Anti-biofouling of submerged lighting fixtures
OwnerScott D. Usher, Daniel Deutschinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lighting fixture and method resist bio-fouling of the outer surface of a window of the lighting fixture when submerged and exposed to biological organisms within a surrounding environment. Ultraviolet radiation is directed to the outer surface of the window from a source inserted within the window, enabling transmission of ultraviolet radiation to the outer surface of the window of an intensity limited to essentially that which is effective in rendering the outer surface immune to adherence of biological organisms to which the outer surface of the window is exposed when submerged, and thereby allowing light from a source behind the window to be projected effectively through the window and into the surrounding environment.
Claims12
A lighting fixture for providing illumination at a marine installation location, the lighting fixture being constructed for resisting bio-fouling when submerged in a surrounding marine environment and thereby exposed to visible light-impeding bio-fouling marine biological organisms within that environment, the lighting fixture comprising:
- a chamber sealed against the surrounding marine environment;
- a source of visible light within the chamber for providing illumination at the marine installation location;
- a window member located for transmitting illumination from the source of visible light into the surrounding marine environment, the window member having an outer surface through which outer surface the illumination is to pass upon placement of the outer surface in position to be exposed to the surrounding marine environment;
- and
- a source of ultraviolet radiation inserted within the window member and arranged to direct ultraviolet radiation comprised of UVC radiation for transmission to the outer surface of the window member, such that the UVC radiation at the outer surface of the window member is of an intensity limited to essentially that which is effective in rendering the outer surface of the window member immune to adherence of visible light-impeding bio-fouling marine biological organisms to which the outer surface of the window member will be exposed when submerged within the surrounding marine environment;
- the window member being constructed of a material capable of transmitting the UVC radiation from the source of ultraviolet radiation inserted within the window member, through the material of the window member, to the outer surface of the window member such that upon submersion of the lighting fixture within the surrounding marine environment, visible light-impeding bio-fouling marine biological organisms will be inhibited from adhering to the outer surface of the window member by UVC radiation emanating from the source of UVC radiation within the window member and transmitted through the material of the window member to the outer surface of the window member.
A method for resisting bio-fouling of a lighting fixture constructed to provide illumination at a marine installation location where the lighting fixture is submerged in a surrounding marine environment and thereby exposed to visible light-impeding bio-fouling marine biological organisms within that environment, the method comprising:
- providing the lighting fixture with a chamber sealed against the surrounding marine environment;
- placing a source of visible light within the chamber for providing illumination at the marine installation location;
- including a window member for transmitting illumination from the source of visible light into the surrounding marine environment, the window member having an outer surface through which outer surface the illumination will pass upon placement of the outer surface in position to be exposed to the surrounding marine environment;
- and
- combating adherence to the outer surface of the window member visible light-impeding bio-fouling marine biological organisms to which the outer surface of the window member will be exposed when submerged within the surrounding marine environment, by constructing the window member of a material capable of transmitting UVC radiation, inserting a source of UVC radiation within the window member and directing, from the source of UVC radiation within the window member for transmission through the material of the window member to the outer surface of the window member, UVC radiation of an intensity limited to essentially that which is effective in rendering the outer surface of the window member immune to adherence of such visible light-impeding bio-fouling marine biological organisms;
- whereby, upon submersion of the lighting fixture within the surrounding marine environment, visible light-impeding bio-fouling of the outer surface by adherence of light-impeding bio-fouling marine biological organisms will be inhibited by UVC radiation emanating from the source of UVC radiation inserted within the window member and passing through the material of the window member to the outer surface of the window member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.