Embodiments of this disclosure relate generally to lighting fixtures (also known as luminaires) and lighting fixtures with changeable configurations, including lighting fixtures with configurations that may be changed for storage, shipping, or use.
Once lighting fixtures are manufactured, they are typically placed in containers such as cardboard boxes for storage or shipping. At least one problem realized by the inventors of the current disclosure is that the lighting fixtures can occupy a lot of space, requiring more packaging for storing the lighting fixtures and increasing the cost of shipping the lighting fixtures. The inventors noticed this was especially true for lighting fixtures that are relatively large when installed, such as troffer or high bay light fixtures that are frequently used in a business or industrial environment. Further, the inventors noticed that many troffer or high bay light fixtures are manufactured with fixed dimensions and lighting distributions, while certain installations would benefit from customizable fixture dimensions and lighting distributions. As such, the inventors realized that problems exist with the current lighting fixtures and that improvements in the ability to change the size and configurations of lighting fixtures, such as for storage, shipping, or installation, are needed.
Certain features of the present disclosure address these and other needs and provide other important advantages.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved apparatuses and methods for changing the dimensions and configurations of a lighting fixture, including a lighting fixture that can change its overall size, dimension, and lighting distribution. Various aspects of different embodiments of the present disclosure are expressed in the following paragraphs.
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a lighting fixture having articulating members that may be positioned in certain configurations for storage or shipping, reducing the size of the lighting fixture and the storage or shipping container, and may be positioned in certain configurations for customized installation and operation. A portion of the lighting fixture (for example, a top portion) is used to mount the lighting fixture to a building (for example, a ceiling in a room). The lighting fixture also includes one or more articulating members having lighting elements, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), installed thereon for lighting an area of the room. The articulating members may be independently configurable to distribute light in one of many available directions or may be independently configurable to form a preferred overall light fixture dimension for storage or shipping. The embodiment illustrated by each of the figures described herein incorporates this type of articulating functionality into a high-bay lighting fixture, which is generally thought of as a lighting fixture than hangs below a high ceiling. In other non-illustrated embodiments, it should be understood that the features and functions of the described high-bay lighting fixture may also be incorporated into various other forms of light fixtures, such as troffers, which are generally thought of as lighting fixtures having an inverted trough-like feature serving as a support and as a reflector for a light source. Accordingly, description herein relating specifically to high-bay lighting fixtures is not intended to be limiting in any way.
In some embodiment as described herein, a light fixture can include a central housing, a first panel, a first light source, and a first tether. The central housing can define first and second side surfaces and a bottom surface, and the bottom surface can define a first plane. The first panel can have a first edge and a second edge, the first edge pivotably coupled with the first side surface, the second edge being opposite to the first edge. The first light source can be coupled with a first side of the first panel. The first tether can have a first end and a second end. The first end can be coupled with the first panel to pivotably suspend the first panel about the first edge. Additionally, the second end can include a first attachment member and the central housing can include a first plurality of anchor positions. In some embodiments, the first attachment member can be configured to selectively couple with any one of the first plurality of anchor positions, where the first panel can further be fixable between a first plurality of angles relative to the first plane as determined by the attachment member being coupled with a selected one of the first plurality of anchor positions.
Embodiments according to the light fixtures described herein can optionally include additional features. For example, the first panel can be fixable to a first angle relative to the first plane when the first attachment member is coupled with the selected one of the first plurality of anchor positions. Further, the first panel can be fixable to a second angle relative to the first plane when the first attachment member is coupled with a different anchor position of the first plurality of anchor positions, where the first and second angles are different.
In some embodiments, the light fixture can include a second panel having a first edge and a second edge and defining a second plane, where the first edge of the second panel can be pivotably coupled with the second side surface of the central housing. Additionally, the light fixture can include one or more of a second light source coupled with a first side of the second panel, and a second tether having a first end and a second end. More particularly, the first end of the second tether can be coupled with the second edge of the second panel, and the second end of the second tether can include a second attachment member. In this embodiment, the second attachment member can be configured to selectively couple with any one of a second plurality of anchor positions, where the second panel can therefore be fixable between a second plurality of angles relative to the second plane as determined by the attachment member being coupled with a selected one of the second plurality of anchor positions. In some embodiments, the first and second panels are independently fixable between the first and second plurality of angles.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of the concepts that are described in further detail in the detailed description and drawings contained herein. This summary is not intended to identify any primary or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Some or all of the described features may be present in the corresponding independent or dependent claims, but should not be construed to be a limitation unless expressly recited in a particular claim. Each embodiment described herein does not necessarily address every object described herein, and each embodiment does not necessarily include each feature described. Other forms, embodiments, objects, advantages, benefits, features, and aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent to one of skill in the art from the detailed description and drawings contained herein. Moreover, the various apparatuses and methods described in this summary section, as well as elsewhere in this application, can be expressed as a large number of different combinations and subcombinations. All such useful, novel, and inventive combinations and subcombinations are contemplated herein, it being recognized that the explicit expression of each of these combinations is unnecessary.
Some of the figures shown herein may include dimensions or may have been created from scaled drawings. However, such dimensions, or the relative scaling within a figure, are by way of example, and not to be construed as limiting.
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to one or more embodiments, which may or may not be illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended; any alterations and further modifications of the described or illustrated embodiments, and any further applications of the principles of the disclosure as illustrated herein are contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates. At least one embodiment of the disclosure is shown in detail, although it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that some features or some combinations of features may not be shown for the sake of clarity.
Any reference to “invention” within this document is a reference to an embodiment of a family of inventions, with no single embodiment including features that are necessarily included in all embodiments, unless otherwise stated. Furthermore, although there may be references to benefits or advantages provided by some embodiments, other embodiments may not include those same benefits or advantages, or may include different benefits or advantages. Any benefits or advantages described herein are not to be construed as limiting to any of the claims.
Likewise, there may be discussion with regards to “objects” associated with some embodiments of the present invention, it is understood that yet other embodiments may not be associated with those same objects, or may include yet different objects. Any advantages, objects, or similar words used herein are not to be construed as limiting to any of the claims. The usage of words indicating preference, such as “preferably,” refers to features and aspects that are present in at least one embodiment, but which are optional for some embodiments.
Specific quantities (spatial dimensions, force, angles, dimensionless parameters, etc.) may be used explicitly or implicitly herein, such specific quantities are presented as examples only and are approximate values unless otherwise indicated. Discussions pertaining to specific compositions of matter, if present, are presented as examples only and do not limit the applicability of other compositions of matter, especially other compositions of matter with similar properties, unless otherwise indicated.
Depicted in
In some alternative embodiments, panels 104, 106 may be “edge lit” flat panel LED luminaires. Edge-lit panels typically include a thin and lightweight outer housing having one or more edges of the flat panel which houses LED light sources, such as an elongated LED strip spanning across the edge. From the edge of the housing, portions of light emitted by the LEDs can transfer from the edges toward the middle of the panel by use of a medium (e.g., a lightguide) that evenly redirects and reflects the light toward the illumination surface of the light fixture. The light dispersion of edge lit panels can create an even light distribution that appears shadow-less at the illumination surface.
In some embodiments, the body 102 may include a plurality of air vents 116 for cooling the interior of the body 102 housing the power supply. As shown, air vents 116 are formed as parallel openings across the upward-facing side 112 of the body 102 and are therefore not visible from the underside of the fixture 100 by a person on the ground. In other embodiments, air vents 116 may be arranged in any other shapes, sizes, or may be positioned on any surface of the body 102 while still providing the cooling function described herein.
Further, in some embodiments, the body 102 may include one or more brackets 118 for attaching the fixture 100 to the ceiling surface. While brackets 118 are shown generally positioned at opposing ends 120, 122 of the fixture 100, brackets may be positioned anywhere along the upward-facing side 112 as required to hang the fixture 100 from the ceiling. In some embodiments, each of brackets 118 may be configured to insert into one air vent 116 during installation, or removed from the one air vent 116 and transferred to a different air vent 116 at the installer's choosing. In alternative embodiments, the body 102 may include a single pendant mount (194) (see
Similar to the upward-facing side 112 of the body 102, the downward-facing side 128 of the body 102 may also include one or more air vents 130 for cooling the interior of the body 102 and knockouts 132 for running electrical wiring or inserting an accessory, such as, an RF sensor (not shown), a photocell (not shown), or other common lighting accessory components.
In some versions, panels 104, 106 may include features for protecting the LEDs 114 from damage if the fixture 100 was to rest on a flat surface with the panels in the first position (i.e., extending away from the body 102 in parallel with the ceiling 110). As best shown in
To minimize manufacturing costs, panels 104, 106 may be manufactured as identical parts (i.e., each panel is capable of being installed on either side of body 102), and raised portions 138, 140 may simply be provided by stamping the panels 104, 106 to form the raised portions 138, 140.
As illustrated, moveable connections 108 may in one embodiment be hinges for coupling the panels 104, 106 to the body 102 such that panels 104, 106 are able to articulate relative to the body 102. Accordingly, with continued reference to
In alternative embodiments of fixture 100, tethers 146, 148 (shown in
Depicted in
Depicted in
Reference systems that may be used herein can refer generally to various directions (for example, upper, lower, forward and rearward), which are merely offered to assist the reader in understanding the various embodiments of the disclosure and are not to be interpreted as limiting. Other reference systems may be used to describe various embodiments, such as referring to the direction of projectile movement as it exits the firearm as being up, down, rearward or any other direction.
While examples, one or more representative embodiments and specific forms of the disclosure have been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive or limiting. The description of particular features in one embodiment does not imply that those particular features are necessarily limited to that one embodiment. Some or all of the features of one embodiment can be used or applied in combination with some or all of the features of other embodiments unless otherwise indicated. One or more exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, and all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
6517222 | Orlov | Feb 2003 | B1 |
7131753 | Edwards, Jr. | Nov 2006 | B1 |
8430529 | Christ | Apr 2013 | B2 |
9316384 | Mumma et al. | Apr 2016 | B2 |
9617133 | Davis | Apr 2017 | B2 |
9732951 | Guercio | Aug 2017 | B2 |
10352537 | Li | Jul 2019 | B2 |
20030137835 | Mier-Langner | Jul 2003 | A1 |
20110133670 | Lee et al. | Jun 2011 | A1 |
20130271993 | Jan | Oct 2013 | A1 |
20140268755 | Kotovsky et al. | Sep 2014 | A1 |
20150009666 | Keng | Jan 2015 | A1 |
20180156427 | Bailey | Jun 2018 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
202009003239 | Jul 2009 | DE |
Entry |
---|
Lumatek Adjust-a-Lite Hid Reflector Adjustable Wing to 600W product purchase page; retrieved from <https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lumatek-Adjust-a-Lite-Hid-Reflector-Adjustable-Wing-To%20600W/143688691084? hash=item2174836d8c:g:rp4AAOSw8DZfPIJd> on Jan. 18, 2021. |
Adjust A Wings; New Generation CMH Hellion Single-Ended (SE) and Double-Ended (DE) Ceramic Metal Halide Illumination Kits; retrieve from <https://www.adjustawings.com/> on Jan. 18, 2021. |
Adjust A Wing Enforcer-Medium Reflector purchase page on Amazon; Retrieved from <https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adjust-A-Wing-Enforcer-Medium-Reflector/dp/BOOYPH3G28> on Jan. 18, 2021. |
Foldable LED Garage Light Deformable Ceiling Light Angle Adjustable, for Basement Garage Shop Ceiling Work Lighting purchase page; Retrieved from <https://www.walmart.com/ip/Led-Deformable-Garage-Light-6000Lm-120W-192LED-Barn-Utility-Shop-Adjustable-4-Wings-Basement-Working-lighting-Ceiling-Lighting-Work-Lights/689148866> on Jan. 18, 2021. |
King Wing Double End 90×90cm Reflector purchase page; retrieved from <https://hydroponicxpress.com.au/shop/p-king-wing-double-end-90x90cm-reflector.html> on Jan. 18, 2021. |