CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0090483, filed Jul. 21, 2020, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an optical fiber illumination apparatus capable of ensuring high light efficiency and uniform luminosity when displaying an illumination pattern with flexible optical fibers in fiber optic lighting.

Description of Related Art

Vehicles are provided with lamp apparatuses that help a driver secure good forward visibility when driving at night and for informing other vehicle drivers or nearby pedestrians of the driving conditions thereof.

The primary role of the lamp apparatuses is lighting, but the lamp apparatuses also function as components affecting aesthetic impression of vehicles. That is, since impression of a vehicle can change according to an illumination pattern implemented with a lamp apparatus, it is necessary to improve the design of an illumination pattern formed by a lamp apparatus.

Accordingly, various lamp apparatuses using optical fibers have recently been developed. Optical fibers are flexible and configured for transmitting light therethrough when the light is introduced into the optical fibers. Due to these characteristics, various illumination patterns may be made with optical fibers.

However, since optical fibers for lighting mostly come in a long cable shape, the brightness may locally vary in a longitudinal direction when an optical fiber transmits light. In that case, the commodity of optical fiber lamps degrades due to the luminosity irregularity. Furthermore, since optical fibers are not rigid but flexible, the optical fibers may not be positioned in place and may be easily displaced when impacted. Therefore, a measure for fixing optical fibers at predetermined positions is required.

The information included in this Background of the present invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the present invention and may not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing an optical fiber illumination apparatus having high light efficiency and uniform luminosity and being configured for displaying various illumination patterns with optical fibers.

According to various aspects of the present invention, there is provided an optical fiber illumination apparatus including a light source module, a guide unit, and a fixing unit. The light source module includes a light source configured to emit light and a group of optical fibers, each being configured to transmit the light introduced thereinto from the light source. The guide unit longitudinally extends and is configured to fix arrangement and positions of the optical fibers arranged on an external surface thereof, facilitating an illumination pattern to be displayed by the optical fibers. The fixing unit is disposed between the light source module and the guide unit and makes the optical fibers arranged at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction of the guide unit.

The light source module may include: a bracket on a first side of which the light source is disposed; and a ferrule disposed on a second side of the bracket in a manner to face the light source. The ferrule is configured such that a first end portion of each of the plurality of optical fibers is sheathed into the ferrule, binding the first end portions of the respective optical fibers.

The bracket may include a first bracket portion and a second bracket portion. Each of the first and second bracket portions may include a first installation end portion that the light source is installed and a second installation end portion which is bent and continuous from the first installation end portion and at which the ferrule is installed. When the first and second bracket portions are assembled to form the bracket, the respective second installation end portions of the first and second bracket portions are coupled to each other and surround the ferrule. The light source may be installed on one side of the first installation end portions so that the light source faces the ferrule.

The ferrule may have a cavity into which a first end portion of each of the optical fibers is inserted and a through-hole formed in a flank portion thereof.

In a state where the first end portions of the respective optical fibers are disposed in the cavity of the ferrule, adhesive may be injected into the cavity through the through-hole so that the first end portions of the respective optical fibers are fixed in the cavity.

The guide unit may include a resting portion at a position where an illumination pattern is to be formed, in which each of the optical fibers is fixedly disposed at the resting portion.

The resting portion may include a plurality of protrusions and the optical fibers are disposed between each of the protrusions.

The light source module may include: a first light source, a group of first optical fibers onto which light emitted from the first light source is incident, a second light source, and a group op second optical fibers onto which light emitted from the second light source is incident, in which each of the first optical fibers and each of the second optical fibers of the second group are wound around an external surface of the guide unit in opposite directions to intersect each other.

The guide unit may have a resting portion on which the first optical fibers and the second optical fibers are fixedly disposed, in a region where the predetermined illumination pattern is to be displayed.

The resting portion may include multiple fitting protrusions each of which extends in a direction in which the first optical fibers extend, and the fitting protrusions may be disposed side by side to define an accommodation groove between each of the fitting protrusions.

Each of the fitting protrusions may include multiple recesses in which the respective second optical fibers are disposed in a manner to be spaced from each other.

In the resting portion, the depth of the accommodation grooves defined between each of the fitting protrusions and the depth of the recesses formed in each of the fitting protrusions may greater than the diameter of the first optical fibers, or the accommodation grooves and the recesses may be formed at different heights, in which a difference between the heights is equal to the diameter of the first optical fibers.

The guide unit may be provided with a joint bracket with fixing grooves in which the respective optical fibers are disposed, in which the joint bracket is disposed in a region where an illumination pattern is not displayed.

The fixing unit may include: a fixing portion coupled to the guide unit and provided with multiple insertion holes into which the respective optical fibers are inserted; and a cover portion disposed to cover the fixing portion in a state in which the optical fibers are respectively inserted into the insertion holes and thus aligned with each other.

The cover portion may include a first cap and a second cop, and each of the first and second caps is provided with an arc-shaped opening extending in a circumferential direction so that the optical fibers pass through each opening.

The fixing unit may include a light shielding film disposed on the cover portion and configured to prevent light leaking from a portion of the optical fiber between the light source module and the fixing unit from entering the guide unit.

As to the multiple optical fibers, a portion of each optical fiber disposed between the light source and the fixing unit is the same.

An optical fiber illumination apparatus may include: a fixation bracket with a first end portion and a second end portion spaced from each other; a light source module disposed at the first end portion of the fixation bracket and configured to include a light source emitting emit light and a group of optical fibers that illuminate when the light emitted from the light source is incident onto the optical fibers; a guide unit extending to be connected to the first end portion and the second end portion of the fixation bracket, and configured to fix arrangement and positions of the optical fibers so that an illumination pattern may be implemented; and two fixing units provided at the first end portion and the second end portion of the fixation brackets, respectively, and configured to align the optical fibers in a manner to be spaced from each other.

The guide unit may be provided with a resting portion including plurality of protrusions in a region where an illumination pattern is to be displayed, in which the optical fibers are disposed between each of the protrusions not to be displaced once installed.

The fixing unit provided at the second end portion of the fixation bracket is provided with a reflective portion to be in contact with an end portion of each of the optical fibers.

The optical fiber illumination apparatus structured as described above ensures high light efficiency and luminosity uniformity when lighting with optical fibers and can display various illumination patterns using flexible optical fibers.

The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention.

