Lighting fixture with flow-through cooling

• US 9,212,811 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patkus, Steven, Sieberth, Bernd, Kinnune, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Hines, Anne
• Application Number:
  US14/136,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20140104848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 362/249.02, 362/373, 362/311.02, 362/311.14, 313/46
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 23/003 the elements being electronics drivers or controllers for operating the light source, e.g. for a LED array
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/009 the casing being inside the housing of the lighting device
• 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 29/773 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: 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

A lighting fixture including a light-emitting arrangement having first and second ends. The light-emitting arrangement includes (a) at least one LED at the first end and (b) a heat sink connected to the at least one LED and having a length extending therefrom toward the second end. There are LED power circuitry components spaced from the light-emitting arrangement and positioned adjacent the second end of the light-emitting arrangement. The fixture includes an elongate tubular channel formed along the length of the heat sink and having wiring therein from the power-circuitry components to the LED(s).

Claims

1. A lighting fixture comprising:

a light-emitting arrangement having first and second ends defining an open space which has a centerline and including (a) at least one LED at the first end and (b) a heat sink connected to the at least one LED extending radially away from the centerline and having a length extending therefrom toward the second end;

LED power circuitry components spaced from the light-emitting arrangement and positioned adjacent the second end of the light-emitting arrangement; and

an elongate tubular channel formed on the centerline and having wiring therein from the power-circuitry components to the LED(s).

2. The lighting fixture of claim 1 further comprising a housing defining the open space, the housing having an inner surface with closed-perimeter first and second edges, the first edge forming a light opening, the light-emitting arrangement being disposed within the open space and secured with respect to the housing.

3. The lighting fixture of claim 2 wherein the heat sink has heat-dissipating fins extending toward the second end.

4. The lighting fixture of claim 3 wherein the fins extend radially away from the centerline.

5. The lighting fixture of claim 4 wherein the fins terminate in distal edges spaced from the inner surface of the housing.

6. The lighting fixture of claim 4 wherein the fins extend away from the centerline to terminate in distal edges at the inner surface of the housing.

7. The lighting fixture of claim 2 wherein the light-emitting arrangement being held substantially on the centerline of the open space by a centerer to facilitate fluid-flow along the heat sink and through the open space.

8. The lighting fixture of claim 7 wherein:

the light-emitting arrangement is substantially free of contact with the inner surface of housing; and

the centerer is disposed between the light-emitting arrangement and the housing.

9. The lighting fixture of claim 8 wherein the centerer comprises at least one bracket that is secured with respect to the light-emitting arrangement and has a mounting portion secured at the light-emitting arrangement and at least one leg portion extending from the mounting portion to a free end at the inner surface of the housing.

10. The lighting fixture of claim 9 wherein the centerer further includes a bumper secured to the free end of each leg portion.

11. The lighting fixture of claim 2 further including:

an enclosure forming a substantially closed chamber positioned within the open space, the enclosure having a cover which has outwardly-extending mounting portions securing the enclosure to the housing while maintaining an open gap for fluid-flow thereabout to and from the open space, the light-emitting arrangement being secured with respect to the enclosure; and

the LED power circuitry components are within the chamber and electrically connected to the LED(s) through the tubular channel.

12. The lighting fixture of claim 2 further including an enclosure forming a substantially closed chamber and enclosing the LED power circuitry components therewithin, the tubular channel extending from the chamber to the LED(s).

13. The lighting fixture of claim 12 wherein the enclosure is positioned within the open space, the enclosure having a cross dimension which is smaller than the cross dimension of the open space therealong, thereby allowing fluid-flow within the open space and past the enclosure.

14. The lighting fixture of claim 12 wherein the heat sink is secured with respect to the enclosure.

15. The lighting fixture of claim 14 further including a connector securing the heat sink in spaced relation with respect to the enclosure.

16. The lighting fixture of claim 15 wherein, for a given longitudinal housing dimension, the connector has a length chosen according to a longitudinal dimension of the heat sink that is required to accommodate necessary heat dissipation, thereby allowing light-output adjustment of the lighting fixture without varying the longitudinal housing dimension.

17. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the at least one light emitter includes an LED.

18. The lighting fixture of claim 17 wherein:

the light emitter is an LED-array module; and

the heat sink includes (a) a module-supporting portion with the LED-array module secured thereagainst and (b) a heat-dissipation surface(s) extending from the module-supporting portion.

19. The lighting fixture of claim 1 wherein the heat sink includes a stem with the heat-dissipation surfaces extending therefrom, the heat-sink stem forming the tubular channel passing wires therethrough.

20. The lighting fixture of claim 19 wherein the heat-sink stem extends along a centerline, the heat-dissipation surfaces being continuous-wall fins extending away from the stem.

21. A lighting fixture comprising:

a light-emitting arrangement having first and second ends defining an open space which has a centerline and including (a) at least one LED at the first end and (b) a heat sink connected to the at least one LED and having a length extending therefrom toward the second end, the light-emitting arrangement being held substantially on the centerline to facilitate fluid-flow along the heat sink;

LED power circuitry components spaced from the light-emitting arrangement and positioned adjacent the second end of the light-emitting arrangement; and

an elongate tubular channel formed along the length of the heat sink and having wiring therein from the power-circuitry components to the LED(s).

22. A lighting fixture comprising:

a housing defining an open space which has a centerline and an inner surface with closed-perimeter first and second edges;

a light-emitting arrangement being disposed within the open space and secured with respect to the housing and having first and second ends, and including (a) at least one LED at the first end and (b) a heat sink connected to the at least one LED extending radially away from the centerline and having a length extending toward the second end;

LED power circuitry components spaced from the light-emitting arrangement and positioned adjacent the second end of the light-emitting arrangement; and

an elongate tubular channel formed on the centerline along the length of the heat sink and having wiring therein from the power-circuitry components to the LED(s).