Patent Application
20180033358
The field of the invention is electric lighting devices, and in particular, electric candles.
The following background discussion includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Various electric lights are known in the art. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,132,936 to Patton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,070,319 to Schnuckle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,837,355 to Schnuckle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,261,455 to Schnuckle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,159,994 to Schnuckle et al., US 2011/0127914 to Patton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,350,720 to Jaworski et al.; US 2005/0285538 to Jaworski et al. (publ. December 2005); U.S. Pat. No. 7,481,571 to Bistritzky et al.; US 2008/0031784 to Bistritzky et al. (publ. February 2008); US 2006/0125420 to Boone et al. (publ. June 2006); US 2007/0127249 to Medley et al. (publ. June 2007); US 2008/0150453 to Medley et al. (publ. June 2008); US 2005/0169666 to Porchia, et al. (publ. August 2005); U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,668 to Porchia, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,824,627 to Michaels, et al.; US 2006/0039835 to Nottingham et al. (publ. February 2006); US 2008/0038156 to Jaramillo (publ. February 2008); US 2008/0130266 to DeWitt et al. (publ. June 2008); US 2012/0024837 to Thompson (publ. February 2012); US 2011/0134628 to Pestl et al. (publ. June 2011); US 2011/0027124 to Albee et al. (publ. February 2011); US 2012/0020052 to McCavit et al. (publ. January 2012); US 2012/0093491 to Browder et al. (publ. April 2012); and US 2014/0218903 to Sheng. However, all of these products suffer from one or more disadvantages.
Flat screen displays, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, and electroluminescent (EL) displays have been continuously improved and now are commonly used in televisions and other devices. However, such components have not been used in consumer products such as electric candles for a variety of reasons.
Unless the context dictates the contrary, all ranges set forth herein should be interpreted as being inclusive of their endpoints, and open-ended ranges should be interpreted to include commercially practical values. Similarly, all lists of values should be considered as inclusive of intermediate values unless the context indicates the contrary.
However, there is still a need in the art for improved electric candles and other lighting devices that generate a flickering flame effect.
The present invention provides apparatus, systems, and methods in which an electronic lighting device (e.g., an artificial candle) comprises a display structure that simulates a real candle flame, and is preferably housed in a traditional candle body. In particular, electronic lighting devices are described that utilize a transparent or translucent flat or curved display to present images or video of a real, moving flame.
Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
Throughout the following discussion, numerous references will be made regarding servers, services, interfaces, portals, platforms, or other systems formed from computing devices. It should be appreciated that the use of such terms is deemed to represent one or more computing devices having at least one processor configured to execute software instructions stored on a computer readable tangible, non-transitory medium. For example, a server can include one or more computers operating as a web server, database server, or other type of computer server in a manner to fulfill described roles, responsibilities, or functions.
The following discussion provides many example embodiments of the inventive subject matter. Although each embodiment represents a single combination of inventive elements, the inventive subject matter is considered to include all possible combinations of the disclosed elements. Thus if one embodiment comprises elements A, B, and C, and a second embodiment comprises elements B and D, then the inventive subject matter is also considered to include other remaining combinations of A, B, C, or D, even if not explicitly disclosed.
One should appreciate that the disclosed subject matter provides many advantageous technical effects including providing various designs of an artificial candle that simulate the appearance of a real flame. Thus, many drawbacks of conventional methods of providing an artificial candle can be reduced, and even possibly eliminated, by the disclosed subject matter.
Preferably, the PCB 104 includes a support 106 for a display screen 110 that is integral with the PCB 104. However, it is contemplated that the support 106 could be affixed or coupled to the PCB 104. The support 106 is configured to secure the screen 110 in place while allowing for, or providing, electrical and data connections between the screen 100 and PCB 104.
The display screen 110 can be mounted in a display screen holder 112 that can act as a support and/or protector for the display screen 110, as well as prevent light from escaping from the sides of the display screen where desired.
Additional detail concerning the display screen 110 and its associated hardware can be found below in the discussion referencing
Preferably, the PCB 204 includes a support 206 for a display screen 210 that is integral with the PCB 204. However, it is contemplated that the support 206 could be affixed or coupled to the PCB 204. The support 206 is configured to secure the screen 210 in place while allowing for, or providing, electrical and data connections between the screen 200 and PCB 204. With respect to the remaining numerals in
As shown in
an elongated housing 602 resembling a taper candle. As discussed above, a PCB 604 can be disposed within the housing 602 and is preferably mounted in place relative to the housing. The PCB 604 could be secured to the housing via preformed supports on an interior surface of the housing, such as described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017/0038020 filed on May 26, 2016. Alternatively, the PCB 604 could be mounted from below or above via one or more injection molded piece, such as a spacer. With respect to the remaining numerals in
Although the display screen 910 could be a monochrome transparent electroluminescent or similar display used to present a moving flame, preferred display screens are selected to allow for multiple colors to be displayed. The display screen 910 can be placed in a central area on an upper surface of the device's housing 902, with the display connector preferably located within the housing 902 and on the PCB, as discussed above with respect to
Preferred display screens are transparent such that they are less visible when the screen is in an “off” state, although translucent, partially transparent, or opaque screens are also contemplated. On the display screen, a realistic portrayal of a moving candle flame may be displayed.
In some contemplated embodiments, the display driver and associated electronics are located on the circuit board (PCB) inside the housing of the lighting device. The electronics and associated software are activated when the power switch is turned on, the remote control is operated, or the built-in timer cycles to a start time. Once energized, the MCU (microcontroller) begins executing its firmware program. The program accesses the memory (either internal or external) and begins sending data to a controller that processes the data and drives the display screen. Simultaneously, the EL bias voltage is applied to the Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) electrodes of the EL to produce photon output based upon the animation or video brightness and input from the (MCU) based upon the ambient light measuring photo transistor and software brightness algorithm. The display image is continually updated based upon the display refresh rate and video frame rate giving the appearance of a real candle flame moving and flickering. The displayed images are displayed as the video or animation information is processed and preferably starts over (loops) when the end of the animation or video information is reached.
The diagram shown in
Preferred display screens are based upon color non-electroluminescent transparent display technology such as a transparent organic light emitting diode (TOLED) and variations such as transparent active matrix light emitting diode (TAMOLED), transparent passive matrix light emitting diode (TPMOLED), transparent polymer light emitting diodes (TPLED) and transparent flexible organic light emitting diode (TFOLED).
PMOLEDs have strips of cathode, organic layers and strips of anode. The anode strips are arranged perpendicular to the cathode strips. The intersections of the cathode and anode make up the pixels where light is emitted. External circuitry applies current to selected strips of anode and cathode, determining which pixels get turned on and which pixels remain off. The brightness of each pixel is proportional to the amount of applied current.
AMOLEDs have full layers of cathode, organic molecules and anode, but the anode layer overlays a thin film transistor (TFT) array that forms a matrix. The TFT array itself is the circuitry that determines which pixels get turned on to form an image.
PMOLEDs consume more power than other types of OLED, but are most efficient for text and icons and are best suited for small screens (2-3 inch diagonal). AMOLEDs consume less power than PMOLEDs because the TFT array requires less power than external circuitry. AMOLEDs also have faster refresh rates and are therefore often used in large-screen TVs, etc.
Transparent OLEDs have only transparent components (substrate, cathode and anode) and, when turned off, are up to 85 percent as transparent as their substrate. When a transparent OLED display is turned on, it allows light to pass in both directions. A transparent OLED display can be either active- or passive-matrix. This technology can be used for heads-up displays.
OLEDs are manufactured by printing organic molecules that emit colored light onto a substrate. OLEDs can be printed onto any substrate by an inkjet printer or by screen printing.
A flat or curved transparent color organic light emitting diode (OLED) or other display may be used to simulate the appearance of a candle flame by means of displaying a changing video image of a pre-recorded candle flame. The video file is preprocessed, using a proprietary method, to optimize power consumption and correct for the brightness non-linearity problem inherent in OLED displays. The video file is stored in onboard memory connected to the OLED display integrated circuit (IC). The OLED display IC processes the video file and distributes the images through the segment and common outputs to the OLED display. See diagram in
Transparent OLED screens (or similar display technology) operate similarly to the EL display embodiment, in that the display driver and associated electronics is located on a printed circuit board (PCB) inside the device's housing. The electronics and associated software are activated when the power switch is turned on, the remote control is operated or the built in timer cycles to a start time. Once energized the MCU (microcontroller) begins executing its firmware program. The program commands the OLED Driver IC to process the video or animation information in the external memory. The OLED Driver IC then processes the data and drives the display based upon the animation or video content and input from the (MCU). The brightness of the display is controlled based animation or video and the ambient light measuring photo transistor and software brightness algorithm (see below). The display image is continually updated based upon the display refresh rate and video frame rate giving the appearance of a real candle flame moving and flickering. The displayed images are displayed as the video or animation information is processed and starts over when the end of the animation or video information is reached.
Some advantages of OLED displays are that the individual OLED pixels emit their own individual light (photons) and do not require a backlight or other light source. This provides the OLED display the ability to conserve power by varying the power to each pixel and only illuminating the needed pixels. In contrast, other technologies such as LCD require a backlight to illuminate all pixels regardless of whether they are needed.
The inventors have further found that power consumption of the display can be reduced by adding a phototransistor to detect an ambient light level. Based upon a unique proprietary non-linear software algorithm, power to the TOLED pixels can be reduced when the ambient light level is lower and maximum brightness is not necessary.
It is further contemplated that a user can download various flame movies to the lighting device via a wired or wireless connection, and could select one or more preloaded flame or other videos or images via a user interface. In preferred embodiments, the user interface comprises a webpage or a mobile application that directs a device to transmit one or more commands to the lighting device, preferably via a wireless connection (e.g., Bluetooth, WIFI, etc.).
Although shown as used with a pillar candle shape, it is contemplated that the inventions discussed herein could be used with differently sized and shaped lighting devices, including a taper candle, for example. It is further contemplated that a lighting device could have two or more display screens extending from an upper surface of the housing, which may be separately movable and/or controllable.
Although the device is shown configured to raise or lower the PCB 1104 and the display screen 1110, in some contemplated embodiments, only the display screen 1110 may be raised, and one or more wires can electrically couple the display screen to the PCB 1104. A hole or list 1115 can be provided in an upper surface of the housing 1102 through which the display screen 1110 can rise and lower with respect to the housing 1102. Spacers 1108 or a frame can be used to connect the PCB 1104 with the rack 1120, for example. However, in other embodiments, the PCB and rack could be a single piece.
Optionally or additionally, as shown in
For example, as shown in
It is also contemplated that the display screen 1910 itself could be curved to form a semi-circle (e.g., 180 degrees) as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Where the display screen comprises an electroluminescent (EL) display, there are two standard methods for dimming EL displays. Frame rate dimming allows the brightness of the display to be lowered proportionally by reducing the frame rate. Analog dimming allows the brightness to be reduced with an external, user supplied potentiometer or electronic circuitry. The brightness range for analog dimming is from 100% to nearly 5% of the full brightness. Frame rate dimming is performed within the application by lowering the frame rate of the video input signals. Because brightness is proportional to refresh rate, the display can be dimmed by adding pauses between every horizontal period. The lowest possible frame rate (brightness) is dependent on the perceived flicker of the displayed image, but could potentially be around 60 Hz.
A table of frame rates versus power consumption for EL displays is shown below.
For OLED screens, refresh rates can be as high as 144 Hz and even 240 Hz, with frame rates typically about 60 Hz. In OLED screens, brightness is controlled by individual pixel illumination control.
Like an LED, an OLED is a solid-state semiconductor device that is 100-500 nm thick or about 200 times smaller than a human hair. OLEDs typically have 2-3 layers of organic material, with the optional third layer facilitating the transport of electrons from a cathode to an emissive layer.
OLEDs emit light via electro phosphorescence. A substrate which may comprise glass or plastic for example can be used to support the OLED. When current flows through the display, a transparent anode removes electrons, adding electron “holes”. A conducting layer comprising polyaniline or other organic plastic molecules can transport the “holes” from the anode. Finally, an emissive layer comprising polyfluorene or other organic plastic molecules different from the conducting layer transport the electrons from the cathode and thereby creates light. A cathode, which may or may not be transparent, injects electrons when a current flows through the display.
As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.
Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all Markush groups used in the appended claims.
As used herein, and unless the context dictates otherwise, the term “coupled to” is intended to include both direct coupling (in which two elements that are coupled to each other contact each other) and indirect coupling (in which at least one additional element is located between the two elements). Therefore, the terms “coupled to” and “coupled with” are used synonymously.
It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application having Ser. No. 62/367,027 filed on Jul. 26, 2016. This application also claims the benefit of priority to U.S. provisional application having Ser. No. 62/402,175 filed on Sep. 30, 2016, and U.S. provisional application having Ser. No. 62/413,138 filed on Oct. 26, 2016. These and all other referenced extrinsic materials are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in a reference that is incorporated by reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein is deemed to be controlling.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62367027 | Jul 2016 | US | |
| 62402175 | Sep 2016 | US | |
| 62413138 | Oct 2016 | US |
