JP7714092B2 - Indicator light integrated transmitter - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transmitter with an integrated indicator light that has a light source.

The indicator light has a light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and emits light to indicate the location of disaster prevention equipment installed near the indicator light. The transmitter has a push button that can be pressed by a person, and outputs a fire signal when the push button is pressed. There is an indicator light integrated transmitter (transmitter with indicator light) in which a transmitter is attached to the inner circumference of the indicator light (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the indicator light transmitter disclosed in Patent Document 1, the inner circumference transmitter is equipped with a translucent push button (hereinafter also referred to as a push part) that is pressed by a person and moves to the operation position on the back side, and a circuit block including a switch and an LED. When the push part moves to the operation position, the switch of the circuit block is turned on and the LED is lit, and the light of the LED is output forward through the push part. In the indicator light transmitter disclosed in Patent Document 1, the outer circumference indicator light is equipped with a light source part, a light emitting part provided on the front of the casing of the indicator light, and a light guiding member that takes in the output light of the light source part and leads it to the light emitting part. This light-guiding member is made of a molded transparent resin such as acrylic resin, and the light-emitting section emits light through the light-guiding member.

JP 2019-45657 A

However, in the transmitter section of the indicator light-equipped transmitter disclosed in Patent Document 1, the light of the LED is output forward through a translucent push-in section, so even if the amount of light emitted by the LED can be increased or decreased, the directionality of the light of the push-in section is determined by the shape and arrangement of the push-in section, and depending on where the push-in section is installed, the visibility of the push-in section from places where people pass by may be reduced. In addition, in the indicator light section, the entire light-emitting section provided on the front of the casing is illuminated via a light-guiding member, so even if the amount of light emitted by the light source section can be increased or decreased, the directionality of the light of the indicator light is determined by the shape and arrangement of the parts that make up the indicator light, and depending on where the indicator light is installed, the visibility of the indicator light from places where people pass by may be reduced. In addition, in the indicator light-equipped transmitter disclosed in Patent Document 1, the structures for illuminating the push-in section and the indicator light are separate, making it difficult to reduce the number of parts.

The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a transmitter with an integrated indicator light that reduces the number of parts and improves visibility.

The indicator light-integrated transmitter of the present invention is an indicator light-integrated transmitter equipped with an indicator light having a light-emitting section and being constantly lit, and a transmitter having a push button and transmitting a fire signal when the push button is pressed, wherein the light-emitting section has a first light source section and a first liquid crystal section that emits light from the first light source section, the push button has a second light source section and a second liquid crystal section that emits light from the second light source section, the first liquid crystal section of the light-emitting section and the second liquid crystal section of the push button are parts of a continuously formed liquid crystal section, and the device further includes a control section that controls the area of the continuously formed liquid crystal section that overlaps with the transmitter, excluding the area that overlaps with the push button, to be non-illuminating .
In addition, the indicator light integrated transmitter of the present invention is an indicator light integrated transmitter equipped with an indicator light having a light-emitting section and being constantly lit, and a transmitter having a push button and transmitting a fire signal when the push button is pressed, the transmitter has a push section that is pressed by a person to press the push button, and a member having an opening in which the push section is disposed, the light-emitting section has a first light source section and a first liquid crystal section that emits light from the first light source section, the push button has a second light source section and a second liquid crystal section that emits light from the second light source section, and a detection sensor that detects that the push section has been pressed, the push section is made of a light-transmitting member, and the first liquid crystal section of the light-emitting section and the second liquid crystal section of the push button are part of a liquid crystal section formed continuously.

According to the present invention, the indicator light includes a light-emitting unit having a first liquid crystal unit, and the transmitter includes a push button including a second liquid crystal unit, so that the directionality of the light from the light-emitting unit and the push button can be changed as desired, improving visibility regardless of the installation location, and reducing the number of parts by using a continuous liquid crystal unit for the transmitter and indicator light.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the indicator light of the first embodiment houses a transmitter; FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the indicator light of FIG. 1 attached to a mounting surface. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a first modified example of the indicator light according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modified example of the indicator light according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the light emission pattern of the light-emitting section in a second modified example of the indicator light of embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a transmitter according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a transmitter according to a second embodiment. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 8 .

Embodiment 1.
The indicator light according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the indicator light according to the first embodiment houses a transmitter. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which the indicator light of FIG. 1 is attached to an attachment surface. The indicator light 1 is attached to an attachment surface 4, such as a wall surface, and indicates the position of a disaster prevention device. Here, a case in which the disaster prevention device is a transmitter 2 will be described as an example. The transmitter 2 is a device that transmits a fire signal to a fire receiver (not shown) or the like and reports a fire when a person who discovers a fire presses the push button portion 22a. Hereinafter, a case in which the position of the transmitter 2 is indicated by the indicator light 1 formed to surround the outer periphery of the transmitter 2 will be described.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in Figure 2. Figure 3 shows a cross-section of the indicator light 1, but only shows the external shape of the transmitter 2, not its internal structure. In the following explanation, when the indicator light 1 is attached to the mounting recess 41 formed in the mounting surface 4, the near side of the mounting surface 4 is referred to as the front, and the far side of the mounting surface 4 is referred to as the back or rear.

The indicator light 1 shown in Figures 1 to 3 has a circular outer shape with a transmitter 2 located approximately in the center when viewed from the front. The indicator light 1 includes a light-emitting unit 12 that emits light, an indicator light housing 13 that houses the light-emitting unit 12, and an indicator light cover 11 that covers the front of the light-emitting unit 12.

The indicator light housing 13 has an indicator light outer periphery 131 that constitutes the outer periphery wall, an indicator light rear part 133 that constitutes the rear wall, and is open at the front. The indicator light outer periphery 131 of the indicator light 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a cylindrical shape that extends in the front-to-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the indicator light 1 is attached to the mounting surface 4 so that the outer peripheral surface of the indicator light outer periphery 131 and the rear surface of the indicator light rear part 133 face the inner surface of the mounting recess 41, and the front end of the indicator light outer periphery 131 is approximately flush with the mounting surface 4.

The indicator lamp housing 13 also has a transmitter storage section 132 in which the transmitter 2 is stored, located inside the indicator lamp outer periphery 131. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the transmitter storage section 132 has a rib 132a erected on the front of the indicator lamp back section 133, a bottom surface section 132b constituting the bottom surface of a recess formed inside the rib 132a, and a mounting hole 132c provided in the bottom surface section 132b. The mounting hole 132c is provided so as to penetrate the indicator lamp back section 133 from the bottom surface section 132b. The recess and mounting hole 132c formed by the rib 132a and the bottom surface section 132b are formed in a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the transmitter 2. In the example shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the transmitter 2 is composed of a cylindrical front section and a rectangular parallelepiped rear section, the rib 132a of the indicator lamp 1 has an annular shape, and the mounting hole 132c is formed in a square shape.

In the indicator light housing 13, a light emitting unit storage section 134 that stores the light emitting unit 12 is formed between the indicator light outer periphery 131 and the transmitter storage section 132. Specifically, the light emitting unit storage section 134 is a space within a groove formed by the inner periphery of the indicator light outer periphery 131, the outer periphery of the rib 132a, and the front surface of the indicator light back surface section 133. The light emitting unit storage section 134 includes a space through which the light emitted from the light emitting unit 12 passes, and the light emitting unit 12 is disposed at the innermost side of the light emitting unit storage section 134.

The light-emitting unit 12 has a light source unit 121 and a liquid crystal unit 122 that emits light from the light source unit 121. The liquid crystal unit 122 is provided in front of the light source unit 121 and controls the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 12. The light-emitting unit 12 is installed in the light-emitting unit storage unit 134 so that the light source unit 121 faces the front of the indicator light rear unit 133. At least a portion of the light-emitting unit 12 is constantly emitting light, and is configured so that the position of the disaster prevention equipment can always be seen by the user.

The light-emitting unit 12 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display having a liquid crystal panel as the liquid crystal unit 122 and a backlight for illuminating the liquid crystal panel as the light source unit 121. A backlight is generally composed of one or more LEDs and a thin light guide plate interposed between the LED and the liquid crystal panel, and the light of the LED is incident on the liquid crystal panel via the light guide plate. In a liquid crystal display, the backlight is, for example, arranged in close contact with the rear side of the liquid crystal unit 122. A liquid crystal panel is an image display part of a liquid crystal display, which is composed of liquid crystal sandwiched between transparent electrodes or the like. Liquid crystal is generally a substance that has both the properties of a liquid and a solid at the same time. Liquid crystal has the property of changing its orientation when a voltage is applied, and this property can be used to pass or block the light of the backlight.

The light-emitting unit 12 is connected to the control unit 14 (see FIG. 6) and emits light based on a signal from the control unit 14. The amount of light emitted by the light-emitting unit 12 and the light-emitting pattern are controlled by the control unit 14. Specifically, the liquid crystal unit 122 has a plurality of pixels arranged vertically and horizontally, i.e., vertically and horizontally in FIG. 1, and the light-emitting pattern is realized by combining the light emitted by each pixel. The liquid crystal unit 122 emits light from the light source unit 121 according to the light-emitting pattern preset in the control unit 14. The light-emitting pattern can be set and changed by the worker, and when installing the indicator light 1 on the mounting surface 4, the worker may determine the light-emitting pattern according to the environment or purpose in which the indicator light 1 is installed. The liquid crystal unit 122 is provided with, for example, a red color filter, and is configured to be able to emit at least red light. In this way, since the light-emitting unit 12 has the liquid crystal unit 122, the light-emitting pattern of the light-emitting unit 12 can be changed arbitrarily.

In the indicator light 1 shown in Figures 1 to 3, the transmitter 2 is located on the inner circumference of the indicator light 1 when viewed from the front, so the light-emitting unit 12 is annular and surrounds the outer circumference of the transmitter 2, making it easy for the user to visually identify the position of the transmitter 2.

In the light-emitting unit 12, the light of the light source unit 121 is emitted through the liquid crystal unit 122, so the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 12 can be made to have good directionality with a forward traveling direction. In addition, because the light-emitting unit 12 emits light with good directionality, there is less loss of light before the light of the light source unit 121 reaches the front surface of the indicator light housing 13 compared to conventional indicator lights. Therefore, the light of the light source unit 121 can be used with high efficiency, and a certain amount of light or more can be secured at the front surface of the indicator light housing 13. Because the light has good directionality and a certain amount of light or more can be secured at the front surface of the indicator light housing 13, light can be easily controlled even when the indicator light cover 11 is provided at the front surface of the indicator light housing 13 to adjust the directionality.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the indicator light cover 11 is provided to cover the light emission surface 122a of the liquid crystal part 122 and protects the liquid crystal part 122. Specifically, the indicator light cover 11 has a circular ring shape in a front view that is approximately the same shape as the light emitting part storage part 134 in which the liquid crystal part 122 is arranged, and has the function of blocking the opening on the front side of the light emitting part storage part 134 of the indicator light housing 13 and preventing dust or water from entering the indicator light housing 13 through the opening. The indicator light cover 11 is made of a translucent material that transmits light emitted from the light emitting part 12. When the indicator light 1 is provided with the indicator light cover 11, the indicator light cover 11 provided on the front side of the light emitting part storage part 134 of the indicator light housing 13 receives the light of the light emitting part 12, so that the outline of the indicator light cover 11 stands out brightly, and the visibility of the indicator light 1 is further improved.

The indicator light cover 11 may also have both the function of protecting the liquid crystal section 122 and the function of converting the distribution of light emitted from the liquid crystal section 122. In this case, the indicator light cover 11 is composed of an optical element that determines the directionality of light, for example, a lens that diffuses the light emitted forward from the liquid crystal section 122 or focuses the light in a specific direction. Specifically, the indicator light cover 11 may be composed of a convex lens or a concave lens. In FIG. 3, the dashed arrow indicates the direction of travel of the light that has passed through the indicator light cover 11. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the indicator light cover 11 is composed of a convex lens with a front surface that is convex toward the front, and the light emitted forward from the liquid crystal section 122 is diffused and emitted by the indicator light cover 11, improving the visibility of the indicator light 1 from the side.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a first modified example of the indicator light according to the first embodiment. In Figure 4, the dashed arrow indicates the direction of travel of light transmitted through the indicator light cover 11. In the example shown in Figure 4, the front surface of the indicator light cover 11 forms a sloped portion 11a that slopes toward the outer periphery and front side of the indicator light 1. Specifically, the cross section of the right side portion of the indicator light cover 11 is symmetrical to the cross section of the left side portion, and the sloped portion 11a slopes forward as it moves from the transmitter storage portion 132 side to the indicator light outer periphery portion 131 side. Therefore, according to the indicator light cover 11 shown in Figure 4, the light emitted forward from the liquid crystal portion 122 can be converted into light that slopes toward the outer periphery side of the indicator light 1, and the visibility of the indicator light 1 from the side is improved, similar to the case where the indicator light cover 11 is made of a convex lens.

The cross-sectional shape of the lens constituting the indicator light cover 11 is not limited to the above, and may be appropriately determined according to the environment or purpose in which the indicator light 1 is installed. The indicator light cover 11 may also be, for example, flat-shaped with a small protrusion from the mounting surface 4 to avoid collision with people or objects. If the indicator light cover 11 is changed from a conventional protruding shape to a flat shape, there is a concern that the visibility will decrease due to the reduction in the exposed area of the indicator light cover 11. However, as described above, the indicator light 1 is provided with a light-emitting unit 12 having a liquid crystal unit 122, so that the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 12 arranged at the back side of the light-emitting unit storage unit 134 can reach the indicator light cover 11 while suppressing light loss. Therefore, even if the indicator light cover 11 in the indicator light 1 is flat-shaped, the brightness can compensate for the decrease in visibility. In the example shown in Figures 3 and 4, the indicator light cover 11 has a flat back surface facing the light emitting unit 12, and the shape or inclination of the front surface converts the light distribution, but the light distribution may be converted by the back surface, or a combination of the back surface and the front surface. For example, if the front surface of the indicator light cover 11 is flat and the back surface is appropriately processed to have the function of converting the light distribution, the indicator light cover 11 can achieve the same effect as described above, even though the surface is flat.

The positional relationship between the indicator light 1 and the disaster prevention equipment, and the shape of the light-emitting unit 12 are not limited to those described above. The shape of the light-emitting unit 12 when viewed from the front may be, for example, circular or rectangular, as long as it indicates the position of the disaster prevention equipment to the user. The shapes of the light-emitting unit storage section 134 and the liquid crystal section 122 may be determined according to the desired shape of the light-emitting unit 12. In recent years, liquid crystal has become easy to mold into any shape, and by forming the light-emitting unit 12 from the liquid crystal section 122, etc., it is also easy to mold, for example, the above-mentioned circular light-emitting unit 12 with the inside of the circle hollowed out.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modified example of the indicator light according to embodiment 1. Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram explaining the light emission pattern of the light-emitting part in the second modified example of the indicator light according to embodiment 1. The indicator light 1 of the second modified example shown in Figures 5 and 6 is provided separately from the transmitter 2, and does not have a transmitter storage section 132. The indicator light 1 of the second modified example is formed in a circular shape when viewed from the front, the light-emitting part 12 of the indicator light 1 is circular, and the light-emitting part storage section 134 is a circular recess.

When the indicator light 1 is installed indoors, rainwater and the like will not get into the indicator light 1, so the indicator light cover 11 may be omitted. Up until now, we have described cases where the indicator light cover 11 is configured with a lens to adjust the light directionality, but if the indicator light cover 11 is not provided, the indicator light housing 13 can be given the function of adjusting the light directionality.

Specifically, in the indicator light 1 of the second modified example shown in Figures 5 and 6, as shown in Figure 5, the front end surface 131b of the indicator light outer periphery 131 is inclined toward the outer periphery and front side of the indicator light 1, and is mirror-finished. With this configuration, a part of the light emitted from the liquid crystal part 122 and passing through the light-emitting part storage part 134 can be diffused to the side, and the visibility of the indicator light 1 from the side can be improved even if the indicator light cover 11 is omitted. In addition, the inner surface 131a of the indicator light outer periphery 131, i.e., the inner surface of the recess that is the light-emitting part storage part 134, may also be mirror-finished. Even if a user looks at the indicator light 1 from an angle where the light-emitting part 12 located at the back of the light-emitting part storage part 134 cannot be seen directly, the light is reflected and diffused by the inner surface 131a and front end surface 131b of the indicator light outer periphery 131 that has been mirror-finished, improving visibility from the side. In this way, the indicator light housing 13 can substitute for the indicator light cover 11's function of adjusting the light directionality, thereby reducing the number of parts in the indicator light 1.

The control unit 14 is composed of a drive circuit consisting of a liquid crystal driver, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, etc. The control unit 14 controls the driving of the liquid crystal unit 122 to light up specific positions or areas in the liquid crystal unit 122, making it possible to realize a variety of light-emitting patterns. The control unit 14 also has an operation unit (not shown) through which the position and area to be lighted in the liquid crystal unit 122 can be changed. The control unit 14 can also change the light-emitting position and area in the liquid crystal unit 122 over time to give it a message, such as guiding people to an emergency exit. In this way, by using liquid crystal for the light-emitting unit 12, which can easily change the color, amount, and part to be lighted of the emitted light, the light-emitting pattern of the light-emitting unit 12 can be changed according to the environment or purpose in which the indicator light 1 is installed, and the intended directionality can be obtained in the indicator light 1.

The control unit 14 is provided in the indicator light 1, for example, behind the light-emitting unit 12. The control unit 14 may be located anywhere as long as it is connected to the liquid crystal unit 122 so as to be able to control the driving of the liquid crystal unit 122. For example, it may be provided behind the rear part 133 of the indicator light so that the user cannot directly touch it. Alternatively, only the drive circuit may be installed behind the light source unit 121 in the light-emitting unit storage part 134, and a CPU connected to the drive circuit by a signal line or the like may be provided outside the indicator light housing 13.

Below, we will explain the illumination patterns, which are variations on how the light-emitting unit 12 is illuminated. For example, only the parts of the light-emitting unit 12 that are close to the disaster prevention equipment may be illuminated. In addition, for example, the light-emitting unit 12 may be divided into three or more areas, starting from the area farthest from the disaster prevention equipment, and illuminated in order from the farthest area, or after illuminating all areas, the areas farthest from the disaster prevention equipment may be switched to non-illumination in order to reduce the illuminated area. In this way, the position of the disaster prevention equipment relative to the indicator light 1 can be indicated by sequentially changing the areas that are illuminated.

In the second modified example shown in FIG. 6, the transmitter 2, which is a disaster prevention device, is installed on the right side of the indicator light 1 on the mounting surface 4. In this case, for example, the voltages applied to the first region 122b on the right side of the imaginary line and the second region 122c on the left side of the imaginary line in the liquid crystal unit 122 are different, and the liquid crystal unit 122 is controlled so that the first region 122b emits light from the light source unit 121 and the second region 122c blocks light. By configuring in this way, the light-emitting unit 12 displays the position of the transmitter 2 using the first region 122b close to the transmitter 2, and the power used by the light-emitting unit 12 can be reduced compared to when the entire liquid crystal unit 122 is driven. In the second modified example in which the light-emitting unit 12 is circular when viewed from the front of the indicator light 1, when the right half of the light-emitting unit 12 is illuminated, the crescent shape also guides the user's line of sight to the right side of the indicator light 1, i.e., the position of the disaster prevention device.

The light emission pattern may be determined not only according to the relative positions of the disaster prevention equipment and the indicator light 1, but also according to the environment in which the indicator light 1 is installed. For example, if there is no passageway in a specific direction when the indicator light 1 is installed on the mounting surface 4, the light amount of the liquid crystal section 122 may be controlled so that other areas of the light-emitting section 12 emit light more brightly than areas closer to the specific direction where there is no passageway.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the indicator light 1 is equipped with a light-emitting unit 12 having a liquid crystal unit 122, so that the directivity of the light-emitting unit 12 can be changed as desired, and visibility can be ensured regardless of the installation location, etc.

The indicator light 1 further includes an indicator light cover 11 that protects the liquid crystal section 122, and the indicator light cover 11 is composed of a lens that converts the distribution of light. This allows the indicator light cover 11 to function both to protect the liquid crystal section 122 and to adjust the directionality of the light.

The LCD part 122 of the indicator light 1 is annular. This allows the disaster prevention equipment to be stored on the inner circumference of the indicator light 1, and the position of the disaster prevention equipment can be displayed. In addition, since the light-emitting part 12 is made up of the LCD part 122 and other components, it can be easily molded even when the indicator light 1 and the disaster prevention equipment are constructed as one unit.

Embodiment 2.
A transmitter according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a transmitter according to the second embodiment. The transmitter 2 is a device that is attached to an attachment surface 4, such as a wall surface, and that reports a fire. The transmitter 2 has a push button 22 equipped with a light source unit 221 and a touch panel 222, and when a person who has discovered a fire presses the push button 22 via a pressing unit 28, a fire signal is transmitted to a fire receiver or the like (not shown). In the second embodiment, the push button 22 having the light source unit 221 corresponds to the light emitting unit in the first embodiment.

Figure 8 is a front view showing a transmitter according to embodiment 2. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in Figure 8. The transmitter 2 according to embodiment 2 will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 9. In the following description, when the transmitter 2 is attached to the mounting recess 42 formed in the mounting surface 4, the near side of the mounting surface 4 is referred to as the front, and the far side of the mounting surface 4 is referred to as the back and rear.

As shown in Fig. 7, the transmitter 2 has a transmitter main body 20 and a transmitter cover 21 that covers the front of the transmitter main body 20. The transmitter cover 21 has a circular shape when viewed from the front, for example, as shown in Fig. 8. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the transmitter main body 20 has a housing with an open front, a light-emitting push button 22, a push-in part 28 that is pressed by a person, a board 23 on which a control circuit is mounted, and the like. The housing is composed of a main body outer peripheral part 26 that forms the outer periphery, and a main body rear part 27 that forms the rear.

The outer periphery 26 of the housing has a circular cover attachment section 261 to which the transmitter cover 21 is attached, and a cylindrical push button storage section 262 formed behind the cover attachment section 261. The push button 22 is stored in the push button storage section 262. In the push button storage section 262, the push section 28 is disposed in front of the push button 22, and the board 23 is disposed behind the push button 22. A recovery switch 24 and a telephone jack 25 are provided on the top of the push button storage section 262. The recovery switch 24 is a switch for returning the transmitter 2 from an operating state to its original state. A rear body section 27 is attached to the outer periphery 26 on which the push section 28, push button 22, and board 23 are disposed, so as to cover the rear of the board 23.

The push-in portion 28 is composed of, for example, a front portion 281 that is rectangular when viewed from the front, and a shaft portion 282 that extends rearward from the center of the back of the front portion 281. When pressed by a person, the push-in portion 28 presses the push button 22 that is located at the rear inside the housing. The push-in portion 28 is also made of a translucent material, and allows light emitted from the push button 22 to pass through.

The transmitter cover 21 is composed of a circular cover front portion 211 and a cylindrical flange portion 212 provided on the outer peripheral end of the cover front portion 211 so as to extend rearward. The cover front portion 211 is formed with a first opening 211a that exposes the front portion 281 of the push-in portion 28 arranged in the housing of the transmitter main body 20. The cover front portion 211 is also formed with a second opening 211b that exposes the recovery switch 24 and the telephone jack 25 provided in the housing of the transmitter main body 20. The first opening 211a is provided at a position that overlaps with the front portion 281 of the push-in portion 28 when viewed from the front of the transmitter 2. In the event of a fire, the user can press the push button 22 by pushing the push-in portion 28 through the first opening 211a.

The second opening 211b is provided at a position corresponding to the recovery switch 24 and telephone jack 25 provided in the transmitter body 20 when viewed from the front of the transmitter 2. The transmitter cover 21 has a window door 213 that can be opened and closed to cover the second opening 211b. In the event of a fire, the user can open the window door 213 and connect a handset (not shown) to the telephone jack 25 through the second opening 211b. After operating the transmitter 2, the user can open the window door 213 and press the recovery switch 24 through the second opening 211b to restore the transmitter 2 from its operating state.

The push button 22 has a light source unit 221 and a touch panel 222, and emits light. The touch panel 222 includes a liquid crystal unit that emits light from the light source unit 221, and a detection sensor (not shown) that detects that the touch panel 222 is pressed. The light source unit 221 may be configured with a backlight or the like, similar to the light source unit 121 in the first embodiment. The liquid crystal unit of the touch panel 222 may be configured with a liquid crystal panel or the like, similar to the liquid crystal unit 122 in the first embodiment. The detection sensor of the touch panel 222 may be configured with, for example, a sensor that detects a change in capacitance, or a sensor that detects pressure above a certain level. For example, the detection sensor of the touch panel 222 is configured with a transparent conductive film made of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or the like, and is arranged in front of the liquid crystal unit. The detection sensor may be provided in a range that overlaps at least the shaft portion 282 of the pressing portion 28 when viewed from the front of the transmitter 2. A general touch panel 222 with a detection sensor laminated on the liquid crystal portion may be used, with the detection sensor covering the entire front surface of the liquid crystal portion. The push button 22 is connected to a substrate 23, and light emission is controlled by the substrate 23.

The light source unit 221 of the push button 22 is provided on the front surface of the substrate 23. The touch panel 222 of the push button 22 is provided at a position corresponding to the pressing portion 28 of the substrate 23 so as to cover the light source unit 221 provided on the front surface of the substrate 23. The touch panel 222 only needs to be provided in an area that overlaps at least with the shaft portion 282 of the pressing portion 28 in a front view. The touch panel 222 is also separated from the rear end of the shaft portion 282 when the pressing portion 28 is not pressed.

The housing's main body outer periphery 26 further has a partition wall 263 and a first guide portion 264 that restrict the movement of the push-in portion 28 in the push button storage portion 262. The partition wall 263 divides the storage space 262a formed in the push button storage portion 262 into a front side and a back side, and is made of a material that does not transmit light. The outer periphery end of the partition wall 263 is connected to the inner surface of the push button storage portion 262, and the partition wall 263 has an axis hole 263a into which the shaft portion 282 of the push-in portion 28 is inserted. In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, a cylindrical second guide portion 263b extending backward is formed at the edge of the axis hole 263a on the back surface of the partition wall 263. The second guide portion 263b guides the shaft portion 282 to move along the second guide portion 263b when the push-in portion 28 is pushed backward. The first guide portion 264 is composed of, for example, a pair of plate-like members provided along the left and right inner surfaces of the push button storage portion 262 in the storage space 262a in front of the partition wall 263. When the push portion 28 is pushed backward, the first guide portion 264 guides the front portion 281 of the push portion 28 to move along the first guide portion 264. By providing the first guide portion 264 and the second guide portion 263b, the push portion 28 can be moved smoothly backward inside the housing.

The transmitter body 20 also includes a cushioning material 29 that cushions the impact on the touch panel 222 when the pressing portion 28 is pressed. The cushioning material 29 is made of, for example, an elastic material. In the example shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the cushioning material 29 is made of a spring wound around the shaft portion 282 of the pressing portion 28. The cushioning material 29 is arranged so that when the front portion 281 of the pressing portion 28 is pressed, the front end of the cushioning material 29 comes into contact with the back surface of the front portion 281 of the pressing portion 28, and the rear end of the cushioning material 29 comes into contact with the area surrounding the shaft hole 263a on the front surface of the partition wall 263.

By providing the cushioning material 29, when the pressing portion 28 is pressed, the force of the person pressing the pressing portion 28 is prevented from being directly applied to the touch panel 222, and damage to the liquid crystal portion and detection sensor of the touch panel 222 can be prevented. Note that the configuration of the cushioning material 29 is not limited to this.

The board 23 has a circuit for outputting a fire signal, as well as a drive circuit for driving the light source unit 221 and the liquid crystal unit of the touch panel 222. A detection signal indicating that the push button 22 has been pressed is input to the board 23 from the detection sensor of the touch panel 222. The board 23 also outputs a fire signal when the detection signal is input. The board 23 also controls the light source unit 221 and the touch panel 222 so that the push button 22 emits light when the detection signal is input.

Here, we will explain an example of a configuration in which the push button 22 does not normally emit light, and emits light when it is detected that the push button 22 has been pressed. With this configuration, it is possible to inform the person who presses the pressing portion 28 that the push button 22 located at the back of the pressing portion 28 has been pressed.

The timing of illuminating the push button 22 is not limited to this configuration. For example, the push button 22 may be configured to emit light at all times, so that the presence of the push button 22 is always indicated to the user. Alternatively, the push button 22 may be configured to change its illumination pattern depending on whether it is pressed or not.

7 to 9, an example of the operation of the transmitter 2 when the push button 22 of the transmitter 2 is pressed in the event of a fire will be described. When the push-in portion 28 is pushed in through the first opening 211a provided in the cover front portion 211 of the transmitter 2, the push-in portion 28 moves inward along the first guide portion 264 and the second guide portion 263b, and the touch panel 222 is pressed by the rear end of the shaft portion 282. At this time, the shock applied to the touch panel 222 is mitigated by the cushioning material 29. When the touch panel 222 is pressed by the shaft portion 282, a certain amount of force is applied to the detection sensor of the touch panel 222, and the detection sensor detects that the push button 22 has been pressed, and a detection signal is output to the board 23. When the detection signal is input from the detection sensor to the board 23, the board 23 determines that the push button 22 has been pressed, and outputs a fire signal and outputs drive signals to the light source portion 221 and the touch panel 222. The fire signal output from the board 23 is transmitted from the transmitter 2 to a receiver (not shown) or the like, and a fire is reported. The light source unit 221 and the touch panel 222 are driven by a drive signal from the board 23, and the push button 22 located at the back of the storage space 262a emits light. At this time, the light emitted from the push button 22 is guided to the front surface 281 of the pressing section 28 by the shaft portion 282 inserted into the shaft hole 263a of the partition wall 263 in the pressing section 28. In the area outside the shaft portion 282, the light emitted from the push button 22 is blocked by the partition wall 263.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the transmitter 2 is equipped with a push button 22 that includes a liquid crystal section, so that the directionality of the light from the push button 22 can be changed as desired, and visibility can be ensured regardless of the location where the transmitter is installed.

The transmitter 2 also includes a push-in portion 28 and a cushioning material 29 that cushions the impact on the touch panel 222 when the push-in portion 28 is pressed. This makes it possible to cushion the impact on the touch panel 222 when the push button 22 is pressed, even when the light directionality can be changed by the touch panel 222 of the push button 22, and prevents damage to the push button 22, which includes the light source portion 221 and the touch panel 222.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the second embodiment, the configuration of the transmitter 2 alone is described, but at least one of the above-mentioned indicator light 1 and transmitter 2 may be applied to an indicator light integrated transmitter 3 (see Figures 1 to 4) in which a transmitter and an indicator light are integrated. In addition, at least one of the above-mentioned indicator light 1 and transmitter 2 may be applied to equipment such as an emergency alarm device.

In addition, in the indicator light integrated transmitter 3, the liquid crystal section 122 of the indicator light 1 and the liquid crystal section of the touch panel 222 of the transmitter 2 may be formed in a continuous manner. For example, when the indicator light integrated transmitter 3 has a circular shape in a front view and the liquid crystal section 122 of the indicator light 1 has an annular shape (see Figures 1 to 3), the shape of the liquid crystal section 122 is made to be a disk shape rather than an annular shape, and the light-emitting section storage section 134 and the push button storage section 262 are made to be a continuous space. A detection sensor for the push button 22 is provided in the part of the continuously formed liquid crystal section 122 that faces the first opening 211a of the transmitter 2. In this case, a light-shielding plate may be provided in an area of the continuously formed liquid crystal section 122 that is not intended to emit light, for example, an area that is an area that overlaps with the transmitter 2 in a front view excluding the area that overlaps with the push button 22. Alternatively, instead of providing a light-shielding plate, the control unit 14 may make the relevant area non-illuminating. According to such a configuration, the shapes of the liquid crystal section 122 of the indicator light 1 and the transmitter 2 can be simplified, and molding can be facilitated. In addition, the indicator light integrated transmitter 3 may be configured so that the push-in section 28, the partition wall 263, the first guide section 264, etc. are omitted, and the positions of the light source section 221 and the liquid crystal section of the transmitter 2 coincide with the positions of the light source section 121 and the liquid crystal section 122 of the indicator light 1 in the depth direction. In this case, a person can directly press the detection sensor of the push button 22, the number of parts can be reduced, and the depth dimension of the indicator light integrated transmitter 3 can be reduced. In addition, the indicator light integrated transmitter 3 of the first embodiment is configured to accommodate the transmitter 2 in a separate housing from the indicator light housing 13 inside the indicator light housing 13 of the indicator light 1. However, the housing of the indicator light 1 and the housing of the disaster prevention device such as the transmitter 2 may be configured integrally. In addition, in the second embodiment, a case has been described in which the detection sensor is disposed in front of the liquid crystal unit in the touch panel 222, but it may be disposed behind the liquid crystal unit, and may be disposed as appropriate depending on the detection method of the detection sensor, etc.

1 indicator light, 2 transmitter, 3 indicator light integrated transmitter, 4 mounting surface, 11 indicator light cover, 11a sloped surface, 12 light emitting section, 13 indicator light housing, 14 control section, 20 transmitter body, 21 transmitter cover, 22 push button, 22a push button section, 23 circuit board, 24 recovery switch, 25 telephone jack, 26 outer periphery of main body, 27 rear part of main body, 28 push-in section, 29 cushioning material, 41 mounting recess, 42 mounting recess, 121 light source section, 122 liquid crystal section, 122a emission surface, 122b first region, 122c second region, 131 indicator light outer periphery, 131a inner surface, 131b front end surface, 132 transmitter storage section, 132a rib, 132b bottom surface, 132c mounting hole, 133 Indicator lamp rear part, 134 light emitting part storage part, 211 cover front part, 211a first opening, 211b second opening, 212 flange part, 213 window door, 221 light source part, 222 touch panel, 261 cover mounting part, 262 push button storage part, 262a storage space, 263 partition wall, 263a shaft hole, 263b second guide part, 264 first guide part, 281 front part, 282 shaft part.

Claims (4)

A signal light integrated transmitter having a light emitting part and a constantly lit signal light, and a transmitter having a push button and transmitting a fire signal when the push button is pressed,
the light-emitting unit includes a first light source unit and a first liquid crystal unit that emits light from the first light source unit;
the push button has a second light source unit and a second liquid crystal unit that emits light from the second light source unit,
the first liquid crystal portion of the light-emitting portion and the second liquid crystal portion of the push button are part of a liquid crystal portion formed continuously;
The display further includes a control unit that controls a region of the liquid crystal unit that overlaps with the transmitter, excluding a region that overlaps with the push button, to be non-illuminating.
Transmitter with integrated indicator light. A signal light integrated transmitter having a light emitting part and a constantly lit signal light, and a transmitter having a push button and transmitting a fire signal when the push button is pressed,
The transmitter is
A pusher that is pushed by a person to press the push button;
a member having an opening in which the pushing portion is disposed,
the light-emitting unit includes a first light source unit and a first liquid crystal unit that emits light from the first light source unit;
the push button has a second light source unit, a second liquid crystal unit that emits light from the second light source unit, and a detection sensor that detects that the pressing unit is pressed,
The pressing portion is made of a light-transmitting material,
The first liquid crystal portion of the light-emitting portion and the second liquid crystal portion of the push button are part of a continuously formed liquid crystal portion. The indicator lamp-integrated transmitter according to claim 2 , wherein the member is a light-shielding plate. 3. The indicator light-integrated transmitter according to claim 2 , further comprising a control unit that controls a region of the liquid crystal portion that overlaps with the transmitter, excluding a region that overlaps with the push button, to be non-illuminating.