Technical field

An actively emitting safety element, which contains a side-emitting optical fiber, which is at least at one end connected to a light source.

Background art

The beginning of the development of reflective highlighting elements is related to the expansion of transport. Nowadays, apart from the well-known types of reflective glass, also reflective textiles are used in the form of stripes, spots and the like. The drawback of the reflective textiles is the fact that their luminous effect only shows provided they are radiated by light emitted by an active light source. This is a disadvantage in transport, since, for example, in the case of a pedestrian walking on the roadside on a bend it is usually too late when he is radiated by the vehicle's headlights. Such passive elements are inapplicable for orientation in the dark as well, for instance for checking patients confined to bed when it is not advisable to disturb the patient with a torch.

Optical fibers have become an active highlighting element of textile products. They enable the weaving of various two-dimensional patterns, which can be employed both for decorative reasons and for the purpose of highlighting the clothing in terms of safety of an individual wearing such luminous or fluorescent clothing under low visibility conditions.

For such textile materials is used one group of fibers which carry light over a certain distance, whereby it is important for the fiber to transmit the light output without great loss and emit maximum light practically only at the end of the fiber opposite to the entering light source. A second group of fibers are side- emitting optical fibers, where, on the contrary, it is required that light should be emitted along the whole length of the fiber with equal intensity. It is a well- known fact that change in intensity of the emitted light occurs both at places of controlled or uncontrolled damage to the outer layer of the optical fiber and at the points of its deformations, for example bendings. Also, there are well-known possibilities how to intentionally change light intensity or its colour.

Depositing fibers in a fabric is usually solved by weaving a optical- fiberthread into the basic textile material.

CZ299207B6 is a patent protection of a fabric, in which some of its warp or weft threads are formed by optical fibers, which in a certain part are not interwoven, being joined together and connected to a source of light.

According to WO2005049905A1 optical fibers are woven parallel in the fabric, for example as part of a warp, whereby on the fabric across the direction of the warp threads there are created bendings which will hardened by heating. This is based on the change in side light emitting at the point of the bending.

The solution according to US3508589A creates luminous patterns on a textile by changing in principle fully reflective surface of the optical-fiber core by disruption the reflective layer by scratching, bending the optical fiber, chemically or by heating.

A common feature of the solutions according to the background art is a fabric whose two-dimensional parts are formed by optical fibers, which are part of warp and/or weft threads. The optical fibers themselves are provided on the surface with a reflective layer for carrying light inside the optical fiber, side- emitting being achieved by controlled disruption of the reflective layer and/or by local deformations.

These textile structures contain optical fibers, whose parts that are supposed to emit light actively passes onto the surface. The major disadvantage of these solutions that follows from this is that these optical fibers are not protected from the environmental influences. During use the textiles are then damaged mechanically and chemically from wear and as a result of maintenance, as well as due to UV component of light. The applicability of these structures is therefore substantially limited.

The goal of the invention is to propose actively emitting elements, which would contain a side-emitting optical fiber, and to ensure protection of its surface. These elements would be used for temporary or permanent attachment to objects or people who should be highlighted by light.

Principle of invention The aim of the invention is achieved by an actively emitting element, whose principle consists in that at least the radiating surface of the optical fiber is embedded in a sheath, whereby the light emitted by the light source is radiated by the optical fiber to the surroundings through the sheath.

Description of drawings

Examples of embodiment are schematically represented in the drawing, where Fig. 1 is an optical fiber embedded in a textile tubular braid formed by interweaving diagonally reversely knit threads, in Fig. 2 the optical fiber is embedded in a tube of a bordering woven textile band, Fig. 3 is a cross section of an optical fiber located in a tubular weave of a woven ribbon of a hollow shape, in Fig. 4 the optical fiber is embedded in a woven ribbon with selvedges with a tube positioned in the surface, Fig. 5 represents a two-layer strap in a cross section perpendicular to the warp threads and Fig. 6 shows a Jacquard three-layer strap in a cross section perpendicular to the weft threads.

Specific description

The solution according to the invention utilizes an optical fiber 1 created on the basis of side-emitting polymer optical fibers (POF). In the described embodiments connected to the inlet of the optical fiber JMn a well-known detachable manner is an unillustrated source of light which serves to illuminate the optical fiber. The source of light is a LED or laser diode radiating in the whole spectrum (white), or only in a narrow part of the spectrum (coloured LED), or a UV light emitting diode. The light source is connected by a conductor to an unillustrated miniature current source that consists of a current controlled circuit and an accumulator or a primary electric cell. in a variant of embodiment a source of UV light is used for illuminating the optical fiber, whereby a luminophore is applied on the surface of the optical fiber, transforming the energy of UV light into visible light. Moreover, it is possible to employ a yellow-green luminophore with high lucidity, as well as a variety of other colours. The colours of the luminophore can be altered randomly so as to increase the warning effect.

Fig. 1 represents an optical fiber i, whose entire radiating surface is embedded in a sheath 10, which is preferably a textile in the form of a fabric, knitted fabric or stitch-bonded fabric. In the example of embodiment according to Fig. 1 the sheath 10 is formed by a textile tube 2, which is produced by the technology of braiding. The tube 2 is a textile tubular spliced braid, the production of which takes place on knit-stitch machines appropriately adjusted for incorporating the optical fibers Λ during the process of braiding. The machine adjustment is intended to prevent damage to the optical fiber 1 during this process. The braid is composed of a longitudinal set of diagonally reversely interwoven threads, strands of threads, little cables, small cords, ribbons, or bands. The tube 2 may be single-coloured, or striped, using for example spliced threads 21 , 22 of two different colours.

The types of sheath 10 of the optical fibers 1, mentioned hereinafter, are produced by the technology of weaving. The sheath 10 of the optical fiber is according to Fig. 2 formed by a bordering braid 3, which is in principle a narrow two-dimensional textile with a tubular edge. The braid 3 is formed by a band (a woven textile in basic textile weaves comprising two sets of threads, i.e. the warp and the weft, with selvedges) 31 , one edge of which is created as a tube 32. The optical fiber Λ is arranged in the tube 32. The warp threads 33 lead in a longitudinal direction, the weft threads 34 lead in a crosswise direction of the braid 3. A known method of weaving the braid 3 is apparent from Fig. 2.

In Fig. 3 there is a cross section of the optical fiber 1, whose sheath is a ribbon woven in a tubular weave 4 of a hollow shape. The warp threads 41 being in the direction of the tube of the ribbon 4, are interwoven in principle by circumferential weft threads 42. Fig. 4 is a cross section of the optical fiber Λ embedded in a woven ribbon 5 with selvedges 51 with a tube 52 positioned in the surface, whereby the tube 52 constitutes the sheath 10 of the optical fiber Λ. The method of production is similar to the method of production of the tube 3, or, as the case may be, it is a combination of methods used for the production of the tube 3 and the tubular woven ribbon 4.

According to the solution shown in Fig. 5 and 6 the optical fiber is part of a textile strap, which is a woven two-dimensional fabric that is coarser and tougher than a ribbon. The sheath 10 of the optical fiber is formed by the textile material of the strap.

The strap 6 illustrated in Fig. 5 in a cross section in relation to the direction of the warp consists of two sets 61, 62 of warp threads, whereby the set 63 of weft threads belonging to the set 61 of warp threads and the set 64 of weft threads belonging to the set 62 of warp threads are mutually bound by binders 65 (i.e. by a set of warp threads connecting the sets 1 and 62 of warp threads) parallel with the direction of the warp and arranged between the sets 61 , 62 of warp threads.

The optical fiber 1_ is parallel with the direction of the warp and is arranged between the two sets 61 , 62 of warp threads in the strap, whereby the colour of the side-emitting light radiated from the strap_6 is determined by the colour of the threads of the sets 61 , 62, 63, 64.

The Jacquard strap 7 represented in Fig. 6 in a longitudinal cross section in relation to the direction of weft threads 71 is formed by three sets 72, 73, 74 of warp threads of different colours which, for example, alternate cyclically on the first and second surfaces of the strap 7.

The optical fiber 1 is parallel with the direction of the warp and is arranged between three sets 72, 73, 74 of warp threads in the strap, whereby the colour of the side-emitting light radiated from the strap 7 is determined by the colour of sets 71 , 72, 73, 74 of all threads. For production of tubular woven ribbons conventional textile weaving machines are used, adjusted for interweaving optical fibers 1. Weft threads are in a well-known manner inserted intermittently into the warp.

Preferably, the diameter of the optical fibres 1 is in the range of 0.25 - 20 mm. The length of the optical fiber 1. is limited by the intensity of the light source and by the adequate decrease in the intensity of light along the optical fiber. A considerable decrease in the light intensity is caused, among others, for example by the places of the bends of the optical fiber, which have a small diameter. Under optimum conditions the length of the optical fiber 1 is approximately 10 m. In order to reduce the decrease in light intensity it is advantageous to provide the end of the optical fiber Λ opposite to the light source by any of the well-known methods, for example with a mirror surface reflecting a corresponding part of the light back to the core of the optical fiber

The above-mentioned applications of actively emitting safety elements, such as textile tubes 2, bordering braids 3, tubular woven ribbons 4, woven ribbons 5 with selvedges, straps 6 and Jacquard straps 7 can be utilized as separate components which can be detachably attached to clothes, bags, rucksacks, means of travel (for example to a bicycle, scooter, motorcycle, car, pram, wheelchair), to objects in the interior for orientation in lower visibility, for example for indicating emergency zones, dangerous area boundaries, signs for places, such as "no entry", etc. It is also possible to use them under conditions of lower visibility to highlight temporary landing areas, to illuminate animals and the like. Above all, it is advisable to attach them to garments and other textile items by sewing on, sticking or in another suitable manner of fastening. Their advantage is long operational lifetime, low demand for energy, the ability of the optical fiber to resist damage, colour variability, effortless replacement, etc.

Unlike the known actively emitting fabrics, in which the optical fibers are part of the weft or warp system, the solution according to the invention provides protection of the optical fiber by a layer of standard textile fiber from UV rays and other influences from the surrounding environment which would reduce its wear life. Furthermore, the textile sheath of the optical fiber makes it possible to create various colour effects while maintaining sufficient luminous intensity.

Being able to switch off the light source easily is convenient for cleaning, for example for washing a garment, or it is suitable if using the light reflecting element is not needed for a long period of time.

Covering the optical fiber with a textile is carried out by well-known methods of technology of weaving, knitting and interweaving in various weaves, on conventional machines enabling production of textile bands with selvedges as well as production of tubular and Jacquard weaves, using a variety of textile materials.

List of references

1 optical fiber

10 sheath (textile protection of the optical fiber) 2 textile tube

21 spliced thread

22 spliced thread

3 bordering braid

31 band (of the bordering braid)

32 tube (of the bordering braid)

33 warp threads (of the bordering braid)

34 weft threads (of the bordering braid)

4 tubular woven ribbon

41 warp threads (of tubular woven ribbon) 42 weft threads (of tubular woven ribbon)

5 woven ribbon

51 selvedge (of woven ribbon)

52 tube (of woven ribbon)

6 strap

61 set of warp threads (of strap)

62 set of warp threads (of strap)

63 set of weft threads (of strap)

64 set of weft threads (of strap)

65 binder

7 Jacquard strap

71 weft threads (of Jacquard strap)

72 set of warp threads

73 set of warp threads

74 set of warp threads