This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-147021, filed on Jun. 29, 2012; the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments described herein relate generally to a luminaire that employs a light-emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), for example, as a light source.
For example, there is a line luminaire provided in the vicinity of a corner between indoor wall and ceiling to provide an indirect illumination effect by illuminating mainly the wall. A housing of such a line luminaire is formed into a long tube shape. Since an LED module, a mounting plate configured to hold the LED module, and a power supply unit are inserted from an end opening of the housing into the tube-shaped housing by being slid in the longitudinal direction of the housing, a large assembly space is required. In addition, in the case of the elongated housing, the workability in assembly may be lowered.
A luminaire in an exemplary embodiment includes a tube-shaped housing extending in a first direction, a mounting plate provided in the interior of the housing, a light source module, a power supply unit, and a flexible and translucent cover. The housing includes an opening formed continuously in the first direction, and a pair of grooves formed respectively in the vicinities of both edge portions in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction in the opening and extending in the first direction. The mounting plate includes a light source mounting plate facing the opening and a power supply mounting plate facing an inner wall of the housing. The light source module includes a substrate provided on the light source mounting plate and a light-emitting element mounted on the substrate with a light-emitting surface thereof oriented toward the opening. The power supply unit is provided on the power supply mounting plate. The cover includes a pair of flange portions engaging respectively with the pair of grooves, and closes the opening. The light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element is located on the side of the opening with respect to the flange portions. Gaps are formed between the flange portions and the substrate, and the flange portions become slidable between the grooves and the substrate through the gaps by bending the cover.
Referring now to the drawings, the exemplary embodiment will be described below. In the respective drawings, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals.
In the present specification, a longitudinal direction of the luminaire 1 is defined as a first direction X, a direction orthogonal to the first direction X which corresponds to the direction of the width of the luminaire 1 is defined as a second direction Y, and a direction orthogonal to the first direction X and the second direction Y is defined as a third direction Z.
An appearance of the luminaire 1 includes a housing 10, a cover 60, and end caps 90. The housing 10 and the cover 60 extend in the first direction X, and the end caps 90 are provided respectively at both end portions of the housing 10 and the cover 60 in the first direction X.
Accommodated within a space surrounded by the housing 10 and the cover 60 are a light source module 40, a power supply unit 50, and reinforcing plates 20. The light source module 40, the power supply unit 50, and the reinforcing plates 20 are fixed to a mounting plate 30 provided in the housing 10.
The housing 10 will be described first.
The housing 10 is formed into a tube-shape including a bottom wall portion 11 and a pair of side wall portions 12 and provided integrally, and opened at both ends in the longitudinal direction (the first direction X). The pair of side wall portions 12 and 13 are provided perpendicularly with respect to the bottom wall portion 11 and face each other in parallel. The housing 10 is an extrude part formed of a metallic material such as aluminum.
Formed in the interior of the housing 10 is a space surrounded by the bottom wall portion 11 and the pair of side wall portions 12 and 13, and an opening 14 is formed at a position facing the bottom wall portion 11 by the intermediary of the space therebetween. In top view in
Formed in the vicinities of both edge portions of the opening 14 in the second direction Y are a pair of grooves 15. The grooves 15 are formed on inner walls of the side wall portions 12 and 13 so as to continue from the edge portions of the opening 14 to the interior of the housing 10, and extend in the first direction X.
As illustrated in
The mounting plate 30 will now be described.
The mounting plate 30 includes three metallic plates (for example, iron plates) provided integrally. All of the three metallic plates extend in the first direction X. The three metallic plates include a light source mounting plate 31 and a pair of side plates 32 and 33 provided perpendicularly to the light source mounting plate 31. A portion of the mounting plate 30 facing the light source mounting plate 31 is not provided with the metallic plate, but is opened.
As illustrated in
The pair of side plates 32 and 33 face the inner walls of the side wall portions 12 and 13 of the housing 10 in the housing 10, respectively. One of the pair of side plates 32 and 33 functions as a power supply mounting plate 32.
As illustrated in
Provided on an outer wall of the power supply mounting plate 32 on the back side of the boss portions 35 are depressions 34 as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The second plate portions 22 are secured to the boss portions 35 of the power supply mounting plate 32 with screws as described later. In this state, the first plate portions 21 come into contact with the inner wall of the light source mounting plate 31 so as to partition the inner space of the mounting plate 30 in the first direction X in a position parallel to a YZ plane as illustrated in
Therefore, the reinforcing plates 20 come into contact with the power supply mounting plate 32 and the light source mounting plate 31 on the inner side of the mounting plate 30 to enhance the strength of the mounting plate 30.
Subsequently, the light source module 40 will be described.
The light source module 40 includes a substrate 41 and light-emitting elements 42. A wiring pattern, not illustrated, is formed on the substrate 41, and the light-emitting elements are mounted on the substrate 41 and are electrically connected to the wiring pattern. The substrate 41 extends in the first direction X and the plurality of light-emitting elements 42 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 41 (the first direction X).
A connector 43 is also mounted on the substrate 41, and the connector 43 is electrically connected to the light-emitting elements 42 via the wiring pattern formed on the substrate 41.
The light-emitting elements 42 are, for example, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). If semiconductors formed of gallium nitride (GaN) based compound, for example, is used as a material of an active layer of the LED, a short-wavelength light having a wavelength of 500 nm or shorter is obtained. However, the material of the active layer is not limited to the semiconductors formed of gallium nitride based compound.
In addition to the LEDs, Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs), Inorganic Electro Luminescence light-emitting elements, Organic Electro Luminescence light-emitting elements, or other Electro Luminescence light-emitting elements, for example, may be used as the light-emitting elements 42.
The light-emitting elements 42 also include a fluorescent layer. In the exemplary embodiment, for example, the light-emitting elements 42 emit light of white or light bulb color as mixed colors of blue light and yellow light by a combination of an LED emitting blue light and a phosphor layer containing phosphor which absorbs the blue light (excitation light) and converts the absorbed light into yellow light.
As illustrated in
Subsequently, the power supply unit 50 will be described.
The power supply unit 50 includes the power supply substrate 51 extending in the first direction X (the direction penetrating the paper plane of
The circuit components 54a and 54b are mounted on both surfaces of the power supply substrate 51. Relatively tall components 54a are mounted on a first surface 52a of the power supply substrate 51, and relatively low components 54b are mounted on a second surface 52b opposite the first surface 52a. The power supply case 55a covers the components 54a on the first surface 52a side of the power supply substrate 51, and the power supply case 55b covers the components 54b on the second surface 52b side.
The power supply unit 50 is mounted on the power supply mounting plate 32 with the second surface 52b on which the low components 54b are mounted facing toward the inner wall of the power supply mounting plate 32 illustrated in
As illustrated in
Therefore, the both end portions of the power supply substrate 51 are supported on the pair of boss portions 35 and the power supply substrate 51 is apart from the inner wall of the power supply mounting plate 32. The low components 54b mounted on the second surface 52b is accommodated within a space between the power supply mounting plate 32 and the power supply substrate 51.
As illustrated in
In other words, the insulating sheet 70 is interposed between the components 54a and 54b of the power supply unit 50 and the metallic members (the housing 10 and the mounting plate 30) therearound, and high insulating properties are secured between the components 54a and 54b and the metallic members (the housing 10 and the mounting plate 30).
Subsequently, the cover 60 will be described.
The cover 60 is formed of a resin material having permeability (translucency) and diffuseness with respect to the light radiated from the light-emitting element 42. The cover 60 has flexibility.
The cover 60 includes a main surface portion 61, a pair of side surface portions 62 provided respectively at both end portions of the main surface portion 61 in the second direction Y, and a pair of flange portions 63 provided so as to project from the respective side surface portions 62 to the outside in the second direction Y. The main surface portion 61, the side surface portions 62 and the flange portions 63 are provided integrally and extend in the first direction X. The length of the cover 60 in the first direction X is the same as the length of the housing 10 in the first direction X.
As illustrated in
The cover 60 isolates the light source module 40 and the power supply unit 50 accommodated in the interior of the housing 10 from the space outside the housing 10 and protects the light source module 40 and the power supply unit 50. Furthermore, the cover 60 also functions as a light distribution control member by providing the cover 60 with diffuseness.
The pair of flange portions 63 of the cover 60 enter the pair of grooves 15 formed on the housing 10 respectively and engage therewith. By the engagement of the flange portions 63 with inner walls of the grooves 15 on the opening 14 side (the upper side in
In a state in which the cover 60 is mounted on the housing 10, the light-emitting surfaces 42a of the light-emitting elements 42 are located on the opening 14 side with respect to the grooves 15 and the flange portions 63. Therefore, light extracting efficiency from the light-emitting elements 42 to the outside of the housing 10 may be enhanced by inhibiting vignetting of light at an inner wall of the housing 10 or the flange portions 63 of the cover 60.
Subsequently, referring to
According to the exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in
The light source module 40 is assembled on an outer surface of the light source mounting plate 31. For example, the substrate 41 is secured to the light source mounting plate 31 with screws.
As illustrated in
Therefore, the power supply substrate 51 and the reinforcing plates 20 are fixed to the power supply mounting plate 32 with the common screws 101, so that cost reduction on the basis of the reduction of the number of components and the number of assembly processes is achieved.
The width of the substrate 41 of the light source module 40 in the second direction Y is smaller than the width of the light source mounting plate 31 in the second direction Y, and the substrate 41 does not project from the light source mounting plate 31 in the second direction Y.
The power supply unit 50 and the reinforcing plates 20 are accommodated within the mounting plate 30. Head portions of the screws 101 are accommodated within the depressions 34 illustrated in
The width of the mounting plate 30 in the second direction Y is smaller than the width of the opening 14 of the housing 10 in the second direction Y. Therefore, the mounting plate 30 on which the light source module 40, the power supply unit 50, and the reinforcing plates 20 are mounted may be inserted through the opening 14 into the housing 10 from above the housing 10 in
The operation of insertion described above requires a smaller working space than the operation of insertion by sliding the assembly 5 into the housing 10 from an opening at the end of the housing 10 in the longitudinal direction, so that the assembly operation is easy.
The assembly 5 obtained by assembling the light source module 40, the power supply unit 50, and the reinforcing plates 20 on the mounting plate 30 is accommodated in the housing 10, and then the cover 60 is mounted on the opening 14 to close the opening 14.
The cover 60 has flexibility, and in the natural state thereof, the outer dimension in the second direction Y including the flange portions 63 is larger than the width of the opening 14 in the second direction Y as illustrated in
Therefore, when mounting the cover 60 on the opening 14, as illustrated in
Gaps 80 having the width in the second direction Y larger than the width of the flange portions 63 in the second direction Y are formed between the flange portions 63 engaged with the grooves 15 and the substrate 41 of the light source module 40. Therefore, the flange portions 63 may be slid between the grooves 15 and the substrate 41 through the gaps 80 by bending the cover 60 without being interfered with the substrate 41.
The flange portions 63 may be taken out to the gaps 80 from the grooves 15 by bending the cover 60 in the state in which the cover 60 is mounted on the opening 14, so that the cover 60 may be disassembled. In other words, the cover 60 may be detachably mounted on the opening 14, and the mounting and demounting operations are easily achieved only by bending the flexible cover 60.
Surfaces 31a of the light source mounting plate 31 facing the opening 14 and the gaps 80 on the outsides of the substrate 41 in the second direction Y are located alongside the grooves 15. Almost no level difference exists between the surfaces 31a and surfaces 15a (lower surfaces in
Therefore, the flange portions 63 may be guided easily into the grooves 15 by bringing the flange portions 63 into contact with the surfaces 31a through the gaps 80 and sliding the flange portions 63 as-is sideways (toward the grooves 15). In other words, the surfaces 31a function as guide surfaces which cause the flange portions 63 to slide into the grooves 15.
The surfaces 31a also serve as the guide surfaces of the sliding operation of the flange portions 63 also when disassembling the cover 60 by sliding the flange portions 63 from the grooves 15 to the gaps 80.
The mounting plate 30 is fixed to the housing 10 by screws 102 illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The power supply mounting plate 32 is placed on the inner wall of the side wall portion 12 of the housing 10 on one top of another with the screw holes 36 formed on the power supply mounting plate 32 aligned with the screw holes 17 formed on the side wall portion 12 of the housing 10 as illustrated in
Then, the screws 102 are inserted into the screw holes from the outside of the housing 10, and the mounting plate 30 is fixed to the housing 10. As described above, the light source module 40, the power supply unit 50, and the reinforcing plates 20 are fixed to the mounting plate 30. Therefore, the light source module 40, the power supply unit 50, and the reinforcing plates 20 are fixed to the housing 10 via the mounting plate 30.
Attached to the both end portions of the housing 10 and the cover 60 in the longitudinal direction (the first direction X) are the end caps 90 as illustrated in
An electric cable (not illustrated) connected to the power supply unit 50 is connected to the connector 43 of the light source module 40, and the light-emitting elements 42 is electrically connected to the power supply unit 50 via the connector 43 and the electric cable.
The power supply unit 50 accommodated in the interior of the housing 10 is electrically connected to a power supply provided on the outside of the housing 10 via the electric cable, not illustrated. The electric cable connects the power supply unit 50 and the external power supply through openings 90a formed on the end caps 90 and notch 23 formed on the first plate portions 21 of the reinforcing plates 20.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2012-147021 | Jun 2012 | JP | national |