Illuminating apparatus

• US 8,727,572 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2013
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawagoe, Shinya, Hashimoto, Naotaka, Kojima, Toshiyasu, Ikeda, Taku, Taniuchi, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAMLING, SEAN P
• Application Number:
  US13/762,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20130146926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 362/294, 362/373
• US Class Current: 362/294
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/233 specially adapted for generating a spot light distribution, e.g. for substitution of reflector lamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/68 Details of reflectors forming part of the light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/69 Details of refractors forming part of the light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 11/14 with many small apertures
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/505 of reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/74 with fins or blades
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/80 with pins or wires
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/83 the elements having apertures, ducts or channels, e.g. heat radiation holes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/86 Ceramics or glass
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/09 with a combination of different curvatures
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/60 Reflective elements

Abstract

Provided is a lighting apparatus that is suitable as a substitute for a conventional halogen lamp when positively utilizing leaked light. The lighting apparatus comprises: a heat dissipator 12 that is in one of a bottomed cylindrical shape and a bowl shape, and that has a bottom portion, a circumferential wall portion, and an opening; and a light-emitting device 18b that is provided inside the heat dissipator 12 at the bottom portion and is operable to emit light, wherein the heat dissipator 12 has one or more windows 19 for leaking the emitted light outside the heat dissipator 12.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a heat dissipator that is in one of a bottomed cylindrical shape and a bowl shape, and that has a bottom portion, a circumferential wall portion, and an opening;

a light-emitting device that is provided inside the heat dissipator at the bottom portion and is operable to emit light; and

a reflector that is bowl-shaped and provided in the heat dissipator, and is operable to reflect the emitted light toward the opening, wherein

the reflector is made of a base and a reflective film that covers the base, and

the base is made of one of resin and glass, and has facets,

the reflective film is a dielectric multilayer film that partially transmits the emitted light,

the heat dissipator is made of one of a metal material, a non-translucent ceramic material, and a non-translucent resin material,

the circumferential wall portion of the heat dissipator has one or more windows for leaking light transmitted through the reflector to an outside of the heat dissipator, and

each window is provided in an area located between first and second virtual planes, the first virtual plane including an opening of the reflector, the second virtual plane passing through the light-emitting device and being perpendicular to a central axis of the reflector.

2. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the windows are provided at equal intervals in a circumferential direction of the circumferential wall portion.

3. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein

a size of each window is such that the closer the window is to an opening edge of the heat dissipator, the larger the size of the window is.

4. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein

each window is provided in a part of the circumferential wall portion located between third and fourth virtual planes, the third virtual plane including the opening of the heat dissipator, the fourth virtual plane passing through the light-emitting device and being perpendicular to a central axis of the heat dissipator that is in one of the bottomed cylindrical shape and the bowl shape.

5. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein each window is a through-hole closed off by a translucent member.

6. The lighting apparatus of claim 5, wherein the translucent member is colorless.

7. The lighting apparatus of claim 5, wherein the translucent member is a color filter.

8. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a cover that is made of a translucent material and provided on one of an inner surface, an outer surface, and both the inner and outer surfaces of the circumferential wall portion, wherein

each window is a through-hole and is closed off by the cover.

9. The lighting apparatus of claim 8, wherein

the cover has one or more projections that are one of pyramid-shaped and cone-shaped and are located in correspondence with the one or more windows.

10. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a light guiding member operable to guide the emitted light toward the one or more windows.

11. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a shutter that is provided on the circumferential wall portion and is operable to change an opening area of each window.

12. The lighting apparatus of claim 11, wherein

the shutter is in a cylindrical shape so as to fit one of an inner surface and an outer surface of the circumferential wall portion, has one or more through-holes located in correspondence with the one or more windows, and is movable with respect to the heat dissipator so as to change a positional relationship between the one or more windows and the one or more through-holes.

13. The lighting apparatus of claim 12, wherein

the shutter is movable by being rotated in a circumferential direction of the circumferential wall portion.

14. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflective film is a metal film.

15. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein

an inner surface of the circumferential wall portion of the heat dissipator is in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the reflector.

16. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein

an inner surface of the circumferential wall portion of the heat dissipator is spaced apart from an outer circumferential surface of the reflector.

17. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a sub-reflector that is provided in a vicinity of the opening of the reflector, and that is operable to reflect direct light toward the reflector, the direct light being light emitted from the light-emitting device toward the opening of the heat dissipator without being reflected by the reflector.

18. The lighting apparatus of claim 17 further comprising:

a front cover that closes off one of an opening of the reflector and the opening of the heat dissipator, wherein

the sub-reflector is attached to the front cover.

19. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a case fixed to an outer surface of the bottom portion of the heat dissipator; and

a lighting circuit housed in the case.

20. The light apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat dissipator serves as an outside envelope of the lighting apparatus.

21. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a heat dissipator that is in one of a bottomed cylindrical shape and a bowl shape, and that has a bottom portion, a circumferential wall portion, and an opening;

a light-emitting device that is provided inside the heat dissipator at the bottom portion and is operable to emit light; and

a reflector that is bowl-shaped and provided in the heat dissipator, and is operable to reflect the emitted light toward the opening, wherein

the reflector is made of a base and a reflective film that covers the base, and

the base is made of one of resin and glass, and has facets,

the reflective film is a dielectric multilayer film that partially transmits the emitted light,

the heat dissipator is made of one of a metal material, a non-translucent ceramic material, and a non-translucent resin material,

the circumferential wall portion of the heat dissipator has one or more windows for leaking light transmitted through the reflector to an outside of the heat dissipator, and

a shutter is provided on the circumferential wall portion and is operable to change an opening area of each window.