JP7767099B2 - lighting equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a versatile lighting device that can be used, for example, for bathroom lighting.

One type of lighting device that has been used in the past is bathroom lighting, which is installed in bathrooms, for example. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a bathroom lighting technology that includes a reflector and a lighting fixture that emits light toward the reflector, with the reflector attached to the bathroom ceiling so that its angle is adjustable. With the technology in Patent Document 1, by changing the angle of the reflector, it is possible to freely switch between direct lighting, which emits light toward the floor, and indirect lighting, which emits light toward the ceiling.

As an example of a lighting device that can also be used for bathroom lighting, Patent Document 2 discloses technology that includes a functional unit that includes a reflector that reflects light and a light source, and a decorative unit that includes a through-hole that irradiates light into the room and attaches the functional unit to the wall, and that rotates the reflector around the light source to change its orientation. With the technology in Patent Document 2, by changing the orientation of the reflector, it is possible to adjust the direction of light irradiated into the room through the through-hole in the decorative unit.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 4-110860 Patent Publication No. 2013-243086

However, with the technology of Patent Document 1 mentioned above, while it is possible to change the direction of light irradiation toward the bathroom floor or ceiling by adjusting the angle of the reflecting mirror, it is difficult to adjust the range (size) of irradiation relative to the illuminated surface, i.e., the floor or ceiling. In particular, because the range of irradiation changes depending on factors such as the distance from the reflecting mirror to the illuminated surface and the angle at which the light is incident on the illuminated surface, it is extremely difficult to adjust the direction (position) of irradiation while keeping the illuminated range fixed at a certain area.

Furthermore, with the technology of Patent Document 2 mentioned above, it was possible to adjust the direction of light irradiated into a room by rotating the reflector to change its orientation, but, as with the technology of Patent Document 1 mentioned above, it was difficult to adjust the range (size) of light irradiated on the illuminated surface, such as the floor or ceiling. Of course, even with the technology of Patent Document 2, it was extremely difficult to adjust the direction (position) of light irradiated while keeping the illumination range on the illuminated surface fixed at a certain area.

As such, with conventional technology, it was difficult to adjust the range of illumination in addition to changing the direction of light emitted onto the illuminated surface. Therefore, for example, it was difficult to achieve lighting that would have a soothing effect on bathroom users by changing the direction and range of lighting in a bathroom.

The present invention was developed in response to the problems inherent in conventional technology, as described above, and aims to provide a lighting device that allows the direction or range of light emitted to the outside to be easily changed, making it easy to realize a variety of lighting patterns.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising:
In a lighting device that irradiates light to the outside,
A light source that emits light;
The present invention is characterized by comprising an irradiation adjustment means capable of changing at least the direction or range of irradiation of light to the outside within the emission range of light from the light source.

The lighting device of the present invention makes it easy to change the direction or range of light emitted to the outside, making it easy to create a variety of lighting patterns.

1 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a bathroom in which a lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of light distribution control by an illumination adjustment unit of an illumination device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Hereinafter, a representative embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention.
The lighting device 10 according to this embodiment emits light to the outside and includes a casing 11 forming an outer shell, a light source 20 that emits light, and a light irradiation adjustment unit 30. Note that the components and shapes of the embodiment described below are examples of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. Furthermore, terms indicating directions such as up/down, front/back, left/right, etc. are used for convenience in describing the positional relationship of each part, and do not limit the installation posture of the lighting device 10.

<Overview of lighting device 10>
The lighting device 10 according to this embodiment is a versatile lighting unit, and an example of its application to bathroom lighting installed in a bathroom will be described below. As shown in Figure 2, a bathroom 1 is generally surrounded by wall panels on the front, back, left, and right sides between the upper and lower floors 2 and the ceiling 3, and is equipped with a bathtub 8 and a washing area 9 inside. The wall panels are defined by a front wall 4, which is the direction of the bathroom user's eyes when bathing in the bathtub 8, and are divided into a back wall 5 opposite the front wall 4 and a pair of side walls 6 and 7 located on the left and right of the front wall 4 and facing each other.

In bathroom 1, a door (not shown) is provided on one side wall 6 facing the entrance, and bathtub 8 is installed on floor 2 along the other side wall 7. A counter 9a and a mirror (not shown) for washing area 9 are also provided on front wall 4. Inside bathroom 1, lighting device 10 is installed at the corner where the front wall 4, ceiling 3, and other side wall 7 are adjacent, with the upper end of front wall 4 as the mounting point, and is set up to mainly illuminate the upper part of front wall 4 and ceiling 3, where bathroom users' eyes are directed when bathing.

<Regarding the casing 11>
As shown in FIG. 1 , the casing 11 forms the outer shell of the lighting device 10, housing related components such as the light source 20 and the illumination adjustment means 30. The casing 11 is formed in a box-like shape from a thin plate of, for example, metal or resin. When the casing 11 is installed on top of the front wall 4 of the bathroom 1, its top and back surfaces contact the ceiling 3 and front wall 4 of the bathroom 1, respectively. Therefore, in practice, the top and back surfaces may be omitted, and the casing 11 may be formed in a cover-like shape with only a front surface 12, a bottom surface 13, and a pair of left and right side surfaces (not shown) that cover both ends. The casing 11 is waterproof enough to withstand use in the bathroom 1.

As shown in Figure 2(a), the casing 11 is rectangular in shape with its long sides in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, and as shown in Figure 2(b), is formed into a roughly square shape when viewed from the side. That is, the longitudinal directions of the front surface 12 and bottom surface 13 of the casing 11 coincide with the left-right direction. The height direction of the casing 11 is perpendicular to the left-right direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the casing 11, and is parallel to the front surface 12. The front-rear direction of the casing 11 is perpendicular to the left-right direction of the casing 11 and is parallel to the bottom surface 13.

Space is provided inside the casing 11 to accommodate the light source 20, irradiation adjustment means 30, etc., which will be described later. Support structures for mounting the light source 20, irradiation adjustment means 30, etc. are provided on the inside of both side surfaces of the casing 11 (not shown). Additionally, related components such as the power supply circuit and control circuit for the light source 20 are located in appropriate locations inside or outside the casing 11 (not shown).

As mentioned above, the casing 11 is made of a light-blocking material such as metal or resin, and is generally opaque to light. However, one of the surfaces of the casing 11 has windows 14, 15 that allow light to pass through to the outside, located in multiple locations in different directions relative to the internal light source 20. In this embodiment, a first window 14 covered with a cover made of a light-transmitting material such as glass or transparent resin is provided along the upper end of the front surface 12, and a second window 15 similarly covered with a cover made of a light-transmitting material is provided along the rear end of the bottom surface 13.

The upper edge of the first window section 14 is close to the ceiling 3 of the bathroom 1, and extends left and right from one side section to the other side section at a predetermined height from the upper edge to the lower edge partway along the front section 12. The rear edge of the second window section 15 is close to the front wall 4 of the bathroom 1, and extends left and right from one side section to the other side section at a predetermined depth from the rear edge to the front edge partway along the bottom section 13. The covers that cover each window section 14, 15 are not limited to being colorless and transparent, but may be colored and transparent, and may also be made to diffuse and transmit light.

<Regarding the light source 20>
As shown in Figure 1, the light source 20 emits light within a predetermined emission range, and LEDs are suitable as light-emitting elements. The light source 20 is formed, for example, by arranging surface-mounted LED chips in a row at predetermined intervals on a narrow, elongated substrate. Since the configuration of the LED itself is conventional, detailed description will be omitted. However, it is preferable to use LED chips that emit light at a predetermined luminous intensity distribution angle centered on an optical axis perpendicular to the substrate. A wiring pattern to which the LEDs are electrically connected is formed on the mounting surface of the substrate.

It is preferable that the light source 20 ensure a wide emission range with as few light-emitting elements as possible, but if the LEDs on one board are insufficient, two boards may be combined back to back or arranged side by side at a predetermined angle. Alternatively, the light source 20 may be a straight-tube LED light that can irradiate in all directions along the length of the straight tube. Furthermore, the light emission range of the light source 20 is not necessarily limited to a fixed direction; for example, the orientation (angle) of the light source 20 board may be adjustable, making the light emission range variable.

The color of light emitted by the LED, which is the light-emitting element, can be selected arbitrarily, and is not limited to a single color, but may be a combination of multiple colors as appropriate. The LED may also be a full-color LED that can emit any color by mixing the three primary colors. Furthermore, the LED is not limited to a surface-mounted LED chip, but may also be an LED lamp with a chip embedded in a dome-shaped mold. It is also preferable to provide a control means that can control the specific light emission (e.g., light output, emitted color, etc.) of the light-emitting element in the light source 20.

Regardless of the type of light source 20, a suitable overall shape is a narrow one that extends along almost the entire longitudinal length of the casing 11. As shown in Figure 1, a light source 20 of this shape is attached to the center of the side of the casing 11, toward the top end of the front surface 12 in the vertical direction and toward the rear end of the bottom surface 13 in the front-to-rear direction, so as to extend in the left-to-right direction. In this embodiment, the light emission range from a light source 20 arranged in this manner is sufficient as long as it is oriented in a direction or large enough to reach the entire area of each window 14, 15 on the casing 11.

<Regarding the irradiation adjustment means 30>
1, the irradiation adjustment means 30 is capable of changing at least the direction or range of light irradiation to the outside within the emission range of light from the light source 20. The irradiation adjustment means 30 according to this embodiment is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape surrounding the light source 20 and includes two light shielding bodies 31 and 32 that overlap each other on the inside and outside. Note that the number of light shielding bodies 31 and 32 is not limited to two, and three or more may be combined so that they overlap each other on the inside and outside.

Each light blocking body 31, 32 is cylindrical in shape and has a length that surrounds the light source 20 from the outside over its entire length. The outer diameter of the inner side is designed to be small enough not to interfere with the inner diameter of the outer side, and is made of a light blocking material such as metal or resin. Each light blocking body 31, 32 is supported, for example, between the two side surfaces of the casing 11, so that it can rotate individually in the circumferential direction around its inner centerline as a horizontal axis of rotation.

Each of the light shields 31, 32 has an opening 33, 34 in a portion of its peripheral wall that allows light to pass through. The opening 33 in the light shield 31 is formed as a slit of a predetermined width, extending longitudinally from one end of the light shield 31 to the other. The opening 34 in the light shield 32 is similarly formed as a slit of approximately the same width as the opening 33, and extends longitudinally from one end of the light shield 32 to the other. Note that the openings 33, 34 in the light shields 31, 32 do not need to be covered with a cover made of a light-transmitting material, like the windows 14, 15 of the casing 11.

The direction and size of the overlapping opening area between the openings 33, 34 of the light shields 31, 32 change depending on the rotation angle of the light shields 31, 32. That is, when the openings 33, 34 of the light shields 31, 32 are aligned, the area irradiated by the irradiation adjustment means 30 is at its maximum. On the other hand, when the openings 33, 34 of the light shields 31, 32 do not overlap at all, no light is irradiated from the irradiation adjustment means 30. Rotation of the light shields 31, 32 does not have to be manual; it is preferable to provide a drive mechanism driven by an electric force such as a motor. If the drive mechanism is also controlled by the control means, the rotation angle of the light shields 31, 32 can be automatically adjusted.

As shown in Figure 3, the irradiation adjustment means 30 adjusts the direction in which light is irradiated to the outside by adjusting the rotation angle when the openings 33, 34 of the light shields 31, 32 overlap. The range in which light is irradiated to the outside is also adjusted by adjusting the degree to which the openings 33, 34 of the light shields 31, 32 overlap. Here, the direction in which light is irradiated (hereinafter also referred to as "irradiation direction") is a concept that includes not only different general directions, but also finer directions toward different positions within the range of each general direction.

In the case of this embodiment, specifically, the "ceiling direction" passing through the first window 14 of the casing 11 toward the ceiling 3 of the bathroom 1 and the "front direction" passing through the second window 15 of the casing 11 toward the front wall 4 of the bathroom 1 are each rough directions. Furthermore, even within the ceiling direction, the ceiling direction is further subdivided between the direction in which light passing through the first window 14 illuminates the position on the ceiling 3 closest to the lighting device 10 and the direction in which light illuminates the position farthest from the lighting device 10. The front direction is similarly subdivided.

The range of light illumination that can be changed by the illumination adjustment means 30 (hereinafter also referred to as the "illumination range") is a concept that corresponds to the shape or area of the area that is actually illuminated by light on the ceiling 3 or front wall 4 of the bathroom 1, which is the surface to be illuminated by the light. This illumination range changes depending on the distance from the illumination adjustment means 30 to the illuminated surface and the angle at which the light is incident on the illuminated surface, and is also restricted, such as being partially blocked, depending on the angle through the windows 14, 15 of the casing 11. The illumination direction of light and the change in illumination direction by the illumination adjustment means 30 will be described in more detail below.

The operation of the lighting device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described below.
<Assembly of the lighting device 10>
When assembling the lighting device 10, first, the light source 20 is attached to the casing 11 so that it extends in the longitudinal direction. Here, the light source 20 is oriented so that the windows 14, 15 on the two sides of the casing 11 fit as much as possible within the range of the light distribution angle of each LED, which is a light-emitting element. The number of boards on which the LEDs are arranged is not limited to one, but minimizing the number of LEDs as much as possible can reduce costs.

Next, the light shields 31, 32 of the illumination adjustment means 30 are supported within the casing 11 so as to surround the light source 20 from the outside along its entire length. Each light shield 31, 32 is individually rotatable in the circumferential direction, and it is preferable that the rotation angle be automatically adjusted by an electrically driven mechanism. By adjusting the rotation angle of each light shield 31, 32 in this way, even if the light source 20 itself only has a small number of LEDs, the direction or range of light irradiated outside the casing 11 can be changed, as will be described in more detail below.

<Installation of the lighting device 10>
As shown in Figure 2, when lighting device 10 is used for bathroom lighting, it is installed in the corner where front wall 4 and ceiling 3 are adjacent to each other in order to primarily illuminate the upper part of front wall 4 and ceiling 3 of bathroom 1, where bathroom users' eyes are directed while bathing. Casing 11 can be attached to the upper end of front wall 4 using fasteners such as screws. Note that waterproofing that can withstand use in bathroom 1 must be considered not only for the structure of casing 11 itself but also for the mounting structure.

As shown in Figure 1, the casing 11 has a first window 14 on the front surface 12 that opens forward along the ceiling 3 and perpendicular to the ceiling 3, and a second window 15 on the bottom surface 13 that opens downward along the front wall 4 and perpendicular to the front wall 4. The placement and size of these windows 14, 15 are designed taking into account the direction and range in which light is emitted from the lighting device 10 to the outside. Note that the top and back surfaces of the casing 11 contact the ceiling 3 and front wall 4 of the bathroom 1, respectively, and therefore do not serve as illumination surfaces and may be omitted.

Of course, the specific installation location of the lighting device 10 shown in Figure 2 is only one example. For example, if the main surfaces to be illuminated are the front wall 4 and side wall 7 of the bathroom 1, the casing 11 would be installed in a corner where the front wall 4, side wall 7, and ceiling 3 are adjacent, with its longitudinal direction parallel to the vertical direction. In this installation, the front portion 12 of the casing 11 is perpendicular to the front wall 4 along its longitudinal direction (vertical direction), and the bottom portion 13 is not actually oriented as a bottom, but is perpendicular to the side wall 7 along its longitudinal direction (vertical direction). In this way, the relative orientation of the lighting device 10 changes depending on the installation location.

<Regarding Light Distribution Control of the Illumination Device 10>
When the light source 20 in the lighting device 10 is turned on, the light distribution of the light emitted from the light source 20 is controlled by the irradiation adjustment means 30. This makes it possible for the lighting device 10 to easily change the direction or range in which light is irradiated to the outside of the casing 11.

Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic example of light distribution control in the lighting device 10. In Figure 3, (a) and (b) enclosed by dashed lines indicate adjustment of the illumination range (size), (b) and (c) enclosed by dashed lines indicate adjustment of the illumination position (illumination direction in the narrow sense), and (c) and (d) enclosed by dashed double-dashed lines indicate adjustment of the illumination direction. It is preferable that the light blocking bodies 31 and 32 described below be rotatable by a drive mechanism as described above, and that the direction of rotation and fine rotation angle be automatically controlled.

<<Changing the irradiation range (size)>>
As shown in Figure 3(a), when each of the light blocking members 31, 32 of the illumination adjustment means 30 is at the rotation angle shown in the figure, the light from the illumination adjustment means 30 passes through the first window 14 of the casing 11. The light that passes through this first window 14 is irradiated over a wide range on the ceiling 3 of the bathroom 1, from a position close to the lighting device 10 to a position away from it.

At this time, the openings 33, 34 of each light blocking body 31, 32 are aligned, and the opening area through which light is emitted from the illumination adjustment means 30 is at its maximum area. The lower end of the illumination range of light from this opening area passes through the first window portion 14 of the casing 11 and becomes approximately parallel to the ceiling 3 of the bathroom 1. Therefore, light from the illumination adjustment means 30 can be emitted over a wide, band-like area extending horizontally on the ceiling 3 to the end away from the lighting device 10.

As shown in Figure 3(b), when the light blocking bodies 31, 32 of the illumination adjustment means 30 are rotated to the angle shown in the figure, the width of the opening area where the openings 33, 34 of the light blocking bodies 31, 32 overlap is slightly narrower than in Figure 3(a). The upper end of the illumination range of light from this opening area is angled so that it is located near the upper frame of the first window portion 14 of the casing 11. Therefore, light from the illumination adjustment means 30 is irradiated onto a narrow area on the ceiling 3 of the bathroom 1, close to the lighting device 10.

In this way, the illumination adjustment means 30 controls the rotation angle of each light blocking body 31, 32, adjusting the size and orientation of the overlapping opening area of each opening 33, 34, thereby freely changing the illumination range of light on the ceiling 3 of the bathroom 1. Note that the adjustment of the illumination range (size) of light by the illumination adjustment means 30 is not limited to the two steps illustrated in Figures 3(a) and (b), but can be adjusted continuously and steplessly.

<<Changing the irradiation position>>
As mentioned above, when each of the light blocking bodies 31, 32 of the irradiation adjustment means 30 is at the rotation angle shown in Figure 3 (b), light from the irradiation adjustment means 30 is irradiated over a predetermined range at a position on the ceiling 3 of the bathroom 1 close to the lighting device 10.

Next, as shown in Figure 3(c), when the light blocking bodies 31, 32 of the illumination adjustment means 30 are rotated to the angle shown in the figure, the width of the opening area where the openings 33, 34 overlap is significantly narrower than in Figure 3(a). The illumination range of light from this opening area is angled to pass through the middle of the first window portion 14 of the casing 11. Therefore, the illumination range of light from the illumination adjustment means 30 moves to a position on the same ceiling 3 of the bathroom 1 that is farther away from the lighting device 10. Here, the illumination range shown in Figure 3(c) and the illumination range shown in Figure 3(b) are each maintained at a constant area.

In this way, the illumination adjustment means 30 controls the rotation angle of each light blocking body 31, 32 to adjust the size and orientation of the overlapping opening area of each opening 33, 34, thereby changing the illumination position (illumination direction in the narrow sense) while maintaining a constant area of light illumination range on the ceiling 3 of the bathroom 1. Note that adjustment of the light illumination position by the illumination adjustment means 30 is not limited to the two steps illustrated in Figures 3(b) and (c), but can be adjusted continuously and steplessly.

<<Changing the irradiation direction>>
As mentioned above, when each of the light blocking bodies 31, 32 of the irradiation adjustment means 30 is at the rotation angle shown in Figure 3(c), light from the irradiation adjustment means 30 passes through the first window 14 of the casing 11 and is irradiated toward the ceiling 3 of the bathroom 1. Similarly, in Figures 3(a) and 3(b), light from the irradiation adjustment means 30 passes through the first window 14 of the casing 11 and is irradiated toward the ceiling 3 of the bathroom 1.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3(d), when the light blocking bodies 31, 32 of the illumination adjustment means 30 are rotated to the angle shown in the figure, the opening area where the openings 33, 34 of the light blocking bodies 31, 32 overlap faces downward rather than forward. As a result, light from the illumination adjustment means 30 passes through the second window portion 15 of the casing 11 and is irradiated toward the front wall 4 of the bathroom 1. Even with the illumination direction shown in Figure 3(d), the illumination range (size) of the light can be changed in the same way as in the cases of Figures 3(a) and (b) described above, and the illumination position of the light can also be changed in the same way as in the cases of Figures 3(b) and (c) described above.

In this way, the illumination adjustment means 30 controls the rotation angle of each light blocking body 31, 32, adjusting the orientation of the overlapping opening areas of the openings 33, 34, making it possible to freely change the illumination direction of light outside the casing 11, such as illuminating the ceiling 3 of the bathroom 1 or illuminating the front wall 4, which faces in a completely different direction from the ceiling 3. As mentioned above, it is also possible to change the illumination range (size) and illumination position for each separate illumination direction of light.

<Other light distribution controls>
The light emitted from the openings 33, 34 of the light shields 31, 32 in the irradiation adjustment means 30 may be adjusted to be emitted toward the periphery of the windows 14, 15 so as not to pass directly through the windows 14, 15 of the casing 11. In this way, the light that has passed through the irradiation adjustment means 30 leaks to the outside as indirect light from the windows 14, 15 of the casing 11.

In other words, when the casing 11 is viewed from the outside, only the areas around the windows 14 and 15 are illuminated dimly by indirect light reflected internally. In addition to this type of dim light illumination, the aforementioned light distribution control can also further enhance the illumination effect of the lighting by controlling the light emission color of the LEDs of the light source 20.

[Configuration and effects of the present invention]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention derived from the above-described embodiments will be described below.

First, the present invention provides a lighting device 10 that irradiates light to the outside,
a light source 20 that emits light;
and an irradiation adjustment means 30 that can change at least the direction or range of light emitted from the light source 20 to the outside within the emission range of the light.

As a result, even if the light source does not have a large number of light-emitting elements such as LEDs spread over a wide area, the limited light from the light source 20 can be used by the illumination adjustment means 30 to arbitrarily change the direction of illumination towards the outside, and the illumination range towards the external irradiated surface. By continuously changing the light illumination direction or illumination range over time, it is possible to easily create illumination in which the center of gravity of the light moves, for example.

With this lighting device 10, it is possible to easily achieve lighting that has a soothing effect on bathroom users, for example, by appropriately adjusting the direction and range of light irradiation in a bathroom. Of course, the lighting device 10 is not limited to the soothing effect of bathroom lighting; it can also easily achieve light distribution control for various purposes depending on the installation location.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the illumination adjustment means 30 is characterized in that it is possible to change the direction of illumination while maintaining a constant area of the range of illumination of light onto an external illuminated surface.

This allows the area of the light irradiation range on a single irradiated surface to remain unchanged, and only the irradiation position can be changed as the irradiation direction is changed. This makes it possible to provide illumination that allows the position of the irradiation range to be adjusted as needed while keeping the size of the irradiation range fixed. Note that the light irradiation range changes depending on the distance from the irradiation adjustment means 30 to the irradiated surface and the angle at which the light is incident on the irradiated surface, but adjustments by the irradiation adjustment means 30 can be automatically controlled by taking these data into consideration in advance.

In the present invention, the irradiation adjustment means 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape surrounding the light source 20 and includes a plurality of light shielding bodies 31 and 32 overlapping each other on the inside and outside,
The light blocking bodies 31 and 32 are individually rotatable in the circumferential direction, and have openings 33 and 34 in parts of their peripheral walls that allow light to pass through.
The direction of light irradiation to the outside is changed depending on the rotation angle when the openings 33 and 34 of the light blocking bodies 31 and 32 overlap each other.
The range of light irradiated to the outside can be changed depending on the degree of overlap between the openings 33 and 34 of the light blocking bodies 31 and 32.

In this way, the illumination adjustment means 30 can be easily constructed by stacking cylindrical light shields 31, 32 that surround the light source 20 on one another, making it possible to easily adjust the illumination range or illumination direction of light that passes through the illumination adjustment means 30 without increasing costs. In other words, the direction in which the openings 33, 34 of each light shield 31, 32 overlap determines the illumination direction of the light, and the degree to which the openings 33, 34 overlap determines the illumination range of the light.

The present invention also provides a casing 11 that surrounds the light source 20 and the irradiation adjustment means 30 to form an outer shell,
The casing 11 is made of a light-blocking material and has windows 14 and 15 at a plurality of locations positioned in different directions relative to the light source 20, allowing light to pass therethrough.
The direction of the light passing through the irradiation adjusting means 30 is changed in units of the windows 14 and 15 to be irradiated to the outside.
The range of light irradiated from the windows 14 and 15 onto the external surface to be irradiated is restricted by the angle at which the light passing through the irradiation adjusting means 30 passes through the windows 14 and 15 .

In this way, by storing the light source 20 and the irradiation adjustment means 30 inside the casing 11, light is emitted to the outside only through the windows 14 and 15 in the casing 11. Therefore, the direction in which light that passes through the irradiation adjustment means 30 is emitted to the outside can be changed by corresponding to each of the windows 14 and 15.

Here, not all of the light that passes through the irradiation adjustment means 30 necessarily passes through the inside of the windows 14, 15; depending on the angle at which it passes through the windows 14, 15, some of it may be blocked by the window frame. In this way, the extent to which the irradiation range of light from the windows 14, 15 and the irradiation adjustment means 30 overlap can be used to restrict the irradiation range, thereby adjusting the irradiation range of light on the irradiated surface.

Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that light that has passed through the irradiation adjustment means 30 is irradiated toward the periphery of the windows 14, 15 without passing directly through the windows 14, 15, and can also be used as illumination that leaks out from the windows 14, 15 as indirect light.

As a result, light that passes through the illumination adjustment means 30 leaks out as indirect light from the windows 14 and 15 of the casing 11. In other words, when the casing 11 is viewed from the outside, it is possible to achieve an illumination pattern in which only the areas around the windows 14 and 15 appear to glow dimly due to indirect light reflected internally.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. For example, the installation location of the lighting device 10 is not limited to the corner of the bathroom 1 shown in Figure 2, and it is not limited to use as bathroom lighting in the first place.

Furthermore, when the lighting device 10 is installed in a large space such as a large bathroom rather than a domestic bathroom, multiple lighting devices 10 may be installed lined up in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, the light-emitting elements that make up the light source 20 are not necessarily limited to LEDs, and may also be other semiconductor elements such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).

Furthermore, the specific shape of the casing 11 is not limited to the example shown in the figure. Although it has been described that the casing 11 is opaque and does not transmit light except for the windows 14 and 15, it is not necessarily limited to a light-blocking material, and may be formed from a light-transmitting material such as translucent that allows some light to pass through.

Furthermore, the illumination adjustment means 30 is not limited to being composed of the light shields 31 and 32. Furthermore, the light shields 31 and 32 are not necessarily limited to being cylindrical and surrounding the light source 20 in the entire circumferential direction, but may instead be plate-like structures that overlap and cover only the emission range of the light source 20, as described above.

The lighting device of the present invention is not limited to use in bathrooms, but can also be used widely as general-purpose lighting in a variety of installation locations.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 bathroom 2 floor 3 ceiling 4 front wall 10 lighting device 11 casing 12 front portion 13 bottom portion 14 first window portion 15 second window portion 20 light source 30 irradiation adjustment means 31 first light blocking body 32 second light blocking body 33 opening 34 opening

Claims (4)

In a lighting device that irradiates light to the outside,
A light source that emits light;
an irradiation adjusting unit that can change at least the direction or range of light irradiated to the outside within the emission range of light from the light source , the irradiation adjusting unit including a plurality of cylindrically formed light blocking bodies that surround the light source and overlap each other on the inside and outside;
a drive mechanism that rotates each of the light blocking bodies by electric force;
a control means for controlling the drive mechanism,
Each of the light blocking bodies is individually rotatable in a circumferential direction, and has an opening in a part of a peripheral wall thereof through which light passes;
The direction in which light is irradiated to the outside is changed depending on the rotation angle when the openings of the light blocking bodies are overlapped,
The extent to which the openings of the light blocking bodies overlap each other changes the range in which light is irradiated to the outside,
The lighting device is characterized in that the rotation angle of each of the light blocking members can be automatically adjusted by controlling the drive mechanism with the control means . The lighting device described in claim 1, characterized in that the illumination adjustment means is capable of changing the direction of illumination while maintaining a constant area of the area illuminated by light on an external illuminated surface. a casing that surrounds the light source and the irradiation adjustment means to form an outer shell;
the casing is made of a light-blocking material and has a plurality of windows that are located in different directions from the light source, and allow light to pass through to the outside;
The direction of the light that has passed through the irradiation adjustment means to be irradiated to the outside is changed for each window portion,
3. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein the range of light irradiated from the window onto an external surface to be irradiated is regulated by the angle at which the light passing through the irradiation adjustment means passes through the window. 4. The lighting device according to claim 3 , wherein the light passing through the irradiation adjustment means is irradiated toward the periphery of the window without passing directly through the window, and is also capable of illuminating the area through the window as indirect light.