Luminaire comprising adjustable light modules

• US 7,712,926 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2007
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Matheson, George E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi; Jacob Y
• Application Number:
  US11/893,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20080068839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 362/227, 362/240, 362/249, 362/294, 362/250, 362/217, 362/218, 362/219, 362/222, 362/223, 362/225, 362/433, 362/455, 362/249.01, 362/249.02, 362/249.1, 362/217.02
• US Class Current: 362/294
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/005 of modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 45/47 Passive cooling, e.g. using fins, thermal conductive elements or openings
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/033 the surface being a wall or like vertical structure, e.g. building facade
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/04 intended only for mounting on a ceiling or the like overhead structures F21S8/02 takes precedence; details of ceiling bases F21V21/03
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/02 by movement of light sources in vehicle head lamps F21S41/657
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/102 using gravity or suction
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/12 by screwing
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/164 the parts being subjected to bending, e.g. snap joints
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/30 Pivoted housings or frames
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/74 with fins or blades
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/75 with fins or blades having different shapes, thicknesses or spacing
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/763 the planes containing the fins or blades having the direction of the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/80 with pins or wires
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/81 with pins or wires having different shapes, lengths or spacing
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/04 characterised by materials, surface treatments or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

The invention provides a general illumination luminaire comprising one or more adjustable light modules. In particular, the luminaire generally comprises one or more light modules, each one of which comprising one or more light-emitting elements, and optionally comprising a heat sink in thermal contact therewith and output optics for managing light output from the one or more light emitting elements. In general, the light modules are adjustably coupled to the luminaire via a coupling structure that provides one or more adjustment mechanisms for adjusting the orientation of the light modules for adjusting an output directionality of the luminaire, while substantially maintaining the spatial profile of the luminaire.

Claims

1. A luminaire for providing general illumination, comprising:

a housing defining a spatial profile for the luminaire, said housing comprising an output portion; and

one or more light modules pivotally coupled within said housing, each of said one or more light modules comprising a light-emitting element, and a respective heat sink and output optics therefor;

wherein said one or more light modules are configured to pivot within said housing to thereby adjust a directionality of the light emitted therefrom through said output portion while substantially maintaining the spatial profile of the luminaire;

said luminaire further having a substantially longitudinal light-module coupling portion pivotally coupled within said housing to pivot about a longitudinal axis that is substantially parallel thereto, said one or more light modules being pivotally coupled to said coupling portion to pivot about a respective transversal axis that is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis;

said respective output optics of at least some of said one or more light modules being provided by an output optics attachment comprising an output optical element and an attachment element, said output-optics attachment being configured to engage said heat sink and said light-emitting element via said attachment element to maintain a thermal coupling between said light-emitting element and said heat sink, while positioning said optical element in optical alignment with an output of said light-emitting element;

wherein said attachment element is configured to engage a substrate of said light-emitting element and apply an attachment pressure thereon relative to said heat sink thereby enabling said thermal coupling therebetween;

wherein said heat sink comprises one or more attachment lips and said attachment element comprising one or more clips configured to extend beyond said substrate while engaging same and couple to respective ones of said one or more attachment lips.

2. The luminaire as claimed in claim 1, the luminaire comprising two or more light modules coupled along said coupling portion to form a substantially linear array, wherein said output portion comprises a substantially longitudinal transparent portion disposed so to enable the light emitted from said linear array of light modules to be transmitted through said transparent portion.

3. The luminaire as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more light-emitting elements are pivotally coupled within said housing via pivoting coupling of said respective heatsink thereof within said housing.

4. The luminaire as claimed in claim 1, comprising two or more light modules and further comprising an adjustment mechanism interconnecting said two or more light modules, said adjustment mechanism being configured to impart in unison a substantially same pivoting motion to each of said light modules relative to said housing to thereby adjust a substantially common directionality thereof.

5. The luminaire as claimed in claim 1, said output portion comprising an adjustable output portion configured to pivot with said one or more light modules to adjust said directionality.

6. The luminaire as claimed in claim 1, said output portion comprising a substantially transparent portion, said housing further comprising a substantially opaque portion surrounding said output portion to restrict an output of the luminaire.

7. A light module for use in a general illumination luminaire, the light module comprising:

a housing;

a heat sink;

a light-emitting element, and

an output-optics attachment comprising an output optical element and an attachment element, said output-optics attachment being configured to engage said heat sink and said light emitting element via said attachment element to maintain a thermal coupling between said light-emitting element and said heat sink, while positioning said optical element in optical alignment with an output of said light-emitting element;

wherein said attachment element is configured to engage a substrate of said light-emitting element and apply an attachment pressure thereon relative to said heat sink thereby enabling said thermal coupling therebetween;

said heat sink comprising one or more attachment lips and said attachment element comprising one or more attachment clips configured to extend beyond said substrate while engaging same and couple to respective ones of said one or more attachment lips;

wherein said output optics element and heat sink of said luminaire is pivotally coupled with said housing about a longitudinal axis substantially parallel thereto and pivotally coupled with said housing to pivot about respective transversal axis that is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis.

8. The light module as claimed in claim 7, wherein said attachment element comprises a snap-fit attachment element.

9. A luminaire having individual adjustment light modules, comprising:

a housing supporting a plurality of light modules;

said housing defining a spatial profile of said luminaire and having an output portion;

wherein each of said plurality of light modules are pivotally coupled to said housing, each of said plurality of light modules having a light emitting element, a heat sink and an output optics module;

wherein each of said plurality of light modules pivot within said housing about a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to said luminaire;

wherein each of said plurality of light modules pivots with respect to said luminaire about a transversal axis that is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said luminaire;

each of said output optics for each of said light modules having an attachment structure, said attachment structure being configured to operably engage a heat sink on said light module and maintaining a thermal coupling between said light module output optic and said heat sink;

said attachment structure engaging a substrate of said light module and applying attachment pressure enabling thermal coupling to said heat sink;

wherein said heat sink has at least one attachment lip, said attachment structure having at least one clip extending beyond said substrate and coupling said structure to said heat sink.