Lighting apparatus with enhanced capability of heat dissipation

• US 6,857,767 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagai, Hideo, Matsui, Nobuyuki, Tamura, Tetsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cariaso, Alan
• Application Number:
  US10/245,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20030072153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 362/23, 362/29, 362/30, 362/85, 362/231, 362/249, 362/250, 362/252, 362/294, 362/373, 362/800, 257 98-100, 313/500
• US Class Current: 362/373
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/89 Metals
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45144 Gold (Au) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0753 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3511 Warping
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/64 Heat extraction or cooling elements
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0203 Cooling of mounted components H05K1/0272 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0281 Reinforcement details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10106 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/2009 Reinforced areas, e.g. for a specific part of a flexible printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0061 onto a metallic substrate, e.g. a heat sink heat sinks for electric apparatus H05K7/20
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

A plurality of groups of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), each group being made up of three LEDs with red, green, and blue luminous colors respectively, are mounted at positioning areas of a flexible substrate, on the wiring patterns formed on the top surface of the substrate. A plurality of heat dissipation boards are adhered to the bottom surface of the substrate using an adhesive so as to cover the areas corresponding to the positioning areas of the groups of LEDs.

Claims

1. A light apparatus comprising:

a substrate that is flexible;

heat dissipating members being equal in size that are attached so as to be in intimate contact with a first main surface of the substrate at intervals;

a plurality of light emitting elements mounted on a second main surface of the substrate so as to be positioned in correspondence with areas in which the heat dissipating members are attached.

2. The light apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light emitting elements are positioned so as to form groups each being made up of a predetermined number of light emitting elements, the predetermined number being one or larger.

3. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting elements form groups and each of the groups includes at least two light emitting elements that have mutually different luminous colors.

4. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting elements form groups and the groups of light emitting elements are positioned at intervals in two directions on the substrate.

5. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting elements form groups and the groups of light emitting elements are positioned substantially in a matrix formation.

6. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light emitting elements are LEDs.

7. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting elements form groups and each of the groups is made up of three LEDs with luminous colors of red, green, and blue respectively.

8. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting elements form groups, each of the groups is made up of three LEDs, and the three LEDs in each of the groups are positioned at each of vertexes of a substantially regular triangle.

9. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a substrate that is flexible;

light emitting elements mounted, in groups of one or more light emitting elements, within positioning areas on a first main surface of the substrate;

a heat dissipating member attached so as to be in intimate contact with a second main surface of the substrate, wherein

the heat dissipating member is at least as large as each of the positioning areas of the light emitting elements on the substrate, and

the heat dissipating member has at least two removal areas, located along a line and between positioning areas, the removal areas being less stiff than other areas of the heat dissipating member that correspond to areas of the substrate in which no light emitting elements are mounted.

10. The lighting apparatus of claim 9, wherein the groups of light emitting elements are positioned at substantially regular intervals in at least two directions on the substrate, and the removal area is in an area that corresponds to an area between the positioning areas of the groups.

11. The lighting apparatus of claim 10, wherein the groups of light emitting elements are positioned substantially in a matrix formation.

12. The lighting apparatus of claim 9, wherein the groups of light emitting elements are positioned at substantially regular intervals in two directions on the substrate, and the removal area is in an area that corresponds to an area inside a square whose vertexes are four of the positioning areas of the groups.

13. The lighting apparatus of claim 9, wherein the heat dissipating members have one or more openings within the removal area.

14. The lighting apparatus of claim 9, wherein each of the groups includes at least two LEDs that have mutually different luminous colors.

15. The lighting apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of the groups is made up of three LEDs with luminous colors of red, green, and blue respectively.

16. The lighting apparatus of claim 15, wherein the three LEDs in each of the groups are positioned at each of vertexes of a substantially regular triangle.

17. A flexible sheet supporting a plurality of light emitting elements comprising:

a flexible substrate having a wiring pattern;

a plurality of light emitting elements mounted on a first surface of a flexible substrate and connected to the wiring pattern in a repeating spatially spaced arrangement; and

a plurality of heat dissipating support members integrally attached to a second surface of the flexible substrate in a correspondingly repeating spatially spaced arrangement to enable a relative movement of adjacent light emitting elements supported by adjacent heat dissipating support members;

wherein

the flexible sheet can conform to various supporting surfaces of a curvilinear configuration.

18. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a flexible substrate;

a plurality of sets of linearly arranged light emitting element groups, each group comprising an equal number of light emitting elements mounted on a first main surface of the flexible substrate;

one or more heat dissipating members coupled to and in intimate contact with a second main surface of the substrate, wherein the one or more heat dissipating members are shaped and positioned to facilitate the formation of linear concavities or convexities between the sets of light emitting element groups and to deter the formation of linear concavities that are collinear with the sets of lighting emitting element groups.

19. The lighting apparatus of claim 18 further comprising a plurality of bends forming regularly spaced linear concavities or convexities between sets of light emitting element groups.

20. The lighting apparatus of claim 19 further comprising a columnar pillar adhesively coupled to a surface of each of the one or more heat dissipating members opposite a surface in intimate contact with the second main surface of the flexible substrate.

21. A method of mounting an LED lighting apparatus to a curved surface comprising:

providing the apparatus of claim 18;

causing the apparatus to conform to the shape of a surface it is to be mounted to by forming a plurality of linear bends between the sets of light emitting element groups; and

fastening the apparatus to the surface.

22. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a substrate that is flexible;

a plurality of light emitting elements that are mounted on a first main surface of the substrate so as to form groups each being made up of a predetermined number of light emitting elements, the predetermined number being one or larger;

at least two heat dissipating members attached so as to be in intimate contact with a second main surface of the substrate, wherein

each of the at least two heat dissipating members is provided for either (a) a different one of the groups of light emitting elements or (b) a different one of units each being made up of groups of light emitting elements,

the at least two heat dissipating members are positioned so as to cover and reinforce areas of the second main surface that correspond to positioning areas in which the light emitting elements are disposed;

the at least two heat dissipating members are positioned along predetermined lines so as to allow the substrate to form linear concavities or convexities along the predetermined lines; and

the at least two heat dissipating members are substantially equal in size.