LED LAMP AND ASSOCIATED NETWORK

Abstract

 An LED lamp (1), comprising a lamp body with a power supply and command cable (5) which has an input connector (6) and an output connector (7), the power supply and command cable being provided by means of four wires for power supply and color control of the lamp via DMX512 protocol.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an LED lamp and to an associated network of lamps connected in series to each other.

[0002] As is known, lamps or spotlights of the RGBW type, i.e., with red, green, blue and white LEDs, controlled via DMX512 protocol, are commercially available. This protocol allows to send a numerical value from 0 to 255 to 512 channels with a single three-conductor cable. The light control unit that controls a plurality of spotlights starts sending to the DMX chain the value of the first channel, then the value of the second channel, and so on up to the last channel that can be controlled by the unit, and then resumes from the first one.

[0003] Lamps or spotlights of the known type, controlled by means of the DMX512 protocol, require the use of five conductors, two for power supply (positive power conductor and negative power conductor) and three signal conductors, and four channels to manage the four colors of each lamp or spotlight.

[0004] This entails high costs and complexity of the hardware required to manage the lights.

[0005] The aim of the present invention is to provide an LED lamp and an associated lamp network in which it is possible to manage the lamps or spotlights with fewer wires than the traditional five used with the DMX512 protocol.

[0006] Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide an LED lamp and an associated network of lamps in which the management of the four colors, red, green, blue and white of the lamp, is possible with a reduced number of DMX512 channels with respect to the standard.

[0007] A further object of the present invention is to provide an LED lamp and a lamp network which is suitable for driving over.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide an LED lamp and an associated lamp network which can be of different types for different kinds of use.

[0009] Not least object of the present invention is to provide an LED lamp and an associated network of lamps that is highly reliable, relatively easy to provide and at competitive costs.

[0010] This aim, as well as these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by an LED lamp, characterized in that it comprises a lamp body with a power supply and command cable which has an input connector and an output connector, the power supply and command cable being provided by means of four wires for power supply and color control of the lamp via DMX512 protocol.

[0011] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of preferred but not exclusive embodiments of the LED lamp according to the present invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a lateral elevation view of an LED lamp according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the LED lamp of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevation view of an LED lamp according to the present invention, according to its second embodiment;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the LED lamp of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a view of a chain of LED lamps according to the present invention connected together in series.

[0012] With reference to the figures, in which identical reference numerals are matched by identical elements, the LED lamp according to the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 1 in a first embodiment.

[0013] The LED lamp 1 comprises a lamp body with a printed circuit board 2 with LEDs and control electronics. The printed circuit board 2 is conveniently embedded in a transparent resin casting 3.

[0014] The printed circuit board is provided with four RGBW LEDs 4, i.e., a red LED, a green LED, a blue LED, and a white LED, or a single white LED.

[0015] The lamp 1 is powered by a power supply and command cable 5 with an input connector 6 and has, at the opposite end, an output connector 7 that allows series connection to an additional connector 6 of a subsequent lamp 1.

[0016] Conveniently, a heat sink 8 is provided under the circuit board 2.

[0017] The power supply and command cable 5 provides for the use of four conductors instead of the traditional five required to handle the DMX512 protocol and the power supply, while maintaining the standard DMX512 protocol.

[0018] The four conductors are obtained by using a solution with common ground between the power supply and the signal, removing the shielding braid conductor.

[0019] The lamp according to the invention has an IP68 weather resistant rating and IK8/9 vandal resistant rating and is therefore suitable for driving over and can also be placed in the ground.

[0020] The use of only four conductors for the power supply and command cable 5 allow to save one conductor (as opposed to the canonical five), resulting in an associated cost saving.

[0021] Moreover, the four lamp colors, i.e., the four LEDs, can be managed using only three DMX512 channels. This allows to save one channel of the system, reducing the cost of the hardware required to manage the lights.

[0022] This is achieved by commanding the lighting of the white LED as a function of a mixing of the other three colors, obtained by means of a software program.

[0023] Figure 3 is a view of a second embodiment of the lamp, designated by the reference numeral 10, in which the transparent resin casting is provided in the form of a porphyry cube 11 and has an internal cavity 12 that can be filled with resin.

[0024] A collimating lens 13 can be provided at the printed circuit board 2 and is accommodated within the cube 11.

[0025] The collimating lens or collimator 13 allows to obtain a directed beam of light that exits from the cube 11.

[0026] Moreover, it is possible to use a luminescent resin which, if activated by UV radiation, can glow even in the dark after the lamp is turned off.

[0027] This allows to save up to 45% energy by using the lamp with an on-off timer.

[0028] Moreover, it is possible to replace the cube 11 with a full resin casting of the printed circuit board resin having outgoing connected cables of appropriate dimensions.

[0029] Moreover, by means of a hole provided in the heat sink that is arranged behind the printed circuit board, it is possible to hang the lamps according to the invention, for example, on the face of a building, so as to form a matrix of pixels with a minimum spacing of, for example, 100 mm, thus creating a giant screen.

[0030] The lamps according to the invention, both according to the first and to the second embodiment, can be connected to each other in series so as to provide a network of lamps in which the first lamp of the network or line receives the address and provides the subsequent addresses to the other lamps connected in a sequential configuration.

[0031] Each lamp of the network can be controlled in terms of color shade independently of all the other lamps connected to the same control unit.

[0032] In practice it has been found that the lamp according to the present invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects, since it can be controlled in color management by using only three DMX512 channels and moreover allows to manage and power it with only four conductors.

[0033] The lamp thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

[0034] All the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.

[0035] In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.

[0036] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application no. 102022000020085, from which this application claims priority, are incorporated herein by reference.

[0037] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. An LED lamp (1; 10), characterized in that it comprises a lamp body with a power supply and command cable (5) which has an input connector (6) and an output connector (7), the power supply and command cable (5) being provided by means of four conductors for power supply and color control of the lamp via DMX512 protocol.

2. The lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a printed circuit board (2) on which red, green, blue, white LEDs (4) and control electronics are arranged.

3. The lamp according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said LEDs (4) are controlled by using three DMX512 channels.

4. The lamp according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said printed circuit board (2) has a heat sink (8) in an underlying position.

5. The lamp according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a transparent resin casting (3) adapted to embed said printed circuit (2) with LEDs (4) and control electronics.

6. The lamp according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said transparent resin casting is provided by means of a cube (11) shaped like a porphyry cube.

7. The lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that said cube (11) comprises an internal cavity filled with resin.

8. The lamp according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said LEDs (4) comprise a single white LED.

9. The lamp according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises, accommodated within said porphyry-like cube (11), a collimator (13) installed at the LEDs (4) of said printed circuit board (2).

10. The lamp according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said resin is a luminescent resin.

11. The lamp according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said heat sink (8) comprises a hole adapted to allow to hang said lamp.

12. A lighting network, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of lamps (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, connected to each other in series by means of said power supply and command cable (5).

Drawing