Lighting apparatus

• US 7,093,952 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2005
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nichia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nichia Corporation
• Inventors: Ono, Masato, Kato, Masaru, Watanabe, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong, Bao Q
• Application Number:
  US11/260,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20060044804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 298 Days
• Field of Search: 362/294, 362/580, 362/547, 362/126, 362/218, 362/264, 362/345, 362/373, 362/269, 362/285, 362/287, 362/418, 362/421, 362/427, 362/449, 362/433, 362/523
• US Class Current: 362/194
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/20 with light sources held by or within elongate supports
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/033 the surface being a wall or like vertical structure, e.g. building facade
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/06 by suspension
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/02 by movement of light sources in vehicle head lamps F21S41/657
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/30 Pivoted housings or frames
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/51 using condensation or evaporation of a fluid, e.g. heat pipes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/75 with fins or blades having different shapes, thicknesses or spacing
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/76 with essentially identical parallel planar fins or blades, e.g. with comb-like cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/763 the planes containing the fins or blades having the direction of the light emitting axis
• 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: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/26 the material comprising photoluminescent substances
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/28 characterised by coatings
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

To provide a lighting apparatus that includes a simple and small moving mechanism capable of changing the light emanation direction and that has superior heat dissipation properties, the lighting apparatus includes a light-emitting unit, and a heat dissipation unit for dissipating heat generated by the light-emitting unit during light emission, wherein a heat transfer unit is connected between the light-emitting unit and the heat dissipation unit, and the light-emitting unit is in surface contact with the heat transfer unit and is connected with the heat transfer unit to be rotatable with one point or one line in the center.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a light-emitting unit;

a heat dissipation unit for dissipating heat generated by the light-emitting unit during light emission; and

a heat transfer unit connected between the light-emitting unit and the heat dissipation unit,

wherein the light-emitting unit is in surface contact with the heat transfer unit and is rotatable about a single center point or a single center line independently of the heat dissipation unit.

2. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the heat transfer unit comprises a spherical end portion at one end; and

the light-emitting unit comprises a spherical-surface receiving section comprising a spherical surface, and is connected to the heat transfer unit so that a surface of the spherical end portion is in surface contact with a surface of the spherical-surface receiving section.

3. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

a portion of the heat transfer unit is a circular-cylindrical connection portion; and

the light-emitting unit comprises a receiving section comprising a circumferential surface, and is connected to the heat transfer unit so that a surface of the connection portion is in surface contact with the circumferential surface of the receiving section.

4. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

a portion of an outer periphery the heat transfer unit is formed in an arcuate shape; and

the light-emitting unit comprises an inner-periphery receiving surface with which the outer periphery having the arcuate shape is engaged, and is formed in a state where the outer periphery having the arcuate shape and the inner-periphery receiving surface are engaged with one another.

5. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light-emitting unit comprises at least one light-emitting diode.

6. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said heat dissipation unit has a heat dissipation layer including ceramics for irradiating far-infrared rays onto the surface thereof.

7. The light apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said heat-transfer unit is a heat pipe.

15. The lighting apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein a grease is applied on the spherical surface of the spherical-surface receiving section.

17. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the light-emitting unit is fixed to a movable luminous distribution cover and the light-emitting unit moves together with the movable luminous distribution cover.

18. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the heat transfer unit is fixed to the heat dissipation unit using a metal fastening device.

19. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the heat dissipation unit is in surface contact with the heat transfer unit so that the light-emitting unit is rotatable.

8. A lighting apparatus comprising:

a light-emitting unit and a heat dissipation unit for dissipating heat generated by the light-emitting unit during light emission; and

a heat transfer unit connected between the light-emitting unit and the heat dissipation unit,

wherein the heat dissipation unit is in surface contact with the heat transfer unit, and the light-emitting unit is rotatable about a single center point or a single center line independently of the heat dissipation unit.

9. The lighting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the heat transfer unit comprises a spherical end portion at one end; and

the heat dissipation unit comprises a spherical-surface receiving section comprising a spherical surface, and is connected to the heat transfer unit so that a surface of the spherical end portion is in surface contact with a surface of the spherical-surface receiving section.

10. The lighting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

a portion of the heat transfer unit is a circular-cylindrical connection portion; and

the heat dissipation unit comprises a receiving section comprising a circumferential surface, and is connected to the heat transfer unit so that a surface of the connection portion is in surface contact with the circumferential surface of the receiving section.

11. The lighting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

a portion of an outer periphery the heat transfer unit is formed in an arcuate shape; and

the heat dissipation unit comprises an inner-periphery receiving surface with which the outer periphery having the arcuate shape is engaged, and is formed in a state where the outer periphery having the arcuate shape and in the inner-periphery receiving surface are engaged with one another.

12. The lighting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the light-emitting unit comprises at least one light-emitting diode.

13. The lighting apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein said heat dissipation unit has a heat dissipation layer including ceramics for irradiating far-infrared rays onto the surface thereof.

14. The lighting apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein said heat-transfer unit is a heat pipe.

16. The lighting apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein a grease is applied on the spherical surface of the spherical-surface receiving section.