Multisided area-illuminating device

Abstract

A lighting apparatus includes a plurality of panels and light emitting elements facing in many or all directions. The lighting apparatus can include a controller and a user-operable power switch for controlling electrical power to the light emitting elements. The lighting apparatus can be portable and can be powered by an internal battery. The lighting apparatus can include an orientation detector for detecting its current orientation, e.g., which lighting panel is facing the ground or is facing directly upward. The lighting apparatus can include a timer, which can be used for automatic shutoff and/or delayed-on functionality. The lighting apparatus can be configured to operate in one or more different operational modes, which can be preset and/or user-selectable.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A lighting apparatus, comprising:
 a first panel facing a first direction having a first light emitting element;   a second panel facing a second direction different from the first direction and having a second light emitting element;   an orientation detector for detecting an orientation of the lighting apparatus; and   a controller for receiving orientation information from the orientation detector and for controlling electrical power to the first and second light emitting elements based at least in part on the orientation information.   
     
     
         2 . The lighting apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the lighting apparatus comprises a plurality of panels, the plurality of panels including said first and second panel, and
 wherein the plurality of panels are assembled in the shape of one of a cube, a tetrahedron, an octahedron, an icosahedron, a pyramid, a cuboid, a cube octahedron, a truncated icosahedron, and star dodecahedron.   
     
     
         3 . The lighting apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second panels comprises a diffuser. 
     
     
         4 . The lighting apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the diffuser is formed of at least fire resistant material. 
     
     
         5 . The lighting apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a user-operable mode selection switch for allowing a user to select from among a plurality of operational modes. 
     
     
         6 . The lighting apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured for controlling electrical power to the first and second light emitting elements based at least in part on a selected one the plurality of operational modes. 
     
     
         7 . The lighting apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured for controlling electrical power to the first and second light emitting elements based at least in part on a preselected one of a plurality of operational modes. 
     
     
         8 . The lighting apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a rechargeable battery for providing electrical power for the at least one light emitting element. 
     
     
         9 . The lighting apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second light emitting elements is a light emitting diode. 
     
     
         10 . The lighting apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a power switch for allowing a user to turn on the lighting apparatus. 
     
     
         11 . The lighting apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising a timer for detecting an amount of time since a user operated a power switch.