Lamp for providing daylight effect

[57] ABSTRACT

A lamp to produce sunlight effect artificially wherein a white light which is radiated directly from the lamp which includes the form of a pyramid composed of colored transparent materials. Two opposite triangles of the pyramid present basic spectrum colors; yellow and blue and two other opposite triangles of the pyramid present compound spectrum colors, red and violet. Bisecting the interior of the pyramid is a blue-green transparent horizontal insertion which simulates the type of illumination received from the sky on a sunny day. There is a glass enclosure for the pyramid and a light source therein.

Claims, 5 Drawing Figures

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PATENTEOSEP 4SJJ

3,757,101

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3,757,101

LAMP FOR PROVIDING DAYLIGHT EFFECT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application relates to a lamp for the production of a novel artificial illuminating effect. More particularly, it relates to a lamp which utilizes colored transparent material to produce an artificial light which, although a white light, varies in the portion of the spectrum which is accentuated in various areas in a similar manner to that naturally produced by the sky on a sunny day.

There have been many attempts to produce a light which simulates daylight. Almost invariably, such attempts have been directed to obtaining a mixture of light radiations similar to that which is obtained from natural light. Although it has been known that within the visible spectrum various wave lengths, the superposition of which make up a natural light from the sky, vary considerably verging on one color or another, the intentional simulation of such variations to produce a daylight effect from a single lighting system was not suggested until by my U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,180 which issued June 23, 1971.

It has occurred to the inventor that a less expensive and more compact lamp capable of radiating a white light which produces an illumination in substantially the same manner as the apparatus disclosed in my previous patent would have many practical applications. However, a problem existed in attempting to utilize the relative confined space of a convenient sized enclosure without producing unacceptable lighting aberrations or contrasting areas which conflict with the desired daylight effect. Difficulties in obtaining the proper light for my work as an artist painter led to many years of research and experimentation in the field of light and color. This resulted in development of a new type of light which reproduces daylight (sunlight) with all of its aspects and without the defects of standard artificial lights now in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The sun produces a spectrum which is visually composed of a mixture of three basic colors; yellow, crimson-red, and blue. The system of the light in nature may be considered as having four sides; north, south, west and east. I lay out the three basic spectrum colors on the four tones; the basic colors yellow and blue, and compound colors red and violet, to arrange them on the four sides of the light. By filtering with a bluish green insertion, the compound colors, red and violet, lose their yellow and blue tones and they present a crimson red. The mixture of these three basic colors results in a black. However, by means of electrical energy radiation through a tungsten filament, illumination of white light is produced.

An effective arrangement has been found to affix within a lamp enclosure, which is under vacuum or filled with an inert gas, a pyramid formed of transparent or translucent materials, its triangular sides each being of a different color, yellow, red, blue and violet and including midway within the pyramid a bluishgreen transparent insertion, the apex of the pyramid being directly under the filament which is similar to an Edison-like filament. Preferably, the translucent sides of the pyramid are composed of a thin frosted glass or any other suitable material which performs two functions, first as a color filter for light rays from the filament, and second due to its frosted surface, as a nonspecular type reflector. The insertion of a bluish-green transparent material midway up in the pyramid provides for further filtering of the light. Power of the elec5 tricity through the tungsten filament filtered by the colored pyramid sides and the reflection from the nonspecular frosted surfaces thereof, produces visible light radiations which is a white light. The greatest intensity of radiation is directly under the lamp, but also illumi¹⁰ nation is diffused throughout the sides of the lamp.

This, in turn, adds to the daylight simulation effect inasmuch as the intensity of light in sunny daylight is, of course, generally uniform from one area to another. However, also as in daylight, different sides of any ob¹⁵ ject illuminated by my lamp receives a white light mixture which varies in its spectral content in accordance with the relative direction of the light source, its texture of the object, etc.

The lamp may be adapted for many uses, such as, for ^υ example, as an automobile headlight since it creates correct perspective for judging distances. The general idea of my invention may be used in television production. It may be used in hospital operating rooms, labo25 ratories, schools, offices, stores, factories, the field of photography, art studies, art galleries, and also for agricultural purposes. It also may be used in filming of motion pictures. The possible applications of this light are many. It eliminates the general strain on the eyes 3Q caused by working under conventional light sources including neon, fluorescent or any other artificial lighting now in use. It makes it possible to work in any area or enclosure by what is essentially natural daylight and thus opens the possibility of, in effect, living in daylight, 35 with benefits to health. It greatly facilitates work in areas in which there is need to achieve an exactitude of color or to work with extremely fine instruments.

Other objects, adaptabilities and capabilities will appear as the description progresses, reference being had 40 to the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 2 is a broken cross-sectional view of the lamp shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the pyramid insertion;

FIG. 4 is a view of another embodiment of the invention; and ⁵⁰ FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of the color mixture produced by the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

5³ Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an enclosure or bulb 10 is provided with a conventional threaded base 11 through which an electrical circuit is introduced into the interior of bulb 10 through lead-in wires 12 and 14.

₆θ Wires 12 and 14 emerge from stem 15 and are conductively connected to radiation means comprising filament 16 which is supported by anchor wires 17 which coincide with the comers of a pyramid and depend from an anchor support 18 which in turn connects to ₆₅ a seal portion 20 of the lower-part of stem 15. Bulb 10 is either under vacuum or filled with an inert gas as is well known in the art. The sides of bulb 10 are frosted, this also being conventional and well-known in the art.

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A pyramid member 21 is disposed within the bulb 10 with its apex 22 disposed directly under filament 16. In this connection, it will be noted that bulb 10 is, itself, generally pyramidal in configuration being, however^ sufficiently curved to provide strength. Pyramid member 21 is secured in its lower aspects to a lower portion 24 of bulb 10. As a matter of manufacturing preference, the pyramid member 21 may be secured to portion 24 which, in turn, is sealed to bulb 10 with the air from bulb 10 being evacuated following such sealing operation. Pyramid member 21 has a height equal to its width at its base and is four-sided as best seen in FIG. 3. Each side, 25, 26, 27 and 28 is triangular in shape and is composed of a material or includes a coating whereby it functions as a color filter. Thus, side 28 permits only light waves in the yellow tone of the spectrum to pass. Only violet waves are permitted to pass through side 27; side 26 permits only blue to pass therethrough; and side 25 acts only to permit colors in the red portion of the spectrum to pass therethrough. These four tones should correspond to the spectrum tones of nature. The material constituting sides 25,26,27 and 28 is very thin and is frosted on its inner sides. Secured midway within pyramid member 21 is a bluish-green transparent inner frosted member 30.

It will be appreciated that the illumination produced by the lamp is similar to that of a sunny day and, of course, the light radiations mix to produce a white light in all areas, although such light is intentionally varied as to its spectral richness.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment wherein a pyramid 41 contains a filament 36 which is received in the upper portions of pyramid 41 through an opening at apex 42 and above the blue-green insertion 50. Except as necessary for receiving base 31, pyramid 41 is identical to 35 the pyramid member 21. The anchor wires 37 are so disposed relative to the filament 36 and lead-in wires 34 so that the filament 36 is carried within the upper part of pyramid 41 without actually making contact with its sides.

It is to be understood that the upper part of pyramid 41 containing filament 36 is under vacuum or contains an inert gas.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of the light on an imaginary floor located at the bottom 44 of 45 pyramid 41 or portion 24 of pyramid 21. The four colors, red, yellow, violet and blue are mixed and filtered by bluish green insertion to produce a powerful white light in the shaded area 45. It will be noted that the design shown in FIG. 5 can be used as a pattern for cut- 50 ting and polishing diamonds.

Although I have described preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of other adaptations and modifications.