such that respective optical axes thereof substantially intersect at one location in front. Optical communication device. 5. The optical communication device according to claim 1, wherein the optical signal element is a module in which a light emitting element and a light receiving element are integrally molded. 6. An optical communication control unit for controlling each optical signal element of the optical communication unit, an input / output unit for inputting / outputting various instructions and communication data for executing optical communication, and an input / output unit for inputting / outputting the input / output unit. 2. The optical communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a data processing unit configured to convert each of the communication data from an optical signal into communication data or from communication data into an optical signal based on a predetermined procedure.