A light for a call point

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to a light for a call point. The light comprises a housing having a light source and a bracket comprising a supporting flange for securing the housing to the bracket. The light source is positioned distally of a distal end of the supporting flange such that the light source illuminates the front surface of the call point.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a light for a call point. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a safety light for illuminating the front surface of a call point. Aspects of the invention relate to a light for a call point, to a call point comprising a light and to a method of fitting a light to a call point.BACKGROUND

[0002] Manual fire alarm call points are used to allow people within a building to raise the alarm if they discover a fire. As such, manual call points need to be prominently sited and easily accessed by a person in the event of a fire. Manual call points are distributed throughout buildings such that it is impossible to leave the building without passing a manual call point. Manual call points are typically located near exits from buildings or storeys within a building or on a thoroughfare within the building such that they are readily accessible in the event of a fire.

[0003] Manual fire alarm call points are generally red in colour such that they are instantly recognisable as being a manual call point so that in an emergency situation a person within the building can quickly identify the nearest call point and raise the alarm.

[0004] In order to help improve the recognition of manual fire alarm call points there has been a move within the industry to introduce regulations around the illumination of call points such that, even in the event of a power cut, the manual call points are clearly illuminated and easily identifiable to a person within the building. To meet the relevant safety standards emergency lights are often fitted on the ceiling in the vicinity of a manual fire alarm call point such that the emergency lighting can illuminate the call point in the case of an emergency. However, this solution is unsatisfactory as the illumination provided by the emergency lighting is often not sufficient to meet the safety requirements set within the standards.

[0005] There is therefore a need to provide a solution to illuminate manual fire alarm call points to help make them instantly recognisable and identifiablo to a person within the building in an emergency situation.

[0006] It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art.

[0007] CN103218898 provides a manual fire alarm button with a video collection function and capable of flashing to alarm.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Accordingly, the present disclosure relates to a light for a call point as detailed in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are detailed in the dependent claims. Furthermore, the present disclosure relates to a method of fitting a light as detailed in claim 15.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a call point suitable for use with embodiments of the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the call point of Figure 1 fitted with a light according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is schematic side view of the light and call point of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a spacer bracket of the light of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a front view of the spacer bracket of Figure 4; Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the light of Figure 2; Figure 7 is a plan view of a lower housing and lens; Figure 8 is a rear view of the spacer bracket of Figure 4; Figure 9 is a perspective view of a spacer bracket according to another embodiment; and Figure 10 is a flow chart outlining the steps of fitting the light to a call point. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] In general terms embodiments of the invention relate to a light, for example an emergency light or a safety light for illuminating the front surface of a manual call point such that the call point is clearly visible and recognisable in an emergency situation. The safety light comprises a spacer bracket configured to be secured to the call point. For example, the spacer bracket may be secured between a front panel and a rear panel of the call point such that the spacer bracket can be retrofitted to existing call points. The safety light further comprises a housing attached to the spacer bracket. The housing comprises a light source for illuminating the front surface of the call point. Furthermore, the housing is secured to the spacer bracket such that the housing is located above and over-hanging the front surface of the call point. In this sense, the light source is typically positioned distally of a distal edge of the supporting flange.

[0011] The safety light can advantageously be retrofitted to existing call points. When the safety light is fitted to call points the safety light illuminates the front surface of the call point thereby making the call point instantly recognisable in an emergency situation. Alternatively, the safety light may be fitted to new call points such that the call points are illuminated and clearly visible and recognisable in an emergency situation.

[0012] To place embodiments of the invention in a suitable context reference will firstly be made to Figure 1 which shows a manual call point 10 suitable for use with embodiments of the invention. The call point 10 comprises a front panel 12 and a rear panel 14 that are joined to form the external casing or shell of the call point 10. The casing of the call point 10 has a generally square profile with a substantially planar front surface 16. The front surface 16 of the front panel 12 comprises a frangible element 18 that a user may press or break to activate the alarm in an emergency situation. The front surface 16 of the call point 10 is positioned prominently within a building such that the call point 10 is quickly recognisable and identifiable in an emergency situation.

[0013] The manual call point 10 shown in Figure 1 is typical of call points found in Europe although the skilled reader will appreciate that the invention may be used with other manual call points that are commonly used around the world. For example, some call points may comprise a lever, a handle or the like on the front surface 16 that is pulled to activate the alarm in an emergency. However, the means of activating call points around the world is typically positioned on the front surface 16 and thus it is desirable that this surface is illuminated.

[0014] Figure 2 shows the call point 10 fitted with a safety light 20 according to an embodiment of the invention. The safety light 20 comprises a housing 22 having a light source (not shown in Figure 2) and a spacer bracket 24. The bracket 24 is fixed to and supports the housing 22 above the front surface 16 of the call point 10 such that the light source overhangs the front surface 16 of the call point 10. The bracket 24 is secured to the call point 10 thereby fixing the housing 22 relative to the call point 10.

[0015] The safety light 20 may further comprise a cover 26. The cover 26 is hingedly coupled to the housing 22 such that the cover 26 covers at least a portion of the front surface 16 of the call point 10 and is moveable to allow access to the frangible element 18, or to a lever ot handle or the like, to activate the call point 10. The cover 26 is a clear plastics material that allows the front surface 16 of the call point 10 to be viewed whilst preventing the call point 10 being inadvertently activated by a user. Furthermore, the cover 26 may also improve the illumination of the front surface 16 through light from the light source being reflected off the inner surface of the cover 26 towards the front surface 16 of the call point 10.

[0016] The housing 22 may be a plastics housing or casing that is positioned above, and at least partially overhangs, the front surface 16 of the call point 10. The light source, within the housing 22, is positioned such that it provides down-lighting, thereby illuminating the front surface 16 of the call point 10. The over-hang of the housing 22 over the front surface 16 beneficially positions the light source distally of a distal end 72 of a supporting flange 34 (see Figure 3) such that the light source is positioned distally of the front surface 16. This beneficially allows the light source to illuminate the entire front surface 16 of the call point 10 with a high uniformity of illumination. The uniformity of the illumination of the front surface 16 is around 0.4 or more.

[0017] Figure 3 shows a schematic side view of the call point 10 fitted with the light 20. As shown in Figure 3 the spacer bracket 24 is positioned between the front panel 12 and rear panel 14 of the call point 10 and the supporting flange 34 is positioned above and extends over the top surface of the front panel 12. A distal end 72 of the supporting flange 34 is positioned distally of the front surface 16 of the call point 10 such that the supporting flange 34 partially over hangs the front surface of the call point 10.

[0018] The housing 22 is secured to the supporting flange 34 such that a portion of the housing 22 abuts the top surface of the supporting flange 34. A distal side 21 of the housing 22 is positioned distally of both the front surface 16 of the call point 10 and the distal end 72 of the supporting flange 34 such that a portion of the housing 22 overhangs both the front surface 16 and the supporting flange 34.

[0019] An aperture or slot 60 is positioned on the lower side of the housing 22 and a lens 62 is at least partially received within the slot 60. A light source 70 is positioned above the lens 62 and slot 60 such that light emitted from the light source 70 passes through the lens 62 and slot 60 to illuminate the front surface 16 of the call point 10. The light source 70, slot 60 and lens 62 are positioned within a distal portion of the housing 22 that overhangs the front surface 16 and the supporting flange 34 such that the light source 70, slot 60 and lens 62 are all positioned distally of the distal end 72 of the supporting flange 34. The lens 62 may be a rod lens that is configured to refract the light from the light source 70 towards the front surface 16 of the call point 10 such that the front surface 16 is illuminated substantially evenly. The light source 70 may be a series of LEDs or the like.

[0020] Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the spacer bracket 24 in isolation. The bracket 24 is a square frame with a central aperture 33. The bracket 24 is dimensioned such that the outer profile of the frame substantially matches the outer profile of the call point 10. This beneficially ensures the bracket 24 sits flush with the outer surface of the call point 10.

[0021] The bracket 24 comprises a frame 35 and a supporting flange 34 extending perpendicularly from a vertical plane of the frame 35. The vertical plane is a plane aligned with the frame 35 of the bracket 24. The frame 35 has a generally square outer profile that matches the outer profile of the call point 10. The frame 35 further comprises a pair of vertical side arms 40 that are joined by a lower horizontal member 37 and an upper horizontal member 39. An aperture 33 is defined by the side arms 40 and the lower and upper horizontal members 37, 39. The side arms 40 and the lower and upper horizontal members 37, 39 are aligned along the vertical plane such that the frame 35 has a substantially planar profile. The planar profile of the frame 24 beneficially allows the frame 24 to be located between the front and rear panels 12, 14 of the call point 10.

[0022] The lower horizontal arm 37 of the bracket 24 comprises a break or gap 90 such that the lower horizontal arm 37 comprises a pair of arms 92a, 92b. A clip 94 is secured to the arm 92b by a tether or deformable plastics element 96 that is moveable from a first position (as shown in Figure 4) in which the clip 94 does not secure the pair of arms 92a, 92b and a second position in which the clip 94 couples the pair of arms together thereby closing the gap 90. This is beneficial as the gap 90 allows wiring extending between the front panel 12 and the rear panel 14 of the call point 10 to be accommodated within the aperture 33 of the bracket 24 without having to re-wire the call point 10. This allows the bracket 24 to be fitted to the call point 10 quickly. The clip 94 may be closed or moved to the second position to close the gap 90 and secure the pair of arms 92a, 92b relative to each other when the wires are accommodated within the aperture 33 to prevent the vertical side arms 40 of the bracket 24 from splaying.

[0023] The lower horizontal arm 37 comprises a tab 87 extending from the lower horizontal arm 37 into the aperture 33 along the plane of the frame 35. The tab 87 comprises two portions positioned at distal ends of the respective pair of arms 92a, 92b such that the tab 87, in its entirety, spans the gap 90. The tab 87 comprises clip engagement formations 89 for retaining the clip 94 when it is in the closed position. Extending the tab 87 into the aperture 33 beneficially provides a flush surface on the lower horizontal arm 37 beneath the tab 87 that the front and rear panels 12, 14 of the call point 10 may engage and clamp. The continuous engagement surface extending around the periphery of the frame 35 ensures that the front and rear panels 12, 14 of the call point 10 lie flush against the frame 35 to give a flush finish between the outer surface of the call point 10 and the bracket 24. The clip 94 is secured to the tab 87 via the deformable plastics element 96.

[0024] As best viewed in Figures 2 and 3, the frame 35 of the bracket 24 is secured to the call point 10 between the front panel 12 and the rear panel 14 of the call point 10. The frame 35 is clamped or sandwiched between the front and rear panels 12, 14 of the call point 10 thereby securing the frame 35 to the call point 10. The frame 35 is relatively thin in a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane of the frame 35. For example, the frame 35 may be between 1mm and 10mm thick such that the frame 35 can be positioned between the front and rear panels 12, 14 of the call point 10 without substantially altering the aesthetics or function of the call point 10.

[0025] Turning back to Figure 4, the supporting flange 34 is joined to, and extends from, the upper horizontal member 39. The supporting flange 34 extends perpendicularly from the upper horizontal member 39 in a distal direction from the vertical plane of the frame 35. The flange 34 is configured to engage and support the housing 22 to mount the housing 22 above the call point 10 such that a distal side 21 of the housing 22 and the light source 70 overhang the front surface 16 of the call point 10.

[0026] The supporting flange 34 comprises retention formations 38 to engage and grip the underside of the housing 22. The retention formations 38 may be a series of ridges or grooves extending laterally across the upper surface of the flange 34. The retention formations 38 may cooperate with corresponding retention features on a lower side of the lower housing 30 to position or index the lower housing 30 relative to the bracket 24.

[0027] In particular, the retention formations 38 inhibit rotational movement of the housing 22 relative to the bracket 24. The retention formations 38 beneficially help to maintain the housing 22 substantially square to the bracket 24 such that the distal side 21 of the housing 22 is parallel with the vertical plane of the bracket 24.

[0028] The supporting flange 34 further comprises two grooves 57 or runners extending longitudinally over the top surface of the supporting flange 34. The grooves 57 are configured to receive corresponding rails or protrusions located on the lower side of the lower housing 30. The grooves 57 beneficially receive the corresponding rails on the underside of the housing 22 and act to locate the housing 22 and inhibit rotational movement of the housing 22 relative to the bracket 24.

[0029] The housing 22 is secured to the flange via a fastener, such as a screw, that is received within the aperture 41 on the flange 34.The flange 34 may comprise a plurality of apertures 41 arranged at differing distal positions on the flange 34 to vary the position of the housing 22.

[0030] Figure 5 shows a front view of the bracket 24. As shown in Figure 5 the bracket 24 further comprises two tabs 36 or formations for attaching the bracket 24 to the call point 10. The tabs 36 are disposed on opposing vertical arms 40 of the bracket 24 and extend inwardly from the vertical arms 40 towards the centre of the aperture 33. The tabs 36 are configured to engage or receive the screws that are used to secure the front panel 12 and rear panel 14 together such that the bracket 24 may be retained by the call point 10.Each tab 36 comprises a fastening formation, for example an aperture 50, a slot or a pair of jaws for receiving a fastener, such as a screw, to engage the tabs 36 and secure the bracket 24 to the call point 10.

[0031] As shown in Figure 5, each tab 36 comprises a wire frame 52 and an aperture 50. The wire frame 52 is made from a plastics material that allows the tab 36 to be elastically deformed from a first position (as shown in Figure 5) in which each tab 36extends substantially in-plane with the plane of the frame 35 and a second position in which each tab 36 is flexed or moved at least partially out of plane to accommodate a raised or protruding boss on the rear panel 14 of the call point 10. This is beneficial when the corresponding fastening feature on the rear panel 14 protrudes distally from the rear panel 14. Moving or flexing the tabs 36 to the second position allows the corresponding fastening feature on the rear panel 14 to be accommodated within the aperture 33 of the bracket 24 such that the bracket 24 sits flush between the front and rear panels 12, 14 of the call point 10.

[0032] Turning now to Figure 6, an exploded view of the light 20 is shown. The housing 22 comprises a lower housing 30 and an upper housing 31 or cover that together form the outer casing of the housing 22. The light source 70, for example a series of LEDs mounted on the PCB 32, is retained within the housing 22. The lower housing 30 further comprises a lens 62 (not visible in Figure 6) located beneath the light source 70. The light source 70 is positioned such that there is a gap between the light source 70 and the top surface of the lens 62. The gap may be between about 1mm and 5mm in size, for example, the gap may be 1.5mm.

[0033] Tabs located on the inner surface at opposing ends of the top housing 31 may abut the lens 62 thereby inhibiting movement of the lens 62 within the lower housing 30 such that the lens 62 is secured in position. The lens 62 may be a rod lens configured to receive light from the light source 70 and direct or refract the light towards the front surface 16 of the call point 10. The lower housing 30 comprises a slot 60 or elongated aperture (not visible in Figure 6) that is aligned with the lens 62 such that light emitted from the light source 70 passes through the slot 60 and is incident on the front surface 16 of the call point 10.

[0034] Figure 7 shows a plan view of the lower housing 30 with the PCB 32 removed for clarity. The lower housing 30 comprises a slot 60 extending laterally across a distal portion of the lower housing 30 for allowing light emitted from the light source 70 to be conveyed to the front surface 16 of the call point 10. The lens 62 is aligned with the slot 60. The lens 62 may be partially received within the slot 60 such that the slot 60 is used to position the lens 62 within the lower housing 30. For example, the lens 62 may be a rod lens that is dimensioned such that a portion of the rod lens engages the slot 60. The rod lens may have a diameter of between about 5mm and 15mm. For example, the lens 62 may have a diameter of 6mm. The light source 70 (not shown in Figure 7) is positioned between about 1mm and 5mm, preferably 1.5mm, above the lens 62.

[0035] The lower housing 30 further comprises a positioning slot 64. The positioning slot 64 is an elongate slot 64 positioned proximally to, and extending orthogonally to, the aperture or slot 60. The positioning slot 64 is configured to receive a fastener, such as a screw, to secure the housing 22 to the supporting flange 34 via aperture 41. The positioning slot 64 allows the position of the housing 22 relative to the aperture 41 on the supporting flange 34 to be varied. This is beneficial as the positioning slot 64 enables the housing 22 to be moved in a fore-aft direction relative to the bracket 24 such that the distance the distal side 21 of the housing 22 overhangs the front surface 16 of the call point 10 can be varied. This allows the safety light 20 to be fitted to call points 10 of varying dimensions. Furthermore, controlling the overhang of the distal side 21, and thus of the light source, ensures that the light source may be positioned so as to provide substantially uniform illumination of the call point 10.

[0036] The lower housing 30 is secured to the upper housing 31 via screws extending through apertures 74 that engage corresponding threaded bosses on the inner surface of the upper housing 31. The upper housing 31 may also comprise a corresponding positioning slot (not shown) such that a screw may pass through the positioning slots on the lower and upper housings 30, 31 such that the lower and upper housings 30, 31 are secured together to form the housing 22. The fore-aft position of the housing 22 may subsequently be adjusted by moving the housing 22 in a fore-aft direction prior to securing the screw. This allows the overhang of the distal side 21 of the housing 22, and thus the position of the light source 70, to be adjusted.

[0037] The lower housing 30 comprises a notch 75 located on a proximal side 77 of the lower housing 30. The notch 75 allows a space for the wires to protrude from the housing when the lower and upper housings 30, 31 are secured together. The lower housing 30 further comprises strain relief formations 79 or protrusions that the wires are routed around to provide strain relief and to prevent the wire connector being pulled off the mating plug on the PCB 32. The wiring may deliver power to the PCB 32 and light source 70 within the housing 22 from the existing power supply for the call point 10. This beneficially allows the safety light 20 to be fitted to a call point and use the existing power supply.

[0038] Figure 8 shows the proximal side of the bracket 24. As shown in Figure 8 the bracket comprises a notch 85 defining a path from the supporting flange 34 to the central aperture 33 on the proximal side of the bracket 24. The notch 85 provides a route along which wiring may be routed from the PCB 32 to the wiring of the call point 10. Furthermore, the notch 85 on the proximal side of the bracket 24 is positioned such that it is aligned with the notch 75 located on the proximal side 77 of the lower housing 30. This is beneficial as the notches 75, 85 together form a path along which wiring may be routed from the PCB 32 to the wiring of the call point 10 such that power may be taken from the call point 10 to the PCB 32 and light source 70.

[0039] Turning now to Figure 9, a spacer bracket 24 according to another embodiment is shown. As shown in Figure 9, each tab 36 comprises a wire frame 52 and a pair of jaws 88. The pair of jaws 88 comprises an opening for receiving a screw to secure the front panel 12 to the rear panel 14. The screw may be at least partially received within the jaws 88 such that the bracket 24 is secured to the call point 10 by the screw.

[0040] The wire frame 52 is made from a plastics material that allows the tabs 36 to be elastically deformed from a first position (as shown in Figure 9) in which the pair of jaws 88 are each aligned with corresponding fastenings on the rear panel 14 of the call point 10 and a second position in which each pair of jaws 88 are moved laterally outwards toward the vertical leg 40 that the respective tab 36 is connected to. This is beneficial when the corresponding fastening feature on the rear panel 14 protrudes distally from the rear panel 14.

[0041] Figure 10 shows a flow chart outlining the steps of fitting the safety light 20 to a call point 10. In Step 801 the front panel 12 is removed from the call point 10 and the spacer bracket 24 is positioned between the front and rear panels 12, 14 of the call point 10 such that the bracket is positioned behind the front panel 12. To secure the spacer bracket 24 to the call point 10 the front panel 12 may be removed and wiring extending from the rear panel 14 to the front panel 12 may be passed through the gap 90 in the lower horizontal arm 37 of the bracket 24 such that the wiring is received within the central aperture 33 of the spacer bracket 24. The clip 94 is then moved to the second or closed position in which the gap 90 is closed and the bottom arms 92a, 92b are joined together to close the gap 90 and thus the aperture 33.

[0042] In Step 802 the housing 22 is secured to the supporting flange 34 of the spacer bracket 24. Wiring from the PCB 32 and light source 70 are connected to the wiring that provides power to the call point 10. The supporting flange 34 is positioned above the top surface of the front panel 12. The housing 22 may be loosely secured to the supporting flange 34 such that the housing 22 may be moved in a fore-aft direction relative to the call point 10 to position the light source distally of the front surface 16 of the call point 10. Moving the housing 22 relative to the bracket 24 beneficially allows the light source to be positioned to maximise the uniformity of illumination of the front panel 16 of the call point 10. The front panel 12 may then be secured to the rear panel 14 via screws such that the spacer bracket 24 is secured to the call point 10 between the front and rear panels 12, 14.

[0043] In Step 803 the housing 22 is positioned relative to the spacer bracket 24 such that the slot 60 and light source 70 are positioned distally of the distal end 72 of the supporting flange 34. The housing 22 may be adjusted such that the light source 70 illuminates substantially all of the front surface 16 of the call point 10. In Step 804 the housing 22 is secured in position by, for example, tightening the screw to secure the position of the housing 22 and the cover 26 is attached to the housing 20.

[0044] It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A light for a call point (10), the light comprising: a housing (22) having a light source; and a bracket (24) for supporting the housing (22) above a front surface (16) of the call point (10) such that the light source overhangs the front surface (16); the bracket (24) comprising a supporting flange (34) for securing the housing to the bracket; wherein the light source is positioned distally of a distal end of the supporting flange (34); the supporting flange (34) being positioned distally of the front surface (16) such that the supporting flange 34 partially overhangs the front surface (16) which allows the light source to illuminate the entire front surface (16) of the call point (10) with a uniformity of illumination of around 0.4 or higher.

2. A light as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the bracket (24) comprises a pair of substantially vertical side arms.

3. A light as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the bracket (24) further comprises an upper horizontal arm (39) and a lower horizontal arm (37) and wherein an aperture is defined within the vertical side arms and the lower and upper horizontal arms.

4. A light as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the lower horizontal arm (37) comprises a gap such that the lower horizontal arm (37) is formed from a pair of arms.

5. A light as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the pair of arms are coupled by a clip (94), the clip being moveable between a secured position in which the gap between the pair of arms is closed such that the pair of arms are secured relative to each other and an open position in which the gap between the pair of arms is open.

6. A light as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 5, wherein each of the pair of side arms comprise a tab for securing the bracket to the call point.

7. A light as claimed in Claim 6, wherein each tab is aligned along a plane of the bracket (24) and wherein each tab extends inwardly towards the opposing vertical side arm along said plane.

8. A light as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the supporting flange (34) extends substantially perpendicularly from the bracket.

9. A light as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the housing comprises an aperture for conveying light from the light source and wherein the aperture is positioned distally of the distal end of the supporting flange.

10. A light as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the housing comprises a lens and wherein the lens is aligned with the aperture such that light emitted from the light source passes through the lens prior to passing through the aperture.

11. A light as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the supporting flange comprises one or more retention formations extending laterally on the supporting flange for engaging a lower surface of the housing.

12. A light as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the housing (22) comprises a retention slot for receiving a fastener to secure the housing to the flange.

13. A light as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a cover pivotally coupled to the housing (22).

14. A call point comprising a light as claimed in any preceding claim.

15. A method of fitting a light as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14 to a call point, the method comprising: positioning the bracket (24) between a front panel and a rear panel of the call point; and securing the housing having the light source to the bracket; wherein securing the housing to the bracket (24) comprises moving the housing (22) relative to the bracket such that the light source is positioned distally of a front surface (16) of the front panel of the call point (10).

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