Luminaire Snap-Fit Bracket Design for Seamless Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional luminaire designs often feature visible connecting hardware and gaps between lens portions, which can lead to an aesthetically unpleasing appearance and light leakage, while also requiring complex and obstructive mounting mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates elongated housings with snap-fit engagement mechanisms, including row brackets and light mounting brackets, which couple the housings and lenses together without visible fasteners, and a lens connector that covers the interface between adjacent lenses to prevent light leakage, creating a seamless appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If conventional mounting mechanisms are used to couple housings and lenses, then the connection is secure, but visible fasteners and gaps appear, creating an aesthetically unpleasing appearance and light leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes visible fasteners from the mounting mechanism by integrating the coupling function into the housing and lens structures themselves. The housing includes integrated mounting features such as recesses and protrusions that eliminate the need for separate visible fasteners, achieving a seamless appearance while maintaining secure connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the mounting function with the housing and lens structures by integrating mounting features directly into these components. The housing includes recesses and the lens includes protrusions that are combined into a single integrated mounting system, eliminating separate fasteners and reducing visual complexity.
2Ease of operation
If gaps are left between lens portions for assembly ease, then assembly is simple, but light leakage occurs and aesthetic appearance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the lens assembly into multiple portions that can be independently assembled, with each segment featuring integrated mounting features. The first lens portion includes a first protrusion and the second lens portion includes a second protrusion that engage with corresponding recesses in the housing, allowing easy assembly while eliminating gaps through precise geometric fitting.
3Reliability
If visible fasteners are used to secure lenses to housing, then the connection is reliable, but the aesthetic appearance is compromised due to visible hardware and shadows
Solution Approach 1:
The housing and lens structures serve their own mounting needs through integrated features. The housing includes recesses and the lens includes protrusions that enable self-contained coupling without external fasteners. This self-service approach maintains connection reliability while eliminating visible hardware and associated shadows from the aesthetic perspective.
Data Source
AI summary
A luminaire includes an elongated first housing, an elongated second housing, and a bracket. The elongated first housing supports a first light emitting device and includes a pair of sides and a first channel defined between the sides. The first housing includes a first aperture. The elongated second housing includes a pair of sides and a second channel defined between the sides. An end of the second housing is positioned adjacent an end of the first housing and includes a second aperture disposed proximate the first aperture. The bracket is disposed between the elongated first housing and the first light emitting element. The bracket includes a first projection engageable with the first aperture and a second projection engageable with the second aperture. The bracket is positioned partially within the first channel and partially within the second channel. The bracket is coupled to the first housing by snap-fit engagement and the bracket is coupled to the second housing by snap-fit engagement.