ECG-SPOT 2/2004 - Osram

LEDs for illuminated advertising
Alternative with added value
LED systems are increasingly
establishing themselves in
illuminated advertising as an
innovative alternative to conventional
lamps, such as neon
tubes. This is particularly true
in applications dominated by
coloured light. This trend is
fuelled by the remarkable advantages
that the LED system
from OSRAM displays:
• Homogeneous illumination,
• Small dimensions for new
design options,
• Simple, flexible installation,
• Safe operation due to safety
extra-low voltage,
• Unproblematic operation at
low temperatures,
• Brilliant colour saturation,
• Energy-efficient operation,
• Low maintenance costs.
New OPTOTRONIC units also shine in outdoor applications
Fig. 1. Denmark's DK-Benzin oil corporation is going for LEDs and OPTOTRONIC
OT50/120-277/10E and OT75/120-277/24E
control gear at a glance
Convinced by these properties
is, for example, Denmark's
DK-Benzin oil corporation with
its extensive network of petrol
stations. In the framework of
repair work, the more than
250 petrol stations are being
converted from neon to LED
light. The features that swung
the balance in favour of the
LED system from OSRAM were
the greatly reduced power
consumption and the substantially
lower maintenance costs
compared to the solution based
on neon tubes.
Red and white BACKlight LED
modules are used, which fit
optimally into the profile developed
by VPI Skilte.
• Developed for outdoor use and encapsulated for protection
against ambient influences (degree of protection IP64)
• Multi-line voltage input from 120 V to 277 V for worldwide use
• The safety mechanisms integrated in the OPTOTRONIC control
gear for protection against short-circuits, excess temperature
and overloading guarantee safe operation of the LED system
• The output can be increased by parallel connection on
the secondary side
Comparison of the energy balance per petrol station
Neon system:50 m x 25 W/m = 1,250 W; at 4,500 hours
of operation per year = 5,625 kWh/a, i.e. 56.25 MWh
in ten years
LED system: 50 m x 10 W/m = 500 W; at 4,500 hours
of operation per year = 2,250 kWh/a, i.e. 22.50 MWh
in ten years
This results in energy savings of 33.75 MWh per petrol station in
ten years, or 1.1 million for 250 petrol stations and an assumed
electricity price of 0.13/kWh.
The connected load of the red
LED system is just 10 W/m,
compared to up to 25 W/m for
the neon version.
In addition, neon tubes have
to be reconditioned after
20,000 hours and the electrodes
replaced. In contrast,
the LED system guarantees
maintenance-free operation
for more than 50,000 hours,
resulting in longer maintenance
intervals.
The BACKlight LED modules
are operated via the new OT
50/120-277/10 E control gear.
Growing family
OSRAM has expanded the
OPTOTRONIC equipment family
to include two units suitable
for outdoor use:
the OT 50/120-277/10 E for
10 V LED modules and the
OT 75/120-277/24 E for 24 V
modules. The independent
LED converters of Safety
Class I are primarily characterised
by their robust design,
which makes them perfectly
suited to outdoor use. In
addition to protection against
moisture and dust (IP64), they
guarantee great reliability at
ambient temperatures of up to
60 °C and voltage pulses of
up to 3 kV.
Moreover, the "SMART POWER
SUPPLY" feature stands for
Fig. 2.
BACKlight LED
modules shine
behind TrueLED
acrylic glass
optimised operation of the
LED modules: intelligent control
keeps the lighting parameters
constant at both low and
high outdoor temperatures.
The addition of OPTOTRONIC
"E" - for "Exterior" - to the
control gear family offers optimum
prerequisites for use of
the LED system from OSRAM
in illuminated advertising and
other outdoor applications.
Dr. Thomas Dreier,
OSRAM Munich
OSRAM ECG-SPOT 2/2004
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