Water-Tight LED Fixture Beam Adjustment Without Disassembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Exterior lighting fixtures require frequent adjustments for different lighting configurations, which compromises their water-tight integrity and often necessitates disassembly, leading to potential damage from dirt and water exposure.
Innovation Solution
A water-tight LED light assembly with a rotatable beam angle changing dial and interchangeable accessories like shrouds and color filters, allowing adjustments without compromising the fixture's seal, using a holder assembly with guide pins and angled slots to change beam angles and add or remove accessories without disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If field adjustments are made to lighting configurations by disassembling fixtures, then adaptability is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to water and dirt exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a rotatable lens holder assembly that allows dynamic adjustment of beam angle without disassembly. The lens holder can rotate to different positions (e.g., 0°, 30°, 60°, 90°) while remaining sealed within the fixture, enabling field operators to change lighting configurations without compromising the water-tight seal.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixture is divided into sealed modular components including the lens holder assembly, reflector assembly, and accessory mounting structures. Each segment can be independently adjusted or configured while maintaining the overall seal integrity, allowing adaptability without requiring full disassembly that would expose electrical elements to water and dirt.
2Ease of operation
If fixtures are disassembled for configuration changes, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements worsen due to reassembly complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The lens holder assembly includes pre-configured stop positions and alignment features that guide the lens to precise angular positions during rotation. The accessory mounting structures incorporate pre-drilled holes and mounting tabs that align automatically, eliminating the need for complex reassembly alignment procedures and reducing manufacturing precision requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary alignment features such as indexed stop positions, guide pins, and self-aligning mounting structures that mediate between the operator's adjustment actions and the final precise configuration. These intermediaries ensure accurate positioning without requiring high-precision manual reassembly.
Data Source
AI summary
LED related lighting methods and apparatus are described. Various features relate to water tight light fixtures. Some of the fixtures are spotlights while other fixture are intended for in ground use. The light fixtures in at least some embodiments include power control features. In spotlight embodiments beam angle and power or light output can be controlled without opening the light assembly or compromising the water tight seals which also protect against dirt. In ground embodiments support tilt angle setting which allow a user to set the light fixture to one or more tilt angles. Beam angle can also be changed in some embodiments as well as power control. Beam angle, power control and tilt angle adjustments are supported in some embodiments but need not be supported in all embodiments with some embodiments using one or more of the described features but not all features.