US-12618615-B2 - LED lighting array system for illuminating a display case

Abstract

An LED lighting array system includes discrete lighting modules spatially arrayed along a support member to provide illumination of items within a display case. The modules have a low overall height that results in them being mounted in a low-profile configuration at various locations along the support member. The modules include a housing with opposed first and second sets of side apertures, a plurality of internal reflecting surfaces associated with the apertures, respectively, an external lens, a multi-sided light engine and a group of side-emitting LEDs. During operation, a first portion of light generated by the side-emitting LEDs is discharged through apertures and the lens into the cooler to illuminate contents therein, while a second portion of light generated by the side-emitting LEDs is redirected by the reflecting surface through said apertures and the lens into the cooler.

Inventors

• James Thomas
• Vladimir Volochine

Assignees

• ELECTRALED, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20230317

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A lighting array system featuring light emitting diodes (LEDs) for use within a refrigerated cooler to illuminate products residing within the refrigerated cooler, the lighting array system comprising: a first module comprising: a first LED, a first reflecting surface, and a first transparent external lens configured to substantially overlie the first LED and the first reflecting surface, the first external lens having: a first external wall having a first external surface, a second external wall having a second external surface, and an intermediate wall that extends between and connects the first and second external walls, wherein the intermediate wall has an outer surface, and wherein the entirety of the outer surface is not positioned perpendicular to the first external surface of the first external wall or the second external surface of the second external wall; and wherein during operation of the lighting array system, a first portion of light generated by said first LED is discharged in a first direction through the first external lens, and a second portion of light generated by said first LED is redirected by the first reflecting surface through the first transparent external lens.
2. 2 . The lighting array system of claim 1 , further comprising a second module comprising: a second LED, a second reflecting surface, a second transparent external lens configured to substantially overlie the second LED and the second reflecting surface, the second external lens having: a first external wall having a first external surface, a second external wall having a second external surface, and an intermediate wall that extends between and connects the first and second external walls, wherein the intermediate wall has an outer surface, and wherein the entirety of said outer surface is not positioned perpendicular to the first external surface of the first external wall of the second external lens or the second external surface of the second external wall of the second external lens; and wherein during operation of the lighting array system, a first portion of light generated by said second LED is discharged in a second direction through the second transparent external lens, and wherein the second direction is substantially opposite of the first direction.
3. 3 . The lighting array system of claim 1 , wherein the first module is coupled to a primary wall of a support member of the refrigerated cooler; and wherein the first reflecting surface is oriented at an upward angle relative to the primary wall of the support member.
4. 4 . The lighting array system of claim 1 , wherein the first module is coupled to a primary wall of a support member of the refrigerated cooler; and wherein at least a lower extent of the first external wall is positioned substantially perpendicular to the primary wall of the support member.
5. 5 . The lighting array system of claim 3 , wherein an extent of a planar surface of the primary wall of the support member that extends between the first and second external lens is exposed to an inner extent of the refrigerated cooler.
6. 6 . The lighting array system of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the intermediate wall includes a first intermediate surface portion that is angled with respect to a second intermediate surface portion.
7. 7 . A refrigerated cooler that displays products residing within the refrigerated cooler, the refrigerated cooler comprising: a lighting array system installed within the refrigerated cooler and including: a support member configured to be coupled to an internal structure within the refrigerated cooler, said support member including a first aperture and a second aperture that are formed through the support member and that are spaced an appreciable distance apart along a length of the support member; a first module received within the first aperture and having: a first LED, and a first external lens configured to overlie the first LED and a first reflecting surface, the first external lens having: a first external wall having a first external surface, a second external wall having a second external surface, and an intermediate wall that extends between and connects the first and second external walls, wherein the intermediate wall has an outer surface, and wherein the entirety of the outer surface is not positioned perpendicular to the first external surface or the second external surface; a second module received within the second aperture and having: a second LED, and a second external lens configured to overlie the second LED; wherein an intermediate extent of the support member is defined along said length of the support member between the first and second modules, said intermediate extent being exposed without an overlying lens to an inner portion of the refrigerated cooler.
8. 8 . The refrigerated cooler of claim 7 , wherein the lighting array system lacks an external lens that overlies both the first LED of the first module and the second LED of the second module.
9. 9 . The refrigerated cooler of claim 7 , wherein an extent of a first external surface of the first external lens of the first module is positioned substantially parallel to an extent of a first external surface of the second external lens of the second module.
10. 10 . The refrigerated cooler of claim 7 , wherein a first portion of light generated by the first LED of the first module is discharged in a first direction into the refrigerated cooler and a first portion of light generated by the second LED of the second module is discharged in a second direction into the refrigerated cooler, wherein the first and second directions are opposed to one another.
11. 11 . The refrigerated cooler of claim 7 , wherein a maximum intensity of light generated from the first LED is oriented substantially parallel with a front extent of the refrigerated cooler.
12. 12 . The refrigerated cooler of claim 10 , wherein a second portion of light generated by the first LED of the first module is redirected by the reflecting surface of the first module through the first external lens of the first module into the refrigerated cooler and a second portion of light generated by the second LED of the second module is redirected by a reflecting surface of the second module through the second external lens of the second module into the refrigerated cooler.
13. 13 . A lighting array system featuring light emitting diodes (LEDs) for use within a refrigerated cooler, the lighting array system comprising: a planar support member; a first module positioned within a first aperture formed through said support member, the first module comprising: a first LED, a first external lens configured to overlie the first LED; and wherein during operation of the lighting array system, a first portion of light generated by said first LED is discharged through the first external lens; and wherein a maximum intensity of the light generated from the first LED is oriented substantially parallel with a front extent of the refrigerated cooler.
14. 14 . The lighting array system of claim 13 , wherein the lighting array system further comprises a second module configured to be positioned within a second aperture formed through said support member an appreciable distance apart from the first module, the first and second apertures arranged along a length of the support member, the second module comprising a second LED and a second external lens configured to substantially overlie an extent of said second LED; and wherein the lighting array system lacks a lens that overlies both of the first and second modules.
15. 15 . The lighting array system of claim 13 , wherein the first portion of light generated by said first LED is discharged in a first direction, and wherein the lighting array system further comprises a second module with a second LED that is configured to discharge light in a second direction that is opposite of the first direction.
16. 16 . The lighting array system of claim 13 , wherein the first external lens of the first module has a height that is less than 0.5 inches.
17. 17 . The lighting array system of claim 13 , wherein a first surface of the first external lens is substantially parallel with a second surface of the first external lens.
18. 18 . The lighting array system of claim 13 , wherein the planar support member includes: (i) a first edge that is substantially parallel with a first surface of the first module, and (ii) a second edge that is substantially parallel with a second surface of the first module.
19. 19 . The lighting array system of claim 13 , wherein the planar support member is integral to a support frame of the cooler.
20. 20 . The lighting array system of claim 14 , wherein an intermediate extent of the planar support member is defined along the length of the planar support member between the first and second modules, said intermediate extent being exposed without an overlying lens to an inner portion of the refrigerated cooler.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/340,210, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 11,029,084, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 10,139,156, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 9,702,618, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/072,770, all of which are incorporated in their entirety herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The invention provides an LED lighting array system comprising discrete lighting modules that are spatially arrayed along a support member to provide illumination of items within a display case. BACKGROUND Many different types of conventional light fixtures are used to illuminate refrigerated display cases or coolers that house food and beverages, typically in grocery stores and convenience stores. These light fixtures use different types of light sources ranging from incandescent to halogen to light emitting diodes (LEDs). However, the light from these conventional fixtures is generally poorly controlled, which reduces the operating efficiency of the fixture and the cooler. Poorly controlled light falls outside the target area to be illuminated and/or does not properly illuminate that area, which degrades the appearance of the contents of the cooler (e.g. food or beverage products within the cooler). Also, poorly controlled light, even from low wattage sources such as LEDs, can cause glare to consumers standing or walking outside the cooler. In addition to ineffective illumination of the target area, poorly controlled light reduces the operating efficiency of the conventional fixture and the cooler which results in higher operating costs and increased wear on electrical components. This wasted light not only consumes excess energy, but distracts from the visual appearance of the target by illuminating areas outside of the target boundaries. Moreover, conventional LED fixtures for use within refrigerated cases and coolers typically feature a large, elongated housing and an elongated light engine that includes a significant quantity of LEDs populating an elongated Printed Circuit Board (PCB). As a result, these conventional LED fixtures have large dimensions and accordingly only a small number of these fixtures may be installed within a cooler to illuminate the contents therein. Due to their large dimensions and space requirements, conventional LED fixtures have limited design applications and their configurations cannot be easily adjusted or tailored to meet the installation and performance requirements of different coolers, including coolers having different interior dimensions and configurations as well as different operating conditions. Accordingly, there is a need for an LED lighting system fixture that precisely controls the generation and direction of the emitted light to efficiently illuminate a desired target area and minimizes illumination of areas surrounding the target area, and thereby improves the operating performance and efficiency of the system and cooler. There is also a need for an LED lighting system comprising multiple lighting modules that can be arrayed and installed within a cooler support member, thereby enabling the LED lighting system to be tailored to meet the installation and performance requirements of different coolers and different support members. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE Disclosed herein is an innovative LED lighting array system comprising discrete lighting modules that are spatially arranged along a support member to provide illumination of items within a display case, such as a refrigerated display cooler (or case or freezer) for food and/or beverages. The modules may have a low overall height that results in them being mounted in a low-profile configuration at various locations along the support member. The modules may include a housing having a first set of side apertures and a second set of side apertures, wherein the first and second sets of side apertures are configured in an opposed spatial relationship. The housing also may have a plurality of internal reflecting surfaces extending inward from a peripheral wall of the housing and associated with the apertures. An external lens may be configured to substantially mate with an upper extent of the housing when the module is in the assembled position. A multi-sided light engine may be positioned within the housing and may include a group of side-emitting LEDs associated with each of the side apertures. During operation of the LED lighting array system, a first portion of light generated by the side-emitting LEDs is discharged through the apertures and the lens into the cooler to illuminate products therein. A second portion of light generated by the side-emitting LEDs is redirected by the reflecting surface through said apertures and the lens into the cooler. In this manner, the inventive LED lighting system fixture may precisely control the generation and direction of the emitted l