Abstract:
The invention relates to a jukebox or vending machine provided with a lighting system. In order to provide an improved lighting system for generating lighting effects, the lighting system comprises a screen, the screen having a colored design, a circuit board with at least a first lighting device and a second lighting device, wherein the first lighting device is configured to radiate a first light cone and the second lighting device is configured to radiate a second light cone and wherein the first light cone and the second light cone intersect on the screen, and a controller for modifying the first light cone independently of the second light cone.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to German Patent Application German Patent Application No. 102007012396.7, filed in the German Patent Office on Mar. 15, 2007. 
       BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a jukebox or vending machine provided with a lighting system. The invention also relates to a method for illuminating a jukebox or vending machine. 
         [0003]    In order to increase the attractiveness of jukeboxes or vending machines for a user, such machines are usually equipped with acoustic and/or visual elements that attract the attention of the potential user. Examples of visual elements include rotating light pillars with changing colors, areas illuminated in color, illuminated operating elements, graphic equalizers and the like. The lighting effects are generated, for example, by simple combination of mechanical rollers, rotating discs, etc. in front of a light source, or also by simple selective activation of light sources, for example LEDs (light emitting diodes). 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    In one aspect, the present invention provides a jukebox, amusement game or vending machine with an improved lighting system for generating lighting effects. 
         [0005]    According to at least one aspect of the invention, the jukebox, amusement game and/or vending machine having a lighting system comprises a screen, a circuit board with at least a first lighting device and a second lighting device, wherein the first lighting device is configured to radiate a first light cone and the second lighting device is configured to radiate a second light cone and wherein the first light cone and the second light cone intersect on the screen, and a controller, wherein the screen has a colored design and the controller is configured to modify the first light cone independently of the second light cone. 
         [0006]    The lighting system, according to at least one aspect of the invention, makes improved lighting effects possible. The screen is designed according to this aspect of the invention in such a way that any modification of the light cone illuminating the screen causes a lighting effect that generates a movement and/or change in the image theme on the screen. According to at least one aspect of the invention, this effect is achieved, in particular, by at least one colored image theme on the screen, wherein the inventive light effect is already engendered by imparting at least two colors (which can also be black-white, black-grey, etc.) or tones of color (e.g. light-dark) to the image theme. If the lighting devices located behind the screen are modified independently of each other by the controller, this produces an effect in the image—depending on its design—such as undulating movement of flowing water, pulsating flowers, changing patterns in a carpet of colors, etc. The lighting system may achieve not only deliberate color transitions in individual areas of a colored or gaily colored screen, but also wave effects, wipe effects, cross-fades and rotational movements in addition. 
         [0007]    In one particularly preferred embodiment, the controller is configured to modify the brightness and/or the color of the first and/or second light cone. Each lighting device is arranged on the circuit board to illuminate a certain part of the screen. It is preferred that the positions of each respective lighting device and of the part of the screen illuminated by its light cone are stored in the controller. The controller modifies the brightness and/or the color of the respective light cone, depending on the input signal received by the controller, in order to achieve a certain lighting effect. In this way, the visual impression conveyed by the screen is changed by controlled activation of the various lighting devices by the controller. 
         [0008]    The first and second lighting devices are preferably located at substantially equal distances from the screen. The circuit board on which the first and second lighting devices are disposed may be arranged substantially parallel to the screen in order to allow uniform illumination of the screen. 
         [0009]    In another embodiment, the first and/or the second light cone has an aperture angle in a range between 60° and 160°, in particular between 100° and 140°. In this arrangement, a particularly suitable intersection of the light cones on the screen, in relation to the number of lighting device(s), is achieved. 
         [0010]    Another particularly preferred embodiment is one in which the lighting system further includes a scatter filter located between the circuit board and the screen. In one embodiment, the scatter filter is preferably located or imprinted on that side of the screen which faces the lighting devices, in order to improve the visual effect. 
         [0011]    In another embodiment, the first and/or the second lighting devices are LEDs, in particular RGB-LEDs. LEDs are particularly advantageous on account of their low energy consumption and their long life. By additively mixing secondary colors, RGB-LEDs (red, green, blue LEDs) permit the generation of white light, as well as any other color, by increasing or reducing the red, blue or green component as required. 
         [0012]    In one particularly preferred embodiment, the circuit board further includes third and fourth lighting devices, wherein the first, second, third and fourth lighting devices are arranged as an array. Optimal illumination of the screen is achieved by the preferably uniform arrangement and/or pattern of the lighting devices in the form of an array. 
         [0013]    The first and second lighting devices are preferably arranged at a distance of between 0.5 cm and 10 cm, in particular between 2 cm and 4 cm from one another. By arranging the lighting devices on the circuit board in this manner, an arrangement adapted to the lighting characteristics of the lighting devices and optimized for illumination of the screen is made possible. 
         [0014]    The first and second lighting devices are preferably arranged at a distance of between 1 cm and 6 cm, in particular between 2 cm and 4 cm from the screen. Such an arrangement is particularly preferred in order to achieve suitable illumination of the screen by the lighting devices and suitable intersecting of the light cones radiated by the lighting devices, so that a desired lighting effect is achieved. 
         [0015]    Another particularly preferred embodiment is one in which the distance between the first and second lighting devices is substantially equal to the distance between the first and/or second lighting devices and the screen. By means of this special or predetermined layout, the ratio of the distance between the various lighting devices, and the distance between the lighting devices and the screen, is optimized to achieve the lighting effects controlled by the controller. 
         [0016]    In another preferred embodiment, the controller for modifying the first light cone independently of the second light cone is configured according to an external trigger signal. The external trigger signal preferably represents known effects such as those produced by a light-organ, for example the beat of the music being played, with the result that, with the invention, certain effects can be triggered in a controlled manner. 
         [0017]    The invention also relates to a method for illuminating a jukebox and/or vending machine, comprising the steps of illuminating a screen with a first light cone, illuminating the screen with a second light cone, wherein the first light cone and the second light cone intersect on the screen, and modifying the first light cone independently of the second light cone, wherein the screen may include colored design. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    In the course of the detailed description to follow, reference will be made to the attached drawings. These drawings illustrate different aspects of the present inventions and, where appropriate, reference numerals illustrating like structures, components, materials and/or elements in different figures are labeled similarly. It is understood that various combinations of the structures, components, materials and/or elements, other than those specifically illustrated, are contemplated and are within the scope of the present inventions. 
           [0019]    Moreover, there are many inventions described and illustrated herein. The present inventions are neither limited to any single aspect nor embodiment thereof, nor to any combinations and/or permutations of such aspects and/or embodiments. Moreover, each of the aspects of the present inventions, and/or embodiments thereof, may be employed alone or in combination with one or more of the other aspects of the present inventions and/or embodiments thereof. For the sake of brevity, many of those permutations and combinations will not be discussed and/or illustrated separately herein. 
           [0020]      FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  illustrate two exemplary embodiments of the lighting system according to at least one aspect of the invention; 
           [0021]      FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  illustrate a screen with a colored design, and a circuit board provided with a plurality of lighting devices; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  illustrates an alternative exemplary embodiment of a jukebox according to at least one aspect of the invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  illustrates in schematic form the structure of a controller according to at least one aspect of the invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  illustrates in schematic form the layout of a circuit board according to at least one aspect of the invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  illustrates a schematic view of an array of lighting devices on the circuit board illustrated in  FIG. 4 ; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  illustrates an exemplary arrangement of a plurality lighting devices on the circuit board illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
       
    
    
       [0027]    Again, there are many inventions described and illustrated herein. The present inventions are neither limited to any single aspect nor embodiment thereof, nor to any combinations and/or permutations of such aspects and/or embodiments. Each of the aspects of the present inventions, and/or embodiments thereof, may be employed alone or in combination with one or more of the other aspects of the present inventions and/or embodiments thereof. For the sake of brevity, many of those combinations and permutations are not discussed separately herein. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]      FIG. 1   a  illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of the invention. The lighting system  10  comprises a circuit board  12  and a screen  11 . First lighting device  14 , second lighting device  15  and third lighting device  16  are arranged on circuit board  12 . Light cones  24 ,  25 ,  26  are associated with lighting devices  14 ,  15 ,  16 . The light cones  24 ,  25  of first lighting device  14  and of second lighting device  15  intersect in area  31  of screen  11 . Light cones  25 ,  26  of lighting devices  15 ,  16  intersect in area  32  of screen  11 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 1   b  illustrates a second exemplary embodiment of a lighting system  10 , comprising a circuit board  12  and a screen  11 . Lighting devices  14 ,  17 ,  15 ,  18 ,  16  are associated with light cones  24 ,  27 ,  25 ,  28 ,  26 . Twice as many lighting devices are arranged on circuit board  12  of  FIG. 1   b  as on circuit board  12  of  FIG. 1   a . Hence, there are larger areas of the screen at which two light cones intersect, on the one hand, as well as areas in which more than two light cones intersect, on the other hand. Light cones  24 ,  27  and  25  of lighting devices  14 ,  17 ,  15 , for example, intersect at area  33  of screen  11 . Light cones  27 ,  25  of lighting devices  17 ,  15 , as another example, intersect at area  34  of screen  11 . 
         [0030]    In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b , the distance between the lighting devices, i.e. LEDs  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18 , to screen  11  is three centimeters. The array distance between LEDs  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18  does not exceed 6 cm, i.e. the distance is 6 cm in  FIG. 1   a  and 3 cm in  FIG. 1   b . By means of this arrangement, i.e. with a distance between LEDs  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18  not exceeding 6 cm and a 120° aperture angle of light cones  24 ,  25 ,  26 ,  27 ,  28  of LEDs  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18 , a maximum beam overlap of 2.89 mm and a minimum beam overlap of 0.79 mm is ensured. 
         [0031]      FIG. 2   a  illustrates a screen  11  which has a colored design. The colored design of screen  11  comprises an image of two peacocks.  FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a jukebox according to at least one aspect of the invention. 
         [0032]    In order to make the image of the two peacocks on screen  11  as interesting as possible for the viewer by means of lighting effects, the circuit board  12  of the invention is arranged behind screen  11  as illustrated in  FIG. 2   b . Circuit board  12  of the invention comprises an array of RGB-LEDs. The array of lighting devices on circuit board  12  comprises, for example, first lighting device  14  and second lighting device  15 , as illustrated in the cross-sections through circuit board  12  in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b , and an additional third lighting device  19  and an additional fourth lighting device  20 . Circuit board  12  of the invention is adapted in such a manner to the shape of colored screen  11  that optimal illumination of the image by means of lighting effects is achieved. 
         [0033]    In  FIG. 4 , a controller  13  according to at least one aspect of the invention is illustrated. Controller  13  comprises a microcontroller unit MCU, which is supplied with a supply voltage VCC. The MCU may be configured to communicate with a JTAG (Joint Test Action Group) unit, which tests the units and their interconnections on the circuit board. The MCU may also be coupled to an ISP (Internet service provider), from which it is able to receive information, e.g. programs for certain lighting effects, for particular pieces of music, etc., used in operating the lighting system of the invention. 
         [0034]    Controller  13  of the invention further comprises a RAM memory and a ROM memory. Information is stored in the ROM memory about lighting devices  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18 , their light cones  24 ,  25 ,  26 ,  27 ,  28  and their characteristics, e.g. position, brightness, color, etc., with regard to the illumination of screen  11 . Programs for specific lighting effects can be stored in the RAM memory. An input/output (I/O) unit passes data from the MCU, the RAM and/or the ROM to a control unit LOGIC for controlling lighting devices  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18  of circuit board  12 . 
         [0035]    Controller  13  may further include an external interface (for example, an RS232 serial interface), through which it is able to receive an external trigger signal. Controller  13  may have several external trigger inputs which may be used in different ways, e.g. to start the lighting effects animation when a coin is inserted, or to start the animation when a customer approaches, or to start the animation when pieces of music begin, etc. . . . 
         [0036]    The RS232 serial interface may be connected to an UART (universal asynchronous receiver transmitter) unit, which is used for asynchronous data transmission. The controller  13  also has a PWM (pulse wide modulation) unit with which the brightness of the LEDs is controlled. The output signal from the PWM unit is likewise input into control unit LOGIC. 
         [0037]    The control unit LOGIC converted the received signals into control signals for LEDs  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18  on circuit board  12 . The control unit LOGIC outputs control signals S 1  and S 2 , as well as shift register data SRDATA  0 - 7  and the shift register clock. These signals form the input signals for lighting devices  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18  on circuit board  12 , as is illustrated in  FIG. 5 . The individual lighting devices  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18  are thus triggered by a microprocessor circuit, so it is possible to store the effects achieved in the form of software programs. The matrix array of lighting devices  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18  allows the brightness and color of any chosen point on screen  11  to be controlled. 
         [0038]      FIG. 5  illustrates two parts of an exemplary embodiment of circuit board  12 , the middle part of which has been left out due to redundancy. Circuit board  12  illustrated in  FIG. 5  includes a total of 16 lighting devices, here LED  0 - 15 , wherein first lighting device  14  (LED  0 ) and second lighting device (LED  1 ) form the first row. Lighting devices LED 2  and LED 3  form the second row, etc., and, due to the resultant redundancy, only the last lighting device LED  15  of the last row is included in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0039]    Each of lighting device  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18  LEDi, where i=0-15, comprises three color LEDs, i.e., one each for red, for green and for blue. The inputs of the color LEDs of lighting devices  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18  are driven by control signals S 1  and S 2 , and by SRCDRV  1  and SRCDRV  2 . 
         [0040]    The output terminals of the identically colored LEDs of a row of lighting devices  14 ,  15  are each connected to a collector terminal of a bipolar transistor. The base of the bipolar transistor is controlled by shift register data SRDATAn, where n=0-7, and by the shift register clock. As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the LEDs are arranged in a matrix array in which the anodes are grouped, in columns which can be cyclically activated, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . The respective columns are activated in like manner to the rows of diodes. The identically colored cathodes in a row are connected as a group to a group driver. 
         [0041]      FIG. 6  illustrates in schematic form the array of lighting devices LEDi on the circuit board  12  illustrated in  FIG. 5 . The array or matrix of lighting devices LEDi has two lighting devices in each row and eight lighting devices in each column. The lighting devices are driven in columns by control signals S 1 , S 2  and by SRCDRV  1  and SRCDRV  2 . Lighting devices  14 ,  15 ,  19 ,  20  in  FIG. 6  correspond, for example, to those in  FIG. 2   b.    
         [0042]      FIG. 7  illustrates a lighting arrangement on a base plate  21 , the lighting arrangement consisting of individual circuit boards  12  provided with a first lighting device  14  and a second lighting device  15 . Circuit board  12  may have a different number of lighting devices. Moreover, it is possible for different lighting arrangements  21  to be achieved by devices of different layouts on circuit boards  12  to meet special or predetermined requirements (see, for example, the rounded screen in  FIG. 2   a ). 
         [0043]    In one embodiment, to generate a suitable animation or a suitable lighting effect for a screen area of approximately 225×520 mm, a total of 128 uniformly arranged lighting devices, for example, are used. Individual circuit boards  12  with 2×8=16 lighting devices can be “pluggably” arranged on a base plate  21  such that the number of lighting devices can be varied according to the size of the screen  11  to be illuminated. 
         [0044]    The inventive arrangement of a colored printed screen  11  and RGB-LEDs of an electrical matrix located therebehind makes it possible for each individual colored diode to be operated with its own color temperature. It is possible in this way to produce all the secondary colors obtainable by mixing the primary colors red, green and blue. In addition, the superordinate microprocessor control unit makes it possible for a plurality of LEDs to be driven in groups, in order to generate different, autonomous changes of colors and deviating frequencies. This produces the impression that the predetermined areas of the screen compete with each other in respect of their coloring, as a result of which it is possible to generate different patterns of movement.