JP7617546B2 - Lighting fixtures - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to lighting fixtures, and more specifically to lighting fixtures that perform wireless communication using radio waves as a medium.

The lighting fixture described in Patent Document 1 is shown as a conventional example. The lighting fixture described in Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as the conventional example) includes a light source unit and a reflector. The light source unit includes a light source module, a lighting circuit that lights the light source module, a wireless control unit, a reflector provided on the light source module, and a diffusion plate. The wireless control unit includes an antenna made of a coated electric wire and a wireless module that uses the antenna to communicate wirelessly. One end of the antenna is connected to the wireless module, and the other end of the antenna is disposed between the reflector and the diffusion plate.

JP 2018-73480 A

However, in the conventional example described in Patent Document 1, the antenna was made of a covered electric wire, which made assembly work difficult.

The objective of this disclosure is to provide a lighting fixture that can improve the workability of assembly work.

A lighting device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a light source, a circuit block having a lighting circuit for lighting the light source, and a translucent member that transmits light emitted from the light source and covers the light source. The lighting device includes a wireless communication block that performs wireless communication using radio waves as a medium, and a device body that houses the light source, the circuit block, the translucent member, and the wireless communication block. The light source has one or more LED chips and a mounting board on whose mounting surface the LED chips are mounted . The device body has a window hole that exposes at least a part of the translucent member to the outside of the device body. The wireless communication block has an antenna and a wireless communication circuit that transmits and receives wireless signals via the antenna. The antenna has a conductor formed in a loop on the surface of a base material that is electrically insulating and formed in a ring shape. The antenna is disposed at a position that surrounds the light source and overlaps with the translucent member through the window hole. The base material is integrally formed with the mounting board.

The lighting fixture disclosed herein has the advantage of improving the workability of assembly work.

1A is a top view, a bottom view, and a side view of a lighting fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the lighting fixture shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the lighting fixture of the above with the cover and the light source unit omitted. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the above lighting fixture. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a modified example of the lighting fixture according to the embodiment.

A lighting device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, each figure described in the following embodiment is a schematic diagram, and the ratio of the size and thickness of each component does not necessarily reflect the actual dimensional ratio. Note that the configuration described in the following embodiment is merely one example of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiment, and various modifications are possible depending on the design, etc., as long as the effects of the present disclosure can be achieved.

(Overall configuration of lighting fixture)
A lighting fixture 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter, abbreviated as lighting fixture 1) is a ceiling-recessed emergency light, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions indicated by arrows in Figure 2 are defined as the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions of the lighting fixture 1 and its components. In addition, the normal direction to the plane of Figure 2 is defined as the up-down direction of the lighting fixture 1 and its components.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the lighting fixture 1 includes a fixture body 10, a light source unit 2, a battery block 3, a circuit block 4, and a wireless communication block 5. The lighting fixture 1 further includes a pair of supports 6. The lighting fixture 1 is attached to the ceiling by the pair of supports 6.

(Configuration of the light source unit)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the light source unit 2 includes an LED module 20 , a heat dissipation member 21 , a lens block 22 , an attachment member 23 , and a pressing member 24 .

The LED module 20 has one or more LED (Light Emitting Diode) chips mounted in the center of the mounting surface (lower surface) of a rectangular flat mounting substrate 200. The LED chip is preferably a blue light-emitting diode that emits blue light. The mounting surface of the mounting substrate 200 including the LED chip is covered in a disk shape with a sealing resin 201 mixed with a fluorescent material that converts the wavelength of the blue light emitted from the LED chip (see FIG. 3). Furthermore, a cathode electrode 202 and an anode electrode 203 are formed on the lower surface of a pair of diagonally opposite corners of the mounting substrate 200. The LED module 20 is configured to emit white illumination light by applying a DC voltage to the cathode electrode 202 and the anode electrode 203.

The lens block 22 is made of, for example, glass, and has a lens portion 220 that is roughly frustum-shaped and an annular outer flange portion that protrudes outward from the periphery of the lens portion 220. The lens portion 220 controls the light distribution of the illumination light emitted from the LED module 20.

The heat dissipation member 21 is formed into a flat plate shape using aluminum or aluminum alloy plate material.

The pressing member 24 is formed in a disk shape from a synthetic resin material such as polycarbonate resin. A square hole 240 is opened in the center of the pressing member 24. In addition, pressing protrusions 242 are formed in the pressing member 24 at two diagonal positions out of the four corners of the hole 240 (see FIG. 3). Then, a part of the LED module 20 is inserted into the hole 240 of the pressing member 24, and the peripheral portion of the LED module 20 is pressed down by the two pressing protrusions 242 of the pressing member 24.

The mounting member 23 is formed in an oval shape from a synthetic resin material such as polycarbonate resin. The mounting member 23 has a circular recess in the center and a circular window hole 231 that opens to the bottom of the recess. The mounting member 23 is screwed to the underside of the heat dissipation member 21 with the lens portion 220 of the lens block 22 inserted into the window hole 231 and the LED module 20, the pressing member 24, and the outer flange portion 221 of the lens block 22 housed in the recess.

(Battery block configuration)
The battery block 3 has a plurality of storage batteries 30 and a case 31 that houses the plurality of storage batteries 30. Each of the plurality of storage batteries 30 is a cylindrical nickel-metal hydride battery (see FIG. 2). The case 31 is formed in a tubular shape with horseshoe-shaped (U-shaped) bottom surfaces on both the top and bottom sides (see FIG. 2). The plurality of storage batteries 30 are housed in the case 31 with their axial direction being the up-down direction and lined up in a row along the radial direction (see FIG. 2).

(Circuit block configuration)
The circuit block 4 has a lighting device 40 (see FIG. 4) and a housing 41 that houses the lighting device 40. The housing 41 is made of a synthetic resin material and has a box shape.

The circuit block diagram of the lighting device 40 is shown in FIG. 4. The lighting device 40 includes a DC power supply circuit 400, a charging circuit 401, a lighting circuit 402, a power failure detection circuit 403, a control circuit 404, a monitor lamp 405, a push button switch 406, and a receiving unit 407.

The DC power supply circuit 400 is composed of a self-excited switching power supply circuit such as a ringing choke converter. The DC power supply circuit 400 converts the AC voltage supplied from an external power source (e.g., a commercial power system) 9 into a DC voltage lower than the effective value of the AC voltage. The charging circuit 401 operates when power is supplied from the external power source 9, and is configured to pass a charging current from the DC power supply circuit 400 to the battery block 3. The lighting circuit 402 is configured to convert the DC current supplied from the battery block 3 into a constant current and supply it to the light source unit 2. The power failure detection circuit 403 is configured to detect a power failure of the external power source 9 from the output voltage of the DC power supply circuit 400 and notify the control circuit 404. The monitor lamp 405 is composed of, for example, a light-emitting diode that emits green light, and is illuminated by the charging current supplied from the charging circuit 401 to the battery block 3. The receiving unit 407 is configured to receive a wireless signal using infrared rays as a communication medium, demodulate a transmission frame from the received wireless signal, and pass it to the control circuit 404. This radio signal is transmitted from a wireless transmitter operated by a worker performing the periodic inspection. The periodic inspection is carried out at legally determined intervals, and is performed for the purpose of forcibly operating the lighting circuit 402 to confirm that the light source unit 2 maintains a lit state for a specified period of time or longer.

The control circuit 404 is configured to operate the charging circuit 401 and stop the lighting circuit 402 when the power failure detection circuit 403 does not detect a power failure. The control circuit 404 is also configured to stop the charging circuit 401 and operate the lighting circuit 402 when the power failure detection circuit 403 detects a power failure. Furthermore, when one of the push button switches 406B is pressed, or when a transmission frame is received from the receiving unit 407, the control circuit 404 is configured to stop the charging circuit 401 and operate the lighting circuit 402 to perform an inspection operation. However, when the other push button switch 406A is pressed, the control circuit 404 is configured to operate the lighting circuit 402 for several seconds, and then stop the lighting circuit 402 again and operate the charging circuit 401.

(Wireless Communication Block Configuration)
The wireless communication block 5 has an antenna 50 and a wireless communication circuit 51 (see FIG. 4). The wireless communication circuit 51 is configured to receive a wireless signal received by the antenna 50, for example, a wireless signal using radio waves in the 920 MHz band as a medium, obtain a control command from the wireless signal, and transmit the control command to the control circuit 404 of the lighting device 40. The wireless communication circuit 51 is also configured to transmit a message (for example, an inspection result) received from the control circuit 404 as a wireless signal from the antenna 50. The control command obtained by the wireless communication circuit 51 is, for example, a command to instruct the control circuit 404 to start an inspection operation, and a command to instruct the control circuit 404 to transmit the inspection result. The wireless communication circuit 51 is preferably housed in a synthetic resin case and attached to the housing of the circuit block 4.

The antenna 50 is a so-called loop antenna made of a loop-shaped conductor (copper foil) 500 formed on the surface of an electrically insulating substrate (see FIG. 3). The substrate on which the conductor 500 is formed is, for example, an insulating substrate 501 for a printed circuit (see FIG. 3). The insulating substrate 501 is, for example, formed in a circular ring shape and arranged to surround the LED module 20. The insulating substrate 501 may be formed integrally with the mounting substrate 200 of the LED module 20. Alternatively, the pressing member 24 may be used as the substrate, and the conductor 500 may be formed on the surface (upper surface) of the pressing member 24. The antenna 50 is not limited to a loop antenna. The antenna 50 may be a so-called meander line antenna made of a conductor (copper foil) with a meander structure. However, the antenna 50 may be a half-wave dipole, a quarter-wave dipole antenna, an inverted F-type antenna, a microstrip antenna, or the like.

(Configuration of the device body)
The device body 10 has a cylindrical body 11 with a bottom that is open at the bottom, and a cover 12 that covers the opening at the bottom of the body 11. The body 11 is formed in a square tube shape having 12 flat walls. Furthermore, a plurality of flange pieces 110 that protrude outward are formed on the lower end edges of each of the 12 walls of the body 11 (see Figs. 1A and 2).

A support 6 is attached to each of the left and right walls of the main body 11 (see Figs. 1A and 1C). The pair of supports 6 is preferably formed in the shape of a long leaf spring. Each support 6 is fixed to the wall of the fixture main body 10 at one end in the longitudinal direction, and the other end in the longitudinal direction is configured to be flexible in a direction approaching the top surface of the main body 11 (upward). In other words, the main body 11 is supported by the ceiling material by sandwiching the ceiling material between the pair of supports 6 inserted into the embedding hole and the multiple flange pieces 110 provided on the lower end surface of the main body 11. The cover 12 is formed in a disk shape larger than the outer diameter of the main body 11 (the outer diameter of the tip edge of the multiple flange pieces 110), and has a circular window hole 120 in the center (see Fig. 1B). The lens part 220 of the light source unit 2 is inserted into this window hole. The cover 12 is removably attached to the main body 11, and is configured to close an opening on the bottom surface of the main body 11 when attached to the main body 11. Mounting springs are attached to the front and rear ends of the top surface of the cover 12. This pair of mounting springs are removably inserted into a pair of insertion grooves provided on the front and rear sides of the inner circumferential surface of the main body 11. In other words, the cover 12 is held on the main body 11 in a state where it closes the bottom surface of the main body 11 by inserting the pair of mounting springs into a pair of insertion grooves (see FIG. 1C).

(Lighting fixture assembly procedure)
Next, a procedure for assembling the lighting fixture 1 will be described. Note that the pair of brackets 6 are already attached to the main body 11.

First, the worker performing the assembly work places the circuit block 4 inside the main body 11 and crimps the housing 41 of the circuit block 4 to the top surface of the main body 11. The circuit block 4 is placed in the space on the right side of the main body 11 (see Figure 2).

Next, the worker attaches the light source unit 2 to the housing 41 of the circuit block 4. Furthermore, the worker thermally and mechanically couples the main body 11 and the heat dissipation member 21 by screwing the heat dissipation member 21 to the wall of the main body 11.

Then, the worker places the battery block 3 in the space on the left side of the main body 11. At this time, when the battery block 3 is placed in the main body 11, the connector portion of the battery block 3 and the receiving connector of the circuit block 4 are electrically and mechanically connected, and the storage battery 30 and the circuit block 4 are electrically connected.

Finally, the worker inserts a pair of mounting springs into the insertion grooves provided on the front and rear sides of the inner circumferential surface of the body 11, thereby holding the cover 12 to the body 11 so as to close the bottom surface of the body 11 (see FIG. 1C). In this way, the assembly of the lighting fixture 1 is completed.

(Features of the lighting fixture according to the embodiment)
Next, features of the lighting device 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

One feature of the lighting device 1 is that the antenna 50 has a conductor 500 formed on the surface of an electrically insulating base material (insulating substrate 501), and at least a portion of the antenna 50 is arranged at a position overlapping the light-transmitting member (lens block 22) through the window hole 120 of the cover 12 (see FIG. 1B). Since at least a portion of the antenna 50 is arranged at a position overlapping the lens block 22 through the window hole 120 of the cover 12, the transmission and reception of radio waves by the antenna 50 is less likely to be impeded by the metal cover 12. Furthermore, the antenna 50 can be handled more easily than in the case where the antenna is made of a coated electric wire as in the conventional example described in Patent Document 1. As a result, the lighting device 1 can improve the workability of the assembly work.

In addition, in the lighting device 1, the antenna 50 (conductor 500) is arranged around the light source (LED module 20). By arranging the antenna 50 around the LED module 20, the entire antenna 50 can be arranged in a position overlapping the lens block 22 through the window hole 120 of the cover 12. As a result, the lighting device 1 can improve the sensitivity of the antenna 50 in transmitting and receiving radio waves.

Here, the antenna 50 may have a loop-shaped conductor 500 or a meander-structured conductor. In the lighting device 1, the antenna 50 may be made smaller by having the loop-shaped conductor 500 or a meander-structured conductor.

In addition, in the lighting fixture 1, the translucent member (lens block 22) has a light distribution control section (lens section 220) that controls the distribution of light emitted from the light source (LED module 20). Thus, since the translucent member (lens block 22) has the light distribution control section (lens section 220), the lighting fixture 1 can distribute the light emitted from the light source (LED module 20) to a desired range. Furthermore, since the translucent member (lens block 22) of the lighting fixture 1 is made of a non-flammable material (e.g., glass), it can satisfy the functions required for disaster prevention equipment such as emergency lights.

Another feature of the lighting device 1 is that the circuit block 4 has a control circuit 404 that controls the lighting circuit 402 in response to a wireless signal received by the wireless communication block 5. In other words, the lighting device 1 can remotely control the lighting circuit 402 using a wireless signal, which improves usability. In addition, it is preferable that the control circuit 404 inspects the storage battery 30 in response to the wireless signal (the inspection operation already described). In other words, by the control circuit 404 performing the inspection operation in response to the wireless signal, the burden of the inspection work on the worker can be reduced compared to the case where the inspection operation is performed using a wireless signal using infrared rays as a medium. Furthermore, when the control circuit 404 inspects the storage battery 30, it is preferable that the control circuit 404 transmits the inspection result from the wireless communication block 5 by wireless signal. Thus, by the control circuit 404 transmitting the inspection result from the wireless communication block 5 by wireless signal, the burden of the inspection work on the worker can be further reduced.

Another feature of the lighting fixture 1 is that it includes a battery block 3 having a storage battery 30, a circuit block 4 having a charging circuit 401 that charges the storage battery 30, and a lighting circuit 402 that uses the storage battery 30 as a power source to light the LED module 20. In other words, the lighting fixture 1 having the above features can realize an emergency light that provides emergency lighting.

(Modification)
Next, a modified example of the lighting fixture 1 according to the embodiment will be described. The lighting fixture 1 of the modified example is a direct-mount type emergency light that is directly mounted on a ceiling.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lighting fixture 1 of the modified example has a disk-shaped main body and a truncated cone-shaped cover 7. The main body is directly attached to the ceiling by screws. A window hole 70 is provided in the center of the bottom plate 71 of the cover 7, and the lens portion 220 of the light source unit 2 is inserted through the window hole 70.

In the lighting fixture 1 of the modified example, the antenna 50 can be handled more easily than in the conventional example described in Patent Document 1, in which the antenna is made of a coated electric wire, and the workability of the assembly work can be improved.

The lighting fixture according to the embodiment is not limited to an emergency light, but may be an emergency lighting fixture other than an emergency light, such as an emergency exit light, or may be a lighting fixture for general lighting, such as a downlight.

(summary)
The lighting fixture (1) according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a light source (LED module 20), a circuit block (4) having a lighting circuit (402) for lighting the light source, and a light-transmitting member (lens block 22) that transmits light emitted from the light source and covers the light source. The lighting fixture (1) according to the first aspect includes a wireless communication block (5) that performs wireless communication using radio waves as a medium, and a fixture body (10) that houses the light source, the circuit block (4), the light-transmitting member, and the wireless communication block (5). The fixture body (10) has a window hole (120; 70) that exposes at least a part of the light-transmitting member to the outside of the fixture body (10). The wireless communication block (5) has an antenna (50) and a wireless communication circuit (51) that transmits and receives wireless signals via the antenna (50). The antenna (50) has a conductor (500) formed on the surface of an electrically insulating base material (insulating substrate 501). At least a portion of the antenna (50) is disposed at a position overlapping the light-transmitting member through the window hole (120; 70).

In the lighting fixture (1) according to the first aspect, the transmission and reception of radio waves by the antenna (50) is less likely to be impeded by the fixture body (10), and the antenna (50) can be handled more easily than in the conventional example described in Patent Document 1, in which the antenna is made of a covered electric wire. As a result, the lighting fixture (1) according to the first aspect can improve the workability of the assembly work.

The lighting device (1) according to the second aspect of the present disclosure can be realized in combination with the first aspect. In the lighting device (1) according to the second aspect, the antenna (50) is preferably arranged around the light source.

In the lighting device (1) according to the second aspect, the antenna (50) is arranged around the light source, so that the entire antenna (50) can be arranged in a position overlapping the translucent member through the window hole (120; 70). As a result, the lighting device (1) according to the second aspect can improve the sensitivity of the antenna (50) in transmitting and receiving radio waves.

The lighting device (1) according to the third aspect of the present disclosure can be realized in combination with the first or second aspect. In the lighting device (1) according to the third aspect, it is preferable that the antenna (50) has a loop-shaped conductor (500).

The lighting device (1) according to the third aspect can reduce the size of the antenna (50).

The lighting device (1) according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure can be realized in combination with the first or second aspect. In the lighting device (1) according to the fourth aspect, it is preferable that the antenna (50) has a conductor with a meander structure.

The lighting device (1) according to the fourth aspect can reduce the size of the antenna (50).

The lighting device (1) according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure can be realized by combining it with any of the first to fourth aspects. In the lighting device (1) according to the fifth aspect, it is preferable that the translucent member has a light distribution control unit (lens portion 220) that controls the distribution of light emitted from the light source.

The lighting device (1) according to the fifth aspect can distribute the light emitted from the light source (LED module 20) to a desired range by having a light distribution control section (lens section 220) in the translucent member (lens block 22).

The lighting device (1) according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure can be realized by combining it with any of the first to fifth aspects. In the lighting device (1) according to the sixth aspect, it is preferable that the translucent member is made of a non-combustible material.

The lighting fixture (1) according to the sixth aspect has a light-transmitting member (lens block 22) made of a non-flammable material (e.g., glass), and is therefore capable of fulfilling the functions required for disaster prevention equipment such as emergency lighting.

The lighting device (1) according to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure can be realized by combining it with any of the first to sixth aspects. In the lighting device (1) according to the seventh aspect, it is preferable that the circuit block (4) has a control circuit (404) that controls the lighting circuit (402) in response to a wireless signal received by the wireless communication block (5).

The lighting device (1) according to the seventh aspect can remotely control the lighting circuit (402) using a wireless signal, improving usability.

The lighting device (1) according to the eighth aspect of the present disclosure can be realized by combining it with any of the first to seventh aspects. The lighting device (1) according to the eighth aspect preferably includes a battery block (3) having a storage battery (30). The circuit block (4) preferably includes a charging circuit (401) that charges the storage battery (30). The lighting circuit (402) preferably lights up the light source using the storage battery (30) as a power source.

The lighting device (1) according to the eighth aspect can realize an emergency light that provides emergency lighting.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Lighting fixture 3 Battery block 4 Circuit block 5 Wireless communication block 10 Fixture body 20 LED module (light source)
22 Lens block (light-transmitting member)
30 Storage battery 50 Antenna 51 Wireless communication circuit 120 Window hole 220 Lens section (light distribution control section)
401 Charging circuit 402 Lighting circuit 404 Control circuit 500 Conductor 501 Insulating substrate (base material)

Claims (5)

A light source;
a circuit block having a lighting circuit for lighting the light source;
a light-transmitting member that transmits light emitted from the light source and covers the light source;
a wireless communication block for performing wireless communication using radio waves as a medium;
an instrument body that accommodates the light source, the circuit block, the light-transmitting member, and the wireless communication block therein;
Equipped with
The light source includes one or more LED chips and a mounting substrate on which the LED chips are mounted,
the fixture body has a window hole through which at least a portion of the light-transmitting member is exposed to the outside of the fixture body,
the wireless communication block includes an antenna and a wireless communication circuit for transmitting and receiving wireless signals via the antenna;
The antenna has a conductor formed in a loop shape on a surface of a base material that is electrically insulating and formed in a ring shape,
the antenna is disposed at a position surrounding the light source and overlapping with the light-transmitting member through the window hole ,
The base material is integrally formed with the mounting substrate.
Lighting fixtures. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the translucent member has a light distribution control section that controls the distribution of light emitted from the light source. The light-transmitting member is made of a non-combustible material.
3. A lighting fixture according to claim 1 or 2. The circuit block has a control circuit that controls the lighting circuit in response to a wireless signal received by the wireless communication block.
A lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A battery block having a storage battery is provided,
the circuit block includes a charging circuit that charges the storage battery,
The lighting circuit lights up the light source using the storage battery as a power source.
A lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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