WO2010120104A2

WO2010120104A2 - Unartificial lighting structure and method for making the same structure

Info

Publication number: WO2010120104A2
Application number: PCT/KR2010/002288
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hunkyun Pak
Original assignee: Hunkyun Pak
Priority date: 2009-04-17
Filing date: 2010-04-14
Publication date: 2010-10-21
Also published as: KR20100115213A; WO2010120104A3; KR101145810B1

Abstract

Disclosed is an unartificial lighting structure which functions to reflect natural light incident from the outside and illuminate inside a room, and also functions as a general window shade for protecting one's private life and preventing dazzling of direct sunlight, and a method for making the same structure.

Description

UNARTIFICIAL LIGHTING STRUCTURE AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME STRUCTURE

The present invention relates to an unartificial lighting structure which is disposed to be adjacent to a window, and a method for making the same structure, and more particularly, to an unartificial lighting structure which functions to reflect natural light incident from the outside and illuminate inside a room, and also functions as a general window shade for protecting one's private life and preventing dazzling of direct sunlight, and a method for making the same structure.

Generally, windows are provided at a building to receive natural light. However, since other people may look into a room through the windows, there may occur many problems. In case of a private dwelling, if a clear view from the outside is provided through the lighting means, it intensifies metal inconvenience of residents, and also there is high possibility of crimes such as theft, robbery and trespass. Further, in case of a business office, the contents of a secret document may be opened through the windows.

In order to intercept the view from the outside, a blocking means such as a blind and a curtain has been widely used. But since using of the blocking means result in the loss of natural lighting effect, the inside of the building becomes dark and has to be lit even in the daytime. Thus, there occurs a waste of energy, and also it has a harmful effect on resident's health.

Fig. 2 shows a venetian shade (blind) structure which is typically used as a conventional blocking means. As shown in Fig. 2, the conventional blind includes a plurality of horizontally elongated narrow plates 21 which are connected with each other and then fixed to a supporting part 22, a plate up/down unit 23 which moves the plates up and down, and an angle control unit 24 which controls an angle between each plate and a window so as to control a light amount of incident light. (Since constructions of the units are already well-knows in the art, detailed description thereof will be omitted.) This type structure is very simple and can perform its own functions such as protection of private life and control of external light. However, the structure functions only to partially block the incident light. It cannot function as an active lighting means for reflecting the external light to a deep place of the inside of the building.

To solve the above mentioned problems, there has been proposed various inventions relevant to the lighting means.

As shown in Fig. 3, a general light shelf functions to reflect natural light 31 incident through a window to a ceiling of a room using a horizontal structure 32 which is disposed inside and outside a building. However, since this structure has many protrusion portions which are protruded to the inside of the building, efficiency of internal space utilization is reduced.

In U.S. Patent No. 5285315, there was proposed an invention in which a light reflecting material is disposed between two glass plates so as to reflect sunlight into a room. However, it entails high manufacturing cost, and also since an existing glass window has to be removed to install this structure, it requires high installation charges. Furthermore, since it is not facile to install and remove it, it is not possible to enjoy external scenery without distortion of an image.

In U.S. Patent No. 1357565, there was proposed an invention which reflects light incident light from the outside and uses as indoor lighting. In this invention, a plurality of prisms which are arranged at regular intervals are used as a light reflecting unit, and a corresponding panel functions to transmit the incident light into an inside of a building. And since a direction of the incident light is changed according to seasons and times, an angle of the panel can be controlled. However, this structure also entails high manufacturing cost, and it is inconvenient to control the angle of the panel according to the direction of the incident light.

In U.S. Patent No. 5293305, there was proposed a light guide system which lights an inside of a room using both of natural light and artificial light. A reflector is disposed between two glass panels so as to use all of the natural light incident from an upper side and the artificial light incident from a lower side. However, the light guide system blocks external scenery through a window, and it is difficult to manufacture it because it is very sensitive to the incident direction of the natural light and the artificial light. Further, since the light guide system uses the artificial light, it increases the manufacturing and maintenance costs.

In U.S. Patent No. 4883340, there was proposed a device which is disposed at a roof of a building so as to light an inside thereof. Herein, a reflector used therein can be regulated according to a change of an angle of sunlight. However, this lighting method can be used only in an uppermost floor of the building, which can directly receive the sunlight.

In International Patent Publication No. 1997/31276, there was proposed an invention in which an optical pattern is formed at one side of a transparent plate so as to change a direction of incident light and introduce the external light incident through a window to a ceiling of an inside of the a building, thereby lighting the inside thereof. In this method, there is a problem that an external image through the window is distorted.

In European Patent No. 0718547, there was proposed an invention which changes a direction of light using a specially designed transparent optical structure, and thus introduces the external light incident through a window to a ceiling of an inside of the a building, thereby lighting the inside thereof. In this method, there are some problems that an external image through the window is distorted and also its fabricating cost is very high.

In European Patent No. 09133862, there was proposed an invention in which a plurality of concaved reflectors are interposed between two glass plates so as to introduce the external light incident through a window to a ceiling of an inside of the a building, thereby lighting the inside thereof. In this method, there are also some problems that an external image through the window is distorted and also its fabricating cost is very high.

In U.S. Patent Publication No.2008/0030859, there was proposed an invention in which a film having saw-shaped uneven portion is provided, and a reflecting layer is attached only to an inclined surface of the uneven portion so as to introduce the external light incident through a window to a ceiling of an inside of the a building, thereby lighting the inside thereof. In this method, there are also some problems that an external image through the window is distorted and also lighting efficiency is remarkably changed according to a change in a height of the sun.

In Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2000-0012799, there was proposed an invention which folds a blade of a general venetian blind in a length direction so as to function as a blind as well as introduce natural light to a deep place of an inside of a building. However, in this invention, there are some problems that an actually introduced light amount is hardly changed, and also it is inconvenient to control an angle of the blade according to a height of the sum.

In U.S. Patent No. 6239910 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2001/00191351 and International Patent Publication No. 2000/47859, there was proposed an invention in which a blade of a general blind is formed to have a special curve, and thus functions as a blind as well as introduces natural light to a deep place of an inside of a building. However, since the curve and shape of the blade of the blind has to be specially and optically designed and fabricated in order to increase lighting efficiency, it increases the manufacturing cost.

Moreover, in many cases of the above-mentioned inventions, there is the problem that lighting efficiency is remarkably deteriorated according to the change in the height of the sun. Although an automatic system for automatically controlling the angle of the reflector according to a position of the sun is provided in order to solve the problem, the manufacturing cost is rapidly increased. Therefore, it is difficult to apply it to the actual life.

In general, human eyes can be adjusted to a very wide range of illumination intensity, because irises in the eyes can be automatically regulated according to brightness therearound. However, since a regulation speed of the iris is not fast, a man generally feel inconvenient in a space having an extreme difference in illumination intensity. In other words, the person feels dazzling at a place adjacent to a window through which sunlight is directly introduced and also feels dark at a place that sunlight does not arrive. A light screen such as a curtain and a blind is used to prevent the dazzling. However, in this case, since the sunlight introduced inside a room is blocked, the person can feel uncomfortable dark. In order to solve the problem, artificial light is used instead of the natural light introduced from the outside. This results in unnecessary use of energy.

Therefore, in the lighting using natural light, it is important to provide uniform illumination intensity over the entire indoor region.

An object of the present invention is to provide an unartificial lighting structure which can introduce natural light from the outside to a deep place of a room, effectively blocks a view from the outside and also economically minimize a manufacturing and installation cost, and a method for making the same structure.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an unartificial lighting structure which can uniformly provide illumination intensity over the entire indoor region so as to reduce a difference in a contrast ratio and also maintain a small contrast ratio without separate controlling operation in consideration of a position of the sun, and a method for making the same structure.

To achieve the object of the present invention, the present invention provides an unartificial lighting structure 11 which is adjacent to a window so as to control a direction of light introduced through a window and increase lighting performance in a room, including: a frame 12 which is adjacent to the window so as to support the unartificial lighting structure 11; a plurality of plate type blind blades 13 which are arranged at regular intervals to be parallel with each other; and an angle controlling part 14 which controls an angle of each blind blade 13, wherein an uneven portion 17, which is formed by a plurality of concave portions and convex portions that are partially or wholly extended in a length direction of the blind blade 13, is formed on at least one surface of the blind blade 13, and when the light is incident on a flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 is formed, the light is reflected by the uneven portion 17 and then introduced into the room.

Preferably, an angle between at least one inclined surface of the uneven portion 17 and the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed, is within an extent of 30° to 60°. Most preferably, the angle between at least one inclined surface of the uneven portion 17 and the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed, is 45°.

Preferably, the angle a between one inclined surface of the uneven portion 17 and the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed, and the angle a' between the other inclined surface of the uneven portion 17 and the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed, are the same as each other, or different from each other.

Preferably, the blind blade 13 includes a plate-shaped base member 131; a plurality of concavo-convex portions 132 which are formed on at least one surface of the base member 131 so to be extended in a length direction of the blind blade 13; and a reflecting layer 133 which is formed on a surface of the concavo-convex portion 132. The base member 131 is formed of at least one material selected from a wooden material, a metallic material and a polymeric compound. The concavo-convex portion 132 is formed by at least one of a process of grinding a surface of the base member 131, a process of curing a concavo-convex-shaped polymeric material on a film and then attaching the film on a surface of the base member 131, a process of simultaneously extruding the base member 131 and the concavo-convex portions 132, and a process of curing a concavo-convex-shaped polymeric material on the base member 131. The reflecting layer 133 is formed by at least one of a deposing process, a plating process, a coating process, and a process of attaching a film having the reflecting layer 133. And the blind blade 13 is formed on the reflecting layer 133 so as to protect the reflecting layer 133, and further includes a transparent layer 134 formed of a transparent material.

Preferably, the concavo-convex portions 132 is formed on only one surface of the blind blade 13, and the blind blade 13 further includes a diffused reflection layer 135 is formed on the other surface thereof on which the concavo-convex portions 132 is not formed. And the diffused reflection layer 135 is formed by at least one of a process of attaching at least one material selected from paper, cloth and film, a process of coating a paint, a process of coating a transparent polymeric material containing particles having difference refractive indexes, a process of attaching a film having a rough surface, and a process of roughly working the surface thereof.

preferably, the uneven portion 17 is formed so that an angle between a direction of the concave and convex portions of the uneven portion 17 and a length direction of the blind blade 13 has at least one or more values within an extent of 0°to 45°, when looking down on the blind blade 13. And the uneven portion 17 is formed so that the direction of the concave and convex portions of the uneven portion 17 and the length direction of the blind blade 13 are parallel with each other, when looking down on the blind blade 13.

Preferably, the unartificial lighting structure further includes a subsidiary reflecting part 16 which is disposed at a place corresponding to a course of the light reflected from the uneven portion 17 so as to reflect the light reflected from the uneven portion 17. And the subsidiary reflecting part 16 further includes a plate type subsidiary base member 161, and a subsidiary reflection layer 162 formed on a surface of the subsidiary base member 161.

Preferably, the subsidiary base member 161 is formed of a light reflecting material, and the subsidiary base member 161 and the subsidiary reflection layer 162 are integrally formed with each other. And assuming that one side surface of the subsidiary reflecting part 16, which is exposed to the light reflected by the uneven portion 17 is defined as an outer side and the other side surface thereof is defined as an inner side, the subsidiary reflecting part 16 further includes a subsidiary diffused reflection layer 163 which is formed of a diffused reflection material and disposed at an outermost surface of the subsidiary reflecting part 16.

Preferably, assuming that one side surface of the subsidiary reflecting part 16, which is exposed to the light reflected by the uneven portion 17 is defined as an outer side and the other side surface thereof is defined as an inner side, the subsidiary base member 161 is disposed at the inner side and the subsidiary reflection layer 162 is disposed at the outer side, or the subsidiary base member 161 formed of a transparent material is disposed at the outer side and the subsidiary reflection layer 162 is disposed at the inner side. And the subsidiary reflecting part 16 further includes a subsidiary diffused reflection layer 163 which is formed of a diffused reflection material and disposed at an outermost surface of the subsidiary reflecting part 16.

Preferably, the subsidiary reflecting part 16 is disposed to be parallel with a wall surface adjacent to a window including a ceiling, or to be inclined. And the subsidiary reflecting part 16 is formed into a flat shape or a curved shape.

Preferably, the unartificial lighting structure further includes a connecting member 18 which connects the blind blade with each other, or a moving controlling part 15 which controls up/down movement of the blind blade 13.

Further, the present invention provides a method for making the unartificial lighting structure, wherein, if the concavo-convex portion 132 is formed by the process of curing a concavo-convex-shaped polymeric material on a film and then attaching the film on a surface of the base member 131, the process includes a1) disposing a transparent film 251; a2) coating a UV curable resin 252 on the transparent film 251; a3) passing a UV curable resin coated surface of the film 251 through a pattern roller 253 having a concavo-convex shape; and a4) irradiating UV rays using a UV lamp 254.

Further, the present invention provides a method for making the unartificial lighting structure, wherein, if the concavo-convex portion 132 is formed by the process of curing a concavo-convex-shaped polymeric material on the base member 131, the process includes b1) disposing the base member 131; b2) coating a UV curable resin 252 on the base member; b3) passing a UV curable resin coated surface of the base member 131 through a pattern roller 253 having a concavo-convex shape; and b4) irradiating UV rays using a UV lamp 254.

Further, the present invention provides a method for making the unartificial lighting structure, wherein, if the reflecting layer 133 is formed by a deposing process, the process includes c1) putting a plate material 271 having the concavo-convex portion into a vacuum depositing chamber 272; and c2) vaporizing a target metal and depositing a metal film on the plate material 271.

As described above, the present invention can use natural light in the lighting of a room so as to save energy and consults a user's convenience. And also it is possible to reduce a contrast ratio over the entire regions of the room without separate controlling operation in consideration of a position of the sun, thereby preventing dazzling or darkness in the room.

Further, the present invention can provide general functions of a general open/close type horizontal blind, such as blocking of direct sunlight, protecting of private life and shading when the blind is drawn, thereby simultaneously providing the lighting of natural light and the blocking of a view.

Furthermore, the present invention can provide a simple structure and an economical effect that the manufacturing and installation cost is inexpensive. And since it has a similar operation way to the general open/close type horizontal blind, the user can facilely use it.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view of an unartificial lighting structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view showing a conventional blind.

Fig. 3 is a view showing a conventional light shelf.

Figs. 4 to 6 are views showing a detailed construction of a blind blade in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figs. 7 to 9 are views showing a detailed construction of an uneven portion in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figs. 10 to 13 are views showing a reflecting principle of the uneven portion in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figs. 14 to 16 are views a lighting principle of the blind blade in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figs. 17 to 20 are views showing various embodiments of a subsidiary diffused reflection layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figs. 21 to 24 are views showing a subsidiary reflection part in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figs. 25 to 27 are views showing a method for making the unartificial lighting structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 28 is a view showing other embodiment of the unartificial lighting structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[Detailed Description of Main Elements]

11: unartificial lighting structure

12: frame 13: blind blade

14: angle controlling part 15: moving controlling part

16: subsidiary reflecting part

17: uneven portion 18: connecting member

131: base member 132: concavo-convex portion

133: reflection layer 134: transparent layer

135: diffused reflection layer

161: subsidiary base member

162: subsidiary reflection layer

163: subsidiary diffused reflection layer

16a: hinge 16b: rail

16c: handle rod

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a view of an unartificial lighting structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1A, the unartificial lighting structure 11 of the present invention has similar structure to a general open/close type horizontal blind. That is, the unartificial lighting structure 11 of the present invention, which is adjacent to a window so as to control a direction of light introduced through a window and increase lighting performance in a room, includes a frame 12 which is adjacent to the window so as to support the unartificial lighting structure 11, a plurality of plate type blind blades 13 which are arranged at regular intervals to be parallel with each other, and an angle controlling part 14 which controls an angle of each blind blade 13. The unartificial lighting structure 11 of the present invention further include a connecting member 18 which connects the blind blade with each other and may further include a moving controlling part 15 which controls up/down movement of the blind blade 13. The structure and operating principle of a general open/close type blind are already well-known in the art, and thus the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the unartificial lighting structure 11 of the present invention, unlike the general open/close type blind, an uneven portion 17, which is formed by a plurality of concave portions and convex portions that are partially or wholly extended in a length direction of the blind blade 13, is formed on at least one surface of the blind blade 13. If light is incident on the surface that the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed, the light is reflected by the uneven portion 17 and then introduced into a room. Herein, the uneven portion 17 is formed so that an angle between one inclined surface of the uneven portion 17 and the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed, is within an extent of 30° to 60°, most preferably 45°(herein, 'the flat surface of the blind blade 13 on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed' means a virtual surface, i.e., the flat surface of the blind blade 13 in case that the uneven portion 17 is not formed). The blind blade 13 is characterized by the uneven portion 17. The angle between the inclined surface of the uneven portion 17 and the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed, will be described later with reference to Figs. 10 to 13.

Figs. 1B and 1C detailedly shows the uneven portion 17, wherein Fig. 1B shows an embodiment that the uneven portion 17 is wholly extended and Fig. 1C shows an embodiment that the uneven portion 17 is partially extended. In case that the uneven portion 17 is partially extended, the uneven portion 17 may be non-continually formed as shown in an upper side of Fig. 1C, or formed into a pyramid shape as shown in a lower side of Fig. 1c. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but may have various other types if the uneven portion 17 is partially or wholly extended.

Hereinafter, the uneven portion 17 will be described with reference to the Fig. 1B. As shown in Fig. 1B, the uneven portion 17 is provided on at least one surface of the blind blade 13 so as to reflect the light incident from the outside. The uneven portion 17 is formed by the plurality of concave portions and convex portions which is partially or wholly extended in a length direction of the blind blade 13, is formed on at least one surface of the blind blade 13 so that the light is reflected by the uneven portion 17 and then incident into a room, when the light is incident on the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed. In other words, the uneven portion 17 is constructed so as to be parallel or almost parallel with a length direction of the blind blade 13. This construction will be described later with reference with Figs. 7 to 9.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 1, the unartificial lighting structure 11 of the present invention may further includes a subsidiary reflecting part 16 which is formed of a white colored material or other material such as a mirror and a metal, that facilely reflects the light, and which is provided at a corresponding place such as a ceiling, a wall and a window frame, that is located on a course of the light reflected by the uneven portion 17.

Figs. 4 to 6 are views showing a detailed construction of a blind blade, which explains a detailed construction of the uneven portion 17.

In a first embodiment of Fig. 4, the blind blade 13 includes a plate-shaped base member 131, a plurality of concavo-convex portions 132 which are formed on at least one surface of the base member 131 so to be extended in a length direction of the blind blade 13, and a reflecting layer 133 which is formed on a surface of the concavo-convex portion 132. The base member 131 may be formed of any materials, e.g., a wooden material, a metallic material and a polymeric compound (like plastic), which are used for forming a general blind blade. Further, in order to form the concavo-convex portions 132 on the base member 131, various working processes may be used according to the material of the base member 131. For example, in case that the material of the base member 131 is the wooden material, the metallic material or the polymeric material, grinding is applied to form the concavo-convex portions 132, and in case that the material of the base member 131 is the metallic material or the polymeric material, extruding is applied. In addition, regardless of the material of the base member 131, the concavo-convex portions 132 may be formed by curing a concavo-convex-shaped polymeric material on a film and then attaching the film to a surface of the base member 131. Otherwise, the concavo-convex portions 132 may be formed by directly curing the polymeric material on the base member 131. And also the concavo-convex portions 132 may be formed by any other proper working process besides the above-mentioned working process without limitation to the above embodiment.

The reflecting layer 133 is formed of a material like a metal thin film and formed on the surface of the concavo-convex portions 132 through depositing, plating or coating. Further, in case that the reflecting layer 133 is formed of a film having a reflecting surface, the reflecting layer 133 may be formed by attaching the film having the reflecting surface on the concavo-convex portions 132. Of course, the reflecting layer 133 may be also formed by any other proper working process besides the above-mentioned working process without limitation to the above embodiment.

In a second embodiment of Fig. 5, the blind blade 13 is formed by a similar way to the first embodiment. However, the blind blade 13 further includes a transparent layer 134, which is formed of a transparent material on the reflecting layer 133, so as to not have an influence on the reflection of light but prevent a damage of the reflecting layer 133.

In a third embodiment of Fig. 6, the concavo-convex portions 132 is formed on one surface of the blind blade 13, and a diffused reflection layer 135 is formed on the other surface thereof. The diffused reflection layer 135 functions to diffusedly reflect the light reflected from the reflecting layer 133. The diffused reflection layer 135 may be formed by adhering a material, e.g., paper, cloth and film colored by while or other color having a high brightness, on the other surface of the blind blade 13 on which the concavo-convex portions 132 is not formed, or formed by coating a paint colored by while or other color having a high brightness, on the other surface of the blind blade 13 on which the concavo-convex portions 132 is not formed, or formed by coating a transparent polymeric material containing particles having difference refractive indexes on the other surface of the blind blade 13 on which the concavo-convex portions 132 is not formed, or formed by roughly working the other surface of the blind blade 13 on which the concavo-convex portions 132 is not formed, or formed by attaching a film having a rough surface on the other surface of the blind blade 13 on which the concavo-convex portions 132 is not formed. Of course, the blind blade 13 may be formed by any other proper working process besides the above-mentioned process without limitation to the above embodiment.

In Fig. 6, the blind blade 13 includes the base member 131, the concavo-convex portions 132, the reflecting layer 133 and the transparent layer 134, like in the second embodiment, and also further includes the diffused reflection layer 135. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. That is, the blind blade 13 of the third embodiment includes the base member 131, the concavo-convex portions 132, the reflecting layer 133 and the transparent layer 134 of the second embodiment, and the diffused reflection layer 135.

Figs. 7 to 9 are plan views of the uneven portion 17 including the concavo-convex portions 132, the reflecting layer 133 and the like, which show various embodiments of the uneven portion 17. Fig. 7 shows a fourth embodiment having the most basic construction. In this case, the uneven portion 17 is formed by a plurality of concave portions and convex portions that are extended in a length direction of the blind blade 13 so as to be completely parallel with the length direction of the blind blade 13.

In a fifth embodiment of Fig. 8, the uneven portion 17 is extended in a length direction of the blind blade 13, but may be not completely parallel with the length direction of the blind blade 13. More detailedly, the uneven portion 17 may be inclinedly formed so that an angle between a direction of the concave and convex portions of the uneven portion 17 and the length direction of the blind blade 13 is 0°to 45°. In Fig. 8, the uneven portion 17 is extended in a direction at an angle of about 30°and then changed into a reverse direction at the same angle of about 30°, and the change in the direction is repeated so that the uneven portion 17 forms a zigzag shape. However, the present invention is not limited to the above shape. In other words, the uneven portion 17 is formed into a diagonal line shape or a zigzag shape, but the number of repeated direction changes may be variously designed according to various parameters, e.g., convenience in manufacturing it, lighting performance and the like.

As shown in sixth embodiment of Fig. 9, the uneven portion 17 may be formed into a curved shape. More detailed, like in the fifth embodiment of Fig. 8, the uneven portion 17 is inclinedly formed so that the angle between the direction of the concave and convex portions of the uneven portion 17 and the length direction of the blind blade 13 has one more values selected from an extent of 0°to 45°. Also the angle in the sixth embodiment of Fig. 9 is continually changed within a desired angular extent, unlike in the fifth embodiment of Fig. 8 in which the angle in the sixth embodiment of Fig. 9 is non-continually changed.

Hereinafter, a cross-sectional structure of the uneven portion 17 will be described fully with reference to Fig. 10.

As described above, the uneven portion 17 is formed so that an angle between one inclined surface of the uneven portion 17 and the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed, is within an extent of 30° to 60°, most preferably 45°. Assuming that an angle between one inclined surface 17a (a right inclined surface of Fig. 10) of the uneven portion 17 and the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is a, and an angle between the other inclined surface 17b (a left inclined surface of Fig. 10) of the uneven portion 17 and the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is a', the angles a and a' are respectively within an extent of 30° to 60°, most preferably 45°. Herein, the angles a and a' may be formed to have the same value, but may be variously designed according to various parameters, e.g., convenience in manufacturing it, lighting performance and the like. In other words, the one inclined surface 17a and the other inclined surface 17b mean opposed inclined surfaces. In Fig. 10, the one inclined surface is designated in the right side, and the other inclined surface is designated in the left side. However, the left and right sides may be changed according to a viewing direction, and thus the present invention is not limited to it.

One of the important differences between the present invention and the prior arts (U.S. Patent No.6239910 and International Patent Publication No.2000/47859) is the structure of the uneven portion 17. In the prior arts, the light incident from the outside is diffused in a room using a geometric structure of a section of the blind blade. However, in the present invention, the light is reflected by the fine concavo-convex structure formed on the surface of the uneven portion 17. Therefore, it is difficult in the prior arts to design the section of the blind blade, but it is facile in the present invention to design and embody it, regardless of an entire shape of the section of the blind blade, since it is simple to form the uneven portion 17 on the surface of the blind blade 13.

In the present invention, most of the light reflected by the uneven portion 17 is reflected so as to form a very small angle relative to a tangential direction of the flat surface (hereinafter, called 'uneven side surface') of the blind blade on which the uneven portion 17 is formed (herein, 'tangential direction of the uneven side surface' means a tangential direction which is a transverse direction (referring to Fig. 1) of the blind blade 13). In other words, as shown in Fig. 11, if the angles a and a' are respectively 45°, most of the light which is nearly vertically incident on the uneven side surface is reflected in a direction which is nearly parallel with the uneven side surface. That is, an angle d between the uneven side surface and the reflected light is very small. However, if the angle a is larger than 45°(Fig. 12) or smaller than 45°(Fig. 13), as shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the angle d between a tangential direction of the uneven side surface and a mainly reflected direction of the light which is nearly vertically incident on the uneven side surface is large.

In the actual blind blade 13, as shown in Fig. 14, since it is not possible that the uneven side surface forms a mathematically completely flat surface, and it is not also difficult that the incident light is completely vertically incident on the flat surface, most of the reflected light is spread and diffused within a narrow angular extent e, while forming a very small angle d relative to a tangential direction of the uneven side surface. The reflected light that is spread and diffused within a narrow angular extent will be described fully with reference to Fig. 15. In the entire system, as partially shown in Fig. 15, since the plurality of blind blades are parallelly arranged at regular intervals in a height direction, when the incident light is reflected, spread and diffused within a narrow angular extent e, while forming a very small angle d relative to a tangential direction of the uneven side surface, some of the light reflected at a large angle is blocked by an opposite surface (hereinafter, called 'opposite side surface') of the uneven side surface of other blind blade, and thus only the light reflected at a small angle is transmitted to an upper side. The angular extent e of the spread light is easily controlled by controlling a distance h between the blind blade, an angle f between the blind blade and the window. Generally, the angular extent e is reduced by reducing the angle f. This structure is hardly influenced by a height of the sun, i.e., the change in the incident angle. In the blind, the angle of blind blade is easily controlled by the angle controlling part 14, and the distance between the blind blades is easily controlled by the moving controlling part 15. Since these controlling

parts

14 and 15 can be easily controlled, the unartificial lighting structure of the present invention can be facilely controlled by anyone so as to regulate a lighting level.

The incident light reflected at the narrow angular extent is transmitted to a narrow range of a ceiling and a wall which are close to the blind. Additionally, if the diffused reflection layer 135 is formed at the opposite side surface of the blind blade, as shown in Fig. 6, the light blocked by the opposite side surface of the upper blind blade out of the light reflected from the uneven side surface of the lower blind blade is diffusedly reflected and used as indirect lighting.

Meanwhile, it will be described about the lighting using the light which is not blocked by the upper blind blade out of the light reflected by the concavo-convex portion but transmitted to the ceiling or wall. If the ceiling or wall has a bright color like white which diffusedly reflects the light, it is possible to provide excellent lighting effect in itself. In addition, in order to further increase the lighting effect, the subsidiary reflecting part 16 may be further provided at this region, as shown in Figs. 21 to 24.

First of all, a detailed construction of the subsidiary reflecting part 16 will be described. The subsidiary reflecting part 16 may be formed of various materials such as paper, cloth and film colored by while and other color having a high brightness, or plastic, paint, and metal deposited, plated or coated on a film or a glass base member. Figs. 17 to 20 show various embodiments of the subsidiary reflecting part 16. Assuming that one side surface of the subsidiary reflecting part 16, which is exposed to the light reflected by the uneven portion is defined as an outer side and the other side surface thereof is defined as an inner side, a subsidiary base member 161 is disposed at the inner side and a subsidiary reflection layer 162 is disposed at the outer side, as shown in Fig. 17. Or the subsidiary base member 161 formed of a transparent material is disposed at the outer side and the subsidiary reflection layer 162 is disposed at the inner side, as shown in Fig. 18. Otherwise, (although not shown) if the subsidiary base member 161 itself is formed of a light reflecting material, the subsidiary base member 161 and the subsidiary reflection layer 162 may be integrally formed with each other.

Further, if a subsidiary diffused reflection layer 163 is further provided by providing a diffused reflection material at an outermost surface of the subsidiary reflecting part 16, it is possible to further obtain the indirect lighting effect. In other words, as shown in Fig. 19, in the status that the subsidiary base member 161 is disposed at the inner side and the subsidiary reflection layer 162 is disposed at the outer side, the subsidiary diffused reflection layer 163 may be further provided at an outermost surface thereof. Or as shown in Fig. 20, in the status that subsidiary base member 161 and the subsidiary reflection layer 162 may be integrally formed with each other, the subsidiary diffused reflection layer 163 may be further provided at an outermost surface thereof. As described above, the structure of the subsidiary reflecting part 16 may be somewhat modified by the skilled of the art.

Now, the embodiments of the subsidiary reflecting part 16 will be described. The subsidiary reflecting part 16 may be disposed at the window frame, or the ceiling or wall which are closed to a window, as shown in Fig. 21, or may be directly disposed on the blind, as shown in Fig. 1. The incident light reflected to the narrow region of the ceiling or wall by the concavo-convex portion of the blind blade is reflected by the subsidiary reflecting part 16 and then transmitted to a deep place of the room.

Further, as shown in Fig. 22, the subsidiary reflecting part 16 may be inclinedly disposed toward the inside of the room, and an inclined angle P thereof may be controlled by the user. Fig. 23 shows an example of controlling the inclined angle P. One end of the subsidiary reflecting part 16 is fixed through a hinge 16a to the ceiling, the wall, the window frame or the blind system, and the other end thereof is moved along a rail 16b, and the inclined angle P is controlled using a handle rod 16c which is pulled or pushed by the user. However, the present invention will be not limited to this structure. The inclined angle controlling method may be modified by the skilled in the art. As shown in Fig. 24, the subsidiary reflecting part 16 may be formed into a curved shape.

In a method for making the unartificial lighting structure 11 of the present invention, since other processes except a blind blade forming process are the same as those in the general open/close type blind, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, only the blind blade forming process will be described.

Fig. 25 shows an example of a manufacturing device which makes a film having the concavo-convex portion through a1) a step of disposing a transparent film 251; a2) a step of coating a UV curable resin 252 on the transparent film 251; a3) a step of passing a UV curable resin coated surface of the film 251 through a pattern roller 253 having a concavo-convex shape; and a4) a step of irradiating UV rays using a UV lamp 254. The transparent film 251 may be formed of various plastic materials such as PET, PEN, PC, PE and PP, and the UV curable resin 252 may be formed of various resins like acrylic resin. The blind blade having the concavo-convex portion may be manufactured by attaching the prepared film on the base member 131.

Moreover, although not shown, the concavo-convex portion 132 may be directly formed on the base member 131 by a polymer curing process. The polymer curing process includes b1) a step of disposing the base member 131; b2) a step of coating a UV curable resin 252 on the base member; b3) a step of passing a UV curable resin coated surface of the base member 131 through a pattern roller 253 having a concavo-convex shape; and b4) a step of irradiating UV rays using a UV lamp 254. Thus, the concavo-convex portion 132 is directly formed on the base member 131.

As shown in Fig. 26, the film or plate having the concavo-convex portion may be fabricated by extruding melted plastic resin 262 through a concavo-convex-shaped narrow gap 261. In this case, other plastic materials may be employed instead of the transparent plastic material for passing the UV rays. Further, although not shown, the concavo-convex portion 132 may be formed on a flat film or plate by a grinding work.

Fig. 27 shows an embodiment in which the reflection layer 133 is formed by a depositing work. As shown in Fig. 27, the concavo-convex portion 132 is formed on a flat film or plate through c1) a step of putting a plate material 271 having the concavo-convex portion into a vacuum depositing chamber 272; and c2) a step of vaporizing a target metal and depositing a metal film on the plate material 271. The target metal 273 includes various metals like aluminum, which are used in depositing a thin film type food packing material. The target metal 273 is properly selected by the skilled in the art. Although now shown, in case that a metal evaporator is not used, metallic ink like silver nano ink may be coated instead. In this case, this process may be continually performed along with the process of preparing the film having the concavo-convex portion, thereby improving the productivity. A metallic material such as silver, chrome and nickel may be electro-plated or electroless-plated on the concavo-convex portion. In case that concavo-convex portion is formed on a surface of a light reflecting material, e.g., a stainless steel plate by the grinding work, it is not necessary to coat a separate reflection layer on a surface of the concavo-convex portion.

Further, it is possible to coat a desired colored paint on an opposite surface of the concavo-convex surface of the film in accordance with consumer's requirement. The order of the process of metal-coating the concavo-convex surface and the process of coating the desired colored paint on the opposite surface may be reversed. Also other processes may be changed by the skilled in the art. For example, the prepared film having the concavo-convex portion may be attached to other structure such as other plastic film, a metallic steel plate and a wooden plate.

The prepared film is cut according to a desired size and shape, thereby forming each blind blade. These blind blades may be applied to the same structure as in the general open/close type blind.

The effect of the present invention was checked by making the structure according to the above-mentioned method. However, the structure and the making method to be described below are just embodiments and may be modified by the skilled in the art. Thus, the present invention is not limited to them.

For the sake of convenience, a light collimate film in a BLU (back light unit) of an LCD was used as a plastic film having the concavo-convex portion. In the concavo-convex portion, the angle values corresponding to the angles a and a' of Fig. 10 was 45°. The film was prepared by printing the concavo-convex portion on the acrylic-based UV curable resin using the pattern roller, curing the resin and then depositing aluminum thereon, as shown in Fig. 27. The prepared film was cut according to a desired size and shape and then attached to a steel blind blade having a length of 30cm and a width of 2.5 cm. A blind having 11 blades was fabricated using the blind blades. For the test, a paper box of 35cm X 18cm X 24cm was prepared (referring to Fig. 28). In order to install the blind to the paper box, one surface of 18cm X 24cm thereof was opened. Outer surfaces of the paper box were covered by black paper, and inner surfaces thereof except a bottom surface were covered by white paper, and the bottom surface was covered by the black paper. On a center portion of the bottom surface, a light receiving unit of a digital illuminometer was attached at two points j and k which are respectively spaced apart 5cm and 35cm from the opened portion, and a mirror of 16cm X 12.5cm was attached to an inner upper surface corresponding to the ceiling so that an edge of the mirror having a length of 16cm was contacted with the opened portion. Then, the unartificial lighting structure 281 of the present invention was installed to the opened portion of the paper box. While an incident angle of the sunlight and an opening degree of the blind were changed variously, illumination values at the points j and k are measured and compared.

In order to change the incident light of the sunlight, an angle between the sunlight and the bottom surface of the paper box was changed. When the sunlight is incident at an angle of 60°, the tests were carried out according to the following conditions: a case that the blind blade was closed so that the sunlight was minimally incident into the paper box, a case that the blind blade was opened so that the sunlight was maximally incident into the paper box, and a case that the blind blade was slightly opened. Regarding to the case that the blind blade was opened so that the sunlight was maximally incident into the paper box and the case that the blind blade was slightly opened, an opened degree of the blind blade was uniformed maintained, while the incident angle (height of the sun) was changed. The measured results were indicated in Table 1. Since the test results may be changed in accordance with various conditions like an amount of sunshine at the testing day, absolute values in the test is not meaningful. However, in each condition, the comparison of the illumination values between the two points j and k will be a good guide.

In cases that the blind was not installed and the blind blade was opened, a contrast value between the two points j and k was very large, e.g., 10 or more. However, in case that the blind blade was slightly opened, the contrast value was near 1, regardless of the incident angle of the sunlight.

[Table 1]

While the present invention has been described with respect to the specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

The unartificial lighting structure of the present invention performs various functions such as lighting of natural light as well as protecting of private life, blocking of direct light. Particularly, the present invention remarkably reduces the contrast ratio between inner spaces of the room. Further, the method of making the unartificial lighting structure of the present invention has a simple process and a lower fabricating cost in comparison with the typical existing technology.

Claims

An unartificial lighting structure 11 which is adjacent to a window so as to control a direction of light introduced through a window and increase lighting performance in a room, comprising:

a frame 12 which is adjacent to the window so as to support the unartificial lighting structure 11;

a plurality of plate type blind blades 13 which are arranged at regular intervals to be parallel with each other; and

an angle controlling part 14 which controls an angle of each blind blade 13,

wherein an uneven portion 17, which is formed by a plurality of concave portions and convex portions that are partially or wholly extended in a length direction of the blind blade 13, is formed on at least one surface of the blind blade 13, and when the light is incident on a flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 is formed, the light is reflected by the uneven portion 17 and then introduced into the room.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 1, wherein an angle between at least one inclined surface of the uneven portion 17 and the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed, is within an extent of 30° to 60°.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 2, wherein the angle between at least one inclined surface of the uneven portion 17 and the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed, is 45°.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 2, wherein the angle a between one inclined surface of the uneven portion 17 and the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed, and the angle a' between the other inclined surface of the uneven portion 17 and the flat surface of the blind blade 13, on which the uneven portion 17 of the blind blade 13 is formed, are the same as each other, or different from each other.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 1, wherein the blind blade 13 comprises a plate-shaped base member 131; a plurality of concavo-convex portions 132 which are formed on at least one surface of the base member 131 so to be extended in a length direction of the blind blade 13; and a reflecting layer 133 which is formed on a surface of the concavo-convex portion 132.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 5, wherein the base member 131 is formed of at least one material selected from a wooden material, a metallic material and a polymeric compound.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 5, wherein the concavo-convex portion 132 is formed by at least one of a process of grinding a surface of the base member 131, a process of curing a concavo-convex-shaped polymeric material on a film and then attaching the film on a surface of the base member 131, a process of simultaneously extruding the base member 131 and the concavo-convex portions 132, and a process of curing a concavo-convex-shaped polymeric material on the base member 131.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 5, wherein the reflecting layer 133 is formed by at least one of a deposing process, a plating process, a coating process, and a process of attaching a film having the reflecting layer 133.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 5, wherein the blind blade 13 is formed on the reflecting layer 133 so as to protect the reflecting layer 133, and further comprises a transparent layer 134 formed of a transparent material.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 5, wherein the concavo-convex portions 132 is formed on only one surface of the blind blade 13, and the blind blade 13 further comprises a diffused reflection layer 135 is formed on the other surface thereof on which the concavo-convex portions 132 is not formed.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 10, wherein the diffused reflection layer 135 is formed by at least one of a process of attaching at least one material selected from paper, cloth and film, a process of coating a paint, a process of coating a transparent polymeric material containing particles having difference refractive indexes, a process of attaching a film having a rough surface, and a process of roughly working the surface thereof.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 1, wherein the uneven portion 17 is formed so that an angle between a direction of the concave and convex portions of the uneven portion 17 and a length direction of the blind blade 13 has at least one or more values within an extent of 0°to 45°, when looking down on the blind blade 13.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 12, wherein the uneven portion 17 is formed so that the direction of the concave and convex portions of the uneven portion 17 and the length direction of the blind blade 13 are parallel with each other, when looking down on the blind blade 13.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 1, further comprising a subsidiary reflecting part 16 which is disposed at a place corresponding to a course of the light reflected from the uneven portion 17 so as to reflect the light reflected from the uneven portion 17.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 14, wherein the subsidiary reflecting part 16 further comprises a plate type subsidiary base member 161, and a subsidiary reflection layer 162 formed on a surface of the subsidiary base member 161.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 15, wherein the subsidiary base member 161 is formed of a light reflecting material, and the subsidiary base member 161 and the subsidiary reflection layer 162 are integrally formed with each other.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 16, wherein, assuming that one side surface of the subsidiary reflecting part 16, which is exposed to the light reflected by the uneven portion 17 is defined as an outer side and the other side surface thereof is defined as an inner side, the subsidiary reflecting part 16 further comprises a subsidiary diffused reflection layer 163 which is formed of a diffused reflection material and disposed at an outermost surface of the subsidiary reflecting part 16.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 15, wherein, assuming that one side surface of the subsidiary reflecting part 16, which is exposed to the light reflected by the uneven portion 17 is defined as an outer side and the other side surface thereof is defined as an inner side, the subsidiary base member 161 is disposed at the inner side and the subsidiary reflection layer 162 is disposed at the outer side, or the subsidiary base member 161 formed of a transparent material is disposed at the outer side and the subsidiary reflection layer 162 is disposed at the inner side.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 18, wherein the subsidiary reflecting part 16 further comprises a subsidiary diffused reflection layer 163 which is formed of a diffused reflection material and disposed at an outermost surface of the subsidiary reflecting part 16.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 14, wherein the subsidiary reflecting part 16 is disposed to be parallel with a wall surface adjacent to a window including a ceiling, or to be inclined.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 14, wherein the subsidiary reflecting part 16 is formed into a flat shape or a curved shape.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 1, further comprising a connecting member 18 which connects the blind blade with each other.
The unartificial lighting structure of claim 1, further comprising a moving controlling part 15 which controls up/down movement of the blind blade 13.
A method for making the unartificial lighting structure of claim 7, wherein, if the concavo-convex portion 132 is formed by the process of curing a concavo-convex-shaped polymeric material on a film and then attaching the film on a surface of the base member 131, the process comprises:

a1) disposing a transparent film 251;

a2) coating a UV curable resin 252 on the transparent film 251;

a3) passing a UV curable resin coated surface of the film 251 through a pattern roller 253 having a concavo-convex shape; and

a4) irradiating UV rays using a UV lamp 254.
A method for making the unartificial lighting structure of claim 7, wherein, if the concavo-convex portion 132 is formed by the process of curing a concavo-convex-shaped polymeric material on the base member 131, the process comprises:

b1) disposing the base member 131;

b2) coating a UV curable resin 252 on the base member;

b3) passing a UV curable resin coated surface of the base member 131 through a pattern roller 253 having a concavo-convex shape; and

b4) irradiating UV rays using a UV lamp 254.
A method for making the unartificial lighting structure of claim 8, wherein, if the reflecting layer 133 is formed by a deposing process, the process comprises:

c1) putting a plate material 271 having the concavo-convex portion into a vacuum depositing chamber 272; and

c2) vaporizing a target metal and depositing a metal film on the plate material 271.