Disclosed subject matter pertains to commercial lighting and, more particularly, commercial lighting employing light emitting diode (LED) technology.
Commercial establishments frequently deploy signage to identify and promote their establishments. Signage is often illuminated, especially at night, and often through the use of downlighting. Downlighting refers to the use of lights positioned above a region of intended illumination and configured to shine light generally downward. Conventional downlighting apparatus, however, tend to be undesirably visible or conspicuous, particularly when the illuminated region is elevated. Conventional downlighting also tends to produce an illumination pattern that is undesirably non-uniform and/or has undesirably high vertical attenuation.
One embodiment of a downlight assembly disclosed herein includes an elongated downlight eyebrow, an LED string comprising a plurality of LED modules, and two or more reflectors including a primary reflector oriented at a first angle relative to the illuminated region and a secondary reflector oriented at a second angle relative to the illuminated region.
In at least some embodiments, the downlight eyebrow comprises an elongated L-shaped structure including a first wall and a second wall that may form an angle of approximately 90 degrees. The downlight eyebrow may be installed at or in proximity to an upper edge of a wall, fascia, or other type of vertical structure with the first wall of the eyebrow extending horizontally away from an upper edge of the vertical structure. In this configuration, the second wall of the downlight eyebrow may be oriented in a vertical or substantially vertical plane, extending downward from the first wall, parallel or substantially parallel with the illuminated region and displaced from the illuminated region by a width of the first wall. In some embodiments, a reflective material, film, or coating may be disposed on an interior surface of the second wall of the downlight eyebrow, wherein the interior surface of the second wall functions as the primary reflector. The secondary reflector may be implemented as a flange that extends downward and away from an intermediate point in the first wall, towards the vertical surface. In other embodiments, the secondary reflector may be implemented as an elongated and winged or angled mounting structure referred to herein as a winged rail. In at least some embodiments, the winged rail includes a mounting wing and a reflective wing that form an obtuse angle, referred to herein as the wing angle. The LED string may be affixed to an inward or lower surface of the mounting wing while the outward or upper surface of the mounting wing may be affixed to an interior surface of the downlight eyebrow first wall.
The mounting wing and the reflective wing of the winged railed may be sized and angled wherein a horizontal dimension of the winged rail as a whole is equal to or substantially equal to the displacement of the second wall from the illuminated region. In such embodiments, the displacement between each of the LED modules affixed to the mounting and the illuminated region is determined and maintained by dimensions of the winged rail. The reflective wing may extend from the mounting wing, in an outward and downward direction, terminating at or near the vertical structure. In this configuration, the reflective wing may lie in a plane that forms an acute angle with a plane in which the downlight eyebrow first wall lies. This secondary reflector beneficially improves uniformity and intensity of the illuminated region and, in addition, provides a mechanical benefit by maintaining the position of the LED modules affixed to the mounting wing of the winged rail. In other embodiments, the eyebrow frame may include snap attach tabs formed on the first wall and LED modules may be snap-attached to the first wall via the snap attach tabs. Because the LED modules are held in place by the snap attach tabs, these embodiments need not employ a reflective wing having a length sufficient to abut the structure and thereby maintain the LED modules in a fixed position.
In some embodiments, each LED module in the LED string may include one or more LED lamps and a compound, narrow beam lens. The narrow beam lens may be characterized by first and second beam angles where the first beam angle is applicable to light lying in a first vertical plane, e.g., a vertical plane that is substantially parallel to the illuminated region, and the second beam angle is applicable to light lying in a second vertical plane, e.g., a vertical plane that is substantially perpendicular to the illuminated region. In at least one embodiment, both beam angles are less than 45 degrees. One or more embodiments employ LED modules with compound lenses in which the first beam angle is in the range of 10 to 20 degrees and the second beam angle is in the range of 25 to 35 degrees. One or more embodiments may include compound lenses in which the first beam angle is approximately 15 degrees and the second beam angle is approximately 30 degrees. An exemplary and commercially distributed LED module featuring a compound lens meeting one or more of these criteria is the Street Fighter POD 3 module from Principal Lighting Group.
A combination of various characteristics of the assembly as disclosed herein produces a downlight wall wash with low lateral variation in intensity and extended vertical coverage using an eyebrow with an extremely low profile. For example, subject matter disclosed herein encompasses a downlight assembly that includes a frame structure, referred to herein as an eyebrow or an eyebrow frame, an LED string affixed to the eyebrow frame, and reflectors including a primary reflector and a secondary reflector. The LED string may include one or more LED modules, each of which may include one or more LEDs.
In at least some embodiments, the eyebrow frame may be an extruded structure or another type of monolithic fabrication. In at least some other embodiments, the eyebrow frame may include two or more fabricated components that are assembled or otherwise connected to form the eyebrow structure.
The eyebrow frame may be configured to attach to a structure such that the downlight assembly illuminates some or all of the structure. The portion of the structure illuminated by the downlight assembly may be referred to herein as the illuminated region. The structure to which the downlight assembly is configured to attach may be a vertical structure such as a wall or fascia of a building, canopy, or the like and the eyebrow frame may be configured to attach to an upper edge of the vertical structure such that the illuminated region includes at least an upper portion of the vertical structure.
In some embodiments, the eyebrow frame includes a first wall, which is horizontal or primarily horizontal, and a second wall, which is vertical or substantially vertical. In at least some of these embodiments, one end of the first wall is affixed to the vertical structure at or near an upper edge of the vertical structure such that the first wall is perpendicular or roughly perpendicular to the vertical structure and co-planar with an upper surface of the vertical structure. The second wall may extend downward from a second end of the first wall such that the second wall is parallel or roughly parallel with the vertical structure. In such embodiments, a cross section of the eyebrow frame forms an inverted “L” wherein a first leg of the inverted L corresponds to the first wall and a second leg of the inverted L corresponds to the second wall. form first and one the second wall is affixed to the second end of the first leg such that the first and second legs form an inverted “L”. The first leg may be positioned roughly co-planar with a top of the fascia, wall, or other vertical structure and the second leg is parallel or substantially parallel to the illuminated region and displaced from the illuminated region by the length of the first leg.
In at least one embodiment, the LED string is affixed to a lower surface of the first wall in an inverted configuration, with the LED lamps oriented below a substrate in which the LED lamps are embedded, attached, or fabricated. The LED string may be positioned adjacent to or in close proximity to the second wall. In such embodiments, the height, i.e., vertical dimension, of the second wall may be quite low and still conceal the LED modules from external view, which is generally desirable in a wide variety of commercial and residential lighting applications.
The primary reflector may be an interior surface of the second wall of the eyebrow frame or a reflective coating or film applied, adhered, or otherwise affixed to the interior surface of the second leg. In some embodiments, the downlight assembly may include one or more seam plate providing mechanical reinforcement to the eyebrow frame. In such embodiments, the downlight assemble may include a second wall seam plate affixed to the eyebrow frame in proximity to the second wall. In such embodiments, the second wall seam plate or a coating or film applied to a surface of the second wall seam plate may serve as the primary reflector.
The primary reflector may be configured to reflect at least some of the light produced by the LED string onto the illuminated region. In at least some embodiments, the primary reflector is parallel or substantially parallel to the illuminated region. In other embodiments, the primary reflector may be oriented at an angle with respect to the illuminated region.
The secondary reflector may be a secondary reflector oriented at a second angle relative to the illuminated region, wherein the first angle and the second angle differ and wherein the first reflective plane and the second reflective plane are configured to influence the illumination of the illuminated region.
The primary reflector may be implemented as an inner surface of the first wall, a reflective coating applied to the inner surface of the first wall, or a surface of a seam plate affixed to the eyebrow frame in proximity to the second wall. The downlight assembly may include one or more seam plate tabs configured to retain the seam plate in proximity to the second wall. The eyebrow frame may include a flange, wherein a first end of the flange is attached to an intermediate point of an interior surface of the first leg and wherein the flange defines an acute angle with the first leg. The secondary reflector may be implemented as a surface of the flange or the surface of a secondary seam plate. The eyebrow frame may include one or more secondary seam plate tabs configured to retain the secondary seam plate in proximity to the flange.
The first wall of the downlight assembly may include a slightly sloped or inclined portion oriented at a small angle sufficient to guide water towards the vertical structure. The first wall of the eyebrow frame may include snap fit tabs suitable for receiving and maintaining a position of the LED string. The eyebrow frame may further include a water tab formed at an upper end of the second wall to deter water from running over an exterior or visible surface of the second wall.
Each of the plurality of LED modules may include one or more LEDs and a narrowing lens, wherein the narrowing lens constrains dispersion of light from the one or more LEDs. In such embodiments, the narrowing lens may constrain dispersion of light in a particular plane, wherein the particular plane is perpendicular to the illuminated region. The narrowing lens may constrain dispersion of light in a particular plane, wherein the particular plane is parallel to the illuminated region. The narrowing lens may constrain dispersion of light in a particular plane in accordance with a particular beam angle, wherein the particular beam angle is less than or equal to 60 degrees. In some embodiments, the particular beam angle may be less than or equal to 45 degrees. The narrowing lens may be a compound narrowing lens that constrains dispersion of light in a first particular plane in accordance with a first beam angle and further wherein the compound narrowing lens constrains dispersion of light in a second particular plane in accordance with a second beam angle. In at least one compound lens embodiment, the first particular plane is perpendicular to the second particular plane, the first beam angle is in the range of 10 degrees to 20 degrees and the second beam angle is in the range of 25 to 35 degrees.
In some embodiments, the eyebrow frame comprises an extruded eyebrow frame formed as a monolithic structure with an extrusion process. In other embodiments of the downlight assembly, the eyebrow frame may be implemented as an assembled or fabricated frame, wherein the assembled frame include two or more components affixed to each other to form the eyebrow frame.
References to horizontal or lateral orientations, directions, or movement refer to orientation, direction, or movement in a plane that is perpendicular to the force of gravity while references to vertical orientation, direction, or movement refer to orientation, direction, or movement in a plane that is parallel to the force of gravity. In addition, although the embodiments illustrated in the drawings emphasize wall washes produced on vertically oriented surfaces using a downlight assembly positioned at or near the top of the illuminated surface, other embodiments not explicitly depicted may produce analogous wall washes on horizontally oriented surfaces as well as surfaces that are neither horizontal or vertical.
In the field of external lighting for commercial and/or retail establishments, it is generally considered desirable to illuminate logos and other branding elements including, in at least some instances, exterior walls and other vertical surfaces of the applicable establishment. The lighting effect associated with illuminating a large illuminated region is sometimes referred to as a wall wash and, when the wall wash is established by lamps disposed above all or most of wall wash, the lighting effect is sometimes referred to as a downlight wall wash. The downlight assemblies 100 illustrated in
The quality and/or efficacy of a downlight wall wash produced by a downlight assembly 100 may be evaluated and/or at least partially quantified in terms of certain parameters including as non-limiting examples, the peak wall wash intensity, the wall wash's lateral uniformity of intensity, the vertical extent or coverage of the wall wash, which corresponds to a vertical attenuation of the wall wash, the spacing between adjacent light source lamps, the per lamp and per assembly power consumption, the per lamp and per assembly cost, and the profile of the downlight assembly eyebrow.
The downlight assembly's eyebrow profile influences other parameters of interest including the horizontal displacement between the illuminated region each of lamp. The downlight assembly eyebrow generally includes a vertical dimension and a horizontal dimension and it is desirable to minimize both while maintaining a high quality wall wash and while concealing the light source lamps from visual detection. Disclosed downlight assemblies achieve wall washes of high intensity, low lateral variation and low vertical attenuation with a low profile downlight eyebrow.
Referring to
The downlight eyebrow 120 illustrated in
The winged rail 150 illustrated in
In at least one embodiment, some or all of the LED modules 140 include a compound narrow beam lens 145 (see
In an exemplary embodiment of downlight assembly 100 suitable for use in conjunction with a conventional commercial canopies, in which the fascia panel may be disposed 20 to 30 feet or more above the ground with a vertical dimension of 5 feet or more, a downlight assembly 100 employs a 3 inch×3 inch downlight eyebrow profile using white light LED modules with compound narrow beam lenses (e.g., 15×30 degrees beam angle) spaced from 2 to 3 inches apart, e.g., 2.682 inches apart. The winged angle of the winged rail 150 may be in the range of 170 to 150 degrees and the winged rail 150 may be sized to maintain the LED modules 140 displaced a critical distance of 2.0 inches, as an example from the illuminated region.
Referring now to
The downlight assembly 200 may utilize one or more surfaces of the eyebrow frame 220 to serve as one or more of the reflectors. In at least one such embodiment, an interior surface of first wall 221 functions as the primary reflector 251. In other embodiments, a reflective coating, spray, film, or the like may be applied to the interior surface of first wall 221 to improve its reflective characteristics. In still other embodiments, downlight assembly 200 may include one or more reinforcing structures referred to herein as seam plates, which may be inserted into channels defined by integral elements, sometimes referred to herein as tabs or keys, formed in eyebrow frame 220. In these embodiments, one or more of the reflectors may be provided by a surface of one such seam plate. The downlight assembly 200 illustrated in
The secondary reflector 262 may be provided by a flange such as the flange 290 illustrated in
In at least one embodiment, the eyebrow frame 220 of
In the preceding description, the figures and the accompanying description represent exemplary embodiments whereas the disclosed subject matter is intended to encompass all embodiments, including embodiments not specifically depicted, of disclosed subject matter.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62649259 | Mar 2018 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16368421 | Mar 2019 | US |
Child | 16853425 | US |