JP7837550B2 - Lighting fixtures - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to lighting fixtures.

Generally, lighting fixtures are widely used indoors in general buildings such as detached houses and offices, as well as in specialized buildings such as schools, gymnasiums, hospitals, theaters, exhibition halls, department stores, factories, and warehouses. Lighting fixtures used in these buildings are typically installed at high locations such as ceilings and walls, and are powered by commercial electricity. These lighting fixtures are controlled by wall switches located in the indoor wiring or by buttons on remote controllers attached to the fixtures.

Conventionally, lighting fixtures using a row of LEDs have been proposed for use mounted on ceilings and other surfaces (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-39033

Patent Document 1 describes a lighting fixture known as an integrated base lighting fixture, which includes a light source having a main body on which an LED substrate is mounted, and a mounting component capable of housing the main body. This fixture is used by attaching the mounting component to a ceiling or the like. However, it had problems such as the light emitted from the light source being scattered over a wide area and not efficiently illuminating the front (floor) side.

Therefore, in order to solve the problems of the prior art documents, the present invention provides a lighting fixture that efficiently illuminates the floor surface with light emitted from a light source, providing anti-glare properties and high illumination effectiveness.

To achieve the above objective, the lighting fixture of the present invention is
A mounting component having an opening on the front side and installed on the fixture mounting surface,
A light source having a body that is roughly rectangular in shape and is placed in the aforementioned opening,
An inner cover that covers the front side of the main body,
It comprises an outer cover located outside the inner cover and positioned to cover the inner cover,
Both the inner cover and the outer cover are elongated members having a roughly U-shaped cross-section and an opening at the top.
The inner cover is positioned in close contact with the inner surface of the outer cover, and the outer cover has a certain space between it and the inner cover.
The outer cover has a front portion on the light-emitting surface side with a prism portion formed thereon, corner portions located at both ends of the front portion, and inclined portions rising from the corner portions.
It is characterized by the following:

According to the present invention, by using a combination structure of two types of covers, an inner cover and an outer cover, as the cover that covers the front of the lighting fixture, it is possible to provide a lighting fixture that improves glare resistance, light diffusion, and other properties, while also providing a lighting fixture with high illumination effect.

(A) A longitudinal side view of the lighting fixture according to the embodiment, (B) a plan view thereof, and (C) a side view thereof viewed from the end side. (A) A rear view of the light source according to the embodiment and a side view seen from the end side, (B) A longitudinal side view of the light source, and (C) A front view thereof. This is a perspective view of the mounting component according to the embodiment, viewed from above. This is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the locking member of the mounting component according to the embodiment, viewed from below. This is a cross-sectional view of the lighting fixture shown in Figure 1, along the line A-A. This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the area marked B in Figure 5A.

To facilitate understanding of the present invention, an example of a lighting fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5B. The lighting fixture according to the embodiment of the present invention is a long-length lighting fixture having a light source in which light-emitting elements such as LEDs, generally referred to as integrated base lighting, are mounted in a row on a substrate.

The embodiments described below are merely specific examples of the present invention; therefore, the arrangement, functions, and numerical values of the components described in these embodiments are merely examples, and the scope of the present invention should not be limited by them.
Furthermore, some components such as wiring and screws that make up the lighting fixture have been omitted from the drawings to avoid making them too complex.

(Embodiment)
Figure 1(A) is a longitudinal side view of a lighting fixture 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1(B) is a plan view thereof, and Figure 1(C) is a side view thereof viewed from the end side.
As shown in Figures 1(A) to 1(C), the lighting fixture 1 according to the embodiment comprises a mounting component 2 and a light source 3, both of which are elongated members. The mounting component 2 is installed on the ceiling 9 or other location where the lighting fixture 1 is to be installed (the fixture mounting surface), and the light source 3 is attached to the lower side of the mounting component 2. The light source 3 is also referred to as a light source module or light source unit.

In this invention, the side from which light is emitted from the light source 3 is referred to as the front side (floor side) of the lighting fixture 1, the side facing the ceiling 9 is referred to as the back side (ceiling side), the direction parallel to the floor (ceiling) is referred to as the horizontal direction, and the direction perpendicular to the floor (ceiling) is referred to as the vertical direction (see Figure 5A).

Figure 2(A) is a rear view and a side view of the light source 3 according to the embodiment, Figure 2(B) is a longitudinal side view of the light source 3, and Figure 2(C) is a front view thereof.
As shown in Figure 2(A), a power supply circuit 36 is located on the back of the main body 31 of the light source 3, which receives power from the commercial power supply through a connector 39. A pair of retaining members 55 for connecting to the mounting parts 2 are installed on both sides of the power supply circuit 36.

As shown in Figure 2(B), a pair of retaining members 55 are installed on the top of the light source 3, and the distances from the longitudinal ends of the retaining members 55 to each other are different. This prevents the light source 3 from being incorrectly attached to the mounting part 2 in the wrong direction by the worker.

The main body 31 is made of a roughly rectangular parallelepiped-shaped flat plate and functions as a heat sink to dissipate heat generated from the substrate 34, power supply circuit 36, etc. The main body 31 also supports the outer cover 37, with the substrate 34 on which the light-emitting element 35 is surface-mounted located on the front 31B side of the main body, and the power supply circuit 36 located on the rear 31A side of the main body. The main body 31 is molded from a metal material such as aluminum or iron, but a synthetic resin with high thermal conductivity may also be used.

As shown in Figure 2(C), a roughly rectangular substrate 34 with multiple light-emitting elements 35 surface-mounted in a row is arranged on the front surface 31B of the main body. On the sides of the substrate 34, locking portions 34A, which are narrower sections of the side width, are provided by cutting out notches on both sides at multiple locations. By positioning the substrate guide 34B on the locking portions 34A, the substrate 34 is fixed to the front surface 31B of the main body, minimizing the sliding range of the substrate 34. While the substrate guide 34B is formed from a transparent synthetic resin material, colored materials such as yellow or blue may also be used.

The light-emitting element 35 is composed of light-emitting elements such as LEDs, which consist of white or a combination of red, blue, and green light. In the light source 3, multiple light-emitting elements 35 are used, and these elements 35 are mounted on a roughly rectangular substrate 34 at approximately equal intervals in the row direction.

The substrate 34 consists of a single flat plate corresponding to the length of the light source 3, but it may also be constructed by arranging multiple rectangular substrates 34 in a row and connecting them to each other. Furthermore, the light-emitting elements 35 are not limited to being arranged in a row on the substrate 34; they may be arranged in multiple parallel rows, or a mixture of multiple rows and single rows. Additionally, the light source 3 emits a neutral white light, but it may also emit daylight white or incandescent light.

The power supply circuit 36 receives commercial power from a power terminal block (not shown) through a connector 39, converts it to DC power, and supplies DC power to the circuit board 34. The power supply circuit 36 also controls the applied voltage and current to dim the light source 3 (on, off, dimming, and brightening), and may also control the color temperature (daylight white, white, incandescent, etc.). These dimming and color temperature operations may be performed using an operation switch on the main unit 31, a wall switch, or an external remote controller (all not shown).

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the mounting component 2 according to the embodiment, viewed from above. The mounting component 2 has a locking member 53, consisting of a first locking member 40 and a second locking member 50, indicated by a dotted line, on the bottom surface of the light source mounting section 21. The locking member 53 is a connector for attaching the light source 3 to the mounting component 2. The mounting component 2 as a whole has two locking members 53 arranged in the longitudinal direction. Similar to the holding member 55 described above, the distances of the locking members 53 from the longitudinal ends of the mounting component 2 are different. This prevents the operator from making incorrect installations, such as attaching the light source 3 in the wrong direction relative to the mounting component 2.

Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the locking member 53 of the mounting component 2 according to the embodiment, viewed from below. The mounting component 2 is formed by bending a metal plate-like member and includes a roughly rectangular parallelepiped light source mounting section 21 with an opening 4 on the floor side, and a pair of reflectors 28 inclined towards the ceiling 9 side. The light source 3 is mounted in the opening 4. Between the opening 4 and the reflectors 28, there are roughly horizontal bottom portions 30 on both sides, and roughly L-shaped edges 29 are provided on both sides of the reflectors 28 on the ceiling 9 side. One side of the roughly L-shaped edge 29 on the ceiling 9 side is a contact surface that contacts the ceiling 9.

The surface of the reflector 28 is painted with white paint or the like. By reflecting the light emitted from the light source 3 towards the floor, the light emitted from the light source 3 is efficiently reflected towards the front, thereby brightly illuminating the room.

As shown in Figure 4, at least one of the first locking member 40 and the second locking member 50 is elastically deformed by pressure from the direction in which the first locking member 40 and the second locking member 50 are facing each other. The first locking member 40 has a shape comprising a first bent portion 41 that bends from the bottom surface of the light source mounting portion 21 toward the front side (floor side), an intermediate portion 42 that is continuous with the first bent portion 41 and extends toward the front side (floor side), and a tip portion 43 that has a shape for locking onto the first holding member 60 formed at its tip. The tip portion 43 curves from the intermediate portion 42 toward the protruding side of the first bent portion 41 and bends toward the rear side (ceiling side).

The second locking member 50 is shaped to have a second bent portion 51 that bends horizontally from the orientation of the bottom surface of the light source mounting portion 21. The second bent portion 51 protrudes in the opposite direction to the first bent portion 41. In the example shown in Figure 4, the first bent portion 41 protrudes on the opposite side of the second locking member 50, and the second bent portion 51 protrudes on the opposite side of the first locking member 40. That is, the curved portion of the second bent portion 51 is convex on the opposite side of the first locking member 40. Furthermore, the second locking member 50 extends from the bottom surface of the light source mounting portion 21 toward the front, and at the second bent portion 51, it protrudes from the orientation of the bottom surface of the light source mounting portion 21 toward the opposite side of the first locking member 40 and bends in an arc toward the front. A locking connection portion 45 is provided between the first locking member 40 and the second locking member 50, and is attached to the bottom surface of the light source mounting portion 21 of the mounting component 2 by a fastener 46.

With the back surface 31A of the light source 3 facing the mounting component 2, the light source 3 is pushed upward towards the ceiling 9 and inserted into the opening 4 of the mounting component 2. The first locking member 40 and the second locking member 50 are then inserted into the first and second insertion holes (both not shown) formed in the first holding member 60 and the second holding member 70, respectively, thereby attaching the light source 3 to the mounting component 2.

The mounting component 2 is fixed to the building's ceiling 9 by a fixture mounting bracket (not shown). The fixture mounting bracket is a component for attaching the mounting component 2 to the installation location of the lighting fixture 1, and is composed of fasteners such as bolts and nuts. Typically, the fixture mounting bracket, consisting of bolts placed on the ceiling 9, is fixed by fastening nuts to bolts that pass through holes drilled in the mounting component 2. The fastening means is not limited to bolts and nuts; other means such as screw fastening may also be used.

The mounting component 2 is formed by bending a metal plate-like member and includes a roughly rectangular parallelepiped light source mounting section 21 with an opening 4 on the floor side, and a pair of reflectors 28 that are inclined towards the ceiling 9 side. The light source 3 is mounted in the opening 4.

Figure 5A is a cross-sectional view of the lighting fixture 1 shown in Figure 1 along the line A-A, and Figure 5B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the area marked B in Figure 5A. Figure 5A shows the lighting fixture 1 shown in Figure 1 installed on the ceiling 9. Note that in Figure 5A and other figures, the components are depicted as schematic cross-sectional views, and hatching representing the cross-section and internal structures are generally omitted.

As shown in Figure 5A, the back surface 31A of the main body of the light source 3 is provided with a first holding member 60, a second holding member 70, and a connecting member 65 that connects these members. The first holding member 60 and the second holding member 70 each have a first and second insertion hole (both not shown). The first holding member 60, the second holding member 70, and the connecting member 65 all protrude from the back surface 31A toward the rear side (ceiling side).

An inner cover 90 and an outer cover 37 are arranged in a double layer to cover the entire light-emitting surface (floor surface) of the light-emitting element 35. The inner cover 90 has a milky white, U-shaped cross-section and is formed in an elongated shape with an opening on its upper surface. It is a component that allows light emitted from the light-emitting element 35 to pass through to the floor surface. The inner cover 90 is not limited to a milky white surface; its surface may be frosted glass-like.

The outer cover 37, positioned so as to be in close contact with the inner surface of the inner cover 90, has a roughly U-shaped cross-section, similar to the inner cover 90, with an opening on its upper surface and a long, elongated shape in the longitudinal direction. Light emitted from the light-emitting element 35 passes through the inner cover 90 and then through the outer cover 37, scattering towards the floor. The inner cover 90 is made of a transparent material, but other materials such as milky white may also be used.

The front surface 37A of the outer cover 37, facing the floor, is provided with a prism section 37G with a roughly triangular cross-section. The prism section 37G has a top, a slanted surface, and a bottom surface, and is arranged in multiple rows, roughly parallel to the front surface 37A of the outer cover 37, along the longitudinal direction of the main body 31.

The prism section 37G has a roughly triangular cross-section, with its apex facing the light-emitting surface and its bottom facing the front of the outer cover. It refracts the light emitted from the light-emitting element 35 through the inner cover 90 towards the floor, thereby reducing glare caused by the granular appearance of the light-emitting element 35, improving light diffusion, and increasing the degree of light concentration towards the floor. In this embodiment, the prism section 37G is shown with a roughly triangular cross-section, but it is not limited to this; it may also have a semicircular, trapezoidal, or polygonal cross-section.

The inner cover 90 and the outer cover 37 are in close contact at the bottom surface 90 of the inner cover 90 and the upper outer surface of the vertical portion 90B, with their openings facing the front surface 31B of the main body. The outer cover 37 is fixed to the main body 31 with its opening facing the front surface 31B, and covers the entire front surface of the substrate 34 on which the light-emitting element 35 is mounted within the opening. The outer cover 37 covers the entire front surface 31B of the main body 31, including the light source 3, from the front side (floor side).

The outer cover 37 is located on the front side (floor side) of the main body 31 and is fixed to the main body 31 at its ends. As shown in Figure 5B, the outer cover 37 has a horizontal (parallel to the floor) front portion 37A and acute-angled corners 37E at both ends of the front portion 37A. Following the corners 37E, the outer cover 37 has an inclined portion 37F, a vertical wall portion 37B, and a horizontal surface portion 37C that continues in a horizontal state. A roughly L-shaped edge portion 37D is formed on the horizontal surface portion 37C.

The outer cover 37 and the inner cover 90 are both formed from a light-diffusing, translucent resin material such as polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin.

This document describes the configuration of the locking member 53 in the mounting component 2, the configuration of the holding member 55 in the light source 3, and the method of installing the lighting fixture 1 using the locking member 53 and the holding member 55.

As shown in Figure 5B, the main body 31 is made of a roughly rectangular flat plate, and protrusions 32 are formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the main body 31. Each protrusion 32 consists of a side portion 32A that is bent vertically in a roughly L-shape towards the front, and a tip portion 32B that curves in an arc toward the ceiling 9.

The side portion 32A of the main body 31 and the edge portion 37D of the outer cover 37 have substantially the same shape. The outer cover 37 is fitted into the space formed by the side portion 32A and tip portion 32B of the protrusions 32 formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the main body 31 by inserting the roughly L-shaped edge portion 37D of the outer cover 37 from the longitudinal direction of the main body 31. Subsequently, the outer cover 37 is fixed to the main body 31 in place by fitting side caps (not shown), which have a cross-sectional shape identical to that of the light source 3, onto both ends of the light source 3.

The main body 31 and the outer cover 37 are assembled by the engagement of the protruding portion 32 of the main body 31 and the edge portion 37D of the outer cover 37. Therefore, the complicated process of joining the main body 31 and the outer cover 37 using multiple fasteners (not shown), as was conventionally done, is unnecessary, thus improving the efficiency of the assembly process. Furthermore, because fasteners (not shown) are not used, the main body 31 and the outer cover 37 can be firmly connected.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, since there is a gap between the main body 31 and the outer cover 37, thermal expansion of components such as the main body 31 and outer cover 37 caused by heat generated by the substrate 34 on which the light-emitting element 35 is mounted, the power supply circuit 36, etc., is absorbed by this gap, thus preventing noises such as creaking caused by thermal expansion.

Furthermore, multiple protrusions 38 may be formed on the surface of the outer cover 37. As shown in Figure 5B, in this embodiment, two protrusions 38 are provided on the horizontal surface 37C that abuts against the bottom 30 of the mounting component 2, and one protrusion 38 is provided on the wall surface of the L-shaped edge 37D that abuts against the side surface 32A of the main body 31. In addition to the gap created between the main body 31 and the outer cover 37, the protrusions 38 maintain a certain distance between the surface of the outer cover 37 and the surface of the side surface 32A of the main body 31 when the lighting fixture 1 is in use. This prevents noises such as creaking caused by thermal expansion of the components when the temperature of the main body 31 rises.

The protrusions 38 on the surface of the outer cover 37 are semi-cylindrical projections formed in four locations (four lines) parallel to the edge 37D along the longitudinal direction of the outer cover 37. However, the protrusions 38 may be formed from hemispherical members and arranged as a series of dots. Furthermore, the number of protrusions 38 is not limited to four; an appropriate number may be arranged as needed.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5B, the tip portion 32B located at the end of the main body 31 and the wall portion 37B of the outer cover 37 are separated by a space α with an elliptical cross-section, indicated by the dotted line. Space α is enclosed by width a, height b, and height c. Light emitted from the light source 3 passes through the interior of the outer cover 37 and reaches space α. The light that reaches space α passes through the approximately vertical wall portion 37B of the outer cover 37 and is emitted to the outside of the outer cover 37, illuminating the wall portion 37B brightly. Having space α between the main body 31 and the outer cover 37 ensures that the light emitted from the light source 3 enters a space between the protruding portion 32 of the main body 31 and the wall portion 37B of the outer cover 37.

Length a is the distance between the tip 32B of the main body 31 and the outer cover 37; length b is the distance between the bottom 30 of the mounting part 2 and the horizontal plane where the tip 32B of the J-shaped projection 32 of the main body 31 and the convex portion 38 of the horizontal surface of the edge 37D of the outer cover 37 are in contact; and length c is the distance between the vertical wall portion 37B of the outer cover 37 and the bottom 30 of the mounting part 2.
Length a is 1.0 to 10.0 mm, preferably 2.0 to 5.0 mm. Length b is 3.0 to 20.0 mm, preferably 4.0 to 12.0 mm. Length c is 5.0 to 20.0 mm, preferably 8.0 to 12.0 mm.

Furthermore, the triangular-shaped space β enclosed by the inner cover 90 and the outer cover 37 is formed as a space β that extends in a roughly triangular prism shape along the elongated main body, sandwiched between the inner cover 90 and the outer cover 37.

As shown in Figure 5B, the outer cover 37 has inclined sections 37F between the corners 37E on both sides of the front section 37A and the wall section 37B. The inclined sections 37F form a stepped space β between the inner cover 90 and the outer cover 37. Space β reflects light leaking outward from the wall section 37B and the inclined section 37F of the outer cover 37 off its inner surface, illuminating the front (floor) side. This reduces light leaking from the sides, efficiently illuminating the front and improving the illumination efficiency of the front side.

To efficiently irradiate the front side from the light-emitting element 35, it is desirable that the inclination angle γ between the inclined portion 37F (with the corner 37E of the outer cover 37 as the origin) and the front portion 37A be parallel to the direction of light irradiation to the front side of the light-emitting element 35. Specifically, the inclination angle γ is 25° to 80°, preferably 30° to 70°, and more preferably 45° to 60°.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5A, the outer wall surface of the light source mounting section 21 is provided with multiple outward-facing hemispherical cushioning members 22, similar to the conventional example. The cushioning members 22 contact the ceiling 9 and the vertical surface 30B provided on the mounting component 2, thereby preventing rattling of the light source 3 and ensuring its secure positioning.

Furthermore, this invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible with respect to the above embodiments.

According to the present invention, by devising the combination structure of the inner and outer covers of the lighting fixture, it is possible to provide a lighting fixture that improves glare resistance, light diffusion, and other properties, while also providing a highly effective lighting effect.

1. Lighting fixture 2. Mounting parts 3. Light source 4. Opening 9. Ceiling (fixture mounting surface)
21 Light source mounting section 22 Cushioning member 28 Reflector 29 Edge 30 Bottom 30B Vertical surface 31 Main body 31A Rear of main body 31B Front of main body 32 Protruding part 32A Side part 32B Tip 34 Substrate 34A Locking part 34B Substrate guide 35 Light-emitting element 36 Power supply circuit 37 Outer cover 37A Front part 37B Wall part 37C Horizontal surface part 37D Edge 37E Corner part 37F Inclined part 37G Prism part 38 Convex part 39 Connector 40 First locking member 41 First bent part 42 Middle part 43 Tip 45 Locking connection part 46 Fastener 50 Second locking member 51 Second bent part 53 Locking member 55 Holding member 60 First retaining member 65 Connecting member 70 Second retaining member 90 Inner cover 90A Bottom surface 90B Vertical parts α, β Space γ Inclination angle

Claims (10)

A mounting component having an opening on the front side and installed on the fixture mounting surface,
A light source having a body that is roughly rectangular in shape and is placed in the aforementioned opening,
An inner cover that covers the front side of the main body,
It comprises an outer cover located outside the inner cover and positioned to cover the inner cover,
Both the inner cover and the outer cover are elongated members having a roughly U-shaped cross-section and an opening at the top.
The inner cover is positioned in close contact with the inner surface of the outer cover, and the outer cover has a certain space between it and the inner cover.
The aforementioned outer cover is characterized by having a front portion on the light-emitting surface side with a prism portion formed thereon, corner portions located at both ends of the front portion, and inclined portions rising from the corner portions. The lighting fixture according to claim 1, wherein the space is a space with a substantially triangular cross-section enclosed by the vertical portion of the inner cover and the front portion and inclined portion of the outer cover. The prism portion is elongated with a substantially triangular cross-section and has a top portion, a slanted portion, and a bottom portion, and is arranged in multiple rows substantially parallel to each other along the longitudinal direction of the main body, between the corners of the front portion of the outer cover, with the top portion of the prism portion located on the light-emitting surface side and the bottom portion located on the front portion of the outer cover, as described in claim 1 or 2. The main body is a flat plate in the shape of a roughly rectangular parallelepiped, and has roughly L-shaped projections at both ends in the longitudinal direction that protrude toward the light-emitting surface.
The outer cover has a substantially L-shaped edge,
The lighting fixture according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the protruding portion of the main body and the edge portion of the outer cover are fixed to the main body by engaging with each other. The aforementioned mounting component comprises a pair of retaining members formed by bending a single plate-shaped member and provided on the back of the main body,
The lighting fixture according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a pair of locking members provided on the surface of the mounting part facing the back of the main body, each facing the holding member. The lighting fixture according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outer cover has a plurality of protrusions on the surface of the edge. The lighting fixture according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the main body comprises a circuit board on which a plurality of light-emitting elements are mounted on the front side and a power supply circuit located on the rear side. The lighting fixture according to claim 7, wherein the substrate is a long, flat plate, with multiple narrow locking portions provided on its side, a substrate guide positioned on the locking portions, and the substrate is fixed to the main body. The lighting fixture according to claim 4, wherein the main body and the outer cover are arranged such that there is a space between the protruding portion of the main body and the wall portion of the outer cover through which light emitted from the light source can enter. The lighting fixture according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the angle of inclination between the inclined portion and the front portion of the outer cover is 25° to 80°.