LED bulb or LED night light having a moving projection image

• US 9,909,739 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2015
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aaron Chien, Hsin-Yi Wang, Te-Ju Chien
• Original Assignee: Tseng-Lu Chien
• Inventors: Chien, Tseng-Lu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Anabel
• Application Number:
  US14/983,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20160215962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/232 specially adapted for generating an essentially omnidirectional light distribution, e.g. with a glass bulb
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/238 Arrangement or mounting of circuit elements integrated in the light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/60 Optical arrangements integrated in the light source, e.g. for improving the colour rendering index or the light extraction
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/65 specially adapted for changing the characteristics or the distribution of the light, e.g. by adjustment of parts
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 10/02 changing colors F21S10/002 - F21S10/007, F21S10/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/035 by means of plugging into a wall outlet, e.g. night light
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 11/08 using diaphragms containing one or more apertures
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/02 by movement of light sources in vehicle head lamps F21S41/657
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/06 by movement of refractors in vehicle head lamps F21S41/635
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/08 by movement of the screens or filters
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/006 the substrate being distinct from the light source holder
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0442 activated by means of a sensor, e.g. motion or photodetectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/30 Lighting for domestic or personal use
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/10 of different colours
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

An LED light device includes an LED night light or LED bulb having a moving projection image. The movement effect is obtained by (1) causing LEDs to illuminate with a time difference, (2) using a magnetic field force to cause a film, opening, printed piece, or slide to move, shake, spin, rotate, or vibrate, or (3) using a motor or movement to cause the film/opening/printed piece/slide or a projection-lens to move, shake, spin, rotate, or vibrate. Light beams from an LED light source pass through the film/opening/printed piece/slide and then through a projection lens that causes a tiny lighted image to become a bigger or more colorful moving projected image having a wider viewing angle.

Claims

1. A moving projection-image assembly for a plug-in night light or LED bulb, comprising:

at least one LED;

at least one image-carrier;

at least one projection-lens for projecting an image formed when light beams from the at least one LED pass through the image carrier, the at least one projection-lens increasing a viewing angle of the image as it projects an enlarged image to a surface situated at least an arm'"'"'s length away from the moving projection-image assembly, wherein the at least one LED, image-carrier, and projection-lens fit within or are supported by one of a frame, support, and housing parts, said frame, support, and housing parts arranged to fit within a plug-in night light or LED bulb; and

at least one moving device for causing the projected enlarged image to appear to move, the at least one moving device including at least one of;

(a) a controller for turning multiple LEDs on and off at different times to cause the apparent motion of the projected image;

(b) a motor or time movement for causing movement of the at least one image-carrier or the at least one projection-lens to cause the apparent motion of the projected enlarged image; and

(c) a magnetic-unit and magnetic coil set for causing the movement of the at least one image-carrier or the at least one projection-lens to cause the apparent motion of the projected enlarged image.

2. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image carrier includes at least one printed window, film, slide, opening, cut-out, stencil, or display-unit that forms a relatively small image as light beams from the at least one LED pass through the image-carrier, the relatively small image being enlarged by the at least one projection-lens.

3. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moving projection-image assembly is arranged to fit within an LED plug-in night light.

4. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moving projection-image assembly is arranged to fit within an LED bulb.

5. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motor is coupled to a gear set to reduce a high motor speed to a relatively low shaft speed for rotating the at least one image-carrier or the at least one projection-lens.

6. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one projection-lens is included in a projection-lens assembly rotated by the motor or movement at a predetermined speed.

7. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one LED includes a plurality of LEDs or at least one LED arranged to emit light in a plurality of colors.

8. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one projection-lens is a single projection-lens mounted in a frame, holder, or disc.

9. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one projection-lens includes a plurality of projection-lenses having different optical properties.

10. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said moving device causes said at least one projection-lens or said at least one image-carrier to undergo at least one of the following motions:

rotation, spinning, vibrating, shaking, and waving.

11. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller creates said apparent motion of the projected image by causing the plurality of LEDs to sequentially flash, fade-in and fade-out, change colors, randomly turn on and off, or exhibit other LED light performances, effects, duration, or duty cycles.

12. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising another optics-lens having a surface texture or printing.

13. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said projection-image assembly includes a tube or tube assembly having a narrow base and a relatively wider top to increase an area of light exiting the tube or tube assembly.

14. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the projected image is one of a cartoon character, time, geometrically shaped image, logo, word, artwork, weather display, or vision image.

15. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one projection-lens is included in a rotating assembly that causes the projected image to move along an arc from one side of a circle to the another side.

16. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one LED includes color-changing LEDs, the image-carrier is a rotating image-carrier having shaped openings, cutouts, or printed windows, and the projection-lens assembly includes multiple projection-lenses to widen the projected image.

17. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller creates said apparent motion of the projected image by causing the plurality of LEDs to turn on and off at different times, and light beams from the LEDs are caused to pass through a first optic-lens having a textured surface, and the at least one projection-lens is a second optics-lens having a relatively large size to transmit light beams that have been dispersed by the textured surface of the first optic-lens.

18. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one image-carrier is a moving image carrier having a plurality of printed windows, cutouts, stencils, films, or slides, and the at least one projection-lens is a relatively large size flat projection-lens.

19. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an outer cover or outer projection-lens having a rounds, semi-spherical, or spherical shape to further enlarge the projected image.

20. A moving projection-image assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an additional optic-lens situated in front of the at least one LED for widening a narrow light beam emitted by the at least one LED before it passes through the at least one image-carrier and at least one projection-lens.