Indicator and indicator-structure

1. An indicator which emits a light, the indicator comprising:

a plate-shaped member which has a stress-concentrating section which causes a stress concentration, and a stress-transmitting section which is connected to the stress-concentrating section and which transmits, to the stress-concentrating section, a stress generated due to an external force applied to the stress-transmitting section;

a stress light-emitting section formed at the stress-concentrating section and formed of a stress light-emitting material which emits the light in response to a change of the stress; and

an external force-applying section, to which the external force is applied, which is formed in the stress-transmitting section of the plate-shaped member;

wherein the stress-concentrating section and the external force-applying section are arranged, on one surface of the plate-shaped member, at positions different from each other; and

wherein the stress light-emitting section emits the light at least in a direction which is opposite to a direction of the external force.

2. An indicator which emits a light, the indicator comprising:

a plate-shaped member which has a stress-concentrating section which causes a stress concentration, and a stress-transmitting section which is connected to the stress-concentrating section and which transmits, to the stress-concentrating section, a stress generated due to an external force applied to the stress-transmitting section; and

a stress light-emitting section formed at the stress-concentrating section and formed of a stress light-emitting material which emits the light in response to a change of the stress;

wherein the stress-concentrating section includes a plurality of individual stress-concentrating sections which are arranged with spacing distances with each other, the stress light-emitting section includes a plurality of individual stress light-emitting sections which are formed corresponding to the individual stress light-emitting sections respectively; and

wherein one of the individual stress light-emitting sections, which is provided for one of the individual stress-concentrating sections corresponding to the one individual stress light-emitting section, emits the light in response to the external force applied to the stress-transmitting section.

3. The indicator according to claim 2 ;

wherein the plurality of individual stress-concentrating sections are formed as recesses or hollow space sections.

4. The indicator according to claim 3 ;

wherein areas of the plate-shaped member, at which the individual stress-concentrating sections are formed, are the recesses which have curvatures larger than those of the other areas at which the individual stress-concentrating sections are not formed.

5. The indicator according to claim 2 ;

wherein the individual stress-concentrating sections are formed as thin-walled sections.

6. The indicator according to claim 2 ;

wherein the external force is applied onto one predetermined surface of the plate-shaped member; and

wherein the individual stress light-emitting portions are provided on the one surface of the plate-shaped member.

7. The indicator according to claim 2 ;

wherein the plate-shaped member includes a base material, and the stress light-emitting material is mixed into the base material of the plate-shaped member.

8. The indicator according to claim 7 ;

wherein the base material of the plate-shaped member has a light-transmissive property.

9. The indicator according to claim 2 ;

wherein the plate-shaped member includes a base material having a light-transmissive property;

wherein the external force is applied onto one surface of the plate-shaped member; and

wherein the individual stress light-emitting sections are provided on the other surface of the plate-shaped member opposite to the one surface.

10. The indicator according to claim 2 ;

wherein a degree of the stress concentration of each of the individual stress-concentrating sections is decreased at positions separated farther from a predetermined portion of the plate-shaped member.

11. The indicator according to claim 10 ;

wherein an operation-indicating section, which indicates that the predetermined portion is a pushing section or a pulling section, is affixed to the predetermined portion.

12. The indicator according to claim 4 ;

wherein individual stress-concentrating sections, which are included in the individual stress-concentrating sections and which are positioned separately farther from a predetermined portion of the plate-shaped member, each have a bottom portion with a shallower depth or smaller curvature.

13. An indicator-structure which includes:

the indicator as defined in claim 2 ; and

an attachment section which is attached to a circumferential edge portion of the plate-shaped member, wherein the indicator has a rigidity which is smaller than that of the attachment section.

14. The indicator-structure according to claim 13 ;

wherein a thin-walled section is provided at a boundary portion between the plate-shaped member and the attachment section.

15. The indicator according to claim 2 ;

wherein the stress-transmitting section of the plate-shaped member is formed with an external force-applying section at which the external force is applied, and the individual stress-concentrating sections are arranged to form a first group which surrounds the external force-applying section and a second group which surrounds the first group.

16. The indicator according to claim 15 ;

wherein individual stress-concentrating sections, among the plurality of the individual stress-concentrating sections, forming each of the first group and the second group are arranged at substantially a same distance from the external force-applying section respectively.

17. The indicator according to claim 15 ;

wherein the individual stress-concentrating sections forming the first group are deeper than the individual stress-concentrating sections forming the second group; or

wherein the individual stress-concentrating sections forming the first group have bottom portions with curvatures which are larger than curvatures of bottom portions of the individual stress-concentrating sections forming the second group.