GB2365108A

GB2365108A - Indirect/direct luminaire

Info

Publication number: GB2365108A
Application number: GB0016795A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chris Short
Original assignee: DESIGNED ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTIN
Current assignee: DESIGNED ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTIN
Priority date: 2000-07-07
Filing date: 2000-07-07
Publication date: 2002-02-13
Also published as: GB0016795D0

Abstract

A luminaire which has a translucent laminated cover 18, in which at least one of the layers of the laminate carries an opaque pattern so that some light is reflected from that layer, whilst some is transmitted.

Description

<Desc/Clms Page number 1> "Indirect/Direct Luminaire" This invention relates to light fittings, and in particular, to luminaires of the type which are designed to provide both direct and indirect illumination, by means of a light source which is arranged above a luminaire cover of partially reflective and partially transmissive material.

In certain environments a mixture of relatively direct and indirect lighting is required, so as to maximise illumination whilst minimising reflections. For example in order to facilitate the use of computer display terminals, it is known to provide luminaires for fluorescent light sources (for example) which are arranged to direct part of the.light output upwardly towards the ceiling, whilst part is allowed to pass downwardly through a translucent cover. The present invention seeks.to provide a luminaire which is adapted to be hung or otherwise mounted below ceiling level, which is of relatively simple construction, and incorporates a partly reflective and partly transmissive cover.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a luminaire having a translucent laminated cover, in which at least one of the layers of the laminate carries an opaque pattern so that some light is reflected from that layer, whilst some is transmitted.

Preferably, the pattern is screen printed, and may comprise, for example, an array of dots, or a "fret" i.e. an interlaced pattern defining apertures between the lines of the interlacing.

In a preferred embodiment the laminate comprises three layers, the two outer layers being of plain glass, whilst the inner layer is of opal plastic, and the pattern may be printed on one of the interface surfaces, or one of the outer surfaces of the laminate.

In a typical embodiment of the invention, the luminaire comprises an elongate body adapted to house one or more linear fluorescent lamps, having a downwardly convex cover arranged below the lamps, so that some light is reflected upwardly from the upper, conc@ve.J3#-.ace, by virtue of the printed pattern, whilst some is transmitted downwardly, through the:material of the cover.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic end view of a luminaire according to the invention; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of a laminated cover construction; and Figure 4 illustrates various possible printed fret patterns.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the luminaire comprises an elongate casing 2, housing a pair of linear fluorescent lamps 4, 6, which may be provided with a central, elongate reflecting member 8 (not shown in Figure 2) mounted above the tubes, so as to reflect some light downwardly, from curved surfaces 10 and 12 which respectively face the two tubes 4 and 6.

As will be appreciated, the ends 14, 16 of the body of the luminaire will usually be closed, and may incorporate mountings (not shown) for the corresponding ends of the lamps 4, 6. The upper part of the body 2, however, may be open, so that light from the lamps may be directed upwardly towards the ceiling, so as to produce a "uplighter" type of indirect lighting.

The lower cover 18 is curved, as shown in Figure 1, so that the entire fitting has a generally "trough shaped" configuration. As shown in Figure 3, the cover 18 is a laminate which consists of three layers, 20, 22 and 24, with the two outer layers 20 and 24 comprising plain glass, while the central layer 22 is an opal plastic which diffuses light which emerges downwardly from the fitting.

A printed pattern is applied to one of the surfaces of the outer glass layer 24 ( for example) and as shown, this is the upper surface, i.e. the surface which faces the opal layer 22. However, the pattern could be printed on one of the other surfaces, such as the outer surface of the fitting, depending upon the decorative/reflective effect which is required,

The printed pattern itself may comprise an array of dots, squares, or other shapes, or it may comprise a "fret" i.e. a regular pattern of lines which defines such dots, squares, or other shapes. Some examples of such printed patterns are illustrated in Figure 4, which shows examples of circular, square, and hexagonal based patterns. Again, it will be appreciated that the size and shape of the dots or apertures will be varied, according to the amount of light that is required to be transmitted and reflected, and for similar reasons, the printed pattern will typically be white or "opal" but could be black, silver, or any other colour required for a particular application.

Although the invention has been described with reference to elongate luminaires for linear fluorescent lamps, it will be appreciated that it could also be applied to other kinds of luminaires. For example, it could be used for ordinary incandescent or compact fluorescent lamps in which case the luminaire body could be generally bowl-shaped, rather than trough-shaped.

Claims

CLAIMS 1 . A luminaire having a translucent laminated cover, in which at least one of the layers of the laminate carries an opaque pattern so that some light is reflected from that layer, whilst some is transmitted. 2. A luminaire according to claim 1 in which the pattern is screen printed. 3, A luminaire according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the pattern comprises an array of dots. 4. A luminaire according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the pattern comprises a pattern of interlaced lines defining apertures between them. 5. A luminaire according to any preceding claim in which the laminate comprises three layers, the two outer layers being of plain glass whilst the intermediate layer is of an opal plastics material. 6. A luminaire according to claim 5 in which the pattern is printed on one of the interface surfaces or on an outer surface of the laminate. 7. A luminaire according to any preceding claim comprising: an elongate body adapted to house one or more linear fluorescent lamps, having a downwardly convex cover arranged below the lamps, so that some light is reflected upwardly from the upper, concave surface, by virtue of the printed pattern, whilst some is transmitted downwardly, through the material of the cover. 8. A luminaire according to claim 7 including an elongate reflecting member mounted above the or each tube and having a curved surface facing the or each tube. 9. A luminaire according to any of claims 1 to 6 in which the luminaire comprises a generally bowl shaped body adapted to house an incandescent or compact fluorescent lamp. 10. A luminaire substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.