Retrofit lighting assembly

Abstract

A lighting assembly (100) adapted to be mounted in a lighting fixture is provided. The lighting assembly comprises at least four sidewall parts (110, 112, 114, 116), a fastening arrangement (122, 124) adapted to secure the sidewall parts to each other, and at least one light emitting element (130). The sidewall parts are adapted to be arranged in the lighting fixture and secured to each other such that they define sidewalls of a four-sided cavity. Further, junctions between the sidewall parts are arranged to be at the corners of the four-sided cavity when the sidewall parts are arranged in the lighting fixture. Each one of at least two of the sidewall parts comprises a support surface (111, 113, 115, 117) adapted to support the lighting assembly in the lighting fixture and to be arranged at different sides of the four-sided cavity when the sidewall parts are arranged in the lighting fixture. Thereby, a lighting assembly that is easier to install is achieved.

Claims

1. A lighting assembly adapted to be mounted in a lighting fixture, the lighting assembly comprising: at least four sidewall parts; a fastening arrangement adapted to secure the sidewall parts to each other; and at least one light emitting element, wherein: at least one of the at least four sidewall parts is a first longitudinal sidewall part; at least one of the at least four sidewall parts is a second longitudinal sidewall part; at least one of the at least four sidewall parts is a first lateral sidewall part; at least one of the at least four sidewall parts is a second lateral sidewall part; the sidewall parts are adapted to be arranged in the lighting fixture and secured to each other such that they define sidewalls of a four-sided cavity; at least one of the at least four sidewall parts further comprises a top wall of the four-sided cavity; the light emitting element is arranged on the top wall of the four-sided cavity and is arranged to emit light out of said cavity; junctions between the sidewall parts are arranged to be at the corners of the four-sided cavity when the sidewall parts are arranged in the lighting fixture; and each one of at least two of the sidewall parts comprises a support surface adapted to support the lighting assembly in the lighting fixture, the support surfaces being arranged to be at different sides of the four-sided cavity when the sidewall parts are arranged in the lighting fixture and wherein the support surfaces comprise a peripheral bent portion of the at least two sidewall parts and engage with the lighting assembly in the lighting fixture.

2. The lighting assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the sidewall parts further comprises the cut outline of a sensor mounting hole and a small portion of the outline is not cut.

3. The lighting assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the sidewall parts further comprises the cut outline of a control module mounting hole and a small portion of the hole is not cut.

4. The lighting assembly as defined in claim 1, further comprising a diffuser arranged to diffuse light emitted by the light emitting element.

5. The lighting assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the fastening arrangement comprises at least one protruding member being integrally formed with at least one of the sidewall parts and at least one receiving member being integrally formed with at least another of the sidewall parts, wherein the protruding member is adapted to engage with the receiving member so as to secure the sidewall parts to each other.

6. The lighting assembly as defined in claim 5, wherein the protruding member comprises a tab and the receiving member comprises a slit, wherein the tab is adapted to be inserted in the slit and bent so as to secure the respective sidewall parts to each other.

7. The lighting assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least four sidewall parts is formed by sheet metal.

8. The lighting assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the support surfaces is integrally formed with the sidewall part.

9. The lighting assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the support surfaces is adapted to engage with a frame arranged at a rim of the lighting fixture so as to support the lighting assembly at the lighting fixture.

10. The lighting assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the support surface comprises a protruding flange of the sidewall part.

11. The lighting assembly as defined in claim 1, further comprising a reflective surface adapted to reflect light emitted by the light emitting element out of the cavity.

12. The lighting assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the light emitting element comprises a light emitting diode, LED.

13. A method for mounting a lighting assembly as defined in claim 1, the method comprising: arranging the at least four sidewall parts in the lighting fixture; securing the sidewall parts to each other by means of the fastening arrangement such that junctions between the sidewall parts are arranged at the corners of the four-sided cavity and the support surfaces supports the lighting assembly in the lighting fixture.

14. A method for mounting a lighting assembly according to claim 13, the method further comprising; removing a blanking portion of the sensor mounting position, removing a blanking portion of the control module mounting position, fixing a sensor in the sensor mounting position, and fixing a control module in the control module mounting position.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) These and other aspects will now be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings showing embodiments, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of an unassembled lighting assembly according to an embodiment;

(3) FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of an assembled lighting assembly according to another embodiment;

(4) FIG. 3 is a cross sectional perspective view of a mounted lighting assembly;

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sidewall parts according to an embodiment;

(6) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a sidewall parts according to an embodiment; and

(7) FIG. 6 is a schematic outline of a method for mounting a lighting assembly according to an embodiment.

(8) All the figures are schematic, not necessarily to scale, and generally only show parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the embodiments, wherein other parts may be omitted or merely suggested. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) The present aspects will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferred embodiments are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness, and fully convey the scope of the present aspect to the skilled person.

(10) With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown an exploded bottom plan view of a lighting assembly 100 according to an embodiment. The lighting assembly 100 comprises a first and a second longitudinal sidewall part 110, 114, a first and a second lateral sidewall part 112, 116, fastening arrangements 122, 124, and three light emitting elements 130.

(11) The sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 are formed of a sheet metal that is cut and bent into the desired shape. As shown in FIG. 1, the two longitudinal sidewall parts 110, 114 are secured to the two lateral sidewall parts 112, 116 by means of the fastening arrangements 122, 124 so as to form a four-sided cavity. In this embodiment, each sidewall part 110, 112, 114, 116 represents a sidewall of the cavity, wherein the second longitudinal sidewall part 114 also forms a top wall, or roof, of the cavity. The sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 are provided with a peripheral rim that is bent (the fold is indicated by dashed lines in the figure) to form support surfaces, or protruding flanges 111, 113, 115, 117. In other words, each one of the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 may be described as a flat sheet metal piece that has been bent into an essentially plain portion forming a side of the cavity and a protruding flange 111, 113, 115, 117 adapted to support the lighting assembly 100 in a lighting fixture (not shown). However, it will be appreciated that the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 may be formed of other material, such as e.g. polymers, by other techniques, such as e.g. injection molding, and into other shapes, such as e.g. a curved profile. Further, the dimensions of the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 may be adapted to fit into wide variety of lighting fixtures and grids 160 of various widths and lengths.

(12) According to the embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, the three light emitting elements 130 (e.g. LEDs), are arranged on the second longitudinal sidewall part 114. The LEDs 130 may e.g. be preassembled on the second longitudinal sidewall part 114 in order to facilitate and speed up the installation of the lighting assembly 100.

(13) The sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 are adapted to be assembled upon insertion of the lighting assembly 100 in the lighting fixture and secured to each other by means of the fastening arrangement 122, 124. The fastening arrangement 112, 124 may comprise protruding members, such as tabs 122 that are integrally formed with e.g. the lateral sidewall parts 112, 116, and receiving members, such as slits 124 that are cut out from the longitudinal sidewall parts 110, 114. The tabs may e.g. be formed by cutting and bending as the lateral sidewall portions 112, 116 are formed. Similarly, the slits 124 may be cut out during manufacturing of the longitudinal portions 110, 114. The slits 124 may have a shape, or geometry, that corresponds to a cross section of the tabs 122 in order to allow the tabs 122 to be inserted through the corresponding slits 124. Further, the tabs 122 may be adapted to be deformed after being inserted through the slits so as to fix the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 to each other. The tabs 122 may e.g. be plastically deformed by bending, folding or wrenching into a shape that prevents the tabs from being loosened from the slits. Alternatively or additionally, the protruding members may be secured to the receiving members by other means, such as e.g. clenching, gluing, screwing, etc.

(14) When the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 are secured to each other, they are arranged such that a peripheral portion of a sidewall part 110, 112, 114, 116 meets a peripheral portion of another one of the sidewall parts, thus forming a junction between the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 that is arranged at one of the four corners of the cavity.

(15) As each of the four flanges 111, 113, 115, 117 may be arranged to engage with e.g. the lighting fixture or a grid of a dropped ceiling, all four sides of the lighting assembly 100 may be supported in the lighting fixture. However, the lighting assembly 100 may comprise only two or three support surfaces. In case only two support surfaces are provided, each support surface may be arranged at different sides of the four-sided cavity, such as at opposing sides, so as to make the fixation of the lighting assembly 100 more stable. As an example, the first and second longitudinal sidewall parts 110, 114 may be provided with support surfaces whereas the first and second lateral sidewall parts 112, 116 may not.

(16) FIG. 2 shows a bottom plan view of an assembled lighting assembly 100 according to another embodiment. The lighting assembly 100 may be similarly configured as the lighting assembly 100 described with reference to FIG. 1, but according to this embodiment, each of the lateral sidewall parts 112, 116 are provided with a recess 118 for receiving a protrusion 119 of the second longitudinal sidewall part 114, respectively. By arranging light emitting elements, such as LEDs 130, on the protrusion, the LEDs 130 may be positioned closer to the lateral side of the cavity. Thereby, the light emitted out of the cavity may be better distributed along the longitudinal extension of the lighting assembly 100. However, it will be appreciated that the placement of the light emitting elements 130 by no means is limited to the second longitudinal sidewall portion 114, the light emitting elements 130 may be arranged on any sidewall part 110, 112, 114, 116. Consequently, any of the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 may be provided with a recess 118 adapted to receive a protrusion 119 from any other sidewall part in order to provide a desired distribution of the emitted light.

(17) In FIG. 2, the outline of a grid 160 of a dropped ceiling is indicated to illustrate an example of a lighting assembly 100 being supported by four flanges 111, 113, 115, 117 on the grid 100. The dimensions of the flanges 111, 113, 115, 117 may be adapted to (at least almost) fully cover the gaps between the lighting assembly 100 and the grid 160 or lighting fixture. The sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 are secured to each other by means of the tabs 122 of the lateral sidewall parts 112, 116 which engage with the slits 124 of the longitudinal sidewall parts 110, 114. As shown in FIG. 2, the tabs 124 may be bent or folded, after being fit into the slits 122, so as to prevent the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 from coming loose from each other.

(18) The sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 may be arranged in the lighting fixture one by one and subsequently secured to each other by the fastening arrangement 122, 124. Even though the mounted lighting assembly 100 may be slightly larger than e.g. the opening of the grid 160, the lighting fixture or the opening of a frame of the lighting fixture, the lighting assembly 100 may still be inserted in the lighting fixture by assembling the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 one by one in the lighting fixture. As an example, the lighting assembly 100 in FIG. 2 is provided with circumferential flanges 111, 113, 115, 117, which due to the length and width of the lighting assembly 100 may render it difficult to insert a pre-mounted lighting assembly 100 in the grid 160. However, the lighting assembly 100 may be inserted in the lighting fixture in pieces or modules, such as sidewall part by sidewall part, which then may be secured to each other once they are inserted. As a result, a lighting assembly 100 having a circumferential periphery slightly larger than the opening in the grid 160, or a corresponding opening in the lighting fixture or in a frame arranged at the lighting fixture, can thereby be mounted in the lighting fixture.

(19) FIG. 3 is a perspective, cross sectional view of a lighting assembly 100 similarly configured as the lighting assemblies 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 mounted in a lighting fixture 170. The cross section of the lighting assembly 100 is taken across the longitudinal sidewall parts 110, 114 and shows a LED 130 arranged on the second longitudinal sidewall part 114 to emit light within the four-sided cavity 140 defined by the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116.

(20) Each of the longitudinal sidewall portions 110, 114 comprises a protruding flange 111, 115 which is adapted for supporting the lighting assembly 100 in the lighting fixture. As shown in FIG. 2, the flanges 111, 115 rest on the upper surface of a grid 160 of a dropped ceiling, in which the luminaire, comprising the lighting assembly 100 and the lighting fixture 170, is recessed.

(21) Further, the embodiment of the lighting assembly 100 shown in FIG. 3 comprises a diffuser 150 arranged to diffuse the light emitted by the LEDs 130. The diffuser 150 may e.g. by secured to the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 of the lighting assembly 100, the grid 160, or the lighting fixture 170. The fixation may e.g. be realized by means of protruding and receiving members similar to those previously discussed, or by fastening means such as clips, screws, etc. The present diffuser 150 may e.g. be formed of a rectangular plate that is curved in one direction so as to conform with the envelope surface of a cylinder. Thereby the diffuser 150 may be arranged to (at least almost) cover the LEDs 130 of the lighting assembly 100 and hence improve the visual appearance of the lighting assembly 100. The diffuser 150 may also be slightly larger than the opening, or cell, defined by the grid 160 in order to partially or fully cover the opening of the cavity 140 such that neither the other parts of the lighting assembly 100 nor the lighting fixture 170 are visible to a viewer observing the ceiling. The diffuser 150 may be flat so as to provide a flat lower or inner surface of the ceiling.

(22) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sidewall part 116. A sensor mounting position 180 for locating a sensor (not shown), can be seen as a dashed circular outline. The outline 180 defines a cut line for a stamping or a laser cutting machine or waterjet cutting machine. The dashed line denotes a region wherein the material is almost completely cut but portions remain that offer enough mechanical strength to prevent the centre falling out during transit or installation but that is suitably weakened to allow a user or installer to push it out to allow a sensor to be fitted. The control module mounting position 190 is shown as a dashed rectangular portion and has a similarly weakened cutting pattern as that disclosed above for sensor mounting position 180.

(23) FIG. 5 s a perspective view of a sidewall parts 116. A sensor 200 is shown located in the sensor mounting position 180 as shown in FIG. 4. After the user or installer has pushed out the weakened portion then the sensor 200 can be affixed in position. This may be by the use of mechanical fixings such as screws or more preferably by clipping into position using a resilient tang.

(24) A control module 210 is shown located in the control module mounting position 190 as shown in FIG. 4. After the user or installer has pushed out the weakened portion then the control module can be affixed in position. This may be by the use of mechanical fixings such as screws or more preferably by clipping into position using a resilient tang.

(25) A method 500 for mounting a lighting assembly in a lighting fixture according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The lighting assembly 100 may be similarly configured as the lighting assembly 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

(26) The method 500 comprises a step of arranging 510 at least four sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 in the lighting fixture 170, and a step of securing 520 the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 to each other by means of a fastening arrangement 122, 124. When the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 are secured to each other, they define sidewalls of a four-sided cavity 140 and junctions between the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 are arranged at the corners of the cavity 140. Each one of at least two of the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 comprises a support surface, such as e.g. a flange 111, 113, 115, 117, adapted to support the lighting assembly 100 in the lighting fixture 170. The support surfaces are arranged to be at different sides of the four-sided cavity 140 when the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 are arranged in the lighting fixture, and may e.g. engage with a frame arranged at the lighting fixture 170 or a grid of a dropped ceiling.

(27) The lighting assembly 100 according to the described embodiments may e.g. be a retrofit lighting assembly. Such retrofit lighting assembly may e.g. be used for modification or conversion of a luminaire already in use. As an example, a luminaire may be converted from an incandescent, fluorescent, or high intensity discharge light source into a LED light source.

(28) The person skilled in the art realizes that the present invention by no means is limited to the preferred embodiments described above. On the contrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the cavity 140 may be formed of more than four sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116. The sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 may also be secured to each other by other fastening arrangements than those comprising a protruding member 122 and a receiving member 124. As an example, the sidewall parts 110, 112, 114, 116 may be attached to each other by hook-and-loop fasteners, clips, adhesive tape, etc.

(29) Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word comprising does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article a or an does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measured cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.