Lighting device and operating method for same

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a lighting device capable of more naturally reproducing the behavior of soap bubbles. [Solution] A suspension-type lighting device 100 includes: a wire member 10; a transparent or translucent exterior member 20 that has a space thereinside; a light emitting member 30 that is provided in the exterior member 20; a rotating member 40 that includes a rotor and a stator and is provided in the exterior member 20; and a connection structure 50 in which the wire member 10, the exterior member 20, and the stator of the rotating member 40 are connected such that a force applied to one of the members is transmitted to the other members. By rotating the rotor of the rotating member 40, the exterior member 20 is rotated in one direction and twists are generated in the wire member 10. After that, by stopping the rotor of the rotating member 40, the twists of the wire member 10 are released, and the exterior member 20 is rotated in the reverse direction.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting device and an operating method for the lighting device.Background Art

[0002] A lighting device having a shape that imitates a soap bubble has been known (e.g., PTL1). In the lighting device according to PTL1, a globe part to be irradiated with light from an LED is made of transparent glass and has a shape like a soap bubble. PTL1 describes that the lighting device represents, with the glass, a fleeting shape created by nature.

[0003] PTL2 discloses a lighting device that includes a plurality of decorative LED strips arranged in a refractive crystal cover and mechanically swings the LED strips.Citation ListPatent Literature

[0004] [PTL1]Japanese Design Registration No. 1454514[PTL2]CN 207796637 U SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTechnical Problem

[0005] Now, an actual soap bubble changes its movement, rotating direction, manner of iridescence, and the like every moment. Unfortunately, the LED of the lighting device according to PTL1 is arranged in the glass-made globe, and the lighting device is supposed to be stationary during use. Thus, the movement and manner of iridescence of the lighting device change little. That is, the lighting device according to PTL1 merely imitates a fleeting shape of a soap bubble and is not capable of reproducing a natural behavior of a soap bubble.

[0006] The lighting device according to PTL 2 includes a mechanism of swinging the decorative LED strips in the refractive crystal cover, but the refractive crystal cover neither rotates nor swings. The lighting device is supposed to be placed on a table or a floor during use. For this reason, the lighting device according to PTL2 is not capable of reproducing a natural behavior of a soap bubble, either.

[0007] Hence, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a lighting device capable of reproducing the behavior of a soap bubble naturally.Solution to Problem

[0008] The inventors of the present invention conducted intensive studies about means for achieving the object described above. As a result, the inventors configured the lighting device such that light-emitting members and a rotary member are provided in an exterior member suspended by a wire member, and that a force generated by the rotation of a rotor of the rotary member is indirectly transmitted to the exterior member and the wire member. This enables the lighting device to be caused to rotate naturally like a soap bubble by controlling the rotation and the stop of the rotor of the rotary member. Then, conceiving that the problem with the related art can be solved on the basis of the above-described finding, the inventors completed the present invention. To be specific, the present invention includes the following configuration.

[0009] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a lighting device 100 of a suspension type. The lighting device 100 according to the present invention includes a wire member 10, an exterior member 20, light-emitting members 30, a rotary member 40, and a coupling structure 50. The wire member 10 is used to suspend the lighting device 100 from, for example, a ceiling. The exterior member 20 includes a space inside the exterior member 20 and is transparent or translucent. The exterior member 20 preferably includes a one-way mirror on its exterior surface side. The exterior member 20 may be a hardcase made of plastic or glass, or may be a softcase made of a plastic film or the like. The light-emitting members 30 are provided in the exterior member 20. Each of the light-emitting members 30 is preferably a cable-shaped member provided in the exterior member 20 in a floating manner. Note that "in a floating manner" means that the entire cable-shaped light-emitting member 30 is not fixed to another structure, and at least part of the light-emitting member 30 is separated from the other structure and is moved in the exterior members 20 by some kind of action. The rotary member 40 includes a rotor and a stator that are provided in the exterior member 20. For example, the rotor is the rotor of a motor, and the stator is the stator of the motor. The coupling structure 50 couples the wire member 10, the exterior member 20, and the stator of the rotary member 40 together such that a force applied to any one of the members is transmitted to the other members. For example, causing the rotation of the rotor causes the stator to rotate little by little in the same direction, and a rotating force applied to the stator in this manner extends to the wire member 10 and the exterior member 20 by means of the coupling structure 50. Specifically, causing the rotation of the rotor of the rotary member 40 causes the exterior member 20 to rotate in one direction and gives a twist to the wire member 10. Then, by subsequently causing the rotor of the rotary member 40 to stop, the twist of the wire member 10 is released, and the exterior member 20 rotates in the opposite direction. Such rotation and reverse rotation can be repeated. The rotation and the stop of the rotor of the rotary member 40 may be controlled by the lighting device 100 by itself or may be controlled by a superordinate control device that is connected to the lighting device 100.

[0010] By providing the rotary member 40 inside the exterior member 20 of the lighting device 100 as in the above-described configuration, the lighting device 100 can be caused to rotate by itself. Such a lighting device 100 dispenses with, for example, the need to place a high airflow fan or the like outside the lighting device 100 to cause the exterior member 20 to rotate. In the case of using, for example, an external fan to cause lighting devices 100 to rotate, it is difficult to deliver wind to all the lighting devices 100 if the lighting devices 100 are placed in a large venue. The lighting device 100 can also be caused to rotate by giving a twist directly to a suspension cable. In this case, however, a large load is placed on the cable, and the cable may be damaged. According to the present invention, it is possible to solve these problems, thus reproducing the behavior of a soap bubble more naturally.

[0011] The lighting device 100 according to the present invention is preferably configured such that causing the rotation of the rotor of the rotary member 40 causes the exterior member 20 to rotate in one direction and gives a twist to the wire member 10, and subsequently causing the rotor of the rotary member 40 to stop releases the twist of the wire member 10 and causes the exterior member 20 to rotate in the opposite direction. Controlling the rotation (on) and the stop (off) of the rotary member 40 in this manner can cause the lighting device 100 to slowly rotate in both a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction. For this reason, it is preferable to alternately execute the rotation and the stop of the rotor of the rotary member 40.

[0012] In the lighting device 100 according to the present invention, the rotary member 40 may be a fan that is driven to rotate by a motor. Controlling the rotation and the stop of the fan can cause the lighting device 100 to slowly rotate in both the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction as mentioned above. In addition, the rotation of the fan produces an airflow in the exterior member 20, and thus the effect of swaying the light-emitting members 30, which are provided in a floating manner, can be expected. Note that the fan is provided in the exterior member 20 mainly for causing the lighting device 100 to rotate, and the fan is not supposed to move the exterior member 20 with an airflow produced by the fan. Thus, there is no need to provide an air hole in the container member 51 housing the fan, the holder member 52 holding the fan, or the like.

[0013] In the lighting device 100 according to the present invention, the rotary member 40 may be a flywheel that is driven to rotate by a motor. By controlling the rotation and the stop of the flywheel, the lighting device 100 can also be caused to slowly rotate in both the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction as mentioned above.

[0014] In the lighting device 100 according to the present invention, the rotary member 40 preferably includes a frame 43 to which the stator is attached. In addition, the coupling structure 50 preferably includes a container member 51, a holder member 52, and a lid member 53. The container member 51 is fixed to a lower portion of the frame 43 of the rotary member 40. The container member 51 is configured to house the rotary member 40. The holder member 52 is fixed to an upper portion of the frame 43 of the rotary member 40. The holder member 52 is housed in the container member 51 as with the rotary member 40. The lid member 53 is fixed to the exterior member 20. The lid member 53 is configured to hold the container member 51 in the exterior member 20. In this case, the wire member 10 is preferably fixed to the holder member 52. Such a coupling structure 50 makes it possible to efficiently transmit a force produced by the rotation of the rotor of the rotary member 40 acting on the stator to the exterior member 20 and the wire member 10.

[0015] A second aspect of the present invention relates to a method for operating a lighting device 100 of a suspension type. The lighting device 100 relates to the first aspect mentioned above. Specifically, the lighting device 100 includes a wire member 10, an exterior member 20 including a space inside the exterior member 20 and being transparent or translucent, light-emitting members 30 provided in the exterior member 20, a rotary member 40 including a rotor and a stator that are provided in the exterior member 20, and a coupling structure 50 coupling the wire member 10, the exterior member 20, and the stator of the rotary member 40 together such that a force applied to any one of the members is transmitted to the other members. In this case, in the operating method for the lighting device 100, first, the rotor of the rotary member 40 is caused to rotate to cause the exterior member 20 to rotate in one direction and give a twist to the wire member 10 (a first step). In addition, in the operating method, by subsequently causing the rotor of the rotary member 40 to stop, the twist of the wire member 10 is released, and the exterior member 20 is caused to rotate in the opposite direction (a second step).Advantageous Effects of Invention

[0016] The lighting device according to the present invention makes it possible to reproduce the behavior of a soap bubble more naturally.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of lighting devices according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the internal structure of a lighting device, mainly illustrating a container member, a rotary member, a holder member, and a wire member. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the internal structure of the lighting device, mainly illustrating the container member, a controller member, screws, and the wire member. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the internal structure of the lighting device, mainly illustrating an exterior member, the container member, light-emitting members, a lid member, the wire member, and a power supply cable. Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the lighting device according to the embodiment. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the lighting device rotates. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] An embodiment for practicing the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below but includes modifications that are made by those skilled in the art as appropriate within a scope obvious to those skilled in the art from the following embodiment.

[0019] Fig. 1 illustrates lighting devices 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in Fig. 1, each of the lighting devices 100 includes a wire member 10. With the wire member 10, the illuminating device 100 can be suspended from a ceiling or the like. The lighting device 100 also includes an exterior member 20 that is in a spherical shape and is transparent or translucent. In the space inside the exterior member 20, light-emitting members 30 such as LED cables, and other various members are housed. In the present embodiment, a plastic-made or glass-made cover having a certain level of hardness is employed as the exterior member 20. The surface of the exterior member 20 is processed to have a one-way mirror, which is semi-transparent. The exterior member 20 is thus configured such that another external object is reflected in a portion of the surface. In the example illustrated in Fig. 1, two lighting devices 100 are arranged close to each other, and thus one of the lighting devices 100 is reflected in the surface of the exterior member 20 of the other lighting device 100. The one-way mirror preferably has, for example, a light reflectivity of less than 80% and a light transmittance of 10% to 50%, so as to mainly reflect light from the outside of the exterior member 20 and transmit light from the inside of the exterior member 20. The size of the exterior member 20 is not limited to a particular size. The exterior member 20 may have any size as long as the exterior member 20 can house the various pieces of equipment to be described below. For example, the diameter of the exterior member 20 is preferably set to 150 to 500 mm. In addition, although not illustrated, a translucent rainbow film called holographic film, iridescent film, or the like, of which the color differs depending on a viewing angle or how to irradiate it with light, can be housed inside the exterior member 20. This enables the lighting device 100 to shine like a soap bubble while the light-emitting members 30 in the exterior member 20 are turned on.

[0020] Fig. 2 to Fig. 4 each illustrate an exploded perspective view of various members constituting the lighting device 100 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in these figures, the lighting device 100 includes, in addition to the wire member 10 and the exterior member 20, the light-emitting members 30, a rotary member 40, a coupling structure 50, a controller member 60, screws 70, and a power supply cable 80. The coupling structure 50 mentioned here is a structure that mainly couples the wire member 10, the exterior member 20, and a stator of the rotary member 40 together such that a force applied to any one of the members is transmitted to the other members. That is, the wire member 10, the exterior member 20, and a stator of the rotary member 40 are in the relation in which a movement of the stator of the rotary member 40 causes the exterior member 20 and the wire member 10 to move in an interlocked manner, or likewise, a movement of the wire member 10 causes the exterior member 20 and the stator of the rotary member 40 to move in an interlocked manner. Such a relationship is implemented with the coupling structure 50. Specifically, as illustrated in Fig 2 to Fig. 4, the coupling structure 50 mainly includes a container member 51, a holder member 52, and a lid member 53.

[0021] First, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the container member 51 is a cup-shaped member capable of housing primary members such as the rotary member 40, the holder member 52, and the controller member 60. The container member 51 includes a housing portion 51a having a depth that allows the housing portion 51a to house these members, and a flange portion 51b that protrudes outward from the periphery of an upper portion of the housing portion 51a. The housing portion 51a is formed in a bottomed square-pipe shape with an opening provided at an upper portion of the housing portion 51a. The housing portion 51a includes a housing space having a quadrilateral cross section, inside the housing portion 51a. In the housing space, the rotary member 40, which has likewise a quadrilateral cross section, and the holder member 52. At this time, the rotary member 40 and the holder member 52 are inscribed in the housing portion 51a of the container member 51. For this reason, the rotary member 40 and the holder member 52 neither shift nor move in the container member 51. In this manner, the container member 51 functions as part of the coupling structure 50. Note that the bottom surface of the housing portion 51a of the container member 51 is not particularly provided with a ventilation hole or the like for letting wind generated by the rotation of the rotary member 40 (a fan) pass. On the other hand, the container member 51 is provided with holes 51c in four side walls of the container member 51 at an upper portion of the housing portion 51a, specifically, at and in the vicinity of the boundary between the housing portion 51a and the flange portion 51b. The holes 51c are holes that allow the light-emitting members 30, each of which is in a cable shape, to be passed as illustrated in Fig. 4.

[0022] The exterior surface of the container member 51 is preferably provided with a mirror so as to make the container member 51 less conspicuous through the translucent exterior member 20 when the lighting device 100 is viewed from the outside. Note that the container member 51, which eliminates the need for a ventilation hole as mentioned above, can have an increased area of the mirror. This can make the container member 51 less conspicuous when the lighting device 100 is viewed from the outside.

[0023] The rotary member 40 is a member configured to generate a rotating force that causes the entire lighting device 100 to rotate in a horizontal direction. As the rotary member 40, a member with a rotor having a rotating shaft along a perpendicular (vertical) direction and a stator configured to generate a rotating magnetic field to cause the rotor to rotate in the horizontal direction can be employed. In the present embodiment, a fan is employed as the rotary member 40. Note that, as the rotary member 40, a DC axial fan and an AC axial fan are both employable. The fan includes a motor part 41 including a rotor and a stator, a blade part 42 fixed to the rotating shaft (output shaft) of the motor part 41, and a frame 43 attached to the stator of the motor part 41. The blade part 42 of the fan is not fixed to or otherwise attached to another member in the lighting device 100. Thus, the motor part 41 supplied with electric power causes the blade part 42 to freely rotate. The rotating blade part 42 exerts, on the motor part 41 and the frame 43 to which the motor part 41 is fixed, a rotating force that causes the motor part 41 and the frame 43 to rotate in the same direction as the blade part 42. In the present embodiment, such a rotating force generated as a side effect with the rotation of the blade part 42 is utilized as a force for causing the entire lighting device 100 to rotate.

[0024] Although the fan is employed as the rotary member 40 in the present embodiment, an airflow produced by the fan is not particularly needed. For this reason, the container member 51 housing the rotary member 40 (fan) and the holder member 52 holding the rotary member 40 from above do not need ventilation holes that serve as passages for the airflow.

[0025] In addition, since the airflow is not needed in the present embodiment as described above, another rotary member that does not produce airflow, such as a flywheel, can be employed as the rotary member 40 instead of the fan. Although the illustration of a configuration in which the flywheel is employed is omitted, the flywheel is constituted mainly by a motor part including a rotor and a stator, a disk part fixed to the rotating shaft (output shaft) of the motor part, and a frame attached to the stator of the motor part. The disk part of the flywheel is not fixed to or otherwise attached to another member in the lighting device 100. Thus, the motor part supplied with electric power causes the disk part to freely rotate. The rotating disk part exerts, on the motor part and the frame to which the motor part is fixed, a rotating force that causes the motor part and the frame to rotate in the same direction as the disk part. Such a rotating force generated as a side effect with the rotation of the disk part of the flywheel can also be utilized as a force for causing the entire lighting device 100 to rotate.

[0026] The holder member 52 is arranged above the rotary member 40. The holder member 52 is a member configured to hold the rotary member 40 within the container member 51. That is, in the container member 51, the rotary member 40 is brought into a state of being sandwiched between the bottom surface of the container member 51 and the holder member 52. The holder member 52 is a plate-shaped member that is roughly flat. At the center of the plate-shaped portion, the holder member 52 is provided with a wire fixing portion 52a configured to fix the lower end of the wire member 10, on the upper surface side of the holder member 52. The wire fixing portion 52a is configured to cause, while the holder member 52 rotates in the horizontal direction, the wire member 10 to rotate in the same direction, thus twisting the wire member 10. The wire fixing portion 52a is not limited to a particular structure. For example, as illustrate in Fig. 2, the wire fixing portion 52a has a semi-circle arch shape provided with, at the center of the arch shape, a small hole through which the wire member 10 can be inserted. The small hole has a size that is adjusted such that an anchor attached to the lower end of the wire member 10 cannot pass through the hole. The anchor at the lower end of the wire member 10 has such a shape that brings the anchor into contact with the arch shape portion of the wire fixing portion 52a. For this reason, while the holder member 52 rotates, the rotating force of the rotation is transmitted to the wire member 10 via the anchor. The holder member 52 is also provided with a plurality of threaded holes 52b, into which screws 70 described later are to be fitted, on the upper surface side. In addition, the holder member 52 is provided with projecting portions 52c at the four corners on the upper surface side. The projecting portions 52c are to be fitted into recessed portions 44 that are provided at the four corners of the frame 43 of the rotary member 40 (fan). By making the holder member 52 and the rotary member 40 housed in the container member 51 in the state where the holder member 52 and the frame 43 of the rotary member 40 are fitted together in this manner, the holder member 52 and the rotary member 40 are fixed in the container member 51.

[0027] As illustrated in Fig. 3, the controller member 60 is arranged on the upper portion of the holder member 52. The controller member 60 is a member configured to control electronic devices included in the lighting device 100, specifically, the light-emitting members 30 (LED cables) and the rotary member 40 (fan). The functional configuration of the controller member 60 will be described later with reference to Fig. 5. The structure of the controller member 60 will be described first. The controller member 60 includes a substrate that is in a substantially quadrilateral shape. At the center of the substrate, a wire through hole 60a, through which the wire member 10 is to be inserted, is provided, and at the four corners of the substrate, screw through holes 60b are provided. In the state where the wire member 10 is inserted through the controller member 60, the controller member 60 is arranged above the holder member 52, and the controller member 60 is also housed in the housing space of the container member 51. Thereafter, the screws 70 are inserted through the screw through holes 60b of the controller member 60 and screwed into the threaded holes 52b of the holder member 52. This fixes the controller member 60 onto the holder member 52.

[0028] As illustrated in Fig. 4, to output terminals of the controller member 60, the light-emitting members 30 are attached. In the present embodiment, four light-emitting members 30 can be electrically connected to the controller member 60. As the light-emitting members 30, LED cables are preferably employed. An LED cable is a cable-shaped member in which a plurality of light-emitting elements 31, each of which is an LED, are connected in a line. One end of each of the LED cables is connected to the controller member 60. From the controller member 60, the LED cable is supplied with a control signal and electric power. The other end of each of the LED cables is not fixed to anything, thus being free. For this reason, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the LED cables hang down from the controller member 60 in a vertical direction in a floating manner. The LED cables also extend out of the housing space of the container member 51 through the holes 51c provided in the container member 51. The entire LED cables are housed in the exterior member 20.

[0029] As illustrated in Fig. 4, to input terminals of the controller member 60, the power supply cable 80 is connected. Via the power supply cable 80, the controller member 60 receives electric power to be supplied to the electronic devices on the controller member 60, the light-emitting members 30 (LED cables), and the rotary member 40 (fan). The electric power to be supplied to the light-emitting members 30 (LED cables) and the rotary member 40 (fan) is controlled by the controller member 60. In a case where a plurality of lighting devices 100 are controlled to perform a lighting presentation, a superordinate control device (not illustrated) configured to control the plurality of lighting devices 100 is provided, and the control device sends control signals for light-emitting members 30 and rotary members 40 to the controller members 60 of the lighting devices 100 via the power supply cable 80. The controller member 60 of each lighting device 100 distributes the control signals received from the superordinate control device to the light-emitting members 30 and the rotary member 40. In this case, the light-emitting members 30 and the rotary members 40 are substantially controlled by the superordinate control device, and the controller members 60 function as terminal strips for distributing the control signals from the superordinate control device.

[0030] As illustrated in Fig. 4, the lid member 53, which is in a circular shape, is attached to an upper part of the container member 51. The lid member 53 is made to butt against the flange portion 51b of the container member 51 and fixed. The method of fixing the lid member 53 to the container member 51 is not limited to a particular method. For example, the lid member 53 and the container member 51 may be mechanically coupled together using an engaging claw provided to one of them and a receiver for the engaging claw provided to the other. The lid member 53 and the container member 51 may be otherwise fixed together with a fastener such as a pin. The lid member 53 is formed with a thread groove 53a on a portion of the inner surface of the side wall of the lid member 53. The lid member 53 is configured such that a screw thread 22 formed around an opening 21 at an upper portion of the exterior member 20 can be fitted into the thread groove 53a. The lid member 53 and the exterior member 20 are fixed to each other by fitting the screw thread 22 of the exterior member 20 into the thread groove 53a of the lid member 53 in the state where the lid member 53 and the container member 51 are coupled together. At the center of the top plate of the lid member 53, a wire through hole 53b, through which the wire member 10 is to be inserted, is provided. The top plate of the lid member 53 is also provided with a cable through hole 53c, through which the power supply cable 80 is to be inserted. With these through holes, the wire member 10 and the power supply cable 80 are drawn to the outside through the lid member 53. In this manner, the lighting device 100 is brought into the state as illustrate in Fig. 1 by making the various members housed in the exterior member 20 and closing the opening 21 of the exterior member 20 with the lid member 53.

[0031] Next, with reference to Fig. 5, the functional configuration of the controller member 60 will be specifically described. In the present embodiment, the controller member 60 is constituted by a printed circuit board on which electronic components for controlling the light-emitting members 30 (LED cables) and the rotary member 40 (fan) are combined together. Fig. 5 illustrates an example of functional elements included in the controller member 60. In the example illustrated in Fig. 5, the controller member 60 includes a processor 61, a memory 62, a communicator 63, a drive control circuit 64, and a light-emission control circuit 65. An example of the processor 61 is a known CPU or another control circuit. The processor 61 performs predetermined computation processing according to a program and data stored in the memory 62, and executes various types of control processing while writing the results of the computation processing into a working space in the memory 62. The memory 62 is constituted by, for example, a volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM) or a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory. The memory 62 is used in the above-described computation processing by the processor 61. In the present embodiment, the processor 61 reads a program stored in the memory 62 and performs, according to the program, processing for driving the rotary members 40 and causing the light-emitting members 30 to emit light.

[0032] The communicator 63 is a communication module configured to communicate with an external control device in a wireless or wired manner. In the case of the wireless manner, the communicator 63 may perform wireless communication conforming to a known wireless communication standard, such as Wi-Fi (Registered Trademark), Bluetooth (Registered Trademark), or NFC, or to another proprietary standard, or at a frequency within a SubGHz band or the like, or may perform non-WLAN wireless communication, such as point-to-multipoint (P2MP) or Mesh communication. In contrast, in the case of the wired manner, the communicator 63 can communicate with the external control device via the power supply cable 80 concurrently with or separately from power supply. For example, via the communicator 63, the lighting device 100 communicates with the external control device (not illustrated). In this case, the lighting device 100 can control the driving state of the rotary member 40 and the light-emitting state of the light-emitting members 30, on the basis of instructions received from the external control device. The lighting device 100 can also communicate with another lighting device 100 or other lighting devices 100 (not illustrated) in a wired or wireless manner via the communicator 63. In this case, a plurality of lighting devices 100 may share information to control the driving states of their rotary members 40 and the light-emitting states of their light-emitting members 30. For example, the plurality of lighting devices 100 may coordinate their emitted-light colors and / or blink patterns of the light-emitting members 30. The plurality of lighting devices 100 may coordinate the driving patterns of their rotary members 40.

[0033] The drive control circuit 64 is a circuit configured to supply electric power from the power supply cable 80 to the rotary member 40 on the basis of a control instruction from the processor 61 such that the rotary member 40 is driven under predetermined driving conditions (rotation speed, rotating pattern, rotating direction, or the like). The light-emission control circuit 65 is a circuit configured to supply electric power from the power supply cable 80 to the light-emitting members 30 on the basis of a control instruction from the processor 61 such that the light-emitting elements 31 of the light-emitting members 30 emit light under predetermined light-emitting conditions (emitted-light color, luminance, light-emitting pattern, or the like). In addition, the light-emission control circuit 65 can control the plurality of light-emitting members 30 independently.

[0034] In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 5, the processor 61 is provided to the controller member 60 of each lighting device 100, and the lighting device 100 is supposed to autonomously control its light-emitting members 30 and rotary member 40. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. Specifically, a superordinate control device (computer) for controlling the lighting devices 100 from the outside is provided, and the control device sends control signals for the light-emitting members 30 and the rotary members 40 to lighting devices 10 via their power supply cables 80. The controller member 60 of each lighting device 100 distributes the control signals received from the superordinate control device to the light-emitting members 30 and the rotary member 40. In this case, the light-emitting members 30 and the rotary members 40 are substantially controlled by the superordinate control device, and the controller members 60 function as terminal strips for distributing the control signals from the superordinate control device. In this manner, the plurality of lighting devices 100 can be simultaneously controlled by the superordinate control device.

[0035] With the light-emitting elements 31 of the light-emitting members 30 turned on and the rotary member 40 driven to cause the entire lighting device 100 to slowly rotate, the lighting device 100 of the present embodiment can reproduce such behavior that the lighting device 100 changes its manner of iridescence every moment or rotates naturally, like an actual soap bubble. For example, the light-emission control circuit 65 may be configured to perform control of not only making the light-emitting elements 31 of the light-emitting members 30 always turned on but also causing the light-emitting elements 31 to repeatedly blink at predetermined intervals or random intervals. The light-emission control circuit 65 can also control the emitted-light colors of the light-emitting elements 31 of the light-emitting members 30. The light-emission control circuit 65 may be configured to control the light-emitting conditions for each light-emitting member 30 or may control the light-emitting conditions for each of the light-emitting elements 31 constituting each light-emitting member 30. The drive control circuit 64 may be configured to perform control of not only always driving the rotary member 40 but also switching the driving of the rotary member 40 on / off at predetermined intervals or random intervals or repeating increasing / decreasing the speed of rotation at predetermined intervals or random intervals. By causing the light-emitting members 30 to blink and adjusting the on / off and the speed of rotation of the rotary member 40 in this manner, the lighting device 100 can reproduce behavior that looks like that of an actual soap bubble.

[0036] Next, with reference to Fig. 6, how to cause the entire lighting device 100 to rotate will be described. First, as illustrated in Fig. 6(a), the rotor of the rotary member 40 housed in the container member 51 of the lighting device 100 is caused to rotate. Causing the rotor to rotate generates a rotating force in the stator of the rotary member 40. The rotating force exerted on the stator of the rotary member 40 is transmitted to the exterior member 20 and the wire member 10 by the coupling structure 50 including the container member 51, and thus the exterior member 20 and the wire member 10 start rotating slowly in the same direction as the rotor of the rotary member 40. The rotation of the wire member 10 gives a twist to the wire member 10, and the rotating force exerted on the wire member 10 is accumulated in the wire member 10 in the form of the twist.

[0037] Next, as illustrated in Fig. 6(b), the rotor of the rotary member 40 is stopped. Even after the rotor is stopped, the exterior member 20 and the wire member 10 do not stop immediately but continue rotating in the same direction by inertia. The rotation speed gradually decreases, and finally, the rotation of the exterior member 20 and the like stops.

[0038] Subsequently, the rotor of the rotary member 40 is kept stopped. Then, as illustrated in Fig. 6(c), a force that releases the twist accumulated in the wire member 10 causes the exterior member 20 and the wire member 10 to start rotating in the opposite direction. As the rotation in the opposite direction continues, the twist of the wire member 10 is eliminated, and then the wire member 10 is twisted again in the opposite direction, untwisted, and twisted in the original direction, and repeats the above, so that the rotation of the wire member 10 and the exterior member 20 gradually stops. Thereafter, as illustrated in Fig. 6(a), by causing the rotor of the rotary member 40 to rotate again, the wire member 10 and the exterior member 20 start rotating again in the same direction as the rotor. Note that the rotation of the rotor of the rotary member 40 may be resumed after the rotation of the wire member 10 and the exterior member 20 completely stops, or the rotation of the rotor of the rotary member 40 may be resumed before the rotation of the wire member 10 and the exterior member 20 stops.

[0039] By repeating the ON / OFF of the rotary member 40 periodically in this manner, the entire lighting device 100 can be caused to slowly rotate in one direction and the opposite direction. While the lighting device 100 repeats the rotation, the light-emitting members 30 in the exterior member 20, such as the LED cables, swing naturally. Further, the light-emitting members 30 in the lighting device 100 can be turned on or caused to blink. This makes the lighting device 100 (especially, the exterior member 20) look like an iridescent soap bubble. In this manner, the behavior of a soap bubble can be reproduced more naturally. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 1, by arranging the plurality of lighting devices 100, each of which includes the exterior member 20 having the surface formed with a mirror or a one-way mirror, the exterior member 20 of one of the lighting devices 100 reflects the exterior members 20 of other adjacent lighting devices 100 like a pattern of soap bubbles. In this state, by causing the plurality of lighting devices 100 adjacent to one another to slowly rotate as mentioned above, the beauty of the coordinated lighting devices 100 can be achieved.

[0040] Herein, an embodiment according to the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings to express details of the present invention. The present invention is, however, not limited to the embodiment described above but includes modifications and improvements obvious to those skilled in the art based on the disclosure provided herein.

[0041] For example, in the present embodiment, the controller member 60, the rotary member 40, and the light-emitting members 30 are supplied with electric power via the power supply cable 80. However, instead of this, it is possible to install a small battery in the lighting device 100 itself and to supply electric power from the battery to the controller member 60, the rotary member 40, and the light-emitting members 30. The battery may be a primary battery or may be a secondary battery. Note that, in the case where the battery is installed, a secondary battery is preferably employed because employing a rechargeable battery results in a high operational efficiency.Reference Signs List

[0042] 10wire member 20exterior member 21opening 22screw thread 30light-emitting member 31light-emitting element 40rotary member 41motor part 42blade part 43frame 44recessed portion 50coupling structure 51container member 51ahousing portion 51bflange portion 51chole 52holder member 52awire fixing portion 52bthreaded holes 52cprojecting portion 53lid member 53athread groove 53bwire through hole 53ccable through hole 60controller member 60awire through hole 60bscrew through hole 61processor 62memory 63communicator 64drive control circuit 65light-emission control circuit 70screw 80power supply cable 100lighting device

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0018]An embodiment for practicing the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below but includes modifications that are made by those skilled in the art as appropriate within a scope obvious to those skilled in the art from the following embodiment.

[0019]Fig. 1 illustrates lighting devices 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in Fig. 1, each of the lighting devices 100 includes a wire member 10. With the wire member 10, the illuminating device 100 can be suspended from a ceiling or the like. The lighting device 100 also includes an exterior member 20 that is in a spherical shape and is transparent or translucent. In the space inside the exterior member 20, light-emitting members 30 such as LED cables, and other various members are housed. In the present embodiment, a plastic-made or glass-made cover having a certain level of hardness is employed as t...

BACKGROUND

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting device and an operating method for the lighting device.Background Art

[0002] A lighting device having a shape that imitates a soap bubble has been known (e.g., PTL1). In the lighting device according to PTL1, a globe part to be irradiated with light from an LED is made of transparent glass and has a shape like a soap bubble. PTL1 describes that the lighting device represents, with the glass, a fleeting shape created by nature.

[0003] PTL2 discloses a lighting device that includes a plurality of decorative LED strips arranged in a refractive crystal cover and mechanically swings the LED strips.Citation ListPatent Literature

[0004] [PTL1]Japanese Design Registration No. 1454514[PTL2]CN 207796637 U SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTechnical Problem

[0005] Now, an actual soap bubble changes its movement, rotating direction, manner of iridescence, and the like every moment. Unfortunately, the LED of the lighting device according to PTL1 is arranged in the glass-made globe, and the lighting device is supposed to be stationary during use. Thus, the movement and manner of iridescence of the lighting device change little. That is, the lighting device according to PTL1 merely imitates a fleeting shape of a soap bubble and is not capable of reproducing a natural behavior of a soap bubble.

[0006] The lighting device according to PTL 2 includes a mechanism of swinging the decorative LED strips in the refractive crystal cover, but the refractive crystal cover neither rotates nor swings. The lighting device is supposed to be placed on a table or a floor during use. For this reason, the lighting device according to PTL2 is not capable of reproducing a natural behavior of a soap bubble, either.

[0007] Hence, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a lighting device capable of reproducing the behavior of a soap bubble naturally.Solution to Problem

[0008] The inventors of the present invention conducted intensive studies about means for achieving the object described above. As a result, the inventors configured the lighting device such that light-emitting members and a rotary member are provided in an exterior member suspended by a wire member, and that a force generated by the rotation of a rotor of the rotary member is indirectly transmitted to the exterior member and the wire member. This enables the lighting device to be caused to rotate naturally like a soap bubble by controlling the rotation and the stop of the rotor of the rotary member. Then, conceiving that the problem with the related art can be solved on the basis of the above-described finding, the inventors completed the present invention. To be specific, the present invention includes the following configuration.

[0009] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a lighting device 100 of a suspension type. The lighting device 100 according to the present invention includes a wire member 10, an exterior member 20, light-emitting members 30, a rotary member 40, and a coupling structure 50. The wire member 10 is used to suspend the lighting device 100 from, for example, a ceiling. The exterior member 20 includes a space inside the exterior member 20 and is transparent or translucent. The exterior member 20 preferably includes a one-way mirror on its exterior surface side. The exterior member 20 may be a hardcase made of plastic or glass, or may be a softcase made of a plastic film or the like. The light-emitting members 30 are provided in the exterior member 20. Each of the light-emitting members 30 is preferably a cable-shaped member provided in the exterior member 20 in a floating manner. Note that "in a floating manner" means that the entire cable-shaped light-emitting member 30 is not fixed to another structure, and at least part of the light-emitting member 30 is separated from the other structure and is moved in the exterior members 20 by some kind of action. The rotary member 40 includes a rotor and a stator that are provided in the exterior member 20. For example, the rotor is the rotor of a motor, and the stator is the stator of the motor. The coupling structure 50 couples the wire member 10, the exterior member 20, and the stator of the rotary member 40 together such that a force applied to any one of the members is transmitted to the other members. For example, causing the rotation of the rotor causes the stator to rotate little by little in the same direction, and a rotating force applied to the stator in this manner extends to the wire member 10 and the exterior member 20 by means of the coupling structure 50. Specifically, causing the rotation of the rotor of the rotary member 40 causes the exterior member 20 to rotate in one direction and gives a twist to the wire member 10. Then, by subsequently causing the rotor of the rotary member 40 to stop, the twist of the wire member 10 is released, and the exterior member 20 rotates in the opposite direction. Such rotation and reverse rotation can be repeated. The rotation and the stop of the rotor of the rotary member 40 may be controlled by the lighting device 100 by itself or may be controlled by a superordinate control device that is connected to the lighting device 100.

[0010] By providing the rotary member 40 inside the exterior member 20 of the lighting device 100 as in the above-described configuration, the lighting device 100 can be caused to rotate by itself. Such a lighting device 100 dispenses with, for example, the need to place a high airflow fan or the like outside the lighting device 100 to cause the exterior member 20 to rotate. In the case of using, for example, an external fan to cause lighting devices 100 to rotate, it is difficult to deliver wind to all the lighting devices 100 if the lighting devices 100 are placed in a large venue. The lighting device 100 can also be caused to rotate by giving a twist directly to a suspension cable. In this case, however, a large load is placed on the cable, and the cable may be damaged. According to the present invention, it is possible to solve these problems, thus reproducing the behavior of a soap bubble more naturally.

[0011] The lighting device 100 according to the present invention is preferably configured such that causing the rotation of the rotor of the rotary member 40 causes the exterior member 20 to rotate in one direction and gives a twist to the wire member 10, and subsequently causing the rotor of the rotary member 40 to stop releases the twist of the wire member 10 and causes the exterior member 20 to rotate in the opposite direction. Controlling the rotation (on) and the stop (off) of the rotary member 40 in this manner can cause the lighting device 100 to slowly rotate in both a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction. For this reason, it is preferable to alternately execute the rotation and the stop of the rotor of the rotary member 40.

[0012] In the lighting device 100 according to the present invention, the rotary member 40 may be a fan that is driven to rotate by a motor. Controlling the rotation and the stop of the fan can cause the lighting device 100 to slowly rotate in both the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction as mentioned above. In addition, the rotation of the fan produces an airflow in the exterior member 20, and thus the effect of swaying the light-emitting members 30, which are provided in a floating manner, can be expected. Note that the fan is provided in the exterior member 20 mainly for causing the lighting device 100 to rotate, and the fan is not supposed to move the exterior member 20 with an airflow produced by the fan. Thus, there is no need to provide an air hole in the container member 51 housing the fan, the holder member 52 holding the fan, or the like.

[0013] In the lighting device 100 according to the present invention, the rotary member 40 may be a flywheel that is driven to rotate by a motor. By controlling the rotation and the stop of the flywheel, the lighting device 100 can also be caused to slowly rotate in both the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction as mentioned above.

[0014] In the lighting device 100 according to the present invention, the rotary member 40 preferably includes a frame 43 to which the stator is attached. In addition, the coupling structure 50 preferably includes a container member 51, a holder member 52, and a lid member 53. The container member 51 is fixed to a lower portion of the frame 43 of the rotary member 40. The container member 51 is configured to house the rotary member 40. The holder member 52 is fixed to an upper portion of the frame 43 of the rotary member 40. The holder member 52 is housed in the container member 51 as with the rotary member 40. The lid member 53 is fixed to the exterior member 20. The lid member 53 is configured to hold the container member 51 in the exterior member 20. In this case, the wire member 10 is preferably fixed to the holder member 52. Such a coupling structure 50 makes it possible to efficiently transmit a force produced by the rotation of the rotor of the rotary member 40 acting on the stator to the exterior member 20 and the wire member 10.

[0015] A second aspect of the present invention relates to a method for operating a lighting device 100 of a suspension type. The lighting device 100 relates to the first aspect mentioned above. Specifically, the lighting device 100 includes a wire member 10, an exterior member 20 including a space inside the exterior member 20 and being transparent or translucent, light-emitting members 30 provided in the exterior member 20, a rotary member 40 including a rotor and a stator that are provided in the exterior member 20, and a coupling structure 50 coupling the wire member 10, the exterior member 20, and the stator of the rotary member 40 together such that a force applied to any one of the members is transmitted to the other members. In this case, in the operating method for the lighting device 100, first, the rotor of the rotary member 40 is caused to rotate to cause the exterior member 20 to rotate in one direction and give a twist to the wire member 10 (a first step). In addition, in the operating method, by subsequently causing the rotor of the rotary member 40 to stop, the twist of the wire member 10 is released, and the exterior member 20 is caused to rotate in the opposite direction (a second step).Advantageous Effects of Invention

[0016] The lighting device according to the present invention makes it possible to reproduce the behavior of a soap bubble more naturally.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of lighting devices according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the internal structure of a lighting device, mainly illustrating a container member, a rotary member, a holder member, and a wire member. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the internal structure of the lighting device, mainly illustrating the container member, a controller member, screws, and the wire member. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the internal structure of the lighting device, mainly illustrating an exterior member, the container member, light-emitting members, a lid member, the wire member, and a power supply cable. Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the lighting device according to the embodiment. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the lighting device rotates. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] An embodiment for practicing the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below but includes modifications that are made by those skilled in the art as appropriate within a scope obvious to those skilled in the art from the following embodiment.

[0019] Fig. 1 illustrates lighting devices 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in Fig. 1, each of the lighting devices 100 includes a wire member 10. With the wire member 10, the illuminating device 100 can be suspended from a ceiling or the like. The lighting device 100 also includes an exterior member 20 that is in a spherical shape and is transparent or translucent. In the space inside the exterior member 20, light-emitting members 30 such as LED cables, and other various members are housed. In the present embodiment, a plastic-made or glass-made cover having a certain level of hardness is employed as the exterior member 20. The surface of the exterior member 20 is processed to have a one-way mirror, which is semi-transparent. The exterior member 20 is thus configured such that another external object is reflected in a portion of the surface. In the example illustrated in Fig. 1, two lighting devices 100 are arranged close to each other, and thus one of the lighting devices 100 is reflected in the surface of the exterior member 20 of the other lighting device 100. The one-way mirror preferably has, for example, a light reflectivity of less than 80% and a light transmittance of 10% to 50%, so as to mainly reflect light from the outside of the exterior member 20 and transmit light from the inside of the exterior member 20. The size of the exterior member 20 is not limited to a particular size. The exterior member 20 may have any size as long as the exterior member 20 can house the various pieces of equipment to be described below. For example, the diameter of the exterior member 20 is preferably set to 150 to 500 mm. In addition, although not illustrated, a translucent rainbow film called holographic film, iridescent film, or the like, of which the color differs depending on a viewing angle or how to irradiate it with light, can be housed inside the exterior member 20. This enables the lighting device 100 to shine like a soap bubble while the light-emitting members 30 in the exterior member 20 are turned on.

[0020] Fig. 2 to Fig. 4 each illustrate an exploded perspective view of various members constituting the lighting device 100 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in these figures, the lighting device 100 includes, in addition to the wire member 10 and the exterior member 20, the light-emitting members 30, a rotary member 40, a coupling structure 50, a controller member 60, screws 70, and a power supply cable 80. The coupling structure 50 mentioned here is a structure that mainly couples the wire member 10, the exterior member 20, and a stator of the rotary member 40 together such that a force applied to any one of the members is transmitted to the other members. That is, the wire member 10, the exterior member 20, and a stator of the rotary member 40 are in the relation in which a movement of the stator of the rotary member 40 causes the exterior member 20 and the wire member 10 to move in an interlocked manner, or likewise, a movement of the wire member 10 causes the exterior member 20 and the stator of the rotary member 40 to move in an interlocked manner. Such a relationship is implemented with the coupling structure 50. Specifically, as illustrated in Fig 2 to Fig. 4, the coupling structure 50 mainly includes a container member 51, a holder member 52, and a lid member 53.

[0021] First, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the container member 51 is a cup-shaped member capable of housing primary members such as the rotary member 40, the holder member 52, and the controller member 60. The container member 51 includes a housing portion 51a having a depth that allows the housing portion 51a to house these members, and a flange portion 51b that protrudes outward from the periphery of an upper portion of the housing portion 51a. The housing portion 51a is formed in a bottomed square-pipe shape with an opening provided at an upper portion of the housing portion 51a. The housing portion 51a includes a housing space having a quadrilateral cross section, inside the housing portion 51a. In the housing space, the rotary member 40, which has likewise a quadrilateral cross section, and the holder member 52. At this time, the rotary member 40 and the holder member 52 are inscribed in the housing portion 51a of the container member 51. For this reason, the rotary member 40 and the holder member 52 neither shift nor move in the container member 51. In this manner, the container member 51 functions as part of the coupling structure 50. Note that the bottom surface of the housing portion 51a of the container member 51 is not particularly provided with a ventilation hole or the like for letting wind generated by the rotation of the rotary member 40 (a fan) pass. On the other hand, the container member 51 is provided with holes 51c in four side walls of the container member 51 at an upper portion of the housing portion 51a, specifically, at and in the vicinity of the boundary between the housing portion 51a and the flange portion 51b. The holes 51c are holes that allow the light-emitting members 30, each of which is in a cable shape, to be passed as illustrated in Fig. 4.

[0022] The exterior surface of the container member 51 is preferably provided with a mirror so as to make the container member 51 less conspicuous through the translucent exterior member 20 when the lighting device 100 is viewed from the outside. Note that the container member 51, which eliminates the need for a ventilation hole as mentioned above, can have an increased area of the mirror. This can make the container member 51 less conspicuous when the lighting device 100 is viewed from the outside.

[0023] The rotary member 40 is a member configured to generate a rotating force that causes the entire lighting device 100 to rotate in a horizontal direction. As the rotary member 40, a member with a rotor having a rotating shaft along a perpendicular (vertical) direction and a stator configured to generate a rotating magnetic field to cause the rotor to rotate in the horizontal direction can be employed. In the present embodiment, a fan is employed as the rotary member 40. Note that, as the rotary member 40, a DC axial fan and an AC axial fan are both employable. The fan includes a motor part 41 including a rotor and a stator, a blade part 42 fixed to the rotating shaft (output shaft) of the motor part 41, and a frame 43 attached to the stator of the motor part 41. The blade part 42 of the fan is not fixed to or otherwise attached to another member in the lighting device 100. Thus, the motor part 41 supplied with electric power causes the blade part 42 to freely rotate. The rotating blade part 42 exerts, on the motor part 41 and the frame 43 to which the motor part 41 is fixed, a rotating force that causes the motor part 41 and the frame 43 to rotate in the same direction as the blade part 42. In the present embodiment, such a rotating force generated as a side effect with the rotation of the blade part 42 is utilized as a force for causing the entire lighting device 100 to rotate.

[0024] Although the fan is employed as the rotary member 40 in the present embodiment, an airflow produced by the fan is not particularly needed. For this reason, the container member 51 housing the rotary member 40 (fan) and the holder member 52 holding the rotary member 40 from above do not need ventilation holes that serve as passages for the airflow.

[0025] In addition, since the airflow is not needed in the present embodiment as described above, another rotary member that does not produce airflow, such as a flywheel, can be employed as the rotary member 40 instead of the fan. Although the illustration of a configuration in which the flywheel is employed is omitted, the flywheel is constituted mainly by a motor part including a rotor and a stator, a disk part fixed to the rotating shaft (output shaft) of the motor part, and a frame attached to the stator of the motor part. The disk part of the flywheel is not fixed to or otherwise attached to another member in the lighting device 100. Thus, the motor part supplied with electric power causes the disk part to freely rotate. The rotating disk part exerts, on the motor part and the frame to which the motor part is fixed, a rotating force that causes the motor part and the frame to rotate in the same direction as the disk part. Such a rotating force generated as a side effect with the rotation of the disk part of the flywheel can also be utilized as a force for causing the entire lighting device 100 to rotate.

[0026] The holder member 52 is arranged above the rotary member 40. The holder member 52 is a member configured to hold the rotary member 40 within the container member 51. That is, in the container member 51, the rotary member 40 is brought into a state of being sandwiched between the bottom surface of the container member 51 and the holder member 52. The holder member 52 is a plate-shaped member that is roughly flat. At the center of the plate-shaped portion, the holder member 52 is provided with a wire fixing portion 52a configured to fix the lower end of the wire member 10, on the upper surface side of the holder member 52. The wire fixing portion 52a is configured to cause, while the holder member 52 rotates in the horizontal direction, the wire member 10 to rotate in the same direction, thus twisting the wire member 10. The wire fixing portion 52a is not limited to a particular structure. For example, as illustrate in Fig. 2, the wire fixing portion 52a has a semi-circle arch shape provided with, at the center of the arch shape, a small hole through which the wire member 10 can be inserted. The small hole has a size that is adjusted such that an anchor attached to the lower end of the wire member 10 cannot pass through the hole. The anchor at the lower end of the wire member 10 has such a shape that brings the anchor into contact with the arch shape portion of the wire fixing portion 52a. For this reason, while the holder member 52 rotates, the rotating force of the rotation is transmitted to the wire member 10 via the anchor. The holder member 52 is also provided with a plurality of threaded holes 52b, into which screws 70 described later are to be fitted, on the upper surface side. In addition, the holder member 52 is provided with projecting portions 52c at the four corners on the upper surface side. The projecting portions 52c are to be fitted into recessed portions 44 that are provided at the four corners of the frame 43 of the rotary member 40 (fan). By making the holder member 52 and the rotary member 40 housed in the container member 51 in the state where the holder member 52 and the frame 43 of the rotary member 40 are fitted together in this manner, the holder member 52 and the rotary member 40 are fixed in the container member 51.

[0027] As illustrated in Fig. 3, the controller member 60 is arranged on the upper portion of the holder member 52. The controller member 60 is a member configured to control electronic devices included in the lighting device 100, specifically, the light-emitting members 30 (LED cables) and the rotary member 40 (fan). The functional configuration of the controller member 60 will be described later with reference to Fig. 5. The structure of the controller member 60 will be described first. The controller member 60 includes a substrate that is in a substantially quadrilateral shape. At the center of the substrate, a wire through hole 60a, through which the wire member 10 is to be inserted, is provided, and at the four corners of the substrate, screw through holes 60b are provided. In the state where the wire member 10 is inserted through the controller member 60, the controller member 60 is arranged above the holder member 52, and the controller member 60 is also housed in the housing space of the container member 51. Thereafter, the screws 70 are inserted through the screw through holes 60b of the controller member 60 and screwed into the threaded holes 52b of the holder member 52. This fixes the controller member 60 onto the holder member 52.

[0028] As illustrated in Fig. 4, to output terminals of the controller member 60, the light-emitting members 30 are attached. In the present embodiment, four light-emitting members 30 can be electrically connected to the controller member 60. As the light-emitting members 30, LED cables are preferably employed. An LED cable is a cable-shaped member in which a plurality of light-emitting elements 31, each of which is an LED, are connected in a line. One end of each of the LED cables is connected to the controller member 60. From the controller member 60, the LED cable is supplied with a control signal and electric power. The other end of each of the LED cables is not fixed to anything, thus being free. For this reason, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the LED cables hang down from the controller member 60 in a vertical direction in a floating manner. The LED cables also extend out of the housing space of the container member 51 through the holes 51c provided in the container member 51. The entire LED cables are housed in the exterior member 20.

[0029] As illustrated in Fig. 4, to input terminals of the controller member 60, the power supply cable 80 is connected. Via the power supply cable 80, the controller member 60 receives electric power to be supplied to the electronic devices on the controller member 60, the light-emitting members 30 (LED cables), and the rotary member 40 (fan). The electric power to be supplied to the light-emitting members 30 (LED cables) and the rotary member 40 (fan) is controlled by the controller member 60. In a case where a plurality of lighting devices 100 are controlled to perform a lighting presentation, a superordinate control device (not illustrated) configured to control the plurality of lighting devices 100 is provided, and the control device sends control signals for light-emitting members 30 and rotary members 40 to the controller members 60 of the lighting devices 100 via the power supply cable 80. The controller member 60 of each lighting device 100 distributes the control signals received from the superordinate control device to the light-emitting members 30 and the rotary member 40. In this case, the light-emitting members 30 and the rotary members 40 are substantially controlled by the superordinate control device, and the controller members 60 function as terminal strips for distributing the control signals from the superordinate control device.

[0030] As illustrated in Fig. 4, the lid member 53, which is in a circular shape, is attached to an upper part of the container member 51. The lid member 53 is made to butt against the flange portion 51b of the container member 51 and fixed. The method of fixing the lid member 53 to the container member 51 is not limited to a particular method. For example, the lid member 53 and the container member 51 may be mechanically coupled together using an engaging claw provided to one of them and a receiver for the engaging claw provided to the other. The lid member 53 and the container member 51 may be otherwise fixed together with a fastener such as a pin. The lid member 53 is formed with a thread groove 53a on a portion of the inner surface of the side wall of the lid member 53. The lid member 53 is configured such that a screw thread 22 formed around an opening 21 at an upper portion of the exterior member 20 can be fitted into the thread groove 53a. The lid member 53 and the exterior member 20 are fixed to each other by fitting the screw thread 22 of the exterior member 20 into the thread groove 53a of the lid member 53 in the state where the lid member 53 and the container member 51 are coupled together. At the center of the top plate of the lid member 53, a wire through hole 53b, through which the wire member 10 is to be inserted, is provided. The top plate of the lid member 53 is also provided with a cable through hole 53c, through which the power supply cable 80 is to be inserted. With these through holes, the wire member 10 and the power supply cable 80 are drawn to the outside through the lid member 53. In this manner, the lighting device 100 is brought into the state as illustrate in Fig. 1 by making the various members housed in the exterior member 20 and closing the opening 21 of the exterior member 20 with the lid member 53.

[0031] Next, with reference to Fig. 5, the functional configuration of the controller member 60 will be specifically described. In the present embodiment, the controller member 60 is constituted by a printed circuit board on which electronic components for controlling the light-emitting members 30 (LED cables) and the rotary member 40 (fan) are combined together. Fig. 5 illustrates an example of functional elements included in the controller member 60. In the example illustrated in Fig. 5, the controller member 60 includes a processor 61, a memory 62, a communicator 63, a drive control circuit 64, and a light-emission control circuit 65. An example of the processor 61 is a known CPU or another control circuit. The processor 61 performs predetermined computation processing according to a program and data stored in the memory 62, and executes various types of control processing while writing the results of the computation processing into a working space in the memory 62. The memory 62 is constituted by, for example, a volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM) or a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory. The memory 62 is used in the above-described computation processing by the processor 61. In the present embodiment, the processor 61 reads a program stored in the memory 62 and performs, according to the program, processing for driving the rotary members 40 and causing the light-emitting members 30 to emit light.

[0032] The communicator 63 is a communication module configured to communicate with an external control device in a wireless or wired manner. In the case of the wireless manner, the communicator 63 may perform wireless communication conforming to a known wireless communication standard, such as Wi-Fi (Registered Trademark), Bluetooth (Registered Trademark), or NFC, or to another proprietary standard, or at a frequency within a SubGHz band or the like, or may perform non-WLAN wireless communication, such as point-to-multipoint (P2MP) or Mesh communication. In contrast, in the case of the wired manner, the communicator 63 can communicate with the external control device via the power supply cable 80 concurrently with or separately from power supply. For example, via the communicator 63, the lighting device 100 communicates with the external control device (not illustrated). In this case, the lighting device 100 can control the driving state of the rotary member 40 and the light-emitting state of the light-emitting members 30, on the basis of instructions received from the external control device. The lighting device 100 can also communicate with another lighting device 100 or other lighting devices 100 (not illustrated) in a wired or wireless manner via the communicator 63. In this case, a plurality of lighting devices 100 may share information to control the driving states of their rotary members 40 and the light-emitting states of their light-emitting members 30. For example, the plurality of lighting devices 100 may coordinate their emitted-light colors and / or blink patterns of the light-emitting members 30. The plurality of lighting devices 100 may coordinate the driving patterns of their rotary members 40.

[0033] The drive control circuit 64 is a circuit configured to supply electric power from the power supply cable 80 to the rotary member 40 on the basis of a control instruction from the processor 61 such that the rotary member 40 is driven under predetermined driving conditions (rotation speed, rotating pattern, rotating direction, or the like). The light-emission control circuit 65 is a circuit configured to supply electric power from the power supply cable 80 to the light-emitting members 30 on the basis of a control instruction from the processor 61 such that the light-emitting elements 31 of the light-emitting members 30 emit light under predetermined light-emitting conditions (emitted-light color, luminance, light-emitting pattern, or the like). In addition, the light-emission control circuit 65 can control the plurality of light-emitting members 30 independently.

[0034] In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 5, the processor 61 is provided to the controller member 60 of each lighting device 100, and the lighting device 100 is supposed to autonomously control its light-emitting members 30 and rotary member 40. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. Specifically, a superordinate control device (computer) for controlling the lighting devices 100 from the outside is provided, and the control device sends control signals for the light-emitting members 30 and the rotary members 40 to lighting devices 10 via their power supply cables 80. The controller member 60 of each lighting device 100 distributes the control signals received from the superordinate control device to the light-emitting members 30 and the rotary member 40. In this case, the light-emitting members 30 and the rotary members 40 are substantially controlled by the superordinate control device, and the controller members 60 function as terminal strips for distributing the control signals from the superordinate control device. In this manner, the plurality of lighting devices 100 can be simultaneously controlled by the superordinate control device.

[0035] With the light-emitting elements 31 of the light-emitting members 30 turned on and the rotary member 40 driven to cause the entire lighting device 100 to slowly rotate, the lighting device 100 of the present embodiment can reproduce such behavior that the lighting device 100 changes its manner of iridescence every moment or rotates naturally, like an actual soap bubble. For example, the light-emission control circuit 65 may be configured to perform control of not only making the light-emitting elements 31 of the light-emitting members 30 always turned on but also causing the light-emitting elements 31 to repeatedly blink at predetermined intervals or random intervals. The light-emission control circuit 65 can also control the emitted-light colors of the light-emitting elements 31 of the light-emitting members 30. The light-emission control circuit 65 may be configured to control the light-emitting conditions for each light-emitting member 30 or may control the light-emitting conditions for each of the light-emitting elements 31 constituting each light-emitting member 30. The drive control circuit 64 may be configured to perform control of not only always driving the rotary member 40 but also switching the driving of the rotary member 40 on / off at predetermined intervals or random intervals or repeating increasing / decreasing the speed of rotation at predetermined intervals or random intervals. By causing the light-emitting members 30 to blink and adjusting the on / off and the speed of rotation of the rotary member 40 in this manner, the lighting device 100 can reproduce behavior that looks like that of an actual soap bubble.

[0036] Next, with reference to Fig. 6, how to cause the entire lighting device 100 to rotate will be described. First, as illustrated in Fig. 6(a), the rotor of the rotary member 40 housed in the container member 51 of the lighting device 100 is caused to rotate. Causing the rotor to rotate generates a rotating force in the stator of the rotary member 40. The rotating force exerted on the stator of the rotary member 40 is transmitted to the exterior member 20 and the wire member 10 by the coupling structure 50 including the container member 51, and thus the exterior member 20 and the wire member 10 start rotating slowly in the same direction as the rotor of the rotary member 40. The rotation of the wire member 10 gives a twist to the wire member 10, and the rotating force exerted on the wire member 10 is accumulated in the wire member 10 in the form of the twist.

[0037] Next, as illustrated in Fig. 6(b), the rotor of the rotary member 40 is stopped. Even after the rotor is stopped, the exterior member 20 and the wire member 10 do not stop immediately but continue rotating in the same direction by inertia. The rotation speed gradually decreases, and finally, the rotation of the exterior member 20 and the like stops.

[0038] Subsequently, the rotor of the rotary member 40 is kept stopped. Then, as illustrated in Fig. 6(c), a force that releases the twist accumulated in the wire member 10 causes the exterior member 20 and the wire member 10 to start rotating in the opposite direction. As the rotation in the opposite direction continues, the twist of the wire member 10 is eliminated, and then the wire member 10 is twisted again in the opposite direction, untwisted, and twisted in the original direction, and repeats the above, so that the rotation of the wire member 10 and the exterior member 20 gradually stops. Thereafter, as illustrated in Fig. 6(a), by causing the rotor of the rotary member 40 to rotate again, the wire member 10 and the exterior member 20 start rotating again in the same direction as the rotor. Note that the rotation of the rotor of the rotary member 40 may be resumed after the rotation of the wire member 10 and the exterior member 20 completely stops, or the rotation of the rotor of the rotary member 40 may be resumed before the rotation of the wire member 10 and the exterior member 20 stops.

[0039] By repeating the ON / OFF of the rotary member 40 periodically in this manner, the entire lighting device 100 can be caused to slowly rotate in one direction and the opposite direction. While the lighting device 100 repeats the rotation, the light-emitting members 30 in the exterior member 20, such as the LED cables, swing naturally. Further, the light-emitting members 30 in the lighting device 100 can be turned on or caused to blink. This makes the lighting device 100 (especially, the exterior member 20) look like an iridescent soap bubble. In this manner, the behavior of a soap bubble can be reproduced more naturally. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 1, by arranging the plurality of lighting devices 100, each of which includes the exterior member 20 having the surface formed with a mirror or a one-way mirror, the exterior member 20 of one of the lighting devices 100 reflects the exterior members 20 of other adjacent lighting devices 100 like a pattern of soap bubbles. In this state, by causing the plurality of lighting devices 100 adjacent to one another to slowly rotate as mentioned above, the beauty of the coordinated lighting devices 100 can be achieved.

[0040] Herein, an embodiment according to the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings to express details of the present invention. The present invention is, however, not limited to the embodiment described above but includes modifications and improvements obvious to those skilled in the art based on the disclosure provided herein.

[0041] For example, in the present embodiment, the controller member 60, the rotary member 40, and the light-emitting members 30 are supplied with electric power via the power supply cable 80. However, instead of this, it is possible to install a small battery in the lighting device 100 itself and to supply electric power from the battery to the controller member 60, the rotary member 40, and the light-emitting members 30. The battery may be a primary battery or may be a secondary battery. Note that, in the case where the battery is installed, a secondary battery is preferably employed because employing a rechargeable battery results in a high operational efficiency.Reference Signs List

[0042] 10wire member 20exterior member 21opening 22screw thread 30light-emitting member 31light-emitting element 40rotary member 41motor part 42blade part 43frame 44recessed portion 50coupling structure 51container member 51ahousing portion 51bflange portion 51chole 52holder member 52awire fixing portion 52bthreaded holes 52cprojecting portion 53lid member 53athread groove 53bwire through hole 53ccable through hole 60controller member 60awire through hole 60bscrew through hole 61processor 62memory 63communicator 64drive control circuit 65light-emission control circuit 70screw 80power supply cable 100lighting device

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0018]An embodiment for practicing the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below but includes modifications that are made by those skilled in the art as appropriate within a scope obvious to those skilled in the art from the following embodiment.

[0019]Fig. 1 illustrates lighting devices 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in Fig. 1, each of the lighting devices 100 includes a wire member 10. With the wire member 10, the illuminating device 100 can be suspended from a ceiling or the like. The lighting device 100 also includes an exterior member 20 that is in a spherical shape and is transparent or translucent. In the space inside the exterior member 20, light-emitting members 30 such as LED cables, and other various members are housed. In the present embodiment, a plastic-made or glass-made cover having a certain level of hardness is employed as t...

Claims

1. A lighting device of a suspension type, comprising: a wire member; an exterior member including a space inside the exterior member, the exterior member being transparent or translucent; a light-emitting member provided in the exterior member; a rotary member including a rotor and a stator that are provided in the exterior member; and a coupling structure that couples the wire member, the exterior member, and the stator of the rotary member together such that a force applied to any one of the members is transmitted to other members, wherein causing rotation of the rotor of the rotary member causes the exterior member to rotate in one direction and gives a twist to the wire member, and by subsequently causing the rotor of the rotary member to stop, the twist of the wire member is released, and the exterior member rotates in an opposite direction.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the rotary member alternately executes rotation and stop of the rotor.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the rotary member is a fan that is driven to rotate by a motor.

4. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the rotary member is a flywheel that is driven to rotate by a motor.

5. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the rotary member includes a frame to which the stator is attached, the coupling structure includes: a container member fixed to a lower portion of the frame of the rotary member and housing the rotary member; a holder member fixed to an upper portion of the frame of the rotary member and housed in the container member; and a lid member fixed to the exterior member and holding the container member in the exterior member, and the wire member is fixed to the holder member.

6. A method for operating a lighting device of a suspension type, wherein the lighting device includes: a wire member; an exterior member including a space inside the exterior member, the exterior member being transparent or translucent; a light-emitting member provided in the exterior member; a rotary member including a rotor and a stator that are provided in the exterior member; and a coupling structure that couples the wire member, the exterior member, and the stator of the rotary member together such that a force applied to any one of the members is transmitted to other members, and the method comprises: a step of causing the rotor of the rotary member to rotate, so as to cause the exterior member to rotate in one direction and give a twist to the wire member; and a step of subsequently causing the rotor of the rotary member to stop, so as to release the twist of the wire member and cause the exterior member to rotate in an opposite direction.

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