IES20090564A2 - A lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

A reduced-maintenance stand-alone lighting system for an advertising hoarding is described. The lighting system is powered by a wind turbine, and consequently does not require connection to an electricity supply grid. In addition, the lighting system is operable to report operational details and/or alerts to a central server or operator, reducing the need for on-site maintenance inspection.

Description

A Lighting System Field of the Invention This invention relates to a lighting system, in particular a lighting system for an advertising hoarding.

Background of the Invention Advertising hoardings and billboards have long been a common sight alongside roadways and other public thoroughfares, advertising products or services to consumers. A more recent requirement of advertisers is for such hoardings to be illuminated using lighting systems during night-time, thereby increasing the visibility of the displayed advertising to the public.

In general, such lighting systems are provided connected to the national power grid for their power supply. However, the installation of such an arrangement requires liaising with a national grid operator to establish the connection, and requires payment of utility bills for the connection to the grid as well as the power consumed.

In certain cases, battery-powered lighting systems may be used. However, such systems require regular maintenance and inspection when the battery is depleted of power.

Additionally, there is no current way of telling when the battery is depleted apart from manual inspection of the lighting system itself.

Therefore, it is an object of the invention tc provide a stand-alone lighting system for an advertising hoarding which does not require connection to a national power supply grid, and does not require manual inspection to ensure correct operation.

Summary of the Invention Accordingly, there is provided a stand-alone lighting system for an advertising hoarding, the lighting system comprising: at least one light emitting device; a wind turbine operable to power said at least one light emitting device; a monitoring module operable to detect a fault in the operation of said lighting system; and a transmission module, wherein said transmission module is operable to transmit an alert message to a remote operator on detection of a fault by said monitoring module.

The lighting system, being powered by a wind turbine, does not require connection to an electricity supply grid. In addition, as the lighting system is capable of reporting the existence of faults to a remote operator, the system itself requires less on-site inspection to ensure satisfactory operation .

Preferably, the lighting system further comprises a deepcycle battery, wherein said wind turbine is operable to charge said deep-cycle battery, and wherein said deep-cycle battery is operable to power said at least one light source.

The use of a deep-cycle battery allows for the provision of a relatively consistent voltage for use in the system.

Preferably, the lighting system further comprises a photocell to detect an ambient light level, wherein the photocell is operable to actuate the at least one light emitting device when the ambient light falls below a pre-defined light level.

Preferably, said at least one light emitting device comprises a plurality of LED lamps.

The advantages of using LED lamps include relatively high efficiency, relatively small size, durability, and a relatively long life span.

Detailed Description of the Invention An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an illustration of a lighting system according to the invention; and Fig. 2 is an illustration of the lighting system of claim 1 installed on an advertising hoarding.

With reference to Fig. 1, a lighting system is indicated generally at 10. The system 10 comprises a wind turbine 12 coupled with a voltage regulator 14. As the turbine 12 is driven by the wind, it produces a variable frequency AC power signal. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the wind turbine 12 used is rated at 12 volts, but it will be understood that any suitable wind turbine design may be used.

The output power of the turbine 12 is converted to a DC signal by the voltage regulator 14, which may comprise any suitable rectifier circuit, e.g. using thyristors, power transistors, power diodes, etc.

The output of the voltage regulator 14 is coupled to a battery charge and control circuit 16, provided with a rechargeable battery 18. Preferably, the battery 18 used is a deep-cycle battery. A deep-cycle battery is designed to deliver a consistent voltage as the battery discharges.

Furthermore, deep cycle batteries can be charged with a lower current than regular batteries. Further preferably, the battery 18 used is a valve regulated lead-acid battery (VRLA), preferably a gel battery. A VRLA battery is the designation for low maintenance lead-acid batteries, which provide for reduced inspection requirements. A VRLA battery is further operable to lessen the effect of overcharging.

The battery charge and control circuit 16 is operable to receive the regulated power produced by the wind turbine 12 and the voltage regulator 14, and provides for the charging of the battery 18. The battery charge and control circuit 16 is further operable to present a consistent voltage from the battery 18 to the remainder of the system 10.

Taken in combination, the wind turbine 12, voltage regulator 14, battery charge and control circuit 16, and deep-cycle battery 18 act as a substantially stand-alone uninterruptible power supply for the lighting system 10, requiring reduced maintenance and inspection.

The system 10 further comprises a monitoring module 20, which is provided with a remote monitoring facility, e.g. wireless transmission system 22. The monitoring module 20 is coupled to the battery charge and control circuit 16 and the deepcycle battery 18. The monitoring module 20 is operable to determine the current status of the system battery 18, for example, by monitoring the output voltage of the battery 18. On detection of a pre-defined report condition, e.g. if the output voltage of the battery 18 drops below a pre-defined voltage level, the monitoring module 20 is further operable to transmit a status message via wireless transmission system 22 to a central server or a remote operator (not shown). The status update may comprise an alert message that the battery 18 may require inspection and possible replacement. In this way, the maintenance and inspection requirements for lighting system 10 are kept to an absolute minimum, and are only necessary when the system 10 itself detects a fault in its own operation.

It will also be understood that the monitoring module 20 may be operable to transmit periodic status updates to the central server after a pre-defined period of time, e.g. once a day. The use of periodic reports allows for the status of the lighting system 10 to be continually monitored, and further provides the central server with an indication if the monitoring module 20 or the transmission system 22 suffer a fault, e.g. by not sending the regular status report.

It will be understood that transmission system 22 may be operable to transmit status messages using any known communication protocol, e.g. radio-frequency (RF) communication, GSM Short Message Service (SMS), etc.

The lighting system 10 further comprises a photocell 24 which is operable to detect when incident (i.e. ambient) light has dropped below a pre-defined level. Photocell 24 is coupled with at least one light emitting device 26. Once the ambient light has fallen below the pre-defined level, the system 10 is operable to turn on the light emitting device 26, powered by the output of the battery charge and control circuit 16 and rechargeable battery 18. Once the ambient light increases beyond the pre-defined level, the system 10 is operable to turn off the light emitting device 26. This allows for the lighting system 10 to turn itself on/off dependent on the ambient lighting conditions, e.g. at. the point of transition from daylight to twilight.

It will be understood that the monitoring module 20 and the transmission system 22 may be further operable to receive communications from a remote server to alter the conditions of operation, e.g. an operator may wish to have the light emitting devices turn on at a later time (i.e. to adjust the settings of the photocell), or to have the light emitting devices operate at a reduced power level (i.e. in consideration of changing light pollution requirements).

The light emitting device 26 may comprise any suitable light source, most preferably an LED (light emitting diode) lamp. The advantages of using LED lamps include relatively high efficiency, relatively small size, durability, and a relatively long life span. Preferably, the LED lamps each comprise a pair of 5 Watt LEDs, and incorporate the necessary power regulation circuitry to operate in the 12 Volt conditions of the lighting system 10.

With reference to Fig. 2, the lighting system 10 is shown when installed on an advertising hoarding 32. The voltage regulator 14, battery charge and control circuit 16, deepcycle battery 18, monitoring module 20 and transmission system 22 are housed in a secure weatherproof housing 28, with the wind turbine 12 provided on a mast 13 above said hoarding 32. Housing 28 prevents ingress of moisture to the device, and prevents tampering with the operation of the system. The photocell 24 (not shown in Fig. 2) is positioned such that ambient light is incident on the photocell 24 (e.g. the photocell may be provided within the housing 28, but adjacent a translucent section of the housing 28, such that the ambient light level can be detected).

A set of four light emitting devices 26 are provided at the top edge of the hoarding 32, mounted on rigging 30. The light emitting devices 26 are spaced along the top edge of the hoarding 32 such that the maximum light coverage of the hoarding 32 by the light emitting devices 26 is provided.

The present invention provides for a stand-alone lighting system which can be used on any advertising hoarding, the 1ighting system not requiring connection to an electricity supply grid, and providing for reduced maintenance inspection 5 requirements due to a remote status reporting facility.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (5)

Claims

1. A stand-alone lighting system for an advertising hoarding, the lighting system comprising: at least one light emitting device; a wind turbine operable to power said at least one light emitting device; a monitoring module operable to detect a fault in the operation of said lighting system; and a transmission module, wherein said transmission module is operable to transmit an alert message to a remote operator on detection of a fault by said monitoring module.

2. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the lighting system further comprises a deep-cycle battery, wherein said wind turbine is operable to charge said deep-cycle battery, and wherein said deep-cycle battery is operable to power said at least one light source.

3. The lighting system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the lighting system further comprises a photocell to detect an ambient light level, wherein the photocell is operable to actuate the at least one light emitting device when the ambient light falls below a pre-defined light level.

4. The lighting system of any preceding claim, wherein said at least, one light emitting device comprises a plurality of LED lamps.

5. A lighting system substantially as described herein, with reference to the accompanying drawings.