Downlight covers

Abstract

The multipart ventilation cover 100, particularly for holding insulation material away from a downlight to permit airflow, comprises a cover member 110 including at least one inner 112 and one outer 1

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to ventilation covers for downlights. Background A downlight (sometimes referred to as a ‘downlighter’, ‘recessed light’, ‘can light’ or ‘pot light’) is a form of light fitting which is recessed into a ceiling, directing light downward into a space below. Downlights typically comprise: a light source such as a bulb or LED module, a trim that surrounds the light source outside the ceiling cavity to cover portions of the opening into which the downlight is installed surrounding the light source, and a frame or housing (sometimes referred to as a ‘can’) which supports components of the light fitting located within the ceiling cavity, such as the light source itself, a reflector, a heat sink or sprung arms for holding the light fitting in position. Ceiling cavities into which downlights are inserted are typically filled with thermal insulation material such as fiberglass or mineral wool. If this insulation material is located too closely around the portion of a downlight inserted into the ceiling cavity, it can result in the downlight overheating, potentially leading to reduced performance, fire risks, or damage to the light fitting itself. Therefore, in order to prevent downlights overheating, they are often designed with spacious housings or are fitted with covers or shrouds fitted inside the ceiling cavity, in order to hold any insulation material away from the electrical components of the downlight and ensure that they can receive sufficient airflow to keep them cool. Such housings or covers are typically bulky to store and transport and are only compatible with specific models or sizes of downlights. Embodiments described herein provide improved downlight covers which mitigate these disadvantages. Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a multipart ventilation cover for a downlight, the cover comprising: a cover member comprising one or more inner connection portions and one or more outer connection portions, the one or more inner connection portions at least partially surrounding a first area of the cover member and the one or more outer connection portions at least partially surrounding a second larger area of the cover member; one or more support members, the or each support member comprising first and second support connection portions positioned towards opposing ends of the support member, the first support connection portion being configured to connect to one of the inner and outer connecting portions of the cover member, and the second support connection portion being configured to be connectable to the downlight fitting in use, wherein the one or more support members are configured to position the cover member at a distance away from the downlight fitting when their first and second support connection portions are connected to the inner or outer connection portions of the cover member and to the downlight fitting respectively. The invention provides a cover for a downlight for preventing adjacent insulation material from contacting the downlight fitting (sometimes referred to as a downlight insulation cover). When the cover is assembled the one or more support members space the cover member away from the downlight housing to which it is connected, providing an air gap adjacent to downlight fitting and any electrical components thereof, preventing them from being surrounded to closely by insulating material in a ceiling cavity. Downlight fittings come in a variety of sizes for use in differently sized ceiling cutouts, and downlight covers are typically dimensioned to fit over or connect to specific sizes of downlight fittings. This necessitates selecting and acquiring specific downlight covers when installing downlights and requires vendors to offer and store a variety of differently dimensioned downlight covers for use in different situations. In contrast, the downlight cover of the present invention has a cover member with inner and outer connection portions that at least partially surround differently sized areas, which enables support members to be connected to either inner or outer locations on the cover member, so as to define smaller and larger downlight covers respectively, for use with smaller and larger downlights. This allows the same multi-part downlight cover to be used with a greater variety of downlight fittings, simplifying the process of installing a downlight and reducing the number of downlight covers that a given vendor may need to store or transport, potentially reducing an amount of storage space or vehicle trips they may need to use in making downlight covers available. In some embodiments, the first support connection portion of the or each of the one or more support members is configured to connect to one of either the inner and outer connection portions of the cover member. This may advantageously enable the same support members to be used with both the inner and outer connection portions, when assembling both smaller and larger downlight covers. This reduces the number of components of the multipart downlight cover and further reducing the size and weight of a downlight cover suitable for fitting multiple different sizes of downlight fitting. In some embodiments, the one or more support members are at least two support members. In some such embodiments, the cover member comprises at least two inner connection portions and at least two outer connection portions, each of the inner and outer connection portions being for connecting to the first support connection portion of the at least two support members. Therefore, multiple support members may be connected to the downlight fitting (at their second connection portions) and to either the inner connection portions of the cover member or the outer connection portions thereof (at their first connection portions). This may more securely support the cover member - allowing it to hold back a greater weight of insulation material -while potentially providing gaps between the supports to provide additional ventilation to the downlight fitting, for example, by providing a multi-legged arrangement of supports. Alternatively, the cover member could comprise only a single inner connection portion and / or single outer connector portion, such as generally circular, semi -circular or horseshoe-shaped connection portions around the first and / or second areas, for connecting to correspondingly shaped support members. In some embodiments, the cover may comprise the same number of support members as it comprises each of inner and outer connection portions on the cover member, such that the cover may be assembled with the or each support member connected to an inner connection portion (to define a smaller cover) or with the or each support member connected to an outer connection portion (to define a larger cover). For example, the cover may comprise two support members and the cover member may comprise two inner connection portions and two outer connection portions. This may advantageously minimize the number of components of the downlight cover, while allowing it to adopt the smaller and larger configurations, thereby minimizing cost and amount of material necessary to construct the cover and providing a smaller footprint for storage and transport of the cover, in particular in comparison to existing cylindrical or cup-shaped downlight covers. Alternatively, a variety of different supports may be provided, for example with different second connecting portions for connecting to different downlight fittings. In some embodiments the cover member is a substantially flat plate. Using such a cover member may allow the cover to be more compact when disassembled, contributing further to the advantageous small form factor of the disassembled cover discussed above. The cover member may be generally or substantially circular, for example for use with common circular downlight fittings to define a generally cylindrical or frustoconical cover when assembled. In some embodiments the inner connection portions are arranged at a first distance from a midpoint on the cover member and the outer connection portions are arranged at a second greater distance from the midpoint on the cover member. Such a midpoint may be the midpoint of the cover member itself or of the connection portions thereof. For example, the inner connection portions may be located at a first smaller radius on a circular cover member and the outer connection portions may be located a second larger radius thereon. In some embodiments, in addition to the one or more inner connection portions and the one or more outer connection portions, the cover member may comprise one or more intermediate connection portions, which may at least partially surround an area of the cover member larger than the first area and smaller than the second area. Such embodiments may allow a larger variety of differently sized covers to be assembled. The outer connection portions may be located at or comprised by an edge of the cover member. This may advantageously minimize the size of cover member necessary to obtain a given size of assembled cover. In some embodiments, the inner connection portions and the outer connection portions each comprise a pair of connection portions on opposite sides of the cover member. In some such embodiments an axis between the pair of opposite inner connection portions may be perpendicular to an axis between the pair of opposite outer connection portions. Such an arrangement may facilitate identifying the inner and outer connection portions by clearly separating the, while providing support on both sides of the connection member to support it securely. In embodiments in which the connection member comprises a plurality of inner connection portions and / or of outer connection portions, the plurality of inner and / or outer connection portions may be equally spaced around a perimeter of the cover member, for example, such that the supports could be arranged in tripod arrangement if the cover member comprises three inner and / or outer connection portions. The or each support member comprises a first support connection portion positioned towards an end thereof configured to connect to one of the inner and outer connecting portions of the cover member. In some embodiments, the first support connection portions and the inner and outer connection portions comprise interlocking protrusions and apertures. Such an arrangement may more securely secure the support members to the cover member when the cover is assembled. In some such embodiments the first support connection portions comprise one or both of male elements configured to be received by corresponding female elements of the inner or outer connection portions, and female elements configured to receive corresponding male elements of the inner and outer connection portions. For example, the inner and outer connection portions may each comprise a plurality of slots for receiving protruding clip elements of the first support connection portions and a plurality of pegs which are received by corresponding apertures of the first support connection portions. Such connections may more securely connect the support members to the cover member when the cover is assembled. In some embodiments, the first support connection portions are configured to be releasably connected to the inner or outer connection portions of the cover member. This may enable the cover to be disassembled, or to be swapped between a larger configuration and a smaller configuration when necessary by moving the support members between the outer and inner connection portions. The one or more support members may be elongate, for example the one or more support members may be elongate legs. Such support members may advantageously provide a high degree of spacing between the cover member and the downlight fitting that they interconnect. In some embodiments the one or more supports have curved lateral cross section. Such a cross section may allow the support to define a portion of a generally cylindrical orfrustoconical side of the cover. In some embodiments, the first support connector may be located at and / or may be defined by an end of the support, such as an upper end thereof. This may enable the first support connector to connect to an underside of the cover member in use, and / or reduce the necessary length of the support. The or each support member comprises a second support connection portion positioned towards an opposite end of the support from the first support connection portion, the second support connection being configured to connect to the downlight fitting in use. In some embodiments, the second support connector may be configured to releasably connect to the downlight fitting, such as to a frame or housing thereof. For example the second support connector may be or may comprise one or more clips for engaging the downlight fitting. In some embodiments, the second support connection portions comprise clips configured to be connectable, in use, to openings of the downlight fitting containing hinges of arms of the downlight fitting. Many models of downlight fitting include hinged arms, which are typically spring biased, for securing the downlight in position by pressing against the base of the ceiling cavity adjacent a cut-out in which the downlight is provided. These arms typically comprise hinges located in openings in sidewalls of the lighting fitting. Embodiments, of the downlight cover may be configured to use such openings to connect to the downlight fittings, for example, by clipping into them at an upper edge thereof. In some embodiments, the first support connection portions are configured to connect to the cover member (at inner and / or outer connection potions thereof) adjacent an edge thereof, and / or the second support connection portions are configured to be connectable to a sidewall of the of the downlight fitting. In some embodiments, the cover member and / or one, some, or each of the one or more support members have one or more vents formed therethrough. This may provide additional airflow to a downlight fitting covered by the dover, further mitigating any risk of overheating According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a lighting assembly comprising: a downlight fitting comprising a lighting housing defining a cavity configured to receive a light source; and a multipart ventilation cover as described above; wherein the second support connection portions of the one or more support members are configured to connect to the lighting housing. In some embodiment the lighting housing is configured to receive a light source for light to exit the downlight fitting from a first end of the downlight fitting and wherein the second connection portions of the one or more support members are configured to connect to portions of the lighting housing towards a second end of the lighting housing. In some embodiments the lighting housing comprises a sidewall and the second support connection portions of at least one of the one or more support members of the cover are connected to the sidewall. In some such embodiments, the downlight fitting further comprises one or more arms for securing the downlight fitting in a ceiling cavity, the one or more arms comprising a hinge located in a hinge opening in the sidewall, wherein the second connection portions of the one or more support members are configured to connect to one of the one or more hinge openings. The downlight fitting of the lighting assembly may further comprise a light source, such as a bulb or light emitting diode, LED, module received within the cavity. The downlight fitting may comprise additional components, such as a heat sink, a lens, a diffusor, a reflector, a pair of spring-biased arms, an electrical connector, a trim and / or a fast opening box. It will be appreciated that the multipart ventilation cover of the of the lighting assembly may comprise any of the optional features described above with reference to the first aspect of the invention. Brief Description of the Figures Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying figures in which: Fig. 1 shows a first perspective view of a downlight fitting with a multipart cover assembled and connected thereto; Fig. 2 shows a second perspective view of the downlight fitting of Fig. 1 with the cover member disconnected from the remainder of the multipart cover; Fig. 3 shows an upper exploded perspective view of a multipart cover; and Fig. 4 shows a lower exploded perspective view of a of the multipart cover. Detailed Description of the Figures Referring to the figures generally, there are shown embodiments of a multipart cover for a downlight, and of a downlight fitting with such a cover fitted thereto. Fig. 1 shows an example of a lighting assembly comprising a downlight fitting 200 with a multipart ventilation cover 100 fitted thereto. The downlight fitting 200 comprises a housing 210 with a generally cylindrical sidewall that defines a cavity; a light source 220 arranged within the cavity to shine light out of a first (lower) end of the housing 210; an electrical connection 230 with a fast opening box arranged to power the light source 220 through an open second (upper) end of the housing 210; a trim 240 at the first end of the housing 210 for covering a gap surrounding the housing 210 when it is inserted into a cutout in a ceiling; and a pair of spring-biased arms 250 that are biased towards the first end of the cavity such that in use, they can press against the inside of a ceiling surface in which the cutout is formed, so as to secure the downlight fitting within a ceiling cavity. The two arms 250 of the downlight fitting comprise spring-loaded hinges 255 which are provided in openings 215 through the sidewall of the housing 210 on opposite sides thereof. It will be appreciated that the illustrated downlight fitting 200 is just one example of a variety of differently configured sand sized downlight fittings to which the cover 100 could be fitted, and that other downlight fittings could comprise additional or different components. The multipart ventilation cover 100 comprises a cover member 110 in the form a substantially flat circular plate; and a pair of support members 150 for releasably connecting the cover member 110 to the downlight fitting 210, such that the cover member 110 is positioned at a distance away from the downlight fitting 200 over the open second end of the housing 210 in use. When connected to the downlight fitting 200, the ventilation cover 100, prevents insulation material above the downlight fitting 200 in a ceiling cavity into which the downlight fitting 200 is inserted from contacting the downlight fitting 200 and the light source 220 thereof. Such insulation material pressing against the downlight fitting 200 overheating, and lead to reduced performance, fire risks, or damage to the downlight fitting 200 itself. The cover 100 provides an air gap above and around the light source 220 ensuring it can receive adequate ventilation. Fig. 1 shows the downlight fitting 200 with the cover 100 fitted thereto and fully assembled, and Fig. 2 shows the downlight fitting 200 with the support members 150 of the cover 100 connected thereto but with the cover member 110 separated from the support members 150. The ventilation cover 100 comprises a cover member 110 and a pair of support members 150. The cover member 110 has a substantially flat disk-shaped body, such that it is compact when the cover 100 is disassembled and such that it fits through the circular cut-outs commonly used with generally cylindrical downlights such as the illustrated example 200. The cover member comprises a pair of inner connection portions 112 and a pair of outer connection portions 114. Each of the inner and outer connection portions 112, 114 being configured to releasably connect to a first end 152 of one of the support members 150 in use. The pair of inner connection portions 112 are arranged on opposite sides of the cover member 100 from each other, as are the pair of outer connection portions 114. An axis between the pair of opposite inner connection portions 112 is perpendicular to an axis between the pair of opposite outer connection portions 114 such that the connection portions are equally distributed around the perimeter of the cover member 110. The arrangement of the inner and outer connection portions 112, 114 can be seen in detail in the top-down exploded view of the cover 100 shown in Fig. 3 The separation between the opposite pair of inner connection portions 112 is less than a separation between the opposite pair of outer connection portions 114, such that the inner connection portions 112 partially surrounding a first area of the cover member 110 and the one or more outer connection portions 114 partially surrounding a second larger area thereof. The inner connection portions 112 are marked ‘65’, indicating that when the first ends 152 of the support members 150 are connected thereto, the second ends 154 of the support members are separated by 65 millimetres, a common diameter of downlight fittings. The outer connection portions 114 are marked 75’ indicating that when the first ends 152 of the support members 150 are connected thereto, the second ends 154 of the support members are separated by 75 millimetres, another larger common diameter of downlight fittings. Therefore, the first ends 152 of the two support members 150 can be connected to the opposite pair of inner connection portions 112, such that the cover 100 is configured to connect to a smaller downlight fitting 200 with a 65-millimiter-diameter housing, or they can be connected to the opposite pair of outer connection portions 114, as shown in Fig. 1, such that the cover 100 is configured to connect to a larger downlight fitting 200 with a 75-millimiter-diameter housing 210. The inner and outer connection portions 112, 114 on the cover member 110 therefore allow the cover 100 to be used with a greater variety of downlight fittings, simplifying the process of installing a downlight and reducing the number of downlight covers that a given vendor may need to store or transport. The outer connection portions 114 are arranged adjacent an edge of the cover member 110 and the inner connection portions 112 are set back slightly from edge of the cover member 110, separated therefrom by a bevelled rim 120. Each of the inner and outer connection portions 112, 114 comprises a pair of outer rectangular apertures 116 through the cover member 110 for receiving corresponding pair of outer clip protrusions 156 comprised by the first ends 152 of each of the support members 150. Each of the inner and outer connection portions 112, 114 further comprises a pair of inner pegs 118 between the outer rectangular apertures 116 for being received by corresponding inner holes 158 between the outer clip protrusions 156 in the first end 152 of each of the support members 150. The components of these connectors 112, 114, 152 can be seen in detail in the bottom-up exploded view of the cover 100 shown in Fig. 4. In addition to the inner and outer connection portions 112, 114, the cover member comprises a plurality of vents 122 therethrough. The support members 150 have curved lateral cross sections, such that they define a portion of a generally cylindrical or frustoconical side of the cover 100 when connected to the cover member 110. The second ends 154 of the support members 150 comprise clips 160, 162 configured to be connectable, in use, to openings 215 of downlight fitting 210 housings that contain the hinges 255 of arms 250 of the downlight fitting. This allows the cover to be retrofitted to a variety of downlight covers with such openings 215, without requiring the housing to be modified to engage with the support members 150. The clips comprise outer portions 160 which contact the exterior of the housing 210 in use and a central clip element 162 that locks into the opening 215. Each of the support members 150 comprises three vents 164 formed therethrough for providing additional ventilation to the enclosed light fitting 200. The invention has been described by way of example, and it will be appreciated that variation may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A multipart ventilation cover for a downlight fitting, the cover comprising:a cover member comprising one or more inner connection portions and one or more outer connection portions, the one or more inner connection portions at least 5 partially surrounding a first area of the cover member and the one or more outerconnection portions at least partially surrounding a second larger area of the cover member; andone or more support members, the or each support member comprising first and second support connection portions positioned towards opposing ends of the 10 support member, the first support connection portion being configured to connect toone of the inner and outer connecting portions of the cover member, and the second support connection portion comprising one or more clips for connecting to the downlight fitting in use,wherein the one or more support members are configured to position the cover15 member at a distance away from the downlight fitting when their first and secondsupport connection portions are connected to the inner or outer connection portions of the cover member and to the downlight fitting respectively;wherein the first support connection portion of the or each of the one or more support members is configured to connect to either of: one of the one or more inner20 connection portions of the cover member to provide a ventilation cover for a smallerdownlight fitting, and one of the one or more outer connection portions of the cover member to provide a ventilation cover for a larger downlight fitting.

2. A multipart ventilation cover according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more 25 support members are at least two support members.

3. A multipart ventilation cover according to claim 2 wherein the cover member comprises at least two inner connection portions and at least two outer connection portions, each of the inner and outer connection portions being for connecting to the first support connection portion of the at least two support members.30 4. A multipart ventilation cover according to claim 3, wherein when the first connectionportions of the at least two support members are connected to the at least two inner connection portions, the second support connection portions of the at least two support members are located on a circle with a diameter of 65 millimeters and wherein when the first connection portions of the at least two support members are connected to the03 12 25at least two outer connection portions the second support connection portions of the at least two support members are located on a circle with a diameter of 75 millimeters.

5. A multipart ventilation cover according to any preceding claim wherein the cover member is a substantially flat plate.5 6. A multipart ventilation cover according to any preceding claim wherein the innerconnection portions and the outer connection portions each comprise a pair of connection portions on opposite sides of the cover member.

7. A multipart ventilation cover according to any preceding claim wherein the clip or clips of the second support connection portions are configured to be connectable, in use, to 10 openings in sidewalls of the downlight fitting containing hinges of arms of the downlightfitting.

8. A multipart ventilation cover according to any preceding claim wherein the first support connection portion or portions and the inner and outer connection portions comprise interlocking protrusions and apertures.15 9. A multipart ventilation cover according to any preceding claim wherein the first supportconnection portion(s) of the one or more support members comprise one or both of male elements configured to be received by corresponding female elements of the inner or outer connection portions, and female elements configured to receive corresponding male elements of the inner and outer connection portions.20 10. A multipart ventilation cover according to any preceding claim wherein the covermember and / or at least one of the one or more support members comprises one or more vents formed therethrough.

11. A multipart ventilation cover according to any preceding claim wherein the one or more first support connection portions are configured to be releasably connected to one of25 the inner and outer connecting portions of the cover member.

12. A multipart ventilation cover according to any preceding claim wherein the second support connection portions are configured to be releasably connectable to the downlight fitting in use.

13. A lighting assembly comprising:30 a downlight fitting comprising a lighting housing defining a cavity configured toreceive a light source ; anda multipart ventilation cover according to any preceding claim;wherein the second support connection portions of the one or more support members of the cover are configured to connect to the lighting housing.

14. A lighting assembly according to claim 13, wherein the lighting housing is configured to 5 receive a light source for light to exit the downlight fitting from a first end of the downlightfitting and wherein the second connection portions of the one or more support members are configured to connect to portions of the lighting housing towards a second end of the lighting housing.

15. A lighting assembly according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the lighting housing 10 comprises a sidewall and the second support connection portions of at least one of theone or more support members of the cover are connected to the sidewall.

16. A lighting assembly according to any of claim 15, wherein the downlight fitting further comprises one or more arms for securing the downlight fitting in a ceiling cavity, the one or more arms comprising a hinge located in a hinge opening in the sidewall, wherein the second connection portions of the one or more support members are configured to connect to one of the one or more hinge openings.03 12 25s