Lighting fixtures

Abstract

To obtain a lighting fixture that can suppress the effects of heat generation from a simulated load and prevent deterioration. [Solution] The device comprises a light-emitting element placed on a circuit board that emits light when power is supplied to it, a storage battery that supplies power to the light-emitting element when power is not supplied from an external source, an inspection load placed on a separate circuit board from the circuit board that is powered by the storage battery in place of the light-emitting element when the storage battery is being inspected, and a heat dissipation unit that dissipates the heat generated when the light-emitting element or the inspection load consumes power.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This technology relates to lighting fixtures. In particular, it relates to the inspection of lighting fixtures having a storage battery.

Background Art

[0002] There are lighting fixtures that can emit light by supplying power from a mounted storage battery when the external power supply is cut off. In such lighting fixtures, the storage battery mounted on the lighting fixture is inspected. At this time, there is a lighting fixture that has a dummy load and a switch connected in parallel with the light source, and the battery inspection is performed by switching the switch to supply power to the dummy load (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Here, the switch is an electrical switch.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the dummy load generates heat when consuming power. Therefore, the heat generated by the dummy load may affect the light source and peripheral members, etc., and may become a factor of deterioration in the lighting fixture.

[0005] Therefore, an object is to obtain a lighting fixture that can suppress the influence of heat generation by the dummy load and prevent deterioration.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The lighting fixture described herein comprises a light-emitting element placed on a circuit board and emitting light when power is supplied to it; a storage battery that supplies power to the light-emitting element when power is not supplied from an external source; an inspection load placed on a circuit board separate from the circuit board and supplied with power from the storage battery in place of the light-emitting element when the storage battery is being inspected; and a heat dissipation unit that dissipates the heat generated when the light-emitting element or the inspection load consumes power. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the disclosed lighting fixture, during inspection, by providing an inspection load that consumes power instead of the light-emitting element, it is possible to inspect the storage battery without illuminating the light-emitting element. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows the external appearance of the lighting fixture 1 according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is an exploded perspective view of the lighting fixture 1 according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the configuration of the light source unit 20 in the lighting fixture 1 according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the lighting fixture 1 according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] This figure illustrates the modes that can be performed in the lighting fixture 1 according to Embodiment 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following description will explain the lighting fixtures and other components according to the embodiments, with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, components with the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent and are common throughout the entire text of the embodiments described below. Also, the size relationships of the components in the drawings may differ from those of the actual components. Furthermore, the forms of the components shown throughout the specification are merely examples and are not limited to the forms described in the specification. In particular, the combinations of components are not limited to the combinations in each embodiment, and components described in other embodiments can be applied to other embodiments.

[0010] Embodiment 1. Figure 1 shows the external appearance of the lighting fixture 1 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lighting fixture 1 according to Embodiment 1. Although not particularly limited, the lighting fixture 1 in Embodiment 1 will be described as an emergency lighting fixture that lights up in an emergency (during a power outage).

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the lighting fixture 1 in Embodiment 1 comprises a main body 2, a frame 3, a lens 4, an inspection switch 5, an alert unit 6, a light receiving unit 7, and a ceiling mounting spring 8. The main body 2 houses the equipment of the lighting fixture 1. The equipment housed in the main body 2 will be described later. The frame 3 is a panel that covers the opening of the main body 2 and is the part of the lighting fixture 1 that is exposed to the room. Here, the frame 3 has an opening that exposes the lens 4, inspection switch 5, alert unit 6, and light receiving unit 7 housed in the main body 2 to the room. The lens 4 is attached to the light source unit 20 and concentrates or diffuses the light emitted by the light emitter 13, which will be described later.

[0012] The inspection switch 5 is one or more switches operated by the user of the lighting fixture 1 when checking the remaining battery level of the storage battery 11, which will be described later. The inspection switch 5 is the operating device for the lighting fixture 1. When the inspection switch 5 is operated, the lighting fixture 1 operates in various inspection modes, as will be described later. The notification unit 6 provides notification based on a notification signal from the control device 10, which will be described later. In Embodiment 1, the notification unit 6 has an LED (light-emitting diode) and provides notification by the LED emitting light. However, it is not limited to this. In particular, in Embodiment 1, the notification unit 6 provides notification of the result of the inspection operation based on the notification signal.

[0013] The light receiving unit 7 receives operation signals wirelessly from a remote controller (not shown). The ceiling mounting spring 8 is a mounting member for attaching the lighting fixture 1 to a mounting surface such as a ceiling. The ceiling mounting spring 8 is formed, for example, from sheet metal having a curved shape.

[0014] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the lighting fixture 1 in Embodiment 1 has a power terminal block 9, a control device 10, a storage battery 11, a heat dissipation unit 12, a light-emitting element 13, and a simulated load 14 inside the main body 2. The power terminal block 9 is a connector to which, for example, a power line drawn in from the outside is connected, and which supplies power from the commercial power supply 100 (described later) to each component of the lighting fixture 1. The storage battery 11 stores power and, when power is not supplied from the commercial power supply 100, acts as a backup power supply, supplying power to each component of the lighting fixture 1. Here, the storage battery 11 is a Ni-MH storage battery, but is not limited to this. The storage battery 11 may be a secondary battery such as a Ni-Cd storage battery or a Li-Ion battery.

[0015] Figure 3 shows the configuration of the light source unit 20 in the lighting fixture 1 according to Embodiment 1. The light source unit 20 in Embodiment 1 includes a light-emitting element 13, a simulated load 14, a mounting substrate 15, and a heat dissipation unit 12. Figure 3 shows the light-emitting element 13, the simulated load 14, and the mounting substrate 15 of the light source unit 20. The lighting fixture 1 in Embodiment 1 is configured in which the light-emitting element 13 and the simulated load 14 are mounted on the mounting substrate 15. Note that the light-emitting element 13 and the simulated load 14 may be mounted on separate mounting substrates.

[0016] The light-emitting element 13 acts as a light source, emitting light and illuminating the lighting fixture 1. As mentioned above, the lighting fixture 1 in Embodiment 1 is an emergency lighting fixture, so the light-emitting element 13 serves as an emergency light source that lights up in an emergency. Furthermore, although the light-emitting element 13 is described as having an LED, it is not limited to this. The light-emitting element 13 may be, for example, an organic EL, a laser diode, or the like.

[0017] The simulated load 14 serves as an inspection load that replaces the light-emitting element 13 when power is consumed without the light-emitting element 13 being illuminated, such as during inspections in various inspection modes. Here, the simulated load 14 only needs to be a load that consumes power without being mistaken for the light-emitting element 13, for example, by not emitting visible light. In the lighting fixture 1 of Embodiment 1, the simulated load 14 is a resistor. Therefore, the simulated load 14 converts the consumed power into heat, causing the temperature of the simulated load 14 and the area around it to rise.

[0018] The heat dissipation part 12 is a heat sink that contacts the mounting substrate 15 on which the light emitter 13 and the dummy load 14 are mounted, and dissipates the heat generated by the light emitter 13 and the dummy load 14 consuming power. Basically, the heat dissipation part 12 has a capacity related to the heat dissipation ability determined according to the heat generation amount of the light emitter 13. However, it is not limited to this, and the capacity of the heat dissipation part 12 may be, for example, a capacity according to the heat generation amount of the dummy load 14 in the inspection operation in the inspection mode. The heat generation amount of the dummy load 14 depends on the supplied power, the number of installed dummy loads 14, the layout of the arrangement, and the like. Also, when the light emitter 13 and the dummy load 14 are separate bodies, they may be arranged adjacent to the heat dissipation part 12.

[0019] Here, as shown in FIG. 3, in the light source unit 20 in the first embodiment, for example, the light emitter 13 is arranged at the central portion of the mounting substrate 15. Then, the light source unit 20 has a layout in which a plurality of dummy loads 14 are dispersed and mounted on the outer peripheral side of the mounting substrate 15 with respect to the light emitter 13 as the center. Thereby, even when supplying power equal to or higher than that of the light emitter 13 to the dummy load 14, the heat generation portions of the dummy load 14 are dispersed over a wide range. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise due to the heat generation of the dummy load 14. Also, since the layout is such that the light emitter 13 is arranged at the central portion, it is possible to facilitate the light distribution control by the lens 4 or the like. For example, by reducing the area of the light emitting surface of the light emitter 13, the lens 4 can be miniaturized.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the lighting fixture 1 according to Embodiment 1. In FIG. 4, the control device 10 is a device that controls operations such as lighting of the lighting fixture 1. As hardware, the control device 10 is assumed to be composed of, for example, a microcomputer having a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). In order to realize the functions described above, the control device 10 has a lighting circuit unit 10A, a charging circuit unit 10B, an inspection processing unit 10C, and a timing unit 10D, as shown in FIG. 4. The lighting circuit unit 10A performs lighting control related to lighting or extinguishing of the light emitter 13. The lighting circuit unit 10A mainly performs function (3) described later. The charging circuit unit 10B performs charging control when charging the battery 11 with the power supplied from the commercial power supply 100. The charging circuit unit 10B mainly performs function (1) described later. The inspection processing unit 10C performs processing related to inspection control when executing various inspection functions described later. The inspection processing unit 10C mainly performs functions (4) to (8) described later. The timing unit 10D has a timer and performs timing. The time measured by the timing unit 10D is used when the inspection processing unit 10C and the like perform control. The timing unit 10D mainly performs function (2) described later.

[0021] The control device 10 of Embodiment 1 has the functions shown in the following (1) to (8), and performs lighting or extinguishing of the lighting fixture 1, charging of the battery 11, and inspection related to the battery 11. (1) A normal charging function of receiving power supply from the commercial power supply 100 and normally charging the battery 11. Here, normal charging is performed by trickle charging in which a minute current is supplied to the battery 11 for charging. (2) A timer function for measuring the elapsed time after receiving power supply from the commercial power supply 100 (3) When the power supply from the commercial power supply 100 is interrupted, a function of switching to power supply from the battery 11 and causing the light emitter 13 to emit light to light the lighting fixture 1 (4) An inspection function to check whether the lighting fixture 1 can be lit for a specified time (20 minutes, 30 minutes, or 60 minutes) using the storage battery 11 and the deterioration status of the storage battery 11. Here, function (4) has two types of functions: one in which the light-emitting element 13 is made to emit light to realize the inspection function, and another in which the simulated load 14 is made to consume power to realize the inspection function. (5) When the inspection switch 5 is operated, the storage battery 11 illuminates the light-emitting element 13 and performs the inspection of function (4) - Automatic inspection function (6) The timer function of function (2) automatically performs the inspection of function (4) without requiring operation of the inspection switch 5 by supplying power to the simulated load 14 from the storage battery 11 after the predetermined set inspection interval time has elapsed. (7) Manual inspection function that, while the inspection switch 5 is being operated, illuminates the light-emitting element 13 using the storage battery 11 to check whether the lighting fixture 1 can be lit. (8) A function that notifies the notification unit 6 of the inspection results performed based on functions (4) to (6).

[0022] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the modes that can be performed in the lighting fixture 1 according to Embodiment 1. The lighting fixture 1 in Embodiment 1 can perform four modes, for example: (a) normal lighting mode, (b) emergency lighting mode, (c) manual inspection mode, and (d) automatic inspection mode.

[0023] (a) The normal lighting mode is the mode used under normal conditions. The lighting circuit section 10A of the control device 10 causes the light-emitting element 13 to emit light, and the charging circuit section 10B of the control device 10 performs function (1) to charge the storage battery 11. (b) The emergency lighting mode is the mode used in emergencies. The lighting circuit section 10A of the control device 10 performs function (3) to cause the light-emitting element 13 to emit light and illuminate the lighting fixture 1. At this time, the light-emitting element 13 becomes a load and the storage battery 11 discharges.

[0024] Furthermore, the manual inspection mode (c) is a mode in which an inspection is performed with the user's operation of the inspection switch 5 as the start condition for the inspection. The manual inspection mode performs the automatic inspection function of function (5) or the manual inspection function of function (7) and provides notification of function (8).

[0025] (d) The automatic inspection mode is a mode in which an inspection is automatically performed as a condition for the start of an inspection when the inspection interval time has elapsed, as will be described later. Next, the automatic inspection mode will be explained.

[0026] For example, lighting equipment that uses a built-in battery 11 to power a light source in the event of a power outage when the power from the commercial power supply 100 is cut off, by charging the battery 11, includes emergency exit signs as defined by the Fire Service Act and emergency lighting fixtures as defined by the Building Standards Act.

[0027] Emergency lights and exit signs and emergency lighting fixtures include those that emit light from a light source (light-emitting element 13) while charging during normal operation, and those that emit light from a separate light source for normal operation, distinct from the light-emitting element 13. Among these, some emergency lighting fixtures have a function that, during normal operation when power is supplied from the commercial power supply 100, only charges the storage battery 11, and only in the event of a power outage, supplies power from the storage battery 11 to emit light from the light source (light-emitting element 13).

[0028] Here, the duration of illumination provided by the battery 11 is specified for both exit signs and emergency lighting fixtures, and in the event of a power outage, it is necessary to ensure that the lights can continue to illuminate for at least the specified duration. The specified durations are 20 minutes or 60 minutes for exit signs and 30 minutes or 60 minutes for emergency lighting fixtures.

[0029] The duration of illumination in lighting fixture 1 depends on the charge level of the battery 11 and the degradation status of the battery 11. Emergency lights and exit signs primarily use trickle charging as their charging method, and under normal circumstances, the battery 11 is controlled to always be fully charged. However, as the battery 11 of lighting fixture 1 degrades, the duration of illumination tends to shorten over time, even when fully charged.

[0030] Therefore, it is necessary to periodically check whether the lighting fixture 1 can be lit for the specified time, thereby confirming the deterioration status of the storage battery 11, and if deterioration of the storage battery 11 is found, replacing the storage battery 11 to maintain the lighting fixture 1 in a state where it can be lit for the specified time.

[0031] Maintenance is generally carried out by the administrator, who performs inspections and verifies the inspection results. However, when such verification is performed, the management of lighting fixture 1 depends on the frequency of inspections by the administrator. Therefore, if the inspection frequency (interval) is long, there is a concern that the storage battery 11 may not be replaced at the appropriate time.

[0032] In the lighting fixture 1 of Embodiment 1, the control device 10 has the periodic automatic inspection function of function (4) and function (6) described above. Therefore, in automatic inspection mode, the control device 10 automatically performs an inspection even if the inspection switch 5 is not operated, after the inspection interval time has elapsed since receiving power from the commercial power supply 100, using the timer function of function (2).

[0033] The inspection interval mentioned above is not specifically defined, but it could be, for example, 6 months or 1 year. The inspection interval may be any other time.

[0034] When the control device 10 performs an inspection using its periodic automatic inspection function, in the case of emergency lighting fixtures, those fixtures that normally only charge the storage battery 11 and do not have their light-emitting elements 13 illuminated will be switched to emergency lighting mode and illuminated using a typical inspection method. As a result, when the light-emitting elements 13 illuminate during the inspection, the sudden illumination of the lighting fixture 1 may be noticed by people present at the installation site, potentially leading to misinterpretation as a power outage or some other malfunction.

[0035] Therefore, in the lighting fixture 1 of Embodiment 1, when the control device 10 performs its periodic automatic inspection function, it uses a simulated load 14 instead of the light-emitting element 13 to inspect the deterioration status of the storage battery 11. In this way, since the light-emitting element 13 does not emit light during the inspection, there is no risk of it being mistaken for a power outage or some other abnormality.

[0036] Furthermore, it is possible to supply more power to the simulated load 14 than the power consumed in the emergency lighting state. By having the simulated load 14 consume the power of the storage battery 11, the inspection time can be shortened. In this case, the amount of heat generated from the simulated load 14 will increase, but the heat can be efficiently dissipated from the heat dissipation unit 12.

[0037] The control device 10 does not specify a method for determining whether the battery 11 can remain lit for a specified time. For example, the control device 10 may make a determination based on a specified time for the battery 11. Alternatively, the control device 10 may make a determination based on the voltage of the battery 11 after a set time. Here, the set time is, for example, 30 minutes if the specified time is 30 minutes, and twice the power supplied to the simulated load 14 during emergency lighting is supplied, then half of that, or 15 minutes. Furthermore, the control device 10 may set other thresholds that correlate with the lifespan of the battery 11, and make a determination based on the set thresholds.

[0038] The control device 10 sends a notification signal to the notification unit 6 based on the inspection results determined by the judgment, using the function described in (8) above. The notification unit 6 displays the information based on the notification signal and notifies the user.

[0039] As described above, in the lighting fixture 1 of Embodiment 1, the light-emitting element 13 and the dummy load 14, which serves as an inspection load, are arranged on the mounting board 15. Therefore, not only the heat emitted from the light-emitting element 13 but also the heat emitted from the dummy load 14 can be dissipated by the heat dissipation section 12. Thus, a lighting fixture 1 that can prevent equipment deterioration can be obtained. Furthermore, in the lighting fixture 1 of Embodiment 1, the dummy load 14 is arranged around the light-emitting element 13, distributed around it. Therefore, the heat emitted from the dummy load 14 can be widely distributed and dissipated.

[0040] Furthermore, according to the lighting fixture 1 in Embodiment 1, the inspection processing unit 10C of the control device 10 performs a periodic automatic inspection function that supplies power from the storage battery 11 to the simulated load 14 at set intervals based on the automatic inspection mode, and inspects the storage battery 11. The control device 10 sends an notification signal based on the inspection results to the notification unit 6, and the notification unit 6 notifies, so that the inspection can be performed and the results notified without illuminating the light-emitting element 13. In addition, during the inspection, the power supplied from the storage battery 11 to the simulated load 14 is made greater than the power supplied to the light-emitting element 13, thereby accelerating the power consumption of the storage battery 11 and enabling the inspection to be performed in a short time.

[0041] Embodiment 2. The lighting fixture 1 in the above-described embodiment 1 is equipped with an inspection switch 5, and performs an inspection function when the inspection switch 5 is operated, but it is not limited to this. The lighting fixture 1 may, for example, perform an inspection function using an operation signal sent wirelessly from a remote controller (not shown) as the inspection start condition. In this case, the light receiving unit 7 receives the operation signal from the remote controller.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment 1, the notification unit 6 had an LED and notified the inspection results by the color of the light emitted, flashing, etc., but it is not limited to this. The display of the notification unit 6 may be, for example, a segment display. Also, the notification unit 6 may have a liquid crystal monitor or the like and display characters, pictures, etc. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 1 Lighting fixture, 2 Main unit, 3 Frame, 4 Lens, 5 Inspection switch, 6 Notification unit, 7 Light receiving unit, 8 Ceiling mounting spring, 9 Power terminal block, 10 Control device, 10A Lighting circuit unit, 10B Charging circuit unit, 10C Inspection processing unit, 10D Timing unit, 11 Storage battery, 12 Heat dissipation unit, 13 Light emitter, 14 Simulated load, 15 Mounting board, 20 Light source unit, 100 Commercial power supply.

Claims

1. A light-emitting element placed on a substrate that emits light when power is supplied, A storage battery that supplies power to the light-emitting element when power is not supplied from an external source, An inspection load is placed on a separate substrate from the aforementioned substrate, and is powered by the storage battery in place of the light-emitting element when the storage battery is being inspected. A heat dissipation unit that dissipates heat generated by the power consumption of the light-emitting element or the inspection load, A lighting fixture equipped with [the following features].

2. The lighting fixture according to claim 1, wherein the heat dissipation portion is in contact with the substrate or the other substrate.

3. The lighting fixture according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the inspection load is supplied with power greater than or equal to the power supplied to the light-emitting element.

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