Photocell receptacle having variably positionable cap and base

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9347822-B2
Application number	US-201414272182-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2014
Priority date	May 7, 2014
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

A photocell receptacle includes a base configured to be fixedly mounted to a housing of a light fixture. The base has an opening providing access to the interior of the housing of the light fixture. The base has a base locking feature. The photocell receptacle includes a cap having a cap locking feature. The cap locking feature operably engaging the base locking feature to secure the cap to the base. The cap is variably positionable at different angular positions relative to the base. The cap has contact channels holding electrical contacts configured to be electrically connected to corresponding contacts of a photocell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photocell receptacle comprising:
a base configured to be fixedly mounted to a housing of a light fixture, the base having an opening providing access to the interior of the housing of the light fixture, the base having a base locking feature;
a cap having a cap locking feature, the cap locking feature operably engaging the base locking feature to secure the cap to the base, the cap being variably positionable and lockable when the cap locking feature engages the base locking feature at different angular positions relative to the base to change an angular orientation of the cap relative to the housing of the light fixture, the cap having contact channels holding electrical contacts configured to be electrically connected to corresponding contacts of a photocell.

2. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , wherein the base locking feature is one of a plurality of base locking features, the cap locking feature being engagable with the plurality of base locking features to change the angular position of the cap relative to the base.

3. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , wherein the base locking feature includes a notch, the cap locking feature includes a protrusion received in the notch to stop rotation of the cap relative to the base.

4. The photocell receptacle of claim 3 , wherein the notch comprises a bayonet-style notch with a locking cavity, the protrusion being locked in the locking cavity.

5. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , wherein the base locking feature includes a protrusion, the cap locking feature includes a notch receiving the protrusion to stop rotation of the cap relative to the base.

6. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , wherein the base includes a latch coupled to the cap to axially secure the cap relative to the base, the cap locking feature and base locking feature being engaged to rotatably secure the cap relative to the base.

7. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , further comprising a biasing member between the base and the cap, the biasing member biasing the cap into a locked positioned in which the cap locking feature engages the base locking feature.

8. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , wherein the base locking feature comprises a plurality of teeth with spaces between the teeth, the cap locking feature comprising a protrusion selectively receivable in the spaces to control the angular position of the cap relative to the base.

9. The photocell receptacle of claim 8 , wherein the cap locking feature comprises a plurality of teeth internested with the teeth of the base locking feature.

10. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , wherein the base comprises a top and a bottom, the bottom being mounted to the housing of the light fixture, the base comprising a ledge having a bottom surface, the base locking feature comprising a plurality of notches in the bottom surface of the ledge, the cap locking feature comprising a protrusion selectively receivable in the notches to control the angular position of the cap relative to the base.

11. The photocell receptacle of claim 10 , further comprising a biasing member between the base and the cap, the biasing member pressing the cap upward relative to the base to force the protrusion into the associated notch.

12. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , wherein the base comprises a plurality of anti-rotation posts extending from the top, the cap comprising a plurality of anti-rotation bores that receive corresponding anti-rotation posts to resist rotation of a cap relative to the base.

13. The photocell receptacle of claim 12 , further comprising a biasing member between the base and the cap, the biasing member normally pressing the cap away from the top of the base such that the anti-rotation posts are disengaged from the anti-rotation bores.

14. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , wherein the cap comprises a head and a neck extending from the head, the contact channels being open at a top of the head to receive the electrical contacts and the corresponding contacts of the photocell, the neck being received in the opening of the base, the cap locking feature provided on the head.

15. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , further comprising a seal positioned in the opening between the cap and the base.

16. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , further comprising an over-rotation feature on at least one of the base and the cap to limit rotation of the cap relative to the base to less than 360°.

17. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , further comprising a retention clip held by the base, the cap having a first clip groove and a second clip groove vertically offset from the first clip groove, the cap being positionable in an unlocked position in which the first clip groove receives the retention clip and a locked position in which the second clip groove receives the retention clip, the cap locking feature engaging the base locking feature in the locked position to limit rotation of the cap with respect to the base, the cap locking feature being disengaged from the base locking feature in the unlocked position allowing rotation of the cap with respect to the base.

18. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , further comprising a biasing member coupled to the cap and positioned in the housing of the light fixture, the biasing member being configured to engage the housing to bias the cap to a locked positioned in which the cap locking feature engages the base locking feature.

19. The photocell receptacle of claim 1 , further comprising a direction indicator on a top of the cap, the cap being rotated until the direction indicator is positioned generally north.

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Mostoller Matthew Edward
• Daily Christopher George
• Howard Edward John

Classifications

• G01J1/0271 Primary

  Housings; Attachments or accessories for photometers · CPC title

• G01J1/0266 Primary

  Field-of-view determination; Aiming or pointing of a photometer; Adjusting alignment; Encoding angular position; Size of the measurement area; Position tracking; Photodetection involving different fields of view for a single detector · CPC title

• G01J1/4204

  with determination of ambient light (solar light G01J2001/4266) · CPC title

• H05B47/11

  by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light · CPC title

• H05B37/0218

  Electricity · mapped topic