Combination recessed lighting and smoke detector

The embodiments provide a system and an apparatus for a combination of a recessed lighting and a smoke detector. A room can include several recessed lights in which one of the recessed lights will include an integral smoke detector that is hidden behind the recessed light. The recess light includes a smoke collecting chamber with several smoke holes to guide any smoke from the room toward the smoke detector. A wall mounted smoke detector testing device can be connected to the smoke detector by a wire in which a person in the room can test the smoke detector without the need to access the smoke detector located above the recessed light.

The present application claims the benefit to a provisional application No. 63/014,262 filed on Apr. 23, 2020 and entitled RECESSED LIGHTING WITH INTEGRAL SMOKE DETECTOR.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to recessed lighting, and in particular to a recessed lighting with a smoke detector.

BACKGROUND

Recessed lighting fixtures are a source of light mounted in a ceiling in which the light face is flush with the ceiling surface to appear as one smooth surface. Recessed lighting can be circular or rectangular in shape as it appears in the ceiling surface. Recessed lighting is typically an LED light in order to form the light fixture as thin as possible.

A smoke detector is required to be installed in all rooms of a house or rental in which people sleep to awaken any sleeping person to the detection of smoke in the room indicating a fire. A smoke detector typically has a mounting surface that is secured to a ceiling surface and a detector body that extends out from the mounting surface such that the smoke detector sticks out from the flat ceiling surface. Many homeowners consider this structure to be ugly especially when recessed lighting is used in the room.FIG. 1shows an embodiment with an arrangement of recessed lighting104arranged in a rectangular array on a ceiling102. Various arrangements of recessed lighting can be formed. A smoke detector106is also mounted to the ceiling102but is not recessed as is the lighting104. The smoke detector is a different device than the recessed lighting and can extend outward from the ceiling surface. This is not a desired appearance to a home owner that uses a symmetrical arrangement of recessed lighting.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a device can have a recessed lighting with an integral smoke detector. The smoke detector is hidden behind the recessed lighting so it can be not visible from a view looking at the ceiling. The recessed lighting with smoke detector will look like the other recessed lighting that do not have a smoke detector.

In another aspect, a system for testing a recessed light with a smoke detector can have a wall mounted device connected to the smoke detector by a wire for testing the smoke detector. The wall mounted device can include a backup battery and a switch or button that can be flipped or pushed to test the smoke detector from the floor.

In another aspect, the smoke detector can include a backup battery and a wall mounted device can be connected by a wire to the smoke detector for testing of the smoke detector.

In another aspect, two or more of the smoke detectors in a building can be hard wired together so that all smoke detectors can be tested from one wall mounted device with a testing switch or push button.

In another aspect, a wall mounted testing device can be wirelessly connected to a smoke detector for testing. Both the smoke detector and the wall mounted device can have a backup battery to test the smoke detector if the main source of electrical power is out.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments provide a recessed lighting array in which one recessed light includes a smoke detector that looks like the other recessed lights that do not include a smoke detector.

In one aspect,FIG. 2shows a room with a ceiling202in which an array of recessed lights204are arranged. In one embodiment, a rectangular array of recessed lights can be used with two rows of recessed lights forming a rectangular array. One of the recessed lights206in the array can include a smoke detector. Each of the recessed lights can be circular shaped or rectangular shaped from a front view. Each recessed light is connected to the power grid of the house to power both the light source and the smoke detector. The smoke detector can include a backup battery to supply power to the smoke detector if the power grid of the house goes out.

In one aspect, a wall mounted smoke detector testing device208is connected to the smoke detector206with a wire hidden from view. The wall mounted smoke detector testing device208can include a switch or a push button that can be used to test the smoke detector206. The smoke detector and the light source of the recessed light are both connected to the electrical grid of the house and thus power both the light source and the smoke detector. The smoke detector can include a backup battery for the case when the electrical power for the house goes out, the backup battery will allow the smoke detector to function. When the switch or push button is activated and the smoke detector is working properly, a device on the smoke detector will make a sound indicating that the smoke detector is working properly. For a tall ceiling with the recessed light and smoke detector206, a person would need a ladder to reach a test button or switch on a smoke detector. Since the smoke detector is hidden from view by the recessed light, the recessed light and smoke detector would have to be removed from the ceiling to test the smoke detector. In one embodiment, the test switch or button is mounted to the wall in the room so a person can test the smoke detector without having to reach for the ceiling mounted smoke detector. In one embodiment, the smoke detector is hidden from view and a wall mounted device for testing the smoke detector can allow for a person to test the smoke detector without having to remove the recessed light206from the ceiling202.

In one aspect, the wall mounted device208can be connected to the smoke detector with a wire hidden from view.

In another aspect, smoke detector testing device208can be connected to the smoke detector206for testing using a wireless connection. A wireless device like a TV remote control can be used to supply a signal to the smoke detector for testing. If the smoke detector goes off do to smoke appearing, the wireless smoke detector testing device can also be used to turn off the alarm of the smoke detector. If several rooms each having a recessed light with a smoke detector is used, one smoke detector testing device can be used for test or turn off all of the smoke detectors.

FIG. 3shows a recessed light with a smoke detector from a cross sectional side view. The recessed light304includes a source of light that can be an LED light. The recessed light can include a mounting extension314that can be used to mount the recessed light flush with a ceiling surface316of a ceiling302in a room. The mounting extension314can include a vertical extending section and a horizontally extending section. The mounting extension314can form a surface to the recessed light304and smoke detector flush with the ceiling surface316. An annular shaped smoke collecting opening or chamber312can be formed between the light source304and the mounting extension314in which smoke can collect and then pass through several holes306formed in the mounting extension314and flow to the smoke detector308. In one embodiment, a smoke guiding plate318can be mounted on the smoke detector308to direct the smoke from the holes306into the smoke detector sensor. In one embodiment, the annular opening312can be V-shaped. In another embodiment, the annular opening312can be U-shaped. In one embodiment, the smoke detector308is located above the recessed light304. The annular smoke collecting chamber312can allow for the smoke to accumulate before passing through one or more holes306in the mounting extension314on the way to the smoke detector308.

FIG. 4shows a cross sectional side view of the recessed light and smoke detector. The light source304is inside of the annular smoke collecting chamber312which can be inside of the mounting extension314having the holes306. The annular smoke collecting chamber312allows for smoke to accumulate before passing through the holes306and then to the smoke detector308.

In one embodiment, a smoke collecting chamber312can be rectangular in cross sectional shape like inFIG. 5. The smoke hole504can be extending vertically into a smoke guiding channel506formed by the smoke guiding plate318. Smoke310from the room will flow up and into the smoke collecting chamber502and thru the smoke hole504and into the smoke guiding channel506to the smoke sensor in the smoke detector308.

In another embodiment, a smoke collecting chamber602inFIG. 6can be rounded on the top with a smoke hole604extending from the smoke collecting chamber602to the smoke guiding channel506under the smoke guiding plate318toward the smoke sensor in the smoke detector308.

In one embodiment, the smoke collecting chamber can be a full annular collecting chamber extending around the outside of the light source of the recessed light. In another embodiment, the smoke collecting chamber can be an opening that does not extend in a full annular way but at a small arc around the light source. In another embodiment with a rectangular shaped light source, the smoke collecting chamber can extend along all four sides of the rectangular shaped light source. In another embodiment, one or more small openings can be the smoke collecting chamber or areas that do not extend along all four sides of the rectangular shaped light source.

The recessed light with the smoke detector can provide for an appealing look for a ceiling with several recessed lights in which one of the recessed lights includes a smoke detector that is hidden from view while looking the same as the recessed lights that do not include a smoke detector. Since all the recessed lights can be illuminated, the appearance can be appealing to a person in the room.