JP7176211B2 - lighting equipment - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to lighting devices such as spotlights and floodlights, for example.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, lighting devices using LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are becoming popular as light sources for spotlights used for stage lighting and the like. LEDs have the advantages of low power consumption and low heat generation compared to halogen lamps. On the other hand, LEDs are weak against heat and require measures to dissipate heat.

Further, spotlights used for stage lighting generally have a plurality of light shielding plates called band doors at the light exit end. The band door is interposed on the optical path of the spotlight to narrow the irradiation range of the spotlight. Therefore, in order to adjust the irradiation range of the spot light using the band door, it is desirable that the light source is sufficiently small as viewed from the band door, and ideally a point light source.

JP 2016-110934 A

On the other hand, it is desirable that spotlights used for stage lighting have as high an output as possible. However, since LEDs have a property that their performance deteriorates due to heat, it is difficult to emit high-power illumination light using one LED. On the other hand, when a plurality of LEDs are arranged along a plane perpendicular to the optical axis for heat dissipation of the LEDs, the edges of the spotlights blocked by the band door become blurred, and the irradiation range of the spotlights is reduced to the desired range. It becomes difficult to adjust to

Therefore, it is desired to develop a high-output lighting device that uses an LED as a light source and can adjust the irradiation range of light to a desired range.

A lighting device according to an embodiment includes a light source, a first liquid crystal lens, a second liquid crystal lens, and a rotation support mechanism. The first liquid crystal lens is arranged to face the light source on the light emitting side, and deflects the light emitted from the light source in one direction that intersects the transmission direction and the transmission direction. The second liquid crystal lens is arranged so as to overlap in the emission direction of the light transmitted through the first liquid crystal lens, and transmits the light transmitted through the first liquid crystal lens in a direction different from that of the first liquid crystal lens. , in one direction that intersects the transmission direction . The rotation support mechanism independently supports the first and second liquid crystal lenses so as to be rotatable around axes along the light emission direction. The illumination device according to the embodiment adjusts the irradiation range of the light emitted from the light source by deflecting the light emitted from the light source and deflected by the first liquid crystal lens with the second liquid crystal lens.

According to an embodiment, the light source includes a plurality of light emitting elements arranged along a plane intersecting the light emitting direction.

The illumination device of the embodiment includes a plurality of light distribution control members that are arranged between the light source and the first liquid crystal lens so as to face the plurality of light emitting elements, respectively, and control the light emitted from the light emitting elements to a narrow angle. have more.

According to the lighting device of the embodiment, since the first and second liquid crystal lenses with different light deflection directions are provided so as to overlap in the light emission direction, the light irradiation range can be controlled in two directions, and the light irradiation range can be controlled in two directions. can be adjusted to the desired range. In addition, according to this illumination device, the first and second liquid crystal lenses can be independently rotated about an axis along the direction of light emission, and the light can be projected at a desired angle on the object to which the light is irradiated. can be rotated to

According to the lighting device of the embodiment, since it has a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged along the plane intersecting the light emission direction, it is possible to emit high-power illumination light. Moreover, since the light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements is deflected by the liquid crystal lens, the irradiation range of the light can be adjusted to a desired range.

According to the lighting device of the embodiment, since a plurality of light distribution control members are provided facing each light emitting element, the light incident on the liquid crystal lens can be controlled at a desired orientation angle.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing the lighting device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of the lighting device of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the lighting device of FIG. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the shape of a spotlight formed by the illumination device of FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the essential parts of the lighting device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example layout of a plurality of light source units of the lighting device of FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the layout of a plurality of light source units of the illumination device of FIG. 5; FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the illumination device of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In the following description, the direction in which light is emitted from the lighting device 100 is indicated by an arrow L, and the up, down, left, and right directions when viewing the lighting device 100 from the front along the emission direction L are defined. In each figure, the coordinate axes may be illustrated with the emission direction L as the Z direction, the horizontal direction as viewed from the front of the emission direction L as the X direction, and the vertical direction as the Y direction.

(First embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 1, a lighting device 100 according to the first embodiment has a substantially rectangular box-shaped housing 101 . The housing 101 is made of a metal plate. A plurality of radiating fins 102 are provided on the rear end side of the housing 101 opposite to the light emitting direction L. As shown in FIG. The radiation fins 102 extend vertically along the YZ plane and are provided integrally with the housing 101 so as to be separated from each other in the X direction.

A rectangular opening 101a for emitting light is provided on the front surface of the housing 101 . A rectangular translucent plate 104 is attached to the opening 101a. The light-transmitting plate 104 is provided so as to close the opening 101a. The light-transmitting plate 104 transmits and diffuses the light emitted from the illumination device 100 . The transparent plate 104 can be omitted.

Mounting arms 108 are attached to left and right side walls 105 and 106 of the housing 101 for mounting the lighting device 100 to a lighting baton (not shown) or the like. The mounting arm 108 has a shape in which a belt-like metal plate is bent into a U shape, and both ends thereof are rotatably mounted on the side walls 105 and 106 of the housing 101 . Both ends of the mounting arm 108 are rotatably attached to the housing 101 via a rotating shaft 109 extending in the X direction. Therefore, the illumination device 100 can be rotated up and down while attached to a lighting baton or the like via the attachment arm 108 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the illumination device 100 includes a light source substrate 2 thermally connected to a radiation fin 102, a light source unit 10 mounted on a surface 2a of the light source substrate 2, and a light source unit 10 mounted along a light emitting direction L. has a liquid crystal lens 20 spaced in front of it. That is, the light source unit 10, the liquid crystal lens 20, and the translucent plate 104 are arranged in this order along the light emission direction L. As shown in FIG. Here, in order to make the explanation easier to understand, the shape of the radiation fins 102 is shown different from that in FIG.

The light source unit 10 has a base member 12 with an LED 1 (Light Emitting Diode) (light emitting element) attached to a surface 12a, and a collimator lens 14 attached to the base member 12 so as to cover the front of the LED 1 . The base member 12 is arranged along the XY plane. The collimator lens 14 functions as a light distribution control member that controls light emitted from the LED 1 at a narrow angle. A reflector or a condensing lens may also be used as the light distribution control member. In this embodiment, the collimator lens 14 converts the light emitted from the LED 1 into parallel light.

Heat from the LED 1 is transferred to the plurality of heat radiation fins 102 via the base member 12 and the light source substrate 2 . A plurality of radiating fins 102 radiate heat from the LED 1 to the outside of the housing 101 . That is, the base member 12 and the light source substrate 2 are made of a material with high thermal conductivity.

The liquid crystal lens 20 is fixedly arranged to face the light source unit 10 with a space therebetween on the light emitting side. The liquid crystal lens 20 is arranged along the XY plane and fixed to the housing 101 via the supporting member 22 . The effective area through which light passes through the liquid crystal lens 20 has a size that allows all the light incident through the collimator lens 14 to pass therethrough. In other words, the shape of the liquid crystal lens 20 along the XY plane may be any shape, such as a circle or a square, provided that it is large enough to transmit all the light emitted from the light source unit 10. is desirable.

The liquid crystal lens 20 transmits and deflects the light emitted through the light source unit 10 . The liquid crystal lens 20 has a pair of transparent electrodes (not shown) on both sides in the Z direction with a liquid crystal layer (not shown) interposed therebetween, and controls transmission/blocking of light by applying a voltage between the pair of transparent electrodes. Note that the liquid crystal lens 20 controls the degree of diffusion of transmitted light by changing the voltage applied between the pair of transparent electrodes.

The liquid crystal lens 20 of the present embodiment transmits and diffuses light (parallel light) controlled to have a narrow angle through the collimator lens 14 . By controlling the voltage applied between the pair of electrodes, the emission angle of the light emitted through the liquid crystal lens 20 is changed, and the size of the spot light on the light irradiation surface (not shown) is changed.

Therefore, according to the above-described first embodiment, since the size of the irradiation area of the spot light can be changed using the liquid crystal lens 20, the optical lens is moved along the light emitting direction L as in the conventional art. The size of the illumination device 100 along the emission direction L can be shortened compared to a zoom mechanism. In this embodiment, the LED 1 is used as the light source, the collimator lens 14 is used as the light distribution control member, and the liquid crystal lens 20 is used instead of the zoom lens. can be done.

(Modification of the first embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the illumination device 100 of the first embodiment described above. The illumination device 110 according to this modification has two liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b stacked along the light emitting direction L. As shown in FIG. The lighting device 110 also includes a rotating support member 24 (rotating support member 24) that supports the two liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b so as to be independently rotatable along the XY plane about the axis along the emission direction L. support mechanism).

The illumination device 110 has substantially the same structure as the illumination device 100 of the above-described first embodiment except that two liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b are rotatably supported along the XY plane. Therefore, here, constituent elements that function in the same manner as in the lighting device 100 of the first embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b have the property of deflecting the transmitted light in one direction that intersects the transmission direction. For example, one liquid crystal lens 20a (first liquid crystal lens) deflects the transmitted light in the Y direction to form a spotlight extending in the Y direction as shown in FIG. 4B. In other words, the liquid crystal lens 20a is oriented such that the circular spot light (before deflection) shown in FIG. 4(a) can be transformed into an oval spot light extending in the Y direction as shown in FIG. 4(b). placed in

The other liquid crystal lens 20b (second liquid crystal lens) deflects transmitted light in a direction different from that of the liquid crystal lens 20a, that is, in the X direction. In other words, the liquid crystal lens 20b is arranged in a posture in which the light deflection direction is different from that of the liquid crystal lens 20a by 90°. Therefore, the liquid crystal lens 20b can transform the oval spot light that has been transmitted through the liquid crystal lens 20a and transformed into the shape shown in FIG. 4(b) into the substantially rectangular spot light shown in FIG. 4(c). can.

The liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b may be spaced apart from each other in the Z direction as shown, or may be placed in contact with each other. Alternatively, two liquid crystal layers adjacent to each other in the Z direction may be integrally stacked so that transmitted light can be deflected independently. In this case, the number of times the light passing through the liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b passes through interfaces between different materials can be reduced, light loss can be reduced, and illumination efficiency can be improved.

As described above, by deflecting the light using the two liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b with different deflection directions, the spot light can be spread in the X and Y directions. Also, by changing the voltage applied to the transparent electrodes (not shown) of the liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b, the irradiation range of the spot light can be adjusted in the X direction and the Y direction. That is, according to this modified example, the irradiation range of light can be adjusted in the same manner as the conventional light distribution control using a band door.

Further, according to this modification, the two liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b can be rotated about the axis along the light emitting direction L, so that the two liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b can be rotated at a desired angle. , the irradiation area of the light transmitted through the two liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b can be rotated on the surface to be irradiated.

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing main parts of a lighting device 200 according to the second embodiment. The lighting device 200 of the second embodiment has substantially the same structure as the lighting device 100 of the first embodiment described above, except that a plurality of light source units 10 are arranged along a plane that intersects the light emission direction L. . Therefore, here, constituent elements that function in the same manner as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Each of the plurality of light source units 10 has a base member 12 with LEDs 1 attached to a surface 12a and a collimator lens 14 attached to the base member 12 so as to cover the front of the LEDs 1 . That is, the plurality of collimator lenses 14 are arranged between each LED 1 and the liquid crystal lens 20 so as to face the plurality of LEDs 1 respectively.

The liquid crystal lens 20 similarly diffuses transmitted light regardless of the transmission position of the light along the XY plane. Therefore, the irradiation areas of the spot lights emitted from the plurality of light source units 10 arranged along the XY plane substantially overlap on the irradiated surface. That is, even if a plurality of light source units 10 are arranged along the XY plane as in the present embodiment, the edge of the irradiation area of the spot light is not blurred.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the layout of the plurality of light source units 10 along the XY plane. FIG. 6 is a front view of lighting device 200 . In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, nine light source units 10 are arranged three each in the X direction and the Y direction. The layout of the light source unit 10 is not limited to this, and may be the layout shown in FIG. 7, for example. In this case, the opening 101b of the housing 101 of the illumination device 200 may be circular as shown.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, since the plurality of light source units 10 are arranged along the plane intersecting the light emitting direction L, the LED 1 is used as the light source, and a high output lighting device is provided. can do.

(Modification of Second Embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the illumination device 200 of the second embodiment described above. A lighting device 210 according to this modification has two liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b stacked along the light emitting direction L. As shown in FIG. The illumination device 210 also includes a rotating support member 24 (rotating support member 24) that supports the two liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b so as to be independently rotatable along the XY plane about an axis along the emission direction L. support mechanism).

The illumination device 210 has substantially the same structure as the illumination device 200 of the above-described second embodiment, except that the two liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b are rotatably supported along the XY plane. Therefore, here, constituent elements that function in the same manner as the lighting device 200 of the second embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Also in this modification, the deflection directions of the spot light can be independently controlled in two directions, and the irradiation area of the spot light can also be adjusted in both the X direction and the Y direction. Therefore, also in this modified example, it is possible to adjust the irradiation area of the spot light to a desired shape, as in the case of the conventional illumination device using the band door.

According to the illumination device of at least one embodiment described above, by having the liquid crystal lens 20 facing the LED 1, it is possible to use the LED 1 as a light source and adjust the light irradiation range to a desired range. . Moreover, a plurality of LEDs 1 can be arranged along a plane intersecting the direction of light emission, and a high-output lighting device can be provided.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments or examples are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments or examples can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments, examples, and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

For example, in the modified examples of the above-described embodiments, the rotation support member 24 that rotatably supports the two liquid crystal lenses 20a and 20b has been described. It may be manually rotatably supported or electrically rotatable.
The invention described in the scope of claims at the time of filing of the present application will be additionally described below.
[1]
a light source;
a liquid crystal lens that is fixedly arranged facing the light source on the light emitting side and that transmits and deflects the light emitted from the light source;
lighting device.
[2]
The light source includes a plurality of light emitting elements arranged along a plane that intersects the direction of light emission,
The illumination device of [1].
[3]
further comprising a plurality of light distribution control members arranged between the light source and the liquid crystal lens so as to face the plurality of light emitting elements, respectively, and controlling light emitted from the light emitting elements at a narrow angle;
[2] lighting device.
[4]
The liquid crystal lens has first and second liquid crystal lenses with different light deflection directions stacked in the light emission direction,
The lighting device of [1] or [2].
[5]
further comprising a rotation support mechanism that rotatably supports the first and second liquid crystal lenses about an axis along the direction of light emission;
[4] lighting device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... LED, 2... Light source board, 10... Light source unit, 12... Base member, 14... Collimator lens, 20, 20a, 20b... Liquid crystal lens, 22... Support member, 24... Rotating support member, 100, 110, 200 , 210... lighting device, 101... housing, 101a... opening.

Claims (3)

a light source;
a first liquid crystal lens arranged to face the light source on the light emitting side, and deflecting the light emitted from the light source in a transmission direction and in one direction intersecting the transmission direction ;
arranged so as to overlap in the output direction of the light transmitted through the first liquid crystal lens, and transmit the light transmitted through the first liquid crystal lens in a direction different from that of the first liquid crystal lens, and a second liquid crystal lens that deflects in one intersecting direction ;
a rotation support mechanism that independently supports the first and second liquid crystal lenses so as to be rotatable about axes along the direction of light emission ;
An illumination device that adjusts the irradiation range of the light emitted from the light source by deflecting the light emitted from the light source and deflected by the first liquid crystal lens by the second liquid crystal lens . The light source includes a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged along a plane that intersects the direction of light emission,
3. The lighting device of claim 1. further comprising a plurality of light distribution control members arranged between the light source and the first liquid crystal lens so as to face the plurality of light emitting elements, respectively, and controlling the light emitted from the light emitting elements at a narrow angle;
3. The illumination device of claim 2.

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