Patent Publication Number: US-2021180758-A1

Title: Rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments and luminaires

Description:
The present disclosure relates to rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments and luminaires employing said rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments 
     BACKGROUND 
     Luminaires are electrical devices used to create artificial light by use of an electric lamp. 
     Personal ornaments, also collectively called “jewelry”, consist of small decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants and bracelets. 
     Typically jewelry is stored in boxes and organizers. Such jewelry boxes and organisers are typically used for storage and display and occupy space with no further purpose in a home environment. 
     Some jewelry stands, holders or organisers exist for commercial display of jewelry. They typically have pockets or holes to receive pieces of jewelry, e.g. earrings, for decorative or demonstration purposes. 
     SUMMARY 
     New types of luminaires and personal ornaments are proposed. The personal ornaments may comprise a light source and a rechargeable power source and may be worn as illuminating ornaments. When not worn, they may be placed on a charging base to charge and at the same time form a luminaire. In a first aspect, a luminaire is proposed. The luminaire comprises a charging base. The charging base comprises a power cable connectable to an external power source and a power connector. The luminaire further comprises a rechargeable illuminating personal ornament, connected to the charging base. The rechargeable illuminating personal ornament comprises a shell, a light source attached to the shell, a rechargeable power source, located in the shell and connected to the light source and a corresponding power connector, defining an opening in the shell and coupled to the rechargeable power source. The power connector of the charging base is coupled to the corresponding power connector of the rechargeable illuminating personal ornament. 
     The ornaments may be made of metal and of a semi-transparent polymer. The ornaments may be self-luminous using light emitting diodes (LEDs) of the Red-Green-Blue (RGB) type or of the Warm White (WW) or Cold White (CW) type. They may be rechargeable either through a wired or wireless connection. The base along with the ornaments may form a decorative lighting object. The base may comprise a controller. The controller may include a processor, a data storage coupled to the processor and an instruction set. The instruction set may cooperate with the processor and the data storage to control the luminance of the ornaments through an asynchronous serial communication. The base may comprise a button or a switch to switch on, switch off or control dimming of the ornaments&#39; light while the ornaments are placed on the base and when the ornaments and base form a lighting ensemble. The base may be made of metal and may have additional decorative elements, e.g. of wood. 
     By using rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments as lighting elements of the luminaire, three functionalities may be achieved at the same time: First, a stand or holder for the ornaments is provided. Second, a recharging base for the illuminating ornaments is provided. And third, light may be produced while the ornaments are recharging. 
     In some examples, the luminaire may further comprise a power button. Thus the light effect during recharging may be selectable either on the charging base and/or on the rechargeable illuminating personal ornament. The term “power button” is used here to denote any type of switchable element that may alter a conductive state from on to off and vice verca. 
     In some examples, the charging base may comprise a plurality of charging points. Each charging point may comprise a power connector for receiving a corresponding power connector of a rechargeable illuminating personal ornament. Thus various rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments may be placed on the charging base to be recharged and/or serve as lighting elements of the luminaire. Furthermore, the luminaire may still provide light even if one or more of the rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments is off the charging base or simply switched off. 
     The base may be powered through a 100-240 Vac mains power source. Then, through a power supply, voltage may be provided to the individual electronic devices. The base may be linked to the jewelry through a pair of contacts for each jewel. 
     In some examples the rechargeable power source may comprise a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium-ion battery. This allows for multiple recharges of the battery with minimum loss in capacity. The rechargeable power source may also be replaceable. 
     The rechargeable illuminating personal ornament may comprise one or more of a brooch, a ring, a necklace, an earring, a pendant and a bracelet. The charging base may be either of a generic base, suitable to recharge any of the above ornaments provided that they have the same type of power connector, or may be specific to particular types or even models of ornaments. For example, the shape of the charging base may match a shape of the shell of the ornament allowing only ornaments with a matching shape to couple to the charging base. 
     The light source of the rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments may comprise one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). LEDs provide light without heating up too much thus remaining comfortable when placed on personal ornaments that may be on or very near a person&#39;s body part. However, other types of light sources may be used. 
     In some examples, the power connector may be a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector. Thus a charging base may also serve for charging other devices. Furthermore, third party ornaments may also be used with the charging base. Furthermore, the ornaments may be recharged by common USB type rechargers even without the presence of the charging base. For that purpose the power connector may be a USB plug connector and the corresponding power connector may be a USB receptacle connector or vice versa. In other examples, the charging of the ornaments may be performed wirelessly, e.g. using induction coils. 
     In some examples, the luminaire may comprise a desk luminaire. As such, the luminaire may comprise a base to stand on a desk and a power cord to be connected to a wall outlet. The desk luminaire may thus be used as a common desk lamp when the ornaments are placed on the charging base and the luminaire is switched on. 
     In another aspect, a rechargeable illuminating personal ornament is disclosed. The rechargeable illuminating personal ornament may comprise a shell; a light source attached to the shell; a rechargeable power source, located in the shell and connected to the light source; and a power connector, defining an opening in the shell to receive power from a corresponding power connector of a charging base. 
     The ornaments may be connected to the base through a pair of contact pins. Polarity may not matter because the ornament may comprise a rectifier bridge through which the output polarity may be set. A charger block may be connected to a battery, e.g. a Polymer Lithium Ion battery, that may charge the battery as long as the ornament is attached to the base or it may supply power to the ornament through the battery when it is disconnected from the base. 
     The rechargeable illuminating personal ornament may comprise a brooch, a ring, a necklace, an earring, a pendant or a bracelet. Thus, the shell may accordingly comprise pins, clips, or any other attachment means for attaching to a part of the body, e.g. ear, nose, finger etc. or to a garment worn on the body of a user. 
     In yet another aspect, a charging base for a luminaire is disclosed. The charging base may comprise one or more charging stations for rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments. Each charging station may comprise a power connector to receive a corresponding power connector of a rechargeable illuminating personal ornament. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Non-limiting examples of the present disclosure will be described in the following, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  schematically illustrate a luminaire according to an example; 
         FIG. 2  schematically illustrates a luminaire according to another example; 
         FIG. 3  schematically illustrates a rechargeable illuminating personal ornament according to an example; 
         FIG. 4  schematically illustrates a rechargeable illuminating personal ornament according to another example; 
         FIG. 5  schematically illustrates an electrical diagram of a rechargeable illuminating personal ornament according to an example; 
         FIG. 6  schematically illustrates an electrical diagram of a charging base for rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments according to an example; 
         FIG. 7  schematically illustrates an electrical diagram of a wireless charging base for rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments according to an example; 
         FIG. 8  schematically illustrates an electrical diagram of a wirelessly rechargeable illuminating personal ornament according to an example. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES 
       FIG. 1A  schematically illustrates a rechargeable illuminating personal ornament and a charging base according to an example.  FIG. 1B  schematically illustrates a luminaire formed by the rechargeable illuminating personal ornament and the charging base of  FIG. 1A . Luminaire  100  comprises charging base  105  and a rechargeable illuminating personal ornament  110  coupled to the charging base  105 . The charging base  105  comprises a base platform  115  and a post  120 . The post may be integrated on one edge with the base platform  115  or may be screwable on one edge to the base platform  115 . The other edge of the post  120  may comprise a power connector  125 . The base platform  115  may provide stability to the luminaire and may also host a power cable reaching all the way to the power connector  125  to provide power to the rechargeable illuminating personal ornament  110  when the rechargeable illuminating personal ornament  110  is on the charging base  105 . The rechargeable illuminating personal ornament  110  may comprise a matching power connector  130  to match the power connector  125  of the charging base. Furthermore, the rechargeable illuminating personal ornament  110  may comprise a shell  137 , a light source  135  attached to the shell  130 , and a rechargeable power source  140 , located in the shell  137  and connected to the light source  135  and to the matching power connector  130 . The shell may comprise further elements such as pins, clips, chain holders etc. In the example of  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the rechargeable illuminating personal ornament  110  is in the form of a pendant. It may thus comprise a clasp or fastener and a chain or cord that may pass through a perforation of the shell. The shell  137  may comprise an aperture or cavity on where the light source  135  may be attached. 
       FIG. 2  schematically illustrates a luminaire according to another example. Luminaire  200  comprises a charging base  205  and a plurality of rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments  210  coupled to the charging base  205 . The charging base  205  comprises a base platform  215  and a post  220 . The post  220  may be integrated on one edge with the base platform  215  or may be attachable (e.g. screwable) on one edge to the base platform  215 . The post  220  may comprise branches  222 . Each branch  222  may be integrated on one edge with the post  220  or may be attachable (e.g. screwable) on one edge to the post  220 . The other edge of the branch  222  may comprise a power connector  225 . The base platform  215  may provide stability to the luminaire and may also host a power cable reaching all the way to the power connectors  225  to provide power to the rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments  210  when the rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments  210  are on the charging base  205 . The rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments  210  may comprise a matching power connector  230  to match the power connector  225  of the branches. Furthermore, each rechargeable illuminating personal ornament  210  may comprise a shell  232 , a light source  235  attached to the shell  230 , and a rechargeable power source  235 , located in the shell and connected to the light source  235  and to the matching power connector  230 . The shell may comprise further elements such as pins, clips, chain holders etc. In the example of  FIG. 2 , the rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments  210  are in the form of spherical earrings. They may thus comprise a pin or clasp that may be attached to the shell  232  and may be suitable to be worn on an ear. The shell  232  may comprise an aperture or cavity on where the light source  235  may be attached. 
       FIG. 3  schematically illustrates a rechargeable illuminating personal ornament according to an example. The rechargeable illuminating personal ornament  310  may comprise a shell  332 , a light source  335  (e.g. a LED) attached to the shell  332 , and a rechargeable power source  333  (e.g. a battery), located in the shell  332  and connected to the light source  335  and to a power connector  337 . In the example of  FIG. 3 , the rechargeable illuminating personal ornament  310  is in the form of a spherical earring. 
       FIG. 4  schematically illustrates a rechargeable illuminating personal ornament according to another example. The rechargeable illuminating personal ornament  410  may comprise a shell  432  and a light source  435  (e.g. a LED) attached to the shell  432 . In the example of  FIG. 4 , the rechargeable illuminating personal ornament  410  is in the form of a hexahedral pendant. 
       FIG. 5  schematically illustrates an electrical diagram of a rechargeable illuminating personal ornament according to an example. Personal ornament  500  may comprise a pair of connection pins  505 . One end of the pins  505  may be connectable to a power source, e.g. a DC power supply. The other end of the pins  505  may be connected to a voltage rectifier  510 . The voltage rectifier may set the polarity of the voltage. Thus the pins  505  may be coupled to the power supply without worrying about the polarity. The personal ornament  500  may further comprise a charger/power supply block  515 . The charger  515  may be coupled to the rectifier  510  and to a battery  520 , e.g. a Polymer Lithium Ion battery, and may charge the battery as long as the ornament is attached to the base or it may supply power to the ornament through the battery when it is disconnected from the base. A microcontroller (μCU)  525  may be coupled to the charger. A serial I/O interface  530  may be coupled to the μCU  525  and to the output of the rectifier  510 . When the ornament is connected to a power source then the block  515  may act as a charger to charge the battery  520 . When the ornament is disconnected from the power source then the block  515  may act as a power supply to the μCU  525 , the μCU  525  receiving power from the battery  520 . The μCU  525  may provide power (either from the power source or from the battery  520 ) to a LED driver  535  of the ornament  500  and the LED driver  535  may power a LED  540  of the ornament  500 . 
       FIG. 6  schematically illustrates an electrical diagram of a charging base for rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments according to an example. The charging base  600  may comprise a power supply  605 . The power supply  605  may be connectable to a mains connector. The power supply  605  may provide power to a Bus Power supply  610  and to a μCU  615  of the charging base  600 . The Bus Power supply may provide power to ornament connection pin pairs  650  coupled along a power bus  620 . The μCU  615  may be coupled to a Human Machine Interface (HMI) button switch  630  to control power supplied to the ornament pin pairs (and thus control brightness of any ornaments coupled to the pin pairs  650 ). A Serial I/O interface  625  may be coupled between the μCU  615  and the power bus  620 . The HMI button switch  630  may be coupled to the μCU and may be Normally Open (N.O). The input may be encoded and asynchronously—serially sent to the Serial I/O interface  625 . The Serial I/O interface  625  is essentially a transistor connected to the jewelry feed bus with a common emitter—open collector configuration. The transistor may be connected to a Pull-up resistor located at the bus power supply. The bus power supply generates the voltage that supplies the jewelry (i.e. the ornaments) for charging and provides them with voltage through the pullup resistor to make the communication between the jewels and the base, and vice versa, possible. 
       FIG. 7  schematically illustrates an electrical diagram of a wireless charging base for rechargeable illuminating personal ornaments according to an example. The charging base  700  may comprise a power supply  705 . The power supply  605  may be connectable to a mains power source, e.g. a 100-240V AC mains power source. The power supply  705  may provide power to a high frequency power generator  710 , to a μCU  715 , to a serial I/O interface (modulator)  720  and to buffers/demodulator amplifier blocks  730  of the charging base  700 . The buffers/demodulator amplifier blocks  730  may be coupled to induction coils  735 . Any ornaments to be charged may comprise respective induction coils and may be charged through a wireless induction charging using the respective induction coils. The μCU  715  may be coupled to an HMI button  730  to control power supplied to the buffers/demodulator amplifier blocks  730  (and thus control brightness of any ornaments inductively coupled to the induction coils  735 ). The serial I/O interface (modulator)  725  may be an RF transistor in a common emitter open collector configuration and may be coupled to the generator  710  through a pull-up resistor. The voltage-signal may be provided to the buffers/demodulator amplifier blocks  730 . Each block  730  may correspond to an ornament position on the base. Each of the blocks may also comprise a transistor in an open collector configuration to allow the transmission of data from the ornaments to the base. Each induction coil pair (one from the base and one from the ornament) may function as a power supply of each ornament. 
       FIG. 8  schematically illustrates an electrical diagram of a wirelessly rechargeable illuminating personal ornament according to an example. Personal ornament  800  may comprise an induction coil  805 . The induction coil  805  may be inductively connectable to an induction coil of the base, e.g. induction coil  735  of  FIG. 7 . The personal ornament  800  may further comprise a charger/power supply block  815 . The charger may be coupled to the induction coil  805  and to a battery  820 . A microcontroller (μCU)  825  may be coupled to the charger  815 . A serial I/O interface  830  may be coupled to the μCU  825  and to the output of the induction coil  805 . When the ornament is inductively coupled to induction coil  730  of the base, then the block  815  may act as a charger to charge the battery  820 . When the ornament is uncoupled from the induction coil  730  of the base then the block  815  may act as a power supply to the μCU  825  receiving power from the battery  820 . The μCU  825  may provide power (either from the power source or from the battery  820 ) to a LED driver  835  of the ornament  800  and the LED driver  835  may power a LED  840  of the ornament  800 . 
     Although only a number of examples have been disclosed herein, other alternatives, modifications, uses and/or equivalents thereof are possible. Furthermore, all possible combinations of the described examples are also covered. Thus, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by particular examples, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims that follow. If reference signs related to drawings are placed in parentheses in a claim, they are solely for attempting to increase the intelligibility of the claim, and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claim.