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The present invention relates to a device, system, and method for illuminating a subject with diffuse light, the light being generated within more than one plane.
Light diffusers are frequency used by photographers and videographers to illuminate a subject with softer light. For example, sunlight and photography flashes can produce hard light and shadows, which may be undesirable. Although known diffusers may provide advantages, they are not without their drawbacks. Known photographic and video lights produce light from a single plane of origin, which may produce a harsh falloff at the edges of the light.
Additionally, many known photographic and video lights are dimmable using step dimming (for example, dimming by 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). Further, known photographic and video lights typically use pulse-width modulation (PWM) and boost power regulation, which can cause flickering on camera, lines in photographs, and/or other strange behavior at various dimming intervals.
Finally, photographers and videographers may use any of a variety of products to diffuse or reflect light in order to illuminate a subject with softer light, such as flash diffusers, flash reflectors, and umbrella reflectors. However, reflectors do not generate light and may not precisely direct reflected light and known diffusers diffuse only light coming from a point source, such as a camera flash, and do not evenly distribute generated light over a target length.
It is therefore desirable to provide a device and system that not only generates light in more than one plane of origin, but also evenly distributes diffuse light over a target length and provides a dimmable light without steps.
The present invention advantageously provides a device, system, and method for illuminating a subject or object with diffuse light. A device for delivering light to a subject may include a first light array including a plurality of lights, a second light array including a second plurality of lights, and a third light array including a third plurality of lights, each of the first light array and the second light array being positioned at an angle relative to the second light array. The angle relative to the second light array may be greater than 0°. For example, the angle relative to the second light array may be approximately 135°. Each of the first light array, second light array, and third light array may include a plurality of LEDs. The device may further include a body having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis, and a light mount contained within the body, the light mount including a first end, a second end, a first elongate side, a second elongate side, and an interior panel. Each of the first elongate side, the second elongate side, and the interior panel may define a longitudinal axis this is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body. For example, the first elongate side may be oriented at a 90° angle to the second elongate side. The interior panel may be coupled to the first elongate side and the second elongate side. The body may have a hollow tubular configuration, and further may be composed of frosted acrylic. The device may further include a first cap coupled to the first end and a second cap coupled to the second end.
A device for delivering light to a subject may include: a tubular body having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis; a light mount located within the tubular body, the light mount including a first elongate body, a second elongate body, and an interior panel, each of the first elongate body and the second elongate body being oriented at an approximately 135° angle to the interior panel; an electrical housing located within the tubular body; a first cap at the first end of the tubular body and a second cap at the second end of the tubular body; and at least one aluminum plate located between the electrical housing and the second cap. The tubular body may be composed of a material having a light transmission rate of at least 89%. For example, the tubular body may be composed of frosted acrylic. The device further may include a power source and a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board including a power regulator. The power regulator may be a buck power regulator configured to adjust a wattage of the power source within a continuous range between approximately 7 watts and approximately 21 watts of power. The first elongate body may include a first plurality of LEDs, the interior panel includes a second plurality of LEDs, and the second elongate body includes a third plurality of LEDs. Further, the second plurality of LEDs may include twice as many LEDs as either the first plurality of LEDs or the third plurality of LEDs.
A device for delivering light to a subject may include a tubular body having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis; a light mount located within the tubular body, the light mount including a first elongate body, a second elongate body, and an interior panel, each of the first elongate body and the second elongate body being oriented at an approximately 135° angle to the interior panel; a first LED array on the first elongate body, a second LED array on the interior panel, and a third LED array on the second elongate body; an electrical housing located within the tubular body, the electrical housing being composed of plastic with a mesh interior lining; a power source located within the electrical housing and being in electrical communication with each of the first LED array, second LED array, and third LED array, the power source producing power having a wattage; a printed circuit board located within the electrical housing and being in electrical communication with the power source, the printed circuit board including a buck regulator that is configured to adjust the wattage of the power source within a continuous range; a first cap at the first end of the tubular body and a second cap at the second end of the tubular body; and at least one aluminum plate located between the electrical housing and the second cap. The continuous range may be between approximately 7 watts and approximately 21 watts of power.
A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
and
The present invention advantageously provides a device, system, and method for illuminating a subject with diffuse light. Referring now to the drawing figures in which like reference designations refer to like elements, an exemplary light diffusing device is shown in
Continuing to refer to
Referring now to
In addition to the light mount 14, the body 12 may also contain a first interior plate 36 (which may also be referred to as a “top plate”), a second interior plate 38 (which may also be referred to as a “first bottom plate”), a third interior plate 40 (which may also be referred to as a “second bottom plate”), an electrical housing 42, a bolt 44, and a strike plate 46. The light mount 14 may be an elongate A-shaped bracket having a first end 50 and a second end 52. That is, the light mount 14 may have a first elongate side 54 joined to a second elongate side 56 at an angle of approximately 90° (±5°) and the angle of connection between the first 54 and second 56 elongate sides may create an “interior” space 58 of the light mount 14. Each of the first elongate side 54 and the second elongate side 56 may have the same length and width. As a non-limiting example, each of the elongate sides 54, 56 may have a width of approximately one inch (1 inch±0.5 inch) and a length of approximately 24 inches (±2 inches). However, it will be understood that any dimensions may be used that is suitable for the desired application of the light diffusing device. The light mount 14 may be composed of aluminum or similar material, which offers excellent heat dissipation for the lights and power regulation.
The light mount 14 may further include an interior light mount panel 64 that extends between and is coupled to each of the first 54 and second 56 elongate sides, across the interior space 58 and angle of attachment therebetween. In other words, for example, the interior light mount panel 64 may span the approximately 90° angle of attachment between the first 54 and second 56 elongate sides. As is shown in
A first light array 68 including a plurality of light sources 16A, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs 16A), and may be distributed along the length of the first elongate side 54. Likewise, a second light array 70 including a plurality of light sources 16B (for example, LEDs 16B) may be distributed along the length of the interior light mount panel 64, and a third light array 72 including a plurality of light sources 16C (for example, LEDs 16C) may be distributed along the length of the second elongate side 56. In this manner, as is shown and described in more detail below, a plurality of LEDs 16 may be coupled to an interior surface of each of the first 54 and second 56 elongate sides and to the interior light mount panel 64, thus providing light generation within three planes of origin.
As is shown in
Like the interior plates 36, 38, 40, the strike plate 46 may have a diameter that is approximately the same as the inner diameter of the body 12 and may be composed of aluminum or similar material that dissipates heat. The strike plate 46 may be coupled to the body 12 and may provide a solid connection between the bolt 44, electrical housing 42, and device body 12. The strike plate 46 may include a plurality of apertures. For example, the strike plate 46 may include an aperture 88 sized and configured to allow at least a portion of the bolt 44 to pass therethrough. The strike plate 46 may also include one or more additional apertures for a dimmer switch, an aperture for a DC power inlet, an aperture for battery test wires, and a plurality of apertures 90 (for example, threaded screw holes) for coupling the inner components of the device to the device body 12. It will be understood that the interior plates 36, 38, 40 and the strike plate 46 may each include any number and configuration of apertures that makes the plates suitable for their intended purpose.
The electrical housing 42 may be a hollow tubular or cylindrical body sized and configured to be contained within and coupled to the device body 12. The electrical housing 42 may be composed of plastic with a mesh interior lining that is composed of aluminum or other material having similar heat dissipation properties. The electrical housing 42 may contain a power source 100, such as a lithium or lithium-ion battery, a printed circuit board (PCB) 102 that includes a power regulator 104, and various electronic controls. In addition, the electrical housing 42 may also provide stability to connections and spacing between electronic components. The electrical housing 42 may include a first end 108 that is coupled to the third interior plate 40 and a second end 110 that is coupled to the strike plate 46.
The bolt 44 may be composed of aluminum or other material with similar heat dissipation properties, and may provide heat dissipation for the power source 100 and power regulator 104. Further, the bolt 44 may extend within the body 12 from the strike plate 46 to the light mount 14, thereby coupling the light mount 14 to the strike plate 46.
Finally, the second cap 30 may include controls for the device 10, such as a power inlet for operating the device from a direct current (DC) external power source or for charging the battery within the device, a battery level indicator, and a dimmer. The second cap 30 may include a flat surface 120 (for example, that defines the “bottom” of the second cap 30) that includes a tripod mounting aperture 122, which may be threaded. The flat surface 120 of the second cap 30 may also include a battery status display, which may include an activation switch and an aperture therefore and a plurality of LED indicators. The flat surface 120 of the second cap 30 may also include a dimmer knob that is connected to the dimmer within the second cap 30 through an aperture. The PCB 102 may use a step-down or buck regulator as instead of a pulse-width modulation (PWM) or boost regulator, which may allow for smoother and non-stepped dimming, reduction or elimination of flickering, and maintenance of power levels as the battery discharges. The device's wattage may be dimmable or adjustable within a continuous range between approximately seven watts and approximately 21 watts of power.
Although not shown, it will be understood the device 10 may further include screws, snaps, threaded apertures and/or lips, and/or other means for coupling various device components. Additionally, the device 10 may further include a sheet of material (not shown) located between the body 12 and the back of the light mount 14. The sheet may include various types of information such as branding information, or may simply serve as a backing that blocks any transmission of light from the side of the body opposite the LEDs 16. Additionally or alternatively, the light diffusing device 10 may include a sheet or tube of material that makes it possible to adjust the color temperature of the light from the LEDs 16 to the subject to be illuminated. For example, the device 10 may include a gel filter sleeve having a tubular or cylindrical configuration, such as a tube sized as a T12 bulb protector. The gel filter sleeve may be removably inserted into the device around the light mount 14 and LEDs 16, such as by removing the first cap 28, and also may be interchanged with gel filter sleeves of other colors, materials, opacities, or the like to produce the desired photographic effect.
Referring now to
As noted above, each of the first light array 68 and the third light array 72 may be oriented at an angle of approximately 135° from the second light array 70, as shown in
Referring now to
In an exemplary method of use, the light diffusing device 10 may be used to broadly distribute diffuse light toward a subject. The first 68, second 70, and third 72 light arrays may be oriented at an angle from each other to produce a swath of diffuse light that has a beam angle of approximately 160°. Specifically, each of the first light array 68 and the third light array 72 may be oriented at an angle of approximately 135° from the second light array 70. The light diffusing device 10 may be affixed to a tripod or other anchoring structure, such as by screwing a tripod screw into the tripod mounting aperture in the second cap 30. Additionally or alternatively, other means for attaching the light diffusing device to a tripod or other anchoring structure may be used, such as clips, snaps, ties, frictional fit, or the like.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, which is limited only by the following claims.