Lighting device with LED modules, particularly for street lighting

Abstract

 A modular LED luminaire (1), particularly for street lights and the like, has an LED board (2) on which LEDs (3) are arranged in rows, and a transparent plate (5), provided with a number of lenses (61, 62, 63) that corresponds to the number of the LEDs; the plate is applied to the board in such a manner that each LED corresponds to a respective lens in order to obtain a light distribution suitable to cover a portion of road. One or more modular luminaires can be applied to a street light body to obtain apparatuses in which it is possible to vary the luminous intensity as a function of the height of the poles and of the mutual distance, without changing its photometric curve.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a modular LED luminaire for street lights and the like.

[0002] As is known, there are several types of public lighting apparatus that include lighting apparatuses for vehicular roads.

[0003] Lighting apparatuses for vehicular roads include lighting bodies with an optical system that is specific for lighting streets with motorized traffic.

[0004] Apparatuses provided with LED devices, constituted by a plurality of LEDs arranged in parallel rows, each provided with its own optical system, are increasingly widespread.

[0005] In order to obtain the photometric curve required by the specific application, manufacturers normally modify the geometry of the lenses and the arrangement of each LED as a function of the type of road to be lit.

[0006] For example, the LEDs located close to the edge of the roadway, i.e. close to the support of the street light, diffuse the light downward and to the sides, while the LEDs that are progressively further away from the base diffuse the light forward, i.e., toward the center of the roadway, because the street lights are generally arranged on both sides of the roadway in interleaved positions.

[0007] LED modules constituted by a plurality of LEDs arranged in a row on an elongated plate are known. Those modules can be assembled in parallel rows in order to form a battery of LED modules.

[0008] However, each individual LED must be provided with a different lens, by shape and orientation, in order to obtain the desired photometric curve and according to the required luminous intensity.

[0009] The manufacture and installation of LED street lights is therefore onerous in terms of costs and time.

[0010] EP-2322849 discloses an LED lighting apparatus having a cover with one optical portion that adjusts the field of the LEDs.

[0011] W02011/011734 discloses an LED lighting device provided with a light-shaping panel having a variety of optics.

[0012] A problem of the known LED lighting systems is to effectively and economically seal the electrical components, the LED and the optical systems from the environment.

[0013] The aim of the present invention is to provide a modular LED luminaire, for street lights and the like, that overcomes the drawbacks of the cited prior art.

[0014] Within the scope of this aim, an object of the invention is to provide an LED module for a street light that does not require any intervention for modification on the lenses of the individual LEDs in order to vary the luminous intensity of the street light and modify the photometric curve.

[0015] Another object of the invention is to provide a modular device that is constituted by a limited number of components.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide a device which, by virtue of its particular constructive characteristics, is capable of giving the greatest assurances of reliability and safety in use.

[0017] This aim and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a modular LED luminaire for street lights and the like, comprising an LED board having a plurality of LEDs arranged in rows; a transparent plate provided with a number of lenses that corresponds to the number of said LEDs; said plate being applied to said board wherein each LED corresponds to a respective lens; said luminaire is characterized in that each one of said lenses has a different profile in order to distribute the light emitted by the respective LED in a different manner.

[0018] Further characteristics and advantages will become better apparent from the description of preferred but not exclusive embodiments of the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a modular LED luminaire, particularly for street lights and the like, according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the luminaire of the preceding figure;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the transparent plate;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the transparent plate;

Figure 5 is a sectional view, taken along the plane V-V of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectional view, taken along the plane VI-VI of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a bottom view of the transparent plate;

Figure 8 is a sectional view, taken along the plane VIII-VIII of Figure 4;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a lighting body for street lighting, provided with the luminaire according to the present invention;

Figure 10 is a bottom perspective view of the lighting body of the preceding figure, provided with five modular devices according to the present invention;

Figure 11 is a bottom perspective view of the lighting body, provided with three modular devices according to the present invention.

[0019] With reference to the cited figures, the modular LED luminaire according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises an LED board 2 on which a series of LEDs 3 is soldered.

[0020] In the example illustrated herein, the LED board 2 includes a total of sixteen LEDs 3 which are arranged in pairs longitudinally along the board 2.

[0021] The board 2 is associated with an aluminum heat sink 4.

[0022] According to the present invention, a transparent plate 5, provided with a number of lenses that corresponds to the number of LEDs 3 of the board 2, is applied to the board so that each LED 3 or pair of LEDs 3 works in a respective lens.

[0023] Specifically, there are eight double lenses, designated by the reference numerals 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67 and 68, each of which has a different profile in order to distribute the light emitted by the pair of LEDs in a different manner.

[0024] The transparent plate 5 has an internal edge 8 configured so as to provide the seal with the LED board 2.

[0025] The luminaire 1 also has a front member 9, constituted by a casing made of plastics, which has the function of pressing the transparent plate 5 against the LED board 2 when the assembly is mounted in the street light.

[0026] Specifically, the device 1 is designed to be mounted in a street light body 7, transversely to the roadway lit by the street light, which is arranged at the edge of the roadway, and therefore the double lenses 61-68 are designed to distribute the light forward. In other words, the front double lens 61 distributes the light forward, toward the center of the roadway, while the double lenses that are progressively further backward, up to the last rear lens 68, distribute the light in a manner that is more diffused downward.

[0027] As shown more clearly in Figures 7 and 8 and in the sectional views of Figures 5 and 6, each double lens 61-68 is shaped differently and accommodates a respective pair of LEDs 3 to allow a distribution of light that is suitable to cover a portion of road.

[0028] The street light body 7 can have a variable number of modules 1 so as to modify the luminous intensity of the street light according to the specific requirements, as a function of the height of the poles and of the mutual distance, without however modifying the photometric curve, differently from traditional systems in which the geometry of the lenses and the arrangement are modified as a function of the type of road to be lit.

[0029] The modular device according to the present invention is arranged longitudinally and provides a luminous emission that is directed forward, without the need to orient the modules.

[0030] In practice it has been found that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects providing a modular LED luminaire that allows to modify the luminous characteristics of a street light simply by modifying the number of luminaires mounted therein, without further interventions.

[0031] An advantage of the present invention resides in that it has a single plate, provided with multiple lenses, which provides the required optical performance and also constitutes a sealing element to protect the LEDs.

[0032] This application claims the priority of Italian Patent Application No. MI2011A002064, filed on November 14, 2011, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A modular LED luminaire, for street lights and the like, comprising an LED board having a plurality of LEDs arranged in rows; a transparent plate provided with a number of lenses that corresponds to the number of said LEDs; said plate being applied to said board wherein each LED corresponds to a respective lens; said luminaire is characterized in that each one of said lenses has a different profile in order to distribute the light emitted by the respective LED in a different manner.

2. The luminaire according to claim 1, characterized in that said transparent plate has an internal edge configured so as to provide a seal with said LED board.

3. The luminaire according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a front member, constituted by a plastic casing; said front member pressing said transparent plate on said LED board, when said luminaire is mounted in a street light body.

4. The luminaire according to claim 1, characterized in that it is mounted in a street light body transversely to the roadway lit by said street light; said lenses being configured to distribute the light forward, toward the center of the roadway, starting from a forward lens, and to distribute the light more diffusely and downward in the lenses located further back, up to the last rear lens.

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that said LEDs are arranged in pairs; each of said lenses being a double lens.

Drawing