Underwater lighting apparatus

Abstract

An underwater lighting apparatus includes a cofferdam having a cofferdam electrical connector rigidly mounted within the cofferdam at an inner end; a lighting unit sized and shaped to be mounted within the cofferdam and having a lighting unit electrical connector rigidly mounted at an inner end; wherein the lighting unit electrical connector is sized and shaped to directly connect with the cofferdam electrical connector to form a rigid connection between the cofferdam and the lighting unit. The lighting apparatus is beneficial in that both the cofferdam electrical connector and the lighting unit electrical connector are rigidly mounted.

Claims

1. An underwater lighting apparatus comprising: a cofferdam; an electrical connector rigidly mounted within the cofferdam at an inner end of the cofferdam; a lighting unit sized and shaped to be mounted within the cofferdam and having a lighting unit electrical connector rigidly mounted at an inner end; a mounting plate mounted at the inner end within the cofferdam, wherein the electrical connector is mounted to the cofferdam on an outer side of the mounting plate, wherein the lighting unit electrical connector is sized and shaped to directly connect with the electrical connector of the cofferdam to form a rigid connection between the cofferdam and the lighting unit.

2. An underwater lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lighting unit electrical connector is a male connector and the electrical connector of the cofferdam is a female connector.

3. An underwater lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lighting unit electrical connector is a female connector and the electrical connector of the cofferdam is a male connector.

4. An underwater lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lighting unit electrical connector and the electrical connector of the cofferdam are both hermaphroditic electrical connectors.

5. An underwater lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connector of the cofferdam is centrally located at the inner end within the cofferdam.

6. An underwater lighting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising one or more sealing members mounted between the mounting plate and the cofferdam.

7. An underwater lighting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising one or more sealing members mounted between the electrical connector of the cofferdam and the mounting plate.

8. An underwater lighting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the one or more sealing members are o-ring seals.

9. An underwater lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a body of the lighting unit is substantially cylindrical and the cofferdam is shaped to conform to the cylindrical body of the lighting unit.

10. An underwater lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a body of the lighting unit is not rotationally symmetrical and the cofferdam is shaped to conform to the body of the lighting unit such that the lighting unit can only be inserted into the cofferdam in the correct rotational orientation.

11. An underwater lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lighting unit comprises a mounting plate formed at an outer end for mounting the lighting unit to an outer end of the cofferdam.

12. An underwater lighting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a gasket for mounting between the mounting plate of the lighting unit and the outer end of the cofferdam.

13. An underwater apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lighting unit electrical connector and the electrical connecter of the cofferdam are configured for underwater connection and disconnection.

Description

DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is an exploded diagram of an embodiment of an underwater lighting apparatus according to the present invention; and

(2) FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the underwater lighting apparatus of FIG. 1.

(3) An embodiment of an underwater lighting apparatus 1 according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The underwater lighting apparatus 1 comprises a cofferdam 2 and a lighting unit 3. The cofferdam 2 is substantially cylindrical and has a cable gland 4 at an inner end. A power supply cable (not shown) can be positioned through the cable gland 4 to extend from an interior of a marine vessel into the cofferdam 2. The power supply cable has a cofferdam electrical connector 5 mounted at an outer end. The cofferdam electrical connector 5 is centrally fixed to a connector plate 6 and is a male connector. The connector plate 6 is bolted to the cofferdam 4 such that the connector plate 6 and the cofferdam electrical connector are rigidly fixed in position at the inner end of an interior volume of the cofferdam 4.

(4) The lighting unit 3 is rotationally symmetrical and has a cylindrical main body 7. A lighting unit electrical connector 8 is rigidly and centrally mounted to an inner end of the lighting unit 3. The lighting unit electrical connector 8 is a female connector. A circular mounting plate 9 is formed at an outer end of the lighting unit 3 to allow the lighting unit 3 to be mounted within the cofferdam 2. A circular gasket 10 is also provided for mounting between an outer end of the cofferdam 2 and the circular mounting plate 9.

(5) The lighting unit 3 is mounted in the cofferdam 2 in the following manner. First, the lighting unit 3 is correctly rotationally aligned with the cofferdam 2 such that lights of the lighting unit are correctly rotationally oriented and such that the rotational orientation of the lighting unit electrical connector 8 aligns with the rotational orientation of the cofferdam electrical connector 5. The lighting unit 3 is then slid into the cofferdam 2 with the circular gasket 10 positioned between the circular mounting plate 9 of the lighting unit and the cofferdam. The lighting unit 3 is slid into the cofferdam 2 until the lighting unit electrical connector 8 is connected with the cofferdam electrical connector 5. The circular mounting plate 9 of the lighting unit 3 is then bolted to the cofferdam 2 through the circular gasket 10 to hold the lighting unit 3 in place in the cofferdam 2. To remove the lighting unit 3 from the cofferdam 2 this process is reversed.

(6) Due to the rigid mounting of the lighting unit electrical connector 8 and the cofferdam electrical connector 5 the insertion and removal of the lighting unit 3 from the cofferdam is extremely simple. All that is required is the correct rotational alignment of the lighting unit 3 with the cofferdam 2. There is no requirement for coiling of a cable within the cofferdam 2 as there is with comparable prior art underwater lighting apparatus.