Patent Publication Number: US-2021164627-A1

Title: Ceiling-based led auditorium pathway lighting apparatus

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/256,496, filed Jan. 24, 2019, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/466,864, filed Mar. 23, 2017, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/372,161, filed Aug. 8, 2016, all three applications entitled, “Ceiling-Based Auditorium Pathway Lighting Apparatus,” the contents of each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The subject disclosure relates to LED light fixtures and more particularly to ceiling-based LED lighting apparatus for lighting pathways or aisle ways in, for example, auditoriums and motion picture theatres. 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     Auditorium lighting apparatus has been provided in the past, for example, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 9,596,740, assigned to Tempo Industries, LLC, Irvine, Calif., the assignee of the subject application. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to illustrative embodiments, auditorium pathways, such as vertical and horizontal aisle ways, are illuminated by light fixtures located above the pathways, the light fixtures comprising a plurality of LEDs whose light is focused into a light beam of a width selected to illuminate the pathway. According to an illustrative embodiment, the light beam is configured such that it may be disposed between a plurality of patrons and a stage or screen to illuminate a pathway while remaining invisible to the patrons. 
     According to an illustrative embodiment, the light fixtures may comprise a plurality of LEDs, a plurality of vertical baffles, and a plurality of first apertures, each first aperture being disposed between a pair of the vertical baffles and over a respective one of the LEDs. A glare shield is mounted over the plurality of baffles and has a plurality of second apertures therein, each second aperture overlying a respective one of the first apertures, and a lens is disposed between the second apertures and the LEDs. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a ceiling-based LED light fixture according to an illustrative embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of an illustrative embodiment in an assembled state; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of an illustrative embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a light output plot of an illustrative ceiling-based LED light fixture; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of an illustrative theatre aisle way arrangement. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment; and 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An illustrative ceiling-based LED light fixture  11  is shown in  FIG. 1 . The light fixture  11  includes a wiring rail platform or fixture base  13 , and an LED circuit board mounting platform  15 , which mounts an LED circuit board  17  carrying one or more LEDs, e.g.  19 . In one embodiment, there may be twenty-one LEDs  19 . The illustrative embodiment of  FIG. 1  further includes an LED horizontal baffle/aperture component  21 , an LED glare shield  23 , and a collimator lens  25 . 
     The baffle component  21  has a plurality of rectangular vertical baffles, e.g.  22 , with an aperture  26  for passing light located between each pair of vertical baffles  22 . In one embodiment, the height H 1 , width W, and thickness T of the baffles  22  are, respectively, 0.5 inches high by 0.75 inches wide by 0.125 inches thick. In one embodiment, the baffles  22  are spaced 0.535 inches apart from one another to correspond with the spacing of the LEDs  19 . In one embodiment, the apertures  26  are rectangular slits of width 0.064 inches but could have other widths or other shapes in other embodiments. 
     In one embodiment, the glare shield  23  is trapezoidal in cross section and has dimensions A, B, C, D, E, as shown in  FIG. 2  respectively of: 0.75, 1.00, 1.38 0.99 and 2.00 inches. The glare shield  23  has a plurality of apertures or slits  24  in its generally rectangular top surface  30 . In one embodiment, these slits  24  are equally spaced apart from one another, and each slit  24  has dimensions of 0.375 inches wide by 0.75 inches long. In one embodiment, each aperture  24  is centrally positioned over one of the apertures  26  in the baffle  21 . The apertures  24  may have other shapes in other embodiments, for example, such as circular. 
     In one embodiment, the collimator lens  25  is a Fresnel lens. In one embodiment, the collimator lens  25  is eleven inches long and slides into a horizontal slit  28  in the glare shield  23 . In such an embodiment, the circuit board  17  may be 11.13 inches long. Different dimensions of course may be used in other embodiments. 
     In one illustrative embodiment, the circuit board mounting platform  15  may be mounted in conforming channels in the wiring rail platform  13 . The horizontal baffle/aperture component  21  is positioned above the circuit board mounting platform  15  and the LEDs  19 , and the LED glare shield  23  with collimator lens  25  in place is mounted down over the baffle/aperture component  21  so as to encase it. 
     In the alternate embodiment shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the baffle/aperture component  21  and glare shield  23  may be formed as a single component  130 , for example, by a 3D printing process. The single component  130  has baffles  122  and a slit  128  for receiving a lens such as lens  25  of  FIG. 1 . Apertures are formed between the baffles  122  as discussed in connection with  FIG. 1 . Bosses  133  for receiving screws or other mechanical fasteners are formed at each end of the component  130  to facilitate attachment of the component  130  to a mounting platform such as mounting platform  15  of  FIG. 1 . An optional shield  131  is also formed along a top edge of the component  130  in one embodiment. 
     In one embodiment, the wiring rail platform  13  may be an extruded metal material such as aluminum, and the circuit board mounting platform  19  is cast from aluminum. The horizontal baffle/aperture  25  may be formed, for example, of thermoplastic, and the glare shield  23  may be fabricated of polycarbonate. The collimator lens  25  may also be formed of polycarbonate. Other suitable materials can of course be used for all these components in other embodiments. 
     As noted above, in one embodiment, the baffle/aperture component  21  includes a plurality of rectangular baffle elements  22 . In between each baffle element  22  is an aperture  26 , each of which is positioned to allow passage of light generated by a respective one of the LEDs  19 . In one embodiment, an aperture  26  is positioned over each LED  19 . In one embodiment, the LED glare shield  23  includes a plurality of slits  24 , which are each positioned over a respective one of the LEDs  19 . 
     In operation, the collimating lens  25  focuses the light generated by the LEDS  19  into a narrow beam, the baffles  22  serve to cut-off or limit the exiting angle of light from the apertures, which would result in undesirable lateral spread of light, and the glare shield  23  blocks light reflected from the internal surfaces of the baffles  22  and the lens holder from being visible to an observer on the ground or floor when located more than a few feet from the resulting light pattern on the ground or floor. 
     In one embodiment, the circuit board  17  may be attached to the circuit board mounting platform  15  by thermal adhesive. In one embodiment, the circuit board mounting platform  15  pivotally engages one side of the wiring rail platform  13 , rests on the other side, and is fastened with screws, for example, as illustrated in U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 14/750,407 and Ser. No. 15/217,546, both incorporated by reference herein. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the light fixture apparatus  11  may be mounted or positioned at a height of, for example, forty feet above a surface  37  to be illuminated. In one such embodiment, the baffle/aperture  21 , glare shield  23 , and collimator lens  25  are constructed to generate a narrow primary beam angle which is three feet wide at the surface  37  (an angle of 4.3 degrees), while having a limited stray light “spill zone”  61  of about six inches. With such an embodiment, theatre pathways three to five feet wide may be illuminated from a fixture  11  positioned forty feet above the theatre pathway. Other embodiments may be constructed to light similar width pathways from different heights, for example, such as thirty feet. 
     The light provided at the surface  37  in various embodiments may be of such an intensity that the light beam  60  may be positioned between patrons and a movie screen or stage, for example, to illuminate horizontal aisle ways, while not being visible to those patrons. In one embodiment, the fixture  11  may provide illumination of 0.025 foot candles (fc) at the surface  37 . In one embodiment, full power on a  12  inch module  11  puts out 10 fc, and using appropriate electronic dimmers, can be adjusted down to 0.1 fc with a preferred level of &gt;0.2 fc to achieve light levels compliant with National Building Code and similar requirements for egress and safety illumination within movie theater auditoriums and similar public spaces. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an example of the arrangement of aisle ways in an auditorium or theatre where illustrative embodiments may find application. Such an arrangement may include first and second up and down aisle ways  41 ,  43  at respective sides of the auditorium and a horizontal aisle way  45  connecting the respective up and down aisle ways  41 ,  43 . In typical cases, these aisle ways, e. g.  41 ,  43 , may have widths in the range of three to five feet, and a length L of , for example, sixty feet, while the width of the horizontal aisle way  45  may be, for example, forty-five feet with a ceiling height of 30 to 40 feet. Light fixtures according to illustrative embodiments may be positioned or mounted in or at the ceiling of such an auditorium and employed to illuminate such pathways without disturbing the view of the stage or screen by patrons seated in the auditorium or theatre. 
     Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just described illustrative embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.