Lighting device

Abstract

To provide a lighting device that can suppress the increase in the number of parts associated with the use of a simulated load. [Solution] The lighting device 10 comprises a power supply unit 14, a simulated load 55, and an inspection unit. The power supply unit 14 has a circuit board 41 and components 42 mounted on the circuit board 41, and lights up the light source 12. The simulated load 55 is mounted on the circuit board 41 of the power supply unit 14. The inspection unit supplies power to the simulated load 55 and performs inspections.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to lighting devices.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in lighting devices for disaster prevention such as emergency lights and induction lights, a battery for lighting the light source during a power outage is provided, and the battery is inspected to check the state of deterioration or abnormality of the battery. In the battery inspection, the light source is lit for a predetermined inspection time by the power of the battery, the voltage of the battery is checked, and the deterioration or abnormality of the battery is judged.

[0003] Since the light source is lit during the battery inspection operation, if the inspection is performed when there are people around the lighting device, the emergency light source may give an uncomfortable feeling to the people around due to the light.

[0004] Therefore, in recent years, there is a method of performing the inspection without lighting the light source by using a pseudo load such as a resistor and supplying the power of the battery to the pseudo load. However, when mounting the pseudo load, the number of parts increases, and it is necessary to secure space inside the housing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a lighting device capable of suppressing an increase in the number of parts associated with the use of a pseudo load.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The lighting device of this embodiment comprises a power supply unit, a simulated load, and an inspection unit. The power supply unit has a circuit board and components mounted on the circuit board, and lights up a light source. The simulated load is mounted on the circuit board of the power supply unit. The inspection unit supplies power to the simulated load and performs inspections. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the lighting device of this embodiment, it is expected that the increase in the number of components associated with the use of a simulated load can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a lighting device showing one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the disassembled lighting device shown above. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the disassembled power supply unit of the same lighting device. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view of the same lighting device. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram of the same lighting device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] One embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Figures 1 and 2 show perspective views of the lighting device 10. The lighting device 10 is an example of an emergency light that is normally off when external power such as commercial AC power is supplied from an external source, and turns on when the external power supply is interrupted. The lighting device 10 is a recessed fixture type that is embedded in a recessed hole provided in the ceiling surface, which is the installation surface.

[0012] The lighting device 10 comprises a housing 11, a light source 12 disposed on the lower side of the housing 11, a battery pack 13 which is a battery section and a power supply unit 14 which is a power supply section, both located inside the housing 11, and a terminal block 15 which is located on the upper side of the housing 11.

[0013] The housing 11 comprises a cylindrical main body 17 with an open bottom, and a decorative frame 18 that is detachably attached to the bottom of the main body 17. The main body 17 and the decorative frame 18 are made of metal. Multiple mounting springs 19 for ceiling installation are attached to the side of the main body 17.

[0014] The decorative frame 18 is detachably attached to the lower side of the main body 17. A light source window 20 for positioning the light source 12 is provided in the center of the decorative frame 18, and an inspection window 21 and a communication window 22 are provided around the periphery of the decorative frame 18.

[0015] The light source 12 has a light-emitting element such as an LED, and a lens 23 for controlling light distribution is positioned opposite it. The light source 12 is attached to the lower side of the power supply unit 14 and positioned in the center of the lower side of the main body 17, and is placed in the light source window hole 20 of the decorative frame 18 which is attached to the lower side of the main body 17.

[0016] The battery pack 13 includes a battery case 25 and a battery 26 (shown in Figure 4), which is a plurality of batteries housed within the battery case 25.

[0017] The battery case 25 is made of resin and has a roughly U-shaped horizontal cross-section so that it can be placed inside the main body 17 in combination with the power supply unit 14. One end of the battery case 25 is provided with a connector 28 that can be detachably connected to the connector receiving part of the power supply unit 14 when inserting or removing the battery case 25 into the main body 17. The battery 26 is electrically connected to the connector 28. By inserting the battery case 25 into the main body 17, the connector 28 is connected to the power supply unit 14 and the battery case 25 is attached to the main body 17 by a spring 29 for attachment and detachment. Note that the battery pack 13 is not limited to having a roughly U-shaped horizontal cross-section, but may be shaped such as a rectangular parallelepiped, a cube, or a cylinder, depending on the form and type of the lighting device 10.

[0018] The battery 26 is a rechargeable secondary battery such as a nickel-metal hydride battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, or a lithium-ion battery. The plus and minus electrodes at both ends of the batteries 26 connected in series as a whole are electrically connected to the connector 28.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the power supply unit 14 includes a power supply case 31 and a power supply unit main body 32 that is a power supply unit main body portion housed in the power supply case 31.

[0020] The power supply case 31 is made of an insulating material, such as resin. The light source 12 is integrally attached to the power supply case 31. For example, the upper end portion of the heat dissipation portion 33 provided on the light source 12 is fixed to the fixing portion on the top surface portion of the housing 11 and thermally connected, whereby the power supply unit 14 is fixed in the housing 11. Preferably, the power supply case 31 is positioned away from the inner surface of the housing 11. The power supply case 31 has a substantially rectangular horizontal cross section and is on the opposite side of the battery pack 13 (battery 26) with respect to the optical axis of the light source 12 in the housing 11. In the present embodiment, the power supply case 31 is divided into upper and lower case members 34 and 35, and the power supply unit main body 32 is sandwiched and held by these case members 34 and 35 from above and below. Therefore, the power supply unit main body 32 is held in a vertically placed state along the vertical direction in the housing 11, that is, substantially parallel to the optical axis of the light source 12.

[0021] The lower end portion of the lower case member 35 faces the back side of the decorative frame 18. An annular light source support portion 37 that supports the periphery of the lens 23 of the light source 12 is formed on the lower case member 35. Further, a switch operation portion 38 and a window hole portion 39 facing the inspection window hole 21 are movably arranged at the lower end portion of the lower case member 35, and a window hole portion 40 facing the communication window hole 22 is opened.

[0022] The main body of the power supply unit 32 consists of a circuit board 41 and a plurality of components 42 mounted on the circuit board 41. The circuit board 41 is preferably made of a metal or the like with excellent heat dissipation properties. The circuit board 41 is formed in a rectangular shape, for example, and in this embodiment has a surface along the vertical direction within the power supply case 31. Components 42 are mounted on one main surface 41a of the circuit board 41. In addition, other components 42 are mounted on one main surface 41a of the circuit board 41, including a terminal block 44 that is electrically connected to the terminal block 15 within the housing 11, a light source connection part 45 that is electrically connected to the light source 12, a connector receiving part 46 that receives the connector 28 of the power supply unit 14, an inspection switch 47 that instructs inspection by manual operation, a monitor lamp 48 that displays the status of the lighting device 10 and the inspection results, a transmitting / receiving element 49 that transmits and receives optical signals using infrared light as a medium to communicate with an external terminal such as a remote control operated by an operator, and a control element 50.

[0023] The terminal block 44 is exposed to the outside of the power supply case 31 through an opening 51 in the upper case member 34 of the power supply case 31. The terminal section 44 is located on the upper end side, which is one end of the circuit board 41. Therefore, in the power supply unit body 32 of this embodiment, the end side where the terminal section 44 is located is the input side.

[0024] The light source connection section 45 faces an opening 52 that is opened downward in the lower case member 35 of the power supply case 31. The light source connection section 45 is located on the lower end side, which is the other end of the circuit board 41. Therefore, in the power supply unit body 32 of this embodiment, the other end side where the light source connection section 45 is located is the output side.

[0025] The inspection switch 47 is positioned opposite the switch operating section 38 on the lower case member 35 of the power supply case 31, and is pressed in response to the operation of the switch operating section 38.

[0026] The monitor lamp 48 is positioned opposite the window opening 39 of the lower case member 35 of the power supply case 31 and is visible from the outside through an inspection window 21 formed in the decorative frame 18. The monitor lamp 48 illuminates to indicate the charging status of the battery 26 and also displays the inspection results of the battery 26 by the color of the light and the lighting pattern, such as off, continuous illumination, or blinking.

[0027] The transmitting and receiving element 49 faces the window opening 40 of the lower case member 35 of the power supply case 31 and is visible from the outside through the communication window opening 22 formed in the decorative frame 18.

[0028] The inspection switch 47, monitor lamp 48, and transmitting / receiving element 49 are each located on the lower end side, which is the other end of the circuit board 41.

[0029] In this embodiment, a simulated load 55 for inspection is mounted on the circuit board 41 of the power supply unit 14. The simulated load 55 is, for example, a resistor, which consumes power by converting the power from the battery 26 supplied through the power supply unit 14 into heat. The simulated load 55 may also be a light-emitting element (second light source) such as an LED or an organic EL, similar to the light source 12. There may be one or more simulated loads 55. When multiple simulated loads 55 are used, they are connected in series by wiring, etc., and the load value obtained by summing the load values ​​(power consumption) of each simulated load 55 is configured to be the load value required for inspecting the battery 26. The load value obtained by summing the multiple simulated loads 55 may be equivalent to the load value that has the same power consumption as the actual load, the light source 12, or it may be a load value that has a higher power consumption than the actual load, the light source 12, in order to shorten the inspection time.

[0030] For example, the dummy load 55 is mounted on one main surface 41a of the substrate 41 and is thermally connected to the substrate 41. The dummy load 55 is positioned at any location on the substrate 41 that does not interfere with the circuit configuration or the arrangement of components 42. Figures 3 and 4 show an example where the dummy load 55 is positioned at the edge of the substrate 41, for example, at the upper edge. That is, the dummy load 55 is positioned at the end opposite to the light source 12, in this embodiment, on the input side of the substrate 41. For example, the dummy load 55 is positioned close to the power supply unit 60 (shown in Figure 5). In particular, in the illustrated example, the dummy load 55 is positioned between components 42, 42 that are taller than the dummy load 55. However, it is not limited to this, and may also be positioned at a location 55a on the lower end side of the substrate 41 (shown by a dashed line in Figure 3), etc. In this embodiment, a light source connection part 45, which is electrically connected to the light source 12, is located on the lower end side of the substrate 41. Therefore, when the dummy load 55 is placed at position 55a, the dummy load 55 will be located on the output side of the light source 12 on the substrate 41. Furthermore, the dummy load 55 may be placed not only at the end of the substrate 41, but also at position 55b (shown by a dashed line in Figure 3) in the center between both ends of the substrate 41. In the illustrated example, there is a relatively large placement space in the center of the substrate 41, so it is possible to place the dummy load 55 without interfering with the placement of the components 42.

[0031] Next, Figure 5 shows a block diagram of the lighting device 10.

[0032] The power supply unit 14, located inside the enclosure 11, operates using external power, which is AC power from a commercial AC power source E, when external power is supplied, and operates using the power from the battery 26 of the battery pack 13 when the external power supply is interrupted.

[0033] The power supply unit 14 includes a power supply unit 60 that supplies power to the light source 12 or simulated load 55 and charges and discharges the battery 26, an operation unit 61 such as an inspection switch 47, a display unit 62 such as a monitor lamp 48, a communication unit 63 that communicates with the outside through a transmitting / receiving element 49, and a control unit 64 which consists of a control element 50 that controls the power supply unit 14.

[0034] The power supply unit 60 includes a lighting unit 66 that outputs power to the light source 12 or the simulated load 55, and a charging unit 67 that charges the battery 26. The lighting unit 66 keeps the light source 12 off when external power is supplied, and in the event of a power outage, outputs lighting power converted from the battery 26 to the light source 12 to light it up, and also outputs lighting power converted from the battery 26 to the simulated load 55 when the battery 26 is being inspected. The charging unit 67 charges the battery 26 using external power.

[0035] The communication unit 63 transmits and receives optical signals using infrared light as a medium to the external terminal 69 via the transmitting and receiving element 49. The external terminal 69 is a remote control or the like that transmits and receives optical signals using an optical medium such as infrared light, and is equipped with an operation unit and a display unit. The external terminal 69 can communicate bidirectionally with the communication unit 63, and can instruct the start of inspection, receive inspection results and display the status of the battery 26 on the display unit's screen. The communication unit 63 may also be equipped with a wireless communication unit that communicates wirelessly with other lighting devices 10 and the external terminal 69.

[0036] The control unit 64 includes, for example, a timing unit 71, an inspection unit 72 for checking the battery 26, and a storage unit 73 for storing various information.

[0037] The timekeeping unit 71 has a clock function that provides time information including date and time, and a timer function that counts elapsed time information.

[0038] The inspection unit 72 performs inspection operations based on a set inspection schedule or manual inspection instructions from an external terminal 69 or operation unit 61. In this embodiment, the inspection unit 72 performs an inspection operation of the battery 26. In the inspection operation, the power of the battery 26 is discharged to a simulated load 55 for a predetermined inspection time, the voltage of the battery 26 is detected and monitored to see if it falls below a predetermined voltage threshold within the predetermined inspection time, and it is determined whether the battery 26 is normal, deteriorated, or abnormal.

[0039] The storage unit 73 may use, for example, non-volatile memory that retains its contents even when the power is cut off. The storage unit 73 stores the set inspection schedule information.

[0040] Next, the operation of the lighting device 10 will be explained.

[0041] When external power is supplied, the power supply unit 14 operates using the external power input to terminal block 15, and the charging unit 67 of the power supply unit 60 charges the battery 26 of the battery pack 13. The light source 12 is kept off.

[0042] In the event of an external power outage, the power supply unit 14 operates using the power from the battery 26, and the lighting unit 66 of the power supply unit 60 converts the power from the battery 26 into lighting power and supplies it to the light source 12, thereby lighting up the light source 12.

[0043] Furthermore, the control unit 64 performs inspection operations on the battery 26 based on a set inspection schedule or manual inspection instructions from an external terminal 69 or inspection switch 47.

[0044] During the battery 26 inspection operation, the lighting unit 66 of the power supply unit 60 converts the power from the battery 26 into lighting power and supplies it to the simulated load 55. The simulated load 55 then discharges the power from the battery 26, thereby performing the battery 26 inspection with the light source 12 not lit.

[0045] The control unit 64 then detects the voltage of the battery 26 in the inspection unit 72 and monitors whether it falls below a predetermined voltage threshold within a predetermined inspection time, and determines whether the battery 26 is normal or if there are any abnormalities due to deterioration, etc. The inspection results are displayed on the monitor lamp 48, and the inspection information is also transmitted to an external terminal 69, etc., via the communication unit 63 so that it can be checked by the external terminal 69, etc.

[0046] During inspection, the simulated load 55, to which power is supplied, generates heat and its temperature rises. However, because it is mounted on the circuit board 41 of the power supply unit 14 and is thermally connected to it, the heat is dissipated through the circuit board 41.

[0047] As described above, with the lighting device 10, since the simulated load 55 is mounted on the circuit board 41 of the power supply unit 14, the circuit board 41 can be shared between the power supply unit 14 and the simulated load 55, eliminating the need for a dedicated circuit board for arranging the simulated load 55, thus suppressing the increase in the number of components associated with the use of the simulated load 55. Furthermore, since there is no need to separately allocate space for the simulated load 55 within the housing 11, the housing 11 can be made larger, and the space for arranging other components within the housing 11, such as the battery pack 13 and light source 12, is not reduced.

[0048] By placing the simulated load 55 on the edge side of the substrate 41, which is arranged along the vertical direction, the placement space on the substrate 41 can be effectively utilized to place the simulated load 55.

[0049] For example, if the pseudo-load 55 is placed on the substrate 41 on the opposite end of the substrate from the light source 12, the impact of heat generated by the pseudo-load 55 on the light source 12 can be suppressed. In particular, if the pseudo-load 55 is a resistor or the like, a large portion of the power supplied to the pseudo-load 55 is converted into heat, resulting in significant heat generation. Therefore, the impact of this heat on the light source 12 can be minimized.

[0050] Furthermore, if the pseudo-load 55 is placed on the output side from the power supply unit 14 to the light source 12 on the circuit board 41, the output circuit to the light source 12, which is selectively switched to connect to the lighting unit 66, and the output circuit to the pseudo-load 55 can be placed in close proximity, which is advantageous in terms of circuit design.

[0051] Since the simulated load 55 and the main body of the power supply unit 32 can be covered by a common power supply case 31, the increase in the number of components can be further suppressed. In addition, heat generated from the simulated load 55 is less likely to be transferred to the battery 26, etc., and it is possible to suppress the temperature rise of the battery 26 due to the heat generated by the simulated load 55, which would affect its performance and lifespan.

[0052] Furthermore, even if the simulated load 55 is a second light source different from the light source 12, the simulated load 55 is covered by the power supply case 31, so it is possible to suppress the leakage of light from the simulated load 55 to the outside of the housing 11.

[0053] Furthermore, the circuit board 41 is not limited to being placed vertically along the vertical direction within the housing 11; it may also be placed horizontally along the horizontal direction or in any other arrangement within the housing 11.

[0054] Furthermore, the lighting system is not limited to recessed emergency lights; it may also be an emergency light structure combined with ceiling-mounted fixtures or general lighting fixtures such as base lights. Additionally, the lighting system is not limited to emergency lights; it can also be applied to other disaster prevention lighting devices, such as exit signs equipped with batteries for use during power outages and for battery inspection.

[0055] Furthermore, the battery pack 13 (battery 26) does not need to be located inside the housing 11; it may be located outside the housing 11. Also, the battery pack 13 (battery 26) is not a mandatory component; it may be powered by an external battery or power generator.

[0056] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0057] 10 Lighting devices 12 light source 14. Power supply unit 31 Power Supply Cases 41 circuit boards 42 parts 55 Pseudo load 72 Inspection Department

Claims

1. A power supply unit having a circuit board and components mounted on the circuit board, which lights up a light source; The dummy load mounted on the circuit board of the power supply unit; An inspection unit that supplies power to the aforementioned simulated load to perform the inspection; A lighting device characterized by having the following features.

2. The aforementioned substrate is arranged along the vertical direction, The aforementioned dummy load is positioned on the end side of the substrate. The lighting device according to feature 1.

3. In the aforementioned pseudo-load, the position of the light source is located on the opposite end of the substrate. The lighting device according to feature 2.

4. The aforementioned dummy load is positioned on the substrate on the output side from the power supply unit to the light source. The lighting device according to feature 1.

5. The power supply unit has an insulating power supply case. The lighting device according to feature 1.

6. The aforementioned pseudo-load is a second light source different from the aforementioned light source. The lighting device according to feature 1.

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