Magnetically attachable decorative illumination device

Abstract

To provide a magnetic attachment type illumination device capable of easily changing the arrangement and shape of light emitting items on a base plate and holding the beautiful appearance of the wall surface of the base plate after the change.SOLUTION: The power transmission device includes a magnetic wall (2) having a ferromagnetic material as a component, a light emitting item (4) detachably attached to the magnetic wall (2) by a magnetic attraction force, a high-frequency power generator configured to generate high-frequency power from DC power, a power transmission coil (31) electrically connected to the high-frequency power generator provided in the magnetic wall (2), and a power reception coil electrically connected to the light emitting item (4) and configured to receive the high-frequency power generated from the power transmission coil (31) by wireless power feeding and output the high-frequency power as an electric signal for turning on a light emitting element of the light emitting item (4).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a magnetically attached illumination device, and more particularly to an advertising device that is installed in, for example, a show window, a storefront, a booth at an exhibition hall, or the like, or to a device that is suitable for decorating an interior wall. [Background technology]

[0002] One type of light-emitting item used in decorative illumination devices is a flexible tube light. A flexible tube light comprises a flexible and translucent tube body and LEDs arranged to emit continuous light outward from a specific or entire surface of the tube body along the length of the tube body. Flexible tube lights can be cut to an appropriate length and used individually or by combining cut pieces or pieces with different light colors, they can be patterned into various letters, shapes, and symbols. By attaching them to a base plate, colorful illuminated signs and illuminated walls can be created. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility model registration No. 3191036 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2019-8901 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When attaching a flexible tube light to a base plate, for example, the non-light-emitting surface of the tube body is clamped in a U-shaped fixing clip made of metal or synthetic resin, and this fixing clip is screwed to the base plate. Alternatively, the fixing clip or the back surface of the tube body is fixed to the base plate using double-sided tape. When using screws, changing the position or shape of the flexible tube light requires removing the screws, which is not only time-consuming but also leaves screw holes on the base plate. When using double-sided tape to fix the flexible tube light, although it is not as time-consuming as using screws, there are problems such as a decrease in adhesive strength over time and the adhesive substance leaving stains on the wall when removed.

[0005] Furthermore, power is supplied to the flexible tube light via a direct electric wire from an external power source located, for example, on the back of the wall, so it is necessary to drill a hole in the base plate to pull in the electric wire or to run the electric wire along the wall surface of the base plate. This makes the light look unattractive when not emitting light, and if there is not enough wire length, it places restrictions on changing the placement and shape of the flexible tube light.

[0006] The present invention has been made in light of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a magnetically attached illumination device that allows easy changes to the arrangement and shape of light-emitting items on a base plate while maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the base plate after the changes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention takes the following measures to solve the above problems. Note that the reference symbols in parentheses attached to each component means in this section (the "Means for Solving the Problems" section) are for reference purposes only to show the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described below, and do not limit the components of the present invention to these.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising a magnetic wall (2) having a ferromagnetic material (21) as a component, a light-emitting item (4) that can be attached and detached to the magnetic wall (2) by magnetic attraction, a high-frequency power generation unit (32) that generates high-frequency power from direct current power, a transmission coil (31) provided on the magnetic wall (2) and electrically connected to the high-frequency power generation unit (32), and a receiving coil (50) that is electrically connected to the light-emitting item (4) and receives the high-frequency power emitted from the transmission coil (31) by wireless power supply and outputs it as an electrical signal to light up a light-emitting element (43) of the light-emitting item (4).

[0009] In another embodiment of the present invention, the ferromagnetic material (21) is a mixture of fine powder of a soft magnetic material and an organic polymer elastomer as a binder, which is formed into a sheet having a thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm by a forming method such as rolling or extrusion.

[0010] In another aspect of the present invention, when the light-emitting item (4) is magnetically attached to the magnetic wall (2), the distance (L1) between the wall surface (2S) of the magnetic wall (2) and the bottom surface (58) of the receiving coil (50) is 5 mm or less. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, a magnetically attached illumination device is provided that allows easy changes to the arrangement and shape of light-emitting items on a base plate, while maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the base plate after the changes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a magnetic illumination device 1. FIG. [Figure 2] 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the configuration of the magnetic wall 2, in which (a) is a partially cutaway front view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in (a). [Figure 3] 2 is a circuit diagram of the power transmission unit 3 of the magnetic illumination device 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the configuration of a flexible tube light 4, in which (a) is a perspective view of the exterior of the main part, (b) is a partial cross-sectional side view, and (c) is a front view. [Figure 5] 1 is a circuit diagram of a tape LED 40 to which a power receiving coil 50 is connected. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the appearance of the power receiving unit 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the appearance of the fixed chip 6. [Figure 8] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a state in which a flexible tube-type light 4 is attached to a magnetic wall 2, where (a) is a front view and (b) is a view taken along the line BB in (a). [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the power receiving coil 50 and the wall surface 2S when a flexible tube-type light 4 is attached to the magnetic wall 2. FIG. [Figure 10] 1 is a circuit diagram of a magnetic illumination device 1 when two flexible tube lights 4 are magnetically attached to a magnetic wall 2. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the scales and angles of components and the like shown in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual objects, but have been adjusted appropriately to make them easier to understand. Furthermore, in this specification, "to" is used to mean that the numerical values ​​before and after it are included as lower and upper limits. Furthermore, magnetic attraction may be simply referred to as magnetic adhesion.

[0014] First, the configuration of the magnetic illumination device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. Figure 1 is an external perspective view of the magnetic illumination device 1 according to the present invention, with (a) showing a partial cutaway front view and (b) showing a view taken along line A in (a). Figure 2 is a structural diagram of the magnetic wall 2, with (a) showing a partial cutaway front view and (b) showing a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in (a). Figure 3 is a circuit diagram of the power transmission unit 3 of the magnetic illumination device 1. Figure 4 is a structural diagram of the flexible tube-type light 4, with (a) showing a perspective view of the main components, (b) showing a partial cross-sectional side view, and (c) showing a front view. Figure 5 is a circuit diagram of a tape LED 40 connected to a power receiving coil 50, Figure 6 is an external perspective view of the power receiving unit 5, and Figure 7 is an external perspective view of the fixed chip 6.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the magnetic illumination device 1 includes a magnetic wall 2, a power transmission unit 3, a flexible tube-shaped light 4, a power receiving unit 5, and a fixed tip 6. In the magnetic illumination device 1, the flexible tube-shaped light 4 having a desired shape can be magnetically attached to the magnetic wall 2 via the fixed tip 6, and wireless power supply realized by the power transmission unit 3 and the power receiving unit 5 supplies power to the flexible tube-shaped light 4, enabling it to emit light.

[0016] The magnetic wall 2 has a wall surface 2S that is flat across its entire surface and can attract a magnet, and as shown in Fig. 2, it has a base plate 20, a soft magnetic sheet 21, a cover film 22, and a spacer 23. The area of ​​the magnetic wall 2 is, for example, A4 size or larger, and a power transmission coil 31, which will be described later, is embedded inside.

[0017] The base plate 20 is a member that serves as a base for the magnetic wall 2, and is made of a material such as polystyrene foam, synthetic resin, coated paper, or wood, with a thickness of about 2 mm to 10 mm.

[0018] The soft magnetic sheet 21 does not itself have the properties of a permanent magnet, but is a flexible sheet to which a magnet can be attracted. It is made by molding a mixture of fine powder of soft magnetic material and a small amount of organic polymer elastomer as a binder into a sheet having a thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm using a molding method such as rolling or extrusion.

[0019] As the soft magnetic material powder, a ferromagnetic material with low coercivity and high magnetic permeability (hereinafter referred to as "ferromagnetic powder"), a ferromagnetic material with low coercivity and high magnetic permeability (hereinafter referred to as "ferrimagnetic powder"), or a mixture of ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic powders can be used. As the ferromagnetic powder, iron powder, magnetic stainless steel powder, sendust powder, etc. can be used. As the ferrimagnetic powder, soft ferrites such as manganese zinc ferrite powder, nickel zinc ferrite powder, and magnetite powder (iron oxide powder) can be used.

[0020] Examples of the small amount of organic polymer elastomer that can be used as a binder include chlorinated polyethylene, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-propylene rubber, nitrile rubber, acrylic rubber, and chloroprene rubber. Iron Sheet (registered trademark), manufactured by the applicant, can be used as this soft magnetic sheet 21. Instead of the soft magnetic sheet 21, a magnetic sheet can be used, which is a sheet made by molding a mixture of fine powder of a hard magnetic material and an organic polymer elastomer that serves as a binder, and magnetizing at least one surface of the sheet.

[0021] The mounting film 22 is a film-like decorative wall material that has an ink-receiving layer on the top surface of a base film (not shown) with a thickness of approximately 0.1 to 1 mm, on which a design or pattern is printed. The base film can be made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyvinyl chloride resin or polyethylene resin with an ink-receiving layer formed on its surface, or thin coated paper. Ink is fixed to this ink-receiving layer by printing according to the application. Printing methods include offset printing, letterpress printing, inkjet printing, and thermal transfer printing.

[0022] The soft magnetic sheet 21 and the mounting film 22 are laminated together, with the mounting film 22 as the upper layer, via, for example, a urethane adhesive. Therefore, if the mounting film 22 is unnecessarily thick, the penetration rate of the magnetic lines from the magnet piece 60 of the mounting chip 6 to the soft magnetic sheet 21 will be reduced when magnetically attaching the fixing chip 6 (described later) to the wall surface 2S, resulting in poor magnetic adsorption. Furthermore, if the mounting film 22 is unnecessarily thin, it will be difficult to ensure adequate tensile strength and the concealing ability of the underlying soft magnetic sheet 21. The soft magnetic sheet 21, with the mounting film 22 laminated thereon, is then placed face-to-face with the base plate 20, with a spacer 23 sandwiched therebetween, and is fixed, for example, in a detachable manner. At this time, a space S1 is formed between the base plate 20, the spacer 23, and the soft magnetic sheet 21.

[0023] The power transmission unit 3 has the function of wirelessly supplying power to the flexible tube-type light 4 magnetically fixed to the wall surface 2S of the magnetic wall 2, and includes a power transmission coil 31, a high-frequency power generation unit 32, and a DC power supply 33, as shown in Figure 3.

[0024] The power transmitting coil 31 is a flat, hollow, annular coil formed by spirally winding a conducting wire on the same plane, and is embedded in the space S1 in the magnetic wall 2. The power transmitting coil 31 has two connection terminals 311 and 312, which are connected to the output terminals T1 and T2 of the high-frequency power generating unit 32. The power transmitting coil 31 may be fixed to the surface of the soft magnetic sheet 21 by an attachment means such as adhesive tape.

[0025] The high frequency power generation unit 32 has a function of converting DC power supplied from the DC power supply 33 into high frequency power, and includes an inverter 321 and a driver 322. The inverter 321 is made up of a bridge of switching elements Q1 to Q4, and is driven by drive signals N1 and N2. For example, MOSFETs made of silicon can be used as such switching elements Q1 to Q4.

[0026] The driver 322 has a pulse generator that generates pulses at a predetermined frequency and generates drive signals N1 and N2 that drive the switching elements Q1 to Q4. The drive signals N1 and N2 are signals that alternately turn on and off the switching elements Q1 and Q4 and the switching elements Q2 and Q3 at a preset frequency and duty ratio. A drive signal N1 is input to the bases of switching elements Q1 and Q4, and a drive signal N2 is input to the bases of switching elements Q2 and Q3. For example, when one of the drive signals N1 and N2 is at a low level, the other is at a high level, and when one is at a high level, the other is at a low level. While the drive signal N2 is at a high level, the switching elements Q2 and Q3 are turned on and the switching elements Q1 and Q4 are turned off. Meanwhile, while the drive signal N1 is at a high level, the switching elements Q2 and Q3 are turned off and the switching elements Q1 and Q4 are turned on. By controlling the switching of the inverter 321 as described above, a high-frequency current flows through the power transmitting coil 31. The frequency of the high-frequency current is, for example, 79 to 90 kHz.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 4(a), the flexible tube light 4 is configured by covering a tape LED 40 with an exterior tube GT. As shown in Fig. 4(b), the LED strip 40 is configured by continuously connecting multiple unit strip lights 41 in the longitudinal direction. Each unit strip light 41 has a horizontally long, sheet-like substrate 42. The substrate 42 is made of a flexible synthetic resin sheet and is connected in a continuous tape-like manner in the longitudinal direction. This flexibility is in the normal direction to the substrate surface.

[0028] An LED chip 43 and a resistor 44 are attached to the front side of the substrate 42, and printed wiring 46 (see FIG. 5) is laminated on the back side of the substrate 42. A pair of bypass conductors 451, 452 is provided on the back surface of the substrate 42 over the entire length of the LED strip 40. The bypass conductors 451, 452 are intended to compensate for increased electrical resistance of the positive wiring 461 and the negative wiring 462 in the printed wiring 46. They also serve to ensure that power is supplied to the unit light strip 41 even when the unit light strip 41 is cut at the cut line CL. The pair of bypass conductors 451, 452 are insulated from each other by an insulating material.

[0029] 5, the printed wiring 46 includes a positive wiring 461, a negative wiring 462, and a connecting wiring 463. The negative wiring 462 is provided at a distance from the positive wiring 461, and the connecting wiring 463 is provided between the positive wiring 461 and the negative wiring 462. The positive wirings 461 of adjacent unit strip lights 41, 41 are continuously connected to each other, and the negative wirings 462 of adjacent unit strip lights 41, 41 are continuously connected to each other.

[0030] The LED chip 43 and the resistor 44 are connected in series by a connection wire 463. The positive terminal of the LED chip 43 is connected to the positive wire 461 or the resistor 44, and the negative terminal of the LED chip 43 is connected to the negative wire 462 or the resistor 44. The LED chips 43 may be of various colors such as blue, red, green, orange, and pink, but a single tube-type LED 4 may be all the same color or may be a mixture of colors.

[0031] The outer tube GT is a long, hollow body made of silicone resin and is flexible. The upper surface G1 of the outer tube GT is made of a translucent material that transmits light, while the other surfaces are opaque (for example, opaque white). Furthermore, by incorporating a metal wire 48, such as an aluminum wire, with a diameter of approximately 0.5 mm to 2 mm that extends continuously along the length of the outer tube GT, the tube can maintain its bent state against a force that would restore the bend, thereby providing excellent shape-following ability.

[0032] The flexible tube light 4 can be cut (separated) along the cut line CL into unit tape lights 41, and each cut element is flexible and can emit light, so it can be used alone or by combining cut pieces or pieces with different light colors to form various letters, figures and symbols, and by attaching it to the magnetic wall 2 that serves as the base plate, colorful illuminated signs and illuminated walls can be realized.

[0033] The power receiving unit 5 is a component for performing electromagnetic induction wireless power transfer, transmitting and receiving power between the power receiving unit 5 and the power transmitting unit 3 by electromagnetic induction via magnetic flux, and includes a power receiving coil 50. As shown in FIG. 6 , the power receiving coil 50 includes a cylindrically wound winding body 53, a hollow cylindrical exterior body 54 that covers the winding body 53 so as to be coaxial with the winding body 53, and terminals 51 and 52 that are provided on one end surface of the exterior body 54 and connected to both ends of the winding body 53, respectively. The other end surface of the exterior body 54 is referred to as a bottom surface 58 in the present application. The power receiving coil 50 is configured to be magnetically coupled when placed in a region inside the outer diameter of the power transmitting coil 31.

[0034] Two terminals 51, 52 of the receiving coil 50 are connected to input terminals 471, 472 of the flexible tubular light 4 by lead wires 59. The receiving coil 50 is integrated with the flexible tubular light 4 so that, when the fixed tip 6 is attached to the flexible tubular light 4, the magnetically attached surface of the magnet piece 60 of the fixed tip 6 and the bottom surface 58 of the receiving coil 50 are substantially flush with each other. Specifically, when the flexible tubular light 4 is magnetically attached to the magnetic wall 2, the distance L1 between the wall surface 2S of the magnetic wall 2 and the bottom surface 58 of the receiving coil 50 is 5 mm or less (see FIG. 9 ). The lead wire 59 also plays a role in restraining the power receiving coil 50 with respect to the flexible tube-type light 4. For this reason, it is preferable that the lead wire 59 has an appropriate rigidity. Note that a heat-shrinkable tube may be used for the integration.

[0035] 7, the fixed chip 6 is made up of a clip CP and a magnet piece 60. The clip CP and the magnet piece 60 are fixed together with an adhesive. The clip CP is a clamping body made of metal or synthetic resin and is roughly U-shaped when viewed from the front. It consists of a rectangular bottom plate CP1 and two side plates CP2. The side plates CP2 extend from both ends of the bottom plate CP1 in the same direction perpendicular to the bottom plate surface and are arranged facing each other, forming a roughly U-shaped space S2 inside. A flexible tubular light 4 is installed in this space S2 and is fixedly held in place by being clamped between the side plates CP2. The flexible tubular light 4 installed in the space S2 can slide longitudinally within the clip CP. This allows for fine adjustment of the attachment position of the flexible tubular light 4 to the magnetic wall 2. The magnet pieces 60 are made by cutting a magnet sheet to an appropriate size, but sintered magnets may also be used.

[0036] Next, the function of the magnetic illumination device 1 will be explained using Figures 8, 9, and 10. Figure 8 shows the state in which the flexible tube light 4 is attached to the magnetic wall 2, with (a) showing a front view and (b) showing a view taken along the line BB in (a). Figure 9 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the receiving coil 50 and the wall surface 2S when the flexible tube light 4 is attached to the magnetic wall 2. Figure 10 is a circuit diagram of the magnetic illumination device 1 when two flexible tube lights 4 are magnetically attached to the magnetic wall 2.

[0037] When attaching the flexible tubular light 4 to the magnetic wall 2, first, as shown in FIG. 8, the flexible tubular light 4 is shaped into the desired shape (a "U" in the figure). Next, the fixed tip 6 is attached to an appropriate position on the shaped flexible tubular light 4. Next, the flexible tubular light 4 with the fixed tip 6 attached is brought to a position close to the target position on the wall surface 2S of the magnetic wall 2. Then, at this position, the back surface (magnetically attached surface) of the magnet piece 60 of the fixed tip 6 is brought close to the wall surface 2S of the magnetic wall 2. As a result, the magnetically attached surface of the magnet piece 60 is attracted to the magnetic wall 2 and magnetically attached.

[0038] 9, the magnetically attracted surface of the magnet piece 60 and the bottom surface 58 of the receiving coil 50 are substantially flush with each other by 5 mm or less. Therefore, when the flexible tubular light 4 is magnetically attracted to the magnetic wall 2, the bottom surface 58 of the receiving coil 50 comes close to or abuts against the wall surface 2S of the magnetic wall 2. This causes the transmitting coil 31 and the receiving coil 50, which are located apart from each other, to magnetically couple, and the receiving coil 50 outputs power wirelessly supplied from the transmitting coil 31 through terminals 51 and 52. The outputs of terminals 51 and 52 are supplied to the flexible tubular light 4 via lead wires 59, causing the flexible tubular light 4 to emit light. A similar process can be used to cause the flexible tubular light 4 shaped like the number "1" to emit light (see FIG. 10).

[0039] As described above, with the magnetically attached illumination device 1, the flexible tube light 4 is flexible and has the ability to maintain its bent state, allowing it to be shaped into any desired shape. Once shaped into the desired shape, the flexible tube light 4 is magnetically fixed to the wall surface 2S of the magnetic wall 2 with the fixing tip 6 attached. The fixing position is arbitrary, and screws or adhesive tape are not required. This makes it easy to change the position or shape of the flexible tube light 4, while maintaining the original state of the wall surface 2S when it was first installed.

[0040] Furthermore, power is supplied to the flexible tube-type light 4 not directly from the power source 33 via an electric wire but wirelessly from the power transmission coil 31 embedded in the magnetic wall 2, so there is no need to drill a hole in the magnetic wall 2 to pull in the electric wire or to run the electric wire over the wall surface 2S of the magnetic wall 2, which makes the light look good when not emitting light and there are fewer restrictions on changing the position and shape of the flexible tube-type light 4.

[0041] In this way, the magnetically attached illumination device 1 allows for easy changes to the arrangement and shape of the flexible tube-type light 4 on the magnetic wall 2, which serves as the base plate, while maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the wall surface 2S of the magnetic wall 2 after the changes.

[0042] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments disclosed above are merely examples, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. That is, the structure, shape, material, number, circuit configuration, mounting position, application, etc. of the magnetic illumination device 1 as a whole or in part can be modified as appropriate in accordance with the gist of the present invention.

[0043] For example, transmission efficiency may be improved by connecting capacitors in series or parallel to the power transmitting coil 31 in the power transmitting unit 3 and the power receiving coil 50 in the power receiving unit 5 to form a resonant circuit. Furthermore, instead of providing the fixed chip 6, a strip magnet may be attached continuously or intermittently along the length of the bottom surface of the flexible tubular light 4. The DC power supply 33 in the power transmitting unit 3 may be obtained by rectifying an AC power supply. A rectifying circuit may be provided between the power receiving coil 50 and the flexible tubular light 4. While the flexible tubular light 4 having multiple LED chips 43 along its length has been illustrated as a light-emitting item, it may also be non-flexible and have only a single LED chip. The shape of the power transmitting coil 31 may be disc-shaped or rectangular, rather than annular. Multiple power transmitting coils 31 may be embedded in a single magnetic wall 2. [Industrial Applicability]

[0044] The present invention can be widely used as an advertising device installed in a show window, in a storefront, in a booth at an exhibition hall, etc., or as a device suitable for decorating an interior wall. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Magnetic illumination device 2 magnetic wall 4 Flexible tube light (light-emitting item) 21 Soft magnetic sheet (ferromagnetic material) 32 High frequency power generation unit 31 Transmission coil 43 LED chip (light-emitting element) 50 receiving coil 2S Wall 58 bottom L1 distance

Claims

1. a magnetic wall having a ferromagnetic material as a component; A light-emitting item that can be attached and detached to a magnetic wall by magnetic attraction, a high frequency power generating unit that generates high frequency power from DC power; a power transmission coil provided on the magnetic wall and electrically connected to a high-frequency power generation unit; a receiving coil that is electrically connected to the light-emitting item, receives high-frequency power emitted from the transmitting coil via wireless power supply, and outputs the power as an electrical signal for lighting the light-emitting element of the light-emitting item; A magnetic illumination device comprising:

2. The magnetic illumination device described in claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic material is a mixture of fine powder of soft magnetic material and an organic polymer elastomer as a binder, which is formed into a sheet having a thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm by a molding method such as rolling or extrusion.

3. 3. The magnetically attached illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the surface of the magnetic wall and the bottom surface of the receiving coil is 5 mm or less when the light-emitting item is magnetically attached to the magnetic wall.

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