LED light fixture

• US 8,092,049 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2009
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ruud Lighting Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kinnune, Brian, Ruud, Alan J., Guillien, Wayne, Miletich, Don, Wilcox, Kurt, Schultz, Russell S.
• Primary Examiner(s): BRUCE, DAVID VERNON
• Application Number:
  US12/418,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20090251898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 362/294, 362/218, 362/373
• US Class Current: 362/294
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/20 Light sources comprising attachment means
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/005 of modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/086 with lighting device attached sideways of the standard, e.g. for roads and highways
• 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 15/013 the housing being an extrusion
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/015 Devices for covering joints between adjacent lighting devices; End coverings
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/107 using hinge joints
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/0055 by screwing
• 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 23/002 Arrangements of cables or conductors inside a lighting device, e.g. means for guiding along parts of the housing or in a pivoting arm
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/009 the casing being inside the housing of the lighting device
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/503 of light sources cooling arrangements structurally associated with gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps H01J61/52; cooling arrangements structurally associated with electric incandescent lamps H01K1/58; cooling arrangements structurally associated with light-emitting diodes H01L33/64
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/507 of means for protecting lighting devices from damage, e.g. housings
• 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 29/763 the planes containing the fins or blades having the direction of the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/83 the elements having apertures, ducts or channels, e.g. heat radiation holes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 31/03 with provision for venting for vehicle head lights F21S45/33; for vehicle rear lights F21S41/192
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/103 of streets or roads
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/40 Lighting for industrial, commercial, recreational or military use
• 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 floodlight fixture includes (1) a housing that has (a) at least one end-portion and (b) a single-piece extrusion including (i) a base having an LED-adjacent surface and an opposite surface and (ii) a heat-dissipating section having heat-dissipating surfaces extending from the opposite surface, and (2) an LED arrangement mounted to the LED-adjacent surface in non-water/air-tight condition with respect to the housing. The housing preferably forms at least one venting gap to provide cool-air ingress to and along the heat-dissipating surfaces by upward flow of heated air therefrom. Additionally and/or alternatively, the base of the single-piece extrusion has one or more venting apertures to provide cool-air ingress for such purpose. One aspect of the invention involves the heat-dissipating section of the extrusion including a closed extruded wireway therealong enclosing wires extending to/from electrical component(s).

Claims

1. An LED light fixture comprising:

a single-piece extrusion including (i) a base having an LED-adjacent surface and an opposite surface and (ii) a heat-dissipating section having heat-dissipating surfaces extending from the opposite surface and being open to water/air flow thereover;

a housing including at least one end-portion secured with respect to the single-piece extrusion and forming at least one venting gap therebetween to provide cool-air ingress to and along the heat-dissipating surfaces by upward flow of heated air therefrom; and

an LED arrangement mounted to the LED-adjacent surface in non-water/air-tight condition with respect to the housing.

2. The LED light fixture of claim 1 wherein the at least one end-portion includes a first end-portion which forms a water/air-tight chamber enclosing at least one electronic LED driver.

3. The LED light fixture of claim 1 wherein:

the at least one end-portion includes first and second end-portions secured with respect to first and second ends, respectively, of the single-piece extrusion; and

the at least one venting gap includes a venting gap between each end-portion and the single-piece extrusion.

4. The LED light fixture of claim 3 wherein:

the first end-portion forms a water/air-tight chamber; and

the second end-portion forms an endcap.

5. The LED light fixture of claim 1 wherein the LED arrangement includes at least one LED-array module.

6. The LED light fixture of claim 5 including a plurality of LED-array modules.

7. The LED light fixture of claim 6 wherein:

the LED-array modules are substantially rectangular elongate modules each having a common module-width; and

the LED-adjacent surface has a width which is approximately the multiple of the maximum number of LED-array modules mountable in side-by-side relationship thereon by the common module-width.

8. The LED light fixture of claim 6 wherein:

the LED-array modules are substantially rectangular elongate modules having predetermined module-lengths associated with the numbers of LEDs on the modules; and

the LED-adjacent surface has a length which is approximately a dimension selected from (a) the predetermined module-lengths and (b) the sum(s) of the module-lengths of pairs of the LED-array modules.

9. The LED light fixture of claim 8 wherein:

the LED-array modules have common module-widths; and

the LED-adjacent surface has a width which is approximately the multiple of the maximum number of LED-array modules mountable in side-by-side relationship thereon by the common module-width.

10. The LED light fixture of claim 8 wherein at least one of the plurality of modules has a module-length different than the module-length of at least another of the plurality of modules.

11. The LED light fixture of claim 8 wherein:

the at least one end-portion includes a first end-portion which forms a water/air-tight chamber;

the plurality of LED-array modules includes LED-array modules in end-to-end relationship to one another, the modules including modules proximal to the first end-portion and modules distal from the first end-portion; and

the first end-portion has water/air-tight wire-access(es) receiving wires from the proximal module(s).

12. The LED light fixture of claim 11 wherein the extrusion includes water/air-tight wireway(s) receiving wires from the distal LED-array module(s), whereby wires from the distal modules reach the water/air-tight chamber of the first end-portion through the wireway(s).

13. The LED light fixture of claim 12 wherein the wireway(s) are formed along the heat-dissipating section and spaced from the base.

14. The LED light fixture of claim 13 wherein:

the heat-dissipating section includes parallel fins along the lengths of the single-piece extrusion; and

the wireway(s) are formed along the fin(s).

15. The LED light fixture of claim 1 wherein the extrusion includes water/air-tight wireway(s) therealong.

16. The LED light fixture of claim 15 wherein the wireway(s) are along the heat-dissipating section and spaced from the base.

17. The LED light fixture of claim 16 wherein:

the heat-dissipating section includes parallel fins along the lengths of the single-piece extrusion; and

the wireway(s) are formed along the fin(s).

18. The LED light fixture of claim 17 wherein the wireway includes an enclosed tube secured with respect to the fin.

19. The LED light fixture of claim 18 wherein such fin forms an extruded retention channel securely retaining the wireway tube therein.

20. The LED light fixture of claim 1 wherein:

the single-piece extrusion includes first and second ends; and

the at least one end-portion of the housing includes a first end-portion at the first end of the extrusion, the first end-portion having a lower surface and an extrusion-adjacent end surface, the extrusion-adjacent end surface and the lower surface forming a first recess extending away from the first end of the extrusion and defining a first venting gap.

21. The LED light fixture of claim 20 wherein the end surface along the first recess is tapered such that the first venting gap is upwardly narrowed, thereby to direct and accelerate the air flow along the heat-dissipating surfaces.

22. The LED light fixture of claim 21 wherein at least one end-portion also includes a second end-portion forming an endcap at the second end of the extrusion, the endcap having an inner surface and a lower edge-portion forming a second recess extending away from the second end of the extrusion and defining a second venting gap.

23. The LED light fixture of claim 22 wherein the inner surface along the second recess is tapered such that the second venting gap is upwardly narrowed, thereby to direct and accelerate the air flow along the heat-dissipating surfaces.

24. The LED light fixture of claim 1 wherein:

the LED arrangement includes a plurality of LED-array modules; and

the base of the single-piece extrusion has at least one venting aperture therethrough to provide cool-air ingress to and along the heat-dissipating surfaces by upward flow of heated air therefrom.

25. The LED light fixture of claim 24 wherein:

the at least one venting aperture includes at least one elongate aperture across at least a majority of the width of the base; and

a deflector member secured to the base along the elongate aperture and having at least one beveled deflector surface oriented to direct and accelerate air flow along the heat-dissipating surfaces.

26. The LED light fixture of claim 25 including a pair of oppositely-facing beveled deflector surfaces oriented to direct air flow in opposite directions along the heat-dissipating surfaces.

27. The LED light fixture of claim 24 wherein:

the plurality of LED-array modules includes LED-array modules in lengthwise relationship to one another; and

the at least one venting aperture includes at least one aperture distal from the first and second ends of the extrusion.

28. The LED light fixture of claim 27 wherein:

the plurality of LED-array modules includes at least one proximal LED-array module proximal to a first end of the extrusion and at least one distal LED-array module distal from the first end of the extrusion;

the distal LED-array module(s) are spaced from the proximal LED-array module(s); and

the venting aperture(s) distal from the first and second ends of the extrusion are at the space between the proximal and distal LED-array modules.

29. The LED light fixture of claim 28 wherein:

the LED-array modules are substantially rectangular elongate modules having predetermined module-lengths associated with the numbers of LEDs on the modules; and

the LED-adjacent surface has a length which is approximately a dimension which is (a) the sum of the module-lengths of pairs of the end-to-end LED-array modules plus (b) the length of the space between the proximal and distal LED-array modules.

30. The LED light fixture of claim 29 wherein:

the LED-array modules each have a common module-width; and

the LED-adjacent surface has a width which is approximately the multiple of the maximum number of LED-array modules mountable in side-by-side relationship thereon by the common module-width.

31. An LED light fixture comprising:

a housing including at least one end-portion;

an LED arrangement secured with respect to the housing in non-water/air-tight condition and including a plurality of substantially rectangular elongate LED-array modules each having a predetermined module-lengths associated with the numbers of LEDs on the modules; and

a single-piece extrusion secured with respect to the end-portion and including (i) a base having an LED-adjacent surface supporting the LED arrangement and an opposite surface, the LED-adjacent surface having a length which is approximately a dimension selected from (a) the predetermined module-lengths and (b) the sum(s) of the module-lengths of pairs of the LED-array modules and (ii) a heat-dissipating section having heat-dissipating surfaces extending from the opposite surface.

32. The LED light fixture of claim 31 wherein:

the LED-array modules have common module-widths; and

the LED-adjacent surface has a width which is approximately the multiple of the maximum number of LED-array modules mountable in side-by-side relationship thereon by the common module-width.

33. The LED light fixture of claim 31 wherein at least one of the plurality of modules has a module-length different than the module-length of at least another of the plurality of modules.

34. The LED light fixture of claim 31 wherein the base of the single-piece extrusion has at least one venting aperture therethrough to provide cool-air ingress to and along the heat-dissipating surfaces by upward flow of heated air therefrom.

35. The LED light fixture of claim 34 wherein:

the at least one venting aperture includes at least one elongate aperture across at least a majority of the width of the base; and

a deflector member secured to the base along the elongate aperture and having at least one beveled deflector surface oriented to direct and accelerate air flow along the heat-dissipating surfaces.

36. The LED light fixture of claim 34 wherein:

the plurality of LED-array modules includes LED-array modules in lengthwise relationship to one another; and

the at least one venting aperture includes at least one aperture distal from the first and second ends of the extrusion.

37. The LED light fixture of claim 36 wherein:

the plurality of LED-array modules includes at least one proximal LED-array module proximal to a first end of the extrusion and at least one distal LED-array module distal from the first end of the extrusion;

the distal LED-array module(s) are spaced from the proximal LED-array module(s); and

the venting aperture(s) distal from the first and second ends of the extrusion are at the space between the proximal and distal LED-array modules.

38. The LED light fixture of claim 37 wherein the LED-adjacent surface has a length which is approximately a dimension which is (a) the sum of the module-lengths of pairs of the end-to-end LED-array modules plus (b) the length of the space between the proximal and distal LED-array modules.

39. A light fixture comprising:

a housing;

electrical components secured with respect to the housing;

an extruded heat-sink member secured with respect to the housing and having a base with front and back surfaces, and a heat-dissipating section with heat-dissipating surfaces extending from the back surface; and

a water/air-tight wireway extending through the heat-dissipating section and spaced from the base for receiving wires extending to/from the electrical component(s).

40. The light fixture of claim 39 wherein:

the heat-dissipating section includes parallel fins along the lengths of the extrusion; and

the wireway(s) are formed along at least one of the fins.

41. The LED light fixture of claim 40 wherein the wireway includes an enclosed tube secured with respect to the at least one fin.

42. The LED light fixture of claim 41 wherein such fin forms an extruded retention channel securely retaining the wireway tube therein.

43. The light fixture of claim 39 wherein:

the base front surface is an LED-adjacent surface; and

the electrical components include an LED arrangement mounted to the LED-adjacent surface.