Method of Uniformly Illuminating a Billboard

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016321963-A1
Application number	US-201615208483-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 12, 2016
Priority date	Jul 30, 2012
Publication date	Nov 3, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Visual media content on a billboard display surface can be illuminated using a lighting assembly that includes a lighting unit that includes a circuit board, LEDs arranged on the circuit board, and optical elements overlying the LEDs. The method includes directing light from the lighting unit toward a portion of the billboard display surface such that the light from the lighting unit illuminates the visual media content on the portion of the billboard display surface with an illumination level and a uniformity. The optical elements are configured so that failure of one or more LEDs of the lighting assembly will cause the illumination level of light impinging the portion of the billboard display surface to decrease while the uniformity of light impinging the portion of the billboard display surface remains substantially the same.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of illuminating visual media content on a billboard display surface using a lighting assembly that includes a substantially planar circuit board, a plurality of LEDs arranged on the circuit board in a plurality of rows, and a plurality of optical elements, wherein each optical element overlies a respective one of the LEDs and wherein each optical element is configured to redirect light from the respective one of the LEDs, the method comprising:
directing light from all LEDs of the lighting assembly toward a portion of the billboard display surface such that the light from the lighting assembly illuminates the visual media content on the portion of the billboard display surface with a first illumination level and a first uniformity; and after failure of one or more LEDs of the lighting assembly, directing light from remaining LEDs of the lighting assembly toward the portion of the billboard display surface such that the light from the lighting assembly illuminates the visual media content on the portion of the billboard display surface with a second illumination level that is lower than the first illumination level and a second uniformity that is substantially the same as the first uniformity.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein directing light from all LEDs of the lighting assembly comprises illuminating the entire portion of the billboard.

3 . A method of illuminating visual media content on a billboard display surface using a lighting assembly that comprises a lighting unit that includes a circuit board, a plurality of LEDs arranged on the circuit board, and a plurality of optical elements, wherein each optical element overlies a respective one of the LEDs and wherein each optical element is configured to redirect light from the respective one of the LEDs, the method comprising:
directing light from the lighting unit toward a portion of the billboard display surface such that the light from the lighting unit illuminates the visual media content on the portion of the billboard display surface with an illumination level and a uniformity; wherein the optical elements are configured so that failure of one or more LEDs of the lighting assembly will cause the illumination level of light impinging the portion of the billboard display surface to decrease while the uniformity of light impinging the portion of the billboard display surface remains substantially the same.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the portion of the billboard display surface extends from a left edge of the billboard display surface to a right edge of the billboard display surface.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the lighting unit is a first lighting unit and the lighting assembly further comprises a second lighting unit that includes a circuit board, a plurality of LEDs arranged on the circuit board, and a plurality of optical elements;
wherein the method further comprises, at the same time as directing the light from the first lighting unit, directing light from the second lighting unit toward the portion of the billboard display surface such that the light from the second lighting unit illuminates the visual media content on the portion of the billboard display surface; and wherein if one or more LEDs of the plurality of LEDs of the second lighting unit fails, remaining LEDs of the plurality of LEDs of the second lighting unit still illuminate the portion of the billboard so that the visual media content on the portion of the billboard display surface is visible.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the portion of the billboard display surface extends from a left edge of the billboard display surface to a right edge of the billboard display surface so that the billboard display surface is illuminated by only the first and second lighting units without any additional lighting unit.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the lighting assembly is a first lighting assembly and the method further comprises illuminating the billboard display surface using second lighting assembly that includes a third lighting unit and a fourth lighting unit that each include a circuit board, a plurality of LEDs arranged on the circuit board, and a plurality of optical elements, each optical element of the plurality of optical elements of the third and fourth lighting units overlying a respective one of the LEDs of the third and fourth lighting units, wherein each optical element is configured to redirect light from the respective one of the LEDs, the method further comprising the steps of:
at the same time as directing the light from the first and second lighting units, directing light from the third lighting unit toward a second portion of the billboard display surface such that the light from the third lighting unit illuminates the visual media content on the second portion of the billboard display surface; and at the same time, directing light from the fourth lighting unit toward the second portion of the billboard display surface such that the light from the fourth lighting unit illuminates the visual media content on the second portion of the billboard display surface; wherein the visual media content on the second portion of the display surface is visible without any additional light.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the portion of the billboard display surface and the second portion of the billboard display surface extend from a left edge of the billboard display surface to a right edge of the billboard display surface so that the billboard display surface is illuminated using only light from the first, second, third and fourth lighting units.

9 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises the steps of illuminating the billboard display surface using a third lighting unit, a fourth lighting unit, a fifth lighting unit, and a sixth lighting unit, each of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth lighting units including a circuit board, a plurality of LEDs arranged on the circuit board of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth lighting units, and a plurality of optical elements, each optical element of the plurality of optical elements of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth lighting units overlying a respective one of the LEDs of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth lighting units, wherein each optical element is configured to redirect light from the respective one of the LEDs, the method comprising:
at the same time as directing the light from the first and second lighting units, directing light from the third lighting unit toward the billboard display surface; at the same time, directing light from the fourth lighting unit toward the billboard display surface; at the same time, directing light from the fifth lighting unit toward the billboard display surface; and at the same time, directing light from the sixth lighting unit toward the billboard display surface.

10 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the lighting assembly further comprises a third lighting unit that includes a circuit board, a plurality of LEDs arranged on the circuit board, and a plurality of optical elements;
wherein each optical element of the third lighting unit overlies a respective one of the LEDs of the third lighting unit; wherein each optical element is configured to redirect light from the respective one of the LEDs; and wherein the method further comprises, at the same time as directing the light from the first and second lighting units, directing light from the third lighting unit toward the portion of the billboard display surface.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the lighting assembly further comprises a fourth lighting unit, a fifth lighting unit, and a sixth lighting unit;
wherein each of

Assignees

• Ultravision Tech Llc

Inventors

• Auyeung David Siucheong
• Hall William Y
• Magarill Simon

Classifications

• G09F13/02 Primary

  Signs, boards, or panels, illuminated by artificial light sources positioned in front of the insignia · CPC title

• G09F15/0037

  supported by a post · CPC title

• F21V29/76

  with essentially identical parallel planar fins or blades, e.g. with comb-like cross-section · CPC title

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• F21K9/60

  Optical arrangements integrated in the light source, e.g. for improving the colour rendering index or the light extraction · CPC title