Lighting apparatus

Claim 1

A lighting apparatus comprising: a housing having an opening formed in a portion of an outer wall thereof; a light source arranged within said housing, for emitting light toward said opening; a substantially flat color disc arranged between said light source and said opening and capable of transmitting light therethrough, said color disc having an outer surface opposed to said opening, an inner surface opposed to said light source, and a large number of subdivided sections defined over an entire area thereof, said subdivided sections being arranged contiguously such that boundaries of one subdivided section extending in a circumferential direction and a radius direction of the color disc coincide with boundaries of adjacent subdivided sections, and individually colored in one of predetermined colors such that the color of one subdivided section differs from that of the subdivided sections contiguous thereto in the circumferential direction and radius direction of the color disc, to thereby define a plurality of coloration patterns comprised of the subdivided sections colored in the same color, each of the coloration patterns having a configuration such that when the color disc is rotated by a predetermined angle about an axis thereof, one coloration pattern perfectly coincides with another; a light-intercepting disc arranged in parallel to the color disc close to the outer surface of same, said light-intercepting disc covering the entire outer surface of the color disc, and having a large number of windows of the same size and shape as cooperating subdivided sections of said color disc such that said windows, when the light-intercepting disc is located at a predetermined rotational angle relative to the color disc, respectively coincide with the subdivided sections forming one coloration pattern and thus permit same to be exposed therethrough to the opening of the housing; driving means for rotating one of the color disc and the light-intercepting disc at a predetermined speed, to successively expose all of the subdivided sections forming the individual coloration patterns through the windows of the light-intercepting disc; and a translucent illuminating bulb arranged at the opening of said housing, for radiating the light from the opening to the outside of the housing; said driving means including support means for rotatably supporting the light-intercepting disc, said support means including an annular frame mounted between the color disc and the light source, a pivot bearing provided substantially at a center of the annular frame and supported by a plurality of arms, and a pivot shaft rotatably supported by the pivot bearing, said pivot shaft extending through the color disc and being connected to a central portion of the light-intercepting disc for thereby rotatably supporting the light-intercepting disc.