Lamp with antenna

Abstract

The lamp 100 comprises a lamp base 170 and a bulb envelope 180 connected to each other, a light-emitting element 110, a stem 120 for mounting the light-emitting element within the bulb envelope, the stem 120 being made of glass, and an antenna 310 for wireless communication, at least partially housed within the stem and fixed at a pinch portion 123 of the stem within the bulb envelope, the antenna 310 including a winding portion 311 adjacent to the pinch portion but not within the pinch portion, the stem 120 having a first chamber 121 and a second chamber 122, the pinch portion 123 separating the first chamber and the second chamber, and the winding portion 311 being at least partially housed within the first chamber 121.

Description

Technical Field

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[0005]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of lamps, and more particularly to lamps including an antenna.

Background Art

[0002] The increasing use of artificial light has led to an increase in the demand for lamps such as light bulbs. In particular, there is a growing demand for smart lamps that can communicate with other devices, for example, to provide wireless connectivity for wireless control of the lamp. One of the essential structural elements for enabling wireless communication is an antenna.

[0003] Conventional smart filament lamps have a monopole wire antenna. This antenna is the stem of the filament lamp and is disposed within the stem that supports the filament of the lamp. This arrangement provides limited space for the antenna, which limits the maximum possible length of the antenna. For example, in order to provide a 1 / 4 wavelength antenna, it is currently considered that the lamp assembler needs to manually bend the antenna when assembling the light bulb to achieve the desired length of the monopole antenna. This procedure is difficult for the operator to perform quickly and accurately. Since the lamp also includes power lines, there is also a desire to keep the antenna away from the power lines (e.g., to reduce unintentional coupling from the power lines to the antenna). The current need to bend the antenna increases the difficulty of keeping the antenna away from the power lines.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for a lamp with an improved antenna arrangement or assembly.

[0005] EP 3139^86A1 discloses a lighting device having an exhaust pipe and a wireless communication antenna disposed within the exhaust pipe.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention is defined by the claims.

[0007] According to an example of one aspect of the present invention, a lamp is provided comprising a lamp base and a bulb envelope connected to each other; a light-emitting element; a stem for mounting the light-emitting element within the bulb envelope; and an antenna for wireless communication, at least partially housed within the stem and fixed at a pinch portion of the stem within the bulb envelope, the antenna including a winding portion adjacent to but not within the pinch portion. The stem may be formed from glass. The stem may have a first chamber and a second chamber, with the pinch portion separating the first and second chambers. The winding portion may at least partially house within the first chamber. The first chamber may be closer to the light-emitting element than the second chamber. This provides the lamp with a more efficient antenna because the antenna is positioned farther away from the EMI shield by the lamp base.

[0008] This disclosure provides a lamp in which the winding portion of the antenna is at least partially housed within the stem. This still provides an antenna with an increased overall length that can still be housed or positioned at least partially within the stem supporting the light-emitting element. In this manner, the visibility of the antenna to a viewer of the lamp is significantly reduced.

[0009] The proposed configuration is easier to assemble because it does not require bending the antenna at all during assembly. More precisely, the winding shape of the antenna can be prepared in advance (i.e., before assembly).

[0010] In relation to the present disclosure, a pinch portion may represent a portion of the stem that fixes or secures other components of the lamp, including at least the antenna. More specifically, a pinch portion is a portion of the stem that is formed by heating the stem until it is molten, and then squeezing the stem to form the pinch portion and secure any components that are placed within the pinched portion to it.

[0011] In a preferred example, the antenna is configured not to extend in the direction toward the light-emitting element from the stem. Therefore, the antenna can be housed within the stem.

[0012] In some examples, the winding portion of the antenna has a helical structure. This embodiment can further improve the effective length of the antenna while providing sufficient space for other components of the lamp to be arranged within the stem.

[0013] The lamp may further have a support for the light-emitting element. In a preferred example, the support extends at least partially from the stem, and the winding portion of the antenna is configured to wrap around a portion of the support. This provides a mechanism for increasing the length of the antenna while maintaining a very compact lamp, as wrapping the winding portion around the support reduces the free space inside the entire lamp. In a particular example, at least a portion of the support is located within the stem, and the winding portion of the antenna is configured to wrap around this portion of the support.

[0014] The first chamber may completely house the winding portion of the antenna.

[0015] This embodiment improves the appearance of the lamp by reducing the visibility of the winding portion of the antenna (for example, by preventing the winding portion from being exposed inside the light bulb envelope).

[0016] This improves the ease of manufacturing the lamp, as the pinch portion can be positioned below the winding portion to make it easier to identify and locate the position for creating the pinch portion during manufacturing.

[0017] The pinch portion may be configured to restrict or prevent the movement of the winding portion of the antenna from the first chamber to the second chamber. This method provides an additional barrier to the movement of the antenna, thereby providing a more stable and robust antenna.

[0018] The antenna may further have an elongated portion extending through the second chamber. This elongated portion may be configured to connect to other communication circuits or communication modules of the lamp.

[0019] The lamp may further have an exhaust pipe for transporting gas to or from the bulb envelope, which is structurally supported by the stem. The exhaust pipe can be fixed to the stem at or adjacent to the pinch portion of the stem.

[0020] Preferably, the entire antenna is positioned outside the exhaust pipe.

[0021] The lamp may further have one or more power lines for the light-emitting element. Each power line may be fixed to the stem, for example, at the pinch portion of the stem.

[0022] The winding portion of the antenna may have two or more turns, for example, three or more turns, or for example, five or more turns. This provides the lamp assembler with options for adjusting or selecting the length of the antenna.

[0023] The light-emitting element has one or more LED filaments, which provides a more energy-efficient lamp.

[0024] The lamp base may have an electrical connector for electrically connecting the lamp to a lamp socket.

[0025] The lamp may be a gas-filled incandescent lamp, which may be filled with an inert gas such as, among others, helium, argon, nitrogen, halogen, xenon, krypton, and / or any mixture of these inert gases. The use of an inert gas can improve, for example, the heat dissipation from the light-emitting element for performance and lamp life improvement. The inert gas also prevents or reduces the degradation of components within the lamp.

[0026] These and other aspects of the invention are explained and clarified by reference to the following embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] For a better understanding of the present invention and to more clearly show how the present invention can be implemented, reference is now made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] The lamp is illustrated. [Figure 2] The internal elements of the lamp are illustrated. [Figure 3] The antenna-stem assembly for use in an embodiment is illustrated. [Figure 4] The antenna for use in an embodiment is illustrated. [Figure 5] Another view of the antenna is illustrated. [Figure 6] The technology for manufacturing the antenna-stem assembly is illustrated.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0028] The present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0029] The detailed descriptions and specific examples illustrate exemplary embodiments of the apparatus, systems, and methods, but are for illustrative purposes only and should not be used to limit the scope of the invention. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the apparatus, systems, and methods of the invention will be better understood from the following description, the appended claims, and the appended drawings. The figures are for illustrative purposes only and are not drawn to scale. The same reference numerals are used throughout the figures to indicate the same or similar parts.

[0030] The present invention provides a lamp having an antenna. The antenna has a winding portion located within the stem of the lamp. The winding portion is positioned adjacent to the pinch portion of the stem.

[0031] The embodiment is based on the recognition that the effective length of an antenna for a lamp can be increased by configuring the antenna to have a winding section (for example, having a helical, curved, meandering, or zigzag shape). However, placing such a section inside the lamp may detract from the lamp's appearance. The proposed method places the winding section near the pinch section to mitigate this effect.

[0032] The proposed method can be used in any form of lamp for any suitable environment, such as automotive environments (e.g., lamps for automobiles), office environments, home environments, industrial environments, and clinical environments.

[0033] Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the components of the lamp 100 to improve contextual understanding. Figure 1 shows a side view of the lamp 100, and Figure 2 shows side views of some of the components of the lamp 100.

[0034] The lamp 100 includes a light-emitting element 110, a support 115, a stem 120, a lamp base 170, and a bulb envelope 180.

[0035] The light-emitting element 110 is configured to generate and emit light. In the illustrated example, the light-emitting element is formed from a filament, such as an LED filament, which is configured in a helical structure. However, this is not essential, and other configurations of the light-emitting element 110, such as bundles of filaments and / or sets of vertically arranged filaments, will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Thus, the light-emitting element 110 may have one or more LED filaments. Alternatively, the light-emitting element 110 may have one or more LED chips and / or arrays of LEDs.

[0036] The support 115 is configured to provide structural support for the light-emitting element 110. In the illustrated example, the support 115 is formed from a rigid material (such as glass or metal) to provide structural support along the length of the light-emitting element 110.

[0037] The stem 120 provides structural support to at least the support 115 and other components of the lamp 100. The stem 120 may, among other things, be used to mount, secure, or align components within the lamp (including at least the support 115). The stem can be formed from any suitable material, preferably an insulating material that melts or becomes viscous when exposed to heat, such as glass.

[0038] The lamp base 170 and the bulb envelope 180 are connected to each other and enclose the other components of the lamp 100.

[0039] The lamp base 170 provides structural support to the other components of the lamp.

[0040] The lamp base 170 may have an electrical connector 190 for electrically connecting the lamp 100 to a socket (not shown). The electrical connector shown includes an Edison screw, but this can be easily replaced with another form of electrical connector (e.g., a bayonet connector or a push-pin connector).

[0041] The bulb envelope 180 may be formed of a transparent or translucent material, for example, to ensure that the illumination from the light-emitting element 110 can be dispersed or transmitted into the surroundings. Thus, the bulb envelope 180 may be formed of a transparent and / or dispersive material. For example, the material of the bulb envelope 180 may be glass or plastic.

[0042] The lamp 100 may be a gas-filled light bulb. In particular, the lamp base 170 and the bulb envelope 180 may be filled with or contain a gas, which is preferably an inert gas such as helium, argon, nitrogen, halogen, xenon, krypton, and / or a mixture of any of these inert gases. In this configuration, the light-emitting element 110 can be placed in an inert environment to reduce the risk of degradation.

[0043] Specifically, looking at Figure 2, the stem 120 may include a pinched portion 123 or pinched area. An alternative label for the pinched portion 123 may include a pinched portion, a neck portion, or a tapered portion.

[0044] The pinch portion is part of the stem 120 and represents a portion that attaches or secures other components within the lamp 100. For example, a support 115, power lines 210, an optional exhaust pipe (not shown), etc., may be secured to the pinch portion 123. As is well known to those skilled in the art, the pinch portion may be formed by melting a portion of the stem and crushing the molten portion to grip the aforementioned components.

[0045] In particular, the pinch portion can be formed by heating the stem to a temperature at which the stem material becomes viscous. The viscous material is then pressed or pinched to form an airtight connection between the components at the pinching position, thereby forming the pinch portion.

[0046] Therefore, the pinch portion can be formed from a monolithic material piece, in contrast to the other parts of the stem, which may be hollow.

[0047] The pinch portion 123 is located inside the lamp's bulb envelope 180.

[0048] More specifically, the stem 120 may include a first chamber 121, a second chamber 122, and a pinch portion 123. The pinch portion 123 separates the first chamber and the second chamber from each other. Viewed in at least one cross-section, the stem 120 tapers in the direction from the first chamber to the second chamber, and then widens again. This tapered section of the stem forms the pinch portion 123.

[0049] The first chamber 121 is positioned closer to the light-emitting element 110 than the second chamber 122. Similarly, the second chamber 122 is positioned closer to the lamp base 170 than the first chamber 121.

[0050] The lamp 100 may further include a communication module 220, for example, a wireless communication module. The communication module 220 is configured to transmit and / or receive signals (for example, via an antenna) that can be used to control the operation of the lamp or to transmit signals from the lamp.

[0051] For example, the communication module 220 may receive instructions on how the lamp 100 (specifically, the light-emitting element 110) should operate via one or more radio frequency signals received through the antenna. The instructions may specify, for example, one or more optical characteristics of the light emitted by the light-emitting element, such as light intensity, color, and color temperature.

[0052] As another example, a communication module may be used to transmit information collected by one or more sensors (not shown) mounted on the lamp. Examples of sensors include temperature sensors, light intensity sensors, proximity sensors (e.g., infrared occupancy sensors), and the like.

[0053] The communication module 220 can be housed within the lamp base 170. However, this is not mandatory.

[0054] Naturally, the lamp 100 may further include a control circuit and / or a power supply / drive circuit. The control circuit may operate in response to messages or commands received by a communication module to control, for example, one or more optical properties of the light emitted by the light-emitting element 110 (examples of such optical properties have already been shown). The control circuit may control the operation of the power supply / drive circuit, for example, to control one or more optical properties of the light-emitting element 110, and therefore one or more optical properties of the lamp 100.

[0055] The operation of the communication module and associated control circuits is well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail for the sake of brevity.

[0056] The control circuit and / or power supply / drive circuit may be formed together with the communication module 220 on a single chip to facilitate assembly and / or manufacturing.

[0057] The present invention primarily relates to an antenna configuration for facilitating wireless communication for lamps. The antenna may be, for example, an antenna for the lamp's communication module.

[0058] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the antenna stem assembly 300. The antenna stem assembly 300 is an assembly of the stem 120 for the lamp and the antenna 310. Other relevant features, such as the support 115 and the exhaust pipe 359 (described later), are illustrated for contextual understanding.

[0059] The antenna 310 is attached to or fixed to the stem 120 at the pinch portion 123 of the stem 120. In this manner, the antenna is housed at least partially within a bulb envelope (not shown). It will be understood that the antenna 310 may be communicatively / electrically connected to a communications module (not shown in Figure 3).

[0060] The antenna 310 has a winding section 311. The winding section 311 has one or more bent or curved sections that serve to increase the effective length of the antenna within a limited area or volume (for example, compared to a single straight antenna).

[0061] The winding section 311 is at least partially housed within the stem 120, for example, entirely within the stem. More specifically, the winding section is positioned adjacent to the pinch section 123 of the stem 120, but not within the pinch section 123. For example, as shown, the winding section 311 may be at least partially housed within the first chamber 121 of the stem 120, for example, entirely within the first chamber 121.

[0062] In this configuration, the winding section is located near the pinch section 123 of the stem. The winding section is not located within the pinch section 123. This prevents deformation from occurring in the winding section during the manufacturing or assembly of the lamp, which could affect the performance or response of the antenna.

[0063] Referring to Figure 2, it should be noted that at least one power line 210 may extend from the pinch portion 123 toward the light-emitting element 110. In this method, the antenna is kept away from the power line 210 by positioning the winding portion within the first chamber 121 of the stem 120 (for example, they are separated by at least the wall portion of the stem 120).

[0064] Returning to Figure 3, the first chamber 121 may completely house the winding portion 311 of the antenna 310. In this configuration, the pinch portion 123 may be configured to restrict or prevent the movement of the winding portion 311 of the antenna 310 from the first chamber 121 to the second chamber 122. This serves to further reduce the movement of the antenna within the stem (beyond simply securing the antenna to the pinch portion 123).

[0065] The winding section 311 may be the part of the antenna furthest from the communication module (not shown). Therefore, the winding section may be the part of the antenna 310 closest to the light-emitting element.

[0066] The winding portion 311 in the illustrated example is a helical portion, and the winding portion is formed to have a helical structure or shape. The winding portion may include, for example, at least one turn, for example, two or more turns.

[0067] An alternative to forming the winding section with a helical structure or shape is to form the winding section with a zigzag pattern or a meandering shape.

[0068] As described above, the lamp may have a support 115 for the light-emitting element. This support may be at least partially housed within the stem 120. The support may, among other things, pass through the first chamber 121 and be fixed to the stem at the pinch portion 123. The support 115 extends outward from the stem to support the light-emitting element.

[0069] The winding portion 311 of the antenna 310 may be configured to wrap around a portion of the support 115, for example, a portion of the support housed by the stem 120. Thus, the winding portion may partially surround or partially wrap around a portion of the support 115 within the first chamber 121 of the stem 120.

[0070] The antenna 310 may further have an elongated portion 312, as shown in the figure. This elongated portion 312 may connect, for example, a winding portion 311 to a communication module or other communication circuit (not shown). Preferably, the elongated portion extends through a second chamber 122 of the stem. A pinch portion 123 of the stem 120 can be fixed to the elongated portion 312 of the antenna 310, thereby allowing it to be fixed to the antenna.

[0071] As illustrated in Figure 3, the lamp may further have an exhaust pipe 350 for carrying gas to or from the bulb envelope. The exhaust pipe may be used, for example, to fill the bulb envelope with inert gas (and to exhaust air) during manufacturing. The exhaust pipe may then be fitted with a cover or otherwise closed (for example, by melting with a flame) to prevent / avoid the loss of inert gas from the bulb envelope. Examples of suitable materials and construction techniques for forming the exhaust pipe are well known in the art.

[0072] The exhaust pipe 350 is structurally supported by the stem 120. In particular, the exhaust pipe 350 may be structurally supported by or at the pinch portion 123 of the stem 120.

[0073] The entire antenna 310 is positioned outside the exhaust pipe 350 (if present).

[0074] Figure 3 also shows how the pinch section may be formed from a monolithic material piece such that it contains no or minimal gas / air other than the gas / air present in the pinch section / components fixed to the pinch section, for example, in the exhaust pipe 350, compared to other parts of the stem which may be hollow.

[0075] Figures 4 and 5 show specific diagrams of the antenna 310 for better understanding. Figure 4 shows a side view of the antenna 310, which more clearly shows how the antenna is formed from the winding section 311 and the elongated section 312. Figure 5 shows a top view of the antenna 310, which shows how the winding section 311 may have a helical structure.

[0076] Figure 6 illustrates the technique for manufacturing the antenna stem assembly 300 according to an embodiment.

[0077] At the first time point 610, the stem 120 is provided together with the support 115 (for the light-emitting element). The stem 120 has a tubular portion 615 (at least initially). The support 115 is inserted into the tubular portion 615 of the stem 130 so that it is at least partially housed within the tubular portion 615.

[0078] In the first process 650, the antenna 310 is provided. In one example, a portion of the antenna (which may initially be elongated) is wound around the support 115 to form a winding portion 311. Alternatively, preferably, the support 115 may be passed through a winding portion 311 that has been prefabricated (e.g., pre-wound) before the start of manufacturing of the assembly 300. The remaining portion of the antenna is positioned through the tubular portion 615 of the stem. In this manner, the antenna 310 is formed to have a winding portion 311 and an elongated portion 312.

[0079] In this method, at a second time point 620 after the completion of the first process 650, a stem 120 is provided through which the support 115 and the antenna 310 (with the winding portion 311 of the antenna 310 wrapped around the support) are arranged.

[0080] In the second process 660, the stem is pinched to secure the support 115 and the antenna 310. Process 660 can be carried out, for example, by heating the stem at a desired position until the material becomes viscous and / or begins to flow. The stem can then be crushed, pinched, or otherwise manipulated to bring two opposing sides of the stem 120 together at a desired position. This pinching brings the pinched portion 123 to a desired position, which may be the position where the support and antenna are located. The pinched portion thereby secures the stem to the support 115 and the antenna 310. Heating and pinching the stem in the second process 660 thereby brings the first chamber 121, the second chamber 122, and the pinched portion 123 of the stem 120 described above.

[0081] During the second process 660, the support 115 and the antenna 310 are arranged so as to be at least partially housed within the stem 120. In particular, the winding portion 311 is positioned within the stem such that when the stem is grasped, the winding portion is located within a first chamber 311 defined within the stem.

[0082] In this method, at a third time point 630 after the completion of the second process 660, an antenna stem assembly 300 is provided, which includes a stem 120 and an antenna 310 partially housed within the stem. In particular, the winding portion 311 of the antenna 310 is located within the first chamber 121 of the stem.

[0083] A person skilled in the art will be able to understand and achieve, in carrying out the claimed invention, variations to the disclosed embodiments by studying the drawings, specification and appended claims. In the claims, the word “has” does not exclude other elements or steps, and singular nouns do not exclude plural nouns.

[0084] The mere fact that certain means are mentioned in different dependent claims does not mean that combinations of these means cannot be used to one's advantage.

[0085] Note that where the term “adapted to be…” is used in the claims or specification, it is intended to be equivalent to the term “configured to be…”. Note that where the term “configuration” is used in the claims or specification, it is intended to be equivalent to the term “system”, and vice versa.

[0086] No reference numeral in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. The lamp base and bulb envelope are connected to each other, Light-emitting element, A stem for mounting the light-emitting element within the light bulb envelope, comprising a stem formed from glass, A lamp comprising an antenna for wireless communication, at least partially housed within the stem and fixed at a pinch portion of the stem within the bulb envelope, the antenna including a winding portion adjacent to the pinch portion but not within the pinch portion, The stem has a first chamber and a second chamber, The pinch portion separates the first chamber and the second chamber. A lamp in which the winding portion is at least partially housed within the first chamber.

2. The lamp according to claim 1, wherein the winding portion of the antenna has a helical structure.

3. The support for the light-emitting element further comprises The support extends at least partially from the stem, The lamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the winding portion of the antenna is configured to wrap around a part of the support.

4. The lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first chamber completely accommodates the winding portion of the antenna.

5. The lamp according to claim 4, wherein the pinch portion is configured to restrict or prevent the movement of the winding portion of the antenna from the first chamber to the second chamber.

6. The lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the antenna further comprises an elongated portion extending through the second chamber.

7. The lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first chamber is closer to the light-emitting element than the second chamber.

8. The lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising an exhaust pipe for transporting gas to or from the light bulb envelope, the exhaust pipe being structurally supported by the stem.

9. The lamp according to claim 8, wherein the entire antenna is located outside the exhaust pipe.

10. The lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising one or more power lines for the light-emitting element.

11. The lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the winding portion of the antenna has two or more turns.

12. The lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the light-emitting element has one or more LED filaments.

13. The lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the lamp base has an electrical connector for electrically connecting the lamp to a lamp socket.

14. The lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the lamp is a gas-filled light bulb.

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