JP7851815B2 - indicator light - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an indicator light for signaling location or warnings, and more particularly to a technology that is effective for use in disaster prevention indicator lights, which are installed in or near disaster prevention equipment to indicate the location of transmitters, fire hydrant boxes, etc., to show the location of disaster prevention equipment.

Traditionally, fire alarm systems have been installed inside buildings to alert people to fires. These systems consist of fire detectors, manual fire alarms with push-button switches, receivers, fire alarm bells, and indicator lights. The fire alarms are typically installed at an appropriate height on the walls of building corridors and other areas. When a fire breaks out, a person who discovers it can firmly press the push-button switch on the fire alarm, transmitting a fire signal to the receiver. Simultaneously, a bell located near the fire alarm emits an alarm sound, alerting people in the vicinity to the fire.

On the other hand, indicator lights are devices installed to indicate the installation location of disaster prevention equipment such as transmitters and fire hydrant boxes. Traditionally, they were generally bullet-shaped or dome-shaped. In recent years, flat-type indicator lights with a flat or disc-shaped front, and indicator lights integrated with transmitters, have also been put into practical use. An example of an invention related to a flat-type indicator light is described in Patent Document 1, and an example of an invention related to an indicator light integrated with a transmitter is described in Patent Document 2.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-106804 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-092349

The flat-type indicator light described in Patent Document 1 has good visibility from the front and diagonally from the side because the entire front surface of the disc-shaped display part emits light, but the area visible from directly to the side is smaller compared to conventional indicator lights. Furthermore, the indicator light integrated with a transmitter described in Patent Document 2 emits light in a ring shape, and the light-emitting display part is located further back than the front of the transmitter, resulting in the problem that it cannot be seen from directly to the side.

This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its objective is to provide an indicator light in which the light-emitting display unit itself is relatively small, yet has good visibility from the front, as well as good visibility from the side and at an angle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an indicator light that is easily visible from the front, side, and at an angle, even when integrated with a transmitter.

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides
An indicator light comprising a main body case containing a circuit board on which multiple light-emitting elements are mounted,
The peripheral wall of the main body case is formed of a light guide material and is inclined so that it becomes more central as it approaches the mounting surface.
The plurality of light-emitting elements are mounted on the substrate such that the direction of light emission faces the peripheral wall, and are configured so that a portion of the light emitted outward from the peripheral wall is irradiated onto the surface of the mounting surface.

In an indicator light having the above configuration, light from a light-emitting element built into the main case is emitted outward from the peripheral wall of the main case and further illuminates the surface of the mounting surface behind it. Because the outer shape of the light-emitting portion that illuminates the mounting surface is slightly larger than the surface of the main case, the light-emitting display unit itself can be relatively small, yet it offers good visibility from the front. Furthermore, because light is emitted from the peripheral wall of the main case, visibility from the side and at an angle is also good.

Here, preferably, the plurality of light-emitting elements are mounted on the substrate such that the direction of light emission faces the peripheral wall, and the direction of light emission faces the front panel.
With this configuration, light is emitted not only from the peripheral walls of the main case and the mounting surface behind them, but also from the front panel, expanding the light-emitting area and further improving visibility from the front.

Alternatively, the front panel of the main body case may be formed of a light guide material.
The plurality of light-emitting elements are mounted on both sides of the substrate, with the light-emitting elements mounted on one side of the substrate being mounted on the substrate so that the direction of light emission faces the peripheral wall, and the light-emitting elements mounted on the other side of the substrate being set so that the direction of light emission faces the front panel.
This configuration improves visibility from the front and reduces the number of circuit boards used.

Furthermore, the front panel of the main body case is formed of a light guide material.
Inside the main body case, a light guide member is provided that extends from the center of the rear wall toward the peripheral wall and the front panel.
The plurality of light-emitting elements are mounted on a substrate so that their light-emitting surfaces face the rear end face of the light-guiding member, and the light guided by the light-guiding member is irradiated onto the peripheral wall and front panel of the main body case.
With this configuration, light is emitted not only from the peripheral walls of the main case and the mounting surface behind them, but also from the front panel, expanding the light-emitting area. This improves visibility from the front, and the light guide member allows for adjustment so that the distribution of light emitted from the peripheral walls of the main case and the distribution of light emitted from the front panel are uniform or of a desired intensity.

Furthermore, preferably, an opening is formed in the center of the front panel of the main body case, overlooking the push button of the transmitter located inside the main body case.
With this configuration, even when integrated with the transmitter, good visibility from all directions can be ensured.

According to the present invention, even if the light-emitting display unit itself is relatively small, it is possible to realize an indicator light that is highly visible from the front, as well as from the side and at an angle. Furthermore, even when integrated with a transmitter, it is possible to realize an indicator light that is highly visible from the front, side, and at an angle.

This diagram shows the schematic configuration of a first embodiment of the indicator light according to the present invention, where (A) is a plan view of the indicator light of the first embodiment, and (B) is a plan view of an indicator light showing a second embodiment of the first embodiment. (A) to (D) are plan diagrams illustrating the schematic configuration of a second embodiment of the indicator light according to the present invention. This diagram shows an example of the mounting structure for an indicator light to a mounting panel, where (A) is a plan view showing the state before mounting, and (B) is a plan view showing the state after the indicator light has been mounted to the mounting panel. This is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing a modified example of an indicator light according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the indicator light according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The indicator light 10 in this embodiment is equipped with a light source (LED) and is configured to be installed and used on the wall of a building or on the door of a fire hydrant box.
Figures 1 to 3 show the schematic configuration of the indicator light 10 of the present invention when mounted on a wall or mounting panel 20, as viewed from above or the side.

The indicator light 10 of the first embodiment shown in Figure 1(A) has a main body case 11 that is shaped like a truncated cone cylinder, with the larger diameter facing forward. Inside the main body case 11, multiple substrates (hereinafter referred to as LED substrates) 13, each mounted with multiple light-emitting elements (LEDs) 12, are arranged so that the LED emission direction is radially outward. Although only two LED substrates 13 are shown in Figure 1(A), when viewed from the front (right side in the figure), multiple substrates (for example, eight) may be arranged along the circumferential direction at predetermined angles. Note that the number of light-emitting elements 12 mounted on a single LED substrate 13 is not limited to two.

The main body case 11 has a peripheral wall formed of a light-guiding material, and its front end is covered with an opaque, flat panel. The light-guiding material constituting the peripheral wall may have a diffusion function, for example, by incorporating light-scattering particles internally or forming numerous fine grooves on its surface. Furthermore, the surface of the front panel of the main body case 11 may exhibit a color in the same color family as the light-emitting element 12, and a light-reflecting layer may be formed on the inner surface of the front panel to reflect light leaked from the light-emitting element 12, etc.

With the indicator light 10 having the above configuration, the light emitted from the light-emitting element 12 is guided by the light-guiding material constituting the main body case 11, undergoing repeated reflection and diffusion, so that the entire outer wall of the main body case 11 emits light.
Furthermore, since the peripheral wall of the main case 11 slopes inward from front to rear, the light emitted outward from the surface of the outer peripheral wall of the main case 11 is irradiated onto the surface of the mounting panel 20 surrounding the mounting base of the indicator light 10. At this time, the light irradiated onto the surface of the mounting panel 20 forms a ring shape when viewed from the front, and its diameter is larger than the diameter of the main case 11. As a result, even if the main case 11 is small, the light-emitting area is increased, and the visibility of the illuminated display when viewed from the front and at an angle can be improved.

Figure 1(B) shows a second embodiment of the indicator light 10 of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the LED board 13 inside the main body case 11, which is arranged perpendicular to the front surface of the mounting panel 20 in the indicator light shown in Figure 1(A), is arranged parallel to the peripheral wall of the main body case 11, that is, diagonally to the front surface of the mounting panel 20.
Therefore, in this embodiment of the indicator light, the distance between the light-emitting element 12 on the LED substrate 13 and the peripheral wall of the main body case 11 becomes shorter. As a result, the brightness of the ring of light irradiated onto the peripheral wall of the main body case 11 and the surface of the mounting panel 20 is more easily irradiated towards the mounting panel and the light-emitting area is more easily expanded compared to the indicator light shown in Figure 1(A).

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the indicator light 10 according to the present invention.
In the second embodiment, the indicator light 10 is configured such that, in addition to the peripheral walls of the main case 11, the panel covering the front is also made of light-guiding material, so that light is emitted not only from the light-emitting section of the peripheral walls of the main case 11 but also from the front of the main case 11.
In the indicator light shown in Figure 2(A), an LED substrate 13 with multiple light-emitting elements 12 mounted on both sides is arranged inside the main body case 11, parallel to the front panel. When viewed from the front, the light-emitting elements 12 mounted on the LED substrate 13 are arranged in a plurality at predetermined angles along the circumference. The light-emitting elements 12 on the back side of the LED substrate 13 only need to be provided in the area excluding the center of the substrate, and their number can be fewer than the light-emitting elements on the front side.

In the indicator light shown in Figure 2(B), multiple LED boards 13, each with multiple light-emitting elements 12 mounted on both sides, are arranged parallel to the peripheral wall of the main case 11. Although only two double-sided LED boards 13 are shown in Figure 2(B), when viewed from the front, multiple boards (for example, eight) are arranged at predetermined angles along the circumference. In the figure, the number of light-emitting elements 12 on the front and back sides of the LED board 13 is the same, but the number of light-emitting elements on the back side may be less than the number on the front side.

In the indicator light shown in Figure 2(C), an LED board 13, on which multiple light-emitting elements 12 are mounted on one side facing diagonally forward, is positioned at the bottom of the main body case 11, parallel to the mounting surface of the mounting panel 20. When viewed from the front, the multiple light-emitting elements 12 mounted on the LED board 13 are arranged at predetermined angles along the circumference, and light is emitted radially from the light-emitting elements 12. Lenses may also be placed in front of each light-emitting element 12 to spread the light emitted from them.

In the indicator light shown in Figure 2(D), an LED substrate 13, on which multiple light-emitting elements 12 are mounted facing forward on one side, is positioned at the bottom of the main body case 11, parallel to the mounting surface of the mounting panel 20. A light guide member 14 is provided, extending from the front of the light-emitting elements 12 toward the space between the peripheral wall of the main body case 11 and the front panel.

Furthermore, by forming numerous fine grooves on the surface of the light guide member 14 or by incorporating light-diffusing particles inside, the amount of light emitted along the length direction is adjusted. With this configuration, the distribution of light emitted from the peripheral wall of the main body case and the distribution of light emitted from the front panel can be controlled to be uniform or to a desired intensity.
The light guide member 14 may be a single conical cylindrical member with a V-shaped cross-section, or it may be a plurality of rod-shaped light guide members arranged so that one end face of each is facing the light-emitting element 12.

Figure 3 shows a specific example of the mounting structure of the indicator light 10 to the mounting panel 20 according to the above embodiment. As shown in Figure 3(A), a cylindrical projection 15 larger than the thickness of the mounting panel 20 is provided on the back of the main body case 11 of the indicator light 10. A male thread is formed on the outer circumference of this projection 15, and a ring-shaped nut 16 with a female thread on its inner surface that can be screwed onto this male thread is provided. In the figure, reference numeral 17 indicates a lead wire for supplying power to the LED substrate 13.

As shown in Figure 3(B), the indicator light 10, having the configuration described above, is fixed to the mounting panel 20 by inserting the protruding portion 15 on the back of the main body case 11 into the opening 21 provided in the mounting panel 20, then screwing a ring-shaped nut 16 onto the male thread on the outer circumference of the protruding portion 15 that extends to the rear of the mounting panel 20, and sandwiching the mounting panel 20 between the ring-shaped nut 16 and the rear wall of the main body case 11.

Furthermore, the mounting structure for the indicator light 10 to the mounting panel 20 is not limited to the above. For example, the height of the protrusion 15 on the back of the main body case 11 may be set to be the same as the thickness of the mounting panel 20, and a female screw may be formed on the back of the protrusion 15. This female screw may be used to connect a fixing plate that is slightly larger than the opening 21 and has screw insertion holes around its periphery with screws, and the fixing plate may be fixed to the back of the mounting panel 20 with screws inserted through the screw insertion holes around the periphery of the fixing plate, thereby fixing the indicator light 10 to the mounting panel 20.

Figure 4 shows modified examples of the indicator light 10 according to the first and second embodiments described above.
In the first and second embodiments, the front edge of the main body case 11 of the indicator light 10 is sharp, which may cause damage if it is struck by cargo during transport. Therefore, in this modified example, a ring-shaped protective cover 18 made of an elastic material such as rubber is attached to cover the front edge of the main body case 11.

The surface of the protective cover 18 should exhibit a color in the same color family as the light-emitting element 12, similar to the surface of the front panel. Alternatively, instead of attaching the protective cover 18, the main body case 11 itself may be configured with rounded edges. Furthermore, the indicator light may be covered and protected by a protector made of a transparent material, having a shape similar to those disclosed in Japanese Industrial Design Publication No. 1623495 and No. 1623953.

Although the present invention has been described above based on embodiments, the present invention is not limited to those of the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiments, the main body case 11 is a truncated conical cylinder shape, that is, a circular shape when viewed from the front, but an elliptical or polygonal shape when viewed from the front may also be used.
Furthermore, although the above embodiment described an example of fixing the main body case 11 from the rear side, the main body case 11 may be made removable from the front panel, and with the front panel removed, screws may be passed through screw insertion holes formed in the rear wall of the main body case 11 and screwed into the screw holes of the mounting panel 20 to fix it in place. In the second embodiment (Figures 2(A), (B)), the LED substrate 13 may be provided as separate substrates for light-emitting elements facing the peripheral wall and for light-emitting elements facing the front panel.

Furthermore, while the above embodiment described the application of the present invention to a standalone indicator light, it can also be applied to cases where a transmitter is placed in the center of the indicator light to form an integrated indicator light with a transmitter. In that case, an opening is formed in the center of the front panel of the main body case 11 of the indicator light 10, and the surface of the push button of the transmitter, which is disposed inside the main body case 11, is exposed through this opening. Alternatively, for example, a space may be provided inside the indicator light 10 to house a separate transmitter, thereby integrating the two components.

Furthermore, while the above embodiment described the present invention in the context of indicator lights constituting disaster prevention equipment such as fire alarm systems, the present invention is not limited to indicator lights for disaster prevention equipment. It can be broadly applied to indicator lights installed near train emergency alarm transmitters located on station platforms or level crossings, or indicator lights integrated with such transmitters.

10 Indicator light 11 Main case 12 Light-emitting element 13 LED circuit board 14 Light guide member 15 Protruding part 16 Ring-shaped nut 17 Lead wire 18 Protective cover

Claims (5)

An indicator light comprising a main body case containing a circuit board on which multiple light-emitting elements are mounted,
The peripheral wall of the main body case is formed of a light guide material and is inclined so that it becomes more central as it approaches the mounting surface.
An indicator light characterized in that the plurality of light-emitting elements are mounted on the substrate such that the direction of light emission faces the peripheral wall, and a portion of the light emitted outward from the peripheral wall is irradiated onto the surface of the mounting surface. The front panel of the main body case is formed of a light guide material,
The indicator light according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of light-emitting elements include those mounted on the substrate so that the direction of light emission faces the peripheral wall, and those mounted on the substrate so that the direction of light emission faces the front panel. The front panel of the main body case is formed of a light guide material,
The indicator light according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of light-emitting elements are mounted on both sides of the substrate, the light-emitting elements mounted on one side of the substrate are mounted on the substrate so that the direction of light emission faces the peripheral wall, and the light-emitting elements mounted on the other side of the substrate are set so that the direction of light emission faces the front panel. The front panel of the main body case is formed of a light guide material,
Inside the main body case, a light guide member is provided that extends from the center of the rear wall toward the peripheral wall and the front panel.
The indicator light according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of light-emitting elements are mounted on a substrate such that their light-emitting surfaces face the rear end face of the light-guiding member, and the light guided by the light-guiding member is irradiated onto the peripheral wall and front panel of the main body case. The indicator light according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that an opening is formed in the center of the front panel of the main body case, facing the push button of a transmitter disposed inside the main body case.