Lighting unit and lighting panel using the same

Abstract

To provide an illumination unit and an illumination panel that can have an LED light source easily replaced in a case of a failure and also show a variety of light-dark patterns over the entire panel.SOLUTION: There is provided an illumination unit that has a frame body 10 composed of longitudinal and lateral frame materials 11, 12, and also has a paper-like sheet 40 stuck on the surface thereof. Frame materials 11, 11 of two opposed sides constituting the frame body 10 are made of translucent resin having a tunnel-shaped hollow part 13, and LED tapes 30 comprising many LED chips are inserted into them along their lengths in an extractable state. The LED tapes 30 can be easily replaced and indirect illumination with light rich in shading through the paper-like sheet 40 can be performed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting unit that can be incorporated into a partition, ceiling, door, wall, etc. to provide indirect lighting with soft light that is rich in impression, and to a lighting panel that uses the same. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART As shown in Patent Document 1, fittings with light sources that incorporate light sources inside partitions such as shoji screens and folding screens to provide indirect lighting with soft light have been known in the past.

[0003] The light-emitting fixture in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a straight-tube LED light source is attached to the bottom frame of a wooden frame, and both sides of the frame are covered with shoji paper. However, such light-emitting fixtures have the problem that if the LED light source breaks down or deteriorates, the shoji paper must be removed to repair it, or the entire fixture must be discarded and replaced. In particular, if the LED light source breaks down, the change in brightness is easily noticeable, so it cannot be left as is.

[0004] Furthermore, the light-emitting fixture in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a straight-tube LED light source is attached to the bottom frame, so the area close to the bottom frame is bright and the area close to the top frame, which is farther from the light source, is dark. For this reason, it was not possible to brighten the entire area or to vary the brightness.

[0005] Furthermore, because the kumiko panels that separate the interior of the frame are made of wood, they appear distinctly black, reducing the effect of indirect lighting provided by soft light.

[0006] In addition, Patent Document 2 describes a fixture with a light source in which ultraviolet LEDs are attached to wooden bars and ultraviolet light is irradiated onto shoji paper containing titanium oxide, thereby achieving antibacterial and deodorizing effects. However, this structure does not provide any lighting effect because it uses ultraviolet LEDs, and it also has the same problem as Patent Document 1 in that the LED light source is difficult to replace if it breaks down or deteriorates. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-026833 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-106058 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and to provide a lighting unit that can be easily replaced if the LED light source breaks down, and a lighting panel that uses this lighting unit and has excellent design effects, being able to give the entire panel a variety of light and dark patterns. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The lighting unit of the present invention, which was made to solve the above problems, is a lighting unit in which a frame body is formed from vertical and horizontal frame materials and a paper-like sheet is attached to the surface of the frame body, and at least two opposing sides of the frame materials that make up the frame body are made of translucent resin with a tunnel-shaped hollow portion, and an LED tape equipped with a large number of LED chips can be inserted and removed longitudinally into this hollow portion.

[0010] It is preferable that all of the frame materials constituting the frame are made of a light-transmitting resin, and the paper-like sheet is preferably a semi-light-transmitting resin sheet having the texture of Japanese paper.

[0011] The lighting panel of the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of the lighting units described above are arranged in series. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The lighting unit of the present invention has a structure in which at least two opposing sides of the frame material constituting the frame are made of a translucent resin with a tunnel-shaped hollow portion, and an LED tape equipped with a large number of LED chips is inserted into this hollow portion so that it can be inserted and removed longitudinally. Therefore, if an LED light source fails, the LED tape can be easily replaced by pulling it out from the end of the frame material. Furthermore, because the frame material is made of a translucent resin material, the kumiko parts do not appear clearly black, and indirect lighting with excellent design effects is possible. Furthermore, the lighting panel of the present invention is a combination of lighting panels of the present invention, and the brightness can be changed in various patterns. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a single lighting unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cross-sectional structure of a frame material made of a light-transmitting resin. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the LED tape. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a front view of an LED tape having a non-light-emitting portion. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view of a lighting panel made up of six lighting units. [Figure 6] This is a front view of a lighting panel made up of 21 lighting units. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view showing the light-emitting state of the illumination panel of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 7 is a front view showing another light emitting state of the illumination panel of FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which the present invention is applied to a door. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The following describes an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view showing a single lighting unit of the embodiment, in which reference numeral 10 denotes a rectangular frame body made up of vertical and horizontal frame members 11 and 12. Of these frame members, frame members 11 and 11 on two opposing sides are made of a light-transmitting resin. In this embodiment, frame member 11 is made of an acrylic resin, but any light-transmitting resin will do, and the material is not necessarily limited to acrylic resin.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 2, a frame material 11 made of a translucent resin has a tunnel-shaped hollow portion 13 extending in the longitudinal direction. As shown in Fig. 2(A), the hollow portion 13 may be formed by bonding four resin plates together, or as shown in Fig. 2(B), the hollow portion 13 may be formed by extrusion molding, or as shown in Fig. 2(C), the hollow portion 13 may be formed from a main body 14 with a U-shaped cross section and a flat plate 15 covering the opening thereof. In any case, however, the cross-sectional shape must be uniform in the longitudinal direction, and there must be no parts that can become caught along the way.

[0016] The frame material 12 that forms the other two sides does not need to have the tunnel-shaped hollow portion 13, but it is still preferable that it be made of a light-transmitting resin.

[0017] An LED tape 30 equipped with a number of LED chips 31, as shown in FIG. 3, is inserted into the hollow portion 13 of the frame material 11. Various types of LED tape 30 are commercially available, but they basically have a structure in which LED chips 31, resistors 32, terminals 33, etc. are regularly arranged on a resin tape. LED tape 30 can be selected from a variety of colors, such as daylight white and warm white, and the light intensity and color tone can be changed by operating a dimmer switch on the connected power box. Colored light can also be produced by attaching a colored film to the surface of the frame material 11, or an LED tape 30 equipped with three types of LED chips 31 (red, green, and blue) can be used to produce any desired color.

[0018] The LED tape 30 can be cut at the cut points formed at regular intervals for further use, so it is cut to fit the length of the frame material 11. Lead wires 34 for power supply are connected to terminals 33 at the ends. In the present invention, the LED tape 30 is inserted into the hollow portion 13 of the frame material 11 so that it can be removed and inserted in the longitudinal direction, allowing it to be easily pulled out in the event of a malfunction.

[0019] The LED tape 30 can be cut and used, so that a non-light-emitting section consisting only of the lead wires 34 can be formed along the length, as shown in Figure 4. By using an LED tape 30 with such a non-light-emitting section, it is possible to form a non-light-emitting region and a light-emitting region on the same straight line.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1 , lead wires 34 extending from the end of each LED tape 30 are pulled out from the end of the frame material 11 and connected to a power line 35. It is preferable to attach a plug 36 or the like to the end of the power line 35 so that it can be connected to an external power box 37. A commercially available power box 37 can also be used. When power is supplied to the LED tape 30, the LED chips 31 emit light inside the hollow portion 13 of the frame material 11 made of translucent resin. Note that, in order to reduce the amount of light that penetrates to the back surface of the frame material 11 made of translucent resin, a non-translucent tape can be attached to the back surface of the frame material 11.

[0021] A paper-like sheet 40 is attached to the surface of the frame body 10, forming a panel structure. Light from the LED chip 31 passes through the paper-like sheet 40, providing soft illumination. The paper-like sheet 40 may be attached to only one side of the frame body 10, but it is more preferable to have it attached to both sides. When the paper-like sheet 40 is attached to both sides of the frame body 10, an air layer is formed inside, providing a heat insulating effect when used as a fixture. Furthermore, the internal structure is hidden, further enhancing the aesthetic appearance.

[0022] It is preferable to use a semi-transparent resin sheet with the texture of Japanese paper as the paper-like sheet 40. In this embodiment, a Japanese-style sheet manufactured and sold by the applicant company is used. This sheet is made by laminating Japanese paper and resin film, which maintains the appearance of Japanese paper while eliminating the paper's weakness of being easily torn. It can also be decorated with patterns and various other decorative processes. By using such a semi-transparent resin sheet with the texture of Japanese paper, it is possible to provide illumination with soft light that is rich in impressions, like light passing through shoji paper. The type of resin is not particularly limited, but for example, PET resin, which has excellent strength, can be used.

[0023] The lighting units described above can be used individually, but multiple units can also be arranged in a row to form a lighting panel, as shown in Figure 5. The lighting panel in Figure 5 is an integrated unit of six lighting units. The end faces of the frame material 11 of three horizontally adjacent lighting units are aligned, and the hollow portions 13 are connected. An LED tape 30 that is three times as long as the frame material 11 is inserted into the hollow portion 13. With this structure, the LED tape 30 can be inserted and removed from the end face of the lighting panel, spanning the entire width, making repairs and replacements easy.

[0024] Figure 6 shows a state in which a number of the above-mentioned lighting units are combined to form a fixture-like lighting panel. Reference numeral 50 denotes a disassemblable outer frame made of, for example, wood or aluminum, which increases the strength of the lighting panel and enhances the aesthetic appearance when installed indoors. Power cord 35 is drawn out from the end of outer frame 50 and connected to power supply box 37. The power supply box can also be installed on the ceiling of a building.

[0025] In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, an LED tape 30 is inserted into each of the horizontal frame members 11, with the LED tape 30 doubled up and down in the center. Figure 7 shows the appearance of the lighting panel when only the lower frame member 11 of each lighting unit is illuminated. In this case, light is emitted upward from the LED chips 31, so the area close to the lower frame member 11 is bright and gradually becomes darker as it moves away from the upper part, resulting in a rich, imprint-rich appearance.

[0026] Figure 8 shows an embodiment in which the lighting panel emits light in a checkerboard pattern. In this case, LED tapes 30 with sections consisting only of lead wires 34, as shown in Figure 4, are inserted alternately. More specifically, an LED tape 30 with a non-light-emitting section consisting only of lead wires 34 in the center is inserted into the frame material 11 of the upper lighting unit, and an LED tape 30 with non-light-emitting sections consisting only of lead wires 34 at both ends and emitting light in the center is inserted into the frame material 11 of the lower lighting unit. By matching the spacing between the frame materials 12 in the vertical direction with the length of the non-light-emitting sections, the non-light-emitting sections can be made to appear checkerboard-patterned.

[0027] The lighting unit of the present invention can be assembled into various sizes and shapes. The lighting unit of the present invention can be attached to a partition, ceiling, wall, etc. and used as a fixture. It can also be incorporated into a door as shown in FIG. 9, or used as an internally illuminated sign. In either case, if the internal LED breaks down, the LED tape 30 can be easily pulled out and repaired or replaced, making maintenance easier than ever before. It goes without saying that the light emission patterns can be varied in various ways in addition to those shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0028] In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the paper-like sheet 40 is attached to both the front and back of the frame body 10, but when the lighting panel is placed in close contact with a wall surface to be used as a light wall, the light can be reflected by the wall surface, so the paper-like sheet 40 on the back side can be omitted.

[0029] As described above, the lighting unit and lighting panel of the present invention can be easily replaced in the event of a malfunction of the LED light source, and have excellent design effects, being able to impart various light and dark patterns to the entire panel. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 10 Frame 11 Frame material 12 Frame material 13 Hollow part 14 Main Unit 15 flat plate 30 LED strips 31 LED chips 32 Resistance 33 terminals 34 Lead wire 35 Power line 36 Plug 37 Power Box 40 Paper-like sheets 50 outer frame

Claims

1. A lighting unit in which a frame body is formed by vertical and horizontal frame materials and a paper-like sheet is attached to the surface of the frame body, This lighting unit is characterized in that at least two opposing sides of the frame material that makes up the frame body are made of translucent resin with a tunnel-shaped hollow portion, and an LED tape equipped with a large number of LED chips can be inserted and removed longitudinally into this hollow portion.

2. 2. The lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein all of the frame members constituting the frame are made of a light-transmitting resin.

3. 2. The lighting unit according to claim 1, wherein the paper-like sheet is a semi-transparent resin sheet having a texture similar to that of Japanese paper.

4. An illumination panel comprising a plurality of illumination units according to any one of claims 1 to 3 arranged in series.

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