JP4475562B2 - Method for designing sheet-like light guide - Google Patents

Description

The present invention includes a light guide, particularly, a sheet containing light scattering particles in a sheet-like optical medium, and propagating light incident from one end surface to the other end surface side while being scattered by the particles. it relates to how to design the shaped light guiding member.

  Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, for example, particles that scatter light are contained in an optical medium such as PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), and light incident from one end surface is the particles. Light guides that are propagated to another end face side while being scattered by the above are known.

  Such a light guide propagates light while repeating scattering by particles in the optical medium in addition to the effect of total reflection at the interface between the side end face and the surrounding medium (air or cladding layer). Therefore, as compared with a light guide that propagates light only by the action of total reflection, there is an advantage that light having a more uniform intensity can be extracted from the emission end face. Taking advantage of this advantage, this type of light guide is formed by using a sheet-like optical medium, for example, as shown in Patent Document 3, and one input portion for inputting an optical signal is coupled to one end face thereof. In addition, it is considered to apply an optical data bus (sheet bus) that couples a plurality of output units to the other end surface and distributes an input optical signal as a common signal to the plurality of output units. .

Further, as such an optical data bus, for example, as shown in Patent Document 4, a light diffusing portion is provided at the light incident side end of the sheet-like optical medium so as to correspond to each signal light incident portion. It is also known that the signal light diffused and branched at the portion is propagated toward the end of the optical medium on the light exit side.
Japanese Patent No. 3162398 Japanese Patent No. 3184219 JP-A-10-123350 JP 11-31035 A

  In the optical data bus as shown in Patent Document 4, it is necessary to construct the light diffusing unit from a large number of unit optical elements each having a side of 100 μm, and it is recognized that the production is extremely difficult. Further, if such a light diffusing portion is formed at one end of the sheet-like optical medium, it is practically impossible to detect light at the end, and the end is limited to the light incident side. Therefore, it is impossible to perform two-way communication via this sheet-like optical medium.

  Bidirectional communication is also possible by using a sheet-like light guide as shown in Patent Document 3. However, conventionally, in this type of sheet-like light guide, it has been impossible to easily obtain design conditions for realizing desired light extraction efficiency and uniform intensity distribution of emitted light. Therefore, conventionally, in order to obtain a light guide having desired characteristics, a plurality of light guide samples are prepared by changing the particle diameter and particle density of particles to be contained in the optical medium, and desired light is extracted from them. A method of selecting and using a light guide capable of obtaining efficiency and a uniform distribution of emitted light intensity, and a method of obtaining design conditions by a large-scale simulation using a computer have been adopted.

The present invention is in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a way to design a light guide body so that good light extraction efficiency obtained in the sheet-shaped light guide.

A method for designing a sheet-like light guide according to the present invention is as follows.
As described above, the sheet-like optical medium contains particles that scatter light, and the signal light incident from one end surface is scattered by the particles and propagates to the other end surface side to which the light receiver is coupled. In a method of designing a light guide,
The scattering cross section of the particle [Phi, the optical medium in the light propagation direction lengths _{L G,} the particle density Np, when the correction coefficient was _{K C (= 0.004), Φ} · Np · L G · a step of the value of K _C is Φ in so that Do and 0.9 or less, to select the values of Np and _{L G,}
And a step of designing a sheet-like light guide based on each value selected in this step .

The sheet-like light guide repeats reflection of incident light according to Snell's Law on each surface other than the incident / exit end face, and the refractive index of the surrounding optical medium is Ns, and the refractive index of the optical medium as the base material is When Nm, the incident angle is θm, and the refraction angle is θs, if Nm · sin θm = Ns · sin θs when no particles are contained, it is desirable that the optical medium has a shape satisfying sin θs> 1. .

  The sheet-like light guide is such that light emitted from at least one exit end face conforms to Snell's Law in reflection and refraction at the exit end face, the refractive index of the surrounding medium is Ns, and the optical medium serving as a base material When the refractive index is Nm, the incident angle is θm, and the refraction angle is θs, and Nm · sinθm = Ns · sinθs when no particles are included, the optical medium is formed of an optical medium satisfying sinθs <1. It is desirable.

In the above sheet-shaped light guide, particles mixed into the optical medium may be a conductor particles nonmagnetic according Mie scattering theory. In the optical medium, the particles may be mixed with a gradient in particle density.

  Furthermore, this sheet-like light guide can also be configured by combining a plurality of optical media.

The present invention is also applicable to the case where a sheet-like light guide having a protective layer covering the surface of the light guide body (a surface other than the input / output end face) is designed as the sheet-like light guide as described above. Is possible . Such a protective layer can be formed preferably using, for example, polyethylene or vinyl chloride, which has been widely used as a coating material for plastic optical fibers.

  In addition, it is particularly desirable that the sheet-like light guide having the above-described protective layer has a clad layer having a lower refractive index than the light guide body between the protective layer and the light guide body surface. . Specifically, such a cladding layer can be formed by, for example, applying and vapor-depositing a material such as an ultraviolet curable resin or a silicon resin to the light guide body. The refractive index difference of the clad layer with respect to the sheet light guide body is desirably a value that satisfies the total reflection condition with respect to the maximum incident angle of the signal light in the sheet light guide body.

  Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above propose a light guide for realizing a desired light intensity distribution by a non-uniform refractive index structure or by mixing and diffusing dielectric particles in an optical medium. Further, in these Patent Documents 1 and 2, by applying Debye's Turbidity theory (Journal of Applied Physics Vol.20 pp.518-525 (1949)), the scattered light intensity is increased and emitted. It is described that the light intensity distribution in the mouth can be made uniform. Debye quotes in particular his discussion on scattered light in Einstein's “Theory of Thermal Fluctuation of Dielectric Constants in Gases or Liquids” (Annalen Der Physik 33 pp. 1275-1298 (1910)) The Einstein equation in the above paper is as follows.

i / I ₀ = (RT / N) · [(ε−1) ² (ε + 2) ² / P] · (2π / λ) ⁴
[V / (4πD) ² ] cos ² θ (1)
Where i: light intensity at a distance D away from the scatterer
I ₀ : intensity of incident light
R: Gas constant
T: Absolute temperature
N: Number of molecules in a gram molecule
ε: square of refractive index with respect to wavelength λ (dielectric constant)
P: Pressure applied to the fluid
λ: wavelength
V: Volume of light scatterer
D: Distance between light scatterer and observation point
θ: Scattering angle The above Einstein equation is modified by Debye and expressed by the following equation.

i / I = <η> ² / ε ² (π ² V / λ ⁴ R ² ) · (1 + cos ² θ) / 2 · ω (2)
Where i: light intensity at a distance D away from the scatterer
I ₀ : intensity of incident light
ε: Dielectric constant of scatterer
<Η> ² : root mean square value of fluctuation of dielectric constant of scatterer
R: Distance between observation point and scatterer
λ: wavelength
V: Total volume of light scatterer
θ: scattering angle
ω: correlation volume ω = 4π∫sin (ksr) / ksr · r ² γ (r) dr (3)
k: wave number s: length of combined vector of unit vector of incident light and unit vector of outgoing light r: distance s = 2 sin (θ / 2) between two points causing dielectric constant fluctuation.

According to Debye, the correlation volume ω is the correlation function γ (r) with γ (r) = exp (−r / a) (a: correlation distance).
It can be integrated, so equation (3) is
ω = 8πa ³ / (1 + k ² s ² a ² ) ² ... (4)
It is represented by

From equations (2) and (4),
i / I = <η> ^{2 /} ε ² (π ² V / λ ⁴ R ² ) · (1 + cos ² θ) / 2 · 8πa ³ / (1 + k ² s ² a ² ) ²
Here, using s = 2sin (θ / 2), equation (2) is
i / I = 4πa ³ <η> ^{2 /} ε ² (π ² V / λ ⁴ R ² ) · (1 + cos ² θ)
/ (1 + 8π ² (1−cos θ) (a / λ) ² ) ² ... (5)
It becomes. The term of the scattering angle intensity in the equation (4) is shown below.

f (θ) = (1 + cos ² θ) / (1 + 8π ² (1-cos θ) (a / λ) ² ) ²
.... (6)
FIG. 1 shows the result obtained by calculating the expression (6) for each representative value (a / λ) and obtaining the scattering angle versus the normalized intensity. Moreover, the result of having calculated | required scattering angle versus normalized intensity | strength for every value of typical particle diameter Dp based on Mie scattering theory is shown in FIG.

  According to Patent Documents 1 and 2, since it can be considered that the particle diameter is substantially equal to the correlation distance, from FIG. 1, if the particle diameter is as large as the wavelength, the intensity of the forward scattered light is increased. It can be seen that when the particle diameter exceeds 10 times the wavelength, the intensity of the side scattered light becomes extremely strong, and the light no longer travels forward. On the other hand, according to the Mie scattering theory, as apparent from FIG. 2, the intensity of the forward scattered light is still strong even when the particle diameter exceeds 10 times the wavelength. When Debye's turbidity theory is approximated by γ (r) = exp (−r / a), when the particle size is similar to the wavelength, it is close to the Mie scattering result, but the particle size is larger than that. On the other hand, it can be seen that there is a large deviation from the Mie scattering theory.

  From the above considerations, when the particle size is much smaller than the wavelength as a calculation method used to mix the light scattering particles into the desired optical medium and emit the incident light as a uniform intensity distribution Mie scattering theory, which represents Rayleigh scattering and, if very large, represents Huygens-Fresnel diffraction, is considered more appropriate. Furthermore, the Mie scattering theory is a one-particle system, and it is considered that multi-particle analysis based on the Mie scattering theory is necessary for multi-particle scattering.

  In manufacturing the sheet-like light guide used in the present invention, design conditions for realizing desired light extraction efficiency can be easily obtained based on the above consideration. Hereinafter, this method will be described in detail.

<Scattering cross section>
First, the scattering cross section Φ will be described. The concept of scattering cross section is widely used not only in the Mie scattering theory, but also in a radiation region such as γ-rays and X-rays and a long wavelength region such as infrared rays and microwaves in addition to light in the visible region. When the relationship between particle diameter and wavelength is in the Rayleigh region, the scattering cross section Φ is
Φ = 128 · π ⁵ · ( _ap ⁶ / 3λ ⁴ ) · {(n ² -1) / (n ² +2)} ² ··· (7)
Where a _{p is the} particle radius
λ: wavelength of incident light
n: Expressed by relative refractive index.

On the other hand, in Mie's theory, the scattering cross section Φ is expressed by the following equation (8).

In the limit of a / λ >> 1 in the above equation (8), the scattering cross section Φ is
Φ = Mπa _p ² (At the time of convergence: M≈2) (9)
It is. From the equation (8), it is known that in the region of 2πa _p / λ≈1, M oscillates between 1 <M <6.

Here, FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C show the vibration of M when the relative refractive index n is 1.1, 1.5, and 2.1, respectively. From these figures, it can be seen that the scattering cross section Φ in the Mie scattering region oscillates and converges as the particle diameter Dp increases. Also in this vibration region, the numerical value multiplied by the geometric scattering cross section πa _p ² where the Mie scattering region converges in a wide range where the relative refractive index n is about 1 to 2 is shown in FIG. Can be obtained.

  FIG. 4 shows the results of obtaining the relationship between the particle diameter Dp and the scattering cross section Φ for each of several relative refractive indexes n based on the above-described equations (7) and (9). On the other hand, based on the Mie scattering theory, FIG. 5 shows the result of calculating the relationship between the particle diameter Dp of a multiparticulate system and the inverse of the particle density multiplied by a certain numerical value by computer simulation.

  In these computer simulations, it is assumed that light having a certain finite divergence angle is incident on an optical medium having a cubic shape of various sizes of 10 mm square to 1000 mm square containing particles inside. That is, the incident light and the size of the cube change in a similar manner. The particle diameter Dp was varied in a wide range from the Rayleigh scattering region to the Fresnel diffraction region. In these computer simulations, light is emitted in the same direction as the incident light from a position facing the incident side, and the light extraction efficiency at the light emitting end of the cube is about 80%.

  4 and 5 show that there is a close relationship between the scattering cross section and the number of particles in a finite size optical medium.

<Lambert-Beer law and scattering cross section>
The transmittance T when a parallel light beam is incident on an isotropic medium is expressed by the following Lambert-Beer rule: T = I / I ₀ = exp (−ρ · x) (10)
Where x: distance
I ₀ : Incident light intensity
I: Output light intensity
ρ: represented by an attenuation constant.

The attenuation constant ρ is ρ = Φ · Np · K _C (11) where Φ is the scattering cross section of the particles and Np is the number of particles per unit volume contained in the medium.
It is thought that. Here, K _C is a dimensionless correction coefficient empirically obtained when light propagates in an optical medium in a finite space.

The parameters required typically in designing light guide, the volume of the optical medium V, a mixed particle number N _PT and the particle diameter Dp, consider whether the outgoing light intensity in that case how changes To do.

Here, Np = N _PT / V. Further, K _C is determined from a number of data that do not compare and analogy, as well as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In this calculation, K _C = 0.004 was obtained from FIGS. 4 and 5 and some data not shown. The particle diameter Dp scattering cross section [Phi, (7), associated with from equation (9), therefore, when the length in the optical axis direction of the optical medium and L _G, extraction efficiency Eout of the light,
_{Eout = exp {- (Φ ·} Np · L G · K C)} ···· (13)
Given in. From this equation (13), Φ · Np · L _G = CONST. It can be seen that the extraction efficiency can be made constant. That may be changed to Np in accordance with the length L _G of the optical axis direction of the optical medium.

Furthermore, when there is no particle, the loss factor K _L that combines the three-dimensional shape, the incident light intensity distribution, the Fresnel loss depending on the incident angle, the internal transmittance, etc.
The above equation (13) is
_{Eout = exp {- (Φ ·} Np · L G · K C)} · K L ···· (14)
It becomes.

That is, the extraction efficiency Eout can be determined by the particle scattering cross section Φ, the particle density Np, the length L _{G of the} optical medium in the light propagation direction, the correction coefficient K _C and the loss coefficient K _L. In other words, when the desired light extraction efficiency Eout is given, the light extraction efficiency Eout is realized if the above equation (14) is satisfied.

<Fresnel loss factor>
The Fresnel loss is determined by considering the reflectance, and assuming that the p-polarized component is Rp and the s-polarized component is Rs, Rp = tan (θi−θr) / tan (θi + θr) (15a)
Rs = −sin (θi−θr) / sin (θi + θr) (15b)
Where θi: incident angle
θr: Refraction angle. Therefore, the intensity Ir of the reflected light is obtained from the equations (15a) and (15b).
Ir = (Rp ² + Rs ² ) / 2 (16)
From this equation (16), the transmitted light intensity It is
It = 1-Ir (17)
When it is assumed that the transmitted light intensity in consideration of the intensity distribution of the incident light is It ′,
It ′ (θi) = It (θi) · D (θi) (18)
D (θi): an intensity distribution function.

<Calculation of Fresnel loss>
When a light beam having an arbitrary divergence angle is incident on the optical medium, the Fresnel loss changes with respect to the arbitrary incident angle θi. If the maximum incident angle of the luminous flux is θmax, the Fresnel loss at the interface is

It is represented by

Here, for simplification of calculation, if the intensity distribution of incident light is rectangular, the above equation (19) is

It becomes. FIG. 6 shows the result of obtaining the Fresnel loss with respect to various refractive indexes of the optical medium based on the equation (20). In FIG. 6, the vertical axis represents the transmittance and the loss. That is, the transmittance 1 is loss 0 (zero).

<Calculation of light extraction efficiency including Fresnel loss>
From FIG. 6, it can be seen that when the incident angle is 30 ° or less, the Fresnel loss is almost the same even if the refractive index of the optical medium and the refractive index of the surrounding medium are greatly different. Now, when the optical medium is a sheet-like rectangular parallelepiped, the direction cosine of the light beam is preserved in reflection and refraction, and the incident angle and the emission angle are considered to be the same when no particle is present. When the internal transmittance Tin≈1 can be approximated, the product of the transmittance of the incident surface and the transmittance of the output surface is the total transmittance Ttotal. Therefore, if the refractive index of the optical medium is n = 1.5, Ttotal = 0.92.

Therefore, equation (14) is
_{Eout = exp {- (Φ ·} Np · L G · K C)} · 0.92 ··· (14b)
It becomes. The result of having calculated | required the relationship between a particle diameter and light extraction efficiency with this (14b) Formula is shown to FIG. If there is a distribution in the intensity of the incident light, or if the incident angle of the incident light is 30 ° or more, the Fresnel loss can be obtained from the equations (19) and (20) and substituted into the equation (14b). . However, in consideration of the critical angle at the time of emission, it is desirable that the spread of incident light is about 30 ° in half angle.

7a to 7e above, in this calculation method, first determine the average target light extraction efficiency of each particle size, and use the calculated values (10 mmC, 100 mmC, 1000 mmC) and particle size for each particle size in this calculation. The result of the precise simulation (S10mm, S100mm, S1000mm) by the particle diameter and particle density is shown. The average target light extraction efficiency is 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, and 40% in FIGS. 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, and 7e, respectively. The scattering cross section Φ was determined by the Rayleigh theory when the particle diameter was 20 nm, and by the Mie theory when the particle diameter was 200 nm or more. S represents simulation, and C represents this calculation. The numbers represent the length L _G of the light propagation direction of the optical medium.

7A to 7E, it can be seen that if the average target light extraction efficiency is 60% or more, the result of the precise simulation is within an error of less than 10%, which is in good agreement. That is, in other words, if the value of _{Φ · Np · L G · K} C is 0.4 or less, an error indicates that the fall below 10%. Moreover, even if the said value is 0.9 or less, it represents simultaneously that an error will be less than 50%. Note the value of _{K L} was used empirically value 0.92 obtained. In carrying out simulations and prototypes, even if an error of about 50% occurs, it is considered that there is no particular problem in order to aim at the light extraction efficiency. Needless to say, if the error is less than 10%, there is no need to perform a simulation, and there is no need to evaluate and narrow down several types of samples, so that the development efficiency is improved.

Based on the above results, it is possible to obtain a good solution for the light extraction efficiency using the equation (14) based on the relatively simple results of the Rayleigh region and the Mie scattering convergence region without relying on the complicated theory of Mie scattering. Is considered possible. This method was made in view of this finding, and as described above.
Eout = exp {- (Φ · Np · L G · K C)} · K L
Is satisfied, a desired light extraction efficiency Eout is realized.

<Calculation example>
The result calculated about the sheet-like rectangular parallelepiped based on (14) Formula is shown in Tables 1-3 and Drawing 8a-c. FIG. 8a shows the numerical values of Table 1 in a graph. Similarly, Table 2 and FIG. 8b, and Table 3 and FIG. 8c sequentially correspond to each other. In the calculation results in these tables, both the value of _{Φ · Np · L G · K} C is in the 0.9. Incidentally, in either case, the value of _{K L} is 0.92.

  8A to 8C, (C) and (S) represent the result of this calculation and the result of precise simulation, respectively. The numerical value is the dimension (mm) of the optical medium. The target light extraction efficiency is an average for each particle size. As is clear from Tables 1 to 3 and FIGS. 8a to 8c, it can be seen that the result of this calculation and the simulation result are in good agreement. In particular, the results at a particle size of 2000 nm make it even more clear that this calculation method is consistent with the simulation.

<Emission light intensity distribution characteristics>
The emitted light intensity distribution characteristics are affected by the intensity distribution of the light source, the divergence angle, the number and arrangement of the light sources, and so were evaluated by simulation. The emission light intensity distribution characteristics for each particle diameter thus determined are shown in FIGS. 9a, 9b and 9c. Here, the light source was positioned at the center of the incident-side cross section of the optical medium, and the divergence angle was 30 ° as a half angle. FIGS. 9a, 9b, and 9c show simulation results for the case of a sheet-like rectangular parallelepiped under the same conditions as in Table 1, and show cases where the sheet size is small, medium, and large, respectively.

  From these figures, it can be seen that a substantially uniform intensity distribution is realized at an optical extraction efficiency of about 90% in an optical medium having a rectangular cross section. From the above consideration and computer simulation, when manufacturing a light guide by mixing particles that cause light scattering in an arbitrary optical medium, first, based on the equation (14), the scattering cross section by each particle diameter, The light extraction efficiency can be narrowed down in advance from the particle density, the dimensions of the optical medium, and the like. Further, the light intensity distribution characteristics may be obtained by a precise simulation. Alternatively, it is possible to produce several types of samples according to the conditions preliminarily narrowed from the equation (14) and evaluate them experimentally.

The sheet light guide used in the present invention, with the construction which satisfies the relation as _{Φ · Np · L G · K} C ≦ 0.9 described above, the error between the simulation fit less than 10% Therefore, it is possible to realize a good light extraction efficiency and a uniform outgoing light intensity distribution.

  In addition, since the sheet-like light guide used in the present invention propagates light while repeating scattering by particles in the optical medium, it is also possible to make light incident from one end face and propagate to the other end face. It is also possible to make light incident from the other end face and propagate to the one end face. Therefore, a communication system using the sheet light guide of the present invention using this sheet light guide can also perform two-way communication.

<Requirements for a communication system using a sheet-like light guide>
A typical communication sheet-like light guide is shown in FIG. As described above, the sheet-like light guide 10 includes particles that scatter light in an optical medium such as PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), and separates light incident from one end surface while scattering the light by the particles. It propagates to the end face side. A plurality of optical fibers 21, 22, and 23 are connected to one end face of the sheet-like light guide 10, and optical fibers 31, 32, and 33 are connected to the other end face. These optical fibers 21 to 23 and 31 to 33 are usually large N.P. A. (Numerical aperture) is applied, enabling bidirectional communication.

  Consider the conditions when receiving light with an optical fiber. According to the document "High-Uniformity Star Coupler Using Diffused Light Transmission" IEICE TRANS. ELECTRON, Vol. E84C, No. 3 MARCH 2001 p339 (hereinafter referred to as Non-Patent Document 1) The requirements for the vessel are as follows.

<< Minimum received light quantity of the receiver is required to be 20.5dBm (0dBm = 1mW) or more >>
This is calculated from Bit-Error-Rate (BER) when a 500 Mbps signal is transmitted and received, and since the photoreceiver is a PIN photodiode, the photoreceiver is different (eg, photomultiplier, avalanche photodiode). Etc.) or when the transmission band is different. That is, there must be a minimum amount of received light that can be allowed in a certain transmission band in an arbitrary light receiver. Thus, the allowable minimum amount of light received by the light receiver that satisfies the above conditions is defined as P (Receiver) min.

  First, a constraint condition is obtained for the case where the emission light intensity distribution of the sheet light guide is flat from the above conditions. Even when the emitted light intensity distribution is flat, the area ratio π / 4 between the light guide path and the cross section of the optical fiber in one optical fiber always leads to a loss. However, it is assumed that the core diameter of the optical fiber is equal to the thickness of the sheet-like light guide. Also, tolerances are not considered now.

If the number of branches (number of nodes) is N, the amount of light falls to 1 / N, and if π / 4 is counted as a loss, in an ideal case, the amount of light P (Receiver) received by the receiver is
P (Receiver) = Eout · (1 / N) · π / 4 (21)
Here, it is assumed that the light receiver receives all the light emitted from the optical fiber. From this, if the amount of light incident on the light guide is Pin, the equation (21) is P (Receiver) = Pin · Eout · (1 / N) · π / 4 (22)
It becomes. Taking the logarithm of this equation (22) and expressing the amount of light received by the light receiver in dBm,
P (Receiver) _dBm = -10 Log {Pin · Eout · (1 / N) · π / 4} · · (23)
FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the amount of received light and the number of branches (number of nodes) when the incident light amount is 1 mW and 10 mW. As can be seen from FIG. 11, the amount of received light is naturally proportional to the amount of emitted light. Here, it is assumed that the intensity distribution of the emitted light from the sheet-like light guide is flat, but in reality, the intensity distribution of the emitted light changes as the position of the light source changes. That is, it is considered that the amount of received light is increased or decreased, and the amount of received light is minimized at the minimum portion of the emitted light intensity.

  Here, when the incident light amount Pin to the light guide is given, the distribution shape of the emitted light when the light source is at an arbitrary position, the direction in which the emitted light intensity distribution is the long side is x, and the short side This direction is represented by a normalized intensity distribution function D (x, y), where y is y. Further, one unit in the entrance and exit sections divided by the number of branches (number of nodes) is called a segment, and the center (optical axis) of the optical fiber is ideally positioned at the center of each segment.

Therefore, the normalized average value NPi of the amount of emitted light in the i-th segment is expressed as follows, where Segi is the integration region in the i-th segment.

Here, Segmax represents a segment having the maximum light quantity among all the segments. In addition, in the segment where the light quantity is minimum,

It becomes. In equation (23), the total emitted light amount Pout is
Pout = Pin · Eout (26)
It is. Since the light quantity PSegi in the i-th segment is equal to the number of branches = the number of segments = the number of nodes,

It becomes. In this specification, it is included in the above equation (27).

Is represented as ΣNPi for convenience.

Summarizing the above equations (23) and (27), instead of 1 / N when the emitted light intensity distribution is flat,
P (Receiver) _dBm = -10 Log {Pin · Eout · (NPi / ΣNPi) · π / 4}
It becomes. The numerical value required now is the case where the amount of light emitted from the optical fiber is the minimum, which is given by the equation (25). That is, if P (Receiver_min) _dBm is the minimum amount of light received by the light receiver, P (Receiver_min) _dBm = −10 Log {Pin · Eout · (NPi (min) / ΣNPi)
・ Π / 4} (28)
It becomes. Here, Pin: incident light quantity, Eout: light extraction efficiency, NPi (min): light quantity of the segment that becomes the minimum light quantity, and ΣNPi: light quantity sum of the segments.

Also, if PRmin _dBm the minimum necessary amount of light to the light receiving device to satisfy certain _{BER PRmin dBm ≦ P (Receiver_min)} dBm
Furthermore, the coupling loss between the light emitter and the optical fiber is K _E , the coupling loss between the optical fiber and the sheet-like light guide is K _F , the coupling loss between the optical fiber and the light receiver is K _R , and the inside of the optical fiber. Let's _say loss _KFI
PRmin _dBm ≦ P (Receiver_min) _dBm · K _E · K _F · K _R · K _FI (29)
This equation (29) is a necessary condition for a communication system using a sheet-like light guide.

<BER (Bit-Error-Rate)>
The BER is an index that indicates how much the generated digital signal is transmitted through a certain communication medium, and how much the received digital signal is different from the original digital signal. If the number of bit errors is Biter,
BER = Biter / Bits (30)
It is represented by

  Next, a mechanism for generating a bit error will be considered. First, distortion of an analog waveform at the time of digital conversion is cited as a first factor. Further, since the bit error increases when the signal level is lowered, it is necessary to consider S / N as a factor. Even if the signal level decreases due to waveform distortion, if it exceeds the threshold value for distinguishing (0, 1) signals stably, no bit error should occur, and noise will come from the outside or internal It is considered that a level change is given to a distorted waveform due to the occurrence of the error, which causes a bit error (see FIG. 12).

  The largest factor of waveform distortion in a communication system using a sheet-shaped light guide is the distortion of the received signal itself corresponding to any incident segment and the output segment, and the mixing signal corresponding to each incident segment and any output segment. This is considered to be waveform distortion due to the phase shift of each signal component included. The waveform distortion is caused by the optical path difference of the signal light. In a communication system using an optical fiber and a sheet-like light guide, elements that cause an optical path difference are the sheet-like light guide itself and the optical fiber. That is, it is estimated that a bit error is caused when the signal level falls below a predetermined threshold due to waveform distortion when an analog signal is converted into a digital signal. Furthermore, when transmitting a digital signal, it is assumed that a reference signal (reference clock) is attached, and when a digital signal is read, if it is compared with the reference signal, there is a phase difference (jitter) between the reference signal and the digitized signal. It is considered that a bit error occurs when it becomes large. An analog signal in the vicinity of the threshold value can be converted into an incorrect digital signal by raising or lowering the threshold value due to fluctuations caused by noise. That is, it is presumed that a bit error occurs due to a combination of the optical path difference factor and the noise factor.

<Relationship between optical path difference and BER (Bit-Error-Rate)>
13A and 13B (4 nodes), FIGS. 14A and B (8 nodes), and FIGS. 15A and 15B (16), respectively, in the communication system using the sheet-like light guide. Node). In these communication systems, the outer diameters of the optical fibers are all 1 mm and the length is 1 m so that the optical path difference can be ignored, and they are arranged in close contact with each other on the light incident side and the light emission side.

  The numerical values of “In” and “Out” in each figure are the light incident position and the light emitting position, respectively, the distance from the center position in the optical fiber alignment direction of the sheet-like light guide (mm: the side where the optical fiber that makes light incident is present Is indicated by-, and the opposite side is indicated by +. That is, FIG. 13a shows an optical fiber centered at a position −1.5 mm from the center position, that is, a second optical fiber in the − direction from the center position (an optical fiber 21 in the case of FIG. 18 described later). When light is incident and light is emitted from an optical fiber having the center at the same position (similarly, optical fiber 31), FIG. 13b allows light to be incident on the optical fiber at the same position as above (also optical fiber 21). Each waveform distortion when light is emitted from an optical fiber centered at +1.5 mm from the central position, that is, from the second optical fiber (similarly, optical fiber 34) in the positive direction from the central position is shown. Yes. FIG. 14a shows an optical fiber centered at −3.5 mm from the center position, that is, light is incident on the fourth optical fiber in the − direction from the center position, and light is transmitted from the optical fiber centered at the same position. 14b, the light is incident on the optical fiber at the same position as above, and the optical fiber having the center at the position of +3.5 mm from the central position, that is, the fourth optical fiber in the + direction from the central position. Each waveform distortion at the time of emitting light from is shown. FIG. 15a shows an optical fiber centered at −7.5 mm from the center position, that is, light is incident on the eighth optical fiber in the − direction from the center position and light is transmitted from the optical fiber centered at the same position. 15b, the light is incident on the optical fiber at the same position as above, and the optical fiber having the center at the position of +7.5 mm from the central position, that is, the eighth optical fiber in the + direction from the central position. Each waveform distortion at the time of emitting light from is shown.

  From these figures, it can be seen that the level change due to waveform distortion can be ignored in the input signal of 1 Gbps.

<Relationship between S / N and BER>
The occurrence of reading errors (bit errors) is considered to be related to the signal quality, that is, S / N. That is, even if the main components obtained by removing the harmonic components of the adjacent signal spectrum are separated, if the harmonic components (noise components) are large, they cannot be distinguished as separate signals. If an extreme case is imagined, a signal buried in a noise component is usually considered to be undetectable except when specially filtered.

  In addition to noise generated within the system, such as thermal noise (Johnson Noise), quantum noise (Shot Noise), and 1 / f noise specific to semiconductor elements used in light emitters and receivers, noise components include radiation noise and induced noise. There is external noise such as. Here, in order to evaluate the capability of the system itself, external noise is ignored, and only noise generated inside the system is considered. The influence of 1 / f noise is ignored.

Noise component power (power) Noise (Total) is
Noise (Total) = Noise (heat) + Noise (quantum) (31)
Each component is expressed in terms of power for the light receiving element.
Noise (heat) = (4kT / R) · Δν · · · (31a)
Where k is the Plank constant
T: Equivalent temperature (determined by noise figure)
R: Receiver load resistance
Δν: Receiver bandwidth
Noise (quantum) = 3e ² · (P + P _B ) · η · Δν / (hν)
+ 2ei _d · Δν (31b)
Where e: electron charge
P: Signal light intensity
P _B : Background light quantity
η: Quantum efficiency
h: Plank constant
ν: Frequency of signal light
i _d : dark current
[Delta] [nu]: Receiver Bandwidth Here, let us consider rectifying a signal in the 0.25 GHz band that does not cause a decrease in output when making a 0.5 Gbps signal. That is, the bandwidth of the photodiode is 0.25 GHz. In this case, as an example, for the Hamamatsu Photonics Si photodiode: S5973, P = 8.9 × 10 ⁻⁶ W (20.5 dBm), η = 0.4, R = 50Ω, T = 300K, and the noise component When calculated, it is converted into current value
Noise (heat rms) = 2.88 × 10 ⁻⁷ (A)
Noise (quantum rms) = 8.19 × 10 ⁻⁸ (A)
And the total noise component is
Noise (total rms) = 3.70 × 10 ⁻⁷ (A) (32)
It becomes. On the other hand, the signal current Sc at the minimum received light quantity is
Sc = P · e · η · / (h · ν) (33)
Therefore, the signal current S (min) c at the minimum received light quantity is given by
S (min) c = 2.46 × 10 ⁻⁶ (A)
It becomes. Therefore, the signal-to-noise ratio (S / N) in this case is S / N (Pmin) = 6.65.

Now, since thermal noise is dominant in the noise distribution, when Gaussian approximation is used, the system noise at a certain timing is 6.65 times the rms noise, that is, signal current level = noise current level (S / N = The probability of occurrence of noise Pr (S / N = 1) in the case of 1) is
Pr (S / N = 1) ≈3.47 × 10 ⁻¹¹
Thus, the value is almost close to ^BER≈1 × 10 ⁻¹¹ and close to the probability of occurrence of BER in Non-Patent Document 1. In addition, when a high-pass filter of about 20 MHz that does not interfere with digital signal transmission is used,
S / N (Pmin) = 6.81
Pr (S / N = 1) ≈1.31 × 10 ⁻¹¹
Therefore, it almost coincides with the description in Non-Patent Document 1. In other words, the above result is the basis on which it can be assumed that the previous estimation regarding BER is correct. FIG. 16 shows the relationship between the magnitude of rms (root mean square) noise and its occurrence probability.

In addition, we take a step forward with regard to BER and consider a more practical approach. First, a typical rms noise (voltage value) in a communication system using a sheet-like light guide is measured and defined by Noise (System_rms). Further, if the BER allowed by the system is BER (accept) and the received light signal power at that time is PRmin, the signal voltage S (PRmin) v is obtained by using R as a load resistance.
S (PRmin) v = PRmin · e · η / (h · ν) × R (34)
It becomes. Further, the threshold level of the (0, 1) signal is V (Thresh), and the S / N (Thresh) considering the threshold level is
S / N (Thresh)
= {S (PRmin) v-V (Thresh)} / Noise (System_rms) (35)
Defined in When the expression (35) reaches a certain value and BE is generated with a certain probability, which is assumed to be S / Naccept, it is considered from the above consideration that the probability of occurrence of Noise (System_rms) at that time is equal to BER. FIG. 17 shows the relationship between the BER calculated from the above consideration and the amount of received light. This relationship is very close to the actual measurement result of Non-Patent Document 1, and the shape closely approximates.

  Considering V (Thresh), BE occurs when the value obtained by subtracting the noise component from the signal component falls below this value and when the value obtained by adding the noise component from the “0” level exceeds this value. become. Therefore, it is considered that V (Thresh) is preferably half the average signal voltage.

From the above, in a communication system using a sheet-like light guide, when an allowable BER, that is, BER (accept) is given and the rms noise of the system is Noise (System_rms), the probability of occurrence of Noise (System_rms) In a band where Pr (Noise (System_rms)) does not need to consider distortion of the signal waveform, Q is a proportional constant,
Pr (Noise (System_rms) · Q) ≦ BER (accept) (36)
Noise (System_rms) with a size satisfying the above, and when the signal level gives an arbitrary threshold V (Thresh) in binarization,
{S (PRmin) v-V (Thresh)}> Noise (System_rms) · Q (37)
An input signal PRmin that satisfies the above equation and a signal voltage S (PRmin) v output from the light receiver that satisfies the equation (37) via the load resistor can be defined.

Alternatively, the above equation (37) is obtained from the above-described reason: S (PRmin) v / 2> Noise (System_rms) · Q (38)
Can be defined as

  Further, by providing a circuit configuration capable of measuring the BER inside the system, the output power PRmin of the light source is adjusted so as to satisfy the BER (accept), and the expressions (37) and (38) are satisfied. It may be. In this case, a digital circuit that feeds back from the BER measurement circuit to the light source side is provided, and this digital circuit controls the light source light amount by a table determined from BER (accept), so that the noise generated by the system itself ( External noise other than (System_rms) can also be supported.

  In the communication system of the present invention, in particular, when a sheet-like light guide having a protective layer covering the surface of the light guide body is used, the light guide body is destroyed by an external impact or pressure. Or since it is prevented from being damaged, the reliability of the system is improved.

  In this case, particularly, if a cladding layer is formed between the protective layer and the light guide body surface, most of the signal light reaching the sheet surface is totally reflected at the interface between the surface and the cladding layer. Therefore, this signal light is prevented from being absorbed by the protective layer, and high light propagation efficiency can be realized.

  Furthermore, if the refractive index difference of the clad layer with respect to the sheet-shaped light guide body is a value that satisfies the total reflection condition with respect to the maximum incident angle of the signal light in the sheet-shaped light guide body, the sheet-shaped light guide. Even if the light body is bent to some extent, high light propagation efficiency equivalent to that when the light body is not bent can be secured. Therefore, the communication system of the present invention using such a sheet-like light guide is, for example, such a use instead of a communication system using a flexible substrate or a flat cable conventionally used for wiring in a narrow machine. It can be widely applied to. In addition, the communication system using the sheet-like light guide according to the present invention is not only simply replaced with the above-mentioned conventional product, but also communicates with an optical signal, so it is resistant to electromagnetic noise, while the system communicates with an optical signal. Among them, it can be constructed at a lower cost than a communication system using optical fibers.

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

  FIG. 18 shows a planar shape of a communication system using a sheet light guide according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, this system has four optical fibers 21, 22, 23, and 24 coupled to one end face of one sheet-like light guide 10 as an example, and four optical fibers on the other end face. The four-node type is formed by combining 31, 32, 33 and 34. The sheet-shaped light guide 10 is formed to have a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 4 mm, and a length of 30 mm.

Here, in the present embodiment, the allowable bit error rate BER (accept) is 1 × 10 ⁻¹¹ which is a limit that is generally regarded as error-free. On the other hand, the light extraction efficiency Eout of the sheet-like light guide 10 is set to 0.9. In this case, when the particle diameter is 7 μm, the particle density Np is 0.93 × 10 ⁴ (pieces / mm ³ ) based on the above-described equation (14). In other words, the equation (14) is satisfied by setting the particle diameter and the particle density Np to these values.

Next, the signal-to-noise ratio (S / N) of this system is determined. According to the simulation based on the equation (28), the minimum received light quantity P (Receiver_min) _dBm obtained by the light receiver 40 at this time is 10.5 (dBm). However, Pin = 1.0 mW, Eout = 0.9, NPi (min) /ΣNPi≈0.15.

It is assumed that the above equations (28) and (29) are satisfied at an arbitrary node where the minimum received light amount P (Receiver_min) _dBm . Here, from empirical facts and tolerance analysis, the coupling loss between the light emitter and the optical fiber in the equation (29): K _E , the coupling loss between the optical fiber and the sheet-like light guide: K _F , and the optical fiber coupling loss between the light receiver: it has been found that the value of K _R is a schematic 1dB, respectively.

Next, the internal loss _KFI of the optical fiber is obtained. Here, a plastic optical fiber whose core is made of PMMA is used, and the propagation loss of the optical fiber in this case is about 0.15 to 0.2 dB / m. Considering the wiring in the apparatus in which the communication system is arranged, if the fiber length of about 10 m is required at both ends of the sheet-like light guide 10, the internal loss _KFI of the optical fiber is the maximum. It becomes about 2 dB. (29) In the equation, adding the other coupling loss and the internal loss _{K FI,} a minimum amount PRmin = 15.5 (dBm) required for the receiver. In the Watts display, PRmin = 0.028 (mW).

Therefore, the signal current Sc is set to Sc = 8.01 × 10 ⁻⁶ (A) from the above-described equation (33), assuming that the band is 500 MHz (in this band, it is not necessary to consider the waveform distortion from the simulation result). . On the other hand, the noise component is Noise (System_rms) = 5.28 × 10 ⁻⁷ (A) from the above-described equations (31a) and (31b). Therefore, the signal-to-noise ratio (S / N) in this case is 15.2.

Here, when V (Thresh) = S (PRmin) v / 2 is substituted into the equation (37), 15.2 / 2 = 7.6, so that Noise (System_rms) · 7 When the probability that a noise amplitude of .6 is generated is smaller than the desired BER, the above equation (36) is satisfied. In this case, the probability of occurrence of Noise (System_rms) · Q is 4 × 10 ⁻¹⁵ . That is, since the allowable bit error rate BER (accept) = 1 × 10 ⁻¹¹ , the condition of the expression (36) is satisfied.

  Next, a communication system using a sheet light guide according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. (1) in the figure shows a partially broken side surface shape of the sheet-like light guide 50 used in the present embodiment, and (2) in the figure shows a line A1-A1 in the figure (1). The cross-sectional shape of the part along line is shown. This sheet-like light guide 50 has a light guide body 51 containing particles that scatter light in a sheet-like optical medium, like the sheet-like light guide 10 shown in FIG. In addition to this, a cladding layer 52 formed so as to cover the surface of the light guide body 51 (a surface other than the input / output end face 51a), and a protective layer 53 further covering the outer periphery of the cladding layer 52, have.

  The sheet-like light guide body 51 is made of PMMA molded into a sheet shape containing particles that scatter light, and the light incident from one input / output end face 51a is scattered by the particles while the other input / output Propagation to the emission end face 51a side. Specifically, the cladding layer 52 is formed by applying or vapor-depositing a material having a lower refractive index than that of the PMMA, such as an ultraviolet curable resin or a silicon resin, on the surface of the light guide body 51. The refractive index difference of the clad layer 52 with respect to the sheet-like light guide body 51 is a value that satisfies the total reflection condition with respect to the maximum value of the incident angle θm of the signal light SL in the sheet-like light guide body 51. ing.

  A transmission / reception unit 54 is fixed to each of the two input / output end faces 51a of the sheet-like light guide body 51. One transmitter / receiver unit 54 includes three receivers 55 and one transmitter 56 optically coupled directly to the input / output end face 51a. That is, the communication system of this embodiment is of a four node type. The transmission / reception unit 54 may be optically coupled to the input / output end face 51a as described above, or may be connected to the input / output end face 51a via an optical fiber or the like.

  In the present embodiment, for example, the modulated signal light SL is emitted from the light transmitter 56 of the transmission / reception unit 54 on the left side in FIG. 1A, and the signal light propagated through the sheet-like light guide body 51. SL is received by the three light receivers 55 of the transmission / reception unit 54 on the right side of the drawing. On the other hand, since the signal light SL can be propagated from the right transmission / reception unit 54 in the figure (1) to the left transmission / reception unit 54 in the figure, bidirectional communication is possible. Is realized.

  In the present embodiment, since the sheet-like light guide 50 having the protective layer 53 that covers the surface of the light guide body 51 is used, the light guide body 51 is caused by an external impact or pressure. The destruction or damage is prevented, and the reliability of the communication system is improved.

  The sheet-like light guide 50 has a cladding layer 52 having a lower refractive index than that of the light guide body 51, particularly between the protective layer 53 and the surface of the light guide body 51. Most of the signal light SL that reaches the surface of the body main body 51 is totally reflected at the interface between the surface and the cladding layer 52. Therefore, in this communication system, it is possible to prevent the signal light SL from being absorbed by the protective layer 53 and to ensure high light propagation efficiency.

  Further, the refractive index difference of the clad layer 52 with respect to the sheet-like light guide body 51 satisfies the total reflection condition with respect to the maximum value of the incident angle θm of the signal light SL in the sheet-like light guide body 51. Therefore, even if the sheet-like light guide 50 is bent to some extent, it is possible to ensure high light propagation efficiency equivalent to that when the sheet-like light guide 50 is not bent. Therefore, the communication system according to the present embodiment can be widely applied to such applications in place of, for example, a communication system using a flexible substrate or a flat cable conventionally used for wiring in a narrow machine.

  In addition, the communication system of the present embodiment can be replaced not only with the above-mentioned conventional product, but also communicates with an optical signal, so it is resistant to electromagnetic noise. On the other hand, communication using an optical fiber in a system that communicates with an optical signal. Compared to a system, it can be constructed at a low cost.

  Next, (1) of FIG. 20 shows a partially broken side surface shape of still another sheet-shaped light guide 60 used in the communication system of the present invention, and (2) of FIG. The cross-sectional shape of the part along the A2-A2 line of (1) is shown. In FIG. 20, the same elements as those in FIG. 19 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted unless necessary (the same applies hereinafter).

  The sheet-like light guide 60 shown here has a shape in which the protective layer 53 is removed from the sheet-like light guide 50 shown in FIG. Also in such a sheet-like light guide 60, since the clad layer 52 functions as a protective layer covering the sheet-like light guide body 51, the light guide body 51 is destroyed or damaged by an external impact or pressure. Is prevented, and the reliability of the communication system is improved.

  Next, (1) of FIG. 21 shows a partially broken side surface shape of still another sheet light guide 70 used in the communication system of the present invention, and (2) of FIG. The cross-sectional shape of the part along the A3-A3 line of (1) is shown. The sheet-like light guide 70 shown here has a shape in which the cladding layer 52 is removed from the sheet-like light guide 50 shown in FIG. Also in this sheet-like light guide 70, since the protective layer 53 covers and protects the sheet-like light guide body 51, the light guide body 51 is prevented from being broken or damaged by an external impact or pressure. The reliability of the communication system is improved. In this case, by forming the protective layer 53 using a light reflective material, it is possible to prevent the propagating signal light from being absorbed therein.

  Next, (1) of FIG. 22 shows a partially broken side surface shape of still another sheet light guide 80 used in the communication system of the present invention, and (2) of FIG. The cross-sectional shape of the part along the A4-A4 line of (1) is shown. The sheet-like light guide 80 shown here has a different number of nodes from the sheet-like light guide 50 shown in FIG. That is, in this example, one light transmission / reception unit 81 includes seven light receivers 55 and one light transmitter 56, and an eight-node communication system is configured. Since the sheet-like light guide 80 also has the clad layer 52 and the protective layer 53, the use of the sheet-like light guide 80 has the same effect as the case where the sheet-like light guide 50 of FIG. 19 is used. Can be obtained.

  Next, a bidirectional communication system according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a sheet-like light guide 10 having basically the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 18 is used. Then, three light receivers 55 and one light transmitter 56 are directly optically coupled to one end surface and the other end surface, which are input and output end surfaces of the sheet-like light guide 10, respectively. That is, also in this embodiment, a four-node type communication system capable of bidirectional communication is configured.

  A demultiplexer 84 is connected to each of the light receivers 55. As the light transmitter 56, for example, a semiconductor laser capable of high-speed direct modulation is applied, and the light transmitter 56 is driven by an LD driver 83. The operations of the LD driver 83 and the demultiplexer 84 are controlled by a controller 85.

  Hereinafter, the operation of this communication system will be described as an example in which signal light is propagated from left to right in the drawing. The controller 85 on the left side of the figure receives a signal SQ carrying information on four channels in a time-division manner and is serially input. The controller 85 controls the operation of the LD driver 83 based on the input signal SQ, and directly modulates and drives the semiconductor laser constituting the light transmitter 56. Thus, the four-channel signal light emitted from the light transmitter 56 propagates through the sheet light guide 10 and is received by the three light receivers 55 on the right side in the drawing. The electrical signals output by photoelectric conversion of each light receiver 55 are input to the demultiplexer 84, respectively. The demultiplexer 84 separates the serially input 4-channel electrical signals into separate systems and outputs them.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, each of the four channels of electrical signals is transmitted in parallel to three systems. If this signal division is to be performed only by the sheet-like light guide 10, a total of 13 nodes are required, including a total of 12 channels and one node for light transmission. If the number of nodes of the sheet-like light guide 10 is increased in this way, the S / N of the transmission signal may be reduced. However, by electrically dividing the signal using the demultiplexer 84, the number of nodes can be reduced. Thus, it is possible to prevent a decrease in S / N of the transmission signal.

  Note that a sheet-like light guide having a protective layer as shown in FIGS. 19 to 22 can also be applied to a communication system using the demultiplexer as described above.

  Next, referring to FIG. 24, a communication system according to still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the communication system is configured using the light guide 88 having a bent portion. In this light guide 88, two sheet-like light guides 10 having basically the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 18 are combined, and these sheet-like light guides 10 are optically coupled to each other. An angle conversion light guide 90 is included. The angle conversion light guide 90 has a cross-sectional shape obtained by cutting a quarter of an annulus, and is joined to one sheet-like light guide 10 and the other sheet-like light guide 10. The end surfaces are in an angle of 90 ° with each other. The angle conversion light guide 90 is formed by injection molding a resin such as PMMA, for example, and maintains the above shape unless a particularly large external force is applied.

  Therefore, the signal light emitted from the transmission / reception unit 54 coupled to one sheet-shaped light guide 10 and propagates toward the transmission / reception unit 54 coupled to the other sheet-shaped light guide 10 The angle conversion light guide 90 changes the propagation direction by 90 °.

  When introducing a communication system using a sheet light guide into various devices, the sheet light guide often needs to be bent. However, since the sheet-like light guide generally has a certain thickness and is not highly flexible, it may not be possible to bend the sheet-shaped light guide, particularly when the space in the device is narrow. This point becomes a serious problem when the communication system using electric wires in various devices is replaced with a communication system using a sheet light guide.

  However, the communication system using the light guide 88 includes the angle conversion light guide 90 as described above, so that even if the sheet light guide 10 is difficult to bend, the communication path is bent. Therefore, it can be easily applied to a narrow space in a device. Therefore, the communication system of this embodiment can be widely applied in place of, for example, a communication system using a flexible substrate or a flat cable conventionally used for wiring in a narrow machine. In addition, this communication system can be replaced not only by the above conventional products, but also is resistant to electromagnetic noise because it communicates with optical signals. On the other hand, it is compared with a communication system using optical fibers among systems communicating with optical signals. If it can be constructed at a low cost.

  The angle conversion light guide 90 is not limited to the same material as the sheet light guide 10, and may be formed from a different material. In addition, the angle conversion light guide 90 is formed separately from the sheet light guide 10 and is combined with the sheet light guide 10 later, and is integrated with the sheet light guide 10 from the beginning by injection molding or the like. It may be formed automatically. Further, the angle conversion light guide 90 may or may not contain particles that scatter light in the same manner as the sheet light guide 10, but in order to make the intensity distribution of emitted light uniform, Of course, it is desirable to contain.

  Further, a plurality of the angle conversion light guides 90 can be used as shown in FIG. 25 to form a more complicated light guide 89 having many bent portions.

  Also, the shape of the angle conversion light guide is not limited to the shape of the angle conversion light guide 90 described above, and the shape illustrated in FIG. FIG. 26 shows a cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the width direction of the angle conversion light guide. The angle conversion light guide 90a shown in FIG. 1A converts the light propagation angle by 90 ° in the same manner as the angle conversion light guide 90 described above. However, the angle conversion light guide 90a is not an arc shape but a linear portion is bent. It has a cross-sectional shape. An angle conversion light guide 90b shown in FIG. 2B converts the light propagation angle by 180 ° and has an arcuate cross-sectional shape. The angle conversion light guide 90c shown in FIG. 3 (3) converts the light propagation angle by 180 ° as in the case of the angle conversion light guide 90b. However, the angle conversion light guide 90c is not an arc shape but a linear portion is bent. It has a cross-sectional shape.

  In the communication system using the angle conversion light guide as described above, the demultiplexer shown in FIG. 23 can be used, and furthermore, a sheet having a protective layer as shown in FIGS. It is also possible to apply a shaped light guide.

  Next, a communication system according to still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 1A and 1B respectively show the planar shape and the side surface shape of the light guide 150 used in the present embodiment and its peripheral portion. As shown in the figure, in the present embodiment, a sheet-like light guide 91 having basically the same configuration as the sheet-like light guide 10 previously shown in FIG. 18 is joined to both end faces of the sheet-like light guide 91. A light guide 150 composed of two tapered light guides 92 is used. The four optical fibers 21, 22, 23 and 24 are coupled to one tapered light guide 92, and the four optical fibers 31, 32, 33 are similarly connected to the other tapered light guide 92. And 34 are joined.

  The sheet-like light guide 91 and the tapered light guide 92 are not shown in detail, but have the same clad layer and protective layer as the clad layer 52 and protective layer 53 shown in FIG. In FIG. 27 (2), the outer shape of the light guide body inside them is indicated by a broken line. In addition, for the optical fibers 21 to 24 and 31 to 34, the outer shape of the core portion is indicated by a broken line in FIG. As shown in the figure, the light guide body of the tapered light guide 92 has a thickness substantially equal to the outer diameter of the core on the optical fibers 21 to 24 and 31 to 34 side, and the light guide on the sheet light guide 91 side. The thickness is approximately equal to the thickness of the body.

  The optical fibers 21 to 24 and 31 to 34 have core diameters larger than the thickness of the sheet-like light guide 91. Therefore, when these optical fibers 21-24 and 31-34 are respectively coupled to the sheet-like light guide 91, in order to ensure high coupling efficiency, the thickness of the sheet-like light guide 91 is increased, It is desirable to match the core diameters of the optical fibers 21-24 and 31-34. However, the sheet-like light guide 91 formed so thick is difficult to bend, and it is difficult to dispose it in a narrow space in the device.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by providing the tapered light guide 92 as described above, the sheet-like light guide 91 is not formed thick, but between it and the optical fibers 21-24 and 31-34. High coupling efficiency is ensured. If the sheet-like light guide 91 is formed relatively thin in this way, the sheet-like light guide 91 can be bent to a certain extent, and can be easily disposed in a narrow device space.

  Therefore, the communication system according to the present embodiment can be widely applied to such applications in place of, for example, a communication system using a flexible substrate or a flat cable conventionally used for wiring in a narrow machine. Moreover, this communication system is not only simply replaced with the above-mentioned conventional product, but also is resistant to electromagnetic noise because it communicates with optical signals.

  The tapered light guide 92 may have basically the same configuration as the sheet light guide 91 except that it has a shape with a taper angle. The taper angle is determined by the incident N.P. A. It is desirable to limit so as to satisfy (numerical aperture).

  Next, a communication system according to still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 1A and 1B show the planar shape and the side shape of the light guide 160 used in the present embodiment and its peripheral portion, respectively. As illustrated, the present embodiment is different from the communication system shown in FIG. 27 in the shapes of the sheet-like light guide and the tapered light guide constituting the light guide 160.

  That is, in this embodiment, a sheet-like light guide 93 having a relatively narrow width is used, and correspondingly, the tapered light guide 94 is tapered not only in the thickness direction but also in the width direction. It is made into a shape. Even in such a configuration, the same effects as those in the communication system shown in FIG. 27 can be basically obtained. In addition, this configuration has an advantage that the number of nodes can be easily set even when a relatively narrow sheet-like light guide and a relatively large-diameter optical fiber are used.

  In addition, in the communication system using the tapered light guide as described above, the angle conversion light guide shown in FIGS. 24 to 26 can be applied, and the demultiplexer shown in FIG. 23 can also be used. is there.

  Next, a communication system according to still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This figure shows the planar shape of the sheet-like light guide 95 used in the present embodiment and its peripheral portion. As shown in the drawing, the sheet-like light guide 95 contains particles that scatter light in a sheet-like optical medium, similar to the sheet-like light guide 10 shown in FIG. The optical medium has a high refractive index portion 95a and a low refractive index portion 95b that are different in refractive index from N and N ′ (N <N ′). The boundary between the high refractive index portion 95a and the low refractive index portion 95b is formed in an arc shape in which the former is concave in a plane parallel to the sheet surface. Therefore, the sheet-like light guide 95 has a concave lens effect that diverges propagating light within the plane.

  If the sheet-like light guide 95 having such a lens effect is used, the intensity distribution of the light emitted from the sheet-like light guide 95 is more highly uniform compared to the case where light is only scattered by the particles. Can be realized. Therefore, it is possible to make the BER (Bit-Error-Rate) between the nodes substantially equal while suppressing variations in the amount of light among the plurality of nodes.

  In addition, the lens shape in a sheet-like light guide is not restricted to the shape shown in FIG. 29, For example, a shape as shown in FIG. 30 can also be employ | adopted. That is, the sheet-like light guide 96 having a planar shape shown in FIG. 30 has a high refractive index which is concave on both sides of one low refractive index portion 96b (refractive index = N) with respect to the low refractive index portion 96b. The portion 96a (refractive index = N ′, N <N ′) is provided. Even in this configuration, a concave lens effect for diverging propagating light can be obtained.

  Here, FIG. 31 shows an example of a result obtained by simulating the intensity distribution in the sheet width direction of the emitted light by the computer for the sheet-like light guide 96 having the configuration shown in FIG. In this case, the sheet width is set to 4 mm, and the numerical value on the horizontal axis in the drawing indicates the distance from the center position in the sheet width direction. It can be confirmed from FIG. 31 that the intensity distribution of the emitted light can be made highly uniform.

  Note that the tapered light guide shown in FIGS. 27 and 28 and the angle conversion light guide shown in FIGS. 24 to 26 are also applied to the communication system using the sheet light guide having the lens portion as described above. It is possible to use the demultiplexer shown in FIG. 23, and further, a protective layer as shown in FIGS. 19 to 22 can be provided on the sheet-like light guide.

  Next, a communication system according to still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The figure shows a planar shape of the sheet-like light guide 100 used in the present embodiment and its peripheral portion. The sheet-like light guide 100 is similar to the sheet-like light guide 10 shown in FIG. 18 and contains particles that scatter light in a sheet-like optical medium. Four optical fibers 21, 22, 23, and 24 are coupled to one of the emission end faces 100a, and four optical fibers 31, 32, 33, and 34 are coupled to the other in the same manner.

  33 (1) shows the front shape of the input / output end face 100a, and FIG. 33 (2) shows the arrangement of the four optical fibers 21, 22, 23 and 24 with respect to the input / output end face 100a. Indicates. As shown here, the height of the input / output end face 100a of the sheet-like light guide 100 is set to a value substantially equal to the outer diameter of the optical fibers 21 to 24, and the left and right end portions thereof are the outermost optical fiber 21 and It is semicircular to match the 24 outer shape. By making the input / output end face 100a in such a shape, leakage when communication light is incident on the optical fibers 21 to 24 from the sheet-like light guide 100 causes the input / output end face to have a general rectangular shape (same as above). Compared to the case of (2) shown by a two-dot chain line), the coupling efficiency between the two is increased. As a result, a communication system with a high S / N and a lower BER (Bit-Error-Rate) can be realized.

  In addition, in order to improve the said optical coupling efficiency, it is also possible to employ | adopt another entrance / exit end surface shape. FIG. 34 (1) shows the shape of the entrance / exit end face 110a of another sheet light guide 110, and FIG. 34 (2) shows four optical fibers 21 for the entrance / exit end face 110a, The arrangement state of 22, 23 and 24 is shown. As shown here, the entrance / exit end face 110a of the sheet-like light guide 110 is based on a shape obtained by projecting the cross-sections of the optical fibers 21 to 24 arranged in a line, and a portion between the two optical fibers is defined there. The shape is a little thicker. Even when the input / output end face 110a is formed in such a shape, leakage when communication light enters the optical fibers 21 to 24 from the sheet-like light guide 110 causes the input / output end face to have a general rectangular shape (same as above). Compared to the case of (2) shown by a two-dot chain line), the coupling efficiency between the two is increased. As a result, a communication system with a high S / N and a lower BER (Bit-Error-Rate) can be realized.

  33 and 34, when the light coupling efficiency between each of the sheet light guides 100 and 110 and the optical fibers 21 to 24 is a normal rectangular shape on the input and output end faces of the sheet light guide. It shows below compared with (comparative example).

  In either case, the signal light propagating through the sheet-like light guide is coupled to the four optical fibers 21 to 24, and the output coupled to one optical fiber at that time is output from the sheet-like light guide as a whole. The output ratio is defined as Output, and the degree of attenuation for the single optical fiber is defined as dB = −10 × log (Output). If the coupling is ideal, Output = 0.25, and the degree of attenuation at this time is 6 dB, whereas the degree of attenuation in the comparative example, the sheet-like light guide 100 and the sheet-like light guide 110 is as follows. And 7.0 to 7.2 dB, 6.6 to 6.8 dB, and 6.6 dB or less, respectively. This proves that the sheet-like light guides 100 and 110 have higher coupling efficiency than the comparative example.

  Further, the sheet-like light guide 100 and the sheet-like light guide 110 having the input / output end face shapes as described above can be produced by, for example, injection molding or precision cutting.

  Even in a communication system using a sheet-like light guide whose input and output end faces are set as described above, it is possible to form lens portions as shown in FIGS. 29 and 30 on the sheet-like light guide. The tapered light guide shown in FIGS. 27 and 28 and the angle conversion light guide shown in FIGS. 24 to 26 can be applied, and the demultiplexer shown in FIG. 23 can also be used. Furthermore, a protective layer as shown in FIGS. 19 to 22 can be provided on the sheet-like light guide.

Graph showing scattering angle versus normalized intensity by Debye turbidity theory Graph showing scattering angle versus normalized intensity according to Mie's scattering theory A graph showing how the scattering cross section oscillates in Mie's theory when the relative refractive index is 1.1 In Mie's theory, a graph showing how the scattering cross section oscillates when the relative refractive index is 1.5 A graph showing how the scattering cross section oscillates in Mie's theory when the relative refractive index is 2.1. Graph showing the relationship between particle size and scattering cross section obtained by computer simulation for several relative refractive indices Graph showing the relationship between the particle size of multi-particle system and the inverse of particle density, obtained by computer simulation Graph showing Fresnel loss for various refractive indices of optical media A graph showing the relationship between the particle diameter and the light extraction efficiency by comparing the results obtained by the method of the present invention and computer simulation (light extraction efficiency of 80% target) A graph showing the relationship between the particle diameter and the light extraction efficiency by comparing the results obtained by the method of the present invention and computer simulation (light extraction efficiency 70% target) A graph showing the relationship between the particle diameter and the light extraction efficiency by comparing the results obtained by the method of the present invention and computer simulation (light extraction efficiency 60% target) A graph showing the relationship between the particle diameter and the light extraction efficiency by comparing the results obtained by the method of the present invention and computer simulation (light extraction efficiency 50% target) A graph showing the relationship between the particle diameter and the light extraction efficiency by comparing the results obtained by the method of the present invention and computer simulation (light extraction efficiency of 40% target) The graph which shows the relationship between the particle diameter and light extraction efficiency in a sheet-like light guide compared with the case of calculation and simulation (average light extraction efficiency: 80%) The graph which shows the relationship between the particle diameter and light extraction efficiency in a sheet-like light guide compared with the case of calculation and simulation (average light extraction efficiency: 70%) The graph which shows the relationship between the particle diameter and light extraction efficiency in a sheet-like light guide compared with the case of calculation and simulation (average light extraction efficiency: 60%) Graph showing outgoing light intensity distribution characteristics in sheet-like light guide when sheet size is small Graph showing outgoing light intensity distribution characteristics in sheet-like light guide when sheet size is medium Graph showing outgoing light intensity distribution characteristics of sheet-shaped light guide when sheet size is large A plan view showing a schematic shape of a sheet-like light guide Graph showing an example of the relationship between the amount of received light and the number of nodes in a communication system using a sheet-like light guide Explanatory diagram explaining the cause of bit errors Graph showing an example of signal light waveform distortion in a communication system with four nodes using a sheet-like light guide The graph which shows another example of the signal light waveform distortion in the communication system of 4 nodes using a sheet-like light guide Graph showing an example of signal light waveform distortion in a communication system with 8 nodes using a sheet-like light guide The graph which shows another example of the signal light waveform distortion in the communication system of the number of nodes of 8 using a sheet-like light guide. Graph showing an example of signal light waveform distortion in a communication system with 16 nodes using a sheet-like light guide Graph showing another example of signal light waveform distortion in a communication system with 16 nodes using a sheet-like light guide Graph showing the relationship between the magnitude of rms (root mean square) noise and the probability of occurrence Graph showing the relationship between BER (Bit-Error-Rate) and received light quantity The top view which shows the communication system by one embodiment of this invention The partially broken side view (1) and elevation sectional view (2) which show another example of the sheet-like light guide used for the communication system of the present invention The partially broken side view (1) and elevation sectional view (2) which show another example of the sheet-like light guide used for the communication system of the present invention The partially broken side view (1) and elevation sectional view (2) which show another example of the sheet-like light guide used for the communication system of the present invention The partially broken side view (1) and elevation sectional view (2) which show another example of the sheet-like light guide used for the communication system of the present invention The schematic plan view which shows another embodiment of the communication system by this invention. The perspective view which shows an example of the light guide containing an angle conversion light guide Side view showing another example of a light guide including an angle conversion light guide Side view showing another example of angle conversion light guide A plan view (1) and a side view showing an example of a light guide including a tapered light guide A plan view (1) and a side view showing another example of a light guide including a tapered light guide The top view which shows an example of the sheet-like light guide with a lens function The top view which shows another example of the sheet-like light guide with a lens function Graph explaining the effect of the sheet-like light guide with lens function The top view which shows the sheet-like light guide by another embodiment of this invention. The elevation view (1) which shows the shape of the entrance / exit end surface of the sheet-like light guide of FIG. 32, and explanatory drawing (2) which shows the positional relationship of this end surface and an optical fiber Elevated view (1) showing a sheet-like light guide according to still another embodiment of the present invention and an explanatory view (2) showing the positional relationship between the end face and the optical fiber

Explanation of symbols

10, 50, 60, 70, 80, 91, 93, 95, 96, 100, 110 Sheet-shaped light guide
21, 22, 23, 24, 31, 32, 33, 34 Optical fiber
40 Receiver
51 Sheet-shaped light guide body
52 Clad layer
53 Protective layer
54, 81 Transmitter / receiver unit
83 LD driver
84 Demultiplexer
85 Controller
88, 89, 150, 160 Light guide
90, 90a, 90b, 90c Angle conversion light guide
92, 94 Tapered light guide
95a, 96a High refractive index part of sheet light guide
95b, 96b Low refractive index part of sheet-like light guide
100a Input and output end faces of sheet-shaped light guide
110a Input and output end faces of sheet-shaped light guide

Claims (1)

A sheet-like light guide that contains particles that scatter light in a sheet-like optical medium and that propagates signal light incident from one end face to the other end face side to which a light receiver is coupled while being scattered by the particles. In how to design
The scattering cross section of the particle [Phi, the optical medium in the light propagation direction lengths _{L G,} the particle density Np, when the correction coefficient was _{K C (= 0.004), Φ} · Np · L G · a step of the value of K _C is selected the value of the [Phi, Np and _{L G} becomes 0.9 or less,
Designing a sheet-shaped light guide based on each value selected in this step.

Images