Patent Publication Number: US-2022214031-A1

Title: Support assembly and illumination system

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to a support assembly, and more particularly relate to a support assembly for use in the lighting field. 
     Traditionally, high intensity discharge (HID) lighting sources are used for a wide array of lighting applications in public spaces such as stores, libraries, theatres and school gymnasiums, for example. The actions towards improved energy efficiency have brought about a state-of-the-art light emitting diode (LED) technology, which has been used as an alternative to HID lighting in commercial and municipal applications. LED lighting has the potential to provide improved energy efficiency and light output in various applications. 
     The LED lighting sources which are designed to replace the HID lighting sources, especially the high wattage lighting sources, are usually big in size and heavy in weight. As a result, when a LED lighting source is installed horizontally or angularly in a lighting fixture, it will bring a high torque force to the screw base used for connecting it to the lighting fixture. In current approaches, some supporting elements are fixed to the LED lighting source to support it. However, since the LED lighting sources may be installed in different kinds of lighting fixtures, different supporting elements may be required, which may lead to inventory pressures and relatively laborious operations. 
     Therefore, it is desirable to provide a support assembly to address one or more of the above-mentioned problems. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
     In accordance with one embodiment disclosed herein, a support accessory is provided for an LED lamp, and the support accessory includes a frame and a supporting leg. The frame is configured to be detachably coupled to the LED lamp, and the supporting leg is configured for supporting the frame on at least one certain support surface when the LED lamp is installed. Wherein, in a first state, the supporting leg is fixed to the frame, and in a second state, the supporting leg is slidably coupled to the frame and is slidable relative to the frame to adjust the support length of the supporting leg between the frame and the at least one certain support surface. 
     In accordance with another embodiment disclosed herein, a lighting system includes a cover, a transparent or translucent lens, an LED lamp and a support accessory. The LED lamp is coupled to the cover and accommodated in an inner cavity defined by the cover and the lens. The support accessory is coupled to the cover and accommodated in an inner cavity defined by the cover and the lens, and the support accessory includes a frame and a supporting leg. The frame is configured to be detachably coupled to the LED lamp, and the supporting leg is configured for supporting the frame on at least one certain support surface when the LED lamp is installed. Wherein, in a first state, the supporting leg is fixed to the frame, and in a second state, the supporting leg is slidably coupled to the frame and is slidable relative to the frame to adjust the support length of the supporting leg between the frame and the at least one certain support surface. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of the specification, illustrate the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the disclosure and to enable a person skilled in the relevant art(s) to make and use the disclosure. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary support accessory in connection with a LED lamp, in accordance with the aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the support accessory of  FIG. 1  in accordance with the aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the support accessory of  FIG. 1  in accordance with the aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of another exemplary support accessory in connection with the LED lamp, in accordance with the aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a yet another exemplary support accessory in connection with the LED lamp, in accordance with the aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a yet another exemplary support accessory in connection with the LED lamp, in accordance with the aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an exemplary lighting system in accordance with the aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-section view taken along line 7-7 in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of another exemplary lighting system in accordance with the aspects described herein; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-section view taken along line 9-9 in  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Unless defined otherwise, technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as is commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The terms “first”, “second”, and the like, as used herein, do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. Also, the terms “a”, and “an” do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. The use of “including,” “comprising” or “having” and their variations herein are meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The terms “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, and can include electrical connections or couplings, whether direct or indirect. The terms “component”, “module”, “system”, “interface”, or the like are generally intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a connector assembly  100  in connection with a LED lamp  200 .  FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the support accessory  100  of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the support accessory  100  of  FIG. 1 . The supporting accessory  100  includes a frame  110  and two supporting legs  120 . The frame  110  is detachably coupled to the LED lamp  200 , and the two supporting legs  120  is configured for supporting the frame  110  and the LED lamp  200  on at least one certain support surface (such as an inner surface  705  shown in  FIG. 7 ) when the LED lamp  200  is installed. In a first state, the supporting leg  120  is fixed to the frame  110 , and in a second state, the supporting leg  120  is slidably coupled to the frame  110  and is slidable relative to the frame  110  to adjust a support length of the supporting leg  120  between the frame  110  and the at least one certain support surface. The support length is the distance between the certain support surface and a junction of the supporting leg  120  and the frame  100 . 
     The type and structure of the LED lamp are not limited herein. In some embodiments, the LED lamp  200  includes a main house  210 , a base  230  and a front cover  220 . The main house  210  has opposite ends  241  and  242 , with the end  241  coupled to the base  230  and the end  242  as a free end. The front cover  220  is coupled to the free end  242  of the LED lamp  200 . 
     In some embodiments, the frame  110  is detachably coupled to the front cover  220  of the LED lamp  200  via at least one clip  130  and at least one position module  140 . As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the frame  110  has a circular ring  112 , and the at least one position module  140  extending from the circular ring  112  is configured to cover at least part of the front cover  220 . The at least one clip  130  is approximately uniformly distributed around a periphery of the circular ring  112  and configured to clamp the LED lamp  200 . In this embodiment, four clips  130  which are integrally formed with the circular ring  112  are configured to clamp the front cover  220  of the LED lamp  200 . Four position modules  140  are approximately uniformly distributed around the periphery of the circular ring  112 , and the position modules  140  are integrally formed with the frame  110 . The position modules may be different in size and shape. In some other embodiments, the frame  110  may be integrally formed with the LED lamp  200 , or the front cover of the LED lamp  200  may be deemed as the frame and the frame is detachably coupled to the free end  242  of the LED lamp  200 . 
     In some embodiments, the frame  110  with at least one clip  130  and at least one position module  140  is made of a plastic material, and it can be detachably coupled to the LED lamp  200  quickly and easily without impacting the light output. 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the support accessory  100  of  FIG. 1 . The frame  110  further includes at least one protrusion  114 , and each protrusion  114  defines a cavity  116 . The supporting leg  120  is partially accommodated in the cavity  116 , in a manner that the supporting leg  120  passes through the cavity  116  when the supporting leg  120  slides relative to the frame  110 . In some embodiments, the support accessory  100  further includes a sliding guide  150  at least partially accommodated in the cavity  116 , and the supporting leg  120  is partially accommodated in the sliding guide  150  and slidable along the sliding guide  150  in the second state. 
     In some embodiments, the supporting leg  120  and the sliding guide  150  are made of light metal materials, such as Aluminum, via an extrusion process. And the supporting leg  120  includes a rubber cushion  122  at an end thereof, for attaching to the at least one certain support surface (as shown in  FIG. 7 ) and for avoiding damage to the certain support surface. 
     In some embodiments, the support accessory  100  further includes a fastener  160  used to fix the supporting leg  120  relative to the frame  110  in the first state, and unfix the supporting leg  120  from the frame  110  in the second state. In the first state, the fastener  160  extends into the cavity  116  through a first hole  118  of the frame  110  and a second hole  152  of the sliding guide  150 , and presses the supporting leg  120  against the frame  110 . And in the second state, the fastener  150  releases the supporting leg  120  such that the supporting leg  120  can slide relative to the frame  110  to adjust the support length. 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the frame  110  includes two protrusions  114  defining a first cavity  116  and a second cavity  117 , respectively. The first cavity  116  and the second cavity  117  are distributed on the lateral sides of the frame  110 , respectively. The two supporting legs  120  pass through the first cavity  116  and the second cavity  117 , respectively, when the supporting legs  120  slide relative to the frame  110 . In some embodiments, the two supporting legs  120  are approximately parallel to each other. And in some other embodiments, with the structure of the protrusions  114  adjusted, the two supporting legs  120  may form an angle. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of another exemplary support accessory  400  in connection with the LED lamp  200 . The support accessory  400  includes a frame  410  which is similar with the frame  110  in  FIG. 1 . A difference between the frame  410  and the frame  110  is that the frame  410  includes two protrusions  414  defining a first cavity  416  and a second cavity  417 , respectively, and the first cavity  416  and the second cavity  417  are aligned with each other such that a support leg  420  is able to pass through both the first cavity  416  and the second cavity  417  when the supporting leg  420  slides relative to the frame  410 . In some embodiments, the two protrusions  414  are mounted on two position modules  440  that are symmetrical with respect to the axis of the LED lamp  200 , respectively. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of yet another exemplary support accessory  500  in connection with the LED lamp  200 . The support accessory  500  includes a frame  510  that is similar with the frame  410  of  FIG. 4 . One difference between the frame  510  and the frame  410  is that the frame  510  includes one protrusion  514  defining a first cavity  516 , and the support leg  520  passes through the first cavity  516  when the supporting leg  520  slides relative to the frame  510 . 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of yet another exemplary support accessory  600  in connection with the LED lamp  200 . The support accessory  600  includes a frame  610  that includes two first protrusions  614  and two second protrusions  615 . The two first protrusions  614  define a first cavity  616  and a second cavity  617  distributed on the lateral sides of the frame  610 , respectively. A supporting leg  620  passes through the first cavity  616  when the supporting leg  620  slides relative to the frame  610 , and the support accessory  600  further includes an additional supporting leg  622  that passes through the second cavity  617  when the additional supporting leg  622  slides relative to the frame  610 . The two second protrusions  614  define a third cavity  619  and a fourth cavity  613 , respectively. The third cavity  619  and fourth cavity  613  are aligned with each other such that a support leg  624 can pass through both the third cavity  619  and the fourth cavity  613  when the supporting leg  624  slides relative to the frame  610 . 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an exemplary lighting system  700 .  FIG. 8  is a cross-section view taken along the mid-line 7-7 in  FIG. 7 . The lighting system  700  includes a cover  701  (also called a lighting fixture), a transparent or translucent lens  702 , and the LED lamp  200  and supporting accessory  100  shown in  FIG. 1 . Further referring to  FIG. 1 , the base  230  of the LED lamp  200  is coupled to the cover  701  and accommodated in an inner cavity  703  defined by the cover  701  and the lens  702 . When the LED lamp  200  is installed horizontally or angularly in the cover  701 , the heavy LED lamp, for example, a  1 . 0 ˜ 2 . 0  kg LED lamp, will bring a high torque force to the base  230  of the LED lamp  200 . The support accessory  100  is coupled to the free end  242  of the LED lamp  200  and configured to support the LED lamp  200 . In some embodiments, the lighting system  700  further includes a reflector  704  configured to direct light from the LED lamp  200 . 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 , before the LED lamp  200  is installed into the cover  701 , the frame  110  is detachably coupled to the LED lamp  200 . In the second state, the supporting legs  120  passes through the first cavity  116  and the second cavity  117 , respectively, and each supporting leg  120  is partially accommodated in the sliding guide  150  of the cavity. When the LED lamp  200  is installed in the cover  701 , the supporting legs  120  slide relative to the frame  110  to adjust the support length of the supporting legs  120  between the frame  110  and the at least one certain support surface. In the first state, immediately after the supporting legs  120  have been attached to the at least one certain support surface to support the frame  110  and the LED lamp  200 , the supporting legs  120  are fixed to the frame  110 , for example, via the fastener  160 . The certain support surface may be the surface of a component or device surrounding the LED lamp  200  and the support accessory. For example, the certain support surface may be any inner surface  705  of the cover  701  or an inner surface  706  of the lens  702 . As the inner surface  705  of the cover  701  may not be a flat surface or the LED lamp  200  may be installed angularly in the cover  701 , the supporting lengths of the two supporting legs may be different. The support accessory  100  that has an adjustable supporting length may be flexible enough to adapt itself to different lighting systems for different applications. 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of another exemplary lighting system  900 .  FIG. 10  is a cross-section view taken along the midline 9-9 in  FIG. 9 . The lighting system  900  includes a cover  901 , a transparent or translucent lens  902 , a reflector  904 , and the LED lamp  200  and the supporting accessory  100  shown in  FIG. 1 . Further referring to  FIG. 1 , the base  230  of the LED lamp  200  is coupled to the cover  901  and accommodated in an inner cavity  903  defined by the cover  901  and the lens  902 . When the LED lamp  200  is installed in the cover  901 , the supporting legs  120  slide relative to the frame  110  to adjust the support lengths of the supporting legs  120  between the frame  110  and the at least one certain support surface. In the first state, immediately after the supporting legs  120  have been attached to the at least one certain support surface to support the frame  110  and the LED lamp  200 , the supporting legs  120  are fixed to the frame  110 , for example, via the fastener  160 . The certain support surface is an inner surface  906  of the lens  902 . In some other embodiments, the supporting legs  120  may be supported by both of an inner surface  905  of the reflector  904  and the inner surface  906  of the lens  902 . 
     In some embodiments, the supporting accessory shown in  FIGS. 4-6  may also be quickly installed and easily adjusted in the aforementioned lighting system. 
     The support accessory of this disclosure is designed to include the frame with clips and position modules, and can be quickly and easily attached to the LED lamp. The metal supporting legs made via an extrusion process are strong enough to support the LED lamps, and the supporting legs with adjustable supporting lengths can help the supporting accessory adapt itself to all kinds of lighting systems. 
     The extent of patent protection for this application is defined by the claims, and the patent protection may also cover other embodiments that could be thought of by those skilled in the art. If the structural elements contained in those other embodiments are not different to what has been described in the claims, or the equivalent structural elements contained in those other embodiments are only insubstantially different to what has been described in the claims, these other embodiments shall fall within the scope of the appended claims. t 
     Various replacements and specific embodiments are expected to fall within the scope of the appended claims, which specifically point out and clearly declare the subject matter of the application.