JPS6330081Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention is a unit illumination tube by sealing a plurality of light emitting bodies at predetermined intervals within a translucent tube, and connecting them to a desired length or curving them into a desired shape. This invention relates to a lighting tube with a decorative effect.

Configuring an architectural space with a lighting form that matches its purpose and atmosphere is an extremely important requirement for creating a place for human activity and living. In places where decorativeness and mood are particularly important, such as hotels, restaurants, clubs, theaters, etc., lighting in front halls, reception rooms, etc. of ordinary homes and offices is not just about brightness. Rather, decorativeness and mood are desired. For example, lighting suitable for such places is known, such as chandeliers, louver lighting, combinations of small light bulbs and special globes, etc. However, these mainly have large wattage per lamp, and are rather expensive. Rather, it can be said that the main consideration was brightness.
Therefore, as a lighting device for places where decoration and mood are the primary focus, and where a high level of illuminance is not required, we recommend using a hard transparent pipe of an appropriate length or a small light bulb inside a solid body. They are connected or buried at appropriate intervals, and one unit is treated as one light bulb, and they are collectively placed side by side, or a pre-deformed shape is attached. It has come to be used as a lighting device.

However, in conventional lighting devices in which a light bulb is sealed or buried in a pipe or solid body, the pipe or solid body is made of glass or hard plastic, and the light bulb is placed in the mounting position in advance. In addition, they are manufactured to a fixed shape and length during manufacturing, and therefore have the disadvantage that they must be custom-made in advance with a shape and configuration suited to the installation location.

Therefore, when using ready-made products, it is necessary to prepare many types of products in advance, which requires storage space, and in order to construct a long product, it is necessary to use some kind of connector. It is necessary to connect them through a cable or simply line them up to make them appear continuous, but in either case, the connected parts become discontinuous and the whole becomes an intermittent lighting device, making it difficult to decorate. The drawback was that it became extremely undesirable from a sexual standpoint. It is also known that a small light bulb is placed inside a flexible long transparent synthetic resin tube, but in this case, it is rather long and integrally formed, so there is no need to bend the tube itself. As a result, the wiring of the light bulb inside the bulb is strained and there is a risk of breakage, which is a drawback, and the bulb cannot be made to an appropriate length.

In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention consists of encapsulating a luminous body in a translucent tube, and arranging connecting members each having an electrical connection at both ends of the tube to form a unit illumination tube. The purpose is to provide a lighting tube that has a decorative mood as a whole (collection) by having a connected structure or a curved structure as desired.
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in further detail based on the illustrated embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the lighting tube according to the present invention, with the middle part omitted; Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the internal device of the embodiment of Fig. 1, with a part of the internal device in cross section, and the middle part omitted. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the main part of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 with the middle part omitted and the left half section is shown as a cross-section, and FIG. 4 is a case where the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is connected. FIGS. 5 to 8 are partially enlarged cross-sectional views of the connecting portion of FIG. Each internal device described later is housed in a translucent tube 2, and the tube 2 is made of a flexible material such as heat-resistant and elastic polycarbonate resin, and is shaped like a straight tube with a diameter of 10 mm and a length of 1 m. is formed. Reference numeral 3 denotes a translucent receptacle made of the same material as the tube body 2, with the tube body 2 on one side.
A connecting part 3b is formed on the other side and has a pair of holes 3ba in which socket contacts 6, which will be described later, are fitted and arranged. It has a box shape, and
On both sides thereof, locking pieces 3c, 3c are respectively formed as connecting members whose bases are integrally fixed and whose free ends are elastically flexible.
Reference numeral 4 denotes a tube body 2 which is insert-molded so that a pair of electrical connection pins 4a protrude from both sides in the axial direction.
The plug is made of the same material and has translucent properties, and a separating plate 4c is integrally formed in the inner axial direction of a fitting part 4b that is fitted and adhesively fixed to the tube body 2 to isolate the pin 4a. . Reference numeral 5 designates a light-transmitting guide cover made of the same material as the tube body 2, and has a locking step portion 5a on its inner surface with which the locking piece 3c of the receptacle 3 engages, and a connecting portion 3b and a locking piece 3c. A protrusion 5b is formed and fixed to the outer side of the plug 4 with adhesive so that the plug 4 can be inserted and fitted with its rotational direction being restricted, thereby forming a connecting member. Reference numeral 6 designates a pair of socket contacts, including a jack portion 6a into which the pin 4a is inserted and removed, a crimping portion 6b into which the end of a conducting wire 8 (to be described later) is crimped and connected;
It consists of a locking piece 6c that is locked in the recess 3bb after being inserted into the hole 3ba of the receptacle 3. Reference numeral 7 denotes a tension spring consisting of a pair of good conductors, each one end of which is joined to the inwardly protruding end of the pin 4a of the plug 4 by welding. Reference numeral 8 denotes a pair of conductive wires, which are coated with insulation except for both ends, and are joined to the socket contact 6 and the spring 7, respectively, by crimping and welding. Reference numeral 9 denotes small light bulbs as light emitters, which are connected in series with each other, and terminals at both ends are connected to both conductive wires by welding so that the whole is connected between a pair of conductive wires. Further, the light bulbs 9 are arranged at regular intervals, and the light bulbs 9 at both ends of the light bulbs 9 are connected to the tube body 2 by fitting the receptacle 3 and the plug 4 to which the guide cover 5 is adhesively fixed. When the bulbs 9 are connected, the spacing between the bulbs 9 via the connection portion is approximately equal to the spacing between the bulbs 9 inside the tube.

To assemble the unit lighting tube 1 having the above-mentioned configuration, first, the plug 4 and the guide cover 5 are adhesively fixed in advance, the socket contact 6, the spring 7 and the light bulb 9 are respectively connected to the conductor wire 8, and the end of the spring 7 is connected. The fitting part 4b of the plug 4 is connected to the pin of the plug 4, which is fitted into the tube body 2, and the fitting part 4b of the plug 4 is bonded to the tube body 2. At this time, the end of the socket contact 6 is
Since it is retracted inward from the end of the tube body 2, use a suitable jig or the like to pull out the socket contact 6 within the elastic range of the spring 7, and insert it into the hole 3ba of the receptacle 3. . As a result, the locking piece 6c of the socket contact 6 is locked in the recess 3bb in the hole 3ba, so by releasing the pulling force of the socket contact 6, the receptacle is pulled out by the tensile force of the spring 7. 3 is pulled toward the tube body 2, the fitting portion 3a fits into the tube body 2, and the internal device is stably disposed within the tube body 2. The fitting portion 3a and the tube body 2 are fixed with adhesive.

In the unit illumination tube 1 constructed in this way, when the receptacle 3 is inserted into the plug of another device 1, the locking piece 3c of the receptacle 3 is bent while being inserted as shown in FIG. After that, the guide cover 5 is elastically locked to the locking stepped portion 5a, so that a plurality of unit illumination tubes 1 can be easily connected to form a single, long unit. At this time, socket contact 6
Since the pins 4a are inserted and connected to the tubes 1, the bulbs 9 of each tube 1 are electrically connected at the same time, and the mutual spacing between the bulbs 9 via the connecting portions is also the same as the other spacings. In addition, by forming the receptacle 3, plug 4, and guide cover 5, which form the connecting parts of the pipe 1, to have the same diameter as the pipe body 2, the overall diameter will be the same even when the length of the connection is increased. , it has a sense of unity as if it were composed of a single smooth tube, and there are no uneven parts in the middle. When the internal light bulbs are turned on in such a connected state, they emit light as a series of small light bulbs arranged at equal intervals without any discomfort. Furthermore, when the tube body 2 is used in a curved manner, the conductor wire 8 is disposed at a position offset from the center of the tube body 2, so that the conductor wire 8 is subjected to a force in a tensile or compressive direction due to the bending. However, since the conductor 8 is stretched through the spring 7 which is in a slightly tensioned state, such an effect is absorbed by the expansion and contraction of the spring 7, and the conductor, its connection part, and other parts are without having any negative impact on
It will not cause any trouble. If the small light bulbs 9 installed inside are used, for example, with a rating of 5V and 0.6W, 20 of them can be connected in series within the unit lighting tube 1 to connect directly to the commercial power source of 100V. be able to. In this case, the length of the unit lighting tube 1 is 1 m as mentioned above, but if a shorter one, for example 30 cm, is used, the small light bulb 9 should have a rating of 18V and 0.5W. If used, six bulbs can be arranged in series in one device 1 in the same arrangement as the above-mentioned 1m bulb, and can be connected to a 100V power source in the same way, and both bulbs 9 can be connected as is. Since the amount of light emitted can be made substantially the same, it is possible to use them in conjunction with each other. The above-described unit illumination tube 1 can have various illumination configurations depending on its connection and curvature, and can take, for example, the configurations shown in FIGS. 5 to 8. In the case of Figure 5, the main body 1
6, the unit lighting tubes 1 are combined and connected to the main body 11 and arranged three-dimensionally in a straight line to create a chandelier style. In the case of FIG. In the case of Fig. 7, a plurality of unit lighting tubes 1 are hung in a straight line from the center of the main body 12, and around the unit lighting tubes 1 are arranged in an arc shape. In the case of Fig. 8, the unit lighting tube 1 is directly installed on the ceiling surface, side wall surface, etc. in a straight line or in a round shape. They are curved and connected.

By the way, when configuring such various lighting tubes, the connecting portion and terminal portion between the main body or the mounting portion and the unit lighting tube 1 are processed using the respective mounting devices, caps, etc. shown in FIGS. 9 to 11. do.

FIG. 9 is a partially sectional front view of the socket receptacle 13, in which a receptacle 13b similar to the receptacle 3 described above is integrally attached to the attachment portion 13 to the main body, etc. , a wiring cord 14 is connected to a contact 6' disposed inside. Therefore, for example, the fifth
- Fix the mounting part 13a to a predetermined part such as the main body 10, 11, 12 in Fig. 7, and attach the unit illumination tube 1 and plug 4.
When the parts are fitted, the locking piece 1 of the receptacle 13
3ba engages with the locking step portion 5a of the guide cover 5 of the unit illumination tube 1, and the illumination tube 1 is locked.

Figure 10 shows union 1 that connects the cross section.
5 is a front view with the front side lid of No. 5 removed;
A receptacle 15 having a locking piece 15b similar to that of the receptacle 3 on the union main body 15a.
c. Plug blocks 15e having engaging step portions 15d similar to those in which the guide cover 5 and the plug 4 are integrally formed are integrally disposed in a cross-shape so as to face each other. Although not shown, a predetermined connection is appropriately made in the central portion of the interior of the main body portion 15a. Therefore, the main body portion 15a is fixed to a predetermined portion, and the receptacle 3 and plug 4 portions of the unit lighting tube 1 are respectively attached to the plug block 15.
c. When fitted into the receptacle 15b, the unit illumination tubes 1 are cross-connected in the shape of a cross, like the cross section 16 of the illumination device shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the end cap 17 that fits into the receptacle 3 portion of the unit illumination tube 1. One end has a hemispherical body 17a, and the other end has a locking stepped portion 17b similar to the guide cover 5. The guide cover portion 17c is fitted into the receptacle 3 portion at the end of the hanging unit illumination tube 1 etc. as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7.

It is preferable that the receptacle 13, union 15, and end cap 17 shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 be made of the same material as the tubular body 2. Further, the locking surfaces of the locking pieces 3c, 13ba, 15b and the locking steps 5a, 15d, 17b in each embodiment are formed with an inclination of, for example, 20 to 30 degrees with respect to the direction perpendicular to the axis. As a result, when they are fitted and locked together, they can sufficiently withstand a specified tensile load, but in the case of replacement or rearrangement, they can be separated without any problem by applying a specified tripping force. It is also possible.

However, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, the length, diameter, and cross-sectional shape of the lighting tube can be set arbitrarily, and the lighting tube can have translucency such as transparent or semi-transparent. Of course, the structure of the connecting part such as a receptacle or plug may also be in other forms or integrated with the pipe body, and the locking structure may include a flexible locking piece on the outside, a ring fitting, etc. In addition to being of other types such as a combination type, the tube body and the light emitting body may be colored, and the light emitting body is not limited to a light bulb, but may be another light source such as a light emitting diode. Of course, the applicable location is not limited to indoors, but can also be installed outdoors, underwater, etc.

As described above, in the lighting tube of the present invention, the light-emitting bodies inside the tube are arranged at regular intervals, and the light is emitted as a series of small light-emitting bodies arranged at equal intervals. able to demonstrate.

By forming the connecting member to have the same diameter as the tube body, the above lighting tube has the same overall diameter when connected to a longer length, giving a sense of unity as if it were made up of a single smooth tube body. , and all uneven portions can be eliminated in the middle.

The above-mentioned lighting tube has a pair of connecting portions formed on each connecting member at both ends of the flexible light-transmitting tube.
They are connected to each other by conductors, some of which are tension springs, and the terminals of the light emitting body are connected to this pair of conductors. Since the wire is located at a position offset from the center of the pipe body, a tensile or compressive force will be applied to the conductor due to the bending, but the conductor will be in a slightly tensioned state via a tension spring. Since the conductor is tensioned, such action is absorbed by the expansion and contraction of the tension spring, and there is no adverse effect on the conductor, its connections, other components, etc., and there is no problem. Furthermore, since the light emitters fixedly straddled between a pair of conductive wires are connected in series, it also has the advantage of being able to be directly connected to a 100V power source using a small rated light bulb. In addition, some light emitters were disconnected,
Even if it is damaged, only the individual light tube can be easily replaced, so it has great features such as lowering product costs due to mass production of small numbers of products, and also keeping maintenance costs low.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the lighting tube according to the present invention with the middle part omitted, and Fig. 2 shows an exploded internal device of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, with a part of the internal device in cross section and the middle part omitted. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the main part of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 with the middle part omitted and the left half section is shown as a cross-section, and FIG. 4 is a case where the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is connected. FIGS. 5 to 8 are explanatory diagrams schematically showing different examples of applied illumination to which the embodiment of FIG. 1 is applied, and FIG. 9 is a part of an example of a socket receptacle. FIG. 10 is a front view of an example of the union with the front cover removed, and FIG. 11 is a front view of an example of the end cap. 1... Unit illumination tube, 2... Tube body, 3... Receptacle, 4... Plug, 4a... Pin, 6... Socket contact, 8... Leading wire, 9... Small light bulb.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Connecting members each having a pair of electrical connection parts that can be fitted into each other are disposed at both ends of the flexible light-transmitting tube, and each pair of connection parts formed in the connection members at both ends partially becomes a tension spring and is connected to each other by a pair of conductive wires coated with insulation except for both ends, and a plurality of light emitting bodies are fixed at regular intervals across the pair of conductive wires, and each of the light emitting bodies is connected in series. A connectable lighting tube consisting of a structure in which the terminals of the light emitters at both ends are connected to the ends of different conducting wires.