LED LAMP

• US 20140268772A1
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Keeney, Shawn, Youmans, Mark, Leung, Michael, Desilva, Nicholas, Nava, Dante, Higley, Robert, Richards, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 9,664,369 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/249.02
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/232 specially adapted for generating an essentially omnidirectional light distribution, e.g. with a glass bulb
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/506 of globes, bowls or cover glasses
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/83 the elements having apertures, ducts or channels, e.g. heat radiation holes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/00 Globes; Bowls; Cover glasses with refracting properties F21V5/00; with reflecting properties F21V7/00; characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/506
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2107/00 Light sources with three-dimensionally disposed light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A LED lamp has a base and an at least partially optically transmissive enclosure connected to the base. A heat sink is partially disposed in the enclosure and supports a plurality of LEDs. The heat sink comprising a mounting portion positioned in the enclosure for supporting the LEDs and a heat dissipating portion exposed to the ambient environment where the interior of the enclosure is exposed to the ambient environment. The heat sink have a plurality of separate heat sink structures that are mounted to the lamp independently of one another. Each heat sink structure may have a thickness of approximately 1-5 mm. Each heat sink structure may in some embodiments weigh approximately 3.8 to 7.7 grams and in other embodiments weigh approximately 27 grams.

Claims

1. A LED lamp comprising:

a base;

an at least partially optically transmissive enclosure connected to the base;

a heat sink partially disposed in the enclosure and supporting a plurality of LEDs operable to emit light when energized, the heat sink comprising a mounting portion positioned in the enclosure for supporting the LEDs and a heat dissipating portion exposed to the ambient environment where the interior of the enclosure is exposed to the ambient environment.

2. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the lamp has a lumen output of approximately at least 1600 lumens in a steady state operation.

3. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the lamp has a color rendering index of approximately at least 80 with a correlated color temperature (CCT) of less than approximately 3000.

4. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the lamp has an efficiency of at least approximately 80 lumens per Watt (LPW).

5. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the base comprises an Edison base.

6. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the plurality of LEDs are mounted on at least one thermally conductive submount.

7. The lamp of claim 6 wherein the at least one submount is arranged such that the plurality of LEDs surround a longitudinal axis of the lamp and emit light generally toward the enclosure.

8. The lamp of claim 6 wherein the at least one submount comprises at least one of a PCB, metal core printed circuit board, FR4 board, lead frame or flex circuit.

9. The lamp of claim 6 wherein the at least one submount is bent into a three-dimensional shape.

10. The lamp of claim 6 wherein the at least one submount is approximately 20 square mm.

11. The lamp of claim 1 the lamp has a total power of approximately 21 Watts and the junction temperature of the plurality of LEDs is between approximately 105 and 111°

C.

12. The lamp of claim 1 wherein lamp electronics are in the electrical path and are contained in a housing comprising a first portion that is connected to the base and a second portion that extends into the heat sink.

13. The lamp of claim 1 comprising openings that communicate the interior of the enclosure with the exterior of the lamp.

14. The lamp of claim 13 wherein the openings are formed in a frame that connects the enclosure to the base.

15. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the heat sink comprises a plurality of separate heat sink structures that are mounted to the lamp independently of one another.

16. The lamp of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of heat sink structures support at least one LED.

17. The lamp of claim 15 wherein passages are formed adjacent the plurality of heat sink structures that allow air to circulate from the ambient environment around the heat sink.

18. The lamp of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of heat sink structures comprises one or more mounting surfaces for mounting a submount that supports the plurality of LEDs such that the submount is thermally coupled to the heat sink.

19. The lamp of claim 18 wherein the mounting surfaces are disposed on the heat sink at an angle other than 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the lamp.

20. The lamp of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of heat sink structures comprise a fin structure that is exposed to the exterior of the lamp.

21. The lamp of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of heat sink structures have a thickness of approximately 3-5 mm.

22. The lamp of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of heat sink structures weighs between approximately 20 and 35 grams.

23. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the heat sink has a total weight of approximately 110 to 170 grams.

24. The lamp of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of heat sink structures have a thickness of approximately 1 to 3 mm.

25. The lamp of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of heat sink structures weigh approximately 3.8 to 10.0 grams.

26. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the heat sink has a total weight of approximately 15 to 50 grams.

27. A LED lamp comprising:

a base;

an at least partially optically transmissive enclosure connected to the base;

a heat sink partially disposed in the enclosure and supporting a plurality of LEDs operable to emit light when energized, the heat sink comprising an interior space and a mounting portion positioned in the enclosure for supporting the LEDs and a heat dissipating portion exposed to the ambient environment where the mounting portion and the interior space are exposed to the ambient environment.

28. A LED lamp comprising:

a base;

an at least partially optically transmissive enclosure having an interior and connected to the base;

a heat sink partially disposed in the enclosure and supporting a plurality of LEDs operable to emit light when energized, the heat sink comprising an interior space and a mounting portion positioned in the enclosure for supporting the LEDs, the interior space communicating the interior of the enclosure to the ambient environment.

29. A LED lamp comprising:

a base;

an at least partially optically transmissive enclosure connected to the base;

a heat sink partially disposed in the enclosure and supporting a plurality of LEDs operable to emit light when energized, a portion of the heat sink being positioned between the enclosure and the base where a portion of the heat sink is exposed to an exterior of the lamp, the portion of the heat sink comprising openings.