LED lamp with insertable axial wireways and method of making the lamp

• US 7,111,971 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2005
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: OSRAM Sylvania Inc. (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: OSRAM Sylvania Inc. (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Tucker, Michael, Coushaine, Charles M., Lyman, Paul R.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cranson, Jr., James W
• Application Number:
  US11/292,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20060072320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 298 Days
• Field of Search: 362/294, 362/345, 362/373, 362/545, 362/547, 362/800
• US Class Current: 362/545
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/00 Light sources using semiconductor devices as light-generating elements, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED] or lasers
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 27/00 Cable-stowing arrangements structurally associated with lighting devices, e.g. reels storing lengths of cable in general B65H; the lighting devices being vehicle headlamps F21S41/192; the lighting devices being vehicle lights F21S43/195
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 27/02 Cable inlets
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/777 the planes containing the fins or blades having directions perpendicular to the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2107/30 on the outer surface of cylindrical surfaces, e.g. rod-shaped supports having a circular or a polygonal cross section
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

An LED lamp and a method of making an LED lamp in which the lamp includes a heat conductive post with a base and a top, an insulative body within the post that includes plural wireways and plural electrical leads that each extend through a different one of the wireways and whose ends emerge from the top and the base of the post, a head with plural LED assemblies on the top of the post, and a circuit board for the LED assemblies at the base of the post, the leads being connected to respective LED assemblies and to the circuit board. During manufacture, the leads are mounted in the wireways of the insulative body and the assembled body is inserted into the post.

Claims

1. A lamp comprising:

a heat conductive post having a base and a top and plural wireways extending axially through said post from the base to the top;

a head on the top of said post, said head having plural light-emitting diode (LED) assemblies mounted thereon;

a circuit board for said LED assemblies at the base of said post; and

plural electrical leads that are insulated from each other and that each extend through a different one of said wireways and whose ends emerge from the base and the top, said leads being connected to respective ones of said LED assemblies and to said circuit board.

2. The lamp of claim 1, wherein said post has an axial opening therein and wherein said plural wireways are in an insulative body that is carried within said opening.

3. The lamp of claim 2, wherein said insulative body comprises plural axial shafts that form said wireways.

4. The lamp of claim 1, further comprising a reflector attached to the base of said post.

5. The lamp of claim 1, further comprising a heat sink attached to the base of said post.

6. The lamp of claim 1, wherein said LED assemblies are distributed around a periphery of said head and said leads emerge from the top of said post adjacent to respective ones of said LED assemblies, said leads being connected to said LED assemblies with connecting wires.

7. A method of making a lamp, comprising the steps of:

providing a heat conductive post having a base and a top;

providing an insert that includes plural wireways and plural electrical leads that are insulated from each other and that each extend through a different one of the wireways;

inserting the insert into the post so that ends of the leads emerge from the top and the base of the post;

providing a head having plural LED assemblies on the top of the post;

mounting a circuit board for the LED assemblies at the base of the post; and

connecting the leads to respective ones of the LED assemblies and to the circuit board.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the post has an axial opening therein and wherein the insert has an insulative body that is inserted into the opening during the inserting step.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the insulative body includes plural axial shafts that form the wireways.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of attaching a reflector to the base of the post.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of attaching a heat sink to the base of the post.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of mounting the circuit board in a recess in the base of the post.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of connecting the ends of the leads to the LED assemblies with connecting wires.

14. A lamp comprising:

a heat conductive post having a base and a top and an axial opening therein;

an insulative body within said opening, said body defining plural wireways;

plural electrical leads that are insulated from each other and that each extend through a different one of said wireways and whose ends emerge from the base and the top of said post;

a head on the top of said post, said head having plural LED assemblies mounted around a periphery thereof, said LED assemblies being connected to respective ones of said leads;

a circuit board for said LED assemblies in the base of said post, the ends of said leads extending into said circuit board and being electrically connected thereto; and

a reflector attached to the base of said post; and

a heat sink attached to the base of said post.

15. The lamp of claim 14, wherein said leads emerge from the top of said post adjacent to respective ones of said LED assemblies and wherein said leads are connected to said LED assemblies with connecting wires.