EP1561994B1 - Reflector assembly for a luminaire with a plurality of reflector chambers arranged in a row - Google Patents

Abstract

The reflector arrangement has several reflector chambers (12) in series. The reflector chambers or groups of them are separate elements (20) suitable for combining together so that they form the reflector arrangement (10) as a whole. The reflector chambers are separated from each other by transverse latching elements (13). Independent claims are also included for the following: (A) a light (B) and a reflector element.

Description

The present invention relates to a reflector arrangement for a luminaire, wherein the reflector arrangement has a plurality of reflector chambers arranged in series, via which the light emitted by a light source is emitted in a directionally directed manner.

Reflector arrangements of this type are usually used when it is to be avoided that dazzle occurs due to the light emitted by a luminaire. For this purpose, the individual reflector chambers of the arrangement are configured in such a way that the light emitted by the light source can leave the luminaire only at certain angular ranges. These areas are chosen so that an obliquely located below the lamp person can not look directly into the light source. Furthermore, the use of such reflector arrangements also reflections on perpendicular surfaces within a space to be illuminated can be avoided. The directed downwardly emitted light can thus be used in particular to illuminate offices with VDU workstations.

Depending on the shape of the luminaire and the light source, the reflector arrangements can also assume different shapes. For the most part, luminaires are used which have one or more elongate gas discharge lamps, in particular fluorescent tubes, as the light source. A reflector arrangement arranged in the light emission direction in front of the light source is then likewise elongated and consists of a plurality of reflector chambers arranged in series. In addition, however, annular lights are also known, which have a circular curved light source. In this case, the reflector assembly also has a ring structure which is to be arranged in the emission direction in front of the light source.

Reflector arrangements of the type discussed above can be created, for example, by first providing two reflector walls which are spaced apart from one another and extend substantially parallel to one another and which are connected to one another by a plurality of latching crossbars. The latching crossbars usually have a slight V-shape and subdivide the overall arrangement into juxtaposed reflector chambers. Such constructions have proven themselves so far, but it is only possible with great effort, To achieve more complex structures for the Retlektoranordnung. Already annular Retlektoranordnungen according to the above construction can be created only with great effort.

The German utility model DE 90 17 372 describes a lamp having an elongated light source in a rectangular base body. In addition, the elongate light source is also associated with a mirror grid as a reflector, wherein the mirror grid is composed of several individual elements.

The European patent application EP 0 359 069 shows a method for producing a lighting grid. In this method, grid chambers are formed as individual components, which are then connected to a plurality of strung together on a holding device with each other to a light grid.

In the Australian patent specification AU 496 079 Reflector cells or - chambers are described, which consist of a hollow plastic housing, wherein on the outside of the housing fastening devices are provided which serve to connect the individual reflector cells together.

The German Offenlegungsschrift DE 33 37 901 shows a reflector of an inside mirrored hollow body, on the sides of which openings are provided for introducing a light source. The reflector is preferably made of foldable material and serves as an element for assembly into a grid.

The present invention is based on the object to provide a way to produce reflector assemblies in different shapes and lengths in the simplest possible way.

The object is achieved by a reflector arrangement with the features of claim 1.

The reflector arrangement according to the invention has a plurality of reflector chambers arranged in series. The reflector chambers or groups thereof are separate elements which are suitable and intended for assembly, such that they as a whole constitute the reflector arrangement. In this case, the juxtaposed end walls of two adjoining elements together yield a latching transverse web, by means of which the reflector chambers are separated from one another. The end walls of the elements are - seen in the direction of radiation - slightly outward inclined, so that formed by two adjacent elements Rastquersteg is substantially V-shaped, as is the case with the usual V-blades of lamp grids. According to the invention, the end walls of two adjoining elements abut one another at their lower edges.

The retractor assembly is thus not formed as previously from the side Retlektorwänden and interposed Rastquerstegen, but instead individual individual elements are assembled into an entire arrangement, wherein the individual elements comprise at least one reflector chamber. It is a modular system available, so to speak, in which the separate elements can be assembled in the desired manner. This makes it possible in particular to form reflector assemblies of any length, which is advantageous if the arrangements must be adapted to certain lights. Furthermore, it is also possible to use slightly curved elements which are assembled into a ring structure in order to form an annular reflector arrangement.

The separate elements according to the invention are preferably made of plastic and can be produced in particular by injection molding.

This variant shows a particular advantage of the solution according to the invention. Detent crossbars for reflector arrangements produced so far by injection molding always had lateral dents which adversely affected the reflective properties of the arrangement. The reason for this is that the individual locking crossbars consist of two web portions tapering at an angle, which converge approximately in one piece from the middle to the bottom. If such a part injection-molded, so arises at the point at which the two web parts converge towards each other, the largest accumulation of material. If the plastic now cools after spraying, then due to the different levels of accumulation of material, the aforementioned indentations occur, which can be perceived by the observer as a result of the abrupt transition in the reflection properties.

According to the invention, however, by abutting the end walls of two adjacent elements only at their lower edges now latching webs are formed without these dents. Although this results in a slight gap at the lower edge, this is not perceptible to a viewer because it is not illuminated directly by the light source. By contrast, the side walls of the latching transverse web formed in this way are continuously curved, so that no optical irregularities occur. Overall, therefore, the retarder assembly according to the invention has improved optical properties.

The elements assembled to form the retractor assembly can be held together by a separate retaining element, but preferably they have their own connecting means, over which they are assembled. In particular, the connecting means can form tongue and groove connections, via which a simple and quick assembly of the elements in the manner of a modular system is made possible.

Fig. 1

eine Leuchte mit einer ringförmigen Reflektoranordnung im Schnitt;

Fig. 2a und 2b

verschiedene Ansichten eines erfindungsgemäßen Elements zum Bilden einer Reflektoranordnung und

Fig. 3

eine aus den Elementen der Fig. 2a und 2b zusammengesetzte ringförmige Reflektoranordnung.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1

a lamp with an annular reflector arrangement in section;

Fig. 2a and 2b

various views of an inventive element for forming a reflector assembly and

Fig. 3

one of the elements of the Fig. 2a and 2b composite annular reflector assembly.

Fig. 1 shows a lamp provided in its entirety by the reference numeral 1, in which a reflector assembly according to the present invention is used. The illustrated luminaire 1 is a ceiling luminaire with a box-shaped luminaire housing 2, which is inserted into the circular opening of a ceiling 3.

Within the luminaire housing 2 there is an annular light source in the form of a gas discharge lamp 5. The light emitted by this lamp 5 should be radiated towards the bottom, but only within certain angular ranges in order to avoid glare. For this purpose, a likewise annular reflector arrangement 10 is provided which, viewed in the emission direction, is arranged substantially in front of the lamp 5. The restriction of the emitted light rays to certain areas is done on the one hand by the reflective outer and inner walls 10a and 10b of the reflector assembly, but in particular by a plurality of transversely arranged thereto - schematically illustrated - Rastquerstegen 13. These locking crossbars 13 divide the cross-section U- shaped reflector assembly 10 in a plurality of reflector chambers 12, which each form a light exit surface on its underside, through which the light of the lamp 5 is discharged. At their upper area, the latching transverse webs 13 each have a recess 11, which allows the lamp 5 to be arranged within the upper area of the reflector arrangement 10.

The shape and structure of the inner and outer walls 10a and 10b and the Rastquerstege 13 of the reflector assembly 10 is such that light emitted from the lamp 5 light can leave the emission openings of the light chambers 12 only at certain angles. The walls are each slightly inclined laterally, so that a lateral radiation is possible at smaller angles.

For producing a reflector arrangement of in Fig. 1 it was previously known to combine a reflective annular outer wall with a reflective inner wall and to connect the two walls via a plurality of Rastquerstegen each other. These locking crossbars were mostly each separate elements that had to be ally with the outer and inner walls. The effort to create such a reflector arrangement was therefore very high. Based on Fig. 2a and 2b as well as from Fig. 3 now a novel and simpler way will be explained to form a corresponding reflector assembly.

The solution according to the invention consists of assembling the reflector arrangement of separate elements, wherein the elements form a reflector chamber or a group of reflector chambers. Corresponding elements are in the Fig. 2a and 2b shown.

The element provided with the reference numeral 20 is box-shaped and has two side walls 21 and 22 and two end walls 23 and 24 which are reflective at least on its inner side or provided with a reflective layer and together define a light exit opening for a reflector chamber on its underside , In the illustrated embodiment, the elements 20 are to be used to form an annular reflector arrangement, for which reason the side walls 21 and 22 are slightly arcuately curved and the outer side wall 23 has a greater radius of curvature than the opposite inner wall 21.

For joining the elements 20 a plurality of connecting means are provided on these, via which the elements can be joined together in a simple manner. First connecting elements consist in a recess 25a and a pin-shaped projection 25b, which are arranged at the two ends of a laterally adjoining the light exit opening bottom strip 25. On the opposite inner side of the element 20 is also a cylindrical groove 26a, which is provided for locking with a columnar projection 26b. When joining two similar elements 20 tongue and groove connection are thereby formed, which provide a firm connection between the elements 20. Alternatively or additionally, however, the joined-together elements could also be held together by a separate holding element.

Several elements 20 of the in the Fig. 2a and 2b can then be formed into an annular structure - as in Fig. 3 shown - assembled to form an annular reflector assembly 10 as a whole. As the illustration in Fig. 3 can be removed, the resulting reflector assembly 10 exactly meets the requirements of the lamp in Fig. 1 provided reflector assembly. In particular, an annular channel 11 is again formed by corresponding recesses 23a and 24a on the upper sides of the end faces 23, 24, in which the light source can be used. Furthermore, individual Reflector chambers 12 formed, which are separated by transverse webs 13 from each other. It is of particular importance that the reflector transverse webs 13 - as desired in luminaire grids - are slightly V-shaped open upwards. This is achieved in that the latching transverse webs 13 are formed by the two adjoining end walls 23 and 24 of two adjacent elements 20, which are seen in the emission direction, slightly inclined outwards and abut only at their lower edges.

Essential in this arrangement is also that not only the desired V-shape for the Rastquerstege 13 is achieved, but also ensures that the Rastquerstege 13 meet the optical requirements of a reflector raster and in particular no kinks, bumps or the like. The reason for this is that when producing the elements 20 by injection molding on the end walls 23 and 24 no accumulations of material occur, which could lead to unevenness in the subsequent solidification of the plastic material. Instead, the end walls 23 and 24 can be formed with a continuous and continuous curvature without unevenness, so that no abrupt transition in the reflection properties occurs. Although it inevitably arises at the lower joint of two adjacent elements 20, a transition, this is difficult for a viewer of the lamp recognizable because it is not illuminated by the light source.

Due to the above-described advantageous optical properties, which result when forming a latching transverse web 13 by the end walls 23 and 24 of two adjacent composite elements 20, it is preferably provided that each reflector chamber 12 of the reflector assembly 10 is formed by a separate element 20. However, it would also be conceivable to use elements which comprise a group of a plurality of reflector chambers 12, for example two or three reflector chambers.

The reflector assembly 10 according to the invention can thus be created in a simple manner in that a plurality of the elements 20 produced by injection molding is joined together. The tongue and groove connections produced by the connecting elements 25a, 25b and 26a, 26b ensure a reliable hold, so that overall a stable arrangement is achieved. The cost of creating the reflector assembly 10 is in this case significantly lower than was previously the case when assembling many items according to the prior art.

It should be noted that, of course, instead of ring-shaped reflector arrangements, it is also possible to form oblong straight reflector arrangements according to the teaching of the invention. The shape of the elements would then have to be changed accordingly so that they no longer have a curvature. In this variant as well, the latching transverse webs of the reflector arrangement are formed by the end walls of adjoining elements, again achieving the advantages described above.

An advantage of the inventive solution when creating straight reflector arrangements is that the length of the reflector assembly to be created can be changed in a simple manner by the number of items used. It is therefore possible to provide reflector assemblies of different lengths in a simple manner, without requiring additional effort for this purpose. Furthermore, it would also be possible to form more complex structures for reflector arrangements, provided that the individual elements are shaped accordingly. For example, it would be conceivable to form S-shaped or serpentine reflector arrangements.

Overall, therefore, the present invention provides a solution to create reflector assemblies even more complex forms in a simple and fast way. The reflector assembly formed by means of the composite elements also has excellent optical properties, which is why it can also be used in demanding lighting situations.

Claims (11)

1. Reflector arrangement (10) for a luminaire (1) having a plurality of reflector chambers (12) arranged in a row, wherein

   □ the reflector chambers (12) or groups thereof are individual elements (20) which are suitable and intended for assembly together such that as a whole they form the reflector arrangement (10),

   □ the reflector chambers (12) are separated from one another by transverse latching webs (13), wherein the end walls (23, 24) lying beside one another of two elements (20) bordering on one another form a transverse latching web (13) and

   □ the end walls (23, 24) of the elements (20) - seen in emission direction - are inclined outwardly such that a transverse latching web (13) formed of two elements (20) bordering on one another is in substance V shaped,

   characterised in that,
   the end walls (23, 24) meet one another at their bottom edges.
2. Reflector arrangement according to any preceding claim,
   characterised in that,
   the elements (20) are held together by a separate holder element.
3. Reflector arrangement according to claim 1,
   characterised in that,
   the elements (20) have each their own connection means (25a, 25b, 26a, 26b) for connection with one another.
4. Reflector arrangement according to claim 3,
   characterised in that,
   the connection means (25a, 25b, 26a, 26b) form tongue and groove connections.
5. Reflector arrangement according to any preceding claim,
   characterised in that,
   the elements (20) are of plastic.
6. Reflector arrangement according to claim 5,
   characterised in that,
   the elements (20) are produced in an injection molding process.
7. Reflector arrangement according to any preceding claim,
   characterised in that,
   the reflector chambers (12) are in each case formed by an individual element (20).
8. Reflector arrangement according to any preceding claim,
   characterised in that,
   the elements (20) are assembled to a straight reflector arrangement (10).
9. Reflector arrangement according to any of claims 1 to 7,
   characterised in that,
   the elements (20) are curved and are assembled to a ring-like structure.
10. Luminaire (1) having an elongate light source (5) and a reflector arrangement (10) arranged - seen in emission direction - in front of the light source (5),
    characterised in that,
    the reflector arrangement (10) is configured in accordance with any of claims 1 to 9.
11. Reflector element (20) which forms a reflector chamber (12) or a group of reflector chambers (12) and which is suitable and intended for assembly with further like reflector elements (20) such that

    □ the assembled elements (20) as a whole form a reflector arrangement (10) for a luminaire,

    □ the end walls (23, 24) lying beside one another of two elements (20) bordering on one another form a transverse latching web (13) of the reflector arrangement (10) which separates two reflector chambers (12) bordering on one another, and

    □ these end walls (23, 24) meet one another at their bottom edges,

    wherein the end walls (23, 24) of the elements (20) - seen in emission direction - are inclined outwardly such that a transverse latching web (13) formed of two elements (20) bordering on one another is in substance V shaped.

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