LED board with peripheral thermal contact

• US 9,890,940 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reier, Bart P., Progl, Curt, Van Epps, Jr., Daniel J., Rowlette, Jr., John R., Edmond, John Adam, Wilcox, Kurt, Power, David
• Primary Examiner(s): CARIASO, ALAN B
• Application Number:
  US14/725,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20160348884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• 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 9/237 Details of housings or cases, i.e. the parts between the light-generating element and the bases; Arrangement of components within housings or cases F21K9/238 takes precedence
• 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 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/17 forming a single encapsulated light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/15 Organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0209 External configuration of printed circuit board adapted for heat dissipation, e.g. lay-out of conductors, coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/066 Heatsink mounted on the surface of the PCB heatsink inserted in the PCB H05K2201/10416
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10106 Light emitting diode [LED]

Abstract

A LED fixture is provided, the lamp comprising a LED board having a thermally conductive periphery, the LED board comprising at least one LED operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from a base; and a heat sink assembly thermally coupled to the thermally conductive periphery.

Claims

1. An LED lighting fixture comprising:

a base comprising a heat sink assembly for dissipating heat to the ambient environment, a LED board supporting at least one LED operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from the base, wherein the LED board comprises a top surface and an opposed, exposed bottom surface separated by a thermally conductive layer that forms an exposed thermally conductive periphery, the at least one LED being thermally coupled to the conductive layer such that heat is conducted from the at least one LED to the thermally conductive periphery; and

the thermally conductive periphery being in direct contact with the heat sink assembly such that the heat sink assembly is thermally coupled to the thermally conductive periphery and heat is dissipated from the LED board via the thermally conductive periphery, the exposed bottom surface being thermally insulated with material disposed on the exposed bottom surface adjacent the thermally conductive periphery such that an air gap is provided between the material disposed on the exposed bottom surface.

2. The LED lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein only the thermally conductive periphery of the LED board is thermally coupled to the heat sink assembly.

3. The LED lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein only the thermally conductive periphery of the LED board is directly coupled to the heat sink assembly.

4. The LED lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface comprises a bottom periphery portion that is not thermally insulated and that is thermally coupled to the conductive layer and the heat sink assembly.

5. The LED lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein the top surface comprises a top periphery portion that is thermally coupled to the conductive layer and the heat sink assembly.

6. The LED lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein the LED board is substantially planar.

7. The LED lighting fixture of claim 6, wherein the LED board has an odd number of peripheral edges.

8. The LED lighting fixture of claim 6, wherein the LED board is substantia triangular shaped or is substantially circular shaped.

9. The LED lighting fixture of claim 6, wherein the LED board is a metal core PCB with a metal-exposed peripheral edge.

10. The LED lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein the heat sink assembly comprises a portion extending into at least a portion of an interior space of the base.

11. The LED lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein the heat sink assembly is cup shaped.

12. The LED lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein a portion of the heat sink assembly is insert molded with the base.

13. The LED lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein the LED board is compression or swage fit to the base.

14. The LED lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein at a portion of the base is of conductive plastic.

15. The LED lighting fixture of claim 1, further comprising an optically transmissive exterior enclosure extending from the base.

16. The LED lighting fixture of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the optically transmissive exterior enclosure is of conductive plastic.

17. The LED lighting fixture of claim 15, wherein the heat sink assembly comprises a portion extending into at least a portion of the optically transmissive exterior enclosure.

18. A method of heat management for a LED lighting fixture, the method comprising:

thermally coupling a LED board to a heat sink assembly, where the LED board comprises a top surface and an opposed, exposed bottom surface separated by a thermally conductive layer that forms an exposed thermally conductive periphery;

supporting at least one LED on the LED board such that the at least one LED is thermally coupled to the conductive layer, and heat is dissipated from the LED board to the heat sink assembly via the thermally conductive periphery, and

thermally insulating the exposed bottom surface with material disposed on the exposed bottom surface adjacent the thermally conductive periphery such that an air gap is provided between the material disposed on the exposed bottom surface.

19. The method of claim 18, thermally coupling only the thermally conductive periphery portion to heat sink assembly.

20. The method of claim 18, thermally coupling only the thermally conductive periphery portion directly to the heat sink assembly.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein at least a portion of the top surface comprises a top periphery portion that is thermally coupled to the thermally conduct layer and the heat sink assembly.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the LED board is substantially planar.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the LED board is substantially triangular shaped or is substantially circular shaped.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the LED board is a metal core PCB having a metal-exposed periphery.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the LED board has an odd number of thermally conductive peripheral edges.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the LED lamp further comprises a base having an electrical outlet and an open end separated from the base by an interior space, wherein the heat sink assembly comprises a portion extending into at least a portion of the interior space of the base.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the heat sink assembly is cup shaped.

28. The method of claim 27, further insert molding a portion of the heat sink assembly with the base.

29. The method of claim 27, further compression or swage fitting the LED board to the base.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein at least a portion of the base is of conductive plastic, the method further comprising transferring the heat to the base.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising transferring the heat to an optically transmissive exterior enclosure extending from the base.

32. A LED lighting fixture comprising:

a base comprising a heat sink assembly for dissipating heat to the ambient environment,

a metal core PCB LED board, the metal core PCB LED board supporting at least one LED operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from the base, wherein the metal core PCB LED board comprises a top surface and an opposed, exposed bottom surface separated by a thermally conductive layer that forms an exposed thermally conductive metal periphery, the at least one LED being thermally coupled to the conductive layer

such that heat is conducted from the at least one LED to the exposed thermally conductive metal periphery; and

the thermally conductive metal periphery being in direct contact with the heat sink assembly such that the heat sink assembly is thermally coupled to the exposed thermally conductive metal periphery and heat is dissipated from the LED board via the thermally conductive periphery, the exposed bottom surface being thermally insulated with material disposed on the exposed bottom surface adjacent the thermally conductive periphery such that an air gap is provided between the material disposed on the bottom surface.

33. The LED lighting fixture of claim 32, wherein the bottom surface comprises a periphery portion that is not thermally insulated and is thermally coupled to the conductive layer and the heat sink assembly.

34. The LED lighting fixture of claim 33, wherein only the thermally conductive metal periphery is thermally coupled to the heat sink assembly.

35. The LED lighting fixture of claim 33, wherein only the thermally conductive metal periphery is thermally coupled directly to the heat sink assembly.

36. The LED lighting fixture of claim 32, wherein the top surface comprises a periphery portion that is thermally coupled to the conductive layer and the heat sink assembly.

37. The LED lighting fixture of claim 32, wherein the metal core PCB LED board is compression or swage fit to the base.

38. The LED lighting fixture of claim 32, further comprising an optically transmissive exterior enclosure extending from the base.

39. An LED lighting fixture comprising:

a base comprising a heat sink assembly for dissipating heat to the ambient environment,

a LED board comprising a thermally conductive periphery, a top surface and an opposed bottom surface separated by a conductive layer that forms an exposed thermally conductive periphery, the LED board supporting at least one LED on the top surface that is thermally coupled to the conductive layer, and

such that heat is conducted from the at least one LED to the thermally conductive periphery, and wherein the top surface comprises a top periphery portion that forms part of the thermally conductive periphery, the thermally conductive periphery being in direct contact with the heat sink assembly such that the heat sink assembly is thermally coupled to the exposed thermally conductive periphery and heat is dissipated from the LED board via the thermally conductive periphery, the opposed bottom surface being thermally insulated with material disposed on the opposed bottom surface adjacent the thermally conductive periphery such that an air gap is provided between the material disposed on the opposed bottom surface,

the at least one LED operable to emit light when energized through an electrical path from the base.