Outdoor billboard with lighting assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9524661-B2
Application number	US-201615208521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2016
Priority date	Jul 30, 2012
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

A billboard includes a support structure and first and second lighting assemblies. Each lighting assembly includes a number of circuits boards arranged in a common orientation. Each circuit board of the first lighting assembly is planar and has a number of LEDs and optical elements attached thereto. The LEDs are thermally coupled to a first heat sink. The LEDs are arranged in rows on each circuit board, with each row including a number of LEDs mounted so that all of the LEDs are arranged in a common orientation. Each optical element is disposed over only one associated LED. The optical elements are arranged to direct the light across a portion of the display surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A billboard comprising:
a support structure;
a display surface mounted on the support structure, the display surface having visual media content displayed thereon, the visual media content comprising a picture and/or text, wherein the display surface has a width of forty-eight feet along an upper edge and a lower edge of the display surface and a height of fourteen feet along a left side edge and a right side edge of the display surface, the display surface comprising a first portion extending from the lower edge to the upper edge adjacent the left side edge and a second portion extending from the lower edge to the upper edge adjacent the right side edge, the first and second portions together extending from the left side edge to the right side edge;
a first lighting assembly that includes a plurality of circuit boards arranged in a common orientation and mounted in a single assembly, each circuit board of the first lighting assembly being planar and having a first plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) and a first plurality of optical elements attached thereto, the first plurality of LEDs being thermally coupled to a first heat sink, wherein the LEDs of the first plurality of LEDs are arranged in a plurality of rows on each circuit board, each row including a plurality of LEDs mounted so that all of the LEDs of the first lighting assembly are arranged in a common orientation, and wherein each optical element of the first plurality of optical elements is disposed over only one associated LED, the optical elements of each of the plurality of circuit boards of the first lighting assembly being designed to simultaneously direct the light across the first portion of the display surface so that the light from the first lighting assembly illuminates the visual media content on the first portion of the billboard display surface with a first illumination level and a first uniformity, wherein the optical elements are configured so that failure of one or more LEDs of the first lighting assembly will cause the illumination level of the light directed across the first portion of the billboard display surface to decrease while the uniformity of the light directed across the first portion of the billboard display surface remains substantially the same; and
a second lighting assembly that includes a plurality of circuit boards arranged in a common orientation and mounted in a single assembly, each circuit board of the second lighting assembly being planar and having a second plurality of LEDs and a second plurality of optical elements attached thereto, the second plurality of LEDs being thermally coupled to a second heat sink, wherein the LEDs of the second plurality of LEDs are arranged in a plurality of rows on each circuit board, each row including a plurality of LEDs mounted so that all of the LEDs of the second lighting assembly are arranged in a common orientation, and wherein each optical element of the second plurality of optical elements is disposed over only one associated LED, the optical elements of each of the plurality of circuit boards of the first lighting assembly being designed to simultaneously direct the light across the second portion of the display surface so that the light from the second lighting assembly illuminates the visual media content on the second portion of the billboard display surface with a second illumination level and a second uniformity, wherein the optical elements are configured so that failure of one or more LEDs of the second lighting assembly will cause the illumination level of the light directed across the second portion of the billboard display surface to decrease while the uniformity of the light directed across the second portion of the billboard display surface remains substantially the same, and wherein the display surface can be illuminated using only the first lighting assembly and the second lighting assembly so that the visual media content can be viewed without additional light.

2. The billboard of claim 1 , wherein each circuit board of the first lighting assembly includes only two rows of LEDs and optical elements; and
wherein each circuit board of the second lighting assembly includes only two rows of LEDs and optical elements.

3. The billboard of claim 2 , wherein the first lighting assembly includes two circuit boards arranged in a first row that extends in a direction parallel to the lower edge of the display surface, and wherein the second lighting assembly includes two circuit boards arranged in a second row that extends in the direction parallel to the lower edge of the display surface.

4. The billboard of claim 3 , wherein the first lighting assembly further includes two additional circuit boards arranged in a third row parallel to the two circuit boards arranged in the first row, and wherein the second lighting assembly further includes two additional circuit boards arranged in a fourth row parallel to the two circuit boards arranged in the second row.

5. The billboard of claim 2 , wherein the first lighting assembly includes three circuit boards arranged in a first row that extends in a direction parallel to the lower edge of the display surface, and wherein the second lighting assembly includes three circuit boards arranged in a second row that extends in the direction parallel to the lower edge of the display surface.

6. The billboard of claim 1 , wherein each optical element of the plurality of optical elements of the first and the second lighting assemblies comprises a first portion, a second portion and a third portion, a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a third side perpendicular to the first side and the second side;
wherein the first portion comprises a first element comprising a first convex-shaped surface disposed at the first side;
wherein the second portion comprises a second element comprising a second convex-shaped surface disposed at the second side, wherein the second convex-shaped surface intersects with the first convex-shaped surface at an acute angle in a region between the first element and the second element, wherein light from an associated LED exits the optical element through the first and the second convex-shaped surfaces; and
wherein the third portion comprises a third element disposed at the third side, wherein the third element extends beyond the first element and the second element in a direction away from the associated LED.

7. The billboard of claim 1 , wherein each optical element of the plurality of optical elements of the first and the second lighting assemblies comprises a first portion, a second portion and a third portion, a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a third side perpendicular to the first side and the second side;
wherein the first portion of the optical element comprises a first element disposed at the first side;
wherein the second portion of the optical element comprises a second element disposed at the second side;
wherein the third portion of the optical element comprises a third element disposed at the third side; and
wherein the third element extends beyond the first element and the second element in a direction away from an associated LED.

8. The billboard of claim 7 , wherein the first element includes a first outer surface and a first inner surface facing the associated LED, and the second element includes a second outer surface and a second inner surface facing the associated LED;
wherein the first inner surface is located at a first nearest distance from the associated LED and the second inner surface is located at a second nearest distance from the associated LED; and
wherein a region between the first inner surface and the second inner surface is at a third nearest distance from t

Assignees

• Ultravision Tech Llc

Inventors

• Auyeung David Siucheong
• Hall William Y
• Magarill Simon

Classifications

• G09F15/005

  for orientation or public information · CPC title

• G09F15/00

  Boards, hoardings, pillars, or like structures for notices, placards, posters, or the like · CPC title

• F21V31/00

  Gas-tight or water-tight arrangements · CPC title

• F21Y2105/10

  comprising a two-dimensional [2D] array of point-like light-generating elements · CPC title

• F21S6/006

  for direct lighting only, e.g. task lighting · CPC title