LED lamp and heat sink

• US 9,052,093 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pickard, Paul Kenneth, Reier, Bart P., Progl, Curt, Negley, Gerald H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hines, Anne
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIAZ, JOSE
• Application Number:
  US13/803,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20140268826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 362/218, 362/294, 362/373, 362/612, 362/555, 362/545, 362/249.02, 362/311.02, 362/800, 165/185, 313 45- 46
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/232 specially adapted for generating an essentially omnidirectional light distribution, e.g. with a glass bulb
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/233 specially adapted for generating a spot light distribution, e.g. for substitution of reflector lamps
• 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 29/77 with essentially identical diverging planar fins or blades, e.g. with fan-like or star-like cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/773 the planes containing the fins or blades having the direction of the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2107/30 on the outer surface of cylindrical surfaces, e.g. rod-shaped supports having a circular or a polygonal cross section
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

A lamp has an optically transmissive enclosure and a base. At least one LED is located in the enclosure and are operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from the base. A heat sink comprises a heat dissipating portion having a first part that is located inside of the enclosure and that is thermally coupled to the LED and a second part that is exposed to the ambient environment. The second part comprises a plurality of stems connected to the first part where each stem supports a first overhang that extends over a portion of the enclosure and a second overhang that extends over a portion of the base.

Claims

1. A lamp comprising:

an enclosure;

a base comprising an electrically conductive connector and an electrically non-conductive housing portion;

at least one LED located in the enclosure and operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from the base;

a heat sink connected to the housing portion comprising a heat conducting portion that extends into the enclosure and that supports the at least one LED and a heat dissipating portion that is at least partially exposed to the ambient environment and comprises a plurality of fins, the plurality of fins extending to the exterior of the lamp and each of the plurality of fins comprises an overhang that extends over the housing portion.

2. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the lamp is one of an omnidirectional lamp and a directional lamp.

3. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the plurality of fins extends over the enclosure.

4. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the plurality of fins extend generally radially from a body of the heat sink.

5. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the overhang extends along the longitudinal axis of the lamp.

6. The lamp of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of fins comprise a stem that extends from a body of the heat dissipating portion and supports the overhang.

7. The lamp of claim 6 wherein the stem extends between the enclosure and the base.

8. The lamp of claim 6 wherein the overhang extends approximately 5 mm beyond the stem.

9. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the ends of the overhang on each of the plurality of fins are free and unsupported.

10. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the overhang conforms to the shape of the base.

11. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the overhang covers a connection between the base and the heat sink.

12. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the heat sink extends between the enclosure and the base.

13. The lamp of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the enclosure is optically transmissive.

14. A lamp comprising:

an enclosure;

a base comprising an electrically conductive connector and an electrically non-conductive housing portion;

at least one LED located in the enclosure and operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from the base;

a heat sink connected to the housing portion comprising a heat conducting portion that extends into the enclosure and that is thermally coupled to the at least one LED and a heat dissipating portion that is exposed to the ambient environment, the heat dissipating portion comprising a first overhang that extends over a portion of the enclosure and a second overhang that extends over a portion of the housing portion.

15. The lamp of claim 14 wherein the first overhang and the second overhang are connected to a stem that extends from the first part of the heat dissipating portion.

16. The lamp of claim 14 wherein the heat sink is disposed between the enclosure and the base.

17. A lamp comprising:

an enclosure that is at least partially optically transmissive and a base forming a lamp housing having a longitudinal axis, a gap formed in the lamp housing between the enclosure and the base, the gap having a width;

at least one LED located in the enclosure and operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from the base;

a heat sink comprising a tower that extends into the enclosure along the longitudinal axis and a heat dissipating portion that is at least partially disposed in the lamp housing and that extends through the gap in the lamp housing, the heat dissipating portion comprising a plurality of fins, the plurality of fins having a length that is wider than the width of the gap.

18. A lamp comprising:

an optically transmissive enclosure;

a base;

at least one LED located in the enclosure and operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from the base;

a heat sink comprising a heat dissipating portion that is at least partially exposed to the ambient environment and comprises a plurality of fins, the plurality of fins extending to the exterior of the lamp and each of the plurality of fins comprises an overhang that extends over at least the enclosure, the overhang on each of the plurality of fins are connected to a flange that is disposed adjacent the enclosure and is configured to reflect light emitted from the enclosure to redistribute the emitted light from the area adjacent the base toward a distal end of the enclosure.

19. The lamp of claim 18 wherein the overhang covers a connection between the enclosure and the heat sink.