Plastic down light fixture having mutual locking attachment feature

Abstract

To provide a plastic down light fixture having a mutual locking attachment feature.SOLUTION: A disclosed down light fixture includes a lens constituting at least one lens opening, a reflector and a housing. The reflector constitutes at least one first holding feature and at least one second holding feature. The at least one lens opening has a shape determined to accept the corresponding first holding feature so as to lock the lens and the reflector to each other. The housing constitutes at least one housing opening. The housing opening has a shape determined to accept the corresponding second holding feature so as to lock the housing and the reflector to each other. The lens, the reflector and the housing are each made of plastics.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to downlight fixtures, and more particularly to downlight fixtures having a lens, a reflector, and a housing, wherein the lens, the reflector, and the housing are each made of plastic and are interlocked with each other.

Background Art

[0002] Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on lighting systems can offer several energy and reliability advantages over other types of lighting systems, such as incandescent or fluorescent lighting. Thus, LEDs based on lighting systems are increasingly being used to replace other existing lighting technologies. Further, it should also be understood that downlight fixtures are also becoming increasingly popular due to their aesthetic appeal, light output, and versatility.

[0003] While downlight fixtures offer many advantages, they also have some disadvantages. For example, the processes used to manufacture downlights can be time-consuming, expensive, and in some cases, may even require relatively skilled personnel and tooling. Further, currently available downlight fixtures include a housing made of metal. Such a housing may need to be painted in a specific color, such as white or beige, to meet consumer preferences. However, painting the housing requires an additional step during manufacturing, which adds cost and complexity to the downlight fixture. Finally, downlight fixtures typically include many fasteners used to join various components together. These fasteners also increase the overall cost and complexity of the downlight fixture. Thus, there remains a continuing need in the industry for cost-effective downlight fixtures that are easy to assemble.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] In one embodiment, a downlight fixture is disclosed, which includes a lens constituting at least one lens opening, a reflector, and a housing. The reflector comprises at least one first retaining feature and at least one second retaining feature. At least one lens opening is shaped to receive the corresponding first retaining feature in order to interlock the lens and the reflector with each other. The housing comprises at least one housing opening, which is shaped to receive the corresponding second retaining feature in order to interlock the housing and the reflector with each other. The lens, reflector, and housing are each made of plastic.

[0005] In another embodiment, a light-emitting diode (LED) downlight fixture is disclosed, which includes a lens constituting at least one lens aperture, a reflector, a housing, and a light-emitting diode (LED) engine positioned within the housing. The reflector comprises at least one first retaining feature and at least one second retaining feature. At least one lens aperture is shaped to receive the corresponding first retaining feature in order to interlock the lens and the reflector with each other. The housing comprises at least one housing aperture. The housing aperture is shaped to receive the corresponding second retaining feature in order to interlock the housing and the reflector with each other. The lens, reflector, and housing are each made of plastic.

[0006] In another embodiment, a method for assembling a downlight fixture is disclosed. The method includes receiving a first retaining feature of a reflector through a lens opening formed by a lens, the lens opening being shaped to receive the first retaining feature of the reflector in order to lock the lens and the reflector together. The method further includes receiving a second retaining feature of the reflector through a housing opening formed by a housing, the housing opening being shaped to receive the second retaining feature in order to lock the housing and the reflector together. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a disclosed downlight fixture, including the housing, lens, reflector, heat sink, light-emitting diode (LED) engine, and driver board. [Figure 2] This is another diagram of the downlight fixture shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 1 shows the cross-sectional and elevation views of the housing and driver board. [Figure 4A] This is another elevation view of the housing and driver board. [Figure 4B] This is an enlarged view of the retention feature shown in Figure 4A. [Figure 5] This is an illustrative diagram of lenses and reflectors that are interlocked with each other. [Figure 6] This is a top view of the housing, heatsink, and LED light engine. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view of the housing and reflector, which are interlocked with each other. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional view of a lens and reflector that are interlocked with each other. [Figure 9] The bottom portion of the downlight assembly is shown, with two biasing elements and two clips attached to the housing. [Figure 10]This is a magnified cross-sectional view of the housing, lens, one of the biasing elements shown in Figure 9, and one of the clips. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The following detailed description illustrates the general principles of the present invention, and examples of the present invention are shown in addition to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

[0009] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of an exemplary downlight fixture 10. The downlight fixture 10 may include a housing 20, a lens 22, a reflector 26, a heat sink 28, a light-emitting diode (LED) engine 30, and a driver board 32. The housing 20, lens 22, and reflector 26 may each be made of plastic, as will be described in detail below. Although the downlight fixture 10 shown in Figure 1 includes an LED engine 30, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to LED lighting. In fact, this disclosure can also be applied to other types of lighting such as field-induced electroluminescent (FIPEL) lighting and organic LED lighting.

[0010] The housing 20 houses a lens 22, a reflector 26, a heat sink 28, an LED engine 30, and a driver board 32. The housing 20 is preferably made of a plastic such as polycarbonate. The housing 20 preferably forms a rim 40 that extends around the perimeter C of the housing 20. It should be understood that the rim 40 will be visible after the downlight fixture 10 is installed. The housing 20 also includes a first inclined portion 42 and a second inclined portion 44. The first inclined portion 42 of the housing 20 is preferably made of a substantially annular wall 45 that tapers inward toward the bottom wall 48 of the housing 20. The second inclined portion 44 of the housing 20 is preferably made of a substantially annular wall 46 that tapers inward toward the bottom wall 48 of the housing 20.

[0011] As shown in both Figures 1 and 2, it is preferable that multiple positioning pins 50 protrude outward from the inner surface 54 of the bottom wall 48 of the housing 20. Each positioning pin 50 preferably includes a stepped portion 51 that forms a surface 53. Although Figures 1 and 2 show two positioning pins 50, it should be understood that these figures are illustrative in nature and any number of positioning pins can be used. The positioning pins 50 can be used to position and support both the heatsink 20 and the LED engine 30. Referring to Figure 2, both the heatsink 20 and the LED engine 30 have respective features that are shaped to receive the positioning pins 50. The positioning pins 50 eliminate the need for fasteners to position and support the heatsink 20 and the LED engine 30.

[0012] Figure 3 is an elevation and cross section of the housing 20, where the lens 22, reflector 26, heat sink 28, and LED engine 30 are all omitted to show the bottom wall 48 of the housing 20 and the driver board 32. Figure 4A is another view of the housing 20 and the driver board 32. As can be seen in Figure 4A, the driver board 32 preferably contains various power electronics 59 necessary for the electrical operation of the LED engine 30 and the downlight fixture 10.

[0013] Referring to Figures 3 and 4A, it is preferable that multiple retaining features 60, multiple positioning features 62, and a pair of opposing walls 63 are located along the inner surface 54 of the bottom wall 48 of the housing 20. The walls 63 constitute a cavity 65, and the driver board 32 is located within the cavity 65. In one embodiment, it is preferable that two retaining features 60 are located on both sides 64 of the driver board 32, but it should be understood that any number of retaining features 60 can be used. As can be seen in Figures 4A and 4B, each retaining feature 60 is a flexible finger 70 that protrudes outward from the inner surface 54 of the bottom wall 48 of the housing 20. It is preferable that a shelf portion 72 is located along the free end of each finger 70 (Figure 4B). The shelf portion 72 of each finger 70 constitutes a surface 78. During the assembly of the downlight 10, when the driver board 32 is attached to the housing 20, the fingers 70 can bend or flex on the driver board 32. Then, the surface 78 of the fingers 70 comes into contact with the upper surface 80 of the driver board 32. The contact between the fingers 70 and the driver board 32 forms a snap-fit ​​interlocking portion that secures the driver board 32 to a predetermined position within the housing 20. Referring to Figures 3, 4A, and 4B, the positioning features 62 are preferably shaped to correspond to each corner 82 of the driver board 32. In one embodiment, four positioning features 62 are provided for each corner 82 of the driver board 32.

[0014] Referring again to Figures 1-2 and 4A, the heatsink 28 is preferably seated against the upper surface 84 of the opposing wall 63 and the surface 53 formed by the positioning pins 50. The driver board 32, reflector 26, and LED light engine 30 are each preferably housed within the second inclined portion 44 of the housing 20. The heatsink 28 is preferably made of metal, or alternatively, of thermally conductive plastic. A commercially available example of thermally conductive plastic is sold under the trademark THERMA-TECH and is available from PolyOne Corporation in Avon Lake, Ohio. Referring to Figure 2, during the assembly of the downlight fixture 10, thermal grease (not shown) is preferably applied along the lower surface 88 of the heatsink 28. The LED light engine 30 is then preferably placed on the thermal grease located along the lower surface 88 of the heatsink 28. Those skilled in the art will understand that thermal grease can act as a heat conductor and is commonly used as an interface between a heat sink and a heat source (i.e., the LED light engine 30).

[0015] The reflector 26 is preferably made of a plastic such as polycarbonate. The reflector 26 preferably includes a first end portion 90, a second end portion 92, and a truncated cone portion 100. The lip 96 is preferably located on the first end portion 90 of the reflector 26 and is seated in contact with the upper surface 98 of the LED light engine 30. A reflective coating, such as a metallized coating, is preferably arranged along the inner surface 102 of the truncated cone portion 100 of the reflector 26. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the reflective layer is preferably used to spread and direct the light generated by the LED light engine 30. The truncated cone portion 100 of the reflector 26 is located between the first end portion 90 and the second end portion 92 of the reflector 26. The first end portion 90 of the reflector 26 may constitute a first opening 103, and the second end portion 92 of the reflector 26 may constitute a second opening 105, the second opening 105 having a larger diameter than the first opening 103.

[0016] Figure 5 is an illustrative diagram of a reflector 26 assembled to a lens 22. The lens 22 may include one or more openings or windows 110, which may be circumferentially arranged around the lens 22. Each window 110 of the lens 22 may be shaped to receive a corresponding retaining feature or finger 112 of the reflector 26, which in turn form a snap-fit ​​interlocking portion that connects the lens 22 and the reflector 26. The reflector 26 may also include at least one retaining feature or finger 114, which may be circumferentially arranged around the reflector 26. As will be described in detail below, the corresponding openings or windows 118 (Figure 6) arranged circumferentially around the housing 20 are preferably shaped to receive the corresponding fingers 114 of the corresponding reflector 26 and form snap-fit ​​interlocking parts (Figure 7) that attach the reflector 26 and the housing 20 to each other. Thus, the reflector 26 constitutes a retaining feature that interlocks with both the housing 20 and the lens 22, thereby eliminating the need for any fasteners or other types of devices to attach the housing 20, the lens 22, and the reflector 26 to each other.

[0017] Figure 6 is a top view of the housing 20, heat sink 28, and LED light engine 30. In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the housing 20 includes three openings or windows 118 that are equidistant from each other, but any number of windows 118 and spacing configurations can also be used. Figure 7 is a cross section of one of the windows 118 of the housing 20 and one of the fingers 114 of the reflector 26, interlocked with each other. As can be seen in Figures 6-7, each of the windows 118 of the reflector 26 is preferably located along a shelf portion 119 that is situated between the first tapered portion 42 and the second tapered portion 44 of the housing 20.

[0018] As can be seen in Figure 7, each window 118 of the housing 20 is preferably shaped to receive one of the fingers 114 of the reflector 26. The finger 114 is preferably located at the second end portion 92 of the reflector 26. The free end 124 of the finger 114 is preferably forming a shelf portion 120. The shelf portion 120 forms a surface 126. During the assembly of the downlight fixture 10, when the reflector 26 is attached to the housing 20, the finger 114 can bend or flex within the hole 130 formed by the window 118. The surface 126 of the finger 114 is then preferably in contact with the lower surface 132 of the housing 120. The lower surface 132 is preferably located between the first tapered portion 42 and the second tapered portion 44 of the housing. The contact between the finger 114 and the surface 132 of the housing 20 forms a snap-fit ​​interlocking portion that attaches the reflector 26 and the housing 20 to each other. The finger 114 also constitutes a projection 134 that protrudes outward from the finger 114. The projection 134 preferably contacts the shelf portion 119 of the housing 20.

[0019] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of one of the windows 110 of the lens 22 and one of the fingers 112 of the reflector 26 that are interlocked with each other. The window 110 may be constituted by a circumferentially extending side wall 136 around the lens 22. The finger 112 may be located at the second end portion 92 of the reflector 26. The finger 112 of the reflector 26 may constitute a flare or inclined portion 142 located at the free end 140 of the reflector 26. The inclined portion 142 of the finger 112 may gradually increase in wall thickness and terminate at a flat end 148. During the assembly of the downlight fixture 10, when the lens 22 and the reflector 26 are attached to each other, the finger 112 can bend or flex within the hole 150 constituted by the window 110. Then, the flat end 148 of the finger 112 may abut against the lower surface 152 constituted by the opening 150 of the lens 22, and the inclined portion 142 of the finger 112 is received within the opening 150 of the lens 22 so as to form a snap-fit interlocking portion that attaches the reflector 26 and the lens 22 to each other. It should be understood that the interlocking portion between the reflector 26 and the lens, and the interlocking portion between the reflector 26 and the lens 22 (as shown in FIG. 7) can also eliminate the need for fasteners for attaching the heat sink 28 and the LED light engine 30 at a predetermined position within the housing 20. FIG. 9 shows the bottom portion of the downlight assembly 10, and two biasing elements 160 and two clips 162 are assembled to the housing 20. The biasing elements 160 and the clips 162 may be arranged on the housing 20 with an approximately 180-degree spacing from each other. The biasing element 160 can be used to install the downlight fixture 10 within a building or other structure. FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the housing 20, the lens 22, the reflector 26, one of the biasing elements 160, and one of the clips 162. The clip 162 may be made of metal. The biasing element 160 may constitute a plurality of coils 163 and a straight portion 165 (as shown in FIG. 9).

[0020] As can be seen in FIG. 10, in one embodiment, the clip 162 may include a generally U-shaped profile that forms two generally opposing arms 164. Each arm 164 of the clip 162 includes a flexible member 170 that extends inwardly toward the remaining clip 164 of the clip 162. One of the arms 164 of the clip 162 may be received by an opening 172 formed by the housing 20. The opening 172 may be located along a shelf portion 119 of the housing 20. The member 170 of the arm 164 may be biased toward the outer wall 176 of the opening 172 and is seated against the bottom surface 182 of the opening.

[0021] Referring generally to the drawings, the disclosed downlight assembly includes a lens, a reflector, and a housing that are interlocked with each other, thereby eliminating the need for mechanical fasteners. Further, unlike currently available housings made of metal, the disclosed housing may be made of plastic such that the housing is molded in a specific color. Thus, the disclosed housing can eliminate the need for painting, which increases cost and complexity during manufacturing. The disclosed downlight assembly can also reduce labor time and cost. Further, the disclosed downlight assembly is relatively easy and simple to assemble and can require no more skill on the part of the personnel used to assemble the downlight than is possessed by some of the individuals currently assembling downlights. Finally, since the disclosed downlight assembly can be made substantially of plastic components, this can eliminate the need to include additional capacitors or mode chokes to suppress electromagnetic interference (EMI).

[0022] It should be understood that the forms of the apparatus and methods described herein constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, but the invention is not limited to these forms of the apparatus and methods and can be modified without departing from the scope of the invention.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0023] 10 Downlight fixtures 20 Housing 22 lenses 26 Reflector 28 Heatsink 30 LED Engine 32 Driver Boards

Claims

Claim 1 A downlight fixture, the downlight fixture comprising: a lens including at least one lens opening; a reflector including at least one first retaining feature and at least one second retaining feature; further comprising a housing including at least one housing opening, wherein the lens, the reflector, and the housing are each made of plastic; the at least one first retaining feature of the reflector is configured to be received by the at least one lens opening to interlock the lens and the reflector with each other; the at least one second retaining feature of the reflector is configured to be received by the at least one housing opening to interlock the housing and the reflector with each other; the at least one second retaining feature of the reflector is a finger, the finger including a protruding portion protruding outward, the protruding portion being in contact with a shelf portion disposed outside the housing, the downlight fixture. Claim 2 The at least one first retaining feature of the reflector is a finger including an inclined portion, the inclined portion of the finger being received within the lens opening, the downlight fixture according to Claim 1. Claim 3 Including a light-emitting diode (LED) engine positioned within the housing, the LED engine defining at least one second hole shaped to receive a corresponding positioning pin, the downlight fixture according to Claim 1. Claim 4 The reflector defines a first end portion, a second end portion, and a frustoconical portion, a lip being located at the first end portion and seated against the LED engine, the downlight fixture according to Claim 3. Claim 5 Including a driver board received within the housing and including electronics for the electrical operation of the downlight fixture; the first end portion of the reflector defines a first opening; the second end portion of the reflector defines a second opening having a diameter larger than that of the first opening; the downlight fixture according to Claim 1. Claim 6 The inner surface of the housing forms a bottom wall, and at least one board-retaining feature projects from the inner surface of the bottom wall to contact the driver board for attaching the driver board to a predetermined position within the housing, the downlight fixture according to claim 5.

7. The lens, the reflector, and the housing are made of polycarbonate, the downlight fixture according to claim 1.

8. A light-emitting diode (LED) downlight fixture, the light-emitting diode (LED) downlight fixture comprising: an LED engine; a lens including at least one lens opening; a reflector including at least one first retaining feature and at least one second retaining feature, further comprising a housing including at least one housing opening, the lens, the reflector, and the housing each being made of plastic, the at least one first retaining feature of the reflector being configured to be received by the at least one lens opening to interlock the lens and the reflector with each other, the at least one second retaining feature of the reflector being configured to be received by the at least one housing opening to interlock the housing and the reflector with each other, the at least one second retaining feature being a finger, the finger including a protruding portion protruding outward, the protruding portion being in contact with a shelf portion disposed outside the housing, the light-emitting diode (LED) downlight fixture.

9. The at least one first retaining feature of the reflector is a finger including an inclined portion, the inclined portion of the finger being received within the lens opening, the light-emitting diode (LED) downlight fixture according to claim 8.

10. The LED engine forms a second hole shaped to receive the corresponding positioning pin, the light-emitting diode (LED) downlight fixture according to claim 8.

11. A first end portion of the reflector forms a first opening, a second end portion of the reflector forms a second opening having a diameter larger than that of the first opening, The light emitting diode (LED) downlight fixture according to claim 10, wherein the lip is located at the first end portion and is seated against the LED engine.

12. The light emitting diode (LED) downlight fixture according to claim 8, comprising a driver board housed within the housing and including electronics for electrical operation of the downlight.

13. A method of assembling a downlight fixture, the method comprising: receiving a first retaining feature of the reflector by a lens opening included in the lens; further comprising receiving a second retaining feature of the reflector by a housing opening included in the housing; the lens opening is shaped to receive the first retaining feature of the reflector to interlock the lens and the reflector with each other; the housing opening is shaped to receive the second retaining feature to interlock the housing and the reflector with each other; the at least one second retaining feature of the reflector is a finger, the finger includes a protruding portion protruding outward, and the protruding portion is in contact with a shelf portion disposed outside the housing.

14. The method according to claim 13, comprising making each of the plastic lens, the reflector, and the housing.

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