Lighting device

Abstract

[Problem] To reproduce the behavior of soap bubbles by a lighting device. [Solution] A lighting device 100 comprises: a transparent or translucent exterior film 10 having an internal space; one or more cable-like light-emitting members 60 movably provided in the exterior film 10; and an action means 40 that is provided in the exterior film and exerts action to move the light-emitting members 60. The lighting device 100 further comprises, in the exterior film 10, a frame body 20, a control board 30 fixed to the frame body 20, and an elastic member 50 spanning the frame body 20. A part of the light-emitting member 60 is fixed to the control board 30 while another part is fixed to the elastic member 50.

Description

lighting equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting device, and more particularly to a lighting device that imitates a soap bubble.

[0002] Lighting devices shaped like soap bubbles have been known for some time (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The lighting device described in Patent Document 1 has a globe part that is irradiated with light from an LED and is made of transparent glass in the shape of a soap bubble, and is said to be a glass representation of a momentary shape created by nature.

[0003] Design Registration No. 1454514

[0004] Incidentally, the way real soap bubbles shine and their shape change from moment to moment, but the lighting device in Patent Document 1 has LEDs placed inside a glass globe, so the way they shine and their shape hardly change. In other words, the lighting device in Patent Document 1 only imitates the shape of a soap bubble at a moment in time, and is unable to reproduce the natural behavior of a soap bubble.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a lighting device that can reproduce the behavior of soap bubbles.

[0006] The inventor of the present invention has intensively studied means for achieving the above-mentioned object, and has discovered that by providing a light-emitting member loosely within a transparent or translucent thin-film exterior film and by applying a movement to this light-emitting member, it is possible to reproduce the behavior of a real soap bubble, whose brightness and shape change from moment to moment. Based on this discovery, the inventor has come to the realization that the problems of the prior art can be solved, and has completed the present invention. Specifically, the present invention has the following configuration.

[0007] The present invention relates to a lighting device. The lighting device according to the present invention includes an exterior film, one or more light-emitting members, and an operating means. The exterior film is a transparent or translucent film having an internal space. The light-emitting member is loosely disposed within the exterior film and formed in a cable-like shape. The term "loosely disposed" here means that the entire cable-shaped light-emitting member is not fixed to another structure, but at least a portion of the light-emitting member is free from the other structure and moves within the exterior film due to some action. The cable-shaped light-emitting member may be, for example, a cable in which multiple light-emitting elements such as LEDs are connected in series, or may emit light by passing light through a cable-shaped light-guiding material such as an optical fiber. The operating means is disposed within the exterior film and applies an action to move the light-emitting member. In particular, it is preferable that the operating means applies an action to the light-emitting member as well as the interior of the exterior film. The action applied by the operating means to the light-emitting member may be a physical force such as wind pressure, rotational force, vibration, magnetic force, or electromagnetic force. In this way, by providing a light-emitting element and an action means within the exterior film and moving the light-emitting element within the exterior film, it is possible to reproduce the shimmering glow of a soap bubble. In particular, by having the action means act on the thin exterior film, it is possible to reproduce the change in shape of a soap bubble.

[0008] In the lighting device according to the present invention, the operating means is preferably a fan that blows air onto the light-emitting member. By generating air within the exterior film in this way, it is possible to reproduce the behavior of a soap bubble, whose brightness and shape change from moment to moment.

[0009] The lighting device according to the present invention preferably further includes, within the exterior film, a frame, a control board fixed to the frame, and an elastic member spanning the frame. In this case, the cable-shaped light-emitting member may be partially fixed to the control board and partially fixed to the elastic member. The elastic member may be made of an elastomer such as rubber or silicone. By fixing a portion of the light-emitting member to the elastic member, deformation of the elastic member can cause the light-emitting member to flicker more naturally. This allows the behavior of a real soap bubble to be more closely resembling that of a real soap bubble.

[0010] The lighting device according to the present invention preferably further includes a communication device capable of receiving a control signal from an external control device. In this case, it is preferable that both or either one of the light-emitting member and the operating means is controlled according to the control signal from the control device. For example, the light color, brightness, and light-emitting pattern of the light-emitting member can be controlled from the external control device. In addition, the driving conditions of the operating means, such as a fan, can also be controlled from the external control device. In particular, by controlling the light-emitting member and the operating means in synchronization, the behavior of real soap bubbles can be more closely approximated.

[0011] In the lighting device according to the present invention, the operating means may be a motor that oscillates the light-emitting member. Note that as the operating means, a motor may be used instead of the fan described above, or a fan and a motor may be used together.

[0012] The lighting device according to the present invention can reproduce the behavior of soap bubbles.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of an illumination device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an illumination device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, but also includes appropriate modifications of the embodiments below within the scope obvious to those skilled in the art.

[0015] FIG. 1 shows a lighting device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the lighting device 100 includes a spherical, transparent or translucent exterior film 10. This exterior film 10 has a space inside for accommodating various devices, such as an LED cable 60. While known films can be used for the exterior film 10, a film material that resembles a soap bubble in appearance is preferred. Examples of exterior films that can be used include translucent iridescent films known as aurora films or chameleon films, which change color depending on the viewing angle and the light they receive. Alternatively, a translucent half-mirror film can be used for the exterior film 10. The half-mirror preferably has a light reflectance of less than 80% and a light transmittance of 10 to 50%, and primarily reflects light from outside the exterior film 10 and transmits light from inside the exterior film 10. Colorless or colored cellophane or other known plastic films can also be used for the exterior film 10. The size of the exterior film 10 is not particularly limited, as long as it can accommodate the various devices described below. For example, the diameter of the exterior film 10 is preferably 150 to 500 mm.

[0016] 1 , various devices such as a frame 20, a control board 30, a fan 40, a rubber string 50, and an LED cable 60 are arranged inside the exterior film 10. A power supply cable 70 is connected to the control board 30, and power is supplied to the control board 30, the fan 40, and the LED cable 60 via this power supply cable 70. This power supply cable 70 passes through the exterior film 10 and is drawn out to the outside, and serves to suspend the lighting device 100 from a ceiling or the like.

[0017] The frame 20 is a structure for supporting various devices such as the control board 30, the fan 40, the rubber cord 50, and the LED cable 60. In this embodiment, the frame 20 is fixed to the control board 30 and has multiple support columns 21 extending in the vertical direction. The frame 20 may be made of a lightweight, rigid material such as a general plastic material. The frame 20 has a three-tiered structure, with the control board 30 as the top layer, a fan layer 22 for arranging the fan 40 in the middle layer, and an elastic layer 24 for arranging the rubber cord 50 in the bottom layer. The fan layer 22 has an opening 23 that provides space for the fan 40 to rotate. The elastic layer 24 also has an opening 25 that provides space for bridging the multiple rubber cords 50. By providing the frame 20 in this manner, various devices such as the control board 30, the fan 40, the rubber cord 50, and the LED cable 60 can be stably held inside the exterior film 10 while being integrated.

[0018] The control board 30 is a printed circuit board that combines electronic components for controlling the fan 40 and the LED cables 60. The control board 30 is disposed on the top layer of the frame 20. FIG. 2 shows an example of functional elements included in the control board 30. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the control board 30 includes a processor 31, a memory 32, a communication device 33, a drive control circuit 34, and a light emission control circuit 35. Examples of the processor 31 include a known CPU or other control circuit. The processor 31 performs predetermined arithmetic processing in accordance with programs and data stored in the memory 32, and executes various control processes while writing the results of the calculations to a workspace in the memory 32. The memory 32 is composed of, for example, a volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM) or a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, and is used for the arithmetic processing by the processor 31. In this embodiment, the processor 31 reads the program stored in the memory 32 and performs processing to drive the fan 40 and illuminate the LED cables 60 in accordance with the program.

[0019] The communicator 33 is a communication module for wireless or wired communication with an external control device. In the wireless system, the communicator 33 may communicate wirelessly using known wireless communication standards such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or NFC, other proprietary standards, frequencies such as the sub-GHz band, or P2MP or mesh communication other than WLAN. On the other hand, in the wired system, the communicator 33 can communicate with an external control device via a cable 70, simultaneously with or separately from power supply. For example, the lighting device 100 communicates with an external control device (not shown) via the communicator 33. In this case, the lighting device 100 can control the drive state of the fan 40 and the light emission state of each LED cable 60 based on instructions and commands received from the external control device. Furthermore, the lighting device 100 can also communicate with other lighting devices 100 (not shown) via the communicator 33 in a wired or wireless manner. In this case, information may be shared among multiple lighting devices 100 to control the drive state of the fan 40 and the light emission state of each LED cable 60. For example, the light emission colors or blinking patterns of the LED cables 60 may be coordinated among a plurality of lighting devices 100. Also, the drive patterns of the fans 40 may be coordinated among a plurality of lighting devices 100.

[0020] The drive control circuit 34 is a circuit that supplies power from the power supply cable 70 to the fan 40 so that the fan 40 operates under predetermined drive conditions (rotation speed, rotation pattern, rotation direction, etc.) based on a control command from the processor 31. The light emission control circuit 35 is a circuit that supplies power from the power supply cable 70 to each LED cable 60 so that the light emitting elements 61 of each LED cable 60 emit light under predetermined light emission conditions (emission color, brightness, light emission pattern, etc.) based on a control command from the processor 31. The light emission control circuit 35 is also capable of independently controlling each of the multiple LED cables 60.

[0021] The fan 40 is disposed within the exterior film 10 for the purpose of blowing air primarily onto the LED cable 60, thereby moving the LED cable 60 within the exterior film 10. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , the fan 40 is configured to blow air downward. That is, in this embodiment, the fan 40 blows air toward the elastic layer 24 of the frame 20. It is preferable to use a so-called axial fan as the fan 40. The fan 40, which is an axial fan, has a motor unit 41 fixed to the fan layer 22 of the frame 20 and blades 42 provided around the motor unit 41. When the motor unit 41 provided at the center of the fan 40 rotates, the blades 42 provided around it also rotate. The fan 40 also has lead wires (not shown), which are connected to the control board 30 and receive control signals and power from the control board 30 via the lead wires. Either a DC axial fan or an AC axial fan can be used as the fan 40. When the fan 40 rotates, the air blown therefrom hits the LED cable 60, causing the LED cable 60 to sway within the exterior film 10. It is preferable that the air blown from the fan 40 sways not only the LED cable 60 but also the exterior film 10. Since it is sufficient that the air blown from the fan 40 can hit the LED cable 60, the air blowing direction of the fan 40 is not limited to downward, and it can also be upward.

[0022] The rubber cord 50 is stretched across the opening 25 of the elastic layer 24, which is the lowest layer of the frame body 20. It is preferable that a plurality of rubber cords 50 are provided within the opening 25 of the elastic layer 24. In particular, it is preferable that the rubber cord 50 is stretched across the opening 25 of the elastic layer 24 while being subjected to tension. As will be described later, one end of each LED cable 60 is fixed to the rubber cord 50 in order to reproduce the natural swinging movement of the LED cables 60.

[0023] The LED cable 60 is a cable-shaped light-emitting component in which a plurality of LED light-emitting elements 61 are connected together. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , four LED cables 60 are provided within the exterior film 10. One end of each LED cable 60 is connected to the control board 30 and receives control signals and power from the control board 30. The other end of each LED cable 60 is fixed to a rubber string 50 provided on the elastic layer 24 of the frame body 20. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2 , each LED cable 60 is arranged within the exterior film 10 so as to hang down vertically from the control board 30 located in the top layer of the frame body 20 to the rubber string 50 located in the bottom layer of the frame body 20. Because each LED cable 60 is arranged loosely within the exterior film 10 in this manner, it will sway within the exterior film 10 when wind is blown by the fan 40. In particular, because one end of each LED cable 60 is fixed to the unstable rubber string 50, each LED cable 60 moves in a more natural swaying motion when exposed to wind from the fan 40.

[0024] In the lighting device 100 configured as described above, by lighting the light-emitting elements 61 of each LED cable 60 and driving the fan 40 to vibrate each LED cable 60 and the exterior film 10, it is possible to reproduce the behavior of a real soap bubble, whose brightness and shape change from moment to moment. For example, the light-emitting control circuit 35 may not only constantly light the light-emitting elements 61 of each LED cable 60, but also control them to repeatedly blink at predetermined or random intervals. The light-emitting control circuit 35 may also control the light-emitting color of the light-emitting elements 61 of each LED cable 60. The light-emitting control circuit 35 may also control these light-emitting conditions for each LED cable 60 or for each light-emitting element 61 constituting the LED cable 60. The drive control circuit 34 may not only constantly drive the fan 40, but may also control it to switch on / off at predetermined or random intervals, or to repeatedly increase or decrease the airflow volume at predetermined or random intervals. In this way, by blinking the LED cable 60 and adjusting the on / off and airflow of the fan 40, the lighting device 100 can reproduce the behavior of real soap bubbles.

[0025] In the above description of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings in order to express the contents of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and includes modifications and improvements that are obvious to those skilled in the art based on the matters described in the present specification.

[0026] For example, in this embodiment, the fan 40 is used as a means for imparting a kinetic action to the LED cable 60, but a known motor or vibrator may be used instead. When a motor is used, for example, a portion of the LED cable 60 may be connected to the shaft (output shaft) of the motor via a wire or string, and the wire or the like may be moved periodically or randomly by the motor, thereby naturally moving the LED cable 60. The same applies when a vibrator (oscillator) is used; a portion of the LED cable 60 may be connected to the vibrating part of the vibrator via a wire or string.

[0027] Furthermore, in this embodiment, power is supplied to the control board 30, the fan 40, and the LED cable 60 via the power supply cable 70. Alternatively, a small battery may be mounted in the lighting device 100 itself, and power may be supplied from this battery to the control board 30, the fan 40, and the LED cable 60. The battery may be a primary battery or a secondary battery. However, because repeatedly rechargeable batteries provide higher operational efficiency, it is preferable to use secondary batteries when a battery is mounted.

[0028] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10...Exterior film 20...Frame body 21...Support 22...Fan layer 23...Opening 24...Elastic layer 25...Opening 30...Control board 31...Processor 32...Memory 33...Communication device 34...Drive control circuit 35...Light emission control circuit 40...Fan 41...Motor section 42...Blade section 50...Rubber string (elastic member) 60...LED cable 61...Light emitting element 70...Power supply cable 100...Lighting device

Claims

1. A lighting device comprising: a transparent or translucent exterior film having an internal space; one or more cable-shaped light-emitting members loosely arranged within said exterior film; and an operating means arranged within said exterior film for exerting a movement on said light-emitting members, wherein said lighting device further comprises, within said exterior film, a frame body, a control board fixed to said frame body, and an elastic member stretched across said frame body, and a portion of said light-emitting members is fixed to said control board, and another portion is fixed to said elastic member.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the operating means is a fan that blows air onto the light-emitting member.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising a communication device capable of receiving a control signal from an external control device, and both or either one of the light-emitting member and the operating means are controlled in accordance with the control signal from the control device.

4. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the actuation means is a motor that oscillates the light-emitting member.

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