Optical reflection plate and method of producing the same

• US 20050270671A1
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Kemmotsu, Takaaki, Morita, Nobuyuki, Nagashima, Kazuya, Nousou, Yoshiyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/518,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20050270671A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/838
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/10 Construction
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/08 Mirrors vehicle mirrors involving special optical features B60R1/08

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a light reflector plate having the following advantages A to D: A. no need for high initial investment for dies or the like required for forming a three-dimensional shape; B. simple working and low cost of working; C. accurate shape retention of a reflector plate after bending work, and excellent dimensional stability even under severe conditions of use; and D. simple and low-cost attaching work for shape retention. To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, narrow cuts 4 are intermittently formed in a light-reflecting plastic foam film or sheet 2 along straight lines in such a manner as to penetrate from one side surface of the film or sheet 2 to the opposite side surface thereof. Subsequently the film or sheet is bent along the cuts.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a light reflector plate characterized in that narrow cuts are intermittently formed in a light-reflecting plastic foam film or sheet along a straight line in such a manner as to penetrate from one side surface of the film or sheet to the opposite side surface thereof, and subsequently the film or sheet is bent along the cuts to thereby obtain a bent reflector plate.

2. A method for manufacturing a light reflector plate as described in claim 1, wherein the light-reflecting plastic foam film or sheet is a thermoplastic polyester or cyclopolyolefin film or sheet having therein a number of fine bubbles or pores having an average diameter not greater than 50 μ

m.

3. A method for manufacturing a light reflector plate as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the narrow cuts has a width not greater than 3 mm and a length not longer than 10 mm, and an uncut portion located between two adjacent cuts has a length not shorter than 1 mm.

4. A method for manufacturing a light reflector plate as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, after a step of bending the light-reflecting plastic foam film or sheet along the cuts to thereby obtain a bent reflector plate, there is performed a step of inserting, into a hole or slit portion provided on the bent reflector plate, a claw-like standing portion having a width of 1 mm to 5 mm and a length of 3 mm to 20 mm and formed on an aluminum or steel plate having a thickness not greater than 1 mm, and bending the claw-like standing portion to thereby fixedly join together the bent reflector plate and the aluminum or steel plate.

5. A method for manufacturing a light reflector plate as described in claim 4, wherein claw clamp portions formed through insertion of the claw-like standing portions into the corresponding holes or slit portions are arranged at a pitch not greater than 300 mm.

6. A light reflector plate characterized by being manufactured by the method for manufacturing a light reflector plate as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.