A LUMINAIRE ARRANGEMENT

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to reflectors and, in particular, to reflectors of adjustable focal length including two curved portions. A reflector according to the preamble of claim 1 and to the preamble of claim 4 is described in

[0002] WO 96/37732 (which has the same inventor as the present application) and will hereafter be termed a doubly arched reflector. This reflector and luminaire are illustrated in Fig. 1 and will be described hereafter in relation to Fig. 1.

[0003] The above described luminaire is normally sold in knockdown form and is assembled by the purchaser. Hitherto, this assembly process has been relatively time consuming because of the large number of bolts, nuts and like fasteners which must be assembled.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement whereby such a luminaire can be assembled in a more convenient fashion.

SUMMARY OF THE INTENTION

[0005] In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a reflector of a doubly arched luminaire having a tensioning mechanism for the reflector, said tensioning mechanism comprising a flexible, substantially inextensible filament (104) and at least one aperture (147, 247, 347) formed in each opposite side of said reflector (101), characterised in that said filament has a bulbous protrusion (144) formed at each end thereof, and each said aperture has a main opening leading into a smaller extension, each said main opening being dimensioned relative to said bulbous protrusions (144) to permit same to pass therethrough and each said extension being dimensioned relative to said bulbous protrusions (144) to prevent same passing therethrough.

[0006] In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a reflector of a doubly arched luminaire having a tensioning mechanism for the reflector, said tensioning mechanism comprising a malleable elongate member (153) and an aperture (155) formed at one side (102) of the reflector (101) characterised in that a swing arm (151) is pivotally mounted at the opposite side (122) of said reflector, said swing arm has at least one aperture (156) therein, and said malleable elongate member has a length sufficient to extend from side to side of the tensioned reflector and is able to have each end thereof formed into a hook means able to engage said aperture (155, 156).

BRIEF DESRlPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1

is an exploded perspective view of a prior art luminaire of the doubly arched reflector type,

FIG. 2

is an end elevation of the luminaire of the preferred embodiment,

FIG. 3

is a partial schematic exploded perspective view illustrating how two sheets can be brought together to form the reflector,

FIG. 4

is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of Fig. 3,

FIG. 5

is a partial perspective view showing the two sheets assembled to form the reflector,

FIG. 6

is an exploded perspective view of the lamp socket mounting for the luminaire,

FIG. 7

is a schematic perspective view showing a first form of reflector tensioning arrangement,

FIG. 8

is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of Fig. 7,

FIG. 9

is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of Fig. 7, and

FIG. 10

is a schematic partial perspective view of a reflector tensioning arrangement of a second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] As seen in Fig. 1, the reflector 1 of the prior art is formed from two sheets 2 preferably of resilient metal construction which are joined together about a spine 3 in the manner of the pages of a book. A tensioning device in the form of a chain 4 and hooks 5 is used to provide the desired adjustment of the focal length of the reflector 1.

[0009] The remaining components of the luminaire are essentially a lamp socket mounting 12 which supports the lamp socket 18 which in turn supports the lamp 20. If desired, a heat shield 17 having perforations 30 can be provided.

[0010] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the means by which the lamp socket mounting 12 is held in position are cumbersome and require considerable adjustment to ensure that the longitudinal axis of the lamp 20 is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the reflector 1. Furthermore, the chain 4 whilst being practical is a relatively expensive method of ensuring that the required tension in the reflector is achieved. In addition, because of the tendency of the chain 4 to collapse unless placed under tension, many purchasers find it awkward to interengage the hooks 5 and the links of chain 4.

[0011] Turning now to Figs 2-5, the luminaire 100 of the preferred embodiment is illustrated having a reflector 101 formed from two sheets 102 and 122 essentially as before with a lamp socket mounting 112 and a pair of tensioning filaments 104 (only one of which is illustrated in Fig. 2). The sheets 102, 122 are supplied in a compact knock down form stacked one above the other and are then joined together to form a spine 103.

[0012] As seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the sheet 122 is provided with a pair of generally mushroom shaped lugs 107 which each have a central cylindrical stalk 108 and a substantially flat cap 109. Conversely, the reflector sheet 102 is provided with a pair of keyhole apertures 127 each of which has a central opening 128 and a narrow extension 129 extending therefrom. The extensions 129 are substantially parallel. In addition, the portions of the sheets 102, 122 which are joined together to form the spine 103 each include four holes 111.

[0013] In order to move from the unassembled position illustrated in Fig. 3 to the assembled position illustrated in Fig. 5, the caps 109 of the lugs 107 are passed through the central openings 128 of the corresponding keyhole apertures 127. This generally locates the two sheets 102, 122 in the correct orientation and configuration. Then the sheets 102, 122 are moved relative to each other in the direction of the spine 103 so as to engage the stalks 108 with the corresponding extensions 129. This results in a friction fit between the lugs 107 and the keyhole apertures 127. The friction fit may be between the stalk 108 and the extension 129, or between the underside of the caps 109 and the surface of the sheets 102, 122, or both.

[0014] The end result is the configuration illustrated in Fig. 5 where the holes 111 in the two sheets 102, 122 are aligned. This enables arcuate hanging supports 114 to be secured to the reflector 101 by means of fasteners 115 as illustrated in Fig. 5.

[0015] Turning now to Fig. 6, the lamp socket mounting 112 will now be described. The interconnection between the lamp socket mounting 112 and the reflector 101 is effected by means of a base 121 which has a V-shaped bight 122 which is shaped to mate with the spine 103. The bight 122 and spine 103 are interconnected by any convenient mechanism such as self-tapping screws (not illustrated) passing through the openings 123 in the bight 122. Preferably such screws pass into one of the pair of holes 111 so that the lamp socket mounting 112 is positioned at one end of the reflector 101. Alternatively, the mounting 112 can be located intermediate the ends of the reflector 101.

[0016] In addition, the base 121 has a pair of arms 124 each of which has a longitudinally extending slot 125.

[0017] Lamp socket 18 is conventional and is mounted to an L-shaped cover 132 which closes a rectangular housing 133 having a pair of protruding side walls 134. Each of the side walls 134 has a curved slot 135 therethrough. Located within the housing 133 are electrical connectors and possible ancillary electrical equipment (all not illustrated). In addition, the L-shaped cover 32 has a pair of slots 136 each of which is shaped to receive a corresponding arm 124 of the base 121.

[0018] In operation, the base 121 is first secured to the spine 103 of the reflector 101. Then the arms 124 are each passed through the corresponding slot 136 and a screw fastener 137 passed through each of the slots 125 and 135. By sliding the housing 133 up and down the arms 124, the preferred distance between the longitudinal axis of the lamp to be engaged with socket 18 and the spine 103 can be set. In addition, by movement of both side walls 134 simultaneously in the same direction relative to the arms 124, the longitudinal axis of the lamp socket 18 can be inclined towards or away from the spine 103 as desired. Furthermore, should the lamp socket axis not be parallel to that of the spine 103, one of the side walls 134 can be pushed forwardly slightly whilst the other of the side walls 134 can be pushed rearwardly slightly, thereby moving the axis of the lamp socket 18 to right or left. Once these fine adjustments are made, the screw fasteners 137 are made fast.

[0019] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above described adjustment and alignment of the lamp socket axis is able to be easily and conveniently carried out by the end user once the lamp has been installed so as to ensure that the reflector 101 operates to the maximum of its designed potential. This is not easy to accomplish using the threaded fastener arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1.

[0020] Turning now to Figs. 7-9, it will be apparent that the reflector 101 can be brought into the required shape and hence desired focus, by means of adjusting the two filaments 104. As shown in the enlarged fragmentary views of Fig. 8 and 9, in the embodiment of Figs. 7-9 the filament 104 has a bulbous protrusion 144 at each end. In addition, as seen in Fig. 8, at the exterior side of the sheet 102 is located a single keyhole aperture 147 having a central opening and a narrow extension. Preferably, the narrow extension of the keyhole aperture 147 is directed in the direction in which the filament 104 is intended to lie. Similarly, as seen in Fig. 9, on the outer edge of the reflector sheet 122 is located a corresponding keyhole aperture 247 again having a central opening and narrow extension. The narrow extension of the aperture 247 again preferably points in the direction of the filament 104. In addition, adjacent to the keyhole aperture 247 are four additional keyhole apertures 347 each of which has its narrow extension oriented towards the keyhole aperture 247.

[0021] It will be apparent from Figs. 7-9 that the reflector 102 can be compressed so as to increase the degree of curvature of the double arch. One end of the filament 104 with its bulbous protrusion 144 is passed through the central opening of the keyhole aperture 147. Thereafter, the filament 104 is tensioned slightly so as to draw the filament 104 into the narrow extension of aperture 147 and thereby engage the bulbous protrusion 144 with the narrow extension. Similarly, on the other side of the lamp and at the other end of the filament 104, the corresponding bulbous protrusion 144 and filament 104 are passed through the central opening of the keyhole aperture 247 and one of the apertures 347 in turn. Again, when the filament 104 is tensioned by the natural resilience of the reflector 101, the bulbous protrusion 144 comes into engagement with the narrow extension of the selected keyhole aperture 347.

[0022] Clearly, selecting a different aperture 347 enables the tension within the filament 104 to be adjusted. A similar arrangement is provided for the other filament 104 at the other end of the reflector 101. In this way the degree of curvature of the doubly arched reflector 101 can be easily and uniformly set.

[0023] Turning now to Fig. 10, an alternative tensioning mechanism is illustrated which takes the form of a pivoted arm 151 which is connected by means of a rivet 152 to the sheet 122. The arm 151 is able to be pivoted in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 10 so as to lie in the position illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 10 rather than in the extended position illustrated by solid lines in Fig. 10. The arm 151 is provided with a number of openings 156 whilst the other reflector sheet 102 is provided with a single opening 155. The filament 104 of Figs. 7-9, which is preferably a stainless steel stranded wire, is replaced by a mild steel wire 53 which is malleable so as to form a hook at each end thereof. By appropriately bending the wire 153 and engaging the hooks with the opening 155 and one of the openings 156, an appropriate degree of tension can be achieved for the reflector 101.

[0024] The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0025] The term "comprising" (and its grammatical variations) as used herein is used in the inclusive sense of "having" or "including" and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of".

Claims

1. A reflector of a doubly arched luminaire having a tensioning mechanism for the reflector, said tensioning mechanism comprising a flexible, substantially inextensible filament (104) and at least one aperture (147, 247, 347) formed in each opposite side of said reflector (101), characterised in that said filament has a bulbous protrusion (144) formed at each end thereof, and each said aperture has a main opening leading into a smaller extension, each said main opening being dimensioned relative to said bulbous protrusions (144) to permit same to pass therethrough and each said extension being dimensioned relative to said bulbous protrusions (144) to prevent same passing therethrough.

2. The reflector as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that one of said reflector sides has a plurality of said apertures (147) mutually spaced apart from each other.

3. The reflector as claimed in claims 1 or 2 characterised in that each said aperture (147, 247, 347) is shaped like a keyhole.

4. A reflector of a doubly arched luminaire having a tensioning mechanism for the reflector, said tensioning mechanism comprising a malleable elongate member (153) and an aperture (155) formed at one side (102) of the reflector (101) characterised in that a swing arm (151) is pivotally mounted at the opposite side (122) of said reflector, said swing arm has at least one aperture (156) therein, and said malleable elongate member has a length sufficient to extend from side to side of the tensioned reflector and is able to have each end thereof formed into a hook means able to engage said aperture (155, 156).

5. The reflector as claimed in claim 4 characterised in that said swing arm (151) is provided with a plurality of said at least one apertures (156).

6. The reflector as claimed in claim 5 characterised in that said plurality of apertures (156) are mutually spaced apart.

Ansprüche

1. Reflektor einer doppelt gewölbten Leuchte, die einen Spannmechanismus für den Reflektor hat, wobei der Spannmechanismus einen flexiblen, im Wesentlichen nicht ausdehnbaren Faden (104) und wenigstens eine Öffnung (147, 247, 347), die in jeder der gegenüberliegenden Seiten des Reflektors (101) geformt ist, umfasst, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Faden einen knollenförmigen Vorsprung (144) hat, der an jedem Ende desselben geformt ist, und jede Öffnung eine Hauptöffnung hat, die in eine kleinere Verlängerung führt, wobei jede Hauptöffnung im Verhältnis zu den knollenförmigen Vorsprüngen (144) so bemessen ist, dass sie es ermöglicht, dass dieselben durch sie hindurchgehen, und jede Verlängerung im Verhältnis zu den knollenförmigen Vorsprüngen (144) so bemessen ist, dass sie es verhindert, dass dieselben durch sie hindurchgehen.

2. Reflektor nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass eine der Reflektorseiten mehrere der Öffnungen (147) hat, die mit gegenseitigem Abstand entfernt voneinander angeordnet sind.

3. Reflektor nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass jede Öffnung (147, 247, 347) wie ein Schlüsselloch geformt ist.

4. Reflektor einer doppelt gewölbten Leuchte, die einen Spannmechanismus für den Reflektor hat, wobei der Spannmechanismus ein verformbares längliches Element (153) und eine Öffnung (155), die an einer Seite (102) des Reflektors (101) geformt ist, umfasst, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass ein Schwenkarm (151) schwenkbar an der gegenüberliegenden Seite (122) des Reflektors montiert ist, wobei der Schwenkarm wenigstens eine Öffnung (156) in demselben hat, und das verformbare längliche Element eine Länge hat, die ausreicht, um sich von Seite zu Seite des gespannten Reflektors zu erstrecken, und dazu in der Lage ist, jedes Ende in zu einem Hakenmittel formen zu lassen, das dazu in der Lage ist, die Öffnung (155, 156) in Eingriff zu nehmen.

5. Reflektor nach Anspruch 4, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Schwenkarm (151) mit mehreren der wenigstens einen Öffnung (156) versehen ist.

6. Reflektor nach Anspruch 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die mehreren Öffnungen (156) mit gegenseitigem Abstand voneinander entfernt angeordnet sind.

Revendications

1. Réflecteur d'un luminaire doublement arqué comprenant un mécanisme de mise en tension pour le réflecteur, ledit mécanisme de mise en tension comprenant un filament (104) flexible essentiellement inextensible et au moins une fente (147, 247, 347) formée dans chaque côté opposé dudit réflecteur (101), caractérisé par le fait que ledit filament est pourvu d'une saillie en bulbe (144) à chacune de ses extrémités et que chacune desdites fentes comporte une ouverture principale se poursuivant par une petite extension, chacune desdites fentes principales étant dimensionnée par rapport aux dites saillies en bulbe (144) pour permettre le passage de celles-ci et chacune desdites extensions étant dimensionnée par rapport aux dites saillies en bulbe (144) pour empêcher le passage de ces dernières.

2. Réflecteur selon la revendication 1, caractérisé par le fait qu'un des côtés dudit réflecteur est pourvu d'une pluralité desdites fentes (147) situées à une distance réciproque les unes des autres.

3. Réflecteur selon les revendications 1 ou 2, caractérisé par le fait que chacune desdites fentes (147, 247, 347) a la forme d'un trou de serrure.

4. Réflecteur d'un luminaire doublement arqué comprenant un mécanisme de mise en tension pour le réflecteur, ledit mécanisme de mise en tension comprenant un élément allongé malléable (153) et une ouverture (155) formée sur un côté (102) du réflecteur (101), caractérisé par le fait qu'un bras pivotant (151) est monté de manière pivotante sur le côté opposé (122) dudit réflecteur, ledit bras pivotant comporte au moins une ouverture (156) et ledit élément allongé malléable a une longueur suffisante pour s'étendre d'un côté à l'autre du réflecteur mis en tension et peut donner à chacune des extrémités du réflecteur la forme d'un moyen en crochet capable de s'accrocher dans ladite ouverture (155, 156).

5. Réflecteur selon la revendication 4, caractérisé par le fait que ledit arbre pivotant (151) est pourvu d'une pluralité desdites au moins une ouverture (156).

6. Réflecteur selon la revendication 5, caractérisé par le fait que les ouvertures de ladite pluralité d'ouvertures (156) sont situées à distance les unes des autres.

Drawing