Flashlight using a light emitting diode as a lamp

• US 20030189826A1
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Published: 10/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aitec Co., Ltd. (China) (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aitec Co., Ltd. (China) (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoon, Sang-Yeon
• Granted Patent: US 6,880,951 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/205
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 4/027 the light sources being a LED
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/01 Housings, e.g. material or assembling of housing parts F21V15/02 takes precedence housings forming signs or letters G09F13/04
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/406 for portable lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0421 the switch being part of, or disposed on the tail cap portion thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/74 with fins or blades
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/85 characterised by the material liquid coolants F21V29/56
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/87 Organic material, e.g. filled polymer composites; Thermo-conductive additives or coatings therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/89 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/006 applied to portable lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

Disclosed is an LED flashlight using a high-luminance LED as a lamp. The LED flashlight has a conductive barrel, a conductive tail cap, and a head section. The head section includes a conductive head cap, an insulation case, a lamp module, first and second connecting conductors and a collimator lens. The conductive head cap is detachably coupled to a front end of the conductive barrel and has a transparent window. A front end of the insulation case is inserted into the head cap towards the transparent window. A slot is formed at an outer wall of the insulation case. The lamp module is assembled into an inner rear end of the insulation case and has an insulating substrate including an LED. An anode and a cathode electrode of the LED are formed at a peripheral portion of the lamp module. The lamp module has an insulating substrate formed at a rear surface thereof with a metal layer connected to a positive electrode of a battery. The first connecting connector has a U-shape and is inserted to peripheral portion of the insulating substrate. A first end of the second connecting connector is installed in the slot of the insulation case and a second end of the second connecting connector extends into the insulating case. The collimator lens assembled into the insulation case between the transparent window and the insulation substrate.

Claims

1. A flashlight comprising:

a conductive barrel for receiving at least one battery therein;

a conductive tail cap detachably coupled to a rear end of the conductive barrel and electrically connecting a minus electrode of the battery accommodated in the conductive barrel to the conductive barrel through a spring; and

a head section detachably coupled to a front end of the conductive barrel, wherein the head section includes

a conductive head cap detachably coupled to the front end of the conductive barrel and having a transparent window for radiating a light on a front surface thereof;

an insulation case having a front end and a slot, the front end being inserted into the conductive head cap from a rear end of the conductive head cap towards the transparent window, and the slot being formed at an outer wall thereof and extending lengthwise the insulation case;

a lamp module assembled into an inner rear end of the insulation case and having an insulating substrate, the insulating substrate including an LED at a front center portion thereof, an anode electrode terminal and a cathode electrode terminal of the LED being arranged around the LED, and a metal layer being connected to a positive electrode of the battery and being coated on a rear surface thereof for discharging heat;

a U-shaped first connecting conductor inserted to a peripheral portion of the insulating substrate in order to electrically connect the anode electrode to the metal layer;

a second connecting conductor having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the first end being installed in the slot of the insulation case so as to electrically come into contact with an inner portion of the conductive head cap, and the second end extending into the insulation case to be connected with the cathode electrode terminal of the lamp module; and

a collimator lens assembled into an inner portion of the insulation case between the transparent window and the insulating substrate in order to forwardly refract light radiated from the LED.

2. The flashlight as claimed in claim 1, wherein the head section further includes a metal cap attached to the metal layer by interposing insulation adhesive having high thermal conductivity and electric insulation characteristic, the metal cap coming into contact with the inner portion of the conductive barrel, to thereby discharge heat to an exterior by transferring heat from the metal layer to the conductive barrel.

3. The flashlight as claimed in claim 2, wherein the metal cap has a perforation hole formed at a center thereof for bringing the plus electrode of the battery into contact with the metal layer.

4. The flashlight as claimed in claim 3, wherein the metal cap further includes an insulation ring inserted into the perforation hole so as to prevent the positive electrode of the battery from making contact with the metal cap through the perforation hole.

5. The flashlight as claimed in claim 2, wherein the metal cap surrounds a rear end of the insulation case, and a front end of the metal cap makes contact with the rear end of the conductive head cap.

6. The flashlight as claimed in claim 1, wherein a length of the conductive barrel is identical to or longer than a width of an adult'"'"'s palm.

7. The flashlight as claimed in claim 6, wherein the conductive barrel has a plurality of protrusions formed on an outer surface thereof, to thereby provide a finger-massage effect to a user.

8. The flashlight as claimed in claim 6, wherein the conductive barrel is surrounded by an elastic skin on which a plurality of protrusions are formed, to thereby provide a finger-massage effect to a user.

9. The flashlight as claimed in claim 6, wherein an outer surface of the conductive barrel has a knurling section.

10. The flashlight as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insulation case has a plurality of supporting pieces for supporting the collimator lens, each of the supporting pieces being protruded from the inner portion of the insulation case towards a center of the insulation case.

11. The flashlight as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first end of the second connecting conductor has an elastic structure so as to surely make contact with the inner portion of the conductive head cap.

12. The flashlight as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive tail cap includes a push button switch.

13. The flashlight as claimed in claim 1, wherein the push button switch includes:

a push button inserted into a hole formed at a rear surface of a tail cap body in such a manner that the push button moves forwards when pressure is applied and returns to an initial position by elastic force of a spring when pressure is released;

a moving member inserted into the hole of the tail cap body in such a manner that the moving member is selectively toggled in an advanced state or in a moving-back state according as the moving member is pushed corresponding to a pushing operation of the push button;

a conductive member having a perforation hole at a center thereof and electrically making contact with the tail cap body, the conductive member limiting the moving member to move within the hole; and

a conductive rod coupled to the moving member through the perforation hole of the conductive member and moving forward and backward together with the moving member, so that the conductive rod makes the conductive member electrically contact with the minus electrode of the battery accommodated in the conductive barrel in moving forward, and breaks the conductive member electrically contact with the minus electrode of the battery in moving backward.

14. The flashlight as claimed in claim 2, wherein the flashlight includes a battery holder accommodated in the conductive barrel.

15. The flashlight as claimed in claim 14, wherein the battery holder receives three AAA-type batteries in a row, the three AAA-type batteries being electrically connected to each other in series.

16. The flashlight as claimed in claim 15, wherein the battery holder includes:

a body for detachably holding a plurality of batteries in a row and for electrically connecting the batteries in series;

a plus conductor formed at a front surface of the body and electrically making contact with the metal layer; and

a minus conductor formed at a rear surface of the body and electrically making contact with the spring of the conductive tail cap.

17. The flashlight as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive barrel has a perforation hole formed at an outer sidewall of the front end and a push button switch installed in the conductive barrel, a knob of the push button switch being exposed to an exterior through the perforation hole, and an elastic member being installed in the perforation hole so as to cover the knob.

18. The flashlight as claimed in claim 17, wherein the push button switch includes

a cylindrical insulation case accommodated in the conductive barrel and divided into two semi-cylindrical parts along an axial direction thereof;

a spring protruded from a front surface of the insulation case and fixed thereto, to thereby electrically make contact with the metal layer of the lamp module;

a plus conductor fixed to a rear surface of the insulation case, to thereby to electrically make contact with the plus electrode of the battery; and

a switch fixed to a lateral portion of the insulation case such that the knob is protruded through the perforation hole and has a first terminal electrically connected to a rear end of the spring and a second terminal electrically connected to the plus conductor for performing a switching action.

19. The flashlight as claimed in claim 18, wherein the conductive barrel has a length longer than a length of three batteries aligned in series.

20. A flashlight comprising:

a conductive barrel for receiving at least one battery therein;

a tail cap detachably coupled to a rear end of the conductive barrel and electrically connecting a minus electrode of the battery accommodated in the conductive barrel to the conductive barrel through a spring;

a head case having a rear end into which a front end of the conductive barrel is inserted and a front end having a diameter larger than a diameter of the rear end, the head case being screw-coupled with the front end of the conductive barrel and moving along an axial direction of the conductive barrel in such a manner that the front end of the conductive barrel reaches a stopping jaw formed at an inner portion of the head case when the front end of the conductive barrel is screw-coupled into the head case;

a head cap detachably coupled to the front end of the head case and having a transparent window formed at a front surface thereof through which light is radiated;

a lamp module including an insulating substrate inserted into the head case and rested on the stopping jaw, a plurality of high-luminance LEDs aligned on a front surface of the insulating substrate so as to forwardly radiate light, a center terminal formed at a center of a rear surface of the insulating substrate to permit anode electrodes of the high-luminance LEDs to be commonly connected thereto and making contact with a plus electrode of the battery, and a ring terminal formed at a peripheral portion of the center to permit cathode electrodes of the high-luminance LEDs to be commonly connected thereto and making contact with the front end of the conductive barrel; and

a reflective mirror installed in an internal space, which is defined by the head case and the head cap coupled to each other, in order to forwardly reflect light radiated from the high-luminance LEDs.

21. The flashlight as claimed in claim 20, wherein the head case includes a metal ring having high thermal conductivity, the metal ring being arranged between the stopping jaw and the insulating substrate and closely coupling the insulating substrate and the head case together, to thereby transfer heat to the head case from the insulating substrate through the metal ring.

22. The flashlight as claimed in claim 20, wherein the head case includes a plurality of resistance devices radially arranged on the front surface of the insulating substrate, the resistance devices being electrically connected between a center electrode and each anode electrode of the high-luminance LEDs, to thereby limit driving current supplied from the battery to the high-luminance LEDs.

23. The flashlight as claimed in claim 20, wherein the reflective mirror includes a plurality of perforation holes for receiving the LEDs and a reflective surface of the reflective mirror has a parabolic shape.

24. The flashlight as claimed in claim 20, wherein the conductive barrel has a curvature of a sine-wave formed on an outer surface thereof, a wavelength of the curvature becomes longer as the wavelength reaches the head case from the tail cap.

25. The flashlight as claimed in claim 20, wherein the number of the LEDs is 3 to 10.

26. The flashlight as claimed in claim 20, wherein the head case is screw-coupled to the conductive barrel with a multi-thread structure for rapid power on/off.

27. The flashlight as claimed in claim 20, wherein the conductive barrel has a length longer than a length of three batteries aligned in series.

28. The flashlight as claimed in claim 20, wherein the head case and the conductive barrel are fixed to each other so that the ring terminal makes contact with the front end of the conductive barrel, and the tail cap includes a push button switch.

29. The flashlight as claimed in claim 28, wherein the push button switch includes:

a push button inserted into a hole formed at a rear surface of a tail cap body in such a manner that the push button moves forwards when pressure is applied and returns to an initial position by elastic force of a spring when pressure is released;

a moving member inserted into the hole of the tail cap body in such a manner that the moving member is selectively toggled in an advanced state or in a moving-back state according as the moving member is pushed corresponding to a pushing operation of the push button;

a conductive member having a perforation hole at a center thereof and electrically making contact with the tail cap body, the conductive member limiting the moving member to move within the hole; and

a conductive rod coupled to the moving member through the perforation hole of the conductive member and moving forward and backward together with the moving member, so that the conductive rod makes the conductive member electrically contact with the minus electrode of the battery accommodated in the conductive barrel in moving forward, and breaks the conductive member electrically contact with the minus electrode of the battery in moving backward.

30. A flashlight comprising:

a conductive barrel having a head section, a housing section and a locking jaw formed at a boundary between the head section and the housing section, the housing section receiving at least one battery therein;

a tail cap detachably coupled to a rear end of the conductive barrel and having a push button, the push button electrically connecting a minus electrode of the battery accommodated in the conductive barrel to the conductive barrel through a spring;

a head cap detachably coupled to the front end of the head case and having a transparent window formed on a front surface thereof through which light is radiated;

a lamp module including an insulation substrate inserted into the head case to thereby be rested on the locking jaw, a plurality of LEDs aligned on a front surface of the insulating substrate so as to forwardly radiate light, a center terminal formed at a center of a rear surface of the insulating substrate to permit anode electrodes of the LEDs to be commonly connected thereto and slightly protruded in a rear direction thereof to make contact with a positive electrode of the battery, and a ring terminal formed at a peripheral portion of the center terminal provided on the rear surface of the insulating substrate to permit cathode electrodes of the LEDs to be commonly connected thereto and making contact with the locking jaw; and

a reflective mirror installed in an internal space, which is defined by the head case and the head cap coupled to each other, and forwardly reflecting light radiated from the high-luminance LEDs.