Illumination – Revolving
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-29
2003-02-18
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Revolving
C362S027000, C362S558000, C385S146000, C385S901000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06520655
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lighting device using a light source body whose directivity or straight-progress property is high such as LED lamp and so forth in which light emitted from the LED element (light-scattering diode) is taken to be a light source.
2. Description of the Related Art
LED lamps have advantages. The LED lamp differs from general electric light bulb that uses a filament. The LED lamp does not have malfunction that the filament has burnt out caused by disconnection of the filament. Therefore the LED lamp is long life. The LED lamp requires almost few labor for maintenance. The LED lamp is low power consumption. Consequently, in these days, the LED lamp is used as a light device for nighttime illumination of an outdoor device mainly such as road signs, and various kinds of guide boards and so forth while utilizing such characteristics thereof. Further, as the lighting device of the same usage, the fluorescent lamps are used because it is longer life than the electric light bulb.
The LED lamps have aforementioned advantages. However, the LED lamps have a fault from the nature thereof. The LED lamp possesses high directivity or high straight-progress property. When the LED lamp is used as lighting for the guide boards and so forth, back light becomes local. For that reason, the intensity of illumination of periphery portion extremely lowers resulting in unevenness of lighting region. Setting of more LED lamps can be considered for improvement. However, problems of cost up of the whole apparatus and increase of the power consumption occur.
On the other hand, in the case of the florescent lamps, there is advantage that it is long life in comparison with the electric light bulb using the filament surely. However, change of the fluorescent lamp becomes always necessary, therefore work labor for maintenance and inspection occupies large part of the cost for facility maintenance. Further, in the case of the fluorescent lamp, length of the tube is determined, setting location undergoes limitation. When the fluorescent lamp is damaged, there is fear that buildup of the gas occurs therefrom. There is the problem when the broken pieces of the fluorescent lamp are discarded as rubbish.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lighting device in which the LED lamps and so forth whose directivity is high are taken to be a light source for effectively exhibiting their advantages, further it is possible to remarkably reduce work labor of the maintenance and inspection, it has long life abounding in durability, it is possible to illuminate illumination region evenly, it is used in safety instead of the fluorescent lamp, it does not undergo limitation of setting location, it is possible to manufacture in low cost, it is light weight, in particular, it is appropriate for lighting of outdoor device and or emergency lamp.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a lighting device which comprises a light transmitting member of cylindrical hollow body in which at least part thereof is transparent or translucent, a light source for scattering a light with directivity along an axial direction toward internal space of the light transmitting member disposed at either one end or both ends of the light transmitting member, and a light scattering member disposed on the inside of internal surface of the light transmitting member in which the light is made to transfer for external part of the light transmitting member.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, there is provided a lighting device wherein the light source is an LED (Light Scattering Diode) device.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, there is provided a lighting device wherein the light scattering member is a transparent or translucent island formation body including a plurality of islands which are formed in such a way as to protrude toward center axial line of the light transmitting member.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, there is provided a lighting device, wherein the islands of the island formation body are formed so that a plurality of projections are disposed with beltlike arrangement at predetermined intervals against the axial direction of the light transmitting member.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, there is provided a lighting device, wherein the island formation body is made of silicone rubber.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, there is provided a lighting device, wherein height of the islands is degree of 2.5 mm to 3 mm.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, there is provided a lighting device, wherein there is provided a reflector at either one end or both ends of the light transmitting member.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, there is provided a lighting device, wherein a solar cell is used as power supply of the light source.
In the lighting device with the aforementioned constitution of the present invention, the light strikes the islands. Part of the light reflects irregularly at the surface of the islands to be complicated while striking the neighboring islands mutually. Then, the light is concentrated or stored with respective islands as center, before lighting entirely the peripheral surface to be the light transmitting surface of the light transmitting member through the islands. For that reason, although the light transmitting surface is single light source body such as the LED lamp and so forth with directivity, the light brightly illuminates the whole of the light scattering surface approximately even.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5743616 (1998-04-01), Giuliano et al.
patent: 6031958 (2000-02-01), McGaffigan
Flynn ,Thiel, Boutell & Tanis, P.C.
O'Shea Sandra
Top Electronic Corporation
Ward John Anthony
LandOfFree
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