EP1585088A1 - Enseigne avec eclairage indirect - Google Patents

Enseigne avec eclairage indirect Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP1585088A1
EP1585088A1 EP04076070A EP04076070A EP1585088A1 EP 1585088 A1 EP1585088 A1 EP 1585088A1 EP 04076070 A EP04076070 A EP 04076070A EP 04076070 A EP04076070 A EP 04076070A EP 1585088 A1 EP1585088 A1 EP 1585088A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
illuminated sign
housing
light source
illuminated
panel
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP04076070A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Franciscus Johannes Maria Messing
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Signnovation International Dinxperlo BV
Original Assignee
Signnovation International Dinxperlo BV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Signnovation International Dinxperlo BV filed Critical Signnovation International Dinxperlo BV
Priority to EP04076070A priority Critical patent/EP1585088A1/fr
Publication of EP1585088A1 publication Critical patent/EP1585088A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
    • G09F13/00—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising
    • G09F13/04—Signs, boards or panels, illuminated from behind the insignia
    • G09F13/0404—Signs, boards or panels, illuminated from behind the insignia the light source being enclosed in a box forming the character of the sign
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
    • G09F13/00—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising
    • G09F13/04—Signs, boards or panels, illuminated from behind the insignia
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
    • G09F13/00—Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising
    • G09F13/04—Signs, boards or panels, illuminated from behind the insignia
    • G09F13/14—Arrangements of reflectors therein
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
    • G09F9/00—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements
    • G09F9/30—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements
    • G09F9/33—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an illuminated sign assembly, comprising a housing with a light source and a backlit image panel forming a front part of the illuminated sign.
  • Such an illuminated sign is e.g. known from American patent US-A-5,542,201.
  • This sign uses a light source positioned on a side of housing, substantially perpendicular to the sign image surface.
  • the sign comprises a slightly sloped reflector surface to illuminate the front sign image surface.
  • a sign of this type has a box like structure of which the depth is smaller then the width and length, the light path from light source to image surface is relatively long, thus a stronger illumination source is needed to provide sufficient backlighting of the entire image surface.
  • the part of the image surface nearest to the light source will receive much more light than the part at the other end of the sign.
  • the present invention seeks to provide an illuminated sign assembly, e.g. in the form of a letter, number, logo or rectangular billboard, which has an evenly distributed illumination and uses as less elements as possible in order to reduce cost.
  • an illuminated sign assembly according to the preamble defined above, in which the light source is arranged in the housing such that the backlit image panel is illuminated indirectly at least via a back panel of the housing.
  • the light path between light source and backlit image panel is increased, making it more easy to obtain a uniform distribution of the illumination, while still preserving small dimensions of the illuminated sign (especially depth).
  • the present invention can use the structural surfaces of the illuminated sign to obtain this effect, thus not requiring additional reflectors or the like.
  • the light source emits light in a substantially limited angular cone having a first direction, and the light source is arranged such that the first direction is aimed at the back panel of the housing.
  • a light source is a Light Emitting Diode (LED), which is available in a large range of colors (even white) and power ranges.
  • the light source is, in a further embodiment, attached in the housing using a transparent attachment plate.
  • a transparent attachment plate is easy to manufacture, e.g. using the same technology as for the image panel or front plate of the illuminated sign assembly. Even the material may be identical, such as acrylic plastic.
  • the attachment plate may provide structural support for the light sources where needed, and material may be cut out at other places (which provides full transparency to the illumination) to save weight.
  • the transparent attachment plate is positioned in the housing substantially parallel to the backlit image panel in an even further embodiment. This will also allow to assemble the sign assembly easily and fast.
  • the transparent attachment plate is positioned in the housing substantially in the middle between the backlit image panel and the back panel of the housing. This embodiment will increase the light path from the light source to the backlit image panel sufficiently to obtain an even distribution of light.
  • the internal surfaces of the housing in a further embodiment, comprise a reflective layer. At least the back panel, but possibly all internal surfaces of the illuminated sign assembly except the attachment plate are provided with such a reflective layer.
  • the layer should be reflective for the light source radiation, and may e.g. comprise white paint or a white coating.
  • the light source of the illuminated sign assembly according to the present invention may comprise a plurality of LED's. Using more than one light source allows to more easily obtain an even distribution of light, even in the case of a letter sign having shielding side walls. It is also possible to use other types of light sources, such as incandescent lights, electroluminescent (EL) lights, or neon lights, especially when the illuminated sign has a larger size.
  • EL electroluminescent
  • the illuminated sign assembly may have the shape of a letter or number. Then, a number of these illuminated signs may be used e.g. for providing a name sign on a building.
  • the illuminated sign assembly has the shape of a logo, or is of a rectangular shape to form a billboard. Dimensions of the sign (size and depth), and thus of its components, may vary and be in a wide range according to the requirements.
  • FIG. 1 a simplified cross sectional view is shown of an illuminated sign 1 according to the present state of the art.
  • the illuminated sign 1 comprises a housing formed by side walls 2 and a back panel 3.
  • the front of the housing is formed by an image surface 4, which comprises a back lit panel.
  • the image surface 4 may be rectangular and comprise e.g. a translucent image.
  • the illuminated sign 1 may be in the shape of a letter, number or logo, in which case the image surface 4 usually has an even colored surface.
  • the illuminated sign 1 further comprises light source attachment means 5, on which one or more light sources 6 may be positioned.
  • the attachment means 5 fix the position of the light sources 6 in the illuminated sign 1.
  • a much used type of light source 6 is a LED (Light Emitting Diode), which has a limited spatial angle in which light is emitted, indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 1.
  • the light sources 6 In order to be able to evenly illuminate the image surface 4 from the back, the light sources 6 have to be provided in a pattern which provides an evenly distributed illumination of the backlit image surface 4.
  • point shaped light sources 6 will almost always result in an uneven lit image surface 4.
  • the illuminated sign 1 has the shape of a letter, number or logo, with side walls at the perimeter of the letter, number or logo, it is very difficult to obtain an evenly distributed illumination because of shielding effects by the side walls.
  • Fig. 2 shows a simplified cross sectional view of an illuminated sign 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • the shown embodiment comprises a housing formed by sidewalls 12 and back panel 13.
  • the front (image) side of the illuminated sign 10 comprises a back lit image panel 14.
  • the illuminated sign 10 further comprises a transparent attachment plate 15, on which a light source 16 is mounted.
  • the light source 16 may e.g. be a LED, which is positioned such that at least the back panel 13 is illuminated by the light source 16.
  • the image panel 14 is indirectly illuminated by the light source 16, at least via the back panel 13.
  • the light source 16 emits light in a limited spatial angle, indicated by broken lines.
  • the light from the light source 16 is reflected by the back panel, and passes through the transparent attachment plate 15 to the image panel 14. Because of the positioning of the elements of the illuminated sign 10, the light path from the light source 16 to the image panel 14 is made longer, which makes it more easy to obtain an evenly illuminated image panel 14.
  • Fig. 3 shows a top view of an illuminated sign 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, in the shape of a capital letter 'A'.
  • Six LED's 16 are provided inside the letter sign 10 on the positions indicated in Fig. 3, pointing downward as explained with reference to Fig. 2 above.
  • the side walls 12 would normally shield a part of the front image panel 14 from direct illumination by the light sources 16, especially at edges such as those indicated by the arrows.
  • this small number of light sources 16 is sufficient for an evenly distributed illumination of the 'A' sign 10.
  • the illuminated sign 10 may be made from various materials: the back panel 13 and side walls 12 may be made from aluminum or plastic material of suitable dimensions. Preferably, the inside surfaces of the illuminated sign 10 are reflective for the radiation from the light source(s) 16, e.g. using a white paint or coating.
  • the image panel 14 is from a light transmitting material, such as transparent or translucent plate material.
  • the image panel 14 may be of a colored material (especially suited for signs of letters and numbers) or comprise a further layer with an image (especially suited for billboards and the like).
  • the attachment plate 15 is preferably positioned parallel to the image panel 14 and/or back panel 13, to provide an equal distance from all the light sources 16 to the back panel 13 and/or image panel 14. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the attachment plate 15 is positioned roughly halfway the image panel 14 and back panel 13. In further embodiments, the attachment plate 15 may be positioned closer to the image panel 14 or closer to the back panel 13. Also, more than one attachment plate 15 may be used in further embodiments of the present invention.
  • the material of the attachment plate 15 is preferably a transparent material, such as acrylic plastic or another type of plastic.
  • the attachment plate 15 may be colored, or provided with a colored coating, in order to act as a filter for the light emitted by light source(s) 16.
  • attachment plate 15 in the form of a plate like material
  • other attachment means may be used to position the light source(s) 16 in the proper orientation and position with respect to the back plate 13 and image plate 14.
  • a wire frame arrangement may be used, which would allow sufficient light reflected from the back plate 13 (and possibly other internal surfaces of the housing) to reach the image plate 14.
  • LED's have been mentioned as possible light sources 6, 16.
  • other light sources such as incandescent light sources of various types, electro-luminescent (EL) light sources, such as TL or PL tubes, etc., especially for illuminated signs 10 having large dimensions.
  • EL electro-luminescent

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Illuminated Signs And Luminous Advertising (AREA)
EP04076070A 2004-04-05 2004-04-05 Enseigne avec eclairage indirect Withdrawn EP1585088A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP04076070A EP1585088A1 (fr) 2004-04-05 2004-04-05 Enseigne avec eclairage indirect

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP04076070A EP1585088A1 (fr) 2004-04-05 2004-04-05 Enseigne avec eclairage indirect

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1585088A1 true EP1585088A1 (fr) 2005-10-12

Family

ID=34896059

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP04076070A Withdrawn EP1585088A1 (fr) 2004-04-05 2004-04-05 Enseigne avec eclairage indirect

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1585088A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102008007251A1 (de) * 2008-02-01 2009-08-13 Maas & Roos Ag Leuchtkörper

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5105568A (en) * 1991-04-29 1992-04-21 Innovative Products Group, Inc. Illuminated sign having stencil panel and reflector panel
DE20012380U1 (de) * 2000-07-17 2000-12-28 Westiform Holding Ag Niederwan Leuchtreklame, insbesondere Konturbeleuchtung
JP2002132190A (ja) * 2000-10-19 2002-05-09 Toki Corporation Kk 照明構造
DE10055438A1 (de) * 2000-11-09 2002-06-06 Michael Matthes Selbstleuchtender Profilbuchstabe
US6491412B1 (en) * 1999-09-30 2002-12-10 Everbrite, Inc. LED display

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5105568A (en) * 1991-04-29 1992-04-21 Innovative Products Group, Inc. Illuminated sign having stencil panel and reflector panel
US6491412B1 (en) * 1999-09-30 2002-12-10 Everbrite, Inc. LED display
DE20012380U1 (de) * 2000-07-17 2000-12-28 Westiform Holding Ag Niederwan Leuchtreklame, insbesondere Konturbeleuchtung
JP2002132190A (ja) * 2000-10-19 2002-05-09 Toki Corporation Kk 照明構造
DE10055438A1 (de) * 2000-11-09 2002-06-06 Michael Matthes Selbstleuchtender Profilbuchstabe

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 2002, no. 09 4 September 2002 (2002-09-04) *

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102008007251A1 (de) * 2008-02-01 2009-08-13 Maas & Roos Ag Leuchtkörper

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US20060265920A1 (en) Transparent light-conducting module
US20130027927A1 (en) Floating light luminaire
CN102052632A (zh) 用于照明器的模块化光反射器和组件
CN101488304A (zh) 广告看板
KR20090109576A (ko) 조명 장치
JP2017191769A (ja) 光源装置および車両用灯具
KR101867372B1 (ko) 입체형 엘이디 간판
KR101626724B1 (ko) 입체형 엘이디 간판용 조명수단
KR101186454B1 (ko) 입체 간판용 광확산 3면 구조체
JPH10179348A (ja) 陳列棚の照明装置
KR20070051079A (ko) 스크래치보드 광고판
KR101089757B1 (ko) 면 발광장치
JP4915672B2 (ja) 面発光装置の固定構造
JP2004157204A (ja) 内照式表示システム
EP1585088A1 (fr) Enseigne avec eclairage indirect
KR101776004B1 (ko) 직접조명부와 간접조명부로 분할된 도광판 조명장치
JP3141533U (ja) 導光板による自発光表示物
KR101809668B1 (ko) 다용도 조명장치
KR20080054980A (ko) 어두운 조명 영역을 줄이는 ｌｅｄ 램프 및 이를 포함하는어레이
JP2004284393A (ja) ライセンスプレート照明装置
CN106164577B (zh) 光学透镜及用于背光的led灯模块
JP4386778B2 (ja) 自動販売機の商品サンプル照明装置
JP4182041B2 (ja) Ｌｅｄ灯具
JP3157255U (ja) 内照式看板
KR102235879B1 (ko) 광고용 면 발광 채널

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IT LI LU MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Extension state: AL HR LT LV MK

AKX Designation fees paid
REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: DE

Ref legal event code: 8566

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 20060413