Luminous fabric

Abstract

A luminous fabric includes a plurality of first light-reflecting fiber units, a plurality of light-guiding fiber units, and a plurality of light-accumulating fiber units. The first light-reflecting fiber units are directed toward a first direction and spaced apart in intervals. The light-guiding fiber units are directed toward a second direction and spaced apart in intervals. Each light-guiding fiber unit has a lateral light-guiding portion. Some light-accumulating fiber units are drawn through the first light-reflecting fiber units, and some other light-accumulating fiber units are drawn through the light-guiding fiber units. Thereby, the luminous fabric can provide passive illumination when a light source is provided, and provide active illumination in dark settings. The light reflected by the luminous fabric is concentrated and uniformly distributed on one side thereof.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This Application is being filed as a Continuation-in-Part of patent application Ser. #12 / 289,411, filed 28 Oct. 2008, currently pending.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The instant disclosure relates to a luminous fabric; more particularly, to a luminous fabric having both passive and active luminating capabilities.[0004]2. Description of Related Art[0005]Luminous fabric for lighting, decorations, and warning system applications can generally be divided into two categories.[0006]The first category involves passive illumination, such as light-reflecting devices that require no electrical power. By being able to reflect incoming light, these light-reflecting devices increase night time visibility. Some examples of passive luminating devices are plastic reflective strips, reflectors, etc. However, they are usually made of hard and rigid materials. Moreover, these passive devices cannot illuminate without an external l...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]To resolve the above limitations, the instant disclosure provides a light-accumulating luminous fabric that processes both passive and active illumination characteristics, can concentrate the emitted light on the same side thereof and provide uniform illumination, and is flexible, lightweight, and portable.

[0013]The luminous fabric in accordance with the instant disclosure has the following advantages. The light-accumulating fiber units can provide active illumination in dark settings. Meanwhile, passive illumination is achieved by the light reflecting characteristic of the first light-reflecting fiber units in cooperation with the light-guiding fiber units. In particular, the reflected light is concentrated on one side of the fabric in providing uniform illumination. Moreover, the first light-reflecting fiber units allow the fabric to be soft, lightweight, and portable. The above attributes make the fabric a favorable choice for luminous clothing and decorations.

Problems solved by technology

However, they are usually made of hard and rigid materials.

Moreover, these passive devices cannot illuminate without an external light source, because there is no light to reflect.

However, they are usually more complex, bulky, and expensive.

These negative attributes inevitably limit their practical applications in draperies for decoration.

However, the existing light emitting fabric can only provide passive illumination.

The inability of the fiber optics fabric to provide active illumination means that there is still room for improvement.

In addition, the existing optical fibers in conventional luminous fabric lack adequate mechanical flexibility (softness) and the illumination effect is often not uniform, and therefore cannot provide satisfactory illuminating effect for luminous clothing and decorations.

Images