US 5,988,836 AGranted

Recessed indirect fluorescent light fixture with flexible reflector

OwnerRalph W. Swarensinventor

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Abstract

An indirect fluorescent lighting fixture with a self-contained curved reflector is enclosed in a square housing that fits into an inverted T-bar grid cell of a suspended ceiling in place of 2'.times.2' ceiling tile, or it can be permanently mounted in a wall or ceiling. A centrally located fluorescent tube, extending between two opposite sides of the enclosure, is enclosed from view by a U shaped shield. The reflector, disposed above the tube directing light downwardly into a targeted room region, can be made with a single concave curvature for narrower "spotlight" applications or with a dual concave curvature for wider field applications. The reflector is held in place in a self-stressed condition between a pair of end channels such that its shape can be controlled by varying its length. The illumination pattern can be controlled and modified by a combination of shaping the reflector's curvature and selection of its reflective surface properties. An embodiment made with a dual concave curvature reflector surfaced with small ramp ridges provides wide angle coverage free of high angle glare, enabling uniform coverage of large areas with multiple optimally spaced fixtures.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An indirect fluorescent light fixture, for recessed deployment in ceilings and other flat architectural surfaces, optimized to provide maximal uniform glare-suppressed indirect illumination of a target area, comprising:

an enclosure, constructed with a top panel and four sidewalls thus defining a downwardly-facing light exit opening when deployed in a ceiling;
an elongate fluorescent lamp tube installed in an operative manner in said enclosure in a location such that a central axis of the lamp tube traverses a central region of said enclosure;
a primary reflector extending generally to extents of said enclosure and defining in cross-section, coaxial with said lamp tube, a pair of downwardly-facing concave reflecting surfaces flanking said lamp tube in a symmetrical manner, disposed above said lamp tube centrally, extending substantially to all four sides of said enclosure and having a cross-sectional shape, taken through the central axis of said lamp tube, that is uniform along the central axis and thus parallel to said lamp tube, the shape defining a downwardly-facing concave arc extending in a horizontally symmetrical manner above the lamp tube from a lower edge of a first side of the enclosure to a corresponding lower edge of a second side of enclosure opposite the first side,
an elongated light control trough, constructed and arranged to serve as a combination glare shield and secondary reflector, disposed parallel with and substantially beneath said lamp tube in a lower portion of said enclosure;
and
a peripheral horizontal trim strip, defining a lower extremity of the sidewalls and bordering a substantially square downwardly-facing light exit opening, configured and arranged such that a major portion thereof extends outwardly from the sidewalls while a minor portion thereof extends inwardly from at least the first sidewall and the opposite second sidewall, the minor portion of said trim strip thus forming a retaining flange that cooperates with the corresponding sidewalls to retain said primary reflector in place by directing the spring tension thereof to act outwardly against the sidewalls;
said primary reflector being made from a flat sheet of metal and formed into the concave arc shape such as to be retained under spring tension, said primary reflector and said enclosure being dimensioned and arranged such that a top surface of said primary reflector is caused to be urged upwardly against a bottom surface of the top panel portion of said enclosure.

4 more elements

an enclosure, constructed with a top panel and four sidewalls thus defining a downwardly-facing light exit opening when deployed in a ceiling;
an elongate fluorescent lamp tube installed in an operative manner in said enclosure in a location such that a central axis of the lamp tube traverses a central region of said enclosure;
a primary reflector extending substantially to all four sides of said enclosure and made to have a cross-sectional shape, taken through the central axis of said lamp tube, that is uniform along the central axis and thus parallel to said lamp tube, the shape defining a pair of side-by-side downwardly-facing half-sections shaped as concave arcs that are symmetrical about said lamp tube, extending inwardly in a horizontally symmetrical manner from respective opposite bottom edges of the enclosure to a high point where an top surface of each half-section concave arc touches a bottom surface of the top panel region, thence continuing in respective concave arc shapes to a central junction point defining a downward-pointing vertex located in a midregion between said lamp tube and the top panel region;
an elongated light control trough, constructed and arranged to serve as a combination glare shield and secondary reflector, disposed parallel with and substantially beneath said lamp tube in a lower portion of said enclosure;
and
a peripheral horizontal trim strip, defining a lower extremity of the sidewalls and bordering a substantially rectangular downwardly-facing light exit opening, configured and arranged such that a major portion thereof extends outwardly from the sidewalls while a minor portion thereof extends inwardly from at least the first sidewall and the opposite second sidewall, the minor portion of said trim strip thus forming a retaining flange that cooperates with the corresponding sidewalls to retain said primary reflector in place by directing the spring tension thereof to act outwardly against the sidewalls and upwardly against a bottom surface of the top panel of said enclosure.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.