WO1998037535A1

WO1998037535A1 - Fiber-optic signs

Info

Publication number: WO1998037535A1
Application number: PCT/US1997/002592
Authority: WO
Inventors: Song San Lee
Original assignee: Fiber Does, Inc.
Priority date: 1997-02-21
Filing date: 1997-02-21
Publication date: 1998-08-27
Also published as: AU2130997A

Abstract

A fiber-optic sign (100) includes a housing (102), a light control circuit (104), a plurality of optic fibers (106) next to the light control circuit for transmitting light, a display panel (112, 500) of a plurality of apertures (114) for mounting optic fibers. To mount the optic fibers on the display panel, a plurality of couplers (108) made from acrylic material of dye additive are provided with each having at least a convex head, a body, and a first neck. The first neck is formed between the convex head (302) and the body (304) for providing a frictional coupling between couplers and apertures. The body has two longitudinal slots (312, 314) meeting at a right angle and a tapered hole (310). The slots split the body into four parts to resiliently hold an optic fiber in the tapered hole. A second neck (308) is formed next to the convex heat to allow for further resilient flexibility. The couplers may improve light-rendering effect of optic fibers and easily mount optic fibers in position. Moreover, the panel is formed of at least a flange side (518, 520) of a concavity (526, 528) and a receiving side (514, 516) of a projection (522, 524), so two or more panels may be joined to provide a large display area.

Description

FIBER-OPTIC SIGNS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to signs, in particular, to fiber-optic signs A major objective of the present invention is to provide a fiber-optic sign that can uniformly render bright pattern or information

BACKGROUND ART

Much modern technology is closely identified with the manufacturing and the applications of optical fibers The critical feature of optical fibers is the transmission of light When the light is traveling in an optical medium of refractive-index n,, it strikes an interface with an optical medium of refractive-index n₂, then the total reflection will occur in case of n, larger than n₂ and an incident angle (measured to the normal of the interface) larger than a critical angle of total reflection In such a fashion, light rays are repeatedly reflected within the optical medium of refractive-index n, in the direction of the transmission with little loss of light energy

One of the applications of optical fibers is information display in which bare optical fibers are employed Since an optical fiber possesses a refractive-index larger than that of air, light rays into one end of a bare optical fiber can be transmitted forward along the axis of the optical fiber and finally refracted into air at the other end of the optical fiber

The use of such optical fibers allows light from a light source to be transmitted to remote and spaced locations where the light rays may be emitted as either a point or line of illumination Because of this unique capability of light transmitting, optical fibers are used to create a variety of visual and ornamental displays

U S Patent No 4,917,448 to M David Oppenheimer, "Oppenheimer" herein, disclosed a lighted display device that comprises a display panel having a plurality of lighting elements arranged in a pattern, one ends of a plurality of light conducting fibers are removably received within lighting element locations on the display panel The other ends of the fibers are received and retained within a support member Light from a light source is received by the other ends of the fibers and conducted to the one ends of the fibers for illumination of the display panel A sleeve member engages each of the fibers for establishing a predetermined relationship between the portions of the fibers extending between the ends thereof to facilitate untangling of the fibers In addition, a tip member is secured to the one end of each of the fibers for removably attaching the one end of each of the fibers to the display panel U S Patent No 5,040,320 to Michael J Reidinger, "Reidinger" herein, addressed an emergency illumination display assembly It comprises a display board containing information, the ends of optical fibers of an fiber-optic bundle selectively positioned in the display board, and a source of electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectrum for directing into the other ends of the optical fibers of the fiber-optic bundle

U S Patent No 5,398,170 to Song S Lee, "Lee" herein, referred to an optical display apparatus that includes a plurality of optical elements of acrylic material and an additive In particular, an optical element is used to mount each of optic fiber on the display panel This optical element has a convex head and a cylindrical body with a dent at its tail end to hold the optic fiber To keep the optic elements on the display panel, a clear transparent plastic plate has to be provided to sandwich the convex head between the display panel and the transparent plastic plate

U S Patent No 5,573,328 to Steven Hwang, "Hwang" herein, taught a house number light box that comprises a housing covered with a transparent covering to hold a house number panel and a control circuit on the inside and a solar cell on the outside The control circuit is composed of a battery, a switch circuit, an oscillatory circuit, and a light source The house number panel comprises a front side bearing a house number, a plurality of through holes arranged along the border of the house number, and a back side fixed with a holder to hold a number of fiber-optic tubes Each fiber-optic tube has one end fastened to one through hole on the house number panel and an opposite end abutted to the light source for transmitting the light of the light source to the house number

Since a single optic fiber is about 0 028 inch in diameter, the light emitted from its one end is only a little point which intensity is far from sufficiency Therefore, in the prior art that acknowledged variety of fiber-optic displays, a fiber-optic bundle has to be used to provide sufficient light intensity for information or pattern display However, such a solution to improve intensity suffers from a defect that all the tiny optical fibers of diameter of about 0 028 inch have to be arranged in order and fastened one by one on the display board, which is time-consuming and heavy workload in assembling In addition, securing each single tiny optical fiber in position involves in labor cost and consequently, the maintenance can be complicated with high costs As a result, the prior art is hard to be commercialized since its assembling and maintenance results in high costs customers can not afford

To facilitate the assembling, prior art suggested elements for retaining the optic fibers in position However, these elements either did nothing help with or even weaken light- emitting capability of optic fibers, or required other parts assistant to keep them in position and to hold optic fibers In addition, no prior art can provide custom-designed signs of an adjustable display area Furthermore, prior art did not relate to a fiber-optic sign that can be visible in all-weather visible condition What is needed is a fiber-optic sign that can render an all-weather visible, uniform and bright information presentation with easy assembling and low costs

In particular, a plurality of couplers of unique design can improve the intensity of light rays rendered from each single optical fiber and resiliently retain them Each display panel is designed to be easily coupled with the other one to form an adjustable display panel Also, a paint is applied to the display panel so that the fiber-optic signs in accordance with the present invention is visible in day time without the light source turned on

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a fiber-optic sign includes a housing and a light control circuit A plurality of optic fibers are next to the light control circuit for transmitting light A display panel of a plurality of apertures is provided for mounting the optic fibers To retain the optic fibers on the display panel, a plurality of couplers are employed with each having a convex head and a body Preferably, the body has a first neck formed next to the convex head for providing a frictional engagement of each coupler and each aperture The body may be cylindrical in shape Preferably, the body is tapered in shape so as to form a stopper next to the first neck to prevent the fiber-optic coupler from out off the aperture after it fits into the aperture Alternatively, the cylindrical body may have a stopper projected from the body

The body has at least one first longitudinal slot and a longitudinal hole to resiliently hold an optic fiber The longitudinal hole runs through the body and the first neck for accommodating the optic fiber Preferably, the body has a second slot The first and second longitudinal slots meet at a right angle and run through the body and at least part of the first neck, so the body of the coupler is divided as four parts that resiliently retain the optic fiber when it is forcibly inserted into the hole Alternatively, a second neck may be formed between the first neck and the convex head to allow the four parts for further flexibility to resiliently hold the optic fiber

The head of the fiber-optic coupler shapes like a convex since in accordance with the optics theory, the convex head helps light to be uniformly and maximally emitted Also, the convex head of the coupler increases the light-rendering diameter of the optic fiber, so the visible effect of the optic fiber is improved To provide information presentation of high resolution, a gap between each aperture is defined within a range of 0 2-1 5 inch As a result, fewer optic fibers can be used to provide a continuous information presentation without a significant discrete visible effect while cutting the workload in assembling In addition, the diameter of the first neck is substantially same as that of each aperture so that the coupler in accordance with the present invention is frictionally engaged to the aperture In accordance with the present invention, the convex head is designed larger than the first neck in diameter to retain the coupler in position and uniformly and maximally render light transmitted from the optic fiber, the stopper has a diameter larger than the first neck to hold the coupler in position once it fits into the corresponding aperture, and the first neck larger than the second neck in diameter to allow the body for further flexibility to resiliently hold an optic fiber The first neck of the coupler has a height slightly lower than or substantially same as that of the second neck

Preferably, the longitudinal hole in accordance with the present invention is tapered in shape with a first end contacting with the convex head and a second end in which the first end is larger than the second end in diameter The first end is designed slightly larger than the optic fiber in diameter and the second end is slightly smaller than the optic fiber in diameter As a result, the optic fiber can be appropriately mounted on the display panel while its light rendering effects are significantly improved by way of the coupler in accordance with the present invention Consequently, the coupler in accordance with the present invention can resiliently hold the optic fiber and be firmly engaged to the aperture while uniformly and maximally rendering light from the optic fiber

Preferably, each aperture on the display panel has an aperture neck and an aperture body The aperture neck frictionally engages to the first neck of the coupler and the aperture body accommodates the body of the coupler

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the display panel has a first side of a pair of flanges and a second side of a projection The pair of flanges define a channel With the assistance of the channel and projection, two or more display panels in accordance with the present invention may easily join together with the precision location by the engagement of the projection and channel Therefore, to construct a fiberoptic sign of larger display area, it simply needs to join two or more display panels together. In addition, the apertures may be covered by a plurality of removable masks The removable masks may be taken off with the couplers being inserted into them This design provides customers with much flexibility to customize a pattern as desired After a pattern is determined by customers, the masks are removed with the couplers being inserted into the masked apertures that define the pattern

To improve the light rendering effects, the couplers in accordance with the present invention are made of transparent plastic materials Preferably, the transparent plastic materials include acrylic material Preferably, the acrylic material has a diffusion dye additive in it to help the convex head uniformly render the light from the optic fibers Furthermore, the light control circuit includes a rechargeable battery, preferably, a nickel-cadmium battery, and at least one light-emitting diode The nickel-cadmium battery converts energy collected by a solar panel into electrical and store it to supply power to the light-emitting diode as needed Preferably, a detect circuitry sensors light around the fiber- optic sign and when it is darker than a predetermined threshold, activates the nickel-cadmium battery to turn the light-emitting diode on

To display information or a pattern in day time, a paint may be applied to the areas that defines information or pattern to be presented Therefore, the fiber-optic signs in accordance with the present invention can be visible under all-weather condition The paint that may be applied to the areas preferably includes vinyl, silkscreen, and enamel

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the housing may be taken any of a number configurations, such as circular, oval, or muti-sided configurations may be utilized as desired The present invention provides a fiber-optic sign of adjustable display area and bright light with low costs and simple assembling In particular, the display panel of the fiber-optic signs has an angle from 0°-15° relative to the surface of the display panel so that the optic fibers on the display panel align with people's sign to provide good visible effects These and other features and advantages of the present invention are apparent from the description below with reference to the following drawings

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1 is an illustrational view of a preferred embodiment of the fiber-optic sign in accordance with the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is block diagrams of the light control circuit in accordance with the present invention,

FIGURE 3 is an illustrational view of a preferred embodiment of the fiber-optic coupler in accordance with the present invention,

FIGURE 4 is a back view along line A-A of the fiber-optic coupler of FIG 3 showing its construction,

FIGURE 5 is an illustrational view of a preferred embodiment of the display panel in accordance with the present invention,

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged view of a part of the display panel of FIG 5,

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of the display panel of FIG 5 showing its constructional details, FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of the fiber-optic sign in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention,

FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of the fiber-optic sign of FIG 8 showing its constructional details, and

FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of another fiber-optic sign formed with three display panels of FIG 5 in which the display panels are of a plurality masked apertures

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A fiber-optic sign 100 in accordance with the present invention includes a housing 102, a light control circuit 104, a plurality of optic fibers 106, and a plurality of fiber-optic couplers 108, as shown in FIG 1

It is envisioned that housing 102 may be taken any of a number configurations As shown in the drawings, housing 102 is generally rectangular in shape However, circular, oval, or muti-sided configurations may be utilized as desired In particular, the housing 102 may be formed of plastic materials by plastic molding process or metal materials of good heat-conductive property, such as aluminum or steel

In the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the housing 102 includes a front display panel 110 and a rear display panel 112 of a plurality of apertures 114, a top section 116, and a bottom section 118 Both top section 116 and bottom section 118 are generally formed with similar cross section and include a generally planar outer wall integrated and formed with a pair of outer flanges 120 and 122 The flange 120 is resilient and utilized to compress the display panels 110 and 112 against inwardly formed generally linear flange 124 and 126 The linear flanges 124 and 126 are spaced relative to the outer flanges 120 and 122 respectively in order to provide elongated channels 128 and 130 in which the edge portions of the panel members 110 and 112 may be selectively and slidingly received

Within the housing 102 is a light control circuit 104, which typically includes a solar panel 132, a battery 134 for storing the energy collected by the solar panel 132, light-emitting diodes 136 that is connected to the battery 134, and a fiber-optic bundle holder 138

With one ends next to the light-emitting diodes 136 and the other ends extended through the apertures 114 by means of fiber-optic couplers 108, the optic fibers 106 receive light from the light-emitting diodes 136, transmit it to the other ends, and emits it to the air from the fiber-optic couplers 108 Consequently, a picture, design, or information that is patterned with the apertures 114 becomes visible In accordance with the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the optic fibers are commercially available from Mitsubishi Co Although in the preferred embodiment, the light control circuit 104 is located inside of the housing 102, it may also be located outside of the housing 102 with one ends of the optic fibers 106 next to it Preferably, a fiber-optic bundle for receipt of light from each light-emittmg diode is of 50 optic fibers, to provide uniform light intensity in each single optic fiber

Block diagrams 200 of the light control circuit 104 are shown in FIG 2, which include a solar panel 202, a rechargeable battery 204, a voltage control circuit 206, light-emitting diode 208, and a photo sensor 201 The solar panel 202 collects the energy from sun so as to charge the rechargeable battery 204 Voltage circuit 206 is a rectifier to adjust the voltage of the rechargeable battery 204 to keep it at a stable level The photo sensor 201 connected to one input of the voltage circuit 206 detects the light around the fiber-optic sign in accordance with the present invention and when it is darker than a predetermined threshold, photo sensor 201 is on so that the power supplied to light-emitting diode 208 is switched on, thereby activating the light-emitting diode 208 to light the optic fibers next to it

As a preferred embodiment, the fiber-optic coupler 108 in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG 3, which is made from transparent plastic material, preferably acrylic To improve light-rendering effects, the acrylic material is mixed with a diffusion dye to change its optics property Preferably, the fiber-optic coupler 108 has a convex head 302, a body 304, a first neck 306, and a second neck 308 At the center of the body 304 is a hole 310 that runs through the body 304, the first neck 306, and the second neck 308 The hole 310 may be cylindrical in shape Preferably, it is tapered in shape with its diameter bigger as it is closer to the convex head 302 Two longitudinal slots 312 and 314 extend through the body 304 and stop at the end of the first neck 306 The two longitudinal slots 312 and 314 meet at a right angle to split the body of the fiber-optic coupler into four parts, as shown in FIG 4 Although it is shown in the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention as tapered in shape, the body 304 may be cylindrical in shape

During the assembling, each fiber-optic coupler 108 is first inserted into each aperture 114, and then, each single optic fiber is inserted into the tapered hole 310 To firmly retain each optic fiber 106 in position, it has to first mount the fiber-optic coupler 108 on the display panel 112 To facilitate to do it, a transition portion 316 is formed at the end of the fiber-optic coupler 108 On the other hand, to prevent the fiber-optic coupler 108 from out off the aperture 114, stopper 318 is formed next to the first neck 306 to retain the fiber-optic coupler 108 in position The convex head 302 and stopper 318 are larger than first neck 306 in diameter Since the first neck 306 is frictionally engaged to the aperture 114 of the display panel 112, the fiber-optic coupler 108 may be assured to be secured by the space defined with both convex head 302 and stopper 318 While the above preferred embodiments show a frictional engagement by the fiber-optic coupler 108 and the aperture 114, many other couplings are available For example, only a first neck is formed on the body and next to the convex head to provide fastened coupling, also, screw coupling, cap coupling, or bonding can be applied to engage the fiber-optic couplers to the apertures Alternatively, with only one longitudinal slot and no first and second necks, the coupler in accordance with the present invention may still frictional engage to the aperture by its body and resiliently hold the optic fiber by the one longitudinal slot and the longitudinal hole

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the design of the fiber-optic coupler 108 is to allow each single optic fiber not only to be easily inserted, but also to be firmly held Accordingly, two longitudinal slots 312 and 314 are formed to allow the body 304 to resiliently hold each optic fiber, as shown in FIG 4 Furthermore, the formation of the second neck 308 allows the body 304 for further flexibility to provide resilient holding of the optic fiber 106 For the convenience of inserting the optic fiber 106 into the tapered hole 310, a tapered portion 320 is formed at the end of the body 304 To firmly hold the optic fiber 106, the tapered hole 310 has its diameter slightly smaller than that of the optic fiber 106 at the end of body 304, but slightly larger than or the same as that of the optic fiber 106 at the end of the second neck 308

In accordance with one preferred embodiment, the diameter of the convex head 302 is about 0 200 inch, the diameter of the body 304 is about 0 140 inch, the diameter of the first neck 306 is about 0 146 inch for fitting into the aperture 114 of the diameter of about 0 150 inch, the diameter of the second neck 308 is about 0 125 inch, the tapered hole 310 to hold the optic fiber 106 of the diameter of about 0 028 inch has a diameter of about 0 030 inch at the biggest end and a diameter of about 0 021 inch at the smallest end, each of slots 312 and 314 is about 0 015 inch in width, the stopper 318 has a diameter of about 0 162 inch at its biggest end and a diameter of about 0 146 inch at its smallest end

FIG 4 is a back view along line A-A of the fiber-optic coupler 108 of FIG 3 to show its construction From FIG 4, it can be seen that the slots 312 and 314 meet at the right angle and extend the cross section of the fiber-optic coupler 108 to divide the body 304 into four parts to resiliently hold the optic fiber 106 inserted into the tapered hole 310

In accordance with the present invention, a display panel 500 is preferably made by plastic molding process and is square in shape, as shown in FIG 5 It has a body portion 512 on which a plurality of apertures 114 are formed, and four sides 514, 516, 518, and 520 The left side 514 is a pair of flanges extending outwardly from the body portion 512, and the top side 516 has the similar construction as left side 514, the right side 518 and the bottom side 520 project from the body portion 512, as shown in FIG 7 At the center of each of the left side 514 and the top side 516 is of a location projection 522 or 524 Correspondingly, at the center of each of the right side 518 and the bottom side 520 is of a location concavity 526 or 528 Accordingly, two or more display panels 500 can be combined to provide a larger and adjustable display area

An enlarged view of a part of the display panel 500 is shown in FIG 6 in which two kinds of apertures are shown One is masked aperture 602 that has an aperture mask 606 of four tabs 610 connected to the body portion 512 of the display panel 500 Another one is aperture 604 Depending on the requirements, the display panel 500 may be of only apertures 602 or 604, but not both For example, in case that users are not for sure what the pattern or information to be presented is exactly to be or they like to design a pattern by themselves, the display panel of masked apertures 602 may be chose Otherwise, the display panel of apertures 604 may be used With the mask 606 left, users may design any pattern or information to be presented on the display panel 500, and by taking off masks 606 with the insertion of the fiber-optic couplers 108, the pattern or information defined by those apertures is displayed with the optic fibers 106 It allows users for much flexibility to display the patterns or information they desire to present, thereby making a sign with capability of customer design Usually, the display panel of masked apertures is made by plastic molding process and used for custom design, so users may combine two or more square display panel together to form a shape as required, but the display panel made by metal is a integrated sheet that has been constructed by manufactures before delivering to users

A cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of the display panel 500 of FIG 5 is shown in FIG 7 The display panel 500 of apertures 702 is made from plastic, preferably acrylic material, by plastic molding process Each aperture 702 has an aperture neck 704 to engage to the first neck of the fiber-optic coupler 306 An aperture body 706 is formed next to the aperture neck 704 for accommodating the body 304 and stopper 318, thereby retaining the optic fiber 106 in position Also shown in FIG 7 is an illustration after the fiber-optic coupler 708 fits into the aperture 710 The height of the aperture body 706 is preferably about 0 140 inch and the height of the aperture neck 704 is about 0 060 inch The left side 514 is of a pair of flanges 714 that define a channel 712 and the right side 518 is a projection The thickness of projection 518 matches with that of the channel 712 so that the projection 518 may closely fit into the channel 712 The distance between two apertures is about 0 400 inch

Rectangle fiber-optic sign 800 is a street sign in which apertures defining the information "FIRST ST" are formed on the display panel 802 A solar panel 808 and a photo sensor 810 are mounted on the fiber-optic sign 800 In this case, the display panel

802 is made from metal material, preferably aluminum To display information or a pattern in day time, a paint may be applied to the areas 804 defined by those apertures 806 so that the information or pattern to be presented can be visible without the light control circuit turned on Therefore, the fiber-optic signs in accordance with the present invention can be used even in day time The paint that may be applied to the areas 804 preferably includes vinyl, silkscreen, and enamel

FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of the display panel 802 of FIG 8 To keep panel members 902 and 904 in position, four plastic U rings 906, 908, 910, and 912 are applied to the top and bottom edges of the panel members so as to have them filled in the channels defined by each pair of flanges 914 and 916

Alternatively, the display panel of masked apertures is formed by plastic molding process, as shown in FIG 10 Similar to FIG 8, a solar panel 908 and a photo sensor 910 are mounted on the fiber-optic sign Users may design any pattern or information they like to present with removing masks from the masked apertures 902 For example, "FIRST ST" may be presented with the apertures 902 defining these characters inserted by fiber-optic couplers Since a few square display panels shown in FIG 5 may be combined to provide a big display area, users can decide what pattern or information is to be presented In this case, the display panel is constructed by combining three square display panels shown in FIG. 5 that are made from plastic material, preferably acrylic, by plastic molding process Consequently, users enjoy the flexibility for customer design Therefore, this flexibility plus the adjustable display area brings the fiber-optic signs in accordance with the present invention to a variety of applications

The fiber-optic sign shown in FIG 9 is similar to that shown in FIG 1 in construction or configuration, the only difference between them is the display panel member The one shown in FIG 1 is made from plastic materials by plastic molding process and is constructed with the assembling three square display panels as shown in FIG 5, but the one shown in FIG

9 is made from one integrated metal sheet, such as aluminum sheet

Preferably, the fiber-optic signs in accordance with the present invention can be applied for street signs and high-way signs The existing street signs are not lighted so that they are hard to be read after dark by drivers and pedestrian who are not familiar with the area While the exist high-way signs are lighted, power lines are indispensable, which brings up costs for building a high-way and also, have the potential dangerous for people and property Use of the fiber-optic signs in accordance with the present invention, no power lines are required, which drops the building costs with the eliminating of the dangerous usually caused by power lines and saving energy In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the display panel of the fiber-optic signs has an angle from 0°-15° relative to the surface of the display panel so that the optic fibers on the display panel align with people's sign, thereby providing preferred visible effects It will be understood that the previous descriptions and explanations are given by way of example, and that numerous changes in the combinations of elements and functions as well as changes in design may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed These and other modifications to and variations upon the embodiments described above are provided for by the present invention, the scope of which is limited only by the following claims

Claims

1. A fiber-optic sign (100) comprising a housing (102), a light control circuit (104) for providing light when it is darker than a predetermined threshold, a plurality of optic fibers (106) with their first ends next to said light control circuit for transmitting the light from said light control circuit, a display panel (112, 500, 902, 904) of a plurality of apertures (114, 602, 604, 702), and a plurality of fiber-optic couplers (108, 708) for coupling second ends of said plurality of optic fibers to said display panel, each of said plurality of fiber-optic couplers including a convex head (302) for uniformly rendering light from each of said plurality of optic fibers, a body (304) for providing a frictional engagement of said each coupler and said each aperture and resiliently holding said each optic fiber in position, said body having at least one first longitudinal slot (312) and a longitudinal hole (310)

2. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 1 wherein said couplers are made of transparent plastic materials

3. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 2 wherein said transparent plastic materials include acrylic materials

4. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 3 wherein a diffusion material is mixed with said acrylic materials to improve optic property of said convex head

5. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 4 wherein said diffusion material includes dye material

6. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 1 wherein said body is cylindrical in shape

7. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 1 wherein said body further has a first neck (306) formed next to said convex head for providing a frictional engagement of said each coupler and said each aperture

8. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 7 wherein said body is tapered in shape so as to form a stopper (318) between said first neck and said body

9. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 8 wherein said body further has a second longitudinal slot (314), said first and second longitudinal slots extending through said body and at least part of said first neck and meeting at a right angle, said longitudinal hole running through said body and said first neck for accommodating said each optic fiber

10. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 9 wherein said body further has a second neck (308) formed between said first neck and said convex head, and said longitudinal hole running through said body, said first neck, and said second neck with said first and second slots extending through said body and first neck

11. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 10 wherein each of said plurality of apertures has an aperture neck (704) and an aperture body (706), said aperture neck frictionally engaging to said first neck and said aperture body accommodating said stopper and said body

12. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 11 wherein said convex head is larger than said first neck in diameter, and said first neck larger than said second neck in diameter

13. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 12 wherein said first neck has a length substantially same as or shorter than that of said second neck

14. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 1 wherein said longitudinal hole has a tapered shape of a first end and a second end, said first end contacting with said convex head and being larger than said second end in diameter

15. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 12 wherein said first end is the same as or slightly larger than said each optic fiber in diameter and said second end is slightly smaller than said each optic fiber in diameter

16. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 1 wherein said display panel is made from plastic by plastic molding process

17. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 16 wherein said display panel has at least a first side (514, 516) of a location projection (522, 524) and at least a second side (518, 520) of a location cavity (526, 528), said first side having a pair of flanges (714) extending outwardly from said display panel to define a channel (712), and said second side projecting from said display panel so that said channel can receive and locate said second side

18. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 17 wherein said plurality of apertures are covered by a plurality of masks (606) that may be removed with said couplers being inserted into said apertures

19. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 1 wherein said display panel is made from metal materials

20. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 19 wherein said metal materials include aluminum

21. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 1 wherein a gap between said each aperture is ranged from 0 2-1 5 inch

22. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 1 wherein a paint is applied to said display panel for defining a pattern to be displayed

23. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 22 wherein said paint includes vinyl, silkscreen, and enamel

24. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 1 wherein said light control circuit is located in said housing

25. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 1 wherein said light control circuit is located outside of said housing

26. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 1 wherein an angle relative to the surface of the display panel is defined within a range from 0┬░-15┬░

27. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 1 wherein said light control circuit includes at least one light-emitting diode (136, 924)

28. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 27 further comprising a rechargeable battery (134, 922) for supplying power to said light-emitting diode

29. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 28 wherein said rechargeable battery includes a nickel-cadmium battery

30. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 28 further comprising means (201, 810, 910) for detecting light and activating said light emitting diode when said light is lower than a threshold

31. A fiber-optic sign (100) comprising: a housing (102); at least one light-emitting diode (136, 924) for providing light; a rechargeable battery (134, 922) for supplying power to said light- emitting diode; means (201, 810, 910) for detecting light and activating said light-emitting diode when the light is lower than a threshold; a plurality of optic fibers (106) with their first ends next to said light-emitting diode for transmitting the light from said light-emitting diode; a display panel (1 12, 500) of a plurality of apertures (114, 602, 604, 702); and a plurality of fiber-optic couplers (108, 708) for coupling second ends of said plurality of optic fibers to said display panel, each of said plurality of fiber-optic couplers including a convex head (302) for uniformly rendering light from each of said plurality of optic fibers, a body (304) for resiliently holding said each optic fiber in position, said body having a first longitudinal slot (312), a second longitudinal slot (314), and a longitudinal hole (310), and a first neck (306) for providing a frictional engagement of said each coupler and said each aperture, said first and second longitudinal slots extending through said body and at least part of said first neck and meeting at a right angle, said longitudinal hole running through said body and said first neck for accommodating said each optic fiber.

32. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 31 wherein said couplers are made of transparent plastic materials.

33. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 32 wherein said transparent plastic materials include acrylic materials.

34. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 33 wherein a diffusion material is mixed with said acrylic materials to improve optic property of said convex head.

35. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 34 wherein said diffusion material includes dye material.

36. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 31 wherein said body is cylindrical in shape.

37. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 31 wherein said body is tapered in shape so as to form a stopper (318) between said first neck and said body.

38. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 37 wherein said each coupler further has a second neck (308) formed between said first neck and said convex head, and said longitudinal hole running through said body, said first neck, and said second neck with said first and second slots extending through said body and first neck.

39. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 38 wherein said first neck is substantially same as said each aperture in diameter.

40. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 38 wherein said convex head is larger than said first neck in diameter, and said first neck larger than said second neck in diameter.

41. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 40 wherein said first neck has a length substantially same as that of said second neck.

42. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 31 wherein said longitudinal hole has tapered shape of a first end and a second end, said first end contacting with said convex head and being larger than said second end in diameter.

43. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 42 wherein said first end is slightly larger than said each optic fiber in diameter and said second end is slightly smaller than said each optic fiber in diameter.

44. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 43 wherein said display panel has at least a first side (514, 516) of a location projection (522, 524) and at least a second side (518, 520) of a location cavity (526, 528), said first side having a pair of flanges (714) extending outwardly from said display panel to define a channel (712), and said second side projecting from said display panel so that said channel can receive and locate said second side.

45. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 31 wherein said plurality of apertures are covered by a plurality of masks (606) that may be removed with said couplers being inserted into said apertures.

46. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 31 wherein a gap between said each aperture is ranged from 0.2-1.5 inch.

47. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 31 wherein a paint is applied to said display panel for defining a pattern to be displayed.

48. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 46 wherein said paint includes vinyl, silkscreen, and enamel.

49. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 31 wherein an angle relative to the surface of the display panel is defined within a range from 0┬░-15┬░.

50. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 49 wherein said rechargeable battery includes a nickel-cadmium battery.

51. A fiber-optic sign as recited in Claim 31 wherein said light- emitting diode is located inside of said housing.