Rechargeable lightbulb assembly

Abstract

A rechargeable lightbulb assembly comprises a rechargeable lightbulb 100 comprising a body portion 102 housing a rechargeable power source 110 and one or more light emitting elements 115 electrically

Description

The present invention relates to a rechargeable lightbulb assembly and in particular, but not exclusively, to an assembly including a rechargeable lightbulb and an adaptor for mounting said lightbulb in a conventional light fitting. Rechargeable lightbulbs including light emitting diodes (LEDs) and means for charging an internal battery via a universal serial bus (USB) socket are known. These conventional rechargeable lightbulbs have either a bayonet formation at their lower end for mounting in an existing bayonet cap (BC) lightbulb socket, e.g. B22, or a screw thread formation at their lower end for mounting in an existing Edison screw (ES) lightbulb socket, e.g. E27. The existing lightbulb socket may be part of a ceiling pendant light fitting, wall light fitting or a desk lamp fitting, etc. However, improvements to these conventional rechargeable lightbulbs are desired, particularly in relation to how they are used and charged. It is an aim of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide a rechargeable lightbulb which can be used in more than one different type of existing lightbulb socket. It is an aim of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide an assembly including a rechargeable lightbulb and an adaptor to allow the lightbulb to be mounted in a selected one of a plurality of differently conformed conventional lightbulb sockets such as an E27 or B22 socket. It is an aim of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide an assembly including a rechargeable lightbulb and an adaptor to allow the lightbulb to be mounted in a selected one of a plurality of differently conformed conventional lightbulb sockets or a universal charger for recharging the lightbulb. According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a rechargeable lightbulb assembly comprising: a rechargeable lightbulb comprising: a body portion housing a rechargeable power source and one or more light emitting elements electrically coupled to the power source; a cover portion extending from an upper region of the body portion for allowing light emitted from the light emitting element / s to pass therethrough and exit the lightbulb; and a first coupling formation extending from or into a lower region of the body portion; an adaptor comprising: a base portion for engagement with the body portion of the lightbulb; an attachment portion extending from a lower region of the base portion for mounting the adaptor in a conventional light fitting socket; and a second coupling formation extending from or into an upper region of the base portion, wherein the first coupling formation comprises one of a stem portion and an elongate bore, and the second coupling formation comprises the other of the stem portion and the elongate bore, wherein the elongate bore is configured to slidably receive the stem portion to releasably couple the lightbulb to the adaptor. Optionally, the first coupling formation comprises the stem portion and the second coupling formation comprises the elongate bore. Optionally, the upper region of the base portion of the adaptor comprises a substantially flat surface for engagement with a substantially flat surface of the lower region of the body portion of the lightbulb when the same is coupled to the adaptor. Optionally, the stem portion comprises a first magnetic element for releasable cooperation with a second magnetic element located in or proximal to the elongate bore. Optionally, the first magnetic element is located in a lower end region of the stem portion and the second magnetic element is located in or proximal to a base of the elongate bore. Optionally, the attachment portion of the adaptor comprises a screw thread formation or a bayonet formation for cooperation with a conventional Edison screw (ES) or bayonet cap (BC) light fitting socket. Optionally, the elongate bore of the adaptor extends axially inside the attachment portion. Optionally, the lightbulb comprises at least one first electrical contact part and the adaptor comprises at least one second electrical contact part arranged to engage each other when the lightbulb is coupled to the adaptor and complete an electrical circuit. Optionally, the at least one first electrical contact part is located on the lower region of the body portion of the lightbulb and comprises an inner electrical contact ring concentrically arranged within an outer electrical contact ring to define an annular spacing therebetween, and the at least one second electrical contact part is located on the upper region of the base portion of the adaptor and comprises a pair of spaced apart contact elements each arranged to engage a respective one of the contact rings when the lightbulb is coupled to the adaptor. Optionally, each contact element comprises an electrical spring pin. Optionally, the at least one first electrical contact part is coupled to the power source to enable the same to be recharged when connected to a charging supply of electrical power. Optionally, the electrical circuit is coupled to a controller in the lightbulb or adaptor configured to determine when the lightbulb is coupled to the adaptor responsive to the electrical circuit being completed and / or the electrical circuit is configured to couple the power source to one or more electrical components in the adaptor when the electrical circuit is completed. Optionally, the lightbulb comprises an NFC tag and the adaptor comprises an NFC reader coupled to a controller configured to determine when the lightbulb is coupled to the adaptor responsive to the NFC tag being detected by the NFC reader. Optionally, the lightbulb is configured to be controlled wirelessly to selectively turn on / off the one or more light emitting elements, to selectively adjust a brightness of the one or more light emitting elements, and / or to selectively change a colour of the one or more light emitting elements. Optionally, the one or more light emitting elements comprise a plurality of LEDs. Optionally, the assembly comprises a plurality of said adaptors wherein each adaptor comprises a differently conformed attachment portion for coupling the lightbulb to one of a plurality of different supports. Optionally, the attachment portion of a first one of the plurality of adaptors comprises an Edison screw thread (ES) formation and a second one of the plurality of adaptors comprises a bayonet cap (BC) formation. Optionally, the assembly comprises a charger for recharging the power source of the lightbulb. Optionally, the charger comprises a housing including at least one third coupling formation corresponding in shape and size to the second coupling formation of the adaptor such that the first coupling formation of the lightbulb is locatable in or on the third coupling formation of the charger. Optionally, the at least one third coupling formation comprises at least one elongate bore for receiving the stem portion of the lightbulb. Optionally, the at least one third coupling formation comprises a plurality of spaced apart third coupling formations to allow a plurality of said lightbulbs to be mounted on the charger and recharged at the same time. Optionally, the charger comprises a third magnetic element located in or proximal to the elongate bore for releasable cooperation with the first magnetic element in the stem portion of the lightbulb. Optionally, the charger comprises at least one third electrical contact part for engagement with the at least one first electrical contact part of the lightbulb to recharge the power source when the lightbulb is mounted on the charger. Optionally, the charger comprises a further pair of spaced apart contact elements each arranged to engage a respective one of the contact rings of the lightbulb when the same is mounted on the charger. Optionally, the charger comprises an electrical power source and / or is connectable to an electrical power supply. Description of the Drawings Certain embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 illustrates a rechargeable lightbulb according to certain embodiments of the present invention; Figure 2 illustrates an exploded view of the lightbulb; Figure 3 illustrates a cross sectional side view of the lightbulb; Figure 4 illustrates the lightbulb being inserted into an adaptor according to certain embodiments of the present invention; Figure 5 illustrates an exploded view of the adaptor; Figure 6 illustrates a cross sectional side view of the lightbulb mounted on the adaptor; Figure 7 illustrates the lightbulb being inserted into a charger according to certain embodiments of the present invention; and Figure 8 illustrates a cross sectional side view of the lightbulb mounted on the charger. Detailed Description As illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, a rechargeable lightbulb 100 according to certain embodiments of the present invention includes a body portion 102, a domed head portion 104, and an elongate stem portion 106 extending axially downwardly from the body portion. The body portion 102 is substantially cone or pot-shaped having a circular wall 108 which tapers outwardly to define a substantially hollow interior 109 and a relatively wide upper opening. The interior of the body portion 102 is sized and shaped to receive a power source 110, such as one or more lithium-ion or Li-FePO4 batteries, e.g. six AA battery cells each being 2000mAh at 3.2V or 76800mWhrs. Aptly, the power source, or a housing containing the power source, is sized and shaped to correspond with the interior of the body portion to securely mount the same therein. A circular printed circuit board (PCB) 111 is mounted in the circular upper region of the body portion 102 and above the power source 110. The PCB includes a controller in the form of a microprocessor and a plurality of LEDs 115 or other suitable light emitting device / s mounted on the PCB in a spaced apart circular array and operably coupled to the controller. The PCB is connected to the power source. Each LED may be configured to emit a single colour of light, such as white, red, blue or green, or a selected one of a plurality of different colours of light. The LEDs are aptly dimmable from 800 to 150 Lumens for example. The domed head portion 104 is attached to the upper edge region of the body portion 102 to close and seal the upper opening thereof and prevent access to the electrical components inside or the ingress of contaminants therein. The head portion 104 is substantially translucent to allow light emitted from the LEDs to pass therethrough whilst ensuring the components inside the lightbulb are not visible from the outside. A pair of electrical contact rings 112,114 are mounted to the underside of the body portion 102 and around the base of the stem portion 106. An outer diameter of an inner one of the contact rings 114 is less than an inner diameter of an outer one of the contact rings 112 such that an annular spacing is created between the two contact rings. Each contact ring 112,114 is electrically connected to the power source 110 by a respective terminal 116. A magnet 118 is mounted, such as by over-moulding or adhering, in or on the lower end region of the stem portion 106. As illustrated in Figures 4 to 6, the stem portion 106 of the lightbulb 100 is configured to slidably locate in a central bore or recess 202 of an adaptor 200. Aptly, the bore 202 has a diameter of around 17mm. Aptly, the lower end of the stem portion and the upper edge of the bore opening are tapered to help locate and guide the stem portion into the bore. The adaptor 200 includes a base portion 204 having a circular upper flange region 206, a circular outer wall region 208 and a circular inner wall region 210 surrounding the central bore 202 to define an annular interior space 212. An elongate attachment portion 214 extends down from the upper flange region 216 and at least partially defines the central bore 202 therein. The attachment portion 214 is configured to resemble an Edison screw thread formation for mounting in a conventional ES lightbulb socket, e.g. E27, E17 or E14. Alternatively, the attachment portion 214 may resemble a bayonet cap formation for mounting in a conventional bayonet cap (BC) lightbulb socket, e.g. B22, or a small bayonet cap (SBC) lightbulb socket, e.g. B15. The attachment portion 214 may be formed to correspond to other conventional light fittings, such as halogen or LED fittings, e.g. GU10, GU5.3 and GX53. A magnet 218 is fixed in or proximal to the base of the bore 202 to cooperate with the magnet 118 in the lower end region of the stem portion 106 of the lightbulb 100 to thereby releasably secure the lightbulb in the adaptor 122 even when the lightbulb is inverted such as when mounted in a conventional lightbulb socket of a ceiling pendant light fitting via the adaptor 200. As an alternative to the magnetic coupling between the lightbulb and the adaptor, the stem of the lightbulb may comprise a first coupling formation, such as at least one projection, and the bore of the adaptor may comprise a second coupling formation, such as at least one recess, engageable with the first coupling formation to securely couple the lightbulb on / in the adaptor. For example, the projection may be an annular projection around the stem and the recess may be an annular recess in the bore wall for the projection to snap into. Alternatively, the first coupling formation of the stem may rotatably engage with the second coupling formation of the adaptor, e.g. corresponding screw threads or a bayonet-type coupling arrangement comprising projections and slots. Allowing the lightbulb to be slidably translated into or out of the adaptor via the stem and bore arrangement, or vice versa, and secured therein by way of a magnetic coupling, or other suitable connection, desirably eliminates the conventional need for the user to firmly grip and rotate the lightbulb which can be fiddly for elderly or less able users and often requires the user to be at the height of the light fitting which can be dangerous. The adaptor 200 further includes an annular PCB 220 shaped and sized to mount in the annular interior space 212 of the base portion 204. The PCB 220 includes a pair of spaced apart spring pins 222 for making electrical contact with a respective one of the contact rings 112,114 of the lightbulb 100. An annular cover 224 including a central aperture 226 and a pair of side holes 228 for allowing the spring pins to extend therethrough attaches to the upper edge region of the base portion 204 to close and seal the same and prevent access to the internal components of the adaptor 200 or the ingress of contaminants therein. The central aperture 226 axially aligns with the bore 212. The electrical contact arrangement provided by the spring pins 222 and the contact rings 112,114 desirably allows the lightbulb 100 to be electrically coupled with the adaptor 200 irrespective of the rotational orientation of the lightbulb about its central axis with respect to the adaptor which in turn allows the lightbulb to be efficiently and consistently mounted on the adaptor in use. The electrical contact arrangement between the lightbulb 100 and the adaptor 200 also allows electrical components within the adaptor to be powered by the power source located in the lightbulb. Aptly, the adaptor 200 and the lightbulb 100 include near-field communication (NFC) technology to allow the main controller, whether located in the adaptor or the lightbulb, to detect when the lightbulb is located in the adaptor 200. For example, the adaptor may include an NFC reader chip, such as on the PCB 220, and the lightbulb may include an NFC tag, such as in the body portion 102 or stem portion 106. Other suitable means of sensing or detecting when the lightbulb is located in the adaptor may be used, such as an infrared sensor, proximity sensor, microswitch, radio frequency identification (RFID), or the like. The adaptor aptly remains in the light fitting located in a specific room of the dwelling, such as the living room or bedroom of a house. The adaptor may therefore include a chip or tag or barcode associated with the room such that the lightbulb and controller therein can be wirelessly linked / associated with the room when mounted in the adaptor. As described below, the lightbulb may be configured to be wirelessly controlled as part of a smart home automation system which identifies which room the lightbulb is located in by way of the wireless link, e.g. chip, tag or barcode, between the adaptor and the lightbulb. As illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, a charger 300 includes a housing 302 comprising a base part 304 and a top part 306, wherein the top part includes a plurality of spaced apart circular recessed regions 308 each including a central bore 318 extending downwardly towards the base part. A magnet 320 is located in the base of each bore 318 for cooperation with the magnet 118 in the lower end region of the stem portion 106 of the lightbulb 100 to thereby releasably secure the lightbulb in the charger 300 during a charging operation. Alternatively, the / each bore 318 of the charger may comprise a coupling formation therein configured to engage with a corresponding coupling formation of the stem of the lightbulb as described above for the alternative lightbulb-to-adaptor coupling arrangement. The recessed regions 308 are each sized and shaped to accommodate the lower region of the body portion 102 of the lightbulb 100 to further assist in locating and mounting the lightbulb on the charger. A PCB 322 is mounted in the top housing part 306 and includes a pair of spaced apart spring pins 324 extending upwardly from holes in the base of each respective recessed region 308 for making electrical contact with a respective one of the contact rings 112,114 of the lightbulb 100 when the same is located on the charger 300. This electrical connection may be used to detect the lightbulb is located on the charger and ready for charging and / or may be used for supplying electrical power to the power source in the battery. Alternatively, wireless electrical charging arrangement may be provided, such as induction charging or the like. For example, a first coil may surround the or each bore 318 of the charger and a second coil may be provided in the stem portion 106 of the lightbulb 100 such that when the stem portion is located in the bore of the charger, an electrical current is generated in the second coil to recharge the power source located in the lightbulb 100. The charger 300 is connectable to a mains power supply via a plug and cable and may be suitably configured, i.e. include one or more bores / ports 318, to allow the same to charge one or more lightbulbs according to certain embodiments of the present invention at the same time. Aptly, the lightbulb 100 may include one or more buttons located on the side of the body portion 102 and operably coupled to the controller therein to allow a user to manually turn the lightbulb on / off or to increase / decrease the brightness of light being emitted from the LEDs or to change the colour of light being emitted from the LEDs. Additionally, or alternatively, the lightbulb 100 may include wireless control capabilities, such as being adapted to communicate with a dedicated handheld remote controller or a mobile device, e.g. a smart phone or tablet, to allow a user to remotely and wirelessly control the lightbulb, such as on / off, brightness, colour, etc. Such wireless communication may be via Wi-Fi™, Bluetooth™ low energy (BLE), Zigbee™ mesh, or the like. Furthermore, the lightbulb may be compatible with and controllable via smart home automation systems, such as Alexa™, Hive™, GoogleHome™, Apple Siri™ or the like. Aptly, the lightbulb 100 may only house the LEDs and power source, e.g. battery pack, and the other control electronics may be housed in the adaptor 200. The lightbulb 100 may include a battery level indicator, such as an LED, to indicate to a user that the lightbulb needs charging when mounted in a light fitting or is fully charged when mounted on the charger 300. The illustrated lightbulb 100 includes the elongate stem portion 106 extending from the body portion 102 for locating in the bore 202 of the adaptor 200 and the bore 318 of the charger 300. Alternatively, the body portion 102 of the lightbulb 100 may include a bore and the adaptor and charger may include an upwardly extending stem portion for locating in the bore. The illustrated lightbulb 100 is substantially globe-like but the body portion 102 and / or the cover portion 104 may take other suitable forms such that the lightbulb 100 resembles a different overall and conventional shape, such as traditional, candle, candle angular, candle twisted, spot, flood, golf, downlight, stick, tube or spiral, etc. The lightbulb 100 and adaptor 200 may be any suitable size and shape for its intended application. As an example, the lightbulb 100 is around 125mm long and the domed cover portion 104 has a radius of around 33.5mm and a height from the upper edge of the body portion 102 of around 36mm. The body portion has a height of around 50mm and the stem portion 106 has a length of around 29.5mm and a diameter of around 16.4mm for slidable insertion into the bores 202,318 of the adaptor 200 and the charger 300. Aptly, the lower end surface of the body portion and the upper surface of the adaptor each have a diameter of around 44mm. The upper flange portion of the adaptor 200 is around 14mm high and the lower attachment portion 214 is around 25mm long to correspond with a conventional Edison screw cap fitting. Certain embodiments of the present invention therefore provide an assembly comprising rechargeable lightbulb and an adaptor for mounting the lightbulb in a conventional socket of a light fitting, such as a ceiling pendant light, wall light or desk light. The lightbulb may be used in the home, a hotel or restaurant, or the like, where an electrical mains connection is not feasible or desirable. Desirably, the same ‘universal’ lightbulb can be used in a different type of light fitting socket by simply selecting a differently conformed adaptor having an end formation, e.g. Edison screw or bayonet cap, corresponding to the different light fitting socket without having to source and purchase a new rechargeable lightbulb only configured for a single type of light fitting socket. The adaptor is aptly configured to be left in the light fitting and paired with the lightbulb to allow the same to be wirelessly paired to the adaptor and associated with the light fitting, and in turn a room in which the light is located, for a smart home automation system to control the lightbulb. The assembly according to certain embodiments of the present invention includes a charger for charging one or more of the universal lightbulbs in a convenient and efficient manner using the same mounting arrangement as used between the lightbulb and the adaptor and without the need to charge each lightbulb separately via a single USB cable which is undesirably time consuming and inefficient.

Claims

1. A rechargeable lightbulb assembly comprising:a rechargeable lightbulb comprising:a body portion housing a rechargeable power source and one or more light emitting elements electrically coupled to the power source;a cover portion extending from an upper region of the body portion for allowing light emitted from the light emitting element / s to pass therethrough and exit the lightbulb; anda first coupling formation extending from or into a lower region of the body portion;an adaptor comprising:a base portion for engagement with the body portion of the lightbulb;an attachment portion extending from a lower region of the base portion for mounting the adaptor in a conventional light fitting socket; anda second coupling formation extending from or into an upper region of the base portion,wherein the first coupling formation comprises one of a stem portion and an elongate bore, and the second coupling formation comprises the other of the stem portion and the elongate bore, wherein the elongate bore is configured to slidably receive the stem portion to releasably couple the lightbulb to the adaptor.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first coupling formation comprises the stem portion and the second coupling formation comprises the elongate bore.

3. The assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper region of the base portion of the adaptor comprises a substantially flat surface for engagement with a substantially flat surface of the lower region of the body portion of the lightbulb when the same is coupled to the adaptor.

4. The assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the stem portion comprises a first magnetic element for releasable cooperation with a second magnetic element located in or proximal to the elongate bore.

5. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein the first magnetic element is located in a lower end region of the stem portion and the second magnetic element is located in or proximal to a base of the elongate bore.

6. The assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the attachment portion of the adaptor comprises a screw thread formation or a bayonet formation for cooperation with a conventional Edison screw (ES) or bayonet cap (BC) light fitting socket.

7. The assembly according to claim 6, wherein the elongate bore of the adaptor extends axially inside the attachment portion.

8. The assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the lightbulb comprises at least one first electrical contact part and the adaptor comprises at least one second electrical contact part arranged to engage each other when the lightbulb is coupled to the adaptor and complete an electrical circuit.

9. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the at least one first electrical contact part is located on the lower region of the body portion of the lightbulb and comprises an inner electrical contact ring concentrically arranged within an outer electrical contact ring to define an annular spacing therebetween, and the at least one second electrical contact part is located on the upper region of the base portion of the adaptor and comprises a pair of spaced apart contact elements each arranged to engage a respective one of the contact rings when the lightbulb is coupled to the adaptor.

10. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein each contact element comprises an electrical spring pin.

11. The assembly according to any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the at least one first electrical contact part is coupled to the power source to enable the same to be recharged when connected to a charging supply of electrical power.

12. The assembly according to any of claims 8 to 11, wherein the electrical circuit is coupled to a controller in the lightbulb or adaptor configured to determine when the lightbulb is coupled to the adaptor responsive to the electrical circuit being completed and / or the electrical circuit is configured to couple the power source to one or more electrical components in the adaptor when the electrical circuit is completed.

13. The assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the lightbulb comprises an NFC tag and the adaptor comprises an NFC reader coupled to a controller configured to determine when the lightbulb is coupled to the adaptor responsive to the NFC tag being detected by the NFC reader.

14. The assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the lightbulb is configured to be controlled wirelessly to selectively turn on / off the one or more light emitting elements, to selectively adjust a brightness of the one or more light emitting elements, and / or to selectively change a colour of the one or more light emitting elements.

15. The assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more light emitting elements comprise a plurality of LEDs.

16. The assembly according to any preceding claim, comprising a plurality of said adaptors wherein each adaptor comprises a differently conformed attachment portion for coupling the lightbulb to one of a plurality of different supports.

17. The assembly according to claim 16, wherein the attachment portion of a first one of the plurality of adaptors comprises an Edison screw thread (ES) formation and a second one of the plurality of adaptors comprises a bayonet cap (BC) formation.

18. The assembly according to any preceding claim, comprising a charger for recharging the power source of the lightbulb.

19. The assembly according to claim 18, wherein the charger comprises a housing including at least one third coupling formation corresponding in shape and size to the second coupling formation of the adaptor such that the first coupling formation of the lightbulb is locatable in or on the third coupling formation of the charger.

20. The assembly according to claim 2 and 19, wherein the at least one third coupling formation comprises at least one elongate bore for receiving the stem portion of the lightbulb.

21. The assembly according to claim 20, wherein the at least one third coupling formation comprises a plurality of spaced apart third coupling formations to allow a plurality of said lightbulbs to be mounted on the charger and recharged at the same time.

22. The assembly according to claim 4 and 20, wherein the charger comprises a third magnetic element located in or proximal to the elongate bore for releasable cooperation with the first magnetic element in the stem portion of the lightbulb.

23. The assembly according to claim 8 and any of claims 18 to 22, wherein the charger comprises at least one third electrical contact part for engagement with the at least one first electrical contact part of the lightbulb to recharge the power source when the lightbulb is mounted on the charger.

24. The assembly according to claim 9 and 23, wherein the charger comprises a further pair of spaced apart contact elements each arranged to engage a respective one of the contact rings of the lightbulb when the same is mounted on the charger.

25. The assembly according to any of claims 18 to 24, wherein the charger comprises an electrical power source and / or is connectable to an electrical power supply.18

Images