Patent Application
20120287610
The present disclosure relates generally to a lighting apparatus and, more particularly, to a lighting apparatus having at least two light emitting zones, each configured to light a different area. In one particular aspect, the present disclosure relates to a bollard having a first light source for lighting ground near to the base of the bollard and a second light source for lighting ground beyond the ground lighted by the first light source.
The present disclosure also relates to a one-piece mount for a plurality of light sources, such as light emitting diodes (LED) by way of example only, to precisely locate each light source and provide optimum heat communication away from the light sources.
Bollards are well known for the lighting of walkways and the like. Prior known bollards comprise either a single aperture directing light from a light source to cover a predetermined field of surrounding ground or a plurality of stacked louvers each having a light source wherein each light source/louver combination is configured to direct light at the same angle with respect to the bollard and thus light essentially the same predetermined field. These known prior art bollards have cast light either on the field immediately adjacent the base of the bollard (i.e. “near field”) or on a field spaced from the base of the bollard (i.e. “far field”), but have not cast adequate light on both fields.
Prior to the lighting apparatus of the present disclosure, lighting both near and far fields required multiple bollards positioned closely together to create overlapping fields. This caused inefficiencies in both capital expenditures on equipment as well as energy consumption by the lighting apparatuses.
The present disclosure provides a lighting apparatus that overcomes these deficiencies in prior lighting apparatuses.
A lighting apparatus comprising: a) a first lighting assembly comprising at least one lower light source configured to cast light over at least a near field; and b) a second lighting assembly comprising at least one upper light source configured to cast light over at least a far field, the second lighting assembly mounted above the first lighting assembly. At least one of the upper and lower light sources may be comprised of an LED. The upper light sources may be configured to cast a narrow flood beam. The lower light sources may be configured to cast a wide flood beam. The upper light sources may be directed downward at a first angle from horizontal and the lower light sources are directed downward at a second angle from horizontal different from the first angle. The first angle may be smaller than the second angle. The first angle may be approximately 25.5° and the second angle may be approximately 38.6°. The lighting apparatus may be configured as a bollard wherein the second lighting assembly is located immediately over the first lighting assembly. At least one of the first and second lighting assemblies may comprise a light source mount comprising (a) a base defining a plane, (b) a plurality of tongues extending from the base at an angle to said plane, and (c) at least one of the plurality of tongues being configured to receive the light source.
A bollard configured as a column with an outer shell, the bollard comprising: (a) a lower light aperture adjacent the shell and a lower lighting assembly comprising at least one lower light source configured to cast light over at least a near field; and (b) an upper light aperture adjacent the shell and a second lighting assembly comprising at least one upper light source configured to cast light over at least a far field, the second lighting assembly mounted above the first lighting assembly. At least one of the upper and lower light sources may be an LED. The upper light sources may be configured to cast a narrow flood beam. The lower light sources may be configured to cast a wide flood beam. The upper light sources may be directed downward at a first angle from horizontal and the lower light sources may be directed downward at a second angle from horizontal different from the first angle. The first angle may be smaller than the second angle. The first angle may be approximately 25.5° and the second angle may be approximately 38.6°. The second lighting assembly may be located immediately over the first lighting assembly. At least one of the first and second lighting assemblies may further comprise a light source mount comprising (a) a base defining a plane, (b) a plurality of tongues extending from the base at an angle to said plane, and (c) at least one of the plurality of tongues being configured to receive the light source.
A light source mount for a lighting assembly, the light source mount comprising (a) a base defining a plane, (b) a plurality of tongues extending from the base at an angle to said plane, and (c) each tongue configured to receive one or more light sources. Each light source may be comprised of an LED. Each of the plurality of tongues may extend from the base at the same angle to the plane. The base may define a perimeter and the plurality of tongues may extend from the perimeter. The base may define a perimeter and the plurality of tongues may extend from the base about the entirety of the perimeter.
The ornamental shape and design of various disclosed embodiments, as shown in the figures, is also disclosed and claimed in a design patent application filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on the same day as the filing of this application. The entirety of that design patent application is incorporated herein by reference.
Other configurations of the subject technology will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various configurations of the subject technology are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the subject technology is capable of other and different configurations and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the scope of the subject technology.
Aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure may be more fully understood from the following description when read together with the accompanying drawings, which are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as limiting. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed on the principles of the disclosure. In the drawings:
The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of various configurations of the subject technology and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the subject technology may be practiced. The appended drawings are incorporated herein and constitute a part of the detailed description. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the subject technology. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject technology may be practiced without these specific details. It is to be understood that the disclosure is intended in an illustrative rather than in a limiting sense, as it is contemplated that modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims. Like components are labeled with identical reference numbers for ease of understanding.
A lighting apparatus 10 according to the present disclosure is depicted in
An intermediate shell 22 sits atop the lower aperture frame 20 and spaces the lower aperture frame 20 from an upper aperture frame 24 which defines an aperture through which light may project. The upper aperture frame 24 is depicted in greater detail in
The particulars of the lower aperture frame 20 can be seen in
The lower aperture frame 20 defines a lower light aperture 52 at the lens 44 (see
The particulars of the upper aperture frame 24 can be seen in
The upper aperture frame 24 defines an upper light aperture 80 at the lens 72 (see
Inward of the lower light aperture 52 resides a lower lighting assembly 100 (which can be seen in
The tongues 112 are spaced approximately evenly about the perimeter of the base 110. In the depicted embodiment in which the lighting apparatus 10 comprises three fins 34 spaced 120° from each other, the tongues 112 are spaced to leave three gaps 126, each aligned with one of the fins 34. By spacing the tongues 112 in this manner to avoid the fins 34, the light emitted from light sources located on each tongue 112 (as described below) will not be blocked by the fins 34.
Each tongue 112 comprises a light source mounting plate 118 having two ears 120 extending from a distal end thereof, each ear defining a hole 122 therein. In the depicted embodiment, the tongues 112 are approximately rectangular in shape, having a width “a” which narrows to a neck 124 having a width of “b” where the tongue 112 meets the base 110 of the light source mounting plate 118 in order to ease the bending of the tongue 112 from the flat position resulting from the lower light source mount 108 being cut from a flat piece of metal. In one exemplary embodiment, the lower light source mount 108 is precision manufactured from a single piece of sheet aluminum in order to maximize heat transfer precision of the angles. In another exemplary embodiment, the lower light source mount 108 can be precision cut from 0.090 inch thick 3033-H14 or 5052-H32 aluminum with a dimension a of 0.748 inches and a neck 124 dimension b of 0.500 inches to facilitate bending of the tongues 112.
Inward of the upper light aperture 80 resides an upper lighting assembly 128 (depicted in
As with the lower light source mount 108, the tongues 140 of the upper light source mount 128 are spaced approximately evenly about the perimeter of the base 138. In the depicted embodiment, the tongues 140 are spaced to leave three gaps 146, each aligned with one of the fins 62 of the upper aperture base ring 58, such that the light emitted from light sources located on each tongue 140 (as described below) will not be blocked by the fins 62.
Each tongue 140 comprises a light source mounting plate 148 having two ears 150 extending from a distal end thereof, each ear defining a hole 152 therein. In the depicted embodiment, the tongues 140 are approximately rectangular in shape, having a width “a′” which narrows to a neck 154 having a width of “b′” where the tongue 140 meets the base 138 of the light source mounting plate 148 in order to ease the bending of the tongue 140 from the flat position resulting from the upper light source mount 136 being cut from a flat piece of metal. In one exemplary embodiment, the upper light source mount 136 is precision manufactured from a single piece of sheet aluminum in order to maximize heat transfer precision of the angles. In another exemplary embodiment, the upper light source mount 136 can be precision cut from 0.090 inch thick 3033-H14 or 5052-H32 aluminum with a dimension a′ of 0.748 inches and a neck 154 dimension b′ of 0.500 inches to facilitate bending of the tongues 140.
A light source 156 is positioned on each tongue 112, 140. The light sources 156 depicted in
As depicted, the portion of the circuit board 156 comprising the LED 158 is in contact with the light source mounting plates 118, 148 of the lower and upper tongues 112, 140, while the connectors 160 reside on a portion of the circuit boards 156 that extend beyond the light source mounting plates 118, 148. In this configuration, the heat generated by the LED may be directly communicated to the respective light source mounts 108, 136, then to the respective supports 102, 130 and ultimately to the fins 34, 62 and the shell portions 16, 22 and cap 26 where the heat can be dissipated to the surrounding environment. Optionally, a thermally conductive adhesive or other thermally conductive substance can be located between the light sources 156 and the tongues 112, 140 to optimize thermal communication.
While the exemplary embodiment depicted in the figures employs circuit boards 156 with LEDs 158 as the light sources, other light sources may also be employed or alternatively used within the scope of the present disclosure. By way of example only, other light sources such as plasma light sources may be used. Further, the term “LED” is intended to refer to all types of light emitting diodes including organic light emitting diodes (“OLED”). Use of LEDs can afford reduced energy, maintenance and costs when compared to other existing light sources.
Optionally, as depicted in the figures, an optic lens 162 is positioned over each LED 158 and is optionally held by a cylindrical optic lens holder 164. In one exemplary embodiment, the lower lighting assembly 100 comprises Luxeon Rebel LEDs, as discussed above, and 458633-FLP-W4-RE-HRFST lenses manufactured by Fraen Corporation of Reading, Mass. (“Fraen”). Other optic lenses 162 are contemplated on the on the lower lighting assembly 100 consistent with the particular lighting needs of the application of the lighting assembly. In another exemplary embodiment, the upper lighting assembly 128 comprises Luxeon Rebel LEDs, as discussed above, and 458634-FLP-M4-RE-HRFST lenses manufactured by Fraen. When the lighting assembly 10 is a bollard, it has been found advantageous to employ a narrow flood type optic lens on the upper lighting assembly 128 and a wide angle flood type optic lens on the lower lighting assembly 100.
In one embodiment of this disclosure, the upper lighting assembly 100 throws narrow flood beams of light (through a combination of light source 156 and lens 162) with the light directed an acute angle below horizontal toward the ground to light the far field, while the lower lighting assembly 128 throws wide flood beams of light (through a combination of light source 156 and lens 162) with the light directed at an angle below horizontal that is relatively wider than the acute angle of the upper light sources, to light the near field. In one example, the upper light source 156 is directed at an angle of 25.5° below horizontal and the lower light source 156 is directed at an angle of 38.6° below horizontal. These angles are determine by identifying the “direction” of the light as being perpendicular to the light source mounting plates 118, 148. The combination of the acute angle and the narrow flood beams used in the upper lighting assembly 100 and the relatively larger angle and wide flood beams used in the lower lighting assembly 128 facilitates appropriate lighting of both the near and far fields. Of course, the actual magnitude of lumens to be distributed to the near and far fields depends on the exact light sources 156 chosen and the current run through them.
In one exemplary embodiment, the lighting apparatus has the following dimensions, as identified in
The blinds 56, 84 of the aperture frames 20, 24 may optionally extend downward a sufficient amount to block the light sources 156 and any optic lenses 162 from view of a pedestrian when viewing the lighting apparatus 10 perpendicular to its longitudinal axis. This prevents potentially harmful amounts of light from entering the pedestrian's eye.
The lighting apparatus 10 may optionally comprise a motion sensor to sense the presence of pedestrians nearby in order to have low or no light emitted when no pedestrians are present, while having high levels of light emitted when pedestrians are present. A microwave motion sensor 166 is depicted in
The upper and lower light apertures 80, 52 have been depicted and described herein as extending 360° about the longitudinal axis of the lighting apparatus 10, except as blocked by the upper and lower fins 62, 34. It is contemplated, but not depicted, that the upper and lower light apertures 80, 52 could extend anywhere from nearly 0° about the longitudinal axis to 360°. The light apertures could be blocked in areas where no light is desired. For example, 180° of the apertures 80, 52 could be blocked in order to throw light only across 180° in applications such as when the lighting apparatus 10 is located at or close to the edge of a sidewalk. Blocking the light apertures 80, 52 could be accomplished in many ways, such as, by way of example only, covering the lens with a blocking paint or inserting a reflector to cover the portions of the apertures 80, 52 to be blocked. Alternatively, or in addition, to blocking the apertures 80, 52, one or more light sources 156 could be removed from the upper and/or lower light assemblies 128. 100 in order to emit light only across the span desired to be lighted.
The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The previous description provides various examples of the subject technology, and the subject technology is not limited to these examples. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” Headings and subheadings, if any, are used for convenience only and do not limit the invention.
A phrase such as an “aspect” does not imply that such aspect is essential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an aspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. An aspect may provide one or more examples. A phrase such as an aspect may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa. A phrase such as an “embodiment” does not imply that such embodiment is essential to the subject technology or that such embodiment applies to all configuration of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an embodiment may apply to all embodiments, or one or more embodiments. An embodiment may provide one or more examples. A phrase such an “embodiment” may refer to one or more embodiments and vice versa. A phrase such as a “configuration” does not imply that such configuration is essential to the subject technology or that such configuration applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to a configuration may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. A configuration may provide one or more examples. A phrase such a configuration may refer to one or more configurations and vice versa.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example or illustration.” Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs.
All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.” Furthermore, to the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used in the description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
Various modifications may be made to the examples described in the foregoing, and any related teachings may be applied in numerous applications, only some of which have been described herein. It is intended by the following claims to claim any and all applications, modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the present teachings.
