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US 4,039,250 AGranted
Device for signal transmission by means of optical conductors
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorWaldemar Gaertner
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AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorWaldemar Gaertner
Estimating the term…
A device for the transmission of light by optical conductors which are arranged in a plurality of bundles that extend between a display surface and a source of illumination and which are gathered together into a strand of conductors at either the display surface or source of illumination characterized by a coupling device, which may be separate or integral with the strand of gathered conductors, disposed at the strand to obtain substantially equal distribution of the intensity of light leaving the conductors. The coupling device comprises a plurality of light conducting elements which are arranged in conductor bundles at the one end and in the strand of conductors at the other end and which elements at a point spaced from one end are spread into a substantially flat band or layer of elements which is subsequently spirally wound around a common axis extending parallel to optical conductors so that the conducting elements of each of the bundles are substantially uniformly distributed across the area of the opposite end of the coupling means. The conducting elements during the method of forming the coupling means may be held in their spread position by a carrier element or layer which carrier element subsequent to winding may be retained or removed as desired. If the carrier element is to be removed, an additional securing means may be added adjacent the end of the wound layer of conductor elements prior to removing the carrier element.
In a device for the transmission of light by means of optical conductors between a first and second location and particularly useful in both an apparatus for the representation of symbols on a display surface and an optical display apparatus for railroad and street traffic control, said device including a source of illumination, a display surface, and a plurality of conductor bundles with each bundle being composed of a plurality of individual optical conductors, said conductors being positioned with a light input end being disposed adjacent the source of illumination and a light output end being disposed adjacent the display surface, said bundles being gathered together into a strand of conductors at one of said input and said output ends, the improvement comprising light mixing means for obtaining substantially uniform distribution of the intensity of light leaving the strand of conductors, said light mixing means having a first and second end and being disposed with the first end at the bundles and with the second end at one end of the strand, said light mixing means comprising a plurality of individual light conducting elements, said conducting elements at a point spaced from said first end being spread into a substantial layer of elements of a thickness of one element, said layer being spirally wound around a common main axis extending parallel to the optical conductors so that the conducting elements of the light mixing means are uniformly distributed across an area of the second end of said means.
A method of forming a light mixing means for obtaining substantially equal distribution of the intensity of light entering and leaving a strand of gathered together conductors, said light mixing means having a first and second end, the method comprising providing a plurality of conductor elements gathered into individual conductor bundles, spreading the conductor elements at a point spaced from the first end into at least one flat layer of elements, winding the flat layer of elements spirally around an axis extending parallel to the axis of the light mixing means so that the conductor elements of each of the conductor bundles are uniformly distributed across an area of the second end of the light mixing means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.