JP4615949B2 - Indicator light - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an indicator lamp installed in various machines or production lines installed as production equipment in a factory or the like, for example.

  In factories and the like, various indicator lamps are installed in the vicinity of machinery in order to inform surrounding workers and the like of the operating status or maintenance time of various machinery installed as production equipment. In addition, an indicator lamp is installed in the production line to ensure the safety of workers and the like.

  An incandescent lamp has been used as a light source for such an indicator lamp, but recently, an LED is used as a light source for the purpose of reducing power consumption and maintenance / management. Indicator lights are being put to practical use. An example is shown in FIG.

  24 includes a main body 202, an LED light source (LED module) 203 held at the center of the main body 202, a cover lens 205 that covers the front side of the LED light source 203, and the like. The indicator lamp 201 has a structure in which the main body 202 is fixed to an operation panel or the like by using a tightening nut 206. When the LED light source 203 is turned on in the attached state, the operating state of the machinery and the production line An operator can be notified of abnormalities. As the LED light source 203 of the indicator lamp 201 shown in FIG. 24, an LED module in which an LED chip is mounted on the module front surface 231 is used as shown in FIG.

  By the way, the light emission of the LED has a characteristic that the luminance is highest in the central portion and low in the lateral portion (lateral direction) when viewed from the front (see FIG. 26). Therefore, in the indicator lamp using the LED light source 203 as shown in FIG. 25, the visibility is good when the indicator lamp is viewed from the front, but when the indicator lamp is viewed from the side, There is a problem that the visibility is poor because the luminance in the horizontal direction is low.

  As a method for solving such a problem, as shown in FIG. 27, by using an LED module 300 equipped with a plurality of LED light sources 303. In this case, since a plurality of LED light sources are required, the cost is increased.

In addition, as an indicator lamp considering light distribution characteristics, a plurality of LED lamps are arranged in a cover lens (globe), and a conical half mirror is arranged in front of the plurality of LED lamps, so that the indicator lamp side An indicator lamp having a structure in which the luminance in the horizontal direction is increased has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, even in the display lamp described in Patent Document 1, the number of LED lamps is increased, resulting in an increase in cost.
JP 2002-260404 A

  As described above, in order to increase the luminance to the side in the conventional indicator lamp as the LED light source, it is necessary to increase the number of the LED light sources, so that the cost is high and the productivity is poor and the mass production is reduced. It becomes difficult to measure. Furthermore, when the number of LED light sources increases, the structure of the indicator lamp becomes complicated and the degree of design freedom is limited.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a display lamp capable of ensuring a wide viewing angle by increasing the luminance to the side without increasing the number of LED light sources. Objective.

Indicators of the present invention, the LED light source, and a body for holding the LED light source, a display lamp for use in mounting such as a panel or wall, the diffusion member is provided on the front side of the LED light source The diffusing member has a plurality of light guides centered on an axis perpendicular to the mounting surface of the indicator lamp and extending radially from the center to the side, and each light guide has a In addition, an inclined surface that guides light incident on each light guide among the light from the LED light source to the side of the indicator lamp is formed , and a through hole is provided in a central portion of the diffusion member. The light guide is arranged so that light traveling between the light guides is emitted in front of the diffusion member . In the present invention, the “side” means a direction substantially parallel to the mounting surface of the indicator lamp.

  According to the indicator lamp of the present invention, the light incident on each light guide of the diffusing member out of the light from the LED light source is reflected to the side by the inclined surface, and the reflected light is directed to the side of the indicator lamp. Brightness can be increased. On the other hand, of the light from the LED light source, the light that does not enter the light guide of the diffusing member, that is, the light that travels between the radially arranged light guides passes through the light guides and is emitted forward (front side). Therefore, the brightness | luminance to the front of an indicator lamp is also securable. Therefore, it is possible to realize an indicator lamp having a wide field of view and good visibility. Moreover, without arranging a side-specific LED light source that emits light to the side of the indicator lamp, for example, by simply arranging the LED light source at the center of the indicator lamp, the luminance to the side of the indicator lamp can be increased. Can do.

  In the display lamp of the present invention, it is preferable that an inclined surface for converging light from the LED light source is formed on the incident side of each light guide of the diffusing member. By forming an inclined surface for focusing the light incident on the light guide in this way, light incident on each light guide among the light from the LED light source can be efficiently guided to the side of the indicator lamp. As a result, the luminance toward the side of the indicator lamp can be further increased.

  In the display lamp of the present invention, it is preferable that irregularities are respectively formed on the light emission surface (side surface of the light guide) of each light guide of the diffusing member. By forming irregularities on the light exit surface of each light guide in this way, the light reflected laterally by the inclined surface can be diffused by the light exit surface, so that the luminance to the side of the indicator lamp The distribution can be made uniform.

  In the indicator lamp of the present invention, it is preferable to provide a circular dome-shaped cover lens that covers the front side of the LED light source. In this case, the diffusing member is accommodated in the cover lens, and a part of the light from the LED light source is placed on the side of the indicator lamp on the inner peripheral surface of the cover lens corresponding to the side of the diffusing member. A side diffusion region that diffuses obliquely forward may be formed.

  In the side diffusion region, for example, a plurality of diffusion longitudinal lenses (substantially semicircular in cross section) extending in parallel with an axis perpendicular to the mounting surface of the indicator lamp are formed at a constant pitch along the inner peripheral surface of the cover lens. At the same time, a diffusion tilt lens (substantially semicircular in cross section) extending inward and forward from the front end of each diffusion longitudinal lens is formed.

  In this way, when the diffusion longitudinal lens and the diffusion tilt lens are formed in the side diffusion region, the light diffused laterally by each light guide of the diffusion member (including a part of the light that has passed through the diffusion member). ) Can be further diffused by the diffusion vertical lens, so that the visibility to the side can be further enhanced. In addition, since a part of the light from each light guide of the diffusing member can be diffused obliquely forward by the diffusion tilt lens, the viewing angle can be widened. Such a diffusion longitudinal lens and a diffusion tilt lens may be provided in a plurality of stages in the front-rear direction of the side diffusion region.

  In the indicator lamp of the present invention, a part of the light from the LED light source is placed on the side of the indicator lamp on the inner peripheral surface of the cover lens in front of the side diffusion region (in front of the diffusion member). An inclined portion diffusion region that diffuses obliquely forward and forward may be formed.

  In the inclined portion diffusion region, for example, a plurality of diffusion longitudinal lenses (substantially semicircular in cross section) extending parallel to the axis perpendicular to the mounting surface of the indicator lamp, and obliquely inward with respect to the axis perpendicular to the mounting surface of the indicator lamp A plurality of diffusion tilt lenses (substantially semicircular in cross section) extending in the direction of the cover lens are formed at a constant pitch and at a predetermined interval along the inner peripheral surface of the cover lens.

  As described above, when the diffusion vertical lens and the diffusion inclination lens are formed in the inclined portion diffusion region, a part of the light from the LED light source that has passed through the diffusion member is laterally and obliquely forward and forward (front). Side), the viewing angle can be further widened. Note that such a diffusion longitudinal lens and a diffusion inclination lens may be provided in a plurality of stages in the front-rear direction of the inclined portion diffusion region.

  According to the present invention, since the diffusion member having the plurality of light guides for guiding the light from the LED light source to the side (direction substantially parallel to the mounting surface of the indicator lamp) is provided, the diffusion effect of the diffusion member is provided. The brightness to the side of the indicator lamp can be increased. Moreover, it is possible to provide an indicator lamp having a wide viewing angle and good visibility without increasing the number of LED light sources and at a low cost.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the indicator lamp of the present invention. 2 and 3 are a plan view and a side view, respectively, showing the indicator lamp of FIG. 1 in use. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of an essential part of the indicator lamp of FIG.

  The indicator lamp 1 in this example includes a main body 2, an LED light source 3, a diffusing member 4, a cover lens 5, and the like. In this example, an LED module having the same structure as that shown in FIG. 25 is used as the LED light source 3.

  In the main body 2, a disc-shaped back cover 21 and a socket portion 23 to which the LED light source 3 is attached are integrally formed, and the back surface of the back cover 21 is an attachment surface 21 a of the indicator lamp 1. A side wall 24 projecting forward is integrally formed on the periphery of the back cover 21. A male screw 24 a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the side wall 24. A cylindrical boss 22 is integrally formed at the center of the front surface side of the back cover 21, and locking protrusions (parts of male threads) 22 a and 22 a are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the boss 22.

  The socket part 23 protrudes from the center part of the back cover 21 (the center part of the indicator lamp 1) to the back side. By attaching the LED light source 3 to the socket part 23 from the front side, the LED light source 3 is attached to the indicator lamp 1. Can be held in the middle. The socket portion 23 includes a front-side cylindrical portion 23a and a rear-side terminal portion 23b, and a male screw 23c is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 23a.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the above indicator lamp 1 is inserted into the mounting hole 101 of the panel 100 from the front side of the panel 100 with the socket portion 23 (with the tightening nut 6 removed) of the main body 2. Then, with the mounting surface 21a of the back cover 21 in contact with the surface of the panel 100 via a packing (not shown), the tightening nut 6 is screwed into the male screw 23c of the main body 2 from the back side of the panel 100. By tightening, the entire indicator lamp 1 can be fixed to the panel 100.

  Next, the structure of the diffusing member 4 and the cover lens 5 which are characteristic parts of this example will be described.

-Diffusion member-
The diffusion member 4 used in the indicator lamp 1 of this example will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The diffusing member 4 is a molded product of a translucent resin (for example, transparent polycarbonate), and includes a cylindrical portion 41 and a plurality (12) of light guide bodies 42... 42 positioned in front of the cylindrical portion 41. And are integrally formed. The plurality of light guides 42... Extend radially from the central axis of the cylindrical portion 41 toward the side, and the central portion of the plurality of light guides 42. The front circular through-hole 43 is provided in the front. The central portion of the diffusing member 4 is not necessarily provided with the through hole 43, and the central portion of the diffusing member 4 may be made of a translucent resin so that light from the LED light source 3 can pass therethrough. .

  Female threads 41 a are discretely formed along the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the rear portion side of the cylindrical portion 41 of the diffusing member 4, and the female screws 41 a of the cylindrical portion 41 are formed on the boss 22 provided on the main body 2. The diffusion member 4 can be fixed to the main body 2 by screwing it into the locking protrusions 22a, 22a (see FIG. 4), and the center of the cylindrical portion 41 of the diffusion member 4 and the center of the main body 2 in the fixed state. (The center of the LED light source 3) matches. Note that unevenness 41 b is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 41 of the diffusing member 4.

  Each light guide 42 is formed with a converging inclined surface 42 a for converging light from the LED light source 3 at an end (light incident side) that is closer to the LED light source 3. Reflection for reflecting the light focused by the focusing inclined surface 42a toward the side of the indicator lamp 1 (in a direction substantially parallel to the mounting surface 21a of the main body 2) at the end that is on the far side from An inclined surface 42b is formed. In addition, unevenness 42d for diffusing light from the reflective inclined surface 42b is formed on the side surface (light emitting surface) 42c of each light guide 42.

  The inclination angle of the converging inclined surface 42a is not particularly limited as long as the light from the LED light source 3 can be converged and guided to the reflecting inclined surface 42b. Also, the inclination angle of the reflective inclined surface 42b is not particularly limited as long as it is an angle at which the light from the converging inclined surface 42a can be reflected sideways. The inclination angles of the focusing inclined surface 42a and the reflecting inclined surface 42b are determined in consideration of the positional relationship between the LED light source 3 and the inclined surfaces 42a and 42b.

  Next, the operation of the diffusing member 4 will be described below.

  When the diffusing member 4 having the above structure is arranged on the front side of the LED light source 3, the light from the LED light source 3 toward the light guides 42 of the diffusing member 4 is shown in FIG. 9A. As shown, after being focused on the focusing inclined surface 42a of each light guide 42, it proceeds through the light guide 42 toward the reflecting inclined surface 42b. The light reaching the reflection inclined surface 42b is reflected toward the side of the display lamp 1 by the reflection inclined surface 42b, and the luminance toward the side of the display lamp 1 is increased by the reflected light.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9B, the light from the LED light source 3 that does not enter each light guide 42 of the diffusing member 4, that is, the through hole 43 and the light guide 42 in the center of the diffusing member 4, The light traveling between 42 passes through the through-hole 43 and the light guides 42 and 42 and is emitted in front of the diffusing member 4, so that the luminance toward the front of the indicator lamp 1 can be ensured.

  Therefore, by disposing the diffusing member 4 on the front side of the LED light source 3, it is possible to realize the indicator lamp 1 having good visibility in a wide field of view due to the diffusing effect of the diffusing member 4. Thus, since the diffusing member 4 plays a role of improving the luminance to the side and widening the field of view, only the LED light source 3 arranged at the center of the indicator lamp 1 without using a plurality of LED light sources, The luminance toward the side of the indicator lamp 1 can be increased.

  Furthermore, in this example, since the unevenness 42d for diffusing light from the reflective inclined surface 42b is formed on the side surface 42c of each light guide 42 of the diffusing member 4, the reflective inclined surface 42b laterally The reflected light can be further diffused, and the luminance distribution to the side of the indicator lamp 1 can be made uniform. Moreover, since the unevenness | corrugation 41b is also formed in the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical part 41 of the rear part side of the spreading | diffusion member 4, it is possible to diffuse the light which injected into the cylindrical part 41 from the LED light source 3 to a side, and display The brightness to the side of the lamp 1 can be further increased.

-Cover lens-
The cover lens 5 used for the indicator lamp 1 of this example will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The cover lens 5 is a resin molded product obtained by molding a translucent resin (for example, polycarbonate (colored or transparent)) into a circular dome shape.

  Female threads 5a are discretely formed along the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the rear end portion of the cover lens 5. By screwing the female threads 5a into the male threads 24a on the periphery of the back cover 21 of the main body 2, The lens 5 can be attached to the main body 2 (see FIG. 4). In this attached state, the front side of the LED light source 3 is covered with the cover lens 5, and the diffusion member 4 is accommodated in the cover lens 5. As shown in FIG. 4, a packing 7 is sandwiched between the mating surfaces of the cover lens 5 and the main body 2, and waterproofing between the cover lens 5 and the main body 2 is ensured.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, a side diffusion region 51, an inclined portion diffusion region 52, and a front diffusion region 53 are formed on the inner surface of the cover lens 5.

  The side diffusion region 51 is formed in a portion (a portion corresponding to the side of the diffusion member 4) from the rear end portion of the cover lens 5 to a position slightly ahead of the diffusion member 4. In the side diffusion region 51, a plurality of diffusion longitudinal lenses (substantially semicircular) 51 a... 51 a extending in parallel with an axis perpendicular to the mounting surface 21 a of the indicator lamp 1 are fixed along the inner peripheral surface of the cover lens 5. Are formed at the pitches, and diffusion inclined lenses (substantially semicircular cross-sections) 51b... 51b are formed extending forward inward from the front end of each diffusion vertical lens 51a.

  In this example, two sets (two stages) of diffusing longitudinal lenses 51a... 51a and diffusing inclined lenses 51b... 51b are formed in the front-rear direction of the side diffusion region 51, and further, in front of the two lens groups. On the side, a single diffusion vertical lens 51a... 51a is formed.

  Thus, if the diffusion vertical lens 51a and the diffusion inclination lens 51b are formed in the side diffusion region 51, as shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, the light guides 42 of the diffusion member 4 laterally move. Since part of the diffused light (including part of the light that has passed through the diffusing member 4) can be further diffused by the diffusion vertical lens 51a, the visibility to the side can be further enhanced. Further, the diffusion tilt lens 51b can diffuse part of the light from each light guide 42 of the diffusing member 4 (including part of the light that has passed through the diffusing member 4) obliquely forward. The viewing angle of the whole 1 can be widened.

  The front diffusion region 53 is formed in a portion (a portion facing the front surface of the diffusing member 4) located in the center as viewed from the front. In the front diffusion region 53, a plurality of ring lenses (substantially semicircular cross sections) 53a, 53b, 53c having different diameters are formed on concentric circles, and the light from the LED light source 3 has passed through the diffusion member 4. Light can be diffused forward.

  The inclined portion diffusion region 52 is provided between the front diffusion region 53 and the side diffusion region 51. In the inclined portion diffusion region 52, a plurality of diffusion longitudinal lenses (substantially semicircular) 52a... 52a extending in parallel with an axis perpendicular to the attachment surface 21a of the indicator lamp 1, and perpendicular to the attachment surface 21a of the indicator lamp 1 A plurality of diffusion inclined lenses (substantially semicircular cross sections) 52b... 52b inclined obliquely inward with respect to the axis are formed along the inner peripheral surface of the cover lens 5 at a predetermined pitch and at predetermined intervals. Has been.

  In this example, four step portions 52c... 52c are provided in the front-rear direction of the inclined portion diffusion region 52, and each of the step portions 52c has a plurality of diffusion vertical lenses 52a... 52a and a plurality of diffusion inclination lenses 52b. .. 52b is formed. Further, a ring-shaped lens 52d (see FIGS. 15 and 23) is formed in the vicinity of the boundary with the front diffusion region 53.

  As described above, when the diffusion vertical lens 52a, the diffusion inclination lens 52b, and the ring-shaped lens 52d are formed in the inclined portion diffusion region 52, the cross-sectional view of FIG. 21 (cross-sectional view taken along line Y7-Y7 of FIG. 11) is shown. As described above, the diffusion vertical lens 52a and the diffusion tilt lens 52b can diffuse a part of the light from the LED light source 3 that has passed through the diffusion member 4 to the side of the display lamp 1. The visibility to the side of 1 can be further enhanced. Further, as shown in the end view of FIG. 22 (end view of line Y1-Y1 in FIG. 10) and the end view of FIG. 23 (end view of line Y2-Y2 in FIG. 10), a part of the light that has passed through the diffusing member 4 Can be diffused diagonally forward and forward (front side), so that the visibility of the indicator lamp 1 can be ensured obliquely forward, and the viewing angle of the indicator lamp 1 can be further widened.

  As described above, by forming the side diffusion region 51, the inclined portion diffusion region 52, and the front diffusion region 53 on the inner surface of the cover lens 5, the front, oblique direction, and side of the indicator lamp 1 are formed. Since visibility in all directions (three-dimensional directions) can be ensured, an operator or the like can reliably recognize the indicator lamp 1 from any direction.

  The present invention is, for example, an indicator lamp installed in the vicinity of machinery, in order to inform the surrounding workers, etc. of the operation status or maintenance time of various machinery installed in a factory as production equipment, An indicator lamp installed to ensure the safety of workers and the like in the line can be used effectively to ensure visibility in all directions (three-dimensional directions) and widen the viewing angle.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows an example of the indicator lamp of this invention. It is a top view which shows the indicator lamp of FIG. 1 in use condition. It is a side view which shows the indicator lamp of FIG. 1 in use condition. It is a principal part longitudinal cross-sectional view of the indicator lamp of FIG. It is a perspective view of the diffusion member used for the indicator lamp of FIG. It is a figure which writes and shows the front view (A), side view (B), and back view (C) of the diffusion member used for the indicator lamp of FIG. It is the X1-X1 sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the X2-X2 sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of a diffusion member. It is a figure which writes and shows the front view (A), side view (B), and back view (C) of the cover lens used for the indicator lamp of FIG. It is the Y1-Y1 sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the Y2-Y2 sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the Y3-Y3 sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 12 is a detailed view of a Z1 part in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a detailed view of the Z2 part of FIG. FIG. 11 is a detailed view of a Z3 part in FIG. 10. FIG. 14 is a detailed view of a Z4 part in FIG. 13. FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line Y4-Y4 of FIG. FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line Y5-Y5 of FIG. FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line Y6-Y6 of FIG. It is the Y7-Y7 sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the Y1-Y1 line end view of FIG. It is the Y2-Y2 line end view of FIG. It is a half sectional view showing an example of a conventional indicator lamp. It is a side view of the LED light source used for the indicator lamp of FIG. It is a figure which shows the light distribution characteristic of LED. It is a figure which shows typically the method for raising the brightness | luminance to the side of an indicator lamp.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indicator lamp 2 Main body 21 Back cover 21a Mounting surface 22 Boss 22a Locking protrusion 23 Socket part 23a Cylindrical part 23b Terminal part 23c Male screw 24 Side wall 3 LED light source 4 Diffusing member 41 Cylindrical part 41a Female screw 41b Concavity and convexity 42 Light guide 42a Convergence Inclined surface 42b Reflective inclined surface 42c Light guide side surface 42d Concavity and convexity 43 Through hole 5 Cover lens 5a Female screw 51 Side diffusion region 51a Diffusion longitudinal lens 51b Diffuse inclination lens 52 Inclination portion diffusion region 52a Diffusion longitudinal lens 52b Diffuse inclination lens 52c Part 52d Ring-shaped lens 53 Front diffusion region 53a to 53c Ring-shaped lens 6 Clamping nut

Claims (5)

And an LED light source, and a body for holding the LED light source, a display lamp for use in mounting such as a panel or wall,
A diffusion member is provided on the front side of the LED light source,
The diffusion member has a plurality of light guides centered on an axis perpendicular to the mounting surface of the indicator lamp and extending radially from the center to the side, and each light guide has a Of the light from the LED light source, an inclined surface that guides light incident on each light guide to the side of the indicator lamp is formed ,
A through hole is provided in the center of the diffusion member,
The plurality of light guides are arranged to emit light directed between the light guides to the front of the diffusion member . Wherein the light incident side of the light guide body of the diffusing member, respectively, the display lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that the inclined surface is formed to focus the light from the LED light source. Wherein the light emitting surface of each light guide of the diffusing member, respectively, the display lamp according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the irregularities are formed. In the display lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein are circular domed cover lens covering the front side of the LED light source is provided, said diffusing member in its cover lens containing And a side portion that diffuses a part of the light from the LED light source obliquely forward to the side of the indicator lamp in a portion corresponding to the side of the diffusing member on the inner peripheral surface of the cover lens. An indicator lamp characterized in that a diffusion region is formed. An inclined portion diffusion region that diffuses a part of the light from the LED light source obliquely forward and forward to the side of the indicator lamp at a portion that is in front of the side diffusion region on the inner peripheral surface of the cover lens. The indicator lamp according to claim 4 , wherein the indicator lamp is formed.

Images