EP4403819A1

EP4403819A1 - Table-top and portable lighting fixture

Info

Publication number: EP4403819A1
Application number: EP24152046.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gian Pietro Beghelli
Original assignee: Beghelli SpA
Current assignee: Beghelli SpA
Priority date: 2023-01-18
Filing date: 2024-01-16
Publication date: 2024-07-24
Also published as: CN118361702A

Abstract

A table-top and portable lighting fixture, comprising a partially transparent cylindrical case (10), a metal base (14) resting on a surface (15), a power supply battery (20), an electronic circuit (25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 33) which comprises a PCB (25) and a microprocessor (30), and a multi-beam optical assembly (12), wherein said multi-beam optical assembly (12) is electrically connected to said battery (20) via one or more electric cables (17) placed inside said cylindrical case (10), wherein said cylindrical case (10) is connected to said metal base (14) by magnetic means (21) and wherein said multi-beam optical assembly (12) comprises at least one set of LEDs (34, 122) and a series of reflectors (121) and is configured to illuminate concentric portions (A, B, C) of said surface (15) on which said metal base (14) of the lighting fixture rests.

Description

The present invention relates the technical field of table and portable lighting fixtures and concerns a table and portable lighting fixture with adjustable multi-beam optics, which allows to illuminate with low glare of the observer a more or less large portion of the surface on which it is supported. The light beam can be adjusted via a touch button. The fixture incorporates a rechargeable battery, which allows it to operate for many hours between one charge and the next, and, therefore, can be used "cordlessly".
There are LED lighting fixtures configured for use when placed on a table or on surfaces raised from the ground, which base their operation on a built-in battery, capable of providing several hours of operating autonomy between one charge and the next one. These fixtures allow modifying the intensity and color of the light emitted, but not the geometry of the light beam.
On the contrary, the fixture object of the invention allows the adjustment of the geometry of the light beam emitted in a static manner, without moving parts, through the selection of one or more light emitters, carried out by controlling an electronic circuit, using one or more touch buttons integrated into the lighting fixture itself.
In a second solution, the adjustment of the light beam is carried out by moving the light source in the various reflectors that make up the optical assembly of the fixture.
Furthermore, the new fixture, not having a lampshade and thanks to its slim cylindrical shape, allows it to be placed on a table without significantly covering the view, at the same time avoiding the glare by virtue of the optics, which direct the light directly onto the table without "direct" light rays towards the user.
The aim of the present invention is, therefore, to create a table-top and a portable lighting fixture, which allows the adjustment of the light intensity emitted and the geometry of the light beam, as well as, possibly, the tone and/or color of the light.
Another purpose of the present invention is to create a table-top and portable lighting fixture that can be easily installed by placing it on the surface it is intended to illuminate.
Another purpose of the present invention is to create a table-top and portable lighting fixture that is easily adjustable using touch buttons.
Another purpose of the present invention is to create a table-top and portable lighting fixture, which works independently for many hours using the energy of a built-in battery and/or works indefinitely if connected to a standard USB charger.
A further purpose of the present invention is to create a table-top and portable lighting fixture, which is characterized by construction simplicity and low cost of production.
Not the least purpose is to create a table and portable lighting fixture, which is capable of increasing the functionality and improving the ergonomics of use of a table lamp.
These and other purposes are achieved by a tabletop and portable lighting fixture according to the attached claim 1; further detailed technical features are reported in the attached dependent claims.
Advantageously, the lighting fixture (lamp), which is the object of the present invention, allows the regulation of the light beam emitted to adapt it to the desired illumination of the surface on which the lamp is placed, avoiding possible glare and obtaining the best possible lighting effect in all conditions of use of the lamp itself. The adjustment of the light beam can conveniently be carried out in a static manner, without moving parts, with the apparent advantage of simplicity of construction and better overall reliability.
The lighting fixture according to the invention has the following features:

cylindrical case with magnetic retention support base;
rechargeable lithium-ion battery incorporated in the lower part of the cylindrical case, with the dual function of energy source and stabilizing mass of the lamp;
multi-beam optics designed to illuminate the surface on which the lamp is placed with at least two concentric beams, from the most concentrating to the least concentrating;
lamp activation and adjustment buttons, preferably of the touch type, which are positioned at the top of the cylindrical case of the lamp itself;
standardized battery charging system that can be connected to the base, even permanently, via a USB socket housed on the base itself, or a USB plug connected to a flying cable that comes out of the base itself;
adjustment of the intensity of the light emitted, the light beam, and possibly also the color/color temperature of the light emitted.

In practice, the lighting fixture (lamp) object of the invention incorporates, inside a cylindrical case:

a rechargeable battery, preferably lithium, as an energy source;
a set of high-efficiency LEDs distributed in different sections of a multi-reflector optical assembly;
an electronic control circuit for the different sets of LEDs;
appropriate touch buttons to control the various on/off and lamp adjustment functions.

The lamp turns on via a touch button located on its top.
The optical assembly comprises at least two reflectors, each of which houses a set of LEDs, which constitute the light source; the reflectors have different emission angles that illuminate different and possibly partially overlapping areas of the illuminated surface.
A second touch button allows selecting which reflectors, individually or in combination with each other, can be turned on, thus determining the shape of the light beam emitted and therefore the area to be illuminated.
A third button or the combination of the previous buttons or different activation sequences of the same buttons allows adjusting the intensity of the light emitted in relation to the type of light beam, and possibly also the shade/color of the light emitted, depending on the programmed configuration in the electronic driving circuit.
The battery built into the lamp can be recharged periodically or always kept charged using a USB charger connected to the magnetic base, which fulfills the dual purpose of supporting the lamp and electrical connection of the charger.
The present invention will be now described, for illustrative but not limitative purposes, according to its preferred embodiments, with particular reference to the figures of the enclosed drawings, wherein:

figure 1 is a perspective view of the table and portable lighting fixture, according to the present invention;
figure 2 shows an illumination scheme of concentric portions of the plane on which the fixture is positioned, according to the invention;
figure 3A shows a side view of a possible implementation of the optical assembly used in the lighting fixture that is the object of the present invention;
figure 3B shows a perspective view of the optical assembly of figure 3A;
figure 3C shows a longitudinal section of the optical assembly shown in figure 3A;
figure 4 shows a top plan view of one of the reflectors of the optical assembly shown in figure 3, according to the invention;
figures 5A, 5B, 5C show a series of polar photometric diagrams corresponding to respective light beams emitted by the lighting fixture, according to the present invention;
figure 6 shows the photometric diagram corresponding to the overall light beam emitted by the lighting fixture, according to the invention;
figure 7 shows an exemplary block diagram of the electronic operating circuit used in the lighting fixture according to the present invention;
figure 8 shows a perspective view of the optical unit of the lighting fixture, according to the invention, in which the on, off, and adjustment buttons of the light beam of the lighting fixture according to the invention are visible;
figure 9 shows a schematic view of the base of the lighting fixture according to the invention, with the relative fixing system;
figure 10 shows a schematic view of the optical unit shown in figures 3A, 3B, 3C, in which the housing and electrical contacts of the electronic operating circuit shown in figure 7 are visible;
figure 11 shows a schematic side and partially sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the optical assembly referred to in figures 3A, 3B, 3C, according to the present invention.

With reference to the mentioned figures, the lighting fixture object of the invention comprises a cylindrical case 10, partly transparent, preferably having a diameter of 3÷5 cm and a height of approximately 35-40 cm, which provides a housing 11 in its lower part, for the insertion of a battery 20 and a multi-beam optical system or assembly 12 in the upper top, together with the operation adjustment buttons 13.
The cylindrical case 10 fits onto a metal base 14 with magnetic retention, due to the presence of permanent magnets 21; the base 14 also contains the spring electrical contacts 22 to allow the recharging of the battery 20, via the electrical connections 23, and possibly the continuous operation of the fixture, thanks to the presence of a USB socket 24 that can be connected to a charger 151 equipped with a USB plug supplied with the fixture (fig. 1, 7, 9).
The multi-beam optical system 12 is designed to illuminate concentric portions A, B, C of the plane 15, on which the lighting fixture is positioned, as illustrated in figure 2.
In particular, the optical system or group 12 has at least two "coaxial" reflectors 121, each of which illuminates one of the concentric portions A, B, C of the support surface 15 of the fixture. In the example of the attached figures, three reflectors 121 are advantageously used, which project the light onto three concentric rings, corresponding to the areas A, B, C on the support surface 15 (for example, on the surface 15 of a table 16).
Figures 3A, 3B, 3C, and 4 illustrate a possible implementation of the optical unit 12. Advantageously, three coaxial frusto-conical reflectors 121 are used, each equipped with its own emitting light source, consisting of a set of LEDs 122. In the exemplary illustrated embodiment, each light source is made up of a group of five LEDs 122, of the 2835 type, mounted on a special printed circuit 123 in the shape of a circle with a hole 124 in the center, to allow the passage of the electrical cables from one reflector 121 to the other.
The adjustment of the overall light beam of the lighting fixture is carried out by selecting the switching on of the three groups of LEDs 122 and then combining the photometric diagrams of the separately driven single groups.
Figures 5A, 5B, 5C illustrate, by way of example, the polar photometric diagrams of the three groups of LEDs 122 individually switched on, while figure 6 illustrates the overall photometric diagram relating to the three groups of LEDs 122 switched on all together.
It is also possible to differently combine the light emissions by modulating the intensities, in order to obtain different diagrams, which are always linear combinations of the diagrams illustrated previously by way of example.
The lighting fixture according to the invention comprises an electronic control circuit illustrated in the block diagram in figure 7; the electronic control circuit is based on a single printed circuit 25 (PCB), which houses a microprocessor 30 and other electronic components 26, such as a series of circuits interfacing with the contacts 27 of the touch buttons 13 and a series of regulation circuits 31 of the currents that drive the respective LEDs 122 (fig. 7, fig. 10).
The battery 20 is, for example, of the rechargeable lithium type, with a voltage of 3,2V or 3,7V, and is sized with an appropriate capacity to manage the operation of the lighting fixture. For example, with a 3Ah, 3,2V battery there is an available energy of 9.6Wh. If LED 122 with an efficiency of 200 lumen/W is used, considering an overall electro-optical conversion efficiency of 80% and sizing the overall luminous flux emitted equal to 300 lumen, a power consumption of 1,875W is obtained, which guarantees an operating autonomy of more than 5 hours.
By reducing the light intensity emitted or partializing the light beam, autonomy of up to 10 hours of operation can easily be achieved.
If the USB charger 151 is permanently connected, the battery 20 is always in buffer mode and the fixture remains indefinitely on without discharging the battery 20.
The regulation circuits 31 of the driving currents of the LEDs 122 are controlled by PWM outputs of the microprocessor 30 and are manufactured according to the prior art.
The microprocessor 30 is programmed to consume a very small current from the battery 20 when the lighting fixture is switched off, avoiding the discharge; in this state, the microprocessor 30 only has to control the on and off button of the fixture, while, when the fixture is on, all the buttons are governed and the regulation circuits 31 of the currents of the LEDs 122 are switched on.
The touch buttons 13 are, for example, of the capacitive type, are managed by the microprocessor 30, and constitute the control and adjustment interface of the lighting fixture.
There are advantageously three of them, arranged on the surfaces of the top part of the lighting fixture, and have the following functions:

Button 1: switching the fixture on and off (ON/OFF);
Button 2: adjustment of light intensity (DIMMER);
Button 3: adjustment of the light beam; for example, it is possible to provide that, with each press of the button, one passes from a condition of switching on a first reflector 121 to a condition of switching on a second reflector 121, as well as to a condition of switching on a third reflector 121 and to a condition of switching on all the reflectors 121, or the sequence can provide in a cyclical manner the activation of several combinations of switching on of the various reflectors.

Again advantageously, the three touch buttons 13 are obtained on the top of the lighting fixture by means of conductive inserts 131, 27 inserted in appropriate positions inside an upper cap 132 made of plastic material, which closes the top of the fixture (fig. 8).
According to a different embodiment, the light source of the lighting fixture according to the invention is made up of a mix of LEDs of different types; for example, for each reflector 121, three warm-toned LEDs (2700°K) and two cold-toned LEDs (5500°K) can be mounted. The microprocessor 30, in this solution, has six output channels (two channels for each reflector 121). In this way, it is possible for the user to also adjust the tone of the light, an adjustment which is made by modulating the relative light intensity of the hot and cold LEDs. Again according to this solution, a further touch button 13 (Button 4) is used, again located on the side part of the cap 132 and placed in a different position with respect to the other buttons 13, to adjust the shade of the light.
In a further different version, the lighting fixture comprises a light source constructed with a mix of LEDs, which comprises some RGB LEDs; for example, for each 121 reflector four cold white LEDs (5500°K) and one RGB LED can be mounted. The microprocessor 30, in this solution, has twelve output channels (four channels for each reflector 121, R, G, B, W). In this way, it is possible for the user to also adjust the color of the light, an adjustment which is made by modulating the relative light intensity of the white and RGB LEDs. Also in this solution, a fourth touch button 131 (Button 4) is used, again located on the side part of the cap 132 in a different position compared to the other buttons 13, to adjust the shade of the light.
As an alternative to the introduction of a fourth touch button 13, the adjustments of the intensity and tone/color of the light can be made in sequence with each other always using the same button.
Or, in different solutions, it is possible to have different pressing combinations of the touch buttons 13 to obtain the desired functions. For example, the power button could, if pressed for a long time, activate the light intensity adjustment mode.
The reflectors 121 of the optical assembly 12 can be made with various types of materials, for example in injection-molded and metallized plastic, or with aluminum sheet with high reflectance coating, or with metal sheet, or with polished die-cast aluminum.
As mentioned, the base 14 of the fixture incorporates one or more permanent magnets 21, which mechanically hook the fixture when it is positioned on the base 14 (fig. 9). The presence of the battery 20 in the lower part of the fixture also mechanically stabilizes the entire product, moving the center of mass of the product downwards. Furthermore, the base 14 incorporates the spring electrical contacts 22 and the USB socket 24 for the electrical connection with the battery 20, and the cylindrical case 10 internally contains one or more electrical cables 17 (possibly visible from the transparent portion of the case 10) for the connection between the battery 20 and the upper multi-beam optical assembly 12 (fig. 1).
The electronic control circuit is advantageously housed at the top of the lighting fixture and, in particular, in an internal seat 28 of the cap 132; the aforementioned electronic control circuit is advantageously created by means of a circular printed circuit 25, on which the electronic components 26 and the contacts 27 of the touch buttons 13 are mounted (fig. 10).
Another possible embodiment of the lighting fixture according to the invention provides for a mechanical solution, which allows the adjustment of the light beam by translating the LED light source into the different reflectors 121, which constitute the optical assembly 12, as shown in the attached fig. 11.
In practice, according to this embodiment, rotating an external ring nut 32 coupled to the top cap 132 via a central screw 35 (or other similar means), causes the movement upwards or downwards of an electronic circuit 33 that houses the light source constituted by one or more LEDs 34, so as to position the aforementioned electronic circuit 33 in correspondence with the various reflectors 121. The different photometric diagrams obtained are not equivalent to those of the static solution, but, passing between the various reflectors 121, the effect of widening the light beam is still obtained by moving the light source upwards (for example, placing it in correspondence with the positions indicated with H and K in fig. 11), while in the lowest position (indicated with L in fig. 11) only the concentrated beam is obtained.
The pitch of the screw 35 can be more or less dense based on the desired way of adjusting the light beam. It is also possible to have only three stable preferential "snap" positions of the ring nut 32 in correspondence with the H, K, L positions provided on the respective reflectors 121; this can be achieved by means of a "tri-stable", indexed mechanical activation fixture, in which a spring pin (not shown) selects the three H, K, L positions along the translations resulting from the rotations of the ring nut 32.
From the description given, the characteristics of the table and portable lighting fixture, which is the object of the present invention, are clear, just as clear are the advantages.
Finally, it is clear that numerous other variations can be made to the lighting fixture at issue, without departing from the principles of novelty inherent in the inventive idea, just as it is clear that, in the practical implementation of the invention, the materials, the shapes and dimensions of the illustrated details may be any, according to needs and they may be replaced with other equivalent ones.
Where the features and techniques mentioned in any claims are followed by reference signs, such reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and, accordingly, such reference signs have no limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by these reference signs.

Claims

Table-top and portable lighting fixture, comprising a partially transparent cylindrical case (10), a metal base (14) resting on a surface (15), a power supply battery (20), an electronic circuit (25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 33) which comprises a PCB (25) and a microprocessor (30), and a multi-beam optical assembly (12), wherein said multi-beam optical assembly (12) is electrically connected to said battery (20) via one or more electric cables (17) placed inside said cylindrical case (10), wherein said cylindrical case (10) is connected to said metal base (14) by magnetic means (21) and wherein said multi-beam optical assembly (12) comprises at least one set of LEDs (34, 122) and a series of reflectors (121) and is configured to illuminate concentric portions (A, B, C) of said surface (15) on which said metal base (14) of the lighting fixture rests.
Table-top and portable lighting fixture as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said supply battery (20) is placed in a housing (11) provided in a lower part of said cylindrical case (10), while said multi-beam optical assembly (12) is placed in an upper portion of the cylindrical case (10).
Table-top and portable lighting fixture as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said metal base (14) contains spring-loaded electric contacts (22) configured to recharge said battery (20) via electric connections (23).
Table-top and portable lighting fixture as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said metal base (14) has a USB socket (24) which is connected to a charger (151) with a USB plug.
Table-top and portable lighting fixture as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said optical assembly (12) comprises at least two coaxial frusto-conical reflectors (121), each of which includes said at least one set of LEDs (122), wherein said LEDs are placed on a printed circuit (123) which has the shape of a circle with a hole (124) in the center to allow the passage of said one or more electric cables (17) connecting said battery (20) and said optical assembly (12), said LEDs being configured to illuminate one of said concentric portions (A, B, C) of the surface (15) on which said metal base (14) rests.
Table-top and portable lighting fixture as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that said electronic control circuit (25, 26, 27, 30, 31) controls the switching on of said at least one set of LEDs (122) so as to adjust, by means of regulation circuits (31), the overall light beam of the lighting fixture by combining the photometric diagrams of each set of LEDs (122), each set of LEDs (122) being driven separately from the others.
Table-top and portable lighting fixture as claimed in at least one of claims 5 and 6, characterized in that said lighting fixture also comprises a series of touch buttons (13) for switching the lighting fixture on or off and for adjusting the light intensity, the light beam and/or the light tone emitted by said at least one set of LEDs (122).
Table-top and portable lighting fixture as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that said touch buttons (13) are arranged on the outer surface and on the upper part of said cylindrical case (10), by means of conductive inserts (131, 27) which are positioned inside a cap (132), said cap (132) closing said cylindrical case (10) of the lighting fixture at the top.
Table-top and portable lighting fixture as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that said electronic control circuit (25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 33) is housed inside a seat (28) of said cap (132).
Table-top and portable lighting fixture as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that a ring nut (32) is coupled externally to said cap (132) and is connected to a translating longitudinal element (35), which is, in turn, connected to said electronic control circuit (25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 33) and to said at least one set of LEDs (34), so that said electronic control circuit (25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 33) is placed (H, K, L) at each reflector (121).