SYSTEM FOR RESEMBLING AN OPEN CANDLE FLAME

Abstract

A system simulating an open candle flame is provided in the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the present system comprises a gyro-levitation unit including two spinning wheels with axes mutually perpendicular to each other to allow a two-degree of rotational freedom resembling the open candle flame motion caused by air flow in its surrounding environment. A mechatronics based actuator made of a bi-metal is employed to disturb the equilibrium of the gyroscope by exerting an actuating force against the gyro-levitation unit. Electric current controlled by a dedicated electronic unit flowing through the actuator allows reciprocal linear motion aligned with the visible light pattern of the candle flame. Varying light intensity of the candle flame is obtained as a combination of two light sources with one transmitted to a flame display through an optical device by total internal reflection and another one by projecting on its sideway.

Claims

1. A system for resembling an open candle flame comprising a holder and a base, said holder comprising an optical device, a first light source, a flame display, a weight, and a mechatronics based actuator; said base comprising a second light source, a processor and a power source, wherein one end of said optical device is physically connected with said flame display and another end of said optical device is physically connected with said weight; said mechatronics based actuator is positioned above said weight and capable to move horizontally along a projection extended from said optical device in order to provide a spinning dynamic motion for said optical device and said flame display; said first light source is mounted at sidewall of the holder providing sideway illumination to said flame display while said second light source is positioned on said base providing upward illumination through said optical device to said flame display such that intensity of a flame image displayed on said flame display is a combination of said illuminations from the first light source and the second light source; said mechatronics based actuator, said first light source, and said second light source are modulated by Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal generated from said processor such that dynamic motion of said mechatronics based actuator aligns with the variation pattern of brightness of the combined illuminations from the first and the second light sources.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said optical device comprises a light guide and a convex lens for directing illuminations from said second light source to said flame display.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said light guide is made from optical grade material selected from a group consisting of acrylic resin, polycarbonate, epoxies, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said mechatronics based actuator is made of a bi-metal material.

5. The system of claim 5, wherein said bi-metal material comprises a nickel-titanium alloy configured in a wire form made by different crystal structures of nickel and titanium.

6. The system of claim 6, wherein said optical device is configured to have a projection that allows a horizontal movement of the wire form of the mechatronic based actuator along the projection in order to result in a two-axis cone-shape pendulum motion towards the flame display.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said processor comprises a controlled signal generator for controlling an on-off duty cycle of electric current to generate the PWM signal in order to modulate the mechatronics based actuator, the first light source and the second light source.

8. A system for resembling an open candle flame comprising: a base, the base comprises a processor and a power source; a candle frame unit, the candle frame unit includes an upper flame display portion and a lower flame display portion; a supporting plate on which the candle frame unit is mounted; a truncate-cone-shape (TCS) helical spring support unit attached to the base at one end and to the supporting plate at the other end; a first light source within the lower flame display portion, such that the first light source directs illumination to the candle frame unit; a second light source around the lower flame display portion and on the supporting plate, such that the second light source projects illumination to the candle frame unit, wherein a complete flame image including an image of flame and an image of candlewick is displayed on the candle frame unit based on a combination of illuminations from the first light source and the second light source; a mechatronics based actuator associated with the TCS helical spring support unit and configured to provide a push-pull triggering force for disturbing the equilibrium of the TCS helical spring support unit resulting a dynamic motion of the candle frame unit; and a holder attached to the base and enclosing the TCS helical spring support unit and at least part of the candle frame unit, wherein the mechatronics based actuator, the first light source and the second light source are powered by the power source and modulated by the processor such that the dynamic motion of the candle frame unit and the variation of brightness and/or color of the flame image can be aligned.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a light confinement device attached to the first light source and within the lower flame display unit, the light confinement device confines illumination from the first light source to the candle frame unit, and the light confinement device is made from optical grade material selected from a group consisting of acrylic resin, polycarbonate, epoxies, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the mechatronics based actuator is made of a bi-metal material.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the bi-metal material comprises a nickel-titanium alloy configured in a wire form made by different crystal structures of nickel and titanium.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor comprises a signal generator, the signal generator provides a first control signal to control an on-off duty of electric current to the mechatronics based actuator for controlling the dynamic motion of the candle frame unit, and a second control signal to control the brightness and/or color of the first and/or second light source.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first and second control signals are generated based on pseudo-random numbers, pseudo-noise sequences, digital counters or whitening sequences,

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the controlled signal generator further comprises a voltage regulator for stabilizing an input to a peripheral interface controller (PIC) for controlling the on-off duty cycle of electric current.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the upper flame display portion of the candle frame unit comprises an illumination membrane consisting of a violet-darkish bottom zone, a yellowish zone in the middle and an incomplete combustion zone at the top, and the lower flame display portion of the candle frame unit mimics a candlewick.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 is a cutaway perspective view of the flameless candle depicting the structure thereof according to the first implementation embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a cutaway perspective view of the flameless candle depicting the structure thereof according to the second implementation embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 3 is another cutaway perspective view of the flameless candle depicting the structure thereof according to the first implementation embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 4 is another cutaway perspective view of the flameless candle depicting the structure thereof according to the second implementation embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram depicting the electronic control unit for the LED light sources according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams showing (A) the basic principle of using the light guide to guide the light from an LED light source and (B) a working model of the LED being inserted into a light guide to form the optical device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the flameless candle depicting the structure thereof according to a third implementation embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Referring to the first implementation embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1, the flameless candle system comprises a holder 105 and a base 111. The holder 105 serves as a housing and comprises a flame display 101, an optical device 102, a gyro-levitation unit 103, a weight 104, a first light source 106, and a mechatronics based actuator 107. The base 111 comprises a power source 108, a processor 109 and a second light source 110. One end of the optical device 102 is physically connected to the flame display 101 and another end of the optical device is physically connected with the weight 104. The mechatronics based actuator 107 is positioned below the weight 104 and at a space between the optical device 102 and the second light source 110. The gyro-levitation unit 103 is physically mounted on sidewall of the holder 105 and the optical device 102, respectively, and therefore it acts like a frame to embody the optical device 102. Said gyro-levitation unit 103 comprises an outer gimbal and an inner gimbal which are two spinning wheels with orthogonal axis of rotation. The outer gimbal is mounted on the holder 105 and it assumes a degree of free motion of any orientation. As it also provides a pivotal axis to support the inner gimbal, the two-degree of mutually perpendicular motion so formed is one of the main features of the present invention by which the gyro-levitation unit 103 is geared to drive the flame display 101. In operation, the gyro-levitation unit 103 according to the first implementation embodiment of the present invention enables a cone-shape of solid angle type of pendulum motion which is used to resemble the open candle flame motion by air flow in its surroundings.

[0022] The mechatronics based actuator 107 is another key innovative feature in the present invention. It makes use of the properties of a bi-metal wire such as nickel-titanium alloy, also known as Nitinol, built by making use of combination of crystal structures from the nickel and titanium metals. The explanation for these structural changes lies at the atomic level with its shape changes as a result of the rearrangement of the crystal structures in the solid. It is able to “contract” by approximately 5% when an electric current of about 200 mA is applied and then “expand” to return to its full length again once it is cooled down, or when it is disconnected from the power source. A “to-and-fro” spinning dynamic motion of the actuator 107 initiated by an on-off duty cycle type of electric current can disturb the equilibrium of the gyro-levitation unit 103. This on-off duty cycle type of electric current can be controlled by a dedicated electronic controller. Another innovative feature is to realize the candle flame by using light guide techniques together with the traditional light projection principles. The first light source 106, which is preferably a LED, is digitally controlled by using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technique for controlling the brightness of the flame and its flickering effect is created by using synchronized control signal generated in line with the motion control. The second light source 110, which is also preferably a LED, is associated with the optical device 102, which is preferably a light guide, to transport the LED light from the second light source up to the lower part of the flame display 101. FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the structure of the light guide 102. At the end where it receives the light from the second light source 110, the light guide 102 comprises a convex lens 102a for seek of producing a focused light before transmitting the light into the light guide 102. The light guide 102 is made of acrylic resin material and the light transmission effectiveness can be taken care by either keeping a total internal reflection of the light flux (as shown in FIG. 6A) or by coupling the LED source into the light guide (as shown in FIG. 6B). The light from the light source is transmitted through the light guide by means of total internal reflection. Light guides are designed to be made of optical grade materials such as acrylic resin, polycarbonate, epoxies, or other optical lighting materials such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

[0023] FIG. 2 shows the second implementation embodiment of the present invention, which is a simplified version of the first implementation embodiment, in which a limited two-degree of motion is effected dedicated slackness in the mechatronics based actuating wire 107. The system according to the second implementation embodiment does not comprise said gyro-levitation unit 103 as in the first implementation embodiment. Accordingly, the mechatronics based actuator 107 plays the role of the gyro-levitation unit as in the first implementation embodiment to exert dynamic motion on the flame display but the degree of motion is limited to two-degree because of the configuration. In the second implementation embodiment, both ends of the mechatronics based actuator 107 are mounted at the sidewall of the holder 105 as pivots. As shown in FIG. 4, the optical device 102 is configured to have a projection 102b which is about the mid-way of the actuator wire 107 in order to allow a horizontal movement of the actuator 107 along the projection 102b resulting in a two-axis pendulum motion pattern.

[0024] FIG. 7 shows a third implementation embodiment of the present disclosure, which uses a different structural configuration to achieve a similar illumination effect of the candle flame enabled by the multiple light sources with light conduction and projection, and a similar flickering effect of the open candle flame motion by air flow in its surroundings enabled by the pendulum motion of the weight.

[0025] Like the first and second implementation embodiments, the third implementation embodiment also has a base 311 with a processor and a power source (not shown), and a holder with an opening at the top (not shown) and attached onto the base 311. In this third implementation embodiment, a candle frame unit 305 is provided which at least partly protrudes out of the holder through the opening. The candle frame unit 305 is transparent or translucent to light. In certain embodiments, the candle frame unit 305 diffuses, scatters and/or softens the incident light. In certain embodiments, the candle frame unit 305 comprises an upper flame display portion 301 and a lower flame display portion 303. The upper flame display portion 301 is generally a leaf-like illumination membrane, but other suitable shapes and/or structures mimicking the flame are also within the contemplation of the present disclosure. The upper flame display portion 301 comprises three zones resembling, from bottom to top, the hottest bottom violet-darkish zone around a candlewick, the most illuminated yellowish zone in the middle and the incomplete combustion zone at the top. The lower flame display portion 303 mimics a candlewick or a combination of a candle top and a candlewick. Inside the lower flame display portion 303, there is a first light source. The first light source can be an LED light. The LED light can be of any desirable shape or size. In certain embodiments, the brightness and/or color of the upper light source can be digitally controlled. In certain embodiments, there is also a light confinement device (not shown) inside the lower flame display portion 303. The light confinement device is attached to the first light source. In certain embodiments, the top of the first light source is received in the light confinement device, so that the light confinement device confines and directs most, if not all light from the first light source to illuminate the candle frame unit 305, particularly the leaf-like illumination membrane 301. In certain embodiments, the light confinement device is formed as a convex lens for producing a focused light from the first light source. The light confinement device is designed to be made of optical grade materials such as acrylic resin, polycarbonate, epoxies, or other optical lighting materials such as PMMA, PS, and ABS.

[0026] In certain embodiments, the lower flame display portion 303 rests on and is fixed to a supporting plate 302 for installation of the candle frame unit 305. In certain embodiments, there is a second light source 306 installed at the external of and around the lower flame display portion 303. In certain embodiments, the second light source 306 also rests on and is fixed to the supporting plate 302. The second light source 306 can be an LED light. The LED light can be of any desirable shape or size. In certain embodiments, the brightness and/or color of the upper light source can be digitally controlled. Light from the second light source 306 is projected onto the candle frame unit 305, particularly onto the leaf-like illumination membrane. As such, the combination of illuminations from the first light source and the second light source 306 displays a complete flame image including a flame and a candlewick on the candle frame unit 305.

[0027] The flickering effect of the open candle flame motion by air flow in its surroundings, in the third implementation embodiment of the present disclosure, is achieved by a truncated-cone-shape (TCS) helical spring support unit 304 in connection with a mechatronics based actuator 307. The TCS helical spring support unit 304 is attached to the base 311 at one end and to the supporting plate 302 at the other end. In certain embodiments, the TCS helical spring support unit 304 is received at least partly in two longitudinal slots of the supporting plate 302 at one end and in two longitudinal slots of the base 311 at the other end. Such configuration allows a dynamic waving motion of the candle frame unit 305. The waving motion is triggered by an actuating force exerted on the TCS helical spring 304 by a mechatronics based actuating mechanism 307. The mechanism 307 makes use of the properties of a bi-metal wire 307 such as nickel-titanium alloy known as Nitinol built by making use of combination of crystal structures from the nickel and titanium metals. The bi-metal wire 307 is able to contract when an electric current is applied and then to expand to its full length again once cooled down, or when disconnected from the power source. The degree and frequency of the contraction and expansion depend on the oscillation frequency and magnitude of the electric current applied to the bi-metal wire 307. In certain embodiments, in a sample size of 0.076 mm diameter bi-metal wire 307, it is capable of being shortened in length by about 5% in one second for a let-through current of 200 mA, and is capable of returning to its original length after the electric current is cut off for allowing its temperature to cool down. The explanation for these length changes lies at the atomic level as a result of the rearrangement of the crystal structures. The bi-metal wire 307 is associated with the TCS helical spring 304 so that the change in length of the bi-metal wire 307, i.e. the to and fro motion of the mechatronics based actuator 307 disturbs the equilibrium of the TCS helical spring supported unit 304, resulting the dynamic waving motion of the candle frame unit 305. In certain embodiments, a midpoint or a middle area of the bi-metal wire 307 is fixed to the TCS helical spring 304 so contraction or expansion of the bi-metal wire 307 will push or pull the TCS helical spring 304. In certain embodiments, the TCS helical spring 304 defines an internal volume. The bi-metal wire 307 comprises a microsphere fixed thereon and which is trapped within the internal volume of the TCS helical spring 304. Upon contraction or expansion of the bi-metal wire 307, the microsphere will push or pull the TCS helical spring 304.

[0028] In certain embodiments, the holder can encapsulate and protect the TCS helical spring support unit 304, the supporting plate 302, the second light source, the light confinement device, the mechatronics based actuator 307 and at lease part of the candle frame unit 305. The power source can provide power to the processor, and to the first and second light sources through wires 310 and to the mechatronics based actuator 307. In certain embodiments, the power source can comprise disposable batteries, rechargeable batteries, primary coils, power cord, or the like.

[0029] To control the brightness of the light sources 106, 110, 306 and align the “to-and-fro” dynamic motion of the mechatronics based actuator 107, 307 with the change of brightness of the light sources, the processor 109 comprises an integrated circuit (IC), e.g., an 8-pin IC, with a signal generator for generating a control signal, e.g., a programmable Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal, to activate or deactivate the mechatronics based actuator 107, 307 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] The signal generator can provide a first control signal to manipulate the on-off duty of the electric current generated by the power source to the mechatronics based actuator 307. As discussed earlier, the on and off of the electric current can control the to-and-fro dynamic motion of the mechatronics based actuator 307, and consequently the waving motion of the TCS helical spring 304 and the candle frame unit 305. The signal generator can provide a second control signal to control the brightness and/or color of the upper and/or lower light source 306, 310. In certain embodiments, the first and second control signals are PWM signals. In certain embodiments, the first and second control signals are the same signal. In this regard, the waving motion of the candle frame unit 305 and the variation of brightness and/or color of the flame image displayed on the candle frame unit can be aligned. In certain embodiments, the first and second control signals are different signals, and the waving motion of the candle frame unit 305 and the variation of brightness and/or color of the flame image displayed on the candle frame unit can be aligned. In certain embodiments, the control signals can be generated based on pseudo-random numbers, pseudo-noise sequences, digital counters or whitening sequences.

[0031] In certain embodiments, the on-off duty cycle of the electric current to the mechatronics based actuator 307 is controlled by a PIC. The signal generator further comprises a voltage regulator for stabilizing an input from the power source to the PIC.

[0032] FIG. 5 shows a circuit diagram of the 8-pin IC of the processor 109:

[0033] Pin 1: for the power source 108, connected with a capacitor as voltage regulator to stabilize the voltage during operation of the device;

[0034] Pin 2 to Pin 4: for expandable features of the device;

[0035] Pin 5: for providing a programmable PWM signal, which in turn, enables a transistor network to activate/deactivate the alloy wire of the mechatronics based actuator 107 by an on-off duty cycle type of electric current;

[0036] Pin 6: for applying a pull-down signal to drive the first light source 106, and connected with a resistor for over-current protection;

[0037] Pin 7: for applying a pull-down signal to drive the second light source 110, and connected with a resistor for over-current protection;

[0038] Pin 8: as a common ground to the system.

[0039] By the signal generator of the present invention, the amount of brightness of the LED light source and its oscillations are governed based on a Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR) which serves to generate the control signal like pseudo-random numbers, pseudo-noise sequences, fast digital counters, and whitening sequences. As the average power delivered is proportional to the modulation duty cycle, the pulse train is designed with a sufficiently high modulation rate and filtered to produce the desired effect of the open candle flame.

[0040] While the foregoing invention has been described with respect to various embodiments, such embodiments are not limiting. Numerous variations and modifications would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Such variations and modifications are considered to be included within the scope of the following claims.