Coating for viewing shutter of lighting device

Abstract

A lighting device includes a light source and a view shutter system. The light source is configured to emit a light beam. The view shutter system includes an aperture configured to receive the light beam. The view shutter system further includes a plurality of shutter blades configured to be positioned across the aperture and to cover a portion of the light beam. Each of the shutter blades includes a blade base material having a front surface configured to receive a light beam, and a rear surface located on an opposite side of the front surface of the blade base material. The front surface of each shutter blade includes a first coating configured to reflect one or both of light and heat. The rear surface of each shutter blade may include a second coating configured to reduce reflection of light from the rear surface.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 602,944, filed November 27, 2023, by Pavel Jurik et al., titled "Coating for a Framing Shutter for a Luminaire", the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to lighting devices, and more particularly to coatings for framing shutters for lighting devices. Background Art

[0004] Some lighting devices in the entertainment and architectural lighting markets are manually operated, while other lighting devices include automated and / or remotely controllable features. Such products can be used in theaters, television studios, concerts, theme parks, nightclubs, and other venues. The optical system of such lighting devices can include a door or aperture through which the light beam is restricted. Devices mounted in or near the door can be such as shutters, patterns, irises, filters, or other beam modifying devices. Using a framing shutter system at the door allows for control of the size and shape of the output beam of the lighting device, and thus the size and shape of the image projected onto a surface. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0005] To more fully understand the present disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like features, and in which:

[0006] Figure 1 An isometric view of a lighting device in accordance with the present disclosure is presented;

[0007] Figure 2 An isometric view of Figure 1 the lighting device is presented, in which the outer cover is removed to reveal the framing shutter system;

[0008] Figure 3 An isometric view of the framing shutter system in accordance with the present disclosure in a first configuration is presented;

[0009] Figure 4 An isometric view of Figure 3 the framing shutter system in a second configuration is presented; and

[0010] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of a portion of a framing shutter blade in accordance with the present disclosure is presented. Summary of the Invention

[0011] In a first embodiment, a viewfinder shutter system includes a plurality of shutter blades. Each of the shutter blades includes a blade base material having a front surface configured to receive a light beam and a rear surface located on an opposite side of the front surface of the blade base material. The front surface of each shutter blade includes a first coating configured to reflect one or both of light and heat.

[0012] In a second embodiment, an illumination device includes a light source and a viewfinder shutter system. The light source is configured to emit a light beam. The viewfinder shutter system includes an aperture configured to receive the light beam. The viewfinder shutter system further includes a plurality of shutter blades configured to be positioned across the aperture and to cover a portion of the light beam. Each of the shutter blades includes a blade base material having a front surface configured to receive the light beam and a rear surface located on an opposite side of the front surface of the blade base material. The front surface of each shutter blade includes a first coating configured to reflect one or both of light and heat. Detailed Description

[0013] Preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings, with like reference numerals referring to the same and corresponding parts in the respective drawings.

[0014] A viewfinder shutter may include four or more blades that may be inserted into a desired position across a light beam and rotated as desired. Such viewfinder shutter blades cover the light in a portion of the light beam and, in doing so, absorb energy from the light. Accordingly, the blades receive light energy from a light source of an illumination device on one side of the blades. This light energy heats the blades and can over time cause problems such as: (a) blade degradation due to oxidation of the blade material; (b) damage to the surface of the blades such as scratching and wear; and (c) deformation of the blades due to heating. Darkening of the blade material due to oxidation can exacerbate these problems by absorbing more light energy. To address these problems, some viewfinder shutter blades are made of heat-resistant metals such as tungsten, molybdenum, or related alloys. However, even such materials can be damaged by light energy. Shutter blades of various materials can also be damaged over time by being scratched and worn due to contact with other shutter blades and other elements of the viewfinder shutter mechanism.

[0015] Some lighting devices (automatic and non - automatic) include a light source that includes a discharge lamp, a light - emitting diode (LED) array, or a laser - based light source, where a laser LED serves as a pump for a luminescent phosphor. The lighting device can include various optical systems, including a viewfinder shutter system that provides shaping of the light beam. In the case of high - power light sources, the blades of some viewfinder shutter systems can absorb a large amount of energy from the illuminating beam, which can lead to damage to the shutter blades as described above. The present disclosure presents a method for mitigating such potential damage.

[0016] Figure 1 An isometric view of an automatic lighting device 100 including a viewfinder shutter system in accordance with the present disclosure is presented. In other embodiments, a manually - operated lighting device can include a viewfinder shutter system in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2 An isometric view of Figure 1 the automatic lighting device 100 is presented, where the outer cover is removed to expose the components of the automatic lighting device 100. The automatic lighting device 100 includes a light source 102 and a viewfinder shutter system 110. Although the viewfinder shutter system 110 is shown as being installed in an automatic lighting device 100 (a fully automatic lighting device), in other embodiments, a viewfinder shutter system in accordance with the present disclosure can be used with other types of lighting devices. Such lighting devices include semi - automatic lighting devices and fully - manual lighting devices. In a semi - automatic lighting device, functions such as viewfinder shutter, zoom, and color are automatic, but pan and tilt are manually re - positionable. In a fully - manual lighting device, all functions are adjusted by an operator on the lighting device.

[0018] Figure 3 An isometric view of Figure 2 the viewfinder shutter system 110 is presented. The viewfinder shutter system 110 includes four shutter blades 112, 114, 116, and 118, each of which can move independently across an aperture 120. In other embodiments, fewer or more than four shutter blades can be used. The shutter blades 112, 114, 116, and 118 are configured to be moved in the viewfinder shutter system 110 by associated motors and mechanisms to which the blades are mechanically coupled. In other embodiments, the shutter blades 112, 114, 116, and 118 can be manually moved by an associated operator - actuated mechanism to which the blades are mechanically coupled. When positioned across the aperture 120, the shutter blades 112, 114, 116, and 118 cover portions of the light beam emitted by the light source 102 and passing through the aperture 120 and can absorb light energy from the beam. The absorbed energy heats the shutter blades. In operation, the blade temperature can reach over 400 °C.

[0019] Figure 4 Shows Figure 3 a second isometric view of the viewfinder shutter system 110 in a second configuration. Some components have been removed to show that the shutter blades 116 are positioned to cover a portion of the aperture 120.

[0020] Figure 5 Shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a viewfinder shutter blade 130 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The viewfinder shutter blade 130 includes a blade base material 136, the front surface of which is coated with a coating 132 and the back surface of which is coated with a coating 134. In various embodiments, the blade base material 136 is a heat-resistant metal such as tungsten, molybdenum, related alloys, or any other metal resistant to high heat. Figure 5 Not drawn to scale; the thickness of the blade base material 136 is much greater than Figure 5 the thicknesses of the coatings 132 and 134 shown.

[0021] The front surface of the viewfinder shutter blade 130 receives light energy from the light beam 138 and is protected by the coating 132 in one or more ways. In some embodiments, the coating 132 includes chromium nitride. Chromium nitride is a hard coating, which in some such embodiments is applied to the viewfinder shutter blade 130 via physical vapor deposition (PVD) to form the protective coating 132. In some such embodiments, the thickness of the film is between 2 and 6 microns. The coating 132 provides a technical solution to one or more technical problems related to light energy discussed above (oxidation of the shutter blade material, damage to the surface of the shutter blade, and / or deformation of the shutter blade due to heating). The coating 132 is configured to provide a reflective surface for light and heat and to maintain the reflective surface even when the viewfinder shutter blade 130 gets hot. In various embodiments, the coating 132 is also configured to provide one or more of the following: (a) protection of the blade base material 136 from oxidation; (b) a hard material that protects the viewfinder shutter blade 130 from scratching and wear; and (c) a self-lubricating surface that facilitates the movement of the viewfinder shutter blade 130.

[0022] In some embodiments, the coating 134 on the back surface of the blade base material 136 may be an aluminum titanium nitride coating. The coating 134 is configured to provide an anti-reflective surface, i.e., a surface that reduces internal reflection of light within the auto-illuminating device 100. In various embodiments, the coating 134 is also configured to provide one or more of the following: (a) protection of the blade base material 136 from oxidation; (b) a hard material that protects the viewfinder shutter blade 130 from scratching and wear; and (c) a self-lubricating surface that facilitates the movement of the viewfinder shutter blade 130.

[0023] Although only some embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein, those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure will understand that other embodiments can be designed without departing from the scope of the disclosure herein. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A framing shutter system, comprising: Multiple shutter blades, wherein each of the shutter blades comprises a blade base material having a front surface configured to receive a light beam, and a rear surface located on an opposite side of the front surface of the blade base material, Wherein a front surface of each shutter blade includes a first coating configured to reflect one or both of light and heat.

2. The framing shutter system of claim 1 , wherein the first coating is further configured to (i) protect the blade base material from oxidation, (ii) protect from one or both of scratching and wear, and (iii) provide a self-lubricating surface.

3. The framing shutter system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the rear surface of each shutter blade comprises a second coating configured to reduce reflection of light from the rear surface.

4. The framing shutter system of claim 3, wherein the second coating is further configured to (i) protect the blade substrate material from oxidation, and (ii) provide a self-lubricating surface.

5. The framing shutter system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each of the shutter blades is mechanically coupled to an associated motor and is configured to be moved by its associated motor independently of other shutter blades of the plurality of shutter blades.

6. The framing shutter system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each of the shutter blades is mechanically coupled to an operator-actuated mechanism and is configured to be moved by its associated operator-actuated mechanism independently of other shutter blades of the plurality of shutter blades.

7. A lighting device, comprising: a light source configured to emit a light beam; as well as The framing shutter system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an aperture configured to receive the light beam.

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