DE20309248U1 - Illuminated sales display light source mixes colors of programmed LEDs - Google Patents

Abstract

An illuminated sales display light source has program (10) controlled (9) red (3), blue (1) and green (2) diode light sources with focussing reflector (4) or lens and a light guide (6) to transmit the combined light (5).

Description

VONNEMANN KLOIBER LEWALD HÜBNER

Patent Attorneys & European Patent Attorneys

Date: 13.06.2003

Reference number: 0056

UTILITY MODEL REGISTRATION

Advertising technology Bruno von der Burg
Von-Bronsart-Strasse 9

22885 Hamburg-Barsbüttel

title
Sales display with a lighting device

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DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a sales display with a lighting device for generating light of any color and white light with three different colored light sources, namely one blue, one green and one red light source, whereby an additive color mixture is generated.

Sales displays are used in sales rooms to present goods and associated advertising materials. A sales display must also appeal to customers aesthetically in a special way and thus interest them in the products and encourage them to buy. Lighting therefore also plays an important role in promoting sales.

Conventional sales displays are lit by incandescent lamps. It is known to produce colored light using color filters. In order to produce a certain color, a corresponding color filter must be present. If there are a large number of colors, this leads to a correspondingly large number of color filters and manual or mechanical changing of the color filters if the colors are to be changed. This is particularly disadvantageous if the colors are to be changed quickly. When changing the color, an abrupt color change occurs when the color filters are changed. Also, no fine-tuning of the colors is possible, as this is determined by the color filters and their color gradation.

The German utility model DE 295 20 700 therefore proposes to generate light of any color by mixing three light sources in the primary colors red, green and blue.

The disadvantage is that conventional light sources such as incandescent lamps are used to produce the colour. These have a low

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Efficiency, resulting in high power consumption and a short lifespan. Another disadvantage of incandescent lamps is that their color temperature depends on the brightness.

The object of the invention is therefore to propose a sales display with a lighting device with a long service life, low power consumption and brightness-independent color temperature.

The solution to this problem according to the invention provides a sales display with a lighting device in which the light sources are each designed as blue, green and red light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The blue diodes that have been developed over the last few years are now so advanced that they can be combined with yellow light to form sources of white light, so that a complete color spectrum is produced. Light-emitting diodes have the advantage of a long service life, small size, low heating with low power consumption and a high operating speed. Another advantage is that the light-emitting diodes do not give off any heat, which means that heat-sensitive products can also be illuminated.

By providing more than three LEDs, the luminosity of the lighting device can be increased. The color of the additional LED is optional. For example, an additional blue light source can be provided to increase the blue component, since the human eye has a relatively weak color perception of blue.

Furthermore, the sales display with a lighting device can advantageously consist of the same number of red, green and blue LEDs if the number of LEDs is divisible by three. This enables simple geometric relationships when mixing the

Colors. The sequence of the colors of the LEDs is arbitrary or can be selected according to the desired color and intensity ratios. If the light sources are operated at the same intensity, the mixed color is white; if the intensity is gradually reduced towards zero, the mixed color changes from gray to black.

A reflector element advantageously increases the intensity of the emerging light. One reflector element can be provided for each LED or one reflector element for several or all LEDs.

The light generated can be aligned using a curved reflector element or a converging lens or can be directed to a specific point, e.g. a light guide.

The light produced by the LEDs can be guided with almost no loss to a specific location on the sales display that is to be illuminated using a light guide. One or more light guides can be provided for each LED, or one or more light guides can be provided for several or all LEDs. This makes special color and lighting effects possible.

A device for continuously adjusting the brightness of the light sources enables a continuous selection of colors and changes to the color setting. By changing the brightness, the intensity of the mixed color can also be adjusted as desired. This also makes it possible to adapt the colors produced to the specific colors used to advertise the product and thus achieve a recognition effect.

If the device for adjusting the brightness of the LEDs is controllable, this enables control by an electrical

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or electronic circuit. A color change can be time-controlled or programmed in its sequence. This allows color plays and effective color combinations to be created.

The invention is described by way of example in a preferred embodiment with reference to a drawing, wherein further advantageous details can be taken from the figures of the drawing.

Functionally identical parts are provided with the same reference symbols.

The figure in the drawing shows in detail:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the lighting device

of the sales display.

Figure 1 shows a schematic of an electrical circuit in which three light-emitting diodes are electrically connected to a device for brightness control. To simplify matters, the two conductors that connect the components to form a circuit are only shown as a line. The numbers 1, 2 and 3 each designate a blue, green and red light-emitting diode. The light 8 emitted by the light-emitting diodes is bundled by a curved reflector element 4 and mixed to form a new color 5. The mixed color 5 is passed on by a light guide 6 to a lighting location (not shown).

The LEDs 1, 2 and 3 are supplied with power by a control unit 9 via the lines 7. The voltage applied to each LED can be controlled independently of one another via the control unit 9. This allows the brightness to be adjusted. The resulting mixed color 5 is created according to the principle of additive color mixing.

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The control unit 9 is also connected to a programmable controller 10.

The control 11 of the lighting device enables time-controlled or programmed color changes. This makes it possible to create color plays and effective color combination gradients that are transmitted via light guide 6.

This makes it possible, for example, to create colored background lighting for a sales display, which attracts the customer's attention through special lighting effects.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

1. Blue LED

2. Green LED 3. Red LED

4. Reflector element

5. Mixed color

6. Light guide

7. Lines

8. Emitted light

9. Control unit

10. Control

Claims (8)

1. Sales display with a lighting device for generating light of any color and white light with three differently colored light sources, namely one blue, one green and one red light source each, whereby an additive color mixture is generated, characterized in that the light sources are each designed as blue ( 1 ), green ( 2 ) and red light-emitting diodes ( 3 ). 2. Sales display with a lighting device according to claim 1, characterized in that more than three light-emitting diodes ( 1 , 2 , 3 ) are provided. 3. Sales display with a lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has a number of light-emitting diodes divisible by three and the same number of blue ( 1 ), green ( 2 ) and red light-emitting diodes ( 3 ). 4. Sales display with a lighting device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one reflector element ( 4 ) is provided for reflecting the color-added light ( 5 ). 5. Sales display with a lighting device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a curved reflector ( 4 ) and/or a converging lens is provided for bundling the color-added light ( 5 ). 6. Sales display with a lighting device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has one or more light guides ( 6 ) for transmitting the light emitted ( 8 ) or color-added light ( 5 ) by the light-emitting diodes ( 1 , 2 , 3 ). 7. Sales display with a lighting device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sales display has a device ( 9 ) for, preferably continuously, controlling the brightness of the light-emitting diodes, wherein the device ( 9 ) is designed to control the brightness of groups of light-emitting diodes, in particular the groups of the blue ( 1 ), green ( 2 ) and red light-emitting diodes ( 3 ), or to control the brightness of the individual light-emitting diodes independently of one another. 8. Sales display with a lighting device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a, preferably programmable, sequence control ( 10 ) for regulating the brightness over time is provided for the device.