GB2472884A

GB2472884A - Horticultural lighting with support members and flexible structure

Info

Publication number: GB2472884A
Application number: GB1007654A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Hemstock
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-05-09
Filing date: 2010-05-07
Publication date: 2011-02-23
Also published as: GB0907955D0; GB201007654D0

Abstract

A horticultural lighting structure (10 fig. 4) including at least one structural member (12) for carrying a plurality of light sources 20, and at least one support member 14 for supporting the lighting structure on a surface to be illuminated, wherein the structural member is substantially flexible. The structure may include a plurality of flexible structural elements 16 which may be hinged to adjacent elements. The structure may include a plurality of openings and the support members may be brushes or bristles. The light sources may be light emitting diodes (LEDs) that may be of different wavelengths and may include ultraviolet and infra-red sources. The lighting structure may have a towing hitch or bar and the lighting structure may be rolled. The lighting structure can be used for stimulating the growth of turf especially sports pitches.

Description

Title: Liftht[ngtEu çture

Description of Invention

This invention relates to lighting structures, in particular, but not exclusively, to horticultural lighting structures for stimulating the growth of turf. When used herein the term "horticufture" encompasses all types of cultivating organic matter, in particular grounds care in the form of growing and tending turf, especially turf for sports pitches and greens.

Grass sports pitches, for example football pitches, suffer wear from frequent use. Such wear can be localised in particular areas, for example in front of the goal mouth. In addition, with increasing desire to optirnise revenue from stadia in which such pitches are housed, the stadia and pitches are often used for purposes other than their primary function. For example sports stadia may host various different sports events, and concerts. This causes problems with regard to increased wear of the turf forming the pitch, giving rise to poor turf quality, reduced playing quality and an inferior appearance of the pitch.

The increase in height of sports stadia and the provision of roofing means that growing turf in natural light conditions is difficult. Lifting and relaying turf, or covering it for protection is costly and time consuming.

It is known that lighting sports pitches artificially is beneficial in replenishing the worn turf. Systems for lighting football and rugby pitches and golf and tennis courts are known. Such systems include a gantry for holding horticultural lamps well above the pitch surface, to illuminate the pitch and stimulate rapid growth of replacement turf. However, these systems are very large and cumbersome, expensive to purchase and operate. Thus obtaining and storing such gantries is difficult, particularly for smaller stadia.

Furthermore the further away the lamps are from the pitch surface, the lower the intensity of the light actually reaching the surface. The amount of light reaching the surface decreases exponentially with increasing distance of the lamps from the pitch.

Positioning such lamps closer to the pitch surface can lead to increasing the temperature of the turf, to an undesirable level.

The present invention aims to provide an improved structure for horticultural lighting which addresses at least some of the problems described above.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a horticultural lighting structure, including at least one structural member for carrying a plurality of light sources, and at least one support member for supporting the lighting structure on a surface to be lit, the structural member being substantially flexible. This enables the structural member to be rolled up for transportation and/or storage purposes. The lighting structure may include a plurality of openings so as to form a mesh, and the light sources may be light emitting diodes.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a horticultural lighting structure including at least one structural member for carrying a plurality of light sources, and at least one support member for supporting the lighting structure on a surface to be illuminated, wherein the structural member includes a plurality of openings, and wherein the light sources are light emitting diodes.

The provision of light emitting diodes reduces the necessary size of the lighting structures compared with known lighting gantries which use conventional lamps. LEDs are known to consume less electrical energy for a given output compared with conventional lamps. LEDs are also very small and lightweight, as well as having a long working life. The openings in the structural member enable natural light and precipitation to pass through the structural member to promote growth of grass on the surface to be illuminated.

The structural member may include a plurality of structural elements connectable to one another. Each structural element may be hingedly connectable to an adjacent structural element. Furthermore, each structural element may be flexible. These features increase the ability to roll up the structural member of the lighting structure. This improves ease of transportation and storage of the lighling structure.

The length of the support member is dependent upon the dispersion of light from each light source, such that at the light emitted from the light sources provides a substantially uniform distribution of light at a distance from the structural member which is approximately equal to the length of the or each support member. This provides a uniform pool of light on the surface to be illuminated. As such the rate of growth of the grass on the surface should also be as uniform as possible.

The or each support member may be a brush, including a plurality of bristles.

The bristles are flexible and can be rolled with the structural member, to enable the lighting structure to be rolled up and moved and/or stored without having to dismantle the structure, thus saving time when moving or storing the lighting structure1 and avoiding the loss of parts of the structure. When the structural member is unrolled into its in use configuration, the bristles return to a position in which they extend substantially perpendicularly to the structural member so as to support the lighting structure at the appropriate distance from the surface to be illuminated. The bristles do not cause excessive damage to the surface to be illuminated, and do not block large areas of the surface to be illuminated from receiving light. In known systems, the feet or wheels of the gantry are opaque, and cover a relatively large area, compared with each bristle of the present invention, such that grass is inhibited from growing beneath the feet or wheels.

The Ught sources may be arranged in a regular array. This also promotes uniform growth of the grass beneath the lighting structure.

The horticultural lighting structure may include more than one type of light source. For example, the lighting structure may include a combination of infra-red and ultra-violet radiation sources, which provides optimum stimulation for promoting grass growth by enabling temperature modulation as well as photosynthetic rate modulation. The light sources emit visible and non-visible radiation, The emission of visible radiation, enables a user of the lighting structure to see when a light source is not operating correctly, and potentially needs to be replaced.

The structural member may include a reflective backing to redirect any light which is reflected from the surface to be illuminated back towards the surface, so as to reduce losses, and to improve efficiency.

The horticultural lighting structure may include a towing hitch for moving the lighting structure between different desired positions.

The towing hitch may include a towing bar for supporting the structural member when the structural member is in a rolled condition. The towing bar acts as a spine or support for the structural member. The lighting structure can be transported and/or stored with the structural member being supported by the towing bar. The rolled structure member may be loaded on to a wheeled cradle or similar, to transport the structural member from place to place.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: FIGURE 1 LS an isometric view of a lighting structure in accordance with the invention, FIGURE 2A is a' plan view of the upper face of a lighting structure, FiGURE 28 is a dew of the underside of the lighting structure, FIGURE 3A shows a plurality of structural elements connected together to form the lighting structure, FIGURE 38 shows a detailed view of a connection between adjacent structural elements, and FIGURE 4 shows the lighting structure in use on a sports pitch.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a horticultural lighting structure 10 including a structural member 12 and a support member 14 for supporting the lighting structure lOon asurfaceto be illuminated.

The structural member 12 forms a base layer which includes a plurality of panels or structural elements 16, connected to one another In this example 26 each of the structural elements 16 incLudes a substantially rectangular peripheral frame, including two long frame members 16a, 16b, which are substantially parallel to one another, and two transverse frame members 1 Sc, lSd which extend between the two long frame members 16a, 16b Each structural element 16 includes a mesh for carrying light units or light sources 20, the mesh extending between the frame members 16a-d.

In this example, the mesh is formed by a plurality of webs 18, connected between the frame members 16a, 16b, 16c, lBd. A plurality of major webs 18a form a tessellating arrangement of substantially hexagonal openings, and a plurality of minor webs 18b extend between the major webs 18a. As such the structural member 12 is a mesh or lattice-work base layer of the lighting structure 10.

Each structural element 16, including the frame members 16a-d and the webs iSa, lSb, is preferably moulded from a plastics material. In this example the plastics material is high-strength, ftghtweight and flexible, to enable each structural element 16 to be flexed both in a directiOn substantially parallel to the long frame members 16a, 16b, and in a direction substantially parallel to the lateral frame members 16c, 16d. Such flexibility allows curvature and rolling of each structural element 16 and also the entire lighting structure 10.

ABS and polypropylene are examples of suitable plastics materials from which each structural element may be manufactured.

In this example, each minor web 18b includes a mounting 22 for holding a light source 20. The term light source, when used herein, is intended to encompass sources of visible and non-visible radiation. In this example, the light sources 20 are light emitting diodes (LED5) 20. LEDs are long-lasting and have lower energy consumption compared with other light sources. Each mounting 22 is a substantially circular cup, although it will be appreciated that other shapes may be desirable. Whilst in the present example, each minor web 18b includes only a single mounting 22, other arrangements are envisagecL Other parts of the structural element 16, for example the major webs 18a, or the frame members 16a-d may include mountings for light sources.

The arrangement of mountings 22 and hence the arrangement of the light sources 20 is a regular, grid pattern, each structural element 16 including two rows of light sources 20. The light sources 20 of the two rows are staggered, such that each light source 20 is positioned mid-way between two adjacent light sources 20 of the other row. It will be appreciated that other arrangements are possible.. The arrangement of the network of lighting sources 20 is selected in accordance with the type of turf surface which is desired to be illuminated.

Preferably each mounting 22 is moulded into the structural element 16, such that each light source 20 is demountable from the mounting, and hence from the lighting structure 10, to be exchanged, even during operation. This is to allow a variation in capacity to provide a warming, heating effect necessary for optimum grass growth, as well as the ultra-violet range which stimulates grass growth activity directly in the grass leaves. Alternatively, each light source 20 may be moulded directly into the support element 16 at the manufacture stage.

The light sources 20 may all be of a single type, for example ultra-violet, or may be a combination of types, for example high-ultra-violet sources interspersed with high-infra-red sources. A combination of infra-red and ultra-violet radiation is particularly beneficial in stimulating grass growth. Combining visible and non-visible radiation sources provides optimum stimulation whilst giving a visual indication of failure of any of the light sources.

Each structural element 16 is connectable to a further structural element 16.

Each structural element 16 includes a connecting formation 24 which is engageable with a connecting formation 24 of an adjacent structural element 16. In this example, adjacent structural elements 16 are connectable to one another by means of a plurality of hinges 24. The long frame member 16a of each structural element 16 includes a central hinge portion 26, and the opposite long frame member 16b includes a pair of outer hinge portions 28.

The central hinge portion 26 fits between the cuter hinge portions 28 of an adjacent structural element 16. A hinge pin 30 extends through the hinge portions 26, 28 of each hinge 24, to enable the adjacent structural elements 16 to pivot relative to one another. In this example, each structural element 18 is connectable to an adjacent structural element 16 by means of three hinges 24, although it will be appreciated that more or fewer hinges 24, may be provided.

The lateral frame members 16c, 16d also include connecting formations 32.

Each connecting formation 32 is an eye, through which a cable 33 or other flexible connector is passed to hold a series of structural elements 16 together.

The lateral connecting formations 32 enable a series of structural elements 16 to be connected to another adjacent series.

Each of the support members 14 of the lighting structure includes a plurality of brushes 34, each of which includes a plurality of bristles which extend substantially perpendicularly to the support elements 16 when the structural member 12 is in an in use configuration, which will be described in more detail below. The bristles are flexible. Each brush is positioned at an intersection between major webs 18a. Thus the brushes 34 are also in a substantially hexagonal arrangement. The regular arrangement of brushes 34 enables each structural element 16 and the entire lighting structure 10 to be stably supported on the surface to be illuminated. The bristles are held at a fixing point in a substantially circular bristle mounting 38 which may be moulded integrally in the plastics material which forms the structural element 15, or may be an insert which is receivable in a formation which is moulded into the structural element 16. The bristles spread out from the mounting 38 as they extend away from the structural member 12 in order to support the structural member 12 evenly.

Preferably the light sources 20 are positioned just above the desired sward length of the grass, so as to enable some degree of overlap in the light patterns produced by the light sources 20. Therefore the length of each support member 14, in this example the brushes 34, is, to an extent, determined by the sward length of the grass to be grown. However, the length of the support member 14 is also selected with regard to the spacing of the light sources 20, such that the dispersion of the light from each light source causes a uniform pool of light to be formed at the surface to be illuminated.

If the bristles were shorter than the selected length, then more intense spots of light would fall on the surface to be illuminated, and if the bristles were longer than the selected length, then there may be patches of relative shade, and the intensity of light falling upon the surface would be lower Thus the spread and intensity of the light falling upon the surface to be lit is optimised by selecting the length of the bristles with relation to the spacing of adjacent light sources 20. The length of the bristles is generally in the range 5mm to 150mm, for example between 5mm and 75mm.

The light sources 20 are powered by a source of electrical power, which may be a mains source, or a portable source, for example an electrical cell. Each structural element 16 includes a circuit of electrically conductive material 36, for example wire, for connecting each light source to the source of electrical power. The conductive material 36 may be a strip of metallic material embedded in the frame members 16a-d and/or the webs ISa, lBb, or may be a cable which extends through a conduit formed in the frame members 1$a-d and/or the webs 1 Sa, 1 Sb. The supply of power f.rom the power source to the light sources 20 is controlled via a single connector, plug, or switch. The connection to the power supply is preferably waterproof. The lighting structure may also include a safety cut-out switch, for example a residual current device.

The lighting structure may include an integral, waterproof, demountable power supply connection and safety cut out switch, The lighting structure 10 includes a hitch point 40 for connecting the lighting structure to a towing vehicle, to enable the structure to be repositioned. The hitch point 40 includes a towing bar 42 to which cables 33 passing through the eyes 32 of a series of structural elements 16 are connectable. The rod 42 also provides a mounting device for mounting the lighting structure 10 in a rolled configuration as will be described in more detail below The hitch point 40 also includes a ground engaging member for facilitating movement of the lighting structure 10 across the ground. In this example, a pair of wheels 44 are connected to an axle 43 which extends in a direction which is substantially parallel to the towing bar 42.

Each structural element 16 preferably includes a backing layer of reflective material to reduce incidental light lOss from the surface. Each structural element 16 may also include clip points for attaching irrigation pipes, e g small bore drip" irngation pipes, to the lighting structure 10 Alternatively, such irngation pipes may be moulded into, or otherwise integrally provided with the structural element 1, Each structural element 16 may also include one or more sensors to detect environmental conditions, for example infra-red reflectance of the turf surface, temperature, humidity CO2 and 02 levels, etc..

Such sensors may be moulded into the structural elements 16 or may be attached thereto, for example by fasteners or clips. A lighting structure 10 provided with some or all of these features enables the turf to be comprehensively managed, through the structure. The lighting structure 10 may be a total turf-management system.

In use, a plurality of structural elements 16 are connected together in an array to form a lighting structure 10. A first series, of structural elements 16 is.

connected together by means of the connecting formations 24, such that the long frame member 16a of each structural element 16 abuts the opposite long frame member 16b of an adjacent structural element 16 The tessellating arrangement of hexagonal openings formed by the webs iSa align with the openings of adjacent structural elements 16, so as to form a generally honeycomb mesh arrangement.

A second series of structural elements 16 is positioned adjacent the first series, and oriented the opposite way around, such that each of the first frame members 16a of the first series of structural elements 16 is aligned with a second frame member lOb of the adjacent series of structural eLements 16.

Thus, the lateral connecting formations 32 extending from the frame members ISa of the first series of structural elements 16 are adjacent the lateral connecting formations 32 extending from the frame members 16a of the second series of structural elements 16. A cable 33 is passed through the lateral connecting formations 32, alternating between connecting formations 32 of the first and second series. This holds the two series together. This may be repeated with further series of structural elements 16, turning each series, such that it faces in the opposite direction from the previous adjacent array, until the desired array size of the lighting structure 10 is obtained.

In this example, the array is rectangular. However, the outline of the lighting structure 10 can be selected during manufacture, to provide bespoke lighting structures, to cater for rounded or odd-shaped areas to be treated, for example semi-circular areas, quadrants, or any other shape, to cover golf greens, for example. The size of the area covered by the lighting structure 10 can be altered as required, by adding or removing structural elements 16. The lighting structure may be used to illuminate areas of turf sequentially, by being moved into a new position at regular intervals, or may be used to cover an entire area to be illuminated, to enable simultaneous illumination of all parts to be illuminated.

In an in use configuration, the structural member 12 is substantially planar, with each of the light sources 20 being directed downwardly towards the surface to be illuminated. The brushes 32 support the structural member 12 at a desired height above the surface to be illuminated.

The flexible nature of the material from which the structural member 12 is manufactured, in addition to the feature of providing the structural member 12 with a plurality of hinged structural elements 16 means that the structural member 12 may be rolled up. The light structure 10 can be stored and/or transported in the rolled up configuration, and then unrolled when in the desired position above or near to a surface which needs to be illuminated.

The bristles which support the structural member 12 are thin and resilient, and as such are able to roll up with the structural member 12, and then revert to their original orientation to support the structural member 12 when the structural member 12 is unrolled into its in use configuration. The use of LEDs 20 also assists in enabling the structural member 12 to be rolled up, owing to their size, and thus the light sources 20 do hot have to be removed from the structural member 12 before the structural member 12 is rolled up.

The towing bar 42 of the towing hitch 40 may be a spinal rod for the lighting structure 10 for supporting the structural member 12 when it is in a rolled configuration. Thus the structural member 12 is supportable by the towing bar whilst the lighting structure is transported and/or stored.

The lighting structure 10 can be used as a sports-turf maintenance and management tool, being a light-emitting mesh arrangement for illuminating natural turf in sports pitches and amenity areas, which can be used to encourage growth in low natural light conditions. The structure 10 is easily moved to a desired location by attaching the hitch point 40 to a tow bar of a suitable towing vehicle and towing the structure 10 into position before unhitching the lighting structure 10 from the towing vehicle. A single lighting structure 10 may be utilised, but where a larger surface is required to be illuminated, then a plurality of lighting structures 10 can be connected together, by means of the connecting formations 24 and the eyes 32.

The lighting structure 10 may be fixed to an underside of a generally planar structure, for example to the underside of temporary flooring which is placed over a tuned area, for example a sports pitch, in order to use the sports pitchlarena for an alternative purpose. Providing the lighting structure on the underside of the structure enables the turf to be tended, in particular illuminated whilst the turf is covered. This is particularly useful if the sports pitch area is to be used for staging concerts or the like, and the pitch is covered by temporary flooring, which ordinarily would damage or impede growth of the turf.

As an alternative to the structural member 12 including a plurality of structural elements 16 which are connectable together, the structural member 12 may be a single body which is integrally moulded, Such a structural member 12 is still flexible, and rollable, owing to the properties of the material from whi.ch it is manufactured.

As an alternative to brushes 34 for supporting the lighting structure 10, each structural element 16 may include a roller, or a pair of wheels, feet or pre-tensioned fibre loops. Such alternative ground engaging members may also be moulded into the structural member 12, or into some or all of the structural elements 16 forming the structural member 12.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A horticultural lighting structure, including at least one structural member for carrying a plurality of light sources, and at least one support member for supporting the lighting assembly structure on a surface to be illuminated, the structural member being substantially flexible.
2. A horticultural lighting structure according to claim I wherein the structural member includes a plurality of openings.
3. A horticultural lighting structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the light sources are light emitting diodes.
4. A horticultural lighting structure including at least one structural member for carrying a plurality of light sources, and at least one support member for supporting the lighting structure on a surface to be illuminated, wherein the structural member includes a plurality of openings, and wherein the light sources are light emitting diodes.
5. A horticultural lighting structure according to any one of the preceding daims wherein the structural member includes a plurality of structural elements which are connectable to one another.
6. A horticultural lighting structure according to claim 5 wherein each structural element is hingedly connectable to an adjacent structural element.
7. A horticultural lighting structure according to claim 5 or claim 6 wherein each structural element is flexible.
8. A horticultural lighting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the length of the support member is dependent upon the dispersion of light from each light source, such that at the tight emitted from the light sources provides a substantially uniform distribution of light at a distance from the structural member which is approximately equal to the length of the or each support member.
9. A horticultural lighting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the or each support member is a brush, including a plurality of bristles.
10. A horticultural lighting structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the light sources are arranged in a regular array.
11. A horticultural lighting structure according to any one of the preceding claims including more than one type of light source.
12. A horticultural lighting structure according to claim 11 wherein the lighting structure includes infra-red and ultra-violet radiation sources.
13. A horticultural lighting structure according to any of the preceding claims wherein the structural member includes a reflective backing.
14. A horticultural lighting structure according to any one of the preceding claims including a towing hitch.
15. A horticultural lighting structure according to claim 14 wherein the towing hitch includes a towing bar for supporting the structural member when the structural member is in a rolled condition.
16. A horticultural lighting structure substantially as described herein and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.
17. Any novel feature or novel combination of features substantially as descrthed herein and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings,