Small form-factor LED lamp with color-controlled dimming

• US 9,909,723 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bergmann, Michael John, Garceran, Julio
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Bao Q
• Application Number:
  US14/813,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20170030529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 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 9/61 using light guides
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/90 Methods of manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/13 comprising an assembly of point-like light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A small form factor LED lighting system provides for color-controlled dimming. Embodiments of the invention use one or more small-footprint LED(s) that can emit light of different correlated color temperatures (CCTs, colors or spectral outputs). The CCT of the fixture or bulb can change when dimmed by disproportionate adjustment of the driving power for each color. The small size and footprint of the LEDs enables use in decorative LED lamps, such as those designed to replace candelabra style incandescent bulbs. Various options can be used to tune the performance and lighting characteristics of a lamp according to embodiments of the invention, such as the use of differing LED device package optics, the use of reflective materials in and/or around LED device packages, and the use of a secondary optic to produce an omnidirectional light pattern.

Claims

1. A lamp comprising:

at least one first LED and at least one second LED to provide light of east two different spectral outputs where the at least two spectral outputs comprise a first spectral output with a CCT within a range from about 1200K to about 2200K and a second spectral output with a CCT within a range from about 2700K to about 3500K, the at least one first LED and the at least one second LED disposed on a mounting surface within a 7 mm footprint; and

a guide optic disposed to receive the light from the at least one first LED and the at least one second LED;

wherein at portion of the light travels through the guide optic, and the light is emitted from the lamp with a correlated color temperature (CCT) of from 1200K to 3500K that is reduced when the lamp is dimmed.

2. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the at least one first LED and the at least one second LED comprises a plurality of LED chips disposed in a plurality of individual LED device packages.

3. The lamp of claim 2, further comp rising a reflective material between and/or around the plurality of LED chips.

4. The lamp of claim 3 wherein the reflective material comprises at one of a solder mask and a structural component the LED device packages.

5. The lamp of claim 3 wherein the reflective material comprises a reflective dam.

6. The lamp of claim 2 wherein the plurality of LED device packages further comprises two differently shaped lenses.

7. The lamp of claim 6 wherein the two differently shaped lenses comprise a domed lens and a cubic lens.

8. The lamp of claim 7 wherein the plurality of LED device packages further comprises two LED device packages with the domed lens and two LED device packages with the cubic lens.

9. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the at least one first LED and the at least one second LED each comprises a plurality of LED chips disposed in a single LED device package.

10. The lamp of claim 1 wherein the LED and the at least one second LED are disposed on the mounting surface within a 4 mm footprint.

11. A lamp comprising:

a first LED and a second LED to provide light of at least two different spectral outputs where the at least two spectral outputs comprise a first spectral output with a CCT within a range from about 1200K to about 2200K and a second spectral output with a CCT within a range from about 2700K to about 3500K, the first LED and the second LED disposed on a mounting surface; and

an optic disposed to receive the light from the first LED and the second LED and comprising a stem where the stem is narrower than the mounting surface.

12. The lamp of claim 11 wherein at least a portion of the light travels through the stem and the light is emitted from the lamp with a correlated color temperature of from 1200 K to 3500 K that is reduced when the lamp is dimmed.

13. The lamp of claim 11 wherein the first LED and the second LED comprises LEDs with differently shaped lenses.

14. The lamp of claim 13 wherein the two differently shaped lenses comprise a domed lens and a cubic lens.

15. The lamp of claim 14, further comprising a reflective material between and/or around the first LED and the second LED.

16. A lamp comprising:

a first LED and a second LED to provide light of different spectral outputs, the first LED comprising a first primary optic and producing light with a first far field pattern and the second LED comprises a second primary optic and producing light with a second far field pattern that is different from the first far field pattern where the first far field pattern comprises light emitted over an angle from about 115 degrees to about 120 degrees and the second far field pattern comprises light emitted over an angle from about 135 degrees to about 140 degrees; and

a secondary optic disposed to receive the light from the first LED and the second LED.

17. The lamp of claim 16 wherein the first far field pattern is narrower than the second far field pattern.

18. The lamp of claim 16 wherein the different spectral outputs comprise a first spectral output with a CCT from about 1200K to about 2700K and a second spectral output with a CCT from about 2200K to about 5000K.

19. The lamp of claim 18 further comprising a reflective material en and/or around the first LED and the second LED.

20. A method of assembling a candelabra lamp, the method comprising:

assembling a power supply within or conforming to a base of the candelabra lamp;

connecting at least one first LED and at least one second LED to the power supply wherein the at least one first LED and the at least one second LED are operable to provide light of at least two different spectral outputs, where the at least two spectral outputs comprise a first spectral output with a CCT within a range from about 1200K to about 2200K and a second spectral output with a CCT within a range from about 2700K to about 3500K, and the power supply is operable to selectively dim at least the spectral outputs when the candelabra lamp is dimmed;

installing a guide optic to receive at least some of the light from the at least one first LED and the at least one second LED; and

connecting an optically transmissive enclosure to the base of the candelabra lamp to enclose the at least one LED and the guide optic so that the light is emitted from the lamp with a correlated color temperature of from 1200K to 3500K that is reduced when the candelabra lamp is dimmed.