Sealing and thermal accommodation arrangement in LED package/secondary lens structure

• US 7,976,194 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2007
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ruud Lighting Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walczak, Steve R., Guillien, Wayne, Wilcox, Kurt S.
• Primary Examiner(s): MAY, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US11/744,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20080273325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 362/158, 362/645, 362/267, 362/227, 362/238, 362/800, 362/612, 362/306, 362/311.01, 362/311.02, 362/331, 362/268, 362/288, 362319-320
• US Class Current: 362/268
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/01 Housings, e.g. material or assembling of housing parts F21V15/02 takes precedence housings forming signs or letters G09F13/04
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/10 characterised by specific fastening means or way of fastening F21V17/02 - F21V17/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 25/00 Safety devices structurally associated with lighting devices gas- tight or water-tight arrangements F21V31/00; in general F16P; protective circuit arrangements per se H02H7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 31/005 Sealing arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/007 Array of lenses or refractors for a cluster of light sources, e.g. for arrangement of multiple light sources in one plane combination of two or more refractors F21V5/008
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/04 of lens shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/103 of streets or roads
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/105 of arenas or the like
• 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]

Abstract

An LED apparatus of the type having a mounting board, an LED package thereon with a primary lens, and a secondary lens member over the primary lens and establishing a light path therebetween, includes a resilient member against the secondary lens member in position other than in the light path, the resilient member yieldingly constraining the secondary lens member and accommodating secondary lens member movement caused by primary lens thermal expansion during operation.

Claims

1. In an LED apparatus including a mounting board, an LED device thereon with a primary lens defining a light-emission axis, and a secondary lens member axially aligned over and at least partially abutting the primary lens and establishing a light path therebetween, the secondary lens member including a lens portion and a flange thereabout, the improvement comprising:

a cover having an opening aligned with the light path and securing the secondary lens member over the LED device, the secondary lens member being axially movable in response to abutment of lenses due to primary-lens thermal expansion during operation; and

a resilient gasket member between the cover and the flange, the cover pressing the gasket and the flange of the secondary lens member toward the mounting board, the resilient gasket member being axially compressible permitting secondary-lens-member axial movement to maintain lens alignment and stability of the LED apparatus.

2. The LED apparatus of claim 1 wherein the resilient member provides a weather-proof seal about the LED device while accommodating axial movement of the secondary lens member.

3. The LED apparatus of claim 2 wherein the gasket is made of silicone.

4. The LED apparatus of claim 2 wherein:

the gasket includes an inner surface which faces and yieldingly abuts the flange.

5. The LED apparatus of claim 4 wherein the gasket has an aperture aligned with the light path, the gasket aperture being sized to receive the lens portion.

6. In an LED apparatus including (a) a mounting board, (b) a plurality of spaced-apart LED devices thereon, each LED device having a primary lens defining a light-emission axis, and (c) a plurality of secondary lens members each axially aligned over and at least partially abutting a respective primary lens and establishing a light path therebetween, each secondary lens member including a lens portion and a flange thereabout, the improvement comprising:

a cover having openings aligned with a corresponding light path and securing each secondary lens member over the respective LED device, the secondary lens members being axially movable in response to abutment of lenses due to primary-lens thermal expansion during operation;

a resilient gasket member between the cover and the flange, the cover pressing the gasket and the flange of each secondary lens member toward the mounting board, the resilient gasket member being axially compressible while permitting secondary-lens-member axial movement to maintain lens alignment and stability of the LED apparatus.

7. The LED apparatus of claim 6 wherein the resilient member provides a weather-proof seal about each of the LED devices while accommodating axial movement of the secondary lens members.

8. The LED apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

each gasket has an aperture sized to receive the lens portion of the corresponding secondary lens member.

9. The LED apparatus of claim 7 wherein the resilient member is a unitary member.

10. The LED apparatus of claim 6 wherein the secondary lens members are separate and discrete secondary lens members each provided over a respective one of the primary lenses.

11. In an LED apparatus including a mounting board, an LED device thereon defining a light-emission axis, and a lens member axially aligned over the LED device establishing a light path therebetween, the lens member including a lens portion and a flange thereabout, the improvement comprising:

a cover having an opening aligned with the light path and securing the lens member over the LED device, the lens member being axially movable in response to LED-device thermal expansion during operation; and

a resilient gasket member between the cover and the flange, the cover pressing the gasket and the flange of the lens member toward the mounting board, the resilient gasket member being axially compressible permitting lens-member axial movement to maintain lens alignment and stability of the LED apparatus.

12. The LED apparatus of claim 11 wherein the resilient member provides a weather-proof seal about the LED device while accommodating axial movement of the lens member.

13. The LED apparatus of claim 12 wherein the resilient member is a gasket made of silicone.

14. The LED apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

the gasket includes an inner surface which faces and yieldingly abuts the flange.

15. The LED apparatus of claim 14 wherein the gasket has an aperture aligned with the light path, the gasket aperture being sized to receive the lens portion.

16. In an LED apparatus including a mounting board, a plurality of spaced-apart LED devices thereon each defining a light-emission axis, and a plurality of lens members each axially aligned over a respective LED device and establishing a light path therebetween, each lens member including a lens portion and a flange thereabout, the improvement comprising:

a cover having openings aligned with a corresponding light path and securing each secondary lens member over the respective LED device, the lens members being axially movable in response to LED-device thermal expansion during operation; and

a resilient gasket member between the cover and the flanges, the cover pressing the gasket and the flange of each lens member toward the mounting board, the resilient gasket member being axially compressible permitting lens-member axial movement to maintain lens alignment and stability of the LED apparatus.

17. The LED apparatus of claim 16 wherein the resilient member provides a weather-proof seal about each of the LED devices while accommodating axial movement of the lens members.

18. The LED apparatus of claim 17 wherein:

each gasket has an aperture sized to receive the lens portion of the corresponding lens member.

19. The LED apparatus of claim 17 wherein the resilient member is a unitary member.

20. The LED apparatus of claim 16 wherein the lens members are separate and discrete lens members each provided over a respective one of the LED devices.

21. In an LED apparatus including a mounting board, an LED device thereon defining a light-emission axis, and a lens member axially aligned over the LED device establishing a light path therebetween, the improvement comprising:

the lens member being yieldingly constrained over the LED device and being axially movable with respect thereto due to LED device thermal expansion during operation, the lens member including a lens portion and a flange thereabout;

a cover having an opening aligned with the light path and securing the lens member over the LED device; and

a resilient gasket between the cover and the flange such that the cover presses the gasket and the flange toward the mounting board, the gasket including an inner surface which faces and yieldingly abuts the flange and an aperture aligned with the light path and sized to receive the lens portion therethrough, the gasket being axially compressible to yieldingly constrain the lens member, thereby to provide a weather-proof seal about the LED device while accommodating axial movement of the lens member.