GB2583788A - Ventilation fixture - Google Patents

Abstract

A ventilation fixture has a main housing 2 with a cavity and a cap 30 coupled to the housing and can be moved away from and towards the cavity to open and close a gap between the main housing and an outer edge of the cap. Either the cap or the housing includes a rim around an edge thereof and comprising one or more cut out portions (38, fig 7) to reduce air speed as air flows through the gap and into the cavity. The rim can be located on the outer edge of the cap and can be supported by a plurality of fins (32, fig 7) extending from the rim to the centre of the cap. The cap can be adjustable by means of a bolt and thread arrangement 28. The main housing might include illumination. The cap may be supported by a cage-like structure 24 that can be held in place by magnets. The ventilation fixture may also feature an air cap (48, fig 11) that features openings through which air can flow, this air cap being interchangeable with the cap 30.

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.

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 (PIR) 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.

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 to 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 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 duds 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 intemals.

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 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.

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 dud; Figure 3A illustrates the main housing and vent housing prior to assembly; Figure 3B illustrates the main housing and vent housing once assembled; Figure 3C 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 4C 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; "7 Figure 8C 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.

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 (PI R) 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 3C with a dud 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 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.

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 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 dud 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-4C 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 intemal 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).

It) 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 8C 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 advantages described above and the air inlet cap described below is designed specifically for use in allowing passive airflow from the dud 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 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 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 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 fad 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 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 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.

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 (18)

1. 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 to through the gap and into the cavity.
2. 2. A ventilation fixture according to claim 1, wherein the rim is on the outer edge of the cap.
3. 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. 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. 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. 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. 7. A ventilation fixture according to claim 6, wherein between 6 and 10 rims are provided on the cap.
8. 8. A ventilation fixture according to claim 7, wherein 8 rims and 8 cut out portions are provided on the cap.
9. 9. A ventilation fixture according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the cut out portions are substantially rectangular in shape.
10. 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. 11. A ventilation fixture according to claim 10, wherein between 2 and 6 legs are provided on the vent cage.
12. 12. A ventilation fixture according to claim 11, wherein 4 legs are provided on the vent cage.
13. 13. A ventilation fixture according to any of claims 1 to 12, wherein illumination means are provided on the main housing.
14. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.15 20 25 30