Abstract:
A retrofit kit adapted to existing recessed light fixtures having housings of different depths and/or configurations is described herein. The retrofit kit includes a flat flexible reflector and at least one pair of fasteners adapted to secure the flat flexible reflector in the housing of an existing recessed light fixture. The reflector can be flexed to different curved shapes to fit the housings. A retrofitting method for an existing recessed light fixture is also disclosed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a retrofit kit and a retrofitting method for existing recessed light fixtures having housings of different depths and/or configurations. 
         [0002]    New lighting technologies provide light sources and power components with better energy efficiency than those used in the past. For example, light emitting diodes (LEDs) are widely utilized to replace fluorescent lights. Generally, the expense of replacing an entire light fixture previously installed is high. It is less expensive to keep the housing of an existing light fixture and replace or eliminate some components in the housing, which can also take advantages of the improvements in lighting technologies. Recently, efforts have been made to retrofit kit for facilitating quick and easy installation of a light source to an existing light fixture. A retrofit kit usually contains a new light module containing at least one light source, a reflector for increasing the intensity of light, and a power supply component. The reflector usually has a curved shape and is adapted to the housing of the existing light fixture, that is, the edge of the reflector should bias against the side wall of the housing after installation. If the reflector does not fit the housing, there will be a gap between the edge of the reflector and the side wall of the housing, and a shadow area may be formed when the retrofitted light fixture is powered on. The existing light fixtures may have openings of different sizes and housings of different depth and/or configurations. Accordingly customized reflectors are required to fit various light fixtures. 
         [0003]    There are needs for retrofitting existing recessed light fixtures mounted in ceiling planes, grounds or other places. Each recessed light fixture has a housing installed into a ceiling or other places and an opening from which the light shines. The openings have various sizes and shapes, such as rectangular and circular, which are defined by industry standards. For example, the common used sizes of rectangular openings include 4 ft by 2 ft, 2 ft by 2 ft and 4 ft by 1 ft. Within the context of embodiments of the invention, the “opening size” is understood to mean the outer opening size considering the thickness of the housing or the hollow size of the ceiling or other places where the recessed light fixture is installed. However, even if the recessed light fixtures have the same sized opening, their housings provided by different suppliers may have various depths and/or configurations. The traditional reflectors for recessed light fixtures are relatively rigid and each has a certain curved shape, so it could only fit certain types of housings. Therefore, it is desirable to have a universal reflector applicable to light fixtures. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    An object of the present invention is to provide a retrofit kit for existing recessed light fixtures. The existing recessed light fixtures each has a housing which includes an upper base panel, a first side wall, a second side wall opposite to the first side wall, a third side wall, and a fourth side wall opposite to the third side wall. The first, second, third and fourth side walls extend substantially downward from the upper base panel. An opening is defined by lower edges of the first, second, third and fourth side walls. More specifically, the opening is defined by outer edges of the four side walls considering their thicknesses. For the existing recessed light fixtures which have openings of the same size substantially, they may have housings with various depths and/or configurations. The retrofit kit according to an embodiment of the present invention is applicable to existing recessed light fixtures having openings of the same size. The retrofit kit includes a reflector which is a substantially flat flexible sheet adapted to be flexed to a curved shape against the third and fourth side walls of the housing during installation of the retrofit kit and at least one pair of fasteners adapted to secure the reflector in the housing. The reflector in an embodiment of the present invention is substantially flat, which means it does not have pre-defined curved shape before installation of the retrofit kit. Usually the reflector is made of a metal sheet having a reflecting coating on its surface. As an example, iron sheet is often used. 
         [0005]    The reflector in an embodiment of the present invention is a substantially flat flexible sheet which can be flexed and adjusted to fit the housing during installation and make sure there is no gap between the edge of the reflector and the third or fourth side wall of the housing. Comparing with a traditional reflector which is rigid and has a pre-defined curved shape, the flexible reflector in an embodiment of the present invention is applicable to existing recessed light fixtures having openings of the same size and housings of different depths and/or configurations. The size of the reflector is designed based on the opening size of the existing recessed light fixture. As one embodiment of the present invention, the existing recessed light fixture has a rectangular opening with a length L 1  and a width W 1 , wherein L 1  is the distance between the lower edges of the first and the second side walls, and W 1  is the distance between the lower edges of the third and the fourth side walls. Considering the thickness and different configurations of the housings, L 1  and W 1  are the outer sizes of the opening. The reflector has a substantially rectangular shape with a length L 2  and a width W 2  in the range of: 0.9L 1 &lt;L 2 &lt;L 1 ; 0.9W 1 &lt;W 2 &lt;W 1 , more particularly, 0.9L 1 &lt;L 2 &lt;L 1 ; 0.9W 1 &lt;W 2 &lt;0.95W 1 . In this case, the rectangular reflector having a size of L 2  by W 2  can be applicable to existing recessed light fixtures which have rectangular openings with the size of L 1  by W 1 . 
         [0006]    At least one of the fasteners in the retrofit kit includes a first end adapted to be coupled to the housing through a pivot and a second end extending laterally adapted to secure the reflector through rotating around the pivot. To secure the reflector firmly, the fastener further includes a rod connecting with the second end of the fastener and extending toward the upper base panel of the housing after installation of the fastener. Correspondingly, the reflector has at least one through hole adapted to receive the rod of the fastener extending through. 
         [0007]    The retrofit kit in an embodiment of the present invention further comprises a first and a second mounting brackets adapted to be coupled to the housing adjacent to the first and the second side walls of the housing respectively. Specifically, the first and the second mounting brackets can be coupled to the upper base panel or they can be coupled to the first and second side walls of the housing respectively. The reflector is configured to be coupled between the first and the second mounting brackets through at least one pair of fasteners. At least one pair of fasteners includes two fasteners which are adapted to be pre-installed on the first and the second mounting brackets respectively. 
         [0008]    The retrofit kit in an embodiment of the present invention further comprises at least one light module, at least one pair of fixing components adapted to secure the at least one light module in the housing, and a power supply component adapted to be coupled to the housing and electrically connected with the at least one light module. As one embodiment of the present invention, at least one light module includes an LED and the power supply component includes an LED driver. As another embodiment of the present invention, at least one light module includes a fluorescent lamp and the power supply component includes a ballast. The fixing components for securing the light module including a fluorescent lamp comprise at least one pair of electrical sockets adapted to electrically connect with the ballast. Each pair of electrical sockets completes a circuit when the fluorescent lamp is coupled between the pair of electrical sockets. 
         [0009]    Usually the power supply component will not be seen after installation of the retrofit kit. The power supply component is adapted to be coupled in a space between the reflector and the upper base panel of the housing, or in a space between the first or second mounting bracket and the upper base panel of the housing. Double-sided tape is often used to couple the power supply component to the housing. 
         [0010]    The second object in an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a retrofitting method of an existing recessed light fixture. The existing recessed light fixture has a housing which includes an upper base panel, a first side wall, a second side wall opposite to the first side wall, a third side wall, and a fourth side wall opposite to the third side wall. The first, second, third and fourth side walls extend substantially downward from the upper base panel. An opening is defined by lower edges of the first, second, third and fourth side walls. More specifically, the opening is defined by outer edges of the four side walls considering their thicknesses. The retrofitting method in an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of providing a reflector which is a substantially flat flexible sheet and at least one pair of fasteners adapted to secure the reflector in the housing; and placing the reflector between the first and the second side walls of the housing, adjusting the curved shape of the reflector against the third and fourth side walls of the housing, and securing the reflector using said at least one pair of fasteners. 
         [0011]    Usually, the reflector in an embodiment of the present invention has a similar shape with the opening of the existing recessed light fixture. About the size of the reflector, as one embodiment of the present invention, the existing recessed light fixture has a rectangular opening with a length L 1  and a width W 1 , wherein L 1  is the distance between the lower edges of the first and the second side walls, and W 1  is the distance between the lower edges of the third and the fourth side walls. Considering the thickness and different configurations of the housings, L 1  and W 1  are the outer sizes of the opening. The reflector has a substantially rectangular shape with a length L 2  and a width W 2  in the range of: 0.9L 1 &lt;L 2 &lt;L 1 ; 0.9W 1 &lt;W 2 &lt;W 1 , more particularly, 0.9L 1 &lt;L 2 &lt;L 1 ; 0.9W 1 &lt;W 2 &lt;0.95W 1 . 
         [0012]    In certain exemplary embodiments, the retrofitting method further includes the steps of: providing a first and a second mounting brackets; coupling the first and the second mounting brackets to the housing adjacent to the first and the second side walls of the housing respectively; providing at least one light module, at least one pair of fixing components adapted to secure the at least one light module in the housing, and a power supply component; coupling the power supply component to the housing; and coupling the at least one light module between the first and the second side walls of the housing using said at least one pair of fixing components and electrically coupling the light module to the power supply component. 
         [0013]    To simplify the retrofitting method, some components of the retrofit kit can be pre-installed on the first and second mounting brackets, such as the at least one pair of fasteners for securing the reflector in the housing, the at least one pair of fixing components for securing the light module in the housing, and the power supply component. Specifically, each pair of fasteners has two fasteners being coupled to the symmetric positions of the first and second mounting brackets respectively. Each pair of fixing components has two fixing components being coupled to the symmetric positions of the first and second mounting brackets respectively. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference made to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a housing of an existing recessed light fixture and a retrofit kit for the housing in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2A  is a view of the retrofit kit in  FIG. 1  after installation; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2B  is a section view of the retrofit kit in  FIG. 2 a    taken along line A-A; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of certain components of the retrofit kit in  FIG. 2   a;    
           [0019]      FIG. 4A  is a main view of a retrofit kit in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4B  is a section view of the retrofit kit in  FIG. 4 a    taken along line A-A. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0021]      FIG. 1  shows an exploded view of a housing  10  of an existing recessed light fixture mounted in a ceiling plane and a retrofit kit  100  for the housing  10  in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The housing  10  includes an upper base panel  12 , a first side wall  13 , a second side wall  14  opposite to the first side wall  13 , a third side wall  15  and a fourth side wall  16  opposite to the third side wall  15 . The four side walls  13 ,  14 ,  15  and  16  extend substantially downward from the upper base panel  12 . A rectangular opening  18  is formed by the lower edges of the four side walls  13 ,  14 ,  15  and  16 . Other components of the existing recessed light fixture have been removed from the housing  10 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the housing  10  is retrofitted with the retrofit kit  100 . The retrofit kit  100  includes a reflector  20  which is a substantially flat flexible sheet before installation, a first pair of fasteners  31 ,  32  and a second pair of fasteners  33 ,  34  ( 33  is not shown in  FIG. 1 ) adapted to secure the reflector  20  in the housing  10 , a first and a second mounting brackets  41 ,  42 , a light module  50 , a pair of fixing components  61 ,  62  ( 61  is not shown in  FIG. 1 ) adapted to secure the light module  50  in the housing  10 , a power supply component  70  and a lens  80 .  FIG. 2  shows a main view of the retrofit kit  100  after installation. 
         [0022]    The reflector  20  has a substantially rectangular shape before installation. As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 a -2 b   , the reflector  20  is flexed to a curved shape to fit the housing  10  and then it is secured in the housing  10  by two pairs of fasteners  31 ,  32  and  33 ,  34 . More specifically, the reflector  20  is placed between the first side wall  13  and the second side wall  14  of the housing  10  and is flexed to against the third side wall  15  and fourth side wall  16 . Since the reflector  20  of in an embodiment is flexible, it is easy to avoid gap between the reflector  20  and the third side wall  15  or the fourth side wall  16 . In an embodiment of the present invention, the existing recessed light fixture has a rectangular opening with a size of 4 ft*2 ft, that is 1219.2 mm*609.6 mm. The reflector  20  in the retrofit kit has a size of 1140 mm*567 mm which is applicable to the existing recessed light fixture. 
         [0023]    As shown in  FIG. 2 a   , the first pair of fasteners  31 ,  32  are coupled to symmetric positions of the first mounting bracket  41  and the second mounting bracket  42  respectively. The second pair of fasteners  33 ,  34  are also coupled to symmetric positions of the first mounting bracket  41  and the second mounting bracket  42  respectively.  FIG. 3  shows an enlarged drawing of some components of the retrofit kit  100  including two fasteners  31 ,  33 . The fastener  31  includes a first end  311  adapted to be coupled to the first mounting bracket  41  through a pivot  312 , a second end  313  extending laterally, and a rod  314  connected with the second end  313 . The rod  314  extends toward the upper base panel  12  of the housing  10  after installation. The second end  313  and the rod  314  of the fastener  31  are used to secure the reflector  20  through rotating around the pivot  312 . As shown in  FIG. 2 a   , the reflector  20  has a through hole  21  adapted to receive the rod  314  of the fastener  31  extending through. Thus the reflector  20  can be secured in the housing  10  firmly. The other three fasteners  32 ,  33 ,  34  have similar configuration with that of the fastener  31 . 
         [0024]    The two mounting brackets  41 ,  42  are adapted to be coupled to the housing  10  adjacent to the first side wall  13  and the second side wall  14  of the housing  10  respectively. Take the mounting bracket  41  as an example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the mounting bracket  41  includes a flat portion  411  and a box-shaped portion  412 . The flat portion  411  has two through holes  413 ,  414  for installing the mounting bracket  41  to the housing  10  using tapping screws and a through hole  415  for connecting with the fixing component  61 . The mounting bracket  42  has a similar configuration with the mounting bracket  41 . 
         [0025]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the light module  50  of the embodiment includes a plurality of LEDs  51 . The light module  50  is configured to be coupled between the first side wall  13  and the second side wall  14  of the housing  10 , more specifically, between the first mounting bracket  41  and the second mounting bracket  42  through a pair of fixing components  61 ,  62 . The power supply component  70 , which includes an LED driver, is adapted to be coupled to the box-shaped portion  412  of the first mounting bracket  41 , so it will not be seen after installation. 
         [0026]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the retrofitting method of an existing recessed light fixture which has a housing  10  includes the steps of: providing a reflector  20 , two pairs of fasteners  31 ,  32  and  33 ,  34 , a first and a second mounting brackets  41 ,  42 , a light module  50 , a pair of fixing components  61 ,  62 , a power supply component  70 , and a lens  80 , as shown in  FIG. 1 ; coupling the two pairs of fasteners  31 ,  32 ,  33 ,  34  and one pair of fixing components  61 ,  62  to the first and the second mounting brackets  41 ,  42 ; coupling the power supply component  70  to the box-shaped portion  412  of the first mounting bracket  41 ; coupling the first and the second mounting brackets  41 ,  42  to the housing  10  adjacent to the first side wall  13  and second side wall  14  respectively; placing the reflector  20  between the first and the second mounting brackets  41 ,  42 , adjusting the curved shape of the reflector  20  against the third side wall  15  and the fourth side wall  16  of the housing  10 , and securing the reflector  20  using the fasteners  31 ,  32 ,  33 ,  34 ; and coupling the light module  50  between the first and the second mounting brackets  41 ,  42  using the fixing components  61 ,  62 , electrically coupling the light module  50  to the power supply component  70 , and coupling the lens  80  to the light module  50 . 
         [0027]    More specifically, each fastener  31 ,  32 ,  33  or  34  is coupled to the mounting brackets  41 ,  42  through a pivot, as shown in  FIG. 3 . The fasteners  31 ,  32  are coupled to symmetric positions of the first and second mounting brackets  41 ,  42 , and the fasteners  33 ,  34  are also coupled to symmetric positions of the first and second mounting brackets  41 ,  42 . The power supply component  70  is coupled to the box-shaped portion  412  of the first mounting bracket  41  through a double-sided tape. The first and the second mounting brackets  41 ,  42  are coupled to the housing  10  using tapping screws. 
         [0028]      FIG. 4 a    shows a retrofit kit  200  for an existing recessed light fixture having a housing  10  according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The retrofit kit  200  also includes a reflector  20 , two pairs of fasteners  31 ,  32 ,  33 ,  34  adapted to secure the reflector  20  in the housing  10 , two mounting brackets  41 ,  42 , and a power supply component  70 . Different from the retrofit kit  100 , the retrofit  200  includes two light modules  50 ,  51 , a first pair of fixing components  61 ,  62  adapted to secure the light module  50 , and a second pair of fixing components  63 ,  64  adapted to secure the light module  51 . During installation, the reflector  20  is placed between the first and second mounting brackets  41 ,  42  and is flexed to a wave-type shape having two lower portions.  FIG. 4 b    shows a side view of the retrofit kit  200  after installation. The light modules  50 ,  51  are coupled between the first mounting bracket  41  and the second mounting bracket  42  close to the two lower portions of the reflector  20  respectively. The power supply component  70  is coupled in a space between the upper base panel  12  of the housing  10  and the reflector  20 , as shown in  FIG. 4   b.    
         [0029]    This written description uses examples to describe the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.