JPH0442801Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a light guide device suitable for short-distance optical transmission.

(Prior art) In recent years, optical signals have been developed by converting an input electrical signal into the strength of light, transmitting the converted optical signal via a light guide device such as an optical fiber, and converting the received optical signal into an electrical signal. Optical communication systems for transmitting information are becoming popular. It is also being considered that such optical communication methods can be used to transmit various control signals in automobiles, and in this case, the transmitted optical signals can be transmitted without being reconverted into electrical signals. It is also being considered to use the optical signal itself for various displays. For example, when optical communication is used to transmit control signals in a car, and the transmission distance is short, there is no need to use optical fibers, which are expensive and require complicated wiring. It has been considered to use a light guide device in which a light shielding member is provided around the light guide after the light guide is formed into a predetermined shape by injection molding.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) Conventional light guide devices require injection molding of plastic, which not only makes manufacturing difficult and expensive, but also causes problems such as changes in specifications. When the optical transmission path changes (and by extension, when the shape of the light guide member itself changes), a new mold must be manufactured for each specification change, which poses the problem of extremely low productivity. .

Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to eliminate the need for troublesome wiring work, to be able to manufacture the product easily, to reduce costs, and to easily cope with changes in the optical transmission path due to changes in specifications, thereby increasing productivity. can be improved,
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a light guide device that has effects such as being able to reduce the overall thickness and improve light transmission efficiency.

[Structure of the invention] (Means for solving the problems) A light guide device according to the invention includes a substrate having a first light reflecting film formed on the surface thereof, and a substrate having a first light reflecting film formed thereon.
A plate-shaped light guide member integrally having a plurality of unit light guides formed in a predetermined pattern is attached on the light reflecting film of the plate-shaped light guide member. A punch hole formed to cut the light guide is provided, and a second light reflective film is provided on the plate-shaped light guide member to cover the punch hole portion, and the second light reflective film is The structure is such that a plurality of through holes for light input and output are formed at predetermined portions of the light source.

[Operation] The light input (incident) into the plate-shaped light guide member from the through hole is transmitted through the plate-shaped light guide member while being reflected by the first light reflection film and the second light reflection film, and is transmitted to other parts. It will be output to the outside through the through hole. At this time, transmission of light is blocked at the locations where the punched holes are formed in the unit light guides in the plate-shaped light guide member, and therefore, simply changing the locations where the punched holes and through holes are formed is necessary. , the optical transmission path can be easily changed.

(Example) In FIGS. 1 to 3, 1 is a substrate made of plastic, for example, and a first light reflecting film 2 is formed on the surface of this substrate 1 by adhering a metal film or plating with metal. There is. Reference numeral 3 denotes a plate-shaped light guide member attached to the light reflecting film 2 by adhesive or the like, and this is made by forming a plurality of unit light guides 3a to 3d in a predetermined pattern (linear in this embodiment) by, for example, press processing. Each unit light guide 3a~
For example, a circular land portion 3 is provided at each connecting portion of 3d.
e to 3h (see Figure 3). Reference numerals 4a and 4b are punched holes made by pressing or the like, and these are holes for predetermined unit light guides 3a and 3c in the plate-shaped light guide member 3.
The first light reflecting film 2 and the substrate 1 are also formed so as to cut through the unit light guides 3a and 3c. Reference numeral 5 denotes a second light reflecting film formed by adhering a metal film or plating with metal, and this is formed by punching holes 4a on the plate-shaped light guide member 3.
4b and the first light reflecting film 2 as well. At this time, when forming the second light reflecting film 5, each of the land portions 3e to 3 of the plate-shaped light guide member 3
By preventing the formation of the light reflecting film 5 on the part corresponding to 3h (for example, by cutting the corresponding part when using metal film adhesion, or by masking the corresponding part when using metal plating). Then, a circular through hole 6 is formed in the second light reflecting film 5.
A to 6d are formed at the same time. Although not shown, for example, each through hole 6a, 6b
A light emitting element such as a light emitting diode is arranged so as to face the through holes 6c and 6d, and a light receiving element such as a phototransistor is arranged so as to face each of the through holes 6c and 6d.

According to the above configuration, light input (incident) into the plate-shaped light guide member 3 from the light emitting element (not shown) through the through holes 6a and 6b is transmitted to the first light reflecting film 2 and the second light reflecting film 2.
The light is transmitted through the plate member 3 by being totally reflected by the light reflecting film 5 of the unit light guide 3 which is cut by the punched holes 4a and 4b.
At points a and 3c, transmission of light is interrupted. Therefore, the light input through the through hole 6a is guided to the through hole 6c via the unit light guide 3b, outputted from the through hole 6c, and received by a light receiving element (not shown). The light input through the unit light guide 3d is guided to the through hole 6d, and is output from the through hole 6d and received by a light receiving element (not shown).

Therefore, the light guide device having the above structure can be manufactured simply by pressing and adhesion (or plating), and is therefore easier to manufacture than the conventional light guide device made by injection molding of plastic. Of course, this eliminates the need for troublesome wiring work as in the case of light guide devices using optical fibers. In addition, the optical transmission path can be changed extremely easily by simply changing the location and number of punched holes and through holes, making it easy to deal with changes in specifications. This can improve productivity, such as eliminating the need for additional manufacturing. Furthermore, since it is only necessary to provide the first light reflecting film 2, the plate-shaped light guiding member 3, and the second light reflecting film 5 in an overlapping manner on the substrate 1, productivity can be improved from this point of view as well. At the same time, the entire structure can be made thinner. Furthermore, since the light is transmitted within the plate member 3 in a state of total reflection by the first light reflection film 2 and the second light reflection film 5, the light transmission efficiency can be improved. especially,
In this case, the second light reflecting film 5 is configured to cover the entire substrate 1, in other words, the plate-shaped light guide member 3
The second light-reflecting film 5 is also applied to the edge surface (i.e., the cut surface) of the
Since the structure is such that the edge surface is located, even if the edge surface is rough, the optical loss at the edge surface can be reduced, and the optical transmission efficiency can be further improved.

In the above embodiment, the shape of the plate-shaped light guide member 3 is made relatively simple for convenience of explanation, but in reality, a plate-shaped light guide member having an arbitrary shape depending on the installation location is used. It is. Further, in the above embodiment, the light receiving element may be removed and the light output from the through holes 6c and 6d may be used for various displays without converting the light into an electrical signal. be.

[Effects of the invention] As is clear from the above description, the light guide device according to the invention does not require troublesome wiring work, can be easily manufactured, can be manufactured at low cost, and is easy to change specifications. This has the practical effect that it is possible to easily deal with changes in the optical transmission path caused by the change in the optical transmission path, thereby improving productivity, and furthermore, it is possible to reduce the overall thickness and improve the optical transmission efficiency.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view, FIG. 2 is a perspective view, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts in a state in the middle of manufacturing. In the figure, 1 is a substrate, 2 is a first light reflecting film, 3 is a plate-shaped light guide member, 3a to 3d are unit light guides, and 3e to 3
h is a land portion, 4a and 4b are punched holes, 5 is a second light reflecting film, and 6a to 6d are through holes.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] a plate-shaped light guide member that integrally includes a substrate on which a first light reflection film is formed, and a plurality of unit light guides attached on the first light reflection film and formed in a predetermined pattern; A punch hole is formed in a predetermined unit light guide in this plate light guide member so as to cut the unit light guide, and a punch hole is provided on the plate light guide member so as to cover the punch hole portion. What is claimed is: 1. A light guide device comprising: a second light-reflecting film; and a plurality of through holes for light input/output formed at predetermined portions of the second light-reflecting film.