[54] OPTICAL LEAKAGE PREVENTING
APPARATUS AND SELF-LIGHT-EMITTING
INDICATING APPARATUS USING THE
SAME
[75] Inventors: Yosbiharu Matsusaka, Osaka; Kunio Okamoto. Hyogo, both of Japan
[73] Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.. Moriguchi. Japan
[21] Appl. No.: 773,590
[22] Filed: Dec 27, 1996
Related U.S. Application Data
[63] Continuation of Set No. 336,211, Nov. 4, 1994, abandoned.
[30] Foreign Application Priority Data
Nov. 9, 1993 [JP] Japan 5-279930
Jun. 17, 1994 [JP] Japan 6-136186
Sep. 30, 1994 [JP] Japan 6-261616
Oct 17, 1994 [JP] Japan 6-250811
Oct. 19, 1994 [JP] Japan 6-253939
[51] Int. CI.6 G02B 6/36
[52] U.S. CI 385/89; 385/901
[58] Field of Search 362/32; 385/901,
385/89
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
4,917,448 4/1990 Oppenheimer 362/32
4,922,384 5/1990 Torrence 362/32
5,040,320 8/1991 Reidinger 362/32
5,066,947 11/1991 Du Castel 340/815.31
5,103,581 4/1992 Novak 362/32
5,151,679 9/1992 Dimmick 362/32
5,193,893 3/1993 Mitko 362/32
5295221 3/1994 Roslan 362/32
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
0 401 175 5/1990 European Pat. Off. .
0 422 777 9/1990 European Pat. Off. .
0 467 034 1/1992 European Pat. Off. .
A self-light-emitting indicating apparatus including an enclosure formed by combining a pair of opposing semitubular bodies, each having first and second support members positioned at both ends; first and second panels fixed on the first and second support members respectively, at least one of the first and second panels having a plurality of through-holes and/or having a sign indicating portion; a plurality of optical fibers contained in a container portion defined by the enclosure and the first and second panels, each having one end inserted and fixed in one of the plurality of through-holes provided in at least one of the first and second panels, and a light emitting diode contained in the container portion, arranged adjacent to the other end of the plurality of optical fibers which are bundled and cut, and having an optical leakage preventing means. When the light from the emitting diode is to be transmitted to the adjacent number of optical fibers, optical loss can be suppressed by the optical leakage preventing means, and in addition, light points at the rear ends of the optical fibers can be arranged along the periphery of the existing sign board, so that existence of a fire hydrant is made readily visible.
24 Claims, 18 Drawing Sheets
