Patent Application
20150192286
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to systems and methods for providing illumination and, more particularly, to a multi-purpose illumination device, and a system and method for operating a multi-purpose illumination device.
Illumination devices, such as wearable headlamps or flashlights, are frequently used to provide illumination for various sporting and commercial endeavors. As an example, many sporting headlamps are provided with an elastic head band that allows hikers and climbers to wear the headlamps on their head or helmet in order to provide hands-free visibility in low-light conditions. Headlamps of this type are often used, for example, when navigating a trail at night, pitching a tent in darkness, or performing an early morning alpine ascent. These headlamps may also be adapted to provide hands-free illumination in commercial and public safety environments, such as low-light construction sites or during a fire rescue.
Illumination devices may also be used for various activities, both indoor and outdoor, to provide the proper amount of illumination for a particular implementation. However, the various uses of illumination devices may require different amounts of light, different distances at which an object is to be illuminated, and different form factors for convenient use. Some illumination devices may be configured for a specific activity such that they are ineffective or undesirable for use in other activities. Such embodiments may require multiple illumination devices for multiple activities, despite the fact that illumination is the fundamental function of each of these devices.
Additionally, illumination devices now offer functions beyond a mere on or off configuration. For example, illumination devices may have varying degrees of brightness, strobe functionality, auto-dimming functionality, etc. As the functionality becomes more complex, the operation of such illumination devices may require additional functionality not previously needed.
In light of the foregoing background, example embodiments of the present invention provide an illumination device including a lamp housing and a light source disposed within the lamp housing. The lamp housing may include a front, a back, a top, and a bottom, with the light from the light source projecting from the front of the lamp housing. The lamp housing may further define an air channel with an air inlet and an air outlet. The air inlet may be defined in the front of the lamp housing. The air outlet may be defined in the top of the lamp housing. Some embodiments may include a heat sink disposed within the lamp housing, where the air channel is at least partially defined by the heat sink. The heat sink may include at least one heat-dissipating fin disposed within the air channel. The air inlet may include at least one air guide configured to direct air into the air inlet. The air inlet may define an air receiving direction in which air is received into the lamp housing, and the air outlet may define an air outlet direction from which air exits the lamp housing. The air receiving direction and the air outlet direction may be arranged at a relative angle of between about 45 degrees and about 90 degrees.
According to some embodiments, the light source may be a first light source and the illumination device may include a second light source disposed within the lamp housing and configured to project light from the front of the lamp housing. The illumination device may include a first lens positioned in front of the first light source and a second lens disposed in front of the second light source. Light may be emitted from the first light source in a substantially symmetrical pattern about a first axis and light may be emitted from the second light source in a substantially symmetrical pattern about a second axis. The first lens may be adjustable relative to the light source along the first axis and the second lens may be adjustable relative to the light source along the second axis. The first lens and the second lens may be independently adjustable. The lamp housing may include a bracket, and the bracket may be configured for mounting on both a headband and a bicycle.
Embodiments of the present invention may include an illumination device with a lamp housing, a first light source, and a second light source. The illumination device may further include a first focus adjustment to focus light emitted from the first light source and a second focus adjustment to focus light emitted from the second light source. The lamp housing may include a front, a back, a top, and a bottom. Embodiments may include a power control configured to operate the first light source and the second light source independently and in unison. The first light source may be operable in a first on-state while the second light source may be operable in a second on-state, different from the first on-state, simultaneously. Embodiments may include an air channel defined within the lamp housing, where the air channel includes an inlet and an outlet. The air inlet may be disposed in the front of the lamp housing and the air outlet may be disposed in the top of the lamp housing. The illumination device may include a heat sink in thermal communication with the first light source and the second light source, where the heat sink is disposed within the air channel.
According to some embodiments, the lamp housing may include a coupling mechanism on the back side of the lamp housing. The illumination device may include a power source located remotely from the lamp housing, where the power source may include a coupling mechanism and the power source may be connected to the lamp housing by a power cord. The lamp housing may be configured to be removably attached to the power source.
Having thus described example embodiments of the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Various embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to a multi-purpose illumination device that can be used for a variety of activities in a number of different configurations. While embodiments are generally described herein as useable for a wearable headlamp attached to a headband, useable as a hand-held flashlight, and usable to mount to a stationary or mobile platform (e.g., a bicycle), it is appreciated that embodiments may be used in numerous other configurations for other purposes and activities. Further, various components of the disclosed embodiments may be sold individually or in combination with other components, such as an illumination device sold as a wearable headlamp including a headband, a lamp housing, and a power source, or an illumination device sold as a bicycle headlamp which may include a lamp housing, a power source, and a mounting bracket to mount the lamp housing and/or the power source to a bicycle. Illumination devices according to example embodiments may optionally be configured to be mounted to various mobile and non-mobile platforms, such as baby strollers (e.g., jogging strollers), all-terrain vehicles, golf carts, tents or tent posts, under a vehicle hood during maintenance work, cameras, worksites, etc. Various other embodiments of example illumination devices may be sold in various configurations according to the intended application for the illumination device.
Referring now to the example of
While some embodiments may include a power source disposed within the lamp housing 120, the illustrated embodiment of
The illustrated lamp housing 120 includes a plurality of sides, such as a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side, where the first and second sides are spaced apart and substantially parallel to one another, and where the third and fourth sides are similarly spaced apart and substantially parallel to one another. Further, the third and fourth sides are substantially perpendicular to the first and second sides. For purposes of explanation, but not of limitation, the first and second sides will be described herein as front and back sides, with the light sources emanating from the front side and the back side being mounted to the headband bracket 110 as illustrated in
The power cord 180 may be connected to the power source at a power source connector 183. The power source connector 183 of the power cord 180 may be received into a power socket of the power source 160. The power socket may be configured to supply power to a lamp housing (via the power cord 180), but the power socket may also be configured to receive power, for example, from a hardwired power source, to charge the power source 160. The power socket may be a conventional co-axial power supply form or the power socket may be a universal serial bus (USB) style connector, such as a standard USB, mini-USB, or micro-USB, through which the power source 160 may send or receive power. Optionally, the power source 160 may include multiple sockets, such as a USB-type socket and a co-axial type socket to enable the power source 160 to send or receive power through either socket. The power source 160 may further be configured with a status indicator that enables a user to determine how much charge remains in the power source 160. The status indicator may be one or more lights (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)), an LCD indicator, or a numerical indicator to provide an indication of charge level to a user. In order to conserve power, the status indicator may only provide an indication of the charge level in response to a user input, such as the press of a button on the power source 160. The status indicator may provide a charge level while the light source is on, while it is off, while the power source is charging, and/or while the power source is nearing a critical (e.g., low) charge state.
The above described and illustrated embodiments describe an illumination device useful as a wearable headlamp and as a flashlight, but it is appreciated that the illumination device of the illustrated embodiments may be used in a wide variety of applications beyond those illustrated. For example, a bicycle may include a bracket that may be mounted, for example to the handlebars, with a tab that can be securely received in the channel 125 of the lamp housing 120. Such an example would allow a user to mount the lamp housing 120 on the bicycle to be used as a vehicle headlamp. The bicycle may further be configured with a bracket onto which the power source may be mounted in a position to not obstruct the bicycle rider. The power cord 180 may be a long or short power cord depending upon the application, and the power cord may be interchangeable and/or coiled to provide additional length when needed. Illumination devices of example embodiments may be used in countless applications and embodiments may include brackets with universal mounts, such as adhesive backed mounts, expandable/clamp-type mounts, etc., which allow a user to position an illumination device in any manner they may need. Embodiments may be used as a work light to illuminate the engine bay of a vehicle, a camp light which may be mounted to a tree, tent, or other apparatus to illuminate a campsite, etc.
While the above described embodiments include features that enhance the variety of applications in which such an illumination device may be used, further features of example embodiments may enhance the usefulness of the illumination device in any or all of these various applications. For example, as illustrated in
Referring again to
According to the illustrated embodiment, the air inlet 260 is disposed on the front side of the lamp housing 120 while the air outlet is disposed in the top side of the lamp housing 120. This configuration allows the air channel to guide the air through a bend within the lamp housing. The bend within the lamp housing may be radiused to avoid a sharp turn which would hamper air flow and reduce the cooling efficiency. Further, turning the air flow is beneficial for a variety of uses of the illumination device. In an example embodiment in which the illumination device is used as a wearable headlamp, air may enter the lamp housing 120 through the air inlet 260, but an air outlet in the back side of the lamp housing 120 would direct warm air into a user's forehead, which may be unpleasant. Further, if the wearer is, for example, running or riding a bicycle, the air flow through the air inlet 260 may be substantial, and forcing the air to turn and exit through the top side of the lamp housing 120 may be more conducive to comfort.
Another advantage of the forward-facing air inlet 260 and the air outlet on the top side of the lamp housing is the positioning of the heat sink 210. With the light sources 230 facing forward, the greatest amount of heat is generated in front of and behind the light sources. As cooling the light sources from the front side with a heat sink is impractical (as the light would be blocked), it is desirable to thermally couple (using high thermal conductivity materials/adhesive) the back side of the light source to a heat sink 210. Thus, allowing air to travel in a plane substantially co-planar to the heat sink 210 and the back of the light sources 230 improves the amount of heat transfer to the air passing through the cooling air channel.
While the illustrated embodiment is described with an air inlet 260 and air outlet 210, when the lamp housing 120 is stationary and air is not being forced through the air inlet 260 (as when the lamp housing is attached to moving bicycle), air may move through the air channel by virtue of the heated air (air in the air channel of the heat sink 210) rising. This provides a natural convection of air through the air inlet 260 and across the heat sink 210 as the heated air exits the air outlet 200. This is another advantage of locating the air outlet 200 on the top of the lamp housing 120.
Referring again to
In an example embodiment, the center button 131 may be used to transition the light source(s) to an on-state. The on-state may be a bright on-state and, according to the illustrated embodiment, both light sources may be operated together with the center button 131. If the center button is pressed a second time, within a predetermined amount of time of the initial press (e.g., 2 seconds), the light sources may be transitioned to a second on-state, such as a dim on-state. If the center button is pressed a third time, within a predetermined amount of time of the second time (e.g., 2 seconds), the light sources may be transitioned to a third on-state, which may be a strobe on-state, for example. A fourth press of the center button may transition the light sources to an off-state. Further, a press of the center button while the light sources are in an on-state, but after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed, regardless of the on-state, the light sources may be transitioned to an off-state.
The left button 135 and the right button 137 may be configured to operate in the same manner as the center button 131; however, each of the left button 135 and the right button 137 may be configured to operate only a respective one of the light sources 230. In this manner, a user may use only one light source 140 to conserve battery power, or the user may operate both light sources in different operating modes, such as when a narrow focused beam of one light source is desired to operate in a high-brightness on-state while a more broadly focused beam of a second light source is desired to operate in a lower-brightness on-state.
The front button 133 and the rear button 139 may be implemented to cycle the light sources between various other operating modes. For example, the front button 133 may be configured to toggle both light sources between a bright on-state, a dim on-state, and an off-state, while the rear button 139 may be configured to toggle both light sources between an off-state and a dim on-state. Further, a sustained pressing of the front button 133 may engage a “boost” mode in which the light sources 130 are illuminated at their brightest level. The boost on-state may be temporary, for example, ten seconds, in order to prolong battery life. In some example embodiments, one or more of the buttons may be user-programmable such that a user may customize the light source operational modes available through a press of the button.
Further, one or more additional buttons or switches may be available to implement additional levels of functionality. Such a switch may be used to switch between operational modes that use feedback from the photosensor 250. Example embodiments of such a switch may include a rotational dial and/or a push-button, and user feedback as to the operational mode that the illumination device is in may be provided by, for example, a flash pattern of one or more of the light sources. A first operational mode may be indicated by a single flash of the light source, while a second operational mode may be indicated by two sequential flashes of the light source, etc. One operational mode may include where light detected at the photosensor causes the light sources to dim. This operational mode may be a “reading” mode where light detected by the photosensor is determined to be reflected light, which may be undesirable in a reading mode. Another operational mode may include a vehicle headlamp mode, in which light received at the photosensor may cause the illumination device to increase the brightness of the light sources, determining that the photosensor is detecting the light of oncoming traffic.
As will be appreciated, the buttons 131, 133, 135, 137, 139, and 270 may be used in any conventional manner to implement various operational functions of the illumination device as described herein. Further, the multiplexing of the user inputs, such as a button having a first function in a first operational mode and a second function in a second operational mode, may enhance the utility of the illumination device of example embodiments.
Example embodiments of an illumination device of the present invention may further be configured with a mechanism to allow the lamp housing 120 to be tilted relative to the bracket to which the lamp housing is attached. For example, as shown in
Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
