LED lamp with LEDs having a longitudinally directed emission profile

• US 9,310,028 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2013
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hussell, Christopher P., Edmond, John Adam, Negley, Gerald H., Progl, Curt, Edmond, Mark, Athalye, Praneet, Swoboda, Charles M., van de Ven, Antony Paul, Pickard, Paul Kenneth, Reier, Bart P., Lay, James Michael, Lopez, Peter E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Joseph L
• Application Number:
  US13/875,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20130279175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 362/249.01, 362/235, 362/259
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/23 Retrofit light sources for lighting devices with a single fitting for each light source, e.g. for substitution of incandescent lamps with bayonet or threaded fittings
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/232 specially adapted for generating an essentially omnidirectional light distribution, e.g. with a glass bulb
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/003 Fastening of light source holders, e.g. of circuit boards or substrates holding light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/004 by deformation of parts or snap action mountings, e.g. using clips
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/06 the elements being coupling devices , e.g. connectors
• 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 29/77 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 5/005 using microprisms
• 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 2107/40 on the sides of polyhedrons, e.g. cubes or pyramids
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0278 Rigid circuit boards or rigid supports of circuit boards locally made bendable, e.g. by removal or replacement of material
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/056 the metal substrate being covered by an organic insulating layer
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10106 Light emitting diode [LED]

Abstract

A lamp has an optically transmissive enclosure and a base defining a longitudinal axis of the lamp that extends from the base to the free end of the enclosure. An LED assembly is positioned in the optically transmissive enclosure. The LED assembly includes LEDs operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from the base. The LED assembly is arranged such that the plurality of LEDs face perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the lamp. The emission profile of the LEDs being at least 120 degrees FWHM.

Claims

1. A lamp comprising:

an optically transmissive enclosure and a base defining a longitudinal axis of the lamp extending from the base to a free end of the enclosure;

an LED assembly in the optically transmissive enclosure, the LED assembly comprising a plurality of LEDs operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from the base, the LED assembly arranged such that the plurality of LEDs face perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis, the emission profile of at least selected ones of the plurality of LEDs being at least 130 degrees FWHM and where the light intensity of the plurality of LEDs includes areas of peak intensity that are emitted laterally from the plurality of LEDs where the plurality of LEDs are oriented such that the areas of peak intensity face the free end of the lamp.

2. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the emission profile of the selected ones of the plurality of LEDs is in the range of 130 degrees to 170 degrees FWHM.

3. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the emission profile of the selected ones of the plurality of LEDs is in the range of 130 degrees to 160 degrees FWHM.

4. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the emission profile of the selected ones of the plurality of LEDs is in the range of 130 degrees to 150 degrees FWHM.

5. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the emission profile of the selected ones of the plurality of LEDs is in the range of approximately 145 degrees to 150 degrees FWHM.

6. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the selected ones of the plurality of the LEDs emit light with variations in color temperature of less than −

400 to +400 kelvin and viewing angles of approximately −

100 to +100 degrees.

7. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the selected ones of the plurality of the LEDs emit light with variations in color temperature of less than −

300 to +300 kelvin and viewing angles of approximately −

100 to +100 degrees.

8. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the selected ones of the plurality of the LEDs emit light with variations over viewing angles are from −

100 to +100 degrees and are generally in the range of −

100 to +200 kelvin.

9. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the emission profile of the plurality of LEDs is in the range of 130 degrees to 160 degrees FWHM.

10. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the LEDs have a cube shape where a corner of the LEDs faces the free end of the lamp.

11. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the LEDs have a cube shape where the light intensity of the LEDs includes the areas of peak intensity where the LEDs are oriented such that the areas of peak intensity face the free end of the lamp.

12. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the light intensity of the LEDs includes areas of peak intensity where the LEDs are oriented such that the areas of peak intensity face a portion of the lamp where the portion of the lamp has a high light intensity.

13. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the LEDs have a cube shape where the LEDs are oriented at a 45 degree angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the lamp.

14. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the LED assembly comprises a submount on which the plurality of LEDs are mounted.

15. The lamp of claim 14 wherein the submount comprises at least one of a PCB, metal core board, lead frame and metal core printed circuit board.

16. The lamp of claim 14 wherein the submount has a three-dimensional shape where the plurality of LEDs are mounted on an outside surface of the submount such that a base of each of the LEDs is disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis.

17. The lamp of claim 16 wherein the plurality of LEDs are positioned in a band such that a high intensity area of light produced from the plurality of LEDs appears as a glowing line of light when energized.

18. The lamp of claim 17 wherein the at least selected ones of the plurality of LEDs being selected from cube LEDs, asymmetric LEDs, LEDs with off-center LED chips, LEDs with a reflector, and LEDs with a diffuser.

19. The lamp of claim 14 wherein the submount comprises a flat member that is bent into a three-dimensional shape where the plurality of LEDs are mounted on an outside surface of the submount.

20. The lamp of claim 1 further comprising a tower that extends along the longitudinal axis of the lamp and the LED assembly is mounted on the tower such that at least some of the LEDs of the plurality of LEDs emit light laterally.

21. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the LED assembly is thermally coupled to a heat sink.

22. The lamp of claim 21 wherein the heat sink is located between the enclosure and the base.

23. The lamp of claim 1 comprising a heat sink extending into the enclosure and supporting the LED assembly in the optically transmissive enclosure, the heat sink being thermally coupled to the LED assembly for transmitting heat from the LED assembly to the ambient environment where the heat sink and the LED assembly are arranged such that the LED assembly is disposed substantially in the optical center of the enclosure.

24. A lamp comprising:

an optically transmissive enclosure and a base defining a longitudinal axis of the lamp extending from the base to a free end of the enclosure;

an LED assembly in the optically transmissive enclosure, the LED assembly comprising a plurality of LEDs operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from the base, the LED assembly arranged such that the plurality of LEDs face perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis, the emission profile of at least selected ones of the plurality of LEDs being non-Lambertian where the non-Lambertian profile creates at least one light peak that is emitted laterally from the selected ones of the plurality of LEDs and the at least one light peak is directed along the longitudinal axis of the lamp.

25. A lamp comprising:

an optically transmissive enclosure and a base defining a longitudinal axis of the lamp extending from the base to a free end of the enclosure;

an LED assembly in the optically transmissive enclosure, the LED assembly comprising a plurality of LEDs operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from the base, the LED assembly arranged such that the plurality of LEDs face perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis, the emission profile of at least selected ones of the plurality of LEDs being asymmetric where the emission profile creates at least one light peak that is emitted laterally from the plurality of LEDs and the selected ones of the plurality of LEDs are oriented such that the at least one light peak is directed along the longitudinal axis of the lamp and the emission profile directs more light along the longitudinal axis of the lamp.

26. A method of making a lamp comprising:

providing an optically transmissive enclosure and a base defining a longitudinal axis of the lamp extending from the base to a free end of the enclosure;

positioning an LED assembly in the optically transmissive enclosure, the LED assembly comprising a plurality of LEDs, each of the plurality of LEDs having a base mounted to a substrate operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from the base,

arranging the LED assembly such that the plurality of LEDs are disposed with the base of the LEDs facing laterally perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the lamp, the emission profile of at least selected ones of the plurality of LEDs being at least 120 degrees FWHM and including areas of peak intensity that are emitted laterally from the plurality of LEDs;

orienting the LEDs such that the areas of peak intensity face the free end of the lamp.