Abstract
A rail lighting fixture for providing illumination along a rail of a railway track includes a housing arranged for attachment to the rail and provided with at least one aperture. At least one light source is provided in the housing and arranged to emit a light beam. The lighting fixture is arranged to direct the light beam through the aperture towards a lighting direction, and the lighting direction has a component that is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the rail.
Claims
1. A rail lighting fixture for providing illumination along a rail of a railway track, wherein the lighting fixture comprises a housing, arranged for attachment to the rail and provided with at least one aperture, and at least one light source provided in the housing and arranged to emit a light beam, wherein the lighting fixture is arranged to direct the light beam through the aperture towards a lighting direction, wherein the lighting direction has a component that is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the rail, wherein: the aperture is provided with an optical element arranged to receive the light beam and to direct the light beam towards diverging directions; or the aperture has an optical axis extending, as seen in the horizontal plane, at an acute angle with the longitudinal direction and away from the rail as seen along the lighting direction.
2. The rail lighting fixture according to claim 1, wherein the lighting fixture is arranged to direct a first light beam and a second light beam towards mutually opposite lighting directions parallel to the longitudinal direction.
3. The rail lighting fixture according to claim 1, wherein the light beam directed towards the lighting direction has an asymmetric light distribution, wherein a horizontal light distribution of the light beam is wider than a vertical light distribution of the light beam.
4. The rail lighting fixture according to claim 3, wherein the optical element is arranged to create the asymmetric light distribution.
5. The rail lighting fixture according to claim 1, wherein the optical element is a lens.
6. The rail lighting fixture according to claim 1, further comprising fastening means arranged for attaching the housing to the rail.
7. The rail lighting fixture according to claim 6, wherein the fastening means comprise a mounting bracket arranged for connecting the housing to the rail, wherein the mounting bracket is arranged for coupling with the rail, wherein the mounting bracket is further arranged to engage the housing.
8. The rail lighting fixture according to claim 1, further comprising a heatsink body arranged to cool the at least one light source.
9. The rail lighting fixture according to claim 1, wherein the housing is monolithically formed, by an insert moulding technique, onto the at least one light source and any other components provided in the housing, such that the housing comprises a solidified material that at least partially covers the at least one light source and the respective other components of the rail lighting fixture that are provided in the housing.
10. The rail lighting fixture according to claim 1, wherein the housing is less than 4 centimetres in width as seen from the lighting direction.
11. The rail lighting fixture according to claim 1, wherein the housing is less than 40 centimetres in length.
12. The rail lighting fixture according to claim 1, wherein the housing is less than 20 centimetres in height as seen from the lighting direction.
13. A rail lighting system for providing illumination along a rail of a railway track, wherein the rail lighting system comprises at least one rail lighting fixture, according to any of the preceding claims, and a presence detector for detecting a presence of a person alongside of the rail, wherein the presence detector is arranged to provide a presence detection signal indicative for the presence of a person alongside of the rail, wherein the rail lighting system is arranged to control, based on the presence detection signal, an illumination intensity of the light source of the at least one lighting fixture at a first illumination intensity when the presence detection signal indicates the presence of a person alongside of the rail, and at a second illumination intensity when the presence detection signal does not indicate the presence of a person alongside of the rail, wherein the first intensity exceeds the second intensity.
14. The rail lighting system according to claim 13, wherein the presence detector comprises a wave transmitter arranged to emit an electromagnetic wave for reflection by a person, a wave receiver arranged to receive the electromagnetic wave reflected by the person, and a processor connected to the wave receiver and arranged to provide the presence detection signal based on the received electromagnetic wave.
15. The rail lighting system according to claim 14, wherein the presence detector comprises a sensor housing arranged for attachment to the rail, wherein the sensor housing is distinct from the housing of the rail lighting fixture, wherein the wave emitter, the wave receiver and the processor are provided in the sensor housing, and wherein the presence detector is arranged to direct the emitted electromagnetic wave away from the rail to a detection region alongside of the rail, preferably to only the detection region.
16. The rail lighting system according to claim 14, wherein the electromagnetic wave is a microwave or a radio wave.
17. The rail lighting system according to claim 13, further comprising a power source connected to the at least one light fixture and arranged to power the light source of the at least one lighting fixture, wherein the rail lighting system is arranged to control the power provided to the light source by the power source in dependence of the presence detection signal.
18. The rail lighting system according to claim 13, wherein the second intensity is in the range of 5 to 70 percent of the first intensity.
19. The rail lighting system according to claim 13, further comprising the rail, wherein the rail has an I-shaped cross-section, wherein the housing of the lighting fixture is attached to the rail, wherein a head flange of the rail extends in a width direction at least as far as the housing of the lighting fixture.
20. The rail lighting system according to claim 13, wherein the lighting system comprises an array of rail lighting fixtures, wherein the array of rail lighting fixture comprises a housing, arranged for attachment to the rail and provided with at least one aperture, and at least one light source provided in the housing and arranged to emit a light beam, wherein the lighting fixture is arranged to direct the light beam through the aperture towards a lighting direction, wherein the lighting direction has a component that is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the rail, wherein: the aperture is provided with an optical element arranged to receive the light beam and to direct the light beam towards diverging directions; or the aperture has an optical axis extending, as seen in the horizontal plane, at an acute angle with the longitudinal direction and away from the rail as seen along the lighting direction; and wherein the lighting fixtures are arranged for attachment along the rail at intervals.
21-23. (canceled)
Description
[0055] The present invention is hereinafter further elucidated with reference to the attached drawings, wherein: [0056] FIG. 1 represents a front view of a train on a railway track; [0057] FIG. 2 shows a front view of a rail lighting fixture attached to a rail; [0058] FIG. 3 shows a back view of the rail lighting fixture as shown in FIG. 2; [0059] FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the housing of the rail lighting fixture of FIGS. 2 and 3; [0060] FIG. 5 represents an exploded view of the housing shown in FIG. 4; [0061] FIG. 6 shows a side view of two rail lighting fixtures attached consecutively to a rail; [0062] FIG. 7 shows a top view of the two rail lighting fixtures as shown in FIG. 6; [0063] FIG. 8 shows a lens; [0064] FIG. 9 represents a light distribution diagram associated with the lens shown in FIG. 8; [0065] FIGS. 10A-E show various views of a further embodiment of the rail lighting fixture; [0066] FIG. 11 represents an exploded view of the lighting fixture shown in FIGS. 10A-E; [0067] FIGS. 12A-E show various views of a further embodiment of the rail lighting fixture; [0068] FIG. 13 represents a further embodiment of the rail lighting fixture; [0069] FIGS. 14A-B show different views of a rail lighting system with presence detectors.
[0070] In the drawings of the different embodiments, like elements are indicated by like reference signs.
[0071] FIG. 1 depicts a front view of a train 1 on a railway track 2 formed by two parallel flat-bottomed rails 3. Each rail 3 has an I-shaped cross-section. Rail lighting fixtures 10 are attached to the rails 3 and arranged to provide illumination along the train track 2. To illustrate, an oval-shaped light distribution L, illuminating a walking path 4 along the train track 2 such that blinding of a person 5 near the track 2 is minimised, is indicated in FIG. 1 for one side of the track 2. More specifically, the light beam L emitted by the lighting fixture 10 diverges and is thereby partially directed away from the rail 3 to illuminate the walking path 4 over a sufficient width of the path 4. Additionally, the rail 3 is partly illuminated, such that the walking path 4 is also illuminated indirectly via the rail 3.
[0072] Each rail lighting fixture 10 is attached to the web 3c of the respective rail 3, as can be seen enlarged in FIGS. 2 and 3, showing a front view and a back view of a single rail lighting fixture 10. The rail lighting fixture 10 comprises a housing 100 attached sideways to the rail 3. The width W of the housing 100 is preferably less than the extent to which the head flange 3a of the rail 3 protrudes from the web 3c in the width direction, such that the head flange 3a of the rail 3 extends in the width direction at least as far as the housing 100 of the lighting fixture 10 attached to the rail 3. To connect the lighting fixture 10 to the rail 3, the rail lighting fixture 10 comprises a mounting bracket 20 coupled to the foot flange 3b of the rail 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the side 110 of the housing 100 is provided with a notch 111, in which the mounting bracket 20 is received as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the bottom 120 of the housing 100 is provided with a filling opening 121 for filling the housing 100 with resin. The mounting bracket 20 is provided with a screw opening 21 for screwing the mounting bracket 20 to the housing 100 by means of a threaded hole 112 in the housing 100 that is located in the notch 111 and aligned with the screw opening 21 of the mounting bracket 20.
[0073] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, at least one LED (not shown) is provided in the housing 100. A front side 130 and a back side 140 of the housing 100 are each provided with an aperture 131, 141, such that a light beam, emitted by the LEDs in mutually opposite lighting directions parallel to a longitudinal direction of the rail 3, is directed through the apertures 131, 141. The rail lighting fixture 10 comprises electrical connectors 30, 40 electrically connected to the LEDs. The front side 130 is provided with a male connector 30 and the back side 140 is provided with a female connector 40. The connectors 30, 40 are arranged for connecting the LEDs, for instance via electrically conducting cables (not shown), to a power source such as a battery (not shown).
[0074] In FIG. 5, modularity of the rail lighting fixture 10 is illustrated in exploded view. More specifically, the housing 100 comprises a front housing part 100a, including the front side 130 of the housing 100, and a back housing part 100b, including the back side 140 of the housing 100. The rail lighting fixture 10 comprises an aluminium heatsink body 50 arranged to cool the LEDs. The heatsink body 50 comprises a top portion 51 forming part of a top side 150 of the housing 100. The heatsink body 50 further comprises protrusions 52 extending from the top portion 51 into the housing 100 to couple the housing parts 100a, 100b by arranging the protrusions 52, in particular in a sliding manner, into corresponding grooves 101a, 101b formed inside the respective housing parts 100a, 100b. The housing 100 can be disassembled by moving the protrusions 52 out of the grooves 101a, 101b.
[0075] FIGS. 6 and 7 show respectively a side view and a top view of two consecutive rail lighting fixtures 10a, 10b that are part of an array of rail lighting fixtures attached along a rail 3 at intervals. To illuminate the path along the rail 3 uniformly, the illumination distributions L provided by the respective lighting fixtures 10a, 10b partially overlap. The male connector 30a of a rail lighting fixture 10a in the array is arranged opposite the female connector 40b of the consecutive rail lighting fixture 10b in the array for interconnecting the connectors 30a, 40b, for instance by means of a power cable (not shown), for electrically connecting the lighting fixtures 10a, 10b in the array in series. The connectors at both ends of the array (not shown) are arranged for connecting to a power source (not shown).
[0076] To obtain an oval-shaped light distribution L as shown in FIG. 1 and as illustrated by the combination of FIGS. 6 and 7, each aperture 131, 141 is provided with an optical element 60, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for creating an asymmetric light distribution L. The optical element 60 may be a non-imaging Fresnel lens as shown in FIG. 8. The lens 60 is designed to create the asymmetric light distribution as illustrated by the light distribution diagram represented by FIG. 9, wherein a horizontal light distribution (indicated by the continuous curve) is wider than a vertical light distribution (indicated by the dashed curve).
[0077] FIGS. 10A-E and 11 relate to an alternative embodiment of the rail lighting fixture 10. The lighting fixture 10 comprises a housing 100, arranged for attachment to a rail 3 of a railway track 2 as in FIG. 1. The side 110 of the housing 100 is provided with a notch 111, in which a mounting bracket can be received as described above. The bottom 120 of the housing 100 is provided with a filling opening 121 for filling the housing 100 with resin.
[0078] A front side 130 and a back side 140 of the housing 100 are each provided with an aperture 131, 141. Relative to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-5, the apertures 131, 141 are orientated slightly away from the rail 3 as seen in the horizontal plane, as further elucidated as follows. The lighting fixture 10 further comprises two LEDs 70, provided in the housing 100 and respectively associated with the two apertures 131, 141 as shown in FIG. 10E, and electrical connectors 30, 40 electrically connected to the LEDs 70. Each LED 70 is arranged to emit a light beam. Each aperture 131, 141 is provided with an optical element 60 arranged to receive the light beam emitted by the respective LED 70 and emit a diverging light beam.
[0079] FIG. 10E represents a top view of a horizontal cross-section of the lighting fixture 10. The optical element 60 is arranged to direct the light beam towards diverging directions, including a lighting direction D1, D2 parallel to a longitudinal direction of the rail 3. The optical axis A of the optical element 60 extends at a 30-degree angle with the longitudinal direction of the rail 3. As such, the optical axis A extends at an acute angle a with the lighting direction D1, D2 and away from the rail 3 as seen along the lighting direction D1, D2. In a preferred embodiment, the optical axis A extends at a 45-degree angle with the longitudinal direction of the rail 3.
[0080] In FIG. 11, the rail lighting fixture 10 is depicted in exploded view. The housing 100 comprises a front housing part 100a, including the front side 130 of the housing 100, and a back housing part 100b, including the back side 140 of the housing 100. The rail lighting fixture 10 comprises an aluminium heatsink body 50 arranged to cool the LEDs 70. The heatsink body 50 comprises a main portion 51 forming part of the side 160 of the housing 100 facing the rail 3 when the housing 100 is attached to the rail 3. The heatsink body 50 further comprises notched protrusions 52 extending from the main portion 51 into the housing 100. Corresponding flanges 101a, 101b are formed inside the respective housing parts 100a, 100b to couple the housing parts 100a, 100b by sliding the flanges 101a, 101b into the notches 53 of the protrusions 52.
[0081] FIGS. 12A-E relate to yet another embodiment of the rail lighting fixture 10. The lighting fixture 10 comprises a monolithic housing 100, arranged for attachment to a rail 3 of a railway track 2 as in FIG. 1. A front side 130 and a back side 140 of the housing 100 are respectively provided with apertures 131, 141 orientated slightly away from the rail 3 as seen in the horizontal plane, as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10A-E and 11.
[0082] Specifically, FIG. 12D represents a top view of a horizontal cross-section of the lighting fixture 10. The lighting fixture 10 further comprises two LEDs 70 mounted on a printed circuit board 80 (or, alternatively, on respective printed circuit boards). The LEDs 70 are provided in the housing 100 and respectively associated with the two apertures 131, 141. Electrical connectors 30, 40 of the lighting fixture 10 are electrically connected to the LEDs 70 via the printed circuit board 80. The rail lighting fixture 10 further comprises an aluminium heatsink body 50 arranged to cool the LEDs 70 and the printed circuit board 80, which is attached (e.g., glued) onto the heatsink body 50. Instead of the heatsink body 50 forming part of the side 160 of the housing 100 facing the rail 3 when the housing 100 is attached to the rail 3 (as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10A-E and 11), the heatsink body 50 is insulated by a layer 161 of the housing 100 of 1-3 millimetres that forms part of said side 160.
[0083] The rail lighting fixture 10 shown in FIGS. 12A-E is manufactured by insert moulding. Hereto, the heatsink body 50 is attached or clamped onto an inner frame 90 of the lighting fixture 10, specifically by arranging protrusions 91 of the frame 90, particularly in a sliding manner, into corresponding grooves 54 formed in the heatsink body 50. In addition, the electrical connectors 30, 40 are coupled to the frame 90, and the printed circuit board 80 supporting LEDs 70 and lenses 60 is glued to the heatsink body 50. The assembly of the rail lighting fixture components, including the connectors 30, 40, the heatsink body 50, the lenses 60, the LEDs 70, and the printed circuit board 80, all mounted on the frame 90, is inserted into in the cavity of a two-part mould (not shown) that is shaped for manufacturing the housing 100. Here, it is ensured that the lenses 60 and the connectable part of the electrical connectors 30, 40 are covered in the subsequent moulding step, in which a molten material, or a resin, is injected into the mould, such that the lenses 60 and the connectable part of the electrical connectors 30, 40 are shielded from the molten material. The molten material injected into the mould is injected onto the components to form the housing 100 enclosing the components. When the housing 100 is formed and solidified around the components, the rail lighting fixture 10 is ejected from the mould and the lenses 60 and the connectors 30, 40 are uncovered. By covering the lenses 60 and the connectors 30, 40 during moulding as described herein, the housing 100 is provided with the apertures 131, 141 for the lenses 60, and the connectors 30, 40 are directly accessible and connectable after moulding.
[0084] FIG. 13 relates to yet another embodiment of the rail lighting fixture 10, like the embodiment shown in FIGS. 12A-E. The optical axes of the respective optical elements 60 each extend, when the lighting fixture 10 is installed to a rail 3 as in FIG. 1, at a 45-degree angle with the longitudinal direction of the rail 3 as seen in the horizontal plane.
[0085] Furthermore, the apertures 131, 141, specifically an upper segment thereof, are defined by respective upper edges 132, 142, that are preferably part of the housing 100. The upper edges 132, 142 are configured, or shaped, to limit the vertical light distribution of the light beam emitted from the respective aperture 131, 141. Specifically, the upper edges 132, 142 limit the upwards directed segments of the respective light beams. This way, the blinding of persons can be further reduced. In this case, the upper edges 132, 142 form an overhang, thereby covering the upper half of the optical elements 60.
[0086] FIGS. 14A and 14B schematically show respectively a top view and a side view of a rail lighting system 200 comprising a first and a second array 210 of rail lighting fixtures 10 attached to a flat-bottomed rail 3 of a railway track as shown in FIG. 1 (only one rail 3 is shown in FIGS. 14A-B), and arranged to illuminate a walking path 4 along the train track. Each rail 3 has an I-shaped cross-section. Each rail lighting fixture 10 is attached to the web 3c of the rail 3 and arranged to emit a diverging light beam and provide an asymmetric light distribution L. As such, the light beam is directed towards diverging directions, including a lighting direction with a component parallel to the rail 3.
[0087] The system 200 further comprises, for each array 210, a radar sensor 220 for detecting a presence of a person 5 alongside of the rail 3. The radar sensor 220 is attached to the rail 3 in a manner similar to the lighting fixtures 10 and arranged to emit a radio wave for reflection by a person 5, to receive the radio wave reflected by the person 5, and to provide a presence detection signal based on the received radio wave. The radar sensor 220 is arranged to direct the emitted radio wave away from the rail 3 to only a detection region R alongside of the rail 3, wherein the detection region R has a width W.sub.R of about 1.5 metres, and a length L.sub.R and a height H.sub.R of 2 metres.
[0088] The rail lighting system 200 further comprises a controller (not shown) arranged to control an illumination intensity of each array 210 based on the presence detection signal provided by the respective radar sensor 220 associated with that array 210. The controller controls the lighting fixtures 10 such that they illuminate at full intensity when the presence detection signal indicates the presence of a person 5 alongside of the rail 3, and at a 20 percent intensity when the presence detection signal does not indicate the presence of a person 5 alongside of the rail 3. A splitter 230 installed between the consecutive arrays of lighting fixtures 10 enables the illumination intensity of each array 210 to be controlled independently from the illumination intensity of the other array. The controller is further arranged to decrease the illumination in one step after a predefined delay time of 30 minutes from the moment from which the presence of the person 5 is no longer detected.
[0089] The rail lighting system further comprises a power source 240 connected to the nearest lighting fixture 10 via a five-pin electrical connector cable (not shown). Each pair of neighbouring fixtures 10 is similarly interconnected by a five-pin electrical connector cable. Similarly, each radar sensor 220 is electrically connected to a neighbouring rail lighting fixture 10. Advantageously, all components of the rail lighting system 200 can be interconnected by a cable of the same type. Four pins of such a five-pin cable then enable the lighting fixtures 10 and the presence detectors 220 to be electrically connected in parallel. The lighting fixtures 10 can be controlled based on the presence detection signal via the fifth pin.
[0090] The figures and the above description serve to illustrate specific embodiments of the invention and do not limit the scope of protection defined by the following claims.
