Light blocking louver panel for an LED light display
A LED light display having a plurality of LED bulb arrays and a louver panel defining a plurality of hole arrays. Each hole array can define openings that are sized and spaced to receive at least the distal end portions of the bulbs forming a single LED bulb array. The louver panel further has a plurality of shaped protrusions in the form of louvers that are configured to extend outwardly and forwardly from a front surface of the louver panel and are arranged in a plurality of columns and in a plurality of rows in regularly repeating patterns related to the pattern of the placement of a plurality of the plurality of hole arrays in the louver panel and are further configured to block at least a portion of the emission of light from the LED bulbs in both a horizontal and vertical direction.
1. A LED light display comprising:
a louver panel defining a plurality of hole arrays, each hole array defining a LED opening centroid that is on the horizontal plane, wherein the louver panel further comprises a plurality of shaped protrusions in the form of louvers that are configured to extend outwardly and forwardly from a front surface of the louver panel and are arranged in a plurality of columns and in a plurality of rows in regularly repeating patterns related to the pattern of the placement of a plurality of the plurality of hole arrays in the louver panel, each louver comprising an elongate vertical member integrally connected to a compound curve member, wherein a rear surface of the louver panel further defines an array of recessed bays such that a respective recessed bay underlies a respective hole array; and
a plurality of LED bulb arrays, each bulb LED array defining an LED bulb centroid that is on a horizontal plane, wherein each respective LED opening centroid is operationally substantially coincident with the respective LED bulb centroid, wherein a respective LED bulb array is mounted in a respective recessed bay such that an exposed portion of the tip of each LED bulb array extends outwards from the front surface to a relative height h 1 , wherein the relative height h 1 of the exposed portion of the tip of each LED bulb array to a height h 2 of the louvers is between about 10% to about 40%;
wherein each louver is configured to block at least a portion of the emission of light from the plurality of LED light bulb arrays in both a horizontal and vertical direction, and wherein the louvers are configured to preserve a range of angles at which the LED light display may be viewed by a member of a target audience in an optimal viewing region.
2. The LED light display of claim 1 , wherein the relative height h 1 of the exposed portion of the tip of each LED bulb array to a height h 2 of the louvers is about 25%.
3. The LED light display of claim 1 , wherein the relative height h 1 of the exposed portion of the tip of each LED bulb array is less than about 2.0 mm, and wherein the height h 2 of the louvers are configured to extend outwardly above the distal tip portions of the LED bulb arrays between about 5.0 mm to about 7.5 mm.
4. The LED light display of claim 1 , wherein the elongate member has a proximal end and a distal end that is positioned in a horizontal plane P 3 that is below a horizontal plane P 2 bisecting the LED opening centroid, and wherein the compound curve member comprises a first curved member that extends outwardly and upwardly from the proximal end of the vertical member to a first curve distal end and subtends an angle of 90 degrees such that the first curve distal end is positioned in a vertical plane P 4 that is parallel to a substantially vertical plane P 1 .
5. The LED light display of claim 4 , wherein the compound curve member further comprises a second curved member that extends outwardly and downwardly to a second curve distal end and subtends an angle of less than 30 degrees such that the second curve distal end is positioned below and at an acute angle with respect to at least a portion of the first curve distal end.
6. The LED light display of claim 5 , wherein the second curve distal end of the second curved member is positioned above a horizontal plane P 5 extending tangent to the uppermost portion of the defined uppermost opening of the adjacent hole array.
7. The LED light display of claim 5 , wherein the radius of the first curve member is less than the radius of the second curve member.
8. The LED light display of claim 7 , wherein the curvature of the first curve member is greater than the curvature of the second curve member.
9. The LED light display of claim 5 , wherein the second curve distal end of each louver is spaced horizontally from an adjacent louver.
10. The LED light display of claim 9 , wherein the second curve distal end is spaced from the adjacent louver by the width of the louver.
11. The LED light display of claim 9 , wherein the second curve distal end is spaced from the adjacent louver by at least the width of the louver.
12. The LED light display of claim 1 , wherein the horizontal plane P 2 of each elongate member bisects the LED bulb centroid and the LED opening centroid.
13. The LED light display of claim 1 , wherein each bulb LED array comprises three spaced LED bulbs that are positioned to form a triangle shape that defines the LED bulb centroid, wherein the three spaced LED bulbs comprise a red LED bulb, a blue LED bulb, and a green bulb, and wherein each louver is configured to block at least a portion of the emission of light from the LED bulbs in both a horizontal and vertical direction.
14. The LED light display of claim 13 , wherein the red LED bulb and blue LED bulb are positioned at and define opposing vertices of the triangle shape along a substantially vertical plane and the green LED bulb is positioned at and defining a vertex that is positioned in a horizontal plane generally perpendicular to the vertical plane.
15. The LED light display of claim 13 , wherein each hole array defines a plurality of openings that are sized and spaced to receive at least the distal end portions of the bulbs forming a single LED bulb array, wherein each opening of the hole array define vertices of a triangle, in which two openings are positioned and define vertices along the vertical plane P 1 and the remaining opening is positioned at and defines a vertex that is positioned in the horizontal plane P 2 generally perpendicular to the vertical plane.
16. The LED light display of claim 13 , wherein the louvers are configured so as to not substantially block light output in a forward direction from the LED bulbs.
17. The LED light display of claim 13 , wherein the percentage of the light observable from the LED bulbs diminishes as the LED bulbs within the LED light display is increasingly covered by the louvers when the LED light display is viewed from horizontal blocking angles outside of the optimal viewing region, wherein a horizontal viewing angle for each louver is bounded by the angle between the longitudinal axis of the LED at the LED bulb centroid and the edge of a portion of the first curve member and/or a portion of the elongate vertical member of a louver.
18. The LED light display of claim 17 , wherein, a static viewer positioned remotely from the sign at about the limitations of the horizontal viewing angles of the respective louvers will not be able to detect light from the respective LED bulb arrays when an observer viewing angle exceeds the horizontal blocking angle.
19. The LED light display of claim 17 , wherein the horizontal viewing angle of each louver is between about 75 degrees to about 150 degrees.
20. The LED light display of claim 17 , wherein the horizontal viewing angle of each louver is at least 140 degrees.
21. The LED light display of claim 1 , wherein the louvers have a substantially uniform height.
22. The LED light display of claim 1 , wherein the louvers have a substantially constant width.
23. A LED light display comprising:
a louver panel defining a plurality of hole arrays, each hole array defining a LED opening centroid that is on the horizontal plane, wherein the louver panel further comprises a plurality of shaped protrusions in the form of louvers that are configured to extend outwardly and forwardly from a front surface of the louver panel and are arranged in a plurality of columns and in a plurality of rows related to the placement of a plurality of the plurality of hole arrays in the louver panel, each louver comprising an elongate vertical member integrally connected to a compound curve member, wherein a rear surface of the louver panel further defines an array of recessed bays such that a respective recessed bay underlies a respective hole array; and
a plurality of LED bulb arrays, each bulb LED array defining an LED bulb centroid that is on a horizontal plane, wherein each respective LED opening centroid is operationally substantially coincident with the respective LED bulb centroid, wherein a respective LED bulb array is mounted in a respective recessed bay such that an exposed portion of the tip of each LED bulb array extends outwards from the front surface to a relative height h;
wherein each louver is configured to block at least a portion of the emission of light from the plurality of LED light bulb arrays in both a horizontal and vertical direction, and wherein the louvers are configured to preserve a range of angles at which the LED light display may be viewed by a member of a target audience in an optimal viewing region.
24. The LED light display of claim 23 , wherein the relative height h 1 of the exposed portion of the tip of each LED bulb array to a height h 2 of the louvers is between about 10% to about 40%.