Light-diffusing heat shrinkable tube and linear LED light

• US 8,723,404 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gunze Limited
• Original Assignee: Gunze Limited
• Inventors: Masuda, Masakazu, Arai, Ichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): HINES, ANNE M
• Application Number:
  US13/819,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20130207534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 362/488, 362/545, 362/287, 362/800, 362/249, 362/471, 313/116
• US Class Current: 313/116
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 61/003 characterised by the choice of material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 61/08 by stretching tubes in general B29C55/22, B29C55/28
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/00 Use of polyesters or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/16 Fillers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0018 having particular optical properties, e.g. fluorescent or phosphorescent
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 25/02 coming into action when lighting device is disturbed, dismounted, or broken
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/062 the material being plastics
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/10 comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/02 Diffusing elements; Afocal elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0242 by means of dispersed particles
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0278 used in transmission

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a light-diffusing heat shrinkable tube which has light diffusibility that enables LED point light sources to give an impression of a surface light source such as a conventional fluorescent lamp. The tube is also capable of suppressing scattering of broken fragments of a transparent pipe that includes the light sources, in the case of an unexpected accident including falling of the pipe. The present invention also aims to provide a linear LED light including the light-diffusing heat shrinkable tube. The light-diffusing heat shrinkable tube including a polyester resin and a light diffusing agent, the polyester resin having an inherent viscosity of 0.8 to 1.4 dl/g, the tube comprising 0.1 to 2.5 wt % of the light diffusing agent, the tube having a thickness of 60 to 300 μm.

Claims

1. A light-diffusing heat shrinkable tube comprising

a polyester resin and

a light diffusing agent,

the polyester resin having an inherent viscosity of 0.8 to 1.4 dl/g,

the tube comprising 0.1 to 2.5 wt % of the light diffusing agent,

the tube having a thickness of 60 to 300 μ

m.

2. The light-diffusing heat shrinkable tube according to claim 1,

wherein the light diffusing agent is organic fine particles.

3. The light-diffusing heat shrinkable tube according to claim 2,

wherein the organic fine particles have a mean particle diameter of 0.5 to 20.0 μ

m.

4. The light-diffusing heat shrinkable tube according to claim 1,

wherein the tube has a total luminous transmittance of 50% or higher, and a parallel luminous transmittance of 20% or lower.

5. A linear LED light, comprising a transparent pipe that includes an LED light source and is covered with the light-diffusing heat shrinkable tube according to claim 1.