Light projection device

Abstract

To enhance visibility of a light projection object by emission light from a plurality of visible light emitting elements with a compact device structure, in a light projection device which is constituted so as to perform visible light irradiation and infrared light irradiation.SOLUTION: A light projection device includes: a first translucent member 30A for performing light transmission control on emission light from 9 visible light emitting elements 22A; and a second translucent member 30B for performing light transmission control on emission light from 6 infrared light emitting elements 22B. As the first translucent member 30A, the light projection device includes: 4 lens parts 34A1-34A4 for condensation for emitting the emission light from 4 visible light emitting elements 22A as convergent light; and 5 lens parts 34A5-34A9 for diffusion for emitting the emission light from 5 visible light emitting elements 22A as diffusion light diffusing in the vertical direction. Then, the 4 lens parts 34A1-34A4 for condensation are arranged at the position closer to the second translucent member 30B than the 5 lens parts 34A5-34A9 for diffusion. Thereby, an occupied space of the first translucent member 30A is reduced.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a floodlight device to be mounted on an aircraft, a helicopter, or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Generally, aircraft, helicopters, and the like are equipped with floodlights to ensure forward and downward visibility at night.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a floodlight device attached to the bottom of a helicopter that is configured to emit visible light and infrared light diagonally downward.

[0004] The light-projecting device described in Patent Document 1 comprises a first light-transmitting member having a plurality of first lens portions formed thereon for controlling the transmission of light emitted from a plurality of visible light-emitting elements, and a second light-transmitting member having a plurality of second lens portions formed thereon for controlling the transmission of light emitted from a plurality of infrared light-emitting elements, and these are arranged in a state where they are divided into regions in the vertical direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-149316 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In such a light-projecting device, it is desirable that the visible light distribution pattern formed by the visible light irradiated through the first translucent member is a horizontally elongated light distribution pattern that has sufficient brightness in its central region and extends to both sides, in order to improve the visibility of the object to be projected using light emitted from the multiple visible light-emitting elements.

[0007] However, it is not easy to realize this in the limited space of a floodlight device.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a light-projecting device that is configured to be able to irradiate visible light and infrared light, and that has a compact device configuration and can improve the visibility of the object to be projected by using light emitted from multiple visible light-emitting elements. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention is intended to achieve the above object by devising the arrangement of a plurality of first lens portions and the configuration of each of them.

[0010] That is, the floodlight device according to the present invention is A light-projecting device configured to project light emitted from a plurality of light-emitting elements toward the front of the device through a light-transmitting member, the plurality of light-emitting elements include a plurality of visible light-emitting elements and a plurality of infrared light-emitting elements, and the plurality of visible light-emitting elements and the plurality of infrared light-emitting elements are arranged in a state of being divided into regions with respect to a required direction; the light-transmitting member includes a first light-transmitting member formed with a plurality of first lens portions for controlling the transmission of light emitted from the plurality of visible light-emitting elements, and a second light-transmitting member formed with a plurality of second lens portions for controlling the transmission of light emitted from the plurality of infrared light-emitting elements, the first light-transmitting member includes, as the plurality of first lens portions, a plurality of converging lens portions that cause the light emitted from the plurality of visible light emitting elements to exit as convergent light, and a plurality of diffusing lens portions that cause the light emitted from the plurality of visible light emitting elements to exit as diffused light that is diffused in a direction perpendicular to the required direction, The plurality of condensing lens portions are arranged at positions closer to the second light-transmitting member than the plurality of diffusing lens portions.

[0011] The use of the "projector" according to the present invention is not particularly limited, and it can be used, for example, as a searchlight for an aircraft or helicopter, a streetlight, a security light, etc. Furthermore, the specific shape of the light distribution pattern formed by the light emitted from this "projector" is not particularly limited.

[0012] The "light-transmitting member" may be configured such that the first light-transmitting member and the second light-transmitting member are integrally formed, or may be configured such that the first light-transmitting member and the second light-transmitting member are formed separately.

[0013] The specific direction of the "required direction" is not particularly limited.

[0014] The "plurality of first lens portions" are not particularly limited in their specific arrangement or number, as long as the plurality of concentrating lens portions are positioned closer to the second light-transmitting member than the plurality of diffusing lens portions.

[0015] As long as each of the "plurality of condensing lens portions" is configured to emit light emitted from the visible light emitting element as convergent light, the specific lens shape is not particularly limited.

[0016] The specific lens shape of each of the above-mentioned "plurality of diffusion lens portions" is not particularly limited, as long as it is configured to emit the light emitted from the visible light emitting element as diffused light that is diffused in a direction perpendicular to the required direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] The light-projecting device of the present invention is configured to irradiate light emitted from a plurality of light-emitting elements toward the front of the device through a translucent member, and the plurality of light-emitting elements are configured to be a plurality of visible light-emitting elements and a plurality of infrared light-emitting elements arranged in regions separated in the required direction, and the translucent member includes a first translucent member having a plurality of first lens portions formed thereon for translucently controlling the light emitted from the plurality of visible light-emitting elements, and a second translucent member having a plurality of second lens portions formed thereon for translucently controlling the light emitted from the plurality of infrared light-emitting elements, so that visible light irradiation and infrared light irradiation can each be performed appropriately.

[0018] Furthermore, the first light-transmitting member has, as the multiple first lens portions, multiple concentrating lens portions that emit the light emitted from the multiple visible light emitting elements as convergent light, and multiple diffusing lens portions that emit the light emitted from the multiple visible light emitting elements as diffused light that diffuses in a direction perpendicular to the required direction. Therefore, a spot-shaped concentrated light distribution pattern can be formed by light irradiated from the multiple visible light emitting elements through the multiple concentrating lens portions, and a diffused light distribution pattern that spreads in a direction perpendicular to the required direction can be formed by light irradiated from the multiple visible light emitting elements through the multiple diffusing lens portions.

[0019] Therefore, the visible light distribution pattern formed by light emitted from multiple visible light emitting elements through multiple first lens portions can be a distribution pattern in which a concentrated light distribution pattern and a diffused light distribution pattern are superimposed, ensuring brightness in the central region while also providing a distribution pattern that spreads in a direction perpendicular to the required direction, thereby improving the visibility of the object to be projected.

[0020] In this case, the multiple diffusion lens portions are configured to emit the light emitted from the multiple visible light emitting elements as diffused light that diffuses in a direction perpendicular to the required direction, so that it is easy to set the lens thickness and width in the required direction of each of the multiple diffusion lens portions to values ​​smaller than those of each of the multiple focusing lens portions.

[0021] Furthermore, since the plurality of first lens portions are disposed closer to the second light-transmitting member than the plurality of converging lens portions are, the space occupied by the plurality of first lens portions can be reduced, and therefore the space occupied by the first light-transmitting member can be reduced, resulting in a compact configuration of the floodlight device.

[0022] Thus, according to the present invention, in a light-projecting device configured to be able to emit visible light and infrared light, the visibility of the object to be projected can be improved by the light emitted from multiple visible light-emitting elements with a compact device configuration.

[0023] In the above configuration, if each of the plurality of focusing lens portions has a dome-shaped surface shape and each of the plurality of diffusing lens portions has a dome-shaped surface shape with both side portions in the required direction cut away, the space occupied by the plurality of first lens portions can be further reduced, and thereby the space occupied by the first light-transmitting member can also be further reduced.

[0024] In the above configuration, if the configuration of the light projecting device further includes a substrate on which a plurality of visible light emitting elements are mounted, and a support member that supports the substrate and the first light-transmitting member, and the configuration of the support member includes a plurality of substrate pedestals formed to abut against the substrate, and a plurality of light-transmitting member pedestals formed to abut against the first light-transmitting member, and the substrate has a plurality of insertion holes for inserting the plurality of light-transmitting member pedestals, the substrate and the first light-transmitting member can be supported by the support member while maintaining a compact device configuration.

[0025] In this case, if the substrate is screwed to the support member at a plurality of substrate seat portions, and the first translucent member is screwed to the support member at a plurality of translucent member seat portions, the support member can easily and reliably support the substrate and the first translucent member.

[0026] In the above configuration, if the second light-transmitting member further includes a plurality of second lens portions that include a plurality of converging lens portions that cause the light emitted from the plurality of infrared light emitting elements to exit as convergent light and a plurality of diffusing lens portions that cause the light emitted from the plurality of infrared light emitting elements to exit as diffused light that diffuses in a direction perpendicular to the required direction, the infrared light distribution pattern formed by the light irradiated from the plurality of infrared light emitting elements through the plurality of second lens portions can also be formed as a light distribution pattern in which a converging light distribution pattern and a diffused light distribution pattern are superimposed, thereby ensuring the irradiation intensity in the central region and providing spread in the direction perpendicular to the required direction, thereby improving the ability to detect objects using the light emitted from the plurality of infrared light emitting elements. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a floodlight device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the light projecting device; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the floodlight device in use; [Figure 4] Cross section of line IV-IV in Figure 1 [Figure 5] View from the V direction of Figure 1 [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the light projecting device. [Figure 7] 1 , showing the main components of the floodlight device; [Figure 8] A diagram similar to Figure 4 showing the main components described above. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the main components. [Figure 10] (a1) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xa1-Xa1 in FIG. 1, (a2) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xa2-Xa2 in FIG. 1, (a3) ​​is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xa3-Xa3 in FIG. 1, (b1) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xb1-Xb1 in FIG. 1, (b2) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xb2-Xb2 in FIG. 1, and (b3) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xb3-Xb3 in FIG. 1. [Figure 11]1(a) is a diagram showing a visible light distribution pattern formed by irradiating visible light from the above-mentioned projector device, and FIG. 1(b) is a diagram showing the luminous intensity distribution along the cross section of line bb in the visible light distribution pattern. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, illustrating a modification of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0029] Fig. 1 is a front view showing a floodlight device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the floodlight device 10, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the floodlight device 10 in use.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, the floodlight device 10 according to this embodiment is an aircraft hoist light, and is used in a state where it is attached to the fuselage 4 of a helicopter 2.

[0031] That is, the light-projecting device 10 is configured to irradiate a rescue target (not shown) suspended from the aircraft 4 via the rescue hoist cable 6 and the surrounding area by emitting light obliquely downward while attached to the top panel 4b of the boarding opening 4a formed on the side of the aircraft 4. The light-projecting device 10 is configured to be able to selectively irradiate visible light and infrared light.

[0032] 1 to 3, the direction indicated by X is the "forward" direction of the floodlight device 10 ("a direction slightly inclined toward the side of the aircraft relative to the direction directly below" for the helicopter 2), the direction indicated by Y is the "leftward" direction perpendicular to the "forward" direction ("rightward" when viewed from the front of the device, "a direction toward the center of the aircraft" for the helicopter 2), and the direction indicated by Z is the "upward" direction ("forward (or rearward) of the aircraft" for the helicopter 2). This is the same for figures other than FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0033] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a view seen in the direction of arrow V in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the floodlight device 10.

[0034] As also shown in Figures 4 to 6, the floodlight device 10 is configured so that an optical unit 20 having both a visible light irradiation function and an infrared light irradiation function is housed in a lamp chamber 12 formed by a heat sink 70 and a light-transmitting cover 80.

[0035] The lamp chamber 12 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front of the device.

[0036] The heat sink 70 is a metal member (for example, an aluminum alloy member) configured as a die-cast product (or a machined product). The heat sink 70 includes a side wall 72 that surrounds the periphery of the lamp chamber 12, a bottom wall 74 located on the rear side of the lamp chamber 12, and an outer peripheral flange 76 formed on the front end of the side wall 72. An annular recess 76a is formed on the inner peripheral edge of the outer peripheral flange 76 on the front side of the device, for placing the light-transmitting cover 80 thereon.

[0037] The light-transmitting cover 80 is a colorless, transparent resin member (e.g., a polycarbonate resin member) formed in a plain shape with a substantially uniform thickness. The light-transmitting cover 80 includes a flat portion 80A extending along a plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the device, a curved peripheral portion 80B formed to smoothly wrap around from the outer periphery of the flat portion 80A toward the rear of the device, and an outer periphery flange portion 80C extending in a flat plate shape from the rear end edge of the curved peripheral portion 80B toward the outer periphery. The light-transmitting cover 80 is placed on the annular recess 76a of the heat sink 70 at the outer periphery flange portion 80C.

[0038] The floodlight 10 is configured such that a translucent cover 80 is placed in the annular recess 76a of the heat sink 70, an annular gasket 82 is placed on an outer circumferential flange portion 80C of the translucent cover 80, and an annular retainer 84 is placed on the gasket 82, and the retainer 84 is then fixed to the outer circumferential flange portion 76 of the heat sink 70. This fixing is achieved by fastening screws 86 into screw holes 76b formed in multiple locations on the outer circumferential flange portion 76 through screw insertion holes 84a formed in multiple locations on the retainer 84. The multiple locations are set at four corners in the circumferential direction and four intermediate locations.

[0039] The retainer 84 is made of a material with excellent thermal conductivity, such as an aluminum alloy, and its opening 84b is formed to be located slightly outer than the connection position between the peripheral curved portion 80B and the outer peripheral flange portion 80C of the light-transmitting cover 80 when viewed from the front of the device. In addition, an outer peripheral flange portion 84c that protrudes toward the rear of the device is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the retainer 84, and this outer peripheral flange portion 84c engages with the outer peripheral flange portion 76 of the heat sink 70. As a result, the retainer 84 is configured to surround the flat portion 80A of the light-transmitting cover 80 while being positioned in a plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the device.

[0040] The depth of the annular recess 76a of the outer peripheral flange 76 of the heat sink 70 is set to a value greater than the thickness of the outer peripheral flange 80C of the light-transmitting cover 80. The gasket 82 is made of a constant thickness such as silicone rubber, and its thickness is set to a value slightly greater than the difference between the depth of the annular recess 76a and the thickness of the outer peripheral flange 80C. As a result, when the retainer 84 is fixed to the outer peripheral flange 76 of the heat sink 70, the gasket 82 undergoes some elastic deformation, thereby ensuring the airtightness of the lamp chamber 12.

[0041] The outer peripheral flange portion 76 of the heat sink 70 and the retainer 84 are provided with mounting holes 76c, 84d at multiple locations in the circumferential direction for mounting the floodlight device 10 to the fuselage 4 of the helicopter 2 by bolting or the like.

[0042] Next, a specific configuration of the optical unit 20 will be described.

[0043] The optical unit 20 is configured to form a visible light distribution pattern by irradiating light emitted from nine visible light emitting elements 22A toward the front of the device via a first light-transmitting member 30A, and to form an infrared light distribution pattern by irradiating light emitted from six infrared light emitting elements 22B toward the front of the device via a second light-transmitting member 30B. This optical unit 20 is configured such that the nine visible light emitting elements 22A and six infrared light emitting elements 22B are mounted on a common substrate 24 in a state where they are divided into regions in the left-right direction.

[0044] 7 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the optical unit 20 together with a heat sink 70, FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the optical unit 20, and FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the optical unit 20.

[0045] 7 to 9, the nine visible light emitting elements 22A are arranged in approximately two-thirds of the area on the right side of the substrate 24 (approximately two-thirds of the area on the left side when viewed from the front of the device). The nine visible light emitting elements 22A are arranged in three locations spaced apart in the vertical direction and three locations spaced apart in the horizontal direction. In other words, the nine visible light emitting elements 22A are arranged in a generally lattice pattern in vertical and horizontal directions with vertical symmetrical positions.

[0046] Each of the nine visible light emitting elements 22A is made up of a white light emitting diode, and is equipped with a high-output light emitting chip to ensure a sufficient amount of irradiated light. Each of the nine visible light emitting elements 22A has its light emitting chip covered with a substantially hemispherical sealing resin 22Aa, which allows the emitted light to have a color tone close to that of an incandescent lamp (for example, light with a color temperature of about 4000K).

[0047] On the other hand, four of the six infrared light emitting elements 22B are arranged at four locations spaced apart in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the remaining two are arranged at intermediate positions in the horizontal direction on both the top and bottom sides of the four infrared light emitting elements 22B, so that the six infrared light emitting elements 22B are arranged in a vertically symmetrical positional relationship.

[0048] Each of the six infrared light emitting elements 22B is made up of an infrared light emitting diode, and the light emitting chip is exposed as it is.

[0049] The first and second light-transmitting members 30A and 30B are both made of a colorless and transparent resin member (for example, a polycarbonate resin member).

[0050] The first light-transmitting member 30A has nine first lens portions 34A1, 34A2, 34A3, 34A4, 34A5, 34A6, 34A7, 34A8, and 34A9 formed on the front surface of a flat base portion 32A to control the transmission of light emitted from the nine visible light emitting elements 22A. These nine first lens portions 34A1 to 34A9 are arranged to be located in front of the nine visible light emitting elements 22A.

[0051] The base portion 32A has an outer shape that is substantially vertically long and rectangular when viewed from the front of the device, and is disposed in an area of ​​approximately two-thirds of the lamp chamber 12 on the right side.

[0052] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the cross-sectional shape of the first light-transmitting member 30A at multiple locations. Specifically, Fig. 10(a1) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xa1-Xa1 in Fig. 1, Fig. 10(a2) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xa2-Xa2 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 10(a3) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xa3-Xa3 in Fig. 1. Also, Fig. 10(b1) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xb1-Xb1 in Fig. 1, Fig. 10(b2) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xb2-Xb2 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 10(b3) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Xb3-Xb3 in Fig. 1.

[0053] As shown in Figure 10, of the nine first lens portions 34A1 to 34A9, four first lens portions 34A1 to 34A4 are all configured as converging lens portions that emit the light emitted from the visible light emitting element 22A as convergent light, and the remaining five first lens portions 34A5 to 34A9 are all configured as diffusing lens portions that emit the light emitted from the visible light emitting element 22A as diffused light that is diffused in the vertical direction.

[0054] Specifically, the surface shape of each of the concentrating lens portions 34A1-34A4 is set so as to emit light from the light-emitting center of the visible light-emitting element 22A as parallel light toward the front of the device, while the surface shape of each of the diffusing lens portions 34A5-34A9 is set so as to emit light from the light-emitting center of the visible light-emitting element 22A as parallel light toward the front of the device in the left-right direction and as diffused light in the up-down direction.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 7, the four converging lens portions 34A1 to 34A4 are disposed at positions to the left of the five diffusing lens portions 34A5 to 34A9 (that is, positions closer to the second light-transmitting member 30B).

[0056] Each of the four collecting lens portions 34A1 to 34A4 has a dome-shaped surface. Of these four collecting lens portions 34A1 to 34A4, collecting lens portion 34A2, which is located at the center in the vertical direction on the left side, is formed to be slightly smaller in size than collecting lens portions 34A1 and 34A3, which are located above and below it, and collecting lens portion 34A4, which is located to the right of collecting lens portion 34A2, is formed to be slightly smaller in size than collecting lens portion 34A2.

[0057] Each of the five diffusion lens portions 34A5-34A9 has a dome-shaped surface with both left and right side portions removed. Of these five diffusion lens portions 34A5-34A9, the two pairs of upper and lower diffusion lens portions 34A5-34A7, 34A9 are all the same size and have symmetrical external shapes, except for the diffusion lens portion 34A8, which is located in the center of the vertical direction toward the right, with its left side portion removed to a slightly greater extent. Each of these five diffusion lens portions 34A5-34A9 has a vertical width slightly larger than that of the condensing lens portion 34A4. The overall vertical width of the five diffusion lens portions 34A5-34A9 is set to be smaller than the overall vertical width of the four condensing lens portions 34A1-34A4.

[0058] The forward protrusion amount from the base portion 32A of the nine first lens portions 34A1 to 34A9 is set to a smaller value for the focusing lens portion 34A4 located in the vertical center to the right of the focusing lens portions 34A1 to 34A3 located in the horizontal center of the lamp chamber 12, and the other diffusing lens portions 34A5 to 34A9 are set to even smaller values.

[0059] As a result, as shown in Figure 4, the first light-transmitting member 30A is arranged so that the nine first lens portions 34A1 to 34A9 are arranged in a vertically elongated rectangular area on the right side of the lamp chamber 12, with a gap of a certain value or more between them and the light-transmitting cover 80.

[0060] Each of the five diffusion lens portions 34A5 to 34A9 has a surface shape in which both left and right sides of the dome shape are cut away, so that as shown in the example of diffusion lens portion 34A8 in Figure 10(a2), a portion of the visible light emitting element 22A that enters diffusion lens portion 34A8 is totally reflected by its side portion and then emitted as light that is diffused left and right toward the front of the device.

[0061] 7 and 8, the second light-transmitting member 30B has six second lens portions 34B1, 34B2, 34B3, 34B4, 34B5, and 34B6 formed on the front surface of a flat base portion 32B for controlling the transmission of light emitted from the six infrared light-emitting elements 22B. These six second lens portions 34B1 to 34B6 are arranged so as to be located in front of the six infrared light-emitting elements 22B.

[0062] The base portion 32B has an outer shape that is approximately vertically elongated and rectangular when viewed from the front of the device, and is located in approximately the left third of the area within the lamp chamber 12, and is formed with a vertical width that is slightly smaller than that of the base portion 32A.

[0063] Of the six second lens portions 34B1 to 34B6, four second lens portions 34B1 to 34B4 are configured as converging lens portions that emit the light emitted from the infrared light-emitting element 22B as convergent light, and the remaining two second lens portions 34B5 and 34B6 are configured as diffusing lens portions that emit the light emitted from the infrared light-emitting element 22B as diffused light that is diffused in the vertical direction.

[0064] In this case, the four second lens portions 34B1 to 34B4 are disposed at positions more to the right of the two second lens portions 34B5 and 34B6 (that is, positions closer to the first light-transmissive member 30A).

[0065] Each of the four second lens portions 34B1 to 34B4 has a dome-shaped surface. The two second lens portions 34B3 and 34B4 located in the lower half have a circular outer shape, while the two second lens portions 34B1 and 34B2 located in the upper half have a slightly vertically elongated elliptical outer shape. As a result, the two second lens portions 34B1 and 34B2 are configured to emit light from the infrared light-emitting element 22B as diffused light that is slightly diffused in the vertical direction.

[0066] Furthermore, of these four second lens portions 34B1 to 34B4, second lens portion 34B4 located at the bottom end is formed with the largest vertical width, second lens portions 34B1 and 34A3 located at the top end and second from the bottom are formed with the next largest vertical widths, and second lens portion 34B2 located second from the top is formed with the smallest vertical width.

[0067] The remaining two second lens portions 34B5 and 34B6 each have a dome-shaped surface with both left and right side portions removed. These two second lens portions 34B5 and 34B6 are the same size, with the right side portion removed slightly more. These two second lens portions 34B5 and 34B6 are formed with approximately the same vertical width as second lens portion 34A3.

[0068] In the second light-transmitting member 30B, the degree of focusing of the light emitted from the six infrared light-emitting elements 22B by the six second lens portions 34B1 to 34B6 is set to a relatively small value, and therefore, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the amount of forward protrusion of the six second lens portions 34B1 to 34B6 from the base portion 32B is set to a value significantly smaller than the amount of forward protrusion of the nine first lens portions 34A1 to 34A9 from the base portion 32A.

[0069] As a result, as shown in Figure 4, the second light-transmitting member 30B is arranged so that the six second lens portions 34B1 to 34B6 are arranged in a vertically elongated rectangular area on the left side of the lamp chamber 12, with a sufficient gap between them and the light-transmitting cover 80.

[0070] 7 to 9, the substrate 24 and the first and second light-transmitting members 30A and 30B are supported by a common metal support plate 40. This metal support plate 40 is made of a material with excellent thermal conductivity, such as an aluminum alloy, and has a front surface formed with a plurality of substrate pedestals 42 that come into contact with the substrate 24, a plurality of light-transmitting member pedestals 44A that come into contact with the first light-transmitting member 30A, and a plurality of light-transmitting member pedestals 44B that come into contact with the second light-transmitting member 30B.

[0071] The substrate 24 is fixed to the metal support plate 40 by fastening screws 26 to the substrate pedestals 42 through the screw insertion holes 24a formed in the substrate 24, with the substrate 24 placed on the substrate pedestals 42. The substrate pedestals 42 are configured as bosses, and are set so that the amount of rearward protrusion from the substrate 24 is greater than the amount of forward protrusion.

[0072] A heat transfer sheet 46 is disposed between the substrate 24 and the metal support plate 40. This heat transfer sheet 46 is made of a soft material such as silicone resin. A plurality of insertion holes 46a are formed in this heat transfer sheet 46 to allow the plurality of substrate pedestals 42 to pass through.

[0073] The first and second light-transmitting members 30A, 30B are fixed to the metal support plate 40 by placing the first and second light-transmitting members 30A, 30B on the plurality of light-transmitting member base portions 44A, 44B and then fastening screws 36 to each of the plurality of light-transmitting member base portions 44A, 44B.

[0074] To achieve this, a plurality of insertion holes 46b, 24b for inserting a plurality of light-transmitting member pedestals 44A, 44B are formed in the heat transfer sheet 46 and the substrate 24. Furthermore, screw insertion holes 32Aa, 32Ba for inserting screws 36 are formed in a plurality of positions on the base portions 32A, 32B of the first and second light-transmitting members 30A, 30B.

[0075] Each of the plurality of base portions 42 for the substrate and the plurality of base portions 44A, 44B for the light-transmitting member is configured as a boss portion having the same shape as each of the plurality of base portions 42 for the substrate when viewed from the front of the device, but its height (i.e., the amount of forward protrusion from the substrate 24) is set to a different value.

[0076] That is, the height of the plurality of substrate pedestals 42 is set to a value slightly smaller than the thickness of the heat transfer sheet 46 (for example, the height is about 0.4 mm when the thickness of the heat transfer sheet 46 is 0.45 mm). By configuring the heat transfer sheet 46 in this way to be disposed between the substrate 24 and the metal support plate 40, deformation of the substrate 24 due to an excessive load acting on the substrate 24 when the substrate 24 is fastened to the metal support plate 40 with screws can be prevented.

[0077] On the other hand, the heights of the plurality of translucent member base portions 44A, 44B are set to a value sufficiently greater than the height of the plurality of substrate base portions 42, thereby allowing the first and second translucent members 30A, 30B to be positioned at a certain distance from the front surface of the substrate 24.

[0078] In this case, the height of the plurality of light-transmitting member seat portions 44A is set to a value greater than the height of the plurality of light-transmitting member seat portions 44B. This allows light from the nine visible light emitting elements 22A to be appropriately incident on the first light-transmitting member 30A and light from the six infrared light emitting elements 22B to be appropriately incident on the second light-transmitting member 30B, and prevents the sealing resin 22Aa of the nine visible light emitting elements 22A from interfering with the first light-transmitting member 30A.

[0079] 4 and 6, the optical unit 20 is fixed to the heat sink 70 by the metal support plate 40. This fixing is achieved by fastening screws 78 (see FIG. 7) into screw holes 74a (see FIG. 6) formed at multiple locations on the bottom wall portion 74 of the heat sink 70, via screw insertion holes 40a formed at multiple locations on the metal support plate 40.

[0080] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the floodlight device 10 includes a control board unit 50 for controlling the lighting of the nine visible light emitting elements 22A and the six infrared light emitting elements 22B.

[0081] In the heat sink 70, a unit accommodating space 12A for accommodating this control board unit 50 is formed on the rear side of the metal support plate 40. This unit accommodating space 12A is formed to be located in an area approximately two-thirds of the left side of the lamp chamber 12. Specifically, the bottom wall portion 74 of the heat sink 70 has an area approximately one-third of the right side configured as a shallow bottom portion 74A, and an area approximately two-thirds of the left side configured as a deep bottom portion 74B.

[0082] Bosses 74Bc are formed on the bottom wall 74 of the heat sink 70 at two upper and lower corners at the left end of the lamp chamber 12. The front faces of the pair of upper and lower bosses 74Bc are formed flush with the front face of the shallow bottom portion 74A.

[0083] The metal support plate 40 is fixedly supported to the heat sink 70 in surface contact with the shallow bottom portion 74A of the bottom wall portion 74 and the front surfaces of the pair of upper and lower boss portions 74Bc. By arranging the metal support plate 40 in this manner, the unit accommodating space 12A within the lamp chamber 12 is almost completely isolated from the space in front of the metal support plate 40.

[0084] A partition wall 48 for partitioning the unit accommodating space 12A is formed on the rear surface of the metal support plate 40. This partition wall 48 is formed in a generally H-shaped configuration so as to extend in a bead shape toward the rear of the device.

[0085] The control board unit 50 has a configuration in which a plurality of control chips (not shown) are mounted on both the front and rear surfaces of a board main body 52. ​​In this case, a signal control chip and a power supply control chip for controlling the lighting of the optical unit 20 are mounted on the front surface of the board main body 52, and a coil and the like are mounted on the rear surface of the board main body 52.

[0086] The unit accommodating space 12A is almost completely isolated from the front space within the lamp chamber 12 by the metal support plate 40, thereby preventing the occurrence of a situation in which EMI noise and the like generated by the multiple control chips mounted on the board body 52 of the control board unit 50 would adversely affect the lighting control of the optical unit 20. Furthermore, the unit accommodating space 12A itself is divided into multiple spaces by partitions 48, which effectively prevents the occurrence of a situation in which the multiple control chips are affected by EMI noise and the like between each other.

[0087] The control board unit 50 is placed on the deep bottom portion 74B of the bottom wall portion 74 of the heat sink 70 and is fixed with screws. That is, as shown in Fig. 4, a plurality of bead portions 52a are formed on the rear surface of the board body 52 of the control board unit 50, while a plurality of sets of engaging protrusions 74Ba are formed on the front surface of the deep bottom portion 74B. When the control board unit 50 is placed on the deep bottom portion 74B, the plurality of bead portions 52a engage with the plurality of sets of engaging protrusions 74Ba, thereby positioning the control board unit 50.

[0088] The bottom wall 74 of the heat sink 70 has a bulge 74Bb formed in a region located at the left end of the deep bottom 74B, which bulges out toward the rear of the device. This forms a wiring space 12B in the lamp chamber 12, further rearward of the unit housing space 12A, for housing electrical wiring and the like connected to the control board unit 50.

[0089] 5, a connector 90 for supplying power to the control board unit 50 is attached to the bulging portion 74Bb of the heat sink 70. This attachment is performed by fastening the connector 90 to the bulging portion 74Bb with a plurality of screws 92.

[0090] 4 to 6, the heat sink 70 has a plurality of heat dissipation fins 74C formed at intervals in the left-right direction, extending from the shallow bottom portion 74A and the deep bottom portion 74B toward the rear of the device. This allows heat generated by lighting the nine visible light emitting elements 22A or the six infrared light emitting elements 22B to be guided to the heat sink 70 via the substrate 24, the heat transfer sheet 46, and the metal support plate 40, and then dissipated from the plurality of heat dissipation fins 74C.

[0091] FIG. 11(a) is a diagram showing a visible light distribution pattern P formed on a virtual screen placed in front of the device by irradiating visible light from the floodlight device 10, and FIG. 11(b) is a diagram showing the luminous intensity distribution along the line bb.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 11(a), the visible light distribution pattern P is formed as a light distribution pattern in which a condensed light distribution pattern P-1 and a diffused light distribution pattern P-2 are superimposed.

[0093] The concentrating light distribution pattern P-1 is a light distribution pattern formed by light from four visible light emitting elements 22A irradiated through four concentrating lens portions 34A1 to 34A4, and is formed as a spot-shaped light distribution pattern in a position toward the front of the device.

[0094] The diffused light distribution pattern P-2 is a light distribution pattern formed by light from five visible light emitting elements 22A irradiated through five diffusion lens portions 34A5 to 34A9, and is formed as a light distribution pattern that spreads slightly in both left and right directions from the front of the device and spreads greatly in both up and down directions.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 11(b), the luminous intensity distribution I along line bb of the visible light distribution pattern P (i.e., the luminous intensity distribution I along a cross section extending in the vertical direction so as to pass through the center position of the visible light distribution pattern P) is a superposition of the luminous intensity distribution I-1 of the concentrated light distribution pattern P-1 and the luminous intensity distribution I-2 of the diffused light distribution pattern P-2.

[0096] As is clear from this luminous intensity distribution I, the visible light distribution pattern P has a particularly bright central region located in the front direction of the device, and the regions above and below it on both sides have a substantially constant brightness.

[0097] 3, when the floodlight device 10 is attached to the fuselage 4 of the helicopter 2, the visible light distribution pattern P is formed as a light distribution pattern that spreads in the fore-and-aft direction of the fuselage 4, and is formed as a particularly bright light distribution pattern in the direction substantially directly below the fuselage 4. This allows the rescue target, who is suspended from the fuselage 4 via the rescue hoist cable 6, and the surrounding area to be efficiently illuminated.

[0098] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0099] The light-emitting device 10 of this embodiment is equipped with an optical unit 20 configured to irradiate light emitted from a plurality of light-emitting elements toward the front of the device through a light-transmitting member, and the plurality of light-emitting elements are configured to be nine visible light-emitting elements 22A and six infrared light-emitting elements 22B arranged in regions separated in the left-right direction (required direction).Furthermore, the light-transmitting member is equipped with a first light-transmitting member 30A having nine first lens portions 34A1 to 34A9 formed thereon for controlling the transmission of light emitted from the nine visible light-emitting elements 22A, and a second light-transmitting member 30B having six second lens portions 34B1 to 34B6 formed thereon for controlling the transmission of light emitted from the six infrared light-emitting elements 22B, so that visible light irradiation and infrared light irradiation can each be performed appropriately.

[0100] Furthermore, the first light-transmitting member 30A has nine first lens portions 34A1 to 34A9, including four concentrating lens portions 34A1 to 34A4 that emit the light emitted from the four visible light emitting elements 22A as convergent light, and five diffusing lens portions 34A5 to 34A9 that emit the light emitted from the five visible light emitting elements 22A as diffused light that is diffused in the vertical direction (a direction perpendicular to the required direction).Therefore, a spot-shaped concentrating light distribution pattern P-1 is formed by light irradiated from the four visible light emitting elements 22A through the four concentrating lens portions 34A1 to 34A4, while a diffused light distribution pattern P-2 that spreads in the vertical direction is formed by light irradiated from the five visible light emitting elements 22A through the five diffusing lens portions 34A5 to 34A9.

[0101] Therefore, the visible light distribution pattern P formed by light irradiated from the nine visible light emitting elements 22A through the nine first lens portions 34A1 to 34A9 can be formed as a distribution pattern in which a concentrated light distribution pattern P-1 and a diffused light distribution pattern P-2 are superimposed, ensuring brightness in the central area while forming a distribution pattern that has expansion in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, thereby improving the visibility of the object to be projected with light (i.e., the person to be rescued and the surrounding area).

[0102] In this case, the five diffusion lens portions 34A5 to 34A9 are configured to emit the light emitted from the five visible light emitting elements 22A as diffused light that is diffused in the vertical direction, so it is easy to set the lens thickness and horizontal width of each of these to values ​​smaller than those of each of the four focusing lens portions 34A1 to 34A4.

[0103] Furthermore, the nine first lens portions 34A1-34A9 can be made smaller in space because the four converging lens portions 34A1-34A4 are disposed closer to the second light-transmitting member 30B than the five diffusing lens portions 34A5-34A9, and therefore the space occupied by the first light-transmitting member 30A can be made smaller, allowing the floodlight device 10 to have a compact configuration.

[0104] Thus, according to this embodiment, in the light-projecting device 10 configured to be able to irradiate visible light and infrared light, the visibility of the object to be projected can be improved by the light emitted from the nine visible light-emitting elements 22A with a compact device configuration.

[0105] In this case, in the first light-transmitting member 30A of this embodiment, each of the four concentrating lens portions 34A1 to 34A4 has a dome-shaped surface shape, and each of the five diffusing lens portions 34A5 to 34A9 has a surface shape in which both left and right sides of the dome shape have been removed, so the space occupied by the nine first lens portions 34A1 to 34A9 can be further reduced, and therefore the space occupied by the first light-transmitting member 30A can also be further reduced.

[0106] Furthermore, in the first light-transmitting member 30A, some of the visible light-emitting elements 22A that enter the five diffusion lens portions 34A5 to 34A9 are totally reflected by the side surfaces and then emitted as light that diffuses in the left-right direction toward the front of the device.As a result, as shown in Figure 11(a), the visible light distribution pattern P can be formed as a light distribution pattern that not only spreads in the up-down direction but also spreads somewhat in the left-right direction (i.e., in the direction along the arrow Y), thereby further improving the visibility of the object to be projected.

[0107] Furthermore, the optical unit 20 of this embodiment includes a substrate 24 on which nine visible light emitting elements 22A are mounted, and a metal support plate 40 (support member) that supports the substrate 24 and the first light-transmitting member 30A. The metal support plate 40 is configured to include a plurality of substrate pedestal portions 42 formed to abut against the substrate 24, and a plurality of light-transmitting member pedestal portions 44A, 44B formed to abut against the first light-transmitting member 30A. The substrate 24 is formed with a plurality of insertion holes 24b for inserting the plurality of light-transmitting member pedestal portions 44A, 44B. Therefore, the metal support plate 40 can support the substrate 24 and the first light-transmitting member 30A while maintaining a compact device configuration.

[0108] In this case, in the optical unit 20 of this embodiment, the substrate 24 is fixed to the metal support plate 40 by screws at a plurality of substrate base portions 42, and the first light-transmitting member 30A is fixed to the metal support plate 40 by screws at a plurality of light-transmitting member base portions 44A, 44B, so that the substrate 24 and the first light-transmitting member 30A can be supported by the metal support plate 40 easily and reliably.

[0109] Furthermore, in the optical unit 20 of this embodiment, the six second lens portions 34B1-34B6 of the second light-transmitting member 30B include four converging lens portions 34B1-34B4 that converge the light emitted from the four infrared light-emitting elements 22B and two diffusing lens portions 34B5, 34B6 that diffuse the light emitted from the two infrared light-emitting elements 22B in the vertical direction. Therefore, the infrared light distribution pattern formed by the light irradiated from the six infrared light-emitting elements 22B through the six second lens portions 34B1-34B6 can be formed as a light distribution pattern in which a converging light distribution pattern and a diffused light distribution pattern are superimposed, thereby ensuring the irradiation intensity in the central region and providing vertical expansion. Therefore, the function of detecting an object using the light emitted from the multiple infrared light-emitting elements 22B can be improved.

[0110] In particular, in the second light-transmitting member 30B of this embodiment, two of the four focusing lens portions 34B1 to 34B4, namely, focusing lens portions 34B1 and 34B2, are configured to emit the light emitted from the infrared light-emitting element 22B as diffused light that is slightly diffused in the vertical direction, so that the intensity distribution of the infrared light distribution pattern can be made smooth, thereby further improving the detection function of the projected object.

[0111] In the above embodiment, the multiple light-emitting elements include nine visible light-emitting elements 22A and six infrared light-emitting elements 22B, and the translucent members include a first translucent member 30A having nine first lens portions 34A1 to 34A9 and a second translucent member 30B having six second lens portions 34B1 to 34B6. However, it is also possible to configure the number of elements to be set other than these.

[0112] In the above embodiment, the nine visible light emitting elements 22A are described as being arranged in a generally lattice pattern along the vertical and horizontal directions in a vertically symmetrical positional relationship, but other arrangements can also be adopted.

[0113] In the above embodiment, the light-transmitting cover 80 has been described as having a flat portion 80A, a peripheral curved portion 80B, and an outer peripheral flange portion 80C, but other configurations may also be employed. In such a case, if the flat portion 80A and the peripheral curved portion 80B are configured to have a convex curved shape as a whole, it is more effective to use a configuration that occupies a small space, such as the first light-transmitting member 30A of the above embodiment, in order to prevent interference with the light-transmitting cover 80.

[0114] In the above embodiment, the floodlight device 10 is described as an aircraft hoist light that is used while attached to the body 4 of a helicopter 2, but it is also possible to configure it to be used while attached to a body other than a helicopter 2, and it is also possible to configure it to be used for purposes other than an aircraft hoist light.

[0115] Next, a modification of the above embodiment will be described.

[0116] FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing a light projecting device 110 according to this modified example.

[0117] As shown in FIG. 12, the basic configuration of the floodlight device 110 of this modified example is the same as that of the above embodiment, but differs from that of the above embodiment in that a plurality of diffusing lens elements 180s are formed on the translucent cover 180.

[0118] That is, like the light-transmitting cover 80 of the above embodiment, the light-transmitting cover 180 of this modified example is configured to have a flat portion 180A, a peripheral curved portion 180B, and an outer circumferential flange portion 180C, but differs from the above embodiment in that multiple diffusing lens elements 180s are formed in a partial area of ​​the rear surface of the flat portion 180A and the peripheral curved portion 180B.

[0119] Specifically, the plurality of diffusion lens elements 180s are formed in an area located on the front side of the device of the four diffusion lens portions 34A5 to 34A7, 34A9 in the first light-transmitting member 30A and an area located on the front side of the device of the second light-transmitting member 30B, and the light-transmitting cover 180 is formed transparently for the area located on the front side of the device of the four concentrating lens portions 34A1 to 34A4 in the first light-transmitting member 30A.

[0120] In this case, the plurality of diffusing lens elements 80s are allocated to regions that are finely divided into a grid pattern in the vertical and horizontal directions, and each is configured as a fisheye lens having a convex curved surface shape.

[0121] As a result, in the floodlight device 110 of this modified example, the visible light emitted from the four diffusion lens portions 34A5 to 34A7, 34A9 out of the nine visible light emitting elements 22A is diffused more widely in the vertical and horizontal directions than in the above embodiment, and the infrared light emitted from the six second lens portions 34B1 to 34B6 is diffused more widely in the vertical and horizontal directions than in the above embodiment.

[0122] Even when the configuration of this modified example is adopted, substantially the same effects as those in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0123] Furthermore, by adopting the configuration of this modified example, it is possible to form a visible light distribution pattern that is similar to the concentrating light distribution pattern P-1 in the visible light distribution pattern P of the above embodiment, and also to form a diffused light distribution pattern that is larger in extent than the diffused light distribution pattern P-2 in the visible light distribution pattern P of the above embodiment, thereby further improving the visibility of the projected object.

[0124] Furthermore, by adopting the configuration of this modified example, it is possible to form an infrared light distribution pattern that is larger in extent than the infrared light distribution pattern of the above embodiment, thereby further improving the detection function of the projected object by infrared irradiation.

[0125] It should be noted that the numerical values ​​shown as the specifications in the above embodiment and its modified examples are merely examples, and it goes without saying that these may be set to different values ​​as appropriate.

[0126] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiment and its modifications, and various other modified configurations can be adopted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0127] 2 helicopters 4 aircraft 4a Boarding opening 4b Top plate 6 Hoist Cable 10, 110 Floodlight 12 Light room 12A Unit housing space 12B Wiring space 20 Optical unit 22A Visible light emitting element 22Aa Sealing resin 22B Infrared light emitting element 24 PCB 24a, 32Aa, 32Ba screw insertion holes 24b, 46a, 46b Insertion holes 26, 36, 78, 86, 92 screws 30A 1st transparent member 30B 2nd transparent member 32A, 32B base 34A1, 34A2, 34A3, 34A4 Condenser lens part (first lens part) 34A5, 34A6, 34A7, 34A8, 34A9 Diffusion lens part (first lens part) 34B1, 34B2, 34B3, 34B4, 34B5, 34B6 Second lens section 40 Metal support plate (support member) 42 Base for circuit board 44A, 44B: Base for light-transmitting member 46 Heat transfer sheet 48 Bulkhead 50 Control board unit 52 Board body 52a Bead part 70 Heatsink 72 Side wall 74 Bottom wall 74a, 76b screw holes 74A Shallow bottom part 74B Deep Bottom 74Ba Engagement protrusion 74Bb bulge 74Bc boss part 74C Heat dissipation fin 76 Outer flange 76a Annular recess 76c, 84d mounting holes 80, 180 translucent cover 80A, 180A flat part 80B, 180B peripheral curved part 80C, 180C outer flange 82 Gasket 84 Retainer 84a Screw insertion hole 84b opening 84c Outer flange 90 Connector 180s Diffused Lens Element I, I-1, I-2 luminous intensity distribution P Visible light distribution pattern P-1 Concentrated light distribution pattern P-2 Diffused light distribution pattern

Claims

1. A light-projecting device configured to project light emitted from a plurality of light-emitting elements toward the front of the device through a light-transmitting member, the plurality of light-emitting elements include a plurality of visible light-emitting elements and a plurality of infrared light-emitting elements, and the plurality of visible light-emitting elements and the plurality of infrared light-emitting elements are arranged in a state of being divided into regions with respect to a required direction; the light-transmitting member includes a first light-transmitting member formed with a plurality of first lens portions for controlling the transmission of light emitted from the plurality of visible light-emitting elements, and a second light-transmitting member formed with a plurality of second lens portions for controlling the transmission of light emitted from the plurality of infrared light-emitting elements, the first light-transmitting member includes, as the plurality of first lens portions, a plurality of converging lens portions that cause the light emitted from the plurality of visible light emitting elements to exit as convergent light, and a plurality of diffusing lens portions that cause the light emitted from the plurality of visible light emitting elements to exit as diffused light that is diffused in a direction perpendicular to the required direction, The light projecting device, wherein the plurality of focusing lens portions are arranged closer to the second light-transmitting member than the plurality of diffusing lens portions.

2. each of the plurality of condensing lens portions has a dome-shaped surface shape; 2. The light projecting device according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of diffusing lens portions has a dome-shaped surface shape in which both side portions in said required direction are cut away.

3. a substrate on which the plurality of visible light emitting elements are mounted, and a support member that supports the substrate and the first light transmitting member, the support member includes a plurality of substrate pedestals formed to contact the substrate, and a plurality of light-transmitting member pedestals formed to contact the first light-transmitting member, 3. The light projecting device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is formed with a plurality of insertion holes for inserting the plurality of light-transmitting member seating portions therethrough.

4. the substrate is fixed to the support member by screws at the plurality of substrate pedestals, 4. The light projecting device according to claim 3, wherein the first light-transmitting member is fixed to the support member by screws at the plurality of light-transmitting member seating portions.

5. 3. The light-projecting device according to claim 1, wherein the second light-transmitting member includes, as the plurality of second lens portions, a plurality of converging lens portions that cause the light emitted from the plurality of infrared light-emitting elements to exit as convergent light, and a plurality of diffusing lens portions that cause the light emitted from the plurality of infrared light-emitting elements to exit as diffused light that diffuses in a direction perpendicular to the required direction.

Images