Optical unit and lighting apparatus

• US 8,511,862 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2011
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishida, Toshiyuki, Takahashi, Akimichi, Yamada, Hirokazu, Kawagoe, Makoto, Kuramochi, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowman, Mary Ellen
• Application Number:
  US13/045,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20110235334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 362/294, 362/296.01, 362/297
• US Class Current: 362/294
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/08 with a standard F21S6/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/086 with lighting device attached sideways of the standard, e.g. for roads and highways
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/75 with fins or blades having different shapes, thicknesses or spacing
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/103 of streets or roads
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/00 Combination of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an optical unit includes a light emitting module having a light emitting element, a supporting substrate supporting the light emitting module, a reflector controlling distribution of light from the light emitting module, and a heat sink thermally connected to the supporting substrate.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus, comprising:

an optical unit including a light emitting module that includes a light emitting element, a supporting substrate that supports the light emitting module, a heat sink, and a unit supporting member including a first surface to which the supporting substrate is attached and a second surface to which the heat sink is attached;

a mounting plate configured to mount the optical unit such that the light emitting module is positioned in front of the mounting plate and the heat sink is positioned behind the mounting plate; and

a body configured to house the mounting plate mounting the optical unit and configured to be thermally connected to the mounting plate.

2. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supporting substrate is made of a ceramic material and is sandwiched between a pressing member and the unit supporting member, the pressing member elastically pressing a surface of the supporting substrate.

3. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reflector that controls distribution of light from the light emitting module and comprises a plurality of reflecting surfaces, the plurality of reflecting surfaces arranged to surround the light emitting module, wherein

each one of the plurality of the reflecting surfaces has a height different from the height of each other one of the plurality of the reflecting surfaces, and

the light emitting module is disposed at a position such that a distance to the position from a highest one of the plurality of reflecting surfaces is farther than each distance to the position from each one of the other reflecting surfaces.

4. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reflector that controls distribution of light from the light emitting module.