GANDINI, Piero (Via A. Faini 2, Bovezzo, I-25073, IT)
| "DEVICE FOR AVOIDING THE FORMATION OF CONDENSATE IN LIGHTING EQUIPMENT" CLAIMS 1. Anti-condensate for external lighting equipments that are provided with a diffuser body (11) closed by a front shield (12) and equipped internally with an eventual feeder (13) for a plurality of light sources (15) mounted on a feed card (14) and facing towards the front screen (12), said light sources being in the form of LEDs, characterized in that said feed card carrying said light sources (15) is placed in a closed chamber (19), and in that between each of said light sources and the front shield (12) a lens (20) has been provided with a base in close contact with said front shield. 2. Anti-condensate for lighting equipments according to claim 1 , wherein said chamber (19) is formed by a hollow support (16) and a connecting element in the form of a ring nut (17) fixed each to other and with said connecting element set up to be fixed to the body of the equipment. 3. Anti-condensate for lighting equipments according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the feed card (12) carrying the light sources (15) is positioned and held in said hollow support (16), and wherein the lenses (20) associated with said light sources are resting and blocked tightly against the internal surface of the front shield and designed for opening of the beams of light. 4. Anti-condensate for lighting equipments according to claim 3, wherein the lenses (20) associated with the light sources (15) are fixed onto the front screen (12) by means of an anchoring plate (21 ) also forming a means for fixing the feed card carrying the light sources in said hollow support. 5. Anti-condensate for lighting equipments according to claim 4, wherein said lenses (20) are in line with the respective light sources and centred in corresponding indents provided on the internal surface of the front shield, wherein each lens (20) has a annular base collar (22) and a radial tooth (23), and wherein the blocking plate (21 ) has a set of holes (24) and peduncles (26) facing towards and leaning against the card carrying the light sources (15). 6. Anti-condensate for lighting equipment according to claim 5, wherein the blocking plate (21) resting on the base collar (22) of the lenses with the margin of the relative holes (24), the radial notch (25) of each of said holes (24) engages with the radial tooth (23) of a respective lens and the peduncles (26) of said blocking plate engage with the card (14) holding the light sources (15) inside the hollow support (16) by means of screws or the like. |
LIGHTING EQUIPMENT" * * ***
Field of the Invention
This invention concerns in general the lighting equipment field, and refers in particular to a device for avoiding the formation of condensate in lighting equipment, specially for external use. State of the Technique
The type of lighting equipment taken into consideration is usually made up of at least a diffuser body that encloses a light source and has a front transparent shield through which the beam of light passes. During the normal function of the equipment the body and the front shield tend to get hot caused by the heat from the luminous radiation and then cool down to the temperature of the ambient once the equipment is switched off. The same happens with the variations in temperature during the day and night. In the case of equipments designed to be used in an external ambient, the thermal excursions are often the cause of the formation of condensate at least as regards to their front shields, which can lead to a reduction in the luminous capacity of the equipment and which in time also favours the deposit of dusty incrustations that increasingly tarnish the front of the equipment. ' Object and Summary of the Invention An object of this invention is to provide a device able to really remove the formation of condensate in lighting equipment, for external purposes, thus avoiding the aforesaid problems.
Such an object is achieved by an "anti-condensate" device for lighting equipments for external use, that are provided with a diffuser body closed by a front shield, and have inside an assembly of a plurality of luminous LED sources fed by an electronic card, wherein said luminous sources are facing with their illuminating part towards the outside of the equipment, but they are not placed in contact with the same but through interposed lenses designed to spread the luminous beam.
This embodiment sees to it that the illuminating part, that is the LEDS, do not directly heat the transparent shield that separates the external ambient from the body of the equipment. Brief Description of the Drawings
The device proposed will however be described in more detail making reference to the enclosed indicative and not limiting drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 shows an isometric view of an example of lighting equipment;
Fig. 2 shows a view of the lighting equipment in the direction of arrow F in Fig. 1 ;
Figs. 3 and 4 show two cross sections of the lighting equipment according to arrows A-A and B-B, respectively, in Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 shows a cross section of an enlarged portion of the equipment in Fig. 3;
Figs. 6 and 7 show two different enlarged views of a lens; and
Figs. 8 and 9 show two different views of the blocking plate of the lenses on the front shield. Detailed Description of the Invention
In said drawings, a lighting equipment or lamp for external use is generally indicated by 10 and comprises a body 11 , fixed or moveable, closed by a front transparent shield 12 and internally provided with, if necessary, a feeder or driver 13 for a plurality luminous sources 15, in the form of LEDs, mounted on a feeder card 14.
The body 11 can be made of any type of material and be of any shape, as well as being provided with means for attaching or anchoring it to a supporting upright, not shown. In the illustrated example, the body 11 of the equipment is a single piece, which, however, does not exclude the fact that it can be made of several separate elements.
The front shield 12 can have a uniform or worked surface (Fig. 1). It is positioned and blocked between a hollow support 16 and a connecting element in the form of a ring nut 17, fixed to each other by screwing in 18 and with the connecting element 17 which is fixed to the body 11 of the equipment by screwing, or by inserting a bayonet or by any other system (Fig. 5).
The hollow support 16 and the connecting element 17 together with the front shield 12 form a basically sealed chamber 19. The card 14 supporting the luminous sources 15 is mounted in said chamber 19, or better in the hollow support 16, so that the luminous sources 15 face towards the front shield 12, whereas to the internal face of the front shield
12 are resting as many lenses 20 as there are luminous sources 15. Each lens 20 is positioned in front and in line with a respective luminous source 15 and possibly centred in an impression provided in the internal surface of the front shield 12.
The lenses 20 can have an appropriate shape and be chosen so as to spread the beams of light according to the needs and uniform the beams to achieve the luminous effect wanted. Basically, the lenses 20 are inserted between the luminous sources 15 and the front shield 12 and have however a base tightly blocked on the internal surface of said front shield by means of a blocking plate 21. For a correct trim of the equipment, the lenses 20 each have an base annular collar 22 and a radial tooth 23 (Figs. 6, 7), whereas the blocking plate 21 has a same number of bores 24 as there are lenses 20, a radial notch 25 on a level with each hole 24 and peduncles 26 facing towards and resting against the card 14 holding the luminous sources 15. Practically, the blocking plate 21 rests on the base collar 22 of the lenses with the margin of the relative bores 24, whereas the radial notch 25 of each of said bores 24 engages with the radial tooth 23 of a respective lens. On the other hand, peduncles 26 allow the card 14 to be blocked inside the hollow support 16 and to fix the blocking plate 21 to the support for example by means of screws 27.
Thanks to this combination of elements the formation of condensate is eliminated independently from the collocation of both the lighting equipment and the range of temperature it is subject to in the ambient it is installed in.