Security lamp

Abstract

Provided is a security lamp on which spider webs are less likely to be formed.　A security lamp 10 has: a body 12 that has a light-emitting part for emitting light for irradiating a lower part of an attached place and has an attachment part which is attached to a utility pole 110; and a globe 11 that is a translucent cover through which light from the light-emitting part is transmitted. In addition, the security lamp 10 has a structure for preventing generation of a space where spider webs are formed and for avoiding projection from the utility pole 110. An upper luminous flux ratio which is the ratio of the luminous flux going upward relative to the horizontal direction to the whole luminous flux for irradiating the outside through the globe 11 is 3% or less. In a state of being attached to the utility pole 110, the security lamp 10 is longer in the vertical length than in the width, and the light-emitting part is provided at a lower side from the center in the vertical direction. The globe 11 does not have a plane portion for blocking wind and rain, a projecting portion such as a screw head which can serve as a starting point of spider webs, or a recess portion that blocks wind and rain to allow a spider to hide itself. The surface of the globe is configured from a curved surface.

Description

security lights

[0001] The present invention relates to a security light that is attached to a pole-like object such as a utility pole installed outdoors and that illuminates an area below the place where it is attached.

[0002] Security lights are attached to pole-like supports, such as utility poles, installed outdoors to illuminate residential roads where people pass by at night (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). Many such security lights are installed so that their longitudinal axis is perpendicular to the support pole. Therefore, in typical security lights, the flat surface (the lower part of the security light) is not exposed to wind and rain, so spider webs continue to form on the flat surface. Since the flat surface cannot be washed away by rain, dirt accumulates. Furthermore, protruding parts such as screw heads can serve as starting points for spider webs. Furthermore, the recessed part of the globe (the lower part of the security light) is not exposed to wind and rain, making it a suitable hiding place for spiders, which can lead to spider web formation. Once spider webs form on the security light, the light-emitting surface becomes soiled by the spider webs, and in some cases investigated, the illuminance can be reduced by more than 40%. In addition, spider webs can be built on security lights, causing them to become soiled and causing aesthetic problems.

[0003] Furthermore, unlike security lights that use conventional fluorescent lamps, security lights that use LEDs in particular do not require lamp replacement, and therefore often do not require maintenance such as cleaning, and dirt caused by spider webs is often noticeable, especially in mountainous areas or suburban areas adjacent to farmland.While it is possible to prevent the reduction in illuminance and deterioration of the aesthetic appearance caused by spider webs by regularly removing the spider webs that have formed on security lights, such work requires a great deal of manpower, is time-consuming and expensive, and is therefore not realistic.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-133574

[0005] For the reasons mentioned above, there is a demand for maintenance-free security lights that are less susceptible to spider web formation than security lights with conventional structures, and whose illuminance does not decrease even after time has passed since installation.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a security light that is less susceptible to spider webs.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the security light of the present invention is a security light that is attached to a columnar object installed outdoors and is used to illuminate an area below the place where it is attached, and comprises: a main body having a light-emitting part that uses power supplied from an external source to emit light to illuminate an area below the place where it is attached, and having an attachment part that is attached to the object where it is attached; and a light-transmitting cover that is attached to the main body so as to cover the main body and through which light from the light-emitting part passes, the security light has a structure that avoids protruding from the object where it is attached and does not create a space in which spider webs can be built, the upward luminous flux ratio, which is the ratio of luminous flux that is directed upward rather than horizontally out of the total luminous flux irradiated to the outside through the light-transmitting cover, is 3% or less, when attached to the object where it is attached, the vertical width is longer than the horizontal width, and the light-emitting part is located below the center in the vertical direction, the light-transmitting cover does not have flat parts that block wind and rain, convex parts that can serve as footholds for spiders to start webs, and concave parts that block wind and rain so that spiders can hide, The surface of the light-transmitting cover is configured as a curved surface.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a security light that is less susceptible to spider webs.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a general security light 100 of a conventional structure shown as a comparative example. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing how a spider's web is formed in the general security light 100 of a conventional structure shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a security light 10 of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the security light 10 of an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 when viewed from the front, attached to a utility pole 110. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the security light 10 of an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the cross-sectional structure of the security light 10 of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the security light 10 of an embodiment of the present invention attached to a utility pole 110. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the space filling rate of the security light 10 of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the space filling rate of the security light 10 of an embodiment of the present invention shown as a comparative example.

[0010] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Comparative Example First, in order to explain the security light of this embodiment, a general security light 100 having a conventional structure is shown in FIG. 1 as a comparative example.

[0012] Referring to FIG. 1, a security light 100 is attached to a utility pole 110, which is a column-shaped object to be attached to, and irradiates light onto a road below where pedestrians pass.

[0013] Next, Fig. 2 shows how a spider web is formed on the general security light 100 of the conventional structure shown in Fig. 1. Referring to Fig. 2, the spider web is formed between the light emitting surface of the security light 100 and the utility pole 110.

[0014] In a typical security light 100 with a conventional structure, the light-emitting surface faces downward, and the light-emitting surface portion is flat, creating an area that is less susceptible to wind and rain. Even if spider webs are created in this area, they are less likely to be washed away by wind and rain. Furthermore, the security light 100 has many protruding portions that serve as starting points for spiders to build webs, making it a structure that is conducive to spider web creation. Furthermore, the security light 100 has many recessed portions where spiders can hide, creating an environment that spiders prefer. Furthermore, because the security light 100 is designed to protrude from the column-shaped object to which it is attached, there is a large space on the light-emitting surface side, creating space in which spider webs can exist.

[0015] Then, as the years pass after installation, the spider webs thus formed will adhere to the light-emitting surface of the security light 100, and new spider webs will be formed, gradually soiling the light-emitting surface of the security light 100. As a result, problems arise such as a decrease in illuminance when the security light 100 illuminates a downward area, and a deterioration in the aesthetic appearance when looking up at the security light 100 from below.

[0016] [One embodiment of the present invention] In order to solve the above problem, a security light 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3, which has a structure that makes it difficult for spider webs to be formed.

[0017] The security light 10 of this embodiment is a security light that is attached to a pole-like object such as a utility pole installed outdoors and illuminates an area below where it is attached.

[0018] 3, the security light 10 of this embodiment is attached to a utility pole 110 in the same manner as the security light 100 of the conventional structure. The security light 10 of this embodiment also irradiates light onto a road below where pedestrians pass.

[0019] FIG. 4 shows the front view of the security light 10 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 3 attached to a utility pole 110. Referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the security light 10 of this embodiment, when attached to the utility pole 110, has a substantially elliptical shape when viewed from the front. Furthermore, the security light 10 of this embodiment, when viewed from the front, has a shape that is bilaterally symmetrical with respect to a vertical plane passing through the center as the plane of symmetry, and is vertically symmetrical with respect to a horizontal plane passing through the center as the plane of symmetry. Referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the security light 10, when attached to the utility pole 110, has a vertically elongated structure in which the height is longer than the width. Here, the vertical direction in FIG. 4 is referred to as the height, and the horizontal direction is referred to as the width.

[0020] As described above, in the security light 10 of this embodiment, for example, the surface of the globe 11 does not have flat portions that block wind and rain, convex portions that could serve as footholds for spider webs, or concave portions that block wind and rain and allow spiders to hide, and it can be seen that even if a spider builds a web on the surface of the globe 11, it is easily washed away by wind and rain. Also, it can be seen that the security light 10 has a vertically long structure, which makes it difficult for a large space to form on the light-emitting surface side.

[0021] Next, Fig. 5 shows the internal structure of the security light 10 of this embodiment shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an exploded view for explaining the internal structure of the security light 10. However, parts such as screws and structures unrelated to the features of this embodiment are omitted from the illustration.

[0022] As shown in Figure 5, the security light 10 includes a globe 11, which is a translucent cover, a main body 12, a power supply cover 13, an LED board mounting plate 14, an LED board 15, a lens 16, a power supply board 17, and a power supply bushing 18.

[0023] The power supply board 17 rectifies AC voltage supplied by a power line inserted from the outside via a power supply bushing 18 and supplies DC voltage to the plurality of LEDs mounted on the LED board 15 .

[0024] The LED board 15 is mounted with a plurality of LEDs, which are light-emitting elements, and is configured to emit light using a DC voltage supplied from the power supply board 17. The lens 16 is made of, for example, acrylic resin and is attached so as to cover the LED board 15, so as to irradiate light from the LEDs in a desired direction. The LED board 15 and lens 16 are both fixed to the LED board mounting plate 14 with screws or the like. The LED board 15 and lens 16 form a light-emitting unit. In this way, the light-emitting unit uses externally supplied power to emit light to illuminate an area below where it is attached.

[0025] The globe 11 is made of, for example, acrylic resin and is translucent. The globe 11 is attached to the main body 12 so as to cover the main body 12. The globe 11 is configured so that it can be attached to the main body 12 without using screws or other fasteners. Therefore, the surface of the globe 11 does not have any irregularities such as screw heads, and is instead curved. Furthermore, since almost the entire surface of the globe 11 is curved, it does not have any flat areas that could provide protection from wind and rain. Furthermore, the globe 11 does not have any protrusions such as screw heads that could serve as starting points for spider webs, or any recesses that could provide protection from wind and rain for spiders to hide in. Furthermore, the surface of the globe 11 has a surface roughness with an arithmetic mean height (Sa) of 0.3 μm or less.

[0026] Climbing experiments were conducted using six types of spiders commonly found outdoors in Japan: long-legged spiders, house spiders, orb spiders, brown-legged spiders, flat-legged spiders, scrub spiders, and house spiders. It was confirmed that all of these spiders were unable to climb on surfaces with a surface roughness of 0.3 μm or less in arithmetic mean height (Sa). Therefore, by providing the surface of globe 11 with a surface roughness of 0.3 μm or less in arithmetic mean height (Sa), a surface structure that makes it difficult for spiders to climb is achieved. Furthermore, the surface of globe 11 is almost entirely curved and free of protrusions such as screws, making it difficult for spiders to climb and providing a structure with no handholds that could serve as a spider's foothold when weaving a web.

[0027] The main body 12 has the light emitting portion as described above and is structured to have an attachment portion that can be attached to an attachment object such as a utility pole 110 .

[0028] The globe 11, which is a translucent cover, is translucent, and thus has a structure that allows light from the light-emitting section consisting of the LED board 15 and the lens 16 to pass through.

[0029] Next, the cross-sectional structure of the security light 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0030] Figure 6(B) shows a cross-sectional view of the security light 10 taken along the line A-A in Figure 6(A). Referring to Figure 6(B), it can be seen that the cross section of the globe 11 is arched, has no flat portions, and has a structure with no irregularities on the surface of the globe 11. Furthermore, the security light 10 of this embodiment is flattened so that the maximum length of the portion that protrudes from the attachment point to the utility pole 110, i.e., the length from the attachment point to the utility pole 110 to the top of the globe 11, is 12 centimeters or less, thereby avoiding protrusion from the column-shaped object to which it is attached and preventing the creation of spaces in which spider webs can be built.

[0031] Next, Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of the security light 10 of this embodiment shown in Fig. 3 attached to a utility pole 110. Referring to Fig. 7, it can be seen that the surface of the security light 10 is configured as a curved surface.

[0032] 7, it can be seen that the light-emitting section made up of the LED substrate 15 and lens 16 is located below the vertical center of the security light 10. Due to this structure and the optical characteristics of the lens 16, in the security light 10 of this embodiment, the upward luminous flux ratio, which is the ratio of luminous flux directed upward from the horizontal direction to the total luminous flux irradiated to the outside through the globe 11, is 3% or less.

[0033] The security light 10 of this embodiment has the structure described above, which makes it difficult for spiders to climb the surface of the globe 11, and there is little space below the light-emitting surface for spiders to build webs. Furthermore, even if a spider does build a web on the surface of the globe 11, the structure is not designed to block wind and rain, so there is a high possibility that the web will be washed away by wind and rain.

[0034] As a result, the security light 10 of this embodiment is less susceptible to spider webs, and is less likely to be soiled by spider webs, even after many years have passed since it was attached to the utility pole 110, compared to the security light 100 of the conventional structure shown in Figure 1.

[0035] [Regarding Space Filling Rate] Furthermore, the security light 10 of this embodiment has the structure described above, and therefore has a space filling rate of 100% or more.

[0036] The space filling rate of the security light 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0037] 8, when attached to utility pole 110, a first perpendicular line is dropped from protrusion 20, which is the furthest from the attachment part to utility pole 110, to utility pole 110, and the intersection point with utility pole 110 is set as vertex 21, imagining a right-angled isosceles triangle with equal lengths of sides, and a second perpendicular line is dropped from vertex 21 of this right-angled isosceles triangle to intersection point 22 where the second perpendicular line, dropped from vertex 21 to the base, intersects with the surface of globe 11, as a ratio of distance B to distance A from vertex 21 to the point where the second perpendicular line intersects with the base. In other words, the ratio of distance B to distance A is defined as a space filling rate of 100%.

[0038] In the security light 10 of this embodiment shown in Figure 8, the distance B from the vertex 21 to the base where the second perpendicular line intersects with the surface of the globe 11 is longer than the distance A from the vertex 21 to the base where the second perpendicular line intersects with the surface of the globe 11, and therefore it can be seen that the space filling rate is approximately 160%.

[0039] Next, the space filling rate of the security light 100 shown as a comparative example will be described with reference to FIG.

[0040] In the security light 100 of the comparative example shown in Figure 9, the distance B from the vertex 21 to the intersection 22 where the second perpendicular line dropped from the vertex 21 to the base line intersects with the surface of the globe 11 is significantly shorter than the distance A from the vertex 21 to the intersection of the second perpendicular line with the base line, and therefore it can be seen that the space filling rate is approximately 40%.

[0041] 8 and 9, it can be seen that the larger the space filling factor of a security light installed outdoors, the smaller the area in which spider webs can be formed between the light-emitting surface and the utility pole 110. In other words, the smaller the space filling factor of a security light, the larger the area between the light-emitting surface and the utility pole 110, and the higher the possibility of spider webs being formed.

[0042] Then, in a security light 100 having a conventional structure as shown in FIG. 9, the space between the light-emitting surface and the utility pole 110 was filled to achieve space filling rates of 50%, 75%, and 100%, and the light was installed outdoors to conduct an experiment to compare the ease with which spider webs were formed.

[0043] As a result, it was found that spider webs were made in the spaces with a space filling rate of 50% and 75%, but that almost no spider webs were made in the spaces with a space filling rate of 100%.

[0044] In other words, by constructing the security light so that the space filling rate is 100% or more, a structure that prevents spider webs from being formed is realized.

[0045] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and encompasses a range of modifications that can be made within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

[0046] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-092479, filed on June 6, 2024, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All documents, patent applications, and technical standards mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document, patent application, and technical standard was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A security light that is attached to a columnar object installed outdoors and is used to illuminate the area below where it is attached, comprising: a main body having a light-emitting part that uses externally supplied power to emit light to illuminate the area below where it is attached and having an attachment part that is attached to the object; and a translucent cover that is attached to the main body so as to cover the main body and through which the light from the light-emitting part passes, and is structured to avoid protruding from the object to prevent the creation of spaces in which spider webs can be built; the upward luminous flux ratio, which is the ratio of luminous flux that is directed upward rather than horizontally out of the total luminous flux irradiated to the outside through the translucent cover, is 3% or less; when attached to the object, the vertical width is longer than the horizontal width, and the light-emitting part is located below the center in the vertical direction; and the translucent cover does not have flat parts that block wind and rain, protruding parts that can serve as footholds for spiders to start webs, or recessed parts that block wind and rain so that spiders can hide. A security light, wherein the surface of the translucent cover is formed as a curved surface.

2. A security light as claimed in claim 1, wherein the maximum length of the portion that protrudes horizontally from the mounting location on the object to be mounted is 12 centimeters or less.

3. A security light according to claim 1, which, when attached to the object to be attached, has an elliptical shape when viewed from the front, is symmetrical left and right with a vertical plane passing through the center as the plane of symmetry, and is symmetrical up and down with a horizontal plane passing through the center as the plane of symmetry.

4. The security light according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the translucent cover has a surface roughness of 0.3 μm or less in arithmetic mean height.

5. A security light as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when attached to the object to be attached, a space filling rate is 100% or more, which is defined as the ratio of the distance from the apex of the right-angled isosceles triangle to the distance from the apex to the base of the right-angled isosceles triangle where a first perpendicular line drawn from the farthest convex part from the attachment part to the object to the object intersects with the object to be attached, the intersection point with the object to be attached, and the distance from the convex part to the apex being the lengths of the equal sides.

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