FR2935459A1 - Lighting device for e.g. above-ground swimming pool, has tubular part including distal end that is provided with male thread for being screwed in female thread of sweeping attachment of swimming pool - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a circular rigid monoblock support including a front face provided with a cylindrical hollow chamber in which a light source (2) constituted of single-colored or multi-colored LEDs, is mounted in a sealed manner. The support has a rear face that integrates a tubular part (11) extended towards the rear of the support. The tubular part has a distal end that is provided with a male thread (110) for being screwed in a female thread of a sweeping attachment (6) of a swimming pool.

Description

LIGHTING DEVICE FOR SWIMMING POOL WITH ATTACHMENT TO A BRUSH SOCKET Description Technical field of the invention.

The invention relates to a swimming pool lighting device with attachment to a brush socket.

It relates to the technical field of lighting devices with support for equipping an above ground pool or buried and intended to be immersed in the water of said pool.

State of the art To date, the majority of pool lighting devices are in the form of recessed luminaires in PAR56 lighting niches, previously made in the wall of the pool. These niches are designed at the time of construction of the pool and because of their relatively large dimensions, cause problems of strength and watertightness over time, especially if a plastic membrane (liner) covers the walls. In addition, the lighting niches are suitable only for buried, thick-walled and hard pools, thin-walled above-ground pools having other lighting attachment systems. 2935459 -2

Document US Pat. No. 7,188,378 (RYAN) discloses a lighting device comprising a support on which a light source is mounted in a sealed manner. This support is provided with a specific tubular portion extending rearwardly of said support and intended to pass through the wall of a pool to be connected to a water injection duct. This tubular portion has a thread at its proximal end, that is to say the end which is closest to the rear face of the support. The thread is intended to receive a clamping ring for pressing the support against the wall of the pool. The installation of this device is actually not very practical, since the clamping ring must be screwed by the back of the wall of the pool. In addition, this type of device is only suitable for pools with thin walls.

Some manufacturers use a principle of a flat lighting block, the fixing of which is effected by means of a hooking claw to screw on the wall of the pools. This mode of attachment is not really satisfactory because it requires specific tools for the face of the claw hook. In addition, a complex intermediate support is generally required to connect the lighting unit to the gripping claw. Finally, it is necessary to manage the tightness between these different parts, which complicates the assembly even more.

In view of this state of affairs, the main objective of the invention is to propose a lighting device of the type described in the aforementioned US Pat. No. 7,188,378, but whose design is simpler and whose installation in a Pool is easier and faster. Another object of the invention is to provide a lighting device that can be implemented in many models of pools, both above ground and buried, with or without liner.30 Disclosure of the invention. The solution proposed by the invention is a pool lighting device comprising: a support comprising a front face and a rear face, the front face of said support being provided with a hollow chamber in which is mounted in a sealed manner a light source, - the rear face of said support incorporating a tubular portion extending rearwardly of said support.

This device is remarkable in that the distal end of the tubular portion has a male thread adapted to be screwed into the female thread of a pool broom. The latter are standard parts that are used in almost all above-ground or underground pools, with thin or thick walls, with or without liner. The broom plugs are typically screwed into wall penetrations. The installation of the device is therefore done very simply by screwing the distal end of the tubular portion into an existing brush outlet, without any effort or additional tools, while maintaining the integrity of the pool seal.

The tubular portion advantageously comprises a smooth outer portion before the male thread. In this way, the tubular part can not penetrate completely into the wall penetration, which allows to leave a clearance between the pool wall and the rear face of the support. This game will absorb the thickness of a double seal used to seal at the wall penetration, when a liner is present.

To facilitate the supply of electric current to the light source, the tubular portion preferably opens into the hollow chamber containing the light source at an orifice, a power supply cable connected to said light source passing through said orifice and passing to inside said tubular portion. - 3 - 4 To facilitate the installation of the support against the wall of the pool without worrying about any positioning: - the support is advantageously circular, - the hollow chamber containing the light source is advantageously cylindrical axis coaxial with the axis of said support, - the axis of the tubular portion is preferably coaxial with the axis of said hollow chamber and said support.

Preferably, a cover is adapted to cover the front face of the support, said cover being provided with: an opening vis-à-vis the light source, orifices configured to allow the circulation of water around the hollow chamber containing the light source, when said cover is fixed on said support.

The rear face of the lid is open and has a rim, the latter exceeding the plane containing the rear face of the support and the threaded end of the tubular portion projecting beyond the plane containing said rim when said lid is fixed on the support. In this configuration, the rim of the lid can be pressed against the wall of the pool, even if a portion of the tubular portion is not screwed into the wall penetration. And in particular, this configuration makes it possible to come to press the rim of the lid against the wall of the pool when a portion of the tubular portion supports a double seal used to seal at the wall penetration, in the case where a liner is present.

Advantageously, the lid is circular axis coaxial with the common axis of the support, the hollow chamber and the tubular portion.

To optimize the cooling of the light source when the device is immersed, the support is advantageously provided with orifices configured to allow the passage of water between the front face and the rear face of said support.

The light source may be associated with an optics comprising microlenses distributed homogeneously over the entire inner surface of said optics. This specific optic allows a better diffusion of the light in the water and a more harmonious mixture of the colors emitted by the light source in the water.

The light source is advantageously made up of monochrome or polychromatic light-emitting diodes mounted on a support plate, said plate being fixed in the hollow chamber made on the support, said hollow chamber being sealed with an optical seal.

Another aspect of the invention is an assembly comprising: - a brush socket having a female thread, - a pool lighting device comprising: • a support comprising a front face and a rear face, • the front face of said support being provided with a hollow chamber in which is mounted in a sealed manner a light source, • the rear face of said support incorporating a tubular portion extending rearwardly of said support, the distal end of said tubular portion comprising a male screwing in the female thread of said brush plug.

Yet another aspect of the invention is lighting for swimming pool 30 comprising: a support comprising a front face and a rear face;

- The front face of said support being provided with a hollow chamber in which is mounted in a sealed manner a light source, - the rear face of said support incorporating a tubular portion extending rearwardly of said support.

This support is remarkable in that the distal end of the tubular portion has a male thread having a nominal diameter of 1 1/2.

Description of the figures.

Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will appear better on reading the description of a preferred embodiment which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings, made by way of indicative and non-limiting examples and in which: FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing in vertical section all the elements constituting a lighting device according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the lighting device of FIG. 1; the various constituent elements being assembled to each other, - Figure 3 is an exploded view showing in vertical section all the components of a lighting device according to the invention, in an alternative embodiment - the figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the lighting device of FIG. 2, the various constituent elements being assembled to each other; FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing in FIG. FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view showing a lighting device according to FIGS. 1 and 2, screwed into a brush socket disposed on a pool wall, FIG. 6 is a sectional view. vertical showing a lighting device according to Figures 1 and 2, screwed into a brush socket disposed on a pool wall covered with a plastic liner type membrane.

Embodiments of the invention The lighting device object of the invention is intended to be installed in an aboveground pool or buried, with or without a liner, and more generally in any pool that can be equipped with a brush. It is intended to be immersed in the water of the pool in which it is installed. For the purposes of the present invention, the term pool should be understood as including not only traditional pools above ground or buried, thin-walled or thick, with or without liner, but also any pools, spas or fountains.

The description of the different elements constituting the device which is the subject of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. This lighting device is more particularly formed of a support 1 on which is mounted in a sealed manner. In practice, the support 1 is a rigid one-piece piece obtained by plastic molding and advantageously made of anti-UV treated ABS.

The support 1 comprises a front face and a rear face. The front face is provided with a hollow chamber 10 in which is mounted in a sealed manner the light source 2. The rear face includes a tubular portion 11 extending rearwardly of the support 1. The hollow chamber 10 and the tubular portion 11 are integral part of the support 1 and are obtained during the molding of the latter.

The support 1 is advantageously circular. For example, it may have a diameter of about 240 mm for a thickness of about 2.5 mm. Similarly, the hollow chamber 10 containing the light source 2 is advantageously cylindrical axis coaxial with the axis of the support 1 with an open end. The chamber 10 may for example have a diameter -7 2935459 -8

about 165 mm, a height of about 37 mm and a thickness of about 2.5 mm. Also, the axis of the tubular portion 11 is advantageously coaxial with the axis of the hollow chamber 10 and the support 1. In this way, the device according to the invention has an axis of revolution common to the support 1, the The tubular portion 11 has a length of about 35 mm, an outside diameter of between 45 mm and 75 mm and a thickness of between 2.5 mm and 5 mm. These shapes and proportions are however not limiting and serve only to illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention. According to the invention, the distal end of the tubular portion 11 comprises a male thread 110 adapted to be screwed into the female thread of a brush socket 6 fixed to a pool wall (FIGS. 6 and 7). By distal end is meant in the sense of the present invention, the end which is furthest from the rear face of the support 1. In practice, the male thread 110 has a nominal diameter of 1 "1/2 (gas thread ) is about 48 mm, over a length of between 10 mm and 50 mm, preferably between 30 mm and 40 mm.Its pitch is about 2.3 mm.These gas threads are widely used in the field of pool piping elements and are The tubular portion 111 advantageously comprises a smooth outer portion 111 before the threading 110. This smooth outer portion 111 has an outer diameter greater than the nominal diameter of the male thread 110, advantageously between 50 mm and 60 mm, over a length of between 5 mm and 30 mm, in this way the tubular part 11 can not penetrate completely into the female thread of the brush holder 6, which allows a clearance J to be left between said plug and socket. i and the rear face of the support 1 (FIGS. 6 and 7), this clearance is substantially equal to or even greater than the length of the smooth outer portion 111. As explained later in the description with reference to FIG. J will absorb the thickness of a double-seal system 60 used to seal at the brush plug 6, when a liner 70 covers the wall 7 of the pool. Referring to Figure 1, the hollow chamber 10 consists of a base 100, an upper plate 101 parallel to said base, and a first straight wall or slightly inclined 102 connecting said base to said 5 platinum. The rim of the upper plate 101 is connected to the support 1 by a second wall 104 which surrounds the first wall 102 so as to create a void space 103 between the two said walls. The diameter of the upper plate 101 may be about 240 mm and that of the base 100 may be smaller, for example about 130 mm. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the support 1 is advantageously provided with orifices 1040 configured to allow the passage of water between the front face and the rear face of said support. In practice, these orifices 1040 are formed on the second wall 104 so that water can circulate around the hollow chamber 10 and in particular around the first wall 102. The light source 2 is advantageously constituted by light-emitting diodes monochrome or polychrome, although one could consider using halogen bulbs, conventional filament bulbs or neon tubes. In general, by light source 2, 20 means within the meaning of the present invention any means capable of diffusing light, consisting of one or more light spots. Referring to Figure 1, the diodes 20 are mounted on the front face of a support plate 21, said plate being fixed in the chamber 10. The support plate 21 may for example have a diameter of about 240 mm for a thickness of about 2.5 mm. In practice, the support plate 21 is fixed against the upper plate 101 of the hollow chamber 10, by means of clips or screws. The illumination of the light-emitting diodes 20 is controlled by means of an electronic management unit 22 arranged in the hollow chamber 10, said unit being in practice fixed on the rear face of the support plate 21. This management unit 22 can be activated by remote control or directly programmed. The user thus has the possibility to generate according to his desire or in a

programmed, many light effects possibly combined with color schemes. Conventionally, the diodes 20 operate at 12 V. Depending on the current source available, it is therefore necessary to provide a transformer for transforming the 100 V or 220 V 12 V. For reasons of safety, this transformer is arranged outside the device and outside the water basin.

Although a battery or electric batteries can be used, the light source 2 and in particular the management unit 22 is preferentially fed via a power supply cable 3. Referring to the figures 1, 2, 4 and 5, the tubular portion 11 opens into the hollow chamber 10 containing the light source 2 at an orifice 130, the cable 3 connected to said light source passing through said orifice and passing inside said tubular part. The housing 130 will preferably be equipped with a gland 1300 sealing the hollow chamber 10. With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the end of the cable 3 is connected to a connection box 30 connected to a Power source. When a transformer is used, the latter is preferably disposed between the housing 30 and the power source for safety reasons. After having fixed the support plate 21 in the hollow chamber 10, the latter is closed in a sealed manner by an optic or lens 4 made of glass or translucent or transparent plastic material. This optic 4 is convex and may have on its surface facets for the diffusion of light and the mixing of colors in water. The optic 4 is configured so as to fit on the rim of the upper plate 101 of the hollow chamber 10. The fixation of the optic 4 on this rim is preferably done by an ultrasonic welding technique which ensures optimal sealing. However, it is possible to aim the optics 4 30 on the hollow chamber 4 in which case a seal will be provided to ensure sealing. This last solution has the advantage of making it accessible.

the diodes 20 and the management unit 22 in the event of a malfunction. A preferred embodiment of optics 4 is shown in FIG. 5. This optics 4 has been developed to answer the problem of light scattering and mixing of the colors emitted by the same light source, in the water. The inner surface of the optics consists of micro-lenses or verrines 40 whose size and number allow it to adapt to any type of light source 2 (light-emitting diodes, 10 incandescent lamps, halogens, etc.) . In practice, the microlenses 40 have a diameter of between 2 mm and 5 mm for a depth varying from 1 mm to 5 mm. They are evenly distributed over the entire inner surface of the optics 4, that is to say they are substantially contiguous to each other. The optic 4 has a curved surface with a diameter of between about 170 mm and 180 mm. The curvature of the optics 4 associated with the depth of the microlenses 40 determine the angle of diffusion of the light with respect to the position of the light source 2.

Referring to the accompanying figures, a cover 5 is adapted to cover the front face of the support 1 so as to protect and / or prevent access to the various elements described above. This cover 5 is clipped or is referred to the support 1, sealed or not. It is preferably circular, of axis coaxial with the common axis of the support 1, the hollow chamber 10 and the tubular portion 11 and has the general appearance of a hollow dome. The cover 5 is made of the same material as the support 1. It is provided with an opening 50 opposite the light source 2. More particularly, this opening 50 is dimensioned so as to receive the optic 4 (FIG. Figure 2). Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the lid 5 is advantageously provided with orifices 51, 54 allowing the circulation of water around 30 the hollow chamber 10 containing the light source 2 so as to effectively cool the latter when said lid is fixed on the support 1. These orifices 51, 54 are distributed around the opening 50 so that the water 2935459 -12-

circulates as close as possible to the light source 2. When the cover 5 is fixed on the support 1 and the device is immersed in the pool of the pool, the water circulates around the hollow chamber 10 passing through the orifices 51 , 54 of the cover 5 and the openings 1040 of the support 1. According to a preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rear face of the cover 5 is provided with a cylindrical housing 52 equipped with tapped holes 520 intended to receive 5200 clamping screws (Figure 2). The cylindrical housing 52 has an axis coaxial with the common axis of the support 1, the hollow chamber 10 and the tubular portion 11. The threaded holes 520 are distributed homogeneously on the wall of the housing 52 and open on the faces front and rear cover 5. When the latter is placed on the support 1, the tapped holes 520 are opposite a circular groove 120 made on the entire edge of the support 1. To hold the cover 5 of 15 the support 1, it is then sufficient to screw the screws 5200 in the threaded holes 520 until they bear against the bottom of the groove 120. This solution has the advantage of not having to orient the cover 5 by report to support 1.

In an alternative embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4, the cylindrical housing 52 is provided with a tapping 520 'formed on its inner wall and adapted to receive a complementary thread 120' made on the edge of the support 1. Of this In this way, the cover 5 is simply screwed onto the support 1. With reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, the rear face of the cover 5 is open and has a rim 53. In practice, the rear face of the cover 5 has a diameter greater than the diameter of the cylindrical housing 52. For example, the diameter of the rear face of the cover 5 may be about 290 mm whereas that of the cylindrical housing 52 will be about 250 mm. The rim 53 projects beyond the plane containing the rear face of the support 1 when the cover 2935459 -13-

is fixed on said support (Figures 2 and 4). Similarly, the threaded end 110 of the tubular portion 11 exceeds the plane containing the rim 53 when the cover is fixed on the support 1. In practice, when the cover 5 is fixed on the support 1, the flange 53 is offset by plane contanting the rear face of said support 5 by a distance equal to or greater than the length of the smooth outer portion 111 of the tubular portion 11 (Figures 2 and 4).

The installation of the lighting device will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In accordance with the invention, the threaded end 110 of the tubular portion 11 is adapted to be screwed into the female thread. 6. The latter is a standard piece well known to those skilled in the art. The brooms are installed in almost all pools, whether they are buried or above ground, with or without liner. These are wall connection pieces used to connect pool cleaning devices or the hose of a manual broom. The broom plug 6 is in the form of a cylindrical plastic tube having a male thread of 2 "(gas thread) and a female thread of 1" 1/2 (gas thread). The cylindrical tube ends with a ring 61 intended to bear tightly against the wall 7 of the pool. The male thread of the brush plug 6 is intended to be screwed into the female thread of a wall penetration 8. This wall penetration 8 is in the form of a cylindrical plastic tube passing through the wall 7 of the swimming pool . It is put in place at the time of construction of the pool and its dimensions are standard. It can be sealed in hard and rigid walls of concrete, agglos, polystyrene, resin or the like, and with or without a plastic membrane (liner). Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the male thread of the brush plug 6 is screwed in a conventional manner into the male thread of the wall bushing 8. A seal or silicone is preferably disposed between the wall 7 and the rear face of the the ring 61 so as to seal. 30 2935459 - 14 -

Referring to Figure 6, when the wall 7 of the pool does not have a liner, the male thread 110 of the tubular portion 11 is screwed fully into the female thread of the brush holder 6. A seal 62 can be arranged on the tubular portion 11, between the male thread 110 and the smooth outer portion 111, so as to seal.

Referring to Figure 7, when the pool wall 7 is coated with a liner 70, a double seal system 60 is used to seal. In practice, this system consists of a ring 600 which is screwed onto the front face of the ring 61 of the brush holder 6. A double seal 601 is disposed between the ring 600 and the ring 61. This double seal 601 is installed on either side of the liner 70 so as to grip the latter, and form sealing, when the ring 600 is screwed into the ring 600. This double seal system has a certain thickness which is absorbed by the clearance J 15 previously mentioned. In this configuration, the male thread 110 of the tubular portion 11 can still be screwed fully into the female thread of the brush holder 6. Note also that the rim 53 of the lid 5 remains pressed against the wall of the pool 7 of the it exceeds the rear face of the support 1 by a distance equal to or greater than the length of the smooth portion 111.

In summary, the installation of the device which is the subject of the invention is very simply carried out in the following manner: the cover 5 of the support 1 is removed if a cover is used, the cable 3 is passed into the broom socket 6 and in the wall penetration 8 up to the connection housing 30, - the tubular portion 11 is screwed into the brush holder 6 until the seal 62 is crushed, - the optional cover 5 is replaced by pressing its rim 53 Against the wall 7.

Claims (12)

Revendications1. Swimming pool lighting device comprising: - a support (1) comprising a front face and a rear face, - the front face of said support being provided with a hollow chamber (10) in which is mounted in a sealed manner a light source ( 2), - the rear face of said support incorporating a tubular portion (11) extending rearwardly of said support, characterized in that the distal end of the tubular portion (11) comprises a male thread (110). adapted to be screwed into the female thread of a pool broom (6). 2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the tubular portion (11) has a smooth outer portion (111) before the male thread (110). 3. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the tubular portion (11) opens into the hollow chamber (10) containing the light source (2) at an orifice (130), a power cable (3) connected to said light source passing through said orifice and passing inside said tubular portion. 4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein: - the support (1) is circular, - the hollow chamber (10) containing the light source (2) is cylindrical axis coaxial with the axis of said support, - The axis of the tubular portion (11) is coaxial with the axis of said hollow chamber and said support. 2935459 -16- 5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a cover (5) is adapted to cover the front face of the support (1), said cover being provided with: - an opening (50) vis-à-vis the light source (2), 5 - orifices (51) configured to allow the circulation of water around the hollow chamber (10) containing the light source (2), when said cover is fixed on said support. 6. Device according to claim 5, wherein: - the rear face of the lid (5) is open and comprises a rim (53), - said flange exceeds the plane containing the rear face of the support (1) when said lid is fixed on said support, - the threaded end (110) of the tubular portion (11) exceeds the plane containing said flange when said cover is fixed on said support. 15 7. Device according to one of claims 5 or 6 taken in combination with claim 4, wherein the cover (5) is circular axis coaxial with the common axis of the support (1) of the hollow chamber (10) and the tubular portion (11). 8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the support (1) is provided with orifices (1040) configured to allow the passage of water between the front face and the rear face of said support. 25 9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the light source (2) is associated with an optical (4) having microlenses (40) homogeneously distributed over the entire inner surface of said optics. 30 10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the light source (2) consists of monochrome or polychromatic electroluminescent diodes (20) mounted on a support plate (21), said plate being fixed in FIG. hollow chamber (10) made on the support (1), said hollow chamber being sealed by an optic (4). 5 11. Assembly characterized by the fact that it comprises: - a brush socket (6) having a female thread, - a pool lighting device comprising: • a support (1) having a front face and a rear face, The front face of said support being provided with a hollow chamber (10) in which is mounted in a sealed manner a light source (2), the rear face of said support integrating a tubular part (11) extending towards the rear of said support, the distal end of said tubular portion having a male thread (110) screwing into the female thread of said brush plug. Swimming pool lighting comprising: a support (1) comprising a front face and a rear face, the front face of said support being provided with a hollow chamber (10) in which a light source is mounted in a sealed manner ( 2), - the rear face of said support incorporating a tubular portion (11) extending rearwardly of said support, characterized in that the distal end of the tubular portion comprises a male thread (110) having a diameter nominal 1 1/2.