LED pool and spa light

• US 7,628,512 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pentair Water Pool And Spa Incorporated (Pentair Plc (Ireland))
• Original Assignee: Pentair Water Pool And Spa Incorporated (Pentair Plc (Ireland))
• Inventors: Netzel, Robert J. Sr., Dunn, Dennis C., Armstrong, Daniel A., Agarwal, Abhinay, Teran, Louis F., Barsamian, Jeffrey S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar; Stephen F
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRANSON JR, JAMES W
• Application Number:
  US11/586,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20070159833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 362/96, 362/101, 362/247, 362/251, 362/267, 362/276, 362/294, 362/394, 362/234, 362/249.05, 362/311.02
• US Class Current: 362/267
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/00 Lighting devices intended for fixed installation F21S9/00, F21S10/00 take precedence; using a string or strip of light sources F21S4/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/74 with fins or blades
• 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 29/85 characterised by the material liquid coolants F21V29/56
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/89 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0025 Combination of two or more reflectors for a single light source array of reflectors for a cluster of light sources F21V7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/04 Optical design
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2121/02 for fountains
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/401 for swimming pools
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• 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 45/375 using buck topology
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/056 the metal substrate being covered by an organic insulating layer
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0209 Inorganic, non-metallic particles
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10106 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/445 having insulated holes or insulated via connections through the metal core

Abstract

A lighting fixture includes a heat sink having a first mounting portion attached to a housing. A first circuit board containing LEDs is mounted to a first side of a second mounting portion of the heat sink. A second circuit board include an LED control circuit is mounted to a second side of the second mounting portion. A multi-layer circuit board includes a heat-dissipating core bonded to first and second dielectric substrates, which are bonded to first and second electrically conductive layers. An electrical conductor extends through a through-hole in the board to electrically connect the first and second conductive layers. An electrical insulator inside the through-hole electrically isolates the core from the conductor. A transparent cover is shaped to cause downwardly projecting light rays emitted from the LEDs to be refracted less than upwardly projecting light rays. The cover also includes vertically extending projections for horizontally refracting light.

Claims

1. A lighting fixture comprising:

a housing having an interior cavity and an opening;

a transparent cover attached to the housing and covering the opening;

a heat sink including a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion, the first mounting portion being attached to the housing within the interior cavity, the second mounting portion having a first side and a second side opposite the first side;

a first circuit board mounted to the first side of the second mounting portion;

a lighting assembly including an LED light source, the LED light source including a plurality of LEDs mounted to the first circuit board; and

a second circuit board mounted to the second side of the second mounting portion, the second circuit board including at least of portion of a control circuit, the control circuit being operatively connected to the LED light source for selectively providing power to each of the plurality of LEDs,

the lighting fixture operating while the housing is submerged in water such that heat generated by the LEDs and the control circuit is conducted to the heat sink, the heat sink conducts the heat to the housing, and the housing conducts the heat to the water.

2. The lighting fixture of claim 1, further comprising a header including a plurality of pins for electrically connecting the first circuit board and second circuit board.

3. The lighting fixture of claim 2, wherein the header further acts as a stand-off for physically separating the first circuit board from the second circuit board.

4. A lighting fixture comprising:

a housing having an interior cavity and an opening;

a transparent cover attached to the housing and extending across the opening of the housing; and

a light source projecting a beam of light toward the opening, the beam including first light rays projecting upward toward the transparent cover and second light rays projecting downward toward the transparent cover, wherein the transparent cover is shaped to cause the second light rays to be refracted less than the first light rays.

5. The lighting fixture of claim 4, wherein the lighting fixture is mounted in a pool or spa containing water so that at least some of the first light rays are projecting toward a top surface of the water, and wherein at least some of the second light rays are projecting toward a bottom surface or floor of the pool or spa.

6. The lighting fixture of claim 4, further comprising a reflector, wherein the light source comprises an LED light source including a plurality of LEDs.

7. A lighting fixture comprising:

a housing having an interior cavity and an opening;

a transparent cover attached to the housing and extending across the opening of the housing, the transparent cover including a plurality of vertically extending projections distributed across a surface of the transparent cover; and

a plurality of light source for projecting a beam of light toward the opening;

wherein the projections are shaped to cause the beam of light to be refracted horizontally.

8. The lighting fixture of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of light sources arranged in a horizontal row for projecting a beam of light toward the opening, a first one of the plurality of light sources emitting first light waves and a second one of the plurality of light sources emitting second light waves having a wavelength that is different from a wavelength of the first light waves.

9. The lighting fixture of claim 8, wherein the projections are shaped to cause the first light waves and the second light waves to be refracted horizontally for producing a beam of light including the first light waves and the second light waves.

10. The lighting fixture of claim 7, wherein the light source includes a reflector.

11. A lighting fixture comprising:

a housing having an interior cavity and an opening;

a transparent cover attached to the housing and extending across the opening of the housing;

a reflector array including a plurality of reflectors, each of the plurality of reflectors including a first open end, a second open end, and first and second reflective surface each extending between the first open end and the second open end, the first reflective surface facing the second reflective surface; and

a light source comprising a plurality of rows of LEDs each including a plurality of LEDs, each of the rows projecting light into the first open end of an associated one of the plurality of reflectors, wherein the light projected by each row of LEDs is reflected by the first and second reflective surfaces of the associated reflector causing the light to pass through the second open end of the associated reflector and through the transparent cover.

12. The lighting fixture of claim 11, wherein each of the first and second reflective surfaces is concave.

13. The lighting fixture of claim 11, wherein the light source cooperates with the reflector array to project a beam of light toward the opening of the housing, the beam including first light rays projecting upward toward the transparent cover and second light rays projecting downward toward the transparent cover, and wherein the transparent cover is shaped to cause the second light rays to be refracted more than the first light rays.

14. A lighting fixture comprising:

a housing having an interior cavity and an opening;

a transparent cover attached to the housing and covering the opening;

a lighting assembly including an LED light source, the LED light source include a plurality of LEDs; and

a control circuit operatively connected to the LED light source for selectively providing power to each of the plurality of LEDs, the control circuit including;

a microcontroller having an input connected to sense an alternating current source and a plurality of outputs for controlling the plurality of LEDs;

a plurality of multiplexers each having a plurality of outputs and an input connected to one of the plurality of outputs of the microcontroller; and

a plurality of electronic switches each having a control input and a power output, each power output being connected to selectively power one of the plurality of LEDs, each of the control inputs being connected to one of the plurality of outputs of one of the plurality of multiplexers, wherein the microcontroller can individually and selectively control power to each of the plurality of LEDs.

15. The lighting fixture of claim 14, wherein the control circuit further includes a plurality of current drivers, each of the plurality of current drivers including one of the plurality of electronic switches.

16. The lighting fixture of claim 14, further comprising:

a first circuit board, the plurality of LEDs being mounted to the first circuit board; and

a second circuit board, the control circuit being provided on the second circuit board.

17. The lighting fixture of claim 16, further comprising a header including a plurality of pins for electrically connecting the first circuit board and second circuit board.

18. The lighting fixture of claim 17, wherein the header further acts as a stand-off for physically separating the first circuit board from the second circuit board.

19. The lighting fixture of claim 18, further comprising a heat sink including a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion, the first mounting portion being attached to the housing within the interior cavity, the second mounting portion having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first circuit board being mounted to the first side of the second mounting portion, the second circuit board being mounted to the second side of the second mounting portion.

20. The lighting fixture of claim 14, wherein the control circuit further includes plurality of a ramping circuits for selectively ramping up power to one of the plurality of LEDs over a first set period of time and selectively ramping down power to one of the plurality of LEDs over a second set period of time, each of the plurality of ramping circuits including one of the plurality of electronic switches.

21. The lighting fixture of claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of ramping circuits includes a timing circuit for controlling the corresponding electronic switch according to the first set period of time and the second set period of time.

22. The lighting fixture of claim 21, wherein each timing circuit includes a capacitor and a resistor, wherein the first set period of time and the second set period of time are each a function of a capacitance of the capacitor and a resistance of the resistor.