Patent Application
20140362564
The present invention relates to a light emitting device, and components for a light emitting device. Embodiments of the invention have been particularly developed to provide a solar-powered bollard lamp. While some embodiments will be described herein with particular reference to that application, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to such a field of use, and is applicable in broader contexts.
Any discussion of the background art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Bollard lamps are widely used, for example in the context of outdoor spaces and passages. Although various attempts have been made to allow such devices to operate without connection to external power (for instance via solar panels), those attempts have fallen short of resulting in an end-product that is applicable across a range of implementation environments.
There is a need in the art for improved light emitting devices, and components for such devices.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.
One embodiment provides a bollard light including:
a substantially prismatic body having a base, a top, and three or more vertically extending elongate sidewalls extending between the base and the top;
at least one light emitting component supported by the body; and
a plurality of solar panels supported by the body, wherein the plurality of solar panels generate power for consumption by the at least one light emitting component, and wherein at least 60% of each sidewall is covered by solar panel.
One embodiment provides a bollard light including:
a vertically extending extruded member of substantially continuous cross section;
wherein the extruded member includes at least three sidewalls collectively defining a central core;
wherein each sidewall has a pair of extending protrusions along its vertically extending edges, the protrusions of a given sidewall collectively defining a channel bounded by inner faces of the protrusions and an outer face of the sidewall, the channel being configured for receiving a solar panel and a LED mounting assembly; and
wherein each channel is additional configured to optionally support a covering member in place of the LED mounting assembly, such that when assembled the bollard light supports a number of LED mounting assemblies less than the number of sidewalls.
One embodiment provides a bollard lamp including:
a base member;
a plurality of planar sidewalls extending vertically from the base, each sidewall having an outer surface and an inner surface, a central core being defined intermediate the inner surfaces;
a plurality of solar panels, each panel having an outward-facing functional surface and an inward facing surface, each inner facing surface being abuttingly engaged with a respective one of the sidewall outer surfaces;
a top cap having a plurality of rod receiving formations, wherein the top cap abuttingly engaged against respective top edges of the plurality of sidewalls, and the red receiving formations are contained within the central core;
a plurality of rods, each being mounted to at its distal and to one of the rod receiving formations and at its proximal end to the base member;
wherein the base member includes a plurality of apertures thereby to facilitate external access to one or more fixing members used to securely attach the rods to the base member.
One embodiment provides a bollard light including:
a plurality of vertically-mounted solar panels, each panel having an outward-facing functional surface and an inward facing surface;
for each solar panel, a bollard sidewall having an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein the outer surface of the bollard sidewall is positioned adjacent the inward facing surface of the solar panel;
a plurality of heat dissipation protrusions formed on the inner surface of each bollard sidewall, the heat dissipation protrusions extending into a central core defined by space between the sidewalls, such that heat accumulating at the solar panels is dissipated via the inner surface and the heat dissipation protrusions.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “some embodiments” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in some embodiments” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments.
As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.
In the claims below and the description herein, any one of the terms comprising, comprised of or which comprises is an open term that means including at least the elements/features that follow, but not excluding others. Thus, the term comprising, when used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being limitative to the means or elements or steps listed thereafter. For example, the scope of the expression a device comprising A and B should not be limited to devices consisting only of elements A and B. Any one of the terms including or which includes or that includes as used herein is also an open term that also means including at least the elements/features that follow the term, but not excluding others. Thus, including is synonymous with and means comprising.
As used herein, the term “exemplary” is used in the sense of providing examples, as opposed to indicating quality. That is, an “exemplary embodiment” is an embodiment provided as an example, as opposed to necessarily being an embodiment of exemplary quality.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Described herein is technology relevant to light emitting devices, and components for light emitting devices. Embodiments are primarily described by reference to a bollard lamp. However, it will be appreciated that the technology has wider application.
Each sidewall 201 has a pair of extending protrusions 205 along its vertically extending edges. The protrusions of a given sidewall collectively define a channel 208 bounded by inner faces of protrusions 205 and an outer face 206 of sidewall 201. The channel is configured for receiving a solar panel and a LED mounting assembly. The former is stacked above the latter, as shown in
The vertically mounted of solar panels generate power for consumption by emitting components, preferably via a rechargeable battery arrangement or the like. Preferably at least 60% of each sidewall is covered by solar panel, but more preferably at least 80% of each sidewall is covered by solar panel, and still more preferably at least 90% of each sidewall is covered by solar panel. This extensive coverage of vertically elongate sidewalls leads to efficient light capturing across a range of install locations and conditions. In cases where the number of solar panels is equal to the number of sidewalls, each solar panel preferably has a vertical surface dimension of at least three times its horizontal surface dimension, or more preferably four times its horizontal surface dimension.
Each channel is additional configured to optionally support a covering member in place of the LED mounting assembly. In this manner, lamp 100 is configured to support from one to four LED mounting assemblies, depending on requirements of a specific implementation. It will be appreciated that reducing the number of LEDs, whilst retain the same number of solar panels, allows for increased power (and hence light emission) from the remaining LEDs.
The extruded member includes, at each corner defined by the connection of adjacent sidewalls, a vertically extending channel for captivity receiving a retaining member 500. The retaining member includes a pair of abutting edges 502, each being configured to abuttingly engage with a respective one of the solar panels. In the manner, each solar panel is held in place by a pair of abutting edges 502 provided by respective retaining members 502.
Each sidewall includes an inwardly facing curved abutment face 220 for abutting engagement with ground-mounted bollard support 105. Face 220 is curved to match the curvature of support 105. Furthermore, formations 221 that define faces 220 are positioned relative to corresponding formations 901 on a based member 900 thereby to define a substantially complete circle around support 105 upon assembly of light 100.
The lamp includes, along each corner edge defined by the meeting to adjacent sidewalls, a vertically extending channel 230 for captivity receiving a respective one of the retaining members. Specifically, each retaining member 500 includes a central formation 601 which is slidably received in channel 230. Each retaining member includes one or more threaded portions positioned at locations along its length for receiving threaded members that extend through respective horizontally formed apertures in the vertically extending channels, thereby to inwardly bias the retaining members. That is, by tightening the threaded members, the retaining formation is pulled tightly inwards.
Preferably the sidewalls are flat and planar, such that each solar panel's inward facing surface is substantially fully contacting with a respective sidewall. In this manner the solar panels are protected from damage, as forces applied to the panels are dissipated though the sidewalls.
The vertically-mounted solar panels 202 each have an outward-facing functional surface and an inward facing surface. The inner surfaces are positioned against or adjacent respective outer surfaces of the bollard sidewalls. A plurality of heat dissipation protrusions are formed on the inner surface of each bollard sidewall, the heat dissipation protrusions extending into the central core. These protrusions are, in the illustrated embodiment, defined by vertically extending fins that collectively define a heat sink, these being integrally formed from the sidewall as part of extruded member 200. In this manner, heat accumulating at the solar panels is efficiently dissipated via the inner surface and the heat dissipation protrusions.
Lamp 100 includes a top cap 1000 and a bottom cap (or base) 900. Upon assembly of the lamp, these sandwich the extruded member and seal the central core. That is, the top cap is in abutting engagement with respective upper edges of the plurality of sidewalls, and the bottom cap is in abutting engagement with respective lower edges of the plurality of sidewalls.
The top cap is mounted to the bottom cap by a plurality of vertically extended rods 510, as best shown in
Preferably the top cap includes additional heat dissipation protrusions extend an inner surface of the top cap into the central core, thereby to dissipate heat accumulating via the top cap. These may be integrally formed with the top cap, or supported on a component underlying the top cap.
As shown in
To assemble lamp 100, support 105 is first mounted into the ground. Base 900 is then affixed to support 105, for example using screws or bolts. Member 200 is then placed on base 900. This may be preceded by, or alternately followed by, the mounting of retaining members, solar panels, spacers and light assemblies into member 200. Batteries and cables are then configured, and the battery preferably positioned within support 105 (for example below ground). Top cap 1000 is then installed, with rods 510 already affixed. This positions rods 510 into formations 910 in base 100, and these are affixed using screws via apertures 911.
It will be appreciated that the above description facilitates design and construction of novel and inventive light emitting devices, such as bollard lamp 100. The design features described herein are particularly advantageous in terms of heat dissipation (for example via the configuration of heat sink fans and the use of an extruded body), vandalism prevention (for example via the manner of final construction and the positioning of planar sidewalls against solar panels 102), and general design efficiency (for example the nature of member 200, which allows for modular design aspects).
It should be appreciated that in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, FIG., or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.
Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.
In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.
Thus, while there has been described what are believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as falling within the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013206264 | Jun 2013 | AU | national |
