Infinity mirror

Abstract

To provide an infinity mirror that can obtain a viewing effect in which light moves in a thickness direction of the infinity mirror.SOLUTION: An infinity mirror 100 comprises: at least a frame body 3; a half mirror 1 provided in one opening of the frame body 3; a mirror 2 provided in the other opening of the frame body 3; and a light emitting unit 4 provided inside the frame body 3. The light emitting unit 4 has a plurality of light emitting bodies 41 arranged in a thickness direction of the frame body 3. The light emitting body 41 has a light emitting mode switching in the thickness direction of the frame body 3. The light emitting body 41 includes a first light emitting body 411 in which the light emitting mode is visually recognized only in a normal image, and a second light emitting body 412 in which the light emitting mode is visually recognized only in an inverted image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an infinity mirror that has a light-emitting portion between a half mirror and a mirror, and that allows a normal image and an inverted image of the light-emitting portion to be repeatedly viewed. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a so-called infinity mirror, as shown in the photograph of FIG. 1, in which a light-emitting unit is placed between a half mirror and a mirror, and the light-emitting state is used to visually perceive a sense of depth by displaying a normal image and an inverted image.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention for an illuminated panel in which a row of LED tape installed within a picture frame is illuminated, and the emitted light is repeatedly reflected by a reflector and a magic mirror plate, creating multiple layers of light frames that extend toward the back, giving the illusion of depth.

[0004] Patent document 2 also discloses an invention for an infinity mirror tail lamp, in which an annular frame equipped with an LED is placed between a half mirror and a mirror, and the light from the LED is reflected infinitely, giving the light emission pattern depth. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3212545 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3179116 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, while the conventional infinity mirrors described above can create the illusion of depth by having the light from the light-emitting element continue in multiple layers toward the back, they do not provide the visual effect of the light moving in the thickness direction of the infinity mirror, and so the dramatic effect they offer is limited.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an infinity mirror that can provide the visual effect of light moving in the thickness direction of the infinity mirror. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The invention related to (1) is an infinity mirror having at least a frame body, a half mirror provided in one opening of the frame body, a mirror provided in the other opening of the frame body, and a light-emitting unit provided inside the frame body, wherein the light-emitting unit has a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in the thickness direction of the frame body, and the light-emitting elements switch their light-emitting modes in the thickness direction of the frame body, and the light-emitting elements include a first light-emitting element whose light-emitting mode is visible only in a normal image, and a second light-emitting element whose light-emitting mode is visible only in an inverted image.

[0009] The invention related to (2) is the infinity mirror described in (1) above, characterized in that the light-emitting section comprises a first light-emitting element whose light-emitting pattern is visible only in a normal image, a second light-emitting element whose light-emitting pattern is visible only in an inverted image, and a third light-emitting element whose light-emitting pattern is visible in both a normal image and an inverted image.

[0010] The invention related to (3) is an infinity mirror described in (1) or (2) above, characterized in that the light emitter has multiple first light emitters and multiple second light emitters in the thickness direction of the frame body, and the first light emitters emit light by sequentially switching their light emission modes in the thickness direction of the frame body, and then the second light emitters emit light by sequentially switching their light emission modes in the direction opposite to the thickness direction of the frame body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a novel infinity mirror that has never been seen before, which produces a visual effect in which light appears to move in the thickness direction of the infinity mirror. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a photograph showing an example of a conventional infinity mirror. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating problems with conventional infinity mirrors. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the visual recognition state when a plurality of light-emitting bodies are arranged in the thickness direction of a frame body and emit light sequentially in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an infinity mirror according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a visual recognition mode (visible mode) in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a visible mode (invisible mode) in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating the visual recognition modes for each light emission mode in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating the visual recognition modes for each light emission mode. [Figure 9] 1 is a photograph of an infinity mirror according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a light-emitting section in another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10 is a photograph of an infinity mirror in another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an infinity mirror of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] Prior to describing the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view (a) illustrating the basic mechanism of the infinity mirror 100 and a diagram (b) illustrating the viewing mode.

[0015] As shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 2(a), the infinity mirror 100 equipped with an illuminant has at least a frame body 3, a half mirror 1 provided in one opening of the frame body 3, a mirror 2 provided in the other opening of the frame body 3, and a light-emitting section 4 provided inside the frame body 3.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2(b), when an observer looks from the half mirror 1 side, the internal light-emitting part 4 is repeatedly reflected between the half mirror 1 and the mirror 2, and the normal image and the inverted image are seen alternately, creating the illusion of infinite depth.

[0017] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the light-emitting section 4 provided inside the frame body 3 is composed of multiple light-emitting bodies 41 arranged in the thickness direction of the frame body 3, and the light-emitting mode is switched in the thickness direction of the frame body 3 (in the example shown in the figure, the light-emitting bodies 41 are switched on and off sequentially from light-emitting body 1 to light-emitting body 3 as shown in Figure 3(d)), thereby allowing the observer to visually perceive a dynamic light-emitting mode that has not been seen in the past.

[0018] 3, the light-emitting section 4 is arranged in the frame body 3, and the light-emitting section 4 has three light-emitting bodies 41, numbered 1 to 3, arranged in the thickness direction of the frame body 3. As shown in the transition diagrams of FIGS. 3(a) to 3(c), by switching the light-emitting state in the thickness direction of the frame body 3 in order, starting from light-emitting body 41 number 1, the light-emitting bodies appear to move in the thickness direction indicated by the arrow in the viewed normal image.

[0019] On the other hand, in the viewed inverted image, the light emitter appears to move in the opposite direction, from the back to the front, as shown by the arrow in Figure 3. In other words, while a dynamic light emission pattern can be viewed, the direction of the light flow appears to alternate, so the viewer cannot see a light emission pattern that flows in a fixed direction.

[0020] Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in the cross-sectional view of the infinity mirror 100 in Figure 4, the light-emitting section 41 is composed of a first light-emitting body 411 whose light-emitting behavior is visible only in a normal image, and a second light-emitting body 412 whose light-emitting behavior is visible only in an inverted image.

[0021] 5, six light emitters numbered 1 to 6 are arranged in the light-emitting section 4 in the thickness direction of the frame 3. The even-numbered first light emitters 411 are arranged so that the light-emitting pattern is visible to the observer only in the normal image, while the odd-numbered second light emitters 412 are arranged so that the light-emitting pattern is visible to the observer only in the reversed image.

[0022] 6, due to the structure of the light-emitting unit 4 as shown, the odd-numbered second light-emitting bodies 412 cannot be seen in a normal image, and conversely, the even-numbered first light-emitting bodies 411 cannot be seen in an inverted image. In the example shown, the light-emitting unit 4 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the frame 3 has an uneven shape in the thickness direction of the frame 3, and an opaque member is arranged in the convex parts, so that the first light-emitting body 411 on the back side thereof cannot be directly seen from the viewing angle of the observer.

[0023] As described above, one of the adjacent light emitters is configured to be reflected on the half mirror 1 side, and the other light emitter is configured to be reflected on the mirror 2 side, so that the light emitters visible in the normal image and the inverted image are different.

[0024] In the light-emitting unit 4 having the first light-emitting body 411 and the second light-emitting body 412 as described above, as shown in Figure 8(h), by emitting light in the order of 2, 4, 6, 5, 3, and 1, and then transitioning the lighting state again in the order of 2, 4, etc., it becomes possible for the observer to perceive the light as flowing in a fixed direction, without the flow of light as shown in Figure 3 reversing along the way, as shown in Figures 7(a) to (g).

[0025] In other words, in this embodiment, the light-emitting unit 4 has a plurality of first light-emitting bodies 411 and second light-emitting bodies 412 arranged in the thickness direction of the frame body 3, and the first light-emitting bodies 411 emit light by sequentially switching their light-emitting modes in the thickness direction of the frame body 3 (in the order of 2, 4, and 6), and then the second light-emitting bodies 412 emit light by sequentially switching their light-emitting modes in the direction opposite to the thickness direction of the frame body 3 (5, 3, and 1), allowing the observer to visually see how the light-emitting modes change in a certain direction between the normal image and the inverted image.

[0026] The "thickness direction" mentioned above is not limited to the direction from the half mirror 1 to the mirror 2, but also includes the direction from the mirror 2 to the half mirror 1.

[0027] FIG. 9 shows an infinity mirror 100 in which the light emitters are turned on according to the configuration of the light emitter 4 and the light emission sequence described above. In other words, it shows that the light source whose light is observed to be emitted in the normal image is not visible in the inverted image. This structure makes it possible for the viewer to visually perceive the light emitters as moving in a fixed direction as indicated by the arrow in the figure.

[0028] (Another embodiment) Although one embodiment of the infinity mirror of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications as described below are possible.

[0029] For example, in the above-described embodiment, six light emitters 41 are arranged in the thickness direction of the frame 3 in the light emitter 4, but the number of light emitters 41 is not limited to this and may be any number, i.e., two or more. Furthermore, the plurality of light emitters may be configured with a first light emitter 411 and a second light emitter 412.

[0030] Furthermore, the aforementioned "light emitting mode" is not necessarily limited to the on and off states of the light emitter, and for example, it is possible to use a light emitter capable of emitting light in a plurality of colors, and have the observer visually recognize a specific light emitting color moving. Furthermore, the light intensity of the light emitter may be adjusted or changed, and it is also possible to have the observer visually recognize a light emitter of a specific light intensity moving.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of light emitters may be arranged along the inside of the frame 3 (inner periphery in the illustrated example).

[0032] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 11, by controlling the light emission of adjacent light-emitting elements in the circumferential direction so that the light-emitting elements that emit light are shifted circumferentially one by one and move in the thickness direction of the frame body 3, it is possible to visually recognize an emission pattern in which a spiral band (line) of light as shown moves while rotating in the thickness direction of the frame body 3.

[0033] Furthermore, the arrangement of the first light-emitting body 411 and the second light-emitting body 412 is not necessarily limited to that shown in Fig. 4 etc. In other words, the present invention is characterized in that there are elements that are visually visible only in a normal image and elements that are visually visible only in an inverted image, so the first light-emitting body 411 and the second light-emitting body 412 do not necessarily have to be arranged alternately as shown in Fig. 4. For example, the first light-emitting body 411 and the second light-emitting body 412 can also be arranged as shown in Fig. 10(a).

[0034] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10(b), it is also possible to arrange a third light emitter 413 whose light emission pattern is visible in both normal and reversed images, thereby increasing the variety of light emission patterns.

[0035] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the light-emitting body itself is configured to be visible to the observer, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to such a configuration. For example, as shown in FIG. 10(c), it is also possible to use a known light-guiding member and allow the light-emitting mode of the light-emitting unit to be visible through the light-guiding member.

[0036] In addition, in this embodiment, a circular frame body 3 as shown in Figure 9 is used, but of course, the frame body 3 is not limited to this shape, and frame bodies 3 having various shapes can be used.

[0037] 5 and 6, the light-emitting unit 4 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the frame 3 has an uneven shape in the thickness direction of the frame 3, and an opaque member is disposed on the convex portions, so that the first light-emitting body 411 on the rear side of the light-emitting unit 4 is not directly visible from the viewing angle of the observer. However, the configuration of the light-emitting unit 4 is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, it is also possible to separate the light-emitting body 41 into light-emitting bodies 41 that are visible to the observer and light-emitting bodies 41 that are not visible to the observer in terms of the angle of view, for example, by using a polarization means. In other words, the structure of the light-emitting unit 4 can be modified in various ways.

[0038] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings and the like, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the description of the above examples, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. Furthermore, the specific materials, dimensions, shapes, etc. described in the above embodiments can be modified within the scope of solving the problems of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 100 Infinity Mirror 1 Half mirror 2 mirror 3 Frame 4 Light-emitting part 41 Luminous Object 411 First Light-Emitting Body 412 Second Luminous Body 413 The Third Luminous Body

Claims

1. An infinity mirror having at least a frame body, a half mirror provided in one opening of the frame body, a mirror provided in the other opening of the frame body, and a light emitting unit provided inside the frame body, The light emitting unit A plurality of light emitters are arranged in the thickness direction of the frame body, and the light emitters switch their light emission modes in the thickness direction of the frame body, The light emitter is The device includes a first light emitter whose light emitting state is visible only in a normal image and a second light emitter whose light emitting state is visible only in a reversed image. Characterized by an infinity mirror.

2. The light emitter is a third light emitter whose light emitting pattern is visible in both the normal image and the reverse image; 2. The infinity mirror according to claim 1 .

3. The light emitter is The first light emitter and the second light emitter are each provided in a plurality in the thickness direction of the frame body, and after the first light emitters emit light by sequentially switching the light emission mode in the thickness direction of the frame body, the second light emitters emit light by sequentially switching the light emission mode in the direction opposite to the thickness direction of the frame body.

3. The infinity mirror according to claim 1 or 2.

Images