Dimming control device

Abstract

To provide a dimming control device that is small and low-cost and can reduce the light passing through an optical fiber. [Solution] The dimming control device is characterized by comprising: a first optical fiber that emits light; a first mirror surface that reflects and focuses the light emitted from the first optical fiber; an aperture section that dims the light focused by the first mirror surface; a second mirror surface that reflects the light dimmed by the aperture section; and a second optical fiber that focuses the light reflected by the second mirror surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a dimming control device inserted between two optical fibers in order to dim the light passing through the optical fibers.

Background Art

[0002] For example, when dimming using a ND (Neutral Density) filter in a device for measuring the spectrum of a light source, depending on the light source, the glass constituting the ND filter generates fluorescence. Since this fluorescence becomes noise, it may affect the spectrum to be measured. For this reason, in a device for measuring a spectrum, it has been common to dim by blocking a part of the light beam using an aperture, as in the disclosed technique of Patent Document 1.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a light quantity adjusting member including a shielding portion that shields a part of the light beam emitted from a light source, and a support portion that supports the shielding portion and can fix the shielding portion at an arbitrary angle with respect to the optical axis of the light source at a predetermined position within the housing of the light source device, and the shielding area of the light beam by the shielding portion changes according to the posture of the shielding portion with respect to the light source.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 assumes that when attenuating light passing through an optical fiber, a parabolic mirror is used to collide the fiber light, and then the collimated cylindrical light beam is mechanically shielded from one direction to attenuate the light. This parabolic mirror has a complex shape, making it unsuitable for mass production and resulting in high manufacturing costs.

[0006] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conventional dimming device. For example, when dimming a collimated cylindrical light beam using the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the dimming device typically comprises a receptacle 205 connected to a first optical fiber 203, a first parabolic mirror 207 composed of a parabolic surface that reflects the light beam incident on the receptacle 205, an aperture section 209 that dimmes the light beam reflected by the first parabolic mirror 207, a second parabolic mirror 208 that reflects the light beam dimmed by the aperture section 209, and a receptacle 206 connected to a second optical fiber 204 into which the light reflected by the second parabolic mirror 208 is incident.

[0007] The light beam incident on the receptacle 205 from the optical fiber 203 diffuses and is reflected by the first parabolic mirror 207, resulting in a parallel, collimated light beam 230. This light beam 230 is perfectly collimated light. Therefore, the aperture 209, which adjusts the light intensity, could be positioned at any location on the light beam 230. Furthermore, since the light beam 230 is perfectly rotationally symmetric with respect to the optical axis 231, the first parabolic mirror 207 could be rotated and positioned in any direction on the optical axis 231.

[0008] On the other hand, the light beam 230 generated from a laser light source and transmitted through the optical fiber has a light intensity distribution similar to a so-called Gaussian distribution. Therefore, the light intensity is higher in the center of the light beam 230. When adjusting the light intensity, it is considered preferable to dim the light from the outer edge of the light beam 230.

[0009] Figure 7 shows an example of the aperture section of a conventional dimming device. Figure 7(a) shows an example where an iris diaphragm is used as the aperture section 209. Figure 7(b) shows an example where a guillotine type is used as the aperture section 209. Figure 7(c) shows an example of how the aperture section 209 shown in Figure 7(b) blocks light from the optical axis 231. Here, the diameter of the light beam 230 is denoted as ΦD.

[0010] As shown in Figure 7(a), it is possible to use an iris diaphragm that can reduce the amount of light by shielding the outer edge of the luminous flux 230. However, iris diaphragms have problems such as having many parts, increasing costs, and having a high risk of breakage.

[0011] On the other hand, a common method for reducing costs is the so-called guillotine method, as shown in Figure 7(b), in which the light beam 230 is blocked from one direction. In Figure 7(b), the collimated circular light beam 230 is successively blocked from the outside by an aperture section 209 made of a single plate and movable in one direction. However, in this method, the optical axis 231 is blocked midway through the blocking process, as shown in Figure 7(c). Therefore, even if the light intensity is adjusted by continuously moving the aperture section 209, a sudden change in light intensity occurs when the central part with high light intensity is blocked midway, making it difficult for the user to adjust the light intensity.

[0012] Furthermore, the diameter ΦD of the collimated light becomes larger than the diameter of the uncollimated light. Therefore, when blocking collimated light with a diameter ΦD using this so-called guillotine method, it is necessary to move the aperture 209 by at least the distance of the diameter ΦD from the state in which the entire light beam is transmitted to the state in which the entire light beam is blocked, which has the problem of increasing the size of the device.

[0013] Therefore, the present invention was derived to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its objective is to provide a dimming control device that can dim light passing through an optical fiber in a small and low-cost manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] The dimming control device according to the first invention is characterized by comprising: a first optical fiber that emits light; a first mirror surface that reflects and focuses the light emitted from the first optical fiber; an aperture section that dims the light focused by the first mirror surface; a second mirror surface that reflects the light dimmed by the aperture section; and a second optical fiber that focuses the light reflected by the second mirror surface.

[0015] The dimming control device according to the second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the aperture portion has a through-hole that transmits light focused by the first mirror portion and is movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of light propagation, and the through-hole is formed in a tapered shape in a cross section perpendicular to the direction of light propagation toward the direction of movement of the aperture portion.

[0016] The dimming control device according to the third invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, the first mirror surface and the second mirror surface are spherical mirrors.

[0017] The dimming control device according to the fourth invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, the first mirror surface and the second mirror surface are provided such that the direction of propagation of the light emitted from the first optical fiber and the direction of propagation of the light reflected by the second mirror surface are parallel to each other and opposite in direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the first to fourth inventions, the dimming control device includes a first optical fiber, a first mirror surface portion, an aperture portion, a second mirror surface portion, and a second optical fiber. Thereby, the light emitted from the first optical fiber, reflected and condensed by the first mirror surface portion, is dimmed and diffused by the aperture portion, and the diffused light is reflected by the second mirror surface portion and condensed again onto the second optical fiber, so that the light passing through the optical fiber can be dimmed without handling a parabolic mirror. Also, since the condensed light beam is dimmed instead of the collimated cylindrical light beam, the structure of the aperture portion can be made smaller. Therefore, the light passing through the optical fiber can be dimmed with a small size and low cost.

[0019] In particular, according to the second invention, in the aperture portion, the through hole is formed in a tapered shape in the direction of variation of the aperture portion. Thereby, by moving the aperture portion in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the light, it becomes possible to block light from the outer periphery of the light beam without blocking the optical axis, which is the central portion of the light beam. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform the light amount adjustment with high precision.

[0020] In particular, according to the third invention, the first mirror surface portion and the second mirror surface portion are spherical mirrors. Thereby, the dimming control device uses an inexpensive and small spherical mirror as compared with a parabolic mirror. Therefore, the light passing through the optical fiber can be dimmed with a smaller size and lower cost.

[0021] In particular, according to the fourth invention, in the dimming control device, the first mirror surface portion and the second mirror surface portion are provided such that the traveling direction of the light emitted from the first optical fiber and the traveling direction of the light reflected by the second mirror surface portion are parallel to each other and opposite in direction. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the reduction in the amount of light emitted from the first optical fiber. Therefore, the light passing through the optical fiber can be dimmed with higher precision.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the dimming control device in the first embodiment. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an aperture portion in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the aperture portion in the first embodiment. FIG. 3(a) is a diagram showing an example of a state where the aperture portion is not blocking light. FIG. 3(b) is a diagram showing an example of a state where the aperture portion blocks a part of the light. FIG. 3(c) is a diagram showing an example of a state where the aperture portion blocks the area other than the optical axis. FIG. 3(d) is a diagram showing an example of a state where the aperture portion blocks all of the light. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an aperture portion in the second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5(a) is a diagram showing the distribution of the light amount to the second optical fiber in Example A. FIG. 5(b) is a diagram showing the distribution of the light amount to the second optical fiber in Example B. FIG. 5(c) is a diagram showing the distribution of the light amount to the second optical fiber in Example C. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conventional light attenuation device. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the aperture portion of a conventional light attenuation device. FIG. 7(a) is a diagram showing an example of a case where an iris diaphragm is used as the aperture portion. FIG. 7(b) is a diagram showing an example of a case where a guillotine type is used as the aperture portion. FIG. 7(c) is a diagram showing an example of a state where the aperture portion shown in FIG. 7(b) blocks the optical axis.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Hereinafter, an example of a light attenuation control device in the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the dimming control device 1. In Figure 1, the luminous flux 130a represents the light emitted from the first optical fiber 103, the luminous flux 130b represents the light reflected and focused by the first spherical mirror 107, and the luminous flux 130c represents the light reflected by the second spherical mirror 108. The optical axes 131a, 131b, and 131c represent the central axes in the direction of propagation of the luminous fluxes 130a, 130b, and 130c, respectively. In Figure 1, the x, y, and z axis directions represent the vertical three-dimensional directions, respectively. The x axis direction represents the direction of propagation of the luminous flux 130b. The dimming control device 1 dims the light passing through the optical fiber. The dimming control device 1 comprises a left housing 101 and a right housing 102.

[0025] The left housing 101 includes a first optical fiber 103, a first receptacle 105 that holds the first optical fiber 103, a first spherical mirror 107 that reflects and focuses the light emitted from the first optical fiber 103, and an aperture 109 that reduces the light focused by the first spherical mirror 107.

[0026] The right housing 102 includes a second spherical mirror 108 that reflects light attenuated by the aperture 109, and a second receptacle 106 that holds a second optical fiber 104 that collects the light reflected by the second spherical mirror 108. The right housing 102 also has a filter holder 120 having an optical filter 121 between the aperture 109 and the second spherical mirror 108.

[0027] The first receptacle 105 is a socket provided on the exterior of the left housing 101. The second receptacle 106 is a socket provided on the exterior of the right housing 102. The second receptacle 106 is also provided at the focusing position of the luminous flux 130c. The first receptacle 105 and the second receptacle 106 may be sockets of the same type. The first receptacle 105 and the second receptacle 106 are provided so as to be adjustable in the y-axis direction along the optical axis 131a and optical axis 131c, respectively. In consideration of the adjustment cost, the adjustment mechanism for the first receptacle 105 and the second receptacle 106 may be omitted if it is determined that the optical loss does not impair the required performance. Furthermore, it is preferable, but not limited to, that the first receptacle 105 and the second receptacle 106 be provided on the same oriented surface 1a of the dimming control device 1.

[0028] The first optical fiber 103 is any optical fiber held by the first receptacle 105 and emits a light beam 130a into the left housing 101. The second optical fiber 104 is any optical fiber held by the second receptacle 106 and allows a light beam 130c to pass from the inside to the outside of the right housing 102. The first optical fiber 103 and the second optical fiber 104 may be of the same type. Furthermore, the first optical fiber 103 and the second optical fiber 104 are arranged to be parallel to each other.

[0029] The first spherical mirror 107 is a mirror surface that reflects and focuses the light beam 130a. The first spherical mirror 107 can be adjusted by a holding mechanism (not shown) in the direction of the optical axis, i.e., the x-axis, and in the rotational direction around the optical axis 131b parallel to the x-axis. The first spherical mirror 107 is, for example, a spherical concave mirror, but is not limited to this, and may be any mirror surface capable of focusing reflected light.

[0030] The second spherical mirror 108 is a mirror surface that reflects and focuses the light beam 130b that has been attenuated by the aperture 109. The second spherical mirror 108 can be adjusted by a holding mechanism (not shown) in the direction of the optical axis, i.e., the x-axis, and in the rotational direction around the optical axis 131b parallel to the x-axis. The second spherical mirror 108 is, for example, a spherical concave mirror, but is not limited to this, and may be any mirror surface capable of focusing reflected light.

[0031] The first spherical mirror 107 and the second spherical mirror 108 are positioned such that the direction of propagation of the light beam 130a emitted from the first optical fiber 103 and the direction of propagation of the light beam 130c reflected by the second spherical mirror 108 are parallel to each other and opposite in direction, but are not limited to this and may be positioned at any angle. The first spherical mirror 107 and the second spherical mirror 108 may have the same curvature and may be coated with aluminum vapor deposition, gold coating, dielectric multilayer film, enhancement film, and protective film on the polished glass or metal surface.

[0032] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the aperture 109 is an aperture that reduces the light beam 130b focused by the first spherical mirror 107. The aperture 109 is formed from any material that does not transmit the light beam 130b. The aperture 109 is provided near the focusing position of the first spherical mirror 107 by a holding mechanism (not shown), but is not limited to this, and may be provided at any position between the first spherical mirror 107 and the second spherical mirror 108. The aperture 109 may be provided so as to be movable in any direction perpendicular to the x-direction, which is the direction of travel of the light beam 130b, by a motor (not shown). The aperture 109 may also be provided so as to be manually movable by a dial (not shown). The aperture 109 may also be provided so as to be movable in the y-axis direction by a motor (not shown). As shown in Figure 3, the aperture 109 is formed in a plate shape, for example, having a through-hole 109a that transmits the light beam 130b.

[0033] The through-hole 109a may be a hole, but is not limited to that and may be formed by any member that transmits the light beam 130b. The through-hole 109a is formed in a tapered shape in a cross section perpendicular to the x-axis direction. For example, the through-hole 109a is formed in a cross section perpendicular to the x-axis direction so that it is tapered in the direction of variation of the aperture portion 109. For example, the through-hole 109a is formed in a triangular tapered shape in a cross section perpendicular to the x-axis direction such that the width w in the z-axis direction becomes narrower in the y-axis direction.

[0034] Furthermore, the through-hole 109a is formed in a triangular tapered shape, for example, in a cross-section perpendicular to the x-axis direction, so as to narrow in the direction of the variable aperture portion 109. The through-hole 109a is formed in a triangular tapered shape, for example, in a cross-section perpendicular to the x-axis direction, so as to narrow in the direction of the variable aperture portion 109, so as to narrow in the direction of the y-axis direction.

[0035] The area of ​​the through-hole 109a that transmits the light beam 130b changes as the aperture portion 109 moves in any direction perpendicular to the x-direction. For example, as shown in Figures 3(a) to (d), the area of ​​the through-hole 109a that transmits the light beam 130b changes as the aperture portion 109 moves in the opposite direction to the y-direction. As the aperture portion 109 moves, it blocks the light from the outer edge toward the center of the light beam 130b. This makes it possible to block some of the light without blocking the optical axis 131b, which is the center of the light, by moving the aperture portion 109 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of light propagation. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the light intensity with high precision.

[0036] The filter holder 120 is a holder for holding the optical filter 121. The filter holder 120 may be provided so as to be movable in any direction perpendicular to the x-direction, which is the direction of propagation of the light beam 130b, by a motor or the like (not shown). Alternatively, the filter holder 120 may be provided so as to be manually movable by a dial or the like (not shown). The filter holder 120 is provided so as to be movable in the y-axis direction, for example. The optical filter 121 is a filter that processes the light beam 130b that has been attenuated by the aperture 109. The optical filter 121 is, for example, any filter that absorbs or transmits specific light. The optical filter 121 is, for example, a visible light filter, an infrared light filter, an ultraviolet light filter, etc., but is not limited to these and may be any filter. Also, the optical filter 121 may not be provided.

[0037] Next, the operation of the dimming control device 1 in the first embodiment will be explained with reference to the diagram. As shown in Figure 1, first, in step S1, a light beam 130a is emitted from the first optical fiber 103. The light beam 130a emitted from the first optical fiber 103 travels in the y direction while spreading out in a conical shape, for example. Furthermore, the light beam 130a emitted from the first optical fiber 103 is a light beam that is rotationally symmetric with respect to the optical axis 131a.

[0038] Next, in step S2, the first spherical mirror 107 reflects and focuses the light beam 130a emitted in step S1. In step S1, the light beam 130a traveling in the y direction is reflected, for example, in the x direction, depending on the direction of the first spherical mirror 107. The light beam 130b reflected in step S2 is focused near the aperture 109, passes through the aperture 109, and then diffuses. Therefore, as shown in Figure 3, the shape of the light beam 130b at the focusing position of the first spherical mirror 107 is long in the z-axis direction without focusing, and narrow in the y-axis direction with focusing, resulting in an elongated light beam. Therefore, the shape of the light beam 130b is not straight but slightly arc-shaped due to the aberration of the first spherical mirror 107. Thus, in Figure 3, the width D in the z-axis direction of the slightly arc-shaped light beam 130b is... z The width D in the y-axis directiony It becomes larger. Also, the z-axis direction is the longitudinal direction of the luminous beam 130b, which is focused in a roughly arc shape. The y-axis direction is perpendicular to the x-axis and z-axis directions.

[0039] Next, in step S3, the aperture 109 reduces the light beam 130b that was focused in step S2. In step S3, the aperture 109 reduces the light beam 130b according to the positional relationship between the through-hole 109a and the light beam 130b. In such a case, for example as shown in Figure 3, if the aperture 109 is movable in the y-axis direction and the through-hole 109a is formed in a triangular tapered shape that narrows in the y-axis direction, the aperture 109 will block the light from the outer periphery of the light beam 130b toward the optical axis 131b as it moves. For example, as shown in Figure 3(a), the aperture 109 does not block the light beam 130b at all and transmits all of the light beam 130b. From here, by moving the aperture 109 along the y-axis direction toward the light beam 130b, the aperture 109 blocks a part of the outer periphery of the light beam 130b and reduces the amount of light. On the other hand, the area near the optical axis 131b of the light beam 130b is not blocked by the through-hole 109a. By further moving the aperture 109 along the y-axis in the direction of the light beam 130b, as shown in Figure 3(c), the aperture 109 blocks everything except the optical axis 131b of the light beam 130b, reducing the amount of light. By further moving the aperture 109 along the y-axis in the direction of the light beam 130b, as shown in Figure 3(d), the aperture 109 blocks the light beam 130b, making the amount of light zero. As a result, by moving the aperture 109 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of light propagation, it becomes possible to block some of the light without blocking the optical axis 131b of the light beam 130b. Therefore, it becomes possible to adjust the amount of light with high precision.

[0040] Furthermore, even if the light beam 130a transmitted through the first optical fiber 103 has a distribution other than a Gaussian distribution, such as a uniform distribution called a top hat, or a bowl-shaped distribution with low light intensity in the center, the light beam 130b focused by the first spherical mirror 107 is focused in the y-axis direction, and the light intensity is integrated, resulting in the highest light intensity in the center. Then, by gradually blocking the outer periphery of the light beam 130b while retaining this central portion until the end, it becomes possible to smoothly reduce the light intensity for any distribution, even for light with a rotationally symmetric distribution with respect to the optical axis 131a.

[0041] Furthermore, the amount of variation of the aperture section 109 is D Y If the value is slightly above this, it becomes possible to create a state from one in which all of the light flux 130b is transmitted to one in which it is completely blocked. Therefore, the amount of variation of the aperture section 109 can be reduced compared to the case in which collimated parallel light is blocked, and the dimming control device 1 can be miniaturized.

[0042] Next, in step S4, the optical filter 121 processes the luminous flux 130b that was attenuated in step S3. In step S4, the optical filter 121 absorbs or transmits specific wavelengths of the luminous flux 130b that was attenuated in step S3.

[0043] Next, in step S5, the second spherical mirror 108 reflects and focuses the light beam 130b processed in step S4. In step S5, the light beam 130b is reflected in the opposite direction to the y-axis, for example, depending on the direction of the second spherical mirror 108. As a result, the direction of propagation of the light beam 130a emitted from the first optical fiber 103 and the direction of propagation of the light beam 130c reflected by the second spherical mirror 108 are parallel to each other and opposite in direction. This reduces the loss of light emitted from the first optical fiber. Therefore, the light passing through the optical fiber can be attenuated with higher precision.

[0044] Next, in step S6, the second optical fiber 104 allows the light beam 130c, which was focused in step S5, to pass from the inside to the outside of the right housing 102.

[0045] The operation of the dimming control device 1 is completed by the steps described above. As a result, the light emitted from the first optical fiber 103, reflected and focused by the first spherical mirror 107, is dimmed and diffused by the aperture 109, the diffused light is reflected by the second spherical mirror 108, and then focused again into the second optical fiber 104. This allows the light passing through the optical fiber to be dimmed without using a parabolic mirror. Furthermore, since the dimming is performed on a focused beam of light rather than a collimated cylindrical beam of light, the structure of the aperture 109 can be made smaller. Therefore, the light passing through the optical fiber can be dimmed in a compact and low-cost manner.

[0046] Next, an example of a dimming control device in a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. The dimming control device in the second embodiment differs from the dimming control device in the first embodiment in that the aperture portion is circular. Further explanations similar to those for the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0047] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the aperture section 110 in the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the aperture section 110 is formed such that the cross section perpendicular to the x-axis direction is a substantially circular plate shape. The aperture section 110 is provided so as to be rotatable in the rotational direction r or the opposite direction around the central part 110b as an axis. The aperture section 110 may also be configured so as not to rotate beyond a predetermined angle. The aperture section 110 also has a through-hole 110a. In the cross section perpendicular to the x-axis direction, the through-hole 110a is formed in a tapered shape, with the width increasing toward the rotational direction r from the acute-angled tip 110c to the substantially circular rear end 110d. The rear end 110d is the width D in the z-axis direction of the substantially arc-shaped luminous beam 130b. z , and width D in the y-axis direction y It forms in a larger, roughly circular shape.

[0048] Next, the operation of the dimming control device 1 in the second embodiment will be described. In step S3, the aperture 110 dims the light beam 130b that was focused in step S2. In this case, for example, as shown in Figure 4, if the aperture 110 is rotatable in the r direction and the through-hole 110a is formed in a triangular tapered shape that widens in the r direction, the aperture 110 blocks the light from the outer circumference to the center of the light beam 130b as it rotates. For example, if the light beam 130b is transmitted from the rear end 110d without being blocked, by rotating the aperture 110 in the rotation direction r, the light is blocked from the outer circumference to the center of the light beam 130b according to the amount of rotation of the aperture 110, and when it reaches the tip 110c, only the optical axis 131b of the light beam 130b is transmitted, and by further rotating the aperture 110 in the rotation direction r, it becomes possible to block the light beam 130b. This allows the amount of light to be adjusted by rotating the aperture 110, making it possible to reduce the amount of light passing through the optical fiber in a smaller and less expensive form factor.

[0049] Next, the relationship between the direction of luminous flux 130a and luminous flux 130c and the amount of light will be explained using Figure 5. Figure 5(a) shows the dispersion of light into the second optical fiber 104 in Example A. In Example A, the angle between luminous flux 130a and luminous flux 130c is 180°. In other words, Example A is an example in which the first spherical mirror 107 and the second spherical mirror 108 are installed in opposite directions so that luminous flux 130a and luminous flux 130c are parallel to each other and have opposite directions of propagation. Figure 5(b) shows the dispersion of light into the second optical fiber 104 in Example B. In Example B, the angle between luminous flux 130a and luminous flux 130c is 0°. In other words, Example B is an example in which the first spherical mirror 107 and the second spherical mirror 108 are positioned in the same direction so that the luminous flux 130a and the luminous flux 130c are parallel to each other and travel in the same direction. Figure 5(c) shows the dispersion of light into the second optical fiber 104 in Example C. In Example C, the luminous flux 130c is twisted 90° in the z direction with respect to the luminous flux 130a. In other words, Example C is an example in which the first spherical mirror 107 and the second spherical mirror 108 are positioned so that the luminous flux 130c travels in the z direction relative to the luminous flux 130a which travels in the y direction in Figure 1. Also, in Examples A, B, and C, the cores 301 of the first optical fiber 103 and the second optical fiber 104 have the same diameter.

[0050] In Example A, the amount of light focused on the core 301 of the second optical fiber 104 is approximately 72% of the amount of light emitted from the first optical fiber 103. In Example B, the amount of light focused on the core 301 of the second optical fiber 104 is approximately 12% of the amount of light emitted from the first optical fiber 103. In Example C, the amount of light focused on the core 301 of the second optical fiber 104 is approximately 7% of the amount of light emitted from the first optical fiber 103. From these results, by arranging the first spherical mirror 107, the second spherical mirror 108, the first receptacle 105, and the second receptacle 106, etc., so that the light beams 130a and 130c are parallel to each other and traveling in opposite directions, the loss of light from the first optical fiber 103 can be suppressed. Furthermore, by providing the first receptacle 105 and the second receptacle 106 on the same oriented surface 1a of the dimming control device 1, the user can insert and remove the first optical fiber 103 and the second optical fiber 104 from the same direction, making it possible to provide a dimming control device 1 that is more efficient and user-friendly.

[0051] While embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0052] 1: Dimming control device 101: Left cabinet 102: Right cabinet 103: First optical fiber 104: Second optical fiber 105: First receptacle 106: Second receptacle 107:First spherical mirror 108:Second spherical mirror 109: Aperture section 109a: Transmission hole 110: Aperture section 110a: Transmission hole 110b: Center 110c:Tip 110d: Rear end 120: Filter holder 121: Optical filter 130: Luminous flux 131: Optical axis 203: First optical fiber 204: Second optical fiber 205: Receptacle 206: Receptacle 207: First parabolic mirror 208: Second parabolic mirror 209: Aperture section 230: Luminous flux 231: Optical axis 301: Core

Claims

1. The first optical fiber emits light, A first mirror surface that reflects and focuses the light emitted from the first optical fiber, An aperture section that reduces the light focused by the first mirror section, A second mirror surface that reflects the light attenuated by the aperture portion, It comprises a second optical fiber that collects the light reflected by the second mirror surface. to A dimming control device characterized by the following.

2. The aperture portion has a through-hole that transmits light focused by the first mirror portion, and is movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of light propagation. The aforementioned through-hole is formed in a tapered shape in a cross-section perpendicular to the direction of light propagation, toward the direction of movement of the aperture portion. The dimming control device according to claim 1, characterized in that

3. The first mirror surface and the second mirror surface are spherical mirrors. A dimming control device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized by the above.

4. The first mirror surface and the second mirror surface are arranged such that the direction of propagation of light emitted from the first optical fiber and the direction of propagation of light reflected by the second mirror surface are parallel to each other and opposite in direction. A dimming control device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized by the above.

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