JP7305067B2 - Light conversion device and lighting system - Google Patents

Description

Cross-reference to related applications

This application claims priority from Japanese Application No. 2021-125327 (filed on July 30, 2021), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to light conversion devices.

Patent Literature 1 describes a wavelength conversion section that emits light in response to irradiation with laser light.

JP 2014-17097 A

A light conversion device and illumination system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a light conversion device includes a wavelength conversion section, an incident member and a first reflective member. The wavelength conversion section is irradiated with the first light and emits a second light having a wavelength spectrum different from the wavelength spectrum of the first light in response to the irradiation of the first light. The incident member has a condensing surface on which the second light is condensed. The first reflecting member has a reflecting surface that reflects the second light and converges it on the condensing surface. The reflecting surface is composed of a part of an ellipsoid of revolution with the major axis as the axis of rotation. The distance between the two focal points of the spheroid is less than or equal to the major axis radius of the spheroid.

In one embodiment, an illumination system includes the above-described light conversion device, and emits light emitted by the wavelength conversion section of the light conversion device as illumination light.

It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a reflective member. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a reflective member. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a reflective surface. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a comparison target device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical member. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical conversion device. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a system comprising an optical conversion device; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a system comprising an optical conversion device; FIG.

The light conversion device 1 can convert the first light L1 into the second light L2 having a wavelength spectrum different from the wavelength spectrum of the first light L1. A plurality of embodiments of the optical conversion device 1 will be described below.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device 1 (also referred to as an optical conversion device 1A) according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the light conversion device 1A includes, for example, an emission member 2, a wavelength conversion section 3, an incidence member 4 and a reflection member 5. As shown in FIG.

The emitting member 2 emits the first light L1. The emitting member 2 may be a light source that generates and emits the first light L1 by itself. Also, the emission member 2 may be an optical fiber that transmits and emits the first light L1 output from the light source. Further, the emitting member 2 may be a lens that receives the first light L1 output from the light source and emits the incident first light L1.

The first light L1 is, for example, laser light. The first light L1 may be, for example, short-wave laser light with a wavelength of 460 nm or less, or short-wave laser light with a wavelength of 440 nm or less. The first light L1 may be, for example, 405 nm purple laser light.

The wavelength conversion unit 3 can emit the second light L2 having a wavelength spectrum different from the wavelength spectrum of the first light L1 in response to irradiation with the first light L1. The second light L2 is, for example, visible light.

The shape of the wavelength converting portion 3 is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped. Therefore, the surface of the wavelength converting portion 3 is composed of, for example, six rectangular planes. One rectangular flat surface 30 on the surface of the wavelength conversion unit 3 is irradiated with the first light L1. In other words, the one rectangular plane 30 constitutes the irradiated surface 30 irradiated with the first light L1. The wavelength conversion unit 3 converts the first light L<b>1 with which the irradiated surface 30 is irradiated into the second light L<b>2 , and emits the second light L<b>2 from the irradiated surface 30 . The shape of the illuminated surface 30 may be, for example, circular or polygonal. Moreover, the surface to be irradiated 30 may be a curved surface.

As the wavelength converter 3, for example, a phosphor portion 300 containing a phosphor is employed. The phosphor included in the phosphor portion 300 can emit fluorescence in response to irradiation with the first light L1. The phosphor emits light when excited by the first light L1. A wavelength (also referred to as a peak wavelength) indicating a peak in the wavelength spectrum of fluorescence emitted by the phosphor may be larger or smaller than the peak wavelength of the wavelength spectrum of the first light L1.

Phosphor portion 300 includes, for example, multiple phosphors. Multiple phosphors include, for example, one or more phosphors. The phosphor portion 300 may include multiple types of phosphors having different peak wavelengths. In this case, the phosphor portion 300 includes, for example, a phosphor that emits red (R) fluorescence in response to irradiation with the first light L1 (also referred to as a red phosphor) and a green phosphor in response to irradiation with the first light L1. A phosphor that emits fluorescence of (G) (also referred to as a green phosphor) and a phosphor that emits fluorescence of blue (B) in response to irradiation with the first light L1 (also referred to as a blue phosphor) are included. good. For the red phosphor, for example, a phosphor having a peak wavelength in the wavelength spectrum of fluorescence emitted in response to irradiation with the first light L1 is in the range of about 620 nm to 750 nm. For the green phosphor, for example, a phosphor having a peak wavelength in the wavelength spectrum of fluorescence emitted in response to irradiation with the first light L1 is in the range of approximately 495 nm to 570 nm. For the blue phosphor, for example, a phosphor having a peak wavelength in the wavelength spectrum of fluorescence emitted in response to irradiation with the first light L1 is in the range of about 450 nm to 495 nm is applied.

When the phosphor portion 300 contains a plurality of types of phosphors, fluorescence emitted by the plurality of types of phosphors constitutes the second light L2 emitted by the phosphor portion 300 . That is, the second light L2 is composed of multiple types of color components. When the phosphor portion 300 includes a red phosphor, a green phosphor, and a blue phosphor, the fluorescence emitted by the red phosphor, the green phosphor, and the blue phosphor constitutes the second light L2.

When the phosphor portion 300 contains multiple types of phosphors, the wavelength spectrum of the second light L2 has multiple wavelength peaks different from each other. For example, when the phosphor portion 300 contains three or more types of phosphors, the wavelength spectrum of the second light L2 has three or more different wavelength peaks. When the phosphor portion 300 includes a red phosphor, a green phosphor, and a blue phosphor, the wavelength spectrum of the second light L2 includes the wavelength peak of the fluorescence emitted by the red phosphor and the fluorescence emitted by the green phosphor. and the wavelength peak of the fluorescence emitted by the blue phosphor. The second light L2 may be pseudo white light, or visible light of another color temperature.

Phosphor portion 300 may include phosphors other than red, green, and blue phosphors. The phosphor portion 300 may include, for example, a phosphor that emits blue-green fluorescence in response to irradiation with the first light L1 (also referred to as a blue-green phosphor). The phosphor portion 300 may also include, for example, a phosphor that emits yellow fluorescence (also referred to as a yellow phosphor) in response to irradiation with the first light L1. Phosphor portion 300 may include at least one phosphor of a red phosphor, a green phosphor, a blue phosphor, a blue-green phosphor, and a yellow phosphor.

For the blue-green phosphor, for example, a phosphor having a peak wavelength of about 495 nm in the wavelength spectrum of fluorescence emitted in response to irradiation with the first light L1 is applied. For the yellow phosphor, for example, a phosphor having a peak wavelength in the wavelength spectrum of fluorescence emitted in response to irradiation with the first light L1 is in the range of about 570 nm to 590 nm is applied.

Phosphor portion 300 may be composed of, for example, a low-melting glass containing multiple phosphors. Alternatively, phosphor portion 300 may be composed of crystallized glass containing multiple phosphors. Alternatively, phosphor portion 300 may be composed of a ceramic containing multiple phosphors. Alternatively, phosphor portion 300 may be composed of a bulk ceramic that is fluorescent. In this case, it can be said that the phosphor portion 300 is composed only of the phosphor.

The incident member 4 receives the second light L2. The incident member 4 has a condensing surface 40 on which the second light L2 is condensed. The reflecting member 5 has a reflecting surface 50 that reflects the second light L<b>2 emitted by the wavelength conversion section 3 and converges it on the condensing surface 40 . The second light L2 is condensed toward the condensing surface 40 and enters the incident member 4 .

The incident member 4 may be an optical fiber that transmits the incident second light L2. Also, the incident member 4 may be a rod lens. Also, the incident member 4 may be a lens that adjusts the light distribution angle of the incident second light L2, or may be an imaging lens. When the incident member 4 is an optical fiber having a core, the condensing surface 40 is the end face of the core on the incident side. Moreover, when the incident member 4 is a lens, the condensing surface 40 becomes the incident surface of the lens. The condensing surface 40 may be flat or curved.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the reflecting member 5. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a state in which the reflecting member 5 shown in FIG. 2 is viewed from below in FIG. In FIG. 1, a cross section of the reflecting member 5 is shown.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the reflecting member 5 is generally rectangular parallelepiped. The shape of the reflecting member 5 is not limited to this, and may be generally cylindrical, truncated cone, prismatic, or truncated pyramid. However, it may be a part of an elliptical sphere or a part of a sphere.

A concave portion 53 is formed in one plane 5 a included in the surface of the reflecting member 5 . The surface of the concave portion 53 constitutes the reflecting surface 50 . Further, the reflecting member 5 is provided with a hole 55 through which the first light L1 emitted by the emitting member 2 passes. The hole 55 extends from, for example, one flat surface 5 b facing the one flat surface 5 a to the reflecting surface 50 on the surface of the reflecting member 5 and opens toward the concave portion 53 . The first light L1 enters the hole 55 from the outside of the reflecting member 5 and is irradiated to the wavelength conversion section 3 after passing through the hole 55 .

The reflecting surface 50 reflects the second light L<b>2 emitted from the irradiated surface 30 of the wavelength converting section 3 and converges it on the condensing surface 40 . The reflective surface 50 may be composed of a polished mirror surface. In this case, the reflecting member 5 may be made of metal such as aluminum. Moreover, when the reflecting member 5 is composed of a base material and a reflecting film provided on the base material, the reflecting film may constitute the reflecting surface 50 . The substrate may be made of glass, or may be made of resin, for example. The reflective film may be a single layer film or a multilayer film. The reflective film may be formed by coating, for example. The reflective film may include, for example, a metal film made of metal such as aluminum, silver, or gold, or may include a dielectric film. The reflectance of the second light L2 on the reflecting surface 50 may be, for example, 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the shape of the reflecting surface 50. As shown in FIG. The reflecting surface 50 is composed of, for example, a portion of an ellipsoid of revolution 500 with a major axis 501 as the axis of rotation. The ellipsoid of spheroid 500 is the surface of a spheroid obtained by rotating the ellipse 100 (see FIGS. 4 and 1) about the major axis 101 of the ellipse 100 . Such spheroids are also called prolate spheroids or prolate ellipsoids. Major axis 501 of spheroid 500 coincides with major axis 101 of ellipse 100 . A spheroid obtained by rotating the ellipse 100 about the minor axis 102 of the ellipse 100 is also called an oblate spheroid or oblate ellipsoid.

The reflecting surface 50 may be composed of, for example, at least a portion of a half spheroid 510 obtained by dividing the spheroid 500 along the long axis 501 into two halves. In this example, the reflective surface 50 is, for example, generally composed of a semi-spheroidal surface 510 . Specifically, the reflective surface 50 is formed on the semi-spheroidal surface 510 other than the area corresponding to the opening of the hole 55 through which the first light L1 passes. 4, illustration of openings of the holes 55 formed in the reflecting surface 50 is omitted.

The wavelength conversion unit 3 may be arranged, for example, so that the surface to be illuminated 30 includes one focal point F1 of the ellipsoid of revolution 500, as shown in FIG. In other words, the wavelength conversion section 3 may be arranged such that the focal point F1 is located on the surface 30 to be illuminated. The center of the illuminated surface 30 may coincide with the focal point F1, for example.

Alternatively, the wavelength converting section 3 may be arranged such that the illuminated surface 30 faces the reflecting surface 50 as shown in FIG. The illuminated surface 30 may or may not be parallel to the major axis 501 of the spheroid 500 as shown in FIG. In addition, the illuminated surface 30 may be located on the major axis 501 as shown in FIG. 1, may be separated from the major axis 501, or may cross the major axis 501.

Now consider an imaginary plane 515 containing the elliptical aperture edge 511 of the semi-spheroid 510, as shown in FIGS. Long axis 501 lies on imaginary plane 515 . The illuminated surface 30 may be parallel to the virtual plane 515 as shown in FIG. 1 or may not be parallel to the virtual plane 515 . In addition, the irradiated surface 30 may be positioned on the virtual plane 515 as shown in FIG. , and may intersect the virtual plane 515 . Unlike the example in FIG. 1, the illuminated surface 30 may be inclined toward the condensing surface 40 (right side in FIG. 1), in other words, toward the incident member 4, with respect to the virtual plane 515. direction may be tilted.

The entrance member 4 may be arranged, for example, so that the light collecting surface 40 includes the other focal point F2 of the ellipsoid of revolution 500, as shown in FIG. In other words, the incident member 4 may be arranged such that the focal point F2 is located on the condensing surface 40 . The center of the condensing surface 40 may coincide with the focal point F2, for example.

Alternatively, the incident member 4 may be arranged such that the condensing surface 40 faces the reflecting surface 50 as shown in FIG. The collection surface 40 may or may not be parallel to the long axis 501 as shown in FIG. Also, the collection surface 40 may intersect the long axis 501 as shown in FIG. 1 or may be spaced from the long axis 501 . Also, the condensing surface 40 may or may not be parallel to the virtual plane 515 as shown in FIG. 1, may be positioned on the virtual plane 515, or may be separated from the virtual plane 515. The condensing surface 40 may be tilted toward the irradiated surface 30 (left side in FIG. 1) with respect to the virtual plane 515, in other words, toward the wavelength conversion section 3, as shown in FIG. direction may be tilted.

In this example, the distance d between the two focal points F1 and F2 of the spheroid 500 is less than or equal to the major axis radius a of the spheroid 500, as shown in FIGS. This makes it possible to reduce the distance d between the two focal points F1 and F2. As a result, the second light L2 is easily condensed on the condensing surface 40, and the second light L2 can be condensed efficiently. This point will be described in detail below.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a comparative device 1000 to be compared with the optical conversion device 1A according to this example. In the device 1000 to be compared, the distance d between the two focal points F1 and F2 of the spheroid 500 is larger than the major axis radius a of the spheroid 500 . Other configurations of the comparative device 1000 are the same as those of the optical conversion device 1A.

Here, the optical path length (also referred to as the first optical path length) from the irradiated surface 30 to the reflective surface 50 of a certain ray of the second light L2 emitted by the wavelength conversion unit 3 (in other words, a certain component of the second light L2) ) is I1, and the optical path length (also referred to as the second optical path length) of the light ray reflected by the reflecting surface 50 and reaching the condensing surface 40 is I2. The imaging magnification of the second light L2 is represented by I2/I1. FIG. 5 shows the first optical path length I1 and the second optical path length I2 for three rays of the second light L2. The second light L2 is emitted from the irradiated surface 30 of the wavelength converting section 3 in a wide range in all directions.

In the comparative device 1000, since the distance d between the focal points F1 and F2 is large, the second light L2 includes a ray with a very large imaging magnification (for example, a ray directed leftward from the irradiated surface 30 in FIG. 5). and a ray with a very small imaging magnification (for example, a ray directed from the illuminated surface 30 to the upper side of the condensing surface 40 in FIG. 5). becomes larger. Therefore, when the size of the condensing surface 40 is reduced, or when the condensing surface 40 is arranged away from the focal point F2, it becomes difficult for the second light L2 to be condensed on the condensing surface 40 .

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how a plurality of light rays included in the second light L2 are reflected by the reflecting surface 50 in the light conversion device 1A. FIG. 6 shows the first optical path length I1 and the second optical path length I2 for three rays of the second light L2. In the light conversion device 1A, since the distance d between the focal points F1 and F2 is small, in the light conversion device 1A, unlike the comparison target device 1000, the light beam with a very large imaging magnification and the imaging magnification are very small. A light ray is not included in the second light L2. As a result, the variation in imaging magnification of the rays of the second light L2 is reduced. As a result, the second light L2 is more likely to be condensed on the condensing surface 40, and the second light L2 can be condensed efficiently.

In the example of FIG. 1, the center of the irradiated surface 30 of the wavelength converting section 3 coincides with the focal point F1, but the center of the irradiated surface 30 may be separated from the focal point F1. In this case, the center of the surface to be illuminated 30 may be positioned, for example, on the left side of FIG. 1, may be positioned on the right side of FIG. It may be positioned on the back side of the paper surface of FIG. Further, in the example of FIG. 1, the center of the condensing surface 40 of the incident member 4 coincides with the focal point F2, but the center of the condensing surface 40 may be separated from the focal point F2. In this case, the center of the condensing surface 40 may be positioned, for example, on the left side of FIG. 1, may be positioned on the right side of FIG. It may be positioned on the back side of the paper surface of FIG.

wavelength conversion such that the distance between the center of the illuminated surface 30 and the focal point F1 is equal to or less than a first value and the distance between the center of the light collecting surface 40 and the focal point F2 is equal to or less than a second value A portion 3 and an entrance member 4 may be arranged. However, in this case, the wavelength converting section 3 and the incidence member 4 are arranged such that the center of the surface to be irradiated 30 and the center of the condensing surface 40 are separated from each other. For example, the wavelength converting section 3 and the incident member 4 are arranged such that the distance between the center of the irradiated surface 30 and the center of the condensing surface 40 is d/2 or more.

The first value may be, for example, d/2, d/3, d/4, d/5, d/ 6 may be used. Also, the first value may be, for example, d/7, d/8, d/9, or d/10. The second value may be, for example, d/2, d/3, d/4, d/5, d/ 6 may be used. Also, the second value may be, for example, d/7, d/8, d/9, or d/10. The second value may be the same as or different from the first value. For example, when each of the first value and the second value is d/2, the distance between the center of the illuminated surface 30 and the focal point F1 is d/2 or less, and the distance between the center of the condensing surface 40 and The wavelength converting section 3 and the incident member are arranged so that the distance between the focal point F2 is d/2 or less and the distance between the center of the irradiated surface 30 and the center of the condensing surface 40 is d/2 or more. 4 is placed.

In this example, the reflecting surface 50 is composed of at least a part of a semi-spheroidal surface 510 on one side when the spheroidal surface 500 is divided into two along the major axis 501 . On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the reflecting surface 50 is composed of at least a part of one half of the ellipsoid of spheroid when the ellipsoid of spheroid 500 is divided along the minor axis. is also possible. As in the example of FIG. 1, when the reflecting surface 50 is composed of at least a part of the half spheroid 510 on one side when the spheroid 500 is divided into two along the major axis 501, As compared with the example of FIG. 7 , the second light L2 emitted from the illuminated surface 30 is more easily condensed on the condensing surface 40 by the reflecting surface 50 . Therefore, the second light L2 can be efficiently collected. Note that the reflecting surface 50 may be composed of a semi-spheroid on one side when the spheroid 500 is divided along the short axis as shown in FIG. may consist of a part of

Embodiment 2.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device 1 (also referred to as an optical conversion device 1B) according to this embodiment. The light conversion device 1B is obtained by changing the shape of the reflecting member 5 in the light conversion device 1A described above.

In the light conversion device 1B, the reflecting surface 50 does not include at least part of the elliptical opening edge 511 (see FIG. 4) of the semi-spheroidal surface 510 . In other words, at least part of the aperture edge 511 transmits the second light L2. In the example of FIG. 8, the reflective surface 50 does not include all of the opening edge 511 of the semi-spheroidal surface 510 . In this case, when the reflecting surface 50 is cut along a cutting plane passing through the major axis 501 of the spheroid 500, the cross-sectional shape of the reflecting surface 50 when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the cutting plane is the shortest of the spheroid 500. It may or may not be symmetrical with respect to the axis as shown in FIG. Also, the reflective surface 50 may include a portion of the aperture edge 511, as shown in FIG.

Here, in the semi-spheroidal surface 510, the opening edge 511 and its vicinity are difficult to be coated, for example. In the light conversion device 1B, since the reflective surface 50 does not include at least part of the opening edge 511 of the semi-spheroidal surface 510, for example, the reflective film forming the reflective surface 50 can be easily formed by coating.

Embodiment 3.
The light conversion device 1 (also referred to as the light conversion device 1C) according to the present embodiment reduces the spread of the second light L2 emitted from the wavelength conversion section 3 and irradiates the reflecting surface 50 with the second light L2. A member 60 is provided. Here, the spread of the second light L2 becomes smaller means that the spread of the second light L2 becomes smaller than when the optical member 60 does not exist. The optical member 60 may be a reflecting member 61 that reflects the second light L2, or a lens 62 that refracts the second light L2.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device 1C including a reflecting member 61 as an optical member 60. As shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the reflecting member 61. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 10, a cross section of the reflecting member 61 is shown. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device 1C having a lens 62 as an optical member 60. As shown in FIG. An optical conversion device 1C shown in FIGS. 10 and 12 further includes an optical member 60 in the optical conversion device 1A described above.

As shown in FIG. 11, the reflecting member 61 is, for example, an annular member. The reflecting member 61 has, for example, a hollow cylindrical shape. An annular inner peripheral surface of the reflecting member 61 is, for example, a mirror surface, and can reflect the second light L2. The annular inner peripheral surface of the reflecting member 61 may be formed of a reflecting film that reflects the second light L2, similarly to the reflecting surface 50 . The annular inner peripheral surface of the reflecting member 61 has, for example, a circular cross section and a tapered shape. As a result, the diameter of one of the openings at both ends of the reflecting member 61 is smaller than the diameter of the other. Note that the structure of the reflecting member 61 is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the annular reflecting member 61 is arranged, for example, so that the opening with the smaller diameter surrounds the irradiated surface 30 of the wavelength converting section 3 . The diameter of the tapered inner peripheral surface of the reflecting member 61 increases with increasing distance from the irradiated surface 30 . The second light L<b>2 with a large emission angle (in other words, emission angle) is reflected by the inner peripheral surface of the reflecting member 61 and is irradiated onto the reflecting surface 50 . As a result, the spread of the second light L2 emitted from the wavelength converting section 3 is reduced, and the reflecting surface 50 is irradiated with the second light L2.

In the example of FIG. 12, the lens 62 is arranged in front of the illuminated surface 30, and the second light L2 emitted from the illuminated surface 30 enters. The lens 62 is arranged, for example, so as to cover the illuminated surface 30 . The lens 62 refracts and emits the second light L2 having a large emission angle. 10, the spread of the second light L2 emitted from the wavelength converting section 3 is reduced, and the second light L2 is irradiated onto the reflecting surface 50. As shown in FIG.

As described above, the optical conversion device 1C is provided with the optical member 60 that reduces the spread of the second light L2 emitted from the wavelength conversion section 3 and irradiates the reflecting surface 50 with the second light L2. As a result, the incident angle of the second light L2 with respect to the condensing surface 40 can be reduced. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce variations in imaging magnification of the second light L2. Therefore, the second light L2 is more likely to be incident on the incident member 4, and as a result, the light amount of the second light L2 incident on the incident member 4 can be increased. Note that the optical member 60 may be provided in the light conversion device 1B according to the second embodiment.

Embodiment 4.
The light conversion device 1 (also referred to as the light conversion device 1D) according to the present embodiment includes an optical member 70 that guides the second light L2 that is reflected by the reflecting surface 50 and directed to the outside of the light collecting surface 40 to the light collecting surface 40. Prepare. The optical member 70 may be a reflecting member 71 that reflects the second light L2, or a lens 72 that refracts the second light L2.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device 1D including a reflecting member 71 as an optical member 70. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 13, a cross section of the reflecting member 71 is shown. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device 1D having a lens 72 as an optical member 70. As shown in FIG. A light conversion device 1D shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 further includes an optical member 70 in the light conversion device 1A described above.

The reflecting member 71 has, for example, a structure similar to that of the reflecting member 61 described above. As shown in FIG. 13 , the annular reflecting member 71 is arranged, for example, such that the aperture with the smaller diameter surrounds the condensing surface 40 of the incident member 4 . The diameter of the tapered inner peripheral surface of the reflecting member 71 increases with increasing distance from the condensing surface 40 . The second light L<b>2 reflected by the reflecting surface 50 toward the outside of the condensing surface 40 is reflected by the inner peripheral surface of the reflecting member 71 and guided to the condensing surface 40 .

In the example of FIG. 14, a lens 72 is arranged in front of the condensing surface 40 . The second light L<b>2 reflected by the reflecting surface 50 and directed to the outside of the condensing surface 40 is refracted by the lens 72 and guided to the condensing surface 40 .

As described above, the optical conversion device 1D is provided with the optical member 70 that guides the second light L2 reflected by the reflecting surface 50 toward the outside of the condensing surface 40 to the condensing surface 40 . Thereby, the light amount of the second light L2 incident on the light collecting surface 40 can be increased.

Note that the optical member 70 may be provided in the light conversion device 1B according to the second embodiment. Also, the optical member 70 may be provided in the light conversion device 1C according to the third embodiment. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device 1C including a reflecting member 61 as the optical member 60 and a reflecting member 71 as the optical member 70. As shown in FIG. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device 1C including a lens 62 as the optical member 60 and a lens 72 as the optical member 70. As shown in FIG. 15 and 16, the light conversion device 1C may include the reflecting member 61 and the lens 72, or may include the lens 62 and the reflecting member 71. FIG.

Embodiment 5.
In the light conversion device 1, the first light L1 may be positively incident on the incident member 4 in some cases. For example, when light in which the first light L1 and the second light L2 are mixed is desired to be emitted from the incident member 4, not only the second light L2 but also the first light L1 is actively incident on the condensing surface 40. .

On the other hand, in the above light conversion device 1, the incident angle of the first light L1 with respect to the wavelength conversion section 3 is 0°. In other words, the first light L1 is incident on the surface 30 to be illuminated perpendicularly. Therefore, the regular reflection component of the first light L<b>1 tends to travel toward the hole 55 of the reflecting member 5 and exit the light conversion device 1 from the hole 55 . Therefore, in the light conversion device 1 described above, it is difficult for the first light L1 to enter the incident member 4 .

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a light conversion device 1 that makes it easier for the first light L1 to enter the incident member 4 will be described. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device 1 (also referred to as an optical conversion device 1E) according to this embodiment.

The optical conversion device 1E is the optical conversion device 1A according to the first embodiment, in which the arrangement and orientation of the wavelength converting section 3 are changed. In the light conversion device 1E, the irradiated surface 30 of the wavelength conversion section 3 is not facing the hole 55 through which the first light L1 passes. The irradiated surface 30 is inclined with respect to a virtual plane 515 including the elliptical opening edge 511 of the semi-spheroidal surface 510 . In the example of FIG. 17, the illuminated surface 30 is inclined with respect to the virtual plane 515 toward the condensing surface 40 (right side in FIG. 17). Note that the illuminated surface 30 may be inclined in other directions with respect to the virtual plane 515 .

In the light conversion device 1E, the incident angle α of the first light L1 with respect to the wavelength conversion section 3 is greater than 0°. In other words, the incident angle α of the first light L1 with respect to the illuminated surface 30 is greater than 0°. It can also be said that the illuminated surface 30 is inclined with respect to the incident direction of the first light L1. The incident angle α may be, for example, 5° or more, 10° or more, or 20° or more. Also, the incident angle α may be, for example, 60° or less, 50° or less, or 45° or less. Note that the incident angle α may be larger than 0° in the above-described light conversion devices 1B to 1D as well.

As described above, in the light conversion device 1E, the incident angle α of the first light L1 with respect to the wavelength converting section 3 is larger than 0°, so that the first light L1 reflected by the wavelength converting section 3 enters the hole 55. difficult to enter. This makes it easier for the first light L<b>1 to be successively reflected by the wavelength converting section 3 and the reflecting surface 50 and enter the light collecting surface 40 . Therefore, for example, light in which the first light L<b>1 and the second light L<b>2 are mixed can be emitted from the incident member 4 . Note that the incident angle α may be larger than 0° even when the first light L1 is not desired to be incident on the incident member 4 .

Embodiment 6.
In the light conversion device 1, unlike the fifth embodiment, there are cases where it is desired not to allow the first light L1 to enter the incident member 4. FIG.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a light conversion device 1 that makes it difficult for the first light L1 to enter the incident member 4 will be described. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device 1 (also referred to as an optical conversion device 1F) according to this embodiment.

The optical conversion device 1F is provided with an optical filter 80 in the optical conversion device 1B according to the second embodiment. The optical filter 80 can absorb the first light L1 and transmit the second light L2. The optical filter 80 is arranged, for example, in the vicinity of the light collecting surface 40 so as to cover the light collecting surface 40 . Thereby, the optical filter 80 absorbs the first light L1 sequentially reflected by the wavelength converting section 3 (more specifically, the illuminated surface 30) and the reflecting surface 50, and transmits the second light L2 reflected by the reflecting surface 50. be able to.

The optical filter 80 may be formed in a plate shape, sheet shape, or film shape, for example. When the lens 72 is arranged as in the fourth embodiment, the optical filter 80 may be deposited on the lens 72 . The absorption rate of the first light L1 in the optical filter 80 may be, for example, 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more. The transmittance of the second light L2 in the optical filter 80 may be, for example, 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more. The optical filter 80 may be composed of, for example, a dielectric such as glass, may be composed of a dielectric and another material, or may be composed of a material other than a dielectric. The optical filter 80 may be composed of a single layer or may be composed of multiple layers.

Thus, the optical conversion device 1F is provided with the optical filter 80 that absorbs the first light L1 sequentially reflected by the wavelength conversion section 3 and the reflecting surface 50 and transmits the second light L2 reflected by the reflecting surface 50. ing. This makes it difficult for the first light L<b>1 to enter the incident member 4 and allows the second light L<b>2 to enter the incident member 4 appropriately.

Note that the optical filter 80 may be provided in the optical conversion devices 1A, 1C, 1D, and 1E. Also, the optical filter 80 may reflect the first light L1 instead of absorbing the first light L1. In this case, it becomes difficult for the first light L1 to enter the incident member 4, and as shown in FIG. The irradiated surface 30 can be irradiated again. Thereby, the luminous efficiency of the wavelength conversion section 3 is improved. The reflectance of the first light L1 at the optical filter 80 may be, for example, 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more.

Embodiment 7.
In this embodiment, as in the sixth embodiment described above, a light conversion device 1 that makes it difficult for the first light L1 to enter the incident member 4 will be described. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device 1 (also referred to as an optical conversion device 1G) according to this embodiment.

The light conversion device 1G is the same as the light conversion device 1A according to the first embodiment, except that the reflecting surface 50 is composed of an optical filter 57 that reflects the second light L2 and absorbs the first light L1. In the light conversion device 1</b>G, the reflecting member 5 is composed of, for example, a base material 56 and an optical filter 57 provided on the base material 56 . The optical filter 57 is formed in a film shape, for example. The optical filter 57 may be formed by coating the surface of the substrate 56, for example. The optical filter 57 may be composed of a dielectric such as glass, may be composed of a dielectric and another material, or may be composed of a material other than a dielectric. The optical filter 57 may be a single layer film or a multilayer film.

The base material 56 is generally rectangular parallelepiped. The shape of the base material 56 is not limited to this, and may generally be cylindrical, truncated cone, prismatic, or truncated pyramidal. . The base material 56 may be made of glass, or may be made of resin, for example.

A concave portion is formed in one plane included in the surface of the base material 56 . An optical filter 57 is formed in the form of a film on the surface of this recess. The reflective surface 50 is composed of the principal surface of the optical filter 57 opposite to the principal surface on the substrate 56 side. A hole 55 through which the first light L1 passes penetrates the base material 56 and the optical filter 57 and reaches the reflecting surface 50 .

The reflectance of the second light L2 at the optical filter 57 may be, for example, 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more. Also, the absorption rate of the first light L1 in the optical filter 57 may be, for example, 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more.

Thus, in the light conversion device 1G, the reflecting surface 50 is configured by the optical filter 57 that reflects the second light L2 and absorbs the first light L1. This makes it difficult for the first light L<b>1 to enter the incident member 4 and allows the second light L<b>2 to enter the incident member 4 appropriately. Note that the optical filters 57 may be provided in the optical conversion devices 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, and 1F.

Embodiment 8.
FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device 1 (also referred to as an optical conversion device 1H) according to this embodiment. The light conversion device 1H does not have the hole 55 in the light conversion device 1B according to the second embodiment, but has a reflecting member 90 that reflects the first light L1 to irradiate the wavelength conversion section 3 thereon.

In the light conversion device 1H, the reflecting member 5 is not provided with the hole 55 through which the first light L1 passes. The first light L<b>1 emitted from the emitting member 2 irradiates the reflecting member 90 without passing through the reflecting member 5 . The reflecting member 90 is arranged, for example, in the vicinity of the irradiated surface 30 of the wavelength converting section 3 . The reflecting member 90 reflects the first light L<b>1 that travels without passing through the reflecting member 5 and irradiates the irradiated surface 30 of the wavelength converting section 3 with the first light L<b>1 .

The reflecting member 90 may be formed in a plate shape, a sheet shape, or a film shape, for example. The reflectance of the first light L1 on the reflecting member 90 may be, for example, 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more. The reflecting member 90 may be made of metal such as aluminum. Also, the reflecting member 90 may be composed of a base material and a reflecting film provided on the base material. The substrate may be made of glass, or may be made of resin, for example. The reflective film may be a single layer film or a multilayer film. The reflective film may be formed by coating, for example. The reflective film may include, for example, a metal film made of metal such as aluminum, silver, or gold, or may include a dielectric film. The reflectance of the first light L1 on the reflecting film may be, for example, 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more.

Thus, in the light conversion device 1</b>H, the reflection member 90 that reflects the first light L<b>1 that travels without passing through the reflection member 5 and irradiates the wavelength conversion section 3 is provided. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the hole 55 through which the first light L1 passes in the reflecting member 5 . As a result, the reflective surface 50 can be enlarged by the amount corresponding to the absence of the hole 55 . Therefore, the light amount of the second light L2 condensed on the condensing surface 40 can be increased.

Here, when the surface to be illuminated 30 faces the reflecting surface 50 as in the example of FIG. It is necessary to provide the reflecting member 5 with a hole 55 through which it passes. In this example, since the direction in which the first light beam L1 travels is changed by the reflecting member 90, the first light beam can travel toward the illuminated surface 30 facing the reflecting surface 50 without providing the hole 55 in the reflecting member 5. L1 can be properly illuminated.

Note that the reflecting member 90 may be provided in each of the optical conversion devices 1A, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, and 1G. In this case, the hole 55 through which the first light L1 passes becomes unnecessary.

Also, the reflecting member 90 may be an optical filter that reflects the first light L1 and transmits the second light L2. In this case, the reflecting member 90 may be composed of a dielectric such as glass, may be composed of a dielectric and another material, or may be composed of a material other than a dielectric. The reflecting member 90 may be composed of a single layer or may be composed of multiple layers. The transmittance of the second light L2 in the reflecting member 90 may be, for example, 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more. If the reflective member 90 is an optical filter that reflects the first light L1 and transmits the second light L2, the reflective member 90 is less likely to interfere with the progress of the second light L2. Therefore, the light amount of the second light L2 condensed on the condensing surface 40 can be increased.

Embodiment 9.
FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the optical conversion device 1 (optical conversion device 1I) according to this embodiment. The light conversion device 1I is the light conversion device 1H according to the eighth embodiment, in which the direction of the optical axis 400 of the incident member 4 is specified.

In the light conversion device 1I, the light ray L2a of the second light L2 emitted from the center of the irradiated surface 30 along the direction perpendicular to the irradiated surface 30 of the wavelength conversion unit 3 is reflected by the reflecting surface 50. The optical axis 400 of the incident member 4 is positioned at . As a result, the second light L<b>2 emitted in a wide range from the illuminated surface 30 in all directions is easily condensed on the condensing surface 40 . In the light conversion devices 1A, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, and 1G described above, the optical axis 400 of the incident member 4 may be positioned on the extension line of the direction in which the light beam L2a is reflected by the reflecting surface 50. FIG.

Embodiment 10.
FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device (also referred to as an optical conversion device 1J) according to this embodiment. The light conversion device 1J does not have the holes 55 in the light conversion device 1A according to the first embodiment, and the reflecting member 5 is made of a material through which the first light L1 is transmitted.

In the light conversion device 1J, the reflecting member 5 is composed of, for example, a base material 58 and an optical filter 59 provided on the base material 58. As shown in FIG. The optical filter 59 is formed in a film shape, for example. The optical filter 59 may be formed by coating the surface of the base material 58, for example. The base material 58 is generally rectangular parallelepiped. The shape of the base material 58 is not limited to this, and may be approximately cylindrical, truncated cone, prismatic, or truncated pyramid. . A concave portion is formed in one plane included in the surface of the base material 58 . An optical filter 59 is formed in the form of a film on the surface of this recess. The reflective surface 50 is composed of the principal surface of the optical filter 59 opposite to the principal surface on the substrate 58 side.

The base material 58 and the optical filter 59 are made of a material through which the first light L1 is transmitted. The base material 58 may be made of transparent glass, or may be made of transparent resin, for example. The optical filter 59 can transmit the first light L1 and reflect the second light L2. The optical filter 59 may be composed of a dielectric such as glass, may be composed of a dielectric and another material, or may be composed of a material other than a dielectric. The optical filter 59 may be a single layer film or a multilayer film.

The transmittance of the first light L1 at the base material 58 may be, for example, 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more. Also, the transmittance of the first light L1 in the optical filter 59 may be, for example, 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more. Also, the reflectance of the second light L2 at the optical filter 59 may be, for example, 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more.

In the light conversion device 1J, the reflecting member 5 is not provided with the hole 55 through which the first light L1 passes. The first light L<b>1 emitted from the emitting member 2 passes through the material of the reflecting member 5 and is applied to the wavelength conversion section 3 . That is, the first light L<b>1 is transmitted through the material of the base material 58 and the material of the optical filter 59 and is irradiated to the wavelength converting section 3 .

Thus, in the light conversion device 1J, the reflecting member 5 is made of a material that transmits the first light L1. As a result, as shown in FIG. 23, the first light L1 reflected by the wavelength converting portion 3 and directed toward the reflecting surface 50 is more likely to pass through the material of the reflecting member 5 and be emitted to the outside of the light converting device 1J. . This makes it difficult for the first light L1 reflected by the wavelength conversion section 3 to enter the incident member 4, as in the light conversion devices 1F and 1G described above.

Further, when the first light L1 passes through the material of the reflecting member 5 and is irradiated to the wavelength conversion unit 3, the first light L1 passes through the reflecting member 5 as in the above-described light conversion devices 1H and 1I. There is no need to provide a hole 55 through which L1 passes. As a result, the reflective surface 50 can be enlarged by the amount corresponding to the absence of the hole 55 . Therefore, the light amount of the second light L2 condensed on the condensing surface 40 can be increased.

In addition, in the light conversion device 1J, the reflecting member 5 may be provided with a hole 55 through which the first light L1 passes. Alternatively, the reflecting member 5 may be composed only of the optical filter 59 . Similarly, in the light conversion devices 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1H, and 1I, the reflecting member 5 may be made of a material through which the first light L1 is transmitted.

Embodiment 11.
FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical conversion device 1 (also referred to as an optical conversion device 1K) according to this embodiment. The light conversion device 1K is, for example, the light conversion device 1B according to the second embodiment provided with a fixing member 200 to which the wavelength conversion section 3 and the incident member 4 are fixed.

The fixing member 200 has, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The shape of the fixing member 200 is not limited to this, and may be generally cylindrical, truncated conical, prismatic, or truncated pyramidal. . The fixing member 200 may be made of metal, glass, or resin, for example.

A concave portion 210 is formed in one flat surface 200 a included in the surface of the fixing member 200 . The wavelength conversion unit 3 is fixed to the fixing member 200 so that the surface 30 to be irradiated is exposed from the surface 210 a (for example, the bottom surface) of the recess 210 . Most of the wavelength converting portion 3 may be embedded in the fixing member 200 as in the example of FIG. 24 . The incidence member 4 is fixed to the fixing member 200 so that the condensing surface 40 is exposed from the surface 210 a (for example, the bottom surface) of the recess 210 . A portion of the incident member 4 may be embedded in the fixed member 200 as in the example of FIG. 24 . The incidence member 4 may extend outside the fixing member 200 from one plane 200b of the surfaces of the fixing member 200 that faces the one plane 200a, for example. The wavelength converting section 3 and the incident member 4 may be fixed to the fixing member 200 using an adhesive or the like, for example.

In the light conversion device 1K, for example, one plane 5a included in the surface of the reflecting member 5 and one plane 200a included in the surface of the fixing member 200 are joined. The plane 5a and the plane 200a may be joined using a joining member such as an adhesive, or may be joined directly. By joining the plane 5a and the plane 200a, the reflective surface 50 and the surface 210a of the concave portion 210 face each other, and a substantially closed space 250 is formed between the reflective surface 50 and the surface 210a. The illuminated surface 30 and the condensing surface 40 are arranged in the space 250 .

Thus, in the optical conversion device 1K, the wavelength conversion section 3 and the incident member 4 are fixed to the same fixing member 200. As shown in FIG. Accordingly, by aligning the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 using a jig or the like, it is possible to easily align the wavelength conversion section 3 and the incident member 4 with respect to the reflecting surface 50 . For example, the irradiated surface 30 of the wavelength conversion unit 3 and the condensing surface 40 of the incident member 4 can be easily arranged at the two focal points F1 and F2 of the spheroidal surface 500, respectively.

Further, as in this example, when the illuminated surface 30 and the light collecting surface 40 are arranged in the space 250 formed by the reflecting surface 50 and the surface 210a of the recess 210, the reflecting surface 50 and the surface 210a are When the first light L<b>1 can be reflected, the first light L<b>1 reflected by the illuminated surface 30 is less likely to leak to the outside of the space 250 .

The surface of the reflecting member 5 and the surface of the fixing member 200 may each include an alignment plane for aligning the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 . By making the alignment plane of the reflecting member 5 and the alignment plane of the fixing member 200 flush with each other, the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 are aligned.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the light conversion device 1K (also referred to as the light conversion device 1Ka) in which each of the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 has an alignment plane. FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how the optical conversion device 1Ka shown in FIG. 25 is viewed from the upper side of FIG. FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how the optical conversion device 1Ka shown in FIG. 25 is viewed from below FIG. FIG. 25 shows a cross section of the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 along the arrow AA shown in FIG.

In the light conversion device 1Ka, the reflecting member 5 has a substantially truncated cone shape. The bottom surface and top surface of the truncated cone-shaped reflecting member 5 are flat surfaces 5a and 5b, respectively. A side surface 5c of the reflecting member 5 is curved. The side surface 5c of the reflecting member 5 is provided with a protrusion 550a having an alignment plane 551a and a protrusion 550b having an alignment plane 551b. The protrusions 550a and 550b are provided, for example, at the end of the side surface 5c on the plane 5a side (in other words, the bottom surface side). Consider a first virtual plane parallel to the alignment plane 551a and a second virtual plane parallel to the alignment plane 551b and intersecting the first virtual plane. In this example, the second virtual plane is perpendicular to the first virtual plane. Alignment planes 551a and 551b are included, for example, in the outer surface of light conversion device 1Ka.

Further, in the optical conversion device 1Ka, on the surface of the fixing member 200, a protrusion 250a having an alignment plane 251a is provided on one plane 200c perpendicular to the planes 200a and 200b. Also, on the surface of the fixing member 200, a protrusion 250b having an alignment plane 251b is provided on one plane 200d perpendicular to the planes 200a and 200b. Plane 200c is perpendicular to plane 200d. When the plane 200a is the upper surface and the plane 200b is the lower surface, each of the planes 200c and 200d can be said to be one side surface.

The protrusions 250a and 250b are plate-shaped, for example. For example, one main surface of the plate-like protrusion 250a constitutes the alignment plane 251a, and one main surface of the plate-like protrusion 250b constitutes the alignment plane 251b. The projecting portion 250a exists on the plane 200c, for example, from the end on the plane 200a side (in other words, the upper surface side) to the end on the plane 200b side (in other words, the lower surface side). In addition, the protrusion 250b exists on the plane 200d, for example, from the end on the plane 200a side (in other words, the upper surface side) to the end on the plane 200b side (in other words, the lower surface side). Here, consider a third virtual plane parallel to the alignment plane 251a and a fourth virtual plane parallel to the alignment plane 251b and intersecting the third virtual plane. In this example, the third virtual plane is perpendicular to the fourth virtual plane. Alignment planes 251a and 251b are included, for example, in the outer surface of the light conversion device 1Ka.

Hereinafter, the direction parallel to planes 200a, 200b, and 200c of fixing member 200 will be referred to as first direction DR1 (see FIGS. 26 and 27). A direction parallel to the planes 200a, 200b, and 200d of the fixing member 200 is called a second direction DR2 (see FIGS. 26 and 27). The alignment plane 251a of the fixing member 200 is perpendicular to the direction parallel to the second direction DR2 and parallel to the first direction DR1. On the other hand, the alignment plane 251b of the fixing member 200 is perpendicular to the direction parallel to the first direction DR1 and parallel to the second direction DR2.

In the light conversion device 1Ka, when the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 are properly aligned, the alignment plane 551a of the reflecting member 5 and the alignment plane 251a of the securing member 200 are flush with each other, and the reflection The alignment plane 551b of the member 5 and the alignment plane 251b of the fixing member 200 are flush with each other. In other words, when the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 are correctly aligned, the alignment planes 551a and 251a are positioned on the same plane, and the alignment planes 551b and 251b are aligned. Located on the same plane. Therefore, when the optical conversion device 1Ka is manufactured, it is fixed to the reflecting member 5 so that the alignment plane 551a and the alignment plane 251a are flush with each other, and the alignment plane 551b and the alignment plane 251b are flush with each other. By combining the member 200, the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 can be properly aligned. For example, the alignment plane 551b and the alignment plane 251b are applied to the first plane of the alignment jig, and the second plane of the alignment jig is perpendicular to the first plane. By pressing the alignment plane 551b and the alignment plane 251b against the state can be easily realized. Then, the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 are bonded together in a state in which the alignment plane 551a and the alignment plane 251a are flush with each other, and the alignment plane 551b and the alignment plane 251b are flush with each other. Thus, it is possible to obtain the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 that are combined in a correctly aligned state.

Each of the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 may have one alignment plane, or may have three or more alignment planes. In the example of FIGS. 25 to 27, for example, even if the alignment planes 551b and 251b are not provided, the alignment planes 551a and 251a can be used to determine the second direction between the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200. DR2 can be properly aligned. 25 to 27, for example, even if the alignment planes 551a and 251a are not provided, the alignment planes 551b and 251b can be used to achieve the alignment between the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200. Alignment in one direction DR1 can be performed.

Thus, in the light conversion device 1Ka, the surface of the reflecting member 5 and the surface of the fixing member 200 each include an alignment plane for aligning the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 . This makes it possible to accurately and easily align the reflecting member 5 with the fixing member 200 to which the wavelength converting section 3 and the incident member 4 are fixed by using the alignment plane. Therefore, the wavelength converting section 3 and the incident member 4 fixed to the fixing member 200 can be accurately and easily aligned with the reflecting surface 50 of the reflecting member 5 .

The fixing member 200 may function as a heat radiating member that radiates heat generated by the wavelength converting section 3 to the outside. In this case, the fixing member 200 may be made of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the wavelength conversion section 3, for example. The fixing member 200 may be made of metal such as aluminum, for example. In addition, the fixing member 200 may have heat radiation fins in order to improve heat radiation characteristics. The fixing member 200 to which the wavelength conversion section 3 is fixed functions as a heat dissipation member, that is, the light conversion device 1K is provided with the heat dissipation member to which the wavelength conversion section 3 is fixed, so that the wavelength conversion section 3 has the property of generating heat. It is possible to reduce the possibility of deterioration due to Thermal conductivity can be measured by two methods, for example, a steady method and a non-steady method. Non-stationary methods include the laser flash method, ASTM E1530 (compliant) disk heat flow meter method, JIS R 2616 (compliant), ASTM D5930 (compliant) hot wire (probe) method, ISO 22007-6 AC steady state There are laws, etc. Hereinafter, the fixing member 200 functioning as a heat radiating member may be called a heat radiating member 200 .

When the light conversion device 1</b>K includes the heat dissipation member 200 , the reflecting member 5 functioning as a heat dissipation portion may be thermally connected to the heat dissipation member 200 . Being thermally connected means that the heat radiating member 200 is positioned in the heat radiating path of the reflecting member 5 . In this case, all or most of the reflecting member 5 may be made of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the wavelength conversion section 3 so that the reflecting member 5 functions as a heat radiation section. For example, when the reflecting surface 50 of the reflecting member 5 is a mirror surface, the entire reflecting member 5 may be made of metal such as aluminum. Moreover, when the reflecting member 5 is composed of a base material and a reflecting film forming the reflecting surface 50, the base material may be composed of a metal such as aluminum. All or most of the reflecting member 5 may be made of the same material as the heat radiating member 200 or may be made of a material different from that of the heat radiating member 200 .

The reflecting member 5 may be thermally connected to the heat radiating member 200 by directly joining the plane 5a of the reflecting member 5 and the plane 200a of the fixing member 200 . Alternatively, the reflecting member 5 may be thermally connected to the heat radiating member 200 by bonding the planes 5a and 200a with a bonding material having high thermal conductivity located between the planes 5a and 200a. As the bonding material with high thermal conductivity, for example, a thermally conductive adhesive may be employed, or a thermally conductive double-sided tape may be employed. As the thermally conductive adhesive, for example, a resin adhesive filled with a filler made of metal, ceramics, or the like and having high thermal conductivity may be employed.

In this way, when the reflecting member 5 functioning as a heat radiating portion is thermally connected to the heat radiating member 200 to which the wavelength converting portion 3 is fixed, the heat radiating property of the heat generated by the wavelength converting portion 3 can be improved. . Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the possibility that the characteristics of the wavelength conversion section 3 are deteriorated due to heat generation.

Note that the incidence member 4 does not have to be fixed to the fixing member 200 . Further, the plane 5a of the reflecting member 5 and the plane 200a of the fixing member 200 may be joined with a joining material having low thermal conductivity. For example, a bonding material having a lower thermal conductivity than that of the wavelength conversion section 3 may be provided between the planes 5a and 200a, and the planes 5a and 200a may be bonded by the bonding material. This makes it difficult for the heat generated by the wavelength converting section 3 to be transmitted to the reflecting member 5 . Therefore, when the reflecting member 5 contains a material that is vulnerable to heat, the possibility that the heat generation of the wavelength converting section 3 deteriorates the characteristics of the reflecting member 5 is reduced. For example, when the reflecting member 5 contains low-melting glass, the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 may be bonded with a bonding material having low thermal conductivity. If the reflecting film (for example, coating film) forming the reflecting surface 50 of the reflecting member 5 is vulnerable to heat, the reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 may be bonded with a bonding material having low thermal conductivity. The reflecting member 5 and the fixing member 200 may be bonded with a heat insulating adhesive such as epoxy resin, or may be bonded with another material.

The optical conversion device 1 as described above can be used in various systems. A configuration example of a system including the optical conversion device 1 will be described below.

FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system 900A that includes the optical conversion device 1. As shown in FIG. A system 900A shown in FIG. 28 is, for example, an illumination system that emits the second light L2 emitted by the wavelength conversion unit 3 of the light conversion device 1 as the illumination light L5. The illumination light L5 emitted by the system 900A may be used indoors or outdoors. In the system 500A, the second light L2 emitted by the incident member 4 of the light conversion device 1 is directly emitted into the illumination space as the illumination light L5.

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of another system 900B that includes the optical conversion device 1. As shown in FIG. Like the system 900A, the system 900B is an illumination system that emits the second light L2 emitted by the wavelength conversion unit 3 of the light conversion device 1 as the illumination light L5.

The system 900B comprises a light conversion device 1 and a radiation section 950 that radiates illumination light L5 into an illumination space. The second light L2 emitted by the incident member 4 of the light conversion device 1 is incident on the radiation portion 950 . The radiating section 950 radiates the incident second light L2 to the outside as illumination light L5. If the incident member 4 of the light conversion device 1 is, for example, an optical cable, the incident member 4 may be connected to the radiation section 950 . Further, a light transmission member (for example, an optical fiber) that transmits the second light L2 emitted from the incidence member 4 to the radiation section 950 may be provided separately from the incidence member 4 . The radiation section 950 may include an optical system on which the second light L2 is incident. This optical system may include at least one of a lens, a diffuser and a reflector. When the radiation section 950 includes an optical system, the radiation section 950 may have a function of adjusting the light distribution of the illumination light L5.

A system including the light conversion device 1 is not limited to the above example. For example, the light conversion device 1 may be used in an endoscope system. In this case, the second light L2 emitted by the wavelength conversion unit 3 is used as illumination light for illuminating the inside of the body such as the gastrointestinal tract. Also, the light conversion device 1 may be used in a system other than the lighting system that emits the illumination light L5. For example, the light conversion device 1 may be used in a projector. In this case, the second light L2 emitted by the wavelength converter 3 may be used as the light of the light source of the projector. Also, the light emitting member 2 may not be included in the light conversion device 1 .

As described above, the light conversion device and the system including the same have been described in detail, but the above description is illustrative in all aspects, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Also, the various examples described above can be applied in combination as long as they do not contradict each other. And it is understood that countless examples not illustrated can be envisioned without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H, 1I, 1J, 1K, 1Ka Light conversion device 3 Wavelength conversion unit 4 Incidence member 5, 90 Reflection member 30 Illuminated surface 40 Condensing surface 50 Reflection Surface 55 Hole 57, 59, 80 Optical filter 60, 70 Optical member 200 Fixing member (heat dissipation member)
251a, 251b, 551a, 551b alignment plane 501 major axis 500 ellipsoid of spheroid 510 half ellipsoid of spheroid 511 aperture edge 900A, 900B system (illumination system)
a major axis radius d distance between two focal points F1, F2 focal point L1 first light L2 second light L5 illumination light α incident angle

Claims (18)

a wavelength conversion unit that is irradiated with a first light and emits a second light having a wavelength spectrum different from that of the first light in response to the irradiation of the first light;
an incident member having a condensing surface on which the second light is condensed;
a first reflecting member having a reflecting surface that reflects the second light and converges it on the condensing surface;
with
The reflecting surface is composed of a part of an ellipsoid of revolution with the long axis as the axis of rotation,
The light conversion device, wherein the distance between the two focal points of the spheroid is less than or equal to the major axis radius of the spheroid. A light conversion device according to claim 1,
The light conversion device, wherein the reflective surface is composed of at least a part of a half ellipsoid of spheroid obtained by dividing the ellipsoid of spheroid along the major axis. A light conversion device according to claim 2,
The light conversion device, wherein the reflective surface does not include at least part of an elliptical opening edge of the semi-spheroidal surface. The optical conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A light conversion device, comprising: a first optical member that reduces spread of the second light emitted from the wavelength conversion unit and irradiates the second light onto the reflecting surface. The optical conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A light conversion device comprising a second optical member that guides the second light reflected by the reflecting surface and directed to the outside of the light-condensing surface to the light-condensing surface. The optical conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
light, comprising a first optical filter that reflects or absorbs the first light that is sequentially reflected by the wavelength conversion unit and the reflecting surface and travels toward the condensing surface, and transmits the second light that is reflected by the reflecting surface. conversion device. A light conversion device according to claim 6,
A said 1st optical filter is an optical conversion apparatus which reflects the said 1st light which reflects with the said wavelength conversion part and the said reflective surface, and goes to the said condensing surface. The optical conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
the surface of the wavelength converting part has an irradiated surface irradiated with the first light;
light, wherein the optical axis of the incidence member is positioned on an extension of a direction in which the light beam of the second light emitted from the center of the surface to be irradiated along the direction perpendicular to the surface to be irradiated is reflected by the reflecting surface; conversion device. The optical conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A heat dissipation member to which the wavelength conversion unit is fixed,
The light conversion device, wherein the first reflecting member is thermally connected to the heat radiating member. The optical conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
An optical conversion device, comprising a fixing member to which the wavelength converting section and the incident member are fixed. A light conversion device according to claim 10,
The light conversion device, wherein each of the first reflective member and the fixed member has an alignment plane for aligning the first reflective member and the fixed member. The optical conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The first reflecting member has a second optical filter that reflects the second light and absorbs the first light,
The light conversion device, wherein the second optical filter constitutes the reflecting surface. The optical conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The first reflecting member has a hole through which the first light passes,
the wavelength conversion unit is irradiated with the first light that has passed through the hole;
The light conversion device, wherein the incident angle of the first light with respect to the wavelength conversion section is greater than 0°. The optical conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The light conversion device, wherein the first reflecting member is made of a material through which the first light is transmitted. 15. A light conversion device according to claim 14,
The light conversion device, wherein the first light passes through the material of the first reflecting member and is irradiated to the wavelength conversion section. The optical conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A light conversion device, comprising a second reflecting member that reflects the first light traveling without passing through the first reflecting member and irradiates the wavelength conversion unit. 17. A light conversion device according to claim 16,
The light conversion device, wherein the second reflecting member is an optical filter that reflects the first light and transmits the second light. An illumination system comprising the light conversion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the light emitted by the wavelength converting section of the light conversion device is emitted as illumination light.

Images