US3610919A

US3610919A - Compact area lighting luminaire

Info

Publication number: US3610919A
Application number: US761022A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph L Winpisinger; Edmund L Izzi
Original assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp
Current assignee: Cooper Industries LLC
Priority date: 1968-09-20
Filing date: 1968-09-20
Publication date: 1971-10-05
Anticipated expiration: 1988-10-05
Also published as: CA896028A

Abstract

A compact area lighting luminaire substantially externally symmetrical about a vertical axis and having a base portion, an optical cavity above the base portion and a cover closing off the upper end of the optical cavity. The light center of the light source is located at the vertical centerline of the luminaire in the optical cavity with the base of the light source and the lamp socket tilted away from the vertical and located within the base portion toward one side thereof in a horizontal plane in which the lamp ballast and the photocell are also located at spaced locations about the luminaire centerline.

Description

United States Patent [721 Inventors Joseph L. Winpisinger [54] COMPACT AREA LIGHTING LUMINAIRE 8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 240/25, 240/3, 240/84, 240/93, 240/81 LD [51] Int. Cl F2ls 1/10 [50] Field 01 Search 240/25, 3,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,489,076 1 1/1949 Bjontegard 240/25 2,887,568 5/ 1959 Franck 240/93 Primary Examiner-Samuel S. Matthews Assistant Examinen-E. M. Bero Attorneys-A. T. Stratton, W. D. Palmer and Blair R.

Studebaker ABSTRACT: A compact area lighting luminaire substantially externally symmetrical about a vertical axis and having a base portion, an optical cavity above the base portion and a cover closing off the upper end of the optical cavity. The light center of the light source is located at the vertical centerline of the luminaire in the optical cavity with the base of the light source and the lamp socket tilted away from the vertical and located within the base portion toward one side thereof in a horizontal plane in which the lamp ballast and the photocell are also located at spaced locations about the luminaire centerline.

PATENTED um 519m sum 1 or 2 &

Joseph L, Winpismgey and Edmund L. IZZI ATTORNEY PATENTEUUBI 5l97l sum 2 OF 2 mdE COMPACT AREA LIGHTING LUMINAIRE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION also a photocell when it is desired that the luminaire have the facility for turning off and on in response to ambient light levels. Essentially, two alternatives are available in the prior art for internally organizing the components of a post top luminaire. In the first and most common assembly the ballast components are grouped below the lamp socket rather then the other alternative which places the ballast components beside the lamp socket for the reason that the height increase caused by placing the ballast beneath the lamp socket was not as offensive as the increased diameter resulting from placing the ballast beside the lamp socket. Photocontrols have been almost universally placed on top of the luminaire in a separate housing which not only adds to the height of the luminaire but gives the appearance that the luminaire is wearing a too small hat. The other alternative for photocontrol mounting has been to place the photocontrol below the luminaire in the pole.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a compact post top-type luminaire having a low profile and without an excessive diameter.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a compact area lighting luminaire in which the essential elements such as the lamp socket, the ballast components, and the photocontrol are located within the luminaire housing.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a compact symmetrical area lighting luminaires in which the light center of horizontal light source may be located along the centerline of the luminaire but with substantial size reduction.

The foregoing objects are accomplished in accordance with the present invention by providing, in a compact area lighting luminaire having a substantially symmetrical external configuration about a vertical centerline, a base portion, an optical cavity above the base portion and a cover member closing off the top of the optical cavity; and in which the lamp socket, the ballast means and the photocontrol means are all disposed within the base portion about the vertical centerline with the lamp socket mounted at an angle with respect to the centerline so that a lamp mounted in the lamp socket will extend into the optical cavity with its light center falling at about the vertical centerline of the luminaire. The base portion of the luminaire of the present invention is further provided with a window located in the wall of the base portion adjacent the photocell to pennit the photocell to sense ambient light levels externally of the luminaire,

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The foregoing objects, and others, along with many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent and better understood as the following detailed description is considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a side elevational view of a post top luminaire con- 1 FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-Vl of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in detail to the drawings wherein like reference characters represent like parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. I a side elevational view of an area lighting luminaire constructed in accordance with the present invention and generally designated 10. The luminaire 10 includes a base or housing portion I2 having secured thereto a plurality of upstanding rib members 14 which terminate in a top cover and refractor supporting ring 16 (FIG. 3). The base portion or housing 12 has at its bottom an extension or slip-fitter 18 to facilitate the attaching of the post top luminaire to a lamppost 20. A glass or plastic refractor or refractor sections 22 are mounted between the base portion or housing 12 and the support ring I6 and a top cover member 24 is secured to the housing 12 through the support ring 16 in a manner later to be described.

As indicated previously, prior art post top luminaires have had problems of excessive height because the ballast components have been located below the lamp socket or the ballast components have been located to the side of the lamp socket while the lamp socket was positioned on the vertical centerline of the post top luminaire, thus providing excessive lateral dimension to the luminaire. As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen that in the post top luminaire of the present invention the lamp socket 26, the ballast components 28 and the photocell socket 30 are all located in the same horizontal plane about the vertical axis 32 of the luminaire. In order to maintain the integrity of the light distribution it is still necessary to have the light center 33 of the lamp 34 lie in the vertical centerline or axis 32 of the luminaire and this is accomplished by tilting the lamp socket 26 at a preselected angle so that the light center 33 of a lamp 34, when threaded into the socket 26, will fall at about the luminaire centerline 32.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the photocell socket 30 may be equipped with a photocell 36 with its light-receiving window or aperture 38 adjacent a window 40 in the sidewall of the base portion or housing 12.

The baffle plate 42 serves a threefold purpose. First the flange 43 on the baffle plate 42 is retained in the upper part of the base portion 12 between the ribs 14 and serves as a platform upon which the refractor 22 sits. Secondly, the baffle plate 42 prevents light from the lamp 34 from entering the base portion or housing 12 and inhibits the photocell 40 from seeing light from its own light source. Thirdly, the baffle plate 42 serves to reflect any downwardly directed light out through the refractor 22 or upwardly to reflect from the underside of the top cover 24. The baffle 42 is provided with an aperture 44 through which the lamp 34 is threaded into the socket 26.

The refractor 22 may be of single piece construction or may be constructed of interchangeable quarter sections in order to permit the selective variation of the light pattern emanating from the luminaire. When quarter section panels are used to construct the refractor 22, it is common to use wire rings 46 at the top and the bottom of the assembly to assist in retaining the assembly together. A plurality of spring clips 48, mounted to the top ring 16 at 50 have a curved end portion which is seated in a complementary notch 52 in the upper edge of the refractor and serves to retain the refractor assembly firmly in position against the flange 43 on the baffle 42.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the top cover member 24 is hinged to the upper ring 16 at 54 and permits the top cover member to be pivoted away to provide for lamp servicing. The top cover member 24 is secured at its other side to the upper ring 54 by a plurality of threaded bolts 56. When it is necessary to change the lamp 34, threaded bolts 56 are removed and the top cover member pivoted away to provide access to the optical cavity through the top of the luminaire.

At the bottom of the bottom portion or housing 12 is located the slip-fitter arrangement 18 for securing the luminaire to the top of a pole. A plurality of stop members 58 are secured to the bottom of the base portion 12 by bolts 60 to limit the depth of penetration of the pole 20 into the slip-fitter 18. The luminaire is secured to the pole 20 by a plurality of set screws 19 in the sides of the slip-fitter 18.

As will be apparent from the foregoing, the compact post top luminaire of the present invention substantially reduces the size of the post top-type luminaire by placing the ballast components, the lamp socket and the photocell in substantially the same horizontal plane within the base portion 12 with all of these elements positioned about the vertical centerline of the luminaire. This arrangement in conjunction with the tilted lamp socket provides, in addition to a reduction in overall luminaire size, for the light center of a lamp to fall along the centerline of the luminaire.

Since numerous changes may be made in the abovedescribed apparatus and different embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim as our invention:

1. A compact area lighting luminaire having a substantially symmetrical external configuration about a vertical centerline and comprising:

a hollow base portion, a refractor above said base portion defining an optical cavity, and a cover member closing 011' the top of said optical cavity;

a lamp socket, ballast means and photocontrol means disposed within said hollow base portion about said vertical centerline, said lamp socket being mounted offset from and at an angle with respect to centerline, whereby a lamp mounted in said lamp socket will extend into said optical cavity with its light center falling at about said vertical centerline.

2. A compact area alighting luminaire according to claim I wherein a baffle plate separates said base portion and said optical cavity, said baffle plate having an aperture therein, offset from said vertical centerline for receiving said lamp and socket therethrough.

3. A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 1 wherein a window is located in the wall of said base portion adjacent said photocell to thereby permit said photocell to sense ambient light levels externally of said luminaire.

4. A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 1 wherein said lamp socket, photocell and ballast means lie within substantially the same horizontal plane.

5. A compact area lighting luminaire having a substantially symmetrical external configuration about a vertical centerline and comprising;

a base portion, a refractor above said base portion defining an optical cavity and a cover member closing off the top of said optical cavity;

a lamp socket and ballast means disposed within said base portion, said lamp socket being mounted offset from and at an angle other than with respect to said centerline, whereby a lamp mounted in said lamp socket will extend into said optical cavity with its light center falling at about said vertical centerline.

6. A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 5 wherein a baffle plate separates said base portion and said optical cavity, said baffle plate having an aperture therein, ofiset from said vertical centerline for receiving a lamp mounted in said socket therethrough.

7. A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 5 wherein a photocontrol is also disposed within said base portion and a window is locate in the wall of said base portion adjacent said photocontrol to thereby permit said photocontrol to sense ambient light levels externally of said luminaire.

8. A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 5 wherein said lamp socket and ballast means lie within substantially the same horizontal plane.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 610,919 Dated October 5 mm lnventofls) Joseph L. Winpisineer and Edmund L. Izzi It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Claim 1, line 10, before "centerline" insert said Signed and sealed this 16th day of May 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

ROBERT GOTTSCHALK EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents USCOMM-DC 50316-P69 1r u.s GOVERNMENT PRINTING orncs: lass o-sss-su FORM PO-105O (10-69)

Claims

1. A compact area lighting luminaire having a substantially symmetrical external configuration about a vertical centerline and comprising: a hollow base portion, a refractor above said base portion defining an optical cavity, and a cover member closing off the top of said optical cavity; a lamp socket, ballast means and photocontrol means disposed within said hollow base portion about said vertical centerline, said lamp socket being mounted offset from and at an angle with respect to centerline, whereby a lamp mounted in said lamp socket will extend into said optical cavity with its light center falling at about said vertical centerline.

2. A compact area alighting luminaire according to claim 1 wherein a baffle plate separates said base portion and said optical cavity, said baffle plate having an aperture therein, offset from said vertical centerline for receiving said lamp and socket therethrough.

5. A compact area lighting luminaire having a substantially symmetrical external configuration about a vertical centerline and comprising; a base portion, a refractor above said base portion defining an optical cavity and a cover member closing off the top of said optical cavity; a lamp socket and ballast means disposed within said base portion, said lamp socket being mounted offset from and at an angle other than 90* with respect to said centerline, whereby a lamp mounted in said lamp socket will extend into said optical cavity with its light center falling at about said vertical centerline.

6. A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 5 wherein a baffle plate separates said base portion and said optical cavity, said baffle plate having an aperture therein, offset from said vertical centerline for receiving a lamp mounted in said socket therethrough.