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US-12618551-B2 - Tooless cover retention and moisture protection for luminaires

US12618551B2US 12618551 B2US12618551 B2US 12618551B2US-12618551-B2

Abstract

A luminaire assembly comprising: a housing; a moisture intrusion guard including an orifice and at least one slot; a cover coupled to the housing, the cover comprising a retention assembly including at least one protrusion passing through at least one slot of the moisture intrusion guard, the retention assembly locking the cover to the housing.

Inventors

  • Anthony Schauf

Assignees

  • CREE LIGHTING USA LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20240130

Claims (12)

  1. 1 . A luminaire comprising: a housing; a cover coupled to the housing, wherein the cover and the housing combine to form an enclosure and define a mounting opening thereinto at a rear of the luminaire for receiving a tenon; a pliable moisture intrusion guard sheet covering the mounting opening and defining an orifice for receiving the tenon, the orifice being substantially aligned with the mounting opening, wherein the pliable moisture intrusion guard sheet includes at least one slot; a guard retention structure including at least one protrusion passing through the at least one slot, thereby securing the pliable moisture intrusion guard sheet in the enclosure and forming a seal about the mounting opening, wherein the at least one protrusion extends from the cover.
  2. 2 . The luminaire of claim 1 , wherein the guard retention structure comprises a plurality of protrusions for passing through multiple slots of the pliable moisture intrusion guard sheet.
  3. 3 . The luminaire of claim 1 further comprising a hinge bracket for coupling with the cover.
  4. 4 . The luminaire of claim 3 , wherein the cover rotates via the hinge bracket between open and closed positions.
  5. 5 . The luminaire of claim 1 , wherein the at least one protrusion comprises a stepped architecture for passing through the at least one slot while also passing through an aperture in a base of the housing.
  6. 6 . The luminaire of claim 1 , wherein the orifice of the pliable moisture intrusion guard sheet is configured to receive a tenon with a cross-section of 1.66 inches to 2.375 inches.
  7. 7 . The luminaire of claim 1 , wherein the pliable moisture intrusion guard sheet is provided with at least one hole disposed on a lower portion of the moisture intrusion guard sheet.
  8. 8 . The luminaire of claim 1 , wherein a lower portion of the pliable moisture intrusion guard sheet includes at least one cutout.
  9. 9 . The luminaire of claim 1 , wherein the pliable moisture intrusion guard sheet is constructed of an elastic or elastomeric material.
  10. 10 . A method of installing a moisture intrusion guard sheet in a luminaire, comprising: positioning the moisture intrusion guard sheet within a housing of the luminaire to cover a mounting opening at a rear of the luminaire for receiving a tenon; substantially aligning the orifice in the moisture intrusion guard sheet for receiving the tenon with the mounting opening; passing at least one protrusion extending from the cover through least one slot disposed within the moisture intrusion guard sheet; rotating a cover and the at least one protrusion with respect to a cover retention assembly thereby closing an interior cavity of the luminaire.
  11. 11 . The method according to claim 10 , further comprising inserting a fastener through at least one hole on a lower portion of the moisture intrusion guard sheet and into a threaded or unthreaded hole disposed in the housing.
  12. 12 . The method according to claim 10 , further comprising forming a seal between the moisture intrusion guard sheet and the housing.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/441,926, filed Jan. 30, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. FIELD The present invention relates to luminaires and associated components and, in particular, to covers or panels eliminating tooling requirements for installation and/or retention of the panels on the luminaires and moisture protection mechanisms therefor. BACKGROUND Luminaire design is wide and varied depending on application and associated lighting characteristics. For areal lighting applications, including street lights and rural lighting, the luminaires are generally mounted in elevated positions relative to the ground or intended lighting area. The luminaires can include one or more panels associated with various architectures. Luminaires often include a panel or cover providing access to the driver assembly. Current luminaire design requires bolts of screws to couple the cover to the luminaire housing. This design is cumbersome, requiring correct placement of small screws through portions of the cover to engage the housing. Additionally, this design requires tooling, such as a screwdriver, drill or other rotational tool, to lock the bolts or screws into place. Moreover, the elevated positioning of the luminaires further complicates access to the cover and correct placement and tightening of bolts and/or screws. In addition to the problems identified above, there is no simple and/or cost effective solution for preventing, or at least reducing, moisture intrusion into luminaire housings where they interface with poles or posts. SUMMARY In view of these disadvantages, luminaire housings and associated covers or panels are described herein that require reduced tooling or no tooling for installation and/or removal of the covers from the luminaire housing. Additionally, using the covers or panels as described herein allows for a simplified retention design for a moisture intrusion guard. Briefly, a luminaire assembly comprises a housing, and a cover coupled to the housing, the cover comprising a retention assembly including at least one protrusion passing through an aperture in the housing and locking the cover to the housing. The protrusion can engage one or more structural members defining the aperture in the housing. In some embodiments, the protrusion establishes a friction fit or cantilevered support with the housing. Alternatively, the protrusion can rotate around the structural member between open and closed positions of the cover. In another aspect, a luminaire comprises a housing and a cover coupled to the housing and together forming an enclosure with a mounting opening thereinto. A moisture intrusion is position in the enclosure, the moisture intrusion guard defining an orifice substantially aligned with the mounting opening and including at least one slot. A guard retention structure comprises at least one protrusion passing through the at least one slot, thereby securing the moisture intrusion guard in the enclosure and forming a seal about the mounting opening. According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a luminaire assembly comprising: a housing; and a cover coupled to the housing, the cover comprising a retention assembly including at least one protrusion passing through an aperture in the housing and locking the cover to the housing. In an embodiment of the invention, the retention assembly of the cover comprises a plurality of protrusions for passing through apertures in the housing. In an embodiment of the invention, the cover is locked to the housing in the closed position. In an embodiment of the invention, the protrusion of the retention assembly comprises a back plate engaging the housing when the cover is in an open position. In an embodiment of the invention, the back plate is rotatable between an open and closed position of the cover. In an embodiment of the invention, the protrusion engages a structural member defining the aperture in the housing. In an embodiment of the invention, the protrusion establishes cantilevered support with the housing. In an embodiment of the invention, the protrusion rotates around the structural member between open and closed positions. In an embodiment of the invention, the protrusion comprises a stepped architecture for receiving the structural member. In an embodiment of the invention, the cover encloses a driver assembly of the luminaire assembly. In an embodiment of the invention, the cover couples to a bottom side of the housing. In an embodiment of the invention, the housing comprises a recess in a top portion of the housing with fins of a heatsink along the recess. In an embodiment of the invention, walls of the recess are commensurate in length with the fins. In an embodiment of the invention, the fins extend beyond walls of the recess. In an embodiment o