GB2586887A

GB2586887A - Illumination unit

Info

Publication number: GB2586887A
Application number: GB1913322.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anthony Wood Michael
Original assignee: Salop Holdings Ltd
Current assignee: Salop Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 2019-09-03
Filing date: 2019-09-16
Publication date: 2021-03-10
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-16
Also published as: GB2586887B; GB201913322D0; GB201912660D0

Abstract

An internally illuminated beacon assembly comprises a globe 30 of translucent material which receives and transmits light from a luminaire positioned within the beacon. The luminaire comprises a plurality of LED light sources 35 and at least some of the light sources are controlled by switching means whereby some of the light sources may be selectively disabled or operated at a reduced level of illumination compared with other light sources of the luminaire.

Description

ILLUMINATION UNIT

This invention relates to an illumination unit and in particular, though not exclusively, to an internally illuminated illumination unit for use as part of a beacon assembly such as a Belisha beacon assembly.

Conventionally an illumination unit for use as part of a Belisha beacon assembly comprises a globe or disc of translucent material within which a luminaire is provided.

The intensity of the illumination provided by the luminaire needs to be sufficient to ensure that in day time the beacon is clearly and distinctly visible to both pedestrians and road users whilst at the same time not being of such a great intensity as to present a nuisance to occupants of nearby dwellings during periods of darkness.

Various proposals have been advanced for dealing with the aforementioned problem and these in particular include providing a shield, known also as a shroud, to protect nearby dwellings from sight of the beacon and light therefrom.

However legislation requires that a beacon shall provide a prescribed level and uniformity of illumination over the illuminated surfaced notwithstanding that when installed at a particular location part of the illuminated surface might be covered by a shield.

Thus for a beacon which complies with the standard set by legislation there is a consequential waste of electrical power. That arises irrespective of whether power is provided by a so-called mains supply from a remote generator or from a nearby solar panel or battery.

In the case of an illuminated beacon powered by a solar panel an inefficient use of electrical power disadvantageously necessitates the provision of a larger solar panel than would otherwise be necessary.

The present invention seeks to provide a means for more efficiently illuminating a beacon, and an improved internally illuminated beacon assembly.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention an internally illuminated beacon assembly comprises a surface of translucent material which receives and transmits light from a luminaire positioned within the beacon, said luminaire comprising a plurality of light sources and at least some of said light sources being controlled by switching means whereby some of the light sources may be selectively disabled or operated at a reduced level of illumination compared with other light sources of the lum inaire.

The switching means may be of a manually operable type. The switching means may be located externally of the beacon.

The switching means may be operable to reduce the power supply to one or more selected light sources. The resulting reduction of power to those light sources may be employed, in consequence of manual or automatic control, to operate at a higher level of illumination the other light source(s) within the beacon.

The switching means may be of an automatically operable type. The switching means may be provided within the beacon and may be sensitive to the provision and location of any light shield located in proximity to the beacon assembly.

The switching means may, for example, feature a learn facility whereby it senses the directions from which ambient external light falls on the beacon and in consequence controls the light sources to provide a greater level of internal illumination in a reverse direction.

In an alternative arrangement the switching means may, for example, comprise infra red sensors to detect the provision and location of a light shield and result in selective control of one or more of the internal light sources.

The internal luminaire preferably comprises a plurality of LED type light sources For a typical beacon of the type having a translucent globe the luminaire usually comprises a light source which is positioned as close as reasonably possible to the centre of the globe, thereby assisting in ensuring that the level of uniformity of illumination of the globe surface is sufficient to comply with official requirements. In contrast the present invention teaches that advantageously a greater number of light sources are provided and that they are positioned closer to the globe surface than has been the conventional practice. Thus there may be achieved a great degree of selective illumination of the globe surface having regard to the presence and dimensions of a light shield.

For a spherical beacon comprising a globe of translucent material the light sources preferably are spaced from the centre of the globe by more than one third and more preferable at least one half the internal radius of the globe. The number of light sources in general will be a function of the size of the beacon and the angle of the light cone emitted by each source but typically, for a beacon comprising a globe of translucent material, it is preferred that at least six and preferably between six and twenty light sources are provided.

The translucent material may be a coloured material, for example amber coloured material.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a Belisha beacon fitted with a shroud; Figure 2 is a view of a beacon having a known type of internal luminaire, and Figure 3 is a view of part of a beacon of the present invention.

A known type of Belisha beacon assembly 10 as shown in Figure 1 comprises a translucent globe 11 mounted on a support post 12 and surrounded by a part cylindrically shaped shield 13 secured to the post.

In this example the post also supports sensors 14 that detect pedestrian movement. The shield inhibits sideways and upwards emission of light relative to the direction of traffic flow.

The known globe 11 of Figure 1 typically is internally illuminated be a centrally located luminaire 20 comprising an array of uniformly positioned LED lights 21 (see Figure 2). The central positioning of the lights 21 facilitates a substantially uniform distribution of light over the entire surface of the globe as is appropriated for compliance with legislative requirements.

The globe 30 of a beacon assembly 31 in accordance with the present invention (see Figure 3) is supported by a post 32 that extends though the globe. The post extends upwards to support a solar panel 33 at an elevated position. Within the globe there is an array of fifteen uniformly spaced LED lights 35 (only some shown for clarity of illustration) each supported on an arm 34 and spaced from the centre of the globe by a distance of two-thirds the internal radius of the globe.

Each LED light 35 has associated therewith an intelligent sensor 36 which learns the incidence of external light on the globe and reduces or inhibits the operation of the associated light if the incident light at that sensor is less than that at at least some other sensors. Accordingly when the globe 30 is partly covered by a light shield operation of some of the lights is inhibited or there is operation at a reduced level of light intensity, thus more efficiently employing electrical energy, that being especially beneficial if the energy if that from a solar panel or battery.

Claims

Claims 1. An internally illuminated beacon assembly comprising a surface of translucent material which receives and transmits light from a luminaire positioned within the beacon, said luminaire comprising a plurality of light sources and at least some of said light sources being controlled by switching means whereby some of the light sources may be selectively disabled or operated at a reduced level of illumination compared with other light sources of the luminaire.
2. A beacon assembly according to claim 1 wherein the internal luminaire comprises a plurality of LED light sources.
3. A beacon assembly according to claim lor claim 2 wherein the beacon is a spherical beacon comprising a globe of translucent material.
4. A beacon assembly according to claim 3 wherein the light sources are spaced from the centre of the globe by more than one third of the internal radius of the globe.
5. A beacon assembly according to claim 3 wherein the light sources are spaced from the centre of the globe by at least one half of the internal radius of the globe.
6. A beacon assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the luminaire comprises at least six light sources
7. A beacon assembly according to claim 6 wherein the luminaire comprises between six and twenty light sources.
8. A beacon assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the switching means is manually operable.
9. A beacon assembly according to claim 8 wherein the switching means is located externally of the beacon.
10. A beacon assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the switching means is of an automatically operable type.
11. A beacon assembly according to claim 10 wherein the switching means is provided within the beacon.
12. A beacon assembly according to claim 10 or claim 11 wherein the switching means is sensitive to presence of a light shield located in proximity to the beacon assembly.
13. A beacon assembly according to any one of claims 10 to 12 wherein the switching means exhibits a learn facility whereby it senses the direction from which ambient external light falls on the beacon and in consequence controls some of the light sources to provide a greater level of illumination in a reverse direction.
14. A beacon assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the switching means is operable to reduce the power supplied to one or more selected light sources.
15. A beacon assembly according to claim 14 wherein a reduction of power to one or more selected light sources results in other of the light sources within the beacon operating at a higher level of illumination.
16. A beacon assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the translucent material is a coloured material.
17. A beacon assembly according to claim 16 wherein translucent material is amber coloured material.