Lantern, preferably for use on board ships, in particular leisure craft

• US 7,134,769 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2004
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aqua Signal AG
• Original Assignee: Aqua Signal AG
• Inventors: Rohlfing, Ralph, Serfass, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): CARIASO, ALAN B
• Application Number:
  US10/831,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20040252511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 362/331, 362/267, 362/475, 362/477, 362/294, 362/326, 362/335, 362/373, 362520-522, 362/545, 362/547
• US Class Current: 362/331
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 45/04 the devices being intended to indicate the vessel or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 11/06 using crossed laminae or strips , e.g. grid-shaped louvers; using lattices or honeycombs
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/89 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/045 the lens having discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0091 using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2107/20 for water vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

The invention relates to a lantern, preferably for use aboard ships, in particular leisure vessels, which has a housing, at least one illuminant and a light-permeable cover.

According to the invention, at least one LED is provided as the illuminant and is associated with a beam baffler.

Claims

1. A lantern (10) preferably for use on board ships, in particular on leisure craft, with the lantern having a housing, at least one illuminant and a light-permeable cover (14), the lantern comprising:

a) at least one LED (22) provided as the at least one illuminant; and

b) a beam baffler assigned to the at least one illuminiant, the beam baffler having an essentially partially cylindrical, prism-like and solid lens and a main axis,

wherein

i) the main axis of the beam baffler, based on the emitted light, is intersected by an axis of curvature perpendicular to main axis;

ii) an outer surface of the beam baffler extends in a partially cylindrical manner about the axis of curvature;

iii) the axis of curvature is at the same time the axis of curvature for a partially cylindrical inner surface of the beam baffler;

iv) the beam baffler is solid between the outer surface and the inner surface;

v) when light is emitted in as horizontal a plane as possible, the axis of curvature extends essentially in the vertical direction;

vi) the outer surface and the inner surface extend to a wall that runs essentially transverse to the main axis;

vii) provided in the wall running transverse to the main axis is a recess, into which the illuminant at least partially enters;

viii) the recess is limited by the inner surface, a flat top wall transverse to the inner surface and a flat bottom wall transverse to the inner surface;

ix) in the direction of the axis of curvature, a top side lies outside of the top wall and a bottom side lies below the bottom wall of the beam baffler;

x) the top side and the bottom side each extend between the outer surface and the wall running transverse to the main axis; and

xi) the top side and the bottom side each are configured essentially in the shape of a reference cone so that together the top side and the bottom side have an essentially V-shaped cross-section, being spaced far apart from each other in the region of the outer surface and at a small distance from each other in the vicinity of the illuminant.

2. The lantern according to claim 1, wherein exactly one LED (22) is provided as the illuminant.

3. The lantern according to claim 1, wherein the illuminant is arranged with a principal beam direction (arrow 23) directed perpendicular to a rear wall (12) of the housing.

4. The lantern according to claim 1, further comprising a shield for the purpose of limiting and shadowing the light emitted by the illuminant.

5. The lantern according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling element assigned to the illuminant.

6. The lantern according to claim 1, further comprising an electronic circuit (17) for controlling the LED (22) arranged in an auxiliary housing (15).

7. The lantern according to claim 1, wherein the light-permeable cover (14) is configured as a Fresnel lens with stepped regions.

8. The lantern according to claim 1, wherein the light-permeable cover (14) is configured with a smooth inner and outer surface.

9. The lantern according to claim 1, wherein the light-permeable cover (14) is inserted in the housing and the housing conforms to an outer contour of the permeable cover (14) in the vicinity of the permeable cover (14).

10. The lantern according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer surface and the inner surface run essentially parallel to one another and are intersected concentrically by the main axis of the beam baffler.

11. A lantern (10), preferably for use on board ships, in particular leisure craft, with a housing, at least one illuminant and a light-permeable cover (14), comprising:

a) at least one LED (22) provided as the illuminant; and

b) a beam baffler assigned to the illuminant;

wherein

i) the housing has a tub-like or cup-like front housing (11) and a rear wall (12);

ii) the front housing (11) has an aperture (13) opposite to the rear wall (12), with the light-permeable cover (14) being fitted into the aperture (13);

iii) a flat cooling element is provided on the rear wall (12);

iv) the LED (22) is arranged on the cooling element (21), with or without a circuit board (48) between the LED (22) and the cooling element (21);

v) the beam baffler is a solid lens (24);

vi) the lens (24) has spacers in the region of a rear wall (37) that abuts the cooling element (21); and

vii) the spacers are inserted at least partially into corresponding bore holes (39) in the cooling element (21).