The present disclosure relates generally to track lighting and, more particularly, to a hanging track light that has an uplight integrated therewith.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Track lighting is used around home and commercial settings for illuminating various spaces. A track light has a track into which light fixtures are mounted. The track is coupled to a power source and powers the lights that are placed within the track. Track lights are often mounted on a ceiling surface. However, track lights may also be mounted in a hanging configuration. The light fixtures that hang from the track often cause the track to tilt out of the desired position. For example, when a track light is hung adjacent to a wall and an angularly directed light is used to illuminate the wall, all of the centers of gravity of the light fixtures are biased in the same direction and may cause the track to tilt. A tilt track is undesirable from an aesthetic standpoint.
Another issue with hanging track lights is that the ceiling above the track light is usually in a shadow or is dark. Often times, the fixtures that hang from a track are directional in nature and point in a downward direction or as mentioned above, in a sideward direction toward a wall. In some situations, it is desirable to illuminate the ceiling as well. However, other fixtures must be provided to illuminate the ceiling.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
The present disclosure provides a system that allows a hanging track to be balanced as well as an uplight directed toward a ceiling. Advantageously, a plurality of tracks may be coupled together to form an aesthetically pleasing configuration.
In addition, an integral power feed or driver configuration is set forth. The integral power feed or driver is disposed in a canopy housing assembly to allow the power driver to easily be replaced when needed. That is, typically when a power feed or driver has to be replaced, the position of the driver at the ceiling is typically in a very high position and is difficult to reach. In some instances, the driver is within a wall or ceiling. Therefore, ceiling or wall repairs are required. The present disclosure allows the cover plate to be removed and the driver to be retained in place until the mounting arm is removed. A mounting arm also allows the support cable for the light fixture to be retained while the power feed or driver is replaced.
In one aspect of the disclosure, a light fixture has an elongated track comprising an upper channel comprising a first wall having a first slot and a second wall having a second slot. The assembly has a support assembly comprising a base and a swivel arm rotatably attached to the base at a swivel. The base comprising a first flange received in the first slot and a second flange received in the second slot, said base extending across the upper channel. The swivel arm has a first end and a second end. The swivel is disposed at the first end and a cable connector is disposed at the second end of the swivel arm. The cable connector receives a cable therein.
In another aspect of the disclosure, a canopy housing assembly for an electrical component includes a housing comprising an outer wall, a bracket coupled to the housing, and a mounting arm comprising a first end and a second end. The first end is rotatably coupled to the housing. The mounting arm further comprises a cable mount coupled between the first end and the second end of the mounting arm coupling a cable to the mounting arm. The mounting arm has a latched position and an unlatched position and a plurality of positions therebetween. The second end is positioned between the electrical component and the bracket in the latched position, the unlatched position, and the plurality of positions therebetween.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
1A
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The second end 12B of the track 12 has an end cap 28. The end cap 28 has a smooth surface 30 that is exposed and may be painted or formed of the same material as the track 12 to blend in. The end cap 28 has extensions 31 that extend into the track to secure the end cap 28 thereto.
Referring now to
A joiner 38 may be used to couple adjacent tracks 12C, 12D together. The joiner 38 may have vertical walls 40 and a horizontal wall 42 coupled between the vertical walls 40 that are sized to be received within the upper channel 32. The horizontal wall 42 may be positioned above the vertical wall 40 to allow the joiner 38 to be positioned within the upper channel 32. Teeth 44 are positioned on the top edge of the vertical walls 40 so that a friction fit is formed so that the joiner 38 securely joins two adjacent tracks 12C, 12D.
The inline connector 36 has exposed conductors 36A to couple both polarities of the AC power between adjacent tracks 12C, 12D.
Referring now specifically to
The support assembly 50 may be swiveled to allow the track to maintain a vertical angle while hanging. Because the track 12 may be used for supporting various numbers of pendant assemblies 26, by swiveling the support assemblies 50, the track 12 may be balanced and positioned in a vertical position.
Referring now also to
The upper channel 32 has an upper channel wall 68 and an upper channel 70 that are spaced apart and coupled to the horizontal wall 64. The upper channel wall 68 and the upper channel wall 70 are vertical walls when the light fixture assembly 10 is installed properly without tilt. In this example, the track 12 has an “H-shaped” cross section. The lower channel wall 58 and the upper channel wall 68 are co-extensive and co-planar. Likewise, the lower channel wall 60 and the upper channel wall 70 are co-extensive and co-planar. It should be noted, however, that the width of the upper channel 32 and the lower channel 34 may be different and therefore the walls 58, 68 and 60 and 70 may not be coplanar.
The upper channel 32 has various features built therein. The upper channel 32 has a first pair of opposing slots 72A, 72B located near the upper end of the upper channel wall 68, 70. The opposing slots 72A, 72B in this example are on the same plane, extend perpendicular to the walls 68, 70 and are used to receive the support assembly 50. That is, the opposing slots 72A, 72B receive at least a portion of the support assembly 50 for supporting the track 12. When installed properly, the opposing slots 72A, 72B are horizontal.
A second set of opposing slots 74A, 74B are located directly opposite each other and extend from the inside of the walls 68, 70. The slots 74A, 74B are coplanar and may be used to receive a lens 76 as illustrated in
Opposing vertical slots 78A, 78B may be formed on the inside of the walls 68. Likewise, opposing vertical slots 80A, 80B are formed on the inside surface of the upper channel wall 70. The opposing vertical slots 78A, 78B and 80A, 80B are used to receive the vertical walls 40 of the joiner 38. The upper opposing vertical slots 78A and 80A may engage the teeth 44 disposed on the vertical walls 40. The position of the joiner 38 within the opposing vertical slots 78A, 78B, 80A, and 80B is best illustrated in
A light emitting diode strip 82 having light emitting diodes (LEDs) 84 disposed thereon. Although a LED strip 82 is illustrated, other types of light sources and ways to position the light sources may be provided within the upper channel 32.
As is best illustrated in
The support 50 has a base 110 that has flanges 112 extending therefrom. The flanges 112 are received in the opposing slots 72A, 72B. The base 110 may be formed of a stamped metal or form of a molded composite material. The thickness of the flanges 112 are sized to be received within the opposing slots 72A, 72B. The base 110 has a horizontal portion 114 and a pair of walls 116 that join the horizontal portion. The walls 116 position the top surface of the horizontal portion 114 above the track 12.
The support assembly 50 has a swivel arm 120 that is rotatably coupled to the base 110 and more specifically to the horizontal portion 114 of the base 110. A fastener 122 extends through the horizontal portion 114 of the base 110 to rotatably couple the swivel arm thereto. Although a screw is illustrated as the fastener 122, other types of fasteners such as pins, rivets, shafts, and the like may be employed.
In this example, the swivel arm 120 is formed of metal, such as aluminum, and has a rectangular cross section in this example. The swivel arm 120 has a first end 120A and a second end 120B. The first end 120A is positioned adjacent to the fastener 122. The second end 120B is adjacent to the cable 16. The first end 120A of the swivel arm 120, the fastener 122 and the base form a swivel 124
The cable 16 is secured to the second end 120B of the swivel arm 120 using a cable connector 126. The cable connector 126, in this example, has threads 128 that couple to threads 130 within the opening 132 of the swivel arm 120. That is, as the cable connector 126 is tightened, the cable connector 126 tightens around the cable 16 so that the cable 16 is securely retained therein.
During assembly, one or two support assemblies 50 are received within the opposing slots 72A and 72B of the track 12. The flanges 112 may be inserted within the opposing slots 72A, 72B and positioned where desired. The pendant assemblies 26 may then be coupled to the lower channel 34 and positioned as desired. To maintain the vertical aspect of the track 12, the position of the swivel arm 120 is changed. The second end 120B of the swivel arm with the cable 16 may be positioned at various angles including parallel to the track 12, perpendicular to the track 12 or at various angles in between. The position of the swivel arm 120 may therefore control the angle of the track relative to the vertical direction. Alignment of the track 12 in a vertical orientation is typically desirable. Both ends of the track may be adjusted. However, a fixed support 50 may be provided at one of the ends of the track 12. It should be noted that the support assembly may be positioned at various locations relative to the track 12. Further, the swivel arm 120 may be disposed or swiveled in any position relative to the fastener 122. That is, the swivel arm may rotate 360° relative to the base 110.
Referring now to
As mentioned above, the cable 16 may be used for supporting one end of the track. The power cable 22 may not be used for supporting weight. Power from the canopy housing assembly 20 is communicated through the power cable 22 to the power coupler 24. Both DC and AC power or voltage is provided to the power coupler in this example. AC power may be provided to the lower channel 34 through a connector 218 may power LEDs within the upper channel 32 using DC power. The wire 16 is coupled to a support assembly 50 and is received within the track 12 as described above. For simplicity, the track 12 is not illustrated so that the connectors 216 and 218 are illustrated.
The canopy housing assembly 20 has a housing 236 that has fastener channels 238 integrally formed therein. The housing 236 and the fastener channels 238 may be formed of a composite material. In this example, three fastener channels 238 are evenly spaced around the housing 236 on the inside wall thereof. The fastener channels 238 may be spaced at various spacings and a different number of fastener channels 238 may be provided. The fastener channels 238 allow fasteners to be placed in either end of the fastener channel 238 as described below. Although a cylindrical housing 236 is illustrated, various shapes of housings may be used without departing from the scope of the invention. The housing 236 has a top cover. The top cover 240 and the housing 236 are received within the junction box 210 illustrated in
The housing 236 has a bracket 246 coupled thereto. The bracket 246 is secured to two fastener channels 238 of the housing 236 by fasteners 248 that extend through openings 246A. Other fastener openings 246B extend through the bracket 246, the function of which will be described in greater detail below. The bracket 246 has a curved edge 246C that corresponds to the curvature of the housing 236. Should the housing be a different shape, the edge 246C may also be different shaped in a corresponding manner. The bracket 246 has a second edge 246D opposite the edge 246C. The edge 246D has latch 250 that extends therefrom. In this example, the latch 250 is C-shaped. The latch 250 forms a channel 252.
A mounting arm 260 is used for securing the cable 16 to the canopy housing assembly 20. The mounting arm 260 is rotatably coupled to one of the fastener channels 238 with a fastener 262 through an opening 260A at a first end 260B of the mounting arm 260. A second end 260C of the mounting arm 260 has an opening 260D that may also be used to receive a fastener 260E therein. The fastener 260E may not be fully extended into the opening 260D so that the fastener 260E acts as a pin that is engaged and disengaged from the latch 250. Although a screw is illustrated as the fasteners 260E, a rivet pin or other type of extension may be used to engage the latch 250.
Referring now also to
The driver plate 272 has a ground mount 286 that is coupled to a ground wire 288 that extends into the junction box 210. The ground mount 286 may be used to ground the driver 274 electrically. The ground mount 286, in this this example, is coupled to a ground extension 290 that has an opening 290A for receiving the fastener 292.
To assemble the canopy housing assembly 20 to the junction box, the top cover 240 may be secured to the housing 236 using the fasteners 242. The cover 240 has openings 240B that are used to secure screws to the junction box 210. The driver 274 is secured to the driver plate 272. Likewise, the ground mount 286 is secured to the ground wire 288 of the power within the building. The mounting arm 260 may then be assembled to one of the fastener channels 238 opposite where the bracket 246 is to be placed. The mounting arm 260 may have the inner coupler 230 coupled to the mounting arm at the opening 260F using the fastener 294. The second end 260C of the mounting arm 260 is offset from a plane of the second end 260C toward the driver 274 for alignment in this example. The mounting arm 260 is positioned between the driver 274 and the bracket 246. In all positions, the mounting arm 260 is between the driver 274 and the bracket 246. This allows the cable 16 to be supported by the coupler 230 and the weight of the light fixture assembly 10 to be supported thereby.
In
In
Although not illustrated, the driver 274 may have various electrical connectors or wires extending therefrom that correspond to the power cable 22.
Referring now to
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected, or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer, or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/465,132, filed on May 9, 2023. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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20130279180 | Pearson | Oct 2013 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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20180072095 | Jun 2018 | KR |
20230002373 | Dec 2023 | KR |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20240377048 A1 | Nov 2024 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63465132 | May 2023 | US |