Abstract:
A lighting fixture is disclosed to include a light guide bar, a connector holding a LED at a first end of the light guide bar, and a first reflector and a second reflector respectively covered on a part of the periphery and a second end of the light guide bar to reflect light from the LED out of the light guide bar. The connector has a barrel at the first end thereof that accommodates one end of the light guide bar and the LED, an accommodation space at the second end that accommodates electronic components, and a detoured wire path that guides electric wires of the LED out of the connector and prevents disconnection of the electric wires from the LED. A second LED may be attached to the second end of the light guide bar to substitute for the second reflector.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to lights and more particularly, to a lighting fixture for illumination and decoration purposes. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are intensively used for the purpose of illumination, signaling, or decoration, for the advantage of long working life and low power consumption. For example, the third stop lights of regular cars commonly use LEDs. The LEDs of a third stop light are arranged in a line. When the driver steps on the stop pedal, the LEDs of the third stoplight are driven to give off light. Further, LEDs are also intensively used for vehicle stoplights, directional lights, or internal decorative lights to substitute for conventional lamp bulbs. However, for illumination purpose, a single piece of LED does not provide sufficient intensity of light. Therefore, a LED lamp generally uses a number of LEDs. However, using a number of LEDs relatively increases the cost of the LED lamp. Moreover, light directly emitted from a LED is not soft. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a lighting fixture, which eliminates the high cost problem of conventional LED lamps that commonly use a number of LEDs. It is another object of the present invention to provide a lighting fixture, which eliminates the non-soft problem of conventional LED lamps. 
         [0006]    To achieve these and other objects and according to one aspect of the present invention, the lighting fixture comprises a single piece of LED or a limited number of LEDs, a light guide bar for guiding light from the LED(s), and reflectors on a part of the periphery of the light guide bar and one end of the light guide bar opposite to the LED(s) to reflect light from the LED(s) out of the light guide bar through the outer surface of the light guide bar, thereby providing a soft illumination. 
         [0007]    According to another aspect of the present invention, two LEDs may be respectively provided at the two distal ends of the light guide bar to emit light into the light guide bar along the center longitudinal axis of the light guide bar. 
         [0008]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, the light guide bar can be made having a rough outer surface. 
         [0009]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, the light guide bar can be made having a cross section of circular or hexagonal shape, or any of a variety of other shapes. 
         [0010]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, the reflector(s) and the light guide bar can be made in integrity, i.e., the light guide bar can be directly molded on the reflector(s). 
         [0011]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, a cap can be capped on one end of the light guide bar opposite to the LED(s) to hold one reflector on the associating end of the light guide bar. 
         [0012]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, a connector is used and affixed to one end of the light guide bar to hold the LED(s) in place. The connector comprises a body, and a barrel. The body has a first end, a second end, an accommodation space defined in the first end for accommodating electronic components, a notch at the periphery of the first end, and a detoured wire path for guiding electric wires from the LED(s) out of the notch to prevent disconnection of the electric wires from the LED(s) when the electric wires are stretched accidentally. The barrel extends from the bottom side of the second end of the body for accommodating one end of the light guide bar and the LED(s). 
         [0013]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, the connector further comprises a cover hinged to one side of the body for closing the accommodation space. Further, a hook and a retaining eye member may be respectively provided at the cover and the body such that the hook and the retaining eye member are engaged together to hold the cover in place when the cover is closed on the body. 
         [0014]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, the barrel of the connector has a transverse through hole through which a molten resin is fed into the inside of the barrel to affix one end of the light guide bar to the inside of the barrel. 
         [0015]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, the cover and body of the connector have air vents for dissipation of heat from the LED(s). 
         [0016]    As stated above, the invention uses a light guide bar to guide out light from LED(s), therefore the lighting fixture provides a soft illumination. Further, due to the effects of the light guide bar and the reflectors, one single piece of LED or a limited number of LEDs is sufficient to provide a satisfactory illumination, thereby saving the cost. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view in plain of a lighting fixture in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a schematic drawing showing an operation status of the lighting fixture according to the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a schematic drawing showing an operation status of an alternate form of the lighting fixture according to the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of a circular form of the light guide bar for the lighting fixture according to the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of a hexagonal form of the light guide bar for the lighting fixture according to the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view showing the serrated pattern of the rough outer surface of the light guide bar for the lighting fixture according to the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is an elevational view of the connector for the lighting fixture according to the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  is a schematic plain view of the connector for the lighting fixture according to the present invention, showing arrangement of electric wires in the accommodation space. 
           [0025]      FIG. 9  is a schematic drawing of another embodiment of the present invention, showing the smoothly arched shape of the light guide bar. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0026]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a lighting fixture in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown comprised of a light guide bar  1 , a first reflector  2 , a socket  3 , a light emitting device  4 , a cap  5 , a second reflector  6 , and a connector  7 . 
         [0027]    The light guide bar  1  is a long bar made out of an optical material that allows light to pass and guides light, having a cross section of a predetermined shape, for example, circular shape in  FIG. 4  or hexagonal shape in  FIG. 5 . The light guide bar  1  can be made having a rough outer surface  11  that shows a pattern of teeth (see  FIG. 6 ), raised portions or cones (not shown). The rough outer surface  11  provides a function of refracting light in different directions. 
         [0028]    The first reflector  2  is formed of a light reflecting film or sheet material, bonded to a part of the outer surface of the light guide bar  1  (see  FIGS. 4˜6 ). 
         [0029]    The first reflector  2  can be formed integral with the outer surface of the light guide bar  1 , i.e., the first reflector  22  is put in the cavity of the mold to be used to mold the desired light guide bar, and then the prepared optical material for molding the desired light guide bar is fed into the cavity of the mold and molded with the first reflector  2  into the desired light guide bar  1  carrying the first reflector  2 . Alternatively, the first reflector  2  can be bonded to the outer surface of the light guide bar  1  with an adhesive. 
         [0030]    The light emitting device  4  according to this embodiment is a light emitting diode for the advantages of long working life and low power consumption. The light emitting device  4  is provided at one end, namely, the first end of the light guide bar  1 . The other end, namely, the second end of the light guide bar  1  is mounted with the second reflector  6  (see  FIG. 2 ). In order to have the light of the light emitting device  4  be emitted into the light guide bar  1  along the center longitudinal axis of the light guide bar  1 , the socket  3  is used and affixed to the first end of the light guide bar  1 . The socket  3  has a through hole  31  through the two opposite ends thereof for accommodating the light emitting device  4 . The socket  3  is preferably made out of an opaque or light absorptive material. After installation of the light emitting device  4  in the through hole  31  of the socket  3 , the light emitting device  4  does not protrude over either end of the socket  3 , such that the light emitted by the light emitting device  4  is guided by the through hole  31  of the socket  3  into the light guide bar  1  axially without dispersion. 
         [0031]    Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8  and  FIG. 1  again, the connector  7  is preferably injection molded from plastics, comprising a body  71  and a cover  74 . The body  71  has an accommodation space  710  surrounded by the side and bottom walls thereof. The body  71  has a first end  71 A and a second end  71 B. The first end  71 A has a notch  714 . A first partition board  711  and a second partition board  712  are arranged in parallel inside the accommodation space  710 . The first partition board  711  and the second partition board  712  each have one end respectively connected to two opposite inner surfaces of the body  71  within the accommodation space  710 , and the other end respectively spaced from the two opposite inner surfaces of the body  71  at a distance. The first partition board  711 , the second partition board  712  and the first end  71 A of the body  71  define two symmetrical L-shaped channels  77  and  77 A. Air vents  713  are formed on the bottom wall of the accommodation space  710 . The accommodation space  710  is adapted to accommodate the necessary electronic components (not shown). 
         [0032]    A barrel  72  is perpendicularly extended from the bottom side of the second end  71 B of the body  71 . The barrel  72  has a longitudinal inside hole  720  extending to the free end thereof, at least one, for example, two wire holes  73  formed on the proximity end in communication with the accommodation space  710 , and at least one transverse through hole  721  through the peripheral wall. 
         [0033]    The cover  74  has one side connected to the body  71  with flexible connecting strips  75  so that the cover  74  is turnable relative to the body  71  between a close position and an open position. When the cover  74  is closed, it blocks the accommodation space  710 . The cover  74  has a protruding block  743  protruded from an inner surface thereof for press-fitting into the L-shaped channel  77  between the second partition board  712  and the first end  71 A of the body  71  to secure the cover  74  to the body  71  in the close position. The cover  74  further has a plurality of air vents  741 . According to this embodiment, both the cover  74  and the body  71  have air vents for dissipation of heat. Alternatively, the connector can be made having air vents on the cover or body only. 
         [0034]    Further, a hook  715  is provided at the outside wall of the body  71 , and a complementary retaining eye member  742  is provided at one side of the cover  74 . When the cover  74  is closed, the retaining eye member  742  is forced into engagement with the hook  715 , thereby securing the cover  74  to the body  71  firmly in the close position. 
         [0035]    Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 8  again, the light guide bar  1  carrying the attached socket  3  and light emitting device  4  is inserted into the longitudinal inside hole  720  of the barrel  72  of the connector  7 , and then a molten resin material is poured through the at least one transverse through hole  721  into the longitudinal inside hole  720  of the barrel  72 . When the applied resin material is cooled down and hardened, the light guide bar  1  is affixed to the barrel  72  of the connector  7 . The electric wires  76  that are respectively electrically connected to the light emitting device  4  are respectively inserted through the wire holes  73  into the accommodation space  710  of the body  71 , and then respectively extended over the free ends of the partition boards  711  and  712  to the outside of the body  71  via the notch  714  for connection to power supply. Thereafter, the cover  74  is closed on the body  71  to force the retaining eye member  742  of the cover  74  into engagement with the hook  715  of the body  71 , preventing opening of the cover  74  from the body  71  accidentally. Because the electric wires  76  are extended over the free ends of the partition boards  711  and  712  r to the outside of the body  71  via the notch  714  in a detoured manner, stretching the electric wires  76  from the outside of the body  71  accidentally does not cause disconnection of the electric wires  76  from the light emitting device  4 . When electricity is connected to the light emitting device  4 , the light emitting device  4  emits light into the light guide bar  1  in a direction along the center longitudinal axis of the light guide bar  1 , and at the same time, the first reflector  2  and the second reflector  6  reflect light out of the light guide bar  1 , showing a lighting effect. 
         [0036]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2  again, the second reflector  6  is a thin film member closely attached to the second end of the light guide bar  1  for reflecting light backwards to the inside of the light guide bar  1 . The cap  5  is capped on the second end of the light guide bar  1  to secure the second reflector  6  to the second end of the light guide bar  1  positively. The cap  5  is preferably made of an opaque or light absorptive material. The second reflector  6  is attached to the inside of the cap  5 , and then the cap  5  is capped on the second end of the light guide bar  1  (or the second end of the light guide bar  1  is inserted into the cap  5  and stopped against the second reflector  6 ). 
         [0037]    Referring to  FIG. 2  again, when the lighting fixture of the present invention is in operation, light from the light emitting device  4  passes axially along the center longitudinal axis of the light guide bar  1  toward the second reflector  6  and is then reflected backwards to the inside of the light guide bar  1 , and at the same time, a part of light passes directly out of the light guide bar  1  through the periphery beyond the first reflector  2  and a part of light is reflected by the first reflector  2  to the outside of the light guide bar  1 , thereby providing a soft illumination. 
         [0038]      FIG. 3  is a schematic drawing showing an alternate form of the lighting fixture according to the present invention. According to this embodiment, two caps  3  are respectively capped on the first and second ends of the light guide bar  1  to hold a respective light emitting device  4  on the inside, and two connectors  7  are respectively bonded to the first and second ends of the light guide bar  1 . Light from the two light emitting devices  4  pass through the light guide bar  1  along the center longitudinal axis of the light guide bar  1 , and the first reflector  2  reflects light out of the light guide bar  1  through the periphery of the light guide bar  1 . 
         [0039]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , the rough outer surface  11  of the light guide bar  1  shows a pattern of teeth, i.e., the light guide bar  1  has numerous projecting teeth arranged over the outer surface beyond the first reflector  2 . The rough outer surface  11  enhances the intensity of light passing out of the light guide bar  1  and, softens the light. 
         [0040]    The light guide bar  1  can be rectilinear. Alternatively, the light guide bar  1  can be smoothly arched, as shown in  FIG. 9 . According to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 9 , the smoothly arched light guide bar  1  has the first and second ends thereof respectively capped with a respective cap  3  that holds a respective light emitting device  4  on the inside. 
         [0041]    A prototype of lighting fixture has been constructed with the features of  FIGS. 1˜9 . The lighting fixture functions smoothly to provide all of the features discussed earlier. 
         [0042]    Although particular embodiments of the inventions have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.