Patent Publication Number: US-2006002105-A1

Title: LED-illuminated spa jet

Description:
This application U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/585,017 filed on Jul. 2, 2004 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates generally to the illumination of pools, spas, and like systems, and particularly to the illumination of such systems utilizing light emitting diodes (LEDs).  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Water reservoirs such as pools and spas are commonly constructed with one or more underwater light sources for illuminating the water within the reservoir. The light sources are visually appealing and the illumination of the water allows for safe use of the pool or spa at night. Conventional lighting units are commonly mounted on the wall of the pool or spa, and comprise a watertight housing that contains an incandescent light source. On one side of the housing is an aperture for the power connection to the light source, and on the other side is a lens to scatter, direct or focus the light from the light source. Each lighting unit requires its own mounting hole in the wall of the pool or spa and its own power connection.  
      A number of variations of conventional pool or spa lighting systems have been developed; see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,617,615; 5,122,936; and 5,051,875.  
      One of the disadvantages of the illumination systems disclosed in the aforementioned patents is that a separate hole must be created in the wall of the pool or spa for either mounting the light or allowing the light&#39;s power connection to pass through the wall. The greater the number of holes in a pool or spa wall, the greater the danger of water leaking through a hole. Another disadvantage of the above systems is that when an individual light fails, it can be difficult to repair. The process can require lowering the water level to repair the light from the water side of the pool or spa. Alternatively, the light can be accessed from the exterior side of the pool or spa, but that often requires removing decking, excavating soils and/or cutting through insulation. Another disadvantage of conventional systems is that by having a high voltage light source close to the water, a short circuit can occur between the light source and the water. This is particularly a problem if there is a crack in the light&#39;s housing. As the number of lights is increased, the total potential current leakage from all of the lights increases.  
      Fiber optic lighting systems have been developed for spas by, among others, Coast Spas located in British Columbia, Canada. These systems include a remote light source and numerous optical fiber bundles for transmitting light from the source to a number of holes in the spa wall. Each hole has a cap to hold one of the optical fiber bundles so that the light emitted from the end of the bundle is directed through the cap and into the water within the spa. Each cap has a transparent lens that disperses or focuses the light from the fiber bundle. Although eliminating the need for electrical wiring to the points of illumination in the spa wall, these systems typically require dozens of holes in the spa wall for receiving the ends of the optical fiber bundles. The provision of numerous holes in the wall of a spa increases the spa&#39;s complexity, cost and chances of water leakage.  
      An improved fiber optic illumination system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,510,277 (“Pool and Spa Components With Fiber Optic Illumination”) issued Jan. 21, 2003, to the assignee of the present invention; that patent is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The system of the &#39;277 patent provides a component, such as, for example, a jet or drain, for a pool, spa or like reservoir, which component incorporates at least one fiber optic probe optically coupled via a fiber optic bundle to a remote light source that provides illumination of the water. Among other advantages, this system eliminates the need for multiple holes in the wall of the spa or pool. Nevertheless, the system requires the routing of relatively expensive fiber optic bundles and couplers to the individual jets, drains, etc. Thus, it would be desirable to further reduce the cost of spa or pool illumination systems without unduly compromising the advantages gained by a fiber optic system such as that of the &#39;277 patent.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In accordance with one specific, exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a light comprising a body and a probe within the body arranged to receive light from an LED within the probe, the probe being adapted to transmit the light from the LED out of the body. Pursuant to another, specific aspect of the invention, there is provided a light for a water reservoir, the light comprising a reservoir component having a body adapted to project through a wall of the reservoir, and a probe within the component body arranged to receive light from an LED within the probe, the probe being adapted to transmit the light from the LED into the reservoir.  
      Pursuant to another, specific aspect of the invention, there is provided a jet comprising a jet body; a water inlet to the body; a water nozzle within the body for forming water flowing through the inlet into a stream; an elongated, tubular probe mounted within the jet body along its longitudinal axis, the probe extending from the rear of the body toward its front and being at least partially transparent at its front end; and an LED mounted within the tubular probe, the light from the LED being directed through the probe and emitted from the jet body.  
      In accordance with yet another specific, exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a system comprising a reservoir for holding water, the system comprising at least one component having a body adapted to extend through a wall of the reservoir with the majority of the body positioned behind the wall of the reservoir; a water pump system for circulating water between the reservoir and the at least one component; an electrical power supply; an LED housed within a probe carried by the at least one component; and an electrical conductor connecting the power supply and the LED, the light from the LED passing through the probe and into the reservoir. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become evident to those skilled in the art from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, below, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a spa system incorporating an LED-illuminated spa jet in accordance with one specific exemplary embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 2  is an exploded, perspective view of the spa jet incorporated in the system shown in  FIG. 1 ; and  
       FIG. 3  is an axial cross section view of the spa jet depicted in  FIG. 2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      The following description presents a preferred embodiment of the invention representing the best mode contemplated for practicing the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of the invention whose scope is defined by the appended claims.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a spa, pool, or like system  10  comprising a shell or reservoir  12  having a wall  14  carrying multiple illuminatable components comprising, by way of example and not limitation, stationary water jets  16 , pulsating water jets  18  and a drain  20 . The present invention can be used with many other components or devices, including but not limited to skimmers, point lights, control knobs, etc.  
      Operation of pools, spas and the like are generally known and only briefly discussed herein. The jets  16  and  18  are connected to a water pump  5  system  22  that circulates water through a series of water conduits. Water from the reservoir  12  is returned to the pump system  22  via the drain  20  and a return conduit  26 . Water from the pump system  22  is delivered back to the reservoir  12  through supply conduits  28 , and flows through the jets  16  and  18  into the interior of the reservoir  12 , completing the loop. Additionally, an air system  30  may be included for providing air to the jets through an air conduit  32  to aerate the water flowing through the jets. The air system  30  may be pump driven to increase the pressure of the air entering the jets, or the system may be vacuum-based with a venturi or eductor located within each jet to draw air into the water stream discharged from the jet.  
      A remote, low voltage electrical power source  40  is connected to solid state light sources carried by the jets and/or by any other desired component such as the drain  20  by main electrical power supply lines  42 , electrical power distribution circuitry  44 , and individual supply lines  46  each including an electrical coupler  48  that can be disconnected to facilitate servicing of the associated component  16 ,  18  or  20 . Low voltage is a voltage level generally known in the lighting industry and it is understood that in alternative embodiments the power source  40  can supply different levels of power including what is known in the art as high voltage. The power source can also be provided with circuitry and controls to vary the voltage level and to provide different pulsing voltages to give different lighting effects.  
      The solid state light sources can be many different sources including but not limited to lasers and LEDs or any combination thereof, with the preferred light sources being LEDs. As will be described in greater detail, each of the components carries a probe in turn carrying at least one LED. Light emitted from the at least one LED is transmitted through the probe to illuminate the water in the reservoir  12 .  
      By way of example, a pulsating spa jet  60  with LED illumination constructed in accordance with the invention is shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , but it is understood that the invention can be used with many other spa components as well as devices not used in spas.. Most of the jet&#39;s components are formed from a water impervious plastic such as ABS. The jet  60  is particularly adapted to be positioned below the water line of the reservoir  12  with the majority of the jet positioned behind the reservoir&#39;s water-contacting surface of the wall  14 . The jet  60  is connected to the reservoir&#39;s plumbing water supply, and the stream of air and water which is emitted is directed toward the water within the spa, all as already described.  
      The spa jet  60  includes a jet body  62  having a water inlet pipe  64  that receives a standard water supply line (not shown). The body  62  may also have an air inlet tube  66  to allow air into the jet body  62  when aerated water is desired. Water (or aerated water) exits the jet body through an outlet. The jet body  60  has exterior threading  68  and a front flange  70  that bears against the interior surface of the reservoir wall  14  when the jet  60  is installed. A wall fitting  72  on the exterior surface of the wall  14  opposite the front flange  70  has interior threads  74  that mate with the jet body&#39;s exterior threads  68 . The wall fitting  72  is screwed into the jet body&#39;s exterior threads  68  until the flange  70  tightens against the interior surface of the spa wall  14 . A gasket  76  can be included on the jet body to provide a seal between the flange  70  and the spa wall  14 . The jet is held securely in place with the spa wall  14  sandwiched between the flange  70  and the wall fitting  72 .  
      The jet body  62  carries an elongated, transparent, tubular probe  80  that runs most of the length of the jet coaxial of the jet&#39;s longitudinal central axis  82 . The probe  80  is inserted into the jet through an opening  84  in the rear of the jet body  62  and secured thereto along a threaded section  86  to provide, along with an O-ring  88 , a watertight seal. The tubular probe  80  comprises a closed forward end  90  and defines a central, axial passageway  92  terminating at an opening  94  that receives an LED  96  electrically connected to one of the electrical conductors  46 . The LED  96  and the conductor  46  are advanced within the probe to position the LED adjacent to the closed, forward end of the probe. The probe includes a rear extension  98  that snuggly receives an elastomeric, watertight sleeve  100  having a reduced diameter portion  102  that sealingly engages the conductor  46 . The LED&#39;s emission is directed toward the probe&#39;s closed end  90  so that light from the LED passes through the probe end  90  to illuminate the water within the spa.  
      The size of the probe  80  can be selected to match the reservoir component with which it is to be used; its dimensions are not critical to the invention. The preferred length of the probe is in the range of 7 to 13 cm; in the case of a stationary jet, the probe may extend the full length of the jet body or even project from the forward extremity of the component. Alternatively, it can be foreshortened (as shown in  FIG. 3 ) to accommodate a rotatable jet outlet. The preferred outer diameter (for a probe with a circular cross section) is in the range of 0.5 to 2 cm. The diameter of the central passageway  92  is preferably about half the probe&#39;s outer diameter. The probe can be made of many different materials that transmit, diffuse, disperse or focus light, preferably transparent or translucent polycarbonate. Alternatively, the probe can be opaque along its entire length except for a transparent closed forward end, although it is preferably homogeneous throughout its length. Coatings, reflectors, filters and/or lenses may be incorporated in the probe for providing various optical effects.  
      The probe may have many different shapes and dimensions, and may be mounted within the spa jet or other component in many different ways; all of these variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.  
      The individual LEDs may have various viewing angles and colors, including, for example, red, white, green and yellow and may be controlled to blink or flash. The LEDs may be high power, high intensity devices; it is preferable, however, that the LEDs be powered by low voltage AC or DC.  
      Water enters the jet  60  through the water inlet  64  and flows through a jet nozzle  110 . Since the probe  80  is disposed within the nozzle  110 , it tends to reduce the volume of water that can pass through the nozzle. As a result, the nozzle  110  should have a larger cross sectional flow area than would be the case for a conventional spa jet to allow a sufficient volume of water to pass through the jet. The interior surface of the nozzle  110  tapers inwardly in the flow direction to accelerate the water flowing through the nozzle, creating an eductor or venturi effect. A passageway  112  allows air to flow from the air inlet  66  to the forward end of the nozzle. At that location, the air is entrained into the water jet due to the eductor action, causing a desirable water/air mixture to be emitted from the jet.  
      Attached to the downstream end of the nozzle  110  is an eyeball carrier  114  having a bearing  116  carrying a rotatable eyeball  118  so that water entering the eyeball causes it to rotate. The eyeball  118  defines at least one water conduit  120  having a longitudinal axis offset from the eyeball&#39;s rotational axis (which coincides with the central axis  82 ) so that water can enter the conduit  120  around the probe so as to cause the eyeball  118  to rotate. The jet flow exiting the eyeball traces a continuous circular pattern. The eyeball  118  may define more than one conduit, but because the probe consumes space, its presence reduces the volume of water passing through the jet.  
      Located downstream of the eyeball  118  is a diverter cap  122  that diverts the water flowing from the eyeball to produce a series of pulsating jets. The cap  122  includes a plurality of conical bores  124  disposed in a ring around the eyeball&#39;s rotation axis  82 . The bores  124  are aligned with the circular pattern of the jet flow exiting conduit  120  and emit a jet pulse each time the conduit jet passes by them. The result is a circular pattern of jet pulses that is esthetically pleasing.  
      The eyeball  118  is held on the bearing  116  and within the carrier  114  by the diverter cap  122 . An escutcheon  126  is attached to the eyeball by a series of tabs that mate with recesses in the carrier  114 . A series of depressions  128  are included around the escutcheon&#39;s perimeter for gripping. Manual rotation of escutcheon  126  rotates the carrier and the nozzle, in turn regulating the flow of water into the nozzle  110  from the water inlet  64 .  
      As noted, light from the LED  96  exits mainly through the closed end  90  of the probe  80 . In the embodiment shown, the probe does not extend the entire length of the jet, but extends only partially into the eyeball  118 . The eyeball and diverter cap are made of a transparent or translucent material that allows light from the probe to enter the spa. Both the contours of the diverter cap  122  and the air and water from the jets exiting the bores  124  help refract the light. The eyeball and diverter cap can be made of many different materials, but are preferably made of an acrylic or polycarbonate.  
      While several illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, numerous variations and alternate embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Such variations and alternate embodiments are contemplated, and can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.