The present disclosure relates to electronic lighting technology, and more particularly, to an electronic candle device.
In home facilities, public restaurants, churches, temples, large theme parks or urban public infrastructures, candles are used to provide lighting and to create ceremonial or romantic atmospheres. However, a conventional candle has a short lifetime and needs to be replaced frequently. Moreover, a potential risk of fire due to the fire flame prevents candles from being widely used.
The present disclosure relates to scented electronic candles that, among other features and benefits, provide rich visual experiences to users.
In one example aspect, an electronic candle includes an outer shell including a through-hole positioned on a top surface of the outer shell, a light-emitting assembly including a flame sheet that protrudes through the through-hole, an inner shell positioned below the light-emitting assembly and within the outer shell, and a self-locking device positioned within a cavity of the inner shell. The self-locking device comprises a switch and a spring. The self-locking device is configured to operate in (1) a locked state when the switch locks the spring in a compressed state and (2) an unlocked state when the switch releases the spring to be in a relaxed state. The electronic candle also includes a bottom case connected to the self-locking device such that the bottom case is enclosed within the outer shell when the self-locking device is in the locked state and the bottom case is exposed to an external environment beneath the outer shell when the self-locking device is in the unlocked state. The bottom case comprises an interface assembly that includes a connection port and a power cord. The bottom case further includes a notch that allows a different connection port of another electronic candle to be inserted into the notch to form a connection with the electronic candle.
In another example aspect, a method of operating an electronic candle that includes an outer shell and an inner shell within the outer shell includes unlocking the electronic candle via a self-locking device positioned within a cavity of the inner shell of the electronic candle such that a bottom case of the electronic candle is exposed to an external environment beneath the outer shell of the electronic candle. The bottom case comprises a connection port and a power cord, and the power cord is removably wound on a winding device of the electronic device. The method includes pulling the connection port and the power cord such that the power cord drives the winding device to rotate. The power cord extends outside of the outer shell through a wire hole via the cavity of the inner shell. The method also includes locking the electronic candle such that the bottom case is hidden within the outer shell of the electronic candle while the electronic candle is in operation.
These, and other, aspects are described in the present document.
In order to facilitate the understanding of the features and advantages of the disclosed technology, the present disclosure will be explained with reference to the example figures and embodiments. It is to be noted here that the embodiments and features can be combined with each other, provided that they do not conflict. Thus, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below.
Conventional electrical candles typically include an interface assembly, such as the Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, that functions as a communication interface and/or an interface to supply power. The interface assembly is typically arranged on the outer surface of the housing 10. Due to the small size of the interface assembly, it is inconvenient to clean the interface assembly periodically, and dust can accumulate over time and affect the functionality of the interface assembly. In addition, because the interface assembly is exposed on the outer surface of the housing 10, any force or impact on the housing 10 can result in deformation of the interface assembly 60, thereby affecting the connection between the interface assembly 60 and the external communication interface and/or power source.
This patent document discloses techniques that can be implemented in electrical lighting devices to minimize the contamination and impact on the interface assembly. In particular, using the disclosed techniques, the interface assembly can be hidden within the housing 10 (e.g., as shown in
As shown in
The electronic candle 100 includes a self-locking device 30 arranged in the cavity 11 and connected to the housing 10. The self-locking device 30 can include a self-locking switch 31 and an elastic component 32 (e.g., a spring). The self-locking device 30 can be located on one side of the light-emitting assembly 20 that is away from the through hole 12 (e.g., a bottom side of the light-emitting assembly 20). The self-locking device 30 can be arranged in two states; a locked state to hide the interface assembly 60 and an unlocked state to expose the interface assembly 60 to the external environment. In a locked state, the switch locks the elastic component in a compressed state and in an unlocked state, the switch releases the elastic component to be in a relaxed state.
The electronic candle 100 can also include a bottom case 40 located on the same side as the self-locking device 30. The bottom case 40 is connected to the housing 10 through the self-locking device 30. When the self-locking device 30 is arranged in the locked state, the self-locking device 30 is connected to the bottom case 40 so that both the bottom case 40 and the self-locking device 30 are hidden in the cavity 11. When the self-locking device 30 is arranged in the unlocked case, the self-locking device 30 ejects the bottom case 40 from the cavity 11 so that the bottom case 40 extends outside of the cavity 11 and becomes visible. In some embodiments, part of the self-lock device 30 can also extend outside of the cavity 11.
In some embodiments, the bottom case 40 includes an electrical compartment 43 so that electrical components 50 of the electronic candle 100 can be arranged in the compartment 43. The electrical components 50 can include the necessary power consumption parts for the electronic candle 100 to work, such as a control device, a circuit board, and/or a battery. In some embodiments, the bottom case 40 includes an upper case 41 and a lower case 42 that form the enclosure of the compartment 43. In some embodiments, the upper case 41 and the lower case 42 can facilitate the assembly of the bottom case 40.
In some embodiments, the interface assembly 60 is arranged in the bottom case 40 and is connected to the electrical components 50. In some embodiments, the interface assembly 60 can be used to provide communication connection to an external device to facilitate the configuration of the electronic candle 100. In some embodiments, the interface assembly 60 can also be used to connect to an external power source to supply power to the electrical device 50 for normal operation of the electronic candle 100.
For example, as shown in
In some embodiments, multiple candle devices can be connected in series to form a candle group. As shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in Fla 7A, a wire hole 80 is formed between the notch 45 (e.g., as shown in
Referring back to
The light-emitting assembly 20 can be positioned on the inner shell 14 and within an installation cavity of the outer shell 13. The outer shell 13 includes a through-hole 12 positioned on its top surface to allow a flame element or a flame sheet of the light-emitting assembly to pass through. In some embodiments, the electronic candle 100 includes a touch element 101 disposed below the top surface of the outer shell 13. The touch element 101 can be shaped as a ring corresponding to the through-hole 12 to allow the user to control the operation of the electronic candle through the touch actions.
The inner shell 14 is positioned within in the installation cavity of the outer shell 13. The inner shell 14 includes a first shell 141 and a second shell 142 that form a cavity 11 (e.g., also shown in
In some embodiments, the electronic candle includes a rechargeable battery 102 that is charged through the connection port 61. The rechargeable battery 102 of the electronic candle 100 is charged through the power cord 62.
In some embodiments, one or more clamping structures 70 are provided on the outer surface of the inner shell 14 so that the clamping structures 70 can be inserted into the wall of the outer shell 13 so as to be connected to the outer shell 13.
In some embodiments, the clamping structure 70 includes a card-shaped protrusion. One end of the card is connected to the first end of the inner shell, and the other end of the card extends toward the second end of the inner shell. In some embodiments, the outer shell 13 includes a waxy material. The card is inserted into the softer wax wall inside of the installation cavity of the outer shell to be connected with the outer shell 13. In some embodiments, the outer shell is a plastic shell. The wall of the outer shell can be provided with a card slot. When the shell is assembled, the card is inserted into the card slot to connect the outer shell with the inner shell. When the outer shell 13 moves in the direction from the second end to the first end, the card abuts against the wall of the outer shell 13 such that the outer shell 13 cannot move, thereby ensuring the reliability of the connection between the outer shell 13 and the inner shell 14. Other shapes of protrusions can also be used to secure the connection between the outer shell 13 and the inner shell 14.
The connection of the clamping structure 70 is simple and the assembly is convenient to improve the production efficiency of the product and reduce the production and manufacturing cost of the product. In addition, the clamping structure 70 does not require additional use of components such as screws, thereby reducing the production cost of the product.
In some embodiments, the protrusion and the inner shell are manufactured as an integral structure to increase the connection strength between the card and the inner shell and improve the mechanical strength of the product. For example, the protrusion can be formed by stamping or pressing the inner shell, thereby improving the production efficiency of the product and reduce the production cost of the product.
In some embodiments, the method includes inserting the connection port into an external power source or an external communication interface. In some embodiments, the method includes inserting the connection port into a notch on a second bottom case of a second electronic candle to form a candle group, and inserting a second connection port of the second electronic candle into an external power source to provide power for the candle group. In some embodiments, the method includes unlocking the electronic candle via the self-locking device again to retract the connection port and the power cord back into the electronic candle.
In another example aspect, an electronic candle includes an outer shell including a through-hole positioned on a top surface of the outer shell, a light-emitting assembly including a flame sheet configured to protrude through the through-hole, an inner shell positioned below the light-emitting assembly and within the outer shell, and a self-locking device positioned within a cavity of the inner shell. The self-locking device includes a switch and a spring. The self-locking device is configured to operate in (1) a locked state when the switch locks the spring in a compressed state and (2) an unlocked state when the switch releases the spring to be in a relaxed state. The candle also includes a bottom case connected to the self-locking device such that the bottom case is enclosed within the outer shell when the self-locking device is in the locked state and the bottom case is exposed beneath the outer shell when the self-locking device is in the unlocked state. The bottom case comprises an interface assembly that includes a connection port and a power cord configured to be hidden within the outer shell when the self-locking device is in the locked state. The bottom case further includes a notch that allows a connector from another electronic candle to be inserted into the notch to form a series connection with the electronic candle.
In some embodiments, the bottom case further includes an electrical component configured to hold a control circuit and a battery. In some embodiments, the battery comprises a rechargeable battery.
In some embodiments, wherein the connection port is configured to receive a supply power for the electronic candle or to provide a communication connection to the electronic candle. In some embodiments, the connection port comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port. In some embodiments, the connection port is removably positioned in a groove of the bottom case. In some embodiments, the candle also includes an indicator light configured to display an operating status of the electronic candle, Part of the indicator light extends through a hole on one side of the groove to be visible to a user.
In some embodiments, the power cord is configured to be fully or partially wound on a winding device of the electronic candle. In some embodiments, the device also includes a wire hole having a diameter that is equal to or greater than a diameter of the power cord to enable the power cord to extend outside of the outer shell through the wire hole when the bottom case is enclosed within the outer shell. In some embodiments, the device further includes an indicator light configured to display an operating status of the electronic candle. The indicator light is visible to a user through the wire hole.
In some embodiments, the inner shell includes one or more clamping structures configured to secure the inner shell to the outer shell. In some embodiments, an individual clamping structure includes a card-shaped protrusion. In some embodiments, the individual clamping structure further includes a guiding surface that is inclined with respect to a first end of the inner shell and a second end of the inner shell.
In some embodiments, the light-emitting assembly includes a light source. The light source is positioned to emit light onto the flame sheet to mimic an appearance of a real flame. In some embodiments, the flame sheet of the light-emitting assembly includes a magnet. The light-emitting assembly includes a base that comprises an electromagnet. The electromagnet is configured to a magnetic force to drive a movement of the magnet of the flame sheet to swing irregularly.
In some embodiments, the light-emitting assembly includes a fan configured to generate airflow that causes the flame sheet to swing.
Some of the components or modules that are described in connection with the disclosed embodiments can be implemented as hardware, software, or combinations thereof. For example, a hardware implementation can include discrete analog and/or digital components that are, for example, integrated as part of a printed circuit board. Alternatively, or additionally, the disclosed components or modules can be implemented as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) and/or as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device. Some implementations may additionally or alternatively include a digital signal processor (DSP) that is a specialized microprocessor with an architecture optimized for the operational needs of digital signal processing associated with the disclosed functionalities of this application.
Some of the embodiments related to operations such as processing of signals or performing certain tasks and processes, described herein are described in the general context of methods or processes, which may be implemented at least in-part by a computer program product, embodied in a computer-readable medium, including computer-executable instructions, such as program code, executed by computers in networked environments. A computer-readable medium may include removable and non-removable storage devices including, but not limited to, Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVD), Blu-ray Discs, etc. Therefore, the computer-readable media described in the present application include non-transitory storage media, Generally, program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types, Computer-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program modules represent examples of program code for executing steps of the methods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represents examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions described in such steps or processes.
While this patent document contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any invention or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions, Certain features that are described in this patent document in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any, suitable sub-combination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or variation of a sub-combination.
Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described in this patent document should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments.
The foregoing is merely illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent alternatives are improvements that are made without departing from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure are to be encompassed by the scope of the present disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
202021394856.9 | Jul 2020 | CN | national |
This patent document is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/362,561, filed Jun. 29, 2021, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202021394856.9, filed on Jul. 14, 2020. The entire content of the before mentioned patent application is incorporated by reference in this patent document.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 17362561 | Jun 2021 | US |
Child | 17714549 | US |