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US 5,568,964 AGranted
Fiber optic light emitting panel assemblies and methods of making such panel assemblies
AssigneeLumitex, Inc.
InventorsJeffery R. Parker, Mark D. Miller
Life of this patent
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AssigneeLumitex, Inc.
InventorsJeffery R. Parker, Mark D. Miller
Estimating the term…
Fiber optic light emitting panel assemblies include one or more light emitting layers which are sealed along the side edges and/or an end edge to hold the fill threads in position and keep the light emitting portions from fraying at the edges. A thin film, sheet or coating may be applied to one or both sides of the light emitting portions of the panel assemblies. At one or both ends of the light emitting portions is a light cable which may be formed by randomly distributing the optical fibers which comprise the light cable into a plurality of discrete bundles each including fibers extending from different locations across substantially the entire width of the light emitting portions, bringing the discrete bundles together to form a single bundle of all of the fibers in each light cable, and applying a connector assembly to the cut ends of all of the fibers in each light cable.
A light emitting panel assembly comprising a light emitting portion, covering means comprising a clear or translucent tube surrounding said light emitting portion, one end of said tube and one end of said light emitting portion being sealed together, and another end of said tube being open for extension of a light cable from another end of said light emitting portion outwardly of said another end of said tube to a remote light source.
A method of forming a plurality of light emitting panel assemblies comprising the steps of weaving a plurality of optical fibers and fill threads extending transversely of the fibers into a light emitting portion having disruptions or bends at discrete locations along the length of the fibers to allow light to be emitted therefrom, continuing the optical fibers beyond one end edge of the light emitting portion, adhering the fibers and fill threads together along side edges of the light emitting portion and along one or more spaced apart longitudinal strips intermediate the side edges to form one or more intermediate sealed areas extending the full length of the light emitting portion, and slitting the light emitting portion intermediate the width of the intermediate sealed areas to separate the light emitting portion into a plurality of individual light emitting panel assemblies each having sealed side edges extending the full length of each individual light emitting portion, and a light cable extending from one end of each individual light emitting portion formed by a continuation of the fibers in each individual light emitting portion.
A method of making a plurality of light emitting panel assemblies comprising the steps of weaving a plurality of optical fibers and fill threads extending transversely of the fibers into a light emitting portion having disruptions or bends at discrete locations along the length of the fibers to allow light to be emitted therefrom, continuously making a plurality of light emitting panel assemblies by periodically interrupting the weaving process while continuing to advance the optical fibers to form predetermined lengths of non-woven optical fibers which comprise light cables between successive woven light emitting portions, cutting the panel assemblies apart at the ends of the non-woven fibers which comprise the respective light cables for each panel assembly, separating predetermined non-woven fibers which comprise each light cable and mechanically maintaining the separation between the non-woven fibers before cutting the panel assembly with the separated non-woven fibers from the next succeeding panel assembly, and maintaining the separation between the non-woven fibers while attaching a connector to a remote end of the non-woven fibers which comprise each light cable to randomly distribute the fibers in each light cable and provide an interface between each light cable and a remote light source.
A light emitting panel assembly comprising a light emitting portion formed by a plurality of woven optical fibers and fill threads extending transversely of said fibers, said fibers having disruptions or bends at discrete locations along the length of said fibers to allow light to be emitted therefrom, said light emitting portion having side edges and end edges, means for adhering said fibers and said fill threads together along at least one of said edges of said light emitting portion to prevent said fibers from separating from said light emitting portion at said one edge, a light cable extending from one of said end edges of said light emitting portion, and covering means extending over opposite sides of said light emitting portion, said covering means comprising a pocket having at least one clear or translucent side and an opening along one edge for insertion of said light emitting portion into said pocket.
A light emitting panel assembly comprising a light emitting portion formed by a plurality of woven optical fibers and fill threads extending transversely of said fibers, said fibers having disruptions or bends at discrete locations along the length of said fibers to allow light to be emitted therefrom, said light emitting portion having side edges and end edges, means for adhering said fibers and said fill threads together along at least one of said edges of said light emitting portion to prevent said fibers from separating from said light emitting portion at said one edge, a light cable extending from one of said end edges of said light emitting portion, and covering means extending over opposite sides of said light emitting portion, the covering means extending over at least one side of said light emitting portion being clear or translucent, said covering means comprising a tube surrounding said light emitting portion.
A light emitting panel assembly comprising a light emitting portion formed by a plurality of woven optical fibers and fill threads extending transversely of said fibers, said fibers having disruptions or bends at discrete locations along the length of said fibers to allow light to be emitted therefrom, said light emitting portion having side edges and end edges, means for adhering said fibers and said fill threads together along at least one of said edges of said light emitting portion to prevent said fibers from separating from said light emitting portion at said one edge, and a light cable extending from one of said end edges of said light emitting portion, covering means surrounding said light emitting portion, said covering means comprising a pocket which is open only along one edge for insertion of said light emitting portion into said pocket, said pocket having at least one side which is clear or translucent.
A method of making a light emitting panel assembly comprising the steps of weaving a plurality of optical fibers and fill threads extending transversely of the fibers into a light emitting portion having disruptions or bends at discrete locations along the length of the fibers to allow light to be emitted therefrom, the light emitting portion having side edges and end edges, forming one or more light cables from non-woven optical fibers extending from one or both end edges of the light emitting portion, adhering the fibers and fill threads together along at least one of the edges of the light emitting portion to prevent the fibers from separating from the light emitting portion at the one edge, and separating predetermined non-woven fibers which comprise each light cable and mechanically maintaining the separation between the non-woven fibers while attaching a connector to a remote end of the non-woven fibers which comprise each light cable to randomly distribute the fibers in each light cable and provide an interface between each light cable and a remote light source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.