Patent Publication Number: US-2022228734-A1

Title: Touch control lamp

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to lamps and more particularly, to a touch control lamp, in particular a touch control arched lamp. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     The conventional lamps usually aim at one function which may be emitting white or yellow light for ambient illumination or emitting decorative colored light for beauty. Such lamps are monotonous in function and light-emitting effect thereof. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a touch control lamp which can integrate multiple functions of illumination, decoration and interactive gameplay. 
     To attain the above objective, the present invention provides a touch control lamp which includes a shell, a circuit board, and a plurality of light sources and a plurality of capacitive touch sensors, which are mounted on the circuit board in a way that each of the capacitive touch sensors is electrically associated with at least one of said light sources. The shell has an outer surface, on which a plurality of touch control sections are defined, and an accommodation. The circuit board is disposed in the accommodation of the shell in a way that each of the capacitive touch sensors spacedly corresponds in position to one of the touch control sections on the outer surface of the shell. 
     Preferably, the touch control lamp further includes a control device for controlling the light sources to function in at least one mode. The light sources include a plurality of top light sources (e.g. RGB LEDs) electrically associated with the capacitive touch sensors for emitting light toward a top surface of the shell, and may, but unlimited to, include a plurality of bottom light sources (e.g. white LEDs) for emitting light toward a bottom surface of the shell. In a predetermined mode, each of the top light sources is switched on and off when the associated touch control section is touched. 
     As a result, the lamp of the present invention can light up in a variety of modes for illumination or decoration or both, and may be even controlled to provide interactive games. 
     Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an assembled perspective view of a touch control lamp according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the touch control lamp; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of a light device of the touch control lamp; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the light device; 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the touch control lamp; and 
         FIG. 6  is another assembled perspective view of the touch control lamp. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Hereunder an embodiment of a touch control arched lamp will be described with accompanying drawings for illustrating technical features and structures of the present invention. It is to be understood that the technical features and structures of the present invention can be applied to touch control lamps of different shapes, e.g. linear shape, annular shape, triangular shape, etc. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , a touch control arched lamp  10  according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an arched shell  20 , an arched light device  30 , an arched light frame  40 , a control device  50 , and a speaker  60 . 
     The arched shell  20  is composed of a translucent plastic top diffuser  21 , a translucent plastic bottom diffuser  22 , and two metal bases  23  and  24 . The combination of the top and bottom diffusers  21  and  22  is shaped as a hollow arched structure, two ends of which are fixedly disposed on the two metal bases  23  and  24 , respectively. That is, the top and bottom diffusers  21  and  22  combinedly form an arched tube having an outer surface  27  and an inside accommodation  28  as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-4 , the arched light device  30  includes an elongated rectangular circuit board  31 , a line of top light sources  32  fixedly disposed on the middle of a top surface  311  of the circuit board  31 , and two lines of bottom light sources  33  fixedly disposed along two long edges of a bottom surface  312  of the circuit board  31 . There are forty-two top light sources  32  grouped in fourteen sections of the circuit board  31 , and each section of the circuit board  31  is provided therein with a capacitive touch sensor  313 . Each of the fourteen groups includes three top light sources  32  which are red, green and blue LEDs (RGB LEDs) and also called colored LEDs in the present invention. In other words, the RGB LEDs  32  in the same group are associated with the same capacitive touch sensor  313 . The bottom light sources  33  are all white LEDs. The circuit board  31  is originally flat and becomes arched after being disposed on the arched light frame  40 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 5 , the arched light device  30  and the arched light frame  40  are disposed in the arched shell  20  and located between the top and bottom diffusers  21  and  22  at a distance. The arched light frame  40  is made of metal such as aluminum, which serves as a heatsink for dissipating heat generated from the arched light device  30  as well as a structural support for supporting the arched light device  30  in good position and shape, and includes two plates  41  fastened to two ends of the bottom diffuser  22  respectively and an arch  42  extending between the two plates  41 . The arched light device  30  are fixedly disposed on the arch  42  of the arched light frame  40  in a way that two ends of the arched light device  30  are fixed to the two plates  41  respectively and the top and bottom surfaces  311  and  312  of the circuit board  31  face toward the top and bottom diffusers  21  and  22  respectively. Therefore, the light of the RGB LEDs  32  is primarily emitted toward a top surface  25  on the top diffuser  21 . Besides, the white LEDs  33  are not covered by the arch  42  but located by two sides  421  of the arch  42 , thereby primarily emitting light toward a bottom surface  26  on the bottom diffuser  22 . 
     The control device  50  and the speaker  60 , which are electrically connected with the arched light device  30 , are disposed in the bases  23  and  24  respectively. The control device  50  includes rechargeable batteries (not shown in the drawings), a power jack  51  and a printed circuit board  52 , on which electronic components, such as Microcontroller Unit (MCU), capacitive touch sensor, etc., are mounted, for controlling the light sources  32  and  33  and the speaker  60  to function in at least the following five modes. When the user plugs in the lamp  10 , the speaker  60  will make a power-on sound. Then the user can select the operating mode of the lamp  10  by simply touching either one of the metal bases  23  and  24 , which are provided therein with capacitive touch sensors. In other words, the bases  23  and  24  serve as switches of the lamp  10 . Meanwhile, the speaker  60  will make sound for selecting mode. During any mode, double touching the base  23  or  24  will turn the lamp  10  off. The aforesaid and the following control logics are programmatically built in the MCU. 
     In a first mode, the RGB LEDs  32  display the full rainbow of colors and that rainbow of colors appear to slide slowly from left to right continuously, while the downward facing white LEDs  33  maintain a steady medium brightness. This mode provides some ambient light, while also proving a beautiful moving rainbow display. 
     In a second mode, the RGB LEDs  32  remain off, and only the white LEDs  33  emit white light. In this mode, holding any switch, i.e. the base  23  or  24 , will cause all the white LEDs  33  to slowly dim to low brightness, then brighten slowly back up to full brightness, and continue to repeat this process until the touch is released, at which point the brightness will stay at that value. 
     In a third mode, the RGB LEDs  32  display the full rainbow of colors, and that rainbow of colors appear to slide slowly from left to right continuously, while the downward facing white LEDs  33  remain off. This mode provides a beautiful rainbow display, while not producing any ambient white light. This mode is excellent for going to sleep, or providing a mood display. 
     In a fourth mode, the white LEDs  33  remain off, and the RGB LEDs  32  perform a function called “painting,” that will be specified below. 
     Through the above-described arrangement of the arched sell  20  and the arched light device  30 , the top surface  25  of the arched shell  20  is invisibly divided into fourteen touch control sections  251  associated with the capacitive touch sensors  313  respectively, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 . When anyone of the touch control sections  251  is touched by the finger of the user, the associated capacitive touch sensor  313  can sense the touch to cause the control device  50  to control the RGB LEDs  32  accordingly. In other words, the touch control sections  251  can serve as switches SW 1  to SW 14  for controlling the associated groups of RGB LEDs  32 . 
     In the aforesaid fourth mode, the switches SW 1  and SW 14  turn on to red color for example. Holding on to either switch SW 1  or switch SW 14  causes that switch (touch control section  251 ) to slowly cycle through all the colors of the rainbow, and releasing that switch causes the displayed color to be chosen. After choosing a specific color, when anyone of the touch control sections  251  is touched, the associated RGB LEDs  32  are switched on to show the chosen color. In other words, touching anyone of the switches SW 1  to SW 14  turns the switch (touch control section  251 ) to the chosen color. Such situation is like the finger magically becomes a paint brush (in a virtual manner) to put the chosen color on any switch (touch control section  251 ) the finger touches. Touching any switch (touch control section  251 ) that has the same color already turned on in that same chosen color, will cause it to turn off. Meanwhile, the speaker  60  will make sound for painting the switch. 
     In a fifth mode, the control device  50  can control the RGB LEDs  32  to provide interactive games, such as memory games, like Simon. Action games like a simple version of Pong could also be played. 
     In brief, the present invention provides on-board LEDs  32 ,  33  and capacitive touch sensors  313  spacedly and suspendedly arranged inside the shell  20 . By means of touching a surface of the shell  20 , which corresponds in position to one of the capacitive touch sensors  313 , the LEDs associated with the activated capacitive touch sensor  313  may turn on and off. In particular, the touch control sections  251 , i.e. switches SW 1  to SW 14 , are defined on the top surface  25  of the outer surface of the shell  20  one after another in succession in a line. With this design, the touch control sections  251  (switches SW 1  to SW 14 ) can be sequentially touched by a user&#39;s sliding touch motion to turn on and off the top light sources  32  (RGB LEDs) in a sequential manner. Further, in the above-disclosed embodiment, the part of the shell  20  accommodating the circuit board  31  is realized as an arched tube. However, the aforesaid part may be realized as a straight tube, a circle tube, a wavy tube, etc. Besides, the touch control sections of the touch control lamp of the present invention are unlimited to be located on the top surface  25  of the shell  20 , but may be located on the bottom surface  26  of the shell  20 , i.e. the bottom surface  26  of the bottom diffuser  22 , for example. In other words, the capacitive touch sensors  313  may be arranged to sense the touch on the bottom surface  26  of the shell  20  to cause the associated LEDs to turn on and off