CA3136776A1 - Ventilation fixture - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a ventilation fixture comprising a main housing with a cavity; and a cap configured to be coupled to the housing such that it is movable away from and towards the cavity to open and close a gap between the main housing and an outer edge of the cap, wherein the cap or the housing includes a rim around an edge thereof and comprising one or more cut out portions to reduce air speed as air flows through the gap and into the cavity. The invention also provides a ventilation system comprising: a ventilation fixture as described above and an air inlet cap configured to be removably coupled to the housing, the air inlet cap comprising openings through which air can flow from the cavity out of the front of the housing, wherein the coupling means for coupling the cap and the air inlet cap to the housing are such that the cap and the air inlet cap are interchangeable. The invention also provides a ventilation fixture comprising: a main housing having a cavity; illumination means located on the main housing; and an air inlet cap configured to be removably coupled to the housing, wherein the air inlet cap includes one or more openings configured to allow air to pass from the cavity and out of the front of the housing.

Description

Ventilation Fixture The present invention relates to a ventilation fixture. In embodiments, the present invention relates to a ventilation device with adjustable airflow. In embodiments, the present invention relates to a ventilation system adaptable for inflow and outflow.
Particularly where indoor spaces are concerned it is desired to provide effective ventilation using devices which are as small and as streamlined as possible.
Such systems are of particular importance in bathrooms where air can become damp and needs to be effectively replaced, or in office spaces which may be required to house a large number of workers throughout the day. To this end ducting is provided within the walls and ceilings of the building to remove air to the exterior. Ducts connect to vents through which air flows from the room. In some cases a hole is required to be provided in the ceiling through which the duct can extend. Although various forms of grating may be provided to improve the appearance of these inlets, such a configuration may be unattractive, and this is clearly undesirable. These also either do not provide sufficient possibility to adjust the airflow from the room, or provide only for the ventilation system to be turned on and off.
The desire for attractive fittings often results in the integration of ventilation systems, but also of lighting systems, into a ceiling or wall in various ways.
Spotlights, for example, may be installed so that they lie more or less flush with a ceiling surface.
Components required to provide the lighting (circuit boards, bulb connectors, and so on) are therefore hidden behind the ceiling surface providing overall a more attractive appearance.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ventilation fixture comprising: a main housing with a cavity; and a cap configured to be coupled to the housing such that it is movable away from and towards the cavity to open and close a gap between the main housing an outer edge of the cap, wherein the cap or the housing includes a rim around an edge thereof, the rim comprising one or more cut out portions to reduce air speed as air flows through the gap and into the cavity.

2 In embodiments, the rim is on the outer edge of the cap. This way air flow is diverted through the cut out portions and towards the centre of the cavity.
The present invention provides a fitting which functions to provide adjustable ventilation to an interior space, and which is adaptable to fit with most building ventilation systems independent of the size of the ducting used. Means of flow control are provided and the fitting can be ceiling or wall mounted with its interior parts largely hidden once installed, which means that the appearance is more streamlined. To prevent the airflow through the fitting from producing unwanted noise, and to provide a smooth and laminar flow of air therethrough, cut-outs are provided on an adjustable cap. This allows the airflow to diverge to an extent on passing through the fixture which tends to slow the airflow desirably to reduce noise. This is important where the size of the gap for air flow is adjustable since in some configurations a very small gap may be provided (i.e. when the air flow through the fixture is nearly but not quite cut off).
In an embodiment, the ventilation fixture comprises a vent cage configured to sit within the cavity and coupled to the cap such that the position of the cap is adjustable towards and away from the vent cage to open and close the gap. This way the adjustable ventilation function can be provided as a module removable from the rest of the fixture, i.e. from the housing of the device. This provides a greater level of flexibility.
In particular it is possible that the specific ventilation fixture described below could be supplemented or replaced by a fixture that includes additional or alternative functionality as described for example in our co-pending patent applications GB1715056.6 and PCT/EP2018/074231. Examples of other fittings that could be included within the housing, either separately or integrated into the ventilation fixture, would be a Passive Infrared Sensor (PI R) or alarm.
If desired the cap can be completely removed such that the module functions only as a light, or so that vacuum air flow through the fixture is completely uninhibited which may be desirable in certain situations. This could be, for example, when vacuum cleaning of the fixture is performed, which can also be achieved as part of the hygiene maintenance of the entire ventilation system.

3 In an embodiment, the cap is adjustable by way of a bolt and thread such that the cap can be rotated to move the cap towards and away from the vent cage. The size of the air gap is completely adjustable between a fully open and a fully closed configuration. Finger holds or the like may be provided to assist with turning of the cap in some embodiments, although the simple appearance of a smooth cap from the outside of the fixture may be preferable. Here "outside" refers to the side of the fixture visible from the room once the fixture has been installed in a ceiling or wall.
In an embodiment, the inner surface of the cap is provided with fins extending from the rim towards the centre of the cap. Inner surface here refers to the side of the cap facing inwards, or away from the room in which the fixture is installed.
This surface will therefore generally not be visible from the room. These fins assist with provision of a laminar flow.
The fins are predominantly structural and allow the part to be moulded or otherwise formed with a thinner wall thickness than would otherwise be required to maintain required rigidity and/or strength whilst minimising cost. In the examples described below and shown in he figures, such as Figures 4A and 5 to 7, the fins are shows as straight members. In other examples, the fins could be curved, such as in the shape of a circular arcs, or they could be curved with varying radius of curvature.
In an embodiment, the rim of the cap comprises more than one cut out portion and one fin is provided between each pair of cut out portions. Again, this configuration is optimal in terms of providing for smooth air flow through the interior of the fixture.
In an embodiment, between 6 and 10 rims are provided on the cap. In an embodiment, 8 rims and 8 cut out portions are provided on the cap.
In an embodiment, the cut out portions are substantially rectangular in shape.
Cut-outs may not extend the entire depth of the rim and may also include rounded corners and/or chamfers which can further prevent eddies from forming as air flows past and/or through them. The cut-out shape can be chosen so as to ensure that the air flow within the fixture is as desired. For example these could be rounded in shape, semi- or part-circular, semi- or part-elliptical, chamfered, trapezoidal or any other configuration to

4 go with the geometry of the fixture. Furthermore, the edges of the cut-outs are preferably rounded or curved so as to avoid presenting a sharp edge to the airflow as it passes through.
In an embodiment, the vent cage includes a central hub for coupling to the cap and a circular rim and comprises legs extending from the rim to the central hub.
In an embodiment, between 2 and 6 legs are provided on the vent cage. In an embodiment, 4 legs are provided on the vent cage.
In an embodiment, illumination means are provided on the main housing. The ventilation fixture can be integrated with a light easily. The illumination means may be provided on a front surface of the main housing. The appearance of the fixture once installed is very compact and covers openings to ventilation ducts and provides an attractive lighting device. Running ventilation through an illumination device can also help with cooling of the device. Such cooling is not required for the normal operation of the illumination device which will operate safely and efficiently without such ventilation.
However, the ventilation but does provide additional cooling.
Typically within a building, ventilation ducts will be provided within the ceiling or wall. As will be described below when the ventilation fixture is installed an end of the ventilation duct may be fed through a hole formed in the wall or ceiling ready for a lighting installation all from the visual side of the hole. The entire assembly can then be pushed back in to complete the light assembly without requiring access to the ceiling or wall internals.
In an embodiment, the ventilation fixture comprises a vent housing coupled to a back surface of the main housing, wherein the vent housing includes coupling means for fixing to a duct such that a closed path is provided from the front of the main housing to the duct through the vent housing. Again, back surface here refers to the side of the housing furthest from a room-facing surface once the fixture is installed. The back-surface will then generally sit behind a ceiling or wall panel and will not be visible.
Including an additional vent housing, which may be provided separately or integrally with the main housing, means that the fixture can be adapted to fit to various sizes and types of ventilation duct. This makes it flexible for use in different environments.
In an embodiment, the vent cage and main housing comprise magnets to

5 removably retain the vent cage within the housing cavity. The vent cage (along with the adjustable cap) can be easily removed and replaced for cleaning without needing to dismantle any other part of the fixture.
In an embodiment, the cap can be moved towards the main housing to completely close the gap between the main housing and the cap to shut off air flow. The fixture can therefore be configured as a vent and light combination, or simply as a light if desired or if no ventilation is required.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a .. ventilation system comprising a ventilation fixture according to the first aspect and an air inlet cap configured to be removably coupled to the housing, the air inlet cap comprising openings through which air can flow from the cavity out of the front of the housing, wherein the coupling means for coupling the cap and the air inlet cap to the housing are such that the cap and the air inlet cap are interchangeable. The device can be adapted for inflow or outflow without it being necessary to dismount the device itself. A set of identical housing portions (potentially including a lighting function as described below) can be mounted to a wall or ceiling and coupled to ducting as desired. The additional inflow and outflow modules can be easily inserted and removed to and from the housing once mounted and as necessary to provide the desired ventilation to the room.
The cap .. of the first aspect need not necessarily comprise the rim with cut-out portions, but may be of another configuration allowing for adjustable airflow out of the room and into the cavity of the housing. The cap may be shaped as a simple disk, for example.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ventilation fixture comprising: a main housing having a cavity; illumination means located on the main housing; and an air inlet cap configured to be removably coupled to the housing, wherein the air inlet cap includes one or more openings configured to allow air to pass from the cavity and out of the front of the housing.

6 In other embodiments, the present invention relates to an improved lighting apparatus, such as a lighting apparatus with a detachable portion. In embodiments, the present invention relates to a lighting apparatus with a removable illumination portion, a removable bulb unit, or a removable rim.
In the field of lighting systems, and particularly where lights are required to be fitted to the ceilings of indoor spaces, there is a desire to achieve effective illumination of the space whilst providing a fitting which does not dominate visually, but which is easy to replace and/or maintain. Lights which are recessed into the ceiling or walls of a room so that they are substantially flush with the ceiling or walls are now common.
These have typically comprised one or more conventional bulbs in the centre of a rim portion which hides a hole in the ceiling in which the recessed light sits. More recently, this type of recessed ceiling or wall light has been designed to use LED bulbs, which are more environmentally friendly as well as being more efficient than traditional lightbulbs.
This type of light is attractive, however changing the bulb or bulbs when these fail is notoriously difficult and the placement of the bulbs or other illumination means within the light, which does not have a shade in the same way as hanging lights generally will, can result in a patchy appearance or non-uniform illumination because the bulbs themselves are visible through the front of the device.
In the case of LED lights, it is also difficult if not impossible to replace the bulbs or LED chips without needing to replace the entire unit. This, of course, means pulling the unit out of the ceiling in the case of recessed lights which requires effort or professional input and is costly. US-A-2018/0266635, for example, describes a recessed LED
light including a central optoelectronic module which includes all of the electronics required to power the LED bulbs. The light also includes a separate rim module. The optoelectronic portion is pushed into a central opening in the rim module for installation.
The rim includes fasteners which then securely fix the rim to the ceiling. Once this action has been completed it is extremely difficult to detach the rim module from the rest of the device, and thus it is also difficult to replace or remove the separate optoelectronic module.

7 According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lighting apparatus comprising: a main housing with a first attachment means for securing the apparatus to a mounting surface; and a detachable portion configured to form a front surface of the apparatus and having a first PCB and illumination means fixedly coupled thereto and a second attachment means for removably coupling the detachable portion to the main housing such that the detachable portion, the PCB, and the illumination means can be removed from the main housing and replaced as one piece. The detachable portion, PCB, and illumination means together (optionally with additional parts such as an integral lens or filter) can be referred to as a "halo bulb unit". The halo .. bulb unit is lightweight, is manufactured as one integral unit, and can be easily detached from a front surface of the housing and reattached thereto without having to move, reconfigure, or detach any other part of the lighting apparatus.
The fact that the halo bulb unit is lightweight, together with its location at the front of the apparatus, make it easy to access and remove even after the main housing has been installed in a wall or ceiling acting as the mounting surface.
Particularly in the case of LED lighting systems, it has previously been necessary to replace entire units even in the case of failure of a single LED chip. This is inconvenient and costly because a replacement unit often requires a complex installation which cannot be completed by the user themselves.
In an embodiment, the second attachment means comprises a bayonet fitting. A
bayonet fitting means that the detachable portion need only be pushed and then turned in order to provide the reversible coupling to the main housing. Because of the position of the tabs it is easy to determine whether or not the detachable portion is in its secured position, at which point electrical connectors on the detachable portion and main housing will line up and a connection will be made with the PCB on the detachable portion in order to power the illumination means.
In an embodiment, electrical connectors are provided on each of the main housing and the detachable portion. The connectors on the detachable portion are in contact with the connectors on the main housing to allow current to flow between the two when the detachable portion is coupled to the main housing. If spring loaded connectors are used these also provide a positive pressure to assist with maintaining the electrical

8 connection. In an embodiment, the electrical connectors are pogo pin connectors (see figure 210 for a possible location of the connectors 128). It is possible via the use of pogo pins for the electrical connection to be made only when the detachable portion is in its fully secured position which may increase safety of the device. This selective connection is controlled by means of a contact position of the pogo pins on the LED
PCBA. During the turning motion required to fix the detachable portion in place, the negative pogo pin is in constant contact with a contact track on the LED PCBA
which extends a part of the way around the rim (the track will lie in the vicinity of the area indicated as numeral 146 in figure 21D). At a later point in the rotation, the positive pogo pin contacts a smaller conductive pad when the rotation is complete, the mechanical connection has been made, and the detachable portion is securely in place and removably coupled to the main housing. This ensures that the negative pogo pin always contacts before the positive pogo pin. Even when a snap-fit mechanical coupling is used, the detachable portion may need to be rotated until the connection with the positive pogo pin is made.
In an embodiment, the front surface formed by the detachable portion is ring-shaped. The detachable portion therefore forms a rim around the edge of and a hole directly above a central cavity in the main housing into which a functional module or blanking cap can be fitted without it being necessary to remove the detachable portion.
In an embodiment, the LED PCB and the illumination means are coupled to the rear surface of the detachable portion such that the light is emitted in a direction away from the front surface of the apparatus once installed. Because light does not travel directly from the illumination means towards the room in which the light is mounted the lights are not visible as separate hot spots.
In an embodiment, the illumination means are LED chips.
In an embodiment, the main housing comprises a light guide to reflect light emitted by the illumination means back towards the front of the housing. The reflective surface which reflects the light back out of the front of the device can also be shaped to direct light into the room in a particular way (to form a ring or a circular patch on the floor of the room, for example).

9 In an embodiment, the light guide is formed from a reflective polycarbonate.
In embodiments, the light guide can be formed from a reflective ABS polymer.
In an embodiment, the light guide directs light through a lens or filter on the detachable portion.
In an embodiment, the lens or filter is ring-shaped. This ring-shaped filter may sit inside the ring-shaped front surface of the detachable portion. The two may be manufactured as one integral piece.
In an embodiment, the light guide is configured to reflect light to cover a circular area on the floor of a room when the apparatus is installed on the ceiling of the room.
This may provide a better lighting to the environment and may improve visibility in the room. In an embodiment, the circular area corresponds to a circular area of the floor doused with water when a fire sprinkler is installed within a cavity in the central housing and is activated. Ensuring that areas of the floor which will be illuminated and doused with water in the event that a sprinkler is activated correspond makes planning the layout of a room easier.
In an embodiment, the lighting apparatus comprises a PCB coupled to the main housing. These parts of the apparatus may need to connect up to the mains and may be bulky and heavy. Removal and replacement of the detachable portion does not involve any rearrangement of the heavier parts of the device and thus can be a simplified process carried out by a user without the involvement of a qualified electrician. The PCU
PCBA in the main housing provides isolation from the mains voltage at 240V.
The LED
PCBA uses a lower voltage of 20V meaning that the detachable portion is safe for removal without a qualified electrician being present.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a detachable portion for a lighting apparatus, the detachable portion comprising:
attachment means for removably coupling the detachable portion to the front of a main housing to form a front surface of the lighting apparatus, wherein at least one illumination means and at least one PCB are fixedly coupled to the detachable portion such that the illumination means, PCB, and detachable portion can be removed from the main housing as one piece.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention there is provided a lighting apparatus comprising: a main housing with a first attachment means for securing the apparatus to a mounting surface; a light guide coupled to the main housing and 5 configured to reflect light emitted by illumination means coupled to the apparatus towards the front surface of the housing to cover a circular area on the floor of a room when the apparatus is installed in the ceiling of the room; a fire sprinkler module configured to be coupled to the main housing such that the area of the floor of the room doused with water when the sprinkler is activated corresponds to the circular area.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a fixture including vent housing;
Figure 2 illustrates a fixture installed in a ceiling panel and coupled to a ventilation duct;
Figure 3A illustrates the main housing and vent housing prior to assembly;
Figure 3B illustrates the main housing and vent housing once assembled;
Figure 30 illustrates the main housing and vent housing assembled and coupled to a ventilation duct;
Figure 4A illustrates a cap, vent cage and main housing prior to assembly;
Figure 4B illustrates a vent cage installed within the main housing prior to installation of the cap;
Figure 40 shows the fixture once the cap has been coupled to the vent cage;

Figure 5 shows a cross sectional view of the fixture and illustrates air flow through the mechanism;
Figure 6 again shows a cross section through the fixture with arrows to indicate the direction of air flow;
Figure 7 shows the vent cage and cap coupled together;
Figure 8A illustrates the fixture with the cap in the open configuration;
Figure 8B illustrates the fixture with the cap in an intermediate configuration;
Figure 80 illustrates the fixture with the cap closed to prevent the flow of air through the main housing;
Figure 9 shows a perspective view of a housing equipped with an air vent module;
Figure 10 shows a front view of the housing and air vent module;
Figure 11 shows a cross-section of a housing with vent module;
Figure 12 shows a cross-section of a housing with vent module illustrating air flow through the module;
Figure 13 shows the module attachment to the housing;
Figure 14 illustrates a possible configuration for illumination means on the housing;
Figure 15A shows a lighting apparatus mounted to a mounting surface;
Figure 15B shows a lighting apparatus including a central functional module;

Figure 16A shows a front view of a mounted lighting apparatus;
Figure 16B shows a side view of a mounted lighting apparatus;
Figure 17 shows a cross section of a lighting apparatus;
Figure 18A shows a half cross section of a lighting apparatus with the path of light rays indicated;
Figure 18B illustrates the beam angle in one configuration of a lighting apparatus;
Figure 19 shows a cross section of a light guide with dimensions indicated;
Figure 20 shows a room layout illustrating portions of the floor of the room which will be doused with water when a sprinkler incorporated into a lighting apparatus is activated;
Figure 21A shows a front perspective view of a lighting apparatus including the detachable portion, in this case a removable rim, and main housing sections;
Figure 21B shows a rear perspective view of a lighting apparatus including the detachable portion and main housing sections;
Figure 210 shows the underside of the main housing, including the position of the pogo pin connectors;
Figure 21D shows the assembled main housing and detachable portion with pogo pin connectors providing an electrical coupling between the two;
Figure 22 shows a rear view of a lighting apparatus;
Figure 23 illustrates an optional means for connecting the lighting apparatus to a mains power supply;

Figure 24 shows a front perspective view of a lighting apparatus and blanking cap;
Figure 25 shows a half cross section of a lighting apparatus including a seal or seals for fire prevention;
Figure 26A is a plot showing contours of equal luminosity at different distances from a point directly below the centre of the lighting apparatus as a proportion of the luminosity at that point.
Figure 26B is a luminous intensity distribution diagram relating beam angle to luminous intensity.
The present invention can, in embodiments, integrate both lighting and ventilation in a single device which can be simply and easily mounted in a ceiling or a wall panel.
Air flow through the device can be adjusted, and is tuned so that air flow does not cause unwanted noise as will be described in further detail below. The lighting can be both room lighting and emergency light within the same device. As will be appreciated from the description below the ventilation is provided by allowing airflow through a ventilation fixture that is arranged within a main housing 2. It is possible that the specific ventilation fixture described below could be supplemented by a fixture that includes additional functionality as described for example in our co-pending patent applications GB1715056.6 and PCT/EP2018/074231. Examples of other fittings that could be included within the housing, either separately or integrated into the ventilation fixture, would be a Passive Infrared Sensor (PIR) or alarm.
A modular ventilation fixture 1 is shown in figure 1 and includes a main housing 2 which in the embodiment shown also supports an illumination portion 4.
Lighting, such as one or more LED bulbs, are fixed to the illumination portion may be formed as a rim on the main housing. The main housing has a cylindrical shaped cavity 6 in the centre and located behind the front surface (more clearly seen in figures 3A and 4A).

Illumination means may be located on a rim surrounding the cavity.
Illumination means or devices such as LED chips or bulbs and the like may be situated in a light pipe with a frosted cover so that they are less visible. If this is the case a muted light may appear in a ring shaped area on the front surface or rim of the main housing. The housing 2 is designed to extend into a ceiling or wall panel, for example through a hole formed therein. Only the front surface of the housing will therefore be visible once the fixture is .. installed. The fitting is designed to fit into a standard ceiling hole such as may be used to install a ventilation duct or a spotlight.
As shown in figure 2, when the fixture is assembled and arranged fitted within a wall or ceiling, the main housing extends from behind the ceiling or wall panel through a hole formed for installation. The hole may, for example, be between 80mm and 100mm in diameter or may be between 90mm and 95mm in diameter (or around 92mm diameter in size). This way standard 80mm ducting 8 can be easily coupled to the fixture by way of a jubilee clip or by other means. The main housing may have a diameter slightly smaller than the hole so long as the diameter of the rim is larger than the hole to cover it as shown. The distance from the front surface 10 of the main housing 2 to the jubilee clip 12 used to attach the duct may be between 60mm and 100mm, preferably between 70mm and 90mm, more preferably between 80mm and 82mm. The main housing 2 may extend into the wall to a distance of between 20mm and 50mm, preferably between 30mm and 40mm, and more preferably around 36mm.
Coupled to the main housing is a vent housing 3, and it is this vent housing, which in the embodiment shown in the figures forms a cup shaped portion for coupling to the main housing at one end, and to the ventilation duct at the other end. In use, when the ventilation fixture is installed an end of the ventilation duct 8 may be fed through the .. hole formed in the wall or ceiling ready for installation from the visual side of the hole.
The vent housing 3 is coupled to ventilation duct 8 and the entire assembly can then be pushed back in to complete the assembly without requiring access to the ceiling or wall internal space.
Figure 3A shows the fixture 1 prior to assembly of the vent housing 3 with the main housing 2. The fixture includes a sprung clip 20 coupled to the main housing which can be used to secure it in place within a hole in a ceiling or wall panel. A
vent module or vent housing is secured to the main housing by way of screws (although any other means of coupling, such as clips, adhesive, or even forming of the vent housing integrally with the main housing, can be used). The assembled module is shown in figure 3B, and in figure 30 with a duct attached via a jubilee clip to the vent housing 3. A seal, such as a sealing ring 14 formed of rubber or a similar material, may be situated between the main and vent housings during installation to prevent leakage of air or fluid 5 as it passes through the system from the interior of the room to a ventilation duct and then out of the building. The main housing and the vent housing are shown coupled together by way of screws 22, however as mentioned any means of coupling may be used including the formation of the vent housing and main housing as a single piece.

10 The vent housing 3 includes an indented rim 16 which can be used to attach a jubilee clip to form an effective seal between the vent housing and duct pipe 8. In the embodiment shown, the duct has an 80mm diameter, however other sizes of duct can be accommodated by replacement of the vent housing with a housing having a larger jubilee clip guide or rim. As an alternative, or in addition, a length of smaller ducting pipe 15 can be attached, and a step down duct 18 used as shown in figure 2 with jubilee clip guides at each end for moving between the smaller duct and a larger duct (such as between an 80mm duct and a 100mm duct) if necessary. In this way the system is flexible and can be adapted to fit to different ventilation systems within different buildings.
The pathway for air through the fitting is carefully designed to provide good ventilation to the building and to be easily and fully adjustable in terms of the airflow without producing unwanted noise. Figures 4A-40 show the fitting in various stages of assembly. The main housing 2 includes a cavity 6 in the centre as mentioned above. A
vent cage 24 fits within this cavity and can be held in place magnetically, which makes removal and/or replacement simple to achieve. The vent cage 24 in the embodiment shown includes an internal thread 26 which is configured to receive a threaded bolt or screw 28 coupled to a disk shaped cap 30. Clearly the bolt may be coupled to the vent cage and the thread to the cap if desired. The cap covers internal mechanisms once the fixture is installed and provides a more attractive appearance but advantageously in this case also serves as a means to control airflow through the device.
In embodiments, the adjustment between the cap 30 and vent cage 24 may be by other means than a coupled screw and thread. For example, the two portions may push, rather than screw, together. If this is the case, it could be possible for the cap to have another configuration such as a square, rectangular, or hexagonal shape.
The shape of the cavity and potentially also the vent cage could then be made to match the shape of the cap in order to provide the required adjustable air gap between the main housing and the cap. The air gap will usually extend all of the way around the cap for any shape of cap, however this may not be the case.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate air flow through the device with the cap 30 and vent cage 24 installed. Arrows in these figures illustrate the direction of the air flow. The air flows from the room through the space between the main housing and the cap (or potentially in the opposite direction from a duct into the room in some situations).
Although this would be possible even without the cut-outs, air flows past the cut-outs which allows the air flow to diverge as shown helping to slow flow and reducing the appearance of eddies. The particular shaping of the cap and vent cage help to achieve this smoother airflow. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the front surface of the housing and the cavity appear circular when viewed from the front, such as when viewed from the inside of a room with the fixture installed. In this case the cavity is substantially cylindrical and extends backwards into the ceiling or wall once installed between 20mm and 50mm from the front surface, preferably between 30mm and 40mm, or a maximum .. of 36mm.
The shape of both the cap and vent cage are shown in figure 7. As can be seen, the cap includes a series of fins 32 spaced around its inner surface, which in this case is disk shaped. The inner surface refers to the surface which faces inward towards the rest of the fixture once installed (and which will therefore also face away from the room in which the fixture is installed). These fins extend radially across the surface of the disk from a protruding rim 34 which extends around the outer edge of the disk on the inner surface to a hole or hub 36 in the centre which couples the cap to the bolt.
This coupling may be via a clipping portion as shown in figure 6. The coupling may allow the screw to be removed for replacement and may work by means of a removable clip. The screw may alternatively be formed integrally with the cap, or another means of fixing between the screw and cap may be provided, which may or may not allow the screw to be decoupled from the cap. The embodiment shown includes a total of eight fins 32 spaced equidistantly around the cap, which has been shown to be optimal in terms of the air flow. Other numbers of fins may be provided, however, and these may be equidistantly spaced around the inner surface or not depending on the desired airflow.
The number of fins may be defined by the number and arrangement of the cut-.. outs. As the fins in the cap provide structural support the number is defined to avoid them clashing with the air path which is itself defined by the cut-outs in the cap. The fins in the cap are preferably configured so as to improve the airflow performance.
Their location & height is preferably selected to keep out of the way of airflow, i.e. avoid obstruction of airflow, entering through the cut-outs in side wall of the cap.
The outer rim 34 of the cap also includes a series of cut-outs 38 located on the rim between each fin. The provision of these cut-out portions ensures that when the cap is assembled, and particularly when it is screwed further in towards the vent cage in order to reduce airflow through the fixture, the speed of the air flowing between the cap and the housing is reduced so that air flowing through the gap between the main housing and the cap is less subject to eddies due to interruptions in the airflow. Including cut-outs within a rim rather than doing away with the rim altogether again optimises airflow but also provides the required level of structural rigidity to the cap. This is particularly important where the cap is adjustable away from and towards the main housing to control airflow. In addition, when the cap is closest to the main housing, airflow through the tightest section of the path will move particularly fast through a thin gap, and this may lead to whistle or shear noise as the air passes through this section.
Including the cut-outs reduces or eliminates this noise.
Air passes through the substantially circular gap between the main housing and the cap, moves up through or past cut-out portions on the inner surface of the cap into the cavity around the vent cage. Air is then diverted up through the vent cage, then the vent housing, and finally into the attached ducting as shown in figure 5 and figure 6.
The cut-out portions on the rim of the cap may be substantially rectangular, such that the edge of the rim furthest from the rest of the cap appears crenelated.
As mentioned above, the cut-outs may have slanted edges and/or rounded corners and preferably, may extend into the rim to the same depth such that all of the cut-outs are of the same size. For example these could be rounded in shape, semi- or part-circular, semi- or part-elliptical, chamfered, trapezoidal or any other configuration to go with the geometry of the fixture. The cut-outs may be located between each two fins as shown, so that where 8 fins are present and these are spaced equidistantly, 8 cut-outs will also be provided, and these will also be spaced equidistantly around the rim.
Similarly, the vent cage itself includes a number of legs 40 (four in the embodiment shown) which extend upwards from a circular rim 42 on which the magnets sit to a threaded central hub 44 through which the screw coupled to the cap can extend once the fitting is installed. These legs 40 may be curved at the end nearest to the rim as shown, which again optimises the geometry in terms of airflow through the system. The number and configuration of the legs provides the required structural rigidity to the vent cage whilst minimising interruption to the air flow through the cavity in the main housing.
It has been recognised that in this application, sharp edges of components in the airflow path are likely to cause shear & eddies as air passes through and past the edges.
Preferably, the configuration of the components including the legs 40 is such that the geometry is soften or smoothed out within the airflow path as much as possible without impacting structural rigidity. This practice is to allow air to flow over it as cleanly as possible. This reduces risk of shear noise from airflow.
Once the cap and vent cage are coupled by way of the bolt and thread the cap can be turned to move it further up the bolt and towards the vent cage to close the gap 46 between the vent cage and the cap (or the main housing and the cap) in order to adjust airflow. The leg profiles of the vent cap as well as the hub position and the shape of the hub also help to minimise acoustic shear and avoid interrupting the flow of air as far as possible. Although other configurations for the cap, rim, cut-outs, and vent cage can be used, the shapes described above in relation to the figures has been shown to be the optimum in terms of reducing eddies and noise due to air flow.
As can be seen from figure 4 in particular, in order to install the fixture the cap and vent cage are coupled together using the complementary screw and thread mechanism, and the vent cage and cap are placed within the main housing of the fixture and held there by way of the magnets located on the outer rim of the vent cage and within a flange at the back of the cavity. The vent housing is coupled to the main housing and this is itself fixed to a ventilation duct by way of a jubilee clip (not shown in the figure) so that air from the room can be sucked out through the duct through the fixture (or possibly vice versa in some situations).
Figure 8 illustrates adjustment of the airflow once the removable cap and vent cage are installed. In figure 8A the fixture is shown in the fully open configuration. The cap has been partly unscrewed so that it sits further from the vent cage leaving a larger gap between the main housing and the cap for the passage of air. There may be a stop provided (which may be removable when the vent cage is taken out of the cavity) to prevent the cap from decoupling completely from the vent cage which the fixture is installed.
In figure 8B the cap has been screwed further in towards the vent cage so that the gap between the main housing and cap is smaller or is minimised. In this configuration, which may be the normal configuration for the fixture, air has to flow through a fairly small gap and will flow fast which could potentially lead to whistle as explained above. This prevented, again as explained above, by the shaping of the cap and vent cage. Figure 80 shows the cap in its fully closed position. No air flows through the fitting, and so no ventilation is provided. Clearly, the flexibility of being able to adjust air flow in this way without undesirable noises from airflow with the cap in any position is beneficial. The look of the fixture from inside a room in which it is installed is also simple and attractive.
A continuous set of possible positions for the cap exist between the fully open and fully closed configuration. It may be possible to limit the positions to a discrete set or at least encourage a user to adjust air flow between a discrete set of positions using some type of indicator. In its simplest form this indicator may take the form of markings on the cap and front surface of the housing which are aligned in certain positions to allow a user to more easily determine whether the airflow is on, off, or at one of a set number of positions in between. Some type of tactile indication may be provided additionally or instead via a clicking mechanism with protrusions and indentations provided on the cap and housing respectively.

In place of the vent cage and cap, an air inlet cap or air inlet module 48 can be coupled to the housing to allow air to pass from the duct through the housing and into a room in which the housing is mounted. Of course, such a component will also allow air to flow from the room and into the duct, however the vent cage and cap provide the 5 advantages described above and the air inlet cap described below is designed specifically for use in allowing passive airflow from the duct and out into the room through the device housing in order to provide fresh air, from outside of the building for example, into the room. Valves or similar can be included to allow air flow only in one direction if desired. This will usually involve allowing for airflow into the room and 10 blocking airflow out of the room. Air flow can be passive, as mentioned, or alternatively a fan can be included within the housing or the duct to increase the airflow if and when desired.
The air inlet cap is shown in figure 9. The cap 48 fits snuggly into the cylindrical 15 cavity 6 within the housing 2 and is coupled to it by removable fixtures. The air inlet cap can be mounted in place of the vent cage described above. All other features of the housing, ducting, and the coupling with the ducting are the same or similar to those described above in respect of the ventilation cage and cap, which allow for airflow out of the room. The cap includes a series of slits or openings 50 through which air can pass 20 from the ducting, through the cavity in the housing, and into the room.
Figure 10 shows the same ventilation module from the front. Here a set of 11 slits 50 are shown.
Of course, the number and shape of these openings can be adjusted depending on the desired airflow and/or the desired appearance of the module.
Preferably, the cap includes between 5 and 15 thin slits, and these slits extend almost the full way across the front of the cap from one side to another. Openings need not be in the form of slits and can take any form provided that air is able to pass through the cap through these openings. The air inlet cap may provide a seal with the housing once installed which helps to ensure a more controlled and consistent airflow, however in some embodiments air may be able to flow also through a gap between the edge of the cap and the housing.
The cap may be provided with a series of small, circular holes through which air can flow, or a series of circular slits increasing in diameter from the center of the cap. In such a case some form of frame would need to exist behind each ring shaped portion to support these.

Airflow can be made adjustable by the addition of closable slits or closable holes for the flow of air. Slits, openings, or holes 50 can then be open, partially closed, or fully closed as desired.
Figure 11 shows a cross section through the housing and air inlet cap. The air inlet cap 48 in the embodiment shown includes flexible clip portions 52 which couple to a slit 54 on the main housing. The cap can be made to be removable by including parts of the slit which are filled in or raised to the same level as the rest of the cavity wall so that the air inlet cap can be twisted until the flexible clip portions are again pushed inward and the cap can be pulled out of the housing. These filled portions of the slit may include sloped edges to ease movement of the flexible edges inwards as the cap turns and projections 56 pass over the filled portions.
Instead of a slit in which a projection 56 on the back of the flexible clip 52 sits, projections or a rim can be provided on the main housing for coupling to projections 56 on the back of the clip portion. Three flexible clips may be provided around the rim of the ventilation module, and preferably between two and six clips are provided.
Three is the optimum number to provide stability without introducing unnecessary complexity to the structure. Any suitable mechanism can be provided for coupling of the air inlet cap to the housing, such as a magnetic coupling or a screw thread. As can be seen in the figure, the grille of the cap in cross-section has a corrugated appearance, which provides additional strength to the structure.
Figure 12 illustrates the airflow through the cap 48. Air passes from outside the room through the ducting, then through the cylindrical cavity of the housing, and finally through the slits 50 in the air inlet cap and into the room. Figure 13 shows the cap 48 being inserted into (or removed from) the housing 2. Flexible clips 52 and the projections 56 on the back of these are visible, as is the slit 54 on the wall of the housing cavity within which the projections sit to hold the cap in place once inserted. The air inlet cap may be formed as one piece out of plastic or a similar material. This provides some strength to the component but is malleable enough to allow for the flexibility required for the clips to work as intended. The ventilation module may, however, be formed of any suitable material or plurality of materials.

Of course, a number of devices providing airflow functionality can be mounted within a single wall, ceiling, or room. Lighting may be provided along with one or both airflow modules (the vent cage and cap and/or the air inlet cap) on the housing, such as on the rim 4 of the housing surrounding the ventilation module. The illumination means are described in more detail below. Where more than one module is used, airflow into the building may be provided for by the air inlet cap described above with reference to figures 9 to 13, and airflow out of the building may be provided for by the vent cage and adjustable cap described above with reference to figures 4 to 8. Obviously the correct ducting and means for producing airflow, if required, must be provided in each case to ensure airflow in the right direction. The ducting attachment mechanism, housing measurements, and attachment means for coupling the housing to a ceiling or wall can be the same for all fixtures (as shown in figures 1 to 3). This way, air ventilation both into and out of a room is extremely flexible. Some modules can be configured for air inflow to the room and others for adjustable air outflow, and the configurations of the different fixtures can be easily adapted simply by removing a module of one type and replacing with a module of the other type.
Including ventilation means (inflow or outflow) in combination with illumination means as part of a single device provides a large degree of flexibility. Some additional cooling of the circuitry used for lighting may also be achieved where these two functions are combined.
The illumination means may be provided as LED lights located around the central cavity on the rim 4 as mentioned. In some embodiments, LED chips may be located around the rim such that light is emitted back towards the housing or the ceiling on which the device is mounted. The light may then be reflected by a light guide through a transparent or semi-transparent ring of material such that an even appearance to the illuminated portion is achieved. The portion of the main housing including the LED lights can be fixed to the rest of the housing or can be removable as in the embodiment described below.
A possible configuration of the lighting means is shown in figure 14. The lighting means comprises a detachable portion configured to form a front surface of the apparatus and having a first PCB 62 and illumination means 64 fixedly coupled thereto and a second attachment means for removably coupling the detachable portion to the main housing such that the detachable portion, the PCB, and the illumination means can be removed from the main housing 2 and replaced as one piece. The detachable portion, PCB, and illumination means together (optionally with additional parts such as an integral lens or filter) can be referred to as a "halo bulb unit". The halo bulb unit is lightweight, is manufactured as one integral unit, and can be easily detached from a front surface of the housing and reattached thereto without having to move, reconfigure, or detach any other part of the lighting apparatus.
The fact that the halo bulb unit is lightweight, together with its location at the front of the apparatus, make it easy to access and remove even after the main housing 2 has been installed in a wall or ceiling acting as the mounting surface.
Particularly in the case of LED lighting systems, it has previously been necessary to replace entire units even in the case of failure of a single LED chip. This is inconvenient and costly because a replacement unit often requires a complex installation which cannot be completed by the user themselves. The second attachment means may comprise a bayonet fitting. A

bayonet fitting means that the detachable portion need only be pushed and then turned in order to provide the reversible coupling to the main housing. Because of the position of the tabs it is easy to determine whether or not the detachable portion is in its secured position, at which point electrical connectors on the detachable portion and main housing will line up and a connection will be made with the PCB 62 on the detachable portion in order to power the illumination means 64.
Electrical connectors can be provided on each of the main housing and the detachable portion. The connectors on the detachable portion are in contact with the connectors on the main housing to allow current to flow between the two when the detachable portion is coupled to the main housing. If spring loaded connectors are used these also provide a positive pressure to assist with maintaining the electrical connection. The electrical connectors can be pogo pin connectors. It is possible via the use of pogo pins for the electrical connection to be made only when the detachable portion is in its fully secured position which may increase safety of the device. This selective connection can be controlled by means of a contact position of the pogo pins on the LED PCBA. During the turning motion required to fix the detachable portion in place, the negative pogo pin is in constant contact with a contact track on the LED PCBA
which extends a part of the way around the rim. At a later point in the rotation, the positive pogo pin contacts a smaller conductive pad when the rotation is complete, the mechanical connection has been made, and the detachable portion is securely in place and removably coupled to the main housing. This ensures that the negative pogo pin always contacts before the positive pogo pin. Even when a snap-fit mechanical coupling is used, the detachable portion may need to be rotated until the connection with the positive pogo pin is made.
The front surface formed by the detachable portion can be ring-shaped. The detachable portion therefore forms a rim 4 around the edge of and a hole directly above the central cavity 6 in the main housing 2 into which a functional module or blanking cap can be fitted without it being necessary to remove the detachable portion. The functional module referred to may be one of either the vent cage and cap designed for air outflow from the room or the air inlet cap designed to allow air to flow into the room. Obviously if this is the case then the main housing 2 will need to be coupled to a duct for airflow in or out of the room as described above.
The LED PCB 62 and the illumination means, which may be LED chips 64, may be coupled to the rear surface of the detachable portion such that the light is emitted in a direction away from the front surface of the apparatus once installed. Because light does not travel directly from the illumination means towards the room in which the light is mounted the lights are not visible as separate hot spots. The main housing can include a light guide 58 to reflect light emitted by the illumination means back towards the front of the housing. The reflective surface which reflects the light back out of the front of the device can also be shaped to direct light into the room in a particular way (to form a ring or a circular patch on the floor of the room, for example). The light guide can be formed from a reflective polycarbonate or from a reflective ABS polymer, and may direct light through a lens or filter 60 on the detachable portion. The lens or filter can be ring-shaped. This ring-shaped filter may sit inside the ring-shaped front surface of the detachable portion. The two may be manufactured as one integral piece.
The light guide 58 can be configured to reflect light to cover a circular area on the floor of a room when the apparatus is installed on the ceiling of the room.
This may provide a better lighting to the environment and may improve visibility in the room. In an embodiment, the circular area corresponds to a circular area of the floor doused with water when a fire sprinkler is installed within a cavity in the central housing and is activated. Ensuring that areas of the floor which will be illuminated and doused with 5 water in the event that a sprinkler is activated correspond makes planning the layout of a room easier.
The lighting apparatus may include a PCB coupled to the main housing. These parts of the apparatus may need to connect up to the mains and may be bulky and 10 .. heavy. Removal and replacement of the detachable portion does not involve any rearrangement of the heavier parts of the device and thus can be a simplified process carried out by a user without the involvement of a qualified electrician. The PCU PCBA in the main housing provides isolation from the mains voltage at 240V. The LED
PCBA
uses a lower voltage of 20V meaning that the detachable portion is safe for removal 15 without a qualified electrician being present.
Figures 15A and 15B illustrate an example of an LED lighting apparatus 112, which will be described in detail below. The apparatus is intended for use as a ceiling downlight but can also be installed in any surface including walls, outdoor mounting 20 surfaces, or even tables or flooring if desired. The light is shown in figures 15A and 15B
installed in a wall or ceiling and includes a rim section or detachable portion 114 on which LED lights are provided and to which these lights are fixedly coupled.
Fixedly coupled refers to the fact that these parts are not easily removed or detached and are not intended to be removed. Because of the particulars of the design and the positioning 25 of PCBs and LEDs within the device, the size and the thickness of the portion of the apparatus that is visible when the apparatus is installed are both small in comparison to previous models. The diameter of the outer rim/front face of the detachable portion may be between 50mm and 150mm, or more preferably between 90mm and 130mm, or more preferably between 100mm and 120mm, or more preferably around 110mm as shown in figure 16A. The thickness of the rim as measured from the mounting surface and in a direction away from the mounting surface (which may be a ceiling or wall surface) when installed is between 4mm and 7mm, or more preferably between 5mm and 6mm, or more preferably around 5.5mm as shown in figure 16B.

The edges of the detachable portion may be chamfered as shown, so that the portion of the detachable portion protruding above the mounting surface once installed is frustoconical. This provides a more attractive appearance and reduces the likelihood of catching. The detachable portion 114 may be smooth in order to provide a streamlined appearance as shown in the figures or may include finger holds or other protruding portions to aid its removal from front of the main housing.
The LED chips 116 face away from the front surface of the light so that the light emitted by the chips is reflected by a light guide 118 and then back through a transparent or semi-transparent ring of material 110 (which may be a filter or lens) on the front surface of the detachable portion 114. This way individual bulbs are not visible, at least at any acute angle, and an attractive and consistent appearance of the illuminated halo is achieved. The front lens (which may be formed in its entirety but at least in part from polycarbonate-talc) is coupled to the detachable portion, which may be formed of polycarbonate and may have a brushed aluminium front surface bonded thereto to provide a sleeker appearance. The detachable portion 114 may also have a brushed aluminium cover or coating at least on the parts which will be visible in use in order to improve the appearance of the front surface of the apparatus. An attractive and workable choice for the specification of the brushed aluminium is AA5052-H32. The finished article is IP compliant and the visible portion of the apparatus once installed is thinner than for previous ceiling or wall lights of a similar type, which tend to be bulky. The lens/filter and the detachable portion may be over moulded together to ensure 1P68 suitability. After manufacture these are not separable parts but form one integral piece. Any functional module or blanking cap may also have a brushed aluminium surface bonded to the front surface thereof to provide consistency with the front of the detachable portion.
The centre of the main housing provides a cavity 121 (see figure 24), which in the case of the light shown in figures 15A and 15B is a cylindrical cavity within the main housing 141, and behind the hole 116 in the centre of the ring shaped detachable portion 114. Replaceable modules 118 can be fitted to the apparatus within this cavity.
These will generally also be substantially cylindrical in shape so that they fit snuggly within the cavity 112 and may be held in place using magnetic attachments, bayonet fittings, by means of a snap fit mechanism, or by any other means so that one module may be easily replaced by another if desired. The fitting will generally be snap-fit as shown in figure 24, for example, which can support both heavier and lighter functional modules. The snap fit mechanism comprises a plurality of bendable tabs 111 on a rim extending from the blanking cap or functional module which can snap into a groove 113 within the wall of the cavity to hold the functional module in place. If a snap-fit connection is used, the functional module may need to be removed by application of pressure from behind, which may require the unit to be pulled out of the ceiling hole slightly. This would not require full removal of the unit. A mechanism for causing pressure to be applied from the back of the functional module without it being necessary to pull the unit away from the mounting surface could be devised, such as a string or similar bendable device for passing over the back of the unit which can then be pulled. For heavier functional modules (which may be cameras or speakers) a bayonet fitting can be provided in addition to, or instead of, magnetic attachment means and/or the snap-fit mechanism.
Magnetic attachment means are generally used more for lighter modules and blanking caps. The cavity 121 in the main housing 141 may comprise both bayonet and magnetic .. fittings so that either means can be used to attach a functional module, in which case heavier functional modules may comprise the corresponding parts of the bayonet fittings and the lighter modules the corresponding parts of the magnetic fittings to allow each to be secured within the cavity.
The central cylindrical modules 181 can provide additional functions such as a sprinkler, camera, or speaker. A blanking cap 122 may alternatively be fitted within the cavity if no functional module is used in order to avoid the cavity being visible and to retain an attractive and consistent appearance. Blanking caps will generally be held in place using the same snap-fit mechanism, magnetic attachment means, or bayonet fittings as the functional modules but can be held in place using any means.
Figure 15A
shows a lighting apparatus with a blanking cap 122 fitted and figure 15B with a functional module 181 installed (a speaker in this case).
Figure 17 illustrates a slice through the apparatus. The semi-circular light pipe or .. light guide 118 is visible, and this will typically (although not necessarily) extend all of the way around the rim of the apparatus 112 and be coupled to the main housing rather than to the detachable portion. This light guide 118 may be formed of a reflective polycarbonate which helps to achieve a "true halo" effect where no visible LEDs or hotspots are evident. The assembly comprises a removable rim section or detachable portion 114 which can be easily dismounted from the front of the apparatus and which can equally as easily be replaced itself or replaced with a similar detachable portion. A
part or surface of the detachable portion 114 forms a front surface 124 of the lighting apparatus 112 once the apparatus is installed, for example in a ceiling or wall. The front .. surface refers to a surface of the apparatus which faces the room or which faces away from the mounting surface, and which is usually visible when the apparatus is installed.
Obviously, depending on where the apparatus is mounted this surface may face downwards (if mounted in a ceiling) or sideways (if mounted in a wall) but it will always be referred to as the front surface. The front surface may be substantially parallel to the mounting surface when the apparatus is mounted and may include a chamfered portion which is slightly at an angle to the mounting surface. This front surface of the detachable portion may be any shape and does not necessarily cover the whole of the front of the main housing. In a preferred embodiment, the front surface 124 of the detachable portion (and of the lighting apparatus) is ring shaped as shown in figure 21A.
When a functional module is installed within the apparatus, this may also extend further forwards than the front surface formed by the detachable portion (as in the case of the speaker shown in figure 15B). In most cases the front surface 124 of the detachable portion will be ring shaped or shaped as a rim so that a functional module 181 can be pushed through a hole in the middle of the rim in order to be able to be installed when the detachable portion is already removably coupled to the main housing 141. This means that the detachable portion and the functional module can each be separately and easily removed from the main housing for replacement.
If a bayonet fixing is used to couple the rim to the main housing then the user simply has to twist the rim section and then pull to remove, or push and then twist to replace. It is also conceivable that other methods could be used to fix the rim to the main housing, such as magnetic connectors or snap-fit connectors. Any type of fixing can be used as long as the rim is able to be repeatedly removed and replaced. The rim section comprises the light emitting device or devices 116, which will typically be one or more LED chips, along with a first printed circuit board 126 (the LED PCB).
Connectors 128 on the main housing 141 and the detachable portion 114 provide an electronic connection to the power supply and additional circuitry (including a PSU PCBA 30) contained within the main housing. Once a connection is made, the PCB 126 in the detachable portion, which is coupled to the LED chips, connects to the electronics including PCBA
130 in the main housing so that the light can be powered and controlled. The PCBA 130 in the main housing controls a power control unit (PCU) mains power supply inverter and a dimmer module in one embodiment, with the PCB 126 on the detachable portion serving as a carrier and connection to the LED chips as well as providing a low voltage power track to feed the LED chips in order to illuminate them. Once the detachable portion is properly coupled to the main housing the LED chips can be switched on and off or dimmed as desired. In some embodiments, markings can be used on the main housing and detachable portion in order to indicate to the user the relative position of the two parts required for electrical connection to be made between the two and/or a direction of rotation required to properly connect the detachable portion. Markings such as these can be used with any type of fixing between the rim and main housing, but will be particularly useful where a magnetic fixing is used because there may be several different orientations in which the detachable portion and main housing can couple together without the requisite electrical connection being made.
The front of the detachable portion can be provided with a semi-transparent covering 110 through which light from the LEDs passes in use. The covering is polycarbonate talc filled. This material adds a level of light dispersion to provide a more muted, consistent, appearance to the illuminated halo portion of the front surface. This further diffuses the light passing through the front of the apparatus and allows the light to appear as a smooth ring or halo having a consistent and attractive appearance.
The covering 110 may be a filter or may be a lens configured to bend or focus the light in some way to achieve the desired effect. Either of the cover or the light from the LED
chips themselves may be coloured if desired in order to provide a coloured light ring.
Initial installation of the apparatus is achieved by inserting the main housing through a hole in a ceiling or wall. In order to fix the main housing in place it is coupled to two arms 132 which are spring loaded in order to push against the inner wall of the mounting surface (facing away from the room) to force the main housing up into the hole.
This is prevented from passing all the way through by a rim around the front surface of the housing.

The PSU in the main housing 141 connects to the mains and may convert mains AC to a low voltage DC current in order to provide power to the apparatus. The PSU
may comprise the main housing PCBA as well as all of the components which may be coupled to this PCBA (these components are visible in figure 23). The apparatus may 5 also include a chargeable or non-chargeable battery which can provide back-up power in the event of failure of the mains. This may be important in an emergency situation.
Batteries may normally charge from the mains. Generally, the PCU will include a 2-4 hour (preferably 3 hour) power pack which is mains powered to trickle charge meaning that if the mains power supply should fail, for example in the event of a fire in the 10 building, the apparatus would be capable of providing illumination without mains power for enough time to facilitate safe exit from the building. The power pack is not shown in the figures and may be provided as a separate product configured to connect to the lighting apparatus.
15 Figure 18A shows the path of the light rays from the LED bulbs as the light passes out of the apparatus. The beam angle of the rays leaving the apparatus after having been reflected by the light pipe and passed through the lens or filter may be between 80 and 120 degrees, and more preferably between 90 and 110 degrees, and still more preferably between 90 and 106 degrees, or around 106 degrees as shown in 20 figure 4B. The light pipe 118 may be carefully shaped to provide a desired beam shape/angle. For example, the light pipe may be shaped in order that the widest angle at which the rays exit the apparatus will correspond to the widest angle at which water from a sprinkler will exit the apparatus when a sprinkler module is inserted into the cavity in the centre of the apparatus. This angle may be 106 degrees. The shape of the light pipe 25 is illustrated in figure 19 (in which measurements are shown in units of mm). The light guide is shaped such that it comprises a curve which is tangent to the LED
viewing angle with a radius of between 5mm and 9mm, more preferably between 6mm and 8mm, more preferably between 6.5mm and 7.5mm and more preferably around 6.9mm. The highest point of the curve is located at a height of between 6mm and 8mm and preferably 30 around 6.8mm above the light source and the curvature is offset from the centre by around 1.1mm. The light guide cross sectional shape may include a curve having one part with a radius of curvature of between 5mm and 9mm, more preferably between 6mm and 8mm, more preferably between 6.5mm and 7.5mm and more preferably around 6.9mm as above and another part with a radius of curvature of between 3mm and 7mm, more preferably between 4mm and 6mm, more preferably between 4.5mm and 5.5mm, and more preferably 5mm. In a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature of the first part of the curve will be around 6.9mm and the radius of curvature of the second part of the curve will be around 5mm as shown in the figure. The point on the curve at which the transition between the areas with the two different radii of curvature may be at the highest point on the curve, or may be offset from this to one side as shown in figure 19 where the transition between the areas of different radius of curvature is offset from the highest point on the curve towards the outer wall of the main housing by between 0.7mm and 1.5mm, preferably around 1.1mm. The width of the filter/lens material, through which the light rays reflected from the light guide pass, may be between 5mm and 15mm, more preferably between 8mm and 10mm, and most preferably around 9mm as shown.
The particular shape of the light guide means that if the lighting apparatus is mounted on the ceiling of a room then the circular light patch on the floor of the room will correspond to the area which will be doused with water during a fire. This aids a decision as to where to place the lights so that substantially the whole floor will be illuminated and the same area corresponding to substantially the whole floor will be sprayed with water once the sprinklers are activated. Figure 20 shows an example layout for a room. The dotted circles represent the area of the floor which are to be doused with water when the sprinkler functional module is inserted in the centre of the lighting apparatus and the sprinkler functionality is activated. In the above embodiment these will also represent the largest extent of the area of light on the floor of the room when the light is switched on.
The light pipes can be shaped such that a circle, rather than a ring, of light on the floor of the room is present which provides for a better, more even, and more attractive lighting environment.
As illustrated in figure 18A, light from the LEDs is emitted such that it travels away from the front surface of the apparatus and rearward towards the light pipe or light guide 118. The light pipe, which may be substantially in the shape of a half pipe extending all of the way around the main housing, then reflects the light outwards through a ring shaped opening in the front surface of the housing. The ring shaped opening may be covered by a diffusive and/or semi-transparent material to further diffuse the light in order to provide a consistent illumination. This material may also (or instead) be a lens so that some refraction of the light may occur as it passes through.
The lens or filter may 110 be formed from polycarbonate with talc. The properties of the lens and the shape of the housing, and in particular of the light guide, can together be configured such that the diameter of the illuminated portion of a floor corresponds to the area of the .. floor which will be doused with water by a sprinkler if this is used as the central functional module. The circular area may be between 2 and 6 meters in diameter, or more preferably between 2.5 and 5.5 meters in diameter, or more preferably around 4 meters in diameter for a standard ceiling height of around 2.5 meters. A ring shaped halo of light (visible through the ring shaped filter/lens) and a ring shaped light guide are preferred but are not essential. The part of the front of the detachable portion through which light passes in use is not necessarily in the shape of a halo/ring although this is preferred.
The halo may only extend part of the way around the housing, for example, or may be broken up into several smaller illuminated parts depending on the configuration of the light guide and the position of the filter/lens, of which there may be several in some embodiments. A circular central portion may also be illuminated, however this would obviously mean that a cavity would no longer be present for the provision of additional functional modules, and the ring shaped illumination portion or "halo" is the most aesthetically pleasing configuration.
As shown in figure 25, the LED chips 116 sit on a PCB 126 which is connected to the back surface of the detachable portion or rim 114. The PCB or PCBA is formed from glass fibre reinforced epoxy resin with a copper foil bonded to one or both sides of the PCB. The removable part comprises only the bevelled ring shaped portion, which may be formed of plastic in some embodiments, coupled to the semi-transparent material or lens 110 if present, the PCB 126 for the LED chips, electronic couplers (in this case conductive regions for coupling with pogo pin connectors 128 on the main housing) to connect the electronics in the detachable portion to those in the main housing, mechanical couplers to removably attach the detachable portion to the main housing, and the LED chips 116 themselves. No additional structure need be present (and the filter or lens 110 can in some embodiments be dispensed with although this will clearly have a negative effect on the appearance of the device). This section is lightweight, and relatively simple to manufacture. The mechanical means of attachment with the main housing may be provided as a bayonet type mount with tabs and slots on the main housing and the detachable portion respectively. Tabs on the main housing are aligned with slots on the detachable portion and the two are pushed together and then turned so that tabs on both portions align to removably fix the detachable portion in place. This means that the detachable portion need only be pushed towards the main housing and then turned to hold the detachable portion in place. The attachment may, however, be provided by other means than a bayonet fixing, such as via a magnetic attachment or a screw thread.
Figures 21A and 21B show the configuration of the detachable portion 114 in a bit more detail. From the outside or from the front (figure 21A) only a thin ring-shaped and bevelled section is visible, along with the lens or transparent material which is also ring shaped and sits within the outer supporting ring. From the back (figure 21B) the PCB 126 and tabs 134 forming part of the bayonet fixings for coupling to the main housing are visible as well as the LEDs 116 which are coupled to the PCB. A
plurality of LEDs may be provided all of the way around the rim to provide as consistent an illumination. Between 10 and 40 LEDs may be provided all of the way around the rim, preferably between 20 and 30, and preferably 24 LEDs will be provided to give sufficient consistency to the appearance of the halo of light whilst minimising the cost of production. Figure 210 illustrates the underside of the main housing without the detachable portion fitted. The connectors 128 are visible, as well as the light guide, and snap-fit mechanism for a functional module.
Between the LEDs in at least one location and in some embodiments in a number of locations (such as spaced out around the ring between each set of six LEDs) are electronic connections for providing a connection between the LED PCBA and the electronics and PSU PCBA within the main housing. Figure 210 shows one possible configuration in which one set of pogo pin connectors (one positive and one negative pin) are included on the main housing. One set connectors is sufficient and using just one saves space on the underside of the detachable portion for LED chips. In one example, pogo pin connectors or other spring-loaded connectors are used to provide the electrical connection. The spring loaded part of the connector are shown provided on the main housing, with mating conductive areas on the detachable portion.
Alternatively, the spring loaded connectors may be provided on the detachable portion and conductive regions for mating with these on the main housing. If several connectors are provided around the detachable portion then for each of the connectors separately the spring loaded portion may be located either on the detachable portion or the main housing, however it is preferable for all of the connectors on each of the main housing and the detachable portion respectively to be the same as each other which allows easier replacement of the detachable portion. Preferably, all of the connectors on the detachable portion represent conductive areas which mate with spring loaded connectors in corresponding positions around the main housing. The bayonet-type mechanical fixing on the main housing, if a bayonet fixing is used, will be located such that the detachable portion can be pushed inwards towards the main housing without connection being made between the LED PCBA and the PSU PCBA. Only when the rim .. is turned to fix it in place using the bayonet fixing is the connection made. This provides for safer installation and helps to maintain a strong connection between the two PCBAs.
The inclusion of a lightweight, removable, and reasonably small-sized rim to which LEDs 116 and LED PCBs 126 are coupled means that this part of the apparatus can be separately replaced. Previously, if a LED chip of the lighting assembly were to fail the entire assembly would require replacement. Because of the complexity of the installation process the replacement of an entire unit may require the services of a trained electrician. The above-described apparatus does not need to be replaced each time an LED chip fails. Instead, the removable rim only is dismounted from the main housing using a simple twist and pull motion and is replaced with a new rim.
This utility also means that the colour of the filter or lens, bulbs, or rim section itself can be changed easily if desired or to fit with a new colour scheme in a particular room.
A built-in driver may and in most cases will be included as part of the electronics in the main housing to allow communication with a remote device via wireless connection (such as a WLAN connection). The lighting system can then be controlled from the remote device, which may be a mobile phone or tablet, to turn the lights on and off or to dim them if desired. As can be seen in figure 22, there is a space 136 above the electronics within the main housing which can be used to double stack the PCBA
in the main housing for the inclusion of IOT (internet of things) technology. A
Bluetooth connection with the apparatus may be possible. Also shown in figure 22 is the transformer 131 which may be made as a custom fit to the lighting apparatus and so that it can be oriented vertically with the longer side perpendicular to the PCBA
as shown.
This allows the diameter of the lighting apparatus to be minimised along with the size of the hole in the mounting surface required to fit the unit. The transformer 131 is a step down transformer which converts mains voltage at 240V to 20V. Figures 22 and illustrates a simple connection mechanism with the mains power. A matching terminal or plug can be coupled to wires and plugged into or over the terminal 138 shown in the 5 figure in order to provide screw-less connection to the PSU in the main housing. The PSU connector comprises two positive and two negative connectors. This means that the installer is able to connect a number of units in series (via a daisy chain connection) from a single power source which greatly reduces install time. In some embodiments, it is possible to connect up to six units together in this way to draw from a single power 10 source. Figure 23 also illustrates an embodiment of the bayonet connector between the detachable portion and main housing. The rim includes a slot with tabs which can be fitted through slots on a rim extending outwards from the main housing and turned so that they correspond to tabs on the main housing rim and are held in place.
15 The snap-fit connector for connecting the central functional module with the walls of the cavity of the main housing is shown in figure 24. A blanking cap 122 with tabs 111 for coupling to the groove 113 in the wall of the cavity are shown, and any functional module may include similar tabs. Here the slot is provided on the cavity and tabs on the blanking cap (or functional module) but a slot may be provided on the blanking cap or 20 functional modules and tabs provided which extend from the walls of the cavity if desired. Since it may be more difficult to replace the main housing, however, it is preferable that the tabs which may be more easily broken are on the functional module or blanking cap. This type of fitting allows heavier functional modules to be attached to the lighting apparatus as mentioned, but also means that it is possible for the centre cap 25 to be flush with the walls of the main housing which provides certain aesthetic benefits.
Additional support can be provided over and above magnetic connectors if these are used in order to support these heavier modules. Seals 142 may be provided on the apparatus for fire protection as shown in figure 25. A bayonet connection can be used in addition to or instead of the snap-fit connectors if desired.
Figure 26A shows the intensity of the light emitted by the lighting apparatus such as that described above as a function of the distance from a point on the floor and directly underneath the light (point 0,0 on the plot) when the apparatus is mounted at a height of 10 meters. Figure 26B illustrates the beam angle and the luminosity of the beam at different angles. The average beam angle in this case is 106.0 degrees as shown as straight lines on the plot.
Embodiments of the present invention have been described with particular reference to the examples illustrated. However, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications may be made to the examples described within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (34)

Claims

1. A ventilation fixture comprising:
a main housing with a cavity; and a cap configured to be coupled to the housing such that it is movable away from and towards the cavity to open and close a gap between the main housing an outer edge of the cap, wherein the cap or the housing includes a rim around an edge thereof, the rim comprising one or more cut out portions to reduce air speed as air flows through the gap and into the cavity.

2. A ventilation fixture according to claim 1, wherein the rim is on the outer edge of the cap.

3. A ventilation fixture according to claim 1 or claim 2, comprising a vent cage configured to sit within the cavity and coupled to the cap such that the position of the cap is adjustable towards and away from the vent cage to open and close the gap.

4. A ventilation fixture according to claim 3, wherein the cap is adjustable by way of a bolt and thread such that the cap can be rotated to move the cap towards and away from the vent cage.

5. A ventilation fixture according to claim 4, wherein the inner surface of the cap is provided with fins extending from the rim towards the centre of the cap.

6. A ventilation fixture according to claim 5, wherein the rim of the cap comprises more than one cut out portion and one fin is provided between each pair of cut out portions.

7. A ventilation fixture according to claim 6, wherein between 6 and 10 rims are provided on the cap.

8. A ventilation fixture according to claim 7, wherein 8 rims and 8 cut out portions are provided on the cap.

9. A ventilation fixture according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the cut out portions are substantially rectangular in shape.

10. A ventilation fixture according to claim 3, wherein the vent cage includes a central hub for coupling to the cap and a circular rim and comprises legs extending from the rim to the central hub.

11. A ventilation fixture according to claim 10, wherein between 2 and 6 legs are provided on the vent cage.

12. A ventilation fixture according to claim 11, wherein 4 legs are provided on the vent cage.

13. A ventilation fixture according to any of claims 1 to 12, wherein illumination means are provided on the main housing.

14. A ventilation fixture according to any of claims 1 to 13, comprising a vent housing coupled to a back surface of the main housing, wherein the vent housing includes coupling means for fixing to a duct such that a closed path is provided from the front of the main housing to the duct through the vent housing.

15. A ventilation fixture according to claim 3, wherein the vent cage and main housing comprise magnets to removably retain the vent cage within the housing cavity.

16. A ventilation fixture according to any of claims 1 to 15, wherein the cap can be moved towards the main housing to completely close the gap between the main housing and the cap to shut off air flow.

17. A ventilation system comprising: a ventilation fixture according to any of claims 1 to 16 and an air inlet cap configured to be removably coupled to the housing, the air inlet cap comprising openings through which air can flow from the cavity out of the front of the housing, wherein the coupling means for coupling the cap and the air inlet cap to the housing are such that the cap and the air inlet cap are interchangeable.

18. A ventilation fixture comprising:
a main housing having a cavity;
illumination means located on the main housing; and an air inlet cap configured to be removably coupled to the housing, wherein the air inlet cap includes one or more openings configured to allow air to pass from the cavity and out of the front of the housing.

19. A lighting apparatus comprising:
a main housing with a first attachment means for securing the apparatus to a mounting surface; and a detachable portion configured to form a front surface of the apparatus and having a first PCB and illumination means fixedly coupled thereto and a second attachment means for removably coupling the detachable portion to the main housing such that the detachable portion, the PCB, and the illumination means can be removed from the main housing and replaced as one piece.

20. A lighting apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the second attachment means comprises a bayonet fitting.

21. A lighting apparatus according to any of claims 19 and 20, wherein at least one electrical connector is provided on the main housing and the detachable portion and the connector or connectors on the detachable portion are in contact with a connector or connectors on the main housing to provide an electrical connection between the two when the detachable portion is removably coupled to the main housing.

22. A lighting apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the electrical connector is a pogo pin connector.

23. A lighting apparatus according to any of claims 19 to 22, wherein the front surface formed by the detachable portion is ring-shaped.

24. A lighting apparatus according to any of claims 19 to 23, wherein the PCB
and the illumination means are coupled to the rear surface of the detachable portion such that the light is emitted in a direction away from the front surface of the apparatus once installed.

25. A lighting apparatus according to any of claims 19 to 24, wherein the illumination means comprises one or more LED chips.

26. A lighting apparatus according to any of claims 19 to 25, wherein the main housing comprises a light guide to reflect light emitted by the illumination means back towards the front of the housing.

27. A lighting apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the light guide is formed from a reflective polycarbonate.

28. A lighting apparatus according to any of claims 26 or 27, wherein the light guide is configured to direct light through a lens or filter on the detachable portion.

29. A lighting apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the lens or filter is ring shaped.

30. A lighting apparatus according to any of claims 26 to 29, wherein the light guide is configured to reflect light to cover a circular area on the floor of a room when the apparatus is installed on the ceiling of the room.

31. A lighting apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the circular area corresponds to a circular area of the floor doused with water when a fire sprinkler is installed within a cavity in the central housing and is activated.

32. A lighting apparatus according to any of claims 19 to 31, comprising a PCB
coupled to the main housing.

33. A detachable portion for a lighting apparatus, the detachable portion comprising:
attachment means for removably coupling the detachable portion to the front of a main housing of the lighting apparatus to form a front surface of the lighting apparatus, wherein at least one illumination means and at least one PCB are fixedly coupled to the detachable portion such that the illumination means, PCB, and detachable portion can be removed from the main housing as one piece.

34. A lighting apparatus comprising:
a main housing with a first attachment means for securing the apparatus to a mounting surface;
a light guide coupled to the main housing and configured to reflect light emitted by illumination means towards the front surface of the housing to cover a circular area on the floor of a room when the apparatus is installed in the ceiling of the room;
a fire sprinkler module configured to be coupled to the main housing, wherein the area of the floor of the room doused with water when the sprinkler is activated corresponds to the circular area.