Lighting device
The lighting device addresses the limitation of static bubble-like lighting by using a movable light emitting member within a transparent film, driven by a fan, to dynamically change brightness and shape, replicating the behavior of actual bubbles.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023147797
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-09-12
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2043-09-12
AI Technical Summary
Existing bubble-like lighting devices fail to replicate the dynamic behavior of actual bubbles, including changes in brightness and shape over time.
A lighting device featuring a transparent or semi-transparent exterior film with a freely moving cable-shaped light emitting member, such as LEDs, and an action means like a fan to create movement and simulate the behavior of bubbles.
The device effectively reproduces the behavior of bubbles by dynamically changing brightness and shape, closely mimicking the natural behavior of actual bubbles.
Smart Images

Figure 2025040781000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting device, and more particularly to a lighting device that imitates a soap bubble. [Background technology]
[0002] Conventionally, lighting devices that are shaped to resemble soap bubbles have been known (for example, Patent Document 1). The lighting device described in Patent Document 1 has a globe part that receives light from an LED and is made of transparent glass in a shape similar to a soap bubble, and is said to be a glass representation of a momentary shape created by nature. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] Design Registration No. 1454514 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] Incidentally, the way real soap bubbles shine and their shape change from moment to moment, but the lighting device in Patent Document 1 has LEDs arranged inside a glass globe, so its way of shining and shape hardly change at all. In other words, the lighting device in Patent Document 1 only imitates the momentary shape of a soap bubble, and cannot reproduce the natural behavior of a soap bubble.
[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS Accordingly, a main object of the present invention is to provide a lighting device capable of reproducing the behavior of soap bubbles. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] The inventor of the present invention has intensively studied means for achieving the above object, and has discovered that by providing a light-emitting member in a flexible manner within a transparent or translucent thin exterior film and by applying a motion to this light-emitting member, it is possible to reproduce the behavior of real soap bubbles, whose shine and shape change from moment to moment. Based on the above findings, the inventor has come to the realization that the problems of the prior art can be solved, and has completed the present invention. Specifically, the present invention has the following configuration.
[0007] The present invention relates to a lighting device. The lighting device according to the present invention includes an exterior film, one or more light-emitting members, and an action means. The exterior film is a transparent or translucent film having a space inside. The light-emitting member is provided freely in the exterior film and formed in a cable shape. The term "freely" used here means that the entire cable-shaped light-emitting member is not fixed to another structure, but at least a part of the light-emitting member is free from the other structure and moves within the exterior film due to some action. The cable-shaped light-emitting member may be, for example, a cable in which a plurality of light-emitting elements such as LEDs are connected in a row, or may be a light-emitting member that emits light by passing light through a cable-shaped light-guiding material such as an optical fiber. The action means is provided within the exterior film and exerts an action to move the light-emitting member. In particular, it is preferable that the action means exerts an action on the exterior film as well as the light-emitting member. The action exerted by the action means on the light-emitting member may be, for example, a physical force such as wind pressure, rotational force, vibration, magnetic force, or electromagnetic force. In this way, by providing a light-emitting member and an action means within the exterior film and moving the light-emitting member within the exterior film, it is possible to reproduce the shimmering glow of a soap bubble. In particular, by having the action means act on the thin exterior film, it is possible to reproduce the change in shape of a soap bubble.
[0008] In the lighting device according to the present invention, the operating means is preferably a fan that blows air onto the light-emitting member. In this way, by generating air within the exterior film, it is possible to reproduce the behavior of soap bubbles, whose brilliance and shape change from moment to moment.
[0009] The lighting device according to the present invention preferably further comprises, within the exterior film, a frame body, a control board fixed to the frame body, and an elastic member stretched across the frame body. In this case, the cable-shaped light-emitting member may be partly fixed to the control board, and the other part may be fixed to the elastic member. For example, an elastomer such as rubber or silicone may be used as the elastic member. By fixing a part of the light-emitting member to the flexible member, the light-emitting member can be moved to flicker more naturally by the deformation of the elastic member. This allows the behavior of real soap bubbles to be more similar.
[0010] The lighting device according to the present invention preferably further comprises a communication device capable of receiving a control signal from an external control device. In this case, it is preferable that both or either one of the light emitting member and the action means is controlled according to a control signal from the control device. For example, the light emission color, brightness, light emission pattern, etc. of the light emitting member can be controlled from the external control device. In addition, the driving conditions of the action means such as a fan can also be controlled from the external control device. In particular, by controlling the light emitting member and the action means in synchronization, it is possible to more closely approximate the behavior of real soap bubbles.
[0011] In the lighting device according to the present invention, the operating means may be a motor that oscillates the light emitting member. Note that as the operating means, a motor may be adopted instead of the fan described above, or a fan and a motor may be used in combination. Effect of the Invention
[0012] The lighting device according to the present invention can reproduce the behavior of soap bubbles. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and includes appropriate modifications of the embodiments described below within the scope obvious to those skilled in the art.
[0015] FIG. 1 shows a lighting device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the lighting device 100 has a spherical transparent or translucent exterior film 10. The exterior film 10 is a film having a space inside for accommodating various devices such as an LED cable 60. The exterior film 10 can be made of a known film, but it is preferable to use a film material that looks like a soap bubble in appearance. As the exterior film, for example, a translucent iridescent film called an aurora film or a chameleon film, which changes color depending on the viewing angle or the way the light hits it, can be used. In addition, as the exterior film 10, a translucent half-mirror film can also be used. The half mirror preferably has a light reflectance of less than 80% and a light transmittance of 10 to 50%, for example, and mainly reflects light from outside the exterior film 10 and transmits light from inside the exterior film 10. As the exterior film 10, colorless or colored cellophane or other known plastic films can also be used. The size of the exterior film 10 is not particularly limited, and it may be any size that can accommodate various devices described below. For example, the diameter of the exterior film 10 is preferably 150 to 500 mm.
[0016] 1, various devices such as a frame 20, a control board 30, a fan 40, a rubber band 50, and an LED cable 60 are arranged inside the exterior film 10. A power supply cable 70 is connected to the control board 30, and power is supplied to the control board 30, the fan 40, and the LED cable 60 via the power supply cable 70. The power supply cable 70 penetrates the exterior film 10 and is drawn out to the outside, and serves to suspend the lighting device 100 from a ceiling or the like.
[0017] The frame 20 is a structure for supporting various devices such as the control board 30, the fan 40, the rubber string 50, and the LED cable 60. In this embodiment, the frame 20 is fixed to the control board 30 and has a plurality of support columns 21 extending in the vertical direction. The frame 20 may be made of a lightweight and hard material such as a general plastic material. The frame 20 has a three-tier structure in which the control board 30 is the top layer, the middle layer has a fan layer 22 for arranging the fan 40, and the bottom layer has an elastic layer 24 for arranging the rubber string 50. The fan layer 22 has an opening 23 that serves as a space for the rotation of the fan 40. The elastic layer 24 also has an opening 25 that serves as a space for bridging the multiple rubber strings 50. By providing the frame 20 in this manner, the control board 30, the fan 40, the rubber string 50, the LED cable 60, and other various devices can be stably held inside the exterior film 10 in an integrated state.
[0018] The control board 30 is a printed circuit board in which electronic components for controlling the fan 40 and the LED cable 60 are combined. The control board 30 is disposed on the top layer of the frame 20. FIG. 2 shows an example of functional elements included in the control board 30. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the control board 30 includes a processor 31, a memory 32, a communication device 33, a drive control circuit 34, and a light emission control circuit 35. Examples of the processor 31 are known CPUs and other control circuits. The processor 31 performs a predetermined arithmetic process according to the programs and data stored in the memory 32, and executes various control processes while writing the results of the arithmetic process into the working space of the memory 32. The memory 32 is composed of, for example, a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, and is used for the arithmetic process by the processor 31. In this embodiment, the processor 31 reads out the programs stored in the memory 32, and performs processes for driving the fan 40 and emitting light from each LED cable 60 according to the programs.
[0019] The communicator 33 is a communication module for wirelessly or wiredly communicating with an external control device. In the case of a wireless system, the communicator 33 may be a module for wirelessly communicating using a known wireless communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or NFC, other proprietary standards, frequencies such as the Sub-GHz band, or P2MP or Mesh communication other than WLAN. On the other hand, in the case of a wired system, the communicator 33 can communicate with an external control device via a cable 70, simultaneously with or separately from power supply. For example, the lighting device 100 communicates with an external control device (not shown) via the communicator 33. In this case, the lighting device 100 can control the driving state of the fan 40 and the light-emitting state of each LED cable 60 based on an instruction command received from the external control device. In addition, the lighting device 100 can also communicate with other lighting devices 100 (not shown) via the communicator 33 in a wired or wireless manner. In this case, information may be shared between the multiple lighting devices 100 to control the driving state of the fan 40 and the light-emitting state of each LED cable 60. For example, the light emission color or blinking pattern of the LED cables 60 may be coordinated among a plurality of lighting devices 100. Also, the drive pattern of the fans 40 may be coordinated among a plurality of lighting devices 100.
[0020] The drive control circuit 34 is a circuit that supplies power from the power supply cable 70 to the fan 40 so that the fan 40 operates under predetermined drive conditions (rotation speed, rotation pattern, rotation direction, etc.) based on a control command from the processor 31. The light emission control circuit 35 is a circuit that supplies power from the power supply cable 70 to each LED cable 60 so that the light emitting elements 61 of each LED cable 60 emit light under predetermined light emission conditions (light emission color, brightness, light emission pattern, etc.) based on a control command from the processor 31. The light emission control circuit 35 is capable of independently controlling each of the multiple LED cables 60.
[0021] The fan 40 is disposed in the exterior film 10 for the purpose of moving the LED cable 60 within the exterior film 10 by blowing air mainly on the LED cable 60. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the fan 40 is configured to blow air downward. That is, in this embodiment, the fan 40 blows air toward the elastic layer 24 side of the frame body 20. It is preferable to adopt a so-called axial flow fan as the fan 40. The fan 40, which is an axial flow fan, has a motor section 41 fixed to the fan layer 22 of the frame body 20 and a blade section 42 provided around the motor section 41. When the motor section 41 provided in the center of the fan 40 rotates, the blade section 42 provided around it also rotates. The fan 40 also has a lead wire (not shown), which is connected to the control board 30, and receives control signals and power from the control board 30 via the lead wire. Either a DC axial flow fan or an AC axial flow fan can be adopted as the fan 40. When the fan 40 rotates, the wind blown therefrom hits the LED cable 60, causing the LED cable 60 to sway within the exterior film 10. It is preferable that the wind from the fan 40 sway not only the LED cable 60 but also the exterior film 10. Since it is sufficient that the wind from the fan 40 can hit the LED cable 60, the air blowing direction of the fan 40 is not limited to downward, and it can also be upward.
[0022] The rubber cord 50 is stretched across the opening 25 of the elastic layer 24 located at the bottom layer of the frame body 20. It is preferable that a plurality of rubber cords 50 are provided within the opening 25 of the elastic layer 24. In particular, it is preferable that the rubber cord 50 is stretched across the opening 25 of the elastic layer 24 while being subjected to tension. One end of each LED cable 60 is fixed to the rubber cord 50 in order to reproduce the natural swinging movement of the LED cables 60, as described below.
[0023] The LED cable 60 is a cable-shaped light-emitting member in which a plurality of LED light-emitting elements 61 are connected. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, four LED cables 60 are provided in the exterior film 10. One end of each LED cable 60 is connected to the control board 30, and the control board 30 supplies control signals and power to each LED cable 60. The other end of each LED cable 60 is fixed to a rubber string 50 provided on the elastic layer 24 of the frame body 20. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, each LED cable 60 is arranged in the exterior film 10 so as to hang down vertically from the control board 30 located in the top layer of the frame body 20 to the rubber string 50 located in the bottom layer of the frame body 20. In this way, each LED cable 60 is arranged freely in the exterior film 10, so that when wind is blown by the fan 40, the LED cables 60 will sway within the exterior film 10. In particular, since one end of each LED cable 60 is fixed to the unstable rubber string 50, each LED cable 60 moves so as to sway more naturally when it receives wind from the fan 40.
[0024] In the lighting device 100 having the above configuration, the light emitting elements 61 of each LED cable 60 are turned on, and the fan 40 is driven to swing each LED cable 60 and the exterior film 10, thereby reproducing the behavior of a real soap bubble, in which the way it shines and its outer shape change from moment to moment. For example, the light emission control circuit 35 may control the light emitting elements 61 of each LED cable 60 not only to constantly light them, but also to repeat blinking at a predetermined cycle or a random cycle. The light emission control circuit 35 may also control the light emission color of the light emitting elements 61 of the LED cable 60. The light emission control circuit 35 may also control these light emission conditions for each LED cable 60, or may control them for each light emitting element 61 constituting the LED cable 60. The drive control circuit 34 may also control the fan 40 not only to constantly drive it, but also to switch it on / off at a predetermined cycle or a random cycle, or to repeat strong and weak airflow at a predetermined cycle or a random cycle. In this manner, by blinking the LED cable 60 and adjusting the on / off and airflow of the fan 40, the lighting device 100 can reproduce behavior that looks like that of real soap bubbles.
[0025] In the above, in order to express the contents of the present invention, the present specification has described the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and includes modifications and improvements that are obvious to a person skilled in the art based on the matters described in the present specification.
[0026] For example, in this embodiment, the fan 40 is used as a means for imparting a kinetic action to the LED cable 60, but a known motor or vibrator may be used instead. When a motor is used, for example, a part of the LED cable 60 is connected to the shaft (output shaft) of the motor via a wire or string, and the wires are moved periodically or randomly by the motor, so that the LED cable 60 can be moved naturally. The same applies when a vibrator (oscillator) is used, and a part of the LED cable 60 may be connected to the vibrating part of the vibrator via a wire or string.
[0027] In addition, in this embodiment, power is supplied to the control board 30, the fan 40, and the LED cable 60 via the power supply cable 70, but instead, a small battery can be mounted on the lighting device 100 itself, and power can be supplied from this battery to the control board 30, the fan 40, and the LED cable 60. The battery may be a primary battery or a secondary battery. However, since repeatedly rechargeable batteries provide higher operational efficiency, it is preferable to use secondary batteries when mounting a battery. [Explanation of symbols]
[0028] 10: Exterior film 20: Frame 21. Support 22. Fan base 23...Opening 24...Elastic layer 25...Opening 30...Control board 31…Processor 32…Memory 33... communication device 34... drive control circuit 35... Light emission control circuit 40... Fan 41...Motor section 42...Blade section 50...Rubber cord 60...LED cable 61...light emitting element 70...power supply cable 100…Lighting equipment
Claims
1. A transparent or translucent exterior film having an internal space; One or more cable-shaped light emitting members provided freely within the exterior film; and a means for moving the light emitting member, the means being provided in the exterior film. Lighting equipment.
2. The operating means is a fan that blows air onto the light emitting member.
10. The lighting device of claim 1.
3. The lighting device further includes a frame body, a control board fixed to the frame body, and an elastic member spanned across the frame body within the exterior film, A portion of the light emitting member is fixed to the control board, and another portion is fixed to the flexible member. The lighting device according to claim 1 or 2.
4. The lighting device further includes a communication device capable of receiving a control signal from an external control device, The light emitting member and / or the operating means are controlled according to a control signal from the control device. The lighting device according to claim 1 or 2.
5. The operating means is a motor that swings the light emitting member.
10. The lighting device of claim 1.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Light-emitting diode bulb
JP1454514S