Patent Grant
10928042
The present invention is related to a downlight apparatus, and more particularly related to an LED downlight apparatus with a replaceable surface housing.
As an indispensable part of modern interior and exterior decoration, lighting fixtures have both functional and decorative significance, which greatly affect the overall layout and final effect of the decoration. With the development of the technology, consumers are increasingly demanding the decorative requirements of lighting fixtures, which puts higher demands on the appearance, lighting effects and diversity of lighting functions of lighting fixtures. The downlight apparatuses have been widely adopted for indoor and outdoor decoration. The downlight apparatuses could be installed onto the ceiling or the wall, and only minimum amount of spaces are required. Such arrangement could reduce the feeling of oppression, and create a warm and cozy lighting atmosphere.
The function and the lighting modes of the traditional downlight apparatuses are very limited. When the consumers desire to change or enhance the lighting effect, the installed downlight apparatus has to be completely disassembled and reinstalled. The overall process could be complicated, and may result in higher cost.
The present disclosure relates to a downlight apparatus, which may be easily detached after being installed. As such, the outlook and the lighting performance of the downlight apparatus may be easily changed and enhanced without complicated installation process.
In one embodiment, the downlight apparatus includes a main housing, a light module capable of emitting light, a driving module electrically connected to the light module and configured to enable the light module to emit the light. The downlight apparatus includes an optical module mechanically coupled to the main housing, and the optical module is configured for receiving the light emitted by the light module and directing the light toward a forward direction. The downlight apparatus includes an installation module for facilitating installment of the main housing to a receptacle, and includes a replaceable surface housing removably coupled to the main housing.
The driving module further includes a cover, a base, a driving circuit board, and a control device electrically connected to the driving circuit board. The base is mechanically coupled to the cover and form a compartment containing the driving circuit board.
The light module includes a plurality of groups of LED chips, and each group of the LED chips is capable of emitting light of a different color. The driving module is configured to receive control signals from the control device to enable a combination of the plurality of groups of LED chips so as to generate light of a desired color. The desired color may match color of the replaceable surface housing.
In another embodiment, the light module includes a plurality of groups of LED chips, and each group of the LED chips is capable of emitting light with a different color temperature. The driving module is configured to receive control signals from the control device to enable a combination of the plurality of groups of LED chips to emit light with a desired color temperature. The desired color may match color of the replaceable surface housing.
In some embodiments, the control device is arranged at a peripheral area of driving circuit board and is concealed by the replaceable surface housing when the surface housing is coupled to the main housing.
In some embodiments, the driving module includes a cover, a base, a driving circuit board, and a wireless control device electrically connected to the driving circuit board. The base is mechanically coupled to the cover and form a compartment, and the driving circuit board is arranged inside the compartment. The wireless control device may include a Bluetooth communication unit, a Wi-Fi communication unit, an IrDA communication unit, or a ZigBee communication unit.
The driving circuit board has a first side facing the cover and a second side facing the base, where the wireless control device has a first part located on the first side and a second part located on the second side.
The second part of the wireless control device includes an antenna for receiving and transmitting radio frequency signals. The base includes a slot for receiving the second part of the wireless control device to extend through the base.
In some embodiments, the optical module includes a first optical component and a second optical component, and the second optical component includes a light reflecting surface for reflecting light emitted by the light module toward the first optical component. The first optical component may include a lens or a light transmitting cover. The second optical component may include a light reflective cup.
The main housing may be made of metal or thermal plastic materials. The replaceable surface housing may be made of plastic, metal, glass or stone material. The main housing is configured with a notch located close to an edge of the replaceable surface housing. A back side of the replaceable surface housing is configured with a protrusion portion. The replaceable surface housing may be installed along a horizontal direction of the main housing by inserting the protrusion portion into the notch and then rotating the replaceable surface housing against the main housing.
In the present disclosure, the replaceable surface housing of the downlight apparatus may be detachable from the main housing by reversely rotating the replaceable surface housing against the main housing. Thus, the appearance of the downlight apparatus may be easily replaced without opening the ceiling, the wall, or the ceiling structure. The lighting color or color temperature of the light module may be easily configured by replacing the replaceable surface housing. In this way, the lighting performance and the visual appearance of the downlight apparatus may be configured in accordance with the lighting modes
The present disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the claimed invention and are not intended to limit the claimed invention.
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Specifically, the main housing 100 and the light module 200 are configured with the placement hole 101. The wires 350a of the driving module 300 pass through the placement hole 101 so as to connect the control device 340a and the driving circuit board 330. In this way, the control device 340a may be installed within a space between the main housing 100 and the second optical component 510. In addition, the control device 340a may extend to the space between the main housing 100 and the replaceable surface housing 600 via the placement hole 101. As such, after the replaceable surface housing 600 is detached, the lighting mode of the light module 200 may be adjusted by the control device 340a. Alternatively, the wireless signal transceiver of the driving module 300 may extend to the space between the main housing 100 and the second optical component 510 via the placement hole 101. As such, the user can conveniently input the control information to the wireless signal transceiver through the optical module 500 without electromagnetic shielding effect, and finally to the driving module, thereby control the color temperature, brightness, and the like output by the light module 200.
As the replaceable surface housing 600 may be easily detached, the color, the color temperature, or the luminance of the light module 200 may be easily configured by the control device 340a. In this way, the optical spectrum, the light modes, and the optical performance of the downlight apparatus may be adjusted accordingly.
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In another embodiment, the light module 200 includes a plurality of groups of LED chips, and each group of the LED chips is capable of emitting light with a different color temperature. For example, the light module 200 may include a first group of LED chips capable of emitting light of a first color temperature (e.g., 3000K) and a second group of LED chips capable of emitting light of a second color temperature (e.g., 6000K). The driving module 300 is configured to receive control signals from the control device 340a to enable a combination of the plurality of groups of LED chips to emit light with a desired color temperature. For example, when the first group of LED chips are enabled and the second group of LED chips are not enabled, the light module 200 would emit light of a desired color temperature of 3000K, which is generally regarded as a warm color. When the second group of LED chips are enabled and the first group of LED chips are not enabled, the light module 200 would emit light of a desired color temperature of 6000K, which is generally regarded as a cool color. When both the first group and second group of LED chips are enabled, the light module 200 would emit light of a desired color temperature around 4500K. The desired color temperature may match the color of the replaceable surface housing 600 such that the downlight apparatus may be aesthetically pleasing when the combination of the plurality of groups of LED chips are enabled. For example, if the desired color temperature is 3000K, the color of the replaceable surface housing 600 may be a warm color, for example, yellow or orange. If the desired color temperature is 6000K, the color of the replaceable surface housing 600 may be a cool color, for example, blue or white.
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In an example, the protrusion portion may be arranged along an edge of the main housing 100. With such arrangement, by rotating the replaceable surface housing 600 against the main housing 100 in a forward direction, the replaceable surface housing 600 could be fixed onto the main housing 100. By rotating the replaceable surface housing 600 against the main housing 100 in a reverse direction, the replaceable surface housing 600 may be detached from the main housing 100.
The main housing may be made of metal or thermal plastic materials. The replaceable surface housing may be made of plastic, metal, glass or stone materials.
In one embodiment, the main housing 100 may function as the main support and also as the heat sink of the downlight apparatus. The main housing 100 may be of bowl-shaped structure, and the main housing 100 may be made of metal, such as aluminum or aluminum alloy materials, or thermally conductive plastics. The replaceable surface housing 600 may shield the wall of the main housing 100 and may decorate the downlight apparatus so as to enhance the appearance of the downlight apparatus.
In some embodiments, the control device may be a wireless control device. Refer to
The wireless control device 340b is soldered on the driving circuit board 330. The wireless control device 340b includes the wireless signal transceiver for receiving wireless signals, so as to accordingly control the LED chips 210 of the light module 200 to emit light of various colors, color temperatures, or luminance . . . etc. In one embodiment, the wireless signals transceiver may also transmit the operational status of the light module 200 back to the users for reference.
The wireless control device 340b may include a Bluetooth communication unit, a Wi-Fi communication unit, an IrDA communication unit, or a ZigBee communication unit so as to transmit and receive wireless signals.
The wireless control device 340b may establish the wireless connections with remote devices via the wireless signal transceiver, such as connecting to the users' terminal through Bluetooth or ZigBee connection, accessing the home LAN through Wi-Fi wireless network, receiving the control signals of the users' terminal, or providing the operational status of the downlight apparatus. Also, the control signals of the remote device may be received by IRDA connection.
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In an example, the light module 200 is the main source of heat, and the main housing 100 is the main heat sink. By adhering the light module 200 onto the main housing 100 by a fastener piece, the heat of the light module 200 may be dissipated in an efficient way, which ensures the operational temperature of the light module 200. The fastener piece may be a screw, a rivet, or a bolt and a nut. Alternatively, a thermal pad is disposed between the main housing 100 and the light module 200, and the thermal pad is soft and has good thermal conductivity. In another example, the thermal pad may be made by silicone, and the thermal pad is disposed close to the main housing 100. In addition, the thermal pad is fully contacted with the light module 200, so the heat conduction efficiency between the light module 200 and the main housing 100 can be improved. In an example, the number of the positioning rib 110 may be greater than 2, or may be equal to four. At least one corresponding hole may be configured on the light module 200. The number of the hole is the same as the number of the positioning rib 110. The positioning rib 110 and the light module 200 are assembled by the fastener piece along the horizontal direction of the main housing 100.
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When the downlight apparatus is installed by the installation module 400, the driving module 300 receives the control signals from the remote terminals or switches. The light module 200 is driven by the control signals, and the light beams from the light module 200 are modulated by the optical module 500. Afterward, the light beams are emitted toward the illumination space. The replaceable surface housing 600 may be configured with different material or colors so as to provide an integral lighting performance with the optical spectrum. The lighting mode of the light module 200 may be easily configured by the remote terminals or switches, and the appearance of the downlight apparatus may also be easily changed by detaching the replaceable surface housing 600 from the main housing 100 and then replacing it with a new one.
The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the techniques and their practical applications. Others skilled in the art are thereby enabled to best utilize the techniques and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
Although the disclosure and examples have been fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being included within the scope of the disclosure and examples as defined by the claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201920098439.0 | Jan 2019 | CN | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10415799 | Grove | Sep 2019 | B1 |
| 20170191628 | Nelkin | Jul 2017 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20200232627 A1 | Jul 2020 | US |
