DE20018865U1 - Lighting system - Google Patents

Description

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Patent attorneys
Wenzel & Kalkoff

PO Box 2448 * 58414 Witten * 02302/914550

Registration documents:

Attorney file:

Lighting system, light module, lighting bar

Bowling Alley Technology Dortmund GmbH

44357 Dortmund

06663.7

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(06663 .7)

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Description

The invention relates to a lighting system, a lighting module and a lighting strip.

A lighting system is understood here to be a system with distributed lighting sources, whereby these lighting sources - LEDs, light bulbs or similar - can be controlled so that they display certain light patterns. Such lighting systems are mainly known in the form of lighting strips. In a lighting strip, several lighting sources are attached to a strip at a distance from one another.

Such a lighting strip is described in DE 197 26 471. The lighting strip has LED elements that are connected to a power supply controlled by a control unit 0 via three conductor tracks. Every third LED arranged next to each other is connected between the same two conductor tracks. By controlling the voltage appropriately, a running light effect can be achieved in which the observer's eye sees points of light running along the strip in a certain direction.

The disadvantage of this conventional lighting bar is that only a very limited number of light patterns or movements can be displayed. Due to the pre-defined circuit, the LEDs cannot be controlled independently of each other, so that each LED is in the same switching state as the third LED to its right and left.

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It is therefore an object of the invention to improve the known lighting systems and lighting strips so that a large number of patterns can be displayed with little circuitry effort.
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This object is achieved by a lighting system according to claim 1, a lighting strip according to claim 16 and lighting modules therefor according to claim 10. Dependent claims relate to advantageous embodiments.

According to the invention, the lighting devices are mounted on modules. Each module can be equipped with just one lighting device, for example a light bulb. Preferably, however, each module has several separately switchable LEDs of different colors. In the representation, each module can be used as a "light point" which, in addition to the "OFF" state, can also take on the colors red, green and blue, for example, and in a further development, can also take on proportional mixed colors.

The modules also have switching means for switching the lamps. This can be a simple on/off switch, but it can also be a brightness control. The switching means, for example semiconductor switches or relays, are controlled by control signals from the control device so that they switch the lamps according to these control signals.

The control signals are preferably electrical impulses on corresponding conductor connections provided for this purpose. These can, for example, be data transfers on a bus or control commands passed on from module to module.

5 A system according to the invention can easily be designed

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It should be possible for the lamps to be controlled individually and independently of one another. This is because the actual switching of the lamps does not take place in a control unit as in the current technology, but rather "on site" directly on the modules.
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A central control device is used for control, which sends the control signals via the connection means and thus switches the individual lamps in a targeted manner. Any combination of different switching states of the lamps can be achieved here, as they can each be controlled individually.

According to a further development, the central control is a microprocessor control that can execute control programs. The control programs - the term is used here generally for any form of instruction with which a certain light pattern of the modules is controlled - are stored in the microprocessor control. Preferably, a large number of programs are pre-stored (for example, uniform running light, accelerating running light, running light with color changes, etc.). When executing such a control program, the control device controls the lamps by transmitting the corresponding control signals to the modules so that a predetermined light pattern or a predetermined sequence of light patterns is displayed. In further developments, the control device comprises several inputs, including an input via which a program for controlling an emergency light (indicating escape routes) is triggered and, if necessary, an input for music, so that light patterns are displayed depending on the music.

The modules are connected via connecting means, which are preferably conductor connections. This includes the common forms of cables with several strands as well as, for example,

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also flat cables. In addition, a connection is also possible, for example, via conductor tracks permanently attached to the strip or metal strips that are separated from one another.

For the individual, separate control of the modules, a direct connection between the control unit and each individual module is not required. Instead, joint connections are preferably used, with control signals being transmitted to different modules via jointly used connections.

According to a further development, this can be done by using a bus topology. Here, all modules to be controlled are connected to a bus. Control commands are sent from the control unit to the individual modules via the bus. In this case, the modules are equipped with appropriate electronics for handling bus transfers, so that the individual module recognizes the command addressed to this module and controls the lighting device accordingly via the switching device.

According to an alternative development, the modules are arranged in the form of a chain, with each module in the chain being connected to a module arranged in front of it and a module arranged behind it. Control signals that are sent by the control device to a module in the chain are evaluated by it and passed on - in modified or unchanged form - to the next module.

Preferably, the power supply is completely separate from the control system, whereby in the simplest case all modules are connected in parallel or in series to the same power supply. A linear arrangement of modules can be connected particularly easily in this way, for example by using two strands of a cable looped through all modules to provide the power supply. The

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Structure when the remaining strands or conductor tracks of the conductor connection are used for transmitting the control signals in either a bus or chain topology. In this way, the total number of necessary connection cables can be reduced to four in extreme cases (two power supplies, two data), preferably five (two power supplies, three data) or ten (eight bit bus = eight lines, plus two power supplies). Preferably, a cable connection with twenty or fewer strands is sufficient.

The modules are preferably constructed as circuits on small sections of commercially available circuit boards. An elongated shape (for mounting in a profile strip) with a length of 5 to 20 cm, preferably around 10 cm, and a width of around 0.5 to 2 cm is preferred. The lighting devices (e.g. light-emitting diodes) are preferably soldered directly onto the single-sided or double-sided circuit board. In addition, the connection devices (plugs) and switching devices are attached directly to the circuit board as electronic components.

According to a further development, the modules have a memory for the current state of the assigned light source. This can be, for example, a bistable flip-flop (ON/OFF) or a (for example 8-bit) digital register that contains the brightness value of the assigned light source. By using a memory on the modules, it is not necessary for control information to be constantly present on each module. The memory allows the module to retain its current state if no new control information arrives. This makes control considerably easier and avoids unnecessary effort. For example, when switching from one light pattern to another, it is possible to switch the modules one after the other to the

to bring the modules into the new desired switching state by transmitting the corresponding control information one after the other. This can easily happen at such a speed that the observer sees the switching of different modules as simultaneous, although the switching of the individual modules actually takes place one after the other.

As already mentioned, a preferred form of connecting the individual modules is the arrangement in the form of a chain. In this case, each module has input connections for the switching means for transmitting the control signals from the previous module and output connections for transmitting control signals to the next module. A particularly simple implementation is possible if the modules each have shift register memories, whereby the modules are logically connected in such a way that they form a connected shift register. In this case, for example, each module has an 8-bit shift register that serves as a memory for the assigned light source(s) (i.e., for example, it contains the brightness value of an assigned light source or ON/OFF information about eight assigned light sources). If an additional bit is now "pushed into" the register via the connected data line, the bit that "drops out" is passed on to the next module. In this case, the programming of a new pattern is done by the control device by sending an 800-bit long data word to the first module for, for example, 100 modules, each with an 8-bit memory. Through the successive shifts, an 8-bit part of this data word is stored in each of the 100 modules so that the switching devices can then control the lamps accordingly.

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An embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below with reference to drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1: A schematic representation of two lighting strips with a control unit;

Fig. 2: a plan view of a section of the lighting bar from Figure 1 with two modules;
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Fig. 3: a perspective view of the end of a profile strip;

Fig. 4: a side view of a lamp module;
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Fig. 5: a schematic diagram of a lighting bar;

Fig. 6: a circuit diagram for a module;
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Fig. 7: a symbolic diagram representation for controlling modules of the lighting bar.

Figure 1 shows a lighting system 10 consisting of two lighting strips 12 and a control device 14. Each lighting strip 12 has an aluminum profile rail 16 as a support, as shown in Figure 3. The profile rail 16 has a central, longitudinal channel 18, which is covered with a Plexiglas strip 20.

In Figure 1 it is now symbolically shown that modules 22 are present on the strips 12, namely inserted into the channel 18 of the profile rail 16. Along each strip 5 12 there are a number of modules 22 in the regular

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moderate distance from each other. Lighting systems, such as those used along a corridor in an airport building (to indicate directions, including escape directions) or for effect lighting in a discotheque, bowling alley 5 or the like, have several hundred modules 22 in a large number of lighting strips 12. The distance between two adjacent modules 22 can vary greatly; the distance is preferably about 30 cm to 2 m, particularly preferably about 1 m.

The modules 22 are connected to one another by connecting lines 24. The connecting lines 24 also connect the two lighting strips 12 connected in series to one another and serve to connect the control device 14 to the lighting strips 12.

Figure 2 shows a section of a lighting strip 12 from Figure 1. Two modules 22a, 22b are shown in this section of the profile rail 16. Each module 22a, 22b has three LEDs 24 as lighting sources. The three LEDs 24 of a module 22a, 22b each have different colors (red, green, blue).

As can be seen in Figure 4, each module 22 is built on a piece of circuit board 26. The LEDs 24 are fitted on the top of the circuit board 26. Electronic components for controlling the LEDs are soldered onto the underside of the circuit board 26. The corresponding circuit is discussed further below. The circuit board 26 is a double-sided circuit board, i.e. conductor tracks run on both sides of the circuit board. The electronic components 28 are made using SMD technology. The circuit board 26 has a connector 30 on each of the two front sides.

As can be seen from Figure 2, the two modules 22a, 22b

connected to one another by connecting cables 32, the sockets of which are plugged onto the plugs 30 of the two modules. The modules 22a, 22b are each connected to other neighbors (not shown) via the same plug connections.

The connection between the modules 22a, 22b contains five cables 32. Of these cables, the two outer ones are intended for the power supply of the modules. The three inner cables transmit control signals from the control device 14 to the modules and from the modules to each other, by means of which the individual LEDs 24 are switched on or off.

A schematic circuit diagram for this is shown in Figure 5. A power supply 33, connected to the general power supply network (220 V), supplies a DC supply voltage of 12 V, which is fed to each module 22a, 22b via two cables 32. A linear voltage regulator is provided on each module, which reduces this voltage to the DC operating voltage of 5 V. This avoids a voltage drop over the length of the lighting strip.

As shown in Figure 5, the control device 14 is in turn controlled by an operating device 34. The operating device 34 and the control device 14 are connected to one another via a serial protocol (RS 485). The operating device allows a user to enter the desired control commands and has corresponding input means and display means (keyboard, monitor, LED displays, etc.).

The control device 14 is a microprocessor control with a commercially available microprocessor and a data

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and program memory. In response to corresponding operator inputs on the operating device 34, the control device 14 controls the individual LEDs of the modules 22a, 22b, whereby the individual LEDs are switched on or off so that a desired light pattern is created for the entire lighting strip 12. A moving image is created for the viewer's eye by time-controlled reproduction of various successive patterns.

The data transfer from the control device 14 to the modules 22a, 22b takes place via three data lines 32, whereby one data line indicates the respective clock of the data transmission (CLOCK), another data line indicates the validity of the data (STROBE) and the third data line transmits the associated data. The data transfer takes place in a digital format, i.e. on the lines, certain voltage levels correspond to a HI state or a LO state.

0 Figure 6 shows the circuit (without power supply) of each module 22. The three lines STROBE IN, DATA IN, CLK IN correspond to the three data lines between the modules. The data is received via these inputs. The outputs STROBE OUT, DATA OUT, CLK OUT are connected to the inputs of the following module. The circuit essentially consists of a central shift register 36. This is a commercially available integrated circuit that implements an 8-bit shift register. The respective state of the 8 bits of this register is available at the outputs Ql to Q8 as HI or LO levels. In the circuit, the three bits Ql, Q2 and Q3 of the shift register 36 correspond to the switching state of the red, green and blue LEDs 24. Transistors Tl, T2 and T3 serve as drivers for the LEDs 24. The higher-order bits Q4 to Q8 are unused in this circuit. They could, for example,

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for other LEDs on the same module or for other control parameters.

As is known to those skilled in the art, a shift register works in such a way that when a corresponding shift pulse (positive CLOCK edge at HI STROBE) occurs, the data word contained therein is shifted to the right in binary terms, which corresponds to a multiplication by a factor of 2. In this case, the HI/LO state of the data line is adopted as the least significant bit Ql. The most significant bit is "shifted out" of the register and fed to the DATA OUT output via an output QS (and a corresponding driver).

By connecting several modules 22 in series, each module 22 having the circuit shown in Figure 6, a very long shift register is logically created. This is because the output QS of each individual shift register module 36 is coupled to the input of the following shift register module 36. The shift thus forms a chain across all modules.

Figure 7 shows how the control device 14 controls three exemplary modules 22a, 22b, 22c via the control lines 32 so that they display a specific light pattern of the LEDs 24 contained therein. In this case, the entire "image" is always transmitted during data transmission, i.e. the desired switching state of each individual LED is transmitted in full. For such data transmission, a 0 regular clock with a frequency of 12.5 kHz is applied to the CLOCK line. With such a clock, the data transmission is sufficiently fast even with many hundreds of modules so that it cannot be perceived by the human eye. Depending on the application, however, a considerably lower clock frequency can also be used. Only for special applications is a 0-bit clock signal applied to the CLOCK line.

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A considerably higher frequency may be necessary.

The lower part of the illustration in Figure 7 shows a timing diagram of the data transfer. At the start of a data transfer, the STROBE line, which indicates the validity of the data, is set to a HI level. If the STROBE line is active, the shift registers 3 6 of the modules 22a, 22b, 22c take over the data from the data line at each positive CLOCK edge.

If, for example, the data line in Figure 7 is at "HI" at the first positive CLOCK edge, a "1" bit is transferred to the first bit Ql of the shift register 36 of the first module 22a. At the next positive CLOCK edge, this bit is shifted from the bit position Ql to Q2. If the data line is now at a LO level, a "0" bit is loaded into the register position Ql. In this way, an entire data word, in the example in Figure 7 a 3 x 8 = 24 bit long, is "shifted" into the shift register formed by the modules 22a, 22b, 22c. At the end of the data transfer, the bits Ql and Q3 in the shift register 36 of the first module 22a are at "1", while the other bits are at "0". According to the circuit in Figure 6, this leads to the first and third LEDs of the module being switched on, while the second LED remains dark. Accordingly, the modules 22b, 22c represent the content of the respective shift registers 36 (or the three least significant bits) by the lighting state of their LEDs.

In the control device 14, each pattern to be displayed of all the LEDs connected to it corresponds to a specific data word (in the example in Figure 7, a 24-bit data word, with 100 connected modules, an 800-bit data word, etc.). If a special light pattern is to be generated, the corresponding data word is entered into the

Module 22 is "clocked in". This shift register transmission takes place at such a speed that the eye only perceives the LEDs switching and can no longer recognize the data transmission itself. If movement effects are to be achieved, for example a running light, the control device 14 transmits the various, successive light patterns at intervals of, for example, half a second each, so that the human eye has the impression of a moving image.

The system can control each LED individually, completely independently of one another, so that there are no limits to the possible variations and combinations.
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Claims (17)

1. Lighting system - with a number of lighting means ( 24 ) and at least one control device ( 14 ) for controlling the lighting means ( 24 ), characterized in that - the lighting means ( 24 ) are arranged on modules ( 22 ), - each module ( 22 ) having controlled switching means (T1, T2, T3) for switching the lighting means ( 24 ), - and connection means ( 30 , 32 ) for transmitting control signals from the control device ( 14 ) to each module ( 22 ) 2. Lighting system according to claim 1, in which at least groups of modules ( 22 ), preferably all modules ( 22 ) are connected to a common power supply ( 33 ). 3. Lighting system according to one of the preceding claims, in which - modules ( 22 ) each have several lamps ( 24 ) of different colors, - which can be switched separately by the switching means (T1, T2, T3). 4. Lighting system according to one of the preceding claims, in which - the connecting means ( 30 , 32 ) are conductor connections, preferably cable connections, - wherein the connections are used jointly to transmit the control signals to different modules ( 22 a, 22 b, 22 c). 5. Lighting system according to claim 4, wherein the conductor connections form a bus, the modules ( 22 ) being connected to the bus. 6. Lighting system according to claim 4, wherein - the modules ( 22 ) are connected to one another by the conductor connections ( 32 ) so that they form a chain, - wherein the control signals are forwarded from one module ( 22a ) to the next module ( 22b ) in the chain. 7. Lighting system according to one of the preceding claims, in which - the modules comprise at least one memory ( 36 ) in which the respective switching state of the associated lighting means ( 24 ) is stored. 8. Lighting system according to claim 6 and 7, in which - the memories ( 36 ) of the modules ( 22 ) connected in the form of a chain are organized as shift registers, - wherein during each shift the content of a memory ( 36 ) of a module ( 22a ) is forwarded via the connection means ( 32 ) to the next module ( 22b ). 9. Lighting system according to one of the preceding claims, in which - the control device ( 14 ) is a central microprocessor control, - which executes at least one stored control program, - and via the connection means ( 32 ) corresponding control signals for switching the lamps ( 24 ) are transmitted to the modules ( 22 ). 10. Lamp module - with at least one light source ( 24 ) - and a switching means (T1, T2, T3) for switching the lamp(s) ( 24 ) - and a control input for inputting control signals - and a connection for a power supply - wherein the switching means (T1, T2, T3) switches the lighting means(s) ( 24 ) in accordance with the control signals. 11. Illuminant module according to claim 10, characterized by a memory ( 36 ) in which the respective switching state of the illuminant ( 24 ) is stored. 12. Lamp module according to claim 10 or 11, in which - the module is mounted on a circuit board ( 26 ), - and connections ( 30 ) for a conductor connection ( 32 ), preferably a cable connection. 13. Illuminant module according to one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the illuminants are LEDs ( 24 ). 14. Lamp module according to one of claims 10 to 13, in which - the module has several lamps of different colours which can be switched separately by the switching means. 15. Lamp module according to one of claims 10 to 14, in which - first and second connections ( 30 ) for a conductor connection ( 32 ), preferably a cable connection, are provided, - wherein control signals are received at the first terminal ( 30 ) - and passed on to another module ( 22 b) via the second connection ( 30 ). 16. Lighting bar - with a number of modules ( 22 ) which are arranged at a distance from one another on a bar ( 12 ), - wherein each module ( 22 ) has one or more lighting means ( 24 ) and switching means (T1, T2, T3) therefor, - and the modules ( 22 ) are connected to one another via conductor connections ( 32 ) which run along the bar ( 12 ), - wherein control signals are conducted to the switching means (36, T1, T2, T3) via the conductor connections, according to which they control the lighting means. 17. Lighting strip according to claim 16, wherein - additional conductor connections are provided as power supply, - wherein all modules ( 22 ) are connected in series or parallel to a power supply ( 33 ).