Patent Application
20140232290
The present invention relates generally to fluorescent lamps. More particularly, the present invention relates to controlling the output wattage of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).
Conventional light bulbs provide only one wattage or lumen setting for light output. This can be particularly problematic given the number of different light fixtures in modern homes and the different requirements for light output and lumen requirements associated with these light fixtures. To satisfy these requirements, many consumers maintain an ample supply of different wattage bulbs.
Additionally, many lighting fixtures are restricted to bulbs of a particular wattage, or to bulbs that do not exceed a particular wattage. By way of example, if a consumer has a small table reading lamp that requires a 60 watt (W) incandescent bulb, and the bulb burns out, it must be replaced by another 60 W incandescent bulb. Although the consumer may have a supply of 25 W, 75 W, and 100 W light bulbs, none of these bulbs will suffice as a suitable replacement for the 60 W bulb. The 25 W bulb is suboptimal for reading, and is therefore an inadequate replacement. The 75 W and 100 W bulbs would also not be suitable replacements since they exceed the maximum wattage of the table lamp. The consumer's only option would be to purchase another 60 W bulb for the reading lamp despite having many other bulbs of different wattages. Retailers face a dilemma similar to the consumer.
Retailers are required to carry inventory levels for many different bulbs at different wattages to accommodate lighting fixtures having different wattage requirements. This prevents the retailer from being able to consolidate their inventory and optimize shelf space for new products. Also, each bulb requires its own stock keeping unit (SKU), which adds a layer of complexity to managing the multiple inventory levels for the different bulbs.
In addition to selecting bulbs having an appropriate wattage, many consumers search for bulbs having different colour temperatures to match or accent various color levels within their environment. The limited wattage settings of conventional light bulbs require the consumer, and correspondingly the retailer, to keep on hand different bulbs for different colour temperature requirements.
One solution to these dilemmas includes three-way (3-wattage) bulbs. Three-way bulbs, for example, are capable of operating at three different wattage levels. Three-way bulbs, however, and similar configurations, are operable only in lighting fixtures with three correspondingly different socket configurations.
Other solutions offer bulbs, such as CFLs, equipped with dimmers. For example, some CFL's include a knob that provides a dimming capability within the light bulb itself As understood by those of skill in the art, these dimming CFL's are screwed into sockets and their wattage is increased or decreased by turning the knob. Dimming CFL's, however, do not solve the challenges above associated with lighting fixtures that require bulbs of specific wattages. Also, dimming CFL's can also be quite expensive.
Given the aforementioned deficiencies, a need exists for an integrated lighting solution that (a) can be set for several lumen or wattage levels of light output before installation and (b) addresses the consumer desire for lighting control and flexibility. A need also exists for a lighting solution that can accommodate different colour temperature requirements of present-day lighting fixture consumers. Finally, a need exists to simplify the offering and inventory point-of-sale challenges associated with retailers required to stock multiple bulbs for the multiple wattages offered in commercially available lighting fixtures.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a light assembly including a bulb, a lamp base enclosure having circuitry therein configured to supply power to the bulb, and a dial electrically coupled to the bulb and the lamp base. The dial is operable for selecting one of a plurality of predetermined power settings.
In the embodiments, an integrated dial feature allows a spiral CFL to be set for several lumen levels of light output before installation. The consumer can adjust the preferred lamp wattage with a small switch. The switch connects the different outputs of an autotransformer to a load. This transformer is the resonant inductor and the current limiter of the ballast and has several different output levels. The output levels determine the lamp output wattage.
Lighting systems constructed in accordance with the embodiments offer the advantage of enabling a consumer to more flexibly purchase and stock replacements lamps. Flexibility, for example, is achieved since the consumer can use one lamp to replace up to four lamps if having previously stocked all four lumen, or wattage, levels.
On the retail side, the embodiments help simplify inventory and point-of-sale by allowing for expanded wattage range offerings. More particularly, using exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there is an ability to capture a multi-feature setting within an individual bulb. Also the retailers would no longer be required to carry multiple inventory levels for each wattage—enabling them to consolidate their inventory and save space for other new items. More specifically, the retailer can more easily manage their inventory and shelf space by consolidating three different wattages into one SKU instead of having to stock multiple packages.
With respect to an individual CFL, the embodiments provide a single lamp capable of running, for example, at 13 W, 20 W, and 23 W. 23 W provides the luminance level output equivalent to 100 W. With a dial on the housing of the CFL lamp itself, as provided in one of the embodiments, three different lumen levels can be accessed.
Using the same approach, consider the example of a 100 W incandescent light bulb burning out in a floor lamp being used by the consumer to read the newspaper or other books. The consumer would simply go to their pantry, open it up, and use another variable luminance spiral, identical to the one in the preceding example, albeit it at a different luminance setting. Once removed from the box, the dial on the variable lumen spiral can be set to the 100 W equivalent (1600 lm). This bulb will be screwed into the floor lamp, replacing the inoperable 100 W incandescent bulb.
In a final aspect of the example above, the consumer might have a table lamp with a 60 W incandescent bulb. Their desire is to be able to activate the lamp and accent a room that they may not want to cover with too much light intensity. Therefore, they can return to their pantry, pull out another variable lumen spiral at 800 lumens. This variable lumen spiral is identical to the lamps used in the preceding two examples.
The example above solves the problem of having to purchase three different bulbs at three different wattage levels. Bulbs constructed in accordance with the embodiments also solve the problem of having to use a bulb with the wrong wattage, consequently providing suboptimal performance. A variable lumen spiral, constructed in accordance with the embodiments is also less expensive than other traditional multi-wattage approaches, such as dimming CFL's.
Further features and advantages of the invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. Such embodiments are presented herein for illustrative purposes only. Additional embodiments will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of the specification, illustrate the present invention and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the relevant art(s) to make and use the invention.
While the present invention is described herein with illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art with access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the invention would be of significant utility.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-lumen level CFL that is technically unsophisticated, simple, and easily manufactured. The exemplary embodiments provide a mainstream bulb that should be relatively easy to introduce into the market.
As noted above, a popular approach to multi-wattage lighting solutions includes dimmer CFLs.
As shown in
As well understood by those of skill in the art, CFL's are made of glass, a ceramic and metal base, phosphor, and a small amount of mercury. The phosphor in the CFL's can be used to provide various colour temperature variations. By way of example, and as also understood by those of skill in the art, a Kelvin scale is often used in the measure of the colour temperature of light sources. In the Kelvin scale, for example, a colour temperature of the CFL 300 can be soft white. Soft white is about 2700 Kelvin. A colour temperature referred to herein as daylight, for example, might equate to about 6500 Kelvin.
Within this range, there are about three different colour temperature levels that can be provided in a CFL depending on a variety of factors and consumer preferences.
Using dimmer CFL's, for example, it is difficult to obtain all of the different colour temperatures, especially when combined with different wattages. Such combinations would produce too many SKUs and too much inventory to be commercially practical.
Using CFL's constructed in accordance with the present invention, opportunities are presented for retailers to provide a wider variety of color solutions within the CFL spirals by combining the various wattages into one bulb. Although the exemplary CFL 300 of
The circuit board 500 also includes a resonant tank (inductor 512 +capacitor (not shown)) 510. The inductor 512, typically placed in series with a lamp 514, is used to set the power level of the lamp. More specifically, the inductor 512 regulates the power supplied to the lamp 514. The higher the inductance of the inductor 512, the lower the value of the power supplied to the lamp 514. More specifically, the inductor 512 functions as a current limiter choke and a resonant inductor.
The switching circuitry 602 includes a resonant tank autotransformer 604 and a switch 606. The resonant tank autotransformer 604 raises and lowers a percentage of the voltage supplied to the lamp 514. The switch 606 enables a user to adjust the percentages of the supply voltage applied to the lamp 514. Exemplary implementations of the switch 606 are shown above in the form of the manual switchboard 206 and the dial 304 of
The present invention has been described above with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternate boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed.
For example, various aspects of the present invention can be implemented by software, firmware, hardware (or hardware represented by software such, as for example, Verilog or hardware description language instructions), or a combination thereof. After reading this description, it will become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art how to implement the invention using other computer systems and/or computer architectures.
It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and not the Summary and Abstract sections, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more but not all exemplary embodiments of the present invention as contemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to limit the present invention and the appended claims in any way.
