Patent Publication Number: US-11022278-B2

Title: Linear strip retrofit kit

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 16/046,459, filed Jul. 26, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/537,251, filed Jul. 26, 2017. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of luminaires, and particularly to luminaire housings and lenses. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect, a light fixture includes a housing, a recessed channel, a light-emitting element, and a lens positioned over the light-emitting element. The housing includes a mounting surface. The recessed channel includes a bottom and a pair of side walls extending along the length of the mounting surface. The light-emitting element is coupled to the bottom of the recessed channel. The lens is positioned over the light-emitting element and removably retained between the pair of side walls. 
     In another aspect, a light fixture includes a housing, a recessed channel, a light-emitting element, and a lens extending over the light-emitting element. The housing includes a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween. The housing includes a mounting surface positioned between the first and second end. The mounting surface includes the recessed channel extending from the first end to the second end along the longitudinal axis. The recessed channel includes a first side wall, a second sidewall, and a bottom disposed therebetween. The lens includes a pair of side portions and an apex portion therebetween, and the pair of side portions is received between the first side wall and the second side wall to removably retain the lens. 
     Other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a luminaire. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the luminaire of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the luminaire in  FIG. 1  with the lens removed. 
         FIG. 4  is an end view of the luminaire in  FIG. 1  with the lens removed. 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view of the luminaire in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is an end view of the luminaire in  FIG. 1  with the lens retained. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Before any embodiments are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. A device consistent with the disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Use of “consisting of” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. 
       FIGS. 1-6  illustrate a light fixture or luminaire  10 . In one embodiment, the luminaire  10  is used in a commercial or industrial environment. The luminaire  10  may be recessed or surface mounted and is electrically connected to a power source (not shown), such as a utility supply of electricity, a battery, a solar cell, a fuel cell, an alternator, a generator, etc. The lighting fixture  10  may include a transformer (not shown), such as a step-down transformer and/or an electronic driver. The luminaire  10  includes a housing  14  defining a mounting surface  18 , a light-emitting element  22  ( FIG. 3 ) coupled to the mounting surface  18 , and a lens  26 . In some embodiments, a lens may include one or more diffusers. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the housing  14  includes a first end  34  and a second end  38  and defines a longitudinal axis  42  extending between the first end  34  and the second end  38 . The housing  14  may be formed from a sheet of metallic material. As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 6 , the housing  14  may include a driver or controller enclosure  46  containing controller hardware. 
     Mounting surface  18  is a generally planar, elongated, and extends generally parallel to longitudinal axis  42 . A recessed channel  32  is centrally located in mounting surface  18 . Recessed channel  32  includes a channel bottom  36 , a first side wall  40 , and a second side wall  44 . The bottom  36  is generally planar, elongated, and extends generally parallel to longitudinal axis  42 . In some embodiments, the channel  32  extends along the entire length of housing  14 . The channel bottom  36  provides support for light-emitting element  22 . For example, the light source is coupled to the channel bottom  36  by way of fasteners  60 , such as screws, or by snap fits, adhesive, bonding, welding, or any other suitable coupling. The channel bottom  36  may also act as a heat sink for the light-emitting element  22 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3  the light-emitting element  22  may include multiple light-emitting diode boards  50 . Each LED board  50  includes multiple LEDs supported on an elongated circuit board (e.g., a printed circuit board or PCB). The circuit board is secured to the support surface  18  ( FIG. 3 ). The LEDs may be arranged in a linear manner along the length of the circuit board, and the LED board  50  may be oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis  42  ( FIG. 2 ) of the housing  14 . In the illustrated embodiment, the light-emitting element  22  includes two LED boards  50  arranged in a linear manner along the length of the housing  14 ; in other embodiments, the light assembly  22  may include fewer or more light boards  50 . In other embodiments, two or more LED boards  50  may be arranged adjacent along the longitudinal axis  42 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , a lens  26  covers the light-emitting element  22  and is retained in the recessed channel  32 . The lens  26  has a pair of side portions  24  and an apex portion  28  between the pair of side portions  24 , the side portions  24  configured to be removably retained within side walls  40 ,  44  of the recessed channel  32  and prevent substantial movement in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis  42 . Side walls  40 ,  44  may extend toward each other at an acute angle from bottom  36  of recessed channel  32 . Side portions  24  of lens  26  may extend away from each other at an angle substantially similar to the angle of side walls  40 ,  44 . The spacing between side portions  24  may be selected such that lens  26  is elastically deformed when retained within side walls  40 ,  44  and frictionally interfaces with side walls  40 ,  44  of recessed channel  32 , substantially preventing translation of lens  26  in recessed channel  32  in a direction parallel to longitudinal axis  42 . A lens  26  may extend along the entire length of housing  14 . In this embodiment, lenses  26  of a plurality of linearly adjacent luminaires  10  would form a continuous light seal. 
     Additionally, a luminaire  10  may include one or more end caps adjacent  54  to lens  26 . An end cap  54  includes a pair of side portions and an apex portion between the pair of side portions, the side portions configured to be retained within the side walls of recessed channel  32 . The side portions and apex portion of the end cap may be dimensioned similarly to side portions  24  and apex portion  28  of lens  26 . Alternatively, side portions and apex portion of end cap may be dimensioned such that end cap overlaps side portions  24  and apex portion  28  of lens  26 . An end cap may further have an opaque face portion  55  configured to prevent light from passing through an end of lens  26 . End cap  54  may be configured to be retained in two recessed channels  32  of adjacent fixtures  10  for additional benefits such as, for example, providing additional alignment between fixtures. 
     A luminaire  10  may include one or more sensors  12 , such as a motion sensor, an occupancy sensor, a photosensor, etc. Sensor  12  may be configured for wired or wireless networking with one or more of luminaire  10 , a second luminaire substantially similar to luminaire  10 , or a sensor of the second luminaire substantially similar to sensor  12 . Sensor  12  is affixed in an aperture  13  of lens  26 , such as, for example, a snap fitting. In a preferred embodiment, aperture  13  is configured such that sensor  12  is oriented perpendicular to the plane of the mounting surface  18 . However, other configurations are possible, depending on the intended luminaire installation orientation and location. Alternatively, sensor  12  may be affixed in a mesial fitting (not shown), wherein a custom interior of the mesial fitting is configured to securably retain sensor  12  and an exterior of the mesial fitting is configured to be securable retained in a general purpose aperture  13  of lens  26 . Said general purpose aperture  13  may be configured to retain a plurality of different mesial fittings corresponding to different sensors  12 . 
     Although aspects have been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects as described.