JP7814698B2 - Lighting unit and lighting panel using the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lighting unit that can be incorporated into partitions, ceilings, doors, walls, etc. to provide indirect lighting with soft light that is rich in impressions, and to a lighting panel that uses the same.

Fittings with light sources that are built into partitions such as shoji screens and folding screens to provide indirect lighting with soft light have been known for some time, as shown in Patent Document 1.

The light-emitting fixture described in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a straight-tube LED light source is attached to the bottom frame of a wooden frame, and both sides of the frame are covered with shoji paper. However, this type of light-emitting fixture has the problem that if the LED light source breaks down or deteriorates, the shoji paper must be removed and repaired, or the entire fixture must be discarded and replaced. In particular, if the LED light source breaks down, the change in brightness is easily noticeable, making it impossible to leave it as is.

Furthermore, the light-emitting fixture in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a straight-tube LED light source is attached to the bottom frame, so the area close to the bottom frame is bright, while the area close to the top frame, which is farther from the light source, is dark. As a result, it was not possible to brighten the entire area or vary the brightness.

Furthermore, because the kumiko panels that separate the interior of the frame are made of wood, they appear distinctly black, reducing the effect of the soft, indirect lighting.

In addition, Patent Document 2 describes a light-emitting fixture in which ultraviolet LEDs are attached to wooden slats and ultraviolet light is irradiated onto shoji paper impregnated with titanium oxide, thereby achieving antibacterial and deodorizing effects. However, this structure does not provide any lighting effect because it uses ultraviolet LEDs, and it also has the same problem as Patent Document 1 in that the LED light source is difficult to replace if it breaks down or deteriorates.

JP 2011-026833 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-106058

The object of the present invention is therefore to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and provide a lighting unit that can be easily replaced if the LED light source breaks down, and a lighting panel that uses this unit and has excellent design effects, allowing various light and dark patterns to be applied to the entire panel.

The lighting unit of the present invention, which was developed to solve the above problems, is a lighting unit in which a frame body is formed from vertical and horizontal frame materials, with a paper-like sheet attached to the surface. At least two opposing sides of the frame materials that make up the frame body are made of translucent resin with a tunnel-shaped hollow portion, and an LED tape equipped with multiple LED chips can be inserted and removed longitudinally into this hollow portion.

It is preferable that all of the frame materials that make up the frame body be made of translucent resin. It is also preferable that the paper-like sheet be a semi-translucent resin sheet that has the texture of Japanese paper.

The lighting panel of the present invention is characterized by having multiple lighting units as described above arranged in series.

In the lighting unit of the present invention, at least two opposing sides of the frame material that makes up the frame are made of a translucent resin with a tunnel-shaped hollow portion, and an LED tape equipped with numerous LED chips is inserted into this hollow portion so that it can be inserted and removed longitudinally. Therefore, if an LED light source fails, the LED tape can be easily replaced by pulling it out from the end of the frame material. Furthermore, because the frame material is made of a translucent resin material, the kumiko parts do not appear distinctly black, allowing for indirect lighting with excellent design effects. Furthermore, the lighting panel of the present invention is made by combining lighting panels of the present invention, and the brightness can be changed in various patterns.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a single lighting unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cross-sectional structure of a frame material made of a light-transmitting resin. FIG. 2 is a front view of the LED tape. FIG. 1 is a front view of an LED tape having a non-light-emitting portion. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illumination panel formed by combining six illumination units. FIG. 1 is a front view of a lighting panel made up of 21 lighting units. FIG. 7 is a front view showing the lighting state of the lighting panel of FIG. 6. 7 is a front view showing another light-emitting state of the illumination panel of FIG. 6. FIG. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which the present invention is applied to a door.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
1 is a front view showing a single lighting unit according to an embodiment, in which reference numeral 10 denotes a rectangular frame body made up of vertical and horizontal frame members 11 and 12. Of these frame members, the frame members 11, 11 on two opposing sides are made of a light-transmitting resin. In this embodiment, the frame member 11 is made of an acrylic resin, but any light-transmitting resin will do, and the material is not necessarily limited to an acrylic resin.

As shown in Figure 2, the frame material 11 made of translucent resin has a tunnel-shaped hollow portion 13 extending in the longitudinal direction. As shown in Figure 2(A), the hollow portion 13 may be formed by bonding four resin plates together, or as shown in Figure 2(B), the hollow portion 13 may be formed by extrusion molding, or as shown in Figure 2(C), the hollow portion 13 may be formed from a main body 14 with a U-shaped cross section and a flat plate 15 covering the opening, as shown in Figure 2(C). In any case, however, the cross-sectional shape must be uniform in the longitudinal direction, and there must be no parts that can become snags along the way.

The frame material 12 that makes up the other two sides does not need to have a tunnel-shaped hollow portion 13, but it is still preferable for it to be made of translucent resin.

An LED tape 30 equipped with numerous LED chips 31, as shown in Figure 3, is inserted into the hollow portion 13 of the frame material 11. Various types of LED tape 30 are commercially available, but they are basically constructed with LED chips 31, resistors 32, terminals 33, etc. arranged in a regular pattern on a resin tape. LED tape 30 can be selected in a variety of colors, including daylight white and warm white, and the light intensity and color tone can be changed by operating a dimmer switch on the connected power box. It is also possible to color the light by attaching a colored film to the surface of the frame material 11, or to use an LED tape 30 equipped with three types of LED chips 31 (red, green, and blue) to achieve any desired color.

The LED tape 30 can be cut at the cut points formed at regular intervals for further use, so it is cut to match the length of the frame material 11. A power supply lead wire 34 is connected to the terminal 33 at the end. In the present invention, the LED tape 30 is inserted into the hollow portion 13 of the frame material 11 in a manner that allows it to be removed and inserted lengthwise, so that it can be easily pulled out in the event of a malfunction.

The LED tape 30 can be cut and used, so it is possible to create a non-light-emitting section consisting only of the lead wires 34, as shown in Figure 4. By using an LED tape 30 with such a non-light-emitting section, it is possible to create non-light-emitting and light-emitting areas on the same straight line.

As shown in Figure 1, the lead wires 34 extending from the end of each LED tape 30 are pulled out from the end of the frame material 11 and connected to a power line 35. It is preferable to attach a plug 36 or the like to the end of the power line 35 so that it can be connected to an external power box 37. A commercially available power box 37 can also be used. When power is supplied to the LED tape 30, the LED chips 31 emit light inside the hollow portion 13 of the frame material 11 made of translucent resin. Note that non-translucent tape can be attached to the back of the frame material 11 to reduce the amount of light that passes through to the back of the frame material 11 made of translucent resin.

A paper-like sheet 40 is attached to the surface of the frame body 10, creating a panel structure. Light from the LED chip 31 passes through the paper-like sheet 40, providing soft illumination. The paper-like sheet 40 may be attached to only one side of the frame body 10, but it is more preferable to have it attached to both sides. Attaching the paper-like sheet 40 to both sides of the frame body 10 creates an air layer inside, providing insulation when used as a fixture. In addition, the internal structure is hidden, further enhancing the aesthetic appearance.

It is preferable to use a semi-transparent resin sheet with the texture of Japanese paper as the paper-like sheet 40. In this embodiment, a Japanese-style sheet manufactured and sold by the applicant company is used. This sheet is made by laminating Japanese paper and resin film, which maintains the appearance of Japanese paper while eliminating the paper's weakness of being easily torn. It can also be decorated with patterns and other various decorative processes. By using such a semi-transparent resin sheet with the texture of Japanese paper, it is possible to provide illumination with soft light that is rich in impressions, like light passing through shoji paper. There are no particular limitations on the type of resin, but for example, PET resin, which has excellent strength, can be used.

The lighting units described above can be used individually, but multiple units can also be arranged in a row to form a lighting panel, as shown in Figure 5. The lighting panel in Figure 5 is made up of six integrated lighting units. The end faces of the frame material 11 of three horizontally adjacent lighting units are aligned, and the hollow spaces 13 are connected. An LED tape 30 that is three times the length of the frame material 11 is inserted into the hollow space 13. With this structure, the LED tape 30 can be inserted and removed from the end face of the lighting panel, spanning the entire width, making repairs and replacements easy.

Figure 6 shows a state in which a number of the above-mentioned lighting units are combined to form a fixture-like lighting panel. 50 is a disassemblable outer frame made of, for example, wood or aluminum, which increases the strength of the lighting panel and enhances its aesthetic appearance when installed indoors. The power cord 35 is pulled out from the end of the outer frame 50 and connected to a power box 37. The power box can also be installed on the ceiling of a building.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, an LED tape 30 is inserted into each of the horizontal frame materials 11, with the LED tape 30 doubling up and down in the center. Figure 7 shows the appearance of the lighting panel when only the lower frame material 11 of each lighting unit is illuminated. In this case, light is emitted upward from the LED chips 31, so the area close to the lower frame material 11 is bright and gradually becomes darker as it moves away from the upper part, resulting in a rich, imprint-rich appearance.

Figure 8 shows an embodiment in which the lighting panel is illuminated in a checkerboard pattern. In this case, LED tapes 30 with sections consisting only of lead wires 34, as shown in Figure 4, are inserted alternately. More specifically, an LED tape 30 with a non-light-emitting section consisting only of lead wires 34 in the center is inserted into the frame material 11 of the upper lighting unit, and an LED tape 30 with non-light-emitting sections consisting only of lead wires 34 at both ends and emitting light in the center is inserted into the frame material 11 of the lower lighting unit. By matching the spacing between the vertical frame materials 12 with the length of the non-light-emitting sections, the non-light-emitting sections can be made to appear checkerboard-patterned.

The lighting unit of the present invention can be assembled into a variety of sizes and shapes. It can be attached to partitions, ceilings, walls, etc. and used as a fixture, or it can be incorporated into a door as shown in Figure 9, or it can be used as an internally illuminated sign. In either case, if the internal LED breaks down, the LED tape 30 can be easily pulled out and repaired or replaced, making maintenance easier than ever before. It goes without saying that the light emission patterns can be varied in a variety of ways in addition to those shown in Figures 7 and 8.

In the above-described embodiments, paper-like sheets 40 are attached to both the front and back of the frame body 10. However, if the lighting panel is placed in close contact with a wall surface to be used as a light wall, the light can be reflected by the wall surface, so the paper-like sheet 40 on the back side can be omitted.

As explained above, the lighting unit and lighting panel of the present invention can be easily replaced if the LED light source breaks down, and have excellent design effects, allowing the entire panel to be given a variety of light and dark patterns.

10 Frame body 11 Frame material 12 Frame material 13 Hollow portion 14 Main body 15 Flat plate 30 LED tape 31 LED chip 32 Resistor 33 Terminal 34 Lead wire 35 Power line 36 Plug 37 Power box 40 Paper-like sheet 50 Outer frame

Claims (4)

A lighting unit in which a frame body is formed by vertical and horizontal frame materials and a paper-like sheet is attached to the surface of the frame body,
This lighting unit is characterized in that at least two opposing sides of the frame material that makes up the frame body are made of translucent resin with a tunnel-shaped hollow portion, and an LED tape equipped with a large number of LED chips can be inserted and removed longitudinally into this hollow portion. The lighting unit described in claim 1, characterized in that all of the frame materials that make up the frame body are made of translucent resin. The lighting unit described in claim 1, characterized in that the paper-like sheet is a semi-transparent resin sheet with the texture of Japanese paper. A lighting panel comprising a plurality of lighting units according to any one of claims 1 to 3 arranged in series.