LED illumination apparatus and card-type LED illumination source

• US 7,375,381 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Everlight Electronics Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsui, Nobuyuki, Tamura, Tetsushi, Setomoto, Tatsumi, Shimizu, Masanori, Yano, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Minh-Loan T
• Application Number:
  US11/125,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20050207165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 257/88, 257 98-100, 257/700, 257/706, 362/240, 362/241, 362/249, 362/226, 362/294, 362/365, 362/373, 362/647, 362/652, 362/368
• US Class Current: 257/98
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/23 Retrofit light sources for lighting devices with a single fitting for each light source, e.g. for substitution of incandescent lamps with bayonet or threaded fittings
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 4/00 Electric lighting devices with self-contained electric batteries or cells
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 4/005 the device being a pocket lamp F21L4/022, F21L4/045, F21L4/085 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 4/027 the light sources being a LED
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/00 Systems of lighting devices, not provided for in main groups F21S4/00 - F21S10/00 or F21S19/00, e.g. of modular construction
• 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 19/003 Fastening of light source holders, e.g. of circuit boards or substrates holding light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/04 with provision for changing light source, e.g. turret auxiliary devices for cleaning, placing, or removing incandescent lamps H01K3/32, fluorescent lamps H01J9/006
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0083 Array of reflectors for a cluster of light sources, e.g. arrangement of multiple light sources in one plane combination of two or more reflectors F21V7/0025
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/33 annular
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/00 Planar light sources
• 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: F21Y 2115/15 Organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/20 Electroluminescent [EL] light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05568 the whole external layer protruding from the surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05573 Single external layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05599 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/06102 : the bonding areas being at different heights
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16 : of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 : the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/1703 : Bump connectors having different sizes, e.g. different diameters, heights or widths
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45144 : Gold (Au) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 : Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 : connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48465 : the other connecting portion not on the bonding area being a wedge bond, i.e. ball-to-wedge, regular stitch
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49107 : on the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/97 : the devices being connected to a common substrate, e.g. interposer, said common substrate being separable into individual assemblies after connecting
• 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 2924/00012 : Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• 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 2924/01004 : Beryllium [Be]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01019 : Potassium [K]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01078 : Platinum [Pt]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/07811 : Extrinsic, i.e. with electrical conductive fillers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/09701 : Low temperature co-fired ceramic [LTCC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12041 : LED
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15787 : Ceramics, e.g. crystalline carbides, nitrides or oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 : Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/20 : with a particular shape, e.g. curved or truncated substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/64 : Heat extraction or cooling elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/714 : with contacts abutting directly the printed circuit; Button contacts therefore provided on the printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/225 : secured to structure or printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 : Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 : Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/345 : Current stabilisation; Maintaining constant current
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/3574 : Emulating the electrical or functional characteristics of incandescent lamps
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/3578 : Emulating the electrical or functional characteristics of discharge lamps
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/37 : Converter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/40 : Details of LED load circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/05 : Insulated conductive substrates, e.g. insulated metal substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/112 : directly combined with via connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/117 : Pads along the edge of rigid circuit boards, e.g. for pluggable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10106 : Light emitting diode [LED]

Abstract

An LED illumination apparatus according to the present invention includes at least one connector and a lighting drive circuit. The connector is connected to an insertable and removable card-type LED illumination source, which includes multiple LEDs that have been mounted on one surface of a substrate. The lighting drive circuit is electrically connected to the card-type LED illumination source by way of the connector. The card-type LED illumination source preferably includes a metal base substrate and the multiple LEDs that have been mounted on one surface of the metal base substrate. The back surface of the metal base substrate, including no LEDs thereon, thermally contacts with a portion of the illumination apparatus. A feeder terminal to be electrically connected to the connector is provided on the surface of the metal base substrate on which the LEDs are provided.

Claims

1. A light emitting diode (LED) illumination apparatus comprising:

a removable LED illumination source including a substrate having a front surface and a back surface, at least one LED that has been mounted on the front surface of the substrate and a feeder terminal that is arranged on the front surface of the substrate;

a thermal conductor member which contacts with the back surface of the substrate;

at least one connector to be connected to the feeder terminal by pressing the back surface of the substrate onto the thermal conductor member;

the connector removably attaching the removable LED illumination source to the LED illumination apparatus; and

a lighting drive circuit to be electrically connected to the LED illumination source by way of the connector.

2. The LED illumination apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a feeder base for externally supplying electrical energy to the lighting drive circuit.

3. The LED illumination apparatus of claim 2, wherein the feeder base is a lamp base for a light bulb.

4. The LED illumination apparatus of claim 1, comprising a housing, which transmits light emitted from the LED illumination source that is connected to the connector.

5. The LED illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein the illumination source comprises a plurality of LEDs including said at least one LED.

6. An LED illumination source comprising:

a substrate having a front surface and a back surface;

at least one LED that has been mounted on the front surface of the substrate; and

a feeder terminal that is arranged on the front surface of the substrate, wherein the feeder terminal is located at an edge of the substrate so as to get connected to a connector by being pressed by the connector from the front surface of the substrate toward the back surface thereof, the connector being designed to;

(1) receive the LED illumination source and (2) removably attach the LED illumination source to an LED illumination apparatus.

7. The LED illumination source of claim 6, comprising a plurality of LEDs including said at least one LED.

8. The LED source of claim 6, wherein the center of the substrate is shifted from a center of a light outgoing region on the substrate where the LED is located.

9. The LED illumination source of claim 6, further comprising means for dissipating heat from the back surface of the substrate on which the LED is not present.

10. The LED illumination source of claim 6, wherein the substrate has a rectangular shape with rounded corners.

11. The LED illumination source of claim 6, wherein the LED has been directly flip-chip bonded to the substrate.

12. The LED illumination source of claim 6, wherein the LED is built in as a face-bonded element or a chip element.

13. An LED illumination source comprising:

the a connector to get connected to the feeder terminal of the LED illumination source of claim 6 by pressing the feeder terminal from the surface of the substrate with the LED toward the back surface thereof, and

a lighting drive circuit to be electrically connected to the LED illumination source by way of the connector.