LED lamp

• US 7,204,607 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2004
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yano, Tadashi, Shimizu, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong, Bao Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/940,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20050057929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 362/240, 362/555, 362/545, 362/227, 362/230, 362/231, 362/235, 362/252, 362/800, 362/326, 362/612, 362/613
• US Class Current: 362/231
• 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: F21L 4/027 the light sources being a LED
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 6/00 Lighting devices intended to be free-standing F21S9/00, F21S10/00, F21S13/12 take precedence lighting devices specially adapted to be transported from place to place, e.g. lighting devices carried on wheeled supports F21L; details of supports for lighting devices F21V21/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 6/003 for task lighting, e.g. for reading or desk work, e.g. angle poise lamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/001 the light sources being semiconductors devices, e.g. LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/37 Converter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/40 Details of LED load circuits

Abstract

An LED lamp includes: a substrate; a cluster of LEDs, which are arranged two-dimensionally on the substrate; and an interconnection circuit, which is electrically connected to the LEDs. The LEDs include a first group of LEDs, which are located around the outer periphery of the cluster, and a second group of LEDs, which are located elsewhere in the cluster. The interconnection circuit has an interconnection structure for separately supplying drive currents to at least one of the LEDs in the first group and to at least one of the LEDs in the second group separately from each other.

Claims

1. A light emitting diode (LED) lamp comprising:

a substrate;

a cluster of LEDs, which are arranged two-dimensionally on the substrate; and

an interconnection circuit, which is electrically connected to the LEDs,

wherein the LEDs include a first group of LEDs, which are located around the outer periphery of the cluster, and a second group of LEDs, which are located elsewhere in the cluster,

wherein the interconnection circuit has an interconnection structure for separately supplying drive currents to at least one of the LEDs in the first group and to at least one of the LEDs in the second group separately from each other,

wherein each said LED includes a lens for controlling the spatial distribution of the emission of the LED, and

wherein the lens of the LEDs in the second group has a structure that realizes a narrower spatial distribution than the lens of the LEDs in the first group.

2. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 1, wherein all of the LEDs in the first group are located outside of the second group of LEDs.

3. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 1, wherein the interconnection circuit has a first interconnection pattern for electrically connecting together at least two of the LEDs in the first group and a second interconnection pattern for electrically connecting together at least two of the LEDs in the second group.

4. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 3, wherein the interconnection circuit is electrically connected to a dimmer, and

wherein the dimmer has the function of controlling the amounts of light emitted from the first and second groups of LEDs, which are electrically connected to the first and second interconnection patterns, respectively, independently of each other.

5. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 3, wherein the first interconnection pattern of the interconnection circuit is electrically connected to a dimmer, and

wherein the dimmer has the function of controlling the amount of light emitted from the first group of LEDs, which are electrically connected to the first interconnection pattern.

6. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 3, further comprising a resistor, which is connected to at least one of the first and second interconnection patterns,

wherein the resistor reduces a difference between the amounts of currents flowing through the first and second interconnection patterns.

7. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 1, wherein each said LED includes an LED bare chip and a phosphor resin portion that covers the LED bare chip, and

wherein the phosphor resin portion includes:

a phosphor for transforming the emission of the LED bare chip into light having a longer wavelength than the emission; and

a resin in which the phosphor is dispersed.

8. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 1, wherein the outer periphery is defined along the outermost ones of the LEDs in the first group.

9. A light emitting diode (LED) lamp comprising:

a substrate;

a cluster of LEDs, which are arranged two-dimensionally on the substrate; and

an interconnection circuit, which is electrically connected to the LEDs,

wherein the LEDs include a first group of LEDs, which are located around the outer periphery of the cluster, and a second group of LEDs, which are located elsewhere in the cluster,

wherein the interconnection circuit has an interconnection structure for separately supplying drive currents to at least one of the LEDs in the first group and to at least one of the LEDs in the second group separately from each other,

wherein the emission of the LEDs in the first group has a lower color temperature than that of the LEDs in the second group.

10. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 9, wherein all of the LEDs in the first group are located outside of the second group of LEDs.

11. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 9, wherein the interconnection circuit has a first interconnection pattern for electrically connecting together at least two of the LEDs in the first group and a second interconnection pattern for electrically connecting together at least two of the LEDs in the second group.

12. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 11, wherein the interconnection circuit is electrically connected to a dimmer, and

wherein the dimmer has the function of controlling the amounts of light emitted from the first and second groups of LEDs, which are electrically connected to the first and second interconnection patterns, respectively, independently of each other.

13. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 11, wherein the first interconnection pattern of the interconnection circuit is electrically connected to a dimmer, and

wherein the dimmer has the function of controlling the amount of light emitted from the first group of LEDs, which are electrically connected to the first interconnection pattern.

14. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 11, further comprising a resistor, which is connected to at least one of the first and second interconnection patterns,

wherein the resistor reduces a difference between the amounts of currents flowing through the first and second interconnection patterns.

15. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 9, wherein each said LED includes an LED bare chip and a phosphor resin portion that covers the LED bare chip, and

wherein the phosphor resin portion includes:

a phosphor for transforming the emission of the LED bare chip into light having a longer wavelength than the emission; and

a resin in which the phosphor is dispersed.

16. The light emitting diode (LED) lamp of claim 9, wherein the outer periphery is defined along the outermost ones of the LEDs in the first group.