Aerodynamic LED Floodlight Fixture

• US 20090086491A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ruud Lighting Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ruud Lighting Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilcox, Kurt S., Ruud, Alan J., Walczak, Steven R.
• Application Number:
  US11/864,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20090086491A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/294
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/043 mounted by means of a rigid support, e.g. bracket or arm
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/086 with lighting device attached sideways of the standard, e.g. for roads and highways
• 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 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/103 of streets or roads
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/10 comprising a two-dimensional array of point-like light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

An LED floodlight fixture having two major principal axes in a fixture plane, the dimensions parallel to the fixtures third principal axis being substantially smaller than the largest dimensions parallel to the fixture plane. The fixture is characterized by a first outer surface which has a first central portion and a first edge-adjacent portion, an opposite second outer surface which has a second central portion substantially aligned with the first central portion and encompassing a light-emitting region and a second edge-adjacent portion having a boundary with the second central portion such boundary defining a reference plane, the first and second edge-adjacent portions meet at a perimetrical edge. The first and second central portions each extend across at least 25% of the area within the perimetrical edge. The first and second edge-adjacent portions form aerodynamic-drag-reducing cross-sectional profiles transverse to the fixture plane and extend in substantially all in-fixture plane directions, the greatest dimension between the first central portion and the reference plane is no more than 50% greater than the smallest dimension therebetween.

Claims

1. An LED floodlight fixture having its two major principal axes in a fixture plane, the dimensions parallel to its third principal axis being substantially smaller than the largest dimensions parallel to the fixture plane, the fixture characterized by:

a first outer surface having a first central portion and a first edge-adjacent portion;

an opposite second outer surface having (a) a second central portion substantially aligned with the first central portion and encompassing a light-emitting region and (b) a second edge-adjacent portion having a boundary with the second central portion such boundary defining a reference plane, the first and second edge-adjacent portions meeting at a perimetrical edge;

the first and second central portions each extending across at least 25% of the area within the perimetrical edge;

the first and second edge-adjacent portions forming aerodynamic-drag-reducing cross-sectional profiles transverse to the fixture plane and extending in substantially all in-fixture-plane directions and having aspect ratios of about 3 or less; and

the greatest dimension between the first central portion and the reference plane is no more than 50% greater than the smallest dimension therebetween.

2. The LED floodlight fixture of claim 1 wherein the aspect ratio is about 1.25 or less.

3. The LED floodlight fixture of claim 1 wherein the cross-sectional profiles are substantially the same.

4. The LED floodlight fixture of claim 1 wherein at least one of the edge-adjacent portions is substantially convex.

5. The LED floodlight fixture of claim 1 wherein both the edge-adjacent portions are substantially convex.

6. The LED floodlight fixture of claim 1 wherein the maximum dimension between the first and second edge-adjacent portions in a direction perpendicular to plane P occurs between the boundary of the first edge-adjacent portion and the first central portion and the reference plane.

7. The LED floodlight fixture of claim 1 further including a pole-mounting assembly which attaches the fixture to a light pole.

8. The LED floodlight fixture of claim 1 further comprising:

a perimetrical structure forming a substantially water/air-light chamber, the perimetrical structure having the first and second edge-adjacent portions extending therealong;

at least one electronic LED driver enclosed within the chamber; and

an LED assembly secured with respect to the perimetrical structure adjacent thereto in non-water/air-tight condition, the LED assembly having at least one LED-array module mounted on an LED heat sink.