Adjustable Lighting Junction Box Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of recessed lighting is complicated by the need for separate fire-rated drywall boxes and junction boxes, which can be cumbersome and require additional space, especially when combined with LED lighting that produces less heat and has a smaller module size, necessitating a solution for vertical adjustment of lighting junction boxes to accommodate various ceiling structures.
Innovation Solution
A lighting junction box assembly with a unique octagonal upper portion and cylindrical lower portion, featuring adjusting plates and guide rails that allow for vertical adjustment, enabling easy installation and mounting on hanger bars while maintaining fire-rated protection without the need for a separate drywall cavity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate fire-rated drywall box is used alongside the recessed lighting housing, then fire-rated protection is ensured, but the installation becomes complicated and requires additional space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the recessed lighting housing and fire-rated drywall box into a single integrated unit. The housing includes both the lighting fixture mounting structure and the fire-rated cavity, eliminating the need for separate components while maintaining fire safety requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated housing serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the lighting fixture, creates the required fire-rated cavity, and acts as the junction box for electrical connections. This multi-functionality reduces installation complexity while ensuring fire-rated protection.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a separate junction box is used for wiring connections, then electrical functionality is provided, but the overall device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the electrical junction box functionality into the recessed lighting housing structure. The housing includes built-in provisions for wiring connections, terminal blocks, and conduit access, eliminating the need for a separate junction box while maintaining full electrical functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is designed to perform multiple functions: structural support, fire-rated cavity creation, and electrical junction operations. This consolidation reduces the number of components from three separate elements (housing, drywall box, junction box) to a single integrated unit.
3Ease of operation
If fixed mounting depth is used for the lighting junction box, then installation is simplified, but adaptability to various ceiling structures is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates adjustable mounting mechanisms that allow the housing depth to be varied. The housing can be positioned at different depths from the ceiling surface and secured at multiple positions, providing adaptability to various ceiling structures while maintaining installation simplicity through standardized adjustment procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting parameters of the housing are made variable, allowing adjustment of the housing depth and position. This enables the same housing design to accommodate different ceiling types, insulation depths, and structural conditions without requiring custom designs for each scenario.
Data Source
AI summary
A lighting-junction-box may have sidewalls that bound a cavity. The cavity may be configured to receive an electronic component that is configured to emit light. The sidewalls may be divided into an upper-portion and a lower-portion. The lower-portion may be substantially cylindrical in shape. The upper-portion may be substantially octagonal in shape, except that two of the eight faces may be curved, while the remaining six faces may be flat and planar. The two curved faces may be oppositely disposed from each other. The two curved faces may have holes for receiving carriage-bolts for attaching adjusting-plates to the lighting-junction-box. Below the holes of the two curved faces on the lower-portion may be external-length-gauges to assist with mounting the lighting-junction-box. The adjusting-plates may have slots for receiving the carriage-bolts and to allow for vertical adjustment of the lighting-junction-box with respect to the adjusting-plates.