Patent Application
20130308303
The present disclosure relates to lighting systems and fixtures adapted for use with architectural ceiling structures, and more particularly to lighting systems and fixtures that are incorporated into a grid system of a suspended ceiling.
In construction and architecture, a suspended ceiling (also referred to as a drop or dropped ceiling) commonly is used to provide a finished ceiling surface in a room or other architectural space. In some instances, often in pre-existing structures, a suspended ceiling may be installed at some level below an existing ceiling to conceal an older damaged ceiling and/or provide a new appearance in the architectural space in which the suspended ceiling is installed. In other applications, suspended ceilings may be installed in newly-constructed architectural spaces, based in part on their relative ease of installation. In one noteworthy aspect, a suspended ceiling typically permits piping, wiring and ductwork to be easily and conveniently concealed in an area between a pre-existing ceiling (or other architectural framework) and the suspended ceiling itself. This area above the suspended ceiling commonly is referred to as a plenum.
As indicated in
a) and 3(b) illustrate the interlocking process of a cross channel 1060 and a main channel 1040 of the grid system 1020 shown in
As also illustrated in
U.S. Pat. No. 8,061,865 to Piepgras et al. discloses apparatus for providing lighting in a grid system of a suspended ceiling that includes a large U-shaped central channel in which the light source is disposed. The channel also provides an air flow channel for dissipating heat. The size of the central channel occupies space that had conventionally been used by the ceiling tile, and therefore modified ceiling tile sizes are required for use with the Piepgras device. Additionally, the profile of the central channel departs considerably from conventional runner profiles, and therefore may be unfamiliar to the person assembling the grid system, thereby making the Piepgras device overly difficult to use.
In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, a lighting fixture is disclosed that forms at least a portion of a grid system for a suspended ceiling. The lighting fixture includes a runner having an upper edge, a web having a first end coupled to the upper edge and a second end, a fixture base coupled to the web and defining first and second flanges disposed on opposite sides of the web, the first flange configured to support a first ceiling tile when the first ceiling tile is installed in the suspended ceiling, and the second flange configured to support a second ceiling tile when the second ceiling tile is installed in the suspended ceiling, and a fixture receptacle associated with the fixture base. A light source is secured inside the fixture receptacle.
In another aspect of the disclosure that may be combined with any of these aspects, a lighting fixture is provided that forms at least a portion of a grid system for a suspended ceiling. The lighting fixture includes a runner having an upper edge, a web having a first end coupled to the upper edge and a second end, a fixture base coupled to the web and defining first and second flanges disposed on opposite sides of the web, the first flange configured to support a first ceiling tile when the first ceiling tile is installed in the suspended ceiling, and the second flange configured to support a second ceiling tile when the second ceiling tile is installed in the suspended ceiling, spaced first and second side walls coupled to the base so that the base, first side wall, and second side wall define a fixture receptacle, a first support arm extending from the first side wall and into the fixture receptacle, and a second support arm extending from the second side wall and into the fixture receptacle. A light source is disposed inside the fixture receptacle, and a retainer is configured to extend from the first support arm to the second support arm, the retainer engaging the light source to secure the light source inside the fixture receptacle.
In another aspect of the disclosure that may be combined with any of these aspects, a lighting fixture is provided that forms at least a portion of a grid system for a suspended ceiling. The lighting fixture includes a runner having an upper edge, a substantially uniform, elongate, thin web having a first end coupled to the upper edge and a second end, a fixture base coupled to the web and defining first and second flanges disposed on opposite sides of the web, the first flange configured to support a first ceiling tile when the first ceiling tile is installed in the suspended ceiling, and the second flange configured to support a second ceiling tile when the second ceiling tile is installed in the suspended ceiling, spaced first and second side walls coupled to the base so that the base, first side wall, and second side wall define a fixture receptacle, a first support arm extending from the first side wall and into the fixture receptacle, and a second support arm extending from the second side wall and into the fixture receptacle. A light source is disposed inside the fixture receptacle, and a retainer is configured to extend from the first support arm to the second support arm, the retainer engaging the light source to secure the light source inside the fixture receptacle.
In another aspect of the disclosure that may be combined with any of these aspects, spaced first and second side walls may be coupled to the base, in which the base, first side wall, and second side wall define the fixture receptacle.
In another aspect of the disclosure that may be combined with any of these aspects, the first side wall includes a first support arm extending into the fixture receptacle and the second side wall includes a second support arm extending into the fixture receptacle, wherein the first and second support arms support the light source.
In another aspect of the disclosure that may be combined with any of these aspects, a retainer is configured to extend from the first support arm to the second support arm, the retainer engaging the light source to secure the light source inside the fixture receptacle.
In another aspect of the disclosure that may be combined with any of these aspects, the light source comprises a substrate body having first and second side surfaces, and the base includes first and second stops extending into the fixture receptacle, wherein the first and second stops are laterally spaced to respectively engage first and second side surfaces of the substrate body.
In another aspect of the disclosure that may be combined with any of these aspects, the runner is formed of a heat conductive material and further includes a cooling fin coupled to the web and extending substantially transversely relative to the web.
In another aspect of the disclosure that may be combined with any of these aspects, a lens is releasably coupled to the runner.
In another aspect of the disclosure that may be combined with any of these aspects, the fixture receptacle is disposed below the first and second flanges when the runner is installed in the suspended ceiling.
In another aspect of the disclosure that may be combined with any of these aspects, the upper edge of the runner comprises a reinforcing bulb.
For a more complete understanding of the disclosed methods and apparatuses, reference should be made to the embodiment illustrated in greater detail on the accompanying drawings, wherein:
a), 2(b) and 2(c) illustrate the general configuration of channels of a grid system and tiles supported by the channels of the grid system of the suspended ceiling shown in
a) and 3(b) illustrate the interlocking process of a cross channel and a main channel of the grid system shown in
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the disclosed embodiments are sometimes illustrated diagrammatically and in partial views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the disclosed methods and apparatuses or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that this disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.
Following below are more detailed descriptions of various concepts related to, and embodiments of, methods and apparatus for providing lighting from a grid system of a suspended ceiling. It should be appreciated that various concepts introduced above and discussed in greater detail below may be implemented in any of numerous ways. In particular, some embodiments of the present disclosure described below relate particularly to LED-based light sources. It should be appreciated, however, that the present disclosure is not limited to any particular manner of implementation, and that the various embodiments discussed explicitly herein are primarily for purposes of illustration. For example, the various concepts discussed herein may be suitably implemented in a variety of environments involving LED-based light sources, other types of light sources not including LEDs, environments that involve both LEDs and other types of light sources in combination, and environments that involve non-lighting-related devices alone or in combination with various types of light sources.
As used herein for purposes of the present disclosure, the term “LED” should be understood to include any electroluminescent diode or other type of carrier injection/junction-based system that is capable of generating radiation in response to an electric signal. Thus, the term LED includes, but is not limited to, various semiconductor-based structures that emit light in response to current, light emitting polymers, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), electroluminescent strips, and the like.
In particular, the term LED refers to light emitting diodes of all types (including semi-conductor and organic light emitting diodes) that may be configured to generate radiation in one or more of the infrared spectrum, ultraviolet spectrum, and various portions of the visible spectrum (generally including radiation wavelengths from approximately 400 nanometers to approximately 700 nanometers). Some examples of LEDs include, but are not limited to, various types of infrared LEDs, ultraviolet LEDs, red LEDs, blue LEDs, green LEDs, yellow LEDs, amber LEDs, orange LEDs, and white LEDs (discussed further below). It also should be appreciated that LEDs may be configured and/or controlled to generate radiation having various bandwidths (e.g., full widths at half maximum, or FWHM) for a given spectrum (e.g., narrow bandwidth, broad bandwidth), and a variety of dominant wavelengths within a given general color categorization.
For example, one implementation of an LED configured to generate essentially white light (e.g., a white LED) may include a number of dies which respectively emit different spectra of electroluminescence that, in combination, mix to form essentially white light. In another implementation, a white light LED may be associated with a phosphor material that converts electroluminescence having a first spectrum to a different second spectrum. In one example of this implementation, electroluminescence having a relatively short wavelength and narrow bandwidth spectrum “pumps” the phosphor material, which in turn radiates longer wavelength radiation having a somewhat broader spectrum. The phosphor material may be located on the chip or remotely on a lens or other auxiliary optic component.
It should also be understood that the term LED does not limit the physical and/or electrical package type of an LED. For example, as discussed above, an LED may refer to a single light emitting device having multiple dies that are configured to respectively emit different spectra of radiation (e.g., that may or may not be individually controllable). Also, an LED may be associated with a phosphor that is considered as an integral part of the LED (e.g., some types of white LEDs). In general, the term LED may refer to packaged LEDs, non-packaged LEDs, surface mount LEDs, chip-on-board LEDs, T-package mount LEDs, radial package LEDs, power package LEDs, LEDs including some type of encasement and/or optical element (e.g., a diffusing lens), etc.
The term “light source” should be understood to refer to any one or more of a variety of radiation sources, including, but not limited to, LED-based sources (including one or more LEDs as defined above), incandescent sources (e.g., filament lamps, halogen lamps), fluorescent sources, phosphorescent sources, high-intensity discharge sources (e.g., sodium vapor, mercury vapor, and metal halide lamps), lasers, other types of electroluminescent sources, pyro-luminescent sources (e.g., flames), candle-luminescent sources (e.g., gas mantles, carbon arc radiation sources), photo-luminescent sources (e.g., gaseous discharge sources), cathode luminescent sources using electronic satiation, galvano-luminescent sources, crystallo-luminescent sources, kine-luminescent sources, thermo-luminescent sources, triboluminescent sources, sonoluminescent sources, radioluminescent sources, plasma sources, and luminescent polymers.
A given light source may be configured to generate electromagnetic radiation within the visible spectrum, outside the visible spectrum, or a combination of both. Hence, the terms “light” and “radiation” are used interchangeably herein. Additionally, a light source may include as an integral component one or more filters (e.g., color filters), lenses, or other optical components. Also, it should be understood that light sources may be configured for a variety of applications, including, but not limited to, indication, display, and/or illumination. An “illumination source” is a light source that is particularly configured to generate radiation having a sufficient intensity to effectively illuminate an interior or exterior space. In this context, “sufficient intensity” refers to sufficient radiant power in the visible spectrum generated in the space or environment (the unit “lumens” often is employed to represent the total light output from a light source in all directions, in terms of radiant power or “luminous flux”) to provide ambient illumination (i.e., light that may be perceived indirectly and that may be, for example, reflected off of one or more of a variety of intervening surfaces before being perceived in whole or in part).
The term “spectrum” should be understood to refer to any one or more frequencies (or wavelengths) of radiation produced by one or more light sources. Accordingly, the term “spectrum” refers to frequencies (or wavelengths) not only in the visible range, but also frequencies (or wavelengths) in the infrared, ultraviolet, and other areas of the overall electromagnetic spectrum. Also, a given spectrum may have a relatively narrow bandwidth (e.g., a FWHM having essentially few frequency or wavelength components) or a relatively wide bandwidth (several frequency or wavelength components having various relative strengths). It should also be appreciated that a given spectrum may be the result of a mixing of two or more other spectra (e.g., mixing radiation respectively emitted from multiple light sources).
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “color” is used interchangeably with the term “spectrum.” However, the term “color” generally is used to refer primarily to a property of radiation that is perceivable by an observer (although this usage is not intended to limit the scope of this term). Accordingly, the terms “different colors” implicitly refer to multiple spectra having different wavelength components and/or bandwidths. It also should be appreciated that the term “color” may be used in connection with both white and non-white light.
The term “light system” is used herein to refer to a “lighting fixture” in combination with a “light source.” The “lighting fixture” provides a mechanical and/or electrical interface with the “light source.” The “light source” generates light. A given light source may be associated with any one of a variety of lighting fixtures that provides mounting arrangements for the light source(s), enclosure/housing arrangements and shapes, and/or electrical and mechanical connection configurations. Additionally, a given light source optionally may be associated with (e.g., include, be coupled to and/or packaged together with) various other components (e.g., control circuitry) relating to the operation of the light source(s). An “LED-based light source” refers to a light source that includes one or more LED-based light sources as discussed above, alone or in combination with other non LED-based light sources. A “multi-channel” light source refers to an LED-based or non LED-based light source that includes at least two light sources configured to respectively generate different spectrums of radiation, wherein each different source spectrum may be referred to as a “channel” of the multi-channel light source.
As can be seen in
In the illustrated embodiment, the runner 50 includes an upper edge 54 that may be reinforced to increase the structural strength of the runner 50. For example, the upper edge 54 of the runner may be formed as a reinforcing bulb 56. The runner 50 may also include a web 58 having a first end 60 coupled to the upper edge 54 and a second end 62. The web 58 may have a substantially uniform, thin, elongate cross-sectional shape as shown in
The runner 50 further includes a fixture housing 70 coupled to the second end 62 of the web 58 for supporting the light source(s) 28 as well as other optional components. The fixture housing 70 includes a base 72 extending transversely to the web 58 to define first and second flanges 74, 76 disposed on opposite sides of the web 58. The first flange 74 is configured to support a first ceiling tile when the first ceiling tile is installed in the suspended ceiling, while the second flange 76 is configured to support a second ceiling tile when the second ceiling tile is installed in the suspended ceiling. In the exemplary embodiment, the first and second flanges 74, 76 extend outwardly from the web 58 in opposite lateral directions by a distance sufficient to support respective edges of the first and second ceiling tiles.
The fixture housing 70 further includes spaced, first and second side walls 80, 82 extending downwardly from the base 72 to define a fixture receptacle 84. The first and second side walls 80, 82 may have substantially planar exterior surfaces to facilitate use of conventional ceiling tiles. The first side wall may include a first support arm 86 extending from an interior surface into the fixture receptacle 84. The first support arm 86 may have an inclined upper surface 88 that descends as it extends farther into the fixture receptacle 84. The second side wall may similarly include a second support arm 90 having an inclined upper surface 92 that also descends as it extends into the fixture receptacle 84. The first and second support arms 86, 90 support the light source 28, as described in greater detail below.
A retainer 94 is supported by the support arms 86, 90 and engages the light source 28 to secure the light source in place within the fixture receptacle 84. As best shown in
As best shown in
While the illustrated embodiments show the light source 28 secured in place using the retainer 94, it will be appreciated that the light source 28 may be secured using screws, glue, clips, or other retention means.
The lighting fixture 26 described herein may also hold other components in addition to the light source 28. For example, a filter, lens, or other optical component may be used to achieve a desired lighting effect. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in
The lens 120 may have various configurations depending on the desired appearance of the lighting fixture 26 relative to the dropped ceiling. For example, the optical body 130 of the lens 120 may define an outer surface 142 that may be recessed, flush with, or projecting downwardly from the surrounding ceiling tiles. Additionally or alternatively, the lens 120 may be colored or configured to produce a desired light distribution, such as spot, flood, wall wash, wall graze, uplight, or asymmetric light distributions. Such optical components may be formed of relatively thin layers of paper, acrylic ribbon, or other material. The lens 120 may include an accessory filter (such as a decorative stencil, a color gel, or other diffusing media) disposed behind the outer surface 142, and may be formed with various profiles to obtain asymmetric or different distributions and brightness. The lens 120 may be solid or may be formed with lenticular patterns to create different light distributions along any desired axis. Additionally, the lens 120 may have a uniform or varying thickness depending on the desired light distribution.
In various aspects, the lighting fixture 26 may be configured to direct and dissipate heat generated by the light source 28. For example, the runner 50 may be formed of a low thermal resistance material, such as aluminum. Additionally, the shape of the lighting fixture 26 may be configured to dissipate heat in a desired location. For example, first and second cooling fins 144, 146 may be formed in the web 58 that extend substantially transversely relative to the web 58. While the illustrated embodiment shows two spaced cooling fins 144, 146, it will be appreciated that zero, one, or more than two cooling fins may be used.
While only certain embodiments have been set forth, alternatives and modifications will be apparent from the above description to those skilled in the art. These and other alternatives are considered equivalents and within the spirit and scope of this disclosure and the appended claims.
