Abstract:
An LED light assembly includes a fixture housing, and at least one LED disposed in the fixture housing. The fixture housing can mount to a bracket that mounts to a wall.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims the benefit of Application No. 60/541,479 filed Feb. 3, 2004, which is incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     A dock light typically mounts to an inside wall of a warehouse dock adjacent a large door on a loading platform. The dock light shines light outwardly from the warehouse towards the interior of a tractor trailer backed up to the loading platform. Damage can occur to the dock light when the doors to the warehouse come down on top of the dock light fixture or when forklifts used to unload the trailer impact the dock light fixture causing the fixture to be twisted, bent, or pulled from its mounted location.  
         [0003]     Typically, dock lights have an incandescent light source attached to a C-shaped or U-shaped bracket that is attached to an end of a metal arm. The metal arm attaches to a mounting bracket, which mounts to a wall of the warehouse dock.  
         [0004]     A dock light having a 5 mm LED light source is also known. The dock light having an LED light source includes a fixture housing that encloses a plurality of LEDs. The fixture housing includes fins or protrusions on the outside of the housing. Such fins or protrusions can be caught by a forklift entering or exiting the trailer resulting in the fixture being twisted, bent or pulled from its mounted location.  
         [0005]     Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a dock light using an LED light source where the LED light source is a high power, long lifetime LED and the fixture is robust and not prone to being caught by a forklift. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a dock light that returns to a neutral position after the light has been struck and moved away from the neutral position.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     An LED light assembly includes a fixture housing, a plurality of LEDs disposed in the fixture housing, a bracket adapted to mount to a wall, and a biasing member. The LED light fixture housing adjustably mounts to the bracket. The biasing member is adapted to return the fixture housing to a neutral position after a force that has moved the fixture housing out of the neutral position has been removed.  
         [0007]     An LED light assembly for attachment to a C-shaped or U-shaped bracket includes a housing and an LED disposed in the housing. The housing includes first and second side walls and a protective lens between the side walls. Each side wall has a mounting structure for mounting to an associated C-shaped or U-shaped bracket. The mounting structures are aligned with one another.  
         [0008]     A customizable LED light fixture includes a housing and a plurality of LEDs mounted in the housing. Customizable optics can mount over each LED or over a few LEDs. For example, a first optic can mount over a first LED of the plurality of LEDs, where the first optic is adapted to generate a first light beam pattern. Also, a second optic can mount over a second LED of the plurality of LEDs, where the second optic is adapted to generate a second light beam pattern. Such a configuration allows for different beam patterns to be provided depending on the beam desired for the environment in which the light will be used. The optics can also be removably mounted inside the housing so that the beam array can be easily customizable in that one optic can be removed and replaced with another optic to provide a different desired beam pattern. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of an LED light fixture.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of an LED light fixture.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a front view of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a side view taken from the right side of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a top view of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is an exploded view of a modular head of an LED light fixture.  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the modular head of  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]     A dock lighting assembly  10  includes a fixture housing  12 , a plurality of LEDs  14  enclosed in the fixture housing, and a bracket  16  for mounting the fixture housing to a wall or similar structure. The LED fixture depicted in the figures is suited for use in a warehouse loading dock; however, the LED light assembly does not have only to be used in a loading dock environment. To the contrary the loading dock fixture can be mounted elsewhere to provide light in a variety of environments.  
         [0017]     The fixture housing  12  is an elongated paralleliped and includes a plurality of side walls  18 , a top wall  22  and a base wall  24 . The fixture housing in the embodiments depicted is generally referred to as a low profile lighting fixture. The side walls, top wall and base wall are made of robust materials that can thermally control the heat output of the high power LEDs  14 . The fixture housing  12  is manufactured from materials that also allow repeated impacts from forklifts and the like while not to suffering performance losses. The side walls  18 , the top wall  22  and the base wall  24  are generally planar and smooth providing only minimal points of snag from forklifts and the machinery conventionally used to unload commercial trucks. A smooth housing allows a forklift operator to enter into a trailer without having to move the fixture assembly  10  out of the way.  
         [0018]     A forklift operator can run into the fixture assembly  10 , upon contact the fixture assembly swings out of the way, undamaged, and the forklift operator can proceed into the trailer. The bracket  16  is adapted to return the fixture housing  12  to its original (neutral) position. The forklift operator picks up the load, returns backwards, hits the fixture housing  12  again, and the fixture housing will swing safely out of the way without the operator needing to adjust the light fixture housing  12 . Again, the bracket returns the fixture housing  12  to its neutral position.  
         [0019]     The light fixture housing includes a protective lens  26  placed over the LED&#39;s  14 . The protective lens  26  can be removable to allow customizable options by the end customer. The protective lens  26  can be made from differing lens materials to provide a protective lens that is diffuse, clear, or some combination in between. The protective lens is also made of a durable material that can withstand impacts from forklifts and the like.  
         [0020]     A post  28  extends from the base wall  24  of the housing  12  to attach the fixture housing  12  directly to the bracket  16 . Conventional loading dock lights include an arm that extends from the bracket and the incandescent light fixture attaches to a distal end thereof. In the present embodiment, however, the fixture  12  attaches directly to the bracket and the long arm is removed from the assembly. The post  28  attaches to an annular sleeve  32 . The connection between the housing  12  and the post  28  is a conventional connection that allows the housing to rotate about a central axis of the post.  
         [0021]     This axis is also parallel to the length of the fixture housing  12 . The housing  12  can also rotate about a central axis of the annular sleeve  32 , which will be explained in further detail below.  
         [0022]     The bracket  16  includes a base wall  34 , spaced-apart side walls  36  and  38 , and a strut  42 . The bracket  16  is preferably made of metal. The base wall  34  includes openings  44  to receive conventional fasteners (not shown) to mount the bracket  16  to a wall (not shown). The first side wall  36  extends upwardly substantially perpendicular from a first end of the base wall  34 . The second side wall  38  extends upwardly substantially perpendicular from a second end of the base wall  34 . Accordingly, the first side wall  36  is spaced from the second side wall  38 . The first side wall  36  includes a side wall opening (not visible). Likewise, the second side wall  38  includes a side wall opening (not visible) aligned with the side wall opening in the first side wall  36 .  
         [0023]     A rod  52  is received in each side wall opening and by the annular sleeve  32 . In one embodiment, the rod  52  can rotate inside the side wall openings. As the rod  52  rotates the fixture housing  12  also rotates about the central axis of the rod  52 . In another embodiment, the annular sleeve  32  rotates about the rod  52  and the rod does not rotate. The rod  52  is retained by a nut  54  adjacent the first side wall  36 . A washer  56  can be interposed between the nut  54  and the first side wall  36 . The rod  52  is retained by a nut  58  attached to the rod adjacent the annular sleeve  32 . Washers  62  and  64  can be positioned on opposite ends of the annular sleeve  32 .  
         [0024]     With reference to  FIGS. 2-5 , an alternative lighting assembly is disclosed where a like components are designated with the like numerals having a primed (′) suffix. In this embodiment, the rod  52 ′ does not run the length of the bracket  16 ′. The rod  52 ′ is received in an opening (not visible) in the second side wall  38 ′. The rod  52 ′ is received by the sleeve  32 ′ and the fixture housing  12 ′ rotates about the central axis of the sleeve  32 ′.  
         [0025]     With reference back to  FIG. 1 , the strut  42  extends from the first side wall  36  of the bracket  16  towards the fixture housing  12 . The strut  42  can be formed as an integral piece with the first side wall  36  or the strut can be a separate piece that abuts the first side wall. In the alternative where the strut abuts the first side wall, the strut can include an opening that receives the rod  52 .  
         [0026]     The strut  36  abuts the base wall  24  of the fixture housing  12 . As seen in  FIG. 3 , the strut  42 ′ includes prongs  66 ′ (only one visible) that engage the bottom wall  24 ′ of the housing  12 ′. The post  28 ′ can be received between the two prongs  66 ′. The strut is made of a resilient material, such as a metal, and acts as a biasing member to center the fixture housing  12  in a neutral position after it has been struck. As the fixture housing  12  rotates about the axis of the sleeve  32 , the strut  42  bends downward. As the force is released on the housing, the potential energy stored in the resilient strut  42  biases the housing back toward a neutral position. Accordingly, if the fixture housing  12  is mounted in a horizontal position, the strut  42  can bias the fixture housing  12  along a vertical axis and if the fixture housing  12  is mounted in a vertical position, the strut  42  can bias the fixture housing  12  along a horizontal axis.  
         [0027]     The housing  12  can be biased to a neutral position in other manners. For example, a biasing member, such as a torsion spring, can be located in the sleeve  32  to bias the housing  12  to a neutral position. In yet another alternative, a biasing member can attach to the strut  42  and the base wall  34 . Other known conventional biasing mechanisms are also contemplated such as a cam arrangement that uses gravity to align the housing  12 .  
         [0028]     The LEDs  14  can be any conventional LED and in the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 1  run along an axis parallel with the length of the fixture housing. Preferably, the LEDs are high power LEDs, either generating white light, or of RGB white light generations. An optical system can be provided in the fixture housing to collect the light and direct it towards different areas. For example, LED arrays with different viewing angle optics within the fixture can be provided to achieve a specific beam pattern and light distribution. For example, the LED array can be optimized and aimed to provide a trapezoidal beam pattern which is known in the art. Alternatively, the LEDs can operate without an optical system in cases where a much wider flood light pattern is desired.  
         [0029]     The LEDs  14  receive power from an externally mounted power supply. An externally mounted power supply allows low voltage wiring to the fixture housing  12  which results in safer light assembly, for example, in case of a severe impact of the fixture housing. Also, an externally mounted power supply provides better thermal performance since the power supply thermal energy is not dissipated into the LED thermal system. Nevertheless, in an alternative embodiment, the power supply can be mounted internally into the fixture housing  12 .  
         [0030]     A thermal system for dissipating the heat generated by the LED is also provided in the fixture housing  12 . The thermal system is designed to provide adequate heat transfer and surface area to enable long lifetime when the LEDs are thermally connected to the fixture housing. The thermal system can include fins or other surface area increasing pieces for thermal control. Additionally, an active cooling system can be employed to cool the LED assembly.  
         [0031]     The fixture housing  12  including the LEDs  14  can attach to other structures besides the bracket  16 , or the fixture housing including the LEDs  14  can be provided as a separate unit from the bracket. For example, the fixture housing  12  including the LEDs  14  can be provided as a separate unit from the bracket. For example, the fixture housing  12  including the LEDs  14  can be provided as a light source in a rugged environment such as a work light or perhaps a heavy equipment light. The smooth and robust housing  12  can provide a durable long lasting light, especially when using LEDs.  
         [0032]     With reference to  FIG. 6 , a modular head  100  that is adapted to mount to the arm of a conventional dock light is shown. The modular head  100  includes a housing  102 , a plurality of LEDs  104  enclosed in the housing, and a lens  106  that covers the LEDs. As mentioned earlier, the conventional dock light includes a C-shaped or U-shaped bracket that attaches to an arm (usually metal). The modular head  100  is adapted to mount to such a bracket. The housing  102  is generally box-shaped and includes planar side walls  108  (only one is shown), a top wall  112  and a base wall  114 . The side walls  108  are spaced from one another so that the housing fits into the C-shaped or U-shaped bracket. Each sidewall includes an aligned opening  116  that receives a fastener to attach to the C-shaped or U-shaped bracket of the conventional loading dock light mounting structure. In an alternative embodiment, other mounting structures, such as pins that fit into openings in a bracket, can be provided. The head  100  can rotate about an axis running through the mounting structures. The top and bottom walls  112 ,  114  include fins  118  that protrude substantially normal to the top and bottom walls. The fins  118  can facilitate heat dissipation for the modular head  100  and can be in thermal communication with the LEDs  104 . The housing  102  can be manufactured from materials similar to the housing  12  described above.  
         [0033]     The LEDs can be similar to the LEDs  14  described above. The LEDs  104  mount to a printed circuit board (“PCB”)  120 . Different beam patterns can be provided by the modular head  100  by changing one of the components on the array of LEDs. In  FIG. 6 , nine LEDs are shown on the PCB  120 ; however, a different number of LEDs can be provided. Furthermore, each LED is shown having a secondary optic  121  mounted overtop the LED. Each secondary optic  121  can generate a different beam angle. Accordingly, by changing the number of LEDs or the secondary optic on each LED, the array beam pattern can be changed.  
         [0034]     The housing includes a conductor inlet  122  through which a power cord (not shown) can be received to power the LEDs  104 . A switch  124  is in electrical communication with the power cord to operate the LEDs  104 . A protective lens  106  is placed over the LEDs  104  and attaches to the housing  102 . The protective lens  106  can be removable to allow customizable options by the end user. Furthermore, the lens can be made of material similar to the protective lens  26  described above.  
         [0035]     In addition to receiving power from an external source through the power cord, the modular head can be provided with integral power supplies  126  that are in electrical communication wit the switch  124  and the LEDs  104 . The power supplies can include batteries as well as some sort of rechargeable power source. Furthermore, the power supplies  126  can be in thermal communication with the fixture housing  112  to facilitate heat dissipation.  
         [0036]     A light assembly has been described with preference to preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to those skilled in the art. The invention is defined as including all such reasonable modifications and alternations that come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.