LED light fixture

• US 8,313,222 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• 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., Wilcox, Kurt
• Primary Examiner(s): BRUCE, DAVID VERNON
• Application Number:
  US13/333,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20120176790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 335 Days
• Field of Search: 362/294, 362/218, 362/373
• US Class Current: 362/394
• 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 a housing, an LED heat sink secured to the housing and an LED arrangement mounted on the heat sink in non-water/air-tight condition with respect to the housing. The heat sink 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. The LED arrangement is 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. The base of the heat sink has one or more venting apertures to provide cool-air ingress to and along the heat-dissipating surfaces by upward flow of heated air therefrom.

Claims

1. An LED light fixture comprising:

a single-piece extrusion extending between first and second ends and including (i) a substantially planar 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, the base having at least one venting aperture therethrough and distal from the first and second ends of the extrusion to provide cool-air ingress to and along the heat-dissipating surfaces by upward flow of heated air therefrom;

a housing secured with respect to the single-piece extrusion; and

an LED arrangement mounted with respect 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 venting aperture includes at least one elongate aperture across at least a majority of the width of the base.

3. The LED light fixture of claim 2 further including a deflector member secured to the base along the elongate aperture.

4. The LED light fixture of claim 3 wherein the deflector member has at least one beveled deflector surface oriented to direct and accelerate air flow along the heat-dissipating surfaces.

5. The LED light fixture of claim 4 wherein the deflector member includes a pair of oppositely-facing beveled deflector surfaces oriented to direct and accelerate air flow in opposite directions along the heat-dissipating surfaces.

6. The LED light fixture of claim 1 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.

7. The LED light fixture of claim 6 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.

8. The LED light fixture of claim 1 wherein the housing includes 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.

9. 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 enclosing at least one electronic LED driver.

10. The LED light fixture of claim 8 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.

11. The LED light fixture of claim 10 wherein:

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

the second end-portion forms an endcap.

12. An LED light fixture comprising:

a heat sink extending between first and second ends and including (i) a substantially planar 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, the base having at least one venting aperture therethrough and distal from the first and second ends of the heat sink to provide cool-air ingress to and along the heat-dissipating surfaces by upward flow of heated air therefrom; and

an LED arrangement mounted with respect to the LED-adjacent surface.

13. The LED light fixture of claim 12 wherein the venting aperture includes at least one elongate aperture across at least a majority of the width of the base.

14. The LED light fixture of claim 13 further including a deflector member secured to the base along the elongate aperture.

15. The LED light fixture of claim 14 wherein the deflector member has at least one beveled deflector surface oriented to direct and accelerate air flow along the heat-dissipating surfaces.

16. The LED light fixture of claim 15 wherein the deflector member includes a pair of oppositely-facing beveled deflector surfaces oriented to direct and accelerate air flow in opposite directions along the heat-dissipating surfaces.

17. The LED light fixture of claim 12 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 heat sink.

18. The LED light fixture of claim 17 wherein:

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

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 heat sink are at the space between the proximal and distal LED-array modules.

19. The LED light fixture of claim 12 further including a housing which has at least one end-portion secured with respect to the heat sink and forms 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.

20. The LED light fixture of claim 19 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.

21. The LED light fixture of claim 19 wherein:

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

the at least one venting gap includes a venting gap between each end-portion and the heat sink.

22. The LED light fixture of claim 21 wherein:

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

the second end-portion forms an endcap.

23. An LED light fixture comprising:

a heat sink extending between first and second ends and including (i) a substantially planar 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, the base having 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; and

an LED arrangement mounted with respect to the LED-adjacent surface.

24. The LED light fixture of claim 23 wherein the venting aperture includes at least one elongate aperture across at least a majority of the width of the base.

25. The LED light fixture of claim 23 further including a housing which has at least one end-portion secured with respect to the heat sink and forms 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.

26. The LED light fixture of claim 25 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.

27. The LED light fixture of claim 25 wherein:

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

the at least one venting gap includes a venting gap between each end-portion and the heat sink.