Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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INTEGRATED SIGN ILLUMINATION SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention pertains to lighting systems for use with signage
and in
particular to an integrated sign illumination system.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Many companies use illuminated signs to draw attention to their
services, for
fuel stations and fast food restaurants, for example. Often these signs are
multi-coloured
and are traditionally illuminated by a full spectrum white light source such
as a
fluorescent tube, Neon or light emitting diodes (LED). For these white light
sources, a
large portion of the light energy is wasted through the absorption filtering
of the graphic
media of the sign being illuminated, wherein through the absorption of
undesired
wavelengths, an intended colour of light emanates from the sign. This
phenomenon can
produce a "washed out" or faded look to the colours of the sign face in
addition to the
waste of light energy.
[0003] International Patent Application Publication No. WO 2005/020188
discloses an
illuminated street sign wherein the illumination is provided by LEDs. This
application
describes a light engine comprising a light engine carrier, at least one LED,
a heat sink
and optionally a reflector and/or lens system to illuminate a street sign. The
light engine
can be retrofit into existing illuminated street signs after removal of the
fluorescent tube
or can be attached to the interior of conventional housings or can be
integrally formed
with the housing of an illuminated sign. A pair of light engines are mounted
in the
housing at an angle to direct the light to the opposite side panel wherein
each light
engine has a reflector and an additional reflector can be mounted on the base
of the
housing. This lighting system is particularly applicable to illuminating
street signs and
defined as additionally being a fluorescent tube replacement and therefore if
this lighting
system is used for multicolour or single colour signs the result may be an
undesired
faded colour appearance of the sign.
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[0004] United States Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0255497 discloses
an
illuminated sign or nametag achieving the even glow and brightness of neon
light
displays without neon light tubes. Each character or symbol of the sign or
nametag
contains a plurality of light emitting members. Each such character or symbol
comprises a light diffusion layer illuminated by light emitting members
disposed in a
planar manner, on, near or in the light diffusion layer. A permanent or
temporary
masking layer partially covers the light diffusion layer to form a glowing
border around
the masking layer. Reflective layers covering either or both faces of the
light diffusion
layer may be used to intensify the light emitted therefrom. By the particular
arrangement of the reflective surfaces relative to the light diffusion layer,
electromagnetic radiation in the form of visible light from the light emitting
members is
controlled to provide an aura that enhances formed outlines or contours of
light around
the indicia making up the sign. This illumination system provides a means of
illuminating a sign front and therefore light produced by the light emitting
members can
be wasted due to absorption of particular wavelengths of light by the media
being
illuminated.
[0005] United States Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0028413 discloses
a sign
for conveying information, having a plastic body, illuminating means such as
LEDs
mounted in a planar orientation within the body and a reflective coating
applied on a
surface of the body carrying information to reflect light emitted from the
illumination
means back into the body of the sign. The sign may have the LEDs mounted to
face an
inside surface of the sign capable of scattering light to a transparent
surface to produce
an illuminated area wherein the scattering of the light can produce a
substantially even
intensity of light across the illuminated area of the sign after its
transmission from the
sign. Due to the planar arrangement of the light emitting members, light may
be wasted
during operation of this illuminated sign. Furthermore, this system can also
provide a
means of illuminating the sign front and therefore light produced by the LEDs
can be
wasted due to absorption of particular wavelengths of light by the media being
illuminated.
[0006] United States Patent No. 6,582,103 describes an illumination apparatus
which
provides an output with high spatial uniformity of luminance. The illumination
apparatus includes a cavity that has reflective surfaces and an output area.
At least one
light source is disposed in the cavity, with the light source includes a point
source and an
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optical diverter having a flared reflecting surface. Light from the point
source is
distributed by the optical diverter towards the reflective surfaces within the
cavity.
Before exiting the device, light passes through an optical conditioning
element that is
positioned over the output area of the cavity. The optical conditioning
element includes
at least a diffuser, such as a translucent film or plastic sheet, and
preferably also includes
one or more prism sheets such as a brightness-enhancing film. This
configuration of an
illumination apparatus produces a substantially even light distribution,
however this
illumination apparatus may not be capable of illuminating a specific region of
the optical
conditioning element, which may be desired if a sign is to be viewed as having
multiple
colours.
[0007] United States Patent No. 6,821,007 describes a compact, and low
maintenance
back lit illuminated sign, wherein such a back lit sign can be suitable for
use on a
vehicle. The shallow back lit illuminated sign comprises a housing, a light
source
suitable for supplying light to a light fibre, and at least one side-light
emitting fibre. The
housing has a sign face and an interior surface that includes a back surface.
The sign
face has an illuminated area that diffusely transmits light. The back surface
is located at
a depth from the sign face and may be curved or flat. One or more side-light
emitting
fibres are connected so as to receive light from the light source and are
mounted within
the housing so as to limit the amount of emitted light, from the fibres, that
travels
directly to the sign face. This illuminated sign however, does not provide a
means for
illuminating different regions of the sign face with different colours or
keeping these
different colours separated from each other.
[0008] United States Patent No. 6,932,495 describes a channel letter lighting
unit which
comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) having a plurality of linearly mounted
light
emitting elements. The channel letter lighting units are mounted on a channel
letter
housing that is planar. This channel letter lighting unit however, does not
provide for
illuminating different regions of a sign face with different colours or
keeping these
different colours separated from each other.
[0009] United States Patent Nos. 5,542,202 and 6,026,602 describe an
internally
illuminated sign having indirect illumination provided by LEDs. A plurality of
LEDs
are mounted on a PCB and mounted within the sign. The PCB is offset to a side
of the
sign housing with the somewhat directional LED light source directed toward a
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reflector. The reflector is angled to convert the generally narrow directional
light source
of an LED into a substantially even, diffused and non-uniform light
distribution pattern.
This illuminated sign configuration however, is not be capable of illuminating
a specific
region of the sign, which may be desired if a sign is to be viewed as having
multiple
colours.
[0010] United States Patent No. 6,024,476 describes a sign illuminator wherein
a bundle
of light conducting fibres are plied to a light diffusing plate having a
plurality of recesses
which receive the ends of the fibres. The plate is sized and shaped to conform
to a
channel in the sign so that when the light fibres are inserted into the light
diffusing plate
their light provides a back illumination for the sign. A light reflecting
surface can be
placed alongside the interior surface of the light diffusing plate to provide
additional
light use for the illumination of the sign. This illuminator provides a means
of
illuminating a sign and therefore light can be wasted due to absorption of
particular
wavelengths of light by the media being illuminated.
[0011] United States Patent No. 6,478,450 describes a light system including a
channel
sign having lights connected to a flexible conductor strip. The flexible
conductor strip is
encased between the cover, walls and bottom of the channel sign. This light
system
configuration however, is not be capable of illuminating a specific region of
the sign,
which may be desired if a sign is to be viewed as having multiple colours.
[0012] Therefore there is a need for a new single or multi-colour sign
illumination
system that provides the desired level of illumination of a sign while
reducing the loss of
light energy.
[0013] This background information is provided for the purpose of making known
information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the
present
invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that
any of
the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] An object of the present invention is to provide an integrated sign
illumination
system. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is
provided an
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integrated sign illumination system for illuminating a sign face, said system
comprising:
a plurality of light-emitting elements for generation of light having one or
more colours;
and a contoured mounting device including a plurality of mounting sites, one
or more of
said plurality of light-emitting elements optically coupled to the contoured
mounting
device at a selected mounting site, said contoured mounting device configured
to direct a
selected colour of light to a selected portion of the sign face; wherein said
plurality of
light-emitting elements are adapted for connection to a power source for
activation
thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0015] Figure 1 is an exploded view of a sign comprising an integrated sign
illumination
system according one embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] Figure 2 is an exploded view of an integrated sign illumination system
according
to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the integrated sign illumination
system
illustrated in Figure 2.
[0018] Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the integrated sign
illumination
system illustrating the relative positioning of a light-emitting element
relative to the
contoured mounting device.
[0019] Figure 5A is an exploded view of an integrated sign illumination system
according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] Figure 5B illustrates a light-emitting module according to one
embodiment of the
present invention.
[0021] Figure 6 is an exploded view of a sign comprising an integrated sign
illumination
system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] Figure 7 is a cross sectional view of the sign of Figure 6.
[0023] Figure 8 is an exploded view of a sign comprising an integrated sign
illumination
system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
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[0024] Figure 9 is a cross sectional view of the sign of Figure 8.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Definitions
[0025] The term "light-emitting element" is used to define any device that
emits
radiation in any region or combination of regions of the electromagnetic
spectrum for
example, the visible region, infrared and/or ultraviolet region, when
activated by
applying a potential difference across it or passing a current through it, for
example.
Therefore a light-emitting element can have monochromatic, quasi-
monochromatic,
polychromatic or broadband spectral emission characteristics. Examples of
light-
emitting elements include semiconductor, organic, or polymer/polymeric light-
emitting
diodes, blue or UV pumped phosphor coated light-emitting diodes, optically
pumped
nanocrystal light-emitting diodes or any other similar light-emitting devices
as would be
readily understood by a worker skilled in the art. Furthermore, the term light-
emitting
element is used to define the specific device that emits the radiation, for
example a LED
die, and can equally be used to define a combination of the specific device
that emits the
radiation together with a housing or package within which the specific device
or devices
are placed.
[0026] The terms "light", "lighting", "illumination", "colour" and "colour of
light" are
used interchangeably to define electromagnetic radiation of a particular
frequency or
range of frequencies in any region of the electromagnetic spectrum for
example, the
visible, infrared and ultraviolet regions, or any combination of regions of
the
electromagnetic spectrum.
[0027] As used herein, the term "about" refers to a+/-10% variation from the
nominal
value. It is to be understood that such a variation is always included in any
given value
provided herein, whether or not it is specifically referred to.
[0028] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used
herein have the
same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to
which this
invention belongs.
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[0029] The present invention provides an integrated sign illumination system
for the
illumination of a sign face. The system comprises a contoured mounting device
configured for directing a selected colour of light to a selected portion of
the sign face.
A plurality of light-emitting elements for the generation of light of one or
more colours
are optically coupled to the contoured mounting device at selected mounting
sites. The
colour of the light produced by the light-emitting elements can be configured
to be
compatible with the selected illumination colour of the sign face thereby
providing a
means for the reduction of light loss due to absorption by the sign face.
[0030] Figure 1 illustrates a sign comprising an integrated sign illumination
system 12
according to one embodiment of the present invention, which is positioned
between the
sign face 10 and the backing structure 14. The integrated sign illumination
system
provides a means for the direction of a selected colour of light to a selected
portion of
the sign face. In order to reduce the amount of light energy lost due to
absorption by the
sign face, the colour directed to the selected portion of the sign face is
compatible with
the intended colour to be viewed from the front of the sign face. For example,
the
colour of the selected portion of the sign face is about the same as the
colour of the light
generated by the light-emitting elements illuminating the selected portion of
the sign
face. In this manner energy can be conserved while providing a selected level
of
illumination of the sign face.
[0031] Figure 2 illustrates an exploded view of an integrated sign
illumination system
according to one embodiment of the present invention. The contoured mounting
device
20 comprises a plurality of mounting sites 21 at which the light-emitting
elements 22 are
positioned. The contoured mounting device provides a means for strategically
positioning the light-emitting elements, for example for a desired colour and
illumination of a portion of the sign face associated with the contoured
mounting device.
Furthermore, one or more light-emitting elements can be positioned at any one
mounting
site. The contoured mounting device further provides a means for directing
selected
light generated by the light-emitting elements to predetermined portions of
the sign face.
The three dimensional shaping of the contoured mounting device can enable the
direction or selected light to selected portions of the sign face while
impeding the
propagation of undesired light to the same selected portion of the sign. The
light-
emitting elements can be coupled to a heat sink 26, for example a plate, which
can
provide a means for the coupling of the light-emitting elements to a power
supply and
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control system 28 thereby providing a means for activation thereof, in
addition to
thermal management of the light-emitting elements.
[0032] In one embodiment, the light-emitting elements may be environmentally
sealed
between the heat sink and the contoured mounting device through the use of a
sealing
device 24, for example an 0-ring or other means of environmental sealing.
[0033] Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the integrated sign illumination
system
illustrated in Figure 2. One or more of the mounting sites associated with the
contoured
mounting device can comprise an optical element, for example a lens 29 behind
which
one or more light-emitting elements are positioned wherein this lens can
provide a
means for light manipulation and may further provide a means for aiding in the
environmental sealing of the light-emitting elements with which it is
associated.
[0034] In one embodiment of the present invention and with further reference
to Figure
3, the contoured mounting device defines two regions, which are circular in
shape. An
inner region defined by diameter 21 can be lit using a first colour of light-
emitting
elements, and an outer ring region of thickness 23, can be lit using a second
colour of
light-emitting elements. The three dimension shape of the contoured mounting
device
20, is designed direct the first colour of light towards the portion of the
sign face which
can cover the inner region and direct the second colour of light towards the
portion of
the sign face which can cover outer ring region. Furthermore, this three
dimensional
shape of the contoured mounting device can limit the propagation of the first
light into
the outer ring region and the propagation of the second light into the inner
region.
[0035] In another embodiment, one or more of the mounting sites may be
configured as
holes or apertures within the contoured mounting device enabling the passage
of light
therethrough.
[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention, the optical element at a
mounting
site can be configured as a dome shaped lens 49 as illustrated in Figure 4,
and the one or
more light-emitting elements 42 may be positioned relative to the dome shaped
lens, for
example.
[0037] In another embodiment of the present invention an optical element can
be
formed within or coupled to the contoured mounting device, wherein the choice
of the
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optical element can be determined by the selected optical manipulation of the
light
generated by the one or more light-emitting elements positioned at that
mounting site.
For example the optical element can be configured to provide reflective,
refractive,
diffusive, holographic, colour filtering or other form of optical
manipulation, as is
known in the art.
[0038] Figure 5A illustrates an exploded view of another embodiment of the
present
invention. The sign face 50 is mounted over the contoured mounting device 52
and one
or more strings of light-emitting elements 54 are strategically positioned
with respect to
the contoured mounting device. The string of light-emitting elements can be
coupled to
a heat sink 56, for example a plate, which can be adapted to provide a means
for
coupling the light-emitting elements to a power source and to provide thermal
management of the light-emitting elements.
[0039] Figure 5B illustrates a light-emitting element module 58, suitable for
forming a
light-emitting element string. In one embodiment, the string of light-emitting
elements
54, as shown in Figure 5A may be formed from a plurality of light-emitting
element
modules 58 that can be operatively coupled together, wherein a light-emitting
element
module can comprise one or more light-emitting elements.
[0040] In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the light-emitting
elements
or light-emitting element modules can be operatively coupled to a power source
and
optionally each other, wherein this coupling can be provided by circuit traces
that can be
located on either or both of the heat sink plate or an appropriate surface of
the contoured
mounting device, for example.
[0041] Figure 6 illustrates a sign comprising a sign face 60 and an integrated
sign
illumination system 62 according to another embodiment of the present
invention. The
integrated sign illumination system provides a means for the direction of a
selected
colour of light to a selected portion of the sign face. In order to reduce the
amount of
light energy lost due to absorption by the sign face, the colour directed to
the selected
portion of the sign face can be compatible with or substantially the same as
the intended
colour to be viewed from the front of the sign face. In this manner energy can
be
conserved while providing a desired level of illumination of the sign face. In
an
alternate embodiment, the sign face can be a uniform coloured diffuser. In one
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embodiment, the sign face can be a frosted "white" diffuser thereby providing
for the
transmission of almost any colour of light generated by the light-emitting
elements.
[0042] Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the sign shown in Figure 6. In
one
embodiment, the sign has a small depth 70 in relation to the width 71. In one
embodiment the ratio of the depth of the sign to the width of the sign is
about 1:2. In
another embodiment the ratio of the depth of the sign to the width of the sign
is about
1:3. In still another embodiment the ratio of the depth of the sign to the
width of the sign
is greater than or equal to about 1:5. In the configuration shown in Figure 7,
the
lighting-emitting elements 66 can be strategically positioned with respect to
the
contoured mounting device 64, for example in order to achieve a desired
illumination
level of a particular region of the sign face associated with contoured
mounting device.
The lighting-emitting elements 66 may have an optical lens 68 associated
therewith to
provide collimation of the light generated thereby. The contoured mounting
device is
configured as a three dimensional reflector and can be designed to be
optically active.
For example, walled portions of the contoured mounting device 64 can provide
for the
reflection of the light generated by the light-emitting elements. In one
embodiment the
contoured mounting device 64 can be fabricated from a reflective material or
can
alternately be coated with a reflective material, for example. In another
embodiment of
the present invention, the contoured mounting device can be coated with
phosphor.
[0043] Figure 8 illustrates a sign comprising a sign face 60 and an integrated
sign
illumination system 72 according to another embodiment of the present
invention. The
light-emitting elements 66 can be strategically positioned, with respect to
the contoured
mounting device 74, in order to take advantage of another three dimensional
configuration of the contoured mounting device. Figure 9 illustrates a cross
sectional
view of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 8.
Contoured Mounting Device
[0044] The contoured mounting device provides for the direction of a selected
colour of
light towards a selected portion of the sign face. In this manner, the colour
of light can
be strategically selected for energy conversation, when compared with using
white light
and relying on the absorption of unwanted colours of light by the sign face,
in order for
the selected colour to emanate from the sign face.
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[0045] In one embodiment, the contoured mounting device is three dimensional
in
format and can be designed to be optically active. For example, walled
portions of the
contoured mounting device can provide for the reflection of the light
generated by the
light-emitting elements. The contoured mounting device can be fabricated from
a
reflective material or can alternately be coated with a reflective material,
or phosphor for
example.
[0046] In one embodiment, the contoured mounting device is designed to
substantially
optically separate the sign face into regions, wherein a region may be a
portion of the
sign face where a particular colour is to emanate therefrom. In this manner
the
contoured mounting device can enable the reduction of interference or "cross
talk"
between different colours of light that are used to illuminate a multicoloured
sign face.
[0047] The contoured mounting device can provide for the consistent placement
and
positioning of light-emitting elements relative to a sign face, thereby
providing for a
more effective and desired illumination pattern being generated for the sign
face. This
can additionally provide a means for fabrication consistency across a
plurality of
integrated sign illumination systems.
[0048] In one embodiment, the contoured mounting device can provide for the
three
dimensional placement of the light-emitting elements, thereby providing a
means for
further modification of the light being projected towards the sign face.
Alternately the
light-emitting elements can be provided in a planar setup relative to the
contoured
mounting device.
[0049] In one embodiment of the present invention, the sign face comprises a
plurality
of colours and the contoured mounting device provides for the strategic
placement of
selected coloured light-emitting elements in predetermined positions, while
substantially
isolating one or more colours from other colours. In this manner, selected
colours of
light can be directed to selected portions of the sign face.
[0050] In one embodiment of the present invention, the sign face is three-
dimensional in
configuration and the contoured mounting device can be configured to mimic
this three
dimensional shape. In this manner the three-dimensional sign face can be
illuminated
evenly as the distance from a light-emitting element coupled to the contoured
mounting
device can be substantially uniform across the across the sign face.
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[0051] In an alternate embodiment, when an uneven illumination pattern is
desired, the
shape of the contoured mounting device can be configured to vary from that of
the sign
face, thereby altering the distance between the light-emitting elements and
the sign face
over the surface area of the sign face. In this embodiment, first portions of
the sign face
wherein the distance from the light-emitting elements to the sign face is
greater may
appear washed out when compared to second portions of the sign face wherein
the
distance from the light-emitting elements is smaller.
[0052] In one embodiment of the present invention, the contoured mounting
device can
provide for the adjustment of the correlated colour temperature of a specific
region of a
sign face. This can be enabled by defining a spatial region by the shape of
the contoured
mounting device together with the placement of a variety of colours of light-
emitting
elements within this region. Through appropriate control of the variety of
colours of
light-emitting elements colour changing capabilities of that region of the
sign face can
be provided.
[0053] The shape of the surface of the contoured mounting device can be any
desired
shape, for example contoured mounting device can be configured with vertical
walls,
sloped walls, curved walls, parabolic walls or any other shape. In addition
the surface of
the contoured mounting device can be configured to provide for random
reflection of
light emanating from the light-emitting elements. For example the surface of
the
contoured mounting device can be roughened thereby providing random reflection
of
light.
[0054] In one embodiment of the present invention, the contoured mounting
device can
be configured to provide the ability to adjust the correlated colour
temperature of a
specific region of a sign face. This functionality can be enabled by providing
a coloured
reflective material or coating on the contoured mounting device. For example,
to create
consistent white light using light-emitting elements with varying correlated
colour
temperature (CCT), the contoured mounting device can be coated with a shade of
blue
material to create a "cool" white, or it can be coated with a pink material to
create a
"warm" white.
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Light-Emitting Elements
100551 The light-emitting elements associated with the integrated sign
illumination
system according to the present invention, provide the selected light for
illumination of
the sign. In one embodiment the light-emitting elements are configured to
produce a
particular colour of light.
[0056] In an alternate embodiment, light-emitting elements, which generate red
light,
green light or blue light can be strategically positioned relative to each
other in a manner
such that the combination of this red, green and blue light can provide a
means for
generating white light or any other colour of light in the colour gamut. This
configuration light-emitting elements can additionally provide a means for
adjusting the
blended colour of the light produced.
[0057] In one embodiment of the present invention, a light-emitting element or
group of
light-emitting elements has an optical device which is optically coupled
thereto. This
optical device can provide a means for manipulating the light generated by the
light-
emitting elements with which it is associated. For example the optical member
may
diffuse, collimate, reflect, refract or blend the light emitted by the one or
more light-
emitting elements associated therewith.
[0058] In one embodiment of the present invention, an optical lens which is
optically
coupled to one or more light-emitting elements, can be tinted with a pigment
to provide
for the adjustment of the correlated colour temperature (CCT) of a specific
region of a
sign face. For example, to create consistent white light using LED sources
with varying
CCT the optical lens can be tinted blue to create a "cool" white, or it can be
tinted pink
to create a"warm" white. The amount of pigment and thickness of the lens will
determine the degree of the color adjustment to the sign face.
[0059] In one embodiment of the present invention, the light-emitting elements
and their
respective circuitry can be coated with a conformal coating, for example a
spray or other
environmental protection coating. In this embodiment, the contoured mounting
device
may not necessarily be required to provide environmental protection to the
light-emitting
elements.
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[0060] The embodiments of the invention being thus described, it will be
obvious that
the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as
a
departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such
modifications as would
be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the
scope of the
following claims.
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