DE20204206U1 - Multi-color LED lamps for signal lights - Google Patents

Description

Description of the invention Multi-colour LED lamps for signal lights

The invention relates to lighting means for signal lights in which known colored LEDs are arranged in such a way that these lighting means as a light source optionally emit colored light via a corresponding electronic control.

The state of the art is signal lights, which are known as so-called signal towers that visually indicate the current operating status of machines, systems and production facilities, primarily in the colors green, red and yellow, clearly visible as an all-round light emission for each signal level. An acoustic sounder can be used to attract additional attention. These signal towers consist of individual signal lights in the respective colors and are arranged one above the other in a tower. LEDs of the respective color are used as the light source.

The use of LEDs as lighting sources is state of the art and is described in DE 198 48 078, DE 100 38 561, DE 100 38 559, DE 100 11 910, DE 200 03 644, DE 201 15 574, among others. However, all of these solutions lack the possibility of emitting differently colored controlled light to signal operating states using the signal lights described in this invention.

The object of the invention is to propose a signal light with LED, which avoids the construction of a tower when signaling with several differently colored illuminated optical displays.

The solution to the problem according to the invention is achieved with a circuit board on which several LEDs (1) of the same color are arranged vertically one below the other as an LED strip (2) and LED strips of different colors (2) are arranged parallel to one another. The lighting of the LED strips is controlled using special control electronics that receive their control signals from the electronics of the respective machine, system or production facility (Fig. 1).

In a further second arrangement of the LED lamps, several LEDs of the same color (1) are arranged horizontally next to each other as an LED strip (2) and the different colored LED strips (2) are arranged parallel to each other (Fig. 2).

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These circuit boards with the LED strips of both arrangements are attached vertically as an equilateral triangle (5) to the control electronics board (4) and electrically connected to the electronics on the control board. With this arrangement of the circuit boards as a triangular column (5) with the LEDs, the total beam angle of the LED is 360 degrees. Another way of arranging the circuit boards is to arrange them as a square or polygon. If flexible circuit boards are used, they can be made into a circular tower using an additional holder. All of these tower-like structures of the circuit boards also guarantee 360° all-round radiation.

The second arrangement of the LED light source makes it possible to produce a multi-coloured signal light that lights up in stages and has approximately the same dimensions (Fig. 2). By inserting an optical shield (6) between the different coloured LED strips (2), overexposure to the individual stages of the multi-coloured signal light is avoided and approximately the same dimensions as with the single signal light are possible (Fig. 3). This solution for a multiple signal light makes it possible to display the signal status to colour-blind people using the respective coloured ring of the signal light.

The respective LEDs can be controlled directly or via coding, e.g. data bus, continuously or not continuously, multiplexed or continuous, in color mixing mode or single color, in constant current mode or via series resistors on the operating voltage, with or without a switching power supply. In conjunction with other signaling devices, e.g. optical signaling devices and gas discharge lamps or flash tubes or e.g. acoustic signaling devices with any sound generator, a signaling or alarm can be implemented that is adapted to the respective application.

The invention is explained in more detail in an embodiment.

Three rectangular circuit boards (3) of the same size, on each of which 4 red + 4 green + 4 yellow LEDs (1) are arranged vertically one below the other as LED strips (2), are each connected by their long sides so that they form a prismatic body with a triangular isosceles cross-section, hereinafter referred to as the triangular column (5), which is attached vertically in the signal light. If all 12 red, all 12 green or all 12 yellow LEDs are lit and each LED has a beam angle of 120°, since the three circuit boards are also arranged at an angle of 120° to each other, this results in a total beam angle of 360° for this light source. The light source as a triangular column (5) can be covered either with a clear, uncolored filter with prisms or with an uncolored filter made of opal material (7).

In a further second arrangement of the LED lamps on the rectangular circuit board (3), 2x2 red + 2x2 green + 2x2 yellow LEDs (1) are arranged parallel to each other and the different colored LED strips (2) are arranged vertically one below the other (Fig. 2).
The light source in the form of a triangular column (Fig. 2) has three coloured light strips arranged in parallel at different heights. To ensure that the light strips are not overexposed and that the height of the light strip is precisely allocated in the signal light, optical shielding discs (6) are inserted between the red and green and the green and yellow LED strips.
The mechanical structure and the electronic control are identical for both versions of the signal lights.

The particular advantage of the signal lights according to the invention is the significant reduction in size of multi-coloured signal lights (previously referred to as signal towers), as only the housing of a simple signal light is required for multi-coloured illuminated displays (Fig. 3).

By using the LED light source with the parallel band-like arrangement of the colored LEDs (Fig. 2), in addition to the colored signaling, an optical assignment of the respective light band of the signal light is also provided, e.g. for color-blind people.
The versatility of the electronic control of the colored LEDs means that a wide variety of lighting effects can be realized cost-effectively with mechanically robust and all-weather-proof signal lights. The new multi-colored signal light in the housing of the previously single-colored signal lights and the versatility of the electronic control means that the possible applications are expanded.

Reference symbols

1. LED (light emitting diode)

2. LED strips

3. LED circuit board (tower) 4. Control board

5. LED tower as triangular column

6. Optical shielding screen

7. Optical filter uncolored with prisms or opal

Fig. 1 Light source with different colored vertical LED strips

Fig. 2 Lamps with different colored horizontal LED strips

Fig. 3 complete signal light

Claims (3)

1. Illuminants for signal lights, in which known colored LEDs are arranged in such a way that these illuminants, as a light source, optionally emit colored light via a corresponding electronic control, characterized in that several LEDs ( 1 ) of the same color are arranged vertically one below the other as an LED strip ( 2 ) and different colored LED strips ( 2 ) are arranged parallel to one another on a rectangular circuit board ( 3 ) ( Fig. 1), and these circuit boards are populated on one side and several circuit boards, which can also be designed as flexible circuit boards, are joined together to form a tower ( 3 ) ( 5 ) or the circuit board is populated with LEDs on both sides so that the most uniform all-round radiation possible is guaranteed, furthermore these circuit boards populated with LEDs are fastened vertically in the signal light ( Fig. 1 and 2), and the LEDs on the LED strips are controlled with the aid of special control electronics which receive their control signals from the electronics of the respective machine, system or production facility, among others. 2. Illuminants for signal lights, in which known colored LEDs are arranged in such a way that these illuminants as a light source selectively emit colored light via a corresponding electronic control according to claim 1, characterized in that several LEDs ( 1 ) of the same color are arranged parallel to one another as an LED strip ( 2 ) and the differently colored LED strips ( 2 ) are arranged vertically one below the other and the LED strips ( 2 ) arranged vertically one below the other are optically separated from one another by shields ( 6 ) ( Fig. 2). 3. Illuminants for signal lights, in which known colored LEDs are arranged in such a way that these illuminants as a light source selectively emit colored light via a corresponding electronic control according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that a multi-colored signal light can thus be implemented in a single housing of a simple signal light ( Fig. 3).