EP0863363B1

EP0863363B1 - Emergency lighting fixture, especially for industrial environments

Info

Publication number: EP0863363B1
Application number: EP98200647A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gian Pietro Beghelli
Original assignee: Beghelli SpA
Current assignee: Beghelli SpA
Priority date: 1997-03-05
Filing date: 1998-03-03
Publication date: 2005-07-27
Anticipated expiration: 2018-03-03
Also published as: EP0863363A2; EP0863363A3; DE69830937D1; ATE300701T1; DE69830937T2

Abstract

An emergency lighting fixture (10, 115) especially for industrial environments, generally comprising a central body (20), at least one source of light constituted by an incandescent halogen lamp (11, 12) held inside a parabolic reflector (13, 14) and a transparent shell (15) covering the fixture's (10, 11) central body (20). The reflector (13, 14) is adjustable by the operator from the outside, after lifting the transparent shell (15), so as to regulate the direction of the light beam. Each reflector (13, 14) is associated with a container (131, 141) for a laser light source (17, 17A), capable of providing an emergency lighting system, for instance in the presence of smoke in the surrounding environment. A regulating device (465) of the laser light beam (105) includes a ring nut (125) swiveling in a horizontal plane and a plate (135) for vertical adjustments, so as to make it possible to position the laser beam (105) within pre-established angles. <IMAGE>

Description

This invention refers to an emergency lighting fixture, especially suitable for an installation in industrial environments.
Fluorescent and incandescent lamps are currently known destined for the emergency lighting of workplaces and/or exits from working premises.
Industrial environments have a particularly strong demand for the supply, under emergency conditions, of a light beam of intensive lighting power and concentration in restricted areas (workplaces, escape routes, high risk areas).
The latest regulations on the subject matter in fact contain new directives relating to working safety, by imposing specific new requirements, aimed at protecting the safety and health of the workers at the workplace.
In particular, the regulations prescribe high intensity lighting under emergency conditions, such as network power outages, dangerous situations or the onset of fires; the recommended lighting levels at industrial installations of some height, up to 7 meters, is given by a value, measured with respect to a reference plane, of not less than 10% of the ordinary lighting standard, with an absolute minimum value of 15 lux.
This minimum lighting standard is produced by fixtures comprising a multiple number of incandescent lamps projecting a concentrated, downward directed beam; the lamps are occasionally contained in parabolic reflectors serving the purpose of more effectively concentrating and focusing the light beam.
However, especially where an emergency situation arises due to the onset of a fire or a short circuit, the smoke evolving from the source point of the fire almost immediately envelops the entire working area, thus voiding the purpose the emergency light was designed for; after a few seconds, the lighting from an incandescent light source turns in fact inadequate, due to the fact that the light beam, even if extremely focused, no longer manages to penetrate the thickening smoke barrier.
In order to obviate the above mentioned drawbacks, GB 2284697 discloses an emergency lighting fixture using a laser source to locate escape routes and safety exits under conditions of emergency and poor visibility, and, moreover, US-A-4617561 discloses a portable emergency light and smoke alarm system comprising a portable housing with a mounting bracket to which a flashlight, removable from the bracket, is fixed.
However, GB 2284697 discloses an emergency lighting fixtures also comprising a central control unit, such as a Personal Computer, and a "ricochet" unit, which have to be programmed in order to adjust the direction of the laser beam, while US-A-4617561 refers to a portable emergency light, which is not suitable for industrial environments, due to the poor intensity of the light source.
The scope of this invention is therefore to outline an emergency lighting fixture, especially for industrial environments, suitable for eliminating the mentioned shortcomings, meaning capable of achieving an emergency lighting fixture to obtain a high lighting intensity at a ground level in workplaces and along escape routes, and such as to furnish, even in the presence of smoke, a lighting guide to point the personnel toward an escape route and/or safety exit.
A further scope of this invention is that of outlining an emergency lighting fixture, especially for industrial environments, capable of fitting the safety regulations listed in the existing directives. A further scope of the invention is that of achieving an emergency lighting fixture, especially for industrial environments, allowing to easily direct the lighting beam toward one or more pre-established directions.
Further scope of this invention is that of outlining an emergency lighting fixture, especially for industrial environments, capable of being easily and economically built, without resorting to expensive materials and/or complex technologies.
These and other purposes are achieved by an emergency lighting fixture, especially for industrial environments, in accordance with claim 1, referred to for brevity.
In an advantageous manner, the fixture of this invention comprises a central body and two halogen lamps of an incandescent type, each held within a parabolic reflector. A transparent shell covers the central body of the fixture.
Moreover, each reflector may be swiveled by an operator from the outside, after lifting the transparent cover, so as to adjust the direction of the light beam.
Finally, the inside of the container associated with each reflector is fitted with a laser diode capable of providing a lighting guide to direct the personnel toward escape routes and/or safety exits, even where the environment is contaminated by smoke due to the onset of a fire.
The emission of a laser beam occurs automatically at the command of a signaling unit, and comprises a device detecting the presence of smoke in the environment.
Further scopes and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the description and associated drawings to follow, supplied as a purely illustrative and non-limiting example, in which:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a first embodiment of an emergency lighting fixture, especially for industrial environments, according to this invention;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the emergency lighting fixture shown in Figure 1, according to this invention;
Figure 3 is a top view of the emergency lighting fixture shown in Figure 1, according to this invention;
Figure 4 is a side view of the emergency lighting fixture shown in Figure 1, according to this invention;
Figure 5 shows an enlarged detail of the emergency lighting fixture shown in Figure 1, according to this invention;

With reference to the mentioned figures, the number 10 generally indicates an emergency lighting fixture, especially for industrial environments according to this invention, 20 indicates the central body of an elongated shape typically constructed of a plastic material of the fixture 10 and 15 indicate a transparent shell acting as a shield for the luminescent radiation emitted by two incandescent light sources (for instance, two halogen lamps) indicated by 11 and 12, while 13 and 14 are two swiveling parabolic reflectors, placed at the ends of the body 20 and containing the lamps 11 and 12 opposite their focus points.
37 indicates a LED diode signaling the lighted condition of the fixture 10, 18 and 18A indicate two holes set into the reflectors 13 and 14, respectively, passing electromagnetic rays 105 (described in a simplified manner in the drawings by dashed parallel lines) emitted by two laser diodes 17 and 17A;19 indicates two knobs, one for each reflector 13 and 14, suitable for adjusting the exit direction of the light ray produced by the lamps 11, 12 and the radiation emitted by the laser diodes 17 and 17A.
Moreover, 22 indicates a general transmission mechanism of the motion produced by the knob 19 on the reflectors 13 and 14, which are attached to the central body 20 of the fixture 10 by a supporting structure identified as an overall unit by 25.
The inside of the body 20 holds an electrical signal conditioning circuit which includes the transformers 27, the power transistors 28, a terminal block 29 and the accumulator batteries 30.
The inside of each of the containers, marked by 131 and 141 and attached to the reflectors 13 and 14, respectively, holds the laser diodes 17, 17A and the electronic circuits to transfer the electric signal to the laser diodes 17, 17A, indicated as a whole by 35.
Upon removing the transparent shell 15 and acting on four lateral hooks (two of which are shown by 371 in the Figure 4), free access is gained to the reflectors 13, 14, so as to reach the lamps 11, 12 for their replacement or maintenance.
The installer may thus arrange the fixture 10 in the desired area of an industrial environment, remove the shell 15 and carry out the necessary operations before replacing the plastic cover. The same installer has the possibility, after removing the shell 15, of accessing the knobs 19 as needed to orient the reflectors 13, 14 at will and independently from each other, and thereby orient the directions of the light beams emitted by the lamps 11, 12, as well as the electromagnetic radiations 105 emitted by the laser diodes 17, 17A.
In particular, in a preferred embodiment, the direction of light beams 105 may be varied within a range of angular values from 0 to 90 degrees (including the extreme values), with respect to an imaginary longitudinal axis passing through the fixture's 10 center of gravity.
After completing the mechanical and electrical installation of the lighting fixture 10 and orienting the reflectors 13, 14, it therefore suffices to replace the shell 15 on the transparent body 20, before placing the fixture in a "stand-by" mode, ready to start operating as soon as an emergency occurs.
For this particular application, a laser diode with a MQW structure may be employed; for instance, a laser diode of a type HL6724MG, emitting a visible light (at a typical wavelength of 670 nm), at an optical outlet power of 5 mW, a typical operating current level of 35 mA, a threshold current value of 25 mA and a maximum operating voltage of 2.7 volt; the resulting light beam 105 shows a maximum angular divergence of 11 degrees in a direction parallel to the direction of diffusion of the beam and of 40 degrees in a direction perpendicular to the direction of diffusion of the beam.
The above description clarifies the characteristics of the emergency lighting fixture, especially for industrial environments, which is the object of this invention, as well as its resulting advantages.
In particular, these are represented by:

Flexibility, simplicity and speed of installation and wiring of the fixture;
conformity with the national and international directives in terms of their safety in industrial environments and of working hygiene;
Adequate lighting of the workplaces and escape routes of industrial environments in emergency situations, thanks to the fact that they exploit a focused laser source as a light beam, capable of penetrating even thick smoke;
A possibility of regulating the direction of the fixture's laser beam from the outside, both in a horizontal and in a vertical sense, so as to be able to always point it in a convenient manner, even in case of a relocation of the inlet and/or outlet routes or in case of an installation in a different environment;
A limited cost with respect to the known technology.

It is obvious that numerous other modifications can be applied to the emergency lighting fixture, especially for industrial environments, as an object of this invention, without however abandoning the innovative principles inherent in the inventive concept. It is equally obvious that in the practical execution of the invention, the materials, shapes and sizes of the details shown may be of any kind according to demand, and that the same may be substituted with other technical equivalents.

Claims

An emergency lighting fixture (10), in particular for industrial environments, used to indicate all emergency routes and exits in the event of emergency and/or poor visibility due to a fire, comprising a body (20), containing electrical and electronic circuits (27-30) for operating the lighting fixture (10), having an elongated shape covered by a transparent shell (15) for diffusing visible light radiation, said body (20) supporting, by means of supporting means (25), a plurality of parabolic reflectors (13, 14), which are located at the edges of said body (20) of the emergency lighting fixture (10), wherein a halogen lamp (11, 12) is fitted inside each of said parabolic reflectors (13, 14) and at least one laser source (17, 17A) is provided behind each of said reflectors (13, 14) for emitting laser radiation (105) outside the body (20) through at least one hole (18, 18A), which is provided on the back surface of each reflector (13, 14).
An emergency lighting fixture (10) as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said supporting means (25) of each reflector (13, 14) are connected to a transmission system (22), which is provided for manually swivelling said parabolic reflectors (13, 14).
An emergency lighting fixture (10) as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that said transmission system (22) has at least one knob (19) for manually swivelling said parabolic reflectors (13, 14).
An emergency lighting fixture (10) as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said laser source (17, 17A) is inserted inside at least one container (131, 141) attached to said reflector (13, 14).
An emergency lighting fixture (10) as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that said container (131, 141) contains electric and electronic circuits (35) for controlling and transmitting signals to said laser source (17, 17A).