Luminaire aiming device and method

Abstract

An aiming device configured for easily removable attachment to a light projecting luminaire. The device has a body with attachment members that are configured to fit a specific luminaire that has corresponding attachment receiving features, and is further configured with clamps for mounting a light source outputting a high intensity collimated visible light aiming beam such that, when the device is removably attached to the luminaire (i.e., latched in place) the laser is prepositioned to direct the laser beam parallel to a center axis of the luminaire's light output beam. Ideally the luminaire has preexisting features that can be utilized as the attachment receiving features for corresponding attachment members of a suitably configured aiming device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A luminaire aiming device for facilitating aiming of a projected lighting beam of a luminaire, the luminaire aiming device comprising:
 a mounting structure including or fixedly secured to one or more attachment members that each engage a respective predetermined receiving feature of a body of the luminaire so that the mounting structure has a predetermined angular relationship to the body of the luminaire; and   one or more attachment clamps that secure an aiming beam emitter to the mounting structure so that a collimated aiming beam emitted by the aiming beam emitter has a predetermined angular relationship to the mounting structure and the collimated aiming beam is parallel to a center axis of the projected lighting beam of the luminaire.   
     
     
         2 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 1 , further comprising a latching member connected to the mounting structure that removeably locks the luminaire aiming device to the body of the luminaire. 
     
     
         3 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 2 , wherein the latching member is a spring biased relative to the one or more attachment members and engages another predetermined receiving feature of the body of the luminaire. 
     
     
         4 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 3 , wherein the latching member is a spring biased pin. 
     
     
         5 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 4 , wherein the latching member is retractable away from the another predetermined receiving feature of the body of the luminaire to release the luminaire aiming device from the luminaire. 
     
     
         6 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more attachment members and the latching member form at least three points of contact with the body of the luminaire. 
     
     
         7 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 6 , wherein the attachment members and the latching member prevent movement of the luminaire aiming device relative to the luminaire, including pitch, yaw, roll, wiggle, rocking and translation. 
     
     
         8 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 1 , wherein each predetermined receiving feature of a body of the luminaire is an element of the body of the luminaire that is immoveable relative to the projected lighting beam. 
     
     
         9 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 1 , wherein the luminaire has lockable mounting elements that are adjustable in at least two directions to move the luminaire relative to a structure on which the luminaire is mounted. 
     
     
         10 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 1 , further comprising an aiming beam emitter. 
     
     
         11 . A luminaire aiming device, comprising:
 a mounting structure configured to secure an aiming beam emitter to a luminaire; and   one or more attachment components secured to the mounting structure, the one or more attachment components removably secured to a location of the luminaire, wherein the aiming beam emitter is secured to the mounting structure such that a direction of a first light beam projected from the aiming beam emitter is parallel to a direction of a second light beam projected from the luminaire.   
     
     
         12 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 11 , wherein the aiming beam emitter is a laser. 
     
     
         13 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 11 , wherein the aiming beam emitter is secured to the mounting structure so that the direction first light beam has a predetermined angular relationship to the mounting structure. 
     
     
         14 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 13 , wherein the mounting structure further comprises a latching component to engage at least one feature of the outer surface of the luminaire. 
     
     
         15 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 11 , wherein the latching component is a spring biased pin. 
     
     
         16 . The luminaire aiming device of  claim 11 , wherein a beam spread of the first light beam is smaller than a beam spread of the second light beam. 
     
     
         17 . A method of aiming a projected lighting beam of a luminaire, comprising:
 attaching a luminaire aiming device to a body of the luminaire, the luminaire aiming device including an aiming beam emitter that emits a collimated aiming beam parallel to a center axis of the projected lighting beam of the luminaire;   moving the luminaire and attached luminaire aiming device to direct the collimated aiming beam toward a predetermined target point; and   locking the luminaire in a position that is fixed relative to a luminaire mounting structure so that the collimated aiming beam maintains an overlap with the predetermined target point.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising repeating the method for a second luminaire and a second predetermined target point, the second predetermined target point being different from a previous target point. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the predetermined target point has a diffuse surface to allow a user to see the collimated aiming beam incident on the predetermined target point. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the luminaire aiming device further comprises a latching member connected to the mounting structure that removeably locks the luminaire aiming device to the body of the luminaire.