JP7650158B2 - Luminous tacks and luminous tack systems - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a luminous tack and a luminous tack system.

In recent years, embedded marker lights using LED (Light Emitting Diode) elements have been proposed as light sources for embedded marker lights that are embedded in the ground to guide the line of sight of vehicle drivers and pedestrians (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The recessed marker lamp described in Patent Document 1 comprises a metal housing buried in the ground, a board arranged horizontally on the bottom surface of the recess in the housing, a number of LED elements mounted in a ring shape on the board and having an optical axis perpendicular to the board, and a lens having an annular entrance surface onto which light emitted from each LED element is incident, an annular reflective surface that reflects the light incident on the entrance surface, and an annular exit surface that exits the light reflected by the reflective surface, and is configured to emit light in all directions horizontally from the exit surface of the lens.

Patent No. 6437868

As recessed marker lights, luminous studs (hereinafter also referred to as "road studs") installed on roads mainly guide the driver's line of sight, while luminous studs (hereinafter also referred to as "curb studs") installed on curbs mainly guide the pedestrian's line of sight. Because the desired light emission direction in the vertical plane differs between road studs and curb studs, it is necessary to make the lenses for road studs and curb studs different in shape, but the lenses are large and this may lead to high costs. Also, when it is not necessary to emit light in the entire horizontal direction, using a lens that emits light in the entire horizontal direction results in unnecessary lens parts.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a light-emitting stud and a light-emitting stud system that can obtain light distribution characteristics according to the application by combining multiple lenses.

[1] A substrate arranged horizontally;
a light emitting element mounted on the substrate and having an optical axis perpendicular to the substrate;
a primary lens having a condenser lens portion that condenses light emitted from the light-emitting element, a reflecting surface that reflects light incident through the condenser lens portion , and a first exit surface that emits the light reflected by the reflecting surface in a direction different from the optical axis of the light-emitting element, the primary lens being arranged such that the optical axis of the condenser lens portion coincides with the optical axis of the light-emitting element ;
a secondary lens that is horizontally disposed and that imparts a predetermined light distribution characteristic to the light emitted from the first exit surface of the primary lens and emits the light from a second exit surface ;
the secondary lens has a central portion and an inclined portion around the central portion, the inclined portion having the second exit surface formed thereon;
The light emitting element and the primary lens are disposed eccentrically with respect to a central axis passing through a center of the central portion of the secondary lens in a direction perpendicular to the substrate,
the primary lens emits light from the first emission surface such that a light ray with maximum light intensity among the light emitted from the first emission surface forms a first positive angle with respect to the horizontal;
The predetermined light distribution characteristic imparted by the secondary lens is such that a light ray of maximum light intensity is at a second positive angle with respect to the horizontal that is less than the first angle .
[2] The light-emitting stud described in [1], wherein the top of the primary lens protrudes upward above the underside of the central portion of the secondary lens.
[3] The second exit surfaces of the light-emitting element, the primary lens, and the secondary lens are the second exit surfaces of a pair of the light-emitting element, the primary lens, and the secondary lens, and each of the second exit surfaces of the pair of the light-emitting element, the primary lens, and the secondary lens is arranged opposite to each other via the central axis of the secondary lens. The light-emitting stud described in [1] or [2].
[ 4 ] The light-emitting element is a plurality of light-emitting elements mounted on the substrate in an array in a predetermined direction,
The light-emitting stud according to [ 1 ], wherein the condenser lens portion is made of a single member and has the same cross-sectional shape in the predetermined direction.
[ 5 ] A first luminous tack obtained by applying the luminous tack according to any one of [1] to [ 4 ] to a first location;
A second luminous stud in which the luminous stud according to any one of [1] to [ 4 ] is applied to a second location,
A light-emitting tack system in which the first light-emitting tack and the second light-emitting tack have different light distribution characteristics of the secondary lens.
[ 6 ] The light-emitting stud system according to [ 5 ], wherein the first light-emitting stud and the second light-emitting stud have different relative positions of the primary lens with respect to the secondary lens.

According to the inventions of claims 1 and 2 , by combining multiple lenses, it is possible to obtain light distribution characteristics according to the application , and compared to a configuration that does not have a focusing lens portion, it is possible to emit light with a higher light intensity, and by gradually tilting the emission direction in the vertical plane of the light emitted from the light-emitting element, it is possible to improve the utilization efficiency of the light emitted from the light-emitting element.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the exit surface of the secondary lens can be formed in a necessary direction, and the primary lens can be disposed in a necessary direction.
According to the invention of claim 4 , the positioning accuracy of the light-emitting elements in the direction in which the light-emitting elements are arranged can be relaxed compared to when the focusing lenses are provided individually corresponding to the light-emitting elements.
According to the invention as defined in claim 5 , the light distribution characteristics of the light emitted to the outside from the first light emitting stud and the second light emitting stud can be changed by changing the secondary lens.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to share the primary lens or the secondary lens.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a road stud according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a substrate on which LED elements are mounted. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing an example of a primary lens, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a modified example of the condenser lens shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the details of the exit surface of the primary lens. FIG. 6 shows an example of light rays in a primary lens and a secondary lens, where (a) is a diagram showing light rays in a vertical plane (xz plane) and (b) is a diagram showing light rays in a horizontal plane (xy plane). FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a curb stud according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 9 shows an example of light rays in a primary lens and a secondary lens, where (a) is a diagram showing light rays in a vertical plane (xz plane), and (b) is a diagram showing light rays in a horizontal plane (xy plane). 10A to 10D are diagrams for explaining modified examples of the secondary lens.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, components having substantially the same functions are given the same reference numerals and their repeated explanations are omitted.

Summary of the embodiment
The light-emitting stud of this embodiment comprises a horizontally arranged substrate, a light-emitting element mounted on the substrate and having an optical axis perpendicular to the substrate, a primary lens having an incident surface into which light emitted from the light-emitting element is incident, a reflective surface which reflects the light incident on the incident surface, and an exit surface which emits the light reflected on the reflective surface in a direction different from the optical axis of the light-emitting element, and a secondary lens which imparts a predetermined light distribution characteristic to the light emitted from the exit surface of the primary lens and emits it.

Light-emitting elements include lasers, LED elements, etc. Light distribution characteristics include the angle of the ray of maximum light intensity of the emitted light relative to the horizontal, the light distribution angle in the vertical plane, and the light distribution angle in the horizontal plane.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a road stud according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the road stud 1A is embedded in the road 100 as a road marking such as a center line, a lane, or a crosswalk, and emits light in a predetermined direction (the x direction in FIG. 1, hereafter referred to as the "emission direction") 10. The emission direction 10 may be any of the four directions of the x and y directions shown in FIG. 1, or any one, two, or three of the four directions, or may include directions other than the x and y directions, or may be five or more directions. The road stud 1A is an example of a luminous stud.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the road stud 1A includes a housing 2 buried in the road 100, a case 3 housed in the housing 2, a substrate 4 arranged horizontally in the case 3, a plurality of (seven in this embodiment) LED elements 5 mounted on the upper surface 4a of the substrate 4 and having an optical axis 5a (see Fig. 6(a)) perpendicular to the substrate 4, a primary lens 6 having a condensing lens section 60 that condenses light emitted from each LED element 5, and a primary lens section 61 that emits light incident from each LED element 5 through the condensing lens section 60 in a direction different from the optical axis 5a of the LED element 5, and a secondary lens 8A that gives a predetermined light distribution characteristic to the light emitted from the primary lens 6 and emits it. The LED element 5 is an example of a light-emitting element. The condensing lens section 60 is an example of a condensing lens. The primary lens section 61 is an example of a primary lens.

The housing 2 has a lower recess 20 that houses the case 3, and an upper recess 21 that receives the secondary lens 8A on a receiving surface 21a and houses the secondary lens 8A. The housing 2 also has a wall 22 that forms the lower recess 20, and a screw hole 22a for fixing the secondary lens 8A with a bolt 9. The housing 2 also has ribs 23 in multiple locations to achieve both a lightweight design and strength that will not deform even if run over by a vehicle. The housing 2 is made of a metal such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

The case 3 has a recess 30 that houses the substrate 4, and a support portion 31 whose upper surface 31a contacts the lower surface 4b of the substrate 4 to support the substrate 4. From the viewpoint of reducing weight, the case 3 is preferably formed by injection molding using a resin such as polycarbonate resin. The case 3 may also be formed from a metal such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

The substrate 4 is, for example, a printed circuit board in which a wiring pattern made of a metal such as copper foil is formed on the surface of an insulating substrate such as a glass substrate or an epoxy-based or polyester-based composite substrate.

Multiple LED elements 5 are mounted on the substrate 4 in an array in a direction perpendicular to the emission direction 10 (the y direction in Figure 1).

(Configuration of Primary Lens)
As described above, the primary lens 6 includes the condenser lens portion 60 and the primary lens portion 61. The primary lens 6 is made of a light-transmitting material such as an acrylic resin or a polycarbonate resin.

The primary lens unit 61 has an incident surface 61a onto which the light focused by the focusing lens unit 60 is incident, a reflecting surface 61b which reflects the light that is incident on the incident surface 61a, and an exit surface 61c which emits the light reflected by the reflecting surface 61b in a direction different from the optical axis 5a of the LED element 5. The primary lens unit 61 emits light from the exit surface 61c such that a light ray Lc having the maximum light intensity among the light emitted from the exit surface 61c forms a first angle θ ₁ (e.g., 30°) with respect to the horizontal (see FIG. 6(a)).

The incident surface 61a and the exit surface 61c of the primary lens portion 61 are, for example, flat surfaces. The reflecting surface 61b is, for example, formed of one or more curved surfaces that are convex toward the outside so that the incident light is totally reflected.

The primary lens 6 is positioned on the substrate 4 by the lens holder 7. The lens holder 7 has a pair of erected portions 70a, 70b with a distance d corresponding to the width of the incident surface 61a of the primary lens 6 in the emission direction 10, and a fixing portion 71 that fixes the pair of erected portions 70a, 70b from the lower surface 4b side of the substrate 4. The top of the primary lens 6 is positioned at a position lower than the surface of the road 100.

(Secondary Lens Configuration)
The secondary lens 8A includes an annular peripheral portion 80, an inclined portion 81 connected to the peripheral portion 80, and a central portion 82 connected to the inclined portion 81 and formed to be higher than the peripheral portion 80. The peripheral portion 80 is formed with a concave seat portion 80a to which a bolt 9 is attached. In addition, in order to prevent damage or deformation even when a vehicle passes over the secondary lens 8A, the thickness (maximum thickness) of the central portion 82 is made thicker than the thickness (maximum thickness in a direction perpendicular to the exit surface 81b) of the inclined portion 81. The secondary lens 8A is formed of a material having optical transparency, such as, for example, acrylic resin, polycarbonate resin, or the like.

The inclined portion 81 has an entrance surface 81a on which the light emitted from the exit surface 61c of the primary lens 6 is incident, and an exit surface 81b from which the light incident on the entrance surface 81a is emitted with a predetermined light distribution characteristic.

The exit surface 81b of the secondary lens 8A has, for example, a cross-sectional shape in a vertical plane (x-z plane) that is convex outwardly curved, and a cross-sectional shape in a horizontal plane (x-y plane) that is concave outwardly curved. This allows the light distribution angle θ ₂₃ (see FIG. 6(a)) in the vertical plane (x-z plane) to be narrower than when the exit surface 81b is flat, and the light distribution angle θ ₂₄ (see FIG. 6(b)) in the horizontal plane (x-y plane) to be wider than when the exit surface 81b is flat. Note that the exit surface 81b is not limited to the above-mentioned curved surface.

As shown in Figs. 6(a) and 6(b) to be described later, the secondary lens 8A has a light distribution angle θ ₂₄ (e.g., 40°) in a horizontal plane (x-y plane) that is larger than a light distribution angle θ ₂₃ (e.g., 6°) in a vertical plane (x-z plane). The light distribution angle θ ₂₃ in the vertical plane (x-z plane) may be larger than the light distribution angle θ ₂₄ in the horizontal plane (x-y plane). In addition, as shown in Fig. 6(a) to be described later, the secondary lens 8A has a light ray Lc of maximum light intensity among the emitted light at a second angle θ ₂ (e.g., 6°) with respect to the horizontal that is smaller than a first angle θ ₁ (e.g., 30°) (see Fig. 6(a)).

(Configuration of LED element)
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of the substrate 4 on which the LED elements 5 are mounted. The LED elements 5 are configured using a red LED element that emits red light (e.g., emission wavelength of about 600 to 700 nm), a green LED element that emits green light (e.g., emission wavelength of about 510 to 580 nm), a blue LED element that emits blue light (e.g., emission wavelength of about 420 to 505 nm), and a white LED element that emits white light. The white LED element emits white light by, for example, converting the wavelength of blue light emitted from the blue LED element by a phosphor and mixing yellow light and blue light. The number of each LED element 5 may be determined based on the difference in light intensity of each color. For example, one red LED element, two green LED elements, two blue LED elements, and two white LED elements may be used. All the LED elements 5 may be turned on to emit white light as a whole, or selected LED elements may be turned on to emit a mixture of various colors.

The multiple LED elements 5 may be either red LED elements, green LED elements, blue LED elements, or white LED elements, or a combination of any of these.

Figure 4(a) is a perspective view showing an example of a primary lens 6, and Figure 4(b) is a perspective view showing a modified example of the focusing lens section 60 shown in Figure 4(a). Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the details of the exit surface 61c of the primary lens section 61.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the primary lens 6 has multiple (seven in this embodiment) substantially hemispherical condenser lens sections 60 arranged at positions corresponding to the LED elements 5. As shown in FIG. 4(b), the condenser lens sections 60 may be made of a single material and have substantially semicircular cross-sectional shapes in the y direction. This allows the positioning precision of the LED elements 5 in the direction in which the LED elements 5 are arranged (y direction) to be relaxed, compared to when condenser lenses are individually provided corresponding to the LED elements 5. Also, the number of LED elements 5 can be changed arbitrarily, with the maximum number that can be arranged as an upper limit.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the primary lens section 61 has an incident surface 61a on which the light focused by the focusing lens section 60 is incident, a reflecting surface 61b that reflects the light that is incident on the incident surface 61a, and an exit surface 61c that emits the light reflected by the reflecting surface 61b.

The primary lens 6 has a pair of legs 62 that straddle the focusing lens section 60. The pair of legs 62 have a protrusion 62a for positioning the primary lens 6 relative to the substrate 4, and an opening 62b for allowing the portion protruding from the substrate 4 to escape. The substrate 4 is formed with a positioning hole 4c into which the protrusion 62a fits.

As shown in FIG. 5, the light exit surface 61c has an uneven shape in which peaks 610 and valleys 611 extending in the z direction are alternately formed, which gives the light exiting from the light exit surface 61c a light diffusion effect. The uneven shape may be a regular or random arrangement of dot-shaped concave or convex portions of various shapes such as hemispherical or cylindrical.

(Operation of the First Embodiment)
Next, the function of the road stud 1A according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 shows an example of light rays in the primary lens 6 and the secondary lens 8A, where (a) is a diagram showing light rays in a vertical plane (x-z plane) and (b) is a diagram showing light rays in a horizontal plane (x-y plane).

The light emitted from the LED element 5 is condensed by the condensing lens unit 60 and then enters the incident surface 61a of the primary lens unit 61. The light incident on the incident surface 61a is reflected by the reflecting surface 61b and then exits from the exit surface 61c so that the light ray Lc having the maximum light intensity forms a first angle θ ₁ (e.g., 30°) with respect to the horizontal. The light exiting from the exit surface 61c of the primary lens unit 61 enters the incident surface 81a of the secondary lens 8A and exits from the exit surface 81b so that the light ray Lc having the maximum light intensity forms a second angle θ ₂ (e.g., 6°) with respect to the horizontal. Furthermore, the light emitted from the exit surface 81b is emitted in a vertical plane (xz plane) at a light distribution angle θ 23 (e.g., 6°) between a minimum angle θ ₂₁ (e.g., 3°) and a maximum angle θ ₂₂ (e.g., 9°) as shown in FIG. ₆ (a), and is emitted in a horizontal plane (xy plane) at a light distribution angle θ ₂₄ (e.g., 40°) as shown in FIG. 6(b).

(Effects of the First Embodiment)
Next, the effects of the road stud 1A according to the first embodiment will be described.
(a) The angle _θ2 (e.g., 6°) of the light ray Lc with the maximum light intensity among the light emitted from the secondary lens 8A with respect to the horizontal is low, such as 10° or less or 15° or less, so that it is easily visible to a vehicle driver at a distance (e.g., at a position more than 50 m away).
(b) The light distribution angle θ ₂₃ (for example, 6°) in the vertical plane (xz plane) is narrowed to 10° or less or 15° or less, so that the light intensity is increased and the light can be easily seen even by a driver of a vehicle at a distance.
(c) The light distribution characteristics can be changed by changing the secondary lens 8A.
(d) By gradually tilting the emission direction of the light emitted from the LED element 5 in the vertical plane (x-z plane) by the primary lens 6 and the secondary lens 8A, the utilization efficiency of the light emitted from the LED element 5 can be improved.
(e) By replacing the secondary lens 8A and the case 3 with those for the curb stud 1B described later, it can be used for the curb stud 1B. Therefore, the substrate 4, the LED element 5, the primary lens 6, and the lens holder 7 can be shared between the road stud 1A and the curb stud 1B.

[Second embodiment]
Fig. 7 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a curb stud according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Fig. 7. This embodiment is designed to share the same components as the housing 2, substrate 4, and LED element 5 of the first embodiment. The second embodiment will be described below, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the curb stud 1B is embedded in the curb 200 and emits light in a predetermined direction (x direction in FIG. 7, hereafter referred to as the "emission direction") 10. The emission direction 10 may be any of the four directions, i.e., the x direction and the y direction shown in FIG. 7, or any one, two or three of the four directions, or may include directions other than the x direction and the y direction, or may be five or more directions. The curb stud 1B is an example of a light-emitting stud.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the curb stud 1B includes a housing 2 embedded in the curb 200, a case 3 housed in the housing 2, a substrate 4 arranged horizontally in the case 3, a plurality of (seven in this embodiment) LED elements 5 mounted on the substrate 4 and having an optical axis 5a (see Fig. 9(a)) perpendicular to the substrate 4, a primary lens 6 having a condenser lens section 60 that condenses light emitted from each LED element 5, and a primary lens section 61 that emits light incident from each LED element 5 through the condenser lens section 60 in a direction different from the optical axis 5a of the LED element 5, and a secondary lens 8B that imparts a predetermined light distribution characteristic to the light emitted from the primary lens 6 and emits it. Note that the light distribution characteristic imparted by the secondary lens 8B is different from the light distribution characteristic imparted by the secondary lens 8A of the road stud 1A.

The housing 2, substrate 4, LED element 5, and primary lens 6 are the same as those in the first embodiment, so their description will be omitted.

The case 3 has a recess 30 that houses the substrate 4, and a support portion 31 whose upper surface 31a contacts the lower surface 4b of the substrate 4 to support the substrate 4. The case 3 of this embodiment differs from the case 3 of the first embodiment in the height of the support portion 31. That is, the relative position of the primary lens 6 to the secondary lens 8B differs from that of the road stud 1A. The top of the primary lens 6 protrudes upward from the surface of the curb 200.

As in the first embodiment, the secondary lens 8B has an annular peripheral portion 80, an inclined portion 81 connected to the peripheral portion 80, and a central portion 82 connected to the inclined portion 81 and formed so as to be higher than the peripheral portion 80. In addition, in order to prevent damage or deformation even when a vehicle passes over the secondary lens 8B, the thickness of the central portion 82 is made thicker than the inclined portion 81. In addition, due to the difference in light distribution characteristics, the central portion 82 is higher than the secondary lens 8A of the first embodiment.

As in the first embodiment, the inclined portion 81 has an entrance surface 81a on which the light emitted from the exit surface 61c of the primary lens 6 is incident, and an exit surface 81b from which the light incident on the entrance surface 81a is emitted with a predetermined light distribution characteristic.

The exit surface 81b of the secondary lens 8B has a cross-sectional shape in a vertical plane (x-z plane) that is concave outwardly curved, and a cross-sectional shape in a horizontal plane (x-y plane) that is convex outwardly curved. This makes it possible to make the light distribution angle θ ₃₃ (see FIG. 9A) in the vertical plane (x-z plane) wider than when the exit surface 81b is flat, and the light distribution angle θ ₃₄ (see FIG. 9B) in the horizontal plane (x-y plane) narrower than when the exit surface 81b is flat.

As shown in Figures 9(a) and 9(b) to be described later, the secondary lens 8B has a light distribution angle θ ₃₄ in a horizontal plane (x-y plane) that is larger than a light distribution angle θ ₃₃ (e.g., 28°) in a vertical plane (x-z plane). The light distribution angle θ ₃₃ in the vertical plane (x-z plane) may be larger than the light distribution angle θ ₃₄ in the horizontal plane (x-y plane). Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9(a) to be described later, the secondary lens 8B has a light ray Lc of maximum light intensity among the emitted light that has a second angle θ ₃ (e.g., 16°) with respect to the horizontal that is smaller than a first angle θ ₁ (e.g., 30°).

(Operation of the second embodiment)
Next, the function of the curb stud 1B according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 shows an example of light rays in the primary lens 6 and the secondary lens 8B, where (a) is a diagram showing light rays in the xz plane, and (b) is a diagram showing light rays in the xy plane.

The light emitted from the LED element 5 is condensed by the condensing lens unit 60 and then enters the incident surface 61a of the primary lens unit 61. The light incident on the incident surface 61a is reflected by the reflecting surface 61b and then exits from the exit surface 61c so that the light ray Lc having the maximum light intensity forms a first angle θ ₁ (e.g., 30°) with respect to the horizontal. The light exiting from the exit surface 61c of the primary lens unit 61 enters the incident surface 81a of the secondary lens 8B and exits from the exit surface 81b so that the light ray Lc having the maximum light intensity forms a second angle θ ₃ (e.g., 16°) with respect to the horizontal. Furthermore, the light emitted from the exit surface 81b is emitted in a vertical plane (xz plane) at a light distribution angle θ ₃₃ (e.g., 28°) between a minimum angle θ ₃₁ (e.g., 2°) and a maximum angle θ ₃₂ (e.g., 30°) as shown in FIG. 9(a), and is emitted in a horizontal plane (xy plane) at a light distribution angle θ ₃₄ (e.g., 40°) as shown in FIG. 9(b).

(Effects of the Second Embodiment)
Next, the effects of the curb stud 1B according to the second embodiment will be described.
(a) The light distribution angle θ ₃₃ (e.g., 28°) in the vertical plane (xz plane) of the light emitted from the secondary lens 8B is expanded to 15° or more or 20° or more, so that the light can be easily seen by people using the sidewalk (e.g., pedestrians, people riding bicycles on the sidewalk, and drivers who have parked their cars on the shoulder of the road).
(b) The light distribution characteristics can be changed by changing the secondary lens 8B.
(c) By gradually tilting the emission direction of the light emitted from the LED element 5 by the primary lens 6 and the secondary lens 8B, the utilization efficiency of the light emitted from the LED element 5 can be improved.
(d) By replacing the secondary lens 8B and the case 3 with those for the road stud 1A, it can be used for the road stud 1A. Therefore, the substrate 4, the LED element 5, the primary lens 6, and the lens holder 7 can be shared between the road stud 1A and the curb stud 1B.

(Modifications of the Secondary Lens)
Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method for adjusting the light distribution angle in the horizontal plane (x-y plane) of the light emitted from the emission surface 81b as a modified example of the secondary lens 8B. Fig. 10(a) and (b) show a case where the light distribution angle is widened, (a) is a perspective view, and (b) is a plan view. Fig. 10(c) and (d) show a case where the light distribution angle is narrowed, (c) is a perspective view, and (d) is a plan view.

If it is desired to widen the light distribution angle in the horizontal plane (x-y plane), as shown in Figures 10(a) and (b), by making the exit surface 81b a curved surface whose cross-sectional shape in the horizontal plane (x-y plane) is concave toward the outside as described above, the light distribution angle in the horizontal plane (x-y plane) will be wider than when the exit surface 81b is flat. If it is desired to narrow the light distribution angle in the horizontal plane (x-y plane), as shown in Figures 10(c) and 10(d), by making the exit surface 81b a curved surface whose cross-sectional shape in the horizontal plane (x-y plane) is convex toward the outside, the light distribution angle in the horizontal plane (x-y plane) will be narrower than when the exit surface 81b is flat. This is also true for the secondary lens 8A of the road stud 1A.

[Third embodiment]
A luminous stud system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will now be described. This luminous stud system comprises a road stud 1A of the first embodiment installed on a road 100, and a curb stud 1B of the second embodiment installed on a curb 200. The road stud 1A is an example of a first luminous stud. The curb stud 1B is an example of a second luminous stud. The road 100 is an example of a first location. The curb 200 is an example of a second location.

The road stud 1A and the curb stud 1B have different light distribution characteristics of the secondary lenses 8A, 8B. In addition, the road stud 1A and the curb stud 1B have different relative positions of the primary lens 6 with respect to the secondary lenses 8A, 8B. That is, the primary lens 6 of the curb stud 1B is positioned higher in the z direction than the primary lens 6 of the road stud 1A.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and implementations are possible. For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the number of exit surfaces 81b of the secondary lenses 8A and 8B is the same as the number of primary lenses 6, but the number of primary lenses 6 may be less than the number of exit surfaces of the secondary lenses. This allows the secondary lenses to be shared, and the primary lenses to be selectively positioned in the required direction.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the substrate 4, LED element 5, primary lens 6, and lens holder 7 are shared between the road stud 1A and the curb stud 1B, but the substrate 4, LED element 5, and secondary lens may be shared, or the substrate 4 and LED element 5 may be shared.

In addition, some of the components of the above embodiment may be omitted or modified. For example, if light utilization efficiency is not an issue, the condenser lens unit 60 may be omitted. Also, if the height of the substrate 4 can be adjusted without the case 3, the case 3 may be omitted.

1A...road stud, 1B...curb stud, 2...housing, 3...case, 4...substrate, 4a...upper surface,
4b...underside, 4c...positioning hole, 5...LED element, 5a...optical axis, 6...primary lens,
7... lens holder; 8A, 8B... secondary lens; 9... bolt; 10... emission direction;
20: lower recess, 21: upper recess, 21a: receiving surface, 22: wall, 22a: screw hole,
23... rib, 30... recess, 31... support portion, 31a... upper surface, 60... condenser lens portion,
61: primary lens portion; 61a: incident surface; 61b: reflecting surface; 61c: exit surface;
62: leg portion, 62a: protruding portion, 62b: opening portion, 70a, 70b: standing portion,
71: fixed portion, 80: peripheral portion, 80a: seat portion, 81: inclined portion, 81a: incident surface,
81b: exit surface; 82: center portion; 100: road; 200: curb; 610: mountain portion;
611... Valley

Claims (6)

A horizontally disposed substrate;
a light emitting element mounted on the substrate and having an optical axis perpendicular to the substrate;
a primary lens having a condenser lens portion that condenses light emitted from the light-emitting element, a reflecting surface that reflects light incident through the condenser lens portion , and a first exit surface that emits the light reflected by the reflecting surface in a direction different from the optical axis of the light-emitting element, the primary lens being arranged such that the optical axis of the condenser lens portion coincides with the optical axis of the light-emitting element ;
a secondary lens that is horizontally disposed and that imparts a predetermined light distribution characteristic to the light emitted from the first exit surface of the primary lens and emits the light from a second exit surface ;
the secondary lens has a central portion and an inclined portion around the central portion, the inclined portion having the second exit surface formed thereon;
The light emitting element and the primary lens are disposed eccentrically with respect to a central axis passing through a center of the central portion of the secondary lens in a direction perpendicular to the substrate,
the primary lens emits light from the first emission surface such that a light ray with maximum light intensity among the light emitted from the first emission surface forms a first positive angle with respect to the horizontal;
The predetermined light distribution characteristic imparted by the secondary lens is such that a light ray of maximum light intensity is at a second positive angle with respect to the horizontal that is less than the first angle . The light-emitting stud according to claim 1 , wherein the top of the primary lens protrudes upward from a lower surface of the central portion of the secondary lens. The light-emitting tack according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second exit surfaces of the light-emitting element, the primary lens, and the secondary lens are the second exit surfaces of a pair of the light-emitting element, the primary lens, and the secondary lens, and each of the second exit surfaces of the pair of the light-emitting element, the primary lens, and the secondary lens is arranged opposite to each other via the central axis of the secondary lens. the light-emitting element is a plurality of light-emitting elements mounted on the substrate in an array in a predetermined direction,
The light-emitting stud according to claim 1 , wherein the condenser lens portion is made of a single member and has the same cross-sectional shape in the predetermined direction. A first luminous stud, the luminous stud according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , applied to a first location;
A second luminous stud, the luminous stud according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , applied to a second location;
A light-emitting tack system in which the first light-emitting tack and the second light-emitting tack have different light distribution characteristics of the secondary lens. The light stud system of claim 5 , wherein the first light stud and the second light stud have different relative positions of the primary lens with respect to the secondary lens.

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