Power supply mounting apparatus for lighting fixture
View Patent ↗A lighting fixture including a housing having a chamber defined by a surrounding wall, at least one power-supply unit within the chamber, and a slidable interlock securing the power-supply unit to the surrounding wall. The interlock includes a linear groove on one of the power-supply unit and the wall, and a mating projection on the other of the power-supply unit and the wall and slidably receivable into the groove. The power-supply unit is readily securable within the chamber by slidable engagement with the surrounding wall. It is preferred that the power-supply unit be secured closely against the fixture-exterior wall-portion, thus facilitating heat transfer from the power-supply unit to outside the fixture.
1. An LED lighting fixture comprising:
a housing having a substantially closed chamber defined by a surrounding wall;
at least one power-supply unit within the chamber, the power-supply unit being an electronic LED driver; and
a slidable interlock securing the power-supply unit to the surrounding wall, the interlock including (a) a linear groove on one of the power-supply unit and the wall, and (b) a mating projection on the other of the power-supply unit and the wall and slidably receivable into the groove,
whereby the power-supply unit is readily securable within the chamber by slidable engagement with the surrounding wall.
2. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein:
the groove has an inner cross-dimension greater than its opening cross-dimension; and
the projection has a distal portion of cross-sectional dimension greater than the groove opening cross-dimension and not greater than the groove inner cross-dimension.
3. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein:
the surrounding wall has at least one fixture-exterior wall-portion; and
the power-supply unit is secured closely against the fixture-exterior wall-portion, thus facilitating heat transfer from the power-supply unit to outside the fixture.
4. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the surrounding wall further defines a chamber-access opening through which the power-supply unit is slidably positioned into the chamber for secure mounting to the surrounding wall.
5. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein a mounting member is affixed to the power-supply unit, one of the linear groove and the mating projection being on the mounting member.
6. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the LED fixture includes an LED assembly secured with respect to the housing adjacent thereto in non-water/air-tight condition, the LED assembly having at least one LED-array module mounted on an LED heat sink.
7. The lighting fixture of claim 6 wherein the surrounding wall has a plurality of wall-portions, including an LED-assembly-adjacent wall-portion which defines a water/air-tight wire-access(s) receiving wires from the LED assembly into the chamber.
8. The lighting fixture of claim 7 wherein the power-supply unit is secured to a wall-portion opposite the LED-assembly-adjacent wall-portion allowing a sufficient wire-manipulation space between the power-supply unit and the wire-access(s).
9. The lighting fixture of claim 8 wherein the power-supply unit is secured to a fixture-exterior wall-portion transferring heat from the power-supply unit outside the fixture.
10. The lighting fixture of claim 6 wherein the housing includes at least two structures, including a first structure forming a first portion of the chamber receiving wires from the at least one LED-array module and the LED heat sink being interlocked with the first structure.
11. The lighting fixture of claim 10 wherein the housing is a perimetrical structure and the water/air-tight chamber substantially surrounds the LED assembly.
12. The lighting fixture of claim 11 wherein the perimetrical structure is substantially rectangular and further includes a second, third and fourth structures, all four structures being successively connected to substantially surround the LED assembly.
13. A lighting fixture comprising:
a housing having a chamber defined by a surrounding wall, the surrounding wall having at least one fixture-exterior wall-portion;
at least one power-supply unit within the chamber;
a mounting member affixed to the power-supply unit, the mounting member being a heat sink having a first surface affixed closely against the power-supply unit; and
a slidable interlock securing the power-supply unit to the surrounding wall, the interlock including (a) a linear groove on one of the power-supply unit and the wall, and (b) a mating projection on the other of the power-supply unit and the wall and slidably receivable into the groove, one of the linear groove and the mating projection being on a second surface of the heat sink, the second surface being secured closely against the fixture exterior wall-portion, thus transferring heat from the power-supply unit outside the fixture,
whereby the power-supply unit is readily securable within the chamber by slidable engagement with the surrounding wall.
14. The lighting fixture of claim 13 wherein the chamber is substantially water/air-tight.
15. The lighting fixture of claim 14 wherein the fixture is an LED lighting fixture with the power-supply unit being an electronic LED driver.
16. A method for mounting an LED lighting-fixture power-supply unit:
providing a lighting-fixture housing having a substantially closed chamber defined by a surrounding wall;
providing a slidable interlock including (a) a linear groove on one of the power-supply unit and the wall and (b) a mating projection on the other of the power-supply unit and the wall and slidably receivable into the groove, the power-supply unit being an electronic LED driver;
slidably engaging the linear groove and the mating projection; and
securing the power-supply unit within the chamber by the slidable engagement with the surrounding wall.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein:
the groove has an inner cross-dimension greater than its opening cross-dimension; and
the projection has a distal portion sized for the groove inner cross-dimension but being greater than the groove opening cross-dimension.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein:
the surrounding wall has at least one fixture exterior wall-portion; and
the power-supply unit is secured closely against the fixture exterior wall-portion, thus transferring heat from the power-supply unit outside the fixture.
19. The method of claim 16 wherein:
the surrounding wall further defines a chamber-access opening;
the slidably engaging step begins at the chamber-access opening; and
the power-supply unit is slidably positioned into the chamber through the chamber-access opening.
20. The method of claim 16 further including steps of:
providing a mounting member with one of the linear groove and the mating projection being on the mounting member; and
affixing the mounting member to the power-supply unit.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein:
the surrounding wall has at least one fixture exterior wall-portion;
the mounting member is a heat sink having a first surface affixed closely against the power-supply unit; and
one of the linear groove and the mating projection being on a second surface of the heat sink, the second surface being secured closely against the fixture exterior wall-portion, thus transferring heat from the power-supply unit outside the fixture.