U.S. patent application number 10/142972 was filed with the patent office on 2002-09-12 for semi-product for lighting purposes, a method and an apparatus for the production of such product.
Invention is credited to Hallenstvet, Merete, Spooren, Cornelis.
Application Number | 20020124616 10/142972 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26648767 |
Filed Date | 2002-09-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020124616 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hallenstvet, Merete ; et
al. |
September 12, 2002 |
Semi-product for lighting purposes, a method and an apparatus for
the production of such product
Abstract
This invention pertains to a method for producing a semi-product
for lighting purposes. The semi-product is produced by forming
fields or stripes on a substrate, and then shaping the substrate
into a configuration. The fields or stripes exhibit different
lighting and/or aesthetic properties.
Inventors: |
Hallenstvet, Merete;
(Tonsberg, NO) ; Spooren, Cornelis; (Stjordal,
NO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WENDEROTH, LIND & PONACK, L.L.P.
2033 K STREET N. W.
SUITE 800
WASHINGTON
DC
20006-1021
US
|
Family ID: |
26648767 |
Appl. No.: |
10/142972 |
Filed: |
May 13, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10142972 |
May 13, 2002 |
|
|
|
09446723 |
Dec 23, 1999 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
72/177 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F21V 7/22 20130101; B05C
1/0834 20130101; B05C 1/165 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
72/177 |
International
Class: |
B21B 015/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 26, 1997 |
NO |
19972979 |
Claims
1. A method for producing a semi-product for lighting purposes,
comprising: forming fields or stripes on a substrate, wherein said
fields or stripes exhibit different lighting and/or aesthetic
properties; and then shaping said substrate into a
configuration.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein forming fields or
stripes on a substrate comprises forming fields or stripes on a
planar substrate.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein forming fields or
stripes on a planar substrate comprises forming fields or stripes
on a strip which is coiled prior to forming the fields or stripes
thereon.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein forming fields or
stripes on a strip which is coiled prior to forming the fields or
stripes thereon comprises forming fields or stripes on an aluminum
or aluminum alloy strip.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein forming fields or
stripes on an aluminum or aluminum alloy strip comprises forming
fields or stripes on opposite surfaces of said aluminum or aluminum
alloy strip.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein forming fields or
stripes on opposite surfaces of said aluminum or aluminum alloy
strip comprises forming fields or stripes on said opposite surfaces
of said aluminum or aluminum alloy strip in a longitudinal
direction of said aluminum or aluminum alloy strip.
7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising slitting
said aluminum or aluminum alloy strip along said longitudinal
direction prior to shaping said substrate into said
configuration.
8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising cutting said
substrate to a desired length after shaping said substrate into
said configuration.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein shaping said substrate
into said configuration comprises continuously roll forming said
substrate into said configuration.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein forming fields or
stripes on said opposite surfaces of said aluminum or aluminum
alloy strip in a longitudinal direction of said aluminum or
aluminum alloy strip comprises coating fields or stripes on said
opposites surfaces of said aluminum or aluminum alloy strip.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein coating fields or
stripes on said opposite surfaces of said aluminum or aluminum
alloy strip comprises rolling fields or stripes on said opposite
surfaces of said aluminum or aluminum alloy strip.
12. The method according to claim 5, further comprising slitting
said aluminum or aluminum alloy strip along a longitudinal
direction of said aluminum or aluminum alloy strip prior to shaping
said substrate into said configuration.
13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising cutting
said substrate to a desired length prior to shaping said substrate
into said configuration.
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein forming fields or
stripes on opposite surfaces of said aluminum or aluminum alloy
strip comprises coating fields or stripes on said opposite surfaces
of said aluminum or aluminum alloy strip.
15. The method according to claim 14, wherein coating fields or
stripes on said opposite surfaces of said aluminum alloy strip
comprises rolling fields or stripes on said opposite surfaces of
said aluminum or aluminum alloy strip.
16. The method according to claim 4, wherein forming fields or
stripes on opposite surfaces of an aluminum or aluminum alloy strip
comprises forming fields or stripes on said aluminum or aluminum
alloy strip in a longitudinal direction of said aluminum or
aluminum alloy strip.
17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising slitting
said aluminum or aluminum alloy strip along said longitudinal
direction prior to shaping said substrate into said
configuration.
18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising cutting
said substrate to a desired length after shaping said substrate
into said configuration.
19. The method according to claim 18, wherein shaping said
substrate into said configuration comprises continuously roll
forming said substrate into said configuration.
20. The method according to claim 4, further comprising slitting
said aluminum or aluminum alloy strip along a longitudinal
direction of said aluminum or aluminum alloy strip prior to shaping
said substrate into said configuration.
21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising cutting
said substrate to a desired length prior to shaping said substrate
into said configuration.
22. The method according to claim 1, wherein forming fields or
stripes on a substrate comprises coating fields or stripes on said
substrate.
23. The method according to claim 22 wherein coating fields or
stripes on said substrate comprises rolling fields or stripes on
said substrate.
Description
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser.
No. 09/446,723, filed Dec. 23, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention concerns a procedure for producing an
intermediate product for lighting purposes, a semi-product for
lighting purposes and equipment for producing the semi product for
lighting purposes.
[0003] A semi-product for lighting purposes may comprise reflecting
elements and possibly exterior elements such as housings, lids,
etc. These semi-products comprise sub-components which, together
with electrical equipment, may be assembled to form a complete
fixture or lamp.
[0004] In connection with the manufacture of lamps or fixtures, it
is known to produce a housing and a reflector separately and then
to assemble these parts. Such products may be fashioned by a
panel-shaped material being surface-treated followed by processing
and forming to obtain the desired geometry or vice versa. For such
products, lustering and anodizing are the most common surface
treatments for the reflector part while lacquering is the most
common surface treatment for the exterior part.
[0005] If a fixture is to have a varied or complex surface finish,
this may be fashioned, according to the prior art, by using various
components which produce the desired lighting and/or aesthetic
effects.
[0006] The above methods are, however, labor-intensive and
cost-intensive and will also result in the finished product having
a high price.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] With the present invention, the above disadvantages can be
avoided. Furthermore, semi-products with complex surface finishes
may be fashioned without the need to use several components. In
accordance with the present invention, it is possible to produce
the reflector and the exterior from one component, which results in
reduced production costs. Moreover, it is possible to produce
reflector elements with a complex surface finish and with
completely new lighting properties. Reflectors fashioned in
accordance with the present invention will find it easier to meet
international requirements and wishes for energy economy.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The present invention will be described below by way of
examples and figures where:
[0009] FIG. 1 shows an example of a coated substrate before
forming,
[0010] FIGS. 2a-2b show examples of reflector elements which may
form part of a fixture,
[0011] FIGS. 3a-3d show an example of forming a reflector and
fixture housing in one piece.
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a substrate 10 of metal, preferably aluminum or
an aluminum alloy, which is treated or coated in fields or stripes
with a coating of the desired lighting character. In this example,
the substrate's stripes are distributed symmetrically around the
center. Thus the outer stripes 1 may be fashioned from a lacquer
which produces the desired aesthetic surface finish. This may, for
example, comprise a lacquer containing color pigments. When
subsequently formed, these parts will form the exterior sides of
the housing or fixture. It should be noted here that the substrate
may also comprise other expedient materials, for example steel or
plastic materials.
[0013] Between the outer stripes it is possible to apply one or
more types of stripes or fields 2 which have different
light-distributing or aesthetic properties. Such fields may
comprise a coating which may include lacquers with added particles
which change the distribution of light. Alternatively, transparent
lacquers with different degrees of luster from high luster to half
luster may be used or the surface may be metalized. Moreover, it
should be mentioned that the fields may be fashioned in different
ways, for example stripe lacquering, possibly followed by
metalization or anodization followed by stripe lacquering, stripe
stamping, stripe printing or stripe lamination.
[0014] Another method for producing the light-distributing fields 2
may be to use stripe stamping or embossing (not shown). This method
changes the surface topography and thus the lighting and aesthetic
properties of the material.
[0015] One or more stripes 2, 3 between the fields which make up
the exterior part may constitute the reflector and will thus be
fields with the desired lighting properties. Field 3 may comprise
an area with high luster, where, for example, the substrate
material is fashioned by chemical or electrochemical brightening
followed by lacquering or anodizing. The anodizing may be performed
with a well-defined oxide layer thickness, which results in a
better reflectiveness than with standard anodizing or
lacquering.
[0016] The present invention is not limited to a symmetrical
distribution of the stripes on the substrate or a fixed number of
different stripes. It is also possible to fashion semi-products
which comprise solutions in which the fields with lighting
properties can be positioned in another way; this may depend, among
other things, on the design of the lighting arrangement.
[0017] Preferably, a strip substrate which is wound or on a coil
(not shown) is used. The advantage of this is that the process can
be continuous and the strip substrate can be lengthened without
stopping the process. At the same time, it should be noted that
sheets may also be used as the substrate.
[0018] The various coatings can be fashioned and the various
treatments may be applied expediently using known techniques.
Alternatively, the substrate may be subjected to treatment/coating
across its entire width before the stripes are fashioned. Thus the
substrate may be lacquered or anodized before the stripe
lacquering. The stripes may be fashioned in different operations.
The special aspect of the coating in accordance with the present
invention is that fields of the desired width may be fashioned with
different lighting and/or aesthetic properties.
[0019] The equipment for coating the semi-product for lighting
purposes may expediently comprise a strip lacquering machine with a
coating/treatment station 20 with a pick-up roller 21 which
collects the lacquer from a reservoir 22 or has lacquer applied to
its top and one or more rollers 23 which apply lacquer to the
substrate 10 and possibly one or more transfer rollers (not shown)
which are mounted between the stated rollers; the application
roller(s) 23 have a width which is less than the width of the
substrate. The equipment may also comprise an adjustment roller 27.
Moreover, the application roller may have milled grooves 25 so that
lacquer is only applied to the substrate in the areas of the roller
which do not have grooves. Alternatively, several application
rollers mounted on a joint shaft 26 can be used, with the
application rollers being at equal distances from each other in the
transverse direction. Moreover, the rollers may comprise means
which allow them to be controlled individually with regard to
direction of rotation and speed of rotation (not shown).
[0020] It may be mentioned that the substrate may be treated/coated
on both sides. A strip substrate on a coil may, in connection with
the fashioning of the lighting/aesthetic properties, pass through
the treatment line and be wound before being turned and passed
through a new treatment. Alternatively, the substrate may be coated
on both sides in one pass through the treatment line. The strip may
first be treated/coated on its top in a first stage and be treated
on its bottom in a second stage or vice versa. In connection with
treatment/coating of the top and bottom of the substrate, the
fields with different lighting/aesthetic properties must be placed
on the substrate in such a way that they are in the desired
location when the substrate is subsequently formed to create the
intermediate product. Thus, for example, one side of the substrate
may constitute the exterior of the intermediate product and be
coated with a lacquer with color pigments. The other side of the
substrate may be treated/coated so that fields with
light-distributing and reflecting properties are fashioned in the
semi-product.
[0021] FIG. 2a shows a semi-product 14 which, in this case, has two
fields 2, 3 with different light-distributing properties. The
semi-product shown may, for example, be mounted beside a long light
source such as a fluorescent tube in a housing (dotted). FIG. 2b
shows an equivalent semi-product 15 for use as a cross mirror or
lamella. In this way, the semi-product comprising two or more
lighting/aesthetic properties may be used as a reflector in a
lighting product.
[0022] FIGS. 3a-3d show an example of forming a substrate into a
semi-product which comprises both a reflector and a fixture
housing. It has been shown that it is possible using the above
treatment/coating techniques, to fashion a substrate treated/coated
with stripes/fields which can be exposed to fairly large
stresses/deformations without the coatings cracking or the treated
areas deteriorating. This produces major advantages during
manufacture as the substrate can first be coated/treated and then
processed/formed to the desired form at a processing station. The
figures illustrate, via a cross-section through the substrate, the
forming of a plane substrate to create a semi-product 12 by using
three forming stages, b, c and d. More than three forming stages
may, naturally, be used if this is favorable.
[0023] The forming is performed preferably by a treated/coated
substrate on a coil being fed into a roll-forming unit either
directly from the surface treatment unit or after first having been
wound on a coil. The roll-forming unit may consist of one or more
forming stages. It is expedient to use several stages which produce
a gradual deformation of the substrate until the final form has
been obtained. In this way, it will be possible to make
semi-products from substrates which undergo major deformations in
connection with the forming without the surface treatment/coating
being weakened or deteriorating.
[0024] If the width of the substrate so allows, it is possible to
fashion several sets of stripes/fields in the width of the
substrate. In this case, the substrate will be split before passing
into one or more roll-forming units or is possibly wound.
[0025] It can be mentioned that another method of forming the
substrate is to cut the substrate into the desired lengths and form
it to the desired geometry in one or more stages by using known
forming methods such as buckling, bending, roll-forming and deep
drawing.
[0026] Alternatively, the surface treatment may be transverse to
the substrate. In this case, the substrate is cut transversely
between each section of stripes/fields. Piece-by-piece forming of
these panels can then take place as stated above. The application
equipment may comprise rollers with grooves which run transversely
to the substrate/band. It is then expedient for the stripes/fields
to be fashioned by printing.
[0027] It should be understood that application equipment other
than rollers may also be used within the framework of the attached
claims. For example, the fields may be fashioned by using spray
equipment which sprays coatings onto the substrate (not shown).
[0028] After the forming operation, the mounting of the
semi-product may be completed by fitting it with electrical
equipment and possibly prefabricated gables. The gables may be
treated externally in accordance with the outer coating of the
housing (for example, lacquer with pigments) and possibly
internally with a light-distributing or reflecting coating. The
means of fastening for assembling the intermediate product and the
gables and electrical equipment may expediently comprise glue,
nails, screws, snap fasteners, etc.
* * * * *