This application claims the benefits of the Taiwan Patent Application Serial Number 099144220, filed on Dec. 16, 2010, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-purpose illumination device and, more particularly, to a multi-purpose illumination device, which can provide functions of a wall lamp, a night light, an emergency light, a portable emergency light, a flashlight, a warning indicator, and a portable power.
2. Description of Related Art
Urban buildings and mansions are widely spread in the modern living environments, which bring people a comfortable and convenient life. However, when natural or man-made disasters arrive, great damages may be caused. When a typical damage occurs, it normally comes with a power failure, resulting in a great disaster, regardless of day or night, since the lighting is lost. In addition, a conventional flashlight typically uses a primary battery, and thus the flashlight may not be used when the battery power is run out. Even if a rechargeable battery is used, it is likely to have no power in use because the flashlight is not connected to a charger for charging in usual. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved emergency light to increase the effectiveness.
As shown in
The object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose illumination device, which can be used as a wall lamp, a night light, an emergency light, a portable emergency light, a flashlight, a warning indicator, and a portable power.
To achieve the object, the invention provides a multi-purpose illumination device, comprising a lamp-holder body having a partially transparent cover and a power converter for converting a utility power into a direct current (DC) power, and a portable lighting device detachably installed in the lamp-holder body. The portable lighting device has a housing with a detection mechanism to detect whether the portable lighting device is installed in the lamp-holder body, a charging circuit arranged in the housing and coupled to the power converter for receiving the DC power when the portable lighting device is installed in the lamp-holder body, a battery unit arranged in the housing and coupled to the charging circuit for being charged by the DC power, a push-button unit arranged on the housing, a light emitting diode (LED) driving circuit arranged in the housing, an LED unit arranged in the housing and coupled to the LED driving circuit, and a controller arranged in the housing, powered by the battery unit, and coupled to the push-button unit, the charging circuit, the detection mechanism, and the LED driving circuit, so as to detect a button pressing state of the push-button unit, whether there is utility power or not, and whether the portable lighting device is installed in the lamp-holder body thereby controlling the LED driving circuit to drive the LED unit to light based on a detected result. The portable lighting device further has a USB connector capable of supplying power which is converted from the battery to an electronic device, so as to function as a portable power in an emergency.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
With reference to
The portable lighting device 32 includes: a housing 321, a detection mechanism 322, a push-button unit 323, a battery unit 324, a charging circuit 325, an LED driving circuit 326, an LED unit 327, a photosensor 329, a controller 328, a boost converter 333, and a USB connector 330. The detection mechanism 322 detects whether the portable lighting device 32 is installed in the lamp-holder body 31. An implementation of the detection mechanism 322 is to provide two contact electrodes 3221, 3222 arranged on the housing 321 of the portable lighting device 32. In this case, by detecting that the two contact electrodes 3221, 3222 are at an electrified state as the two contact electrodes 3221, 3222 come into touch with DC power output of the power converter 312, the controller 328 can determine that the portable lighting device 32 is installed in the lamp-holder body 31. On the contrary, when the controller 328 detects that the two contact electrodes 3221, 3222 are at a non-electrified state, it indicates that the portable lighting device 32 installed in the lamp-holder body 31 is taken out. Another implementation of the detection mechanism 322 is to provide a contact switch arranged on the housing 321 of the portable lighting device 32. In this case, the contact switch is turned on due to being pressed by the partially transparent cover 311 when the portable lighting device 32 is installed in the lamp-holder body 31, so that the controller 328 can be aware of the portable lighting device 32 being installed in the lamp-holder body 31 by detecting that the contact switch is turned on. On the contrary, when the controller 328 detects that the contact switch is turned off, it indicates that the portable lighting device 32 installed in the lamp-holder body 31 is taken out.
The push-button unit 323, the photosensor 329, and the USB connector 330 are arranged on the housing 321 of the portable lighting device 32. The push-button unit 323 is used by a user to control the portable lighting device 32. The photosensor 329 can obtain an environmental brightness around the lamp-holder body 3 through the transparent portion of the lamp-holder body 3 to thereby control lighting of the portable lighting device 32. The photosensor 329 can be a photosensitive resistor or a passive infrared (PIR) sensor. The USB connector 330 can be connected to an external electronic device for supplying power thereto. The charging circuit 325, the LED driving circuit 326, the LED unit 327, the controller 328, and the boost converter 333 are arranged in the housing 321. When the portable lighting device 32 is installed in the lamp-holder body 31, the charging circuit 325 is coupled to the power converter 312 of the lamp-holder body 31 in order to receive the DC power. The battery unit 324 is coupled to the charging circuit 325, such that the charging circuit 325 can use the DC power to charge the battery unit 324. The controller 328 is powered by the battery unit 324 and the controller 328 is coupled to the push-button unit 323, the charging circuit 325, the detection mechanism 322, the photosensor 329, and the LED driving circuit 326, so as to detect a button pressing state of the push-button unit, whether utility power is presented or not, and whether the portable lighting device is installed in the lamp-holder body or not, and the environmental brightness, so as to control a lighting type of the portable lighting device 32. The boost converter 333 is coupled to the USB connector 330 and the battery unit 324 in order to convert the power of the battery unit 324 into the USB power for the USB connector 330. The LED driving circuit 326 is further coupled to the LED unit 327 and the battery unit 324 in order to drive the LED unit 327 for lighting under the control of the controller 328. The LED unit 327 includes a plurality of first LEDs 331 arranged on the front side of the housing 321 of the portable lighting device 32 and a plurality of second LEDs 332 placed on the lateral sides of the housing of the portable lighting device 32.
When encountering a power failure, the controller 328 can detect that the utility power does not exist and the portable lighting device 32 is installed in the lamp-holder body 31. In this case, the multi-purpose illumination device can be used as an emergency light, so that the controller 328 controls the LED driving circuit 326 to drive all the first LEDs 331 and the second LEDs 332 to light for providing emergency illumination at the condition of having no utility power. The light beam emitted by the first LEDs 331 can be concentrated and redirected via the lamp-holder body, so as to enhance the directivity and brightness of the emergency light.
In addition, users can press the latch mechanism 313 to take out the portable lighting device 32 installed in the lamp-holder body 31, so that the portable lighting device 32 is used as a flashlight. At this moment, the detection mechanism 322 detects that the portable lighting device 32 is taken out from the lamp-holder body 31, so that the controller 328 enters into a flashlight mode to turn on the first LEDs 331 and the second LEDs 332. The controller 328 determines its lighting mode based on the detected pressing state of the push-button unit 323. For example, when the push-button unit 323 is pressed one time, the portable lighting device 32 is configured to enter into a warning mode, i.e., the first LEDs 331 flash; when the push-button unit 323 is pressed one time again, the first LEDs 331 arranged on the front side of the portable lighting device 32 become an SOS (help) mode; when the push-button unit 323 is pressed one time again, only the first LEDs 331 arranged on the front side of the portable lighting device 32 are turned on for entering into a portable illumination mode; when the push-button unit 323 is pressed one time again, a portable power mode is entered in which the first LEDs 331 and the second LEDs 332 are turned off; and when the push-button unit 323 is pressed one time again, it returns to the flashlight mode.
At the condition of having no utility power, users can follow the emergency light to find the position of the multi-purpose illumination device, and further press the latch mechanism 313 to take out the portable lighting device 32 installed in the lamp-holder body 31 for using the portable lighting device 32 as a flashlight in the power failure environment or for moving the portable lighting device 32 to a location requiring more emergency illumination.
In addition, at the condition of power failure, the multi-purpose illumination device can be further used as a portable power. As shown in
As cited, the invention combines various illumination functions into an illumination device, which can provide an emergency illumination to users at the condition of power failure, which can take out the portable lighting device installed in the lamp-holder body for use as a flashlight when the utility power is presented or not presented, which can be used as a light source (a night light or portable emergency light) when the external environmental brightness is detected to be insufficient, and which can charge an electronic device through the USB connector at the condition of power failure. Therefore, the invention relatively increases the use convenience.
Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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099144220 | Dec 2010 | TW | national |