Patent Application
20100091503
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lamp device, more particularly to a lamp device adapted to be fixed onto a mounting wall, such as a projecting lamp.
2. Description of the Related Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,192,167 B1, entitled “Lamp Device,” filed by the applicant, there is disclosed a lamp device which is operable to change the orientation of a lamp unit thereof. The lamp device is adapted to be secured onto a mounting wall. The orientation of a lamp mounting unit can be changed by pressing an operating plate so as to vary the direction of a light beam emanating from the lamp unit. However, the lamp device has a relatively large number of components, thereby resulting in inconvenience during assembly and relatively high manufacturing costs.
An object of the present invention is to provide a lamp device which is convenient to assemble and manufacture and which can be easily operated to change the angle and direction of a lighting module thereof.
According to this invention, the lamp device includes a base plate adapted to be fixed onto a mounting wall, and having a major plate surface opposite to the mounting wall along a central axis. A swivelable carrier has a carrier body that has front and rear major carrier surfaces opposite to each other along the central axis, and a joint lug disposed outwardly and radially of the carrier body. A revolution enabling unit is disposed between the base plate and the rear major carrier surface to enable the carrier body to be swivelable relative to the base plate about the central axis. The revolution enabling unit includes a socket member which has an inner tubular surface surrounding the central axis, and a plug member which is configured to be fitted to the socket member such that the plug member is prevented from disengaging from the socket member along the central axis during swiveling movement of the carrier body. A first slidably engaging unit is disposed between the inner tubular surface and the swivelable carrier, and is configured to guard against the swiveling movement of the carrier body relative to the inner tubular surface at a selected one of a plurality of retaining positions. An angularly positionable mounting frame is disposed to be swiveled with the carrier body. The mounting frame includes a rim body surrounding the central axis, and a hinge shaft which is disposed outwardly of the rim body and which is hingedly mounted on the joint lug about the hinge axis. Thus, the rim body is turnable relative to the carrier body about the hinge axis to a selected one of a plurality of tilted positions. The hinge shaft has a surrounding outer surface revolveable about the hinge axis. A second slidably engaging unit is disposed to guard against revolving movement of the surrounding outer surface relative to the joint lug at the selected tilted position. A lighting module is surrounded by and secured to the rim body.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring to
The base unit 3 includes a base plate 31 and a skirt 32. The base plate 31 is adapted to be fixed onto a mounting wall, such as a ceiling, an upright wall, etc., and has a major plate surface which is opposite to the mounting wall along a central axis (C). The major plate surface has a central region 312 which serves as a socket member 312, and which has an inner tubular surface 314 that surrounds the central axis (C) and that defines a central bore 310 extending through the base plate 31. The skirt 32 surrounds the central axis (C), and extends rearwardly to terminate at a flared rear edge 321 which has engaging hooks 3211 securely mounted on a surrounding region 311 of the major plate surface of the base plate 31. Further, the skirt 32 extends forwardly to terminate at a surrounding front edge 322 which cooperates with the base plate 31 to define a mounting space 30.
Referring to
A revolution enabling unit includes the socket member 312 and a plug member which has a plurality of tongues 412 angularly displaced from one another along a surrounding contour line (L). Each of the tongues 412 extends from the rear major carrier surface 410, and terminates at a hook end 4121 such that, when the plug member is snap-fitted to the socket member 312, the tongues 412 are fitted in the central bore 310, with the hooked ends 4121 disposed beneath the base plate 31, and such that the surrounding contour line (L) confronts the inner tubular surface 314 in radial directions. By virtue of the revolution enabling unit, the carrier body 41 is swivelable relative to the base plate 31 about the central axis (C). In addition, by virtue of the snap-fit engagement between the hook ends 4121 and the base plate 31, the plug member is prevented from disengaging from the socket member 312 along the central axis (C) during swiveling movement of the carrier body 41.
The first slidably engaging unit includes a plurality of engaging protrusions 413 which extend rearwardly from the rear major carrier surface 410 of the carrier body 41 and which are angularly spaced apart from each other along the surrounding contour line (L), and a plurality of first serrations 313 which are disposed on the inner tubular surface 314 of the central region 312 of the base plate 31 such that the engaging protrusions 413 are angularly displaceable relative to, and frictionally engaged with, the first serrations 313 so as to guard against undesired swiveling movement of the carrier body 41 relative to the inner tubular surface 314 at a selected one of a plurality of retaining positions that are angularly displaced from one another about the central axis (C).
Referring to
The second slidably engaging unit includes a plurality of second serrations 624 which are disposed on the surrounding outer surface 623 and which are angularly displaced from one another about the hinge axis, and a retaining member 5 which has an anchoring base 51 secured to the insert portion 423 of the joint lug 42, a jaw body 52 extending angularly from the anchoring base 51 about the hinge axis, and a retaining surface 53 that confronts radially and that is serrated to mate with the second serrations 624 in frictional engagement to thereby guard against revolving movement of the surrounding outer surface 623 relative to the joint lug 42 at the selected tilted position. Further, the jaw body 52 has a slit 520 which extends through the retaining surface 53 and in a transverse direction parallel to the hinge axis to divide the retaining surface 53 into left and right retaining regions 531,532 so as to vest the jaw body 52 with a flexibility for facilitating engagement between one of the left and right retaining regions 531,532 and the second serrations 624. Furthermore, the jaw body 52 includes an engaging finger 54 which extends from one of the left and right retaining regions 531,532 in the transverse direction and which is configured to engage a selected one of the second serrations 624 so as to reinforce the engagement between the retaining surface 53 and the second serrations 624 at the selected one of the tilted positions.
Referring to
The translucent lamp shade 8 has a plurality of engaging holes 82 which are angularly displaced from one another about the central axis (C) and which are engaged with the outer hooks 612 so as to be secured to the rim body 61, and overlies the lighting module 7 to permit passage of a light beam emanating from the lamp set 72 therethrough. Referring to
As shown in
When it is desired to change the angle of the lighting module 7, the handgrip 81 is pulled so that the lamp shade 8 and the mounting frame 6 are turned about the hinge axis to a desired tilted position, and the second serrations 624 are moved to be engaged with the left retaining region 531 of the retaining surface 53 to thereby retain the mounting frame 6 at the tilted position.
When it is desired to change the direction of the lighting module 7, the lamp shade 8 is pressed to cause the mounting frame 6 to turn so as to permit the swivelable carrier 4 to swivel relative to the base unit 3 about the central axis. By means of the engagement between the engaging protrusions 413 and the first serrations 313, the swivelable carrier 4 is retained at the desired retaining position.
As illustrated, by operating the lamp shade 8, the angle and the direction of the lighting module 7 can be changed. In addition, by virtue of the first and second slidably engaging units, the lamp device is retained in place once the angle and direction adjustment is completed. Further, compared with the aforementioned prior art, the lamp device of this invention has fewer components, and can be manufactured and assembled at reduced manufacturing costs.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements.
