Cylindrical Gobo Landscape Lighting Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Landscape lighting assemblies using flat gobos often result in undesirable breaks and distortions in shadow patterns due to their shape and support pillars, which deviate from the intended angle, causing inconsistencies in the projected light and shadow on surrounding surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A landscape lighting assembly featuring a cylindrical gobo with a decorative pattern that is frustoconical in shape, allowing the outer face to be angled towards the surface, minimizing distortion, and optionally accompanied by a second concentric gobo and decorative arms positioned to avoid casting shadows, ensuring a continuous and symmetrical shadow pattern.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If flat gobos are used in landscape lighting assemblies, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the shadow pattern exhibits breaks and distortions due to the flat shape and support pillars
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a cylindrical gobo instead of a flat gbo, using a curved three-dimensional surface to project the shadow pattern. This curvature allows the light to illuminate the entire surface uniformly, eliminating the breaks and distortions caused by flat surfaces and support pillars, while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standard cylindrical forming processes
2Device complexity
If flat gobos are used, then the device complexity is low, but the shadow pattern is distorted due to deviation from the intended angle
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical geometry inherently provides the correct angular orientation for shadow projection. The curved surface maintains a consistent angle relative to the light source and projection surface, eliminating distortions that occur with flat gobos when positioned at non-ideal angles, while adding minimal complexity to the overall device
3Strength
If support pillars are used to hold flat gobos, then the structural support is adequate, but the support pillars create breaks in the shadow pattern
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical gobo eliminates the need for support pillars by providing inherent structural support through its three-dimensional curved form. The cylinder's geometry allows it to stand independently and project shadows uniformly without requiring additional supportive structures that would interfere with the shadow pattern
Solution Approach 2:
The invention removes the support pillars from the system by using the cylindrical gobo's own structural integrity to maintain its position and project shadows. This extraction of the harmful support pillar element eliminates the breaks in the shadow pattern while maintaining adequate structural support
Data Source
AI summary
A landscape lighting assembly is provided that comprises a support stanchion having a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end of the support stanchion is configured to be connected to a surface. A lamp housing is located at the distal end of the support stanchion and an illumination element (e.g., one or more light emitting diodes) is located inside of the lamp housing. A power supply configured to supply power to the illumination element is also provided. The lamp housing includes a cylindrical gobo comprising a decorative pattern configured to cause a shadow of the decorative pattern to be cast on the surface when the illumination element is lighted.