DESC:FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a lighting apparatus and mounting of auxiliary devices thereon.

BACKGROUND

Light emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when electric current is supplied to it. LEDs have higher electrical efficiency over fluorescent light or incandescent light sources and thus are preferrable choice in making lighting devices, such as light bulbs or batons. Such LED lighting devices are square shaped or rectangular shaped panels that are installed on the ceiling. Further, the wires and the driver are mounted on the back of the panel and the wires are secured to the back of the panel.

There are various limitations associated with the current design of the lighting devices. For instance, such panels lack provisions to prevent tangling of the wires of multiple panels if multiple panels are installed on the ceiling. Moreover, the panels, owing to their size, prevent installation of electronic devices, such as a Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) router or a motion sensor on the ceiling. In addition, the panels also inhibit the wiring of such electronic devices.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention and nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.

The present disclosure relates to a lighting apparatus and a housing therein. The housing allows the mounting of auxiliary devices on the lighting apparatus while preventing tangling of wires.

In an embodiment, a lighting apparatus is disclosed that includes a housing to accommodate a first auxiliary device. The housing includes a first support and a second support opposite to the first support, such that a space is formed between the first support and the second support. Further, each of the first support and the second support includes an outer suspending surface to mount a light source and a light-guiding portion thereon. Furthermore, each of the first support and the second support includes an inner suspending surface that has a plurality of slots. Further, slots of each of the first support and the second support are coplanar form a mount to secure the first auxiliary device therein.

In another embodiment, the lighting apparatus includes a top support coupled to the first support and the second support. Further, the top support includes an inner suspending surface that have a pair of slots to mount a second auxiliary device inside the space. In addition, the top support has an outer suspending surface with slots to mount a third auxiliary device thereon.

According to the present disclosure, the inner and outer suspending surfaces of the first support, the second support, and the third support enable easy mounting of auxiliary devices, such as driver for the light sources or Wi-Fi devices, or a motion sensor without a need for a separate mount. Moreover, the inner and outer suspending surfaces also help in wire management thereby preventing tangling of wires.

To further clarify advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates various views of an installed lighting apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates a cross-section of the lighting apparatus taken along lines 1-1 in Figure 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 3 illustrates a cross-section of the housing of the lighting apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 4 illustrates a cross-section of a first guide plate and a second guide plate, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 5 illustrates a bottom plate of the housing, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which invention belongs. The system and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

For example, the term “some” as used herein may be understood as “none” or “one” or “more than one” or “all.” Therefore, the terms “none,” “one,” “more than one,” “more than one, but not all” or “all” would fall under the definition of “some.” It should be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the terminology and structure employed herein is for describing, teaching, and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and therefore, should not be construed to limit, restrict, or reduce the spirit and scope of the present disclosure in any way.

For example, any terms used herein such as, “includes,” “comprises,” “has,” “consists,” and similar grammatical variants do not specify an exact limitation or restriction, and certainly do not exclude the possible addition of one or more features or elements, unless otherwise stated. Further, such terms must not be taken to exclude the possible removal of one or more of the listed features and elements, unless otherwise stated, for example, by using the limiting language including, but not limited to, “must comprise” or “needs to include.”

Whether or not a certain feature or element was limited to being used only once, it may still be referred to as “one or more features” or “one or more elements” or “at least one feature” or “at least one element.” Furthermore, the use of the terms “one or more” or “at least one” feature or element do not preclude there being none of that feature or element, unless otherwise specified by limiting language including, but not limited to, “there needs to be one or more...” or “one or more elements is required.”

Unless otherwise defined, all terms and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person ordinarily skilled in the art.

Reference is made herein to some “embodiments.” It should be understood that an embodiment is an example of a possible implementation of any features and/or elements of the present disclosure. Some embodiments have been described for the purpose of explaining one or more of the potential ways in which the specific features and/or elements of the proposed disclosure fulfil the requirements of uniqueness, utility, and non-obviousness.

Use of the phrases and/or terms including, but not limited to, “a first embodiment,” “a further embodiment,” “an alternate embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “multiple embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “other embodiments,” “further embodiment”, “furthermore embodiment”, “additional embodiment” or other variants thereof do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, one or more particular features and/or elements described in connection with one or more embodiments may be found in one embodiment, or may be found in more than one embodiment, or may be found in all embodiments, or may be found in no embodiments. Although one or more features and/or elements may be described herein in the context of only a single embodiment, or in the context of more than one embodiment, or in the context of all embodiments, the features and/or elements may instead be provided separately or in any appropriate combination or not at all. Conversely, any features and/or elements described in the context of separate embodiments may alternatively be realized as existing together in the context of a single embodiment.

Any particular and all details set forth herein are used in the context of some embodiments and therefore should not necessarily be taken as limiting factors to the proposed disclosure.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

For the sake of clarity, the first digit of a reference numeral of each component of the present disclosure is indicative of the Figure number, in which the corresponding component is shown. For example, reference numerals starting with digit “1” are shown at least in Figure 1. Similarly, reference numerals starting with digit “2” are shown at least in Figure 2.

Figure 1 illustrates a lighting apparatus 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, Figure 1(A) illustrates a bottom view of the light apparatus 100 while Figure 1(B) illustrates a side view of the lighting apparatus 100. Further, Figure 1(C) illustrates a top view of the light apparatus 100. The lighting apparatus 100 may be employed to provide illumination in a space. The lighting apparatus 100 can be mounted on a ceiling in such a way that the lighting apparatus 100 may be suspended from the ceiling using a pair of strings 102 that are coupled to a pair of locks 104 on the lighting apparatus 100.

Referring now to Figure 2 which illustrates a cross-section of the lighting apparatus 100 taken along lines 1-1 of Figure 1. The lighting apparatus 100 is formed of a housing 106 that forms a major body of the lighting apparatus 100. The housing 106 may be made of either a polymer or a metal/alloy. The housing 106 may be configured to perform two tasks. First, the housing 106 may be configured to support a first guiding plate 108 and a second guiding plate 110 thereon. The housing 106 may include a first support 112 and a second support 114, and a top support 116.

Referring now to Figure 3 that shows the first support 112 and the second support 114 are coupled to the top support 116. Further, each of the first support 112 and the second support 114 includes an outer suspending surface 118. The outer suspending surface 118 may be configured to mount the first guiding plate and the second guiding plate on which a light source 122 and a light guiding portion 124 may be mounted. In one example, the outer suspending surface 118 may be attached to the first guiding plate 108 and the second guiding plate 110 by fastener while in another example, the outer suspending surface 118 may be attached to the first guiding plate 108 and the second guiding plate 110 by snap locks.

In one example, the outer suspending surface 118 may include a first articulated section 148 and a second articulated section 150. The first articulated section 148 and the second articulated section 150 may be configured to perform two tasks. First, the first articulated section 148 and the second articulated section 150 may be configured to support the light guiding portion 124 on and second, the first articulated section 148 and the second articulated section 150 may form a cavity 130 to house wires for the light source 122.

In one example, each of the first support 112 and the second support 114 may include an inner suspending surface 126. The inner suspending surface 126 may face each other and may define a space therebetween. The inner suspending surface 126 may include a plurality of slot 128 that may be present along the complete length of the housing 106. The slots 128 are positioned along the inner suspending surface 126 in such a way that the slots may face each other and are coplanar to form a mount. The mount may be used to mount a first auxiliary device thereon. The slots 128 may also be used to secure the wires of the light source 122 to the housing 106 to prevent wire entanglement.

Similarly, the top support 116 may include an inner suspending surface 132 that may face into the space. The inner suspending surface 132 may also include slots 134 like the slots 128 on the first support 112 and the second support 114. Further, the slots 134 may also form another mount to install the second auxiliary device in the space. In one example, the second auxiliary device may be a driver unit 136 for the light source 122. In one example, the driver unit 136 may be sized as the width of the space to achieve interference fit therebetween. Such a fit may prevent relative play between the driver unit 136 and the housing 106.

On the other hand, the top support 116 may include an outer suspending surface 138 opposite to the inner suspending surface 132. The outer suspending surface 138 may face the ceiling and may be configured to suspend the housing 106 using the string 102 as shown in Figure 1 (A) and (B). The outer suspending surface 138 may include a hole 120 (shown in Figure 1(B)) to allows passage of wires for the driver unit 136. The outer suspending surface 138 may be configured to receive the locking mechanism 104 that may couple the housing 106 to the string 102. As shown in Figure 1(A) two locking mechanisms 104 are used to suspend the housing 106 although a greater or lesser number of locking mechanisms 104 may be used. Further, the locking mechanism 104 may enable easy mounting and dismounting of the housing 106. Referring now to Figure 3, the outer suspending surface 138 also may include additional slots 140 that may run along the length of the outer suspending surface 138. In one example, the slot 140 may include a flange 142 that bends inward. The slots 140 may be configured to receive a third auxiliary device. Referring now to Figure 1 (C), the third auxiliary device may be, but is not limited to, a Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) router 146 and a motion sensor 158.

In one example, the housing 106 may also include the first guide plate 108 and the second guide plate 110. Details of the first guide plate 108 and the second guide plate 110 are explained with respect to Figure 2 in conjunction with Figure 4 that illustrates detailed schematics of the first guide plate 108 and the second guide plate 110. The present elaboration is with respect to the first guide plate 108 and the same elaboration applies mutatis mutandis on the second guide plate 110. The first guide plate 108 may have an L-shaped profile and may include a vertical section 152 and a mounting section 154. Further, the vertical section 152 may be coupled to a flange 156 of the first support 112. Similarly, the vertical section 152 of the second guide plate 110 is coupled to a flange 156 of the second support 114. In addition, the vertical section 152 may include fins 160 facing towards the space that may perform various tasks. First, the fins 160 may act as a heat sink to dissipate the heat generated from the light source 122. In addition, the fins 160 may enable the mounting of a packing element 162 to prevent play between the driver unit 136 and the housing 106. In addition, the vertical section 152 may also form a part of the space within the housing 106.

In one example, the mounting section 154 may be orthogonal to the vertical section 152. Further, the mounting section 154 may be configured to mount the light guiding portions 124 thereon. For instance, the mounting section 154 may be adapted to receive a fastener 164 to secure the light guiding portion 124. In addition, the mounting section 154 may form a boundary of the cavity 130 on either side of the housing 106, such that the cavity 130 accommodates a portion of the light guiding portion 124.

Referring now to Figure 2, while the first guide plate 108 and the second guide plate 110 defines the side of the space, the housing 106 may be a bottom plate 166 that may form a bottom boundary of the space. The bottom plate 166 may be coupled to the ends of the first guide plate 108 and the second guide plate 158 using locks, such as snap locks as shown in Figure 2. In one example, the bottom plate 166 may be configured to cover the ends of the fasteners 164 thereby enhancing the aesthetics of the housing 106.

Details of the bottom plate 166 are now explained in conjunction with Figure 5 that illustrates a side view of the bottom plate 166. The bottom plate 166 may include a horizontal section 168 that may form a major section of the bottom plate 166. The bottom plate 166 may also include a pair of slope section 170 extending from either side of the horizontal section 168. Finally, the bottom plate 166 may also include an L-shaped flange section 172 that extends from the ends of the slope section 170. The L-shaped flange section 172 may couple to the ends of the first guide plate 108 and the second guide plate 110.

According to the present disclosure, the slots 128, 134, and 140 secure the auxiliary devices neatly inside or outside the housing 106. Moreover, since the slots 128, 134, and 140 extend along the complete length of the housing 106, the slots 128, 134, and 140 enable mounting of a great number of devices thereby enabling versatility of the lighting apparatus 100.

While specific language has been used to describe the present disclosure, any limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The drawings and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. ,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. A lighting apparatus (100) comprising:
a housing (106) adapted to accommodate a first auxiliary device, the housing (106) comprising:
a first support (112); and
a second support (114) opposite to the first support (112) and defining a space therebetween, wherein each of the first support (112) and the second support (114) comprises:
an outer suspending surface (118) to mount a light source (122) and a light guiding portion (124) thereon; and
an inner suspending surface (126) having a plurality of slots (128), and a slot (128) from amongst the plurality of slots (128) on the first support (112) and the second support (114) are coplanar to form a mount in the space to secure the first auxiliary device therein.

2. The lighting apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing (106) comprising a top support (116) including a pair of slots (134) on an inner suspending surface (132) and adapted to mount a second auxiliary device.

3. The lighting apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the top support (116) includes a pair of slots on an outer suspending surface and adapted to mount a third auxiliary device.

4. The lighting apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the first auxiliary device, the second auxiliary device, and the third auxiliary device is one of a wire for a light source (122), a motion sensor (158), a wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) router (146), and a driver unit (136) for the light source (122) of the lighting apparatus (100).

5. The lighting apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first support (112) and the second support (114) includes a slot (128) to accommodate wires of the first auxiliary device, and the top support (116) includes a second slot to allow passage of wires therethrough.

6. The lighting apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising:
a first guide plate (108) attached to a flange (142) of the first support (112);
a second guide plate (110) attached to a flange (142) of the second support (114); and
a bottom plate (166) attached to an end of each of the first guide plate (108) and the second guide plate (110).

7. The lighting apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first guide plate (108) and the second guide plate (110) are coupled to the flanges (142) of the first support (112) and the second support (114) using fasteners.

8. The lighting apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the bottom plate (166) includes flange section (172) to couple to the first guide plate (108) and the second guide plate (110) using fasteners.

9. The lighting apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the first guide plate (108) and the second guide plate (110) includes a fin (160) facing towards the space and adapted to dissipate heat from a light source (122).

10. The lighting apparatus (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the first guide plate (108) and the second guide plate (110) includes a mounting section (154) adapted to mount the first light guiding portion (124) and the second light guiding portion (124), respectively, to the housing (106).