JPH09223822A - Optical device with variable directivity - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To vary the radiation range of light beams, by disposing a concave reflection mirror to cover with it the outer periphery of a lens package having enclosed light-emitting and-receiving elements therein. SOLUTION: Forming a cylindrical member 15 with a conic inner peripheral surface 15a spreading gradually from its nearly central portion toward its front end, a light reflecting material is applied to the surface 15a to provide a concave reflection mirror 16. When a lens package 14 is placed most backward, since most of light beams 18 are reflected projectively by the concave reflection mirror 16, the radiation range of the light beams 18 becomes narrowest to make the directivity of an optical device largest. When a lever 17 is pressed forward to advance the lens package 14 in the cylindrical member 15, accordingly to this, the projectively reflected light quantity of the outer peripheral portion of the light beams 18 by the concave reflection mirror 16 is reduced to make the radiation range of the light beams 18 wide. When a convex lens 14a is moved most forward, eliminating the reflection of the light beams 18 by the concave reflection mirror 16, their radiation range becomes widest to make the directivity of the optical device smallest. In this way, the radiation range of the light beams 18 can be varied.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an LED (light-em).
The present invention relates to an optical device including an itting-diode), a PD (photo-diode), and the like, for example, an infrared light emitting device, and particularly to a variable directivity optical device that can arbitrarily change the directivity of light.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An optical device including an LED, a PD, etc. is a device for transmitting or receiving light of various wavelengths. For example, an infrared remote commander (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) for remotely controlling electronic equipment, a personal computer There are transmitters and receivers used for optical communication.

Conventionally, in an optical device such as a remote controller as an infrared light emitting device, a light emitting element 1 and lead frames 2 and 3 are sealed in a package 4, as shown in FIG.

The light emitting element 1 comprises an anode 1a and a bowl-shaped cathode 1
and an LED (light emitting diode) having b. LE
When a DC voltage is applied between the anode 1a and the cathode 1b, D converts the electric energy into light energy having a wavelength peculiar to the constituents, and emits light such as infrared rays.
The light beam 5 emitted from the light emitting element 1 is emitted from the package 4
Head for.

The package 4 is made of resin having a property of being transparent to the wavelength of light emitted from the light emitting element 1, and the curved surface 4a acts as a convex lens. The light beam 5 emitted from the light emitting element 1 is refracted by the curved surface 4a which is a convex lens, becomes a light beam 6 which is not focused, and travels straight in the air.

Here, the directivity of the optical device will be briefly described. The directivity in an optical device is a characteristic of strongly emitting light in a certain direction or receiving light incident from that direction. For example, in FIG. 4, if the directivity of the optical device is large, the light beam 6 becomes narrow and the light is concentrated. On the contrary, if the directivity is small, the light beam 6 is wide and the light is diffused.

The total energy of the light emitted from the optical device is uniquely determined by the magnitude of the electric energy supplied to the light emitting element 1, that is, the electric power. In general, the electric power supplied to the light emitting element 1 is constant, and the total energy of light is constant.

Therefore, the light energy per unit area obtained by dividing the amount of light emitted from the optical device by the area where the light strikes, that is, the intensity of light, becomes stronger when the area where the light strikes is reduced. That is, if the directivity of the light emitted from the light emitting element 1 is increased and the area covered by the light beam is decreased, the intensity of the light is increased.

In the light receiving device, if the light receiving sensitivity is the same, the light receiving distance is proportional to the light intensity. If the directivity is increased and the light intensity is increased, the light reaching distance is extended. Further, if the distance between the light transmitting and receiving devices is the same, if the directivity of the light receiving device is increased and the intensity of the light is increased, the light receiving sensitivity of the light receiving device is small and light can be received.

On the other hand, if the directivity is increased to narrow the light transmitting / receiving range, the operation for directing the light to the light transmitting device or the light receiving device becomes difficult, and the directivity must be determined in consideration of the above-mentioned requirements. .

In the optical device of FIG. 4, the light beam 5 is refracted by the convex lens which is the package 4 so as to have the directivity. However, there is an optical device in which the case is covered to give the directivity.

[0012]

However, in the conventional optical device, the light is refracted by the convex lens, the case, etc., so that the directivity is constant, and the arrangement of the light transmitting and receiving devices and the distance between the light transmitting and receiving devices are changed. There is a problem that it cannot be used if

For example, when the distance between the remote controller having a small directivity and the electronic device remotely operated by the remote controller becomes large, the light beam from the remote controller becomes weak and the electronic device may not be able to receive the light beam. On the other hand, if the directivity of the light-transmitting device is too large, the light-transmitting range becomes narrow, and it may not be possible to communicate with all of the plurality of light-receiving devices arranged in a wide area.

Therefore, the optical device of the present invention has a problem to provide an optical device in which the user can arbitrarily change the directivity with a simple structure.

[0015]

In order to solve the above problems, a variable directivity optical device according to the present invention is a lens package having a light emitting element and / or a light receiving element sealed therein. The concave reflecting mirror is arranged so as to cover the outer periphery, and the concave reflecting mirror side has a fitting portion for fitting the lens package, and the lens package is fitted to the fitting portion, and That is, the operating means for changing the relative distance to the package in the optical axis direction is provided.

According to the optical device having the above structure, the positional relationship between the lens package and the concave reflecting mirror is changed to change the emission range of the light emitted from the light emitting element and / or the incident range of the light incident on the light receiving element. Can be made.

With this, it is possible to change the directivity of the optical device depending on the application, to expand the movable range of the optical device, and to increase the intensity of light within a certain distance.

For example, by changing the directivity of the remote controller, which is an optical device, it is possible to adjust the light intensity to match the distance between the remote controller and the device to be operated. Further, when transmitting light from one light transmitting device to a plurality of light receiving devices arranged in a wide area, it is possible to widen the directivity and make all the light receiving devices operable.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of a variable directivity optical device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the variable directivity optical device 10 of the first embodiment according to the present invention, a light emitting element 11 which is an optical element and lead frames 12 and 13 are sealed inside. The package 14 acting as a convex lens, the tubular member 15 that slidably holds the package 14, and the concave reflecting mirror 1 formed on the inner surface near the tip of the tubular member 15.
6 and a lever 17 for moving the package 14.

The package 14 is made of resin having a property of being transparent with respect to the wavelength of light emitted from the light emitting element 11, and is formed into a cylindrical shape having a convex curved surface at the front end, and like the package 4 of FIG. Light emitting element 11 and lead frame 1
2 and 13 are sealed.

The convex curved surface on the front surface of the package 14 is a convex lens 14a. The convex lens 14a is formed with a smaller curvature than the convex lens 4a of the package 4 shown in FIG. 4, and the refraction of light by the convex lens 14a is relatively small. As shown in FIG. 2, the light beam 18 refracted by the convex lens 14a extends over a wide range when there is no obstacle outside. That is, the directivity is smaller than that of the optical device shown in FIG. The reason for this configuration is to make the variable width of the directivity of the variable directivity optical device 10 as large as possible.

The tubular member 15 is a so-called fitting portion and is formed of a synthetic resin or the like into a cylindrical shape having a length L1, an inner diameter L2 and an outer diameter L3. The length L1 is the package 14
It is longer, the inner diameter L2 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the package 14, and the outer diameter L3 is determined by the shape and size of the concave reflecting mirror 16.

The circumferential surface 15a of the cylindrical member 15 is provided with a concave reflecting mirror 16 formed in a mortar shape that gently extends from the center toward the front end (right side in the figure). The concave reflecting mirror 16 is formed by coating a mortar-shaped surface formed on the tubular member 15 with a substance that reflects light. For this reason,
The reflection direction of light by the concave reflecting mirror 16 changes depending on the shape and size of the mortar-shaped circumferential surface 15a, that is, the curvature of the concave reflecting mirror 16.

The optical axis of the convex lens 14a and the central axis of the concave reflecting mirror 16 are set on the same axis.
The variable width of the directivity in the optical device 10 is determined by the combination of the curvature of 1 and the curvature of the concave reflecting mirror 16.

Although not shown, a lever guide groove for guiding the lever 17 is provided from the rear end of the tubular member 15 to the vicinity of the central portion. The lever guide groove is
The outer peripheral surface 15b of the tubular member 15 extends through the peripheral surface 15a, and the lever 17 is loosely fitted in the lever guide groove.

The lever 17 is a so-called operating means,
It is made of a metal or resin rod, the lower end of which is a convex lens 14a.
It is fixed vertically to the outer surface of the rear part and is set so as not to affect the characteristics of the convex lens 14a and the concave reflecting mirror 16.

The lever 17 is fitted in the lever guide groove, the package 14 is fitted in the tubular member 15, and the lever 17
It is possible to move the package 14 back and forth along the circumferential surface 15a of the tubular member 15 by moving back and forth.

Next, the function of the variable directivity optical device 10 of the first embodiment having such a structure will be described.

FIG. 1 shows the package 14 in the rearmost position, and FIG. 2 shows the package 14 in the frontmost position.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the package 14 is at the rearmost position, most of the light beam 18 emitted from the front surface of the package 14 strikes the concave reflecting mirror 16 and is reflected. As a result, the emission range of the light beam 18 is the narrowest and the directivity is the largest.

When the lever 17 is pushed forward (right side in the figure),
The package 14 advances in the tubular member 15, and accordingly, the amount of light reflected by colliding with the concave reflecting mirror 16 in the outer portion of the light beam 18 decreases, and the emission range of the light beam 18 is reduced. Get wider

Then, as shown in FIG.
When a moves to the frontmost, the light beam 18 is not reflected by the concave reflecting mirror 16, and the radiation range of the light beam 18 is widest and the directivity is smallest. In this way, the radiation range of the light beam 18 can be changed from the range shown in FIG. 1 to the range shown in FIG. 2, and any directivity can be set.

Furthermore, by changing the directivity of the optical device 10, it is possible to adjust the light intensity at a fixed distance.

Next, a variable directivity optical device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the variable directional light device 20 is used.
Is a package 24 in which the light emitting element 21 and the lead frames 22 and 23 are sealed, a tubular member 25 holding the package 24, and a circular side surface 2 near the tip of the tubular member 25.
It is composed of a concave reflecting mirror 26 formed on 5a, an adjusting knob 27 for moving the package 24, and an adjusting knob 27a for adjusting the tubular member 25 side.

The package 24 is composed of a convex curved surface on the front surface and a cylindrical portion. The convex curved surface is configured as a convex lens 24a, and the cylindrical portion has a spiral first groove 2 on the outer peripheral surface.
4b is cut and functions as a screw.

A spiral second groove 28 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 25 at the rear of the circular side surface 25a (on the left side in the drawing) to engage with the first groove 24b of the package 24. As in the first embodiment, the front (right side in the drawing) is formed in a mortar shape and is provided with the concave reflecting mirror 26.

The adjusting knobs 27 and 27a attached to the rear end of the package 24 are so-called operating means and are formed in a disc shape and are used when adjusting the position of the package 24. By adjusting the positional relationship between the package 24 and the tubular member 25, the directivity of the variable directivity optical device 20 can be changed.

Similar to the optical device 10 of the first embodiment, the optical axis of the convex lens 24a and the central axis of the concave reflecting mirror 26 are set on the same axis, and the curvature of the convex lens 24a and the curvature of the concave reflecting mirror 26 are set. In combination with the variable directivity optical device 20
The variable width of the directivity at is determined.

Next, the function of the variable directivity optical device 20 of the second embodiment having such a structure will be described.

The package 24 is fitted to the tubular member 25,
When the adjusting knob 27 is turned clockwise, the package 24 moves in the outgoing direction (rightward in FIG. 3), and when the adjusting knob 27 is turned counterclockwise, the package 24 moves downward (leftward in FIG. 3). . In this way, the package 24
By moving in and out the convex lens 24
The relative positional relationship between a and the concave reflecting mirror 26 changes.

As shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, the package 24
Is located at the rearmost position, most of the light beam emitted from the front surface of the package 24 strikes the concave reflecting mirror 26 and is reflected. As a result, the emission range of the light beam is the narrowest and the directivity is the largest.

When the adjusting knob 27 is rotated clockwise, the package 24 advances in the tubular member 25, and accordingly,
The amount of light that collides with the concave reflecting mirror 26 and is reflected is reduced, and the emission range of the light beam is widened.

Then, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 3, when the convex lens 24a is moved most forward, the light beam is no longer reflected by the concave reflecting mirror 26, the radiation range of the light beam becomes the widest, and the directivity becomes The smallest.

In this way, by operating the adjusting knob 27,
By changing the distance between the convex lens 24 and the concave reflecting mirror 26, it is possible to change the directivity of the variable directional light device 20, and it is possible to change the light intensity at a certain distance.

On the other hand, the adjustment by the adjusting knob 27a is effective when the lead frames 22 and 23 are fixed. That is, when the package 24 side is fixed, the tubular member 25 is rotated by the adjusting knob 27a to move the package 24 in and out to move the relative position relationship between the convex lens 24a and the concave reflecting mirror 26. Change.

Although the light emitting device has been described in the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to this, and the light receiving device may be configured by replacing the light emitting element with a light receiving element. In the case of a light receiving device, light travels in the direction opposite to that of the light emitting device.

Although the optical axis of the convex lens and the central axis of the concave reflecting mirror are set on the same axis in the above embodiment, the convex lens and the concave reflecting mirror may be arranged by shifting them.

In order to change the directivity of the optical device, a multifocal convex lens and a concave reflecting mirror may be combined, or a plurality of convex lenses and a concave reflecting mirror may be combined.

The present invention can be applied not only to visible light but also to an apparatus for transmitting and receiving signals such as infrared rays and control signals.

[0052]

As described above, according to the optical device of the present invention, the directivity of the optical device can be arbitrarily set by changing the positional relationship between the lens and the reflecting mirror. Therefore, for example, in a remote controller that is an optical device,
Since the directivity can be reduced to widen the operation target range, or conversely, the directivity can be increased to increase the light intensity and extend the distance to the operation target, so the range of use of one remote control is wide. Become.

In a plurality of personal computers,
By changing the directivity of the attached optical element, it is possible to flexibly deal with various positional relationships of each personal computer during optical communication, and thus it is possible to change the range of use.

Since the directivity of the optical device can be changed with a simple structure, the variable directivity optical device can be realized at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an operating state of a light receiving device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing another operating state of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an optical device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional optical device.

[Explanation of symbols]

11, 21 Light emitting device, 12, 13, 22, 23 Lead frame, 4, 14, 14 Package, 5, 6, 1
8 light beam, 15, 25 cylindrical member, 16, 26 concave reflecting mirror, 17 lever, 12 adjusting knob

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A variable directional optical device comprising a lens package having a light emitting element and / or a light receiving element sealed therein, wherein a concave reflecting mirror is arranged so as to cover the outer periphery of the lens package. 2. A fitting portion for fitting the lens package on the concave reflecting mirror side, and a fitting portion for fitting the lens package on the fitting portion, and a relative portion in the optical axis direction with the lens package. 2. The variable directional light device according to claim 1, further comprising operation means for changing the distance. 3. The operating means slidably fits the lens package to the concave reflecting mirror, and changes the relative distance between the lens package and the concave reflecting mirror in the optical axis direction. The variable directivity optical device according to claim 2, wherein 4. The operating means comprises a spiral first groove provided on an outer peripheral surface of the lens package, and a spiral second groove having the first groove provided on an inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion. Engage the groove of
3. The variable directional light device according to claim 2, wherein the lens package and the concave reflecting mirror are configured to change a relative distance in an optical axis direction.