Portable light

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/288,909 filed Jan. 29, 2016 in the name of James Richard Christ and Christopher Michael Bryant and entitled “Portable Light,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

Embodiments of the technology relate generally to lighting systems and more specifically to a portable luminaire that is useful as a work light and that may have two or more configurations.

For illumination applications, light emitting diodes (LEDs) offer substantial potential benefit associated with their energy efficiency, light quality, and compact size. However, to realize the full potential benefits offered by light emitting diodes, new technologies are needed.

For instance, there are needs in the art for portable lighting systems that realize or leverage the potential benefits offered by light emitting diodes. For example, need exists for a portable light that can produce different illumination patterns to meet different user situations and applications. Further need exists for a portable light that has two or more configurations, to provide application flexibility. A capability addressing one or more such needs, or some other related deficiency in the art, would support improved illumination systems and more widespread utilization of light emitting diodes in lighting applications.

In one aspect of the disclosure, a lighting system can provide two or more configurations. The lighting system can comprise a portable light or a task light, for example. The lighting system can provide different illumination patterns in the two or more configurations. For example, the portable lighting system can provide relatively narrow directional illumination in one configuration and diffuse, spread illumination in another configuration.

In one aspect of the disclosure, the lighting system can comprise at least one light emitting diode and at least one optic. In one configuration of the lighting system, the light emitting diode can emit light that forms an illumination pattern without utilizing the optic for light management. In another configuration of the lighting system, the optic can manage the light emitted by the light emitting diode. In some examples, the optic can move into or out of the light path of the light emitting diode when the configuration of the lighting system changes.

In some examples, the optic can comprise a diffuse lens. In some examples, the optic can comprise a refractive element. In some examples, the optic can comprise a color filter. In some examples, the lighting system can comprise two light emitting diodes and two corresponding optics, with the two optics respectively moving in front of the two light emitting diodes as the lighting system is reconfigured.

The foregoing discussion is for illustrative purposes only. Various aspects of the present technology may be more clearly understood and appreciated from a review of the following text and by reference to the associated drawings and the claims that follow. Other aspects, systems, methods, features, advantages, and objects of the present technology will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and text. It is intended that all such aspects, systems, methods, features, advantages, and objects are to be included within this description and covered by this application and by the appended claims of the application.

Reference will be made below to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D (collectively FIG. 1 ) illustrate an example portable light in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, and 2G (collectively FIG. 2 ) illustrate another example portable light in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D (collectively FIG. 3 ) illustrate another example portable light in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

The drawings illustrate only example embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the embodiments described, as other equally effective embodiments are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. The elements and features shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating principles of the embodiments. Additionally, certain dimensions or positionings may be exaggerated to help visually convey certain principles. In the drawings, similar reference numerals among different figures designate like or corresponding, but not necessarily identical, elements.

In accordance with some representative embodiments of the disclosure, a lighting system, for example a portable task light or a portable work light, can provide different illumination patterns as may be appropriate or called for by different tasks or projects. The different illumination patterns can be user-selectable and may correlate to different physical configurations of a portable light, for example.

In one configuration, the portable light can provide a directional beam of light for illuminating a work area or an opening that is recessed or narrow. In another configuration, the portable light can provide diffuse, low-glare light for reading or general area illumination that may be soft or that may avoid being harsh on a user's eyesight. A portable light that emits different illumination patterns can alleviate any inconvenience or impracticality of a user needing to carry multiple lights, such as a flashlight for directional lighting and a portable fixture that has a frosted lens or a frosted bulb mounted for diffuse lighting. In some example embodiments, the portable light can further be battery powered, thus accommodating work areas that may lack convenient or adequate electrical facilities for plug-in line power.

In some example embodiments, the portable light can comprise light emitting diode light sources containing optical elements, for example lenses. The light emitting diode light sources can be mounted to respective arms that rotate about a central axis of rotation, with complimentarily located diffuse lenses arranged around the same central axis of rotation. The light emitting diode light sources and the diffuse lenses can be arranged such that when a user rotates the arms to face each other, the portable light can assume a closed configuration. From this closed position, the light emitting diode light sources can direct light through the diffuse lenses to provide diffuse, glare-free illumination that emanates from the rotating arms.

When the user rotates the arms to a position in which the light emitting diode light sources are not facing each other, the portable light can assume an open position. From this open position, the light emitting diode light sources can direct light through the optical elements to provide directional beams or patterns of light. A user can aim or direct those beams or patterns of light based on an orientation. The orientation can be determined by a relative angle (or angles) formed by the arms with respect to the central axis of rotation. The resulting lighting can be well suited for appropriate task illumination applications.

Some representative embodiments will be further described hereinafter with example reference to the accompanying drawings that describe representative embodiments of the present technology. The technology may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the technology to those appropriately skilled in the art.

As will be discussed in further detail below, the figures illustrate example portable lights. More specifically, FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D illustrate a first example embodiment of a portable light 100 . FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, and 2G illustrate a second example embodiment of a portable light 200 . FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D illustrate a third example embodiment of a portable light 300 . In some example embodiments, the portable light 100 of FIG. 1 incorporates the optical configuration details of the portable light 300 illustrated in FIG. 3 .

Referring now to FIG. 1 , multiple views of the portable light 100 are provided. FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of the portable light 100 in an open configuration. FIGS. 1B and 1C respectively illustrate opposing side views of the portable light 100 in a closed configuration. FIG. 2D illustrates a cutaway perspective view of the portable light 100 in the closed configuration.

In the open configuration of FIG. 1A , the arms 1 , 2 of the portable light 100 are open. The arms 1 , 2 rotate about a central portion 55 of the portable light 100 , which provides a central axis of rotation as discussed above. The central portion 55 further provides an enclosure for housing batteries and power controls, such as an on-off switch. The central portion 55 may be sized to accommodate one, two, three, four, or some other appropriate number of batteries. In some example embodiments, such batteries may be “C” or “D” sized or some other appropriate size. The central portion 55 may further be sized for holding or grasping in a hand of a user, for example.

In the open configuration illustrated in FIG. 1A , the portable light 100 emits directional light that may be concentrated to illuminate a relatively narrow space or to project light a relatively large distance, for example. The light emitting diodes 15 , which are illustrated as mounted on printed circuit boards (PCBs), emit light that is incident upon focusing optical elements 20 and associated reflectors 35 . The focusing optical elements 20 , which can comprise refractive lenses for example, and the reflectors 35 direct, condense, collimate, or focus the light emitted by the light emitting diodes 15 . The resulting illumination passes through a clear lens 25 , which can comprise a flat plastic or glass window that is positioned adjacent the focusing optical elements 20 in some embodiments. Accordingly, the portable light 100 may emit light in a relatively tight pattern with the arms 1 and 2 open.

In the closed configuration, which is illustrated in FIGS. 1B, 1C, and 1D , the arms 1 , 2 swing together. As best seen in FIG. 1D , with the arms 1 , 2 rotated together, the light that passes through the clear lens 25 from the middle portion of the arm 1 is incident upon a diffusing lens 30 in the arm 2 that scatters or diffuses transmitted light. Similarly and as discussed in further detail below with reference to FIG. 3 , the light that emits from the light emitting diodes 15 in the top and bottom portions of the arm 2 is incident upon and is softened by a diffusing lens 30 in the arm 1 .

Accordingly, the light that emits from the portable light 100 with the arms 1 , 2 closed is relatively diffuse and may be suited for illuminating a relatively broad space, for example a room, a basement under construction, a picnic area, or a campsite. In the illustrated embodiment, the portable light 100 further comprises reflective tape 100 that can reflect light from vehicular headlamps for safety, for example.

Referring now to FIG. 2 , multiple views of the portable light 200 are provided in accordance with another example embodiment. FIG. 2A illustrates a perspective view of the portable light 200 in an open configuration. FIGS. 2B and 2C respectively illustrate front and back views of the portable light 200 in the open configuration. FIGS. 2D and 2E respectively illustrate opposing side views of the portable light 200 in the open configuration. FIGS. 2F and 2G illustrate opposing top and bottom views of the portable light 200 in the open configuration.

As best seen FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C , each rotatable arm 1 , 2 of the portable light 200 comprises a respective array of light emitting diodes 15 A, 15 B and a respective diffusing lens 30 A, 30 B. In the arm 2 , the light emitting diodes 15 A are closer to the axis of arm rotation than in the arm 1 , and the diffusing lens 30 A is farther from the axis. When the arms 1 , 2 are closed (as discussed above with reference to FIG. 1 ), the light emitting diodes 15 B in the arm 1 emit light into (and through) the diffusing lens 30 A in the arm 2 . Similarly, the light emitting diodes 15 A in the arm 2 emit light into (and through) the diffusing lens 30 B in the arm 1 . Thus, the emitted light is diffused when the arms 1 , 2 are closed.

In the open configuration illustrated in FIG. 2 , the light produced by the two arrays of light emitting diodes 15 emits from the portable light 200 without passing through either diffusing lens 30 A, 30 B and thus provides a relatively concentrated, projecting illumination pattern. As discussed above, the portable light 200 can accordingly produce multiple, user-selected patterns of illumination for different applications and situations.

As best seen in FIGS. 2B and 2C , in addition to providing two optical configurations, the rotating arms 1 , 2 provide an opening 70 that may be sized to receive a user's hand to facilitate carrying and handling of the portable light 200 . In the illustrated embodiment, the opening 70 is available for the user's hand in both the opened and closed configurations.

Referring now to FIG. 3 , multiple views of the portable light 300 are provided. FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective view of the portable light 300 in an open configuration. FIG. 3B illustrates a perspective cutaway view of the portable light 300 in the open configuration, showing both arms 1 , 2 in cutaway. FIG. 3C illustrates a magnified cutaway view of one of the arms 1 of the portable light 300 , while FIG. 3D illustrates a magnified cutaway view of the other arm 2 . As discussed above, in some example embodiments, the features illustrated in the portable light 300 of FIG. 3 can be incorporated into the portable light 100 of FIG. 1 , and vice versa.

As best seen in the cutaway view of FIG. 3B and in the magnified cutaway of FIG. 3D , the portable light 300 comprises light emitting diodes 15 and associated focusing optical elements 20 in the upper and lower sections of the arm 2 . With the arms 1 , 2 open, light produced by each light emitting diode 15 in the arm 2 is condensed, focused, or collimated by the associated focusing optical element 20 in the arm 2 and then emits through the associated clear lens 25 of the arm 2 . When the user swings the arms 1 , 2 closed, the diffusing lens 30 in the arm 1 moves into the path of the condensed light passing through the clear lens 25 . In this configuration, the diffusing lens 30 thus diffuses the light, resulting in relatively soft light useful for reading, task illumination, or other application benefiting from diffuse illumination.

Accordingly, the portable light 300 can produce light that diverges differently according to whether the portable light 300 is opened or closed. In some example embodiments, the diffusing lens 30 snaps in and out so that a user can readily remove and replace it. For example, the user can swap the diffusing lens 30 for a colored filter, which may diffuse light in some embodiments, or transmit light without diffusion in other embodiments. In some example embodiments, the clear lens 20 snaps in and out for removal and replacement by the user. The user may readily swap a clear version of the lens 20 for one that is colored to filter light, for example.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosures set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these disclosures pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosures are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of this application. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.