Bollard luminaire

• US 7,425,084 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2006
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ruud Lighting Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruud, Alan J., Wilcox, Kurt, Walczak, Steven R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sawhney; Hargobind S
• Application Number:
  US11/541,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20080080192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 717 Days
• Field of Search: 362/152, 362/227, 362/238, 362/240, 362/241, 362/245, 362/294, 362/297, 362/298, 362/305, 362/327, 362/328, 362/329, 362/331, 362/346, 362/347, 362/351, 362/373, 362/431
• US Class Current: 362/298
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/083 of bollard type, i.e. with lighting fixture integrated into the standard or mounted on top of it and having substantially the same diameter
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2111/00 Use or application of lighting devices or systems for signalling, marking or indicating, not provided for in codes F21W2102/00 – F21W2107/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2111/02 for roads, paths or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A bollard luminaire comprising a ground-mountable tubular vertical housing having a base portion and an upper portion, an annular lens member atop the housing in substantial axial alignment therewith, an upper reflector at the top of the lens member directing and reflecting light through the annular lens member, the housing and lens member being configured and the upper reflector positioned such that it receives upwardly directed light from below, and an LED module inside the base portion of the housing, the LED module being substantially centrally positioned, oriented for upward light emission, and having LED/optical-element sets themselves providing substantially vertically collimated light. In preferred embodiments, the housing is light-transmissive.

Claims

1. A bollard luminaire comprising a ground-mountable tubular vertical light-transmissive housing having a base portion and an upper portion, an annular lens member atop the housing in substantial axial alignment therewith, an upper reflector at the top of the lens member-directing and reflecting light through the annular lens member, the housing and lens member being configured and the upper reflector positioned such that it receives upwardly directed light from below, and an above-ground LED module inside the base portion of the housing, the LED module being substantially centrally positioned, oriented for upward light emission, and having LED/optical-element sets themselves providing substantially vertically-collimated light.

2. The bollard luminaire of claim 1 wherein an LED/optical-element set includes at least an LED and a reflector, said LED and reflector rigidly affixed with respect thereto.

3. The bollard luminaire of claim 1 wherein an LED/optical-element set includes at least an LED and a refractor, said LED and refractor rigidly affixed with respect thereto.

4. The bollard luminaire of claim 3 wherein an LED/optical-element set further includes at least an LED and a reflector, said LED and reflector rigidly affixed with respect thereto.

5. The bollard luminaire of claim 1 wherein the LED module has an adjoining heat sink positioned below the LED module to dissipate heat away from the LED module.

6. The bollard luminaire of claim 1 wherein the LED module has a footprint that is substantially concentric with the housing.

7. The bollard luminaire of claim 6 wherein the footprint is substantially circular.

8. The bollard luminaire of claim 7 wherein the LED module is configured of a diameter equal to at least half the diameter of the housing.

9. The bollard luminaire of claim 8 wherein the LED module has a diameter of at least about 70% the diameter of the housing, whereby the LED module covers an area in excess of about one-half the area of the housing.

10. The bollard luminaire of claim 1 wherein the housing is of a polymeric material.

11. The bollard luminaire of claim 10 wherein the polymeric material is one of acrylic, polycarbonate, polystyrene, or copolymers thereof.

12. The bollard of claim 10 wherein the annular lens member is integrally formed with the light-transmissive housing.

13. The bollard luminaire of claim 12 wherein the housing is a display area adapted to show a lit image viewable from outside of said housing.

14. The bollard luminaire of claim 13 wherein the image is on a light-transmissive sheet against and conformed to the inside surface of the light-transmissive housing.

15. The bollard luminaire of claim 14 wherein the light-transmissive sheet, when not inserted against the inside surface of the housing, is substantially planar to facilitate application of the image thereon.

16. The bollard luminaire of claim 13 wherein, in addition to the substantially vertically collimated light, the LED/optical-element sets allow some off-vertical light to enhance the image viewable from outside of the housing.

17. A bollard luminaire comprising a ground-mountable tubular vertical light-transmissive housing adapted to show a lit image viewable from outside of the housing and having a base portion and an upper portion, an annular lens member atop the housing in substantial axial alignment therewith, an upper reflector at the top of the lens member-directing and reflecting light through the annular lens member, the housing and lens member being configured and the upper reflector positioned such that it receives upwardly directed light from below, and an above-ground LED module inside the base portion of the housing, the LED module being substantially centrally positioned, oriented for upward light emission, and having LED/optical-element sets themselves providing substantially vertically-collimated light.

18. The bollard luminaire of claim 17 wherein, in addition to the substantially vertically collimated light, the LED/optical-element sets allow some off-vertical light to enhance the image viewable from outside of the housing.

19. The bollard luminaire of claim 17 wherein an LED/optical-element set includes at least an LED and a reflector, said LED and reflector rigidly affixed with respect thereto.